Bring It On! - Chapter 22

Chapter 22. 

The sensation of the bug that had clung to my cheek still felt vivid. Even in such a crisis, I was proud of myself for not letting go of Jay’s dinner. But that bastard Jay…

“You told me to stay calm!”

“I was going to get it off. But it was so big, it wouldn’t have been weird if it started talking to me!”

“Shut up. No excuses!”

“If I had swatted it, its antennae and guts would’ve gotten all over your face. Would you have been okay with that?”

“Of course not! But you could’ve picked it off with your hand.”

“We made eye contact! It wasn’t kidding around. That thing should be paying taxes. Still, I tried to get it off without killing it. Look, I even grabbed chopsticks.”

Jay really was holding two thin twigs like chopsticks. But regardless of his intentions, the one who actually got rid of the bug was Suho, with the water splash. Jay must’ve realized he didn’t contribute at all, because when I stood there looking like a drenched mouse, he immediately backed down.

“I’ll try to move quicker next time.”

“So I’m supposed to let a bug stick to my face again so you can work on your agility?”

“…Why are you like this. Just change your clothes first. You’ll catch a cold.”

Jay tried to take off his shirt to offer it to me, but I waved him off. When I came out after changing inside the shelter, he still hadn’t touched his food and was waiting for me. Meanwhile, Suho was happily eating away with pumpkin smeared all over his face, insisting on eating it while it was hot.

I tied up my wet hair high and sat beside Jay.

“Did you commit a crime or something?”

“I thought you’d call me useless again.”

“…Just eat.”

Seeing Jay so downcast, I felt a pang of guilt. Maybe I’d been too harsh on him all this time. I hadn’t planned it or meant to hurt him. I’d just said things as I saw them. 

His pride and arrogance might’ve all been a front, because now he seemed like a completely different person. There was no need for him to be this submissive. I decided that, for now, I’d focus on praising what he did well instead of criticizing him.

Just then, Suho finished his food and stood up.

“Don’t wander around. Brush your teeth right away.”

“Ugh, fine…”

Suho responded with an obvious pout. I understood he wanted to play more, but it couldn’t be helped. It was pitch dark all around. Even familiar paths looked different at night. 

If Suho got disoriented and wandered toward the coast, he wouldn’t even see the shelter fire from the higher ground. It would be dangerous if he lost his sense of direction in the dark.

Thankfully, he seemed to understand how I felt and obediently went inside the shelter after brushing his teeth. I didn’t expect him to fall asleep right away. He definitely picked something up today… Wait.

I urgently grabbed Jay’s wrist.

“What’s wrong?”

“You hid it well, right?”

Even without me saying the subject, Jay understood immediately.

“Don’t worry.”

“Where’d you put it?”

Jay set down his chopsticks and turned to me, his eyes curving with a mischievous glint. Seeing that glimmer of mischief, I replied curtly, “What?”

“Are you interested?”

“I’m worried Suho might see it.”

Jay raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t believe me.

“I’m serious!”

“Okay, okay. Who said anything? Why are you getting all angry by yourself, like you’ve been caught?”

“It’s your expression. It’s weird.”

“Now you’re criticizing how I look too? I can’t live like this. It’s not like I chose to be born this way.”

“Ugh, don’t start saying weird things. I’m getting a headache.”

I grumbled, and Jay wrapped his heavy arm around my shoulders.

“I get it. After spending all day chopping wood in nature, seeing a naked man must’ve been a lot to take in. I understand that your curiosity was piqued.”

“That’s your opinion, not mine.”

“I wasn’t even remotely stirred.”

Jay firmly drew the line between us as if to say ‘you’re not like me’. I wasn’t stirred either, to be fair. I’d just panicked at the thought of Suho seeing it. 

Snooping through that crude, childish photobook had never once crossed my mind. But the truth didn’t matter to Jay. He just wanted to tease me. Now that he’d decided on it, he wasn’t going to listen to or believe a single thing I said. He just wanted to enjoy my flustered reactions.

Until now, I’d always fallen for his mean little jokes. But not anymore. I wasn’t going to just sit there and take it. Even if I had to act like a shameless pervert, there was no way I was giving him the reaction he wanted.

I straightened my hunched back. As my sitting height rose, Jay looked at me curiously. I opened my mouth with a serene expression.

“Well, since it’s come to this, I’ll be honest. I was curious.”

“…What?”

“There’s nothing around here but trees and the ocean, and you’re the only grown man around. I’m a fully grown adult woman who happens to be heterosexual. Of course I’d be curious, isn’t that normal?”

He must’ve expected me to lash out in frustration. Too bad for you, buddy. When I admitted it so calmly instead, the sly smirk tugging at Jay’s lips slowly faded.

He usually had a comeback for everything I said, but now his lips didn’t even twitch. He looked genuinely taken aback. Whatever he said next, it was already too late. 

This long silence was no different from admitting defeat. While the crackling of the campfire was the only thing filling the air, Jay furrowed his brows.

“What about me?”

It came out of nowhere. I’d been pretending to be composed, but that question completely threw me off. I thought he’d get bored and back off after finding my reaction dull, but instead, that big hand of his, which had been resting lazily, suddenly gripped my shoulder with a firm pressure.

“Why are you bringing yourself into this all of a sudden?”

“I’m a man too. So why are you only curious about the guy printed on that paper scrap?”

“…What are you even saying? How are you and that model the same?”

“Why not? What’s the difference? Why am I being treated like some piece of scenery, huh? Is it because I’m a washout?!”

To my surprise, he’d latched onto the weirdest part of the conversation. Jay looked genuinely offended and ashamed, glaring at me with fire in his eyes. Meanwhile, I was completely thrown off by his aggressive energy. 

What the hell is wrong with this guy? He’s the one who started going on and on about me being curious about a nude photobook! 

Now that I admitted it, why’s he flipping out even harder? I couldn’t understand it at all. My reaction was completely normal and reasonable.

“I’ve got a great body too!”

He suddenly shouted like a maniac on the subway. What kind of lunacy was this?

“Who said you didn’t?”

If anything, his body was way better than the overly airbrushed model in that photobook. I’d seen it all. His bare chest, his firm glutes, every inch of him and I could say with confidence that he was in amazing shape.

“Then there’s no need for that photobook anymore.”

“Hey, they serve different purposes! Your body is for survival, that thing is for satisfying my curiosity!”

“I’ll do both. What are you so curious about anyway? Ah, it’s that thing you were reading earlier, right?”

Jay’s eyes were practically gleaming now. I had no idea what “thing” he was talking about, but he sounded so sure.

“How to kiss someone so they melt, right?”

“You wanna die?”

“I’ll show you.”

“….”

Unlike his earlier shouting, which was full of frustration, his voice now was serious. Desperate, even. And it was strange. His words were completely ridiculous, utterly lacking in logic, yet I couldn’t bring myself to scoff or argue. 

Maybe it was his nearly-perfect face adding credibility to a situation that had none. Or maybe I’d just been stuck on this island for too long and had started losing my mind. 

Yeah, that had to be it. This was the first time I realized how much disorientation could sap the strength from your body.

The joking atmosphere from before was shifting into something more… delicate. I cleared my throat and pushed his arm away.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Did a parasite crawl into your brain or something?”

“I’m serious. You’ll see. I’m way better than that dumb nude photobook.”