“Sigh… What am I even doing?”
A bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
Calix shook his head and reached for his share of the meat.
Thud.
At that moment, the woman, perhaps finding her piece of meat too hot, dropped it on the ground.
Her hands were red and swollen from the heat.
Since the meat was obviously hot, she should have been careful and eaten slowly, instead of foolishly holding the steaming hot bone and pushing it into her mouth as if someone were trying to steal it from her.
Unaware of Calix’s gaze, the woman quickly picked up the meat from the ground, dusting off the part that touched the ground.
“Phew, phew…”
After blowing on it a few times to cool it down, she stuffed the still-smoking flesh into her mouth, cheeks bulging.
“….”
Calix was speechless.
Having lived a noble life of privilege, he had never resorted to eating food off the ground, even while on bivouac; he used to leave that for the wild animals.
“Ummph… Cough….”
The woman seemed to struggle with the heat of the meat but continued to force it into her mouth regardless.
Seeing her devour the food so desperately was quite pitiable.
Calix’s appetite vanished at the sight.
He felt sorry for her and decided to bring her some water.
Putting down his piece of meat, he got up.
“I wonder if there’s any water left?”
He was searching through his pack for a water bottle when suddenly,
“Uhhh!
Uhhh!”
“W-What?
What’s wrong with you?!”
The woman unexpectedly rushed over and clung to his waist from behind.
“Ughhhh!”
“Let go!”
Startled, Calix tried to free himself from her grip, but she clung on even more desperately. Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Let go, I said!”
He noticed the piece of meat she had threw away onto the ground.
What could have made her so desperate to cling to him, even throwing away her food?
Maybe she found a wild bear or animal nearby?
But when Calix looked around, he couldn’t find anything that could pose any kind of threat.
He could feel her trembling body against his; the woman was crying, her tears soaking his back.
Calix’s irritation melted away, and he stopped resisting her grip.
“What’s wrong with you, I say?”
Even as he ceased all movements, she showed no signs of letting go.
Instead, she gripped tighter, pulling herself even closer.
“WHAT’S WRONG?? Oh, for crying out loud….”
What could possibly scare her so much?
“Seriously, why are you crying? TELL ME!!!”
He was at a loss, frustrated by the lack of her ability to communicate properly.
All he tried to do was go find some water to make sure she didn’t choke out on her own food, and now she’s freaking out and crying like a baby.
And yet, he still couldn’t understand her at all.
Calix had no other choice but to just stand there for a long while until she calmed down.
Though he could have forced her off as he had done before, he chose not to.
Once she seemed to calm down a bit, he gently released her grip.
He then sat her down and handed her another leg of the piglet.
“Have this. I’ll go fetch some water.”
And when he tried to stand back up, she clung to his thigh again, this time with even more strength, as if refusing to let him go anywhere.
“OK. Here we go again…”
Though her strange behavior irritated him to no end, Calix still couldn’t bring himself to push her away.
“Let go! I said, LET. GO!”
When he raised his voice, she looked up at him.
“Uhhhh…!”
Once again, her words failed to form.
But her eyes were filled with a familiar desperation, as if she was trying to beg him not to abandon her.
Calix finally understood her actions.
She was afraid he would leave her behind.
That’s why she reacted so desperately whenever he tried to stand up.
“Sigh….”
He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair.
“I’m not leaving you. Just going to fetch water, okay? Water!”
The more he tried to free himself, the tighter she clung to his thigh, her unbelievably tight grip showed her superhuman determination.
It was clear that she did not want to be separated from him under any circumstances.
Calix looked up at the darkening sky, exhaling deeply.
‘What am I supposed to do with you…’
He didn’t have the means to take responsibility for another person.
His future held nothing but harsh trials and hardship.
Calix was bracing himself for the punishment that was to come.
Yet, leaving her was out of the question; her future without him was all too clear.
She must have known this too, hence her desperation.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Thus, the man awaiting his demise met a woman who couldn’t survive without him at her side.