Chapter 15: Jooni
"Captain, what are you doing?" Gamal asked.
Doyoung removed the splint from his leg. When he gingerly moved his leg, he felt no pain. His leg had finally fully healed.
Seeing this, Gamal asked, "All healed?"
"Yeah," Doyoung replied as he pushed aside the wood he'd used as a splint. Gamal said, "That's a relief."
She was sincere. Even though she'd hurt him accidentally, she'd felt guilty every time she saw him limping around.
But soon, she would understand why this sudden unease had begun creeping in.
Doyoung stood up.
"Time to start preparing."
"For what?"
"To go home."
Gamal's face stiffened instantly. Meanwhile, Doyoung began gathering his things.
"You can't go," Gamal said. Doyoung paused.
"No one leaves here."
When he turned, Gamal's face showed grim determination.
"Johannes had a wife and child on the mainland. But he couldn't leave here either. You can't either, Captain."
Gamal was still hiding something. Though aware of this, Doyoung kept burying the undeniable truth - his instinctual pull toward her.
"Don't be ridiculous. People are waiting for me out there."
He'd expected Gamal to resist. Her extreme protectiveness over the island's secrecy remained, regardless of her reasons.
But Gamal hesitated before tentatively asking, "Is it... a woman?"
Seeing no reason to answer properly when she herself wasn't honest, he replied:
"Yeah."
It wasn't a lie - his mother was technically a woman.
Gamal pressed her lips together and stubbornly shook her head.
"There's no way off."
"You're a vampire. Swim. Build a raft. Do whatever the hell you want."
"Why would I?" Gamal countered, genuinely perplexed.
"I don't leave the island."
"Why not? What's here? Nothing but fucking sand and taro!"
Doyoung finally raised his voice. But Gamal remained calm - likely accustomed to castaways resisting their trapped fate.
"You can't go. No exit exists."
"Fine."
Doyoung's easy compliance caught Gamal off guard. Her poor poker face made her panic obvious, but he ignored it.
"Do as you like. I'm leaving regardless."
He turned coldly. In an instant, Gamal grabbed his arm.
"No!"
Doyoung slipped free and seized her collar instead. She flinched but didn't resist as he yanked her close - though she could've easily held her ground.
In a low, resolute voice: "This time, you'll need to break both my legs and arms."
He released her collar like her touch repelled him.
"Dangerous," Gamal blurted as he walked away. Doyoung turned with a scowl.
"What is?"
Gamal bit her lip before answering:
"Leaving this island means death. Mot exists here."
Her expression turned unnaturally gloomy.
Doyoung would later learn Mot was Death itself in ancient Middle Eastern myths. But even then, he wouldn't have cared.
"Bullshit."
He walked off. Gamal stood frozen, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Doyoung immediately began raft-building.
Without Gamal's help, this was his only option. Fortunately, he knew raft-making basics.
Having scouted suitable trees for a month, he had the blueprint in mind. The lack of proper tools frustrated him most, but he'd recently found a rust-eaten mid-length blade in the forest.
Though barely functional, it could hack through wood in emergencies.
Gamal stayed absent. Doyoung didn't care. Her help could finish the raft in a day, but he could manage alone.
He wiped sweat from his hands. The intense labor left him drenched.
Rustle.
He whirled around.
"Gamal?"
Silence. Doyoung grabbed his blade from the sand and approached the quiet bushes.
Parting the foliage revealed nothing. Only a bird's sudden flapping broke the stillness.
This island was strange. That much was clear.
Morning revealed Gamal's empty spot. She hadn't returned all night.
Her mysterious excuses meant nothing when he had family and friends awaiting news of his survival. He couldn't just accept "no exit" and settle here.
Clatter.
The mobile hanging from the ceiling swayed, glass pieces glittering.
Doyoung sighed, recalling Gamal's world-shattering expression when he mentioned leaving.
'At least explain properly.'
But knowing her reasons wouldn't stop him. Maybe ignorance was better.
Stepping outside, he froze.
"What...?"
His raft lay completely destroyed. Beyond repair. Only one culprit existed.
'That damn...!'
"GAMAL!"
His shout echoed across the island. No response came.
Doyoung gritted his teeth and restarted construction.
Doyoung slept beside his new raft instead of the cabin. The campfire's dying embers cast faint light.
Gamal crept toward the raft. Half-built already - seaworthy in two days.
As she reached out:
"Don't touch it."
Doyoung's voice made her jump. He stared at her with wakeful eyes.
"What right do you have?"
Firelight glinted in his eyes as Gamal stubbornly gripped the raft.
The heavy structure floated upward, sand cascading down. With inhuman strength, she smashed it to splinters.
Crash!
Debris flew everywhere. Doyoung cursed violently and stormed into the cabin.
Gamal hovered at the door before finally entering.
"Captain..."
"Get out."
His flat tone held no anger - she'd forfeited any right to his emotions.
Yet Gamal stepped inside.
She collapsed to her knees, tears falling. Doyoung's eyelid twitched.
"Crying now..."
He meant to scorn her, but found her weeping face beautiful - more so than usual.
"Sorry, Captain. So sorry..."
She cried with the heart-wrenching intensity of a dol hareubang statue coming to life.
"Truly... I want you to live."
Mot never spared those she loved. Her affection became a death sentence. Keeping Doyoung here was his only chance.
Silence hung thick.
Suddenly, Doyoung sighed and lay down.
Gamal watched, confused, as he stared at her with calm, contemplative eyes.
"Come here."
Though surprised, she hurried over, hoping he'd changed his mind.
"Lie down."
She obediently laid beside him like a soldier following orders.
Hesitating, she placed a hand on him.
"Heavy. Don't press."
"Sorry."
She withdrew, flustered, finally clutching his shirt hem.
Doyoung wondered why he felt protective - military instincts or this contradictory, lovable vampire?
"You're warm," Gamal whispered.
"I used to sleep hugging pigs."
Doyoung looked down, appalled.
"Now I'm pig-level?"
"They were warm. Not cold. But the pigs hated it. So I stopped."
Doyoung sighed at the ceiling.
'Now she's sharing backstories? Enough.'
He turned and pulled her into his arms.
"Captain...?"
Gamal froze as his scent enveloped her - sunshine, sweat, and fabric softened by labor.
"My hugs don't hurt."
Listening to his heartbeat, she closed her eyes.
"Yeah. Warm."
Sunlight roused Doyoung. Gamal loomed above him. He jerked back.
"What?"
Her eyes sparkled unnaturally.
"I was watching you."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to?"
She tilted her head like this was obvious.
"Whatever."
Doyoung pushed her off.
"Hot."
Their shared warmth had drenched his clothes. He grabbed his shirt collar and peeled it off.
"Need to wash."
Muttering, he headed outside.
