“Then just looking outside the window?”
“Something like that.”
“There aren’t even stars visible, and the city is just pitch-black—is there anything to see?”
Without a word, I just nodded and turned my gaze toward the window again. Cha Woodan, who had been watching my profile like that, took out what he’d brought.
“Let’s drink some water.”
Not ‘Want to drink water?’ nor ‘Aren’t you thirsty by chance?’ It was nothing more than notifying me of an already decided matter.
Cha Woodan, who skillfully read the inner thoughts revealed in my expression, curled up the corners of his mouth.
“It seems like it’s about time to drink water. The last time you drank water was around 6 o’clock when you ate dinner.”
“…Am I really a pet or something? Making me drink water at set times?”
“Your body is already weak, so you have to eat well and drink well.”
Compared to the twins, my body would naturally look frail enough to be withered, but that was different from the average according to objective indicators. I didn’t fall behind in walking, running, or getting injured and recovering. So I belonged to average or fell just slightly short of average, not to the extent that could be expressed as ‘your body is already weak.’
But the twins thought differently from me, and their stubbornness was firm too.
“Hayoung-ah. Hm?”
As if coaxing a child, he raised the end of the sentence softly to urge me. At that, I gave a rough eye signal as if to say do as you please. Since this wasn’t the first or second time for such things, I didn’t want to drag it out unnecessarily.
Though he’d been certain I would affirm out of annoyance, Cha Woodan shamelessly grinned as if pleased that I’d listened to him. Then with careful hands, he wrapped around my shoulders and lightly pulled me toward him.
As I obediently pressed my body to Cha Woodan, he smiled once more and withdrew his hand. I blankly stared at the sight of him picking up the plastic bottle he’d briefly placed on his knee and opening the cap without much effort.
‘…Like he’s really treating a child who can’t do anything.’
If asked whether I’d ever acted naive and foolish with coquetry toward the twins, absolutely not. When I injured my leg, and when other incidents occurred before that too. I’d just firmly suppressed other things beneath emotionlessness, and had never brought out aegyo or anything like that which didn’t suit me.
Meanwhile, Cha Woodan, who had removed the blue plastic cap, set it down on the bed sheet. Reaching out again to grasp my shoulder, he tapped my lower lip with the bottle opening.
“Hayoung-ah. Say ahh.”
…As I thought, this seems quite strange in many ways.
“I also have one thing I want to ask out of curiosity.”
At the sudden words, Cha Woodan opened his two eyes wide, then curved the corners of his eyes roundly.
“What is it?”
“The other day, when I was trying to fall out the window and you caught me.”
Cha Woodan’s instant stiffening was transmitted through the touching skin. Though he stiffened his body rigidly trying not to show it and hid his movement, because we were stuck so close together, it was insufficient to deceive me.
“…Yeah. That time.”
The plastic bottle that had approached close to me moved away with a gap in the air. I could see the clean liquid contained inside sloshing.
“That time, why? Did you remember where you were trying to go?”
“No. Not that.”
Cha Woodan’s gaze was tenacious as if it would pierce through my skin. Perhaps due to the instinct of a relative weakling before a predator, tension seemed to brush past before my eyes for no reason.
I’d known well that Cha Woodan’s state had changed subtly over the past two days, but he before my eyes at this moment possessed that inexplicable atmosphere even more thickly. Unlike the two days when I could only vaguely feel it through attitude, it was as if he’d returned to the Cha Woodan of that time when he’d just caught me from outside the window and even lifted me up.
But paradoxically, a strange certainty still remained. For some reason I didn’t know, because the twins had favorable feelings toward me, Cha Woodan wouldn’t kill me.
So I opened my mouth without further hesitation.
“You grabbed my leg, what were you trying to do?”
Once, twice. I saw every bit of Cha Woodan slowly blinking without hiding it. Soon he hung an arc at his mouth.
“Right now, you’re asking even though you already guessed and inferred, right?”
“No. I don’t know what you were trying to do.”
Cha Woodan’s two eyes narrowed as if gauging my sincerity.
“That’s why I’m asking you. Because I’m curious.”
“You really don’t know?”
“Why? Should I know?”
“No. You shouldn’t know.”
…Ah. Or not.
The sound of Cha Woodan muttering low echoed by my ear.
“Even if you found out, Hayoung, would you act like it’s nothing…”
So what exactly—
Just as I, tired of waiting, was about to furrow my brow slightly, Cha Woodan continued speaking after allowing another moment.
“Because you’re too fearless.”
“…Me?”
‘What’s this sudden talk about?’
But there was no time to think.
“I want you not to leave my side. No… we.”
Cha Woodan slowly corrected himself. I could feel through my clothes the faint force entering and releasing from that grip still remaining on my shoulder.
We. I chewed over that word soundlessly.
“So I worried. What means should I use so we can be together for a long time?”
“……”
“Just the relationship of benefactor and us isn’t enough. Right?”
The more the explanation continued, the more it felt like the content was getting more tangled. As I remained quietly silent, unable to understand, Cha Woodan stared at me intently then moved the plastic bottle.
“Hayoung-ah. Ahh.”
I opened my mouth one beat late. Cha Woodan tilted the bottle, leaned it using my lips as a foothold, and carefully let the contents inside flow.
Even in the midst of that, Cha Woodan’s two pupils were stuck on me as if desperate to lock me inside him. Tired of meeting that gaze, I slowly rolled my eyes.
‘…I really don’t understand.’
Though there were already too many things to think about, even matters regarding those I’d kept close had fallen into a labyrinth.
***
It was only the next morning that news came that Lee Gojun had awakened. It had been exactly three days.
“Hayoung-ah!”
Cha Jeoh skillfully grabbed the scruff of Lee Gojun’s neck to restrain him as he rushed toward the bed with both arms spread. His younger brother, who couldn’t possibly be used to the sight of his hyung coughing while blocked by the stretching clothes, scowled fiercely and interjected.
“What are you doing right now? Is it okay to treat someone who’s the church leader of the Church of Hayoung like that?”
‘…What?’
I blinked blankly, wondering if I’d heard wrong. But Cha Jeoh reflected in my vision, and even Cha Woodan, couldn’t hide their expressions tangled with confusion and irritation. In that, the only one reacting calmly aside from the younger brother who was the person in question was Lee Gojun.
Lee Gojun, nodding alone, shook off Cha Jeoh’s hand with his younger brother’s help. Though there was no way the two of them joining forces could overcome Cha Jeoh’s strength, Cha Jeoh obediently let him go without resisting, perhaps due to the situation unfolding before him.
Soon Lee Gojun strode close to the bedside. Then, producing a proud smile, he pointed to his younger brother.
“Our Geonwoo has finally accepted your greatness and nobility too. It’s all thanks to you, Hayoung-ah. Thanks to you making Geonwoo realize your existence that day…”
I wondered what the hell this nonsense was.
“Geonwoo is the second believer of our Church of Hayoung. Isn’t that an incomparably glorious thing?”
Geonwoo… in other words, Lee Geonwoo who had been desperate to glare at me. Had become the second believer of the Church of Hayoung.
As his hyung’s words ended, Lee Geonwoo stepped forward. Feeling my gaze turn toward him, he swallowed dry saliva for a moment, then soon bent his waist.
“I’m sorry. I want to apologize for all the rude behavior I’ve shown you until now.”
Unable to choose what to say, I moved my mouth. Meanwhile, Lee Geonwoo, who had straightened his waist while fidgeting, wriggled his clasped hands. That appearance was very different from what I’d seen of him until now. Without a trace of hatred, resentment, or even a hint of distrust having been erased, he who hesitated awkwardly looked exactly like a boy fitting his age.
But the words that followed were no less than those of the crazy fanatic Lee Gojun.
“I… this is the first time I’m meeting a god like this.”
“……”
“I couldn’t believe it right away. You might think it impious, but I thought there was no way a god could exist.”
Beside me, someone pressed their forehead with a thwack. I couldn’t tell whether it was Cha Jeoh or Cha Woodan, or perhaps both.
“Thanks to that, many parts of my life changed because of that day three days ago. While hyung was asleep, I thought about it again…”
“Geonwoo-ya, just a moment. I think I need to look at Hayoung’s leg first.”
“Ah, sorry. I’m sorry. I was being thoughtless.”
My open mouth had now reached the point where it wouldn’t close. Since it was rare for me to be this flustered, I chased and chased Lee Geonwoo stepping back with finely trembling eyes.
Then, belatedly noticing Lee Gojun who had approached me, I shifted my gaze.
“Hayoung-ah, I’ll unwrap the bandage first and examine the condition.”
Unable to muster the spirit to react to him calmly starting his task, I quietly left Lee Gojun unwrapping the bandage alone.
