Chapter 6
* * * *
A little while later.
Seoyoon and I finished getting ready and set out to explore the southern forest.
"Phew~."
"You seem a lot more comfortable today, Assistant Manager."
"The first time, I thought I was going to die. My shirt was soaked with sweat, and the heat was trapped inside my bra…."
Today, she had rolled up her shirt sleeves to keep cool, and she wasn't wearing a bra, either.
Even so, her large breasts bounced and swayed with every step, seeming like they might get in the way of our search.
Having never had breasts like that, I probably couldn't even begin to imagine how uncomfortable Assistant Manager must be.
It was so damn arousing, it was hard to deal with.
The sight of Assistant Manager Kang Seoyoon casually showing off her armpits and breasts was incredibly stimulating to me.
Add the feminine scent wafting from her body, and I had no idea how I was managing to hold back.
"Mr. Kim Woojin?"
"Do you honestly think it's okay to go into the forest alone with a man dressed like that?"
"That's the same question you asked yesterday."
"Today, you're not wearing a bra."
No bra. Bra.
There was a big difference between the two.
"Hmm."
Seoyoon said coolly.
"I trust you, Woojin."
Damn, what an irresponsible declaration of trust.
Those words had me bound, left to watch the delectable sight right in front of me.
But──
I didn't hate that trust.
"When I think about it, you don't seem like the type to force yourself on someone, Woojin."
"If you say that, I might just prove you wrong, Assistant Manager."
"Pfft, as if you would."
She really did look down on me in a subtle way.
Though, I had done plenty to deserve it.
"I washed up earlier, so I don't smell anymore. Don't worry."
"Smell?"
"You were talking about me smelling bad, weren't you?"
Ah. That. Had she figured it out?
"It's okay. It was true, after all."
"……."
"I don't smell now, do I?"
So she'd washed. She sounded pretty confident about it.
Hmm, let's see…
Somehow, the scent that turned me on seemed even stronger.
When I took a step closer, Assistant Manager stepped back.
"Why are you coming closer?"
"To smell you…."
"No. Just tell me whether I smell or not."
"Hmm."
Why did she want me to check?
Had what I'd said upset her that much? It was so like Kang Seoyoon to want to clear her name of any disgrace before moving on.
But…
It was hard to say she didn't smell the same as yesterday.
Strictly speaking, the scent I'd noticed wasn't a bad smell.
"I think you've misunderstood. It smelled good from the start."
"Excuse me?"
"You smell good, Assistant Manager."
She closed her mouth as if at a loss for words.
"Mr. Kim Woojin. Did you hit your head when we fell?"
"No, I'm serious."
"You like the smell of someone who hasn't washed… Are you sure you're all right?"
The way she put it made me sound like some kind of weird pervert.
I wanted to insist that my tastes weren't strange; Assistant Manager Kang Seoyoon's body scent was the kind every man wanted.
But if I tried to convince her of that, I'd become not just a pervert but a total fucking pervert…
"Anyway, I'm glad you don't find it unpleasant. Let's go."
Seoyoon strode ahead confidently.
Was this really the same Assistant Manager who'd been sighing heavily over the rescue team not coming? Haha.
'Then, should I try scanning?'
I focused my consciousness again.
"This way."
"Did you get a feeling again?"
"Yes."
Sure enough, we found fruit easily.
Since I'd done this once already, I was even more adept at harvesting it this time.
"Come down. One, two."
If she couldn't reach, Seoyoon climbed onto my shoulders without hesitation.
Gathering fruit while wedged between Assistant Manager's plump thighs.
I was happy.
"I want to find something myself today, too…."
Maybe she didn't like relying on me, because Seoyoon furrowed her brows and searched the area.
"I don't see any fruit right now, so let's go wherever you want, Assistant Manager."
"Then, this way."
Would she actually find something?
It was our second time, but the jungle was still harsh.
Still, I felt much more accustomed to walking through the forest than I had the first time.
"I found something."
Seoyoon had spotted something.
A piece of artificial wreckage that didn't belong in the jungle.
It was plane debris.
"Debris all the way out here…."
There was a lot of passenger luggage scattered underneath it, too.
"Let's open it right away."
Seoyoon opened a bag without hesitation.
Inside were passengers' belongings.
At first, we found ordinary items like the ones we'd seen in the other luggage.
Things like toiletries, towels, and spare clothes.
"Oh, there's a change of underwear. That's nice."
Seoyoon's face brightened when she found some new women's underwear.
"Is it your size, Assistant Manager?"
"The cups rarely fit. You can never have too many panties, though……. Ah."
Just then, Assistant Manager held up a small glass bottle I recognized.
Oh, that.
I knew what it was, but what was it called?
"Woojin, do you know what this is?"
"Toner?!"
"It's a serum."
"Oh."
"You haven't changed at all since your first day at work. Good grief."
Even as she sighed, one corner of Seoyoon's mouth slowly curled upward.
"Still, I know now."
"Know what?"
"Whatever it is, you put it on your face, right?"
Kang Seoyoon was silent for a moment, then finally burst out laughing.
I'd never seen her smile so brightly before. She was beautiful.
"Woojin, look at this, too!"
She called me over in a hurry, and when I looked inside, there was…
"It's alcohol."
How had this survived without breaking?
There were about five bottles of liquor, the sort you'd buy at a duty-free shop, like whisky and wine, neatly gathered together.
"We found something really valuable."
"Let's take it with us."
We packed the alcohol into a bag.
Today's scavenging was going well, wasn't it?
Alcohol was a valuable resource. It was no use at all for survival, but it could soothe our anxiety.
"What do you think?"
Seoyoon immediately started boasting.
"Looks like I found something more valuable today, doesn't it?"
"It does seem that way."
"If you ask, I'll gladly share some with you."
"I don't really like alcohol."
"……."
The conversation abruptly died. That's me for you.
"Why don't you like it?"
Assistant Manager suddenly asked me about myself.
She'd never done that at work. It was strange.
"Just because."
I didn't have a particular answer, though.
"Mr. Kim Woojin? How many times did I tell you at work not to say 'just because'?"
Gah.
The answer-demanding demon was interrogating me.
"Well… I dealt with a lot of drunk, obnoxious customers. You can't reason with them. When I worked part-time at convenience stores…."
"Ah."
Seoyoon nodded, seeming to understand at last.
"I don't really drink much, either."
The sun was beginning to set.
Just as we were about to head back…
Something showed up on my detection spell. It had a high concentration of mana—much denser than the fruit.
'What's that? A rare item?'
I grew a little curious and focused on its energy, but something was strange.
Whatever it was, with that high concentration of mana, it was coming toward us.
"Assistant Manager."
I called to Assistant Manager, who was humming as she gathered our supplies.
"Yes?"
"Something's coming this way."
I'd seen plenty of small creatures in the southern forest, but this was the first time I'd sensed a beast.
Seoyoon tilted her head, as if she hadn't immediately understood what I meant by "something's coming."
What would a modern person think when they heard something was approaching?
Even I couldn't believe an animal was coming toward us, when it appeared between the trees.
It was a huge wild boar with black fur.
It seemed pretty agitated….
"Eek!"
Assistant Manager gasped and froze in place.
Is it going to charge?
"Assistant Manager!"
No, seriously!
A boar's only attack pattern was charging, so why was she so scared?
That said, when I met the bloodthirsty gaze of the starving beast, a chill ran down my spine, too.
"Come this way!"
As I pulled Assistant Manager along, the boar rammed into a tree.
Bam!
The tree shook.
Ignoring the shaking tree, the boar turned around and charged again.
It was faster and more threatening than I'd expected.
I'd heard people sometimes died after colliding with wild boars, and seeing one that size made it seem no joke.
"Ah!"
I pulled the terrified Assistant Manager toward me.
Her legs had completely given out, and she didn't know what to do.
'I have to do something!'
I drew the mana that meant 'water' toward my hand by instinct.
If I used it to fire like a bullet, maybe I could use it to attack, too?
I fired a compressed water cannonball.
Thwung!
The boar jerked its head from side to side, seemingly startled after being hit by the water projectile.
"How's that?"
The boar snorted, breathing angrily.
Fuck.
It hadn't hurt the boar at all. I'd just turned it into a wet pig.
My magic wasn't much use for attacking yet, it seemed.
"Let's run!"
This was the time for a strategic retreat.
I grabbed Kang Seoyoon's hand and ran blindly.
We lost it quickly.
It would've been even scarier if the boar had been smart enough to follow us.
"We're okay. It's gone."
Phew, fuck, you pig bastard.
Someday, I'm definitely going to cook and eat you.
My heart was pounding. The adrenaline was flowing much more than I'd expected.
Well, of course.
How often do you see a super boar big enough to crush your organs if it headbutts you, living in the city?
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The threat to our survival had been closer than I'd thought, and it felt like death had just brushed past us.
No wonder they called it the wild.
In that sense, my heart was pounding like crazy.
It wasn't because I was scared. It was more like my body was getting worked up on its own, not knowing how far it needed to push itself to survive.
Meanwhile, Seoyoon had gone pale.
Even though it was over.
After encountering a beast of overwhelming size, she was still trembling.
"Assistant Manager."
If even I, a man, felt this way, how great must the threat have seemed to a woman?
I put an arm around her shoulders as if to reassure her pale face.
"Assistant Manager. It's okay."
"A-ah. Is it gone? Did it go away?"
"It's gone."
"Wait, just wait until I stop shaking."
Assistant Manager couldn't control her trembling and grabbed my hand.
Squeeze.
"……."
"There were animals on this island, too. I mean, of course there were…."
"Y-yes."
"Shall we go back?"
Seoyoon slowly nodded.
"Thank you for protecting me."
"It's nothing. We just ran away together."
Next time we came, we'd need a weapon.
It was time to get magic capable of killing.
'Hmm?'
Seoyoon, who'd been walking briskly, suddenly stopped moving, as if yielding the lead to me.
Then, when I started walking, she followed close beside me, demurely.
Haha. Why was she suddenly so well-mannered?
"Assistant Manager?"
"I-I'm scared, okay?"
When I grinned at her, she must have been embarrassed too, because she hurriedly made excuses.
"I didn't say anything."
"I'll walk beside you."
"Take my hand."
Without a word, I stepped two paces ahead and held out my hand. Seoyoon clutched it tightly like a lifeline.
Had Assistant Manager ever shown such a vulnerable side?
Her hand clung to mine, and her moist eyes looked at me as if I were all she had.
Maybe the reason I hadn't frozen up and had been able to help her was purely instinctive, too.
My ancestors' ancestors, countless generations ago, must have protected females like this.
Holding hands with Assistant Manager, I left the forest.„]}]} өҫ protean (fix final typo). Need valid JSON, last punctuation accidentally `.` plus stray quote? final string currently `
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