DM Chapter 50
Under the warm body temperature of the dogs transmitted through her palms, Sarin sat quietly, leaning her body against the back of the sofa. As she tried to close her eyes, the light coming through her eyelids reminded her of the moment of the accident, and she opened her eyes.
“Ah….”
Sarin buried her face in her palms. Her whole body trembled, starting with her fingers. She could hear the dogs whimpering next to her, but she couldn’t lift her head.
After waking up in the hospital, she pretended to be okay and met Hayan. But as soon as she returned to the hotel, the memories of the accident came flooding back. The sensation of the truck hitting her was vivid, and the bruised parts of her body ached.
She remembered the world spinning and Owen holding her tightly, but she couldn’t recall his face. Maybe if it hadn’t been for him, she would have been badly hurt.
“You can’t even swim.”
After falling into the water, did she get out of his embrace and try to survive on her own? She wasn’t sure. Wiping her eyes roughly with her hands, Sarin took a deep breath, trying to look nonchalant.
“Your master is so strange.”
The three dogs looked up at her strangely.
The distance between her and Owen was getting closer and closer. She didn’t know how to widen that distance again. Somewhere in the spruce grove, her heart had shattered.
This man fearlessly entered through the broken gap.
She stood up, feeling damp all over. When she took out the dogs’ food from the kitchen and fed them, they devoured it quickly, as if they were hungry. She sat at the dining table, resting her chin on her hand, staring blankly.
Tired but unable to sleep, she waited for the time to pass.
After what seemed like an eternity, the dogs that were lying under Sarin’s feet suddenly stood up; their ears perked up. Soon, there were brisk footsteps crossing the corridor.
…Owen was back.
Sarin, who had been staring blankly in one place, slowly came to her senses.
Before she could even get up from her seat, she locked eyes with Owen. She regretted not going back to her room earlier.
This would make it seem like she had been waiting for him. Without changing her clothes as soon as she came in, she sat at the dining table, unable to tell how much time had passed.
Owen took off his suit jacket and tossed it haphazardly on the couch. Sarin catches a glimpse of Owen walking toward her. He was lucky he didn’t have a broken arm or a limp like Yuri.
“You probably have something to say to me, right?”
He asked, his hand grazing the empty table.
Something to say?
Sarin’s eyes avoided Owen’s gaze and looked to the side. Her reluctance was evident.
“I-I’m glad you’re okay?”
Owen laughed loosely as she asked a question at the end of her words, wondering if she thought this was a quiz. Sarin couldn’t understand why the atmosphere was so strange. She felt like she’d done something wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She just knew that Owen’s vibe was unnerving, and she needed to get out of here as quietly as possible.
“I can hear you racking your brain.”
There was a scent of the night coming from him.
Owen undid the cuffs of the shirt he was wearing, and she noticed that the ends were slightly discolored in brown. She didn’t really want to know what it was.
“Thanks for letting me meet the kid….”
That left me with one answer. The moment Sarin was about to express her gratitude, she was grabbed by the collar. In an instant, her upper body was dragged onto the table.
“Why.”
At that moment, she realized what he was asking. Yuri had asked something similar.
“Because I was the only one who could swim there.”
“So why.”
There was no reason for this woman to save him. It was the perfect time to let him die in the accident. Sarin’s shaky gaze met Owen’s. Those gentle eyes were clear and unapologetic. No longer avoiding him, she faced him head-on and spoke again.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Sarin confessed that when she snapped out of it, she found herself plunging her head into the water. He had told her before that he almost died helplessly as a child. It vaguely occurred to her that he wasn’t feeling well on rainy days, and she suspected it had something to do with water.
Owen stared down at Sarin wordlessly.
“It’s just….”
He looked at her calmly, waiting for her to finish.
“I just wanted to do it.”
“You wanted to do that?”
“Yeah.”
Owen’s lips twisted. His gaze, fierce to the point of brutality, felt like a boiling point. Sarin felt a surge of fear, wondering if she had given the wrong answer.
The hand still gripping her throat didn’t loosen. Whether it was due to the pressure on her neck or her own feelings, she couldn’t tell.
“Actions come with responsibilities and consequences.”
His words sounded a bit strange. When Sarin didn’t answer easily, he bared his teeth. It’s almost like he’s growling, demanding an answer.
“Is that so?”
“I suppose so…?”
Perhaps he was referring to wrapping her arm around his neck in the water. He may have been very strangled at that time. The inside of her lips were burning.
Ah, so that’s why this man is so angry.
It was the first time Owen had ever been choked by someone. Sarin easily resigned, thinking that if this was the price, she had no choice. Still, she was certain that he wouldn’t kill her, so she quietly waited for the man’s unknown anger to subside.
“I like your answer.”
His gentle words made her think her ears were playing tricks on her. Owen slowly released his grip on Sarin’s throat and ran his hand through her hair.
“Haa….”
She rested her hands on the table for a moment, catching her breath, and Owen’s hand gently brushed the small of her back. His fingers are oddly cold, still holding the temperature of the outside, sending a tingle of goosebumps down her spine.
“I’ll join you if you haven’t eaten yet.”
The man spoke as if it were a command, not a suggestion, knowing she had an empty stomach. Sarin had no way to refuse. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was well past two in the morning, not an ideal time for a meal. Unlike herself, who ate when hungry, this man didn’t do that, so she felt reluctant about the offer of a meal.
“Yeah, I haven’t eaten anything today either.”
She wished she had rummaged through the refrigerator before Owen arrived. She regretted not having that thought and just staying still. Seeing the man smile, she felt he could sense her inner turmoil despite her composed response.
Regardless of her opinion, the meal seemed to have been planned in advance, as a waiter soon wheeled in a serving cart full of food.
While the food was being set up on the table in the living room, he stood by Sarin’s side and unbuttoned the cuffs of his other shirt. After the staff member who had finished setting up quietly bowed and then disappeared, Owen walked first to the table in the living room.
The menu was similar to the food she first had here.
Seeing the rare steak brought back memories of choking on it. As Owen sat on the sofa and picked up his knife, the dogs naturally followed suit and waited in line.
“Go ahead and eat.”
He said, gesturing to the seat across from him.
Sarin sat on the floor, just like the first day. The only difference was that the same steak was now in front of her. Seeing the thick piece, about the thickness of a finger, made her throat gulp, unsure if it was out of anticipation or dryness.
Owen began to slice the steak. The distinct red cross-section was visible. He offered the neatly cut meat to the dogs first, as usual. Each one took their turn to receive a piece of meat. Owen licked the juice off his fingers.
Sarin still hadn’t touched the food. The bones of her wrists, unusually prominent under the rolled-up shirt, were visible. Owen, too, had only given meat to the dogs and hadn’t touched his food. His sharp gaze was fixed on her.
Feeling like she should eat, Sarin picked up the knife as non-threateningly as possible. She hoped not to appear threatening to this man.
Owen bared his fangs and smiled. Her actions seemed pathetic. She awkwardly held the knife as short as possible and attempted to cut the steak.
Squeak. Squeak.
Despite her best efforts, the meat wasn’t properly cut. It was mangled and torn rather than neatly sliced. She hadn’t had much experience cutting meat like this. She blushed all the way to her ears, and the sound of the knife scraping against the plate continued.
“Ah.”
Helpless, Owen reached out, took her plate, and effortlessly wielded the knife. The meat was cleanly sliced without a sound at his fingertips. The thought that he might have deliberately given her a blunt knife just to watch her struggle vanished, as if it had never been there.
She just wasn’t good with a knife.
“Here.”
Owen gestured to the fork in her hand.
She took a slice of nicely sliced meat and lifted it to her mouth. As the meat was chewed gently, the juiciness spread in her mouth. It was different from mindlessly swallowing without tasting it. Sarin took each piece Owen cut for her and ate it eagerly.
“So.”
When Sarin was almost done with her steak, Owen spoke up. Her fork, which had been moving as she ate in relief at his silence, paused.
“You’ve been waiting for me like this, like a dog that lost its mother.”
Without even eating.
As soon as his business was finished, he boarded a private jet from Moscow to Eden City. A strange sense of excitement had overtaken him. When the elevator doors opened, he could clearly see Sarin waiting with three other dogs to greet him, her eyes wide open.
