Translator: Nox

Tsunami Advisory

Chapter 13

Thanks to Hae-il’s consideration, Danbi finished her meal far more comfortably than she had expected. Of course, whether she had actually tasted anything was debatable, given that she had spent the entire time stealing glances at Hae-il across the table.

When they finished eating, Hae-il paid the bill without hesitation and soon got into a taxi with Danbi.

“Tell him your destination. I’ll drop you off before I go.”

Before long, the taxi pulled up in front of Danbi’s cram school. As she got out of the car and prepared to thank him, Hae-il spoke first.

“Thanks for today. You saved me. See you tomorrow.”

Though tossed out with his usual bluntness, his voice held an unmistakable undercurrent of softness. Cut off before she could speak, Danbi stared at him blankly for a moment before offering an awkward wave.

“Uh… yeah. See you tomorrow.”

At her parting words, the taxi glided away with a low hum of its engine. Danbi remained rooted to the spot, unable to tear her eyes away until the red taillights vanished completely from view. Only after the lingering afterimage faded into the distance did she finally turn and head toward the academy building.

With Hae-il gone, the rest of her day unfolded as usual. The instructor’s voice and the practice problems registered clearly enough, yet other thoughts kept worming their way into the back of her mind. The comforting warmth of his hand, the tender gaze he had cast her way beneath an indifferent demeanor, and that unexpected farewell at the end.

Even after class, when she returned home, showered, and lay in bed, everything that had happened that day replayed across her mind like a panoramic reel. Danbi felt her heart thumping far more violently than usual.

‘What is wrong with me today?’

Even when she closed her eyes, images of Hae-il flickered incessantly behind her eyelids. The sharp curve of his eyes when he took off his glasses, the lopsided grin he gave her, and the feel of his hand clasped in hers the entire walk after school.

The more she dwelled on it, the hotter her face burned and the more wildly her heart thrashed against her ribs. When she pressed a hand to her forehead, it felt faintly feverish. Huddled under the unfamiliar heat, she pulled the blanket up to her neck, but sleep remained elusive.

It was a strange, unprecedented sensation. Never in her life had she been this hyperaware of someone, fretting over their every little gesture.

‘Maybe I’m just too stressed out.’

Tossing and turning dozens of times while trying to reassure herself, Danbi was finally able to surrender her exhausted body to sleep just as the sky outside began to pale with dawn. Yet even in her shallow slumber, he appeared. Holding her hand, he walked with her through a field of flowers, talking about the future they would share together. At that absurd dream, Danbi felt happier than she ever had in her life.

✶ ✶ ✶

After that night, Han Hae-il was no longer merely a shield protecting her from Lee Suhyun. Suhyun had indeed quieted down noticeably after the gym incident, no longer hovering around Danbi or bothering her. Hae-il would often watch this change in Suhyun with a satisfied smirk, but to Danbi, that was no longer what mattered.

Now, Hae-il was simply Han Hae-il—a presence of overwhelming magnitude. His low voice, the tender gaze veiled in nonchalance, the occasional smile he offered. Everything about him held her captive.

Naturally, stealing glances at his profile during class became a habit. Whenever their eyes met by chance, she struggled desperately to act composed while her heart ran rampant. At times, just like his name suggested, he felt like a vast, intimidating tidal wave.

“Hey, Lee Danbi.”

It happened on their walk home one afternoon. For some reason, Hae-il had sent his friends ahead and was walking alongside Danbi.

“Lee Suhyun hasn’t said anything to you or given you trouble, right?”

“No. Nothing.”

“Then good.”

Had he come over just to check on that? He seemed thoroughly satisfied with having completely broken Suhyun’s spirit. There was a subtle, mean-spirited streak to his domineering nature.

“Did you already know Lee Suhyun before this?”

“Middle school classmates. Most of the kids around here went to school together. You’re the only new face.”

That explained why the other students had moved in tight-knit groups ever since the entrance ceremony. Barring unusual circumstances, people tended to choose schools within their neighborhood, and in this district, that insular culture was even more deeply entrenched.

“So you didn’t get along before, either?”

“It wasn’t like there was some big conflict. You know how some people just rub each other the wrong way? Different wavelengths, I guess. I hate noisy bastards.”

“Hmm…”

“Honestly, it’s better this way. It’s quiet. Isn’t it nice for you now that things are peaceful too?”

Suhyun had already faded from her concerns, but at Hae-il’s pleased smile, Danbi quietly nodded. Throughout their conversation, he matched his stride to hers, remaining close by her side. Somewhere along the way, even his authoritative tone had grown comfortable, and the tenderness that peeked through sent faint ripples through her heart.

She liked these moments with him.

As she stared absentmindedly at his shadow softly overlapping hers, Hae-il leaned in slightly and whispered in her ear.

“Hey, that guy’s staring at you again.”

“Huh? Who?”

Her attention pulled entirely away from Hae-il, Danbi finally lifted her head. Her gaze met Suhyun’s, who was standing some distance away. His hand was still wrapped in thick white bandages. Staring at Danbi and Hae-il with an indescribable, strangely hollow expression, he climbed into a waiting car and drove off. In that instant, the memory of Suhyun clutching his broken fingers and screaming flashed through Danbi’s mind. A faint ache twinged in a corner of her heart.

“I wonder if his hand is really bad…”

It was a concern born purely of sympathy. Though Danbi feared and disliked Suhyun, seeing him every day made it hard not to feel a lingering pang of unease.

“Lee Suhyun?”

“Yeah. I’m glad he’s quieted down since that day, but he looks so drained. It seems like he didn’t even tell the teachers or his parents.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want to admit he lost to me. If he ran to his mom crying that he got beat up after starting a fight, he might as well cut his balls off.”

“Well…”

Though Suhyun had provoked the fight, Hae-il had crushed his hand after the outcome was already decided. It had likely been an effort to break his spirit so he would never dare challenge him again. Yet because the method was somewhat brutal, the shock and emotional damage Suhyun had suffered were easy to imagine, and that fact sat uncomfortably with Danbi.

“I just wish you hadn’t stepped on his hand.”

“He stepped on my glasses.”

“Still, you had already won. Lee Suhyun couldn’t even get up… I mean, what I’m trying to say is…”

Just then, Hae-il cut her off abruptly.

“Hey, Lee Danbi.”

“…Huh?”

Turning her head to look at him, she saw Hae-il watching her.

“Why do you keep taking Lee Suhyun’s side?”

His eyes narrowed as if piercing right through her, and he added,

“You like me, don’t you?”

In an instant, Danbi’s mind went completely blank. Struck by a shock like a hammer blow, she forgot how to breathe. She needed to deny it, to say it wasn’t true, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Instead, an uncontrollable wave of heat rushed straight to her face. The burning sensation flared all the way to the tips of her ears, and soon her nose stung as tears pricked her eyes.

Hae-il’s figure wavered in her blurred, watery vision. Looking somewhat caught off guard, he stared blankly at her crimson-flushed face.

Danbi could neither deny it nor affirm it. Unable to bear the heat threatening to burst from her skin, she simply hung her head low. Her heart hammered against her chest in frantic, desperate thuds. Thump, thump, thump. The violent pounding felt loud enough to echo across the entire world.

With that single question, the true nature of the feelings she had tried so hard to look away from laid itself bare. A tempest of confusion, embarrassment, and uncontrollable flutter swept over her, swallowing her like an enormous wave.

“I—I have to go… I’m late for cram school…”

Danbi couldn’t stay there a second longer. Blurted out one-sidedly, the words tumbled from her lips as she spun around and bolted. Her heart cried out in tandem with her frantic footsteps, threatening to tear right through her rib cage. She lacked the courage to turn back and face the weight of the gaze pinned to her retreating back.

Her face burned like an inferno. Gasping for breath that stuck in her throat, Danbi thought only of putting distance between them.

And just like that, Danbi fled from her first love—and from the towering wave that love had stirred up.