Chapter 16
"Boss!"
"Ms. Choi Yu-ri!"
Though they shouted themselves hoarse, no answer came.
Only the gloomy sound of rain blanketed the mountain.
It had been a workshop filled with laughter just minutes ago.
But now, unease and anxiety had replaced the smiles on everyone's faces.
A sudden downpour during the trek.
And the landslide that followed.
Kang Tae-seong and Choi Yu-ri had vanished from sight in an instant.
If they had disappeared from view, it hadn't been a mere slip.
Everyone quickly realized how serious the situation was.
"Call 119! Call 119!"
The resort staff had been notified, and rescuers were dispatched immediately.
As time passed, sirens sounded in the distance.
"Rescue team!"
Everyone turned in unison.
Several rescuers hurried up to the scene.
They immediately began surveying the area.
The collapsed mound of earth.
The broken trail.
The swollen stream.
The paramedic assessing the scene grew increasingly grim.
"Where were they last seen?"
"Over there."
A staff member pointed with a trembling voice.
"They slipped there, and... both of them fell down the slope."
The rescuer stared in that direction in silence for a while.
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Ha..."
At his reaction, the people around him looked uneasy.
"What's wrong?"
Park So-young asked urgently.
The rescuer opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
"The landslide is larger than we expected."
"..."
"The downpour weakened the ground, and a mass of earth collapsed all at once."
He looked down toward the valley below.
The water was rushing far more fiercely than usual because of the rain.
"The river's swollen quite a bit, too."
The rescuer's voice lowered.
"To be honest, this may take quite a while."
The atmosphere around them grew heavy.
"Taking a while means..."
Someone asked in a trembling voice.
"It'll be difficult to rescue them?"
"It's not an easy situation."
The rescuer tried to explain the situation as objectively as possible.
He spoke cautiously.
"If we rush in, there's a risk of another accident. We need to secure a safe zone first, then widen the search area."
As the situation briefing continued at the scene,
Park So-young listened with a dazed expression.
The rescue would be difficult. It would take time.
Those words kept circling in her mind.
And yet, for some reason, a strange thought crossed her mind.
'Why does he have to be with Choi Yu-ri?'
It was a thought she couldn't understand herself.
Kang Tae-seong and Choi Yu-ri were in danger.
The two of them were stranded in this downpour.
The first thing she should be worrying about was whether they were alive.
But the thought that kept coming to mind most was...
That the two of them were involved with each other again.
'Yu-ri and the boss, together again...'
It had been happening constantly lately.
They'd gotten closer under the pretext of him teaching her to work out.
They'd stood side by side in the group photo.
They'd naturally ended up on the same team at the workshop.
And now, even in this life-or-death situation, they were together.
Maybe the two of them were destined to share the same fate—
Smack—
Park So-young slapped her own cheek with her palm.
The people around her turned at the sound, startled, but she had no time to care.
'...Why am I like this?'
Choi Yu-ri was a precious colleague who'd joined the company alongside her.
And Kang Tae-seong, too—though she'd disliked him at first, he was now the most valued boss she had.
"..."
Park So-young lowered her head.
As soon as she realized what she'd been thinking, her expression hardened.
'I've gone crazy.'
This was a situation where she should be worrying first about whether the two of them were alive.
And yet she was preoccupied with the fact that they were together.
"I'm really... the worst."
Park So-young bit her lip so hard she could taste blood.
'I've changed.'
Since when?
Since when had the way she looked at Kang Tae-seong changed?
At first, he was simply someone she had to be wary of.
But now, seeing him get close to someone else made her heart waver.
It was a change she didn't even want to admit to herself.
Park So-young clenched both hands tightly.
'No.'
All of that was something to sort out later.
For now, she would only think about the two of them coming back safely.
This time, she wouldn't think about anything else.
The boss, and Choi Yu-ri.
She just wanted them both to be safe.
*
Crackle, crackle.
The campfire burned quietly deeper inside the cave.
The sound of rain could still be heard outside.
Unlike the roaring downpour, the cave was strangely peaceful.
"You know..."
Choi Yu-ri pouted.
"You could've just said I needed to take off my clothes to keep my body temperature up."
Choi Yu-ri sat in front of the campfire wearing Kang Tae-seong's hiking jacket.
The clothes she'd been wearing were hanging from branches right in front of the fire to dry.
Choi Yu-ri was currently wearing only her underwear.
Her pale skin was perilously visible through the loose hiking jacket.
Still, perhaps it was because Kang Tae-seong was so big.
The jacket had been made to fit his build, so there was plenty of room even on petite Choi Yu-ri.
The sleeves were long enough to cover her fingertips completely, and the body was as wide as a blanket.
Thanks to that, she had no trouble covering herself.
"You didn't have to make it sound so confusing."
"I'm sorry."
Kang Tae-seong immediately bowed his head.
"I was in a hurry and didn't have time to explain."
"No, well..."
Choi Yu-ri looked away for no particular reason.
She did understand, actually.
They'd suddenly ended up in the mountains, and she'd gotten pretty soaked in the rain.
But still, he'd approached her with a serious expression and told her to take off her clothes out of nowhere.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't help being startled.
Choi Yu-ri let out a small sigh.
"You really startled me. Seriously."
Choi Yu-ri said, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
"Who wouldn't be startled if you suddenly told them to take their clothes off?"
"I'm sorry."
Kang Tae-seong bowed his head once more.
There was no excuse for it.
No matter how urgent the situation was, he'd left out too much.
"Or..."
Choi Yu-ri suddenly gave him a mischievous look.
"Should I take off the hiking jacket? Even now?"
Kang Tae-seong jerked his head up in surprise.
"Pardon?"
"If that's what you want, Boss."
Choi Yu-ri tugged lightly on the zipper of the hiking jacket.
"I mean... I owe you anyway."
"Wait, wait."
"Boss... you're a pervert."
At Choi Yu-ri's little-devil act, Kang Tae-seong's expression stiffened.
"Ms. Choi Yu-ri."
"Yeees?"
"Absolutely."
He spoke with a serious expression.
"Absolutely not. Please don't get the wrong idea."
His reaction was far too desperate.
Choi Yu-ri stared at Kang Tae-seong blankly for a moment.
And then.
"Pfft."
She finally burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha! Ahaha."
Kang Tae-seong looked flustered and averted his gaze.
"Hehehe. I was joking."
"Jokes like that aren't good for my heart."
"So you can get flustered, Boss?"
Choi Yu-ri asked, her eyes widening.
At work, Kang Tae-seong had always seemed calm.
No matter what happened, his expression never changed.
He was always composed in front of his employees.
But now, that same man looked quite flustered, unsure what to do.
'...Unexpected.'
Choi Yu-ri curled her lips into a smile.
It was a side of him she'd never seen before.
‘He's built like a mountain, like some bear, but...‘
He gets flustered over a joke like this?
He's cuter than I expected—.
In a better mood for no particular reason, Choi Yu-ri held her hands out toward the campfire.
"Ahem."
The warmth enveloped her fingertips.
Her body, which had been trembling just moments ago, had gotten much better.
It was probably because Kang Tae-seong had quickly realized what was happening to her body, even before she had.
How had Kang Tae-seong made such an accurate judgment?
"By the way, Boss."
"Yes?"
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I wasn't feeling well."
"Just..."
After thinking for a moment, Kang Tae-seong said,
"A gut feeling."
"A gut feeling?"
"Yes."
Kang Tae-seong nodded.
"You'd been out in the rain for so long, and you were shivering."
"Hmm... I see."
He had no choice but to bluff.
In truth, he'd been able to quickly assess Choi Yu-ri's condition thanks to a skill, not any special intuition of his own.
【Eye of the Observer Lv.1】
Price: 1,500 NTR points
Effect: Analyzes the target and surrounding environment.
Right after they'd become stranded, Kang Tae-seong had hurriedly purchased this skill.
In case there was anything that might help while they waited for rescue.
He'd bought the skill to assess and scout the surrounding area.
But when he actually tried using it, it had an unexpected function.
It could reveal not only objects and the environment, but also a person's condition.
When he looked at Choi Yu-ri and used the skill, information immediately appeared.
【Status Analysis】
-Body temperature dropping.
-Fatigue accumulating.
-No external injuries.
◆ System Recommendation
-Take off your wet clothes immediately and raise your body temperature.
-Risk of hypothermia.
That was why Kang Tae-seong had rushed over.
Choi Yu-ri had misunderstood him, but she was safe, so that was what mattered.
More than that, Tae-seong was paying closer attention to the skill's effects.
'The shop skills are more useful than I expected...'
Villain's Charisma had made others back down in a crisis,
while Eye of the Observer had given him information he needed to survive.
How many more skills were there that he hadn't tried yet?
'I need to earn more points.'
He needed to gather more points so he could prepare for the dangers ahead.
That was what Tae-seong was thinking when
"Boss."
Choi Yu-ri spoke cautiously.
"Yes."
She hesitated before speaking.
"What do you think about... speaking casually?"
Kang Tae-seong blinked.
"All of a sudden?"
Choi Yu-ri twirled the end of her hair around her finger.
"When I keep calling you Boss, even in a situation like this, it feels like there's too much distance between us."
Kang Tae-seong considered it briefly, then nodded.
"Should we?"
"Really?"
“Speaking casually isn't hard.”
“Wow! The boss speaking casually!”
As Choi Yu-ri's spirits rose, Kang Tae-seong turned the question back on her.
"Then, assuming I speak casually, what are you going to call me?"
“Uh.”
Choi Yu-ri paused at the question.
Come to think of it, that was true.
Kang Tae-seong had said he'd speak casually, but she would still be calling him...
"Boss?"
She blurted out the title she'd grown used to.
"Am I the only one who'll keep formally calling you Boss?"
"Hmm..."
Choi Yu-ri fell into thought.
The most common form of address would probably be...
"Mr. Tae-seong?"
She tried saying it quietly, but it felt a little distant.
"That's too formal. Way too businesslike."
Just then, Kang Tae-seong said seriously,
"You can call me Uncle Tae-seong."
"..."
Choi Yu-ri blinked.
"Uncle?"
"Yes."
Kang Tae-seong seemed to think it was perfectly natural.
"Boss."
Choi Yu-ri said, trying to hold back her laughter.
"We're only ten years apart."
"Is ten years not a significant age gap?"
Kang Tae-seong asked seriously.
At that, Choi Yu-ri tilted her head.
"I don't know. It doesn't feel that big to me."
After thinking for a moment, she added,
"These days, plenty of people with a ten-year age gap are friends."
Kang Tae-seong looked a little surprised.
To him, ten years was quite a significant gap.
But not to Choi Yu-ri.
She was much more open-minded than he'd expected.
"You're much more open-minded than an old geezer like me... heh."
"Pfft! Boss, where did you learn to say something like that?"
"Was that trendy?"
“You're already proving you're not an old geezer. Hmm, what would be good...”
Choi Yu-ri thought for a moment.
"...!"
Then her eyes darted around, as if she'd just thought of something.
"What's wrong?"
Kang Tae-seong asked.
Choi Yu-ri avoided his gaze.
"No, it's just... ahem..."
After hesitating several times, she carefully spoke.
"W-Would it be all right if I called you oppa?"
Kang Tae-seong's eyes widened slightly.
"..."
There was no answer.
He just looked at Choi Yu-ri with a flustered expression
'Huh?'
At his reaction, Choi Yu-ri's playful streak rose again.
That cool-headed, capable man couldn't say a word over one little title, oppa.
It felt a little cute.
'...I want to tease him.'
Choi Yu-ri tilted her head slightly.
Half joking, half serious.
With a feeling she couldn't understand herself, she cautiously opened her mouth.
"T-Tae-seong oppa."
Kang Tae-seong blinked.
It was a form of address he hadn't expected.
Choi Yu-ri, too, only now realized what she'd just said.
"..."
Her face grew warm for no particular reason.
It was only an ordinary form of address.
Why did her heart feel so ticklish?
Choi Yu-ri looked away for no reason.
Unlike usual, Kang Tae-seong didn't answer right away.
After a long silence, as if he were considering something,
he slowly spoke in a very low voice.
"...Yeah, Yu-ri."
"Ah...!!"
Choi Yu-ri's eyes widened.
She'd been the one to ask him to call her that.
But when he actually called her by name,
an indescribable tingling feeling ran through her whole body.
"......"
Silence passed between the two of them again.
Crackle, crackle.
In the quiet cave, only the sound of the campfire softly crackling rang out.
The only thing shining in the darkness was the small flame, quietly illuminating the two of them.
Choi Yu-ri suddenly had a thought.
'Like a campfire.'
The situation itself felt just like they were having a campfire.
Of course, it wasn't a proper campfire.
A downpour. A sudden ordeal in the wilderness. A dark cave.
It was something she would never experience under ordinary circumstances.
And yet, strangely, she didn't dislike this moment.
If anything, she felt like it would stay in her memory for a long time.
‘Tae-seong oppa.’
Quietly turning the title over in her mind, Choi Yu-ri looked at Kang Tae-seong.
The bear-like man was trying to avoid her gaze, the tips of his ears strangely red.
And she smiled faintly without even realizing it.