Chapter 38: I wanted to pick it up

A small surge of emotion welled up in my throat. The back of my mouth felt strangely raw. How long had it been since I felt like someone was on my side?

“I-I just…”

But this wasn’t the time to get sentimental.

Han Yeoreum’s supportive verbal assault was certainly appreciated, but in the end, it was my battle to fight with Yu Garyeon.
It had always been a matter between the two of us, and I came to this island to resolve it.

I gently placed my hand on Han Yeoreum’s shoulder and spoke.

“Han Yeoreum.”
“What, why? Are you telling me to stop picking on her because it’s okay? She became like that because you kept letting her off the hook. Even if you’re friends, you have to say what needs to be said!”
“That’s what I intend to do, so calm down. I’ll take it from here.”

After calming down the frantic Han Yeoreum, I slowly approached Yu Garyeon, who was trembling on the other side of the room.

“Originally, I was going to talk to you when you were sober and in your right mind, but since things turned out this way, it can’t be helped.”
“Hic, ugh…”

Yu Garyeon’s gaze was still fixed on my forehead. She was looking at it so pitifully that even the parts that didn’t hurt were starting to ache.

“This? It’s really okay. It’s just a small scratch. It’s barely bleeding now.”

Yu Garyeon shook her head, as if to say I was wrong, and clenched and unclenched the hand that had been holding the game board just moments before.
Seeing that trembling hand, which looked so fragile, I carefully took it in mine.

“Ugh…”
“The rain seems to have stopped. Shall we go for a walk?”

As soon as I held her hand, a rough breath escaped her, heightening the tension. With each breath, I gripped her hand even tighter.
Yu Garyeon, who had been trembling while holding my hand for a long time, finally shook it off and started running towards the outside at full speed.

“Th-That, that girl. Ouch.”

Han Yeoreum, who had thrown herself to stop the fleeing Yu Garyeon, lost her balance and stumbled precariously. I quickly threw myself forward and caught her with both hands.

“Are you okay?”
“I feel like I’m going to puke.”
“I’ll be back, so just lie down and rest.”

Han Yeoreum, who had been listening quietly to my words, spoke with a dejected look.

“…Sorry, you were doing fine, and I just had to step in.”
“It’s okay, just get some sleep.”

After putting Han Yeoreum to bed, I hurried out of the mansion and soon spotted Yu Garyeon clumsily descending the stone steps in the distance.
How can a drunk person be so fast? She’ll get seriously hurt if she falls while running like that.

“Yu Garyeon!”

Every time I took a step, Yu Garyeon took three, as if she had been waiting. The impromptu midnight chase finally came to an end when we reached the beach.
I stretched out my hand and grabbed Yu Garyeon’s flailing arm.

“Let go. Let me go.”
“What are you going to do if I let go?”

The end of the sea, which brushed against my ankles with a splashing sound, was as dark as an abyss, and nothing could be seen.
And Yu Garyeon was trying to walk into it.

“A b*tch like me deserves to die. I should disappear from this world.”

She slurred out chilling words with her twisted tongue.

“Why should you die? Don’t even joke about that.”
“Why? Why? I hurt you, didn’t I? You were in so much pain because of me, right? I did a lot of terrible things. Huh? Why are you doing this when you know…”

I held onto Yu Garyeon even tighter as she struggled to break free, sending a clear message not to even dream of it.

“It hurts, hehe, it hurts so much… No, I really don’t understand. Why are you stopping me? I insulted you whenever I had the chance, I kicked you, saying I couldn’t stand the sight of you. I sprayed deodorant wherever you sat, wherever you lay, saying you smelled. And now that that person is offering to disappear, why are you stopping me?”

In contrast to her beautiful, shimmering blue hair in the moonlight, a dark cloud loomed over Yu Garyeon’s face.
Although she was constantly laughing, her red, swollen eyes were filled with tears.

“Come to think of it, I hacked into the personal information of someone who didn’t want to be contacted, got their number without permission, and even harassed them with phone calls. On top of that, I even messed with their Bitcoin. No, it was blackmail. I told them to crawl on their knees if they wanted their money back… Wow, I’m a really terrible person.”

Yu Garyeon’s complexion darkened as she continued speaking.

“Your expression was quite a sight. Why, that time. When you quit… Why didn’t I know? You must have been making that face for a long time. No, it’s only natural. I haven’t been looking at your face for a while now.”

Yu Garyeon, who had been muttering self-deprecatingly, wiped her face a few times with her palm and then burst into tears.
The sea breeze blowing from beyond her howled in my ears.

“I wanted to take it back. Everything, since then… But why does it have to be like this? Why does everything I touch turn into a mess…?”

Yu Garyeon’s flailing arms, reaching out into the empty air, stopped. She turned her head and looked at the arm I was holding.

“Even here, I’ve only hurt you…”

Yu Garyeon’s hand, gently caressing the bandage on my forearm, was sobbing.

At that moment, a small wave from somewhere washed over Yu Garyeon’s thighs. Startled by the coolness of the night sea, she stumbled and fell.
Amidst the splashing water, small droplets streamed down Yu Garyeon’s face.

“But you know what’s funny?”

I can’t see. The expression Garyeon is making now, the feelings she’s harboring.
I can’t see anything.

“I’m so happy. I know what I’ve done, I know what a worthless b*tch I am, but I’m so happy because you’re next to me, you f*cking asshole… Why are you doing this? I-I came here to be punished. Because I did something wrong. But why aren’t you getting angry? You said you threw up because of me. You said you couldn’t sleep. You quit the company because of me. But… but… dammit, get angry at me!”

I knelt down.
Ignoring the cold seawater seeping into my clothes, ignoring the stinging sensation on my forearm, I sat at her eye level and gently touched her face.

As my fingers touched her, Yu Garyeon trembled as if an electric current had passed through her, but she didn’t run away like before.

“Garyeon.”

I intended to wipe away the tears streaming from her eyes with my thumb. But the more I wiped, the more tears flowed.

“At first, I was scared. You used to be so warm, but at some point, you started acting like a completely different person, and I wondered if I had done something wrong. Then, I was disappointed. I tried so hard to turn things back, but you remained the same. It felt like I was nothing to you… Looking at it like this, I’m so petty. Aren’t I?”

Yu Garyeon shook her head vigorously, sending droplets of water from her hair onto my face.

“And at some point, I started getting angry. I can’t even count how many times I thought, ‘I wish she would just tell me why she’s doing this.’”

Yu Garyeon flinched at my words. Then, as if resentful, she reached out and pushed away my hand, which was caressing her face.

“But why are you doing this…”
“Because the time I spent with you still remains in my heart. So much so that the angry and disappointed times feel like nothing.”

Yu Garyeon’s eyes snapped open. She finally looked up and met my gaze.
Her face was a complete mess. If it had been anyone else, I would have burst out laughing without even realizing it.

“I want to reconcile. It’s too late to go back to how things were, but I want to chat with you again, play games, and live like that. Talking about my disappointments can come after that.”
“…”
“Can’t we?”
“…It’s so funny. I’m the one who did wrong, and I’m the one who should be begging.”

As soon as she finished speaking, I felt a dampness on my chest. Yu Garyeon, as if wanting to hide her expression, buried her face in my chest for a long time and then spoke.

“I tried to endure it. Really, I tried my best to endure it this time. I was going to be hated by you and never come near you again. If you do this, I…”

The night wave lapped at Yu Garyeyoon’s body again.
My heart pounded. Her eyes, holding the sea, looked at me.

“…You know, I like you.”

And once the tide started coming in, it didn’t stop.

Until it filled her to the brim.