Woonghee wiggled his delicately formed fingers like glass craftwork. He scraped the coconut flesh clean down to the bottom. He carefully sprinkled it onto the plump, fatty shrimp. This should season it nicely. Now, as he tried to pick it up with chopsticks…
“Uh oh…”
It kept slipping and sliding right out, didn’t it. He had no choice but to use his hands. He carefully picked up the tail with his fingers.
“Um…”
Plop, plop. Sticky liquid was dripping, so he cupped it with his palm and offered it to Managing Director Gi. His satisfyingly jutting lips gaped wide open with a crack. He sucked in the shrimp all at once. The tail part slipped in, disappearing into his pitch-black mouth hole, and Woonghee’s fingers went in along with it. A damp tongue brushed against his fingers.
“Hngh…!”
Woonghee trembled without realizing it, his body shaking. The man crunched and munched on the plump shrimp flesh while making eye contact with Woonghee. His gaze was extremely predatory.
“Mm? What’s wrong, Woonghee-ssi. You’re so surprised.”
He wrinkled his nose bridge cutely. As if he knew nothing. As if it was all your fault for having dirty thoughts. Despite his arms being tattered, he exuded a sensual atmosphere befitting someone adorned with the title of emperor of the night like armor.
“Eating like this makes me feel like I’ll get better quickly.”
Woonghee’s round cheeks flushed red.
“Even my parents never fed me anything with their bare hands.”
Well, of course. There are no proper chopsticks here. The finger that his tongue tip had rubbed wetly burned as if scalded by fire. Thump-thump, even his heart beat anxiously. But strangely, it didn’t feel unpleasant… which was odd.
“Even when I got hurt, they never applied ointment for me. Ah, there was just one person.”
These days he always wanted to explain something like this. As if it connected to something about Woonghee.
“My art therapist. She was the only woman who called me by my name instead of ‘young master.'”
Again. His heart sank with a thud again.
Managing Director Gi, did names mean that much to you? Did they hold such tremendous meaning? Then, I can no longer call you by your name.
Junhyuk-ssi, no, Managing Director Gi. Please don’t do this. You’re a strong person, aren’t you.
Even if you let out such weak words, even if you look at me with those desolate eyes that seem to crave attention… I have no choice. Except to betray you.
Even if I leave this place, it doesn’t guarantee I can return alive. Everything was thoroughly a game of probability. That’s why he had to increase the probability of returning alive somehow. He didn’t want to take any kind of risk.
If I die here, what about Lee Woongju? Who will take care of my younger sibling…
Woonghee covered his wavering eyes, shaken by guilt, with his long eyelashes. So no one could see through his vulnerable interior. Not knowing there was already someone who had seen right through it and was just waiting for a chance to dig in.
“Can you do it again tomorrow?”
His consciousness snapped back. What Woonghee faced as he woke from his endless thoughts was eyes watching him.
“…Again?”
No, I have to abandon you and leave tomorrow. I can’t do that. His lips, hanging onto words he couldn’t bring himself to say, trembled like waves.
“Well…”
Why can’t you speak, you idiot bastard. You should say you will. That it’s nothing, that nothing will happen tomorrow either, so you’ll do it.
But why wouldn’t his lips open like this. Woonghee felt like he’d rather have all his teeth pulled out. Thinking that if he could only make “uh, uh” sounds, maybe the man would take pity on him.
However, the man slowly soothed Woonghee as if he knew everything.
“It’s okay. Say it slowly.”
He gently rubbed Woonghee’s cheek with his angular jaw as if acting coquettish.
“……”
“Slowly…”
What kind of heart am I cherishing you with, Woonghee-ssi. Hmm? he coaxed gently. Rubbing his torn-up forearm gently against Woonghee’s side.
No, Woonghee absolutely could not spit out a lie. So he chose to turn away instead. He clutched at his throat unnecessarily, making stifled throat sounds—keck, keck.
“My throat is blocked… I’ll go get some water.”
The man’s face turned ice cold. Crack, the sound of grinding teeth could be heard. It was just a small popping sound, but it seemed like something inside him had been destroyed.
“Even when I’m doing this much, it still won’t work?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Nevertheless, Woonghee turned away. Because Woonghee shouldn’t know what exactly had been destroyed inside him. He ran out of the bungalow as if escaping.
“Haak, haa, haa…”
He gasped roughly. The empty sandy beach. The broken raft was lying there. It was the one that other people had taken out and gotten caught.
“Right, at least that…”
Woonghee dashed over there. He dragged logs over and began binding them to the raft. He tied the knots tightly like his own heart. So the blade called guilt could no longer wound his resolve.
“Haa…”
And he worked his hands in a trance for a long while.
How much time had passed? Already a crescent moon like a fingernail was floating in the sky. It was a desolate night.
After finishing the work, he scooped up valley water and returned to the bungalow. The man had fallen asleep lying on one side in the meantime. He was relieved, worried that those two eyes might crave something from him again.
Please sleep peacefully until dawn tomorrow, Woonghee wished desperately.
Outside the door, caw, caw, a crow cried out.
It was only half a day from then. When Woonghee realized anew that his prayers didn’t come true well.
If he had known it would be like this, he shouldn’t have wished so desperately.
“…What is this.”
The raft had been completely smashed overnight. Was he still not fully awake? He wondered if he was seeing illusions from lack of sleep… but no. Seeing the despair written on everyone’s faces, it was definitely not a dream.
The first to discover this miserable scene was Paeng Hana.
‘Aaaaah! Which bastard did this!’
Woonghee, who hadn’t closed his eyes all night, heard that scream first. When he rushed outside, he witnessed an unbelievable scene. It had been perfectly fine just last night, but overnight the raft had been smashed to pieces.
“Who on earth…”
Woonghee brushed the wood debris with his hand. There were gouges in places. Very sharp gouged marks. As if someone had used a well-made weapon. As he tried to look at the marks more closely. His nape was grabbed immediately.
“Was it you? Is it you again, you son of a bitch!”
This time too, the person the Assistant Director hyung suspected as the culprit was Woonghee.
“Am I crazy? I was the one who finished making the raft last night before going to bed!”
Woonghee protested with veins bulging in his neck. He yelled loudly, but the suspicion didn’t disappear from the Assistant Director hyung’s eyes. As he looked around while his nape was grabbed, everyone was just glaring at him with hostile eyes.
Who on earth did this? They had to find the culprit. Everyone rolled their eyes around. They couldn’t trust anyone.
Woonghee, whose eyes turned bright red with anger and injustice, tried to speak again but couldn’t. Because Managing Director Gi moved him behind himself and stepped forward.
“Shhhh.”
The man made a deflating sound while pressing his lips with his thumb.
“Why is everyone making such a racket from the morning.”
Everyone’s gaze focused there. The man pointed at the sandy beach with his index finger.
“There are footprints here?”
It was true. There were footprints so clear that one wondered why they hadn’t been discovered until now. One by one, people’s eyes turned back. Those footprints were heading toward the mountain.
‘Uh…’
For a moment, his heart seemed to sink. There was someone hiding in those mountains right now.
“Shall we all go in together?”
The man suggested with an eye-smile.
“Oh, oh, yeah, that would work!”
“I don’t know who it is, but this bastard, if I catch them I’ll kill them, for real.”
Other people agreed loudly in a threatening atmosphere. With the man at the head, people began climbing the mountain. Woonghee also followed them from the very back. The closer they got to the center of the mountain, the more Woonghee felt his heartbeat quickening. It was pounding so hard that someone would have to shout right next to him for him to understand words.
Crazy, fuck, I’m screwed. In this direction is where Tula is…!
Did this crazy bastard really smash the raft? Why on earth? Why on earth! I told him so clearly not to do stupid things, that we need to escape from here safely and go get Jjokko.
“It’s here.”
Finally, the place Managing Director Gi stopped was in front of a large tree.
“Wh-what’s supposed to be here?”
While everyone was puzzled, the man’s eyes narrowed. His eyes were precisely targeting Woonghee among the people.
“……”
Managing Director Gi was standing precisely on the last footprint. At that moment, something caught Woonghee’s eye—the shoes Managing Director Gi was wearing.
Come to think of it, those footprints. The size looks a bit big to be Tula’s feet. Moreover, weren’t the footprints deeply carved as if cut cleanly?
Like a dress shoe… heel.
“……”
That was a very small detail that only Woonghee, who had been obsessed with footprints all this time, could notice. And there was only one person on this island who still insisted on those inconveniently uncomfortable dress shoes. Only Managing Director Gi.
Right, they were footprints he made. Then, the reason he smashed all the rafts, the reason he deliberately left noticeable footprints, the reason he brought everyone here…
He clapped his hands three times.
Clap, clap, clap.
“I think we’ve finally caught him.”
And he blabbered in a terribly theatrical tone.
“The thieving bastard.”
