37. The Trap
Spending the entire morning near the beach, hoping a passing plane might notice the smoke signal and return, they eventually ventured into the forest by noon. Before entering, they carefully left an 'SOS' message etched in the sand.
This was their third exploration of the forest, and though more accustomed to the terrain, she treaded cautiously, determined not to stumble as she had the previous day.
She refused to return empty-handed, clutching onto Junhyuk for support if needed.
“This spot looks decent,”
Junhyuk stopped walking again and skillfully set a trap hidden among the trees.
When did he even have time to make those?
Watching Junhyuk set up traps made of twisted nets along various points of the path they came through, Se-ah shook her head in disbelief.
It was evident that Junhyuk’s sense of caution had heightened, especially after the airplane sighting the previous day.
Although he said nothing directly, Se-ah noticed his every move, akin to a squirrel stockpiling for winter. His behavior was hard to miss as he continuously created and buried various items in the ground.
‘He said he was more alert because of me.’
Even if she thought he was being excessive, Se-ah refrained from commenting, appreciating his meticulousness.
After traversing a dense, tropical-like forest for a while, they stumbled upon a sunny, open patch of land.
It seemed as if a lightning strike had cleared this space, with no trees growing there, but tall, water-rich grasses thrived instead. Scanning the area curiously, Se-ah spotted a familiar-looking stalk.
On a green leaf sprouted fine, fuzzy tassels.
Her eyes sparkled as she rushed forward and plucked a green cob from a stalk shorter than herself. Peeling away its leaves revealed a cluster of golden kernels, ripe and shiny.
“Captain! Look at this—corn!”
She exclaimed, hopping in excitement. While crabs, fish, and meat were satisfying, she missed carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.
The sight of the yellow kernels filled her with joy. She had even considered roasting coconuts to curb her craving, making this discovery all the more delightful.
Corn was versatile—delicious steamed or grilled. The sight of the thriving cornfield made her mouth water.
Despite her enthusiasm, Junhyuk approached cautiously, examining the corn with a critical eye before nodding in approval and placing a few cobs into the plastic bag they’d brought.
“Let’s just pick ten. We can always return for more.”
“Ten? That’s barely enough for anyone! Let’s take at least twenty.”
Se-ah confidently rolled up her sleeves, but Junhyuk’s words made her pause.
“If we don’t finish them, bugs will swarm. It hasn’t been an issue so far because there wasn’t much sugar, but with these sweet corn kernels, unseen pests might appear.”
“R-really? Then I guess ten will have to do,”
Se-ah replied reluctantly, her aversion to bugs outweighing her desire for more corn. She placed only ten cobs into the bag, pouting. Watching her, Junhyuk chuckled softly.
“It’s fine. It’s not like someone owns this field. If we need more, we’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll pick as many as you want.”
Wait, what?
For a moment, Se-ah felt as though his words weren’t about corn but stars, promising to pluck them from the sky for her.
Even his face seemed to glow, and her heart began pounding uncontrollably once again.
Junhyuk always had a way of speaking that made it hard not to misinterpret his intentions as romantic. In many ways, he was dangerous to her heart.
For a fleeting moment, Se-ah thought, If I had known Junhyuk was this kind of man earlier, I would never have divorced him.
If she had realized this during their wedding ceremony, she would have immediately registered their marriage and refused to let go, even clutching his pant leg if necessary.
Such thoughts crossed her mind because her ex-husband, whom she had reunited with, fit her ideal type almost perfectly.
She wondered, If her family hadn’t gone bankrupt, would they have stayed together as a married couple?
Perhaps, perhaps not. Still, she believed that, under different circumstances, she might have had more time to truly understand the person he was.
It was the first time she felt regret about their divorce. However, there was no time to dwell on such thoughts. Shaking herself out of her reverie, she quickly grabbed one extra cob of corn—making it 11 in total—and followed Junhyuk down the forest path.
As they rounded a large tree, their treehouse came into view. Suddenly, Junhyuk stopped dead in his tracks.
“Captain, what’s—?”
“Shh!”
He crouched low and gestured toward the beach.
Se-ah, startled, crouched beside him and followed his gaze toward the sand. Her eyes widened. Someone was struggling furiously, seemingly caught in one of Junhyuk's traps. Sand flew everywhere, and the person’s face was obscured.
“Shouldn’t we go check who it is?”
“They might have companions. Let’s observe for a bit longer,”
Junhyuk replied, pulling a gun from his waistband. Se-ah gasped, her gaze darting between him and the weapon.
“You’re not planning to shoot, are you? Do you even know how to use that? You’re not a trained marksman, are you?”
“Of course, I know. My father was a hunting enthusiast, and I often accompanied him. But I’m not planning to fire recklessly. Just holding it can serve as a warning.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but you still need to be careful,”
“Obviously. I wouldn’t risk harming you. Don’t worry.”
After watching in silence for a moment, Junhyuk stood up cautiously.
“I’ll check it out alone. Stay here and don’t move, no matter what happens.”
“I want to go with you.”
He gently pressed her shoulder, preventing her from standing.
“Absolutely not. Stay put. That’s the best way to help me.”
"Still."
"I understand your feelings well enough, so just cheer me on, okay?"
Reluctantly, Se-ah nodded, knowing her interference might put him in danger.
She watched anxiously as Junhyuk stealthily approached the trapped figure. His footsteps were silent on the sand, leaving her to nervously observe from a distance.
Fortunately, it seemed there were no companions nearby. As Junhyuk reached the person caught in the trap, he moved swiftly—more so than when catching wild boars—to subdue them.
“Hey! What’s going on?”
The trapped individual shouted, their voice reaching Se-ah.
Wait. That voice was familiar.
Perking up her ears, Se-ah strained to listen. Moments later, the voice rang out again, prompting her to leap to her feet.
“President! Why are you doing this? It’s me, Boss Nam!”
Hearing the deeply aggrieved voice of Boss Nam, she rushed over to them in a single breath.
The person struggling beneath Junhyuk, with his hands and feet tied, was undoubtedly her employer, Boss Nam.
Though he looked thinner and much more disheveled than before, he was still recognizable.
“Boss Nam?”
Se-ah called, her voice filled with disbelief. Both men turned to her simultaneously, their faces reflecting shock and surprise.
“Coco?”
Junhyuk’s expression was skeptical, as if confirming whether the man was truly someone familiar. Meanwhile, Boss Nam looked relieved, as if he had narrowly escaped death.
"Why on earth is President Do doing this? Does Coco know too?"
“Ah, well… it’s a bit complicated.”
Se-ah hesitated, then leaned closer to Junhyuk to explain in a low voice.
“Captain—no, Junhyuk. It’s okay. That man is my boss at work. He’s also the owner of the boat we came on.”
“Are you sure you know him? He’s calling you a weird name—‘Coco’?”
“‘Coco’ is just a nickname. I know him, so you can let him go.”
After a moment of reluctance, Junhyuk untied the ropes.
The moment he was freed, Boss Nam collapsed onto the sand with a groan.
“Goodness, I’m alive. What’s with all these traps?”
Disgusted, Boss Nam threw aside the rope that had bound his foot.
“How did you find us here?”
“I spent a few days searching up along the beach. Then, yesterday, I saw smoke. I decided to follow it and ended up here.”
“Ah, we lit a fire yesterday after a plane flew by. So you saw that smoke.”
Boss Nam nodded.
“That’s me, but what about the two of you? Have you been together all this time?”
“Yes.”
“I was so shocked when President Do jumped into the water to save Coco. I wanted to help, but I was just a step too late.”
Scratching his head, Boss Nam seemed apologetic about the incident.
“It’s okay,”
“Well, at least you’re not alone. I was with Ms. Moon Sohee. She’s been so demanding, though, so when we came down here, I made an excuse that it might be dangerous and left her behind. I’ll have to go back for her later.”
From the looks of it, Boss Nam’s weight loss wasn’t just due to a lack of food—Moon Sohee’s influence seemed to play a part as well.
Se-ah wondered what kind of expression Moon Sohee would make upon seeing her. She felt a surge of anger at the thought of confronting her about why she had let go of her hand back then. Se-ah resolved to accompany them when they went to fetch Moon Sohee.
Determined to demand an apology, Se-ah’s expression grew firm. Boss Nam, noticing her face, spoke again while studying her closely.
“By the way… Se-ah, you look like someone who’s on a vacation.”
“What?”
“Your face seems to have gotten better. Was life here not so bad for you?”
“N-no way. It’s just swollen because I haven’t been sleeping well,”
Se-ah stammered, feeling strangely self-conscious under his curious gaze.
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