Chapter 11: Is it okay if i touch my body…?

“It’s a misunderstanding. Really.”

But my words didn’t change Seung-ah’s expression, a mix of embarrassment and disdain.

Even I had to admit, a friend sniffing exercise equipment in a training facility looked suspicious.

‘Or is it… something more?’

Her expression didn’t seem to be pure disdain. As I was about to analyze it further, Seung-ah spoke.

“What’s the misunderstanding?”

There it was.

The classic girlfriend question. While Seung-ah and I weren’t dating, this situation felt eerily similar to a lovers’ quarrel.

“The part where you called me a pervert and said I like sniffing things…?”

I couldn’t deny sniffing the equipment. But I wasn’t a pervert who enjoyed it.

“Um… Yu-won.”

“Yeah.”

“You were sniffing the exercise equipment I use, right?”

Seung-ah resorted to facts, a tactic I couldn’t counter. I nodded.

“Yeah…”

My voice trailed off. There was no denying it.

“And the reason?”

The reason I sniffed the equipment.

“You said you’re the only one who uses this training facility, so I wondered if… if your scent would be on the equipment…?”

‘Uh… this sounds…’

Even to me, it sounded perverted. Why had I done that?

“So… you remembered my scent and wanted to see if it was on the equipment…?”

‘That’s just perverted.’

An irrefutable truth.

Her words perfectly described the situation, and I was the pervert.

The pervert who remembered his classmate’s scent and sniffed her exercise equipment.

I nodded again.

“That’s all true. But isn’t it normal to remember a childhood friend’s scent?”

‘It is! It is!’

Seeing my serious expression, she asked,

“Do you remember Shin-woo’s scent, too?”

“No?”

Why would I remember a guy’s scent?

“See! You’re being inconsistent!”

Explaining that she was my only female childhood friend, so I had no other point of reference, wouldn’t work.

“Um… well…”

“Pervert.”

‘Oof…’

I hadn’t figured out an excuse yet, but I was about to try, when she shut me down.

With such damning evidence, there was no escaping the pervert label.

So, I decided to embrace it.

“Yes, I’m a pervert who enjoys that sort of thing.”

Life was full of unexpected twists and turns.

Bad things could lead to good things, and perspectives could change depending on one’s thoughts and actions.

I wasn’t a pervert, but by admitting to it, I had opened up new possibilities.

“Why are you so confident?!”

See? My confidence had caught her off guard. This was the quick wit ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.

“I am unashamed of my preferences, so your words no longer affect me.”

I didn’t actually have those preferences, but saying it repeatedly made me feel like I did.

Could she stop the runaway 8-ton truck that was me?

“Then… can I tell your other wives? That you’re a pervert who gets excited sniffing my scent?”

“I apologize. I was wrong.”

The 8-ton truck had malfunctioned.

‘That’s not fair.’

I immediately bowed deeply to Seung-ah.

A grand prostration, the ultimate display of respect.

I had just performed a legendary bow, said to possess the greatest power among all bows.

“Hmm… a childhood friend who knows manners.”

Seung-ah seemed to be enjoying this, playing along.

“Are you still mad?”

I kept my head bowed, maintaining the grand prostration. With 59 in Strength and Stamina, I could hold this position for hours.

“No, I was just surprised you were doing something weird. Well… I learned something new about your… preferences.”

So, I now had a scent fetish.

Further resistance would be futile.

Was this also part of the Savior of the World Trait’s machinations?

I stopped my pointless thoughts and straightened up, finally facing Seung-ah properly.

Gulp

I swallowed hard. In my previous distraction, I hadn’t noticed her attire.

She was wearing skin-tight leggings and a tight-fitting crop top that accentuated her figure.

‘Seung-ah’s… figure was this good?’

As a childhood friend, I hadn’t paid attention to her development. And I had never seen her in such revealing clothes.

When we sparred, she always wore loose-fitting training clothes.

If she had ever worn leggings this tight, revealing her panty lines, I would have remembered.

Did she notice my gaze? She flinched slightly, then spoke.

“These are my training clothes. How do I look… okay?”

So, they were indeed her training clothes.

Although I had seen women wearing similar outfits at the gym, Seung-ah wasn’t usually this revealing.

“They look great on you. You look… different.”

I felt like I was seeing a new side of my childhood friend of over a decade. People could always surprise you.

“That’s good… this is the first time I’ve shown them to anyone outside my family, so I was a bit worried. I’m glad you like them.”

She smiled brightly.

“Shall we start training?”

I took off my shirt.

While my Indestructible Body skill allowed me to wear just a t-shirt, I had worn a windbreaker out of consideration for others.

Underneath, I wore a tight-fitting training shirt.

Only those who could bench press over 500 pounds were allowed to wear such clothing. With stats exceeding 1,000 pounds, I qualified.

“I don’t know how to use any of this equipment. Can you show me?”

I was excited to try out the Hunter-specific training equipment.

“O-oh! Sure…!”

Seung-ah, who had been momentarily distracted by my physique, snapped out of it and approached me.

“This one works like this…”

She explained, her body pressed against mine as she demonstrated.

Our clothes were thin, and I could hear her heart pounding against my arm. I felt a blush creeping up my neck.

“Can I…”

“Yeah?”

“Touch your body…?”

She asked something that would have been a major issue if our genders were reversed.

“Sure, but why?”

“I’ve never seen such a well-balanced and toned body… It could be a… reference point for me to reach the next level.”

I understood.

She wanted to study my physique as a model for her own physical development.

My body, honed by the Lightning God’s Body Trait and the Ink Lightning Divine Art, was resilient, firm, and powerful.

No Hunter could match my physical balance.

“Go ahead. It’s not like I’ll lose anything.”

The thought that my body could help Seung-ah reach the next level made me feel proud.

Her hands explored my body.

From my fingers to my wrists, biceps, triceps, shoulders, deltoids, collarbone, pecs, abs… her touch traced every muscle.

Her hands were calloused and scarred from her four years of training. She tried to hide them when she noticed my gaze.

“They’re ugly, aren’t they? I trained so hard that my hands are covered in scars and calluses. I’m embarrassed…”

I didn’t think so. Her hands were a testament to her hard work. I found them beautiful.

I took her hands in mine.

“They’re beautiful. What are you talking about? They show how much effort you’ve put in. They’re much prettier than they were four years ago.”

Did she sense my sincerity? She blushed and lowered her head.

“Really…?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

I always treated my loved ones with honesty and sincerity.

I knew relationships built on lies would crumble, so I valued truth.

“No… that’s why I… like you so much.”

The atmosphere grew heated.

Our hearts pounded faster. She continued exploring my muscles, moving down from my torso to my thighs.

She squatted in front of me, her hands reaching for my legs.

And at that moment, the door to the training grounds opened.

“Here are some drinks…”

Seung-ah’s mother entered with a tray of drinks. And the sight that greeted her…

I was sitting on a bench, Seung-ah squatting in front of me, her head conveniently blocking my crotch from view. Her hands were on my thighs.

What would her mother think, seeing this scene from afar?

“Oh my… am I interrupting…?”

She seemed to have drawn her own conclusions.

She quickly placed the drinks down and left. Seung-ah’s face was burning red.

Silence filled the training grounds.

‘This is awkward.’

Incredibly awkward.