Chapter 16. Thank You

Chapter 16. Thank You

After our intimate moment, we lingered, sharing warmth, before heading to the master bedroom’s Restroom together.

I turned on the shower and began washing Seonyoung’s body.

Standing under the bright lights, she seemed shy once more.

“Team Leader… nothing got on *there*.”

“Ah… well. I just wanted to touch you, without realizing it.”

As I subtly caressed her breasts, Seonyoung twisted her body and spoke in a small voice.

*Is she ticklish?*

Standing naked in the bright light, Seonyoung’s skin appeared even whiter.

In contrast, my own body was tanned a deep brown, as if I’d been sunbathing.

Seonyoung’s hands, washing my body, looked even whiter and softer in contrast.

Her gentle touch and the sight of her feminine form in the bright light caused my ‘other self’ to stir and harden once more. Our lovemaking had been satisfying enough, yet desire surged within me again.

Seonyoung gasped, a surprised expression on her face as she saw my erection.

“How did something so big fit inside… You naughty thing. I’m still numb because of you.”

Seonyoung, who had been shy throughout our shower, suddenly put on a stern expression and spoke directly to my penis. Then she squeezed a generous amount of Body Wash into her hand and meticulously washed every inch of it, caressing it all over.

“Seonyoung. Should we drop the honorifics now?”

“Team Leader, you’ve already been speaking informally to me for a while now, haven’t you? *Hehe*, should I speak informally too?”

“Yes. And call me Oppa.”

After having sex, I didn’t want to keep being called “Team Leader.” And so, with Seonyoung washing my penis, we settled our terms of address.

*I should stop calling her Seonyoung-ssi too.*

“Haup… *Slurp, slurp, slurp*.”

She rinsed away all the suds. Seonyoung squatted on the Restroom floor, opened her mouth wide, and took my penis inside. Perhaps to keep her hair from getting wet, she had tied it up in a bun. Even while performing oral sex, she looked up at me, checking my reaction.

*Is that what they call a messy bun?*

Her large eyes gazed up from beneath her smooth forehead. Seeing her like this, her youthful face was beautiful all over again.

“*Pffft… Haaah*.”

Seonyoung spat out my penis, then gripped the shaft with her hand and stroked it. In the Restroom mirror, I could see her straight back and rounded buttocks reflected. The deep groove running along her spine between her back muscles looked sexy.

I toyed with her earlobe, and Seonyoung flinched her head, as if ticklish. She took my glans into her mouth once more.

“*Huuup*. Seonyoung-ah… I’m going to cum.”

*Smack, smack, smack*

At my signal, her hand stroking the shaft quickened. She didn’t let go with her mouth. I ejaculated directly into Seonyoung’s mouth as she continued to work my glans. I let out a deep groan, feeling her hand caress my penis without letting go until I had finished cumming.

“Oppa… you can go out first.”

I stood behind Seonyoung, stroking her body as she spat out the semen and rinsed her mouth. Then, I heard the slightly awkward sound of “Oppa.” It was a ticklish feeling.

*We’ll get used to it soon enough.*

Returning to the master bedroom, I tidied the disheveled bedding and lay down. I waited for a moment, looking at my Cell Phone, and then Seonyoung emerged, wrapped in a towel.

“Ah, so warm. This is nice, *hehe*.”

Having removed her makeup and prepared for bed, Seonyoung snuggled into my arms.

*She’s more affectionate than I thought.*

Lying together in bed, chatting softly, her voice gradually grew quieter as her eyes began to close. I adjusted her pillow so she could sleep comfortably and pulled the blanket up over her. At my movements, Seonyoung whined and snuggled closer again.

“Sleep well.”

With a soft “Mmm,” she wrapped her legs around me.

*It’s a little uncomfortable for me, but if she’s comfortable, then it’s fine.*

Listening to her quiet breathing, I surrendered to the encroaching sleep.

Erection!

“Wow. My body feels light.”

My eyes snapped open with a vigorous morning erection. Usually, I’d hear the alarm, groggily check my Cell Phone, and reluctantly stir, but today I woke up feeling refreshed. I looked beside me and saw Seonyoung curled up like a shrimp at the edge of the bed, fast asleep.

*Did I push her in my sleep?*

I carefully pulled the blanket over Seonyoung so she wouldn’t wake up, then went out to the living room. After taking care of my business, I checked the time in the slightly brighter living room and stretched. Even though I had intended to sleep in, I’d only slept for about six hours. As I stretched and checked my body, I found almost no pain. Even when I lifted my shirt to examine my side, the bruises were faint.

*It seems the effects of my ability are signaling something.*

Now I understood the feeling Seonyoung had described, that intuitive sense of being able to use a Shield a few times.

*Should I call it ‘recognition’? ‘Enlightenment’ feels a bit too grand. Perhaps experiencing it once was the trigger to recognize my ability.*

*Is it similar to using muscles?*

I don’t know if it’s an accurate analogy, but it’s similar to an experience I had when I was diligently working out. When I first started back exercises, my trainer gave me Personal Training and told me to feel the ‘stimulation’. He then pressed his hand on the muscles below my shoulder blades. When I first pulled the machine, I felt the strain starting in my trapezius muscles, then my arms and shoulders. After receiving that initial ‘stimulation’ in my back muscles with the help of the trainer’s touch, I was able to exercise on my own.

Similarly, after increasing my Increased Resilience, I had an intuition that my physical efficiency had improved. Experiencing the change in my body, I realized what role my ability played.

*It seems my stamina recovery has also become more efficient.*

The speed at which my stamina recovers over the same period, and my body’s natural healing power when injured, have both improved. Muscles, of course, go without saying, but what I definitely learned this time is that Increased Resilience also affects virility. An increase in virility’s recovery power doesn’t just mean the time until the next erection after ejaculation is shortened. Of course, recovery in that sense has also improved. Furthermore, my ability helps me live a vigorous life. It allows me to quickly recover from mental damage sustained in stressful situations and maintain both a healthy body and mind. All these things create a synergistic effect, helping me maintain peak condition – that is my ability.

*I don’t know what processes it undergoes. Are cells regenerating quickly, or are entirely new cells rapidly multiplying? With my limited knowledge, I know cancer cells do that. If I were to study medicine and expand my knowledge, would my understanding of the ability increase? Then what about the mental realm?*

The feeling of mental damage recovering is an abstract area, difficult to explain. Yet, I clearly know that the shock from fighting Zombies and the fear I felt witnessing the transformation of an acquaintance have been greatly alleviated. I can’t understand the mechanism, but I know the results of the changes brought about by my ability.

Sitting in the quiet living room, bathed in the morning sun, I continued my contemplation of my ability, eventually cheering inwardly.

*My ability isn’t a dud. In fact, it’s almost overpowered. There might be better abilities, but I decided not to dwell on them. Instead of worrying about the abilities of others I didn’t even know, I felt a desire to further develop my own.*

After finishing my stretching and meditation, I took a quick shower, and two hours had passed since I woke up. It was a rather relaxed and pleasant morning, with no fixed time to go to work anymore.

*A leisurely morning gifted by Increased Resilience. The effects stemming from my ability seem truly significant.*

I brewed some drip coffee and made French toast with sliced bread.

*Soon, eggs will become hard to find too. Should I try to find a chicken somewhere?*

The fragrant aroma of coffee filled the house, and the sunlight streaming into the living room intensified.

“Oppa~”

As I was enjoying the peace, the master bedroom door opened, and Seonyoung emerged. She came straight to me and hugged me from behind.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah~ How about you, Oppa?”

I turned around to face Seonyoung. Her hair was messy, and she had a bit of sleep in her eyes.

*She must have just woken up and come straight out.*

“I slept well too. How about some coffee and toast?”

My gaze dropped from her face, and I saw her nipples protruding through her clothes.

*She must find going braless comfortable.*

“Sounds great! I’ll just quickly go to the Restroom!”

Seonyoung returned shortly, and we ate breakfast. Gayoung was still quiet, presumably asleep.

“Oppa, how’s your side?”

“It’s almost completely healed. And I’m in great condition.”

I explained what I had learned about Increased Resilience and told her about my physical condition. Seonyoung was delighted, as if it were her own good news. On the other hand, she said she was still struggling from the two consecutive days of intense activity.

“Let’s do some stretching after breakfast. The more tired you are, the more you need to loosen up your body.”

“*Hmph*… I just want to lie down.”

“Moving will help you recover faster. I’ll even give you a massage afterward.”

“Oh! Oppa, are you good at massages? It’s been ages since I had one.”

Hearing about Seonyoung’s physical state, it seemed impossible for her to go out with me today. Since I promised a massage, she began to eagerly devour her toast. I remembered Seonyoung mentioning she often booked massage shops after work, so I brought it up, and she loved the idea.

“I’ll show you the skills I picked up working part-time at the sauna. Don’t run away, eat slowly.”

“Then after breakfast, I’ll do some yoga for the first time in a while. It’ll take about two hours!”

With our morning schedule set, I left Seonyoung to do the dishes and went into the study. I planned to prepare an emergency survival bag. Gayoung’s parents enjoyed hiking, so they had many good backpacks at home. Since I’d gotten their permission, it was goodbye to the days of stuffing everything into a drum bag.

*I don’t have things like this… What a shame.*

A quick search showed a variety of bag types and contents to prepare, depending on the survival period and purpose. There were specialized bags, and items that would be difficult to prepare at home. Swimming in a sea of information, I desperately wished for online shopping. As a compromise, I picked out two hiking backpacks for Seonyoung and me. They were durable and waterproof. I planned to pack my bag to 5kg and go out once in the afternoon. It was a kind of rehearsal, but also the real thing.

*Water and food are the most important, so I’ll pack a canteen and Energy Bars.*

As I packed, I realized 5kg was less than I thought I could fit. Just a 1L canteen alone weighed 1kg. To fight Zombies, I packed my familiar Baseball Bat and a small hammer as an auxiliary weapon. Hiking boots or lightweight running shoes would be good, but I didn’t have any that fit me. Once I started getting greedy, there was no end to it, and more things I couldn’t pack immediately. It would be great if I could order with rocket delivery right now, but there was no way packages would be delivered.

The conclusion was: I needed to do more Farming. I realized it would be an endless war of scavenging if we wanted to keep surviving.

“Unnie… did you sleep well?”

“Ah, Gayoung-ah. Did you rest well? Are you okay?”

“I think I caught a cold and body aches.”

I heard voices from the living room, so Gayoung must have woken up. Her voice sounded quite bad, as if she wasn’t feeling well.

*Hospitals definitely won’t be normal.*

The pharmacy moved up my mental priority list for Farming. I had Increased Resilience, so I was somewhat fine, but thinking of Gayoung and Seonyoung, I absolutely had to raid a pharmacy. I took out the first-aid medicine I had packed in my bag. There wasn’t much first-aid medicine stocked in this house.

*Is there a pharmacy nearby?*

Thinking that, I grabbed the medicine and went out to the living room, where I could hear bustling sounds.