By Zephyria 
Even after eating, Choi Won-joon didn’t leave and lingered. Lee-eum had planned to stay home today, exhausted from hosting his father’s seventieth birthday party, but he changed his plans to get Choi Won-joon off his back.
“Another mountain? You said you were tired.”
“The more tired I am, the more I need to sweat it out.”
After driving for about an hour, they arrived at the mountain. Choi Won-joon got out of the car and spat out a curse under his breath. On the other hand, Lee-eum warmed up, preparing to climb the mountain, and after packing his gear, he tightened his shoelaces. Choi Won-joon only wore a tracksuit and followed along, grumbling when he saw the rugged mountain terrain.
“You said you like fishing too. Let’s go fishing now.”
“That’s why I said I’d go alone.”
Choi Won-joon asked, unable to understand.
“Why hiking, of all things, when it’s so hot?”
“There’s a sense of accomplishment in conquering it. When you stand at the summit, you feel proud and refreshed.”
Choi Won-joon put his arm around Lee-eum’s shoulder and acted coy.
“How about conquering me instead of the mountain?”
Lee-eum brushed his arm off and ignored him, so he followed behind, continuing to persuade him.
“How about learning golf instead? Or tennis? Yachting is good too. I’ll teach you.”
“I’m going ahead.”
Lee-eum walked ahead without pretending to listen, and Choi Won-joon sighed and followed behind him. At first, he thought it was easy, but as time passed, his whole body was soaked with sweat, and his ankles felt as heavy as if they had iron weights attached to them. He grumbled that mountains just weren’t for him, and Kim Yi-eum, who was walking ahead, stopped, took out a cucumber from his bag, cut it in half, and held it out.
“Eat it.”
Choi Won-joon shook his head when he saw it.
“Give me something else. I hate the smell of cucumbers.”
Tch, so picky, really. Lee-eum took out water and gave him a chocolate bar, which he accepted without refusal. As Lee-eum crunched on the cucumber, Choi Won-joon drank water across from him, grinning.
“Why are you smiling?”
“You look like a rabbit.”
“I’ve never heard that before.”
“Why? You have big eyes, fair skin, and you finish quickly, you’re a rabbit, right?”
Lee-eum spat out the cucumber piece in his mouth and threw it, and Choi Won-joon quickly dodged it. He demanded that Lee-eum take back his last words, complaining about how he could endure being squeezed if he was caught, and then he started to get annoyed, wondering why he was even having this conversation. Lee-eum packed the water and the remaining cucumber in his bag and turned around.
“Are we far from the top?”
“Go down if you’re tired.”
Choi Won-joon gradually became silent, and Lee-eum was worried about that in its own way, so he checked on his condition from time to time as they went. The mountain was steep but not high, and there was a small valley along the way, so resting there was heavenly.
To cool off, the two of them went down to the valley and sat on a rock, taking out the kimbap they had bought from the store on the way and sharing it. Lee-eum was relieved that it didn’t contain cucumber, when suddenly he heard a hissing sound beneath his feet.
He looked and saw a snake raising its head as it passed by. As he stared at it, Choi Won-joon belatedly noticed and his expression hardened.
“Don’t move. I’ll take care of it, you stay still.”
Since he was making a fuss, Lee-eum picked up a stick and flung the snake to the other side. Whoosh – the snake landed on the ground and slithered into the forest. As they continued to eat the kimbap as if nothing had happened, Choi Won-joon exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, that’s reassuring. I’ve made up my mind. I’m definitely going to marry you, Darling.”
“I should have thrown the snake at President Choi’s face. I should have bitten that blabbering mouth of his.”
Choi Won-joon came over and sat down next to him, telling him to think about it seriously. He said that marriage is originally a process of different people adjusting to each other rather than perfectly matched people, and in that sense, they were the best partners, and if his father was bothering him, he would take care of it himself.
At the last words, Lee-eum looked at Choi Won-joon and warned him.
“If you do anything to hurt my father!”
“I meant I’d meet him and get his approval. I’m a human who knows how to keep the line.”
“I don’t need any of that, just keep the line between us.”
Choi Won-joon’s arm wrapped around Lee-eum’s shoulder.
“Think about it seriously. I know you well, I have a lot of money, I’m handsome, I’m tall, and I have great stamina. I’m perfect in every way. Admit it?”
He must have a conscience, because he never says he’s kind.
“Including being immature and acting inappropriately for your age.”
“Can you call it pure?”
How could he be so shameless without giving an inch? Lee-eum shook his head and stood up, and as he left the valley and entered the hiking trail, Choi Won-joon was still sitting on the rock.
“I’m resting. The summit is right in front of us, so I’ll go alone.”
“Wait five minutes. My legs won’t move.”
He said it was right in front of them, but they still had to walk for another 30 minutes. Just as Lee-eum was about to take a step to go alone, feeling like he was making Choi Won-joon suffer, his foot slipped down. He grabbed the nearby branch to regain his balance, but it snapped with a crack, and he immediately rolled backward. At his scream, Choi Won-joon rushed over and checked on Lee-eum.
“Kim Yi-eum, are you okay?”
Oh, how embarrassing. Lee-eum brushed the dirt off his clothes.
“I guess the ground was wet because it rained.”
He stood up, but his ankle throbbed. Ah. He frowned and limped, and Choi Won-joon knelt down on the ground, rolled up his pants, and pulled down his socks to examine it. When he pressed his hand on the area around his ankle bone, a stabbing pain shot through him.
“Does it hurt?”
“I’m okay. I can walk.”
As his foot touched the ground, cold sweat ran down his back. He tried to walk without showing it, but Choi Won-joon snatched his bag and grabbed his arm.
“Let’s go. You can’t go up like this.”
“I think I just need to rest.”
“Why is a cop so lacking in judgment? Don’t make it worse, listen to me.”
Lee-eum was speechless at his firm attitude. When climbing a mountain, you should only focus on climbing, but today his head was so complicated that this happened. As he blamed himself, Choi Won-joon untied the handkerchief that was hanging on Lee-eum’s bag, soaked it in the cold valley water, and wrapped it around his ankle. Lee-eum smiled as he watched him wrap it quite skillfully.
“You’re good at this.”
“I was a Boy Scout when I was young.”
He turned around and showed him his back. When Lee-eum asked what he was doing, he said that the only way to get down was to carry him on his back. He said it would be faster for him to take him to the hospital than to call the mountain rescue team. Lee-eum stood up and leaned on the ground with his stick.
“I’m okay. If I lean on this and go down slowly, ah!”
Choi Won-joon carried Lee-eum on his back without hesitation. Lee-eum struggled to get down, but he didn’t listen and slowly started walking.
“We’ll both die if we fall like this.”
“Hold on tight. You’ll slip if you don’t hold on properly.”
“I said put me down.”
“If you say one more word, I’ll throw you in the valley.”
Knowing he was capable of doing that, Lee-eum shut his mouth. Choi Won-joon kept his balance and went down well, as if it was a lie that he had complained about being tired on the way up. Lee-eum felt sorry when he saw sweat beading on his forehead. Even in the midst of all this, he tried not to let their skin touch, but their cheeks brushed slightly each time he adjusted Lee-eum.
“Are you feverish?”
“No… why…”
“Your cheeks are hot.”
“……”
After many twists and turns, they came down to the bottom, and Choi Won-joon carefully put Lee-eum down. His hair, styled with wax, was disheveled, and his face was flushed red, as if he was exhausted. Even so, he smiled brightly like the sunlight, and Lee-eum felt strange and looked away.
“Are you hungry? What do you want for lunch? I’ll buy it for you since you’ve worked so hard.”
“Give me the keys. Let’s go to the emergency room first. We’ll eat after the examination.”
“It’ll get better if I put a compress and a patch on it at home.”
“That’s what the doctor will decide.”
“I’m really okay.”
When Lee-eum insisted, Won-joon stared at him intently.
“Why don’t you value your own body?”
It wasn’t a scolding, but a tone of frustration, which made Lee-eum feel a little choked up. He had always been taught to save others, to sacrifice himself, and to take the lead, but he had never thought of taking care of himself first.
Choi Won-joon put Lee-eum in the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt. Then he turned on the air conditioner, making sure the wind didn’t blow directly on his face, and started the engine.
“Okay. I’ll wake you up when we get to the hospital.”
“I’m fine…”
“If you say that one more time, I’m really going to get angry.”
Always acting like a child. Can’t eat beans, can’t eat cucumbers. Why does he only act his age at times like this? Lee-eum had nothing to say and looked out the window. His ankle was throbbing, but strangely, his stomach felt ticklish. Ah, I hate this feeling.