Chapter 41

Even if they were spending an intimate time sitting face to face, the conversation couldn't continue without interruption. During the quiet time, Soram opened the book again. It was the <Sign Language Interpretation: Advanced Course (2)> from earlier. He handed <Falling in Love Isn't a Sin, But You Need to Get a Grip> to Tae-un as if yielding.

Tae-un, who had flipped through about ten pages, quickly turned five pages from there. That was an erotic novel. A blatantly depicted sex scene was buried within those five pages.

[The white cheek from that day and the nape of the neck that followed kept coming to mind at all times. It was a big deal that the curve was captured in my mind more than the sensual body. I waited all day for the loose thread or dust that would stick to that white skin. Because it was an opportunity to reach out to the pure white flesh.]

"..."

It was as awkward as it could be. What's left after just briefly touching like that?

[When the playful contact was finally accepted as a friendly gesture, that was the true beginning of hell. My senses knew no restraint, and it was my heart that felt like it would burst and a deep sense of self-loathing that endured the aftermath!]

I don't know the reason for the passionate emotions, but if you're this obsessed with the other person, wouldn't it be better to confess your feelings and reach a conclusion in some way? Tae-un turned to the next page with indifferent eyes.

[But this feeling cannot come to light. The reason is... I will explain a little later. Because right now, I am suffering just from suppressing desire and sadness...]

What is he saying now?

Tae-un closed the book here. From the beginning until now, it was full of suffocating and incomprehensible content, so he didn't feel like reading any further.

Looking ahead, Soram had the book on his thigh and was diligently following the sign language explanations in the book with his arms that could only move halfway. His hand movements looked more skillful than expected.

Feeling the gaze, Soram raised his head and frowned. Then, he stretched out his thumbs on both hands, tilted them to the side, and drew a hand shape where he brought his right thumb and middle finger together in a circle and flicked them.

"What does it mean?"

"It means, 'I lent you my cherished book, but why aren't you reading it and doing something else?'"

"It doesn't suit me well."

"It's because Han Tae-un ssi's emotions are dry."

"Yes. So please lend me non-fiction too."

"No."

Soram quickly hid the sign language books behind his back in the narrow gap again. Now it was to the point where he was curious about the reason why he was hiding them so that only he could read them.

At that moment, there was a whirring sound from behind Soram's back.

Clunk.

Then, the lock behind Soram's back was released. As the belt that tied his arms and upper body to the wall at once was loosened, Soram was able to move his body. He untied the restraint around his waist and also removed the belt that had tied his legs together and placed it on the chair.

Tae-un looked at Soram with eyes that said, "No way..."

"Is your detention period over?"

"Yep. I'm going to the outside world first. Goodbye, Han Tae-un! Serves you right!"

"..."

"I'd like to say that, but they wouldn't let me out and leave only Han Tae-un ssi here, right? They're just releasing me for a moment to go to the bathroom. Usually, they only release the legs, but they released the arms too so I can wash up."

Ugh. Soram moved his body that had been tied up this way and that. It looked like a white starfish wriggling inside the cloth that had wrapped around his body.

"If I miss this chance, I don't know when I'll be able to wash up. So I'll go wash up. Don't look, it's embarrassing."

"Ah."

Tae-un immediately turned his head to the side. There was a tearing sound of the straitjacket's attachment being ripped off. Soram opened the black door in the wall and went inside. Although the door was covered, there was a large window that was left open, so it was a bathroom where human rights were not very well protected.

Soram tapped on the window. When Tae-un, who had completely turned his head towards the iron bars, looked in that direction, Soram, revealing his bare shoulders, rested his chin on the window frame and grinned.

"Actually, you can look. I'm confident. You might not be able to tell because I wear a black suit every day, but ta-da. Look at this. My biceps are quite thick."

"..."

Leaving Soram, who clenched his fists tightly and bent his arms upward, Tae-un turned his head back to the bars.

Soon, the sound of water falling from the shower head was heard. Only after that sound continued for a little longer did Tae-un slightly turn his gaze. On the arms that Soram confidently mentioned, there were marks from being tied up in a straitjacket for several days, and bruises that were presumed to have been caused when Tae-un pushed him against the wall.

Jin Soram was always like this. He would casually throw out things that could lightly touch the other person's heart, but if there was anything that could cause even the slightest emotional disturbance, he thoroughly hid it within himself.

The restraints that bound his entire body, devices that blurred time, and the restriction of everything including sleep, food intake, and bodily functions. It was the optimal punishment that could be given to a hunter who couldn't be detained for a long time in a short period.

Soram wiped his neck with one hand. The wet, tangled hair was brushed aside, and the white neck and back line continued. Tae-un was startled for no reason, then turned his body completely and sat with his back to the bathroom.

After a while, a voice came from the speaker inside.

"Chief Jin Soram, 1 minute left until the end of free time."

"Okay."

It was a short time of just over 10 minutes. The sound of water stopped, and the sound of stepping on wet tiles went back and forth. And after a while, the guard came in with a new straitjacket. As he approached the naked Soram, Tae-un frowned between his eyebrows. Then, before the two came out, he roughly turned his eyes to an empty wall.

Soram was seated on the chair again, wrapped in white cloth. As the guard fastened the belt to the chair, the pulley on the wall automatically tightened, fixing his back to the wall. The black belt dug into the white cloth again.

"Ugh."

As his body was tightly bound to the point where he couldn't move, Soram frowned.

The guard then tightened and tied Soram's knees, followed by his ankles. Rather than not knowing, now that he had gained a brief freedom and his body was bound again, he seemed to have difficulty hiding his displeased expression.

"Haa..."

"It's done. Good work."

"Yes."

The guard fixed Soram in place and politely bowed to the two before leaving. Although the facility was a prison, their relationship was only that of a disciplined colleague civil servant and a personnel department civil servant.

"But they're not putting a blindfold on me since Han Tae-un ssi is here. It's about time they cover my eyes."

Soram, who had been wriggling his body to find a slightly more comfortable position, sighed in resignation and leaned his head against the wall with his eyes closed. Even if he combined all 24 hours of the day, his free time was not even 30 minutes. Any punishment would have a reduced effect on a strong body, so a mental punishment must have been added.

Tae-un looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists. They were too flimsy to restrain a 1st-grade hunter. It was probably the same for Soram.

"If you're restrained like that for several days, it seems like there would be people who go crazy while being disciplined here."

Or wouldn't there be people who couldn't endure it and attempt to escape? Soram, who had opened his eyes again, opened his mouth as if he understood the meaning of the question, "Ah."

"Even if Tae-un ssi can break that, I can't."

Soram pulled his handcuffed arms left and right. There was only a clanking sound, but they didn't break. Tae-un had an expression that naturally thought Soram didn't use all his strength.

"Do you remember the magic stone?"

"Yes."

It was a white crystal lump the size of an egg that appeared when the mimicry dungeon was eliminated, and it had the ability to read the other person's thoughts. Tae-un had carefully stored it deep in a drawer.

"Magic stones also appear in two other types of dungeons besides mimicry dungeons. The red magic stone that appears in siege dungeons has the ability to heal wounds, and the blue magic stone that appears in flood dungeons seals the ability of the awakener it comes into contact with."

Soram turned his head and gestured with his chin towards his back.

"There's a large flood dungeon magic stone embedded in the wall touching my back here. So right now, hmm. I'm only about as strong as a normal person. Of course, I can't use any special abilities."

Soram continued, looking down at his bound wrists.

"Even if I could use my ability, I wouldn't escape. The director would get really angry from that point on."

Soram was particularly weak to Director Park Jae-seon. He had already shown several times that he would act arrogantly in front of others, but become obedient in front of the director. It was also the director who stopped Soram, whose eyes had turned back in anger, in his tracks this time.

It contrasted with the unfavorable result for Han Tae-un, who had stood in his way.

When Tae-un remained silent for a moment, this time Soram, who had been fiddling with the chains with both hands, called out to him first.

"Han Tae-un ssi."

"Yes."

"I've already said everything I wanted to say, but let's still meet separately once you're out. As for the drinking bill, hmm. Let's play rock-paper-scissors and have Tae-un ssi pay."

It meant that regardless of the outcome, he would make Tae-un pay. Tae-un answered that he understood without much complaint about that. In some ways, he was not easy to deal with, but in other ways, he would become a dense pushover.

"It won't be at a moderate level, so be prepared."

"Isn't Jin Soram ssi's alcohol tolerance low?"

Huh?

"Did I ever give such an interview? It wouldn't be me, so who said that?"

Soram tilted his head.

"I don't know. It just seemed like it would be the case when I look at Jin Soram ssi."

"I've heard that I look like I know how to have fun, but it's the first time I've heard that I look like I can't drink well."

"It's more of a feeling than appearance."

"..."

Is this kind of intuition also an exceptional ability that Han Tae-un, who boasts fraudulent stats, possesses?

It was true that Soram's alcohol tolerance was low. Currently, his alcohol tolerance is half a bottle of soju. The important thing was that his body always maintained homeostasis as a 1st-grade hunter. If one roughly converted it, it meant that if he were an ordinary person, his maximum alcohol tolerance would be about one shot. Therefore, if one ranked the alcohol tolerance within the Field Operations Bureau, he would be the first from the bottom.

"I'm just kidding. It's too heartless to rip off a newcomer who hasn't even been with us for a month. I'll pay until Han Tae-un ssi, who looks like he has a high alcohol tolerance, gets drunk."

"Okay."

"You're good at treating others and also good at being treated."

You're a good newcomer. Soram raised his lips, drawing a hollow dimple on his cheek. Even in a state where his body was tightly bound, Soram could smile several times.

"It seems like it's been over ten hours since you came here, aren't you going to sleep?"

"No."

Instead of asking questions like "Why?" or "Isn't it still okay?" Soram decided to find the hidden meaning in the words himself.

Tae-un had probably given up on sleeping in order not to leave Soram alone. Even if he wasn't a good conversation partner, he would be willing to stay up all night for someone who had already been trapped alone for several days and would be trapped for that much longer.

Is this how I'm getting used to Han Tae-un?

Tae-un stayed in front of Soram until more time passed and the guard came to find him. Soram also couldn't fall asleep as a result, and the bedding laid out in the corner was meaninglessly spread out in its place.

As Tae-un went out, Soram was also moved back to a solitary cell. Thanks to him keeping Soram awake for 24 hours, it seemed like he would be able to spend at least a few hours of the remaining time sleeping deeply, even if sitting.

A light brighter than inside the cell shone between Tae-un, who was going out, and Soram. Soram smiled brightly.

"Goodbye. Now let's really meet after I get out."