Chapter 09

Suppressing her discomfort, Minju approached the place where the kayaks were docked, and Sang-ho waved at her happily.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No.”

Minju answered briefly, trying to hide her nervousness.

The closer she got to the water, the more rigid her toes became, and her palms grew sweaty with fear that she might fall in.

After pulling on the straps of her life jacket one more time, Minju took a deep breath to herself and cautiously approached the kayak.

As soon as she placed one foot inside, the floor shifted slightly.

Startled by the unexpected rocking, Minju hurriedly tried to put her other foot in.

But at that moment, the kayak tilted sharply.

“Ah!”

“Careful!”

Before she even had time to scream, her entire field of vision flipped upside down.

Splash!

With a burst of white spray, her body plunged straight into the lake.

Cold water rushed simultaneously into her nose and mouth.

I… I can’t breathe.

The life jacket caused her body to float up for a moment, but she couldn’t find her balance at all and flailed helplessly while upside down.

She wasn’t wearing goggles, so her vision blurred as the water churned around her. The upward force of the life jacket tangled with her panicked struggling, making her breathing increasingly ragged.

“Minju!”

Before Sang-ho could even get to his feet, there was another loud splash, and Kwon Seok-jun jumped into the water without a moment’s hesitation.

“Oh my goodness! What do we do?”

As the situation became more serious, the contestants and staff anxiously shuffled around, not knowing what to do.

Seok-jun cut through the water without hesitation and swam straight toward Minju.

I’m going to die like this.

Just as she thought that, she felt someone firmly grab her around the waist.

A powerful arm seized her life jacket and cut through the current.

Before long, she was pulled out of the water by sheer force.

Kwon Seok-jun carefully laid her down on the ground and partially removed her life jacket.

“Seo Minju! Are you okay?”

Even as he urgently called out to her while brushing the water away, Minju could barely open her eyes. All she could do was gasp for breath.

“Minju! Seo Minju!”

At that moment, as though a vacuum had suddenly been released, water poured from her mouth.

“Gasp! Cough, cough, cough!”

A series of harsh coughs burst out, and her shoulders heaved as she tried to draw in air.

Her wet hair clung to her cheeks, while hot breaths and cold droplets of water streamed down her face.

Kwon Seok-jun silently supported her back, slowly rubbing it with his palm.

“That’s it. Just like that. Breathe slowly… You’re doing well.”

Minju barely managed to inhale.

As her lungs, chilled by the cold water, slowly began to regain their warmth, she could feel the hand supporting her trembling ever so slightly.

As her blurred vision gradually cleared, she saw the face of the man right in front of her, brushing her wet hair aside as he looked down at her.

“…Kwon Seok-jun…?”

Minju murmured his name like a whisper.

As his name slipped from her lips, Kwon Seok-jun’s chest rose and fell heavily.

“Are you conscious? Can you hear me?”

His low, wet voice came from directly above her.

There was a complicated emotion in it, making it impossible to tell whether he was angry or worried.

Only then did a realization strike Minju like lightning.

What… the person who saved me… was Kwon Seok-jun?

Minju’s eyes widened in shock.

She had assumed the person who pulled her out would be Sang-ho, who had been in the kayak, or one of the nearby staff members.

She hadn’t even imagined that it would be Kwon Seok-jun, who had been quite far away.

Why… why did he do that?

Even if he hadn’t been there, there had been plenty of people who could have saved her.

Besides, she had been wearing a life jacket, so it hadn’t really been a life-or-death situation.

And yet, the reason he had been the first to jump into the water was probably because he knew that even while wearing a life jacket, she would panic if her feet couldn’t touch the bottom.

At that thought, something heavy seemed to press against Minju’s chest.

Unlike her cold body, the inside of her chest felt strangely hot.

An inexplicable tremor mixed into her breathing, which had finally begun to settle, causing it to become unsteady again.

She knew she should thank him for saving her, but not a single word would come out.

Just as Minju finally moved her lips, hurried footsteps could be heard approaching from a distance.

“Minju!”

Sang-ho came running toward her, breathing heavily, and stopped in front of her.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

“You could have gotten seriously hurt just now.”

Sang-ho’s face clearly showed how genuinely shocked he was.

Minju staggered as she tried to stand.

She was freezing, and her body felt as heavy as soaked cotton.

“…I’m sorry. I… really startled you, didn’t I?”

Minju forced the words out.

“Why are you sorry, Minju? I should have grabbed you sooner. I’m sorry…”

Just as Minju was about to tell him it wasn’t his fault, the Love Coach and several staff members hurried over and covered her shoulders with thick towels and blankets.

“Seo Minju, are you alright?”

Minju gave a small nod with her pale face.

“You’re extremely pale. Just in case, I think it would be better to have you checked out at a hospital.”

At the Love Coach’s words, Minju cautiously shook her head.

“…I’m really okay. I was just… a little startled.”

But the Love Coach remained firm, unwilling to overlook any possible danger.

“Even inhaling a little water can irritate the lungs. If possible, it would be best to go immediately…”

Before he could finish, Kwon Seok-jun quietly stepped forward.

“First, she needs to warm up.”

His voice was calm but left no room for argument.

“Let’s take her back to the accommodation and check her condition first. If there’s anything wrong, we’ll go then.”

The Love Coach and PD hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Minju’s pale face and trembling hands, they eventually nodded.

“…Then please rest thoroughly at the accommodation, and tell us immediately if you feel even slightly unwell.”

“…Okay.”

Minju answered in a small voice.

“Can you stand?”

At the staff member’s question, Minju gripped the towel tightly and slowly put strength into her legs.

However, her cold, wet legs couldn’t support her, and her strength suddenly gave out.

“Ah…!”

Just as her body tilted forward—

Kwon Seok-jun’s arm shot out and wrapped around Minju’s waist, catching her.

Startled by the warmth of his body pressed close to hers, she hurriedly tried to pull away.

But Seok-jun held her firmly and murmured,

“You can’t walk like this.”

Before she could react, Minju’s body suddenly lifted off the ground.

“Huh… huh?”

Minju’s eyes widened in alarm.

She didn’t even have enough strength in her arms to struggle, so she simply gripped the blanket more tightly.

“What… what are you doing?”

“You look like you’re going to fall again.”

“P-Please put me down. I can walk.”

Minju couldn’t even manage to struggle physically and could only protest with her words.

Seok-jun lowered his head and briefly checked her face.

“You can’t even put strength into your legs. How are you going to walk?”

“That’s because I suddenly moved…”

Minju’s cheeks flushed bright red.

“That’s exactly why it’s dangerous.”

He answered firmly.

“If you don’t want to fall down the stairs, just come with me. Don’t make the staff worry.”

His tone was calm, but his eyes showed absolutely no intention of giving in.

At that moment, the Love Coach, who had been watching the situation nearby, spoke.

“That’s right, Minju. I think it’s better for you to just go with him for now. Your body temperature has dropped, so you should get back quickly and rest at the accommodation.”

There was nothing Minju could say against the Love Coach’s words, so she turned her head away.

Everyone surrounding her was looking at her with worried expressions.

In the end, Minju had no choice but to nod.

Once she gave her consent, Seok-jun carried her in his arms and strode toward the women’s accommodation.

Sang-ho watched them with a complicated expression.

Relief, concern, and another emotion he couldn’t explain were tangled together as he pressed his lips tightly shut, unable to take his eyes off them.

A little farther away, the female contestants who had always shown interest in Seok-jun whispered among themselves.

“Wow… Was he really that concerned? Minju isn’t a child.”

“But seeing him act like that, doesn’t it seem like Seok-jun is interested in Minju?”

“I didn’t think so…”

“You never know. Maybe the two of them developed feelings for each other without us knowing.”

At that moment, Na Seon-young quietly joined them, seemingly having approached without anyone noticing.

“Aren’t you interpreting things a little too much just because he helped someone who fell into the water?”

“No, we were just…”

“Let’s not create unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Na Seon-young spoke coldly before turning around and disappearing among the staff.