At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 249

“Ah, haah…”

“In my opinion, haa, El, you’re a little… too forgiving with us, and you’re pretty emotional, too.”

“Ah, huuh, ah! Ahng!”

“And still, even when I’m like this, you’d really just let us leave our marks all over you?”

It was as if Kaman wanted to warn her. If she always said yes, there’d be no boundaries. 

But Jiwoo didn’t see why that mattered. 

Nothing mattered. These men had given her back all the feelings she’d thought had dried up. Wasn’t she allowed to be a little emotional?

“Ung, I like it. I really do…”

“Ah…”

Kaman, having pushed her so hard, was nearing his own limit. Maybe her lack of pain was making everything feel even sharper for him.

His member was full with fluid, pulsing deep inside as he came. Jiwoo felt every hot, thick spurt as it filled her. Kaman’s body always ran hot, and even his se*en felt scalding as it spread inside her.

“Ung, I love it…”

“That’s what worries me…” 

Kaman whispered softly, holding her tightly. He didn’t show his face for a while.

***

What woke Jiwoo wasn’t the warmth of the morning sun or the sound of birds greeting the day. It was the scent of soap, thick in the air all around her.

The hair, damp with sweat, seemed even curlier than usual. Even the dusky blue strands, so reminiscent of the dawn sky, were now dark and heavy, almost as if they’d been dipped in the midnight sea.

“Are you awake?”

“Oh…. yes.”

Jiwoo found herself sitting against the tree, cradled in Kaman’s arms. Her arm, which had been bound to the tree, had long since been released.

Nearby, Skiass was quietly examining her arm, making it clear that he’d finished his work during the night.

And while he’d been busy inside the tree, Jiwoo outside…

Well, perhaps it would have been less embarrassing if all three of them had just done things together.

“Skiass, I’m sorry.”

“Aahh, El. I told you, he really doesn’t know.”

Jiwoo thought it was better to just say it outright rather than pretend nothing had happened, but Kaman just shrugged his shoulders.

“What are you sorry about?”

“We kind of did things outside while you were working so hard inside.”

Skiass only tilted his head with a face perfectly blank.

“What did you do?”

…He really didn’t seem to know.

“Are you talking about when Kaman was basically biting and squeezing you all over while I was checking your arm?”

“……”

…So he did know, after all.

Jiwoo glared at Kaman, her face turning red. Kaman, at a loss for words, simply hugged her tighter and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Skiass, completely unfazed by what had happened, just continued checking Jiwoo’s arm as he asked again. 

“Did it hurt at all?”

“No, not at all…”

“That’s good. I was worried that maybe you’d asked for it because your arm hurt.” 

“Ung?”

“Sometimes when people are in pain, they need a different sensation to focus on…like something to help distract from the pain.”

Kaman clicked his tongue.

“Geez, you’re the only one I know who can completely tune everything out when you’re focused.”

Jiwoo cleared her throat. 

In truth, she had been lost in pleasure, maybe because she wasn’t feeling any pain at all, but she wasn’t about to admit that. And it wasn’t as if she’d asked for it because she was hurting.

“That wasn’t it… Ahem, anyway, there was no pain.”

“Then I guess I did a good job.”

Skiass didn’t seem oblivious, he was just unconcerned. Apparently, he’d needed to feel all the sensations himself to do the procedure properly. 

Though he didn’t show it, he must have had to cut open the skin and reconnect the nerves, one by one, inside the tree. He never said anything about it, but the pain must have been considerable. 

Whatever Kaman did outside, no matter how rough, couldn’t compare to that kind of pain. If he’d been feeling overwhelming pain, it made sense he wouldn’t notice what was happening outside.

If anything, it was more amazing that he’d noticed at all what Kaman and Jiwoo were doing outside.

“So… how does it feel now? Does it still hurt?”

“It was never really that bad to begin with. It only acted up a little when it rained…”

Truthfully, Jiwoo realized only now how much she’d gotten used to the stinging. Since Skiass’s treatment, even that dull, chronic sting that felt like an old insect bite had vanished. She’d grown desensitized to the pain without realizing it.

She hadn’t expected him to take her complaint so seriously. In reality, it had been more of a passing grumble than a cry for help.

Jiwoo flexed and gently touched the arm Skiass had worked on.

“…Thank you.”

What mattered even more than the fact that the pain was gone was how much Skiass had stayed up all night for her.

“Give me a compliment, if you like it…”

Skiass leaned in, maybe hoping for a pat on the head. Jiwoo reached out her hand, but Kaman blocked her with his arm.

“Take a bath first.”

“…”

Skiass seemed startled, as if only just now realizing the state he was in. His face reddened, and he quickly looked away.

The strong scent of soap in the air was actually the smell of Skiass’s sweat after a night of hard work. He was soaked, exhausted, and his light shirt and thin pants were all damp and clinging to him.

He sniffed his arm awkwardly. 

“Maybe I, I should…”

But to Jiwoo, even that scent seemed pleasant. It was more like soap than sweat, so she wasn’t repulsed by it.

“It’s fine, really.”

“…You really are too forgiving sometimes, El.”

Skiass clearly was worn out. While his usual scent was gentle and sweet, now there was a hint of bitterness. Like walking into an herbalist’s shop. 

Still, it suited Skiass’s personality, so Jiwoo didn’t mind at all.

When she finally patted his head, Skiass closed his eyes, melting into the touch.

Kaman, watching all this, whispered in Jiwoo’s ear,

“El, I bet he actually wishes you were still hurting just a little, so he’d get to feel it too.”