The Day We Go to Saeteo

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm right below the summit... but I don't know exactly where."

I activated my holy power and raced toward the mountain summit at a speed that transcended human limits. The silver lining was that the pouring rain meant no one would recognize me no matter how fast I moved.

As I neared the summit, I quietly strained my ears. Park Naeun's voice drifted from somewhere nearby. My enhanced hearing cut through the rain and locked onto her. I sprinted toward it immediately.

I found Park Naeun with a face streaked by rain and tears, and Yoo Soyeon lying on the ground, her stomach soaked in crimson.

"What happened?"

"It was... it was..."

She seemed too deep in panic for me to make sense of her words. From what I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could piece together, she'd slipped because of the rain, tumbled down the slope, and slammed into rocks or trees, badly injuring her abdomen.

"It's all my fault... I was the one who suggested we climb up here..."

"It's okay. This isn't your fault, Naeun. Calm down. I'll take full responsibility ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and save her no matter what."

Seeing her friend's blood seemed to have pushed her into a serious panic. I calmed her first, then examined Yoo Soyeon's injuries. There were bruises on her arms and legs, but nothing critical. The real concern was the large gash across her stomach. Blood flowed steadily, soaking the ground.

The wound looked severe, but for an external injury like this, Healing would be more than enough.

The problem is that Naeun will see me use the skill.

Hiding it didn't seem possible. The girl stared at me with tear-filled eyes. Revealing my secret was a little burdensome, but if it was Park Naeun, it would be fine.

I looked at her and spoke firmly.

"Naeun, what you're about to see—you can't tell anyone about it. Ever."

A pure white light enveloped her wound. The holy power slowly seeped into the injured area, and just like that, the gash vanished as if it had never existed. Park Naeun's eyes widened in shock.

I'd healed the wound, but I couldn't relax yet. Leaving the stunned Park Naeun behind, I checked Yoo Soyeon's condition again. Even though the external injury was gone, her pulse was weak and her breathing shallow. It looked like her life force could flicker out at any moment.

This is... damn it.

I touched her body. The external wounds were healed, but the internal damage was the real problem. She'd always been frail. Some part of her body had already been cracked, and the fall had widened the fissure. Her energy was draining out like water from a broken jar.

There was no way for me to heal internal damage like this right now. The only solution was to use Power Infusion to temporarily seal the cracks.

If I do it normally, I'll probably run out of holy power and fail. Direct internal contact would be far more efficient.

Mouth-to-mouth. There was no time to hesitate. I immediately pressed my lips to hers as if performing artificial respiration. Our tongues met, and I began channeling my holy power.

The energy inside me drained away at an alarming rate, wrapping around her damaged areas. Thankfully, the new fissure wasn't old, so the moment my power touched it, the crack began to mend. What remained was the original damaged section. I poured in more power to seal it.

Our tongues were still touching when hers suddenly coiled around mine. Yoo Soyeon hadn't regained consciousness yet, but instinctively she seemed to sense that my tongue was a lifeline saving her. She began to move with it, sucking on my tongue like a deep kiss, caressing and stirring with her own as if cherishing it.

Only after I'd poured every last bit of holy power into her did her tongue finally release mine. When I pulled away, a thin white strand of saliva stretched between us. The moment it broke, Yoo Soyeon slowly opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Se... nior?"

She seemed to have regained some awareness thanks to the infusion, but her eyes closed again. I checked her breathing—it was stable now.

Part of me wanted to give her more holy power, but I'd already drained every drop of energy and stamina I had. I was running on empty.

"Is she okay now?"

"Probably."

Park Naeun, who had been watching quietly from the side, spoke up. She clearly had more questions, but seeing my exhausted face, she held back.

I draped the padding jacket I'd been wearing over Yoo Soyeon's body. Leaving her in the rain like this would only make her condition worse after all the effort I'd put into healing her. I needed to get her to a warm place to rest as soon as possible.

When I lifted her onto my back, the rain-soaked clothes made her feel incredibly heavy. Having used up every ounce of strength on the power infusion, my legs were shaking.

Don't talk to me. I feel like I'm going to die.

I couldn't remember the last time my holy power had hit rock bottom. Draining it so rapidly in one go had left my body and mind completely spent. I felt like I could collapse at any second.

I told Park Naeun to call an ambulance and carried Yoo Soyeon down the mountain. The rain turned the path into slippery mud that hindered every step.

"Huff... huff..."

A metallic taste filled my mouth. The moment I lost focus, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew I'd pass out. I barely held on as I descended.

Choi Seungah's figure appeared just ahead.

"Senior!"

"The ambulance?"

"It's on its way up."

"Take her for now. I'm going to close my eyes for a bit."

"What? Senior...? Senior!"

The moment I handed Yoo Soyeon to safety, the fatigue crashed over me all at once. The mental thread I'd been clinging to finally snapped, and I slowly collapsed. Choi Seungah saw me falling and rushed over to catch me. My eyes drifted shut as strength left my body. Consciousness slipped away.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital. I checked my body—nothing seemed wrong. The only issue was that my holy power was at zero, making my body feel heavier than usual.

Because of the sudden accident, all Saeteo activities were canceled. With no bus available, everyone simply waited in their rooms until it was over. The rest of our group, except for Yoo Soyeon, had returned home safely. I wanted to check on her condition, but I was told she'd already been transferred to a major hospital in Seoul.

Then, on the last day of February, I received a message from her saying she wanted to thank me in person.

"Thank you for saving me, senior."

"It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same."

Yoo Soyeon's face after so long hadn't changed much from when I'd first met her. She still had that snow-white complexion like a fairy-tale princess. It seemed the new cracks from the Saeteo incident had healed well, but the original damage remained.

She held out a white envelope. Since she wasn't very talkative, I assumed she'd written a thank-you letter, but when I opened it, I found cash inside. I handed the envelope back to her untouched.

"I didn't save you for money."

It was a shame to turn down cash, but accepting it would hurt my favorability with her. As if on cue, a faint smile touched her usually expressionless lips.

"I know you saved me out of genuine kindness. This is to pay for your padding jacket."

"Oh, right!"

I remembered draping my jacket over her when she collapsed. It was old and worn from years of use, and with winter ending, I'd completely forgotten about it.

"I'm sorry. I meant to have it professionally cleaned before returning it, but it seems someone threw it away."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"No, please accept it."

"?"

I didn't understand why, but the atmosphere made it clear I had to take it. With no choice, I accepted. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, as if some weight had been lifted.

After that, we had a meal together. It was a private-room course dinner that easily cost over a hundred thousand won per person. We ate in silence, just the two of us.

She's definitely beautiful.

Even the way she ate was elegant and refined. Given how frail she was, I couldn't imagine how stunning she'd be if she regained her health. Maybe on the same level as a saintess? Still, I didn't stare at her with open lust like other men might. I was plenty used to simply admiring beautiful women.

After the quiet meal, as we stood to leave, Yoo Soyeon cautiously caught my sleeve.

"Um, senior. May I ask you for one favor?"

"A favor? What is it?"

"Could you... kiss me?"

It seemed she'd regained partial consciousness during the power infusion and remembered the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kiss I'd disguised as artificial respiration.

Did she instinctively realize my kiss made her body better and now wants more?

I had no reason to refuse. I stepped closer and gently pressed my lips to hers. It was a light, surface-level kiss. Rather than starting with a deep one, I decided to take it slow. Once she was certain that kissing me improved her condition, I could gradually escalate things.

The moment our lips met, I infused her with holy power to temporarily seal the cracks inside her. At the same time, I added a touch of sexual stimulation and observed her reaction. If I'd done this much to Choi Seungah, she probably would have climaxed right away. But Yoo Soyeon showed almost no emotional or sensory response.

Soon our lips parted.

"Ah...!"

A soft sound escaped her. I found myself looking forward to our next kiss.

Back home, Yoo Soyeon let out a quiet sigh.

"That was the first time I've ever lied in my life."

She might have told small white lies before, but this was the first time she'd ever deceived someone for her own benefit. On her bed lay the very padding jacket she'd told Kim Hyunjin had been thrown away. Hugging it brought peace to both her body and heart. Along with the yellow chick doll she'd cuddled since childhood, it had now become one of her most precious treasures.

That was why she'd lied.

"The kiss wasn't bad either."

It was her very first kiss. Strangely, kissing Kim Hyunjin filled her body with vitality. Was it similar to the fairy tale she'd read as a child, where Snow White awakened after the prince's kiss? She wasn't sure yet. She thought she might understand better after a few more.

"He's such a mysterious person."

It was as if he possessed some mystical power. She'd clearly suffered a serious injury, yet when she opened her eyes the wounds were gone and her body felt even better than before. Of course, she had no intention of spreading rumors about her benefactor or investigating him.

And the most surprising thing of all was...

"The way he looked at me was so ordinary."

Men usually looked at her in one of two ways: they couldn't meet her eyes at all, or they stared with blatant lust. But Kim Hyunjin had looked at her normally. To be precise, the way someone might look at a pretty girl. He was the first person to ever see her that way.

Having attended all-girls middle and high schools, and being poor at communication, she'd been worried about college life. Yet she'd become friends with a girl who resembled the yellow chick she loved, and met a mysterious man who looked at her with ordinary eyes.

Her worries about university had quietly vanished, replaced by growing anticipation. She hugged her new treasured jacket, a peaceful expression on her face, and drifted off to sleep.