Chapter 44

It was a quiet afternoon. Lee-yeon was enjoying her warm tea as the sunlight entered through the wide window. It was the day of Kwon Chae-woo’s sleep inspection and a visit to Mt. Dongak.

She lifted the mug to her lips and watched the man doing push-ups under the tree without faltering. His rms and back muscles shone in the sun. His legs stretched wide…

No! No! Lee-yeon recalled Kwon Chae-woo the other night when he had come out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. She shook her head in embarrassment. Lower part of his body reminded her of a giant mushroom and she always had to remind her self to not be too curious about it.

“Female peacocks focus on the upper part of the male’s tail from far away but focus on the lower part when close.”

Lee-yeon almost dropped her mug. She turned around to see a Gyu-baek walking towards her while staring out of the window. His face was expressionless. She greeted him calmly trying to brush off thoughts about Kwon Chae-woo.

“How long have you been there?” she asked. “Have you eaten?”

“The director was looking at the male’s reproductive organ,” declared Gyu-baek.

“Gyu-baek!”

“Female peacocks value the colour and length of the feathers. Shape and pattern also matter.”

Lee-yeon frowned. “Very picky peacocks.”

“The director also looks for excellent qualities in a male.” The child piped in confidently again.

“What?”

“She is also picky.”

Lee-yeon was lost for words. She shoved a cookie into Gyu-baek’s mouth to shut him up. Out of habit, she checked him behind his ears for dirt. After making sure everything was clean, she handed him a glass of milk.

Gyu-baek pulled out a thick encyclopaedia from his bag and looked up at Lee-yeon again. His eyes were sharp and clear.

“Director, watch out for the elephants.”

“Huh?”

“Be careful.” The child tapped a page of the book with his finger with a serious face.

The Estrus of Animals

It was the chapter that Gyu-baek had been reading lately. A huge elephant with its ears wide open filled half of the page.

“A male elephant, who’s thirsty for love, becomes a monster.”

“Huh?”

“Male elephants turn violent when they are in estrus. It’s the time when you should never approach them.” Gyu-baek rambled on. His fingers tapping on the book as though he was anxious.

*estrus – heat cycle of animals

***

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“When estrus begins, the elephant’s temples swell and a viscous fluid flow through its skin.” It was quite a terrifying thing to listen to.

“They also become uncontrollably ferocious. Elephants who fail to control their emotions attack whatever might catch their eyes. The director needs to watch out for the male.”

Whether or not Gyu-baek knew the meaning of the term estrus, Lee-yeon was just happy to see Gyu-baek talking so passionately. Meanwhile Gyu-baek’s eyes didn’t stray away from the window. She was surprised that the child was showing interest in something other than insects and encyclopaedias.

Why is he so interested in Kwon Chae-woo?

“When elephants are ready to love—”

Kwon Chae-woo seemed to be done with his workout, he entered through the door. Lee-yeon shoved another cookie into Gyu-baek’s mouth to shut him up.

They become blinded by love. The child was about to say if not for the piece of sweet lodged between his mouth.

* * *

“Gyu-baek is just a strange child. He doesn’t mean any harm by it,” said Lee-yeon on her way to the hospital in an old truck that had a faded ‘Spruce Hospital’ sticker on it. “He wasn’t calling you a lemur to be rude…”

“I know,” said Kwon Cha-woo.

“When he is obsessed with a topic, he just sticks to it no matter what.”

“I guess I am similar in that matter.”

Her hand on the steering wheel trembled. She could feel his intense gaze from the time she got in the truck. Kwon Chae-woo, seated at the passenger side, stared at her.

“Kwon Chae-woo, look ahead. Ahead.”

“But I’m not even driving, do I need to?”

“It will be no good for you if I cause an accident because of that.”

“Are you going to cause one?”

“Maybe!” She could somehow feel the heat on her skin. He sighed as if he wasn’t satisfied. But he turned his head away.

“Lee-yeon, I need an ID.”

It was a red light. Lee-yeon slammed the breaks so hard that she jerked forward almost hitting the steering wheel. Kwon Chae-woo was quick. He thrust his arms between her and the steering wheel, shielding her.

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“Are you okay?” he asked.

Lee-yeon was hyper-aware of her chest pressing against his arms. She couldn’t even lift her head because she felt her face burning with embarrassment. She was aware of the fabric separating her n*pples from his arms. She felt a tingle down below and instinctively closed her legs. It was a weird sensation.

“Lee-yeon, what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“Nothing is wrong! I am fine.”

Lee-yeon leaned back on her seat. “Um… Kwon Chae-woo, you are too close.”