episode_0040

While Jin Seo-won was changing into training clothes.

After getting out of the cave for a while, I sat down on a low rock, savored the faint scent of peach blossoms on the ground, and thought about the past.

‘I never thought I’d come here again… .’

A long time ago, when Seol Joo-hee was at the peak of her powers and was building up her skills.

I set out to find Do Won-hyang, who appeared in the original novel, to help her grow.

In the original novel, it was a place that Seol Ju-hee found after solving a case and getting a hint.

Fortunately, thanks to the unique setting of a large tombstone with the 12 Chinese zodiac signs written on it and the author leaving a place name, it was easier to find it than I thought, and I immediately stayed here with Seol Ju-hee and began training.

At that time, both Seol Joo-hee and I were a bit immature, so we were lost in many ways… .

I spent almost a week training without any results while copying the original work.

Because the screen installed in the hot spring fell, they spent several days fighting over seeing each other naked.

thinking back… .

I think I became very close to Seol Joo-hee from then on.

… Now it’s all useless.

“… I’m here.”

I woke up when I heard the voice of Jin Seo-won, who had just changed her clothes, and without thinking about it, I turned to look at her.

and.

“Uh… .”

I was instantly mesmerized by her unexpected appearance.

She tidied up her brown hair that usually covered most of her face into a half ponytail, refreshingly revealing her pure appearance, as white as snow and like an emotionless doll… .

Contrary to his calm appearance, he was wearing quite extreme clothing.

She, who usually covered her skin tightly with a hoodie or training clothes, was wearing a black tank top with a cool cut at the collarbone and black leggings that went up to her lower abdomen.

‘… When did you buy something like this again? ?’

I, who was momentarily blinded by her pure white skin exposed through the pitch-black top and bottom, suddenly came to my senses and spoke to her as if nothing had happened.

“This is my first time seeing these clothes… . Did you buy it new?”

OK.

Jin Seo-won nodded, avoiding his gaze and slightly covering his lower abdomen, as if he was strangely embarrassed.

“Uh… . okay. It’s pretty. It looks perfect for training.”

I took the trouble to end the topic with an appropriate compliment.

“… … .”

Jin Seowon must have really liked my compliment, and he carefully made eye contact with a strangely satisfied expression.

After completing all preparations.

We headed to a nearby waterfall for some serious training.

Kwaaaa─────

A small waterfall that falls into the middle of a huge pond that is transparent enough to see the inside.

Underneath the waterfall, there was a single, beautifully carved sculpture whose maker was unknown.

This is our place to train.

“I will go there. Let’s go in.”

I took off my shoes and feet in case I got wet, and slowly approached the water, stepping on the lumpy pebbles.

with a splash… with a splash…

I unconsciously shivered from the refreshing feeling spreading from the tips of my feet, and slowly turned my head to look at Jinseowon.

“Come in.”

however… .

“… … .”

For some reason, Jin Seo-won was staring at the water with a strangely frozen expression.

‘… Are you really afraid of water?’

I was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected obstacle, then turned around again and approached her, gently extending my hand.

“Now, I’ll hold you, so take off your shoes and come in. It only comes up to my thighs.”

Then Jin Seo-won glanced at my hand… .

Sigh─

He held my hand carefully and made a rare groaning noise.

“… Is it true?”

I think it was right that he was afraid of water.

‘A heavenly horse that is afraid of water.’

Toouk─ Toouk─

Holding her hand tightly, she took off her shoes and socks with the other hand and slowly lowered them into the water, one foot at a time, as if she were putting her feet in poison.

Kkooook… …

Her grip tightens increasingly as if reacting to the coldness.

I slowly pulled her hand and explained the training to help her get used to the water.

“Do you see that flat piece of stone over there? I’m going to train up there today.”

“… What, in the water?”

Jin Seo-won stutters as if she is a little scared.

Seeing her agitated state, I felt a little sadistic, so I playfully told the story, exaggerating slightly.

“It appears often on TV, right? A scene of training while being hit by a waterfall. Today I’m going to sit there until you can breathe underwater.”

OK.

Stand tall─

She suddenly stopped walking and gently pulled my hand.

“… Really?”

It was like a child being forced to do something he didn’t want to do.

‘cute.’

In the end, I couldn’t hold back my laughter and raised the corners of my mouth, lightly pulling her hand and saying,

“I will join you too. So don’t worry.”

“… Together… ?”

“I don’t like it? It would probably take a week to do it alone… , If you want to get wet alone for a week, I’ll get out.”

“… Well, that’s not it… .”

Jin Seowon seemed to not want to practice alone, so he hurriedly followed along, splashing around as if he had never done that before.

I held her hand tightly and briefly explained the purpose of today’s training.

The goal of today’s training, as mentioned earlier, is to be able to breathe while being hit by a waterfall.

However, it does not simply mean inhaling and exhaling; it is a comprehensive term for breathing.

Water torture has long been used to force people to fall asleep by dropping a drop of cold water on their head. This principle is similar to training under a waterfall.

It is not easy to concentrate while being bathed in cold waterfall water.

In order to concentrate, you basically need to stabilize your body and mind through steady breathing, but even simply catching your breath is not an easy task when water is pouring on your face.

Therefore, it is not just about practicing breathing, but also developing the ability to control your breathing and focus your mind even in extreme situations.

“Time passes several times slower here than outside. Because we booked 3 days and 2 nights… . It will take about 10 days.”

“… Yes?”

Jin Seo-won’s eyes widened as if surprised by the fact that he would be trapped here for ten days.

To be honest, it is bound to be less comfortable here than in modern civilization, so it is not surprising to be surprised.

still… .

As someone who has been here for a month, I think it can be done in 10 days.

“The goal is to breathe within two days. It would be better if it were faster.”

“… … .”

“You can do it, right?”

Jin Seo-won, who was lost in thought for a moment, quickly nodded and showed his will.

I held her hand tightly and slowly walked towards the waterfall.

Kwahiah ahhh

A waterfall that pours out water with terrifying force.

No matter how small the waterfall is, the force is enormous when you get close to it.

“Phew… .”

I took a short, deep breath, pulled Jin Seowon’s slightly trembling hand, and slowly approached the stone sculpture under the waterfall.

Kkooook… …

She followed me, clenching my hand tightly in case she lost it.

*

Shoot… …

A stream of cold water pouring down on my head without stopping.

Jin Seo-won, who had adapted to some extent but had not yet gotten rid of her fear of water, was hit by the waterfall while completely cowering.

“… … .”

Even though Jin Seo-won heard all the explanations, he still did not understand Do Ji-hyuk’s intentions.

All I could do was breathe with my head down, and I couldn’t figure out how to maintain the correct posture and breathe.

‘What is the producer doing… ?’

Jin Seo-won, who covered his eyes with his other hand, narrowed his eyes and glanced at Do Ji-hyuk… .

“… … .”

Even in the strong stream of water, he maintained an upright posture to the point where I thought he might have fainted.

‘… amazing… .’

at that time.

flinch─

Do Ji-hyuk’s hand, which had been quiet the entire time, twitched.

“!”

Jin Seo-won felt as if he had been caught doing something else, so he hurriedly corrected his posture and started pretending to focus on training.

“… Fuhu… .”

And that moment when I was barely able to breathe heavily through the water pouring down on my face, and my focus was getting further and further away.

Sigh… Sigh…

Do Ji-hyuk started gently stroking Jin Seo-won’s hand, wiggling his fingers as if he was trying to say something.

“… … ?”

It was a natural story, but Jin Seo-won couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.

Just his warmth faintly conveyed in the cold water… .

All I could feel was a faint warmth, like a candle flame flickering in the wind and rain.

“… … .”

10 minutes passed like that.

30 minutes passed.

Even after reaching 60 minutes.

Sigh… Sigh…

Do Ji-hyuk still didn’t stop massaging Jin Seo-won’s hand,

‘… ‘What do you want to say?’

Before he knew it, Jin Seo-won completely forgot that he was afraid of water and began to focus on Do Ji-hyuk’s hand play.

Without even realizing it, I was pouring all my mind into him.

‘… what… ?’

The head, which had been deeply bowed for so long, was raised of its own accord and turned to face straight ahead.

My chilly skin became increasingly numb to the cold,

My heart, which had been beating irregularly in response to the ceaselessly pouring water, soon regained peace.

however… .

All Jin Seo-won could feel was the faint warmth of Do Ji-hyuk at her fingertips.

Just as I was looking more closely to check something that was hard to see, I just focused all my attention on my fingertips to feel his warmth more closely.

“… … .”

And like that, about 2 hours passed in the waterfall.

At some point, we were just focusing on each other’s body temperature.

Now that Jin Seowon had some free time, idle thoughts began to creep into his mind.

‘… Did you train like this with Seol Joo-hee?’

Jin Seo-won was able to notice that Seol Joo-hee and Do Ji-hyuk trained together in the past through the photos he checked in the cave… .

Since Do Ji-hyuk’s method is a method, I naturally associated it with Seol Joo-hee.

‘… They must have held hands like this… .’

In fact, for Jin Seo-won, joining hands with the opposite sex did not mean anything special.

This was especially true because she had lived without any sexual desire until recently.

but.

‘… how much?’

Jealousy and envy also existed in Jinseowon.

‘How long have you been training?’

Without realizing it, she started comparing herself to Seol Joo-hee.

Although they belong to different clans, they have similar abilities, use the same fighting techniques, and are trained by the same teacher in the same place.

Although it was not a clear comparison, by the standards of Do Ji-hyuk, who taught both, it would be enough to divide the two into highs and lows.

Now that you have noticed that accurately… .

It was natural for the competitive spirit to arise.

‘… Breath… . uh?’

Jin Seo-won, who belatedly noticed that he was breathing steadily and concentrating his mind, was inwardly surprised and remembered the goal that Do Ji-hyuk had set out earlier.

‘Two days… !’

Do Ji-hyuk completed the training that took two days in just a few hours!

‘… I must have been faster than Seol Joo-hee, right?’

Jin Seo-won clearly thought that Do Ji-hyuk would give her an upper hand over Seol Joo-hee… .

Among the hunters he has raised, the best one by far is Seol Joo-hee, who ranks first in the power rankings.

If you defeat her, you will in fact become the one and only best student.

‘I… . best… ?’

A valuable team member and best student.

Jin Seo-won, who was hungry for affection, felt a thrill from the relationship,

“… … .”

As I soaked in the warmth coming from my lower abdomen through my cold skin, I unconsciously raised the corners of my mouth.

It was the first day of training.