Chapter 130.2

Chapter 130.2

Seoryeong spun around without hesitation—but before she could take a step, someone grabbed her backpack and wouldn’t let go.

It was the young man beside her, suddenly interfering.

“―!”

From that moment on, she didn’t think—she just reacted.

Her body moved on instinct, snapping his twig-like arm with ease. She swept his leg out from under him, forcing him to his knees, and immediately locked his pale throat in the crook of her elbow.

She shouted urgently.

“Don’t come any closer. Just talk from there. I don’t have time to argue with you, Instructor. I was just passing through!”

“…”

Lee Wooshin’s face stiffened as he watched her retreat, dragging along an innocent bystander.

His sharp gaze lingered on the captured man for a moment before his brow furrowed deeply, a curse slipping from his lips.

For the first time in a week, Seoryeong’s phone buzzed again.

Seoryeong widened her strides, pulling the frail man along while pushing the answer button.

It was the first call she had accepted since that reckless kiss and escape.

“I told you not to come this way!”

— “Got it. Now let go of that guy.”

A low, steady voice scraped against her ear.

— “You’re holding onto some random pervert. Don’t just grab people like that.”

“What…?”

— “Listen to me. I’m counting down from three. Let go before I finish.”

His chilling warning bled through the speaker.

Three. Two…

Lee Wooshin narrowed his eyes, watching them with clear irritation.

The young man in her grasp flinched at the threat, squirming violently. But the more he struggled, the tighter Seoryeong held on.

Then, as Lee Wooshin took a step forward, both of them flinched at once.

“Don’t move! Instructor, don’t do anything! If you come any closer, I’ll—I’ll…!”

Seoryeong hesitated for a moment before blurting out,

“I’ll do something drastic right here!”

— “What?”

His brow twitched sharply.

The innocent young man was just as startled. His face flushed red, his shoulders trembling violently—not from fear of her, but from sheer mortification.

Lee Wooshin silently clenched and unclenched his fist before reaching down to upright his fallen wheelchair.

As the tension seemed to settle for a moment, Seoryeong quickly got to the point.

“I just need to step out for a bit! I’ll be back soon, so just focus on your treatment—”

— “Where?”

Beyond his hospital gown, his chest rose and fell with controlled intensity.

— “You backed away when I asked you to come with me. And now, all of a sudden, you’re leaving?”

Seoryeong could see his lips press together tightly, but she still couldn’t bring herself to say that she was going to find Kim Hyun.

There was a time when they could sit across from each other at the dinner table and talk about anything without hesitation… but now—

Leaving this man behind in the hospital…

She realized it wasn’t as easy for her as she had thought.

“I’m temporarily assigned to the Beta Team.”

— “What?”

“It’s just for a few days.”

— “You call that an explanation?!”

His dark hair, glinting under the harsh sunlight, swayed as he furrowed his brows. Then, as if seeing something unreal, he ran a hand over his eyes.

His lips curled into a hollow smile. A quiet scoff echoed through the receiver.

— “I gave you time to act like a decent guy, and you wasted it all on bullsh*t.”

“…!”

— “Meanwhile, I was dreaming about you every night, missing you like a fool. And now, after a week, here you are—clinging to some complete stranger.”

“This isn’t—!”

— “Seoryeong really is disgustingly kind, huh?”

Anyone could tell his voice was laced with sarcasm. She stared at him, stunned by his biting tone.

— “But seeing you like this, strangely enough, the things that were eating away at me just disappeared. Even my headaches are gone. It’s funny, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why I can’t let go of this greed. The more I think about it, the more I realize that becoming the bastard who just ruins everything might be exactly who I’m meant to be.”

A bitter chuckle mixed into his self-mocking words.

— “Just once, I want to live like trash, ignoring whatever the hell you want.”

She didn’t hear the rest.

Even as he stood there under the sunlight, Lee Wooshin looked as if he had sunk into a pit, unable to move. Smirking as he spoke—what was he really thinking?

— “They say if you leave something like this alone, it rots away completely. You need to air it out, change the dressing every day…”.

Even in a crowd, he looked lonely.

Yet, all she could think was that at least he wasn’t recklessly charging toward her.

Still… was it even possible to send someone off with such an ominous farewell?

The young man trapped in her hold had stopped resisting, obediently following along.

As the distance between her and Lee Wooshin grew, Seoryeong spoke impulsively.

It wasn’t a promise. Not yet. Just words.

“Then wait a little longer.”

— “…”

“You said I even showed up in your dreams. Some people never come, no matter how much you miss them. Compared to that, I think I’m pretty nice, don’t you? Take care of yourself. And don’t go thinking about your ex-wife just because you’re mad at me.”

— “…!”

“If you absolutely have to, at least give me a name or contact information first.”

See you later.

She forced a bright, awkward smile.

Lee Wooshin froze, as if struck by lightning.

He watched her walk away, his lips parting slightly as a whisper slipped through like a breeze.

— “Should I?”

“Huh?”

— “Once my legs heal. And if you come back. Then.”

The sunlight pooled over his bowed head, his neck bent as if weighed down.

Seoryeong had no idea what he meant.

But her heart pounded wildly.

This was their farewell.