Chapter 2

The building, gloomy as a black tomb, turned out to have a surprisingly simple layout.

After turning through a few dark corridors, they reached the exit.

The suffocating smoke gradually faded, and a fresh breeze brushed against her cheeks. Heavy raindrops pattered down from above. The woman lifted her face from the white shirt and took a deep breath.

“Haa… haa… haa… I almost died. I really thought I was going to die.”

The man trudged across the lush green grass.

After setting her down, he flopped onto the ground beside her.

“Ah…”

It was an oddly simple reaction for someone who had just risked his life to save another person.

The woman glanced at the red cut on his forehead.

“Haa… haa… Thank you. Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve suffocated to death in there.”

The man lay sprawled across the meadow, absentmindedly smoothing the shirt she had buried her face in.

While waiting for his reply, the woman looked up at the sky.

It stretched endlessly overhead.

Dark rain clouds blanketed it, yet faint moonlight still illuminated the landscape.

Everywhere she looked, vibrant green grass covered the ground, and in the distance, the sea appeared as a vast expanse of black.

Near the horizon, thick black smoke billowed ominously into the sky.

She realized they were standing on a hill overlooking the coast.

The building she had been trapped inside only moments ago was belching clouds of black smoke from its entrance.

It was a two-story concrete building that looked completely out of place on the deserted beach.

It barely had any windows, as though it had been designed from the start to imprison people.

Its roof was flat.

A massive steel structure had crashed onto it and was burning fiercely.

The woman shot to her feet, covering her mouth in shock.

“W-What is that? Can you see that?”

When no answer came, she turned back toward the man.

He was still lying in the grass, staring at the sky as though he found it difficult to look at her.

Only then did she glance down at herself.

She was wearing nothing but a bra and panties.

Her underwear was pure white, decorated with mesh and lace that emphasized her figure.

Although streaked with soot and soaked by the rain, it remained unmistakably revealing.

He was probably avoiding looking at her out of instinct, worried his gaze might wander to her chest.

Flustered, she crossed her arms over herself.

“Um… did you call the police?”

Mud was being washed away by the torrential rain, while the building continued burning behind them.

More than anything, she wanted to get somewhere safe.

At that moment, the man narrowed his eyes beneath thick dark-gray lashes.

His vivid blue eyes, a clear mark of his European ancestry, swept briefly over her thighs.

His gaze felt hot.

But just as she grew self-conscious, his attention shifted to the burning rooftop.

“My phone… Come to think of it, I don’t know where it ended up.”

It was like a bolt from the blue.

She visibly shrank her shoulders.

“Then… what exactly fell onto the roof? More importantly… why was I in that building…?”

Having come so close to death, her hands were still trembling.

The smell of something burned lingered on her fingertips.

She couldn’t remember how she had ended up trapped inside the building.

Her expression slowly grew grave.

What had she been doing before that?

Where did she live?

How old was she?

She couldn’t even remember the name she should have known better than anyone.

The harder she searched her mind for anything at all, the more drained she felt, and the drier her lips became.

“S-Something’s… something’s wrong… Something isn’t…”

The man rose to his feet and looked at her curiously.

Clutching her head, she looked back at him.

He was so tall she had to crane her neck just to see his face.

He looked like a white man of Northern European descent.

His hair was ash gray at the roots, gradually fading into a warm gray toward the ends.

His neatly styled pompadour made his already small face stand out even more.

He looked like a fashion model with an icy, aloof aura.

Drawn in by his striking appearance, her eyes settled on his face.

His eyebrows were dark gray.

They complemented his clear blue eyes perfectly.

Just as she found herself thinking he looked like a vampire who thrived in the shadows—

“My name’s Hayden.”

The man introduced himself with a smile.

There was a striking contrast between his fully grown physique and his almost boyish face, yet something about him felt strangely familiar.

Have I seen someone like him before?

When?

But the moment she tried to dig through her memories, an overwhelming exhaustion washed over her, as though she were suddenly drunk and couldn’t be bothered to think anymore.

It was Hayden’s rich, deep voice that pulled her back to reality.

“What’s your name?”

She met Hayden’s gaze.

The flames of the burning building reflected vividly in his blue eyes.

Standing before those flames was an Asian woman.

For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease clawed at her chest.

She hurriedly looked away.

“I… my name is…”

Hayden turned his attention toward the sea.

“If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. Right now, finding shelter from the rain is more important.”

“It’s not that… I just can’t remember my name.”

As if judging whether she was telling the truth, Hayden searched her eyes carefully.

Then he removed his jacket.

“If you can’t even remember your own name, I guess I won’t be collecting the debt for saving your life. Though I’d be willing to accept something besides money.”

Besides money…?

She was practically half-naked.

Was he saying he wasn’t interested in her name, but in her body instead?

Given his broad build and the fact that he was a man in the prime of his life, Hayden’s words sounded unexpectedly threatening.

Still hugging herself, she asked cautiously,

“I-If not money… then what?”

Hayden held out his jacket, rainwater dripping from it.

“Coffee. A movie. Dinner would be nice too.”

Hearing that answer made her feel guilty for suspecting him, even if only for a moment.

He seemed to be the kind of person who knew exactly how to make someone tense up, then immediately put them at ease.

Her gaze briefly lingered on his rain-soaked shirt, which clearly outlined his physique, but she quickly forced herself to look at the ground as she accepted the jacket.

“Thank you. As soon as we get off this island, I’ll figure out how to repay you.”

She had no intention of paying him back with just coffee or a movie.

He had saved her life.

She wanted to give him the most valuable thing she owned.

But right now, this unfamiliar place terrified her, and she was shivering so hard from the cold that all she wanted was to go home.

…But where was home?

And would she even have enough money there to repay the debt she owed him… and for the jacket?

“By the way… do you know where we are?”

She shook out the heavy, waterlogged jacket.

It was a pointless thing to do in the middle of a downpour.

Even so, Hayden watched her quietly before answering.

“An island somewhere in Ireland.”

“An island… in Ireland?”

Without another word, he started walking toward the hill on the opposite side of the coast.

“It looks like a plane and a helicopter collided. The helicopter must’ve crashed into the building and started the fire. Anyway, we need to find somewhere to shelter from the rain until the rescue team arrives.”

“A plane crash? How could something like that happen…?”

The woman slipped on his jacket and folded her arms beneath her chest as she followed him up the hill.

Both her legs and her mind were busy.

“Were you on the plane too, Mr. Hayden? Or do you live on this island?”

His eyebrows twitched, as though the cut on his forehead was bothering him.

“I was on the plane.”

At least the bleeding had stopped.

Watching him, the woman nodded with a somber expression.

Somewhere out beyond the sea, where the black smoke was rising, the plane was probably burning.

The image of a horrific disaster filled her mind, leaving her both saddened and frightened.

“…I hope there were other survivors.”

But she quickly realized this wasn’t the time to worry about other people.

The rain poured relentlessly over her, icy cold against her skin, and the jacket Hayden had given her was far too large.

It was so oversized that the collar hung open, exposing her collarbones and the tops of her breasts.

She pulled the lapels together over the center of her chest and crossed her arms.

That only caused the bottom of the jacket to ride up, leaving her underwear completely exposed.

It seemed she had to choose—cover her chest or cover her hips.

She chose her hips, folding her arms beneath her breasts.

At that moment, Hayden happened to glance back at her.

His blue eyes slowly swept over her cleavage.

Apparently, he wasn’t the type who knew how to sneak a glance without being noticed.

Or perhaps he’d never needed to steal glances at women in the first place.

She flinched, hunching her shoulders before turning her back to him.

The downpour suddenly intensified, drenching her back.

Then Hayden stepped behind her, loosening his tie as he held it in one hand.

“Look at me. I’ll fix your clothes.”

“…”

“The longer you hesitate, the wetter you’ll get.”

Had she known what he intended to do, she would’ve adjusted the jacket herself.

But with the rain pouring so heavily she could barely think, she hurriedly turned to face him.

“…Okay.”

Undoing a couple of buttons on his shirt, Hayden crouched in front of her.

He pulled the open sides of the jacket together like a bathrobe, wrapped them snugly around her waist, then tied his necktie around it in a neat bow.

The fingers tying the bow were long, strong, and surprisingly delicate.

Her eyes lingered on his rain-soaked hands.

“I didn’t think someone’s waist could be this slender.”

His rain-dampened lips murmured the observation.

His authoritative manner and arrogant gaze were intimidating, but she answered without showing it.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

His long index finger lightly flicked the bow, as though replying, Not quite.

Then he slowly raised and lowered his thick eyebrows.

From above, the lines of his face looked unusually gentle.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind.

A lot of women have probably fallen for this man.

After all, who could dislike someone whose commanding presence was softened by effortless manners and calm, composed eyes?

Those were qualities often found in people who had grown up with wealth.

It was a strangely leisurely thought for someone who couldn’t even remember her own name.

As if cutting off the direction her thoughts were heading, she took a step back.

Hayden continued up the hill and entered the forest.

The rain only grew heavier.

Following after him, she looked around at the trees.

An ash-gray bird perched on one of the branches.

Its markings made it look as though it were wearing a black scarf.

She had seen a bird like that before.

The words slipped out before she realized it.

“Huh? That looks like a plover. They usually live around lakes, so there might be one nearby.”

“…”

“If there’s a lake, there are probably houses nearby too.”

Hayden stopped walking and looked down at her.

His pale blue eyes searched hers, as though trying to understand them.

To him, it must have seemed strange that a woman who couldn’t even remember her own name could identify a plover.

She felt unfairly judged.

Still…

She had to admit it was strange.

How could she remember what a plover was, yet not remember her own name?

Had the part of her brain that stored memories been damaged while the part responsible for learned knowledge remained intact?

What had happened to her?

Who had done this?

And why?

A wave of hot pain surged through the top of her head.

She pressed a hand against her forehead, frowning.

Meanwhile, Hayden turned his attention deeper into the forest.

“Good. You remembered what a plover is. Now all that’s left is remembering your name.”

Her thoughts, which had wandered to the bird, snapped back to reality.

He was right.

Now wasn’t the time to worry about the island or the plane crash.

Remembering her own identity was far more important.

But the harder she tried to recall who she was, the more clouded her mind became.

It felt as though she had taken some powerful drug that kept pulling her toward sleep.

She had no idea what was happening inside her head.

The more she forced herself to think, the sharper the pain became.

Then…

Voices suddenly echoed in her ears, as though they were auditory hallucinations.

“What a terrible day.”

“I just want to go home and take a shower.”

The voices barged into her mind, scattering her thoughts.

A chill of fear ran through her.

It felt like she was slowly losing her mind.

As panic set in, the voices grew louder.

Standing there as though spellbound, she looked down the hillside.

People were climbing toward them.

They were soaked to the bone.

None of them had umbrellas.