TDIMEH Chapter 46

46. Escaping a Nightmare

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The wind blowing from the gray sky was quite fierce.

When we first arrived here, it rained for two days. But this time, the strong wind shaking the house was on a whole different level.

Looking outside through the mosquito net, she shuddered as she watched the scattered belongings rolling around everywhere.

Most of the items were those they had piled up to send a distress signal. They were meant to be set on fire if another plane showed up. Even though they had covered them with a net, the wind had made a mess of it all.

"Don’t worry about it. We can gather it all again. Just relax and eat this."

Junhyuk offered her a roasted corn, trying to calm down Se-ah, who was visibly anxious.

Even at that moment, the wooden floor made from logs creaked.

"Do you think the house will fly away?"

Se-ah, nibbling on the corn Junhyuk had given her, looked uneasy.

She wondered if it was really okay to eat roasted corn in a situation like this… but the roasted corn was too tempting to resist.

"Well, it’s possible. You never know how powerful a typhoon can get. It might blow the whole house away in one swoop."

Se-ah’s eyes widened at his response.

"Should we call everyone else over? If there are more people, it might add weight and make it safer, don’t you think?"

"You worry too much. If the house was about to fly away, I would just carry you and run."

"What if we both get blown away? I may not remember everything clearly because of my memory loss, but the boat we were on sank in weather like this."

"Oh my, did it now?"

"I’m not joking!"

Junhyuk chuckled softly as he patted Se-ah’s head, even as she raised her voice in frustration.

"If you’re going to worry like that, at least put the corn down first before you start."

"Still, it’s two separate things. Worry is worry, and corn is corn."

Even in the midst of her anxiety, she didn’t let go of the corn she was chewing on, which he found amusing. His hand stayed on her head for quite some time before he finally removed it.

Meanwhile, the wind turned into a rainstorm. Heavy raindrops fell with a 'tudududu' sound, as if they would pierce through everything from the sky.

Se-ah’s uneasiness grew as quickly as the rainclouds.

She leaned against the window, peering anxiously outside. Sensing her restlessness, Junhyuk tried to change the subject by asking a different question.

"So, we were the only ones adrift from the boat? What happened to everyone else? Why are we the only ones left here?"

"Well… before we got on the lifeboat, I somehow ended up alone on the sinking ship. That’s when the future Junhyuk jumped from the lifeboat to save me."

"So, that’s why you said I was a good person back then?"

Junhyuk sounded jealous as he once again brought up his future self.

"It wasn’t just that—there were many things that happened. But… on this island, it’s not like he was all good either."

His mood seemed to improve as Se-ah’s direct compliment lifted the corners of his mouth. Even his cheeks twitched slightly.

Taking the opportunity, Se-ah decided to flatter him even more.

"You feed me, shelter me, and even saved me from the swamp. Where else would I find someone like that? It’s only natural to think you’re great."

"Exactly. That’s the kind of person I am."

Looking proud, he puffed out his chest and pulled Se-ah’s hand into his.

Her hand, sticky with coconut butter he had applied earlier, disappeared between his long fingers.

"It's sticky, and it probably smells like corn too."

Se-ah tried to pull her hand away in alarm.

"It's fine. It's not a big deal."

Instead of letting go, Junhyuk wrapped his hand around hers protectively, like a giant shield, and firmly added:

"Don’t worry about this storm. Even if something worse comes along, I’ll make sure to protect you, no matter what."

For a moment, the sound of the storm, which had felt like ringing in her ears, disappeared.

It felt as though the two of them were in their own world, just the two of them, as reflected in his eyes.

Junhyuk’s words swept away her anxiety as if clearing away the fog.

It was a truly strange sensation.

When he said something, it felt like it would come true.

She felt certain that even if the world ended, this man would protect her. Se-ah opened her trembling lips and said,

"Thank you."

"For what? It’s only natural."

"I’ll try too."

"Try what?"

"I’ll protect you, too. Whether it’s the jungle or this deserted island, I’ll find you wherever you are. And I’ll punish anyone who tries to hurt you. I have nothing to lose, so I’m very scary."

".........."

Junhyuk looked stunned, as if he had lost his words for a moment. For a brief second, there was a slight moisture in the corner of his eyes.

No way...

Were those tears?

Se-ah’s eyes grew wide.

She tried to get another look at his face, but before she could, Junhyuk pulled her into a tight embrace. She had felt this during their time in the forest, but his arms were sturdier than the wooden house she was sitting on.

Just from his strong arms alone, she knew his words about protecting her weren’t empty promises.

As Se-ah entertained the absurd thought of staying in his embrace forever, she suddenly snapped out of it and called out to him.

"C-Captain?"

"...Thank you."

His trembling voice slowly resonated through the humid air.

"Ahem. W-What are you thanking me for? It’s only natural."

Se-ah tried to change the mood by awkwardly repeating his words with a forced smile.

"For everything. I’m grateful for everything."

Junhyuk's head gently rested on her shoulder, as if seeking comfort. The area near her ear, where his breath touched, felt burning hot, as if scorched.

Just as she grabbed his arm to push him away, a soft but heavy whisper reached her ears:

"Thanks to you, I think... I won’t have nightmares anymore."

His exhale felt more relaxed than ever before.

Se-ah stopped her attempt to push him away.

She had a vague idea.

Both the Junhyuk of now and the one from the future woke up every three hours.

That was just her rough guess—perhaps he even slept for less than that.

She had wondered if he just didn’t need much sleep, but she never thought it might be because of nightmares.

He had never shown any signs of it before.

Her mind raced as fast as her eyes rolled.

Was it after the jungle that he began having nightmares?

Well, if I were thrown into the jungle at a young age, it would probably scar me for life too.

For someone like Junhyuk, it only manifested as nightmares, but for ordinary people, such an environment might have driven them insane.

Feeling sorry for him, Se-ah gently patted his shoulder with her small hand.

"That’s right. Don’t have those nightmares anymore. I’m here with you."

She hoped no more nightmares would come.

Even if he regained his memories and returned to his old self, she wished he could sleep peacefully.

She had resolved to only fall asleep after he did, but Se-ah found herself quickly dozing off, holding the hand Junhyuk had offered her.

Junhyuk, too, slept soundly through the night without waking up once.

The next morning, Se-ah saw Junhyuk’s hair in complete disarray for the first time, resembling a bird’s nest.

The sight of him, clearly showing signs of deep sleep, made her giggle softly.

Hearing her laughter, Junhyuk looked embarrassed and headed outside.

Fortunately, by morning, the rain clouds had moved out to sea.

The sky had cleared up, becoming bright and sunny as if nothing had happened.

Of course, the storm had blown away half the roof of their wooden house, and the kitchen area they had set up on the beach was a mess, but the damage was less than expected.

"We need to dry the clothes first."

Junhyuk, who had stepped outside soaking wet, hadn’t even realized the roof was leaking while he slept. Knowing how he often fell asleep at his office desk, Se-ah wasn’t too surprised and helped him set up a makeshift clothesline with some rope.

Moon Sohee, however, didn’t seem interested in repairing the house and said she would explore the area before walking along the beach.

She certainly seemed low on energy after what had happened the day before.

As she walked, she briefly glanced back at Junhyuk, who was pulling in the fish traps, but when she saw he didn’t even glance in her direction, she slumped her shoulders and wandered further down the beach.

Se-ah tried her best to push aside the slightly uncomfortable feelings rising within her.

"Aaaah!"

Not long after, Moon Sohee’s sharp scream echoed from the beach.

"W-what was that?"

Both Se-ah and Boss Nam, who were hanging up the laundry, dropped everything and ran toward her.

Junhyuk, too, set aside the fish traps and sprinted in her direction.

Near a pile of ocean debris washed ashore during the night, Moon Sohee was sitting frozen on the ground, her face pale.

Fortunately, she didn’t appear to be injured.

As they cautiously approached, they spotted a figure sprawled among the pile of trash.

The person lay completely still, as if…

"Are they… dead?"

Boss Nam voiced the same thought that had crossed Se-ah’s mind.