Wicked Island Of Ireland - Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

He smiled with the innocence of a seven-year-old boy.

Seeing his smiling face made her heart swell. If she had stood by and watched him get bitten by a venomous snake, she would now be crying with deep regret.

“Anyone would have done the same,” she answered softly, dipping her other foot into the lake. Manuel quietly looked at his own shoes before asking cautiously:

“Um, would you like to wear my shoes?”

Isu looked at his black sneakers. She was certain they would slip right off her feet even if she tied the laces tightly.

“No, they’re too big for me.”

Manuel awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Then, sitting down on a large stone, he asked kindly:

“This is the first time we’ve talked alone, isn’t it?”

His dark brown eyes slowly examined Isu. She, too, studied Manuel with his exotic air before nodding.

Manuel smiled gently once more.

“You’re smaller than I thought. From a distance, you looked taller.”

“You’re bigger than I expected.”

“That’s because I’m a center back.”

“Center back?”

“In football, the central defender is called a center back.”

“Ah, right. You said you were a football player.”

“When we get back, look me up. You’ll find quite a bit of information.”

Talking with Manuel made her realize anew how diverse people in the world could be. While there were people like Hayden who made others tense by their mere presence, there were also people like Manuel who gave off a calming feeling like a still lake.

“I will.”

“As thanks for saving my life, I’d like to give you season tickets to our team. Come watch our games later. I’ll introduce you to our starting players too.”

Isu nodded comfortably. Manuel hesitated as if unsatisfied with something, then spoke softly:

“And if you’ve been a victim of a crime, I can help as much as possible. My father is a police officer. I also volunteer with the neighborhood watch.”

“Thank you just for saying that.”

The mud that had dirtied her ankles had now dissolved in the water. Isu pushed her hair back as she climbed up from the lakeshore.

Manuel stood up and walked beside her, gazing at her. His brown eyes reflected her white hand. He couldn’t casually dismiss what he saw.

“Your hands are really pretty.”

“…”

“Ah, I mean, they’re delicate, unlike my rough hands…”

Fidgeting uncomfortably, the tips of his ears turned red. Despite appearances, he seemed to have an innocent side.

“Thank you. Your smile is cute.”

It was probably the first time since arriving here that she had answered so comfortably. Isu, who had been looking at his dark brown eyebrows, headed toward the shelter by the lake.

The football players and Jena were taking apart a torn tent up on the hill. They were chatting as if preparing for a charity bazaar.

But Isu’s gaze was drawn more to Hayden, who was arranging items on a table placed in front of the shelter. She liked his eyes, not warm but full of interest. Or perhaps she was just instinctively responding to his sensual physique.

The rain, which had grown heavier again, fell on her cheek. Manuel, walking beside her, raised both hands above her head to shield her from the rain.

“It’s raining. Let’s hurry inside.”

The body heat, as warm as Spanish weather, settled over her head.

At that moment, Hayden, who had been languidly looking down at the items, fixed his gaze on Manuel’s hand position.

The hands hovering over her head.

Hands taking the rain in her place.

Those hands seemed to considerably irritate Hayden.

He wrinkled his previously smooth brow irritably.

Then he surveyed the couple before him with a cold gaze.

Isu wished she could read Hayden’s thoughts if possible.

Was he looking without any particular thoughts, or was there some emotion there?

If there was emotion, what could it be?

The question she had asked him earlier echoed in her ears.

“Is what you’re doing for me just simple kindness?”

The cryptic answer had been that it wasn’t kindness. If not kindness, then what…

The increasingly fierce raindrops stirred her troubled heart. Feeling Hayden’s gaze piercing through that gap, she deliberately looked up at Manuel.

“I wonder when this rain will ever stop.”

It was a question to which she didn’t care about the answer at all. Manuel, as if feeling guilty about this, carefully examined the sky before answering sincerely:

“Judging by the dark clouds covering the sky, it will probably rain all day today too.”

His tanned, large hand was still shielding Isu’s head. Seeing this, Hayden slowly narrowed his eyes.

He looked like an animal wary of an unfamiliar male, she thought.

Perhaps it was because the tent above his head made it particularly dark.

Isu answered while not taking her eyes off Hayden:

“I hope the sky clears up soon.”

She moved her feet and approached Hayden. As the distance between them gradually closed and she stood before him, he spoke:

“Isu.”

Hayden called her name with a slightly furrowed brow. When Isu glanced at him sitting at the table, he motioned to the chair opposite him with his eyes.

“Help me distribute the food.”

His expression looked like someone who had experienced something unpleasant. Manuel seemed to notice this too, but with his naturally kind nature, he asked:

“Shall I help too?”

Hayden refused unhurriedly yet decisively:

“No, two people are enough.”

Manuel awkwardly looked at Isu, who was sitting across from Hayden, before heading up the hill.

Isu began to receive a gaze so intense it made her face hot. Her heart trembled yet felt constricted, like indigestion. This was because he gave room for nothing clearly definable.

Perhaps he was naturally a philanderer who liked women. But to label him as such wouldn’t be right—he had clearly cut off Jena’s interest yesterday.

Yet it was unlikely he had developed feelings in just one day.

After all, she hadn’t done anything for him.

If anything, she had only received from him…

Isu hid her wavering feelings and looked into the sack on the table.

“You don’t look happy. Did something bad happen?”

To describe his expression as “not happy” was an understatement—his eyes were sunken beyond words.

They resembled the eyes of a gloomy murderer.

She instinctively avoided his gaze.

After persistently trying to meet her eyes like a pursuer, he eventually gave up, resting his chin on his hand as he answered:

“Yes. It seemed like Manuel was having dirty thoughts while looking at you.”

His words were incomprehensible at first.

People gather various experiences as they live day by day. And based on these experiences, they build a database.

There’s a feeling derived from this database.

Human intuition.

And that intuition was considerably wary of Hayden Wight.

She wondered why.

Was it because Hayden Wight was too attractive?

Or because in this era where even human relationships are treated like transactions, he was unconditionally kind to someone who had nothing?

Isu, who had been looking at the items in the sack, rested her chin on her hand like Hayden.

Then, staring directly into his blue eyes that grew brighter toward the center, she asked:

“Are you worried about me?”

He didn’t seem inclined to deny it.

“Worry. That would be the  nice way to put it.”

“…”

“It would be better not to get involved with the football players. Most athletes are more impulsive than you could imagine.”

From her perspective, Hayden seemed aloof and sharp with others. Moreover, he appeared so cold that he wouldn’t care if someone were dying next to him.

Isu was curious why such a man was particularly attentive to her.

Perhaps he had a sibling he had cared for dearly?

Maybe, like Jena, he had an Asian adoptee as a sibling. But thinking this made Isu uneasy. The idea that his protection and kindness toward her might simply be because of his sister.

“I’m not seven years old.”

Despite hearing her rather irritable response, Hayden smiled lazily.

“I’m well aware of that.”

His eyes, which had held warmth, blatantly changed and slowly moved downward.

Then, with just his gaze, he traced her collarbone and caressed her chest.

“The problem is that I’m very aware of it.”

His intensely masculine gaze made her feel suffocated.

Perhaps this was how an animal felt when being trained by an experienced handler.

Isu’s black eyes wavered unsteadily. Her lips dried anxiously.

“Don’t joke around.”

As her lips trembled faintly, he brushed his platinum hair back. Then, gazing at her with eyes like a bright blue orb, he replied:

“I’m not joking.”

He shifted his gaze from slowly examining her body and rummaged through the sack. Isu, who had been staring captivated at his dense, ash-gray eyelashes, looked at the green pants Hayden held out.

“I found pants and slippers, so wear these for now.”

They were medical pants. The length seemed adequate, and the waist had an elastic band, so they looked comfortable.

“That’s great. I’ll return your pants soon.”

It would be comfortable to go change pants now, but she didn’t want to appear as if she were fleeing from his intimidating presence.

Moreover, she wanted to figure out if he was enjoying teasing innocent people or if he was just expressing interest in a twisted way.

Though her breath tightened with tension, she tried to answer casually:

“I’ll enjoy the scenery first.”

He leaned back slowly against the chair and crossed his arms.

“You don’t need to return the pants. Wear both pairs—it’ll be comfortable to take one off when it gets hot.”

The curves were distinct on his inverted triangular torso.

She didn’t want to indulge in a man’s physique in this situation, but she couldn’t help her gaze falling to his abs.

She must be going crazy.

By getting entangled with a seemingly sexually depraved man, she was becoming corrupted as well.

Realizing this, Isu worried about her reputation. But then she remembered that this island had few observers, no police, and no CCTV, so she stopped worrying.

Come to think of it, none of the people on this island were particularly cautious.

The football players were old friends among themselves, and Jena was also friends with them, but none of them hid their emotions or thoughts.

This was partly because they were people who had nearly died yesterday, and partly because this was a deserted island.

Well, when faced with the possibility of dying tomorrow from a wild animal bite, hiding emotions and getting stressed would only hurt oneself. After careful consideration, Isu asked frankly:

“Do you find being in your underwear comfortable?”

The sound of rain pattered in her ears. Just as her mind was beginning to ease, a low laugh once again pulled her nerves taut.

“It’s not comfortable. I’m just trying to seduce you with my most confident attribute.”

Isu’s eyes, which had been wandering over the dirt floor, moved to his robust thighs.

As if to block her view, Hayden slowly crossed his legs. It seemed he had no intention of just letting her look and go.

This confused her.

Was he thinking of romance at a time when they should be struggling to survive on this jungle-like island?