episode_0023

Hayeon happily welcomed Sangmin, who came in wearing a poncho raincoat with raindrops dripping down his back.

“Are you here, master? Did you find Dayoung?”

“Yes. I’m on my back now. Maybe he was tired, but he fell asleep quickly.”

Sang-min headed to his room, feeling a sense of discomfort when Ha-yeon greeted him with a bright face, perhaps on purpose.

I was thinking about what to say when I saw the cleanly organized room, and my body, which had already reached its limit, couldn’t bear it, so I sat down on the bed.

Sangmin took off the wet poncho raincoat that was weighing down her body, laid Dayoung’s head on the pillow, covered her with a blanket, and placed his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever.

Sang-min, who confirmed that there was a slight fever, brought a first aid kit and disinfecting wipes, took out liquid cold medicine, raised Da-young’s upper body and poured it little by little into her mouth.

Fortunately, we confirmed that Dayoung could swallow without any problems, and we carefully wiped Dayoung’s entire body with a wet tissue that also had a disinfecting function, checking for any cuts or injuries.

When I took off the silver blanket, my whole body was covered in mud from rolling around in the mud, but other than a few small scratches, there was nothing to worry about.

However, his small, athlete-like, sturdy feet, which must have always been well cared for, had thorns lodged in them and open wounds that required dressings.

Sang-min, who finished the treatment without delay, got up, stretched, and spoke to Hayeon, who was watching from the doorway with a smile on his face.

“No problem. He had a slight fever, so we gave him fever reducers, and he wasn’t hurt anywhere except his feet. Since you are strong by nature, you will get better if you eat well and rest well.”

“I’m glad. Thank you, master. Thank you for bringing Dayoung. Thank you for coming back. Are you okay, master?”

Sangmin finally took out a cigarette and lit it.

The cigarette got a little wet in the heavy rain, but the nicotine I was craving made me feel my blood get pumped.

“If I were to criticize, I would have died. It’s my first time shooting a wild boar. If it had been revenge and nabal and had gone astray, both of them would have died. Is it okay to abuse the owner like this?”

Although he looked very tired, Sangmin’s voice did not contain any emotions that would make Ha-yeon anxious, such as resentment or anger.

“Hehehe… That’s right… You almost got into big trouble. I cleaned it while waiting for you to come. Do you like it?”

Only then did Sangmin slowly look around the room.

Anyway, most of the piles of cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles didn’t contain anything important, so I didn’t pay much attention and just looked at Hayeon.

It seemed like he was smiling fakely, and the mysterious smile whose intention was unknown was annoying, but Sangmin was so tired.

“I don’t know what’s so fun, but I’m so tired right now that I don’t feel like dealing with it. So leave me alone.”

Sangmin passed by Hayeon, who did not respond, and took out a can of beer from the old refrigerator in the living room and gulped it down.

Now, beer doesn’t make me drunk at all, but it seems better than soju for quenching my thirst.

Sang-min threw the burned-out cigarette butt into the stove, took out a new cigarette, added firewood to the stove, and lit the cigarette with a Zippo lighter.

The weather after the heavy rain was damp and sticky.

The inside of the cabin was hot and dry thanks to the fireplace, so unlike Da-young, who fell asleep in a sleepy state, Sang-min, who looked like a drowned rat, was able to warm his body and mind.

Hayeon approached Sangmin, who was sitting in front of the stove, sipping beer and continuously smoking a cigarette.

Sangmin glanced his head for a moment and then just silently blew out the smoke and watched the firewood burning.

“Master. Can I look forward to it a little?”

Hayeon held the silver blanket that Sangmin had covered her close to her body, as if it were a treasure, and sat next to Sangmin at a distance.

Sangmin didn’t know what he was thinking, but he just smoked a cigarette without making any response. Hayeon rested her head on Sangmin’s wet shoulder.

Sangmin no longer had any energy left, regardless of whether Hayeon did it or not.

Even after receiving Dayoung’s virginity and giving Hayeon plenty of laxatives and alcohol, she tossed and turned all night and couldn’t fall asleep for even an hour.

In the midst of my hazy mind, Hayeon’s voice sounded like an auditory hallucination.

“Master. I… I saw the owner’s diary while I was cleaning.”

“Ah. okay. Well done.”

Sangmin blinked and spoke randomly.

The lack of sleep pushed me to my limit, making it difficult to even tell whether this was a dream or reality.

And Hayeon continued, thinking that Sangmin’s answer like that was not related to insomnia.

“Finally… when you finish all your revenge… do you still have that thought?”

Even though she tried to suppress her sadness and ask questions calmly, there were tears in Hayeon’s eyes.

Sangmin closed his eyes and did not move with a cigarette in his mouth.

Hayeon, who thought Sangmin had fallen asleep, was surprised when a hand was placed on her head.

“Damn… I can’t sleep, so I’m going crazy. How much did I say? I remember it sporadically.”

Sangmin took a sip of beer, lit a cigarette, threw the butt into the stove, and rubbed his eyes with his hands, trying to shake off any drowsiness.

Even though Hayeon felt sorry for Sangmin, she wanted to catch him before he got to the point where she couldn’t do anything anymore.

“I looked at the master’s diary… I asked him if he really wanted to die when everything was over, and if that thought had not changed even now.”

Hayeon, who just a little while ago had difficulty speaking about death directly because it was difficult to talk about it indirectly, gathered courage because she thought that it would be more relatable to Sangmin now if she used more provocative expressions.

Considering Hyunjae’s impulsive and unhesitating nature, Sangmin stretched out his hand towards Hayeon, who was nervous, thinking that there was nothing he could do if she got slapped or punched right away.

Sangmin, who was wrapping his arms around Hayeon’s shoulders as she closed her eyes, slowly opened his mouth in a tired voice.

“I don’t know. I’m so tired. Still, I can’t sleep. So I thought that revenge on you was the only thing that would keep me alive… Now that I’ve gone crazy, it’s hard to maintain myself, so I want to rest… I want to give up everything and sleep in peace… I wonder if that’s death… It’s not bad. …”

Tears flowed from Sangmin’s face.

The man who had built this mountain lodge and made various preparations with only the thought of revenge eventually gave up on revenge due to his collapsing mind and body and hoped for eternal rest.

While humiliating sisters Hayeon and Dayoung, the fatigue that had been temporarily forgotten due to the intense dopamine secretion caused Sangmin to overcome his limit due to Dayoung’s escape.

Hayeon kissed Sangmin, who closed his eyes and sobbed.

Sangmin was too tired to react to the sudden touch, but the nostalgic perfume that warmly embraced him, rather than simply kissing him, seemed to tickle the tip of his nose.

10 years old. Sang-min, who became alone due to his parents’ car accident at a very young age and had to be raised by his grandmother, missed the faint scent of his mother.

A devoted love that cannot be felt even when embracing and kissing the woman you love.

Although it was nothing compared to absolute and unconditional love like Agape, Hayeon’s kiss breathed hope into Sangmin’s dry and exhausted mind and body like a ray of light.

Even though it wasn’t a passionate kiss, it must have left a very deep impression, as Sangmin slowly backed away and his eyes became much clearer and calmer.

“What… how did you do it?”

Although Sangmin’s question came out of the blue, Hayeon was so happy that her heart moved Sangmin that she began to answer calmly, suppressing her overflowing heart.

“Understand the past, look to the future, and live today. I… tarnished my master’s past, took away his future, and made today not even exist. After reading the master’s diary and realizing that, I also wanted to die, but what shame could I have? So, I will be the reason for my master to live. Dayoung will do the same. If that child were my master, I would go to any lengths… and I will think only of my master. I’m not using you for my or Dayoung’s love… I can’t completely return everything, but from your perspective, I’ll only think about you being happy and at peace. I’m sorry, master… and… I love you…”

Hayeon’s long, honest and sincere confession has come to an end.

Her hair turned white, as if the pent-up frustration inside her had been relieved, and she felt an indescribable sense of liberation.

This was because Sangmin’s conscience, which had been tormenting her since she was innocent, no longer caused her heart-wrenching pain and was released.

Of course, I still have a sense of responsibility and obligation to repent and atone for Sangmin, but now I am filled with confidence that I can do it.

“Ah… ah… ahhh!!!!!”

Soon, Sang-min’s anger at having nowhere to go was echoed through the forest beyond the mountain cabin through a loud shout.

Sang-min, who lost everything, past, future and present, went crazy and focused only on blind revenge.

Sang-min, who entered the mountain lodge and constantly fought against himself, living with only revenge as his driving force, started a fight when he vainly heard what he wanted from his enemy.

Even though Hayeon was afraid, she closed her eyes and put her hands together and prayed earnestly, thinking that the Sangmin she trusted would definitely overcome.

‘God, even if you do not forgive my sins, please support and look after the body and mind of this innocent, wounded man. I will live my whole life with a heart of repentance and atonement to him.’

Was there an answer to her earnest prayer?

Suddenly, the seizures and shouting had died down, and only the sound of burning firewood could be heard in the mountain cabin.

Dayoung was sound asleep despite the commotion, perhaps because she had taken medicine.

As Hayeon slowly opened her eyes, Sangmin held her in his arms.

And in a sorrowful voice, he sweetly whispered into Hayeon’s ear.

“……Do you know that I had a crush on you?”

Suddenly, Sangmin’s voice felt lighter and more relieved.

“Ai… I don’t know… It’s against the rules to say things like that right now…”

Hayeon’s face grew hot, incomparable to the shame she had felt so far.

Sangmin paused for a moment and then continued speaking.

“……You also committed a foul. What about my revenge? How are you going to take responsibility?”

“That’s… My life will be managed by you from now on, so you can use it as you please for the rest of your life. That’s all. Or, if you remember it later, bam! Kill it like a wild boar. It would be a sow that was shot dead. Hehehe…”

Sang-min, who had been laughing for the first time in a while at Hayeon’s foolish joke, soon took it seriously and spoke to Hayeon.

“You know… I’m already out of my mind. Maybe I was lucky that you just melted my heart. Dayoung also looks anxious, but I’m really tired now. If we can’t fall asleep right now, the three of us will be finished like this. The problem is… neither sleeping pills nor alcohol work. A person who should have been in a mental hospital a long time ago-.”

Hayeon, unable to hear Sangmin’s long worries, put her index finger to his lips and slowly stood up.

“Don’t worry. So, all you have to do is go to sleep right away, right?”

Hayeon began to seductively take off the ugly silver foil blanket and approached Sangmin naked and coquettish.

“You really used to be this kind of kid… Give me back my memories.”

Sangmin smiled at Hayeon and scolded Hayeon.

“Rest assured… I am your bitch forever.”

Soon Hayeon kissed Sangmin. It was a kiss that promised eternity.