SACCHARIN
CHAPTER 22

 

Chapter 22

“……!”

I bit down on his finger with all my strength. I clenched my jaw so hard that I genuinely wanted to snap at least one of his knuckles clean off.

Yet, despite how hard I bit, he didn’t cry out in pain or let out so much as a groan. Instead, he looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes, as if daring me to bite even harder—almost as if he enjoyed it.

I flinched and let go first, startled. Shin Chi-woo was definitely not normal. He didn’t just seem like a bit of a pervert—he seemed like a full-blown one.

“You’re gonna end up biting my finger clean off at this rate.”

“If you try that again, I really will bite it off. No—I’ll chew it up and swallow it.”

“Ooh, scary. How could I ever risk putting my fingers near your mouth again?”

As soon as his fingers left my mouth, I immediately spat out the pill with a sharp ptuh. A quick glance at his index finger showed deep red bite marks between his knuckles.

The pink pill lay on the floor, partially dissolved on the outside from where it had been in my mouth. Even if I had swallowed any residue, it was probably too small a dose to have any real effect.

My eyes flicked to the mini-fridge tucked in the corner of the cabin. A bottle of water sat on top of it. I quickly walked over to grab it and rinse out my mouth.

“Do whatever you want. I try to help, and this is what I get.”

“You don’t have to care whether I get seasick or not.”

“I won’t anymore, Miss Seo Wan-yi.”

I shoved past Shin Chi-woo as I stood up, snatched the water bottle, and swished it around in my mouth before spitting it out.

He rubbed his fingers against his temples as if I was giving him a headache. His face practically screamed that he knew exactly why I was rinsing my mouth so thoroughly.

Then, with an air of exasperation, he lifted his hands in surrender, straightening up as if to say he was officially done dealing with me. The sheer audacity of it left me speechless.

“Was that really seasickness medicine?”

“…….”

“You could’ve just said it was medicine from the start instead of being so damn suspicious about it.”

“…….”

“Why are you like this? This whole situation is terrifying enough already….”

I clutched the water bottle, blurting out words that weren’t exactly an excuse but weren’t not an excuse either. If he walked out of here pissed off, I’d be the one left to deal with the consequences.

“Would this convince you?”

Shin Chi-woo pulled something from his trench coat pocket and held it out toward me. Another seasickness pill.

“So why did you say something that made me misunderstand in the first place…?”

Originally, the medicine must have come in a pack of two, but now, one half of the packaging was empty. Even when I flipped it over, I could clearly see the brand name and the word seasickness medicine printed on the silver foil.

I still couldn’t tell if Shin Chi-woo was messing with me or actually looking out for me.

But given that he had bothered to get me food and medicine at all, he must have had at least some good intentions. In the end, we were both stuck in a situation where neither of us wanted to yield—but I was the one at a disadvantage. If I wanted to get through this, I had to swallow my pride.

“I get really bad motion sickness. Just give me the medicine. No—please.”

“I thought you told me not to care whether you got sick or not?”

“I spat it out because you kept joking around and scaring me for no reason!”

The moment I confirmed it was real medicine, he slipped the pill back into his pocket. Even though I was practically pleading at this point, he wasn’t giving it back so easily. What a petty bastard.

“Can’t you just give it to me?”

“Nope.”

“…I’m sorry for biting you.”

“…….”

“And… I’m sorry for not trusting you.”

I had no idea how many hours it would take to reach the island, but I knew I’d never survive the trip without the medicine. I kept emphasizing that spitting out the pill had been a mistake, but it seemed I still wasn’t apologizing well enough to make him change his mind.

“Go through some hardships. Maybe then you’ll finally come to your senses.”

“…You’re so cruel.”

“It’ll help fix that attitude of yours too.”

Shin Chi-woo turned his back to me, even waving his hand as if to say goodbye. I should have run after him, begged if I had to, just to get that medicine. But honestly… I was exhausted from this ridiculous back-and-forth.

Fine. No one ever died from motion sickness. I could endure it. And if it got unbearable, I could always punch the captain or someone and ask them to knock me out.

But what scared me more was the thought that Shin Chi-woo might not keep his promise. I thought he would, but after what just happened, I couldn’t shake the uncertainty gnawing at me. The idea of enduring the grueling days on the island with that doubt hanging over me was unbearable.

Why was I so pathetic? My eyes started to sting again.

Maybe this was why Shin Chi-woo didn’t take me seriously—because I was always on the verge of crying over something.

I kept my head down, trying to hold back my tears. That’s when I saw a familiar pair of shoes enter my vision.

Shin Chi-woo had turned back.

“You think I can just leave with a clear conscience like this?”

He snatched the water bottle from my hands, tilting his head to study my face. Seeing that I wasn’t actually bawling, just teetering on the edge, he let out a deep sigh.

“Look up.”

“…….”

“Come on, lift your head so you can take the medicine.”

“…….”

“We don’t have time for this. Lift your head and open your mouth.”

His tone was firm, but I could tell he wasn’t completely annoyed. Reluctantly, I lifted my head. As expected, he reached out and cupped my chin.

His grip was gentle—not forceful or painful—but that almost made it worse. Now, he was staring straight at my messy, tear-streaked face.

“Let go, I can take it myself.”

“And what if you suddenly change your mind again and spit it out?”

“I won’t spit it out. Just give me the damn pill.”

“Learn to follow orders first.”

With a sharp snap, he popped the medicine out of its packaging. In his free hand sat the pink seasickness pill.

Apparently, he still didn’t trust me enough to take it on my own. As if I were a damn child.

“Be obedient, Seo Wan-yi.”

“…Like this?”

“A little more.”

“…….”

“That’s good.”

It should have been simple—just open my mouth and get it over with. But for some reason, I hesitated.

Maybe it was because he was watching me too intently. Or maybe it was just him—everything about this was throwing me off.

Why was he doing this? He could’ve just handed me the pill with some water and been done with it. Did he enjoy making me uncomfortable?

In the end, the bitter pink pill landed back on my tongue. It wasn’t meant to be taken dry, so I instinctively reached for the water bottle he was holding.

…Wait.

The moment his hand tipped the bottle toward my lips, something unexpected happened.

I hadn’t predicted this.

“……!”

His lips pressed against mine.

And before I could react, his tongue slipped between my slightly parted lips, letting cool water spill into my mouth.

I was so shocked I didn’t even think to resist. My throat worked on instinct, swallowing everything—water, medicine, and all.

It was only after I had swallowed that I realized—I was half-leaning into his embrace.

The sudden kiss wasn’t sweet. It wasn’t even really a kiss. It was just… startling.

Because the moment he confirmed I had taken the pill, he pulled away.

“Now that I know you swallowed it, I can leave without worrying.”

I was completely dazed. But he? He was completely unbothered.

Shin Chi-woo even had the nerve to smile, tapping his left wrist lightly—a silent gesture that time was up.

“I’ll come get you soon. Wait for me.”

Before I could say anything, he gave my shoulder a firm squeeze, then turned and walked out of the cabin.

It had all happened so fast that it felt like a dream.

Was that a kiss? Or… was it just some weird version of artificial resuscitation?

Still in a daze, I touched my lips with my fingertips. I had kissed… Shin Chi-woo. No—I hadn’t kissed him. He had forced it on me. Right…?

I was still struggling to process what had just happened when the ship’s engine rumbled to life. The vessel rocked as it left the dock.

…Wait. No.

I refused to let it end like this.

I threw open the cabin door and ran outside. But I was too late.

The boat had already left the shore, and the land was slowly shrinking in the distance.

Still, it wasn’t too far.

Standing at the stern, I took a deep breath—

“HEY, YOU BASTARD!”

From the dock, Shin Chi-woo responded by raising a hand and waving.

His farewell was unbearably casual. Maddeningly affectionate. And just so infuriatingly smug.