Yet, his heart was still restless.
Ju Won took a deep breath and pulled up a chair to sit.
“Did you get hurt anywhere else?”
“Just burned the glove. It was a cute rabbit-shaped one, though…”
“What about this wound?”
Ju Won’s eyes landed on Hye Ju’s shin. Under her rolled-up pants was a wound that seemed a few days old.
“I don’t know? I didn’t even realize it was there. Maybe I scratched a mosquito bite? Or maybe from the other day. I bumped into a package at the front door in a hurry in the morning.”
Could it have already started?
Why is she so careless? I’m scared out of my mind.
Seeing the bruises all over her body, a rational fear took hold of him. Shamaness Hae In’s warning resounded like thunder.
“Why the long face? I’ve always been a bit clumsy. I’m fine, but seeing you like this feels strange.”
Hye Ju playfully inquired, trying to alleviate the tension from his furrowed brow.
“You seem really down today. What happened where you went? Oh, are you upset because I got hurt? Does your heart feel like it’s being torn apart even if I get a tiny scratch?”
“Just be more careful.”
“I feel like I’m being scolded. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s unfair that I slipped on a staircase I always use without any problems.”
“Slipped on what?”
“I was going downstairs and saw something white underfoot. I got startled and lost my balance. But when I looked again, there was nothing. Maybe it was a light reflection.”
A heaviness gripped his throat. Every word from Hye Ju resonated deeply, and he couldn’t take them lightly.
How should I interpret her tripping over something unseen on the stairs she uses daily?
Was it a mere accident? Or has the prophecy of the shaman come true?
Having been sleep-deprived and my mind in disarray like a broken machine, I couldn’t think logically.
‘If this is really the beginning, what should I do?’
Kang Ju Won clenched his teeth, trying to gather his thoughts.
“Put on a better face. Anyone would think there’s been a death.”
Oh Hye Ju, unaware of his mood, stretched out both her arms.
“Hug me. I missed you.”
She tried to lighten the mood with her gesture.
But Ju Won hesitated. In fact, seeing her open arms, his body stiffened involuntarily.
Though he wished to hold her close and bury his face in her neck, he couldn’t. He couldn’t embrace her, nor taste her lips.
‘Can I even touch her?’
The mere existence of Oh Hye Ju provoking a vengeful spirit seemed too perilous to ignore.
The minor injuries post-workshop, the news of accidents just hours after the shaman’s warning…
Despite his attempts to dismiss them, everything was aligning with the shaman’s prophecy.
“Why aren’t you hugging me?”
Oh Hye Ju looked at Kang Ju Won, who sat motionless on the edge of the chair, her voice tinged with concern.
Beyond her outstretched hand, the entire atmosphere was off. It was hard to believe this was the same man who confessed his love just yesterday. His brusque tone, his complicated gaze.
She wondered if he was upset because of her fall, or if she’d done something wrong.
“Oh Hye Ju, actually…”
Kang Ju Won began, putting his hand in his pocket.
He had planned to discuss it when they met. It seemed inappropriate given her recent injury, but unless he properly explained about Hyerim, he wouldn’t be able to convince her.
Unwilling to hurt Oh Hye Ju, he struggled to start.
Then the curtain swished open.
“Oh Hye Ju, are you alright?”
It was Soo Chul, who had just arrived at the hospital, having hurried over when he heard Oh Hye Ju had fallen.
“My goodness, you’re not a toddler! How did you twist your ankle? Are there other injuries? Did you hit your head?”
Soo Chul checked Oh Hye Ju from top to bottom.
“Dad, seriously. Why’d you come all the way from Seoul? My head’s fine, so is my back. Why all this fuss over a slightly swollen ankle?”
“I thought it was something serious when I heard you’d fallen on the stairs!”
“I’ve inherited your tough bones, Dad. I left my phone for a bit while being treated and all this happened.”
Oh Hye Ju made a playful remark in Ruby’s absence.
It was only after checking on Oh Hye Ju that Soo Chul noticed Kang Ju Won, standing aloofly.
With an exceptional aura and striking features, he looked over Kang Ju Won with a hint of surprise.
“Who are you?”
“Dad, this is…”
Just as Oh Hye Ju was about to introduce Kang Ju Won, he stepped in.
“Hello. I’m Kang Ju Won.”
Oh Hye Ju looked up at Kang Ju Won, filled with anticipation.
‘How will he introduce himself? Surely he’ll be formal in front of Dad. Will he say, “Oh Hye Ju’s boyfriend”? Or perhaps “lover”?’
As she looked at him expectantly, Kang Ju Won spoke.
“I work at the same company as Ms. Oh Hye Ju.”
I thought there would be more to say. No, I believed there had to be more. However, Kang Ju Won, who had respectfully bowed his head, seemed to have finished what he had to say and closed his mouth.
“Ah, hello? I’m Oh Hye Ju’s father. I rushed up here when I heard she was injured, not realizing there was a guest.”
“No, I was just leaving. Please, go ahead and talk.”
Really, is that it?
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
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