Chapter 24.2

He tried to pour out his words, but Woo-jin’s expression remained unchanged, leaving him unsure if he was really being listened to. While he waited for his words to finish, he added one more thing.

“You know what? We’ve been talking the longest since we met.”

“Is that important now?”

Hae-gang knew that getting to the point was important, but that answer didn’t sit well with him.

“You have something scarier than flying.'”

Something scarier than the plane that almost killed her. The mere thought of going back to the hotel filled Hae-gang with dread.

Seeing Hae-gang’s face harden, Woo-jin gave him a clear choice.

“You have two options: either take a plane or keep Moon-Ik’s eyes on us,” Woo-jin said.

“I prefer the former,” Hae-gang replied.

“Quick to decide, I see. Would you mind traveling to the Maldives?” Woo-jin asked.

Hae-gang wondered if there was anything wrong with traveling to the Maldives by plane, but she nodded with a hint of disappointment.

“We’ll be traveling by private plane so that you won’t have to worry about other people’s attention. It’s possible that the situation could be shocking, so it would be best for a doctor to accompany us,” Woo-jin explained.

“Thank you very much,” Hae-gang said.

“It’s only natural,” Woo-jin replied.

Woo-jin, who had been making sarcastic comments, got up from his seat. He suddenly realized that it was already past nine o’clock, and he looked surprised.

“Aren’t you running late?” Hae-gang asked.

“I was planning on waiting until you woke up and then leaving after checking your condition,” Woo-jin explained.

Realizing that Woo-jin was about to leave, she quickly called out, “Mr. Woo-jin Min!”

The hand that had just landed on the doorknob froze, and Woo-jin turned halfway to face Hae-gang. She hesitated to speak, opening and closing her mouth several times.

Finally, she spoke up. “Can you hold my hand?”

“Now?” Woo-jin asked.

“No, I mean on the plane,” she clarified.

Woo-jin didn’t say anything, and Hae-gang felt nervous. She gathered her courage and gave a reason.

“I felt safer yesterday when I was close to someone.”

Woo-jin nodded, but his expression remained unreadable.

“It’s not a big deal. Is that enough?” he asked.

His blunt response didn’t match the situation, but it was the answer Hae-gang had been waiting for. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, she shrank and replied in a barely audible voice, like a mosquito.

“I don’t know. Well, it’d be nice if you prepared sleeping pills. You’ll be there when I wake up.”

******

At Hotel Rudy

“He” entered the suite where Hae-gang had stayed for two years and threw his coat onto the floor in the exceptionally cold air. There was no inspiration in his eyes as he looked at the dark sky through the window. It seemed like he might stay up all night, but soon he drew the curtains strongly, not allowing even a small light into the room.

In the cozy interior lighting, he looked at the empty bed. The memory of lying there and holding Hae-gang’s hair in his arms eased his sharp nerves a little. Her hair, which hadn’t undergone any treatment for a long time, was always soft. When he brushed it with his hand, her transparent skin seemed to wrap around it. Soon, her pretty mouth moved and made a slightly low but clear sound.

‘Don’t touch,’ Hae-gang said.

He knew how useless it was to assume that she would have run away if he had touched her hair.

The choice to change couldn’t be that simple. If given the chance, she would have run away from him, even in death.

Memories of the past resurfaced as “he” sat alone, always going back to the day he feared the most.

That day, he had a terrible experience. He couldn’t protect her if he was out of his reach.

No matter how much money and power one had, unexpected accidents could not be controlled.

Facing the crashing plane, he realized with a heavy heart that the name Moon-Ik was merely a facade.

Yes, it was his heart that went down with the plane that day.

“Should I buy you a present?” she asked.

“Well, I don’t really need anything,” he replied.

“That’s not funny. I want to buy you something. Don’t you have anything you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything except for you to come back safely without getting hurt.”

“Oh, okay. That’s given,” she answered.

Though he never said those exact words, the sight of the broken and scorched Hae-gang that came back to him couldn’t be expressed in simple terms.

Even two years later, the image of her, just transferred from the hospital where he received a call, remained vivid in his mind.

She said it was given.

“And I believed you again because you said it.”

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