Chapter 17

Lee Soo waited for the soup to cool, but a dull ache spread through her chest.

She didn’t know why.

All she’d done was stare into the corn soup while listening to Nate talk about his first love.

Then why did her heart suddenly feel so empty?

As if she’d once been forced to give up the person she loved because of circumstances beyond her control…

Maybe she’d simply absorbed Nate’s sadness.

She couldn’t think of any other explanation.

The door to her memories remained tightly sealed.

She quietly closed her eyes.

Darkness surrounded her.

Within that darkness, the silhouette of a man in a suit appeared.

He was saying something.

She focused, straining to hear him.

Then a deep voice reached her ears—low enough to intimidate whoever stood before him.

“I called because you weren’t answering your phone. I thought maybe you’d found yourself another man. I must’ve missed you that much to come all the way here without even telling you.”

“…”

“My heart’s been racing.”

The silhouette brushed a hand through his hair.

Whoever he was, he looked utterly consumed by despair.

That unfamiliar voice suddenly tore through her heart.

Countless emotions collided inside her head.

I was the one who drove him to despair… I have to calm him down.

No…

This is my chance. I have to run.

Fear.

Anxiety.

Sadness.

Resentment.

Love and hate tangled together.

The man who burdened her with all those emotions remained nothing more than a pitch-black shadow.

She tried to move closer to see his face.

But it felt as though she were struggling underwater.

Her feet refused to move.

Cold sweat soaked her palms.

Even her legs began trembling.

“Lee Soo? Lee Soo?”

Manuel’s gentle voice pulled her back to reality.

The chatter around the campfire, the crackling flames, and the sound of the lake all rushed back into her ears.

Yet the image of the man she’d seen in the darkness refused to disappear.

Who… was he?

She vividly remembered his tall frame and the solid build of a soldier.

…Was it Graham?

The name Graham echoed over and over inside her mind.

If it really was him…

What kind of relationship had they had?

She couldn’t imagine herself ever becoming close to a man who would brazenly have sex with an employee in front of security cameras.

She didn’t know.

A sharp pain spread across the top of her head.

Concerned eyes turned toward her.

“Lee Soo, you don’t look well. Did you remember something?”

Sitting beside her, Manuel asked with concern.

Lee Soo slowly stirred the soup inside the can.

“No… I just felt a little dizzy.”

Her pale face was reflected in Manuel’s warm brown eyes.

“Do you want to go inside and rest?”

“No. I’m okay.”

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand before picking up the can.

Declan, who had been watching her, shifted his attention to Jenna.

“What about you, Jenna? Got any stories? First love, boyfriend… anything.”

Everyone who had been worried about Lee Soo turned toward Jenna instead.

She deliberately let the silence linger, enjoying the attention before speaking.

“I used to live at the Walt Mansion. You know, the rich guy named Walt who brought women to his mansion and threw parties every night. Americans should know who I’m talking about.”

Nate, still thinking about his own first love, spoke up.

“I’ve seen him on TV. The guy who lived alone in that huge mansion surrounded by dozens of women, right? You lived there with him?”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

It sounded like something straight out of television.

Still, looking at Jenna’s blonde hair, green eyes, and striking figure, they found it easy enough to believe.

Showing off her glamorous past, Jenna smiled.

“Yeah. Back then I got fifty thousand dollars a month just to shop and enjoy myself.”

“Fifty grand a month? That’s how many times our weekly salary?”

“Don’t be jealous. I got kicked out after only a year.”

“Why?”

“I broke one of the contract terms. It said I wasn’t allowed to date anyone. Honestly, I would’ve been thrown out after a year anyway, so I didn’t really care. The problem was that the man who got me kicked out betrayed me and left for another woman with more money. I really loved him…”

There were people who paid fifty thousand dollars a month under a contract…

And people rich enough to offer one.

Lee Soo finally understood why Jenna always came across as so materialistic.

Manuel tried to comfort her.

“The best revenge is finding someone better than him and living a happier life.”

Jenna nodded.

“I know.”

Only then did Lee Soo finally understand why Jenna had been so interested in Hayden.

As Lee Soo bit her lower lip, Declan, who had been watching Jenna with hidden intent, finally voiced what he had been thinking.

“What about me? Believe it or not, I’ve got the highest weekly salary out of all of us.”

With that single remark, every other football player became nothing more than background.

Frowning, Manuel gestured toward Hayden.

“Come on. That guy probably makes more than all of our salaries combined.”

Declan glanced at the watch on Hayden’s wrist.

Its diamond-studded face looked worth well over several hundred thousand pounds.

But Hayden had never been part of Declan’s competition to begin with.

“He’s a businessman, not a football player. He doesn’t count.”

Declan looked back and forth between Lee Soo and Jenna.

“This season, I’m really ready. If the manager gives me enough playing time, I think I’ve got a shot at becoming a starter.”

It was the same thing bench players said every season.

Manuel, who at least made the starting lineup from time to time, answered more realistically.

“Then you’d better stay focused on football.”

“I know, but there’s one urge I can’t suppress.”

“Which one?”

“The urge to love women.”

Declan’s gaze moved between Lee Soo and Jenna once more.

His eyes already looked as though he had both of them beneath him in his imagination, indulging in shameless fantasies.

Lee Soo quickly looked away.

But no matter where she looked, she was surrounded by men in their early twenties whose minds seemed occupied with sex every waking moment.

At least Hayden was in his late twenties…

Though she doubted his thoughts were much different.

As her shoulders unconsciously shrank while glancing toward Hayden, he caught the fearful look in her eyes.

He turned a cold stare on Declan.

“It’d be in your best interest to keep that urge under control while you’re on this island.”

His gaze.

His voice.

His expression.

Every part of him carried the unmistakable warning of someone standing on the verge of violence.

If Declan backed down now, he’d be admitting that he ranked beneath Hayden.

Like a beast sizing up another predator, Declan studied Hayden’s body.

Those muscles weren’t the kind built simply from quality protein and hours in the gym.

Even his arms told the story.

The muscle fibers were dense.

There wasn’t an ounce of unnecessary fat.

His physique resembled that of a martial arts instructor or a special forces soldier.

Fighting Hayden would bring nothing but losses.

After carefully examining those battle-hardened muscles, Declan quietly closed his mouth.

An awkward silence settled over the group once again.

Lee Soo lowered her gaze and quietly sipped her corn soup.

Manuel started handing out the evening rations to lift the gloomy mood.

The remaining supplies were ten cans each of corn and ham, cooking popcorn, almonds, and chocolate.

Everyone knew it wasn’t enough for eight people to survive even a week.

But no one said it out loud as they quietly ate what they’d been given.

Wanting to save food in case of an emergency, Lee Soo carried her unopened ration back into the shelter.

The corn and ham were enough to satisfy her hunger for now, so she planned to stockpile the rest.

She closed the door behind her and stopped in front of the wooden shelf built into the wall.

Old wooden bowls were lined up across it.

They were covered in dust and cobwebs, clear signs that no one had touched them for a long time.

Lee Soo carefully lifted the plate covering one of the deep bowls.

Inside were nearly two handfuls of almonds, candy, and chocolate.

Her empty stomach growled in protest, but she calmly covered the bowl again without hesitation.

Instead, she filled herself with the corn and ham.

After her modest meal, she stepped outside and rinsed her mouth with the saltwater she’d collected earlier.

The others around the campfire were busy talking about football or women.

Hayden, who had quietly eaten without joining the conversation, walked over to Lee Soo.

She handed him the cup filled with seawater.

After taking it, Hayden rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and cleaned his hands.

Watching him, Lee Soo returned to the shelter.

On the first day, she’d wondered how anyone could sleep in such a miserable place.

Now, whether she’d grown attached to it or not, the inside of the shelter felt far more comfortable than being outside.

Perhaps it was because outside was filled with people whose true nature—good or evil—she still couldn’t tell.

Out of all of them, the one she most wanted to understand was Hayden.

At first, his overwhelming size had intimidated her.

But somewhere along the way, his kindness had slowly melted away her wariness.

Still…

Letting herself fall for him like this was dangerous.

If they hadn’t been stranded on this island, he was the kind of man she would never have crossed paths with.

Once they escaped, they’d probably become nothing more than a businessman and the person sending him security invoices.

Life was about meeting people, parting ways, and keeping the good ones close.

But with her memories gone, even enduring that process felt exhausting.

She wanted to focus on recovering what she’d lost.

If she simply drifted through life, she might suddenly find herself imprisoned again someday.

She wiped the salt from her lips with the back of her hand.

Just then, Hayden rubbed the corner of his own mouth and walked into the shelter.

He was still dressed like a savage, with only his lower body covered.

Yet his neat hairstyle and refined features made him look intelligent.

He seemed too young to be the CEO of a company, but she could vividly picture him in a tailored suit, surrounded by attendants as he walked into an office building.

For a moment, her breathing caught.

Lee Soo quickly turned her back to him.

Hayden stopped, as if trying to figure out why.

Then he stretched out his hand beside her cheek.

Almonds and chocolate rested in his open palm.

“What are those?”

“Almonds. Chocolate.”

He gently rolled one of the almonds with his thumb, almost as if he were coaxing a squirrel closer.

Lee Soo faced him and shook her head.

“With a build like yours, even eating all of that probably wouldn’t be enough. I’m fine.”

“I’ll be fine without it.”

Lee Soo refused firmly.

It was as though she were drawing a line that absolutely couldn’t be crossed.

“You don’t have to give me your food. Really, I’m fine.”

Why all of a sudden?

His clear blue eyes silently asked the question.

She already had her answer prepared.

“I told you before. If you get involved with me, you might end up in danger too. I wasn’t joking.”

“What does accepting a snack have to do with that?”

“It doesn’t… but it does.”

“What do you mean?”

Lee Soo had no intention of hiding or denying the feelings growing inside her.

She had no one else to rely on.

Before she ended up clinging to him simply because he was kind to her, she wanted to warn him to stay away on his own.

“If you keep treating me this well… I think I’m going to fall for you.”

As though she’d caught him completely off guard, Hayden brushed the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Just a little while ago, you were looking at me like I was some filthy beast.”