The Truth Beyond the Tent: Physical Examination Area
The physical examination area beyond the tent was far larger than I'd imagined. The space, big enough for two gymnasiums, was partitioned off into sections with white tents. Researchers bustled between them, and the hum of machinery buzzed from somewhere nearby.
As we followed the researcher down the pathway, Ha-young sidled up next to Ye-jin.
"Hey, aren't you from our school? You look familiar."
Ye-jin turned with a puzzled expression.
"Same school? Where do you go?"
Ha-young named our university, and Ye-jin's eyes widened.
"Whoa, no way—I'm from there too? For real?"
"No way! What year are you?"
"Third year. You?"
"Second year! You're my senior!"
Ha-young beamed and bowed cheerfully. Exchanging senior-junior greetings in our underwear felt utterly surreal.
"Hey, drop the 'senior' stuff. Just call me unnie, nice and casual."
Ye-jin waved it off with a laugh. It was a surprisingly warm expression, a far cry from the fierce glare she'd given the guys earlier.
"Got it, Ye-jin unnie! Running into someone from school here makes me feel a bit more at ease."
"Totally. Hey, Seo-yeon, this girl's our school junior."
Ye-jin glanced back. Seo-yeon looked up cautiously, her face registering mild surprise.
"Really? Nice to meet you..."
"You too! I think I've seen you around campus. You're pretty famous, senior."
Ha-young's grin made the tips of Seo-yeon's ears flush even redder.
I just listened quietly from the side. I wanted to chime in, but one sharp glance from Ye-jin screamed 'Shut up and keep walking,' so I stared straight ahead in silence.
By the time our group arrived, the other teams had already started their exams. The entrance was empty.
"This way, please. We'll proceed in order."
We entered the first tent on the researcher's guidance. Blood pressure, blood draw, vision test, hearing test. All routine stuff, no different from a standard health checkup.
Me, Ha-young, Seo-yeon, Ye-jin—we all passed without issue. Though I won't admit out loud how cute Seo-yeon looked squeezing her eyes shut and turning away during the blood draw, terrified of the needle.
"Please move to the next examination area."
As we walked the pathway between tents to the adjacent space, a gap caught my eye on the right. I glanced over without thinking.
My gaze froze.
Through the slit in the tent, I saw another group—nude. Female participants, completely bare, undergoing some kind of exam.
...What?
My heart plummeted. I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
...Nothing. The tent must've fluttered open and then closed.
I must've seen wrong. After staring at girls in underwear all day, I'm hallucinating.
I shook my head hard to snap out of it.
"...What're you doing?"
I turned to find all three girls staring at me with weird looks. Ha-young suspicious, Seo-yeon anxious, Ye-jin outright murderous.
"Uh, nothing. Let's go."
I hurried to the next tent.
The second exam was body measurements.
"We'll measure height, arm length, and leg length."
"What's arm length got to do with a new drug trial?"
Ye-jin asked skeptically.
"Every measurement has its purpose, but we can't disclose details. Please follow the researcher's instructions."
The researcher replied mechanically. Ye-jin pouted but didn't push it.
The equipment was state-of-the-art—lasers measuring height, arm, and leg length down to 0.1mm precision. Cool gadget I'd never seen before.
We took turns on the platform. No issues.
As we headed to the next tent, I caught a glimpse of another group wrapping up and moving out from the opposite direction. All girls.
My eyes doubted me again. No bras. Backs completely exposed—no straps, just bare skin.
...Another hallucination? After all those underwear views today, is my brain overloading? The visions are getting worse.
Get it together, Si-woo. Get it together.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them. The group had already vanished behind a tent.
"..."
"Hey, what're you staring at now?"
Ye-jin narrowed her eyes at me.
"N-nothing..."
"Suspicious."
Her glare burned, but I couldn't mention what I'd seen. Hoping it was a hallucination, I entered the next tent.
Third tent.
"We'll measure chest and waist circumference."
They started with me. Tape around the chest—nothing special. Then waist. Done quick.
"Participant Han Si-woo, please wait aside. Next."
I stepped back, and Seo-yeon moved up.
That was the moment.
"For accurate measurement, please remove your bra."
The female researcher said it casually, like it was no big deal.
Time stopped.
Seo-yeon froze mid-motion, mouth half-open, staring at the researcher. Her eyes widened, face draining of color.
"...Pardon?"
"Bras cause measurement errors for chest circumference. Please remove it."
The researcher didn't blink.
A second of silence. Then explosion.
"Hold on!"
Ye-jin rushed forward.
"That's ridiculous! How do you expect her to bare her chest with a guy right here?!"
She jabbed a finger at me. I instinctively stepped back.
Ha-young's face flushed beet red as she spoke up.
"This is a joke, right? You can't be serious."
The researcher sighed—not even that—and replied evenly.
"All measurements must be precise. Every one has a purpose. Follow instructions."
And that unbreakable line:
"Refusal means you'll be sent home."
Heavy silence blanketed the tent. Seo-yeon stood frozen, hands trembling faintly in front of her chest.
Ye-jin gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, then slowly released. She turned to me.
"Hey."
"...Yeah?"
"Turn around."
"Okay."
"Right now."
"Yes!"
"If you turn back, you're dead. For real."
The killing intent in her eyes was genuine. I spun around lightning-fast. The tent wall filled my vision.
Ha-young whispered quietly beside me.
"Si-woo, eyes front. Don't you dare look back."
"G-got it..."
I stared unblinkingly at the tent wall. Silence stretched behind me.
"...Measure me first."
Ye-jin's voice. Shaky, but resolute.
Shrrk. Fabric sliding off.
Just that sound made my heart feel like it would explode.
Ye-jin is taking off her bra right behind me.
That single fact blanked my mind. Blood rushed south.
It reacted down there.
No, no, no—
Too late. My trunks stretched taut. The erection wouldn't quit.
During the measurement, I counted patterns on the tent wall over and over, reciting multiplication tables, listing primes: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13... Useless. Every tiny sound from behind fueled my imagination.
"Next."
"..."
No response. Probably Seo-yeon.
"Seo-yeon, it's okay. I'll be right here."
Ye-jin's voice, soft and gentle—nothing like her earlier ferocity.
Shrrk. Fabric again.
Seo-yeon... right now...
The front of my trunks strained harder. I felt precum seeping through. A stain might form.
"Next."
Third: Ha-young. She went quietly, no big sounds.
"Measurement complete."
Done? I started to exhale in relief.
"Do not put your bras back on."
The researcher's words refroze the air.
"From here on, all exams will be conducted without bras."
"...What?!"
Ye-jin's voice cracked.
"It wasn't just for the chest?! You expect us to stay topless?!"
"Upcoming exams include upper body measurements. Removing and replacing constantly wastes time—"
"Wastes time?! Do you think we're in a position to care about that?!"
Ye-jin exploded. Ha-young raised her voice too.
"This is too much! There's a guy in our group!"
The researcher sighed coldly.
"We'll return your bras. Please leave the examination area. You'll be sent home."
"..."
Silence. Five million won hung heavy in the tent.
"...Fine."
Ha-young spoke first.
"We'll continue the exam."
Her tone was firm. For some reason, she needed this money.
"Me... too..."
Seo-yeon's trembling voice followed, on the verge of tears.
"I'll do it..."
"Seo-yeon, you okay?"
Ye-jin asked urgently.
"No, it's fine. I don't need this part-time gig. I'll figure something else out."
Ye-jin's voice wavered too. She needed the cash just as bad.
Quiet stretched. Only faint breaths sounded.
"Move to the next examination area."
The researcher prodded.
"..."
Ha-young came up behind me. A small voice from my back.
"Si-woo."
"...Yeah."
"Eyes front while we walk. Don't look back. Ever."
"...Got it."
I walked with my erection raging, staring ahead. Step by step. Three sets of footsteps followed.
The urge to turn nearly drove me mad. Three topless girls walking behind me: Ha-young, Seo-yeon, Ye-jin.
But I couldn't. Ye-jin would kill me. And my tented trunks would be obvious.
The moment we entered the next tent—
"Huh?"
People inside. Another all-girl group mid-exam—
All four topless. Breasts fully exposed.
One lay on a bed for an ECG, sensors on her chest. The skin without sensors gleamed white under the fluorescents. The other three waited behind, arms covering as best they could—but not fully.
I saw real, live breasts for the first time. Pink nipples sharp under the lights. Nothing like porn. Warm, living, real. Smaller and softer than I'd thought.
My heart climbed to my ears.
...
Brain stalled. Time froze.
One second, two. The girls noticed me.
"Kyaaah!"
"A guy! There's a guy!"
"Don't look! Don't look!"
Screams erupted. The three waiting scrambled to hide. The one on the bed tried to rise, but—
"Don't move. Exam in progress."
A male researcher held her down. Sensors pinned her arms; she couldn't cover. Nipple right next to a sensor, breast fully bare.
She turned her face away, biting her lip. Tears welled.
I couldn't tear my eyes away. Brain screamed turn around, but my gaze disobeyed. White skin under lights, flesh spilling between fingers, flushed skin—
Thwack! Pain exploded on my back.
"Turn around, you perv!"
Ye-jin's shout shoved me hard. I stumbled, spinning.
No need to look back. I knew: Yoon Seo-yeon, Park Ha-young, Na Ye-jin behind me, arms over chests, faces pale as ghosts.
They'd just witnessed the reality: topless exams in front of a male researcher, no bras.
I couldn't budge, facing the tent wall. Heart pounding like it would burst.
Is this part-time job really okay?