Chapter 62.2

Chapter 62.2

Every morning, Seoryeong woke with a start, startled by the waterproof tarp sagging heavily under the weight of the snow right in front of her face.

She circled the mountain again today, soothing her hunger with the salt and water in her bag. If she found an edible tree root, she’d chop it up with her knife and chew it to bits, and if she was lucky enough to find a mushroom, she’d test it to see if it was poisonous or not, then turn and walk away.

“Ha, ha, ha….”

The quiet, serene snow-covered mountain echoed only her own breathing. Alone in that place, pursuing someone, she felt a familiar sense of desolation.

Rattle-.

Suddenly, she heard the distinct sound of a bell, the one attached to the instructor, ringing nearby. Seoryeong immediately crouched down and strained her ears.

Should I wait here, ambush them? As she pondered, the bell rang again, closer this time, prompting her to bolt out. But her sudden movement made her dizzy, possibly from hunger.

Gritting her teeth, Seoryeong kept running, chasing the elusive sound like a ghost.

Why can’t I catch you? I’ll only catch you, Instructor Lee Wooshin, or is it Kim Hyun… no, Instructor…

Panting, she reached an open cliff. Her face fell with disappointment.

There was no one, just the biting wind cutting through the empty space.

***

That night.

Despite curling up inside her feather-filled sleeping bag, Seoryeong couldn’t stop her jaw from chattering. She hugged a PET bottle of her own urine for warmth and tried to sleep.

How many days have passed? Feeling unusually downcast, she curled up tighter.

She’d better get back to action soon, and hopefully she’d have another nostalgic dream….

Several hours later, just before dawn, the crunching sound of footsteps on snow pierced the air.

Her already sensitive senses sharpened instantly, possibly due to the day’s hunger.

An animal? When she opened the tarp, she found herself staring into the eyes of a shadowy figure.

“.…!”

But it wasn’t an animal. Recognizing the dazed look in Seong Wookchan’s eyes, she frowned.

“What is it?”

Her voice tinged with suspicion. It had been a while since she last saw him, and he looked like he had been wandering the mountain all night, soaking wet with hollow cheeks.

Seong Wookchan staggered for a moment, then, without a word, he yanked on the tarp and trampled into her shelter.

“Hey…!”

Seoryeong shouted angrily, but he acted like a wild animal, collapsing on top of her.

“Ugh…!”

He burrowed into her, seeking warmth, his movements so rough it felt like an attack.

“Seong Wookchan, snap out of it and move!”

But he didn’t seem to understand. He clung to her, trying to pull off her layers of clothing.

“Are you crazy?”

Seoryeong yelled, her voice harsh. Seong Wookchan met her eyes and paused.

Slowly blinking, he looked around, then shook his head as if dizzy.

Up close, his eyes were dark and sunken. He scowled and hugged Seoryeong again.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you.”

“….!”

“Your eyes, damn it, they make me so h*rny.”

His slurred words sounded like he was drugged. She knew hunger could push a person to extremes, but she hadn’t expected him to ruin all their efforts here.

Swallowing her inexplicable irritation, Seoryeong kneed him. But Seong Wookchan bit her pale neck as if it was nothing.

Ugh…! His icy fingers started creeping up her bare skin.

“What the hell… did you eat something in the mountains?”

“…”

“Snap out of it, you bastard!”

Even after slapping him hard across the face multiple times, he just stared blankly. The tarp beneath them rustled, and snow continued to fall silently.

But at that moment―

‘―The point is, don’t think a big guy can take you down easily. In an emergency, use whatever you have—pens, fingers—stab them.’

Lee Wooshin’s sharp voice flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning. She remembered how he demonstrated hitting the jaw, solar plexus, neck, and abdomen with precision. Those textbook moves felt as fresh as yesterday.

Seong Wookchan’s rough hands reached her bra. She had braced herself, but the cold, unpleasant touch sent shivers down her spine.

Maintaining a stoic expression, Seoryeong quietly pulled out the knife hidden in her sleeping bag. Without hesitation, she elbowed his jaw and stabbed his thick thigh.

“Argh, ugh…!”

Bad deeds attract attention. Blood is the best bait for luring prey. She thought of those colder, hungrier days in foreign lands.

A place where the child’s cries were drowned out by fierce snowstorms. That memory flashed through her mind like a flare.

But where was that place again?

Shaking her head to clear the sudden familiarity, she rolled to the side despite a headache. Then she stabbed Seong Wookchan in the back of the leg again.

Good. This will work out.

With more blood pooling, she could request a rescue from the instructors. Seoryeong, hiding her dark thoughts, calmly pulled her clothes back into place.