Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Isolation
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Jeong Seohee's isolation continued.
"Yuri, Yejin."
They scampered off.
"......"
To be precise, it wasn't so much bullying as the twins simply ignoring her.
"Failed again today?"
Jeong Seohee didn't respond to my question.
I handed her some grilled meat and fruit.
"Here's lunch for today."
"...Thanks. I'll repay this favor someday."
"Don't worry about it."
Threats didn't work on Jeong Seohee.
That was the conclusion I'd reached after observing her.
She wouldn't back down in a fight, and even if I forced her down and had my way with her multiple times, she wasn't the type to break down crying and accept it.
'But threatening her with the twins is absolutely off-limits.'
Scheming, pettiness, cheap tricks.
She despised that kind of thing, so using the twins as leverage to make her do something lewd could really get a knife in my gut.
But if I could just break her resistance, claim her body and heart, I'd gain immense power and a fierce guardian in return.
'The more I look at her, the more enticing a prey she becomes.'
Anyway, force wasn't an option.
I had to use the right mix of carrot and stick to open her heart and get her to spread her legs willingly.
That's why I'd isolated her in the first place.
Solely to make her accept me.
"Can I disinfect it now?"
"Got it. Lie down."
And in reality, I was the only one approaching her.
Not the homeroom teacher, not Kim Yeonju, not even the twins.
But the isolated Jeong Seohee showed no signs of breaking.
"Hey, are you feeling okay? Your face looks pale."
"None of your business. Stay still. Moving will just get in the way."
She glanced at the twins whenever she could, her face haggard, but that was it—Jeong Seohee was still holding strong.
Social isolation didn't faze her.
It made me realize just how tough she really was.
'Impressive. Come to think of it, she spent three years at school operating solo.'
I knew what it felt like to be alone. What true isolation meant.
Because I'd been alone for three years too.
'This approach won't cut it.'
Jeong Seohee wouldn't break like this.
"Done. Now get lost."
The moment I finished disinfecting, she turned away with a curt word and sat up.
'Might need to change tactics a bit.'
The truth was, I didn't have much time to spare.
Courting Jeong Seohee was important, but I couldn't afford to focus solely on her.
The daily quest was easy—just buy water and chug it—but the main quest had been stalled for days now.
And then there was the science team and Park Soyoung.
I hadn't visited in four days when I used to go every day, and any longer would risk spoiling the goods we supplied.
'That could mean lost cash earnings.'
Cash was already draining fast from eating meat and clearing daily quests. Any supply issues would halt point farming too.
Not to mention the science team's growing frustration.
'But Park Jimin worries me most.'
Like Jeong Seohee said, half the class was already rationing food, but by my estimate, we had maybe ten days left at best.
I didn't want to see Park Jimin starving.
'Can't put this off anymore.'
I geared up to head out. The homeroom teacher, washing dishes, looked puzzled at my actions.
"Woojin, where are you going?"
"Time to move. I've rested four days already—no more."
"Huh? But your back scab hasn't fallen off yet. And the bruises..."
I glanced down at my body as I pulled on my top.
The bruises, more widespread than the first day, looked pretty gruesome even to me.
They covered nearly my entire upper body.
The red and blue skin had turned deep purple now.
Of course, a few more days and the color would fade back to normal, but it wasn't ideal for moving around yet.
"Haha, what can I do? It's gotta be me."
No one else could freely enter and exit our base.
It was a natural fortress, but that made it inconvenient in ways like this.
"Anyway, I'm off. It'll take about twelve hours like last time, so don't wait up—eat properly without me. Here's some meat."
The twins came running up, hands outstretched at the twelve-hour mention, their faces paling.
I placed four large strawberries in each of their hands.
"That's for two meals. Don't eat them all at once, got it?"
They nodded eagerly.
Of course, I knew they'd devour them together the moment I left. Probably before the next mealtime even arrived.
Saving food wasn't even an option in their minds.
'They'll endure twelve hours without strawberries and appreciate me even more.'
Alright, twins handled.
I rubbed my aching lower belly, dressed now, and stepped out. As I passed Jeong Seohee, she grabbed my arm awkwardly.
"I'll come too."
"No need. You're worried about Yuri and Yejin, right?"
"Still, I can't just keep mooching off meals like this."
"You really planning to come, Jeong Seohee?"
I stared straight at her.
Under my unwavering gaze, she alternated looks between the twins popping strawberries into their mouths and me, hesitating.
'As expected, your weaknesses are the twins and your pride. Perfect whips for training you.'
I shrugged and flashed a grin.
"Yeah, you stay here. I'll go alone."
Honestly, her coming or not didn't matter much.
Though per plan, it'd be nice if she did.
With the twins always in her sight, I had no openings to slip in.
Work aside, separating her from them while out and about might create one.
'But if she doesn't come, no big deal for me.'
Things had backed up these past few days anyway.
The homeroom teacher and Kim Yeonju were sneaking off under pretenses to fool around.
But with the twins constantly circling, I couldn't even masturbate alone, let alone hook up with them.
Put simply, I was pent up.
So Jeong Seohee tagging along or not was fine by me.
I could just drag the science teacher and Park Soyoung into the brush for a few rounds.
But her pride must've been fiercer than I thought—she pried her reluctant feet away and turned from the twins.
"No. If Yuri and Yejin aren't working, I can't slack off either."
"Decision made? Then stop looking back. They've been fine without you, so quit worrying."
"Ugh, fine."
I dragged Jeong Seohee along—she kept glancing back like a cow headed to slaughter—and pressed forward.
"Woojin! You haven't been coming, so I can't fish without worrying!"
I leaped off the cliff, and the science teacher unleashed a barrage like she'd been waiting.
"How can we trust you with our lives like this?"
She was clearly seizing the chance to chew me out and negotiate something.
After three years of dealing with her, I could read her intentions from that expression alone.
"Say something!"
"Sorry. Circumstances came up."
"Circumstances? What circumstances! You kidding? This is life-or-death for us! Either take responsibility properly or give us more food!"
...The science teacher was full of energy today too.
She jabbed her finger and bellowed nonstop, not giving me a word in edgewise.
I watched quietly to see how long she'd rant.
Splash.
Someone jumped from above. The science teacher's face stiffened at the sight.
"Huh? Seohee...?"
"Oh? Science teacher, you're here too."
"Why's Seohee here?"
I shrugged.
"This is the circumstance."
"Ah...?"
The science teacher quietly backed off, and I dealt with Park Soyoung up front.
"Anyway, sorry again."
"N-No, it's fine. Woojin dropped off water and bananas every day."
I couldn't come down to trade directly, but I'd tossed down drinking water and food supplies regularly.
That's what she meant.
"Still, my delay probably caused some losses with the fish."
"Oh, we smoked what we caught early since you seemed late—me and unnie Minah."
They'd adapted well to island life, handling things wisely now.
Thanks to that, my cash income wasn't bad. I gratefully piled fruit into Park Soyoung's hands.
"Whoa, this much?"
"Not a gift—payment for three days of hard work."
"Ah."
Park Soyoung beamed proudly.
"And this is a bonus."
I lifted the packaged bundle, and Park Soyoung and the science teacher's eyes went wide.
The science teacher, who'd fled afar, rushed back, adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses repeatedly to inspect it.
"M-Meat?"
"Yes. Pork belly. Grill it thoroughly so you don't get sick."
"Woo-hoo!"
The science teacher snatched the meat and hopped around like a kid.
Watching a grown woman bounce in glee drove home just how vital food was to people.
She strode out of the water to grill it right away, shoulders heaving in excitement.
I approached quietly and tapped her shoulder.
"Even so, a thank-you is in order, Minah."
"Ahem. W-Well, thanks. Pork belly isn't really my thing, but since you gave it..."
Her prim thanks was adorable. No wonder I couldn't resist teasing her.
"No problem. Enjoy. And I'll be expecting it."
"Hm?"
"Your tongue was lively today. Replenish your energy with that meat. Next time, I'm definitely getting my bonus."
I leaned in, kneading her breast with my hand, and she froze stiff.
Still as soft and fun to squeeze as ever.
"Answer me, Minah. Say you'll stock up on tongue strength."
"Y-Yes... I'll stock up my tongue strength."
"Good. Looking forward to it."
I released her breast and straightened up.
Park Soyoung blushed, knowing what I'd done, but Jeong Seohee was oblivious.
She was still gazing up at the waterfall, lost in thoughts of the twins.
"Seohee. Time to go."
"Got it."