Natural Kidnapping
"Here, try one before it gets cold."
No sooner had I held out the plate than their hands shot forward like lightning.
Cha Eunwol and Kim Hyunah, utterly enchanted by the aroma of the freshly fried donuts, snatched them up without a second thought.
Dignity? It had vanished the moment they laid eyes on the donuts.
Without hesitation, they brought the donuts to their mouths and took massive bites.
Crunch...!
The crisp outer shell shattered with a delightful sound that echoed softly in their ears.
The fluffy dough tore apart against their teeth, spilling the thick pink strawberry cream to fill their mouths completely.
The nutty flavor of the peanut oil mingled with the insanely sweet strawberry cream, ravaging their tongues.
"Mmm...!"
Cha Eunwol reacted first.
Her eyes widened as if they might pop out.
Her fingertips trembled around the donut.
"Haaah... haa... this is, like, for real..."
Her pale face flushed bright red in an instant.
She chewed nonstop, twisting her body this way and that.
The mad surge of sugar and overwhelming pleasure boiled up from her tongue.
Unable to hold back against this pleasure she'd never experienced before, she let out hot moans one after another.
"Haa..."
Kim Hyunah next to her wasn't faring much better.
Usually so cool and composed, she gripped the counter hard as her legs went weak right after the first bite.
Her face flushed, she panted raggedly, her body shaking nonstop.
Watching their bizarre, lewd reactions, I clicked my tongue and cleared my throat awkwardly.
Man... are all hunters just messed up? Why are they acting like that over a donut?
I backed away from them with a disgusted look.
No matter how delicious my bread was, I couldn't get used to reactions like that.
"Ugh... whatever, I should have one too."
I carefully picked up my share with both hands, opened wide, and chomped down.
"Whoa..."
The warm, sweet strawberry cream flooding my mouth combined perfectly with the nutty peanut oil.
I made it myself, but this was seriously next-level. The best I'd ever done.
It hadn't tasted like this before.
"Must be thanks to the kneading that it tastes this different, huh?"
A bright, world-conquering smile spread across Baek Arang's face.
Her ears perked up on her head, and her tail swished busily, betraying her good mood.
"Haa... that hit the spot."
I demolished the donut in seconds and licked the cream off my cheek.
My stomach had been stuffed from all that Japanese food earlier, but apparently there's a separate dessert stomach—didn't feel too full.
"Phew... seriously good."
I patted my bulging belly contentedly with both hands and let out a satisfied sigh.
Strawberry Cream Donut consumed!
Sugar Rush: For the duration, all physical actions and skill casting speeds increase by 40%.
Duration: 2 hours
"Sugar Rush?"
I tilted my head at the system window's text.
"Blood sugar spike making you move faster? The logic's kinda weird, but whatever."
I clenched and unclenched my fist, checking my body's sensations.
Yeah, my heart was beating a bit faster. My fingertips felt way lighter and quicker than usual.
"Eh, who cares if it's weird. A 40% speed boost? That's awesome."
Hunters getting diabetes? In this world where everything except balding is basically curable, even if they did, it'd be fixed quick.
I pumped my fist, savoring the thrill.
If all actions and skills were 40% faster, hunters wouldn't be able to resist buying this bread.
"Haa... kiddo. You really..."
Cha Eunwol, having regained her composure, panted as she approached me.
Her face was still flushed, sweat beading on it.
She stared at me wide-eyed, as if she couldn't believe the buff she'd just seen.
"This is insane... you're making crazier bread every time, kiddo... 40% speed boost? Who needs buffers anymore?"
Unable to hide her awe, she grabbed my shoulders firmly.
"Kiddo, can you make more of these?"
A strange, eager glint burned in her red eyes, hungry for more pleasure.
Overwhelmed by her intensity, I flinched and nodded.
"Y-yeah. I can, as long as there's enough ingredients."
"Good! Ten million won each. I'll buy every single one you can make in a day!"
The outrageous sum burst from Cha Eunwol's mouth.
"Ten... ten million per donut? That's just one donut?"
My jaw dropped.
Morning bread was five million each, and donuts were double? Bake a hundred a day, that's ten billion.
My heart pounded harder.
Imagining that amount hitting my account made my vision swim.
Kim Hyunah, catching her breath beside us, jumped in quickly.
"Don't worry about taxes. Any taxes falling on you, Baek Arang-ssi, will be handled perfectly by Baekya Guild."
"Oh... th-thanks."
Taxes weren't my strong suit anyway, so having Baekya Guild take care of it felt like a huge weight off my shoulders.
I wanted to bake all night right now, but...
"Yaaawn..."
A massive yawn stretched from my mouth.
"Hmmnya..."
My eyelids felt heavy.
Stuffed belly plus blood-sugar bomb donut—post-meal drowsiness hit hard.
"Um... Guild Leader? Hyunah-ssi...?"
I rubbed my sleepy eyes, fighting to stay awake with a bob of my head.
"C-can I make the donuts tomorrow? I'm kinda beat from everything today."
A whiny, drowsy voice slipped out unbidden.
My body was practically protesting for sleep.
Two kneading sessions today had worn me out even more.
Seeing Baek Arang's adorable, defenseless yawn, Cha Eunwol and Kim Hyunah's faces softened into fond smiles.
How could they push a cutie dozing off like that, no matter how good the bread was?
Cha Eunwol waved her hands frantically.
"Of course! Bake tomorrow! Or whenever you feel like it—go home and crash hard tonight!"
"Exactly. No overdoing it. Sleep is crucial for your health."
Kim Hyunah agreed, stepping close to gently wrap her arm around my shoulders.
"I'll get you home safe. Let's take my car."
At her offer to drive me, I bowed sleepily to Cha Eunwol.
"Guild Leader, thanks for the clothes and the fun day. I'll bake a ton of donuts tomorrow for sure."
"Yeah, yeah. Go on. Rest up, sleep lots, and come back tomorrow."
Cha Eunwol waved with a warm smile.
Supported by Kim Hyunah, I wobbled out of the bakery room.
All the way to the underground parking lot, I buried my face in her shoulder, leaning on her completely.
The moment she opened the passenger door, I collapsed into the plush seat.
Click.
As I fumbled the seatbelt on, my consciousness faded.
...Just a quick nap, then wake up.
"Hauu..."
Baek Arang's soft breathing filled the car.
Sliding into the driver's seat, Kim Hyunah gazed at the defenselessly sleeping girl beside her.
Just looking at Baek Arang melted away the day's stress like snow.
An irrepressible smile spread across Kim Hyunah's lips.
She tapped the navigation's destination input.
Instead of the home address she'd secretly looked up, she entered her own.
"We're off."
She whispered softly and eased on the accelerator.
The car glided out of the parking lot and onto the road.
Her heart raced at the thought of taking Baek Arang home with her.
Red light. The car stopped at the intersection.
Kim Hyunah released the wheel and slowly reached toward the soundly sleeping Baek Arang.
Her hood had slipped back in deep sleep, exposing her snowy, fluffy tiger ears vulnerably.
Kim Hyunah reached out as if entranced.
Her trembling fingertip brushed the tip of Baek Arang's ear cautiously.
Twitch.
Baek Arang's ear quivered instinctively.
"Gasp..."
For a split second, Kim Hyunah felt her blood run cold.
Terrified Baek Arang might wake, she froze, holding her breath.
Just as she started to pull back—
"Grrr... purrr..."
Sensing the gentle touch in her sleep, Baek Arang smiled with eyes closed and began purring contentedly.
Instinctively nuzzling into the kind hand on her ear, she rumbled from her throat.
"Haa..."
Hot breath escaped Kim Hyunah's lips.
Her pale cheeks turned tomato-red in an instant.
Reason flew out the window; her heart thundered.
Now unashamed, she cupped Baek Arang's cheeks with both hands.
Squish. Smoosh.
The fantastical, freshly made rice cake-like texture made Kim Hyunah knead those cheeks gently, beaming in ecstasy like she owned the world.
"Seriously... I just wanna keep you forever..."
She gazed at Baek Arang with longing eyes.