Chapter 65.2

Chapter 65.2

When she clung to his hips, even his solid body swayed like a pendulum for a moment.

The heavy coat had already fallen away, leaving no trace.

“Ha… ha.”

Both of them panted heavily at the same time. From that moment, Seoryeong climbed Lee Wooshin’s back like a fish in water.

Her body trembled in the raging snowstorm, but there was no time to feel the cold.

“Well done.”

Lee Wooshin now grasped the branch with both arms, achieving a more stable position.

“Once you’ve caught your breath, step on my shoulder and climb up.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me say it twice. Climb up.”

“….!”

“If you can’t climb this short distance, you’ll never be fit to use your body.”

He preemptively silenced Seoryeong’s objections with a cold dismissal. Her heart pounded painfully, and she was rendered speechless.

But there was no time to argue or hesitate. She had to climb up first and then pull him up.

The moment she placed her weight on his shoulder:

Crack―.

Of all times, an ominous sound echoed.

Her tense face looked up cautiously. The branch, ready to snap at any moment, exposed its white inner wood.

“Instructor!” Before she could say anything, another crack―! The only support broke. It happened too quickly to react.

With a spine-chilling sense of danger, her body moved on its own. Instinctively, Seoryeong pulled the knife from her mouth and stabbed at the frozen cliff.

Glancing sideways, she saw Lee Wooshin using the same technique to cling to the icy wall.

When their eyes met, it felt like they could somehow read each other’s thoughts. This strange sense of unity, something she had never experienced before, made her hair stand on end.

However, the blade didn’t embed itself; it only scratched the surface with a grating sound.

Though they were falling at a dizzying speed, the rate was gradually slowing down.

“Ugh…!”

Her fingers felt like they were about to burst under the pressure. At that moment, Lee Wooshin’s thick palm covered her trembling hand.

Clinging to him like a turtle shell, his low voice resonated through her body.

“Don’t let go.”

Just as she gathered her strength again, the blade shattered with a sharp crack, dashing her hopes.

“――!”

The recoil knocked her off her feet, and a strong force grabbed her and pulled her to her feet.

She forced herself to turn around just before her body hit the rough floor with a thud.

For a moment, her vision went black. Her stomach lurched, and a shaking shock washed over her like a wave.

“Ugh….”

Her vision slowly brightened. Blinking, she looked around; the snowstorm still raged, making it hard to open her eyes fully.

Where am I?

“Ah!”

Seoryeong remembered the instructor and quickly got up.

Every bone in her body ached, but she gritted her teeth and straightened her back.

“Instructor! Instructor! Please wake up!” The now familiar scent of a man lingered faintly beside her.

Seoryeong’s hands seemed to tremble slightly. Just before the fall, it felt like her body was forcibly turned.

Lee Wooshin lay beneath her like a cushion.

They were precariously sprawled on a ledge halfway down the cliff. It was just wide enough for a person to sit.

The shape of the eroded rock miraculously saved them from death.

“Ugh…!”

Hearing a low groan from below, she quickly looked down. She pulled Lee Wooshin further inside. His eyelids moved sluggishly as he started to regain consciousness.

Seoryeong looked down at the dense thicket of thorn bushes below to assess the situation.

Should they climb back up the cliff or descend? She couldn’t decide, having never experienced something like this before.

The sharp, distinct smell of limestone made her even more anxious, signaling how unfamiliar and harsh this place was. The rough ground felt chillingly cold, and her hair was stiff as if it might freeze at any moment.

Occasionally, ice or pebbles rolled down from above, and the wind was much harsher than in the mountains. Everything seemed bleak.

Shivering from the unbearable cold, Seoryeong fumbled for the wire she had held in her mouth.

While glancing down and muttering worries, her hands steadily tied a looped wire around Lee Wooshin’s wrist. “For now… I caught you.”