Ch.98What is it?

# 98. What’s This?

No matter where you are, whether your body is healthy or not, or who you’re with, time flows on.

After having an honest conversation with Yuri and getting a good night’s sleep, I carefully detached her clinging body from mine and went outside the tent.

‘I think I’m feeling a bit better.’

As I was timidly stretching here and there, my eyes met with Soyu noona’s, who was yawning loudly near the campfire.

“Good morning?”

“Hmph.”

Turning her head away sharply while finishing her yawn, noona maintained that posture until I approached her.

‘Her ears are red. Is she embarrassed about being caught yawning?’

I briefly thought that she should be past the stage of being embarrassed about such things, but then figured that Soyu noona might actually be like that, so I held my tongue.

She wasn’t my girlfriend, and she had never shown me her “guard down” side even once.

“You worked hard. Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

“Want some snacks?”

“You don’t like snacking before meals. What are you, my mom?”

“How about calling me dad instead? Besides, it’s tradition to eat something after standing guard duty. So, are you not going to eat?”

“…I never said I wouldn’t.”

As the chef of our guild, I distributed almost everything equally, but when it came to snacks, I kept about 80% for myself.

Why? Isn’t it obvious? If you eat snacks, you eat less at mealtime!

Perhaps because of this, Soyu noona grabbed the snacks I took out and nibbled on them sparingly. Her slightly irritated expression melted away as the sweetness hit her.

‘Hey buddy who told me to feed women something sweet when they seem upset. You actually do have your uses sometimes.’

That guy who changed girlfriends once a month, or even every two weeks when it got bad, had once snickered and said, “This is one of the golden tips I’m graciously sharing with a forever-single like you, so listen with reverence.” I punched him for that back then… but I’m sorry now!

In return, if I ever see you again, I’ll personally teach you how to date multiple women at once!

“What’s with that expression? Are you thinking something weird?”

“How could you slander me like this when I’m just the guild leader deeply contemplating matters for the guild’s sake since morning? That’s not very motherly of you for our guild.”

“What nonsense. Judging by your bullshit, you were definitely thinking something weird. Tell me. What were you thinking?”

Soyu noona stepped closer and asked. The slight breeze from her movement brought her scent to me, making me catch my breath.

‘Our guild members don’t smell bad even while camping. It’s quite mysterious. Even with water to wash with.’

I didn’t show any reaction to her scent since that would seem perverse.

“Just suddenly thought of a friend.”

“Ah.”

Fortunately, my vague half-truth worked. Soyu noona, seemingly embarrassed, unnecessarily cast a healing light on me before returning to her original spot.

‘This noona has her cute sides too.’

Holding back my laughter and just watching quietly, Soyu noona, who was sitting proudly as if nothing had happened, eventually couldn’t bear it and turned her head toward me again.

“What. Why.”

“Nothing. Just grateful.”

“Hmph.”

Seeing the snack still in noona’s hand made me want one too. As I was eating the same snack, I heard her voice, much more cautious than before.

“Are you… okay?”

“What? My body?”

“No. The other thing.”

“What other—oh.”

She must be talking about yesterday.

“I think I was a bit… harsh.”

“It hurt a little, but it wasn’t that bad. Don’t dwell on it.”

“I’m sorry. You already have so much to worry about, and I opposed what you said.”

Even after a good night’s sleep, I still couldn’t think of a better alternative. But as Subin said, I was much calmer than yesterday.

Besides, apologizing for opposing me? I’m not some dictator.

As long as someone wasn’t opposing for opposition’s sake without logic or deliberately misunderstanding me, I was always willing to listen to, consider, and accept my guild members’ opinions.

That’s why I withdrew my proposal yesterday.

“Forced contracts do seem too 4D-loan-like.”

“4D-loan?”

“It means selling your future with no way back.”

“If you knew that and still suggested it, it really means there’s no other answer…”

I shrugged. I suddenly looked toward tent 3 where Yehyun noona, who had said she would do her best, was staying.

“By the way, I wonder what Yehyun noona is doing.”

“What would she be doing? Sleeping, I guess.”

“I suppose so. That makes sense. Sigh, I don’t want to pressure her too much, but I can’t help but have expectations.”

It would be a lie to say I didn’t have hopes that Yehyun noona could quickly master skills like Subin and Soyu noona did.

But I wasn’t planning to rush her. At least for three days.

“Since we’re at it, help me make breakfast, noona.”

“I just stood guard for four hours until now?”

“I’ll give you another snack.”

“Do I look like a child who would give up precious minutes of rest for something like that?”

I didn’t miss it.

The slight trembling in Soyu noona’s eyes.

“I’ll add one more on top of that.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m tired. Are you done?”

“One more. If you refuse this too, well, I’ll have to ask someone else. Maybe Seyeon would do it for free.”

Just as I was about to put the three snacks back into my inventory, something white appeared and disappeared with lightning speed.

The snacks were gone, and noona’s face was red.

“W-what are you doing? Let’s cook.”

“Heheheheh.”

“Why are you laughing!”

“Okay, okay. First, could you fill a pot about 70% with water and put it on the fire?”

“Hmph!”

Soyu noona’s mental state seemed to have recovered more, and so had mine.

“It’s much better cooking with someone than alone. Will you help tomorrow too?”

“…We’ll see.”

What a tsundere.

**

‘I’m not thinking anything. Because I have no thoughts.’

How many hours have passed?

I can’t feel my body.

A while ago I desperately needed to pee, but now I don’t feel anything, so either I’m temporarily better or… well, I wet myself. I can’t tell.

I’m someone who strictly follows routines, so I should be hungry by now, but I’m not.

‘Ms. Ra Mo (29), found naked in a tent.’

No, I can’t be dead. If I were, I wouldn’t be able to think like this. Or is it? Astral projection? No, that’s not it either. I can’t see myself, so it can’t be that.

But I feel strangely comfortable. Like I’m floating?

‘I want tteokbokki.’

Even though I’m weak with spicy food, I want to order it spicy and take a sip of coolpis after each rice cake and fish cake. I want to dip the fried food and gimmari in the tteokbokki sauce.

Then I want to take a picture of the half-eaten food and post it in our group chat to torture my guild members.

Ah.

This isn’t Earth.

‘I want to date someone too.’

I never really thought about it before, it was even bothersome.

But seeing the pretty younger girls and the handsome guild leader being lovey-dovey makes my side feel so cold.

What’s worse is that I’m the oldest, and I’m the only one in my thirties.

I’m still twenty-nine in Korean age, but the moment I start arguing about that, it feels like I’ve already lost, so I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

‘I’m being silly. Even I wouldn’t look at an older woman if there were young, pretty girls around… Ah, I shouldn’t be having these thoughts!’

I have no thoughts. Because I decided not to think about anything.

But.

What was I trying to do again?

Before that, why did I decide not to think about anything?

I don’t know. I can’t remember. But I know I shouldn’t be thinking about anything.

So.

I’ll just stay still without thinking anything.

**

“Yehyun unni. Are you there?”

After preparing breakfast and calling everyone to eat, the guild members gathered one by one, moving sluggishly. The fact that they still wanted to eat on time despite being sick was either a sign of strong will to recover or their bodies needing energy—either way, it was good news from my perspective.

But Yehyun noona was nowhere to be seen, so I sent Seyeon, who called for noona a few times outside the tent before returning and shaking her head.

“I think she’s sleeping.”

“If she’s not answering after being called like that, she’s probably not just oversleeping or ignoring you, but deeply focused on something. Still, just to be safe, take this and slip it inside, would you?”

“Yes, Leader.”

Seyeon put the 1.5 portions I had prepared into her inventory and headed back to tent 3. Just as I was about to check who was on dish duty—

“Kyaaak!”

“Seyeon?”

“L-l-l—”

“Calm down!”

“Leader! U-u-unni! Yehyun unni!”

I walked quickly toward Seyeon’s shocked scream. Soyu noona followed right behind, and Subin and Yuri, who couldn’t move properly, were crawling over.

“What’s going on?!”

“Y-you should see for yourself. N-no, not you, Leader. Soyu unni should.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“S-Soyu unni! Hurry!”

Seyeon blocked me and urged Soyu noona forward. Pushed forward in confusion, noona checked inside the tent and immediately sat down.

“What! What is it?!”

“Let me see.”

Subin and Yuri, who arrived late, also checked inside the tent one after another, then flopped down and covered their eyes with their arms.

“You want to tell me, but you don’t want me to see it directly?”

“…Yes.”

“Then you should at least explain what state she’s in.”

All the guild members kept their mouths shut. Not because they didn’t want to tell me, but because they didn’t know how to describe it.

I placed my hand on Seyeon’s shoulder as she blocked the tent entrance and gently pushed her aside. She resisted briefly before yielding.

Then I lifted the tent flap and looked inside.

“Holy shit.”

The curse reflexively escaped my lips.

“What is that?”

And I too was left speechless.