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I was distracted and stared blankly at the man. Emotions of unknown origin scattered throughout my body, and I stood motionless like a tree with roots. I couldn’t even resist and continued staring at him.
His long hair that reached his shoulders was as shiny as a sable, and his gray eyes, glistening with clear tears, were cold and radiant.
It wasn’t just because of the beautiful appearance that I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The man gave off an insidious atmosphere that I instinctively felt that I should not approach.
A feeling of reluctance to watch from afar swept through my body. Was that why?
I wanted to ask him why he was crying, but I couldn’t. Usually, I would have comforted him by handing him a handkerchief, but I couldn’t do even that easily.
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He stared at the foot of the mountain in awe, like a wild beast that had just jumped out. Then, as if the sunset signaled a crisis, I felt a sense of incongruity at seeing his dark hair wet.
When our eyes met, he stared at me for a long time without saying a word. But when cool wind swept through the garden, and the fluttering petals died down, the man’s unfocused eyes gradually became clearer and came into focus. His eyes widened.
“Aelle…?”
How did he know my name? Before I could think further, the man ran up to me and grabbed my shoulder, and my vision shook.
“Ah.”
The moment I closed my eyes and opened them, I found myself in the arms of the stranger. I could feel his unsteady breath at the nape of my neck and unfamiliar hands wrapped around my shoulder.
I felt pain as if my bones were being crushed, and I was filled with fear for a moment.
“L-let go…!”
I raised my hand to push the man’s chest, but we were so close that there wasn’t any gap for my hand to enter. I twisted my body mercilessly, but he didn’t let go.
“If you don’t let go immediately, I’ll scream…!”
“Aelle.”
At that moment, I stopped moving at the sound of his voice, and my eyes widened.
“Aelle.”
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The man’s breathing trembled as if he would collapse, then I felt something wet from the nape of my neck. His whole body shook as he embraced me.
“Aelle.”
As if confirming my existence, he repeated the name pitifully and earnestly, leaving my mind blank.
I blinked in a daze. If before, it felt like the front paws of an animal were crushing my bones and I was running out of breath, now it felt like hugging a small beast.
Despite the obvious size difference, it felt like I was hugging him.
“Aelle.”
I turned to glance at his face by my neck, perplexed because I couldn’t answer the man’s repeated calls and push him away.
Maybe he was someone I knew before I lost my memory. I was about to ask but stopped.
Even though the man knew my identity, I wasn’t sure of his. I hesitated momentarily about whether to reveal I had lost my memory.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity and hesitantly opened my mouth.
“Who…are you?”
His breath stopped. Did I ask a stupid question? For a moment, the man’s grip on my shoulder loosened.
As he slowly lifted his head, the tears barely hanging in his bloodshot eyes fell. His eyes, dark as the dawn, had lost their vitality.
“Aelle?”
Visibly shaken, the man swallowed hard, his throat bobbing, and scrutinized my face with his gray eyes.
“Aelle.”
“…”
“I know you resent me.”
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Resent? Me? A pure question came to mind and I narrowed my eyes.
“It’s natural to resent me, so…”
“Why would I?”
He looked blankly at me.
Then, I felt it–if I opened my mouth more than this, I might hurt this man.
However, it was hard to keep my mouth shut once I’d opened it, and my doubts only grew bigger as time went on.
“Why would I resent you?”
“…”
“We’re not related[1].“
As I uttered the last word, the man’s hand completely came off me.
I turned, frowning at the wind blowing. When the breeze died down, I turned back, brushing back my hair, and I couldn’t help but jump in surprise.
“Aelle.”
The man looked like his world had collapsed.
“Izenne.”
“…”
“Izenne?”
I came to my senses when a hand tapped my shoulder, and looked around in dismay. Grandma Hoenn looked back at me, her expression serious. She adjusted her glasses and studied me closely.
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“Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking about something.”
Grandma put her sewing kit down and placed her hand on my forehead. As if to gauge the heat, she placed her other hand on her forehead, and huffed. After a while, she removed her hand as if shaking it off.
“You don’t have a fever. Do you feel unwell?”
I smiled faintly, not wanting to cause unnecessary concern to Grandma Hoenn.
She frowned and examined my face. “What really happened for your complexion to turn blue? Did you sleep well last night? How about your food? Did you eat dinner last night?”
Grandma fussed over her as if she was worried about her own granddaughter.
“Grandma, when a person turns blue, they’re dead.”
“Izenne, you’re not Yulina, so don’t make lame jokes. Do you think I don’t realize you’re changing the topic?” Grandma Hoenn reproached me, but I could tell she was worried about me.
Anyway, Grandma was quick. Or was I just dazed enough that it was too obvious? Well, it was still working hours.
I awkwardly said, “Don’t worry, I can work.”
Grandma Hoenn clicked her tongue and gave me a disapproving stare. I guess my answer upset her.
“Who asked if you could work? I asked if you’re okay. You don’t seem like you are.”
Grandma made up her mind and touched her knee as she tried to get off her stool. She stood with a groan.
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“Grandma?”
She waved her hands and made her way to the table.
“I’ll close the store, so go home now.”
I stood up after Grandma Hoen and waved my hand.
It felt uncomfortable that I seemed to have made her worry about me needlessly.
“There’s no need for that. I’m really fine.”
Her eyes widened as she arranged the sewing tools on the table. Her usual gentle and warm impression became fierce.
“Izenne, it’s not because of you. It’s because I’m out of breath. Will you go home only after your boss passes away?”
“Grandma, but…”
She waved her hand toward the door, refusing to talk further.
Was my complexion so bad that Grandma Hoenn’s was worried about it? I tried to touch my face but felt the cloth covering the lower half of my face instead. Well, even if I touched my face, I still couldn’t tell.
Haa, I sighed briefly and blamed myself.
I should have worn the cloth yesterday. I didn’t because I was close to home, the day was about to set, and my guard was down.
So the man must have recognized me.
‘Aelle.’
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I gently rubbed the nape of my neck where his heavy breath touched. In particular, I closed my eyes, stopping at the area where his lips had touched.
‘What relationship did we have?’
I remembered the man who had defenselessly collapsed. What kind of relationship did we have that made him look like that?
I was too scared to ask. The man definitely knew me, but I knew nothing about him.
Maybe that’s why. I turned away from the man yesterday and ran away in fright.
The fear of the unknown relationship was so great that it surpassed my curiosity even to ask questions.
It might be a simple one-dimensional relationship, like one between friends, lovers, or couples. Still, in the worst-case scenario, he could also be a person involved in the incident. I couldn’t rule out the possibility he was trying to trick me.
Or it could be some other type of relationship. If Oppa were here, I could have asked.
“Izenne, I’m going to rest when you go.”
I shook off my thoughts and looked up. Grandma Hoenn pointed to the back, perhaps thinking I was hesitating when I was lost in thought.
“If you’re so sorry, go home and do those things.”
The items in the basket Grandma had pointed only needed simple tasks, like attaching buttons or adding fabric. I could complete it in three to four hours.
I readily nodded and said, “Then I’ll take some work. I’m sorry I always owe you.”
Grandma shook her head and added that I shouldn’t overdo it because she didn’t tell me to complete everything.
I smiled broadly at her kindness.