Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Water
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Even an earthworm writhes if you step on it.
Earthworms have their pride, too, by the way. How much more so for a human?
"Y-You...!"
Lee Hyunji's face turned beet red as her body trembled with rage.
"You don't want water?! How dare you... how dare you speak to me like that!"
She looked like she'd explode if poked, so I just yawned and ignored her.
Lee Hyunji pointed at me accusingly, unleashing a torrent of abuse.
"Just you wait! I'll tell the kids right now not to give you a single sip!"
I shrugged.
Given the class's personalities, they wouldn't listen to her anyway. And even if they did, I was leaving this place today, so it didn't matter.
My lukewarm reaction only made Lee Hyunji huff and puff as she stormed off toward the boys.
"W-Wow, impressive."
Park Soyoung, watching from the side, looked at me in admiration.
"Impressive? Nah, just stupid. How can someone be that thoughtless?"
Math teacher sneered in disdain, while science piled on even more harshly.
"He's really screwed his life now. He held out for three years, but snapped in the end. Not that it matters for someone already at rock bottom—can't get much worse."
Who knows.
I just tossed back one line.
"Loud and clear. Sounded just like that pig oinking a minute ago."
"......"
Whether they knew shame or not, the teachers shut their mouths.
They might remember this as the most humiliating moment of their lives.
But they were far from done. This was just the beginning.
'Keep getting trashed by the class kids.'
Or I'd make sure of it.
"Alright, let's get going then. We need to move early if we want any extra shut-eye when we get back."
We headed into the forest.
Technically, following the coast first then entering the woods would've been faster, but I deliberately went straight in from the start.
It made for a better cover story when we vanished.
'This way, no one will even try tracking us. They'll see the vast forest and give up.'
As we entered the woods, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze and turned around.
At sunset on the beach, the twins peeked out from behind a tree, staring at me.
'They wouldn't be thinking of following, would they?'
Our eyes met, and the twins blinked cutely.
Their jewel-like blue eyes sparkled amid the reddening world.
Fortunately, they just watched and didn't follow.
Still, just in case, I kept glancing back several times.
It'd be a headache if those two tagged along.
"......"
"......"
The twins' figures slowly vanished behind the trees.
Bit by bit, until they were completely out of sight. Only then did I relax and face forward.
'Phew. Alright, let's hustle as fast as we can.'
Dusk hadn't fully fallen yet—perfect time to pick up the pace.
I quickened my delayed steps from all the backward glances.
Rustle rustle.
I led at the front, the others following. Visibility dimmed, and it grew harder to see ahead.
"Should we turn on the lantern?"
Park Soyoung, the flight attendant, asked.
For some reason, she'd suddenly grown friendly toward me.
She used to stick with the teachers, shunning me and Kim Yeonju. Now she clung to my left like a homeroom teacher, close enough that her modest breasts brushed my arm every ten seconds or so.
"Do whatever."
"Got it. But are all students that bold?"
"Huh?"
"I mean it. That was so refreshing, what you said to Senior Hyunji. I always bottle stuff like that up. Scared of backlash from superiors."
I get it. I'd endured three years fearing the same. I wasn't much different from her.
"Same here."
But my homeroom teacher cut in, adding her two cents.
"Exactly! Woojin here's amazing. Sharp, straightforward, knows when to hold back and when to push!"
"Really?"
"Yep! I guarantee it as his homeroom teacher!"
Oh. At her endorsement, Park Soyoung's eyes sparkled.
"Pfft. Sharp and straightforward, my ass."
Then came a scoff from the side. Science teacher Jeong Mina.
"He does hold back well, sure. Too bad he's an idiot. Don't waste your time on trash like that—you'll catch the stupidity."
"Teacher Jeong, you done talking?"
"Teacher Lee Sujung, why the anger? Did I say something wrong?"
"You said plenty wrong! A whole lot!"
Whoa. Suddenly, homeroom and science were at each other's throats, leaving the flight attendant flustered in between.
"Apologize right now!"
"No thanks. Why should I?"
"I said apologize!"
My left-side homeroom pushed forward to my right, while the right-side flight attendant blinked and shifted left.
"Teacher Lee Sujung, aren't you a bit dim? Why defend trash like him? It's embarrassing. Get a grip."
"The one who needs to get a grip is you, Teacher Jeong! Apologize already!"
Homeroom bickered with science for a while.
It was the first time since former homeroom teacher Song Duri that someone had stepped up for me so fiercely.
'Teacher Lee Sujung really is on my side.'
My heart warmed.
And in contrast, a hot emotion surged in my chest.
Anger.
You know how it is.
I could take insults aimed at me, but not ones targeting someone who stood up for me.
It wasn't the first time science spewed venom and tormented me.
She constantly belittled me and pulled unreasonable stunts.
Making me handle her or janitor duties like experiment prep and cleanup was standard. She'd summon me just to vent in my face.
Especially after calls with her ex-husband—her hysterics peaked then.
I clenched my fist tight.
'I can endure her putting me down. But insulting Teacher Lee Sujung right now? No way.'
"Heh. Didn't think quiet, spineless Teacher Lee Sujung had it in her. Defending her student so passionately... Impressive, right?"
At Park Soyoung's question, I unclenched my fist, flashed a dumb grin, and nodded.
"Yeah. Teacher's the best. That's how I survived three tough years. In a way, she's my lifesaver."
"I see. Makes sense to me, too."
Park Soyoung eyed math and science intently, then linked her arm with mine like she was joining our side.
I called homeroom over.
"Teacher, come here."
"Just a sec, Woojin! I'll make her apologize!"
"Come on. A forced apology means nothing."
Finally, after my persistent coaxing, homeroom peeled away from science and stuck to my side.
Phew! Her puffed cheeks and snorts screamed 'I'm super mad!'—adorable.
"Calm down."
"Okay."
I linked arms with homeroom. She startled, then went quiet like a tame cat, hugging my arm tight.
Soon, a red glow appeared ahead of us.
We'd finally reached our destination.
It was a familiar path, and we'd started earlier and moved briskly compared to day one, arriving in just two hours.
An hour earlier than before.
The original plan was to kill time here, then head back around 1 a.m. to pick up Kim Yeonju.
But I'd changed my mind a bit.
'Current time: 8:23 p.m. About four hours until 1 a.m.'
I glared at science, resting off to the side.
I wanted to give that thirty-one-year-old hysteric a proper lesson. Shut that yapping mouth for good.
And it wouldn't be hard.
Lee Hyunji had already shown me exactly how.
"Let's get started, then."
People moved to gather coconuts.
Math, the guy, climbed trees; the women tried but failed, opting to throw rocks instead.
Of course, coconuts don't fall easily from a few stones.
"Whoa, Woojin, you already got one?"
"Uh, yeah."
"You're amazing!"
"Right? Told you Woojin's the best."
To be precise, I'd waited under one about to drop and snatched it.
But the clueless group praised me, eyes shining.
"Jeez. Making a fuss over one coconut. Teacher Kim, still nothing? Even kids can do it—why're you so useless?"
As expected, science grumbled, needling math.
I circled back soon after for another, sharing extras with homeroom and the flight attendant.
Our team ended up with one each.
Park Soyoung stared at hers and said,
"You sure I can have this? I didn't do anything."
"You moved with us. Worked hard, too."
Throwing rocks takes real effort. Yet she'd persisted, determined to get one.
Unlike science, who quit after a few tosses to complain.
Her sweat-drenched face lit up as she clutched the coconut.
"Thank you."
"No biggie. We've met our quota—time to rest."
I glanced at math and science.
They were bickering.
"Stop bossing me around!"
"Raising your voice? You okay?"
"Yeah. Damn it, how noble are you to just bark orders from below? Climb the tree yourself!"
"Ugh. Teacher Kim Seonghyeon, I'm so disappointed. Is that any way to talk to a woman?"
Finally, fed-up math bellowed,
"Don't follow me! I'll handle it alone! You do you!"
And vanished somewhere.
"What was that yelling for? If he could actually work, fine—but useless loudmouths, always the loudest."
Science irritably plopped down just ten meters from our rest spot.
I turned to a shady nook, bought 2L of water from the shop window.
'10 points left.'
A twinge of regret, but I shook it off.
I stepped out to the group, chugged the bottle dramatically in front of everyone.
"Ahh."
Sweat poured out, cool refreshment hit— I couldn't help but sigh in bliss.
Pure nectar. Maybe from the work? Water never tasted this sweet.
"Ah."
A desperate voice drew my gaze down—homeroom and the flight attendant stared at my bottle.
I drank a bit more, then handed it to homeroom.
"Thanks, Woojin. I'll enjoy it."
"Yeah. Drink up."
"Wow, so refreshing. Hehe. This is great...!"
Homeroom can't hide her feelings.
They show on her face and voice.
Her eating show was enough to mesmerize the other two women.
"That refreshing?"
"Yes! Like straight from the fridge!"
Park Soyoung touched it lightly and jolted at the chill.
Gulp. Her throat bobbed.
In this deserted island hell, chilled water should've raised flags—but exhaustion and pain dulled rational thought.
'I'd sensed it vaguely, but Lee Hyunji confirmed it today.'
No need to hide drinking it.
Source didn't matter.
"Wh-Where'd you get that?"
Even if asked,
"Does it matter? Don't you want some?"
...Nod.
Asking the source meant they wanted it, betting I'd share.
Homeroom finished contentedly and returned the bottle. Knowing I decided, Park Soyoung gazed at me pleadingly.
"Nothing's free in this world. You get that, right?"
"Of course."
"What can you offer me?"
Park Soyoung's eyes darted. She asked cautiously,
"What do you want from me?"
I glanced at homeroom.
Before coming here, I'd asked her how she'd feel if I slept with someone else.
-Hmm. I'd feel bad, but if it makes you happy, Woojin, I'd accept it. I respect your choices, always.
"?"
Homeroom caught my look, tilted her head, then spotted the bulge in my pants and let out a soft 'Ah...'
Her face flushed as she nodded.
"Do what makes you happy, Woojin."
I approached the seated Park Soyoung. By now, she noticed the sizable bulge and her eyes widened.
Gulp.
"Now you know what I want, right?"
"Y-Yeah, but I..."
"Play along, and it's all yours."
"!!"
Her mumbling stopped. Her gaze fell to the 2L bottle on her thigh.
"Ah..."
Shocked once by the chill.
"Ahh..."
Again by the weight of the remaining water.
"What'll it be?"
"...Y-You mean it? All of it?"
"Of course. Play nice, and chug it all right now if you want."
Park Soyoung hugged the bottle, trembling. Then she glared determinedly, uncapped it, and gulped it down.
Ahh! With a refreshed sigh, she told me,
"Deal! I'll do it!"
"Good. Suck me first?"
She set the water down, tugged my pants, stared wide-eyed at my cock, then extended her tongue, licking from base to tip.
Fresh from cold water, her tongue was moist and cool—oddly thrilling.
I placed a hand on her head, savoring her lips and tongue in silence.
Soon homeroom sidled up for a kiss. Mid-kiss, I pressed her head to my chest, making her suck there.
Smack smack. Kiss. Smack.
I groped homeroom's ass and bared Park Soyoung's breasts to fondle.
Lifting my head, I saw science—who'd eavesdropped—muttering at us.
"Cr-Crazy. They're insane."
'Yeah, crazy.'
I slipped a hand back, bought fresh water from the shop, pretended to fetch it from behind a tree, and plunked it down conspicuously.
Science teacher Jeong Mina's eyes shook wildly.
'And you'll be crazy soon enough.'
She licked her lips. The science teacher, who seemed rooted, began crawling this way bit by bit.