“I’m not trying to insult you,” he said. “I feel closer to you than anyone else in the world. I have felt so lost for a long time. Yet when I’m with you, I feel I’ve found my way. You’re the reason I can make it through the day. Your face is the one I see when I fall asleep at night. And the only one I want to wake up to in the morning.”
Jaewon rose up to his knees and moved closer, bringing his face inches away from Kira’s. He threaded his fingers through her short, thick hair and stared into her eyes with an intensity that brought a sharp ache to her chest and uncomfortable heat everywhere else. His action shocked her into stillness. She couldn’t deny her attraction and the desperate desire for another kiss. His lips hovered out of reach for a long moment, causing her body to sway forward and bring her lips to his. The warmth of his mouth brought a tingling to her navel that spread rapidly through her body.
His hands, which had been holding her tightly, began to wander the length of her body. Kira recoiled violently and punched Jaewon in the face.
“How dare you!”
“That was an accident,” he said, rubbing his sore chin. “I didn’t mean to do it! I just lost my head—”
“You’ll lose something for sure if you try that again,” Kira said through gritted teeth. She jumped to her feet and stomped away in a rage mixed with the mortification of knowing she’d enjoyed his caresses.
Awkward and uncomfortable, Kira stayed away from Jaewon and spent the day hunting and digging for water. It took all afternoon, but she was able to dig out a small well and see it fill with groundwater. Filling her water bags, she returned to camp with two birds she’d caught.
Jaewon sat beside the fire, whittling away at a piece of wood. “What have you been doing all day?” he asked.
Ignoring him, Kira quickly cleaned her kill and prepared a makeshift spit that she placed over the fire.
Jaewon rose suddenly and came up behind her, hugging her tight around her waist.
“Don’t be mad at me,” he mumbled into her hair. “I hate it when you’re mad.”
Kira sighed and tried to shake him off. “You’re always saying that! Let go!”
“No, I won’t! Not until you stop being mad at me,” he replied.
Kira turned her head and held Jaewon’s gaze. “I said let go,” she repeated in a quiet voice.
Jaewon released her immediately. “I’m sorry,” he said.
Kira could see his sincerity and the bubble of anger in her heart dissipated. “I’m not mad. I just find you irritating.”
Jaewon grinned and slid in front of her again. “Now I can tell you aren’t mad anymore.”
Kira sighed.
Laughing, Jaewon planted a light kiss on her lips.
“Argh! Cut it out! You’re worse than Jindo.” She swatted him away.
Jaewon dodged her blow and ran to the other side of the fire. “There you go insulting me again,” he said. “Now I’m like a dog.”
“Jindo’s cuter,” she retorted, hiding her grin.
“But my kisses are nicer, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know—you both slobber the same amount.”
“No I don’t! Here, let me show you!” He started to come closer.
Kira glared at the laughing boy. “Don’t you dare.”
Jaewon sat down with an exaggerated huff and made a sorrowful face.
Kira bit the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing, and turned her attention to the fire, where the meat was beginning to burn on one side. Part of her was thrilled by his touch and his nearness. She didn’t want to admit it, but she liked his kisses. But he was too much of a distraction.
Kira kept an eye on Jaewon as she finished roasting the meat. Taking out a small battered teapot, he placed it in the corner of the fire and brewed barley tea.
When the meat was done, she served the meal. They sat across from each other, Jaewon leaning against a fallen log while Kira rested her head on the mossy rock behind her.
“I’m not good at foraging so I didn’t find anything extra for dinner,” she said.
“This is a feast,” Jaewon said.
Kira snorted. “Rice, I would kill for some rice.”
“But for that, this is a perfect feast,” he said.
They ate silently. Kira stared out into the ocean, watching the last of the sun’s rays glittering over the waves.
“He’s safe,” Jaewon said. He knew she was thinking of Taejo. “Gom is keeping him safe for you.”
Kira missed the little dokkaebi but was glad that he was with Taejo. She was grateful that he’d sacrificed himself to go with Taejo. It was as if Gom had known that being with Taejo was the one thing she would have wanted him to do. She prayed that he was all right.
Jaewon sat by the fire, carving a small piece of wood with his knife.
“What are you making now?” Kira asked.
“I’ve been trying to capture Gom, but I can’t quite get him right,” he said. “I keep making him more gruesome than cute.”
He showed her the little face he’d carved into the wood. Kira laughed. “It looks more like something from my nightmares,” she said.