CH 131

“Choo-ja, hand me that!”

Lee-yeon moved around restlessly. The acrid smell lingered on the tip of her nose like a faint memory of the accident.

The body of the plane falling through the sky, the green trees as swept through the broken cabin, the people falling upon the pines. That section of the forest had been completely razed by the impact of the plane, leaving nothing but a glaring patch of red ochre in its wake.

“Choo-ja, apply a coating to this cut here, and I’ll make a hole here!”

“Director So.

“How should we handle this?”

As Choo-ja swallowed with a sigh, Lee-yeon focused determinedly on the task at hand. By either treating or cutting off the trunks of the trees, she was able to clearly distinguish which trees could be salvaged and which could not.

In doing so, Lee-yeon was slowly able to prepare the damaged part of the forest for the young bereaved trees to grow.

“But why isn’t your husband here?” Choo-ja asked as she stretched her back, her bones cracking as she did so.

The center staff stationed around the forest had two jobs. One was to find and rescue injured animals. The other was to closely observe and evaluate Lee-yeon’s performance. But Chae-woo was nowhere to be seen.

“He must also be hard at work.”

“Director So. Have you noticed anything strange about your husband these days?”

“What?”

“Well, what I mean is…” As Choo-ja thought about how to word her question, she eyed Lee-yeon questioningly.

“Do you feel like sometimes the conversation feels forced or he doesn’t express his affection as much, or maybe he feels a bit cold or distant.”

“Uh…”

“When was the last time you kissed?”

Lee-yeon stopped to think, which made Choo-ja pound her chest in frustration.

“Look here! I’m 60 years old and I did it yesterday! Do you really need to think that hard?”

“Hold on, hold on, where did you–”

“Is that what’s important right now? Your husband might already be feeling the seven-year itch!”

“…seven-year itch?” Lee-yeon wrapped her mouth around the unfamiliar term.

“These days he doesn’t seem like that man who used to follow you around like a puppy dog. These days he’s become far too handsome and reliable. Doesn’t it seem like he’s become a bit apathetic? It has to be the seven-year itch.”

Even with gloves on, her hands and shoes were already dirty. While clearing out the black, slippery jet fuel, all kinds of dust, blood and ash, Lee-yeon had even managed to get her face dirty.

Lee-yeon smiled awkwardly at Choo-ja who flared her nostrils.

“The seven-year itch, does it usually come unexpectedly?”

“It can happen if you get bored. It comes and goes for me, too.”

“…how did you handle it?”

“I’m just waiting it out.”

“What?”

“I told you, I’m old.”

“….”

“Either way it’ll be over once one of us dies.”

Choo-ja looked up at the sky as Lee-yeon’s expression darkened.

“He might be… tired of me?”

Her heart began to beat unsteadily.

***

Meanwhile, Chase-woo had been searching the mountain, when he caught sight of Lee-yeon struggling with her arms wrapped around a tree that had snapped in two. As she walked around looking exhausted, she stood out from the others as if she alone was wearing another color.

Just then, Dong-mi, standing a bit ahead of Lee-yeon, strongly declared, “Director So, you’ll always be number one in my book.”

As the other team members noticed Chae-woo, they too began to speak up one by one. Chae-woo showed no reaction as he quietly followed Lee-yeon with his eyes. Seeing his serious expression, Dong-mi smiled and started making fun.

“Don’t you feel the urge to jump in and help?”

“….”

Chae-woo just raised his eyebrows as Dong-mi smiled and muttered to herself, “The director looks more beautiful when she’s working with the trees.”

“She’s always been like that.”

Joo Dong-mi shot him a look when she heard the indifferent tone of his voice. For a moment, she was taken aback by his hardened expression, his heartless grimace so contrary to what he had just said.

“She’s the most beautiful when she’s fallen asleep under a big tree. It’s kind of funny that she’s still surrounded by trees even now.”

A faint smile crossed his lips but quickly fell away.

Dong-mi, who had been listening quietly, rubbed her arms as she said, “Maybe it’s because you guys are together, but you’re giving me goosebumps.” At this, Chae-woo’s eyes grew wide as though he’d just been woken from a deep sleep. As soon as he realized what he had said, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.