Chapter 130.1

Chapter 130.1

His flustered stammering made him seem even more suspicious. Seoryeong subtly shifted, widening the distance between them.

His pale, fragile-looking skin. His eyes, trembling slightly, he seemed oddly innocent for a man his age. He was lanky but not frail, tall but lacking any real muscle.

He awkwardly picked himself up and sat on the bench again. But his stiff, upright posture felt unnerving. Though he stole nervous glances at her, he kept his fists neatly placed on his knees, like a soldier waiting for orders.

“Have we met before?” Seoryeong asked casually.

The man flinched again.

“N-no? I was just… happy to see you—no, I mean, I really don’t know you! This is the first time we’ve met!”

“…”

“You’re—you’re just really pretty.”

“…”

“You don’t photograph well, do you? Your face is so three-dimen—ah…! I-I’m sorry!”

What’s with this guy? Can this even be considered flirting?

“I got a little too excited! Ah, no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way!”

“….”

“I apologize for being rude! It’s just that, this really is my first time meeting you.”

What was this unsettling feeling? Seoryeong frowned warily, while the young man broke into a nervous sweat with every word he spoke. His pale face was a mess of embarrassment and frustration.

In the end, he clumsily opened his bag and started gathering his things. He looked ready to leave. But despite the way he hastily slung his backpack over his shoulder, he lingered, stealing sidelong glances at her.

His gaze was strangely desperate and lingering.

What’s wrong with him? Seoryeong furrowed her brows, unconsciously glancing around. Was there some stray cat around here he was actually looking at?

“Do you know me?”

She asked just in case. Maybe he was someone she had crossed paths with back when she couldn’t see.

The young man stiffened, then quickly shook his head. However, he pulled his cap down low and tightened his grip on his backpack straps.

“Nuna—!”

Just then, a ball rolled over and bumped against her foot, bouncing away as the sound of high-pitched laughter filled the air.

In the blink of an eye, a group of children swarmed around her, clinging to her pants and shaking her legs eagerly.

“Nuna, why did you take so long? That uncle comes here alone and waits all the time—!”

“Ah!”

“When you’re not here, he won’t even push us in the wheelchair! He says he won’t play with us!”

Feeling beads of sweat form on her back, Seoryeong gently pried the children off her.

“Uncle is sulking, so you should go kiss him—!”

As she bent halfway, trying to discreetly slip away from the bench, her body froze.

“Yeah! Like last time, a long one! That way, Uncle will give us a ride in the wheelchair, Nuna—!”

She rolled her eyes toward where Lee Wooshin was, but luckily, he seemed completely uninterested in what was happening around him, sprawled lazily in his wheelchair.

Good. That meant she had to leave before she got caught. She had no idea a simple rest stop on this bench would turn into such a mess.

“Did you do something like that with that guy?”

The young man suddenly leaned in, eyes wide.

The kids bounced on their feet, ready to dash at any moment, while he blinked at her with a strangely pure expression—like an innocent calf.

“Shhh, everyone quiet—!”

Seoryeong waved her hands like she was trying to calm an angry mob, all while carefully planning her escape.

“No, it’s not like that with him… And I’m leaving now.”

“Where are you going?”

“Uh… Just taking a trip far away for a bit.”

“With a backpack that big? Exactly how far are you going?”

“To catch a boat.”

“Why are you getting on a boat?”

The way he pressed for details made her answer instinctively. But when she came to her senses, she realized—she hadn’t been talking to the kids.

The young man beside her had already taken off his cap completely, staring at her intently.

Something about the sudden change in his gaze wasn’t normal.

“Isn’t that… too dangerous? Boats are small, and the ocean is too vast.”

“What?”

“You have a whole load of luggage… Shouldn’t you at least tell your family before you go?”

“Excuse me?”

Just as Seoryeong was about to snap, the young man pulled out his phone and started typing rapidly. He pressed the screen with stiff fingers, lips pressed tightly together, looking oddly anxious.

Creak. Creak.

That was when the sound of poorly oiled wheels echoed from a distance. Her heart pounded violently against her chest.

Holding her breath, she turned her head—Lee Wooshin, clad in a hospital gown, had just pushed himself up from his wheelchair, his expression like that of a predator spotting prey.

If he caught her here, she would lose her last chance to reach Kim Hyun.