Chapter 25
Ha-young's dilemma didn't last long. Covering her chest with her left hand, she unhooked her bra with her right. She tossed the bra into the basket and turned back toward us, walking with visible effort to suppress her embarrassment. Her lips were pressed tight, her gaze fixed on the floor, one hand shielding her chest as she hurried back in short steps. There were gaps between her fingers over her chest—her skin peeked through, not fully covered.
I knew I should look away, but I couldn't. A strange thought crossed my mind. Wasn't this drug supposed to eliminate shame? Come to think of it, the other women in Group B were removing their bras too. Three more of them. But their faces were all filled with humiliation. Hands covering themselves, heads bowed, hurrying back to their spots in quick steps. It definitely wasn't a drug that erased shame.
I recalled Group A from that morning. Were they actually embarrassed too? When they took off their panties and wrote their names with their butts, or did naked confessions, it seemed like they were just performing normal tasks. But maybe not? Watching Group B now made it clear. They were definitely ashamed. And yet, they were enduring it and stripping anyway. If it had been Group A at this point, people would've dropped out left and right, but no one in Group B quit. What the hell is this drug?
It doesn't remove shame—it makes you able to endure it? They're not stripping because they're not embarrassed; they can strip despite being embarrassed. That difference felt important, but I had no time to sort out my thoughts right now.
Now seven out of nine women in Group B had bared their chests. Looking at the guys in Group A, their eyes were full of anticipation. But three more in Group A—both guys and girls—had to go naked or remove bras. No hesitation, though. They didn't even touch their clothes and just moved to the side of the platform. Group A had no intention of winning. They were choosing elimination over stripping off a third piece of clothing. It was hard to believe this was the same Group A that had claimed victory that morning by stripping panties and writing names with their asses. Once the drug's effects wore off, they'd become a completely different team.
Na Ye-jin's face was full of dissatisfaction as she took off her pants and turned around. She clearly hated how the situation had flipped from morning. But something bothered me even more than Na Ye-jin. I didn't want Ha-young's chest shown to anyone. Was this possessiveness? Already, ten people total were fully eliminated, with only eight left in Group A. We had an overwhelming advantage. I just wanted to fully eliminate Ha-young right now. So she wouldn't have to bare her chest anymore. But knowing I couldn't do that made my chest itch uncomfortably.
Just yesterday, Ha-young was just a female friend from the same department. But over these two days, getting stripped naked together, sharing the humiliation, seeing each other exposed—something had changed. I didn't know exactly what.
Maybe Ha-young noticed my gaze, because she said in a small voice, "It's fine... It's not just me stripping anyway. My chest is small, so no one will care..."
No it's not!! No interest? Among all the stripped women, I was most interested in Ha-young's chest. But I couldn't say that out loud. Whether she knew how I felt or not, Ha-young avoided my eyes. It felt like a gesture telling me not to stare.
"One minute passed. Next question."
Damn. I should've used that time to put my top back on, but I'd wasted it worrying about Ha-young. Still, no one in Group B said anything. Their looks said it was natural for me to worry about her. And why not? We were the couple who'd confessed passionately that morning.
...Not yet. But everyone thinking that way strangely got under my skin. Was it natural since we'd confessed naked? But that was just a game, a choice to win...
...Was it really just that? My head was getting complicated.
"The capital of South Korea is Seoul. O or X? Move to your answer."
Huh? What was the question? Who wouldn't know this? But I realized right away. The difficulty didn't matter. Twenty-six people left. Not enough space on one bar for everyone to hang. Even if you knew the answer, no space meant elimination. This wasn't a knowledge fight—it was a race for spots.
I got urgent. "Everyone, run!!"
Group A or B didn't matter—everyone dashed to the O bar. It was pandemonium. Naked guys, bare-chested girls, shame shoved aside as they desperately tried to hang on. Elbows tangled, screams and shouts mixed. No one cared about a naked guy squeezing next to a bare-chested girl, or a panty-clad girl wedging between naked guys. Elimination was scarier.
Then, the girl hanging next to me on the bar clung to me. A Group B participant already bare-chested. Forgetting shame, she rubbed her chest wildly against mine to claim space. Another woman's body after Ha-young's. Not just brushing like with Ha-young—this was full contact, grinding. My whole body tingled. Softness pressed into my chest, her body heat transferring directly. Slick skin-on-skin from sweat. I felt myself reacting down there.
Once she secured her spot, she seemed to realize the situation. How we were completely pressed together. How my erection poked her stomach. Our eyes met. I expected her to look away in shame, but no. She smirked and pressed even closer.
She twisted her waist to wedge in tighter. I felt her breasts flatten and change shape. "Hngh—!!" My breath caught. A pleasure I'd never felt before. My mind went blank.
"Press closer..." she whispered in my ear. Warm breath brushed my earlobe. So bold. Doing this amid so many people. Was it the drug, or her real personality? Couldn't tell. I wanted to cling tighter, grind more. With a woman whose face I barely saw, whose name I didn't know, nearly naked and pressed together. First time for this. Heat through one layer of panties. Soft chest feel. Breath in my ear. All senses locked on her. Instinct wouldn't reject this. Is this the drug? Normal me wouldn't shake this much. Probably.
Then I turned my head to the other side. Ha-young was there. Her cute little chest exposed, struggling to hang on. Small chest, like she said—maybe not drawing interest. But I knew. The pink nipples underneath. Seeing what I'd glimpsed by chance during the physical exam now visible to everyone at this distance squeezed my heart.
Ha-young had Yoon Seo-yeon and Na Ye-jin on either side. Despite being from different groups, they were guarding her. Seeing that, my instincts cooled. I pulled back a bit. "S-sorry..."
The woman who'd been pressed against me turned her head, spotted Ha-young, and seemed to get it. "Heh... Surprisingly pure, huh?" She eased off slightly. Her face looked hurt pride, like not being rejected but losing to another girl.
Sorry, but no choice. "I... uh... sorry."
"No, I get it."
As we exchanged short words, the host's voice rang out. "One minute passed. Five eliminations."
What?! Five? If five from Group A, game over. We could just adjust. I glanced at the moving eliminations...
...Four from Group B. I gritted my teeth. Should've hurried more. Group A was closer to the O bar position-wise. Group B came from farther, got spots stolen. The host probably saw our advantage and gave an easy question expecting this. What fairness is this? Distrust in the host grew. Not a fair judge—a director balancing the show.
"Counting down 30 seconds."
Crammed in tight space, groans leaked everywhere. Thud. Thud. Sounds of hitting the floor. People dropping. I gritted my teeth and endured. Palms slippery with sweat. Fingers on the bar starting to slip one by one. The girl next to me, running out of strength, half-hanging on my arm. Weight pulling one side, arm felt like tearing. I clenched hard. Dropping here meant naked for me too.
That long, endless 30 seconds passed. "30 seconds up. Correct answer is... O."
Everyone scrambled down. Exhausted and dazed, no one thought to cover up. Naked guys, bare-chested girls just staggered back. Incredible sight, but I was drained too, staring at the floor as I walked. Arms like lead weights. Six hangs accumulated—30 seconds was starting to feel brutally heavy now.
Then someone tapped my side. Yoon Seo-yeon. The lucky goddess still fully clothed. "Take care of your girlfriend." Firm, concise. Totally different from her usual quiet, shy self. Is this the real Yoon Seo-yeon? She shoved Ha-young toward me. Eyes widening, I saw exhausted Ha-young struggling to cover her chest and wobble along. But why does this senior still have so much energy? Yoon Seo-yeon, you came dead last in the fitness test, right?
"Ha-young, you okay?"
"No, not okay... Unlike someone, I didn't get to grope other girls in the chaos."
"Gasp."
Her words had bite. I thought no one saw, but Ha-young did. "No, it was... unavoidable..."
"Unavoidable how? She clung first, so you couldn't help it?"
Spot on, no comeback. "Hmph, what excuses? We're not even a thing."
Her cold words chilled my spine. I tried to say more, but she shoulder-checked me and passed. ...Is this why they say guys need to control their lower halves? No? Why should I manage it? And I did pretty well. I pulled away for Ha-young. She clung first, I rejected... ...But why did I feel so wronged and sorry?
Three more dropped during those 30 seconds on the bar, it seemed. Total eight at the baskets stripping. Three Group B guys going fully naked. One Group B girl removing her bra. More guy eliminations probably from yielding spots to girls. Group B guys were mostly naked or in panties already, so less resistance to one more strip. Paradoxically, the more you'd stripped, the bolder you got.
And sure enough, two more from Group A forfeited to the platform side. Now only six in Group A. 18 vs. 6. Time to throttle back, right? When a girl might go naked, just forfeit. Lucky no women fully naked by chance so far. But eight of nine Group B girls in panties only. Six of nine guys naked. Time for full eliminations in Group B too. Four questions left. Even halving each time, at least one survives.
Glancing back, Ha-young sat in just panties, one arm over her chest. Still not looking at me. "Sorry" rose to my throat, but I swallowed it. Anything I said now would backfire.