Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Life on the island was peaceful and easy.

Every week, they organized an open-air movie night.

Bored out of my mind, I sat in a lounge chair in the back row.

The light around us shifted with the scenes on the screen.

The male and female leads were enemies with feelings too deep to untangle. Just as the tension between them began to heat up, the lights dimmed.

Song Jinbie reached over from the side, lifted my chin, and kissed me.

Past his face, I saw the male and female leads kissing too-only for the man to pull a knife from behind his back. The woman had seen it coming all along.

By reflex, I raised my hand and chopped toward the back of Song Jinbie’s head.

Song Jinbie’s eyelids trembled slightly as he, lost in the moment, slid a hand to my waist.

I snapped back to myself and softened my hand, slipping my fingers into his short hair instead.

Song Jinbie didn’t notice anything wrong. His lashes fluttered, his breath coming light and uneven.

Honestly, I thought, I really had lost it. For a second, I’d actually believed I was an assassin, here to play out some enemy-couple drama with Song Jinbie.

“Wow, that big brother and big sister are kissing. It’s romantic, just like the movie.”

Song Jinbie and I quickly pulled apart, only to find everything around us pitch-black.

The movie had already stopped.

Because of the power outage, the islanders suggested playing a game.

The game split everyone into two opposing camps, and each person was given a water gun.

The water guns were filled with paint. When the game ended, whichever side had more paint on them would lose.

“Since big brother and big sister are so close, of course we have to split them up.”

Song Jinbie and I had no objections.

In fact, we were even a little excited.

I tied my hair up with a scarf, changed into a cool brown leather vest, secured my shirt sleeves, and picked out a water gun that felt right in my hand.

I was the terrifying Pirate King, while Song Jinbie was the Island Chief.

“You’re really getting into character.”

“Cut the chatter. I suggest you hurry up and find a good hiding spot.”

The seaside was pitch-black, the terrain perfectly complex. In the deathly quiet, a group of people lay in wait, ready to strike.

I had clearly thrown myself completely into the role.

I didn’t even feel like I was holding a water gun anymore, but a real one.

The sea breeze swept through the trees. I lowered my body and listened to every movement and stillness around me.

The instant I sensed someone behind me, I spun around and ducked behind a structure.

A stream of water shot into the spot where I’d just been hiding.

Red liquid splashed against the corner of my eye.

For a split second, images flashed through my mind.

Song Jinbie was hiding behind a tree, one eye peeking out. The corner of that eye tilted upward, unable to hide its sinister cunning. His faint, almost-smile made my heart skip.

I rolled across the ground and, using an abandoned boat for cover, fired at him again and again.

I hadn’t expected my aim to be this good.

Nor had I expected Song Jinbie to dodge so quickly.

Bright color splattered everywhere, pelting the abandoned iron boat with a crackling sound like rain.

I wiped the water from my cheek.

Then I retreated, made a snap decision, and climbed onto the armored boat to launch a sneak attack.

Song Jinbie’s martial arts were indeed not bad. He managed to block every move I threw at him.

In the end, we barely fought to a draw.

His water gun was pressed beneath my jaw, while I held mine one-handed against his chest.

Red paint dripped from the ends of his hair, winding down the side of his face like blood before falling onto the corner of my lips.

Song Jinbie’s face was wickedly beautiful.

He was nothing like the rugged, authentic island men who lived here.

His features were strong, but on closer look, they were exquisitely refined.

Pale and sharp, with eyes and brows that could hook a person’s soul. He was probably some young master from a prominent family.

I lightly licked the color from the corner of my mouth, my water gun sliding down along his chest.

Song Jinbie lifted a brow, his smile scattered over lips that seemed ready to beg for mercy.

“A game is a game, and teasing is teasing, but don’t joke around with my happiness.”