The moment Lin Wan felt her leg being lifted, she knew something was wrong.
She twisted back—just in time to see A Jin lowering his head to draw out the venom with his mouth.
She cried out, horrified.
"Are you insane?!"
But A Jin acted as though he hadn't heard her.
He took a mouthful and spat it aside. When he leaned in for another, she fought him with all her remaining strength.
He clamped his hands around her leg, shouting,
"Move again and the venom spreads—do you want to die?!"
His roar stunned her into stillness.
She let him lower his head again—again—again—drawing out the dark blood, spitting it away, returning for more.
The wound had gone numb long ago, but now jolts of tingling shot through her thigh, up her spine, into her skull.
Wet, searing, electric—so startling she almost leaped off the ground.
She jerked her face away, refusing to look at the scene.
Her fists clenched around the hem of her coat, knuckles whitening, fingertips nearly tearing through the fabric.
A Jin kept going—ten mouthfuls, perhaps more—until the blood he spat out shifted from murky red to bright crimson.
Only then did he exhale a quiet, "Done."
Lin Wan whipped around.
She watched him pull a small bandage from his pocket, peel it open, and gently press it onto her skin.
She blinked. Does he carry these?
Sensing her stare, A Jin lowered her pant leg and said,
"Just in case. Keeps dirt from getting in."
But when he lifted his head, she wasn't looking at his hands—
She was staring at the smear of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Before she could think better of it, her fingers lifted and wiped it away.
A Jin froze.
He opened his mouth, but she quickly spoke first.
"Is the venom… very strong?"
"Probably a pit viper or a green bamboo snake."
Then, seeing her tense, he added lightly, "You northern folks don't see many poisonous snakes. This region's a hidden treasure, apparently."
"You… got it all out?" she asked blankly.
He huffed a laugh.
"Of course. No matter how thirsty I get, I'm not drinking that."
The flicker of emotion that had just risen inside her dissolved instantly.
Realizing what she'd done, she jerked her hand behind her back, embarrassed.
A Jin pretended not to notice.
He braced one hand against the ground and dusted off his pants.
Before he could fully straighten, he lowered himself back into a squat.
"Get on," he said.
Lin Wan startled.
Or perhaps she simply hadn't recovered from everything that had just happened.
"I can walk," she murmured.
But A Jin's squat was clearly uncomfortable, and her refusal only annoyed him further.
He snapped,
Too much movement spreads venom faster—don't you know that? "Stop," he argued. Or do you want me to carry you?
She hesitated, then slowly stepped closer.
Before she could climb onto his back, he reached back, grabbed her by the arm, and hoisted her up in one smooth motion.
He locked his hands beneath her thighs, adjusted her weight, and rose to his feet.
Instinctively, her arms looped around his neck; her chest pressed lightly against his back.
His back was broad—steady—warm.
A ridiculous, unwelcome sense of security washed over her.
She scolded herself for the thought.
Shameless. Get a grip.
But her mind refused to obey.
Her gaze stayed fixed on his back—
On the memory of those wounds she had glimpsed the other night.
She had never been beaten as a child, never known that kind of pain.
She remembered classmates complaining about being hit and had once—foolishly—envied them, thinking it meant their parents cared.
How naïve.
The stripes on his back that night…
That was no parental discipline—that was brutality.
It must have hurt.
And while healing, they must have itched unbearably.
Yet A Jin never showed a hint of discomfort before her.
He was—she had to admit—an extraordinarily tough man.
She recalled something else too.
A few weeks earlier at work, she had scraped her hand on a desk.
A tiny wound.
A mere scratch.
When A Jin came to pick her up, he noticed instantly—
Then marched her to a pharmacy and bought half the medicine aisle.
She'd told him he was making a fuss.
He'd snapped back that if she didn't know how to take care of herself, getting hurt was what she deserved.
She wondered now—
Was that why he carried bandages?
Maybe it was silly.
Maybe she was overthinking.
But after living beside him for this long, she had noticed something:
Beneath the steel and fire,
A Jin was—unexpectedly—meticulous.
The realization made her let out a soft, self-mocking breath.
Look at her—actually trying to find virtues in this man.
A man she should hate.
A man she did hate.
And yet—
—
A Jin moved quickly but steadily. After a long silence, he couldn't hold back.
"You couldn't call someone for help? If I hadn't come, were you planning to die here?"
"I forgot my phone," she mumbled.
He snorted.
"I shouted your name ten times. You didn't hear?"
"I heard. I thought I was hallucinating."
He stopped short, anger flaring again.
"And you still wander off alone like this?"
"I miss my grandma."
"Then tell me. I would've come with you."
"I didn't want to trouble you."
A Jin gave a sharp, incredulous laugh.
"As if you haven't troubled me enough already."
Then, half teasing, half serious:
"Or did you really not notice? I like being troubled by you."
She didn't answer.
Her gaze had drifted past his shoulder to the shallow ditch beside the trail.
Last year's fallen leaves lay there rotting—dark, clumped, shapeless—no boundaries left.
Her voice was faint, almost lost in the wind.
"A Jin… we're like that."
He looked, saw the decomposing leaves.
Said nothing.
—
They reached the foot of the mountain and climbed into the waiting taxi.
He touched her forehead—no fever—then instructed the driver to head to the nearest top-tier hospital.
The route was smooth; in less than an hour they reached the emergency department of S Medical University Hospital.
The doctor examined her wound.
"Treatment was timely," he said. "The venom hasn't spread. She'll need one vial of antivenom."
Then he glanced at A Jin—startled.
"Are you alright? Were you bitten too?"
Lin Wan turned sharply—only then noticing his lips were bluish, his complexion pale and drawn.
"He—he sucked out the venom for me," she blurted.
The doctor stared at A Jin, scandalized.
"You did what? Your oral mucosa is damaged—what were you thinking? Do you have any idea how potent spring venom is?"
Lin Wan watched him, unable to speak.
Her expression was complicated—anger, shock, something else she didn't want to name.
A Jin shrugged lightly.
"Forgot."
The doctor sighed in exasperation.
"Any other symptoms?"
"Mouth's numb. Stomach hurts a bit."
"Anything else?"
"Chest feels tight."
More scribbling.
The doctor muttered while writing,
"You're both lucky. If that snake had been any more venomous, you'd be in serious trouble. Shock would've been the least of it."
—
After allergy testing, the nurse administered the antivenom and a tetanus shot.
Both were kept in the observation room for half an hour.
Because of the exposure risk, A Jin was prescribed several oral medications as well.
The surge of adrenaline had long faded; exhaustion dragged at him.
He leaned back in the chair, eyelids half lowered.
Lin Wan poured hot water, mixing from cup to cup until the temperature was right.
She handed it to him.
He accepted it with a tired smile.
"Thanks."
Watching him like this tugged unexpectedly at her heart.
She emptied the pills into his palm.
After he swallowed them, she asked quietly,
"Shouldn't we get another doctor to check you? You know so many people—what if it's serious?"
A Jin gazed at her for a long moment, eyes steady, unreadable.
Then he said softly,
"I don't want special treatment."
She made a small scoffing sound.
He caught her hand, cupping it in both of his.
"Wanwan," he murmured,
"I'm fine. I know my body. And… thank you. For worrying about me."