Chapter 13

The day of the study tour had finally arrived. The vacation spot they visited this time was the Yongmasan mountains located in the Gwangjin-gu area. The Yongma Mountains are quite famous for their beauty and beauty. Each department will stay in a different inn, although the distance between the inns is only a few meters.

Right now, all the students from both departments are gathered in an open field to receive a mission, which is to find firewood. The deadline is five o'clock in the afternoon, and the number of participants is up to you. You can search alone or in groups.

"Want to look for wood together?" Again So Hyun appeared while Tae Hoon was preparing to leave.

Tae Hoon deliberately didn't immediately answer So Hyun's invitation, and chose to focus on tying his shoelaces. After finishing, he immediately got up and walked away. As expected, So Hyun continued to follow him even though he hadn't agreed to So Hyun's invitation.

"I haven't accepted your invitation yet. Why do you keep following me?" Tae Hoon asked in between his steps.

"Then, I'll keep following you until you accept my invitation," replied So Hyun who was also walking by the side.

"Then what's the point of you asking?!"

"Nothing." So Hyun suddenly chuckled amusedly. It felt so good to be alone with Tae Hoon in this beautiful forest. The atmosphere felt cool and cozy, probably because of the gentle breeze that blew between them.

Along the way, they didn't talk much and just focused on collecting firewood. It was quite a long time, but the amount of wood they collected was not much, only about twenty pieces at most.

"Is this enough?" asked So Hyun once she finished tying the twigs into two pieces.

"That's enough."

"Okay, let's go back," So Hyun added as she lifted one bundle of firewood. Tae Hoon carried the other. Just as they were about to take a step, they realized something very, very important.

"Do you know the way back to the inn?" So Hyun opened her voice first.

Tae Hoon turned his attention to So Hyun, his expression looked surprised and half panicked. "I... don't know."

This was bad, really bad. Being stuck in the middle of the forest was not a good thing. So Hyun wasn't going to imagine the clichéd romance drama where the male and female protagonists get lost in the forest—then give each other a warm hug and fall in love.

Put that aside and let's look at reality.

They're both stuck in the forest, there's no food and drink, and the sun is starting to hide its form. No wonder both of their stomachs had been rumbling since earlier because they had not been given food.

"I'm starting to feel that it's quite serious now," So Hyun said, accompanied by a smile.

"We've had an emergency from the start," Tae Hoon snapped. And So Hyun could only laugh in response because she was already starting to lose energy due to hunger.

So Hyun rubbed her arms once in a while as the temperature started to cool down. If you were waiting for the scene where Tae Hoon would put a jacket on So Hyun, then your hopes were in vain, because Tae Hoon only wore a plain T-shirt just like So Hyun.

There was nothing between them that could provide warmth.

I don't know how long they walked, but the exit was nowhere to be found. The forest was getting darker and quieter, thankfully there was still a phone flashlight that could be used as a lighting tool. However, it cannot be used as a communication tool because there is no network in the forest.

"Shall we rest for a while?" So Hyun opened her voice while checking something in the small bag she had brought earlier. She took out a loaf of bread, then split it into two pieces so she could give it to Tae Hoon. "Here, eat this."

Tae Hoon looked at the piece of bread with a furrowed brow. In the next second, he looked away haughtily and replied, "I'm not hungry."

Right after that, Tae Hoon's stomach growled loudly. He felt like drowning right now. Why did the growled voice in his stomach have to appear right after rejecting So Hyun's offer. He was so embarrassed that she wanted to run away.

So Hyun was trying her hardest not to smile so as not to embarrass Tae Hoon. She pursed her lips so hard that they trembled. Even so, she still hadn't pulled her hand away and said once again, "Eat this."

Tae Hoon looked briefly at So Hyun a few times before his right hand quickly took the bread in So Hyun's hand. He was still reluctant to look at So Hyun directly because he still felt embarrassed.

"I'm going to eat this because you keep insisting," Tae Hoon said with a little stammer. Tae Hoon's current reaction inevitably made the smile on So Hyun's face expand perfectly.

"I understand."

"You don't seem to understand," Tae Hoon added—giving So Hyun an annoyed look. He did not accept it because he thought that he was being played again by that woman.

"No, I totally understand."

"It seems like you don't."

"I'm not lying."

"Lying."

"Pftt—" So Hyun's laughter successfully broke out. She laughed amusedly while trying to hide her face with her palms. For some reason she felt that this absurd atmosphere was very funny.

Tae Hoon was stunned. This was the first time he saw So Hyun laughing out loud. There was no special feeling when he saw her laugh, he was just a little surprised. That was the extent of it.

The pleasant-sounding laughter immediately disappeared and was replaced with a panicked expression because of the rain that suddenly came to visit, making the two individuals forced to take quick steps so as not to get soaked. With nothing to protect them from the rain, they just kept running—hoping the rain would stop soon.

When hope had begun to disappear, Tae Hoon's two eyes accidentally found a house in the middle of the forest. He pulled So Hyun's hand and led her to the house without a second thought. Thankfully, the door was unlocked. That way they could enter easily. Only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard, enveloped by the sound of raindrops echoing through the roof tiles.

All their clothes were already soaked. So Hyun slowly moved towards the fireplace that was located quite close to them. At least this house still had some firewood left in the fireplace.

"Do you want to start a fire?" asked Tae Hoon who was watching So Hyun's activities. So Hyun took out a lighter from her bag and started to light the fire in the fireplace. For now, the first problem was solved.

"Tae Hoon, come here." So Hyun patted the floor a few times, while giving a faint smile. There was no reason for Tae Hoon to refuse. Right now the most important thing to him was warmth.

In the end, they sat next to each other—facing the fireplace. The cold feeling slowly began to disappear, replaced by a warm feeling that spread throughout the body. Tae Hoon originally wanted to enjoy this moment leisurely, before So Hyun suddenly undressed her without any prompting. Tae Hoon quickly turned his body around before So Hyun finished removing her clothes and left only her tank top dan trunks.

"W-what are you doing?!" Tae Hoon shouted in panic while closing his eyes.

So Hyun raised both eyebrows in confusion. She didn't understand why Tae Hoon was so panicked when they had already slept together wearing only underwear.

"My clothes are wet, of course I have to dry them," she replied casually.

"B-but why undress in front of me?!" Tae Hoon shouted in annoyance. He couldn't understand So Hyun's casual attitude when there was a man next to her.

"So what? Are you going to do something bad to me?"

"There's no way I would do that!"

"Then that's good. Although I hope that 'it' happens."

"What are you talking about, anyway?!" Tae Hoon really couldn't think of anything. Look at his perfectly red face. Even his body temperature immediately doubled.

Honestly, Tae Hoon felt really annoyed that he was the only one acting up here. He felt like he was being played again. How could someone be so relaxed in a strange situation like this?

"You should take off your clothes too. Otherwise you'll catch a cold."

See? How could a woman say such a ridiculous thing to a man so casually? It feels like a mother telling her child to take a bath.

"I'm fine so stop saying weird things!" Tae Hoon was still faithfully sitting with his back to So Hyun who was left with only trunks and a tank top. Her clothes were being dried in front of the fireplace using the clothesline she found there.

So Hyun then sat behind Tae Hoon, letting out a long breath before opening her voice, "Now you can take off your clothes. I promise I won't peek."

Tae Hoon's jaw hardened, his entire face bright red and hot. It felt like there would be smoke coming out of both sides of his ears.

"Or do you want to continue like that? You'll get hypothermia," So Hyun added when Tae Hoon still didn't move even though almost five minutes had passed.

"O-okay!" Tae Hoon rose to his feet. "Promise me you won't peek!"

"That depends."

"What the hell do you mean by that?! Stop playing with me!"

Once again So Hyun's laughter managed to break out and echo throughout the room. No—this situation and Tae Hoon's attitude right now was adorable in her eyes. So Hyun couldn't help but restrain herself from letting loose.

"Okay, okay. I promise." After a moment, So Hyun's laughter stopped. No—she was trying not to laugh. Several times she laughed silently because it was too hard to hold back. Meanwhile on the other side, Tae Hoon was slowly undressing.

"Are you undressing?"

"Shut up!"

Again, So Hyun laughed silently. Tae Hoon wasn't sure what So Hyun's expression was right now because they were back to back. To be honest, Tae Hoon also had no intention of peeking the other way, really nothing at all. He felt annoyed with himself for a long time because he was the only one who was enduring embarrassment to death. While So Hyun could still act relaxed, she didn't even hesitate to tease him.

After Tae Hoon dried his clothes on the clothesline, he immediately sat behind So Hyun. What an absurd situation. It was definitely strange to be sitting alone with a woman in a half-naked state. Who would have thought that they would be stuck in an awkward situation like this. Not only did Tae Hoon feel awkward, So Hyun was enjoying this rare moment.

If this was an adult novel, then by now there must have been a hot scene between the two characters. Kissing hotly, feeling the warmth and pleasure as the two bodies merged. Not to forget the sound of moans and sighs that beat the rain. But let's not have such expectations for the sake of the common good.