Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Chuni
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"Major, what are you doing?"
Gamal asked.
Doyoung removed the splint from his leg. Then he lightly moved his leg, feeling no pain at all. His leg had finally fully healed.
Seeing that, Gamal asked.
"All better?"
"Yeah."
Doyoung answered as he pushed aside the wood he'd used as a splint. Gamal said.
"That's a relief."
It was sincere, at any rate. Even if he'd accidentally caused the injury, he felt guilty every time he saw Doyoung limping around.
But then he learned why she suddenly seemed worried.
Doyoung stood up from his spot.
"Time to get ready now."
"For what?"
"To go home."
Gamal's face suddenly hardened. In the meantime, Doyoung got up and started packing his things.
"You can't go."
But Gamal said. Doyoung stopped.
"No one's ever left."
He turned to look, and Gamal's face was set with grim determination.
"Johannes had a wife and kids on the mainland too. But he couldn't leave here. You can't either, Major."
Gamal was still hiding something. Even knowing that, the instinctive pull he felt toward her kept trying to bury the obvious truth.
"Don't mess with me. There are people waiting for me out there."
He'd expected her to resist. Whatever her reasons, Gamal was extremely wary of anything from outside the island.
But then Gamal hesitated a little before asking indirectly.
"A... woman?"
She wasn't being straightforward, so he had no intention of giving her a straight answer either.
"Yeah."
His mother was a woman, after all, so it wasn't a lie.
Gamal pressed her lips together tightly and stubbornly shook her head.
"There's no way out."
"You're a vampire. You can swim or build a raft or whatever."
"Why would I?"
Gamal asked back as if she truly couldn't comprehend.
"I'm not leaving the island."
"Why the hell not? What's here? Just damn sand and taro?"
At her utterly stubborn attitude, Doyoung finally raised his voice. But Gamal stayed calm, as if this situation was nothing new—everyone who'd drifted here must have resisted in their own way upon realizing they couldn't return to their old lives.
"You can't go. There's no way out."
"Fine."
Doyoung said readily. Gamal was slightly flustered, not having expected this reaction.
In truth, Gamal wasn't great at hiding her expressions, so Doyoung could tell she was rattled. But he ignored it.
"Do whatever you want. I have to go."
Doyoung turned away coldly. In that instant, Gamal, who had approached unnoticed, reached out to grab his arm.
"No."
Doyoung slipped out of her grasp like water and seized her collar instead.
Gamal flinched. But Doyoung yanked her collar, pulling her closer. She could have stood her ground if she'd wanted, but startled, she stumbled forward awkwardly.
Doyoung spoke in a low, resolute tone, his decision already made.
"This time, you'll have to break both my legs and both my arms."
With that, he released her collar as if even touching her was repulsive.
"It's dangerous."
Gamal blurted out as he turned to walk away. Doyoung glanced back with clear displeasure.
"What is?"
Gamal bit her lip before saying.
"If you leave this island, you'll die. Mot is out there."
Her expression was so grim it was hard to believe this was the Gamal he knew.
Doyoung would later learn that "Mot" was the god of death from ancient Middle Eastern mythology. But even if he'd known then, he wouldn't have cared.
"Don't mess with me."
Doyoung turned and left. Gamal stood there dazed, like a puppy that had lost its owner.
***
Doyoung didn't hesitate and began building a raft.
To escape without Gamal's help, a raft was the only option. Fortunately, he knew how to make one.
On top of that, he'd spent the past month scouting the area and had already noted suitable trees for the raft, so he had the overall plan in his head.
The biggest inconvenience was lacking a proper knife, but recently he'd found a mid-length blade in the woods, rusted to near scrap metal.
No matter how hard he sharpened it, it couldn't really cut or chop well, but in a pinch, he could bash things apart with it.
Gamal was nowhere to be seen. But Doyoung didn't care. With her help, he could finish the raft in a day, but without it, it wasn't impossible.
Doyoung dusted off his hands. The rare high-intensity labor had left him drenched in sweat.
Rustle.
A sound came from somewhere. Doyoung whipped around.
"Gamal?"
No reply. Doyoung silently picked up the knife from the sand. He approached the now-quiet underbrush.
He shoved the bushes aside—nothing. It was as silent as if it might be an animal. Then, a bird fluttered up from somewhere in the woods.
This was a strange island. That much was clear.
***
When Doyoung woke in the morning, he saw Gamal's empty spot. She apparently hadn't come back during the night.
She seemed to have her reasons, but without explaining them, he couldn't just blindly understand. He had a life outside, family and friends, and no way to let them know he was alive— he couldn't just settle here on her word that he "couldn't leave."
Clink.
The mobile hanging from the ceiling swayed, and the glass sparkled in the light.
He recalled Gamal's expression when he'd said he was leaving—like the world was crumbling. Doyoung sighed.
"If only she'd just explain."
But whatever her reasons, he wasn't going to stop trying to go home, so maybe it was better not to hear them.
Thinking that, Doyoung got up and stepped outside. And he froze in shock.
"What... "
The raft was completely smashed. Beyond repair, even if he gathered new materials. And there was only one possible culprit.
"This bastard really...!"
"Gamal!"
Doyoung bellowed from his diaphragm. His voice echoed everywhere. But Gamal didn't appear.
Doyoung gritted his teeth. And he started building the raft again.
***
Doyoung hadn't gone back inside the log house; he'd laid out his bed next to the raft. The campfire, reduced to ashes, flickered with its last embers.
Gamal crept quietly toward the raft. It was already fairly complete—she must have built one before. At this rate, it could float on the sea in two or three days.
The moment she reached out for it.
"Don't touch it."
Doyoung suddenly said. Gamal flinched. Doyoung turned to look. His face showed he hadn't been asleep at all.
"Do you have the right to touch it?"
His eyes gleamed in the light of the dying fire. But Gamal clenched her teeth and grabbed the raft.
The massive raft, heavy enough for a squad of soldiers, rose from the sand into the air. Gamal hurled it down, smashing it to pieces mercilessly.
Thud! Crack!
Debris flew and rolled everywhere noisily.
Doyoung spat a harsh curse and stormed into the log house. Gamal lingered awkwardly at the door. Finally, she mustered her resolve and opened it.
"Major..."
"Get out."
It wasn't worth raising his voice. She had no right to do this to him.
But instead, Gamal came inside.
She collapsed to her knees. Tears streamed down her face. Doyoung's eye twitched.
"Crying..."
He'd meant to say more, but even crying, Gamal was beautiful. No—crying made her even more beautiful.
"I'm sorry, Major. I'm sorry..."
Gamal wept so pitifully it would have moved even a stone grandfather statue's heart.
"I'm sorry. Really..."
And with that, she finally voiced the words stuck in her chest.
"I want you to live."
Mot had never let anyone she loved survive. Liking someone was just issuing them a ticket to the afterlife. So the only way to save Doyoung was to keep him here, out of Mot's sight.
Silence fell.
Suddenly, Doyoung sighed and lay back down.
Gamal looked at him, puzzled. Lying on his side, Doyoung stared right at her. The soft glow in his eyes no longer seemed angry. Instead, they held a deep, serious contemplation.
Doyoung spoke in a way she'd remember forever.
"Come here."
It was unexpected, but fearing he might change his mind, Gamal hurried over. Doyoung nodded toward the spot beside him.
"Lie down."
Like receiving an order from a superior, Gamal quickly lay down next to him.
She hesitated, then lightly placed her hand on him. Doyoung said.
"You're heavy. Don't press down."
"Sorry."
Gamal quickly pulled her arm away. Unsure where to put her hands, she fidgeted and finally just lightly gripped the hem of Doyoung's T-shirt.
Doyoung couldn't tell why he wanted to protect her—was it his soldier's instinct, or the fault of this paradoxically lovable vampire.
"You're warm, Major."
Gamal whispered softly.
"Back then, I used to hug pigs to sleep."
Doyoung stared down at her in disbelief.
"Now I'm pig treatment?"
"It wasn't cold, but it was warm. The pigs got hurt. So I stopped after that."
Doyoung swallowed a sigh and looked up at the ceiling.
'Now it's backstory. Give me a break.'
Then he rolled over and hugged her.
"Major...?"
At the sudden action, Gamal held her breath. Doyoung's scent rushed close. From working under the sun all day, it was a mix of hot sunlight, soft fabric, and faint sweat.
"Hugging me won't hurt."
Hearing his heart pump blood from within his chest, Gamal closed her eyes.
"Yeah. Warm."
***
Doyoung felt the sunlight on his eyelids and opened them. Gamal was looking down at him. Startled, he jerked his head back.
"What?"
Gamal said, her eyes sparkling unusually.
"I was watching you, Major."
"So why?"
"Because I wanted to?"
Gamal tilted her head as if asking what the problem was.
"Ah, fine."
Doyoung was too annoyed to argue.
"It's hot."
The temperature had risen while he slept, soaking his clothes in sweat. So Doyoung grabbed his T-shirt from the back of his neck and pulled it off over his head.
"Need to wash up."
Muttering to himself, he got up and went outside the log house.