Chapter 158
It took another week before Suhyeon was well enough to return to the sea.
Even a short walk made her dizzy, so she spent most of her time in her hotel room for a while.
Fortunately, during a trip to the city a few days earlier, she had bought some books, which kept her from getting too bored.
Her appetite hadn’t fully returned, so for several days, she only ate soup. Afterward, she began ordering bread and egg dishes to go along with it.
Once her strength was restored, the desire to see the sea came back to her. After a week, Suhyeon headed to the islands again.
The quiet and somber winter sea greeted Suhyeon as she stepped off the ferry.
For exercise, she walked slowly along the beach, but soon she found herself out of breath and sat down on a large rock.
‘I guess it’s still too much for me.’
Suhyeon frowned, displeased with how weak her body had become.
As she perched on a rock overlooking the sea to catch her breath, her eyes wandered downward.
The vividly blue, churning seawater rose close to where her gaze landed. It was the first time she had ever seen the sea from such a close vantage point.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew, and her body wavered as she looked down.
Stumble.
Losing her balance on the rock, she felt a powerful force grab her in an instant.
“Seol Suhyeon!”
“!”
Pulled back by the force, Suhyeon turned her head.
She saw Jeonghan, breathing heavily.
Her eyes trembled as she looked at him.
Why was Do Jeonghan here…?
Even as she stared at him, she found it hard to believe.
His face had become sharper in the cheeks and jawline than the last time she had seen it. Because of that, he exuded an even colder and more ruthless impression.
Jeonghan gritted his teeth and shouted in a voice pressed with fury.
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to die?”
The moment Suhyeon saw his twisted eyes on his pale face, she pushed him with all her might.
Thud!
Suhyeon, who had turned deathly pale, quickly moved toward the edge of the rock.
Glaring at Jeonghan, Suhyeon said,
“D-Don’t come any closer.”
Below the rocky edge that fell off like a cliff was a deep blue sea. Suhyeon crawled all the way to that perilous boundary.
Jeonghan fixed his gaze on her and took a step closer.
“Come down.”
“If you come any closer, I’ll jump……!”
“Go ahead.”
Jeonghan looked at her with terrifying eyes and said,
“Because I’ll jump with you.”
“!”
At his unshaken and threatening voice, Suhyeon’s eyes wavered.
“Y-You…….”
“Do you think I won’t do it?”
The man’s eyes, intensely staring, were eerily dark and sunken.
In the end, Suhyeon returned to her original spot on the rock.
“Stop right there!”
Jeonghan, who had started to walk, suddenly halted. Suhyeon, with a face hardened by caution, looked at him and said,
“If you don’t want me to go back out there again, stay right there. Don’t move.”
“……Seol Suhyeon.”
Jeonghan roughly ran a hand through his hair and looked straight at Suhyeon.
“!”
With a fierce expression, Jeonghan strode toward her in large steps.
Grabbing her arm firmly with one hand, he glared at her, his face intense.
“Do you think I have any patience left after finding you all the way here?”
At the dangerously flickering intensity in his eyes, Suhyeon caught her breath.
“L-Let me go.”
She tried to shake off his grip, but Jeonghan held on even tighter.
“I warned you. I’m not letting you go.”
“I said, let go of me…….”
“You can’t escape from me. No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”
Jeonghan’s eyes, bloodshot as if he were grinding his teeth, burned fiercely.
Ah……
For a moment, Suhyeon’s gaze wavered. His bloodshot eyes, with broken capillaries, trembled pitifully.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
His heavily suppressed voice quivered. Seeing the tears welling up in his eyes, Suhyeon felt all the strength leave her body.
“Why…….”
Tears began to pool in Suhyeon’s dark eyes as well.
Overwhelmed by a rush of hot emotion, her throat tightened as if it were completely blocked.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you the one holding onto me?”
“…….”
Jeonghan stood still, glaring at her.
Tears began to fall from Suhyeon’s eyes in heavy drops.
“You weren’t supposed to do this! You were just supposed to ruin my life and leave it at that. You…….”
You should have left it at that.
Unable to continue through her tears, Suhyeon grimaced.
Watching her tear-streaked face with his bloodshot eyes, Jeonghan spoke in a suppressed voice.
“I wanted to ruin you.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed prominently.
“I wanted to make you miserable. Seol Hee-nam, and you too.”
“Then why…….”
“Then why?”
Jeonghan, repeating her words, let out a bitter laugh and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Why did I end up loving you?”
“…….”
“I’ve thought about it hundreds, no, thousands of times because I can’t understand it any more than you can. Why, of all people!”
Jeonghan, speaking in a low, angry voice, gritted his teeth. His tightly clenched jaw trembled.
Hot tears streamed down his cheeks.
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