The Eve of Spring
They spoke through text messages instead of words. They had agreed to communicate this way until they could confirm there were no listening devices in the resort room.
Soon, he pulled a small device from his pocket that resembled a remote control. He gripped it and swept it slowly across the room's interior. What stood out was how the LED lights shifted from yellow to green to red whenever he approached areas near the boiler, outlets, light fixtures, or wiring. Seokjun finally pressed his ear against the wall to check one last thing before speaking.
"No abnormalities detected."
"Ugh, I thought I was going to die from the tension."
Hearing his words, Mina felt the tension drain from her body and sank to the floor.
"From what I've seen, you seem to have quite the aptitude for this."
"Oh, really?"
Delighted by the unexpected compliment, Mina's eyes landed on the small remote-like device in his hand. It must have been what he'd used to scan for bugs.
"So this place is safe for now, right?"
"Yes. We'll need to check regularly, but at least for the moment, it's secure."
She wondered if all this caution was truly necessary, yet she couldn't help but admire his thoroughness.
"How should we act from here on out?"
She knew this was work, but the whole thing felt like a spy movie, so she asked with a hint of excitement.
"There's no set script. It's enough for us to behave like ordinary tourists who came here for a visit."
Unfortunately, it seemed there would be no special operations or dramatic maneuvers. If they drew attention, it would defeat the purpose of going through all this disguise to get inside. That much was unavoidable.
-Ziiiip!
When Seokjun began removing his ski jumper along with his goggles and other gear, the heat finally caught up with her too. Having come inside, the trapped warmth inside the jumper felt like a greenhouse. Mina set her own equipment aside and unzipped her jacket.
"Hoo, I feel like I can finally breathe again."
The heat trapped inside the jumper escaped, and the cool air against her skin felt refreshing. To cool down faster, she pulled the back of the jumper open as well, savoring the chill—until she heard his voice.
"Um, Miss Mina."
"Yes?"
At Seokjun calling her name, Mina looked up, wondering what was wrong. But he wasn't looking at her; his gaze was deliberately turned away.
"Perhaps you should put your jumper back on."
"Huh? But it's insanely hot right now... why?"
Only then did Mina realize. She normally didn't feel the cold easily, and she'd been wearing the thick ski jumper while stubbornly trudging through the snow, sweating profusely the whole way. Now that she'd taken it off, the sweat was cooling and providing relief—but she'd apparently sweated far more than she'd thought. Her clothes were soaked through, clinging to her like she'd been drenched in water.
Wondering what he meant, she slowly lowered her head. What filled her vision were her own two mounds. But because her white shirt was drenched in sweat and plastered to her skin, the pale, soft flesh beneath and the black bra supporting it were showing through completely.
"Ah, uh? Ah? Uweh?!"
Finally snapping out of it, Mina frantically yanked the half-removed ski jumper back over herself to cover up. The inside of the jumper now felt not just warm but scorching, yet that wasn't what bothered her most.
"D-did... did you see?"
When Mina asked in a trembling voice, Seokjun simply checked that she'd put the jumper back on and gave a slight shrug.
'He saw!!!'
Mina screamed internally.
'It's supposed to be made from monster materials! Why does it get soaked and stick exactly like a real dress shirt?!'
If one couldn't sense magic power, the appearance and texture were indistinguishable from ordinary clothing. But she had never imagined it would mimic even this particular behavior. The reason she'd worn the gear directly over her underwear without additional layers was in case of an emergency, but...
"You couldn't bring a change of clothes?"
"Correct. We could manage something small like a chocolate bar, but any other luggage had to be left behind."
Most tourists who came to ski would do the same, and since it wouldn't raise suspicion, they couldn't pack spare clothes or daily necessities. That was why she'd simply taken off her coat and worn the ski suit directly. Who could have predicted it would turn out like this?
'Aaaah! My marriage prospects are ruined!'
To think she'd shown him something like that in a room where they were the only two people. What if it led to something happening?
'...It might not be so bad.'
Mina's face flushed at the sudden thought, and she shook her head vigorously.
'No no no! What kind of imagination is that?!'
Unable to decide whether to take the jumper off or keep it on, she clutched the front closed while worrying. Then Seokjun stood up. She flinched as if frightened, yet felt an inexplicable flutter of anticipation as he approached.
"Ah, um, that is—something like this should be looked at for a much longer time before—!"
Mina squeezed her eyes shut and babbled nonsense. His presence drew closer until it was right in front of her. She swallowed hard—
-Creeeeak
The door behind her opened. When she opened her eyes in surprise, Seokjun was calling out toward the outside.
"Excuse me, may we borrow the bathroom?"
"Yes! Just go inside and you'll find it!"
A man's voice answered from farther away, as if he'd been doing something. While Mina stood there trying to process the situation, Seokjun closed the door again and whispered to her.
"As you said, Miss Mina, isn't it still too early?"
"Uwaaaang!"
Unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, Mina buried her face inside the ski jumper.
"Hoo... what am I supposed to do?"
And so, at present, she stood in the borrowed bathroom, letting the shower water cascade over her as she let out a long sigh. Fortunately, even though it was close to the countryside, it was still a tourist area. The shower facilities weren't bad, making it decent enough for washing off all the sweat.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
"Wah!? N-no, nothing at all!"
Mina had been muttering to herself out of habit when Seokjun's voice came from outside the bathroom, startling her into a quick reply. The reason his voice could be heard so clearly from outside was due to the bathroom's layout. There wasn't even a separate changing area; stepping out immediately gave a full view of the yard. She'd had to bring her clothes in with her.
But the most important thing was—
"The door didn't open, right?"
"I'm holding it shut right now, so it's fine."
The bathroom door was broken. It didn't lock, and even when closed, if no one held or blocked it, it would swing open again before long. Mina kept stealing glances at Seokjun's back visible through the opaque, bumpy glass of the door. She knew that kind of glass wouldn't let them see each other unless pressed right up against it, yet she still felt nervous that he might somehow catch a glimpse of her.
Not wanting to drag things out, Mina washed as quickly as possible and returned to the room with Seokjun.
"Aren't you two a bit uncomfortable?"
A man carrying food on a small lacquered tray saw their appearance and asked.
"It's a little chilly."
Mina gave an awkward smile in response. After all, they had put their ski jumpers back on after briefly removing them.
"Then I'll turn on the boiler for you. Just hold on a moment."
"No, it's fine! We can stay like this..."
"Come on, it's not like it'll run for long. Don't worry about it."
She tried to stop him, but unfortunately he found the boiler switch and turned it on anyway. Soon, the sound of the boiler rumbling to life echoed from outside.
'You really didn't have to turn it on!'
The reason Mina was wearing the ski jumper wasn't because she was cold. She simply had nothing else to wear at the moment. She had put the jumper on directly over her underwear. Her white shirt had been so soaked with sweat that she'd given it a quick rinse and was secretly trying to dry it. The same went for her bra—it was uncomfortable to wear while damp, but she couldn't exactly go completely naked. The result was an outrageous outfit that only looked normal from the outside.
'I hope the shirt dries quickly.'
Since the gear had been made with practicality in mind, it would dry before long, but it still took time. At least she could consider herself lucky that only her top had gotten soaked. If her bottoms had been drenched too, it would have been truly unbearable.
"It'll warm up soon."
"Th-thank you."
In the end, as he turned on the boiler, Mina had no choice but to offer awkward thanks.
"It's nothing fancy, but please eat plenty. I was just about to have my own meal."
When the man sat down in front of the table he'd set for them and took a big scoop of rice, Mina grew flustered. Before coming here, they had agreed to avoid eating anything offered by others as much as possible.
'What do I do in a situation like this... huh?!'
As Mina glanced sideways at Seokjun in panic, he was calmly scooping rice with his spoon.
"Thank you for the meal."
She understood it was an unavoidable situation, but she hadn't expected him to eat without the slightest hesitation. Mina was still hesitating, spoon in hand, wondering whether she should follow his lead and eat, when the man spoke first.
"By any chance, are you two what they call hunters or something?"