Compromise #012
“Gaon, just hang in there a bit longer! We're almost there!”
A few minutes had passed since they'd shaken off their pursuers. Another thirty minutes or so, and they'd reach their hideout cave. That was probably why she was urging him on like that, but in the end, Gaon came to a stop.
“Wait a moment. We can't head back like this.”
“Pardon? Why not?”
“...If we just go back now, they might catch our scent and follow. Even if it's not goblins, there are orcs around here too.”
“Ah...! Th-then what should we do...?”
Yi Cho-rin finally let out a quiet sigh, her mind only now starting to clear amid the urgency. She fidgeted anxiously. Gaon wanted to reassure her, but he didn't have much leeway himself. If his theory was right, healing would be immediate—but if not, it was an injury that would take days to recover from. Even amplifying his healing with concentrated mana had clear limits.
Blood trickled down his forearm, pooling at his fingertips before dripping off in heavy drops. His gaze fixed on the two arrows piercing the source: his arm.
He gave the wounds a rough inspection and judged they weren't embedded as deeply as he'd feared. Without hesitation, he drew the dagger from his belt—a souvenir from a week of goblin hunts. It looked just like the one Yi Cho-rin had, probably taken from some other Earthling summoned here. At least he wouldn't have to worry about tetanus even if he carved out some flesh.
“G-Gaon? Why are you drawing your dagger...?”
“I need to remove the arrows. Just yanking them out would make it worse, so I have to cut open the wound.”
“Th-that makes sense, but...!”
“Ms. Yi Cho-rin can heal me right away. I trust you.”
“Ah, w-wait—!”
Stab!
Ignoring Yi Cho-rin's attempt to stop him, Gaon moved the dagger. The blade sliced smoothly into his arm, carving and widening the gash. A searing pain flared up, but Gaon's expression remained unchanged—cool and composed as he methodically worked the flesh. Based on how deep the arrow had penetrated and the shape of its barbs, he expanded the wound just enough for it to come free.
“Ugh...!”
Yi Cho-rin's groan reached his ears. The one having his flesh dug out felt nothing, while the onlooker winced more. Despite the situation, a faint chuckle escaped Gaon.
He minimized the wound size while extracting the first arrow precisely. Blood gushed immediately from the hole left by the arrowhead. But one remained. Repeating the process, he created two large gashes in his arm before finally stilling the dagger.
A torrent of blood welled from the wounds.
“Ms. Yi Cho-rin. Healing, please.”
“Yes!”
Yi Cho-rin rushed over, her voice choked with near-tears, and placed her hands on him.
“Bestow.”
A warm green mana erupted with her murmur. It seeped into the wounds, slowly knitting them shut. The healing was slow but steady.
But full recovery was impossible. It barely stanched one side. The other still bled, the flesh gaping hideously.
“B-bestow. Bestow!”
Yi Cho-rin repeated the incantation desperately as her mana faded, but the light vanished completely. The forest plunged into darkness, mirroring her mood.
Biting her lip, she shed tears and apologized to Gaon.
“I-I'm sorry. My ability won't activate anymore. What do we do? It's worse because of me... Sniff! I'm so sorry.”
Yi Cho-rin's mana had bottomed out. More precisely, she lacked enough to trigger her ability. Normally, squeezing every last drop would leave one in crushing fatigue, but fortunately, she couldn't yet control mana freely enough for that to happen.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, aware a loud noise might draw monsters, but muffled sobs still leaked out, settling over the surroundings. Her eyes stayed locked on Gaon's forearm, frozen in place.
Gazing at her confused, trembling eyes, Gaon spoke carefully.
“Ms. Yi Cho-rin. Has your mana run dry?”
“...I'm sorry.”
In truth, Gaon felt nothing. It would heal in a few days, and his left arm could still wield a spear without issue. Some drop in combat power, sure, but not enough to immobilize him.
Yet seeing her guilt, he felt a pang. If she burst into childlike sobs, they'd be in real trouble. Hurriedly, he added,
“Ms. Yi Cho-rin. Actually, I have a way to replenish your mana.”
“...Pardon? Th-there's a way? What is it!?”
Her head had been bowed in defeat, but she reacted fiercely to his words, eyes wide as she pressed him to explain.
Relieved to see her perk up a little, Gaon continued, though worried about her reaction.
“Semen.”
“Pardon...?”
Yi Cho-rin stared blankly, as if she couldn't process the word that had just reached her ears. Was he joking in this situation?
But Gaon shattered that notion, explaining in exhaustive detail this time.
“You can absorb life force, right? As you know, sperm are alive and moving. They meet an egg and create a baby. So I thought maybe that counts as life force—”
“Wait. Be quiet, please.”
“Ah, yes.”
Her tears dried up instantly. Wiping them away as he prattled on about sperm, she sealed her lips and shot him a sharp look.
Under her insistent gaze, Gaon's shoulders twitched. Then she asked quietly,
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“...If you absorb the semen—”
“You want me to eat it?”
“......”
Gaon hadn't quite anticipated this wrinkle. In his previous life, he'd heard absorption or bestowal worked without contact, so why did it require ingestion now...? It left him in a real bind.
Seeing him fall silent, Yi Cho-rin pressed harder.
“You want me to swallow it, right?”
“...I'm sorry.”
Just moments ago, she'd been the one apologizing, but the tables had turned in an instant. Her expression was firm, rejecting the idea outright—but it softened upon glancing at his arm. With blood still flowing, untreated it could lead to fatal blood loss. Absorbing his blood to restore mana wasn't an option either; humans needed blood to live. Taking too much could cause shock.
Her dilemma deepened.
What do I do?
Yi Cho-rin wasn't completely ignorant of sex. Her mother, wishing to spare her daughter the same mistakes, had emphasized sex education. Not vague school talk of sperm meeting egg leading to implantation and babies, but the raw mechanics of the act itself. The initial shock had been immense, but it gave her a healthy view of sexuality.
That's why Gaon's proposal was so hard to accept. Swallowing semen? If it were her future beloved, maybe—but she hadn't imagined facing this now. Gaon was a good man, decent enough, but she felt no romantic attraction. Maybe someday, but not enough to gulp down his semen today.
In normal circumstances, she'd refuse flat-out. But these weren't normal circumstances. If they were, she wouldn't even consider it.
She didn't want Gaon to die. After a week of owing him so much, enduring his care, she wanted to repay him.
So Yi Cho-rin accepted.
“...Okay. I'll do it. But just this once.”
“Thank you.”
“Then, um, after you finish, call me.”
She turned her back to Gaon. Their goal was mana replenishment for healing, not lust relief. He probably didn't want to do it in front of her anyway, so stepping aside was wise.
Or so she thought—but the situation was far from easy.
“Um, Ms. Yi Cho-rin.”
“Yes?”
At the sudden groan, she cautiously turned back. Their eyes met, and Gaon slowly raised his right arm.
“I'm right-handed, so I can't do it alone.”
Then use your left hand. She wanted to say it, but couldn't be that harsh to the man who'd taken the wounds for her.
“......Th-then.”
“It seems I'll need your help, Ms. Yi Cho-rin.”
“Eek!”
She let out a small whimper at his request. Her mind flashed to an image of herself gripping and stroking a veiny, throbbing shaft. She didn't want to. Fondling a stranger—not her lover—felt wrong, and the awkwardness afterward loomed large.
But refusing meant Gaon's death. No one could survive over three weeks here with wounds like that. She could barely handle three goblins alone; losing Gaon spelled doom.
Feeling her fingers tremble, she clenched her fists tight.
It's to save Gaon. Calm down!
Yi Cho-rin had grown up with just her mother. She didn't know her father—only that he'd knocked up her high school mother and fled. That's why she shied from men, pushing them away, avoiding entanglements. Knowing her mother's suffering from one moment's temptation, she vowed never to err similarly.
She'd kept that distance rigorously—until being dragged to this world shattered it. She couldn't push away like before. Environment wouldn't allow it.
She'd come to rely heavily on Gaon, exchanging emotions in their own way. Just a week, but enough to grow close.
...At least, that's what Yi Cho-rin thought.
“Then, how... how should I help?”
“Are you okay with this?”
“No. That's why this is a one-time thing. Got it?”
“Of course. Then, could you start by pulling down my pants?”
“...Okay.”
Stepping right up to Gaon, Yi Cho-rin grasped his waistband with trembling hands. She looked up, meeting his eyes as he leaned against the tree.
Shhh—
His ordinary blue jeans slid down, revealing the snug boxer briefs hugging his lower body. They outlined his contours boldly, the heavy bulge in the center proclaiming his manhood's robustness.
She paused there. Face flushing crimson, she took a deep breath, then hooked her fingers into his waistband and tugged the underwear down.
The revealed cock stood rigidly at attention.
“Ugh... Wh-why is it so big?”
“...I'm a man too. If it stayed soft while a woman pulls down my underwear, that would be weirder.”
“R-right, yeah.”
At his obvious logic, Yi Cho-rin swallowed hard while staring, then gingerly gripped the shaft.
Throb!
“Eek!”
Gaon's cock pulsed fiercely in her hand.