Not Bad 17
The cries of a child did not stop at the villa.
Da-in could not understand it. Why would Kwon Hee-jae look at the safe child and get angry?
His rage was extreme, and the child’s face turned blue from the intensity.
In the end, Manager Kang and Han Chae-ah stepped in to calm him, and only then did he turn away, limping. Throughout the walk back from the beach, he did not once glance at Yeon-woo.
Same on the way to the car. Whoever he resembled, Yeon-woo buried his head in Chae-ah’s lap while Kwon Hee-jae stared out the window in silence.
There was a chilling savagery between the father and son that felt like walking on a blade.
Oh… what about the part-time job?
Of course, she wasn’t overly worried. After all, the rental shop was just a kind of pocket-money gig run by Clara Demon, and it would be filled with new people in no time.
Back at the villa, before Kwon Hee-jae’s lightning anger could crash down again, Da-in fled to her room.
Standing under the shower, letting the water hit her, sand grains tickled between her hair strands. That horribly unsettling sensation was truly rare. Maybe during the island survival training.
Da-in shuddered and shook her head. Then she lathered her hair again and again until it felt clean.
Only after her toes and fingers had wrinkled did she finally step out of the bathroom. With the frustration building, she dried her hair under the cold blast of the dryer.
Why does my body ache so much?
On top of that, the villa’s atmosphere felt like walking on thin ice, which only helped calm her mood.
Eventually the house grew quiet, and the usual garden sounds drifted across it. Only then did Da-in gaze out the window with a drowsy feeling. If she fell asleep now, maybe she could rest her eyes for a moment.
After focusing all her nerves on Kwon Hee-jae for the past few days, fatigue had quietly accumulated.
Tap-tap.
At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
When she sat up with a start and opened it, Ju Seung-eon stood before her with a serious expression, their gazes locking.
The reason has come. Why does the feeling of standing before the ferryman without reason feel so strange? He’s just like any other person.
“What’s the matter?”
She asked the silent man first. The man with the cold gaze scanned the room and then looked down at her.
“Let’s talk.”
“Outside?”
“No, inside.”
Short answers seemed to be a trait of the men in this house.
Da-in shrugged and led Ju Seung-eon into the room. His eyes, hands still in his pockets, swept the space with a chilling chill.
It felt as if there was a wiretap in those eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
“I wanted to hear about the situation. Since no one here is thinking clearly, I came anyway.”
“Ah… there’s no need to apologize. I work at the board rental shop. I saw it all by chance.”
“By chance?”
The man who asked sat in the armchair and nodded. It meant to sit anywhere and face him.
Da-in sighed and sat at the far end of the bed, farthest from him, scratching the back of her neck.
“I was collecting the boards. A surfer who knows how to read waves was yelling. He said a good wave was coming, but it was dangerous for regular people. So I tried to run, and that’s when I saw Yeon-woo. And Miss Chae-ah too.”
“Ah.”
“And I wasn’t the only one who jumped in to save him. Miss Chae-ah grabbed Yeon-woo first, and even some foreign guy helped.”
She deliberately dropped the name of Dan Sneyer. If the person who hired him was from the NIS, Ju Seung-eon would surely know.
If she didn’t mention Dan, suspicion would only grow.
“I already heard about that. No matter what, it’s good that everyone is safe.”
“Yes, I’m happy too.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lee Da-in.”
Da-in clapped her hands lightly to end the conversation, blinked, and lifted her head. As she watched Ju Seung-eon rise without a word, he hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“And the reason your brother is angry is because of self-reproach. He’s been holding on with just his pride, but today that pride broke. He couldn’t protect Yeon-woo with his own hands. This anger is directed at himself.”
“Still… I think you shouldn’t let feelings turn into actions. No one made a mistake today. Nature is just that cruel.”
“I know. Still, I wanted to say that I would defend my brother. Everyone will probably think the same as you. Even I would understand if you did.”
He had clearly said “brother.” Not father-in-law, not Kwon-ssi, but brother.
After Ju Seung-eon bowed and left the room, Da-in sat there, chewing over their conversation.
Anger because of self-reproach. She understood it intellectually, but she didn’t really get it. Was it because he couldn’t protect the other person with his own hands that he got angry? Isn’t it a blessing to be protected by anyone?
The emotions were far too layered for her to fully grasp.
After sending her grandfather off, she had only just realized how precious someone could be. She had never felt that depth of preciousness before.
At least it wasn’t pity.
“Hah, it’s complicated.”
Da-in put her hand on her chest and fell back onto the bed.
Then sudden hunger struck, and she sprang up. No matter the atmosphere, she needed at least a piece of cookie in her mouth.
Sneaking out, she found the kitchen, and the aroma of food filled the air. Manager Kang’s face brightened when she noticed the disguised Da-in.
Manager Kang waved, and a large burger was placed on a plate with salad. She brought it over.
“Thank you, Ms. Lee Da-in. Honestly, thinking about what happened earlier, my head is still spinning…”
Da-in fixed her gaze on the burger and waved her hand.
“No, no need to thank me. I just did what was natural.”
“Still, I have to say thank you. Ah, please eat this. I made it in a hurry since lunch is long past, so I don’t know how it tastes.”
No. Just looking at it made her mouth water.
Da-in bit into the burger with force, as if to prove it. The meat juices burst in her mouth, mixed with the salty sauce and bread.
Because her stomach was empty, it tasted so good she nearly cried. She licked the sauce off her fingers, and Manager Kang smiled contentedly while preparing enough for two.
“How are the two of you? Miss Chae-ah and Yeon-woo.”
“Ah… both of you look like floppy-eared rabbits, huh. My representative is usually strict, but this emotional side is new. That’s why Yeon-woo just cried and didn’t say a word.”
“Ah… then where are Miss Chae-ah and Yeon-woo?”
“In Yeon-woo’s room.”
“May I take this in?”
Manager Kang stared blankly for a moment before handing over the tray. Smiling brightly, Da-in accepted the tray and headed straight to Yeon-woo’s room.
Knocking loudly with her foot, Han Chae-ah opened the door slowly.
Her eyes were puffy, so she had probably been crying together with Yeon-woo. Da-in sighed at the sight of Chae-ah.
“May I come in?”
“P-please come in.”
Da-in opened the door with her foot and entered, frowning at Yeon-woo squatting in the corner.
“Kwon Yeon-woo.”
Calling his name in a dignified tone unlike usual, he lifted his head with teary eyes again.
But soon he spotted the burger and froze. Da-in set the tray down and sat on the floor opposite him.
“Aren’t you going to say thank you?”
The boy’s eyes widened, and he pouted. He stubbornly closed his lips and stayed silent.
Da-in took a big bite of the burger right in front of him and asked in a bored tone.
“Hurry and thank the lifesaver. Thank you, that’s five words, right?”
“……”
“Wow, then what about you, sister?”
Chae-ah, watching them, was suddenly pointed at and rolled her eyes before shouting loudly.
“Thank you, Ms. Lee Da-in!”
Then she sat right next to Da-in and took a big bite of the burger she was holding.
Da-in laughed and pushed the burger in front of Yeon-woo.
“T-h-a-n-k-y-o-u. We have to say it. I was so worried about this little rascal getting swept away by the waves that I ran as fast as I could. Don’t you see my feet are all bloody?”
To show her feet, Yeon-woo squeezed his eyes shut and wailed.
“T-t-h-a-n-k-y-o-u! Thank you for saving Yeon-woo!”
The loud cry made tears well up in the squeezed eyes.
Only then did Da-in gently stroke Yeon-woo’s hair before setting the tray down.
“Come here. Eat together.”
“Yes, Yeon-woo. Teacher is hungry too. Let’s eat together.”
With Chae-ah joining, the three of them sat around the small table and ate the burgers. No matter how you looked at it, sharing was much better than eating alone.
And she wanted to teach the child that apologizing wasn’t difficult. No one turned away someone who apologized.
She wanted to show that if you apologized sincerely, the other person would never turn away.
By the time they finished eating, Yeon-woo’s mood had almost returned to normal. There was still a little tension left, but he was smiling and even playing around.
Thinking it was enough, Da-in started to stand up, but Chae-ah grabbed her ankle as she picked up a picture book.
Seeing her innocently smiling face sent cold sweat down her back.
“Ms. Lee Da-in, do you like role-playing? No, I think you’d be really good at it. Want to play role-play with me?”
* * *
In the deep of night, Yeon-woo’s door opened.
The two men who entered the room let out a faint sigh at the unexpected sight.
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Kwon Hee-jae leaned against the doorframe and asked while staring at the fully occupied bed.
Ju Seung-eon sighed and stepped forward to answer.
“Two women and one little boy. They look like they fell asleep reading a book like corpses. Chae-ah, wake up. You can’t sleep here.”
Ju Seung-eon naturally kissed Chae-ah on the forehead and lifted her into his arms. Like a child, she spread her arms and clung to his neck while muttering in her sleep.
Since being held was familiar, she laid her head on his shoulder and didn’t open her eyes.
“Then I’ll leave first.”
Ju Seung-eon carried Chae-ah out, leaving Kwon Hee-jae behind.
That couple looked like an ant-licking pair.
Kwon Hee-jae wiped the cold expression from his face and approached Yeon-woo.
He pulled a small chair suited for the child and sat down, looking at the sleeping face.
“Sorry for getting angry. Yeon-woo.”
He had wanted to protect him with his own hands, but he had arrived last. His ridiculous feeling was so strong he wanted to cut off his broken leg.
He could not overcome the self-loathing that came with relief and ended up doing something shameful.
He gently stroked the plump cheek of Yeon-woo. The child, with his lips pouting, turned his body toward the woman.
Even when he crawled into her arms, the woman did not wake.
She had tried to kill him when he touched her.
He stared long at the back of the child’s head and the woman’s face as she slept soundly. She was the woman who had hugged the child and endured the waves. Knowing she was safe, she had smiled brighter than ever.
The woman’s face, soaked in seawater, sparkled.
He sighed again.
The clear eyes that swallowed stars kept bothering him.