The Beast of the Forest
A short while later.
Seoyun and I finished our preparations and set out to explore the South Forest.
“Haa~.”
“You look a lot more comfortable today, ma’am.”
“The first time, I thought I was going to die. My shirt was soaked through with sweat, and the heat kept building up inside my bra….”
Today she had rolled up her sleeves for better ventilation, and she wasn’t even wearing a bra.
Even so, her large breasts swayed and bounced with every step, threatening to interfere with our search.
Since I had never possessed breasts like that, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how uncomfortable it must be for her.
Fuck, I’m so turned on it hurts.
The fact that Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun was casually showing off her armpits and the undersides of her breasts felt unbearably stimulating to me.
Even the unmistakably female scent drifting from her body—I had no idea how I was managing to hold myself back.
“Mr. Kim Woojin?”
“Honestly, do you really think it’s okay to walk around the forest looking like that with a man?”
“That’s the same question you asked yesterday.”
“Today you’re not wearing a bra.”
No bra. Bra.
The difference between the two was enormous.
“Hmm.”
Seoyun answered coolly.
“I trust you, Woojin.”
Damn it. What a dangerously irresponsible declaration of faith.
Because of those few words, I was now stuck guarding the delicious treat right in front of me.
But—
I didn’t exactly hate that trust.
“When I think about it, you don’t seem like the type who would jump someone anyway.”
“If you keep saying things like that, I might feel compelled to prove you wrong, ma’am.”
“Pfft, as if.”
She was definitely looking down on me a little.
Well, I had done plenty of things to earn that attitude.
“I washed earlier, so I shouldn’t smell. Don’t worry.”
“Smell?”
“You weren’t saying I smelled, were you?”
Ah. So she had noticed?
“It’s fine. It’s true, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“I don’t smell right now, do I?”
She had washed, and judging by how confident she sounded, she must have done a thorough job.
Hmm, let’s see…
The strangely arousing scent actually seemed even stronger now.
When I took a step closer, she took one back.
“Why are you coming closer?”
“I was trying to smell…”
“No. Just tell me if I smell or not.”
“Hmm.”
I wondered why she was so eager to be inspected.
Had the comment about her smelling been that shocking?
It was very like Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun to decide that any dishonor must be washed away before moving on.
However…
It was hard to say she didn’t smell the same as yesterday.
Strictly speaking, the scent I had caught wasn’t exactly a bad odor.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. From the very beginning, it was a good smell.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m saying your body smells good, ma’am.”
Seoyun’s mouth snapped shut as if she had been rendered speechless.
“Mr. Kim Woojin. Did you hit your head when we fell?”
“No, I’m serious.”
“You think the smell of someone who hasn’t washed is good… Are you sure you’re okay?”
The way she phrased it made me sound like some kind of unique pervert.
It wasn’t that my tastes were strange—I wanted to strongly insist that Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun’s body scent was something every man desired.
Of course, trying to convince her of that would make me not just a pervert, but a complete degenerate…
“Anyway, I’m glad it doesn’t disgust you. Let’s go.”
Seoyun strode ahead with brisk, energetic steps.
Was this really the same woman who had been sighing endlessly about the rescue team not coming? Haha.
Alright then. Time to scan.
I focused my mind once again.
“This way.”
“You’ve picked up on something again?”
“Yes.”
As expected, we found the fruits easily.
Since I had done it once before, the second time went much more smoothly.
“Come down. One, two.”
When she couldn’t reach, Seoyun unhesitatingly climbed onto my shoulders.
Fruit farming while sandwiched between her plump thighs.
It was pure bliss.
“Today I want to find something myself…”
Apparently unhappy with always relying on me, Seoyun furrowed her brows and scanned the surroundings with determination.
“We’re not seeing any fruits right now anyway, so go wherever you want, ma’am.”
“Then… this way.”
I wondered if she would actually find anything.
This was only our second time, but the jungle remained mercilessly harsh.
Still, I could definitely feel that my steps were far more accustomed to the forest paths than they had been at first.
“I found something.”
Seoyun had discovered an object.
It was a piece of artificial structure that looked completely out of place against the jungle backdrop.
Plane wreckage.
“The debris reached all the way out here…”
Scattered beneath it were quite a few passengers’ belongings.
“Let’s open them right away.”
Seoyun wasted no time unzipping a bag.
Inside were the owners’ personal items.
At first, they were ordinary everyday objects, just like the ones we had found before—things like toiletries, towels, and spare clothes.
“Oh, spare underwear. Perfect.”
Seoyun’s face brightened when she found new women’s undergarments.
“Do they match your size, ma’am?”
“It’s rare to find ones that fit my cup size. But the more panties the better… Ah.”
At that moment, she held up a small glass bottle I recognized.
Oh, that thing.
I knew what it was, but what was it called again?
“Woojin, do you know what this is?”
“Skin?!”
“It’s serum.”
“Ah.”
“You haven’t changed at all since your first day on the job. Sigh.”
Even as she sighed, the corner of Seoyun’s mouth was slowly curling upward.
“But now I at least know what it is.”
“What?”
“It’s something you put on your face, right?”
Kang Seoyun was silent for a moment, then finally burst into laughter.
It was the first time I had seen her smile so brightly. It was beautiful.
“Woojin! Look at this too!”
She called me over excitedly. When I peered inside the bag, I saw—
“It’s alcohol.”
How had these survived without breaking?
About five bottles of duty-free liquor—whiskey, wine, and the like—were neatly clustered together.
“We really struck gold.”
“Let’s take them with us.”
We packed the bottles into our bag.
Today’s foraging was going surprisingly well.
Alcohol was a precious resource. It didn’t help with survival at all, but it was very useful for soothing anxious hearts.
“How about it?”
Seoyun immediately started showing off.
“Don’t you think I found something more valuable today?”
“It does seem that way.”
“If you ask nicely, I’ll gladly share some with you.”
“I’m not really a fan of alcohol.”
“…….”
The conversation died instantly. Of course it was me.
“Why don’t you like it?”
Seoyun suddenly asked about me.
She had never done that back at the company. It felt strange.
“Just… you know.”
I didn’t really have a proper answer.
“Mr. Kim Woojin? Didn’t I tell you many times at the office not to use the word ‘just’?”
Damn.
The perfectionist demon who demanded clear answers was interrogating me.
“Well… it’s because I dealt with a lot of drunk, troublesome customers. You can’t reason with them. I worked part-time at a convenience store and…”
“Ah, I see.”
Seoyun finally nodded in understanding.
“I’m not really the type to drink often either.”
The sun was slowly beginning to set.
Just as we were thinking about heading back—
Something triggered my detection magic. The mana signature was far denser than that of the fruits.
What is that? A rare item?
Slightly curious, I focused my senses, but something felt off.
Whatever this high-mana object was, it was moving toward us.
“Ma’am.”
I stopped Seoyun, who had been humming cheerfully while organizing our supplies.
“Yes?”
“Something’s coming this way.”
I had seen plenty of small creatures in the South Forest, but this was the first time I had sensed a beast.
Seoyun tilted her head, seemingly unable to immediately grasp what “something’s coming” meant.
What would a modern person imagine upon hearing those words?
Even I was having trouble believing a wild animal was approaching, when it finally emerged from between the trees.
It was a large wild boar covered in black bristles.
And it looked extremely agitated…
“Eek!”
Seoyun gasped and froze on the spot.
Was it going to charge?
“Ma’am!”
Come on, this woman!
The only attack pattern a wild boar had was charging—why was she so scared?
That said, when I met the savage, hungry eyes of the beast, a chill ran down my spine too.
“Over here!”
I grabbed her and pulled her away just as the boar slammed into a tree.
Boom!
The tree shook violently.
Without paying it any mind, the boar readjusted its aim and charged again.
It was faster and more threatening than I had expected.
I had heard stories of people actually dying after being hit by wild boars, but seeing one this size made those stories feel far too real.
“Ahh!”
I dragged the terrified Seoyun along with me.
Her legs had completely given out; she had no idea what to do.
I have to do something!
I drew the mana that represented ‘water’ toward my hand through pure sensation.
If I imagined it as a projectile and fired it, maybe it could be used offensively?
I launched a compressed water shell.
Thud!
The boar took the hit and shook its head in confusion.
“How’s that?”
The boar snorted angrily, steam billowing from its nostrils.
Fuck.
It hadn’t taken any damage at all—it was just wet. That was it?
It seemed my magic still wasn’t practical for combat yet.
“Let’s run!”
In times like this, strategic retreat was the answer.
I grabbed Kang Seoyun’s hand and sprinted blindly.
We quickly shook off our pursuer.
If the boar had been smart enough to track us, that would have been terrifying in its own way.
“It’s gone. It left.”
Whew. Fuck. You pig bastard.
One day I’m definitely going to cook and eat you.
My heart was pounding wildly. The adrenaline rush was far stronger than I had anticipated.
That made sense.
How often did someone living in the city get to see a super-sized wild boar big enough to crush your organs with a single headbutt?
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The threat of death had been much closer than I realized, and it felt like it had just brushed right past us.
The wild really wasn’t a joke.
In that sense, my heart was racing like crazy.
It wasn’t exactly that I was scared. It was more like my body was so excited it didn’t know how far it needed to push its functions in order to survive.
On the other hand, Seoyun’s face had gone deathly pale.
Even though the danger had passed.
She was trembling after encountering a beast of overwhelming size.
“Ma’am.”
If even a man like me felt this way, how much more terrifying must it have been for a woman?
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.
“It’s okay, ma’am.”
“Ah… ahh. Did it leave? Is that thing gone?”
“It’s gone.”
“Just a moment… just until I stop shaking.”
Unable to control her trembling, Seoyun clutched my hand tightly.
Squeeze.
“…….”
“So there really are beasts on this island. Of course there would be…”
“Y-yeah.”
“Shall we head back?”
Seoyun nodded slowly.
“Thank you for protecting me.”
“What are you talking about? We just ran away together.”
Next time we came, we would definitely need weapons.
It was time to develop magic with actual killing power.
Hmm?
Seoyun, who had been walking so confidently, suddenly slowed down and let me take the lead.
And when I walked, she stuck close to my side like a well-behaved lady.
Haha. Why the sudden display of proper etiquette?
“Ma’am?”
“W-what else can I do? I’m scared.”
When I looked at her with a smirk, she must have felt embarrassed because she immediately started making excuses.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I’ll walk right beside you.”
“Hold on.”
Without a word, I held out my hand two steps ahead of her. Seoyun grabbed it tightly, as if it were a lifeline.
Had Assistant Manager Kang Seoyun ever shown such a vulnerable side before?
Her hand gripped mine tightly, and her eyes—moist and looking at me as if I were her only hope—were incredibly moving.
Perhaps the reason I hadn’t frozen up and had been able to help her was purely instinctual.
My ancestor’s ancestor’s countless generations of ancestors must have protected their females in exactly this way.
I walked out of the forest hand-in-hand with her.