Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Similar People
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Kang Hye-seon leaned forward and removed my shoes for me.
"Hye-seon, you should take yours off too."
"I'm fine..."
"It'd be better to get them off before your body gets any colder."
With just those words, she followed my lead.
I could sense her embarrassment.
If only I could start a fire...
There was no other way.
After a moment's thought, I grabbed the monster hide I'd set aside.
"Hye-seon."
"Yes."
"Let's spread this out on the ground."
The monster hide I'd brought was just a simple square shape.
It could double as a blanket in a pinch or even be bundled up as a sack.
"The inside isn't wet."
"Oh, okay."
"I'll start undressing first. There's something on the back of my shoulder..."
"Huh? Undress what?"
"My protective gear and clothes. Help me out."
What good would just taking off shoes do?
Of course, the wet clothes had to come off too.
That's why we were laying out the monster hide on the ground.
"Ah... r-right, yeah. Okay... whew..."
Kang Hye-seon twisted her body awkwardly with a grunt.
She sat facing me, taking a position like we were embracing.
She reached behind my back, using her senses to help undo my protective gear.
Thud thud ziiip.
I undid the straps of her protective gear as well.
As I lowered my head, the sides of our faces touched.
She flinched in surprise but didn't pull away.
"I need to take off the liner too... hold on."
I piled the protective gear with the shoes in the corner.
The space grew even tighter.
Kang Hye-seon pulled out of my arms and curled up as small as she could.
"Hup."
I pushed the log aside.
I'd just blocked the entrance, and now I was opening it again.
"The rain's eased up a bit, so let's go out and finish undressing."
I stepped out first.
A large tree overhead blocked much of the downpour.
"Come on out. Watch your head."
Kang Hye-seon took my hand and crawled out carefully.
Her movements were a bit slow in the dim light.
Once she was fully out and standing straight...
Swoosh.
I immediately stripped off my liner.
I quickly removed my underwear too.
"All done?"
"W-wait a sec. Haah."
All I'd given Kang Hye-seon was my liner and protective gear.
She had no separate underwear.
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually took off the liner too.
Now we were both completely naked.
"All... done."
"Hand these to me and go in first. Remember where I showed you the monster hide?"
"Yes..."
"The straps are undone, so just unfold it and lay it on the ground."
Kang Hye-seon's voice was much quieter than before.
I could feel her tension and shame intensifying.
Plap plap.
Kang Hye-seon crawled back between the tree roots.
I shook out the liners we'd both worn as best I could.
"All set?"
"Yeah... I laid it down, but it's hard to see..."
"Take these."
I folded the liners and handed them to Kang Hye-seon.
Once again, I entered feet-first, upside down.
I could vividly feel the texture of the tree roots against my hands and knees.
"Ah..."
And the skin of Kang Hye-seon's arm brushing against mine.
Her soft bare flesh grazed my body.
"Slide into my inner side like before. Let's pull the log back."
"Okay."
I spread my arms and waited.
Kang Hye-seon must have decided to accept the situation in that brief moment.
She's quick on the uptake.
The turmoil of her emotions had settled a bit.
She slipped into my embrace.
Thud.
This position was unavoidable, it seemed.
It was like dogs mating.
The shame radiating from Kang Hye-seon surged back up.
"Got it?"
"Yes..."
"One, two."
Thump.
I blocked the entrance again and leaned back against the tree root wall.
The monster hide was nicely spread on the ground.
The feel against my butt wasn't bad.
"Get comfortable. And... can I touch your body?"
"Pardon?"
Kang Hye-seon was squatting awkwardly with her knees up.
She was clearly trying not to touch me.
I knew it too.
The situation now was completely different from before.
"Not cold? We need to rub together."
"Oh, I can handle that my..."
"You know sharing body heat is best, Hye-seon."
I said it a bit more firmly, though she already knew.
We'd have to move again at dawn for the mission.
Besides, I naturally ran hot, and my level was much higher than hers.
I figured she'd understand my intent without further explanation.
What was beneficial, that is.
"R-right... I know... whew. Okay."
"Lean against me like before."
A brief silence fell between us.
The sound of the rain seemed especially loud.
Gulp.
Kang Hye-seon swallowed dryly.
Then she turned her back to me and slowly drew closer.
I reached out my hands.
"Eek!"
"Shh. The rain's loud, but we should still be careful."
"Yes..."
I grasped Kang Hye-seon's hips.
I gently pulled her toward me.
I sat with my legs spread, seating her on top.
"Hup? This."
"Just a natural reaction. Bear with it."
There was a bit of discomfort, but I adjusted it with my hand and fixed it quickly.
Having her pressed firmly between my body and hers was unavoidable.
"Relax. Your shoulders are so tense."
"How am I supposed to relax in a situation like this..."
"Lean back comfortably. Close your eyes and focus on the rain if you want."
The patter of rain on leaves and the cool air.
Kang Hye-seon's wet hair and body.
I felt it all vividly.
She must have too.
Smooth.
I wrapped Kang Hye-seon in my arms and began rubbing her arms with both hands.
Goosebumps covered her skin.
"Warmer than before, right?"
The moisture was drying bit by bit.
Her cold body gradually loosened.
"Yes. Not just warm—it's hot."
"Hot? It's not that bad, is it?"
"N-no, I mean... are you okay, Yi Hyun?"
Kang Hye-seon changed the subject.
"I'm fine. Just worry about your condition."
"O-okay... whew... Gates are really... not easy."
"This is a first for me too."
"Huh? What kind..."
"Even yellow gates vary in difficulty."
We quietly talked about gates.
Kang Hye-seon gradually relaxed her body.
The tension eased.
And out of habit, I extended my hands forward.
"At first, I thought difficulty scaled with mission count."
"By that logic, this gate should be easy..."
"Yeah. We're just struggling with the natural environment right now. Not life-threatening, but..."
I naturally stroked various parts of Kang Hye-seon's body.
Down her arms, then to the outside of her thighs.
"So the system doesn't guarantee everything?"
"Right. There are always variables. The humans we met beyond gates... oh, and non-human species too."
"Really? Aliens?"
"Less aliens and more..."
At first, I was only thinking about warming her body.
At some point, I focused on the conversation.
I felt her tension and flinches but ignored them.
Squish.
I gripped a bit too hard and realized my mistake.
My hand had wandered to Kang Hye-seon's breast.
"Ah, sorry."
As I hurriedly pulled away, a small hand covered the back of mine.
It was calloused.
"It's... it's okay."
"Pardon?"
Kang Hye-seon spoke with her head lowered.
"Your hands are so warm, Yi Hyun..."
Kang Hye-seon had entered the gate with me as the leader of her faction.
But not anymore.
A different tension settled over us.
The tension between man and woman.
I gently squeezed.
While Yi Hyun was with Kang Hye-seon...
Lee Yu-na headed to Yi Hyun's house.
"Unni!"
"Come on in."
Yoon Bom greeted Lee Yu-na warmly.
Seong Seol-hee even came out of her room, and the three enjoyed some tea time.
These three often gathered like this after growing close.
Kim Soo-jung occasionally joined them too.
"Your face looks refreshed today?"
"Does it? Maybe because I finally got a good night's sleep?"
Last night.
Yoon Bom had played with Hye-rin, Seong Seol-hee's daughter, and fallen asleep in that room.
It had been a while since she slept in a bed without Yi Hyun.
"Huh? Haven't you been sleeping well lately, unni?"
"N-no. Hehe. That's not what I... it's because of Hyun."
Yoon Bom had been building up physical fatigue from her relationship with Yi Hyun.
Her sleep time was too short.
Yi Hyun seemed fine, though.
When she explained, Lee Yu-na blushed.
"Unni, really..."
"So hurry up and do something about it."
"It's not that easy. I get too embarrassed around oppa..."
Yoon Bom looked at Lee Yu-na with eyes full of affection, finding her adorable.
"But are you really okay with it, unni?"
"With what?"
"If I got into that kind of relationship with oppa..."
Their conversations often revolved around Yi Hyun.
Yoon Bom had long noticed Lee Yu-na's feelings.
"I told you before. For me... well, yeah. I kinda have mom-like feelings for Hyun too."
"Huh? Mom?"
"Yeah. I just want to give him everything I can. So don't worry about me. I'm serious."
Lee Yu-na found it hard to understand Yoon Bom.
"You love oppa so much, unni. How can you say that..."
"True. But... realistically, Hyun and I aren't equals."
"Huh?"
"I just need to be by his side. That's enough for me."
Yi Hyun thought Yoon Bom was naive.
But Yoon Bom instinctively saw through him.
"Do you know who Hyun loves most in the world?"
"Um... his late mother?"
"No. Himself. Hyun loves himself too much."
Lee Yu-na listened intently to Yoon Bom's words.
Seong Seol-hee did too, quietly.
"That's why I can never be his equal. I don't expect anything from him. Just giving makes me happy."
"Wow... unni."
"This mindset is the quickest and easiest way."
Yoon Bom shared stories of Yi Hyun's past.
"Even as a kid, lots of people chased after Hyun because they liked him. But he shut most of them out cold."
"Why?"
"Simply put... it was a hassle. He values himself too much to spend time and emotions on others."
Lee Yu-na sensed this story was important.
"But you're pretty, Yu-na. You know he pays a lot of attention to faces and voices, right?"
"Yeah, he has firm standards for looks. He likes people who resemble his mother. But I don't look much like that..."
"That's fine. And our Yu-na's skills are acknowledged too. She has utility. You have everything he values."
And there was someone eavesdropping on their conversation.
Ko Mi-hye, who worked as the housekeeper.
"If you approach Hyun with the same mindset as me, he won't push you away."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Your resolve is key. Give up, and you'll gain."
First surrender, then he'd share his attention.
That was Yoon Bom's philosophy.
Lee Yu-na nodded.
"I'm resolved."
"Good. Fighting!"
"Ah... but the embarrassment is still..."
Ko Mi-hye snorted as she listened to the two women.
So he likes mom or big-sister types. Why make such a grand fuss over nonsense...
Ko Mi-hye was confident she could win Yi Hyun over.
Even though her first attempt—casting aside all pride—had failed.
That time, I rushed too much...
While Ko Mi-hye misunderstood Yoon Bom's words...
Yoon Bom leaned forward conspiratorially.
"You know Hyun likes fighting, right?"
"Yes."
"If you're too embarrassed, maybe approach through that?"
"Ah! I get it."
As Yoon Bom leaned in, her massive breasts rested on the table.
Ko Mi-hye suddenly noticed a common trait among the three women.
A trait she lacked.
No, that seems too obvious...
Ko Mi-hye was an ambitious woman.
Influenced by Kim Soo-jung, she'd developed feelings for Yi Hyun too.
Her instincts and emotions clouded her reason.
All that remained was an obsession to seduce him and elevate her status.
"Seol-hee! You heard that, right?"
"Huh? What?"
"Did you hear what I said?"
"Oh... yeah. But I don't need that kind of talk."
Yoon Bom smiled meaningfully.
As if she knew her friend's feelings completely.
"Still, no harm in knowing."
The three women's conversation stretched on.
Women who wanted Yi Hyun's heart.
And Yoon Bom, willing to encourage even other women for his sake.
Their interests aligned perfectly.