Chapter 13

They arrived at a spot about a five-minute walk from the quarters.

Lee Soo took in the scenery. It was a lake at the lowest point, with a diagonally sloping meadow above it.

The meadow was sparsely dotted with ruin-like stone houses, and next to the lake stood a majestic stone mountain. In the foremost stone wall of that mountain, there was a hole large enough for a person to fit through, and water gushed out from inside.

The water fell with the force of a wide-open faucet, cascading down round stones toward the lake. Hayden climbed up onto the massive opening and beckoned to Lee Soo.

“Come up. I’ll give you a hand.”

Lee Soo clutched a bottle of body wash tightly in one hand and held out the other. Hayden hoisted Lee Soo up as if snatching a small animal, then took Jenna’s hand as well.

The cave, which she had expected to be dark, was surprisingly bright. After taking a few steps inside, a space with an open-air ceiling welcomed her.

Dazzling light poured through the hole in the ceiling. Not only light, but clean water fell like a waterfall. It was a breathtaking view that made it impossible not to admire.

“Wow, it’s really… beautiful.”

The scene where the stream of water and light mixed and fell from the open ceiling looked like something out of a painting. Lee Soo was busy admiring the scenery, even touching the grayish cave walls.

On the other hand, Jenna, who had traveled extensively while working as a flight attendant, was busy scanning Hayden’s body rather than the scenery.

Hayden kept a sideways glance on Jenna. As if she had been waiting for this, Jenna began to untie the buttons of her light blue blouse.

Jenna’s fingertips were focused more on seduction than on undressing. Her index finger unbuttoned the topmost button and smoothly traced down the lapel.

Hayden didn’t take his eyes off the sight and said shortly, “You’re impatient.”

“You didn’t look any different.”

Jenna undid the next button and revealed her cleavage. However, without a trace of panic or agitation, he calmly walked out of the cave.

“I’ll wait outside, so wash up and come out.”

Jenna stared at his cold, unyielding back, just like yesterday and today. Then, in annoyance, she stood in front of the waterfall and took off all her clothes.

Lee Soo also took off her clothes and started showering. The water was colder than expected, but thanks to the warm weather, it was bearable.

Since there were no proper shower supplies, she applied body wash to her underwear and scrubbed her whole body.

After a hasty wash, Jenna shook out her water-drenched clothes, put them back on, and said to Lee Soo, “I’m done, so I’m heading out first.”

Lee Soo, who was washing her hair, nodded. “Yes, go ahead. Since I’m here, I’m thinking of washing my clothes, too.”

Jenna walked out of the cave without a reply. Hayden was resting his feet on a bench-shaped stone, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, doing push-ups.

It was impossible to tell how long he had been doing it, but his back was drenched in sweat. His lower back and shoulder blades were rugged with muscles. The contours of his thick thighs were also distinct.

Jenna approached him, watching him work out with steady composure. She stopped right in front of him, shook out her hair, and said, “Lee Soo says to go on ahead. She said she needs to do laundry, too.”

It was a hint for him to go with her. But Hayden answered without any intention of getting up, “Go ahead.”

Then, changing the pattern from just bending his arms, he began to work out by pressing up his pectoral muscles. Jenna traced his fluidly flexing back, licked her lips, and asked, “I get the feeling you dote on Lee Soo. Is it just my imagination?”

Hayden replied with even breathing, “You saw right.”

She couldn’t understand how he could say that without a second thought. Did he find someone easy to handle and compliant? Was his taste peculiar? Jenna took a step back and crossed her arms.

“Do you really have a fetish for Asians?”

Hayden pushed his upper body up with one final burst of effort and stood up. Sitting down on the bench a moment later, he answered at length, as if he were tired of spelling it all out.

“Yeah, yeah. Sex with Asians is the best. So whenever I see her, I get hard, and because I get hard, that’s why I dote on her, right? If you understand, read the room and get lost.”

Twenty-six-year-old Jenna had met many men. The most exciting and thrilling memory among them had been subduing arrogant, strong-willed men like Hayden with her lower lips and playing with them.

Hayden seemed to have deep pockets and a great body, so even if she used him as a sex toy, she felt like she wouldn’t get tired of him for a long time. The reason she didn’t relent even when he showed aversion was a sort of investment. Jenna grabbed his hand—which was resting on the bench—pulled it over to her own thigh, and whispered, “If you get hard, you need somewhere to rub against, don’t you?”

Jenna used Hayden’s hand to pull up her skirt and brought it toward between her legs. Soon, she gripped his thick index finger, pressed it gently against the outside of her panties, and asked, “How about here? You can try putting it in first and think about it later.”

Hayden replied with the ease of someone who had experienced plenty of women’s seduction throughout his life, “Well, I’m not the type to just shove it in blindly.”

He soon pulled his hand back and pulled Jenna’s skirt down. Forced a step forward by his strength, Jenna narrowed her brow and asked, “Then what kind of type are you?”

His profile, gazing indifferently out of the cave, looked like that of a noble young master. Just as she was about to be mesmerized by that face, a vulgar smile touched his thick lips.

“If you’re curious, you’ll hear about it from Lee Soo soon enough.”

That meant Lee Soo would soon find out about his sexual preferences.

Jenna bit her lower lip, fueling her desire for conquest. “We’ll see about that.”

It was annoying, but for now, the best she could do was imagine Hayden falling head over heels for her and clinging to her. Vigorously shaking the moisture from her hair, Jenna headed toward the quarters.

It was long after Jenna had returned to the quarters that Lee Soo finally came out of the cave. Her chest-length black hair was damp, and her messy clothes had regained their original color.

Hayden walked right up to the front of the cave and held out his hand to Lee Soo. When Lee Soo stumbled because of her slippers, he pulled her into his waist and lowered her to the ground.

Lee Soo looked up at Hayden, feeling the water rising to the tops of her feet. His clean face was stained with sweat like someone who had been locked in a fierce battle with the heat.

“Were you really hot while waiting?”

Hayden caught the water trickling down, washed his face, and wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. “Yeah, I almost passed out.”

It wasn’t a sweltering scorching day, but the sunlight was strong enough to burn the skin. She felt both grateful and apologetic to him for waiting under the blazing sun without any proper shade.

“Thank you. The sunlight is so harsh… I would’ve understood even if you went back first, Hayden.”

He raised an eyebrow as if asking if she was serious. Then, brushing his water-soaked bangs aside, he said, “I caught three venomous snakes crawling up toward the cave. I should’ve just left them be.”

Lee Soo, who had completely forgotten about the presence of snakes, froze.

“Really?”

Surprise flickered across Lee Soo’s face and was reflected in Hayden’s eyes. Narrowing his gaze as if he wanted to gently swallow her whole, he shook his head.

“No, I hoped they’d show up, but there weren’t any.”

Watching him act like a combat hound that only felt loved when there were enemies around, Lee Soo relaxed the tension in her shoulders.

“You scared me.”

She began to walk along the lakeside where the cold water lapped against the tops of her feet. The sound of the gently flowing water refreshed her ears, but it couldn’t wash away the anxiety in her chest.

“Do you think… we’ll be rescued?”

Thinking of the uncertain future made her hands and feet grow cold. The odds of escaping this island were unknown, and even if they escaped, they had nowhere to go.

It was entirely possible that the Graham family would catch wind of the news and come after her. Figuring out why she was entangled with them was the most urgent task, but her memories were locked away tightly as if someone had sealed them shut.

“Even if I’m lucky enough to be rescued, I might end up trapped again. If I just knew what kind of sin I committed to end up in this state, I wouldn’t feel so frustrated.”

Hayden didn’t resort to cliché comfort or pity. He tried to help her dream of the future rather than the past.

“Once we get out of here, I’ll help you as much as I can. We’ll be able to get out if we just hold out for about ten days.”

“Ten days… Do you really think we can leave this island after ten days?”

“At worst, a rescue team will search this island by then.”

Jenna had said that the rescue team would start searching based on the plane crash site. Ten days at the latest. Lee Soo nodded, then glanced over Hayden’s underwear-clad attire and asked, “When are you going to put your pants on?”

An answer came that made it hard to tell if he was joking or serious.

“When you fall for my temptation.”

Of course, she figured he wasn’t serious. It had only been three days since she met him. There was no benefit in seducing a woman who didn’t even know her own name or where she lived.

The reason he showed interest must have been because he saw her body clad only in panties and a bra. Since he liked the body in her underwear, he was probably just expressing what his body felt.

Lee Soo walked along, kicking the water lightly with the tops of her feet. Would a rescue team really come in ten days? If they did, would Hayden be wearing pants when he left this island?

While Lee Soo and Hayden were standing in the blazing sun to dry their clothes, Manuel returned from the beach.

“I left a distress signal on the beach. As if the rescue team will actually see it… It’s so hopeless.”

Dehart and Jan were also noticeably depressed.

Declan and Nate returned carrying a snake about the length of a child. Judging by its unflashy skin color, it wasn’t a venomous snake. Declan shook the snake by the neck and asked, “Is this going to taste good?”

The snake, which still had some life in it, swung its tail through the air and wrapped around Declan’s arm. Seeing Declan struggle while flexing his forearm muscles, Manuel narrowed his brow.

“Does that look tasty to you?”

Declan chuckled like an idiot and replied, “Still, let’s keep it alive just in case our food runs out.”

Nate pulled a tool box out of a sack he had placed on the tent table. Then he opened the box and picked up a pair of pliers.

“Just in case, should we cut out its fangs?”

Declan nodded as if it were a good idea. “Yeah, let’s cut them and lock it in a box.”

The football players sat in a circle around the tent and began cutting the snake’s fangs. It was impossible to tell whether they were preparing for potential danger or just killing time by playing with a snake.

Hayden, who had no interest in the snake, was lying on the floor of the quarters looking up at the ceiling. Jenna was sitting in the corner, watching Hayden.

Jenna’s vibrant green eyes gleamed subtly in the dark. Lee Soo thought she looked like a carnivorous animal drooling over tempting prey.

Just then, Manuel placed the tool box on the door frame. “Man, this little guy is super strong.”

Lee Soo, rubbing the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, asked, “Did you cut all the fangs?”

Manuel sat down on a wooden box he had set out in front of the door and answered, “No, it was too hard to cut them, so I just pulled them all out.”

Lee Soo echoed in disbelief, “You pulled out all its teeth?”

“You might get bitten if you let your guard down.”

“I suppose so.”

The words she had previously drawn out with polite vocabulary became unusually short when directed at Manuel. Manuel smiled warmly as if he found that pleasing, then walked over to Declan.

On the other hand, Hayden raised one eyebrow slightly with an unwelcoming expression. “You’ve gotten pretty close.”

Sitting on the floor with her legs stretched out and playing with her hands, Lee Soo nodded. “We got close after he caught that venomous snake for me yesterday.”

A deeply personal question was returned in response to her statement.

“Can I use your lap as a pillow?”

He closed the distance, as if trying to brush away Manuel’s presence from the conversation.