touch of nature ＊ JIYOO

29. "One More in The Group"

"Right.." The Icebreaker nodded, but suddenly hummed loudly in realization.

"Hold on.. Does that mean that I basically fu- slept with a human zombie?" Minji widened her eyes, making Yoohyeon look at her in perplexity.

"That's.. definitely one way to say it, yeah." The girl blinked a few times, still trying to process the choice of words coming from the older. It did sound pretty weird and unbelievable, but it was simply the truth.

"My standards are definitely questionable.." Minji shook her head, hearing Yoohyeon clear her throat while raising an eyebrow. "I have no idea if I should be offended or not." The younger put her hands on her waist, making Minji shake her hands in defense.

"W-Wait, I didn't mean it as something bad!" The woman nervously spoke, earning a laughter from Yoohyeon because of how anxious Minji looked. "Hey, don't worry, I'm not upset or anything. As long as I fit your standards, I'm fine with anything." Yoohyeon smiled, making Minji feel freed up from all the nervousness.

But then, the Icebreaker tilted her head, staring at the younger from top to bottom a few times. Maybe more than a few times - Minji stared for at least a whole minute. She squinted her eyes, smirking in approval and satisfactory.

"I guess you do fit them." The older nodded, making Yoohyeon chuckle. "You had to check me out just to make sure?" The girl teased, earning a scoff from Minji.

"What's wrong with that? I like to stare at you. You're pretty." The woman shook her head, not realizing how unexpectedly shy the girl felt because of those words. Yoohyeon cleared her throat, hitting her chest a few times to stabilize her pacing heartbeat and unsteady breathing. She looked away, scratching her neck a bit nervously.

"L-Let's start with stretching up first.." Yoohyeon tried to change the topic, sighing in relief when the woman did as she was told.

This training would definitely make Yoohyeon lose focus sometimes.

...

"Okay, hit me as hard as you can." Yoohyeon gestured with her hands, getting into position.

Yoohyeon had wanted to train more on her infected abilities, so she thought of a practice that could help her gain more control of it. She had her shirt raised just enough to show her lower abdomen, which was where the Icebreaker was supposed to hit the younger.

Minji slightly gulped, hesitantly holding the wooden stick while looking at the younger.

"Are you sure..? What if I rupture something by accident?" Minji worriedly asked, getting a head-shake in return. "It's fine if you do, don't worry. I'll just get one of your healing kisses in return." Yoohyeon winked playfully, making Minji glare at the younger.

"I'm serious Yoohyeon. What if I hurt you badly?" Minji frowned, earning a sigh from the younger. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Think of it as a durability test or something." The girl smiled, making Minji sigh in defeat.

"Don't blame me if it hurts for a whole month."

"If I'm still alive by then."

Yoohyeon said spontaneously with a neutral expression, not later cursing at herself for saying that. "I-I probably will be, so don't worry about that!" The girl nervously chuckled, sighing afterwards when she noticed the saddened gaze on the Icebreaker.

"You didn't have to say it like that, Yooh.." Minji sadly said while lowering the wooden stick. Yoohyeon pouted, walking up to the woman to hug her as an apology. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that.." The girl gently caressed Minji's head, earning a sigh from her.