Chapter 8
Finally, the woman who couldn’t stand to watch anymore stepped forward.
“I’ll just do it for you.”
The two hands extended towards the tongs were polite. Taegeon said as if he was Arthur.
“Will it be finished today?”
“… Please give it to me. I’ll try.”
The woman who had finally taken the tongs back walked on her knees to close the distance. The vibrations still hadn’t gone away, but her hands, which had found some stability compared to before, carefully dabbed a cotton ball on the wound.
Taegeon frowned at the stinging pain and stared at the cotton tickling on his skin. He was worried that she might rub the wrong spot, but it seemed that the tension had eased a little.
Only then did his gaze move freely, skimming the face of the woman who was not even visible behind the mask. Once, twice. The gaze that had been moving back and forth like dots suddenly stopped firmly on the mask.
Sunglasses and a white mask that were only half visible because they were covered by a bucket hat, from the small, round earlobes back to the sunglasses.
Upon closer inspection, the logo embroidered in black on the center of the black bucket hat was that of a luxury brand that anyone would recognize. The gold decoration sparkling at the end of the sunglasses frame was also a logo of a considerably expensive brand.
Looking at her flawless, white, and beautiful hands, I don’t think her life was all that difficult.
A woman who hides herself in a remote rural area, wearing luxury goods and keeping her face hidden… . It’s somewhat suspicious. Does this woman even realize that this appearance is actually piquering his curiosity?
“Wouldn’t it be stuffy if you covered it up like that?”
The woman’s hand trembled at the sudden question that broke the silence. The cotton that had fallen from the wound in an instant covered the gaping wound again.
“Yeah, not really… .”
“It’s frustrating just by watching it.”
“… Then you don’t have to look at it.”
“It’s quite an eyesore.”
“… … .”
Instead of answering, the woman let out a faint breath, almost a sigh. As if she had no intention of responding any further, she silently concentrated on applying ointment to the tip of a cotton swab and administering the treatment.
It would be better if he didn’t care about other people’s business, but the reason he kept wanting to talk to her was probably because he was bored with being cooped up in his room.
“How did you get here? Most of them don’t know much about this place.”
She applied ointment relatively quickly and covered the wound with a cut gauze, saying:
“It’s just… that the Anjinhaeng bus had the earliest departure time. It was the only bus for me to take.”
As expected, there was an inexplicable story hidden in the words that she answered in a daze. There would be no reason for her to board the first train to a foreign land where she had no connection.
“It’s done. Take a rest.”
The ending was lightning fast, making the trembling and hesitating pointless.
It seemed like he was in a hurry to find out more the woman but this woman who had quickly packed up her medicine cabinet stood up briskly.
“… … .”
It was then that, out of the blue, a strange feeling came to him. Taegeon’s eyebrows furrowed.
“However…”
The woman who was ready to move was being held by him and she stopped moving in surprise. Taegeon, who had been quietly watching her wiggling toes, looked up at her black shield and asked.
“Have we ever met before?”
“No.”
The answer followed the question immediately. It was clearly not a negative that meant a strong affirmation, but it felt strangely unsatisfactory.
“That’s strange.”
His dark eyes narrowed for a moment.
“Why does your voice sound familiar the more I listen to it?”
“… … .”
The direction of her face was quietly directed at him. Whether it was confusion or wonder, the damn mask covered her expression, so it was impossible to tell.
The woman, who had been silent for some time, spoke firmly.
“It’s my first time meeting you.”
The two feet that had been running away quickly crossed the threshold in a few steps. The door slammed shut just as the hem of her long checkered skirt slipped through the crack in the door.
It’s not easy to be so transparently suspicious of every single action from head to toe. She’s a very sloppy woman, but you can’t get a feel for her at all.
Taegeon, who was looking at the slightly closed door, tilted his head while smoking a cigarette.
I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere… .
The more I hear her, the more familiar she becomes. Her voice is clean, clear, and a little ticklish. There are only a handful of women I’ve met in my life, but I can’t think of a single face.
The sound of a woman opening and closing the door to the next room after placing a medicine box on the mother-of-pearl chest of drawers was clearly heard.
Smoke floated in his narrowed field of vision. Taegeon, who had been staring at the wall blocking the next room for a while and thinking about the woman, finally shook off his strange interest.
With the Seoul situation already troubling him, he didn’t need to worry about the identity of a woman who had nothing to do with him.
Haein, who had come into her room in a hurry, took off her mask and threw it away. The inside of her mask and bucket hat were soaked with sweat.
“Phew.”
Was it because of Jiyoon’s words, of suddenly returning back, that kept ringing in my ears?
Everything was fine until I turned the doorknob, but as I became aware that I was alone with the man in the small room, my hands began to shake and I began to sweat.
Why are there so many scars on his body? The long diagonal scar from his left chest and the small stab wounds left all over his body were clearly old scars.
What kind of life did he live, and what kind of life is he living that his whole body is covered in wounds?
Even though I had heard the general story about the man from Yongsun, I had been complacent until then. My grandfather and the villagers were all friendly to him, so I had not been particularly wary of the man.
– That’s how most of the vicious criminals that appear on the news are. To those around them, they seem like really kind, gentle, and good people.
You little brat. Why did you say something like that and make me worry for no reason?
“Oh, it’s hot.”
Haein wiped her sweat-soaked forehead and neck with her hand fan. She tried not to think about it, but every time she blinked, the afterimage of the man flashed in front of her and disappeared repeatedly.
Broad shoulders, not-too-too-excessive lean muscle, sculpted abs, and a broad, firm back that kept catching my eye when I was treating the wound on his lower back.
The reason my hands suddenly started shaking was probably because of the scars etched into that smooth skin.
After all, she had been living a chaste life for several years, so it was unlikely that her heart would have fluttered just because she had seen a man’s skin during that time.
Haein shook her head and shook off the afterimage, then grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom. She filled a basin with warm water and poured it over her head several times.
After drying her whole body with a shower towel and pouring water over her for a long time, she was finally free from the horrible afterimage.
However, what took its place and entered her head was a man’s voice.
“It’s strange. The more I listen to it, the more familiar the voice seems.”
“… … .”
As if it were a habit, I carefully covered my face as I left the bathroom, but my steps stopped. A moment of anxiety crossed my eyes as I looked across the door of the guest room across the yard.
She has appeared in a variety of broadcasting stations, including commercials, dramas, movies, and even talk shows. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she is a voice that everyone in Korea knows.
But no way.
“Ha… I’m so uncomfortable that I could die.”
How long will I have to endure this anxious and uncomfortable time? I wish he could get better soon and go back.
It was the first time I prayed earnestly for the recovery of a man I didn’t even know.
