Guest Ch 10

West Fort Owner, Blue Hawk (1)

“It’s a health checkup kit. It’s essential when living in groups. If you have pneumonia or an infectious disease, you’ll need to be quarantined.”

I heard the Doctor’s voice as I drifted in and out of sleep. His bright, confident tone carried a deep resonance. His words continued to filter through my foggy mind.

“You probably know this better than I do, but let me explain just in case.”

Clatter, clatter.

I could hear him taking out various things. The faint smell of dust reached my nose. I had hoped I was in my own bed when I opened my eyes, but it was a hopeless wish.

I blinked, staring blankly. My weak and quiet reaction seemed to keep the Doctor from realizing that I was awake. As he laid out the items, he spoke.

“This is for the an*l exam. Just insert the swab slightly inside, then put it in this container. For this one, you scrape the inside of your mouth and hand it over. You know how to draw blood, right? Let me know if you can’t find a vein.”

“Got it.”

“The first result we’ll get from these is the an*l exam. The rest will take about two weeks.”

Doctor, who had his back to me, still didn’t know that I had opened my eyes.

“Then I’ll see you in the afternoon.”

He left the mechanical room after a brief greeting. Thanks to him, I made eye contact with the captain, who had been hidden behind the handsome Doctor.

He was wearing a thin, short-sleeved shirt that clung to his body. The finely defined muscles, clearly visible even through the fabric, were intimidating. His arms, with veins bulging blue, looked like they could easily choke me out if he decided to attack.

The thought that I definitely shouldn’t provoke him left me feeling deflated. After staring at me for a long time, he finally spoke.

“If you heard what the Doctor said, grab the cotton swab and take off your pants.”

Even with his words, I couldn’t bring myself to get up from the sofa. Unsure of what I had just heard, I stared at him with shaky eyes.

It’s been the same pattern since yesterday. Why do they keep telling me to take off my clothes?

While I was still reeling from the order I’d just received upon waking, this sharp-witted man cleverly dressed his crude words in more reasonable-sounding logic.

“If you need to use the bathroom, you’ll have to go down to the roof. It’s too far and will take too long. Just get the exam over with and get ready to leave. We have places to be.”

…He must be talking about the an*l exam. Do I really have to insert the swab into my an*s? I’ve never done this before, but I know this isn’t something one discusses casually.

Pulling down my underwear in front of a man whose name I didn’t even know and inserting a cotton swab inside… Am I the only one who feels humiliated by this? His indifference made me seriously question things.

“What are you doing? Take off your pants.”

How could human dignity and rights, which I had always taken for granted and had always been respected, be so easily disregarded? I understand that in a world where survival comes first, such things might lose importance, but still, it was hard to come to terms with this sudden shift.

“I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.”

I said as I slowly rose from my seat. The man motioned with a slight nod of his chin.

“It takes 20 minutes to go and come back. But if you do it here, it won’t even take a minute.”

“That’s your issue. I said I didn’t want to.”

I masked the curse welling up inside with a forced smile.

“Then I’ll do it outside and come back.”

Maybe because I used to give in after glaring a few times in the past? It seems he’s not pleased with my refusal, especially after I’ve turned him down twice. The man, who already had a harsh expression, furrowed his brows even more.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this and just get it over with.”

Who’s making a big deal out of it? Isn’t it far worse to pull down my pants and stick a cotton swab in a hole in front of a man?

Since hinting wasn’t going to work, I spoke directly.

“I’m uncomfortable.”

“I don’t understand why it would make you uncomfortable.”

It feels like I’m talking to a wall. I start to wonder if everyone in Seoul ends up with such a twisted mindset like this man. Realizing there’s no more room for conversation, I picked up the container with the cotton swabs.

“I’ll do it outside.”

I got up from the couch and walked toward the door. His sharp gaze followed me. His expression made it clear—he couldn’t understand why I was making such a fuss over something as simple as taking off my pants.

“Seems like you’ve got something to hide.”

Looks like he’s misunderstood something.

“What? I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“You keep avoiding it.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Obvious?”

The man stood up and approached me.

“Nothing is obvious.”

He blocked the door I was about to open and locked the doorknob.

Click.

Without hesitation, he shoved me against the wall.

Bang!

“Ugh…”

I had no time to express the pain in my back from hitting the wall and the pain in my wrists from being held. His breath on the nape of my neck was threatening.

“Take off your clothes. I need to check what you’re hiding.”

This is driving me crazy. I knew he was cautious, but this is too much.

“I already told you, I’ve got nothing to hide!”

“If you’ve got nothing to hide, then take them off.”

“Oh, for god’s sake, come on.”

“Take them off.”

“Why are you so fixated on me saying I’d rather step outside to do this?”

“Take them off.”

“Hey!”

“I said take them off.”

Is he out of his mind?

In my frustration, I pushed him back. His eyes sharpened as he stepped away, reacting to my resistance.

“!”

He grabbed my shirt, clearly intent on forcing it off.

“Wait, hold on a second!”

He was faster than my attempt to stop him. His grip tightened as he began tearing at my collar.

Rip, rip, rip.

The buttons popped off, scattering with a loud sound as they hit the wall and tumbled across the floor. My body staggered from the rough treatment.

“Ugh!”

He didn’t care about my groaning. He just yanked my shirt wide open, exposing my upper body. His eyes quickly scanned my bare chest.

The way he ripped off my clothes and examined my body, it was clear he didn’t see me as a fellow man. But he didn’t exactly treat me like a woman either. It felt more like he was handling a weak, helpless animal, expecting me to obey his commands without question. He seemed to think he could push and pull me around as he pleased. It was beyond degrading.

I bit my lip hard and let it go, my anger causing my breathing to grow heavy. My fists clenched tight, itching to punch him in the face.

Seeing my reaction, he slowly spoke.

“There’s nothing here.”

Did you really think I had a weapon hidden on my body that could threaten you?

I let out a wheezing breath, the formal language slipping from my mind as my words came out faster than my thoughts.

“You saw there was nothing yesterday when I was changing clothes.”

“I wasn’t paying attention. What’s the point of looking at someone else’s body?”

“Then let me go. You’ve checked everything now.”

“No, take off your pants too.”

Goddamn it, this bastard isn’t going to stop…

He narrowed his eyes at my lack of response. He pushed my unbuttoned shirt further back, trapping my arms in the sleeves. Now I couldn’t move them. It felt like I was tied up, bound in a humiliating way. Despite seeing this, he stubbornly persisted.

“Do you need help with that?”

He tied the shirt behind me. After tying my arms, he grabbed the front of my pants. He pulled the button of my pants out of the narrow hole, never taking his eyes off my expression. I bit my lip in anger at the intense gaze from close range.

I usually try to resolve things with a smooth conversation, and I was afraid of the consequences, so I tried to listen obediently. But not this time. His attitude, which showed no consideration from beginning to end, made me stubborn.

Go ahead and do your worst. Do whatever you want. If you can’t find what you’re hiding from me even after this, you’re really an idiot.

“Why is this Prophet so ill-tempered?”

He muttered as he unzipped my pants. I almost retorted, “Aren’t you the one too stubborn to listen?” but bit my tongue.

Ziiiip.

The zipper came down with an unusually loud noise, and my pants slid down my thighs.

Thud.

I could feel the cold fabric of my pants clinging around my ankles, and the exposure made my face flush with humiliation. But I decided to hold on and endure it.

Ill-tempered, you say? You’ve got a talent for pissing off calm people like me.

“Strange, I’ve only ever been called kind.”

I shot back sarcastically, despite my usual polite tone. He merely scoffed. Clearly, my manner of speaking wasn’t the issue. Whether I was polite or blunt, all he cared about was me doing as he said. His fingers fumbled with the last remaining piece of clothing—my black underwear.

“What were you hiding that made you so reluctant to take off your clothes?”

Even though I told him there was nothing, he still doesn’t get it.

I spat out in frustration.

“Go ahead, look.”

“You’re just picking a fight.”

“You started it.”

“You’re the one acting suspicious.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to look for it.”

“Ugh, Prophet.”

“Search all you want. I hope you find something. Otherwise, I won’t cooperate with anything you want me to do from now on.”