TDIMEH Chapter 47

 47. Amihan

"Don’t worry, he’s alive."

Junhyuk spoke to the pale-faced Se-ah.

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

At last, Se-ah and Boss Nam, who had been frozen in place as if nailed to the ground, cautiously approached Junhyuk.

Their steps were careful and tentative.

The boy’s face, seen up close, was so pale it could have easily been mistaken for a corpse.

"Where did he come from? There’s no sign of a boat."

Boss Nam scratched his chin, expressing his doubt.

If the boy had arrived by some means of transportation, there should have been debris left behind, but there was no sign of a boat or even a life raft anywhere nearby.

It was as if he had swum all the way here with nothing but his body.

"Maybe his boat sank, like ours?"

"Well, considering how strong the winds were yesterday, it’s possible. At least it’s fortunate he managed to drift all the way here."

They were staring down at the boy’s sickly, frail face, so pale it was a miracle he was still breathing, when his eyelids began to twitch slightly.

"It looks like he’s waking up. I’ll go get some water."

Se-ah quickly ran off and returned with the boiled water they had prepared earlier. In the meantime, the boy had regained consciousness and was now sitting halfway upright on the sand.

His eyes, filled with wariness, darted back and forth between Junhyuk and the colleague.

"I’ll try talking to him."

At Se-ah’s words, Junhyuk nodded and stepped aside.

"[Hello?]"

Se-ah greeted the boy in Filipino while offering him some water.

English was widely understood in the region, but her Filipino was limited to basic greetings and simple conversational phrases. Despite her awkward pronunciation, the boy’s expression noticeably brightened upon hearing his native language.

Even so, he didn’t immediately reach out for the water bottle.

"[It’s okay, you can drink it. It’s water.]"

To reassure him, Se-ah demonstrated by pouring some water into the cap and drinking it herself.

After hesitating for a moment, the boy cautiously extended his hand and accepted the water bottle Se-ah offered him.

Gulp, gulp.

The boy must have been extremely thirsty, as he drank half the bottle of water in one go.

He wiped the water dripping from his mouth with his sleeve, then glanced around nervously before asking Se-ah,

"[Where is this place?]"

"[Uh... well... just an island.]" 

Se-ah awkwardly twisted a strand of her short hair and laughed.

"[Just an island?]"

The boy’s face clearly showed his confusion, but there wasn’t much else Se-ah could say.

After all, she was the person who wanted to know where they were more than anyone else.

She didn’t know the Filipino word for 'deserted island,' but even if she could speak the language fluently, her answer wouldn’t have been any different.

"[Do you speak English?]"

Since her Filipino was limited, Se-ah figured it might be easier to communicate in English. However, the boy immediately shook his head.

"[That’s okay. I’m Coco. What’s your name?]"

"[Amihan.]"

"[Amihan, how did you get here? Did your boat sink?]"

Unable to recall the word for 'sink,' Se-ah made a gesture to mimic something going under the water.

Once again, Amihan shook his head.

"[Then did you swim here?]"

After thinking for a moment, Amihan gave a short nod.

"Swimming from another island would be nearly impossible because of the strong currents,"

Boss Nam remarked, scratching his head after hearing Amihan’s story in basic Filipino.

"No swimmer could survive in these waters," 

Junhyuk added, breaking his silence to agree.

Se-ah also found it hard to believe that Amihan had crossed the sea without a boat. Instead, she considered another possibility.

"Then maybe he came from the opposite side of the island?"

With the currents flowing in this direction, it seemed plausible if he had started from the other side.

"That makes sense," 

Boss Nam nodded in agreement.

"[Did you come from beyond that mountain?]" 

Se-ah pointed at the towering mountain, which loomed like a massive wall.

As soon as Amihan turned to look at the mountain, his face turned deathly pale.

"[N-no, no!]" 

Amihan’s terrified expression and trembling body made it seem as if he’d seen a monster. He scrambled backward, shaking uncontrollably.

"What’s wrong with him?" 

Boss Nam looked at Se-ah in alarm, his expression asking her to find out.

Se-ah hesitated for a moment, then managed to piece together a somewhat lengthy sentence in Filipino.

"[We got stranded here after our boat drifted. We don’t know much about this place. What’s beyond the mountain?]"

"[I-I don’t know.]"

Amihan shook his head vehemently, his lips trembling.

His expression suggested that he definitely knew something, but he adamantly denied it and refused to say another word.

"Do you think he knows what’s beyond the mountain?"

Boss Nam frowned nervously as he watched Amihan’s uneasy glances.

"Exactly. It’s like he ran away from something," 

Junhyuk added, his expression more serious than it had been since arriving on the island.

What could possibly be over there?

Se-ah’s eyes trembled slightly as she, too, stared toward the mountain.

Still, they couldn’t let fear paralyze them. For now, the priority was calming Amihan down.

"[Amihan, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.]"

Se-ah gently patted Amihan’s shoulder.

Whatever had happened, she couldn’t force a terrified child to answer their questions.

Junhyuk’s displeased gaze flicked toward Se-ah briefly but then turned away.

At that moment—

Grrrrrrumble.

A loud growl erupted from Amihan’s flat stomach.

It sounded like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Se-ah smiled at the embarrassed Amihan and patted her own stomach in response.

"Looks like we’re all hungry. Let’s eat first and then get back to work, shall we?"

"Yeah, worrying won’t change anything. Let’s eat first."

"Junhyuk, can you help Amihan walk?"

At Se-ah’s mention of hunger, Junhyuk immediately turned around. Upon hearing her request, he extended his hand toward the boy.

Startled, Amihan flinched and shook off Junhyuk’s arm, instead casting a wary glance at Se-ah.

It seemed as though she was the only one he trusted.

"[We live over there. We’re just going to eat, so don’t worry.]"

Finally, Amihan took Junhyuk’s offered hand and got to his feet.

However, their path was soon blocked by an unexpected person.

"Are you seriously going to take that suspicious boy with you and let him eat with us?"

Somehow regaining her composure, Moon Sohee pointed her chin at the boy.

"Suspicious? What do you mean?"

"The way he got terrified looking at the mountain was strange. And claiming to have swum all the way here? That doesn’t make any sense. Besides, we don’t even know who he is. I don’t agree with letting him into our space."

"Wow, that’s harsh."

"Boss Nam, this isn’t about being harsh. It’s about safety. If he were a small child, I wouldn’t say anything, but he doesn’t look that young. And didn’t someone say there are armed groups in this area? What if he’s connected to them?"

Although Moon Sohee’s words were somewhat excessive, they weren’t entirely unfounded.

Bringing a stranger into their shelter in such an environment wasn’t an easy decision. It wasn’t just about food or shelter; there were risks involved.

While Amihan looked young, he could very well be older than he appeared.

Even so, Se-ah couldn’t bring herself to abandon Amihan, who seemed just as stranded as they were.

Although he didn’t understand Korean, the atmosphere made it clear to Amihan that Moon Sohee wasn’t welcoming him. He hunched his shoulders, looking dejected.

Just as Se-ah was about to step in and defend him, Junhyuk acted first, pulling Amihan close to his side.

"If that’s your concern, don’t worry. He doesn’t seem to have any weapons. Even if he did, I can handle it on my own."

Junhyuk’s broad arms were two or three times thicker than anyone else’s. Not to mention his height.

Standing side by side, his physical presence was undeniable.

"Exactly. With our ‘President Do,’ I bet he could take on gangsters and win. Still, Ms. Moon Sohee isn’t entirely wrong. It’s probably a good idea to keep an eye on him, at least for now," 

Boss Nam suggested with a seasoned approach.

"Still…"

"I understand your concerns, Ms. Moon Sohee. I’ll make sure to look after him so that he doesn’t cause you any trouble,"

Even so, Moon Sohee glared at Amihan for a moment, clearly displeased.

"Tell him not to try anything funny. And if you’re setting up a shelter for him, make it as far away from mine as possible."

With that sharp remark, Moon Sohee stormed off toward the house.

"She may talk like that, but she’s not a bad person,"

While shaking his head in disbelief, Boss Nam still tried to understand Moon Sohee.

She really is a bad person.

Se-ah wanted to bring up the fact that Moon Sohee had deliberately refused to extend a hand on the lifeboat, but she held back, not wanting to get involved in unnecessary conflict.

After all, with a personality like that, the truth would come to light soon enough.

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