Seoryeong scooted farther away, disturbed by the man’s scattered, incoherent rambling.

His pale, fragile skin. Those twitching, quivering pupils made him look unusually innocent for a man in his twenties. He was scrawny, but not quite small; tall, yet his lack of muscle gave him a saggy, flimsy impression.

The man creaked as he stood, only to sit back down on the bench again. But the way he sat, back unnaturally stiff, was faintly unsettling. Even as he kept glancing her way, he placed his clenched fists squarely on his knees—like some nervous private saluting a superior.

“Have we... met before?”

Seoryeong asked casually, but the man sprang up again in a panic.

“N-no? I mean, nice to—no, I really don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before.”

“......”

“You’re... you’re pretty.”

“......”

“You don’t photograph well, right? Your face is so dimensional—ah... s-sorry!”

...What the hell is this? Is that supposed to be a come-on?

“I just got a little excited...! Ah—no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way or anything...!”

“......”

“I was rude...! I just—it’s really my first time seeing you...”

What is this creepy feeling? Seoryeong frowned cautiously, and the young man broke into a full sweat every time he opened his mouth. His face, pale as chalk, was a mess of embarrassment and dejection.

In the end, he fumbled with his bag and began hurriedly packing his things. Looked like he was about to leave. But though he slung on his backpack as if to run, he only dawdled, stealing sidelong glances at her. His gaze was strangely sticky, almost desperate.

What the hell is his deal? Seoryeong squinted, instinctively glancing around. Maybe one of her familiar alley cats was nearby...

“Do you know me?”

She asked on a whim. Maybe he was someone she’d passed by back when she couldn’t see? But the young man shook his head stiffly. All the same, he jammed his cap back down over his head and gripped his bag strap with white-knuckled tension.

“Noona—!”

Just then, a ball came rolling and bounced off her foot. A chorus of shrieking children burst in from all directions. They latched onto her pant legs and tugged with wild energy, nearly knocking her over.

“Noona, why’d you take so long? That ahjussi’s been coming here all alone waiting for you—!”

“Ah...”

“When you’re not here, he locks the wheelchair and won’t even play with us...!”

Uncomfortable, Seoryeong gently pushed the kids off her.

“He’s sulking, so go kiss him, quick...!”

She bent partway over and tried to slip away from the bench—but froze at what came next.

“Do it long, like last time...! Then he’ll push us around in the wheelchair, noona...!”

She rolled her eyes toward where Lee Wooshin was, but thankfully, he looked completely uninterested, slouched back without a care.

All right then. Better to leave before this escalates. She hadn’t expected a quick sit-down to turn into this mess.

“...Did you... do something with him?”

Suddenly, the wide-eyed young man leaned in, voice stiff. The kids bounced on their toes like they were ready to sprint off any second, while the man blinked his pristine eyes like a clueless calf.

“Shh, everyone shhh—!”

Seoryeong waved her hand like she was calming a riotous crowd. At the same time, she subtly shifted her weight, preparing to bolt.

“No, it’s not like that with him... Noona’s leaving now.”

“Where to?”

“Uh... just a little trip—”

“With that huge backpack? Where exactly is this ‘little’ trip to?”

“To catch a boat...”

“Why are you catching a boat?”

The way he pressed for details made her blurt out answers before thinking. And once she realized it, she saw that it wasn’t the kids talking—it had been the young man beside her all along.

At some point, he’d tossed his cap aside completely and was now staring at her, unblinking. His eyes had changed. Something in them was off.

“That sounds... dangerous, doesn’t it? Boats are small, but the ocean’s vast...”

“What?”

“You’ve got a whole load of baggage... shouldn’t you at least tell your family you’re going...”

“Excuse me.”

Just as Seoryeong reached the end of her patience, the man pulled out his phone and began furiously typing. His stiff fingers jabbed at the screen, lips tightly pressed—it made him look... anxious.

Creak, creak. That was when she heard the sound of unlubricated wheels from far off. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

She turned her head, holding her breath—and saw Lee Wooshin, in patient’s garb, rise from his wheelchair like a predator spotting prey.

If he caught her now, her last chance to find Kim Hyun would vanish. The realization slammed into her, and she immediately turned to flee—

—but someone yanked on her backpack and refused to let go. The young man beside her, again.

“――!”

From that moment, she stopped thinking. Her body, now fully led by instinct, twisted and snapped his twig-like arm in one motion. She drove her knee into his leg, forcing him to kneel, and locked her arm around his thin neck.

She shouted, urgent and trembling.

“Don’t come any closer...! Just talk from there. I don’t have time to fight with you, Instructor. I’m just here for a moment!”

“......”

Dragging the young man back with her, she began inching away. Wooshin’s expression stiffened as he stared. After a moment of watching the hostage, he scowled and spat a curse.

Her phone started to ring for the first time in a week. Holding onto the skinny man, Seoryeong fumbled for the screen. It was the first call she’d accepted since stealing that kiss and running off.

“I told you not to come here...!”

—Fine. But let go of that guy first.

A low voice scraped her ear.

—He looks like a fucking pervert. Don’t cling to weirdos like that.

“What are you...”

—If you don’t back off by the count of three, I’m not going to be nice.

The warning slipped out icy and sharp. The young man flinched.

Three, two... Wooshin was glaring, counting down slowly as he watched the two of them up close.

The pale-faced young man squirmed, but the more he struggled, the tighter Seoryeong’s grip grew.

When Wooshin stepped forward, both of them jolted like frightened animals.

“Don’t move! Don’t do anything, Instructor! If you come any closer, I swear I’ll...!” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Seoryeong hesitated, then blurted out whatever came to mind.

“I’ll do something to him right here!”

—...What?

His eyebrow twitched. The poor young man turned red as a beet, shoulders trembling, clearly on the verge of tears. He didn’t seem afraid of her—more like embarrassed beyond belief.

Wooshin silently flexed his fists, then walked over and righted the fallen wheelchair. With that one movement, the tension seemed to loosen.

Seoryeong wasted no time getting to the point.

“I’m going somewhere for a bit...! I’ll be back soon, so please just stay here and keep up with treatment—”

—Where?

Even through his patient gown, the swell of his chest made her uneasy.

—When I asked you to leave together, you acted all scared. And now you’re just going off on your own?

His lips twisted coldly. She couldn’t bring herself to say she was going to find Kim Hyun. Once, long ago, they used to sit across a table and talk about anything without hesitation...

Maybe it wasn’t easy for her either—leaving this man behind in the hospital.

“I’m temporarily assigned to Beta Team right now.”

—...What?

“Just for a few days.”

—You think that makes it okay...?

His black hair glinted ominously in the sun. Wooshin squinted at her like she was an illusion, then covered his eyes with one hand.

His lips curled in bitter amusement. A faint laugh echoed through the receiver.

—I gave you time to pretend I was a good guy, and you wasted it.

“......!”

—Even so, I kept dreaming about you. And now, after all that, I see you hugging some stranger.

“This isn’t—!”

—You’re so fucking nice, huh, Seoryeong?

The way he pressed the words down made it obvious it was anything but praise. Seoryeong looked at him, speechless.

—And yet, seeing you again... the migraine I’ve been carrying around? Gone. Just vanished. It’s funny. That’s why I can’t let you go. No matter how I think about it, being the kind of bastard who ruins everything suits me better.

His voice carried a hint of laughter—almost self-mocking.

—Just once... I want to live like trash and ignore how you feel.

She didn’t hear the rest. Even standing there under full sunlight, Wooshin looked like he’d fallen into a hole he couldn’t escape. Smiling faintly, speaking like it was nothing... what the hell was he really thinking?

—They say it all rots if you leave it like this. You have to air it out, stir it up, every single day...

Even in a place swarming with people, he looked alone. And all she could think was: thank god he wasn’t barging toward her.

Still, how can someone say “have a safe trip” in such an ominous way?

The young man trapped in her elbow lock had stopped resisting and was now following obediently. Seoryeong widened her steps, putting more distance between them, and then opened her mouth on impulse. It wasn’t a promise, not really—but something close.

“Then wait a little longer.”

—......

“You said I showed up in your dreams. Some people never appear no matter how badly you miss them. So I’m not that bad, right? Keep up with treatment, okay? And don’t start thinking about your ex-wife again just because you hate me.”

—......!

“If you really have to, at least tell me her name and number first.”

Then I’m off. Her smile was awkward but bright—and Wooshin froze like he’d been struck by lightning.

As he watched her walk away, he murmured softly, like a ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ breeze slipping through.

—...Maybe I will.

“Huh?”

—If my legs heal. And if you come back. Then.

Sunlight pooled across his bowed neck like a pale wound. Seoryeong didn’t understand what that meant—her heart was pounding wildly.

It was the two of them saying goodbye.