Why Is That Coming Out From There?
“I-is this too much?” Kim Hee-yeon muttered, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a tight, white short-sleeved shirt with a plunging neckline. She’d bought the dolphin shorts a long time ago, and now they were so tight they hugged her hips and thighs suffocatingly. Even to her own eyes, the outfit felt undeniably provocative. It didn't help that she’d put on a little weight recently.
“They said men like this kind of thing…” She had seen a video on some YouTuber channel where a girl seduced her male friend by inviting him over in this exact attire. Judging by the explosive reaction in the comments, it had to be effective. Kim Hee-yeon steeled her nerves and headed down the stairs. To be honest, when she’d invited him over under the guise of cooking for him, she hadn't been entirely without ulterior motives.
“I-I don’t mean I’m definitely going to do that. I really did invite him over to cook him a meal.”
Of course, the primary reason for the invitation was to express her gratitude. She felt she owed him so much and had only ever been on the receiving end of his help. She was determined to get closer to Jiwoo by serving him a home-cooked meal.
“Jiwoo, do you usually cook at home?”
But once she was actually alone with a man in her apartment, she grew nervous. Kim Hee-yeon forgot all the conversation topics she’d prepared and ended up blurting out trivial questions. Come to think of it, this was the first time she’d ever invited a man over. From her student days through her exam-prep years, she’d never had a relationship, and even after passing the Association exam and moving to Seoul, she was too busy with work to meet anyone. As time went on, a sense of loneliness had started to creep in. Now in her twenties, her friends were all dating, and some were even getting married. Kim Hee-yeon was in the prime of her twenties, too. In such a situation, it was impossible not to be affected by a capable, handsome subordinate who treated her so well. Especially when they were alone in her home.
“Thank you for the meal… it was really delicious.”
In the end, she was so nervous she couldn't bring up any serious topics until she’d finished eating. Still, she felt good that Jiwoo had enjoyed the food. She decided she would try to have a proper conversation while they had fruit for dessert.
‘B-but what should I say? Should I ask if he has a girlfriend? He said he didn’t… Should I ask why he isn’t dating? Would that be too obvious?’
While she was preparing the fruit, Kim Hee-yeon’s mind was a mess. As she carried the fruit over in her tense state, she made a mistake.
“Just let me pass… oh—”
“Oh?”
She’d tripped and ended up sitting right on Jiwoo’s lap. ‘Oh, what do I do!’ The normal thing to do would be to get up immediately, but for some reason, her legs wouldn't obey her. As they suddenly became close, the scent of Jiwoo washed over her, and her heart began to race.
‘H-he’s so… broad.’
The sheer size of Jiwoo, felt against her back, was overwhelming. Sitting on his lap like this, she felt like a baby being held by her father. Between his scent, his sturdy chest, and the difference in their builds that she could feel against her back, she felt a sudden, impulsive urge to just lean into him.
“T-the space is a bit tight. I’ll peel the fruit for you.”
“In this position?”
“Yeah. If I sit on the floor to peel it, the table is too high and it’s uncomfortable.”
Kim Hee-yeon said something nonsensical and began peeling the fruit right there. It was hard to suppress the urge to stay pressed against Jiwoo. It was definitely her first time being this close to a man. Had she actually wanted to meet someone all this time? Her mind went blank.
“U-uh-huh…”
As she peeled the fruit, Kim Hee-yeon found herself leaning closer to Jiwoo without even realizing it. Her hips pressed firmly against him, and the two of them were almost overlapping.
“…!”
As they became completely pressed together, she felt something hard against her hips. It was a sensation she, as Kim Hee-yeon, had never felt before. For some reason, she liked the warmth, and she began to shift her waist slightly against it.
“Y-your waist is really thin. I could fit it in one hand,” Jiwoo said, his breathing growing ragged. It was an out-of-the-blue comment, but Kim Hee-yeon was in a similar state.
“I-it wouldn’t be one hand, maybe two? Since your hands are so big…”
What would happen if her waist were completely gripped by those large hands in this position? His big hands would hold her waist, and her hips would rub even more against his lower abdomen. Imagining the sensation of them being completely pressed together made her thighs tremble. With her head feeling like it was about to explode from the heat, Kim Hee-yeon blurted out:
“W-wanna try grabbing it?”
Kim Hee-yeon set the fruit plate down and said it. She couldn't focus on anything else anymore.
“Your waist?”
“Yeah.”
She turned her head slightly in that position to look at Jiwoo. Jiwoo’s face was flushed red, too. His gaze was fixed downward, as if he were about to grab her waist right then and there.
“…”
Jiwoo didn't answer and slowly moved his hand. If she were to be caught by those large hands right now, what would happen next? Even if Kim Hee-yeon had no experience with men, she was an adult; she wasn't completely ignorant. The hard object pressing into her hips—in this position and amidst the sweltering air, she couldn't possibly not know what would happen next. And then, Jiwoo’s large hand gripped her waist. Feeling completely trapped by a man’s hand, her waist and thighs kept twisting.
“Y-you’re really thin.”
But Jiwoo’s hand didn't stop at her waist. His hand traveled from her waist, down her dolphin shorts, and lower. Her shorts shifted slightly, and Jiwoo’s hand was now directed toward her wide pelvis.
‘A-are we doing this…? M-me…’
As someone with no experience with men, Kim Hee-yeon naturally had many romantic fantasies. The process of slowly falling in love like in a movie and confirming that love. But perhaps because she was past her early twenties, she couldn't reject the touch in front of the erotic scent of a man she felt right now. She remembered what a close older sister had told her a while ago: “Forget romance as you get older. You’ll lose your mind just looking at a handsome man.” Kim Hee-yeon wasn't quite at that age yet, but she wondered if she was becoming like that herself. Regardless, she didn't dislike the touch of Jiwoo’s hand as it stroked her hips. In fact, she found herself wishing he would grip her even harder—
BOOM—
“U-uh?”
“Eek!”
Just then, the building shook with a loud thud. It wasn't dangerous, but the vibration was unmistakable.
“Is it… an earthquake?”
“Suddenly? In the middle of Seoul?”
“That’s true, but… it doesn’t feel like an earthquake, the people outside the window look too relaxed.”
If the ground had truly shaken, there would have been some reaction from the pedestrians. But the people outside were enjoying their weekend as if nothing had happened.
“It’s not like a Dungeon Break happened nearby. Should we go outside for now?”
“Y-yeah, let’s do that.”
Kim Hee-yeon and Jiwoo hurriedly put on some clothes and went outside. It was too distinct a vibration to be just a feeling. As Association employees, they were always trained in safety procedures for various situations. Perhaps because they experienced so many things, they had a strong tendency to be cautious.
“D-did you feel that just now?”
“Is it an earthquake? The ground definitely shook, but the people outside say they didn’t feel anything…”
When they stepped out into the hallway, the neighbors on the same floor were out as well. It seemed they had felt the vibration too.
“Oh, resident of 1403. Did you feel the vibration?”
“Y-yes.”
The neighbors approached Kim Hee-yeon as well.
“Is it an earthquake? Come to think of it, you said you were an Association employee, right? I feel like I’ve seen the person next to you somewhere…”
“Isn’t that him? The genius employee, Assistant Manager Shin?”
As someone recognized Jiwoo, gasps erupted. Even if they didn't know his face, most people had heard the story of ‘Assistant Manager Shin,’ who had boosted South Korea’s national power in an instant. Just as he was about to deny it, Kim Hee-yeon took the words out of his mouth.
“That’s right. He’s an employee on the same team, so…”
“Aha…! I knew it! I knew I’d seen him somewhere.”
“Wow, this is amazing. It’s my first time seeing him.”
‘Of course it’s your first time, I’m not a celebrity.’ Jiwoo swallowed the curse words rising in his throat and forced a smile.
“Let’s get out of the building for now. It doesn’t seem like an earthquake, but if this many people felt the vibration, there must be something going on. It could be a dungeon issue nearby…”
“I-is there a Dungeon Break nearby? Assistant Manager Shin?”
“Oh no! Then shouldn't we evacuate quickly?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant. For now…”
‘No, when did you ever see me before? Why are you focusing so hard on my words?’ Jiwoo sighed and tried to calm the people down. He didn't have any other thoughts; he just wanted to get out of the building quickly. Because, as he said, they were in a situation where they didn't know what might happen.
“T-then what are you saying?”
“Let’s just go outside for now. It’s not a Dungeon Break, but since it doesn’t seem like an earthquake, it could be related to a dungeon. Anyway, we need to leave quickly.”
Jiwoo, feeling a bit annoyed, urged the people on. Was there really time to stand around chatting when they didn't know if it was a safety hazard? They needed to get out as soon as possible. Jiwoo wanted to leave immediately.
“I-it can’t be! A dungeon problem! We have to leave quickly!”
“I-is that so? Then shouldn't we call the people from the other units too?”
“Everyone! You need to come out quickly! They say there’s a big problem because of a dungeon!”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant. I just said we should leave just in case…”
But Jiwoo’s words were far more effective than he had intended. It was the word of an Association employee, and since it was Jiwoo, who had been famous lately, it carried even more weight. The people who heard Jiwoo’s words began to run through all the floors, evacuating everyone. Even the security guard came out and set off the fire alarm.
“W-what? A Dungeon Break? It’s not that, but there’s a dungeon-related problem?”
“Assistant Manager Shin? The person on the news said that? Then we have to run away right now!”
“Everyone, get out of the building quickly! Assistant Manager Shin says to evacuate!”
“No…”
In an instant, people were rushing out of the building. Jiwoo, who had come out early, clicked his tongue at the sight.
“The people in this apartment building… they have great teamwork.”
“Y-yeah. We do have resident meetings often, but… I think it’s because it’s your word, Jiwoo.”
“Still, what is this…”
How many minutes had passed? Eventually, everyone remaining in the building had come outside. People passing by were also curious about what was happening, so a considerable crowd had gathered.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing the crowd, someone approached. Judging by his attire, he looked like an Association employee who managed the nearby gate.
“We felt a mysterious vibration inside the building. Assistant Manager Shin told us to evacuate, so everyone came out.”
“…Excuse me? But we didn't feel anything outside. Where is Assistant Manager Shin?”
Jiwoo, who had been listening to the conversation from a distance, tried to slip away. He had a feeling this was going to be annoying. ‘No, I didn’t say it like that, man.’ Everyone had already evacuated. As someone who hadn't really thought much of it, Jiwoo had nothing to say.
“Oh, Assistant Manager Shin! Assistant Manager Shin Jiwoo!”
However, the field employee spotted Jiwoo immediately and ran over. Looking closely, it was an employee he had encountered in the field a few times before.
“What’s going on? I asked the people, and they said there’s a danger of a dungeon… I was outside and didn't feel anything.”
“Ahaha, I was inside the building and felt a vibration. I don’t know the cause, I just wanted to get out. I absolutely didn't intend for such a large-scale evacuation.”
“That… Assistant Manager Shin Jiwoo must have seen something again. Didn't you do the same thing back at the Ma-Gwang Mine? At first, you just restricted the employees without any explanation, and it was only after the Ma-Gwang Mine was discovered that we understood your intentions.”
“N-no, even then I…”
“Understood! We’ll report it to the team leader! Since the gate we’re currently managing hasn't entered the clearing phase yet, I think we have the capacity to control this area for a while! Everyone, move completely away from the building!”
“No, that’s not it! Hey!”
The field employee controlled the crowd and made a phone call somewhere. A moment later, a few employees from the nearby gate came out and began to evacuate the people to a completely safe zone. Controlling citizens in a crisis situation was also the Association’s duty.
“No, that’s not…”
Jiwoo, who was about to hurriedly stop him, hesitated for a moment. ‘Maybe this is an opportunity? If I mobilized people from other sites pretending there was something wrong, but nothing happens? My evaluation at the Association will plummet. And those people will curse me for going through the trouble for nothing. Actually, that’s good, isn’t it?’
It was an opportunity for his evaluation to drop. It had already been quite a while since he’d felt the vibration. At this point, it was clear that nothing was going to happen. In the end, Jiwoo decided to just watch the scene unfold. And just when everyone had finished evacuating:
“Evacuation is complete! But what happened to the building…”
“Hahaha, actually it was all a lie! There’s no way such a thing would happen…”
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-BOOM—
The apartment building, which had been perfectly fine just a moment ago, suddenly began to collapse.
“W-what? There weren't any warning signs!”
“M-monster?”
The cause was a monster that had suddenly appeared. A monster had suddenly manifested inside the apartment building, causing the structure to crumble.
“Why is that coming out from there!!”
Jiwoo couldn't believe his eyes.