Bring It On! - Chapter 48

Chapter 48.

“You can’t get wet in the rain.”

I brushed the raindrops off Suho’s shoulders and hair. Even though he’d been scolded several times for it already, he still didn’t seem to grasp the danger of rain. Especially on days like today, when the drizzle fell fine and thin, he was even less cautious.

While Jay struggled to light a fire with the shelter’s torches, Suho was still completely immersed in his studies. His hands and clothes were smudged black with charcoal dust.

Though his focused little face was both funny and endearing, it tugged at my heart. If I’d known he’d enjoy it this much, I should have taught him earlier. I regretted all the things survival had kept me too busy to take care of.

“At this rate, you’ll be in college by tomorrow,” Jay teased, ruffling Suho’s hair.

“Don’t talk nonsense. How could I ever go to college?”

“You sound more and more like Sun Woori, you know?”

“Better that than ending up like you.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with me?”

“You? You’d never make it to college.”

“Wait a second. I feel like I’ve heard that exact line before…”

Jay pressed his fingers to his temple, as if a headache had struck, his face twisting. Suho smirked, nose scrunching in amusement, and said with certainty, “See? I told you someone must’ve said that to you before.”

Dusk vanished, and cold rose up from the ground as the day’s warmth ebbed away. The chatter went on endlessly through dinner. The patter of rain against the tarp and the crackle of the fire were drowned beneath our voices.

Most of the talking was Jay and Suho bickering like rivals, while I occasionally answered the questions they threw at me. The jokes were childish, the chatter trivial, yet I found myself turning over serious thoughts. About life after escaping this island.

I was a healthy adult. I could find work and scrape by on my own. But Suho’s situation was different. 

Could I really abandon a sick child to an orphanage and live as if it weren’t my problem? My answer was no. Even if we weren’t bound by blood, the time we had lived here together had woven a bond deeper and more desperate than family.

“I’ll make sure you go to college, Suho.”

The words slipped out before I realized it. Their chatter stopped dead. I wasn’t someone who liked making empty promises I couldn’t keep.

Suho’s wide eyes gleamed in the firelight.

“Really, noona?”

He asked cautiously, and I nodded as if it were nothing. But the meaning was more than just sending him to college. It was a vow to stay close by his side. 

Of course Suho understood. His eyes shimmered with tears before he flung himself into my arms.

“I’m so happy! Once we get out of here, I’ll study hard. I’ll even study in the hospital.”

“Just make sure you don’t get caught in the rain.”

“Yeah. On rainy days, I won’t step outside at all.”

Dreaming of a smooth future was always exciting. If it thrilled me, an adult, how much more so for Suho? Even if it wasn’t a future of sudden riches or world-shaking powers, we would be fine. 

Just having a button to warm an entire room, eating steamed white rice from a cooker, and walking down streets full of people would be enough. Things we never realized were precious until now seemed unimaginably dear.

“And what about me?”

A voice edged with complaint slipped in between Suho and me. When we looked over, Jay’s handsome brows were crooked high.

“What about you?”

“Why are you two laughing together like I don’t exist? Once we get out of here, you’re not even going to acknowledge me? How can you be so cold to the guy who survived life-and-death with you? Scary. Really scary.”

The sting of hurt and betrayal was obvious in his tone.

“We’re not ignoring you.”

“Oh yeah? Then why is it always you and Suho as ‘we,’ and I’m just ‘you’?”

“Because Suho needs a guardian, so I’ll always—”

“I need one too! Don’t you know my head’s all messed up?”

Jay tapped his temple with his finger. He probably meant his memories, but to me, the words carried another meaning.

To be honest, Jay might be treated like dead weight here, but in the real world, he could very well have had far more influence than I imagined. Most likely, he’d been someone who lived well, maybe even extravagantly. 

In today’s world of hyperactive social media, there was no way someone as good-looking as Jay wouldn’t stand out. Just a single selfie uploaded to his feed could have made him rich on sponsorships alone.

If we escaped, the best thing for him would be to recover his memory as quickly as possible and return to where he belonged.

“You need to find your memories.”

“And if I do, is that the end of us?”

The play of emotions that always danced across his face slowly drained away. For the first time, I noticed the sound of the fire crackling, sharp against my ears. 

I hadn’t thought that far ahead, and I blinked slowly, once, before answering after a long pause.

“…No.”

“……”

“Once life finds its rhythm again, we could still meet up sometimes, catch up a little.”

“Hah.”

Jay’s lips twisted.

“Meeting just sometimes?”

The way he spoke with only his lips moving looked almost sculpted, unnatural.

“I don’t like that.”

“……”

“Even outside this island, the three of us will live together just like now.”

“You can only say that because you don’t have your memories.”

“Memories or not, it doesn’t matter.”

“Try remembering your memories first. Remember them first and then say that.”

“Don’t talk like it’s a certainty. I won’t forget you. Never. Damn it, even now, just thinking about you makes my heart pound like crazy. How could I possibly forget you?”

Suho, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, muttered a “Wow” to himself as he picked up a slice of pumpkin. Jay’s face was deadly serious, but for some reason, a laugh slipped past my lips.

“Fine. Just try forgetting me once.”

When I said it like I wouldn’t let him off if he did, Jay’s angry energy finally softened. Even though I’d only meant it as a joke, he actually flashed a wide grin, showing all his teeth, as if even being threatened pleased him.

“If I do, you can slap me and say I’m an ungrateful bastard.”

“You said that yourself.”

“Yeah. You could do worse, too.”

I don’t usually put much faith in words people spit out on impulse. People’s attitude and mindset can change just from going into the bathroom and coming out again. How much bigger would the difference be between having memories and not?

I knew I shouldn’t believe his words unconditionally. And yet, I couldn’t help wanting to. We’d already shared too many moments together for me to cut him off coldly now. Just like Suho, Jay had carved out a large room in my heart. That’s why I’d kept drawing lines, defensively. 

Partly for his sake, but also because there was a cowardly part of me that simply didn’t want to get hurt.

But if he was asking me to believe him…

When he spoke with such blazing honesty in his eyes, how could I possibly shake my head? 

I was too weak against Jay’s appeals. And truthfully, the more I listened to his words full of conviction, the more I felt at peace.

“It’s late. Let’s clean up now.”

We had to wrap up before the rain grew heavier.

***

[Heavy Rain Warning in Effect. Avoid riverwalks, slopes, landslide-prone areas. Residents are advised to refrain from outdoor activity.]

Thick raindrops clung to the smart watch. Even when Kim Chayoung wiped it with his wet hand, the screen was covered again in less than a second. He tried to dismiss the blaring weather alert, but his frustration boiled over and he jabbed the screen so hard it might shatter. Only after his fingertip went numb did the alarm finally go silent.

“Huff—ugh, cough! Are you sure it’s here?”

Seo Narae threw her shovel down in irritation. Her red raincoat had long since stopped doing its job. The pounding rain had soaked her socks, even her underwear, through and through. 

Trusting nothing but Jo Min-a’s words, the crew was overturning an entire mountain in the middle of a torrential downpour.