## Chapter 40 – Enticement
Most of Jung Seo-hee in my memories was asleep at her desk.
The Jung Seo-hee who wasn’t asleep was skipping class.
I never saw her during morning assembly, or even at lunch. Jung Seo-hee always skipped class to go eat.
Then, she’d saunter back near the end of the school day and go back to sleep.
So, I didn’t know much about her.
But she was someone who left a pretty strong impression on me.
-Pathetic.
Every so often, when our eyes met, she’d always look at me with eyes that said I was pathetic.
To put it a bit harshly, she looked at me like I was trash.
It was definitely not a look of pity.
-Why do you live like that?
Those were the only two things she said to me in three years.
But because the expressions were so vivid, I couldn’t forget them, even though they were just two phrases.
‘Come to think of it, she was a really unique kid.’
The kids in my class treated me like air. They acted like I didn’t exist, and then when they needed something, they’d look for me and use me.
Even Kang Hye-rin, who beat me up every day to make me stronger because I wasn’t manly enough, treated me like a ghost normally.
But Jung Seo-hee was different.
She consistently acknowledged my existence, and looked at me with those cold eyes, as if I was pathetic.
Someone who didn’t let me forget my existence for three years, and at the same time, ruthlessly dug into my heart.
That was Jung Seo-hee.
In some ways, I could say she was quite special to me.
‘There she is.’
I stopped walking and focused on the front. I saw a short-haired, tomboyish girl carefully pushing through the bushes.
Halt.
As if sensing someone, Jung Seo-hee turned towards me.
A pair of eyes, a deeper blue than the twins’, stared straight at me.
‘Will I be able to communicate with her?’
Jung Seo-hee was the type to act before she spoke. You could tell just from the fact that she only said two things to me in three years.
‘Let’s not get too close.’
I might get caught if I got too close.
Even if it wasn’t about the twins, I had plenty of reasons not to get caught.
After all, I’m a fugitive.
“What are you doing in this forest? It’s dangerous. Just go back.”
I said to Seo-hee, who took a step towards me.
I put warning in my voice.
Of course, the words only lingered in my mouth and didn’t make it out.
Thwack!
As soon as Jung Seo-hee spotted me, she started running towards me. At an incredible speed, too.
‘Damn it. She’s not someone you can talk to after all.’
I also turned around and ran away.
Using [Danger Detection], I deliberately ran towards a place where snakes were easily visible.
At the same time, I ran on a path that wasn’t dangerous at all. It was a kind of scare tactic.
Rustle. Rustle.
As if understanding my intentions, snakes soon appeared one after another, showing off their presence.
They hung from trees everywhere, flicking their tongues.
There were so many of them that a red aura swarmed above the trees.
Thud thud thud!
An ordinary person could never cross this forest. They wouldn’t even dare to try.
‘It would be nice if she got scared and ran away now, but…’
No way.
She’s chasing after me with wide eyes and a fierce look.
Cautiously watching her surroundings, she’s copying my path and footsteps exactly.
‘Crazy. She’s a monster.’
The way she’s running exactly where I stepped is truly divine.
It was a step taken with the certainty that there were no snakes where I had stepped.
But what’s even more terrifying is that she’s thoroughly checking her surroundings while chasing me.
Her wide eyes are quickly scanning to see if there are any snakes she missed.
Then, a snake cut in between us.
One falling from above.
‘Danger…’
Whack!
Just as I was about to tell her it was dangerous, Jung Seo-hee snatched the falling snake and threw it to the side.
“!!”
And so easily, too.
It was a truly insane reaction speed and athleticism.
It was hard to believe even after seeing it. If she had reacted just a little later, she would have been bitten by the falling snake.
‘Why is her physique so good?’
And what about her strength and stamina?
She was steadily closing the distance between us, little by little.
It was far beyond my expectations.
Judging that this was dangerous, I immediately opened the status window.
[Remaining Points: 134]
I poured all my points into strengthening the [Danger Detection] ability.
[100 points have been used.]
[Enhancement successful.]
[+10 Stamina Consumption Reduction has been applied.]
[Maximum enhancement has been reached, greatly reducing stamina consumption.]
Because I couldn’t bring myself to face Jung Seo-hee while using [Danger Detection].
Fortunately, the choice was excellent.
‘I feel like I can live now.’
As soon as the enhancement effect came out, the burden on my body definitely disappeared.
But Jung Seo-hee was still fiercely chasing after me.
Thud thud thud!
She was so fast that there were several close calls where it felt like I was about to be caught.
Whoosh.
I could clearly feel Jung Seo-hee’s hand brushing past my back.
When I glanced back, her eyes and aura were so fierce that it felt like she would slam me to the ground and threaten me if she caught me.
‘She’ll probably grab me, restrain me, and then shout, “Where are the twins?”‘
She might even torture me depending on the situation.
She doesn’t treat me like a person. There’s no telling what might happen if I get caught.
I absolutely can’t get caught.
But why do I keep smiling even in this desperate crisis?
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!
‘It won’t be easy to catch me. I’m confident in my running, if nothing else.’
All those years of running around weren’t for nothing.
“Damn it.”
Jung Seo-hee’s curse came from behind me.
She’s already swung her hand at me a dozen times, but she hasn’t been able to hit me decisively.
I’m only saying this now, but this thrilling chase was something I orchestrated.
I’ve already failed to chase Jung Seo-hee out of the forest.
Communication also failed.
Then there was only one way.
‘To subdue Jung Seo-hee.’
But how can I subdue Jung Seo-hee? That monster of a human?
Of course, I don’t have to subdue her myself.
Haa. Haa.
‘The change is starting to come.’
In fact, I was aiming for this.
This very moment.
The moment when Jung Seo-hee’s speed started to decrease, and a change came over her Terminator-like stamina and expression.
‘Success.’
It was clear to see that Jung Seo-hee’s stamina was noticeably dropping.
In a way, it was only natural.
I deliberately went to areas where snakes were easily visible. I only moved along paths that were safe but had a lot of bushes.
Then, Jung Seo-hee had to slow down to worry about snakes popping out of the bushes, and after passing through the bushes, she had to speed up again to catch up with me.
‘Changing speeds while running requires a lot of stamina.’
And is that all?
After experiencing a snake falling from the sky once, Jung Seo-hee’s concentration and gaze were always scattered.
That rapidly drained her stamina.
‘It went according to plan.’
Given Jung Seo-hee’s personality of trying to solve things with her body rather than words, I thought this situation might arise, and it was the right answer to prepare for it.
‘Of course, this plan can only succeed if I have that level of skill.’
From the moment I made the plan, I wasn’t worried about getting caught.
At least, I was sure that no one on this island could navigate this forest better than me.
‘Above all, my stamina, which has been consistently eating meat for two days, can’t be compared to Jung Seo-hee, who’s eating crackers.’
I moved with a more relaxed mind and watched Jung Seo-hee.
Haa. Haa….
Jung Seo-hee was sweating profusely as she chased after me.
The difference between us was already clear.
I ran leisurely, walked quickly, and walked slowly.
On the other hand, Jung Seo-hee was panting and struggling to keep up, but she was getting further and further away from me.
‘Clearly, Jung Seo-hee’s stamina was better, but…’
Now, just walking was too fast, so I had to stop in place from time to time.
Eventually, the time I spent waiting became longer than the time I spent walking.
‘Is this the limit?’
Her trembling legs were proof of that.
‘But she won’t give up.’
She’s so persistent that she’d chase after me to find the twins, and wander around the forest all night for two days.
Her stubbornness was amazing.
Now that she’s identified me as the culprit who took the twins, she won’t give up easily when the culprit is right in front of her.
No, maybe it’s a matter of pride now. Maybe her pride is hurt because she lost to me in a stamina battle.
‘Either way, I just have to use that.’
Keep circling around and around. Until her stamina is completely exhausted.
I walked with my hands behind my back, but even that was too fast, so I just sat down on the ground.
Grit.
Jung Seo-hee saw me like that and put strength in her eyes. But what happens when the body can’t keep up with the mind is very simple.
“Ugh.”
Jung Seo-hee took a step and then fell forward.
If she had been chasing me at full power for an hour in this heat, she had really lasted a long time.
Most people would only run at full power for about 10 minutes.
“Giving up? You’re not going to follow me anymore?”
When I threw out a word, Jung Seo-hee raised her body and shook her head from side to side.
Still, it was hard to come to her senses, so she raised her hand and slapped herself.
Slap slap slap!
So hard that her white skin turned bright red.
‘She’s tough.’
She’s not ordinary. There wouldn’t be a tough person like that among the kids in my class.
‘No one would even think of taking advantage of such a fierce, stubborn, and determined woman.’
What’s more, her family is strong, and I heard from the twins that she’s incredibly good at fighting.
There probably isn’t a man on Earth who would lay a woman like that down like a dog and take her.
‘But I can. At least as long as I’m on this island. No matter how outstanding and talented she is, she’s still just a person.’
Thud.
Eventually, Jung Seo-hee fell again.
With her upper body supported by her elbows, Jung Seo-hee took rough breaths. Drip. Drip. Sweat poured down like rain, carving shadows on the sand.
I stared at her for a moment, then got up from my seat. When I moved again, Jung Seo-hee, who had taken a short break, staggered to her feet.
Stagger. Stagger.
‘Anyway, is this enough?’
I’ve drained her stamina enough, and thanks to that, she doesn’t have the energy to attack me.
She looked too tired to even control her own body.
Seeing that, I thought for a moment, ‘Should I force myself on her?’ but I soon gave up.
Because it could be a disaster.
I started walking again, and Jung Seo-hee followed me. I took the exhausted Jung Seo-hee to the entrance of the rocky mountain.
“Oh, Master, you’re here?”
Kim Yeon-joo, who had been waiting at the entrance to the rocky mountain, smiled brightly.
But she was startled when she saw Jung Seo-hee following behind.
I gestured for Kim Yeon-joo to step back. Kim Yeon-joo disappeared, and when I turned around, I saw Jung Seo-hee crawling up the ground.
‘She looks a little dangerous.’
Sure enough, Jung Seo-hee’s hand slipped as she crawled up the slope.
I reached out and grabbed her to keep her from rolling down.
Grasp.
But at that moment, Jung Seo-hee’s eyes flashed open.
A gaze burning with fire.
‘Crap.’
I realized instinctively. That was all an act. A trap to catch me, who kept running away.
As proof, Jung Seo-hee surged up in an instant, grabbing my collar and lifting me up.
“Kuh.”
It was strength that I couldn’t believe came from a woman.
Is this because she was born a foreigner?
A British girl who one day rose to fame and was adopted into a financial conglomerate.
I heard she was English, but anyway, it was strength that a Korean girl of the same age couldn’t easily produce.
Jung Seo-hee, who roughly grabbed my collar and lifted me up, glared at me as if she would kill me.
‘It’s understandable. What happened in the forest a little while ago was quite embarrassing.’
Jung Seo-hee curled up the corners of her lips. As if she had finally caught the prey she had been chasing.
But I also smiled inwardly.
I was somehow looking forward to it.
‘It’s good that she’s full of energy. She’ll do well if I give her work in the future. Her body is strong, so it’ll be fun to ride her. She’s tough and persistent.’
All the women I have now are weak and can’t do hard work, but this is the appearance of a pretty attractive worker.
‘Her pelvis is big and her lower body is strong, so she’ll be able to give birth to children well.’
While being grabbed by the collar by Jung Seo-hee, I thought so.
I thought that a favorite white horse had come in whole.
Her temper is unique, so it would be fun to take advantage of and tame her.
