Chapter 1
Jungkook : People say, this lake is just as dangerous as it is beautiful… From above, it looks peaceful and simple, but inside, it's really deep—maybe one of the deepest lakes around. It’s also very long, so much that you can’t even see the other end from here. And the scariest part… people say there are poisonous snakes living in this lake. Usually, they stay deep underwater and far away, but if someone enters the lake… they might attack.
(After hearing that, Taehyung laughed and started speaking while laughing.)
Taehyung : People really know how to create interesting stories, maybe they spread such rumours just to protect this lake from getting polluted.
Yn : You’re right. Otherwise how can something so beautiful and peaceful have anything dangerous in it?
Maria : Yes
Jungkook : Many times, the things that look calm from the outside are actually the most dangerous inside.
(After that, all of them went back and sat down again, but Yn was still not ready to leave the lake. She started walking near the edge of the lake. While wandering and looking here and there, her eyes stopped at a wooden boat tied to one side of the lake. And the moment she saw that boat, a sparkle came into her eyes—something like excitement and curiosity. She quickly ran back to the other three and started speaking with excitement.)
Yn : Jungkook, all these things that you were saying about the lake—maybe they’re all just rumours. Look over there, there’s a boat tied at the lake’s side. That means people do ride boats in this lake.
Jungkook : Maybe.
Yn : (really excited) Then let’s go and take a ride on the lake!
Jungkook : Not at all. (He said seriously)
Yn : But why? (She said sadly, her excitement disappeared)
Jungkook : Yn, we don’t know if the stories about this lake are true or just rumors. So, it’s better to be careful.
Yn : How can you believe in just some silly rumors?
Jungkook : No means no. And this time, it’s a big no.
Taehyung : (jokingly, with a smile) What happened Jungkook? Weren’t you the one who loved adventures? Now what? Are you scared of these things now?
Jungkook : If I was alone, I could travel even through hell… but when it’s about Yn’s safety, I will never take any kind of risk.
Yn : Nothing will happen to me. (She said sadly, her voice low and emotional.)
Jungkook : No.
Yn : Please. (She said with a sad, puppy-like face.)
Jungkook : This time, your emotional blackmail won’t work on me. I can’t put you at risk, even for a second.
Yn : When you’re with me, how can anything bad happen to me? You’re here to protect me, right? Can’t you listen to just this one small request of mine?
(This time, Yn spoke with such sadness that tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him.)
Jungkook : You know very well that your tears are my biggest weakness. That’s why you’re doing this, aren’t you?
(Then, finally giving in, Jungkook softly said to her...)
Jungkook : Alright… let’s go.
(He had no choice but to agree to her. What else could he do? Her tears were his weakness, and for her happiness, he was ready to do anything. As soon as she heard him say yes, she couldn’t contain her joy—she jumped on Jungkook in happiness and hugged him tightly, holding him close in her arms.)
Yn : Thank you, thank you, thank you!
(She said with a big smile, her eyes shining with joy like a little kid who just got her favorite ice cream.)
Jungkook : You're the only one who can make me dance to your tunes, who can get me to say yes to anything.
(He shook his head with a soft smile, completely defeated by her charm.)
(After that, all four of them walked toward the boat. One by one, they carefully stepped inside. Jungkook was the last to get in after untying the rope tied to the boat. As soon as he stepped in, he looked at Yn and said with a warm tone.)
Jungkook : Come sit here… beside me.
Taehyung’s words made Jungkook go quiet. He didn’t say anything back. After that, no one spoke. Everyone started enjoying the view around them silently.
Taehyung and Jungkook slowly began rowing the boat using paddles. The boat moved gently across the lake. They had now reached quite far from the shore—maybe even the middle of the lake.
Suddenly, Maria got scared and shouted with fear in her trembling voice.
Maria : Jungkook… there… a snake… there’s a snake!
Everyone quickly looked in the direction Maria was pointing at. And yes, it was true—just above the water surface, a part of a stick was sticking out, and on top of it, a snake was sitting, coiled around.
Seeing that, everyone’s heart skipped a beat. They all froze.
Now it became clear to them—what people said about this lake being dangerous wasn’t completely false. It was true. And if one snake was there, then surely there must be more inside this deep lake.
All of them got scared. But no one could say for sure whether that snake was poisonous or just a normal water snake.
Then, trying to stay calm, Yn said softly.
Yn : It must be a normal water snake.
Just then, Jungkook said...
Jungkook: That’s Ussuri Mamushi, it’s poisonous. If it bites and you don’t get treatment on time, a person can even die. And it attacks when it feels disturbed or senses someone nearby… or when it’s in attack mode.
As soon as he said that, everyone felt like the ground slipped from under their feet.
Fear gripped them completely.
Taehyung’s hands and legs started shaking.
Maria got really scared too.
Yn, who was already nervous, asked Jungkook in a quiet, shaky voice.
Yn: How do you know so much about snakes? Do you catch them or something?
Jungkook made a fake annoyed face and replied.
Jungkook: I’m an adventure lover, remember? I go to hills and forests often, so I keep knowledge about these things… just in case someday I might need it.
Ignoring their conversation, Taehyung said nervously, clearly panicking.
Taehyung: Hey, let’s get out of here… as soon as possible.
Maria: (panicking too) Yes, please.
(Everyone hurried back to their seats and tried to adjust themselves quickly. In this rush, some of their stuff fell down with a loud thud. While they picked the things up, the boat started shaking a lot due to all the movement. Somehow, they managed to steady both themselves and the boat. But then Yn, who had been silently watching, panicked and said—)
Yn: How did water get into the boat?
(Everyone looked closely and noticed that water was slowly filling the inside of the boat. Turns out, when their things had fallen down, something sharp had poked the old wooden boat and made a hole in it. The boat was already very old, and the wood wasn’t strong anymore. Jungkook immediately understood—this boat must’ve been abandoned here for a long time, which is why it was in such a bad condition now.
He started blaming himself for everything. He thought—why did I even agree to Yn’s request? He wasn’t worried about himself, or his girlfriend, or even his brother… He was scared only for Yn. His Yn.
Everyone started panicking. The colour on their faces faded. Their fear was clear now.
In a rush, Taehyung turned to Jungkook and asked—)
Taehyung: Jungkook, tell us! What do we do now? You’re the best swimmer, right? You know all about water and boats. Please tell us how we can get out of this situation!
Jungkook: Hyung, we need to make the boat lighter. This boat is too weak to hold our weight. If we don’t act now, it’ll sink. So before it gets worse, throw all the things out of the boat—make it as light as possible.
(As soon as Jungkook said that, everyone quickly started throwing all their stuff out of the boat, trying to reduce the weight. But still, water kept coming in faster now, which made Taehyung even more scared. He began to panic badly and started losing control. In fear and anger, he asked Jungkook—)
Taehyung: What do we do now?! Water is still coming inside!
Jungkook: Hyung… now we can’t do anything. Getting into the water is impossible right now. If we move too much, it will create disturbance—and that snake will go into attack mode. And this boat… it has four people in it, so the weight is too much. That’s why it’s sinking.
Taehyung: So what… are we just going to sit here and drown like this?!
(Jungkook looked at YN. His eyes were filled with tears, and his face clearly showed the pain and fear—fear for her. Thinking about YN, Jungkook spoke, voice heavy with emotion.)
Jungkook: I’ll get out of the boat. If I do that, you all will reach the shore before the boat completely sinks.
(As soon as he said that, YN shouted in anger, her voice trembling.)
YN: Don’t you dare even think about doing something like that! If you jump, I’ll jump too!
Jungkook: YN, what do you want us to do? Just sit here and wait to die? At least I’m a swimmer… somehow I’ll make it to the shore.
YN: You're a swimmer, not a doctor! What if that snake bites you? Then what?! No! I'd rather be the one to jump. This is all my fault anyway. I’m the one who insisted on coming here. It’s because of me that everyone’s life is in danger. If possible… forgive me.
Jungkook: YN, don’t even think about it. If you take even one wrong step—I swear I’ll jump in right after you.
(After saying that, Jungkook stood up. Seeing him like this, everyone got nervous. Maria quickly pulled him back to sit, but in the middle of all this pulling, suddenly there was a loud splash in the water. When Maria, Jungkook, and Taehyung turned around, YN was not in the boat.
Before anyone could understand what happened or even blink their eyes, Jungkook jumped straight into the water. He quickly swam and grabbed YN to pull her up.
YN didn’t know how to swim, so she had started drowning. Jungkook held her tightly and brought her up to the surface.
But YN was already unconscious, and because of all the movement in the water, now their lives were in danger too—because two snakes were swimming fast toward them.
At that moment, Jungkook shouted loudly.)
Jungkook : Take the boat back now!
(After saying that, Jungkook himself started swimming fast while holding YN.
Yes, it was difficult to swim while carrying someone like that, but Jungkook was a strong and fast swimmer.
And when it comes to YN, Jungkook can cross any limit.
He used all his strength and began swimming as fast as he could.
In just a few minutes, they reached the shore.
Taehyung and Maria quickly jumped out of the boat.
At the same time, Jungkook reached the shore with YN and picked her up in his arms, running quickly toward the car.
Taehyung and Maria also rushed behind him.
As soon as they reached the car, Jungkook sat in the back seat holding YN in his lap.
Taehyung quickly got in the driver’s seat, and Maria sat next to him in the front.)
