Ch.120Equipment Shutdown (3)

“Ah, no! Even if we’ve confessed to each other, this is too sudden…!”

“What’s the big deal about just touching? You probably fondled my chest plenty while I was passed out.”

“Sigh, don’t describe chest compressions that way…!”

The once mythical creature known as [Lower-Class High Rise].

But now, that fantasy has become reality and is in my hands.

“Oh, ohhh…”

A sensation I could only feel during embraces.

Trying to gauge the size by touch alone was causing my mind to slightly distort its shape and dimensions.

Facing it directly like this, with only elastic sports shorts and a layer of underwear covering it, I could infer a relatively concrete size and shape through direct hands-on experience.

Even though it was covered by clothing, since that Doha-min guy had quite a hot-blooded constitution, I could feel considerable warmth in my hand.

“It’s… big.”

It’s a bit, no, very frustrating but…

It was definitely slightly bigger than mine when I was a man.

Slightly. Just slightly.

Really.

“O-okay, that’s enough, can we stop here…?”

“No, I don’t want to, don’t pull away.”

“Th-that’s not something you should be saying right now…!”

After having his lower body touched by me, Doha-min urgently rubbed his left arm, desperately trying to prevent blood from rushing to his lower half.

It was a method I had taught him before.

“This guy… to think it’s still a bit bigger than mine even in that state…”

The current [Lower-Class High Rise] was still in a state with room to spare,

meaning its actual size could potentially exceed what my hand was currently touching.

‘At this rate, I won’t stand a chance…’

Unconsciously, I withdrew my hand from his pants, overcome by a sense of defeat invading my mind.

All I can do is offer a silent prayer to the [Guide-Excellence High Rise] I’ll soon face again.

“Phew…”

As my hand left his pants,

Doha-min wiped his forehead with his flushed red left arm and let out a sigh of relief.

“I was wrong, so just go back to your room. You just fell in the water, and if you’re out here again so soon, you’ll catch a cold.”

“Really? For someone who’s worried, your gaze seems to be a bit lower.”

“Th-that’s because you’re showing off your legs! The night air is getting colder, and you shouldn’t stay out too long in such thin clothing!”

“Heh, I guess an unexplored area between the thighs is more tempting than a chest you’ve already touched.”

I’d already filled my quota of fun at the amusement park,

but teasing Doha-min was still entertaining.

Since I probably wouldn’t have many more chances to tease him,

I wanted to do as much of it as possible now.

“Well, I’ve justified touching your chest, so next…”

“…Huh?”

“Is it time to justify the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?”

“Eek…!”

Doha-min tried to back away in horror at those words,

but I immediately grabbed his pants again, which I had let go of earlier.

“Mmph!”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Indeed, no matter how tall or strong he’s become, once you grab that spot, any man is helpless.

“W-why are you doing this? Sahyang and Hyerang are right inside… and Miss Miso too…”

“So…?”

“What do you mean ‘so’? If the people inside come out…”

“Let them come out. Honestly, I don’t really care if we’re seen. Didn’t you confess because you wanted to do things like this without worrying about others? Not like before, in empty parks where no one was around.”

“I… I can’t deny that… but I didn’t plan to be so reckless as to do it anytime, anywhere!”

My pride was somewhat hurt as Doha-min tried to push me away.

The main heroine was giving him the green light first.

“Hey, don’t back away, okay? I’m also putting aside my embarrassment and gathering courage to do this.”

“If-if you’re embarrassed, then don’t do it!”

“No, it has to be now.”

No matter how I think about it, if not now, there won’t be another chance.

Readers won’t be satisfied with an ending based on an unconscious CPR kiss.

This is the quintessential youth romance webtoon moment—shyly but bravely leaning in for a kiss as an expression of gratitude for saving my life.

“You said you wouldn’t stay at N:0, right? Naturally, the same goes for me. I don’t plan to remain behind you in points either.”

“…”

“So… will you let me have my way this time?”

The strength in Doha-min’s shoulders, which had been pushing my arms away with all his might, gave out.

As if he knew resistance was futile.

Or maybe, who knows.

Perhaps he wanted this too.

“It won’t take long. And I probably… won’t ask for something like this again for a while.”

“…Ban Doyoung.”

“Think of it as a memory from our school trip.”

Just as I had used April Fool’s Day as an excuse for my lie,

this time I used the pretext of a school trip memory.

Without such excuses, even I would find it difficult to gather this courage.

“…”

Doha-min squeezed his eyes shut.

But unable to overcome his embarrassment, he kept his lips tightly sealed, like a zipped-up jacket, refusing to part them.

Well, that’s no problem for scoring a goal.

“Open your mouth. Ban Doyoung is coming in…”

-Whoosh

The May night air swept between Doha-min and me.

“Ah…”

“…Doyoung?”

“Ah-CHOO!”

“Eek!”

The May night air was colder than expected for just a flimsy yukata.

“Ugh… Ah, sorry. Suddenly felt a chill all over and I couldn’t help it… oh.”

Doha-min’s face was already covered in Ban Doyoung’s saliva, even though we hadn’t properly kissed yet.

“I messed up.”

“Is that a joke? See, I told you you’d catch a cold!”

“No… it’s just that the breeze earlier was too cold… Ah-CHOO!”

“Oh no… Ban Doyoung!”

As my body was about to be thrown back by the force of my sneeze,

Doha-min caught my hand, preventing me from falling to the floor.

“Ugh… Why is my head suddenly so dizzy? Did I see something strange… No, Doha-min’s face with his forehead exposed isn’t that bad to look at…”

My body, which had been fine until now, suddenly felt heavy when I felt the cold outside air.

My skin where clothes touched felt cold and prickly, and my mind was becoming half-dazed.

Doha-min supported me as I collapsed like a wilting dandelion,

and checked Ban Doyoung’s condition by placing his hand on my forehead.

“I knew it… your forehead is burning hot. I told you before that if it’s hotter than my hand, the fever is quite serious…”

“That can’t be… unlike you, I’m usually well-ventilated because I don’t bundle up…”

“Seeing you talk nonsense confirms you’re sick… let’s go back inside before it gets worse.”

Before I could leave a memorable moment from our last school trip,

I was led back into the room I had woken up in, half-conscious, guided by Doha-min’s hand.

.

.

.

“38.2 degrees… definitely a cold with body aches.”

Miss Miso was slightly startled by the unexpectedly high reading on the thermometer she had brought from home.

Of course, I was surprised as well.

Who would have thought I’d get sick in Ban Doyoung’s body?

“Cough, cough… To think that Ban Doyoung, who could be described as the personification of health turned into a beautiful girl, would be ravaged by a mere cold… how could this happen?”

“Your mouth was already dizzy enough, but now that your head is dizzy too, you’ve lost all filtering, haven’t you?”

“You’d think she’s never had a cold before.”

Surprisingly, Sahyang and Hyerang’s reactions were cold.

Usually, when a character known for their robust health falls ill, it should elicit more concern.

Perhaps Ban Doyoung wasn’t as much of a healthy character as I thought.

Come to think of it, even on my first day of possession, she seemed to be quite sensitive to cold.

I’m only learning these unknown settings as I’m about to leave.

“Sigh, since it could spread to other students, Doyoung will spend the night here in this room being used as an infirmary. The staff also think that would be better.”

“Then what about Doyoung’s schedule for tomorrow?”

“She’ll stay here tonight, and tomorrow we’ll assess whether she can participate in the day 3 activities. If it’s something like the flu, we can’t risk spreading it to other students.”

“Sniff… sniff… Choi Sahyang… Yoo Hyerang… I have to sleep away from you. Stay healthy over there.”

“What nonsense.”

“For once, I agree with Hyerang.”

Cold-hearted girls.

Tonight might be my last night here.

“For now, take your medicine and get plenty of rest, Doyoung. I’ll come check on you periodically, okay?”

“Ugh… yes.”

“Sleep well, Doyoung. See you when you’re in your right mind again.”

The three of them left the room lightly, without showing much concern or lingering.

But I can’t blame them for being cold.

A cold during a school trip.

It’s unusual, but not something to be extremely worried about.

Miss Miso has a duty to take care of the other students too.

The same goes for Sahyang and Hyerang.

It seems that Ban Doyoung getting a bad cold wasn’t rare enough to be completely unfamiliar to them.

They’re probably concerned, but they don’t think they won’t see me again after tonight.

After all, it’s just a cold.

“Ugh… lying alone in a room… is boring.”

Loneliness during a school trip.

This is a unique experience in its own way.

I wonder if I’ll wake up back in my original world after falling asleep alone in this isolation room.

The timing and situation would be quite appropriate.

When I return to my original world, I’ll surely face a lonely morning in my empty apartment.

“Ah… I’m thirsty. Water…”

Before I could even wonder if it was okay to be sent back in this physical condition,

unable to bear the burning thirst, I opened the cap of the water bottle Miss Miso had left for me to take with medicine.

“What… did I already finish it? I thought I only took a few sips…”

-Clank Clank

The water bottle, squeezed dry by Ban Doyoung in just a few sips,

I angrily threw the empty bottle and kicked off the blanket that was covering my legs.

“Ah… I’m thirsty, my throat hurts. I’m bored…”

.

.

.

-Click

Just then, I heard the sound of the outside door opening.

It was probably Miss Miso. The time was just after dinner.

“Miss Miso…? I’m so bored being alone here, so before you go, could you tell me about your first love to cheer me up? If you’re worried about our class president, you could even tell me about your first experience…”

“…Don’t have any.”

“…Huh?”

Startled by Miss Miso’s unexpectedly deep voice, I turned my head to check the door.

Standing next to the door that had opened with a click was not Miss Miso, but Doha-min holding a convenience store bag.

“Oh, it’s Doha-min. Then I guess you wouldn’t have any first experience stories.”

“I thought you might be hungry, so I bought some food from the convenience store… You seem fine enough. If you can move on your own, I’ll just leave what I bought here.”

“…Hehe. No, I’m really sick, I can’t move. I think I’ve caught another disease just now.”

“Really…? What kind of disease… what are the symptoms?”

-Tap Tap

I tapped the tatami floor where I was lying and said to him.

“A disease where I’ll die if I don’t snack together with you, Doha-min.”

“…”

“Since you’re already here, let’s eat together. If you know my taste, you must have bought Zero Lime, right?”

“No, they didn’t have any at the convenience store here.”

“Why not?”