Chapter 39:

“Spruce Hospital, are you ready?”

It was only then that Lee-yeon’s eyes left Kwon Chae-woo.

Choo-ja handed the saw with a worried face. Lee-yeon carried the saw on her back and covered her palms with rosin powder.

‘Your blood was on this saw.’ Lee-yeon confessed inwardly. She deceived and tamed a man who lost his memory. She couldn’t stop feeling uncomfortable seeing a man who was being brainwashed in the participation of his brother too.

“I’ll go.” She ignored the man’s gaze.

She was light on her feet, skillfully climbing the tree. Her thighs, knees, and elbows got scratched everywhere in an instant, but she didn’t stop moving.

After 40 minutes of climbing a 30-meter tall ginkgo tree, her clothes were soaked with sweat. The problem was that her arms and legs started to feel numb even before she could start cutting the branches.

Still, she thought of the tree that had been neglected for a long time and clenched her teeth. She wanted to help the tree, which had to bear its burden. As she got closer to the crooked branch, Lee-yeon became more impatient.

When she finally reached near the top, she turned towards the crooked branch.

The bent branch could not bear the weight of Lee-yeon and began to sway in a large parabola.

“Uh, oh.”In her entire life, Lee-yeon had never thought that she was afraid of heights, but―

‘I am actually afraid of heights……?’

It’s not that she didn’t have acrophobia, it’s that she just wasn’t aware of it because she had never experienced climbing this high. When she arrived at the top of the tree, her heart pounded, and her legs trembled.

‘Now I know why the director of Green Hospital gave up.’

It was almost impossible to stand on the shaking twisted branches.

‘If it fails to withstand my weight and breaks, it will strike the road behind.’

“Ah!”

Just then, a startled scream erupted from below. Several people began shouting at once, but Lee-yeon didn’t even have time to look around. The sound of people shouting hit the back of her head like a wave.

It was when Lee-yeon, who had managed to keep her balance, grabbed the saw. Suddenly, her body tilted, and her strength drained from her thighs.

‘Ah sh*t!’

She slipped helplessly. Thanks to the rope, she won’t die. However, since it was her first time working at such height, Lee-yeon instinctively closed her eyes in fright.

‘I’m falling…!’

It was when she was about to pass out. Someone held her body tight and lifted her waist. It hurt as if her ribs were about to break.

“I got you.”

Lee-yeon had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at the sound of the voice. Kwon Chae-woo was holding her in his arms with his big hands tightly wrapped around her waist.

Lee-yeon’s eyes widened.

“K-kwon Chae-woo?”

Lee-yeon quickly turned her head to the man.

What came into her eyes was the sharp tip of his nose and his eyes containing a mix of relief and anger. When Lee-yeon realized that the man had come this far without any equipment, she yelled.

“Are you crazy?!”

“It’s all okay. I won’t let you get hurt.”

Kwon Chae-woo began to soothe her, misunderstanding that she was frightened, not because of him.

“No, it’s not like…!”

Lee-yeon became speechless for a moment. “What’s wrong with you! I might die of a heart attack because of you!”

‘Come to think of it, he has always been like that since we first met.’

‘He tried to bury a person alive, chased after me, woke up from a vegetative state, killed a chicken, fell into a long sleep again, and then shed tears.’

‘And now, this man climbed to the top of the tree without any equipment or skills as if he had made up his mind to die.’

“Why are you so reckless?”

The man’s hands were already covered with scratches. Unlike Lee-yeon, who was fully equipped with gloves and equipment, all he had was irrational tenacity.

“Well, I don’t know. Do you?” He took a deep breath and buried his face on Lee-yeon’s shoulder. His hot breath tickled her heart.

“You decide.”

“Decide what?”

“Whether you’re going to be dragged down by me or not.”

At the man’s calm voice, Lee-yeon answered without a second’s hesitation.

“I will do it to the end.”

The abnormal growth of branches harms the roots as well. Lee-yeon was no longer thinking about the tournament. The only thought inside her head was that she wanted to help the tree.

“Okay, then get on my back.”

“…What?”

“I’ll cut it, so you instruct me.”

Lee-yeon widened her eyes in shock.

“No!”

“Why?”

“You don’t even have a rope. Step back!”

“It’s okay. Even if I fall and die, you’ll live.”

Lee-yeon yelled again since she could no longer tolerate his nonsense. “Never say that again! If you get injured, my life will end too! You get it?”

‘Do you know how scary your family is? If you die, they’ll put me in the drum and throw me in the ocean immediately!’

Lee-yeon gasped for breath. The words she had to swallow whirled inside her.

“Actually, you climbing up here is crazy enough!”

“… I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry.” He rubbed his nose against her nape.

“And putting aside safety, I’m the tree doctor. And I’m obviously way better at using a saw than you!”

“….”

“So, l, listen to me!” Her face was red, and her voice shook. She could speak so confidently because she wasn’t facing him. When she lifted her chin in contentment, she felt a warm breath touching her nape. It seemed like the man was smiling. “There will be punishment once we get down from this tree, so hold on tight.”

“What―”

In an instant, Kwon Chae-woo hugged her like a piece of luggage and put her on his back.

“What the…! Kwon Chae-woo!”Lee-yeon screamed and hugged his neck tightly.

Experiencing a sudden change at the height of 30 m made her desperately cling to him.

His back was surprisingly comfortable. It was her first time getting on someone’s back. Everything was unfamiliar and frightening, and her heart pounded fast with an unknowing feeling.