SMW 60

It’s been a while since I’ve been here.

Dry leaves that had fallen throughout the autumn were piled high beneath the skeletal branches. I stood upon them. Winter, where the common sounds of summer insects and the rustle of lush foliage in the wind had vanished, was the very embodiment of solitude and silence. It kept making me think of someone.

I sat down beneath the tree. Perhaps because of the thick layer of fallen leaves, the ground wasn’t cold. Before I knew it, the sunlight had grown quite warm. Maybe that was why my eyes kept closing, even though my cheeks still felt like ice.

Han Yeo-reum! Han Yeo-reum!

It was a voice calling me. It sounded like Choi Seol. When I opened my eyes, the whole world was white. And Choi Seol was there.

Choi Seol?

Are you crazy!

I flinched at the sudden shout. It was partly because the voice was loud enough to Read on Read BL Novelsmake my ears ring, but it was also [stolen content]because Choi Seol’s distorted expression was so disconcerting.

What on earth did I do to make him react like that?

Feeling flustered and wronged, I wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. As I looked up at him, unable to answer, a coat was draped over my body.

Just how much longer were you planning to stay here?

I didn’t know either. I had no idea why I had been sleeping so soundly in this place. Before I could even answer, Choi Seol wrapped the coat tightly around me, bundling me up.

Every time you come here, it feels like you’re just looking for a reason to be carried away in an ambulance.

That’s my line. Whose fault is all this, anyway?

I barely managed to move my lips to get a word in, but the words still wouldn’t come out. It felt as if my entire body had frozen solid.

Just wait a bit. They said they’d arrive within five minutes.

Who?

No, more than that, it was too cold. As soon as I felt the chill, I instinctively reached out my arms, seeking a warm body temperature.

Cold.

…….

The voice that finally emerged was infinitely frail. Perhaps that was why a flicker of agitation crossed Choi Seol’s distorted face. Was he angry again? I only needed warmth.

But I couldn’t plead any further. That was because his eyes looked as if he were about to cry, and I simply couldn’t find the words.

I wanted to soothe his sadness, which looked as though he had lost someone precious. So, I lifted the hand that had been searching for warmth and placed it on Choi Seol’s cheek. The skin I touched was ice-cold. My heart throbbed. It was a pain I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I won’t die.

I don’t know why I said that. But I felt like I had to.

In that moment, Choi Seol’s eyes shook violently. He was agitated again. Then, as if enduring something, his tightly closed lips parted, and he pulled me into an embrace. I was momentarily flustered by stolen contentthe [stolen content]suddenness of it, but I closed my eyes, leaning into the rushing warmth.

Right. Don’t you dare die.

I told you, that’s not going to happen.

Why?

…….

He was such a demanding guy, insisting on a reason even after I said I wouldn’t die. Though I lacked strength, I squeezed out the last of my energy to speak.

Because I—

“…….”

When I opened my eyes, I saw an empty space. Choi Seol was gone. I peeked my head out from under the covers, rolling my eyes around, before finally sitting up to look around properly. The surroundings were silent, without a hint of wind. It seemed the typhoon had ended.

The sunlight filtering through the paper doors was brilliant. From experience, this wasn’t [stolen content]dawn or morning, but midday. Thanks stolen contentto that, even the lingering remnants of the dream vanished completely from my mind.

How long did I sleep?

I quickly pushed the covers aside and pulled my knees up, but this time, chilly air wrapped around my arms. Shivering from the cold, I hugged my arms and hunched my shoulders. It felt as if the season had completely changed after a single typhoon. The thought that it was already winter made me feel lonely.

Suddenly, I missed him. I didn’t even need to pinpoint who. I stood up and went outside.

As I stepped onto the wooden veranda, I frowned at the sudden glare of the sunlight. It was just as I shivered again from the crisp air, which felt even purer than the air inside the room.

“You’re awake?”

Turning toward the voice, I saw Choi Seol standing in the backyard holding a cat’s food bowl.

“What are you doing there?”

“I found the cat bowl. It had blown away in the typhoon and was caught on the wall.”

“Is the wall okay?”

“It’s fine, aside from a couple of stones falling off. The leaning part was already like that.”

“It used to stand straight. The stray cats kept coming in and out and knocked it all down. Seriously, every time I go there, my heart races because I don’t know when it’ll collapse.”

“If it makes you that anxious, why don’t you just tear it all down and rebuild it?”

“We can’t do it ourselves. We’d have to pay the locals to do it, but they’re too busy during the harvest season. Above all, my maternal uncle, who’s supposed to pay for the labor, doesn’t give a damn.”

One would need money to even attempt it, but thanks to the benefactor who had visited last Lunar New Year and ignored it, saying it was still fine, it had been left neglected.

“So, did you see the kids?”

“A few of them. They look like drowned rats, but they seem healthy.”

“Meow.”

Just then, a cat’s meow sounded as if checking in visit our sitefor attendance. [stolen content]I turned my gaze to see Il-sun-i’s mother circling around Choi Seol. It seemed the “drowned rat” comment was referring to her.

“But what about Il-sun-i?”

“Il-sun-i? I don’t think I’ve seen her today.”

“She hasn’t come yet?”

The one who always checks in earlier than anyone else was nowhere to be seen even though the sun was high in the sky. At any other time, I might have thought she was just running late, but a typhoon had raged until dawn. Perhaps reading my anxiety, Choi Seol spoke in a reassuring tone.

“She’ll be fine. Animals are sensitive to natural disasters. She probably hid in a safe place.”

“You think so?”

“Or, since her belly was quite full when I saw her last time, she might not be able to come because she’s giving birth.”

“Ah, that could be it.”

Il-sun-i’s mother had been the same. When she first came here, she was skin and bones and struggling, [Read on Read BL Novels]so I fed [stolen content]her. She came consistently for visit our sitea while and then suddenly stopped appearing. Shortly after, she reappeared on the warehouse roof with Il-sun-i.

“It would be great if she gave birth in our warehouse. You didn’t sense any presence there?”

“Not yet. I’ll go check later.”

“No. If she really is there, poking around might just make her anxious, so let’s pretend we don’t know. Anyway, when she comes, I should give her some supplements. I have some seaweed I bought before; it should be fine to soak that and give it to her, right?”

“I looked into it before, and they said it’s fine. I think you can add dried pollack too.”

“Ah, I have dried pollack. It should be in the freezer.”

As I was thinking about what else might be needed, I felt a blatant gaze. His face looked like he had a lot to say. Based on experience, this always meant I had forgotten something.

“What?”

“Isn’t there anything you’re curious about?”

As expected. What is it? What am I forgetting…

“When did you wake up?”

“…At dawn.”

What. It’s the same as usual.

“Then you’ve been awake from dawn until now?”

“The typhoon happened to pass, and while I was tidying things up, time just flew by.”

Come to think of it, the yard was clean. Even if it wasn’t a typhoon, the yard would be a mess whenever it rained. But before my eyes was a landscape that looked as if it had been cleaned with pure water. Perhaps because there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, the ground was already drying in patches under the brilliant sunlight.

“You cleaned the whole yard by yourself?”

“I did it to kill time, and it just ended up that way. It’s already afternoon, so it wasn’t that fast.”

“Afternoon?”

“It’s almost three o’clock.”

I quickly looked at the clock hanging on the veranda. It really was almost three in the afternoon.

“You’re hungry, right? I’ve made soybean paste soup and started the rice. Let’s heat up the leftover ribs from yesterday and eat.”

My shock at the time was brief, as the mention of food brought back a forgotten hunger. It was only natural, since I hadn’t eaten a thing since last night. Just how long did I sleep? No matter how much I overslept, I always woke up during the morning; had I been that tired?

“And that senior person left safely.”

“Ah.”

I finally remembered. I felt like I had forgotten something significant; how could I have forgotten that?

“You’re only remembering now?”

Choi Seol let out a scoff, as if he found it absurd. I nodded sheepishly.

“I completely forgot. When did he leave?”

“He said he had work to do, so he left at dawn as soon as the typhoon calmed down.”

That was a relief. If he were still hanging around, I felt like I would have actually thrown a punch this time.

But, wait. That means Choi Seol had to deal with the senior and see him off all by himself. My heart sank.

“I-I see. But did the senior say anything?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, just… you know, the atmosphere wasn’t great yesterday.”

“Ah, that.”

Then there was no answer. I stared intently at his lips, which stolen contentwouldn’t visit our siteopen, swallowing my tension. Surely that bastard didn’t say anything weird. Like, Read on Read BL Novelsfor example, “first love,” or “first love.” I’d rather he have pulled the “we used to date” card.

After a moment, Choi Seol finally spoke.

“Come to think of it, he did apologize.”

“No! I won’t believe a single word… huh?”

Apologize? I had to struggle like a fool just to understand the meaning of that word. Then, a kind explanation followed.

“He said he apologized for ruining the mood because he was too worried about you during dinner yesterday.”

“The senior… no, that human said that?”

“He also said it’s a fact that he’s not of much help to you.”

The moment a bitter smile, similar to yesterday’s, appeared on Choi Seol’s lips, I snapped.

“Fuck, has that bastard still not come to his senses? What? Not of much help? Read on Read BL NovelsAs unauthorized copyif his face isn’t a nuisance in itself.”

“…I think that’s decent enough.”

“Decent my ass, compared to you, he’s just a troll.”

Indeed, he was. Just in case, I looked at Choi Seol’s face once more. I take back what I just said. Even “troll” was too generous. One should not dare compare a creature of the earth to a celestial being.

Thinking that made me even angrier. But oblivious to my feelings, Choi Seol was grinning, as if he liked it. That made me even more furious.

“Are you laughing? You can laugh right now? No, why are you so stupid that you can’t say you’re great? I told you yesterday that you can be confident. You should go around bragging from head to toe that you’re great. That’s your right and your duty.”

“It’s a hassle.”

“Hassle… Hey, it’s because you keep acting like this that people take you for granted.”

“I don’t care. As long as you recognize it, that’s enough for me.”

What a beautifully phrased sentence. I felt the anger that had [stolen content]been surging instantly subside at the blunt stolen contentanswer. Instead, my unauthorized copyheart fluttered in a different way.

“You’re being blatant again lately. You told me not to pay any attention at all.”

“That’s right. You don’t pay attention. I’ll take care of everything.”

Is that even possible? For a crush to end, it has to be mutual. Or does he plan to end it with a one-sided love?

“I’ll handle it all, so you just stay like this.”

I had no way of knowing what he was so confident about.