He thought it was tough, but it turned out to be even more than he imagined. Unable to find an appropriate response, Wooseok shrugged his shoulders.

“And then he quit suddenly?”

He was truly an unpredictable man. Smiling lightly, Eunchae tucked her falling hair behind her ear.

Wooseok, who had been closely observing that expression, suddenly asked.

“Are you happy?”

Faced with an unexpected question, Eunchae remained silent for a moment.

Since being alone, the hurdles of happiness seemed too high. It felt daunting to think that she might struggle with them for the rest of her life without being able to overcome them.

When she met Kwon Kijoo and laughed and cried, escaping from all her worries, she thought vaguely that this might be happiness. She believed she had completely separated from her worries.

But it was an escape. It was avoidance. In any case, it wouldn’t last long.

“Yeah, I think I’m happy.”

My true face that I was embarrassed to show. His face that he was in a hurry to hide.

Only after seeing each other’s true faces did they truly understand.
Having nothing heartbreaking in the heart. Having no feelings of hatred.

Isn’t that happiness?

“By any chance, are you not being brainwashed? If you are, give me some sign, and I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Wooseok said with a half-joking, half-serious expression. Eunchae laughed at his words. She hadn’t imagined meeting such a nice person. It’s not easy to be this cheerful and straightforward.

“Craftily hiding things the way you want, spitting out emotions when it’s convenient, saying and doing things that could be misunderstood without showing any sympathy, however.”

“Hey……”

Wooseok wrinkled his face as if expressing concern. Just by listening, he seemed like the worst guy in the world.

“Still, like me.”

Eunchae stopped walking and said in a clear voice.

The wind blows. It gently brushes through her hair. Her smiling face doesn’t show any signs of worry.

Wooseok momentarily felt like he was blinded. She was too beautiful and refreshing.

“Even if I kill someone, I’d deceive myself into thinking that it was their fault.”

Wooseok couldn’t understand why he would do such a thing. But one thing was clear—it was something that couldn’t be justified in the realm of reason.

“……Whatever, as long as it makes you happy.”

With the wind blowing, Wooseok said casually while touching his disheveled hair. In response, Eunchae raised her head.

“……But, didn’t you like me?”

“You’re saying that now? It’s awkward.”

After talking so much about that man, he now seemed apologetic. Asking such a direct question.

Bold or innocent.

Whatever it was, Wooseok was puzzled, but at the same time, he suddenly tried to understand the man.

People could become like this when faced with such situations.

“Even if I really like you, it’s a one-sided feeling. Why bother about me?”

“Wooseok, you’re a really good person.”

“Better than that man.”

In response to such an obvious statement, Eunchae responded with silence.

“Then I might as well go up tomorrow.”

“Are you really leaving?”

“If you were caught and needed help, I was going to help, but if it’s okay, I’ll go.”

She couldn’t hold onto him if he wanted to leave, but Eunchae still felt a bit sad, bowing her head.

“Let’s meet here sometimes. When you don’t want to think about anything.”

Instead of answering, she smiled at Wooseok, looking him in the eyes.

When you don’t want to think about anything……

Will there be such a time now?

The atmosphere in the narrow house was silent. Eunchae, returning from the supermarket, passed through the quiet yard and climbed up to the porch.

She smiled, expecting someone to be there. But contrary to her expectations, no one was there. The neatly folded quilt seemed as if it had never been there from the beginning.

Her heart sank. She turned around and walked aimlessly down the narrow and quiet village road.

In a village that seemed peaceful, she felt desperate and uneasy alone. The tension grew as she approached the place where the old nut tree, the longest-standing resident of the village, was supposed to be, but she couldn’t find any traces of it.
Eunchae returned home. Standing alone in the yard, her face was pale.

Did he leave? Without saying anything?

Why all of a sudden?

Unconsciously, she rushed outside. Running as if her life depended on it, one slipper fell off along the way, and she sprinted towards the edge of the village.

Even that didn’t last long, as she encountered a crossroads not far ahead. Unsure where to go, she hesitated on where to put her feet. While standing there, she noticed a familiar silhouette in the distance.

Excited and unable to confirm due to the blurred vision caused by the wind, she headed in that direction for the time being. Breathing heavily, her chest rose and fell sharply, and her vision shook up and down.

Gradually, the silhouette got closer. The face, which was blurry at first, became clearer.

“Why are you like this?”

Hearing the calm voice of Kwon Kijoo, Eunchae’s legs weakened. The tension that had been tightly coiled suddenly released, and fatigue rushed in rapidly.

“What’s going on?”

Supporting her collapsing body quickly, Kijoo asked without patience, his sharp eyes scanning her until she answered.

As if she wanted to make sure he was indeed Kwon Kijoo, she didn’t take her eyes off him. Feeling something strange at that point, he grabbed Eunchae’s shoulders and spoke again.

“I told you not to follow me. What’s going on?”

Eunchae looked at him with a completely reliant expression, her face filled with disappointment. Meaningless laughter escaped through her parted lips as she struggled to breathe because of the tense air.

Seeing her inappropriate reaction, Kijoo narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“You found me.”

She said, looking him in the eyes.

Even though she had left so heartlessly, acting like she would be fine on her own, why did she come looking for him without waiting?

In the end, nothing had changed since that time when Kwon Kijoo suddenly disappeared.

Then and now, it seemed she couldn’t live without him.

“No matter how hard I looked, you weren’t there. So… I thought you left and…”

At the unexpectedly guessed words, Kijoo wore a helpless expression. As if it was something significant enough to unravel all the way down to his legs.

“Take a slow breath.”

As if to suggest, he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Following his lead, Eunchae gradually found stability.

She buried her face in the warm embrace, sniffing the familiar scent. His body vibrated, and a laughter-laden voice enveloped her temples.

“So.”

“…”

“I kept looking. For me?”

Ah.

Feeling embarrassed by her inconsistent words, Eunchae buried her face even deeper in his embrace.

Then, a warm hand swept across her back. Because it quickly slipped away, she almost didn’t realize he had touched her at all.

“I… at least left a note.”

“Where could I go? Eunchae is here.”

“I have a record. So, I guess you thought that way.”

Indeed, everything was Kwon Kijoo’s scheme, subtly leading her. Thinking that, Eunchae rose from his embrace.
Checking or not, she turned away, stroking the ears that must be reddened. However, she couldn’t move forward. It was because she was trapped in his arms, being drawn and embraced again.

Kijoo chuckled and planted a deep kiss on her forehead. It was more effective than any sedative.