Chapter 66.2

Although this was her first time in such a dire situation, watching him remain calm made Seoryeong feel more composed. It might have been a baseless thought, but she felt certain they wouldn’t die here.

They sat on the ledge in the middle of the ice wall, facing the howling wind.

“I’ll finally be joining the Special Security Team.” Han Seoryeong beamed amidst her chattering teeth.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?”

“Are you seriously talking about that in this situation?”

“What’s more important than that? I ended up here trying to catch you, Instructor.”

Lee Wooshin was speechless.

“I won.” Seoryeong playfully shook the wrist that was connected to his. Lee Wooshin frowned and turned his head away as if he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

Meanwhile, the cold sweat from their unexpected chase was drying, causing their body temperatures to drop rapidly.

Her hands and feet had long since gone numb from the cold, and her stomach was painfully empty. She had been surviving on water alone for days, and now even that was scarce. As she drew her knees up and leaned her exhausted body against them, she heard the sound of a zipper opening and felt a light tug on her hair.

“Get in here. Let’s focus on surviving first.”

Lee Wooshin had opened his padded jacket wide, motioning for her to come inside.

Understanding the significance of his gesture left Seoryeong speechless for a moment.

“Don’t waste body heat; the wind keeps getting in.”

“Why don’t you just give me your jacket…”

“This instructor hates being cold.”

Despite feeling a slight resistance to the idea of pressing her body against his, she realized survival was the priority. With a lighthearted nod, she awkwardly moved closer.

She cautiously settled inside the opened jacket, feeling his firm thigh against her bottom. She stiffened, trying to maintain some decorum, which made him chuckle.

“Specialist Han Seoryeong, you choose strange moments to be polite.”

Suddenly, she was pulled closer, their positions adjusted until they were facing each other. She noted how his rough, unceremonious hands dragged her legs to either side and drew her waist into his embrace.

Their chests and lower bodies were pressed together without any gap. As Seoryeong was caught off guard by how closely they were entwined, Lee Wooshin quickly zipped up the jacket.

To put it politely, it felt like holding a baby in front of him. Less politely, it was like being in a face-to-face intimate position. Their faces were so close that his breath tickled her lips.

While she felt embarrassed, Lee Wooshin just held her trembling body tightly to warm her up. The embrace was suffocating and made her bones ache.

Although she had never experienced someone’s body heat filling the gaps in her shivering body before, the discomfort eventually got to her. She tried to wiggle her hips away, but Lee Wooshin, sensing her movement, smacked her butt through the outerwear.

“Ah…!”

She was too stunned to speak. Even though she was already cold, should she thank him for making her feel warmer? With wide eyes, Seoryeong exhaled a puff of breath.

“There’s a cliff right below us. Where do you think you’re trying to escape to?”

Lee Wooshin frowned as he gazed at her neck.

“Are you fine with other men’s crap but find necessary survival contact uncomfortable?”

The sense of danger she felt in the mountains seemed to have followed her here. Instinctively, she wriggled again, and his eyes sparkled with a fierce amusement.

“How can I take you on as a recruit if you don’t listen to me?”

He chewed on his chapped lips while glaring at her neck.

“Our best recruit, who will soon join the Special Security Team, nearly got herself killed because she couldn’t stay put. So what’s with all the squirming now?”

Soon join the Special Security Team? Best recruit? Seoryeong’s face brightened.

The instructor, who always pushed her away and criticized her, seemed to finally give her a chance.

Moreover, it was an unexpectedly splendid acknowledgment that he would accept her as a team member.

Despite the chills and dizziness, her heart began to warm.

“Just so you know, if I’m not satisfied with the work, I’ll rough up my subordinates too.” He said.

“Like you did earlier?” Seoryeong appeared unfazed by his blatant warning; if anything, it only piqued her interest further.

“….”

“So, have you ever spanked Instructor Jin Hojae’s butt too?” Seoryeong asked excitedly. Lee Wooshin frowned as if he couldn’t believe his ears and then turned away with a pained expression.

He looked at his wrist, bound by the wire, contemplating whether to break it or not.