Chemistry

17. 24h of troubles(2)

Ji Seong-jae, who had been waiting secretly in the makeshift parking lot, revealed himself in front of Jeong-woo.

“How was Yi-seol’s reaction?”

“I should have just made an appointment and come.”

“What are you saying?”

“Maybe she didn’t react because she’s not feeling well? I’m not sure if I’m just bothering her on a day she has a proper schedule.”

At Jeong-woo concern, Ji Seong-jae turned his gaze towards the coast. Seeing Yoon Yi-seol, who was posing and enthusiastically engaged in the shoot, Ji Seong-jae pointed her out with his finger.

“Do you see? That’s a face of pure joy, not a trace of sorrow. By the way, her outfit concept is endearing.”

Jeong-woo also turned his eyes towards Yoon Yi-seol.

Under the spring sun, she exuded loveliness to the extent that her bright energy could be felt even from afar, with a refreshing smile on her face as she posed for the shoot.

-Yi-seol, everything okay? The atmosphere seems different from earlier.

-Oh… I’m sorry, Mr. Song. Am I being too happy right now?

-No, not at all. With emotions this good, there’s no need for separate requests. Let’s change the lens filter and continue like this.

Her face, whiter than the sandy beach, and her hair fluttering more elegantly than the spring breeze, were captured by the camera.

Click. Click.

Childlike and cheerful, yet feminine and graceful. Each time the camera shutter opened, the ever-changing charm of the top star elicited sighs of admiration from onlookers.

Watching the scene with satisfaction, Ji Seong-jae smiled and looked at Jeong-woo.

“Bothering her? I assure you, after this shot, next month’s cover is confirmed. Just with her face reflected like this, it’s certain that in the future, we’ll have to pay to have Jeong-woo with us.”

“Surely not. Yi-seol is a professional, so she must do well.”

“Having attended the insomnia clinic together, you must have noticed to some extent, that even if being professional was enough to succeed, it would have been difficult for a sensitive person like Yi-seol to debut.”

Under Ji Seong-jae’s serious gaze, Jeong-woo remained silent for a moment.

“Jeong-woo, you don’t seem to realize how much you contribute to Starpiece’s sales. If you weren’t a researcher at a major corporation, I would have proposed to work together as staff long ago. Is the pay from that company okay?”

“I’m paid enough.”

“That’s a shame.”

Upon hearing the mention of scouting even here, Jeong-woo scratched his chin awkwardly.

“I should really leave now. If I disturb her, Yi-seol will resent me.”

Just before leaving, Ji Seong-jae placed his hand on Jeong-woo’s shoulder.

“My wish is to handle the rumors of your love affair. If you decide, I’ll support you wholeheartedly.”

“That’s… “

With these meaningful words, Ji Seong-jae disappeared.

Jeong-woo once again turned his gaze towards the coastal shooting location.

He buried his thoughts of a complicated and unsettling future somewhere in the snowy mountains of Alaska. For now, he should just concentrate on spending time with this delicate woman.

Thud.

Jeong-woo opened the van’s door and climbed into the driver’s seat, where he met the gaze of a white cat lying on the back seat.

“Oh, hi, you must be Kiki, right?”

As he greeted, Kiki’s blue-eyed gaze scanned him as if assessing.

“Nice to meet you. I’ll be your daily manager until the evening. Please don’t criticize me for not being a better driver than Mr. Ji.”

Seeing only a gruff look despite his attempt to converse, Jeong-woo assumed it was typical cat behavior and smiled once before turning his head away.

He heard there were still two more outfits to shoot. It would be finished in about two hours.

‘What should I do after it’s over?’

He had only planned a surprise event; he hadn’t perfectly planned out the date course. Jeong-woo pondered for a while.

Thinking that exploring this scenic and fresh air-filled place wouldn’t be bad, Jeong-woo was about to turn his attention to the window when he noticed the place was crowded with outing-goers. Even if they disguised themselves solidly with masks and hats, Yoon Yi-seol was still Yoon Yi-seol. If she got recognized, she might end up just signing autographs all day.

“Well, I’m somewhat famous on video sites too.”

At the sound of a meow, Jeong-woo’s gaze shifted towards Kiki.

Kiki, who was licking her front paw, sent a slightly pitiful glance his way.

“…Somewhat famous, huh? Well, somewhat. But you’re quite aloof. Yi-seol isn’t like that.”

Jeong-woo chuckled at his own somewhat stung self-praise.

Just then, a loud “Woof!” came from outside the car. Involuntarily turning his head, Jeong-woo saw a large retriever happily bounding around.

-Wait, Polly!

Holding onto the retriever’s leash was a young girl who looked about six years old.

Jeong-woo quietly admired the consideration shown by the retriever, which hopped around within the range of the leash to prevent its young owner from falling.

-Soo-jin, slow down a bit. You might fall if you go too fast.

-Okay, Mom.

Families out for a walk with their pets soon left the parking lot.

“Kiki, that’s how you behave to endear yourself to your owner. You should learn from…”

As he mumbled to himself and turned his head, Jeong-woo was surprised. Kiki, who had been lying in the back seat, was now sitting right beside the driver’s seat.

“Why are you here?”

Her eyes were fixedly staring outside, appearing as if in a trance.

“Are you… afraid of that dog, so you came here?”

There was no reply, but it seemed obvious. When the dog barked again, Kiki’s pink nose twitched.

“You’re easily scared.”

As Jeong-woo reached out to stroke her back, she leaned against him quietly. She didn’t seem like a cat who enjoyed being alone.

Although he was grateful for the presence of the cat, feeling somewhat acquainted, Jeong-woo began to pet Kiki in earnest.

“Tell me. What kind of date course would Yi-seol like? Maybe the university festival where Soo-chan has an event? We could enjoy the youthful atmosphere…”

Meow―

Kiki let out a short meow, catching Jeong-woo’s attention.

“Not an university festival? Got it.”

Engaging in such a pointless conversation with the cat, Jeong-woo suddenly felt Kiki’s fur stand on end.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Kiki suddenly jumped up and crouched low towards the front windshield. Following her gaze, Jeong-woo saw a shadow passing through the bushes.

‘What’s that?’

As tourists walked around nearby, the hiding animal disappeared into the distance.

Only then did Kiki relax and jump down. Right onto Jeong-woo’s lap.

Meow―

As if it were her own cushion, she comfortably nestled against him, leaving Jeong-woo bewildered.

“Hey, you’re just pretending to be friendly when you’re scared, aren’t you, cat?”

Click.

“Ah, it’s hot.”

Amidst this, the back door opened, and Yoon Yi-seol got in.

“I’ll change my clothes and head out!”

As soon as she shouted this towards the outside, Yoon Yi-seol, who had already pressed the lock button, looked at Jeong-woo in the driver’s seat with eyes full of words she wanted to say.

“You…”

“Is it hot? Here, have some water.”

Accepting the water bottle and reflexively taking a sip, Yoon Yi-seol blinked as if to say, ‘This isn’t it,’ and then spoke.

“What’s wrong with you! Coming suddenly like this. I was surprised.”

“It wasn’t planned from the beginning, but Mr. Ji contacted me.”

“Is that so?”

“Shouldn’t I have come?”

As he suddenly questioned this, Yoon Yi-seol immediately replied, “No!” Then her expression turned heated as she continued.

“How should I take this? You call me out, then fly to Alaska when I’m asking you to date. It’s fun to tease someone that has a crush on you?”

Yoon Yi-seol grumbled softly. Her voice, heard up close, was as lovely as a song in a video message, stirring up excitement in the heart.

“I didn’t mean to tease you. I just wanted to see you.”

Yoon Yi-seol muttered.

“Look at me. You said you wanted to see me, so you’re trying to appease me. What’s good about a guy who doesn’t even like me?”

“But I like you.”

“That’s right. Why set a deadline for confessing when it’s not a life-or-death situation…”

Yoon Yi-seol’s pupils trembled in surprise at the unexpected answer.

“…Who do you like?”

“I haven’t been postponing the confession because I didn’t like you.”

“So, that’s what you wanted to say earlier?”

“Yes. And also, that we should date.”

Yoon Yi-seol’s frozen lips barely moved, and her cheeks reddened.

Knock.

The sound of knocking on the car door caught Yoon Yi-seol off guard, and she looked outside. Jeong Soo-yeong was peering inside.

“Yi-seol, can we help? We have only 5 minutes left.”

“Oh, no. I’m almost done putting them on!”

Yoon Yi-seol, feeling desperate, looked at Jeong-woo and said.

“Close your eyes!”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to change clothes.”

“In that case, I’ll step out.”

“No. One person has to zip up the back.”

At this, Jeong-woo involuntarily coughed.

Inside the car, there was only the sound of clothes rustling. Imagining a certain scene even from the sound alone, Jeong-woo’s ears turned red.

“It’s done now.”

Jeong-woo cautiously opened his eyes. When he faced the snowy white nape and back, his heart pounded. Unable to bear looking until the end, he turned his head away while zipping up, feeling embarrassed.

“Is it done?”

“Yes.”

Yoon Yi-seol, now in the right posture, looked at the stiff Jeong-woo and gave a faint smile.

“I didn’t plan to make it awkward like this. Thank you, Jeong-woo.”

“I have a question. Does a manager usually handle these kinds of tasks?”

“I doubt it. Usually, wouldn’t a lover handle such things?”

As Yoon Yi-seol was answering, she quickly stole a kiss from Jeong-woo’s cheek.

Smack.

“…?”

“Gosh. Do I have to say such a simple thing? Don’t you know that I like you, Jeong-woo?”

With a playful peck, Yoon Yi-seol quickly opened the door and disappeared outside.

「4 PM」 – Crisis Level ‘Attention’

On the bridge leaving Seonyudo.

The cars that had been stuck on the road were finally moving as if they could breathe now.

“We finished shooting so early…”

Yoon Yi-seol, who had been sitting in the passenger seat for almost 30 minutes in the same spot, sighed at the situation that required her to stay there.

“Every minute feels precious. What’s going on? If I knew it would be like this, we should have filmed on an island accessible only by boat.”

“Wouldn’t such a place also be crowded if there were many people?”

“Exactly my point. If we’re going to do this, might as well be alone on an island.”

At her bold response, Jeong-woo let out a groan.

“Don’t feel burdened and just like me, that’s what you said just a month ago.”

“Oh? Who’s pressuring you? What burden, especially when you’ve clearly fallen for me?”

“I never said I’ve clearly fallen for you.”

“But that’s what it implies.”

Yoon Yi-seol lowered her gaze to the cat leaning on her knee.

“Kiki, close your ears for a moment. Unnie is about to reveal a very important wish.”

Meow—

“Why? That’s enough. Keep such wishes in your heart.”

“And then? What should a mature young man and woman do in a dark, cold, lonely, deserted place where no one can see?”

“Why are you suddenly adding conditions?”

“Ugh.”

Yoon Yi-seol’s hand intertwined with Jeong-woo’s hand, which was resting on the steering wheel.

“I only said I would hold hands back then, didn’t I?”

Yoon Yi-seol smiled brightly at Jeong-woo. Just in this brief moment of warmth exchanging between them, Jeong-woo thought he had made the right decision.

A while later, the van arrived near the embankment road.

“Oh? What are those people doing?”

Yoon Yi-seol pointed to the front, where people in protective clothing were disinfecting vehicles.

“There are a lot of them there too.”

At her gesture, Jeong-woo’s gaze turned to the left.

A space labeled “Saemangeum Rest Area” was filled with trucks and machinery carrying disinfection equipment. Above all, many people in white gowns stood out.

“I saw them when we came earlier, but I don’t know the exact reason.”

The van arrived at the disinfection site. A police officer controlling traffic saluted and approached, signaling for the window to be rolled down.

“Excuse me, driver?”

In response to the police officer’s call, Jeong-woo quickly rolled down the window.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re taking initial measures to prevent the spread of livestock diseases in the area.”

“Livestock disease?”

For a moment, Jeong-woo recalled diseases like foot-and-mouth disease that he had seen on TV a few times.

“While inspecting suspicious livestock that came out from Seonyudo, similar symptoms were found in livestock in Shinsido as well. If you’re traveling with animals, please receive a safety confirmation from the temporary quarantine headquarters before leaving…”

The police officer, explaining in a professional manner, looked at Kiki on Yoon Yi-seol’s lap.

“…You need to receive a safety confirmation from the temporary quarantine headquarters. Officer Kim! They’re going to park in the parking lot!”

The police officer shouted ahead and left after asking for cooperation. The traffic police officer at the intersection raised his hand, stopping the moving vehicles.

Faced with the sudden need to go to a rest area, Jeong-woo turned to Yoon Yi-seol. Yoon Yi-seol also looked at Jeong-woo with a puzzled expression, not understanding what was happening either.

A medium-sized bus with the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Institute emblem raced across the Saemangeum embankment.

“Mr. Park.”

Veterinary researcher Yoo Kang-seok opened his mouth with a serious tone to Park Chung-sik, who was yawning.

“Both cattle and chickens were infected simultaneously at the same time. It’s not something to take lightly.”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t it happen last year in Yeongdong? The swine fever came with the H5N8 avian influenza near the migratory bird habitat.”

“Have you seen the report? Isn’t the transmission speed unusual?”

“Ah, forget it. If you investigate, you’ll find out. You tend to make a big fuss over nothing. What if the news gets out of control because of a misstep?”

Yoo Kang-seok examined the initial report. The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt.

If these were different diseases, Mr. Park’s words would be correct. If early detection was followed by thorough quarantine measures, the problem wouldn’t escalate.

But if, by any chance, it was a novel zoonotic common infectious disease…

Failing to deal with it properly would bring a storm no less severe than the MERS outbreak a few years ago.

Ding.

Amidst his worries, a text message came on his phone.

[Senior. Is there an investigation?]

It was a message from a veterinarian affiliated with the Animal Protection Association and also a junior at the university.

[How did you know?]

[It’s written on the emergency network here. Investigator Yoo Kang-seok. I’m currently collecting blood samples from the pets that visited this neighborhood.]

Yoo Kang-seok’s expression brightened at this message.

“Oh, our pretty one passed the safety inspection.”

“Pretty one?”

Mr. Park in the adjacent seat turned his head.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Someone I’m interested, my junior.”

“If your prediction is correct, something serious is unfolding, and you’re laughing?”

“Disease is disease, and love is love, isn’t it?”

“Have you confessed?”

Seeing Yoo Kang-seok hesitate to answer, Mr. Park’s expression turned sympathetic.

“You didn’t, huh.”

“…I didn’t exactly say that.”

“Poor guy.”

In front of the makeshift tent where veterinarians were coming and going.

Yoon Yi-seol was waiting while tightly holding Kiki. Due to wearing a mask and a hat pulled down, nobody could recognize her, but she couldn’t hide her anxiety for a different reason.

“It’ll be okay.”

As she stroked Kiki’s fur, Kiki whimpered softly, seemingly anxious too. Inside the van was a familiar space for Kiki, but being in a place she had never been before, surrounded by strangers, made her look scared.

“When will Mr. Jeong arrive?”

Turning her head towards Jeong’s side, where there was a parking war due to the crowded cars, Yoon Yi-seol suddenly perked up her ears at the sound of a child’s crying coming from the tent.

-No! I want to go with Polly!

-Soo-jin. The vet will finish the examination and take her home.

Peeking into the tent, she saw a little girl holding a gentle-looking dog, crying uncontrollably.

“Number 19, please come in.”

Yoon Yi-seol took out the ticket she had received earlier from her pocket. Number 19. It was Kiki’s turn.

Inside the makeshift tent, there were cages to protect small animals and examination tables. As she cautiously passed through the entrance, a staff member seeing Kiki said.

“The cat is handled by the veterinarian over there with her hair tied up.”

Yoon Yi-seol’s gaze lingered on the woman in a white gown. She was a veterinarian with a captivating beauty.

“Good girl, Navi. Don’t be so feisty.”

As she approached, a voice filled with affection could be heard. But the veterinarian’s actions were bold.

Grabbing the front leg of a dog with striped fur, she immediately injected the needle into the vein. As soon as the needle was inserted, the veterinarian finished collecting the blood cleanly and said.

“See? It doesn’t hurt that much, does it? I’m famous for giving injections well. Do you think people come to find me even from Seoul?”

At the veterinarian’s action of comforting the crying dog, Yoon Yi-seol felt relieved somehow. The love for animals was conveyed wholeheartedly.

“Next, please.”

Yoon Yi-seol placed Kiki on the examination table. The veterinarian, seeing Yoon Yi-seol wearing a mask, asked.

“Looks like you caught a cold.”

“Ah… yes.”

“What’s her name?”

“Her name is Kiki.”

“What a pretty name.”

Feeling familiar with the veterinarian’s touch, Kiki soon relaxed and stretched out on the table.

“Were you surprised to be examined suddenly?”

The veterinarian started explaining kindly while examining Kiki’s body.

“If there was only one disease outbreak, we wouldn’t have mobilized emergency measures like this, but there are two. Cattle and chickens. Because they’re different species, there’s almost no chance that something will be transmitted to Kiki.”

It was a reassuring statement. After finishing the initial physical examination, the veterinarian turned to Yoon Yi-seol.

“Her nutritional status is good, and she’s grown well. It will take about three hours for the results to come out after the blood collection. If you’re busy, we can deliver the results to your home…”

While speaking, a retriever on the examination table suddenly cried out loudly as the needle was inserted.

Kiki’s head, which had been still, turned towards the dog. Her eyes widened like saucers, and instinctively, she bristled her fur and then leaped under the table.

The veterinarian, startled, reached out her hand.

As Kiki stealthily moved away from the retriever, Yoon Yi-seol felt a sense of relief in the veterinarian’s action of comforting the crying dog. It was because the veterinarian’s love for animals was clearly conveyed.

“Kiki!”

Yoon Yi-seol hurriedly ran after her.

Fortunately, Kiki didn’t run too far.

“Ah, you scared me.”

Yoon Yi-seol approached Kiki, who was lying flat on the ground, and met Jeong-woo, who walked from the opposite side.

“Huh? Yi-seol, why is she acting like this?”

“Because of the dog.”

“Again?”

Since he was closer, he approached Kiki first, knelt down, and hugged her.

“She usually acts cool, but she’s actually very afraid, right?”

As Jeong-woo approached with a smile, he glanced at the entrance of the tent, but his eyes widened as he saw someone inside.

The veterinarian, who was taking good care of Kiki, also looked at Jeong-woo with a surprised expression.

“…Go Eun-sil?”

“…Han Jeong-woo?”

“Why are you here?”

“You’re the one to talk.”

Yoon Yi-seol giggled at their conversation.

Go Eun-sil. It sounded like a name she heard for the first time, yet it was very familiar. As she thought quietly, she remembered something she heard from Jeong-woo’s friend a while ago.

She must have been his childhood friend and his first kiss target, probably.

Yoon Yi-seol’s eyes sparked into life.