YAIMF 39 🍒

Chapter — 39
A Morning We Faced Together

All the calls he made one after another failed.

“She’s not answering?”

Contrary to Jeongtaek’s desperate hope, the nurse shook her head. Officer Park gently patted Jeongtaek’s back, as if to comfort him.

“But she has an outpatient appointment scheduled at this hospital. Won’t you be able to meet her when she comes that day?”

Those words gave him at least a little comfort. Until he could see with his own eyes that Saena was alive and moving, this suffocating tension didn’t seem like it would ease. Officer Park guided Jeongtaek to a folding chair. Only after dropping down onto it did Jeongtaek feel slightly calmer.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, confirming her identity was much easier.”

If he had come alone, he would surely have been turned away again like last time. Because of the witness statements saying they had seen Saena at this hospital, and the circumstantial evidence, Officer Park was able to step in. Even so, he felt sorry that he couldn’t help more.

“I’m sorry. There wasn’t much I could do.”

“No, not at all. Thanks to you, we at least know her next appointment date.”

“Still…”

He seemed disappointed that the nurse’s call just now hadn’t gone through. Jeongtaek continued, feeling even more apologetic.

“If I were alone, I couldn’t have done any of this. I’m truly grateful.”

“If she really is a missing person, then that’s a relief. But… the person who claimed to be her guardian—why would they do that?”

From what he’d heard, they had pretended to be in a common-law relationship. When Saena had fallen, it was around the time after an engagement ceremony and reception. She had been wearing expensive clothes, shoes, and even a diamond ring worth a great deal.

‘And they knew her name was Moon Saena.’

That made their intention very clear.

“Either way, we need to confirm first whether she’s really Moon Saena. Come back with me in two days.”

Officer Park seemed to be thinking the same thing. Accidents at sea and accidents on land alike were often tangled up with dirty, twisted human desires, so he likely had a rough idea of what was going on. Jeongtaek nodded.

“Nothing bad will happen to our Saena in the meantime, right?”

“Hm… let’s hope not.”

Jeongtaek didn’t know why his heart felt so uneasy. He had finally escaped one maze, only to feel as though a much bigger labyrinth was waiting ahead of him—one that would be hard to escape once he stepped inside. He forced himself to shake off those negative thoughts and tightened his resolve. Determined to get through this crisis somehow, he stood up firmly.

“You should rest a bit more. You don’t look well at all.”

“No. I don’t have time to sit around.”

He had to tell Imjae about this. The guardian who would appear with Saena in two days had to be Imjae. After giving Officer Park a respectful bow of thanks, Jeongtaek made his way unsteadily toward the parking lot.

Drowsy warmth and the sound of birds coming through the window woke her up. Saena groggily opened her eyes and realized she was in a bed. Once she realized that, it became even harder to leave it. Lying face down, she squeezed her eyes shut again. Just as sleep was about to pull her back in, she felt something off.

‘…?’

It was clearly an ordinary morning, no different from usual. So why did it feel unfamiliar? Wanting to stay wrapped in the warm blanket, she kept her eyes closed and reached out with her hand. When her fingers brushed against warm skin, her hand froze.

‘W-What is this?’

The sleepiness that had come all the way to her head fled instantly. In its place, forgotten memories yanked hard at her mind.

‘…!’

The kiss that started in the garden.

At first, their lips had just touched and parted. But at some point, without either of them saying a word, their bodies had pressed together, and they had lost themselves in each other’s mouths.

And then…!

‘Haah, I’m crazy…!’

When she slowly opened her eyes, reality was right there, exactly as she feared. As if proving she was completely naked, the clothes and underwear she had been wearing were scattered on the floor by the bed.

‘Please… let it just be me. Let me be the only crazy one.’

She prayed desperately. But when she noticed clothes that weren’t hers, she had no choice but to face reality. Memories of last night flooded her mind without warning—what he had done, and how she had reacted.

‘I’m insane…’

She wondered if something was wrong with her head. No matter what, she couldn’t believe that she had done something like that in that situation. She wasn’t an animal.

‘This isn’t like me. How could I do that with this man…’

Then something felt strange.

‘No, actually, there’s nothing strange about it. We were in a common-law relationship, and we’d been together for five hundred days. Of course we must have done things like that before, right?’

Still, she didn’t understand why everything felt so new—so unfamiliar, fluttering, and intense. The look in his eyes when he looked down at her wasn’t familiar either. It was a face she had never seen before, raw and overtaken by instinct. Even though she didn’t want to remember, her body trembled as the memories kept surfacing. Then, with a low groan from behind, he naturally pulled her closer, blanket and all.

‘…!’

Just as she thought this wasn’t right, the heavy warmth that settled against the back of her white neck made her freeze. His warmth, his steady breathing brushing past her ear, and his arm holding her tightly.

Her heart began pounding like crazy. If she wasn’t going to avoid him forever, she had to be able to face him normally. To do that, she needed to get out of this situation somehow. Saena gently lifted Jiwoon’s arm that was wrapped around her waist. Maybe he was sleeping deeply, because his arm hung heavy and loose. Grunting softly, she barely managed to make a small gap.

‘Phew. Now I just need to roll away.’

If she could just hug the blanket and roll off the bed, she’d be free. As she twisted her body slightly, he pulled her right back into his arms and even buried his face into the back of her neck. When his breath touched her skin, the memories of last night she had barely pushed away came rushing back.

‘N-No. No.’

Saena shivered. Then, for some reason, it felt like he was smiling against her neck. Soon after, he started to chuckle softly, his body trembling.

“This is really…!”

Just how long had he been awake? The fact that he’d been watching everything she did made her annoyed. She turned around and glared at him, but the first thing she saw was his firm, bare chest.

“…H-Hey, could you at least put some clothes on?”

“I’d have to pass by you to get clothes. Are you okay with that?”

He stood up with a teasing grin. It wasn’t like he was any different—he was naked too. Saena pulled the blanket over her head. He immediately pulled her back into his arms.

“I-I can’t breathe.”

“Then why are you hiding under the blanket?”

“Don’t you have any sense of shame?”

“After what we did last night, talking about shame now is—mmph!”

She had to shut that ridiculous mouth. She stuffed the blanket she was holding straight into his face. Seeing him look stunned after being caught off guard made her feel a little satisfied. But only for a moment—when she saw his eyes soften and curve into a smile, she somehow felt even more irritated.

“Animal.”

“And who was it that liked that animal?”

“Are you crazy?”

“I almost went crazy.”

“Ugh, if only you couldn’t talk.”

Everything about this situation felt strangely natural, like water flowing. It was as if the worries she’d had just moments ago meant nothing at all. Looking at him, her anxiety seemed to fade away.

“What, why are you looking at me like that? I’m an animal, remember?”

“I-I wasn’t looking!”

“If you don’t want to be attacked by an animal first thing in the morning, maybe do something about that look in your eyes.”

“What kind of look?”

“You really don’t know?”

“If I knew, would I ask?”

“…It looks like you love me.”

“Huh?”

What did she just hear? It sounded as if they weren’t lovers, so she asked again.

“It looks like you really like me.”

He brushed it off like that and smiled, lifting the corner of his lips. But somehow, it felt like that wasn’t all he meant. Saena wanted to ask him what he really meant, but she was afraid this dream would shatter with just one question. She pressed her lips tightly together. Jiwoon gently pulled her into his arms. Wrapped in his warmth and the sound of his heartbeat, she closed her eyes tightly. Jiwoon kissed the top of her head and murmured,

“I’m sorry.”

“…For what?”

“For everything.”

“What about it?”

She didn’t ask any further. Jiwoon’s hands holding her were trembling slightly, as if he were someone burdened with guilt.