“Who said someone stole my underwear?”
After returning from the seminar, Yoo Ji-woo perked up one ear, as if asking if that was really true.
“That’s right.”
I nodded. For reference, I’m currently covered with a non-woven fabric. It’s something I randomly picked from the lab.
“Not only the underwear, but the pants were all taken, too.”
“Wow. Did they take men’s underwear because there was nothing else to take? That’s some next-level weirdo.”
“The important point is that it was a brand-new pair bought less than half a month ago.”
“So do you have any suspects? Was there no one else at the gym?”
“Hmm.”
I tried to recall. Who was at the gym a while ago?
“I’m not sure. I was so focused on exercising that I didn’t even notice who was around. And there’s no CCTV inside the gym either.”
This is true. I was so absorbed in exercise that I didn’t notice anyone coming by. With the state of my memory, it was unrealistic to try and identify the culprit.
Did anyone even come?
“Huh. Then there’s no helping it.”
Yoo Ji-woo sighed deeply and headed somewhere, toward a box filled with assorted items.
Rustling sounds followed as something was rummaged through.
After a bit, Yoo Ji-woo pulled something out.
“There’s no other option but to use this.”
It’s about the size of a radio. Some kind of device.
I asked.
“What’s that?”
“A location tracker. I made it for the final exam submission.”
“Can that thing find the lost underwear?”
It’s not like the underwear has a GPS attached. How can it find my underwear with just that?
Though I don’t fully understand, since it’s one of Yoo Ji-woo’s inventions, I do have a slight hope.
“Hey Stone-head, can you lend me your helmet?”
“Okay.”
Once again, Yoo Ji-woo borrowed Rashid’s helmet. Rashid handed it over without hesitation.
“Watch closely.”
Thud. Thud. Yoo Ji-woo grinned and tapped the helmet a few times.
Then,
Creak–
Out of nowhere, the lab window was opened,
whoosh!
and the helmet was thrown outside.
“Hey you idiot! How dare you throw someone else’s stuff without permission? That guy is completely out of his mind!”
But the one who got angry wasn’t Rashid, but Kang Tae-hoon who was watching nearby.
Meanwhile, Rashid remained emotionless and unbothered as if nothing happened.
“Just wait. It’ll be back soon.”
Yoo Ji-woo calmed Kang Tae-hoon. Later speaking to Rashid,
“Stone-head, can you give me a strand of your hair?”
“Okay.”
Snap. Rashid pulled out a strand of his hair right there. It was slightly curly.
“Now, if I put this strand of hair into the machine.”
Click. The sample case built into the tracker was opened, and Rashid’s strand of hair was placed inside as a sample.
“The tracker will analyze the hair’s surface. It will then find objects nearby with the same composition.”
If that’s true, it shouldn’t be hard to find the helmet. There must be some hair residue on the inside of the helmet.
Beep. Beep.
The tracker made a sound immediately after the strand of hair was inserted. Then, a specific distance and direction were shown on the installed screen of the tracker.
“And there we go. Now we can just go collect the helmet.”
Yoo Ji-woo handed the tracker over to Rashid,
“Okay.”
Rashid left with the tracker to find the helmet personally.
A short while later,
“Okay.”
Rashid came back with the stolen helmet. It didn’t even take three minutes.
“Haha. See? Finding underwear should be just as easy, right?”
“Amazing.”
I’m already looking forward to it. What kind of weirdo stole my underwear? I can’t wait to see his face.
What should I make the culprit do first? Should I make him walk around school without underwear, like me?
Or it’s not a bad idea to post about it on the school community board as well. Announce the appearance of the underwear thief at Han-yul Military Academy to all students.
“So I just need to pull out a strand of hair like Rashid?”
Just as I was about to pull out my own hair, like Rashid did earlier,
“No, no, no.”
Yoo Ji-woo shook her head.
Then said to me,
“Since it’s underwear, it’s obviously pubic hair we need to pull out.”
“AAAAAH… What am I even doing…?”
Arna, who had returned to the dormitory, was gripping her hair out of self-loathing.
“Even if that’s so, this is wrong…”
Currently on the floor were neatly placed pants along with underwear. A burgundy square drawstring underwear.
Of course, the underwear was not Arna’s. It was clearly male underwear.
More precisely, it was the fresh underwear Shin Yoon-seong had been wearing when she had just stolen them from the men’s locker room a few minutes ago.
That’s right.
This was Shin Yoon-seong’s underwear.
“Am I really becoming a pervert…? Arna Kristin Dotir…?”
She had done something completely absurd. How could she have ever touched someone else’s underwear?
There was no helping it. In that moment, the unnamed desire that had been lurking inside Arna rose up and she had crossed a line she shouldn’t have.
“What should I do now…?”
The water has already been spilled. There’s no turning back now. She had already stolen Shin Yoon-seong’s underwear, and it was lying there on the floor.
The fact that Arna had stolen the underwear will never change.
“No, no… Even if I can’t contain the water, I can still clean it up…”
Arna suddenly lifted her head. The solution she came up with was a prefect crime.
Making the fact that she had stolen the underwear be erased as if it never happened.
“If I just put this underwear back to its original place…”
It wasn’t too late. If she returns to the locker room and places the underwear back now, it would be fine.
Personal moral issues can be repented on her own later.
“I guess there’s no other way…”
Arna swiftly opened the wardrobe and pulled out a tracksuit and a running cap.
Squeak–
She then opened the zipper of the sports bag. Placing the underwear and pants inside the bag.
Now all that was left was to head over to the gym…
“…”
As she was about to leave the room, Arna paused her steps for a bit.
Subsequently, she stared blankly at the sports bag with an entranced gaze.
“Still… before I put it back… one time wouldn’t hurt…”
In life, she never expected she’d ever hold a man’s underwear in her own hands. It was a whole new world unknown to Arna.
Is that why? Looking at it up close, her heart was pounding. Her hot breath was leaking out of her mouth.
“Is this what he wears…?”
The underwear was surprisingly stretchy. Due to the spandex-like quality, it didn’t wrinkle. It would be pretty useful when exercising.
“Since it was definitely worn during exercise… It should have some sweat absorbed into it…”
The underwear was dry now, but it would still smell like Shin Yoon-seong’s sweat.
“Uuh… Ugh…”
Why am I so worked up all of a sudden? The hand holding the underwear moved on its own. Arna was powerless to resist as it moved closer to her face.
“No! Not good! This is something…! Only weirdoes would do this!”
Her words rejected the underwear.
Yet instinct beckoned her—wanting desperately to know the feel of the underwear. Desiring to feel it not just with her hands but also on her cheeks.
And even to smell it…
“Aaaagghhh…”
In the end, Arna was unable to suppress the hand coming closer. Having succumbed to the temptation…
Arna closed her eyes tightly.
Fortunately, when she arrived at the gym, there was no one around. The quiet music that was playing made the gym feel peaceful.
“Hmm! Hmm!”
After making sure no one was coming, Arna quickly entered the men’s locker room.
Squeak–
She clearly remembered the exact location of the locker from which she took the underwear. Hastily opening the sports bag, she returned both the pants and underwear to their original place.
“Hoo…”
At this point, the mission was almost a success. After all, the underwear was already back in its original position and no longer under Arna’s control.
A perfect crime—
ding– bleep– bleep–
“Wha…?”
Suddenly, there was a mechanical beeping sound from somewhere. It sounded like something from an electronic watch.
Could there have been someone else in the locker room?
“The criminal always returns to the scene.”
At that moment, a voice pierced through Arna’s ears. The voice came from the neighboring locker.
“!”
Arna sucked in her breath. Simultaneously, a cold sweat ran down her spine.
“Who would’ve thought that the person who stole my underwear was you.”
A man slowly appeared from the neighboring locker. He was holding some kind of strange device in his hand.
ding– bleep– bleep–
What should I do? Should I run now? Should I just knock him out?
No.
It was already too late.
He was already right in front of her. His eyes vividly captured her current form.
The form of the culprit, Arna.
“Never would’ve thought it was you, Arna.”
“Aa… Aaa…”
At this very moment.
Arna felt an unprecedented fear.
She who had never felt afraid, not even in front of any colossal beast.
Was shaking all over just because of a man named Shin Yoon-seong.
