The whole boat ride turned to be a nightmare for Wonwoo, but he couldn’t blame anyone else but himself for the turnout where Jaera was concerned. It had only been roughly two hours, but it drained his energy as much as it drained Jaera’s eyes of tears.

He watched her sit quietly, sulking on one of the benches at the deck, her eyes gazing faraway. Though she might have a blank expression about her face compared to the rage she explicitly showed him and everyone else on the third level, Wonwoo knew that she was deep in thought, probably even thinking about how she would get back at him once she gets the opportunity.

When they both discovered that the ferry was moving, Jaera ran away from him and headed down the second level, trying to get off the boat. Hell, she would have jumped straight off the rails if she could or at least that’s how it looked like to him. He approached her and tried to comfort her, even apologized for pulling another prank on her, but all she had to say to him was, “Don’t talk to me.”

Again, he let his frustration over her loose and he found himself in another argument with her, the fourth one since lunch time, and it was the worst out of all of them. When he followed her to the third level, she sat him down on the bench and started lecturing him whilst she paced back and forth.

“Damn you, Wonwoo, if you want to go south, don’t drag me with you! I don’t care what you do with your life,” were her harsh words for the day, after that, she told him not to follow her and stay away.

Wonwoo wasn’t one to do as he was told so he followed her and tried to calm her down, only to find her crying like she’s lost everything, her tired state and annoyance towards him bringing out the worst in her.

Just then, an elderly couple passed them by and inquired why she was crying while she was swatting Wonwoo’s hands away from her, telling him to go away. It ended up with Wonwoo having to deal with the old man while his wife took care of Jaera, offering her some of the tea she had in a mini thermos.

“You’re not a man if you make such a pretty girl cry,” the old man told him, leaving him no choice but to explain the circumstances.

“She just pushed me really far this time…” Wonwoo said, letting go of the snagged breath in his lungs as he explained further, just blurting out random words which described his daily life with Jaera since she came back. After he uncontrollably began babbling things for no one’s benefit in particular, he felt relieved, but was surprised when the old man suddenly started laughing at him when he didn’t find anything funny about the situation.

“Son, my wife and I lasted this long because I remembered just one thing,” the old man said, smiling wistfully as he gazed at his wife and Jaera by the benches. Of course, the latter was still sulking as she spoke. From time to time, she would smile, but it would never reach her eyes, and for several times, she met Wonwoo’s eyes, but would draw back with a glare.

Wonwoo chuckled. “And that is?”

“She’s always right. Always.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “Not Jaera. She’s clueless and she doesn’t know what she’s saying. She thinks she knows everything, but she doesn’t, and I hate it that she assumes too much.”

“My stand remains, boy, but in the end, she is not even your girlfriend, is she?” The old man chuckled, eyeing Wonwoo with sincere eyes. “Your name is evidently not Mingyu.” He touched Wonwoo’s nameplate with a finger. “She mentioned him. I heard it.”

Wonwoo sighed. “She used to be…” He smiled, pretending to ignore the sting he felt at the man’s words. “But we’re just doing a project together now. There’s nothing going on, just that we’re stuck together for a stupid school work. Life’s twisted like that.”

The old man shook his head. “No, dear boy!” he exclaimed as if he was offended. “Fate works that way.”

Wonwoo wanted to contradict the man and tell him that he doesn’t see things that way as of the moment, but he knew that he would be ambushed with wise cracks old people tend to say. He just smiled and nodded, sitting quietly as the old man left him to take his wife with him.

The old man discreetly motioned for him to join Jaera by the benches after his wife whispered something to him. To his surprise, the lady also gave him the thumbs up before they exited the deck. Wonwoo was left to battle thoughts within his head, standing up and sitting back down again whenever he imagines the worst scenarios that Jaera might dish out the moment he decides to join her. In the end, when the ferry docked and it was time to get off, Jaera was the one to approach him, telling him it’s time to go.

“I don’t have anything with me right now, and since it’s your fault we’re stuck in this goddamn island, it’s your responsibility to take care of me, at least financially,” Jaera told him pointedly without meeting his gaze. “Now, let’s go. I’m tired.”

Wonwoo didn’t have anything to say to her. What she said was true and he knew that when Jaera is in such a mood, there was nothing he could say to change it until she decides so for herself.

As if things couldn’t get any worst, the moment they walked into the dock, thunder started rumbling and without a warning, rain fell torrentially over them, immediately drenching their clothes wet as thick curtains of water assaulted the shore. Out of impulse, Wonwoo took Jaera’s hand and led to her to the first convenience store he saw outside the pier, shielding her from the rain with his blazer as efficiently as he could.

Despite her obvious resistance, he held her close until they got to store. He let Jaera sit on one of the stools while he ordered coffee from the counter, later giving it to her while he stood by the glass walls, scanning the area.

Jaera also stood from her seat, joining him. Both watched the slashing rain which flooded the sidewalks though their eyes were scanning for different things. While Jaera searched the vicinity for nearby inns, Wonwoo watched her, smiling unconsciously upon seeing how her hair has darkened as it dripped with rain water. It has always been dark before she left, framing her face with those intense, brown eyes which were almost black, darker than midnight when she was upset or in a brooding mood.

He has always thought of her as the most beautiful person he has ever met, thinking countless times in the past how blessed he was that she was his. He loved her. He loved her too much that she was the one who built him, but at the same time, she tore him down.

Wonwoo snapped out of his reverie when he felt her nudge him. “What?”

Jaera handed him her coffee cup, not half empty. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” he asked, utterly confused by her sudden decision to just go out into the rain which would surely soak her in seconds. However, before he could act and stop her, he heard the bell attached to the door ring, signaling her exit. “Damn it, what are you planning?”

Left without a choice, he followed her, feeling the cold gust against his skin, making him shiver, but seeing that Jaera was already across the street braving the rain, he also crossed, half running where she was when she called his name, beckoning him over. As if his feet had a mind of their own, he chased after her, following as she entered an establishment.

Just then, he noticed the red neon sign hanging at the back of the reception desk, thinking that the name of the establishment sounded like a place where men went for pleasure, a love hotel to be precise. However, he realized that a beat too late as Jaera was already speaking to the buxom woman behind the desk, inquiring for a room.

“What could a pretty young lady like yourself doing in a place like this?” the woman, who was smoking a cigarette through a long filter, asked, smiling widely at Jaera who seemed clueless about the double meaning in the question.

Wonwoo arched a brow at the lady, planning to drag her out if he had to, but then, two women dressed in skimpy shorts and revealing tank tops passed by him. The other one winked sultrily at Wonwoo while the other said hi to him, calling him a “cutie.” He was momentarily distracted, following the trail they took before snapping out of it.

“Jaera,” he called her attention, but she was still explaining their circumstances to the lady leaning on the desk, listening intently.

“I’m with my friend here,” Jaera said, glancing at Wonwoo’s direction. “I was wondering if you have any rooms available. We’re pretty much stuck here for the night.”

Wonwoo walked over to her, turning her around as the lady went to check her logs, more distracted by the fact that sh