Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Lure
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Most of the Jeong Seohui in my memories was slumped over her desk, fast asleep.
The times when Jeong Seohui wasn't sleeping were when she skipped class.
I never saw her during homeroom or even at mealtimes, but Jeong Seohui always made sure to grab food after ditching lessons.
Then, around the time the school day wrapped up, she'd saunter back in and crash again.
So, I knew nothing about her.
Still, she was someone who stuck in my mind pretty vividly.
-Pathetic.
Very occasionally, when our eyes met, she'd always look at me with eyes that screamed disappointment.
To put it harshly, it was like she was staring at trash.
It was never a look of pity.
-Why do you live like that?
Those were the only two things she ever said to me over three years.
But they were so bluntly phrased that even those two short lines were unforgettable.
'Come to think of it, she was a real odd one.'
The rest of the class treated me like air. They'd act like I didn't exist until they needed something, then come bossing me around.
Even Kang Hye-rin, who beat me up every day claiming she'd toughen me into a real man, ignored me like a ghost most of the time.
But Jeong Seohui was different.
She consistently acknowledged my existence, staring at me coldly with that disdainful gaze.
She made sure I never forgot I existed over those three years, while ruthlessly ripping into my heart at the same time.
That was Jeong Seohui.
In a way, she was someone pretty special to me.
'There she is.'
I halted my steps and fixed my gaze ahead. Through the foliage, I spotted a short-haired tomboy carefully parting the bushes as she advanced.
She froze.
Sensing my presence, Jeong Seohui whipped around toward me.
Her deep gray eyes—darker than the twins'—locked straight onto mine.
'Will she even listen to reason?'
Jeong Seohui was the type who let her actions speak louder than words. You could tell just from the fact that she'd only said two things to me in three years.
'Better not get too close.'
I could end up caught if I approached carelessly.
And even without the twins to worry about, I had plenty of reasons not to get nabbed.
I was a fugitive, after all.
"What are you doing in this forest? It's dangerous. Just head back."
I called out to Seohui as she took a step toward me.
Packing a warning into my tone.
Of course, the words just circled in my mouth and never made it out.
Pa-ba-bat!
The moment Jeong Seohui spotted me, she bolted straight at me. At an insane speed.
'Damn it. No surprise—reasoning's not gonna work with her.'
I spun on my heel and bolted too.
Using [Danger Detection], I deliberately fled toward spots crawling with snakes.
While sticking to paths that were completely safe. It was all to scare her off.
Sr-r-rk. Sr-r-rk.
As if reading my intent, snakes started slithering out one after another, flaunting their presence.
They dangled from trees everywhere, flicking their tongues.
There were so many that the canopy practically glowed red with their aura.
Ta-da-dat!
No ordinary person could cross this forest. They'd never even dream of trying.
'If only she'd get spooked and run now.'
Fat chance.
Her eyes wide and fierce, she pursued relentlessly.
Scanning her surroundings warily, mirroring my exact path and steps.
'She's insane. A total monster.'
The way she followed my footprints precisely was straight-up divine.
She was dead certain there were no snakes where I'd stepped, planting her feet with total confidence.
But what gave me chills even more was how, amid all that frantic movement, she still vigilantly checked her surroundings.
Her wide eyes rapidly scanned for any snakes she might've missed.
That's when one snake wedged itself between us.
A single one dropping from overhead.
'Danger...'
Pop!
I tried to warn her, but Jeong Seohui snatched the falling snake midair and flung it aside.
"!!"
Effortlessly.
It was reaction time and athleticism that bordered on madness.
Hard to believe even seeing it myself. A split-second slower, and that snake would've bitten her.
'How is her physicality this good?'
And her strength and stamina? Forget about it.
She was steadily closing the gap, bit by bit.
Way beyond anything I'd anticipated.
Judging it too risky to keep going like this, I pulled up my status window right away.
I dumped every last point into upgrading my [Danger Detection] ability.
[100 points have been used.]
[Upgrade successful.]
[Stamina consumption reduced by +10.]
[Maximum upgrade reached. Stamina consumption greatly reduced.]
I no longer had the confidence to handle Jeong Seohui while even using [Danger Detection].
Thankfully, it was the right call.
'Feels like I might actually survive.'
The upgrade took the strain right off my body.
But Jeong Seohui was still hot on my tail, fierce as ever.
Ta-da-da-dat!
She was so fast that close calls happened over and over—moments where it felt like she'd grab me any second.
Whoosh.
I could vividly feel the swipe of Jeong Seohui's hand grazing past my back.
Glancing over my shoulder, her eyes blazed with murderous intent, like she'd slam me to the ground and interrogate me the instant she got a hold.
'The second she catches me, she'll pin me down and start yelling. "Where are the twins? Spill it now!"'
Depending on her mood, she might even torture me.
She didn't treat me like a person. No telling what she'd do if she caught me.
I absolutely could not get nabbed.
But why, even in this do-or-die chase, did a smile keep creeping onto my face?
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!
'Not gonna be easy catching me. Running's one thing I know I'm good at.'
Three years of bolting around weren't for nothing.
"Damn it."
Jeong Seohui's curse echoed from behind.
She'd already swung at me a dozen times, but none had landed decisively.
Call it late to mention, but this nail-biting pursuit? I orchestrated the whole thing.
Luring her out of the forest had failed.
Talking it out had failed too.
So, only one option left.
'Take down Jeong Seohui.'
But how the hell do you take down a monster like her?
Of course, I didn't need to do it personally.
Haa. Haa.
'Here it comes—the shift.'
Truth was, I'd been aiming for this exact moment.
The one where Jeong Seohui's speed started to flag, where cracks showed in her terminator-like stamina and expression.
'Nailed it.'
I could see her stamina visibly draining.
In a way, it was inevitable.
I'd stuck to snake-heavy zones on purpose. Safe paths, but choked with underbrush.
That forced Jeong Seohui to throttle her speed, wary of snakes bursting from the bushes. Then, once past, she'd ramp it up again to close the gap.
'Constantly varying your pace like that in a sprint? That chews through stamina like crazy.'
And that was just the start.
After that one snake dropped from above, her focus splintered constantly—eyes darting everywhere.
It ravaged her energy even faster.
'Going exactly to plan.'
Knowing Jeong Seohui's "actions over words" personality, I'd prepped for the chance we'd end up here.
'Of course, for the plan to work, I'd need the skills to pull it off too.'
Truth be told, from the planning stage, I never worried about getting caught.
I was dead certain no one on this island knew the forest better than me.
'Plus, after two days of steady meat, my stamina's leagues beyond hers on hardtack.'
With a much more relaxed mindset, I took in Jeong Seohui's form as I moved.
Haa. Haa...
Jeong Seohui was drenched in sweat, chasing after me.
The gap between us was now glaringly obvious.
I jogged leisurely, walked briskly, even strolled slowly.
Meanwhile, she huffed and puffed, struggling to keep up—but falling further behind by the second.
'Her base stamina should've been superior.'
Now, I was matching her just by walking, even pausing in place midway.
Eventually, I spent more time waiting than walking.
'Hitting her limit, huh.'
Her trembling legs were proof.
'But she won't quit.'
She'd chased this far to find the twins, scoured the forest relentlessly day and night for two days. Tenacity like that didn't give up easy.
Her grit was unreal.
Having pegged me as the culprit who took the twins, she wouldn't let the perp slip away right in front of her.
Hell, at this point, it might be pride on the line. Getting outlasted in a stamina duel probably stung her ego bad.
'Doesn't matter which. I just exploit it.'
Keep circling her until her tank hit empty.
I strolled with hands clasped behind my back, then plopped down on the ground when even that outpaced her.
Kruk.
Jeong Seohui glared at me with fire in her eyes. But when the body can't keep up with the will, things get simple fast.
"Urgh."
She stepped forward and faceplanted.
In this sweltering heat, chasing full-tilt for a solid hour? She'd lasted impressively long.
Most folks would tap out in ten minutes flat at that pace.
"Giving up? Not coming after me anymore?"
I tossed out a jab, and Jeong Seohui pushed herself up, shaking her head side to side.
Still woozy, she slapped her own cheeks to snap out of it.
Slap slap slap!
Hard enough to turn her pale skin beet red.
'Tough as nails.'
Not your average. No one in class had that kind of ruthless drive.
'No wonder no guy's ever thought about banging a vicious, stubborn, obsessive woman like her.'
With a solid family backing her to boot, and word from the twins that she was a beast in a fight.
No man on Earth could pin a girl like that down and have his way.
'But I can. At least while we're on this island. No matter how elite she is, she's still human.'
Thud.
Jeong Seohui collapsed again.
Propping her upper body on her elbows, she gulped air raggedly. Drip. Drip. Sweat poured like rain, shadowing the sand beneath her.
I stared at her for a beat, then stood. As I started moving again, Jeong Seohui—fresh off a brief breather—staggered to her feet and followed.
Stumble. Stagger.
'Anyway, this should be enough.'
I'd drained her stamina plenty, leaving her no room to attack.
She could barely hold herself up.
For a split second, seeing her like that, I considered just forcing myself on her.
But I shelved the idea.
Too risky if it backfired.
I set off again, and the exhausted Jeong Seohui trailed behind. Leading her along, I entered the mouth of the rocky mountain.
"Ah, Master! You're back?"
Kim Yeonju, waiting at the upper entrance to the rocky mountain, beamed at me.
But she gasped upon spotting Jeong Seohui clambering up behind.
I motioned for Kim Yeonju to fall back. She scurried off, and turning, I saw Jeong Seohui practically crawling up from below.
'She looks kinda dangerous right now.'
Sure enough, as she clawed up the slope, Jeong Seohui's hand slipped out.
I reached out and grabbed it before she tumbled down.
Grab.
But in that instant, Jeong Seohui's eyes flashed open.
Blazing with fierce light.
'Crap.'
Instinct told me: it was all an act. A trap laid to snag me after I'd kept dodging.
Proof? Her grip clamped down impossibly hard in a heartbeat as she surged up and seized my collar, yanking me close.
"Kgh."
Strength no girl should've had.
Guess it came from her foreign roots?
The British girl adopted into a financial dynasty, splashed across the media one day.
England stock, from what I'd heard—and raw power no Korean girl her age could match.
Yanking my collar savagely, Jeong Seohui glared like she wanted me dead.
'Can't blame her. What went down in the forest? Total ego bruise.'
Jeong Seohui curled her lip. Like a hunter finally bagging her prey.
But I smirked inwardly too.
Somehow, I was looking forward to it.
'Full of vim and vigor—perfect. She'll handle chores great. Sturdy build means riding her will be fun. Tenacious and gritty too.'
All the women I had now were too frail for hard labor. This was one hell of an appealing recruit.
'Wide hips, solid lower body—she'll pop out kids easy.'
Collar still gripped tight by Jeong Seohui, that's what ran through my head.
Like a prime mare had wandered right into my lap, vines and all.
Feisty ones like her? Breaking them in—and the sex—would be next level.