22. A Night on the Deserted Island
Looking at the nearly completed treehouse, Se-ah couldn’t help but be amazed.
“This is incredible. How did you manage to build this all by yourself?”
“It’s nothing special.”
“Here, wipe your sweat, Junhyuk.”
Se-ah handed him a neatly folded handkerchief, slightly trembling as she called his name.
Ever since she started omitting his last name and calling him just Junhyuk, it still felt awkward every time.
There was this strange ticklish sensation, like second-hand embarrassment.
But it felt equally wrong to formally call him 'Do Junhyuk' while they were both castaways together.
“Thanks.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. While you finish up here, I’ll go look for something else useful.”
Trying to hide her suddenly flushed face, Se-ah quickly moved to prepare food before it got darker.
It didn’t seem like Junhyuk needed her help at the moment.
Though they had already gathered canned goods and emergency supplies washed ashore earlier in the day, it was still better to prioritize finding fresh food on the island.
Se-ah didn’t religiously watch survival shows but had seen enough to pick up some useful tips.
Luckily, not too far from their spot, she found a few freshly fallen coconuts and eagerly brought them back to Junhyuk.
By then, the wind had picked up again.
Looking at the darkening sky and the way her hair whipped around, Se-ah could feel the ominous signs of bad weather returning.
“It looks like it’s going to rain tonight. Hopefully, it won’t be a typhoon.”
Having finished his work and taken a moment to rest, Junhyuk also glanced at the distant sky with concern.
Their shelter was good enough, but with no boats in sight, the thought of enduring a typhoon made their chances of being noticed on this island seem even slimmer.
Se-ah couldn’t shake the feeling that they might end up stranded here even longer.
“Junhyuk, this island seems quite large. Are you sure it’s uninhabited?”
The island had massive cliffs that looked like they had been cut with a knife, yet it felt too beautiful to be completely uninhabited.
“With frequent rain like this, no one would live under those cliffs. People usually settle near the shore, but we haven’t found any traces of human activity. If there were, those fruits on the trees wouldn’t still be untouched.”
“Maybe they just don’t like the sea?”
“Even then, there would at least be a dock or some boats. But there’s nothing.”
“You’re right.”
“Well, if we explore the island thoroughly, we’ll find out whether it’s truly deserted or if we’ve just missed people. For now, eat well. We’ll have a lot to do tomorrow.”
Junhyuk gathered leftover branches from building the house and started a fire with dry leaves.
Finding dry matches and medical supplies in the survival kit had been a lifesaver.
With fire and minimal supplies, they could at least stave off major worries for a while.
Se-ah skewered some canned ham over the fire and grilled it until it was crispy.
While she decided to save the chocolate bars for emergencies, skipping protein wasn’t an option on an island lacking proper carbohydrates.
“Here, you eat first.”
The sight of the sizzling, oil-dripping canned ham made her mouth water.
After a day of near starvation and hard labor, it felt like she could chew on branches if she had to.
Still, wanting Junhyuk, who had worked hard, to eat first, Se-ah handed him the ham.
“No, you eat first.”
Pushing back the skewer Se-ah had handed him, Junhyuk brought the food to her lips. Se-ah shook her head in protest but eventually opened her mouth as the ham brushed against her lips.
Watching her chew, Junhyuk let out a small laugh. The gentle curve of his folded eyes and the innocence in his smile gave Se-ah an unexpected sense of being cared for, making the tips of her ears flush red.
Though it wasn’t much of a meal, dinner was quickly over.
While Junhyuk tended the fire to keep them safe through the night, Se-ah busied herself scrubbing away the grease from the sand.
“Tomorrow, I’ll try fishing or hunting for something on the island. But for tonight, let’s be content with this,”
“It was more than enough. I’m full, so I think I’ll sleep well tonight.”
Looking down at Se-ah, who smiled brightly, Junhyuk responded in a slightly husky voice.
“Really? Then shall we go to bed now?”
Se-ah’s face turned bright red.
She knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but hearing those words from him still made her feel flustered. Instinctively crossing her arms over her chest, Se-ah took a few steps back, only for Junhyuk to close the distance with a single stride.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick again?”
Despite their situation, where neither soap nor perfume was available, his unique cool and refreshing scent wafted over her. His hair, still damp from washing up after dinner, caught her attention, glistening in the dim light.
“N-No, I’m not sick. I-I just feel a bit hot… Why don’t you go to bed first, Do Do Do Junhyuk? I’ll step out for some fresh air before sleeping.”
“Am I ‘Do Do Do Junhyuk’ again now?”
He teased with a smirk, his mischievous expression making Se-ah even more wary. As she hurried to turn away, Junhyuk grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
“It’s dangerous at night. Stay close to me.”
For a fleeting moment, Se-ah wondered, Could he possibly… like me? But she quickly dismissed the thought, recalling her disheveled state and burying the idea deep inside.
Don’t overthink it, Se-ah.
As she bit her lip, trying to calm her racing heart, his low voice reached her ears again.
“Is it uncomfortable being around me?”
“N-Not at all.”
With 99.9% of the effort in building the treehouse done by Junhyuk, she couldn’t possibly tell him she felt uneasy.
“There’s only one house, and just the two of us. Surely, you weren’t planning to sleep separately, right?”
“W-What? Of course not! That’s ridiculous!”
She had known from the start while building the treehouse that there would only be one shelter. Even if they built two, she had no intention of staying far from Junhyuk, not with the wild surrounding them.
But hearing him say it so directly felt oddly suggestive, even more than she had imagined.
“T-Then, I’ll head inside.”
How many times had she stuttered in just one day? Feeling like she might forget how to speak entirely, Se-ah clicked her tongue softly before hurrying into the house through the door Junhyuk held open for her.
The ceiling was low, so one had to duck to enter, but the interior was surprisingly spacious—there was no need for Se-ah to sleep right next to Junhyuk.
The wooden floor, though expected to be bumpy, felt soft thanks to the thick layer of leaves covered by dry clothing laid on top.
Se-ah pressed herself against the wall as much as possible, trying to distance herself from him.
Although it was still within arm’s reach if Junhyuk stretched out, for now, even that little bit of space felt like a relief.
With no tea to drink or conversation to make, Se-ah lay down quickly and bid him good night.
“Good night.”
“You too.”
The rustling sound, which hadn’t bothered her much when she lay down, seemed louder when he settled.
Perhaps her nerves were overly attuned, making the sound more pronounced. It even felt as though the entire universe consisted only of her and Junhyuk.
Which, on this deserted island, was quite literally true.
But still...
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made. Why was she the one avoiding Junhyuk, instead of the other way around?
Yeah, that’s right. Shouldn’t he be the one uncomfortable with me?
She had no money, and a family dragging her down, while Junhyuk had good looks, wealth, and survival skills—there wasn’t a single thing he lacked. If anyone were to assume one of them was planning something indecent, she would surely be the one accused.
And that thought is unpleasant in its own way.
'Why am I like this? I used to be pretty amazing too!'
Se-ah pouted, caught in her own thoughts. As she unconsciously rolled onto her side, she locked eyes with Junhyuk, who was lying facing her.
After spending the day overly anxious, Se-ah decided not to look away this time, refusing to let her gaze give rise to more embarrassing misunderstandings. She deliberately stared back at him with intensity.
Human beings are adaptive creatures, and though the interior was dim, her eyes had adjusted to the dark. With only the faint light from the campfire filtering through the mosquito netting, she could see his face clearly.
Or maybe his face simply had a radiance, like carrying its own light source.
If it was Junhyuk, she wouldn’t put it past him.
Even the shadows cast across his features by the campfire seemed to enhance his already striking appearance.
Se-ah’s gaze wandered across the sharp contours of his brow, the slight messiness of his usually neatly styled hair, and the perfect shape of his head, which looked flawless from any angle.
Her eyes trailed down to his neatly arched eyebrows, his cool, sharp eyes that elongated when he smiled, and the steep bridge of his nose leading to a perfectly aligned mouth, as if measured with a ruler.
Junhyuk’s looks alone rivaled those of top celebrities. Coupled with his strong physique, there was no flaw to be found.
And he graduated from an Ivy League university, so he was smart too.
After observing him, Se-ah found her tension dissipating and her sleepiness creeping in. In the past, things might have been different, but the gap between her and the current Junhyuk felt insurmountable, like trying to climb an unreachable tree.
Not that she had any desire to climb. She was too exhausted for that.
Perhaps it was the realization that someone like him would never make a move on her, but she quickly became drowsy.
“Yawn.”
As her vision blurred, she vaguely caught the surprised look on Junhyuk’s face before her head drooped, and she drifted off to sleep.
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