Chapter 23

Her mind went completely blank at the unexpected rejection. Why on earth? Just moments ago, his eyes had been shining as if begging her to be kissed…

When a wave of embarrassment washed over him—no, her—he opened his eyes wide and clear, moving his lips.

“You made me wander around the forest. Someone who disappears without a warning is the absolute worst, both as a lover and as a customer.”

“Ah, that… I’m really sorry.”

“If you want to kiss me, promise you won’t disappear on your own again. I’ll give you plenty of time to think about it.”

He spoke in a low voice and wrapped both arms around Isu’s waist. Before long, the man’s gaze as he walked out of the lake was infinitely dark and sinister.

Ever since coming out of the lake yesterday, she hadn’t been able to have a personal conversation with him. Due to sheer exhaustion, all she had done was put on the shirt and surgical pants he handed her and fall asleep as if knocked out.

She had a short dream. In the dream, Isu was painstakingly carving a new pelvis tattoo over one that had faded with time.

J-D.ISOO. The letters, which had been close to gray, soon turned pitch black. Holding a tattoo machine shaped like a gun, she checked the tattoo and muttered solemnly to herself.

“It must never disappear.”

The dream was hinting that the tattoo held a special meaning. Yet, even after waking up and chewing over the dream, she couldn’t find that meaning.

Wanting to find even a small clue, she lifted her shirt while lying down. The light streaming through the window illuminated her pelvis. J-D.ISOO, J-D.ISOO… What was the meaning contained in this initial?

“JD Isu…”

Wanting to see if something would come to mind, she murmured the initials on her lips. At that moment, Hayden, who had been sitting leaning against the wall in the next seat, asked indifferently, looking blankly at her upper body where only her nipples were barely covered.

“Don’t want to make a promise, so you’re just trying to seduce me with your body?”

Because she couldn’t sleep in wet underwear yesterday, Isu had taken off both top and bottom and left them outside. She hadn’t even known he was nearby because there had been no sound… Fearing he might genuinely misunderstand, she hurried to pull her shirt down.

“Ugh, no, it’s not like that.”

Voices of people talking could be heard from outside the door, as if they were having a meal.

Just a few steps outside, the tent was cheerful, but inside the house was dark and quiet. It felt like a shipwreck trapped inside the sea beneath a bright sky.

Isu forced her stiff body up. As she did, her proudly rising nipples pressed against the shirt and drew his gaze.

He flashed his eyes as if he wanted to wet his parched mouth with milk—no, with her breasts. Or was it her imagination? Soon after, as if he were a tired person, he closed his eyes slowly and got up.

“I washed your underwear.”

“Underwear…?”

She couldn’t help but doubt her ears. How on earth had he washed the underwear she had washed secretly because it was hard to even show him the process…? Her vision spun.

“Underwear? My underwear?”

He threw the window wide open and thrust his head and shoulders outside the window. Then, reaching his hand up toward the roof, the top and bottom of white underwear caught on his fingertips.

“If white, small, soft underwear happens to be yours.”

Smiling wickedly, he stared intently at the bra, as if deliberately trying to make her feel embarrassed.

He was crazy, completely crazy. Isu jumped up and snatched the underwear. Then, as she stood there in despair, he looked toward the door.

“You have a face that says you hate it. I should have let the football players take turns looking at it.”

Just imagining his words made her blood run dry. Especially having a human lower than a beast like Declan inspect her underwear was creepy.

“Thank you. Yesterday I was so tired I couldn’t even think about it… I’m grateful though. No, thank you.”

As the image of Hayden using those hands to fiddle with and wash her underwear flashed through her mind, her face flushed red, but that was a problem she had to overcome on her own.

Isu expressed her gratitude in a hesitant voice.

He stepped outside the door, as if telling her to put on her underwear and come out. Isu put on the underwear, which had been dried fluffy in the sunlight, and stepped out right after him.

The football players and Jenna were sitting in a circle around the tent table, having breakfast. Hayden walked past them, seemingly unconcerned with the meal, and headed toward the lake.

Having taken off his underwear and hung it on a tree branch as if to swim, he dove straight into the lake. People for whom his swimming sounds and the meals under the tent had now become routine chatted comfortably.

“The weather is amazing.”

Dehart glanced sideways at the sky, where the sun was shining unusually bright today. Jan, sitting next to him, scraped canned ham out with a tree branch and asked.

“Shall we go out and catch some fish?”

Declan shook his head, looking disinterested.

“You guys catch them yourselves. I’m going to catch a snake.”

Nate patted Declan on the back as if encouraging him.

“Yeah, this time catch one that lives long.”

Nate and Declan exchanged meaningful glances, as if whispering secret words only between themselves.

Yet, that was no longer a secret known only to them. For there was someone who had witnessed Declan thrusting his rigidly erect lower body into the mouth of a snake while groaning.

Isu stood silently in front of the door with a pale complexion. Because the friendly football players suddenly felt unfamiliar and terrifying, she couldn’t bring herself to approach the tent. After all, not just Declan, but Dehart, Jan, and Nate were likely the same. Perhaps even Manuel, with his good-natured image…

She felt so sorry for the snake that would be caught and violated by them, yet she still hoped it would be caught by their hands. Only then would they maintain their human skin, even if they secretly vented their sexual desires on a snake. On this island with no police and no laws, she didn’t even want to imagine them running amok after shedding their human skin.

Isu looked at herself pathetically for turning a blind eye to snake abuse just to avoid falling victim to misfortune herself. At that moment, Manuel openly glared at the football players with a look of contempt and scolded them.

“Dropped out in the wilderness and you’re already slowly revealing your human nature?”

Declan crooked his lips into a smile and scanned Manuel up and down.

“Once you taste it yourself, you won’t be saying that.”

“Not really. I prefer mutual connection.”

Manuel answered and shoveled the almonds he was holding into his mouth. Crunching away, he spotted Isu standing by the door. Isu paused and met Manuel’s gaze.

An awkward light flickered in his exotic, dark-brown eyes. It seemed to be because of what happened the day before. He had seen another man walk out of the woman’s quarters, thinking she was changing clothes alone. She didn’t particularly want to make any excuses about that incident.

Isu awkwardly perched herself on a box placed next to the door and looked away. At that moment, Nate, who was picking at the almonds left on the table one by one, asked Declan.

“Should we tell the boss and ask him to catch a snake?”

He then glanced sideways toward the lakeside. Declan spotted Hayden within Nate’s line of sight and shook his head.

“No way. That boss might just tear a snake to pieces.”

“Can’t we just tell him to catch a big one beforehand?”

“Probably wouldn’t join in. Seems like he’s having plenty of fun on his own right now.”

Declan’s gaze swept over Isu by the door. When Hayden’s name came up, Jenna showed interest.

“What on earth are you guys talking about anyway?”

Manuel cut off Jenna’s interest.

“Don’t think knowing it will do you any good.”

The chaotic atmosphere settled as breakfast ended. Declan and Nate went off to catch a snake, while Jenna, Jan, Dehart, and Manuel said they were going to fish. Manuel looked around the quarters for suitable tools and asked.

“Um… We’re going to catch some fish, wanna come along?”

He seemed to have judged that having a casual conversation was better than just awkwardly sizing each other up. Agreeing with that, Isu nodded.

“I have something to do, so I’ll follow you after I’m done.”

Manuel picked up a box with a lid, looking like a picnic basket, and replied.

“Alright, then eat breakfast first. I’ve laid out even last night’s skipped dinner on the table.”

They picked up a tool or two and headed toward the shoreline. When only the chirping of birds could be heard from afar, Hayden returned after finishing his swim.

The reason she had turned down Manuel’s invitation and stayed behind at the quarters was to have breakfast with Hayden. It seemed he had also delayed his meal while guarding the side of someone who had overslept.

Isu sat at the table first and opened the canned ham lid. Four slices of ham were inside the round, rectangular can. It was four servings.

Currently, food rations were managed by Hayden and Manuel. Unless Manuel had slipped an extra portion, it meant Hayden had skipped dinner yesterday as well.

“Yesterday… did you skip dinner because you were looking for me?”

Thanks to him coming all the way to find her like that, she had been able to avoid the fate of exhaustion in the pit. Grateful and apologetic all over again, she tried to express those feelings, but that didn’t seem to be an important issue to him.

“So when are you going to make that promise?”

He asked about the promise. A promise. His promise to kiss her if she promised not to disappear alone anymore…

It was an easy promise that only required a nod, but she hesitated. Promises were shared in special relationships. Making a promise would mean entering into a special relationship with him. Would that relationship really be maintained outside of this island?

“I plan on making that promise after we leave this island.”

She wanted a special relationship with him, or passionate kisses, to happen outside the island. Isu opened her mouth toward him, who wasn’t even looking at the food, as if curious about his reasoning.

“Declan and Nate assaulted a snake.”

As if it were something he already knew, Hayden didn’t look surprised. He only asked with his eyes, “So what?” She wanted to make him understand that.

“They must have gone mentally deranged on this island where everything is lacking. Declan is still desperate to find a snake, but once we leave this island, he won’t even give a snake a second glance. Probably, in the future, reminiscing while talking about assaulting a snake as an appetizer with his friends will be the extent of it.”

Realizing the point of her words belatedly, he smiled oddly. Then, scanning Isu’s face with sharply focused pupils, he replied.

“You’re not a snake.”

“…….”

“I’m your snake. Don’t you know that?”

A man who could overpower and violate a woman at any moment was claiming to be a snake himself.

You’re my snake? As Isu looked flabbergasted, he added.

“So don’t use me up to vent your urges and kill me, but raise me nicely. Tie a ribbon around my neck, hug me to sleep at night, and take me out for a walk sometimes.”