[Contest 2] Prehistoric Romance
Episode 2: A Forest Outing with Him
부족장
"Where are you, Daughter?"
여주
"I just wanted to take a walk into the forest."
I was bored because I just stayed at home after that day, but my wounds finally healed.
The scars weren't completely gone, but I was content with that. I wanted to get back to the forest quickly.
Actually, it wasn't that far, and it was the perfect place to hide. And the biggest reason was to go see him.
He said I could meet him if I went to the forest, so I decided to believe him and even prepared a packed lunch without telling my family.
It was the female protagonist who went into the forest while people were free.
I walked along the forest path where I had met him, as if I was taking a leisurely stroll. The woman stopped for a moment, checking the tree roots she had tripped over.
It was a quiet forest, as if nothing had happened.
The heroine leaned against a tree to catch her breath and took a deep breath. The air felt clear, unlike the sandstorm of the prairie.
외로운 남자
"You, be my bride!"
The peace in the forest was suddenly shattered by someone shouting. The startled heroine had to run again to avoid the man who appeared.
I actually thought about trying to have a conversation, but since he was chasing me like this, there was no way he would listen.
Even though he was running along a dangerous forest path, his tireless perseverance led him to run for a long time and he was cornered in a place where there was no place for him to hide.
배진영
"Come up. I'll catch you."
He appeared from the tree and reached out to the woman below. She hesitated for a moment, then quickly took Jinyoung's hand.
He pulled the heroine up the tree and sat down beside her on the branch. She struggled to climb up, but he was so happy to see her.
여주
"What's going on here..."
배진영
"Just be quiet for a moment. There's still someone around."
Fortunately, the man who had been persistently chasing the female protagonist quietly left without looking up.
Now that they were finally relieved, they were greeting each other for the first time in a long time.
배진영
"It's been a while, isn't it? Has the wound on your leg healed?"
여주
"Thanks to you, I survived. But the scars remain."
He slowly scanned the heroine's condition, then stopped at her legs. The cloth had disappeared, but he looked with pity at the scars that remained in its place.
여주
"Don't worry. It doesn't hurt anymore. If I hadn't fallen then, we wouldn't have met like this."
배진영
"That won't do. It's a shame there'll be a scar, but..."
They stared at each other for a moment, then giggled. After making sure no one was around, they slowly descended from the tree.
여주
"But what are we going to do now...?"
Jinyoung seemed to think for a moment, then answered brightly, saying, "Of course."
배진영
"I'll show you around the forest. How about that?"
The heroine said she understood and followed Jinyoung deep into the forest.
When they reached the riverbank they'd missed the last time, he took her hand and began explaining to her. In fact, it was more like he was telling her his story than explaining it.
배진영
"This place is fertile and produces a lot of fruit and crops. We can eat and live here."
여주
"We live only on meat. We all live on the grasslands, raising livestock."
Even where we lived and what we ate had nothing in common. It was hard to believe we lived in a place not too far away, yet we didn't know each other.
배진영
"Come up here for a moment. I have something I want to show you."
Yeoju carefully held onto the tree branch and followed Jinyoung's guidance to climb up to the top of the large tree.
As she reached the top, the meadow where she lived came into view. The sight was so captivating that she couldn't look away.
배진영
"how is it?"
When Jinyoung asks for her opinion, the female protagonist answers, still bewildered by the sight she is seeing for the first time.
여주
"I should say it's beautiful, but it's my first time seeing the entire landscape... It's incredibly pretty."
배진영
"If you keep coming to the forest, I can show you anytime. Come even when you're bored."
여주
"Okay. I'll keep coming to play."
They slowly descended from the tree, promising to meet again. Jinyoung and Yeoju walked along the riverbank, stopping at a certain spot.
배진영
"Well... is there anywhere you want to go?"
여주
"If I had to choose a place... would it be your house?"
Jinyoung couldn't hide his embarrassment. Seeing him like that, the thought of saying something in vain crept in. Then, Jinyoung reassured Yeoju.
배진영
"A woman shouldn't go to a man's house without permission. It's too dangerous."
The female protagonist seemed disappointed by the expected reaction. She had simply said she wanted to go to a housewarming party. Jinyoung seemed to be turning back the way he had come, then spoke.
배진영
"But my house is fine."
What the hell is that? I chuckled at the absurd logic. Jinyoung guided Yeoju to his house.
We arrived at Jinyeong's house, located quite deep in the mountains. Upon arrival, I briefly put down my luggage and looked around.
It was an isolated place, surrounded only by trees and water. The female protagonist asked Jinyoung.
여주
"How long have you lived here alone? The house doesn't look like it was built recently..."
배진영
"I just grew up here. I've been alone ever since."
When the female protagonist became a little more serious about Jinyoung's past, Jinyoung waved his hand and said it was okay.
배진영
"It's okay. Now I have someone to bring here. That's enough for me."
Seeing him in such a simple yet happy way made me feel happy too. Then, this time, Jinyoung asked.
배진영
"You're not going to get married?"
Then the female protagonist waved her hand in disgust. It was probably the most intense reaction I've ever heard.
여주
"Absolutely not. The reason I ran away back then was because of marriage."
Only then did she understand everything, and her expression became confused. Then, the female protagonist extended her pinky finger, deciding to make a proposal to Jinyoung.
여주
"Then, let's meet every day until we get married."
배진영
"So what if someone gets married?"
여주
"At that time... I should have sent you off with a smile."
It's a promise. Amidst the uncertainty of what will happen, the two made a promise: that if someone gets married, they'll send them off with a smile.
It was a promise that might have tangled like a cruel knot. But it was a promise made with the thought that it would provide an excuse to continue seeing each other.
Gulp-
Then, a sudden sound broke the silence, bringing laughter. The heroine's face flushed, embarrassed by her own honesty.
배진영
"I'll make you some food, do you want to eat?"
The heroine nodded quietly.
When Jinyoung returned home with something, Yeoju took out the lunchbox she had prepared. The delicious smell tickled her nose.
배진영
"What is this...?"
Jinyoung cautiously pointed to the lamb in the lunchbox. Living in the forest, I'd probably never seen or eaten cooked meat before.
The female protagonist took a piece of meat and put it into Jinyoung's mouth.
Jinyoung's eyes widened as he tasted the meat. Perhaps it was because he had been living solely on fruit, but he was quite thin.
배진영
"Is this meat? It's absolutely delicious."
여주
"People who live on the grasslands eat only meat every day, so they are quite large. I'll bring it to you if you need it."
Jinyoung nodded vigorously. Perhaps it was the satiation he'd been lacking that had awakened him.
This time, the heroine ate the fruits Jinyoung had brought. The sweet and sour flavor that filled her mouth was refreshingly bland.
After trying the food that each of us had prepared, we came to our senses and had already finished eating everything, as if it suited our respective tastes.
배진영
"It's getting dark now, so I'll take you there."
They left the house in good spirits and then walked back along the forest path, chatting.
Before he knew it, he'd reached the forest's edge. After confirming his arrival, Jinyoung turned to turn back, but Yeoju stopped him.
여주
"Wait a minute! What's your name?"
When the female protagonist asked, Jinyoung turned back and answered quietly as if whispering in the female protagonist's ear.
배진영
"Bae Jin-young. I'll wait for you around here tomorrow."
His voice tickled the heroine's ears. She told him his name and waved as he left.
For some reason, a small excitement that made her look forward to tomorrow enveloped the female protagonist.