Guest Ch 29

Mixed Perspectives, Misdirected Emotions (6)

I nodded enthusiastically at the words that I would recover faster. I need to get healthy quickly so I can do something.

“Then I’ll go.”

He took my hand and led me somewhere. I was puzzled because he didn’t let go of my hand the entire time, but by now, I had gotten used to his clingy behavior, and I was able to accept it without much thought.

After walking for a short while, we arrived at a huge container warehouse.

“What is all this?”

“A water treatment plant.”

Lee Yiseon slid the container door open.

Creeeak.

Inside, there were rows of yellow plastic water tanks. Agricultural water tanks. Large and deep water tanks, each at least 5 meters tall. They clearly said I could use an herbal bath, so why did they bring me to a place like this?

Is falling into a water tank what they call a bath? Does bathing in this world mean drowning?

While I was seriously pondering, Lee Yiseon pointed to the far corner of the container warehouse.

“It’s a bathtub that only people approved by the plantation manager can use.”

The bathtub in the corner was white and clean. There was also a pump connected to transfer the used water directly to the water tank on the left.

“It’s mainly used by women. It was originally set up for childbirth, but since it’s been a long time since a child was born, now it’s used in emergencies for hygiene purposes.”

Only after hearing this kind explanation did I let out a short ‘Ah.’ When I heard about the herbal bath, I thought we were going to a traditional medicine clinic, but instead, we ended up at an agricultural water storage facility. I could now understand the relationship between the bathwater and agricultural water.

Since water is scarce here, the cleanest water must be for drinking, the next cleanest for washing or laundry, and the moderately dirty water for plants or animals.

As I was thinking about the efficient use of water, Lee Yiseon opened the pump cap. The water from the tank poured noisily into the bathtub. The reservoir was dimly lit, so I couldn’t clearly see the water, but it had a faint yellow hue.

“It’s the color of the herbs mixed in the tank for sterilization.”

Ah, it must be natural sterilization. Instead of using fluoride like in regular water systems, they use herbs. That must help extend the storage time for clean water.

“Do you call this a herbal bath?”

“It also sterilizes human wounds.”

Lee Yiseon, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, looked at me. Even though no light could enter, it felt like his eyes were shining brightly. It was probably the light reflecting off the clean water and reaching his gaze.

The gaze that was always as hard as a black stone now swayed along with the flow of the water. It felt much softer than what I was familiar with.

I feel like I’ve seen this kind of tearful gaze somewhere before. Back then, the light was red. Ah… it was the red light that came through the vent and lingered in his eyes for a long time. It was beautiful back then, too…

Noticing I was staring blankly, he tilted his head.

“What are you doing, not coming?”

As he tilted his head, his bangs fell to one side. I glanced at his black, shiny, well-kept hair, so different from my own dull hair, and then looked away.

I really need to draw a clear line between dreams and reality. If I keep this up, I’ll end up making a mistake someday. A mistake like touching his hair just because it looks pretty.

“Are you really going to help me bathe?”

“You asked me to.”

“…I thought you were joking.”

“You should know by now that jokes don’t apply to me. Take off your clothes and get in.”

Fine. It’s always me who loses when we engage in these little power struggles.

“It’s fine. I’ll do it myself.”

Although I refused his offer, Lee Yiseon didn’t budge from his spot on the bathtub’s edge.

“Surely, this isn’t the extent of the cleverness you spoke of.”

Only people who have tried humor are good at it. This is getting boring. Fine. I won’t argue with you anymore.

“Yeah, I’m too dumb and slow to do anything clever. You win.”

“I didn’t know we were competing, so what exactly did I win?”

“I said I get it.”

“I’m not doing this to mess with you.”

Lee Yiseon reached out towards me and grabbed my shirt collar.

“What?”

I was pulled two or three steps forward by his gentle tug, stopping right in front of him. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, his eye level only reached my chest. It felt strange to be looking down at him, when I was used to looking up. While I was hesitating, his hand slowly moved up from my collar to my chest.

Snap.

He undid the button I had left partially fastened.

Snap.

Slowly and softly, he opened the buttonhole and pushed out the small button. As the stiff holes came undone, my collar opened up.

Every time Lee Yiseon’s large hand moved, my whole body tensed. The simple act of unbuttoning suddenly felt strangely sensual. His hands were unskilled, as if he had never undressed someone before, but that only made me more aware.

Snap.

Four buttons were undone. As he reached for the last two buttons, I hurriedly grabbed his hand. Lee Yiseon, who had been focused on the buttons, looked up at me silently. I flinched under his gaze.

It was an odd kind of tension. Completely different from the life-and-death tension I felt during battles. I couldn’t even compare this subtle, unfamiliar feeling to anything I’d experienced before.

“I’ll undress myself.”

I tried to pull Lee Yiseon’s hand away.

“It’s fine.”

“I said I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine, so why don’t you tell me more about the previous Prophet?”

As he gently released my hand, it felt like he was deliberately trying to distract me.

“Your grandmother. Tell me what you remember about her. That will help me come up with a plan.”

The strange tension pulled taut between us became even more peculiar. I could feel that Lee Yiseon intended to continue his task while I was talking. I deliberately spoke in a casual tone to escape the suffocating atmosphere.

“Do you remember where we first met? Near Seoul Station. You helped me when I was attacked by wolves and wild dogs.”

Lee Yiseon’s long, firm fingers undid the second-to-last button.

Snap.

“I remember.”

I swallowed nervously and forced a cheerful tone.

“Grandmother’s house was nearby. I fell asleep there for a bit, and when I woke up, the world outside had completely changed.”

The last button came undone.

Snap.

My bare skin was exposed beneath the open shirt. There were many cuts and bruises from being dragged around by Wolf Fang. Lee Yiseon, who had been staring at the bruises, finally spoke.

“Didn’t you say you got a call from the previous Prophet?”

At the time, I didn’t know where my grandmother had called from. But now that I know she was a Prophet related to communications, many mysteries have been somewhat resolved.

She must have foreseen that I would come to this world and called me ahead of time, telling me to leave the house. It would have been better if her foresight had been wrong, but fate brought me here to this strange world.

While I was lost in thought about my grandmother, Lee Yiseon slipped my unbuttoned shirt off my shoulders. He even carefully pulled the sleeves off my arms. The shirt fell to the floor.

Plop.

Lee Yiseon remained calm, quietly observing my bare upper body.

“She told you to find a beast, didn’t she? That the beast would help you.”

Standing there shirtless, the tension heightened.

“…Yes, she did.”

“If that beast is me, what will you do?”

His fingers touched my chest. His long, bony fingers were covered in calluses, evidence of the years he had spent handling guns. His knuckles and metacarpal bones were prominent, likely from hitting people with his fists or wielding a knife, and the tendons running across his palms stood out clearly.

Those hands, which looked threatening, carefully stroked my wounds and bruises. He traced the edges of the wounds and gently caressed the bruises, his fingertips slowly moving over my chest, sides, and waist. Strangely, his touch left a mark on my skin.

Every place his fingers passed felt hot. I couldn’t tell if his hands were burning hot or if my body was heating up from the intimate touch. It felt too sensual to be a medical examination, so I bit my lip slightly. If I got flustered, Lee Yiseon would surely tease me, saying, ‘Why are you thinking of strange things?’

His palm stroked my waist and moved around to my back. As he bent his arm slightly, the distance between us narrowed, and my body pressed even closer to his.

…Is this really just a medical examination? If not, why is he touching me like this?

Lee Yiseon spoke in a slightly lower voice.

“What’s your answer?”

I had already missed my chance to push his hand away from my waist. The longer I hesitated, the more my body was drawn to him.

I’m tall, taller than the average man, and not particularly small either, so it was a bit shocking to feel my waist completely enclosed by one of his arms. Is my waist unusually thin, or are his hands and arms just that big?

“If you really are the only one who can help me, then I should do everything I can for you. Whatever I can.”

“Okay, but let go of me…”

Flinch.

My body trembled as his hand caressed my lower back. Lee Yiseon just kept watching me intently, observing my reaction.

My body had become overly sensitive. Now, even just his gaze made the hair on my arms stand up. I had to turn my head, biting my lip, afraid that I might appear too flustered.

My thoughts were a mess.

Am I overreacting to this situation?

Is Lee Yiseon touching me with some ulterior motive?