Chapter 70.

Suho’s face twisted, on the verge of tears. His big eyes wavered with a clear film of water, and the tip of his nose flushed red almost instantly.

“Wait, Suho…”

I hadn’t even finished speaking when Suho leapt off the bed and ran toward Jay. Without thinking, I hurried after him, pushing the IV pole along.

“Why are you only coming now!”

Suho spread his arms wide as he rushed forward, and Jay’s expression grew dark and harsh, like he might shove him away without a moment’s hesitation. Alarmed, I shouted his name with all my strength.

“Jay!”

At that instant, Suho wrapped his arms around him. The moment Jay’s gaze shifted toward me, the tears Suho had been holding back finally burst.

“Waaaah! I, hic, I waited and waited for you! I’m so mad… really mad! Why do you have to be scary? I thought I’d never see you again, hic, and I hate it!”

Suho thumped his little fists against Jay’s thigh. The jumble of angry, tear-soaked words pierced my heart. I hadn’t realized it because he never showed it, but Suho had been suffering just as much as I was, worrying about Jay.

Wailing as if the world had ended, Suho’s cries rang out. Jay stared down at him, his brows drawn, weariness etched into his sharp face. When he lifted his hand, I quickly caught it with both of mine. His cold gaze landed on me.

‘Please… just let it be.’

I worried he might push Suho away the way he once had pushed me. Suho didn’t know Jay had lost all memory of the island. To him, Jay’s absence was just because he was hurt, or maybe his scary parents stopped him from visiting.

Thankfully, Jay didn’t shove him away. He just stood there, unmoving, staring at me.

“Don’t go, hic, don’t go anywhere again! Cough, cough”

Suho’s face flushed red, smeared with tears and snot, coughing between sobs. Fearing he might collapse, I gently patted his back and guided him into my arms.

“Mm, Jay’s not going anywhere now.”

As I bent my knees, Suho naturally wrapped his arms around my neck. I soothed him until he finally drifted off, worn out from crying.

Sitting on the bed, I looked down at his sleeping face. His sunburnt skin was slowly returning to its original color. I brushed away the tear-drops clinging to his lashes when a voice sounded behind me.

“You had a kid?”

Jay had approached unnoticed and sat on the empty bed beside me. The very one I’d been using not long ago.

“He doesn’t look like you.”

“It’s Suho.”

“Do I need to know his name? What, am I supposed to play dad for him now?”

He acted like he’d never heard of Suho before. I had thought that even without his memories, he might at least recognize the name. 

It would have taken only a little effort to find out who he’d been stranded with on that island. But Jay clearly hadn’t tried at all. The sheer indifference made me laugh bitterly.

Of course, I only knew because I had begged and searched everywhere to meet Jay.

I studied his tense, guarded face, then got up and sat beside him. He raised his brows slightly.

“Darling. How could you forget our kid?”

“…What are you trying to pull?”

“You even named him yourself. Said you’d take responsibility for him forever. You were so broke you even looked up life insurance policies, just in case…”

As I laid a hand on his solid thigh and teased, his expression hardened, cold to the point of embarrassment.

“Is this amusing to you?”

“Didn’t fall for it, huh.”

We’d only been stranded for about five months. If we had somehow conceived, given birth, and raised a child in that time, we wouldn’t just be on the news. We’d belong in a legend. 

I hadn’t expected him to actually believe me. I just wanted to rattle him for once, since his chilly indifference toward Suho hurt so much. But instead of flustered, he only looked colder.

I withdrew my hand from his thigh.

“Lee Suho. Remember his name. Don’t call him wrong and make him hate you.”

Though, judging from his attitude, he didn’t care one bit whether Suho hated him or not. He gave no answer, but when I glanced sideways, I noticed his gaze resting on his thigh where my hand had been.

“….”

“If… Suho clings to you again, don’t treat him too coldly. He only has us, just you and me, for family.”

“I can’t stand sappy melodrama.”

Jay’s eyes, void of sympathy, stayed fixed on the sleeping boy. Still, I kept talking. If I kept sharing the memories we had once held together, maybe, just maybe, some positive response would awaken inside him.

“…So after losing his older brother once already, when you disappeared too, it terrified him even more. Whenever your face came up on TV, he’d sit on the couch and skip meals, just to…”

“What exactly is the point of telling me all this?”

He furrowed his brows, as if annoyed to hear it, and asked,

“There’s no real reason. Just… that’s how it is.”

“Do I have to feel guilt or responsibility or something like that? Am I supposed to play father?”

“Hmm… You weren’t exactly a father figure to Suho… more like a little sidekick.”

“……”

Jay’s left cheek twitched. He let out a long, low sigh and brushed his hair back. His face, now fully visible, looked sharp. Looking closely, I noticed tiny blood vessels had burst in the whites of his eyes. Even a week ago, he hadn’t looked well, but now he looks worse.

“You… okay?”

I absentmindedly touched his cheek. But as soon as my fingers grazed his skin, Jay leaned back, avoiding me. His hand groped at empty air, twitching awkwardly.

“You remember I said I’d give you a chance, right?”

The sudden voice made me quickly shove away the feelings that had crept into my chest. I met his gaze and nodded, and Jay twisted the corner of his mouth into a faint, sharp smile.

“I haven’t been sleeping well these days.”

“…I heard.”

“I’ve been swamped with backlogged work, hassling Cha Seong-hwan, crushing one by one the guys who skimmed off the bribes… I’ve been busy as hell, you know.”

“…Do you even know how to work?”

“Damn it… are you serious?”

His flaring tone, blurted out in irritation, was so Jay. Seeing me react, he rubbed his thick eyebrows as if noticing everything.

“Sigh… I don’t know if it’s my brain breaking or if you’re pulling some kind of trick on me.”

“……”

“Seems like I can’t sleep without you.”

“…So?”

“You’ll have to take responsibility for my sleep for the time being. I’m not asking for nothing. I’ll do whatever you want.”

That was his point. Not only had he called without waiting, he even came all the way to me. Jay had clearly reached his limit. Though he continued to act aloof and proud, he was desperate.

This was a real opportunity. I nodded calmly.

“What do I need to do?”

A soft breath escaped from him as he watched my reaction. He stretched his stiff neck sideways and got to his feet.

“Follow me for now. It’s kind of urgent.”

“Wait, but…”

As I tentatively started to speak, his expression twisted.

“First, try speaking like you did before.”

***

Suho, Noona got a job. At Body Pillow.

I’d been thinking I should start looking for work, and now this opportunity came out of nowhere. It’s still probation, so unpaid, but I’m satisfied. I get fed three meals a day and a place to sleep.

“Ugh… uh, hmm…”

But the work environment is brutal.

The hospital room was dark. Not a single ray of light penetrated the tightly closed curtains. Only a small mood lamp on the desk provided a faint glow. I endured the night, wrapped in a body as heavy as a rock. His sleeping habits had become even worse than they were on the island.

“Ti-ticklish…”

He’s not even a dog, yet he keeps biting and licking. He unconsciously sought out my ears or neck, licking, nibbling, sucking. He didn’t use force, but the wet touches made me shiver in a strange, unpleasant way.

Once asleep, he hardly ever woke easily. Was this really insomnia? Even after seeing him collapse with my own eyes, he still slept incredibly well. Really, ridiculously well.

One night, he nibbled my neck painfully. Fed up, I scolded him to wear a mask and sleep. His reaction was unbelievable.

“…You’re saying I sucked on your neck, Sun Woori?”

“Your tone.”

“Damn it…”

I tried explaining, showing him the marks, but he wouldn’t believe it. Or rather, he refused to believe it. I held the bite and suction marks right in front of him multiple times, but he still didn’t accept it, and eventually, I gave up.

Knock. Knock.

Someone was at the door. Hadn’t it been time for Park Jong-hoo to check on us? My left ear was currently being gnawed in Jay’s mouth. I couldn’t be caught like this. I jabbed his chest near the solar plexus with my elbow. But…

“Cha Yoon, why didn’t you call—”

Park Jong-hoo entered faster than I expected. Light spilled into the room from the wide-open doorway. I feigned death, closing my eyes.

Chomp, suck, slurp…

In the hushed hospital room, only the sounds of him sucking on my ear echoed clearly.