HWAMB — Chapter 65

The darkness split open as light returned.

Frantically, I shone the beam behind me.

There, thick tree roots jutted up from the ground, solidly anchored. When I moved the light slightly to the side, I saw Do Jin-gyeong collapsed, clutching his ankle and swallowing back groans.

“Hey, Do Jin-gyeong! Are you hurt?”

“Think I just twisted it a little, it’s fine… ah!”

“How is that fine? Let me see.”

He hesitated, covering the injury with his hand, but I pulled it away to check.

Blood welled from scrapes where rough bark had cut his skin. And from the way he stumbled, his ankle seemed twisted too.

What do I do? This happened because I dropped the flashlight. Since we were at the very back, the rest of the class hadn’t noticed and had already gone on ahead.

“I’ll help you. Okay, one, two, three!”

I grabbed Jin-gyeong under the arm and helped him walk. He looked at me apologetically.

“Sorry, I must be heavy.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. This is my fault…”

“No, I was just being clumsy.”

He glanced quickly at the back of my hand.

“I’ll carry the flashlight.”

Seeing how awkward it looked for me to support him and hold the flashlight at once, he took it from me. First, he aimed the beam at my hand, then turned it toward a tree just ahead.

Drops of red liquid dripped from the branches. Jin-gyeong frowned slightly at the sight.

“So that’s what scared you.”

“…Yeah.”

Of course, it couldn’t be real blood.

It must be paint, paint… Just like the hidden stamps scattered around, maybe someone obsessed with horror effects had set this up.

Jin-gyeong pulled the light away from the tree.

“I think I’ve heard that sometimes diseased trees get marked with red paint… but this looks too thin for paint, doesn’t it?”

“It’s… not paint?”

“Hm…?”

His expression stiffened at my words, though he quickly forced a laugh and said, “No way, come on.”

I laughed too, brushing it off. Maybe it was better not to think about it at all.

“Sorry. Because of me, your ankle got hurt…”

“I told you, it’s fine. I’ve gotten hurt plenty while training, I’m used to it.”

“If it hurts too much, don’t hold it in. Tell me.”

“Yeah. I will.”

I slowed my pace to match his. Even limping, he managed to keep up.

For a long time, Jin-gyeong’s eyes stayed fixed on the back of my head. Feeling his stare, I asked,

“What? Do I have something on me?”

“No. I just suddenly remembered the first time we talked at the start of the semester.”

Ah, that must’ve been…

When I misjudged my kick during practice and sent the ball flying into the back of his head.

‘So that’s why he’s been staring at the back of my head…’

I swallowed nervously and asked jokingly,

“Are you planning to get payback now?”

“Should I?”

The eerie smile that followed made my muscles lock up tight.

“…”

“I’m joking! Why would I hit you now of all times?”

Startled, I looked at him wide-eyed. He hurriedly explained himself, flustered.

Relieved, I let out a laugh.

“You scared me… I already felt so bad about that day.”

“I was just trying to lighten the mood, but I guess I failed.”

Didn’t sound like a joke at all, though.

“…You must be good at games like Mafia or Cops and Robbers.”

“Huh? Mafia? What’s that?”

“You don’t know Mafia?”

He blinked innocently, clearly clueless.

“They’re both mind games… Cops and Robbers is played with cards, the one left with the Joker at the end loses. Mafia is where a group of people…”

I carefully explained the rules, and he nodded as if hearing it for the first time.

“Never played it before. Sounds fun, but I don’t know if I’d be good.”

He admitted he hadn’t had many chances to play games with friends. That surprised me—I’d just assumed he’d always been sociable.

“Try it with friends sometime. It’s more fun than you’d think.”

Jin-gyeong simply nodded.

We walked for what felt like a long time, with no end in sight.

Maybe because of his size and build, his steps grew slower and slower. Looking troubled, he finally said,

“Eun-jae, let’s rest a bit. If you get hurt too, it’ll be a problem.”

“No, I’m fine. If we stop here, it’ll just be harder. And you need treatment quickly.”

But he stopped me and sat me down on a large flat rock.

“The others must’ve counted heads already. When they see we’re missing, the teachers will come. Let’s not rush.”

I hesitated. If only we had our phones, this would be solved instantly.

But he was right—maybe I had been too frantic.

In the end, I sat down as he suggested. My clothes were soaked with sweat now. Luckily the cardigan was dry, but my T-shirt clung to me.

I took off the cardigan he’d given me and tied it around his waist. He flinched when my hand brushed him.

“Ah, sorry! Did that hurt?”

“Huh? N-no?”

“You jerked so much I thought I hurt you.”

“No! I’m fine!”

His voice came out too loud, and his posture looked stiff.

I wiped the sweat dripping down my face and muttered,

“Should’ve brought water… I left it since I thought it’d be a burden.”

Tugging at my damp shirt, I fanned myself.

Jin-gyeong grew quiet. Was he really okay?

‘His face is really red…’

I studied him out of the corner of my eye. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his face. I tapped his shoulder lightly.

“Hey, Do Jin-gyeong. Are you sure you’re okay? Feels like you’ve got a fever.”

“Huh? Ah… well.”

Worry and guilt pressed on me at once. I touched my forehead to his.

His eyes widened in shock, lips parting with a faint sound.

“If the wound’s bad, you can get a fever. You’re burning up. Dizzy at all?”

He couldn’t answer right away. After a pause, he stammered, looking away.

“Now that you mention it… maybe a little…”

“What? You should’ve said so earlier!”

I started to help him up again, but he pulled back slightly.

I frowned.

“You clearly haven’t dealt with fevers much. They’re no joke. Don’t underestimate it.”

“….”

“Don’t be stubborn. Come on.”

Looking sulky, he finally let me support him again.

We walked in silence. I worried I’d been too harsh. When I glanced over, his head was lowered, hiding his face.

Maybe it was just the fever making him weak.

‘But his body doesn’t feel that hot…’

The warmth against my shoulder was normal.

I couldn’t tell how long we’d been walking, but it felt like a while. Finally, Jin-gyeong spoke, voice heavy.

“Um… Eun-jae.”

“Yeah?”

“The truth is, I…”

His lips moved hesitantly, too soft to hear.

“What? I can’t hear you…”

“Ah! There they are! Teacher, over here!”

“Kang Eun-jae! Do Jin-gyeong!”

Something fluttered in the distance. Squinting, I saw Seo Young-ho and our teacher waving.

And beside them, Hyun-woo was there too.

With my good eyesight, I could clearly make out his expression as he ran toward me. Relieved, I exhaled.

“The teacher’s here. Thank god…”

“….”

“But I didn’t catch what you said earlier. What was it?”

“Ah… nothing.”

I looked at Jin-gyeong, whose face was as red as a beet.

Even when I asked again, he only pressed his lips shut and refused to speak.

* * *

Contrary to my worries, Do Jin-gyeong’s leg turned out to be fine. After applying a cold compress, the swelling went down a lot, and the pain seemed to have eased.

Still, just to be safe, he went with the homeroom teacher to a nearby hospital for an X-ray. When I got the call that nothing was seriously wrong, I finally felt relieved.

After everything was over, exhausted, I slumped into a chair in the empty lounge with Young-ho and Hyun-woo.

The tension had drained from us completely; none of us had the strength to even lift a finger.

“That bastard… First he was making a huge fuss, telling me to stick close to him, then he just ran off all excited by himself.”

“S-sorry…”

I clicked my tongue and glared at Seo Young-ho. Out of things to say, he shut his mouth.

Hyun-woo, who had been listening quietly, sighed deeply and patted my head. “Good job.”

I let him pat me absentmindedly before suddenly coming to my senses.

“This is strange.”

“What now…”

“I thought you’d be mad at me… Are you sure you’re Shim Hyun-woo?”

Hyun-woo gave me a flat look, as if I were ridiculous.

“If you’ve got the energy to joke, you must be fine. Meanwhile, my guts were twisting inside out worrying about you.”

We were so drained that even our voices carried no strength.

“Sorry…”

“You’re gonna pay me back double later.”

“Me too…”