HWAMB — Chapter 44

Please save me…

It was a cry that was closer to a scream.

Alone in a white world, the child wept miserably, when suddenly someone called my name and reached out a hand.

“Eun-jae.”

It was a small, white hand.

I stopped crying and lifted my head.

It looked just like an angel. Only the wings were missing.

With a hiccupping sob, I grabbed that hand without hesitation.

It was warm, soft, and comforting… like sunlight itself.

“Hic… Hyun-woo…”

“Shhh… It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Hyun-woo gently wiped away my endless tears.

I blinked slowly a few times, and strangely, the image of young Hyun-woo was gone.

When had he gotten here?

Hyun-woo bit his lip as he looked at my ankles, bound tightly to the conveyor belt. Then, as he rubbed my bruised ankle, he spoke.

“Sorry I’m late. It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? I don’t have anything to cut this with right now… just hold on a little longer.”

“……”

“Breathe slowly. That’s it. You’re okay. This isn’t a closed space. You can lift your head without worrying. …Or if it’s too scary, just close your eyes.”

Only then did I realize I was hyperventilating badly.

At his words, I carefully lifted my head.

Through the wide-open door, I could see the outside world. But even after confirming that, my tangled breathing didn’t settle down easily.

Instead, the unsteady rhythm just made me more anxious.

“Eun-jae, Kang Eun-jae.”

“……”

His voice was calm, but it trembled faintly.

When I showed no sign of calming down, Hyun-woo pressed his lips to mine and stole my breath.

As if consuming my breath, Hyun-woo refused to pull away.

“Mmph… mmm…”

I let out a muffled groan as warm lips rubbed against mine, soft and insistent.

His tongue pressed down firmly on mine, overpowering it.

Hyun-woo’s kiss was strange. It suffocated me, yet it felt good at the same time.

I could hear him greedily drinking in my breath.

My frantic breathing gradually settled, little by little returning to normal.

Still, Hyun-woo didn’t stop. He clung to me persistently.

Only after a long while did his lips finally release me.

The tension drained from me all at once, and I nearly collapsed, but Hyun-woo caught me.

The exhaustion crashed down on me all at once.

He immediately lifted me into his arms. Then, as if soothing me, he pressed a light kiss to my forehead and whispered softly to calm me.

“Hyun-woo…”

“Yeah. What is it?”

“Sorry for making you worry…”

“As long as you know, that’s enough.”

His gentle voice put me at ease, and my eyes fluttered shut. Still dazed, I smiled foolishly and murmured weakly,

“But you’re… really bad at kissing…”

“…Guess you’re feeling well enough to joke.”

Hyun-woo patted my back and said, “Let’s get you to a hospital,” before carrying me out of the old warehouse.

It had been an exhausting day.

Maybe I had a slight fever, but my head felt light, floating. Drifting in and out of consciousness, I couldn’t think straight.

When I opened my eyes once, Hyun-woo’s older brother was walking beside us. When I opened them again, I was already in a moving car.

Hyun-woo’s urgent voice rang in my ears, along with a calm woman’s voice at the wheel saying, “We’ll be there soon. Please hold on a little longer.”

My back was damp.

Was all of this sweat mine?

What if Hyun-woo’s clothes were soaked through because of me?

Sensing my slight movements, Hyun-woo only pulled me tighter.

“…Idiot, I can’t breathe…”

“Ah… sorry…”

At my weak, coughing words, Hyun-woo quickly loosened his grip.

But he still held me close.

‘What if his leg cramps from holding me like this…?’

I wanted to adjust my position, but maybe that tiny movement earlier had used up my last bit of strength. I couldn’t even twitch a finger.

In the end, I gave up trying to move and simply squeezed his hand tightly.

And like that, I fell into a deep sleep, as if collapsing.