Gentle Forest

Chapter 4

A sudden sigh escaped my lips, jolting me awake. I had hoped it was already morning, but the darkness outside indicated the night still held its grip. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I noticed a faint glow coming from the corner of the room. There, huddled over his phone, was Aiden, absorbed in whatever he was doing.

"What are you doing up so early?"

I asked, my voice cracking from sleep.

Aiden looked up, a bit startled. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"

I shook my head, my throat dry.

"It's not because of that. So, continue what you were doing."

"Would you like some water?"

Aiden held out a bottle of water as if he had prepared it in advance. With a somewhat puzzled look, I nodded, and as Aiden opened the cap, I took a sip of the offered water.

One might wonder if Aiden had some special training from his father or mine, given how accurately he could read my thoughts. Perhaps he absorbed their advice during those car rides into the forest or on the way to the nearby express bus terminal, messages somehow sent across the sea. Despite my worries, Aiden had already embraced his role seamlessly.

But why did he choose to care for me so diligently, even with no one around to witness his actions? Though I hadn't known him long, it seems to be his inherent kindness. Recognizing this, I felt a pang of sympathy for Aiden, who had been pushed into this role by the designs of both our fathers.

I let out a sigh as my caution melted away out of sympathy.

"Mind if I sit beside you?"

I crawled to the floor like a snail, my eyes drawn to the flashing notifications on his phone.

Wiping my eyes, I nestled into Aiden's blanket. He covered me with the same ease as if we were lifelong friends. Unable to resist my curiosity about the daily life of a popular person, I lay down next to Aiden, stealing glances.

Aiden either thought I didn't understand English well or had some other reason, as he didn't bother hiding the screen or display any signs of embarrassment when I peeked.

Aiden shifted slightly, lifting his phone.

"Curious?"

Was it that obvious? Hoping my desire to be friends wasn't one-sided, I picked up my phone.

"Well, you know, I don't have many friends."

While my social media followers barely reached five, Aiden had over a thousand. Considering his good looks and athleticism, it made sense he was so well-known. The wide gap between his followers and those he followed spoke volumes about the kind of attention he received.

Next to him, I felt quite insignificant.

As I tried to lock my screen, Aiden took my phone away.

"Can I check it out too?"

It was a bold action, contrary to the occasional shy look in his eyes. Without hesitation, he looked through my list of followers and pointed to Minhyuk at the top.

"I wonder who he is."

His curiosity about someone as ordinary as me was oddly reassuring.

"He's the son of the owner of the supermarket in the nearest village. We were classmates. At the moment, he's on vacation but should be back in about a week."

"And him?"

Minhyuk's younger brother, Minjeong, needed no elaborate explanation as they were siblings.