Survival Signal
Mun Hee-jeong leaned against me, sobbing until she exhausted herself and fell asleep.
"Does she usually eat like shit? She's so light."
I scooped her up effortlessly and carried her to the bed, then sat on the floor to keep watch by her side.
About five minutes passed.
"Hic...!"
Did she have a falling dream or something? Her body jerked violently once, and Mun Hee-jeong bolted upright.
"Wh-what...?!"
Spotting me right there, she panicked and hid her face under the blanket.
"......"
"Why's she acting all shy after showing me something she didn't want anyone to see?"
Peeking out only with her eyes to check on me, she looked like a wary meerkat. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
First things first—I needed to lighten the mood before bringing up anything else.
"Sorry. Didn't think you'd pass out."
"N-no, it's fine... ugh. Hold on a sec."
Mun Hee-jeong grabbed her smartphone and dashed out of the bedroom. Music started playing from the bathroom.
"Cover your ears."
"Why."
"Don't you have any consideration?"
Gemma clicked her tongue and roughly shoved her finger into my earhole.
"What the hell, suddenly...!"
With no sound getting through, I waited until Mun Hee-jeong returned to the bedroom.
"I washed up..."
Her outfit was the kind that made you sweat just looking at it—no helping that. She must've been drenched.
"C-could you turn around for a bit?"
I did, and she dove straight onto the bed, covering herself with the blanket.
"But seriously, latex out of nowhere? Where're your regular clothes?"
I asked casually, not wanting to tip her off that I knew about the Genealogy Oath penalty. She explained the whole story.
"Keep it secret from the teacher and the others, okay...?"
"Obviously."
At this rate, she wouldn't make it to school for another two days. I worried it might mess with her scholarship.
"Sorry. I originally bought a leather skirt and vest too, but they haven't arrived yet..."
"Nah, I'm grateful—no, wait, I'm the one who's sorry. Bursting in like that. Thought you might've collapsed from some illness."
"You were worried about me."
She beamed. The madness had already faded from her innocent smile.
Yeah. Now that I knew she had a tendency to spiral like that, I could just keep an eye on her from here on out.
And once time passed and she patched things up with Seol Romi like old times, she'd be even better off.
"But was it really just worry? You came to a girl's place alone—no heart pounding or anything?"
Her timid voice snuck in like a jab amid the concern. Even she seemed embarrassed to say it, her cheeks flushing.
"Y-you said... I was pretty."
"Cough!"
"Look at her stirring up black history then wagging her tail all cute. Hey, delinquent. Get your head straight?"
What set Mun Hee-jeong apart from Gemma was that her shy allure in moments like this was genuine, not an act.
"Ah. Right. Yeah. You're pretty."
I took the direct hit and answered. I had to seize control here.
"Besides that, I wanted to say thanks in person."
I pulled the gifted gloves from my bag and slipped them on both hands.
"They suit you."
Seeing her so pleased made me feel unnecessarily guilty. She'd been through hell because of me, yet here she was smiling like that.
In a good way—and a bad way—she was still so young and pure.
Paternal instincts, responsibility, a swirl of other emotions churned in the back of my mind.
"I'm not the type to just pay lip service. Tell me what you want. I'll get you anything."
"I want Kim Taeyang."
Without a hint of hesitation, she met my eyes straight on, her lips a pretty pink.
"...People aren't objects. Think about it till next time we meet. Anything you want."
Staying here longer felt dangerous—like one of us might toss reason out the window in a bad way.
"Anything, got it? Leaving some bait here."
I stood hurriedly and headed out of the bedroom.
"Wait."
As I reached for the door, her voice called out.
"No, never mind."
I shut my eyes tight, confirming that moist gaze slowly succumbing to gravity, and replied.
"I'm heading out. Start answering the others' messages now."
"Mhm..."
Only then could I close the door and leave Mun Hee-jeong's dorm.
"Clueless about people... you jerk."
"What'd I do."
"...Whatever."
Gemma muttered something cryptic, then as soon as we stepped into the hallway, she forcibly hooked her arm in mine.
"What's with the sudden—"
"Shut up and stay like this."
That was the last of it. Gemma didn't say a word to me until we reached Shin Sua's place.
* * *
The next day, and the day after, Mun Hee-jeong still didn't come to school.
But she popped into the club chat now and then, and she'd filed for sick leave, so people weren't too worried.
Gemma and I spent those two days busy as hell.
Every day after school, we hit the reserved spa and aesthetic salon for baths, purification rituals, and the 'couple beauty + Thai massage' package to recharge body and soul—not to mention feasting on gourmet food at Shin Sua's and grinding training.
"Paper panties during massages are kinda awkward."
Gemma spun her arm like she was reliving yesterday's session. I'd seen her stretch contentedly like a cat waking from a nap, but whatever.
Living it up on someone else's dime was the best.
I flicked the card Shin Sua gave me and strode into the department store.
Meisy & Logan. The biggest and most central of the fifteen department stores across the entire academy fleet, packed with every brand imaginable.
Reason we skipped the aesthetic and spa to come here? Simple: tomorrow was the eve of the Grand Offering.
"Shopping after so long. Hehe."
"Can't you just steal what you want?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Dad and I only steal from bad guys."
Gemma was already buzzing, practically skipping.
Yeah. We weren't here just to pick a nice perfume like Shin Sua suggested—though we'd grab some.
The main goal was buying the offerings Gemma wanted.
"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"
No clue what she'd ask for, but I followed silently.
Dashing across the luxurious floor, Gemma headed not for the elevator but the escalator.
A few other Shangju were shopping with their ancestor spirits too—not just me. All recent dead, dressed in modern clothes.
We didn't stand out. I relaxed and caught up to Gemma waving her hand.
"What's got you so excited."
"Just... reminded me of coming here with Mom back in the day."
"Here?"
"Yeah. When I was little. Hasn't changed a bit. Look— they totally ripped off that Trevi Fountain design over there."
Cylindrical building. Escalators bridged like bridges over the hole piercing from basement to top floor.
Beyond the handrail, the B1 meeting spot had the white fountain she'd mentioned.
I recalled Gemma's mom had been dead a while. Guess the excitement was from childhood memories with her here.
Feeling a bit down, but I didn't want to cloud her beaming face, so I smiled.
Rare day off. Time to enjoy it.
"So, decided on your offering?"
"Stop calling it an offering. Just say gift—does it hurt?"
"You didn't mind before."
"Offerings are for the dead. Makes me feel bad."
Gemma pouted. She'd been like this since leaving Mun Hee-jeong's—insisting on 'gift' over 'offering,' with odd fixations on details.
Recalling the saying it's easier to accept women than understand them, I shifted to more productive thoughts.
"Anyway, can't you tell me what you want already?"
Suddenly curious. As I'd told her, offerings burned in the Grand Offering became the ancestor spirit's property outright—like burning a TV lets the spirit summon a ghostly one anytime.
Like burning fake money in shaman rituals for the afterlife road funds.
"Nope. Not telling."
Gemma stuck out her tongue mischievously, eyes sparkling as she scanned around.
"So many secrets."
"Of course. What do you take women for?"
Department store goods are similar everywhere. She could conjure most clothes, shoes, bags with disguise arts—what was missing that she needed this place?
"Start from the top and work down?"
"Nah. Short on time today. Just grab what I want and go."
"For real?"
Unexpected consideration. Grateful, I amused myself guessing her floor.
Not B1 with food, sundries, shoes.
Passed 1F luxury cosmetics and bags.
3F casual? Nope, straight up.
Skipped 4F menswear, 5F sports/outdoor.
"No way..."
6F kitchenware/appliances? Wrong again.
Few floors left. No clue—then Gemma ahead said,
"Oh. Found it."
She stopped at 7F. Lingerie floor.
"What're you doing. Come in."
"......"
Couldn't fathom why she'd need lingerie with disguise arts, hesitated—but loitering outside in delinquent blond-tan getup like an idiot? I followed into her picked store.
"This place is way better than I thought?"
Gemma was already grabbing bra sets off racks, eyeing designs and sizes.
"Ah, maybe I should graduate from this style..."
Comparing cute to provocative ones at random, my curiosity piqued again.
"Can't you make clothes with disguise arts? Why bother—"
"Hold these for a sec."
Instead of answering, she dumped a pile on me and grabbed more bras.
"Tell that clerk sister to let me use the fitting room."
No choice—I relayed it to the smiling staff.
Shwaa!
"Ha... thought I'd die of stuffiness."
Bundling the lingerie, she curtained off in the changing room, giggling happily.
"Plenty of other nice expensive stuff—why this? Not that it's cheap here..."
Wondered if she was minding my wallet, but the answer surprised.
"Nah. I really wanted lingerie."
Why though? Couldn't hide my doubt.
"You can make clothes with ancestor power. Like that swimsuit last time—instant."
"Stuff that clings directly like underwear or swimsuits? Can only summon ones I've actually worn."
Made weird sense. Didn't fully get lingerie significance for women, but wanting different designs per mood? Kinda got it.
"Alright. Whatever makes you happy."
"Don't forget—double the budget, right? I'm buying a ton today."
"Got it, just don't overdo it..."
Wait—did she even need my money? Count it as beauty treatment. Shin Sua's card covers it.
"Pick everything you like. I'll buy it all."
"For real?"
"You know I'm not lying."
"Heh. Finally acting cute."
Gemma snorted in satisfaction.
"But hey. It's not just 'cause I'm bored of my old lingerie designs."
"What're you talking about."
"Yeah, I wanna collect a bunch to choose from—but there's another reason too."
Playful voice mixed with fabric whispers from beyond the curtain, stirring imagination in complicated ways. Tried guessing her 'reason,' but no dice.
"What's that?"
"Curious?"
"...Not really?"
"Liar."
"......"
Unique trait 'Falsehood Discernment' wasn't for this.
Had to admit.
"Curious."
"Hehe."
She paused, then continued.
"Remember that bet last time?"
"Predicting if U Hyo-chung would take the water ink slab or dodge?"
"Yeah. That."
Recalled the bet: If late U Hyo-chung ate the slab direct, double my offering budget to Gemma. If he dodged, she confess a secret.
I lost.
"Why bring it up?"
"I'm in such a good mood now. Might as well spill one secret."
Slowly, her hand slipped out the curtain. Something she'd worn? A translucent bra dangled precariously from her fingers.
"Here."
"...What am I supposed to do."
"Just take it quick. Before it cools off."
No idea what she was thinking, but played along. Purely curiosity about her secret—no other thoughts. Really.
"No rubbing on your face or anything."
"You think I'm a perv?"
"Joking, idiot."
I gingerly pinched the black front-hook bra between thumb and forefinger like hazardous material.
"Anyway, see the tag printed inside the hook?"
"Yeah."
"Read what it says."
"Do I have to?"
"You wanted the secret."
Ignoring the lukewarm warmth creeping up my fingers, I read the white tag.
"70D. Underbust 70cm, overbust 87.5cm."
"Hehehe."
Gemma giggled delightedly from inside, then extended her hand again. Another bra—this one freshly picked.
"This one?"
"70E. Underbust 70cm, overbust 90cm... huh?"
"Crazy, right!"
She declared proudly.
"My boobs got bigger!"
"......"
She said it casually, but it hit me like a brick to the head.
Ancestor spirits' soul bodies fixate form once set—they don't change.
Applies equally even to the young dead. World law.
Ancestor spirits are souls of the dead. They never grow.
So what the hell was I looking at?
Her excited voice rang out, but it didn't register. Impossible. Beyond impossible—a phenomenon defying words.
"No way..."
Unless Gemma's body was alive and moving somewhere.