I did some deep reflection after hearing Min Joo-hyuk ask me if I was having a difficult time. Did I really let myself go like that and show my exhaustion in front of someone else? Someone who came to pick me up at the crack of dawn, at that?
I wasnât really all that weary either. I was just a little tired from a little bloodletting and lack of sleep. When I looked at him in surprise and embarrassment, Min Joo-hyuk added awkwardly, âI wondered if you get motion sickness.â
I pondered for a moment, wondering how I should craft my response. But, other than that, there was no way to explain my physical condition.
Eventually, I simply agreed with the man; Min Joo-hyuk encouraged me to sleep, saying that sleep was the best way to handle motion sickness.
I almost thanked him and closed my eyes immediately but, luckily, rationality stopped me in my tracks. No matter how you slice it, it would be mannerless to sleep in this situation. Min Joo-hyuk must also have been tired from his long journey; I didnât want to be the first to fall asleep.
I refused and told the warrior that my motion sickness wasnât too severe; Min Joo-hyuk murmured his understanding in a low tone. He continued to speak, and I responded with chirpy yet shallow exclamations.
Of course, none of what he said fully entered my brain. If it were important, heâd repeat his words later. I was sure Min Joo-hyuk noticed I was answering quite half-heartedly.
âŚHonestly, if it was going to be like this, would it have been better for me to sleep? Maybe? Meaningless thoughts floated around my blank brain.
Still, it seemed the distance between me and Min Joo-hyuk decreased as we made small talk.
Min Joo-hyuk would call to me informally, âHey, Sun Yihan.â
I would return the same level of informality; thus, our dynamic didnât feel one-sided. Min Joo-hyuk had even smiled satisfactorily after I called out to him in an informal manner; his amused face was quite striking.
Wait. Werenât we getting too close too quickly? Itâd only been 3 hours since we met.
âWell, whatever. I suppose this can only be good.â My thoughts complacently trickled away. I leaned against the rattling carriage walls, half-asleep.
The trip was largely peacefulâthough, there was a little commotion in the middle of the journey due to my nosebleed. At first, I stared at the blood dripping out of my nose, totally bewildered. Honestly, didnât the system say the âhealerâ was immune to pain? Whatâs with this nosebleed?
But, come to think of it, it really didnât hurtâjust that. No pain. âAha! So my fatigue builds up normally, huh? What an important observation.â I nodded, satisfied. 1
I hurried to gain control of the situation with the startled Min Joo-hyuk; after everything was cleared up, the warrior forced me to rest against the carriage wall and put me to sleep.
It was too hard to resist; the air felt incredibly warm. Now that the fuss had been dealt with, my body felt that sleep would be rational.
The hot air inside the carriage mixed with the cool air coming through the cracks in the borders of the window. Due to the warriorâs outer coat covering my lap, my body felt toasty.
âHm? Whose outer coat? Why is this thing here?â
In any case, this was the perfect condition for slumber.
And, I plunged into sleep immediately.
When I first entered the temple, I thought, âAiya, this place is so bleak.â
It had been a long time since I visited, but nothing had changed. The magnificent temple, painted in white and decorated with gold, exuded an oppressive atmosphere that seemed capable of freezing its residents in time, withering them. If I hadnât arrived to pick up a new party member 2, I would have never set foot in this place again.
I could feel the distant gazes of those that pretended to ignore my presence; the priests dressed neatly in their new, white robesâeach going their own way, absorbed in their own businessâfelt cold rather than solemn.
I didnât really let myself get bothered, but the atmosphere still displeased me.
As I had been told in advance, there was a small annex of the larger compound that was set aside in a far corner. I raised my hand to knock on the door but then paused.
âThey said his name was Sun Yihan, right?â
Not long ago, Park Yul Hyung had received a call from the temple. The temple had declared that someone from their order would be joining the party in their adventure. No further detailed explanation.
âSun Yihan, 17 years-old. Heâll be of help to you warriors.
The other hyung-nims 3 didnât seem pleased by this sudden and one-sided notification. âI wasnât really dissatisfied, though. If weâre going to spend a lot of time together, wouldnât it be best to welcome him with an open heart?â
Besides, I was pleased that Sun Yihan and I were the same age. âEveryone else is a hyung, and Iâm the youngest. Itâs better if thereâs two of us. Come to think of it, heâs a little pitiful.â
Unlike the other warriors, Sun Yihan wasnât joining us of his own free will and probably would not feel at ease.
I felt complicatedâwho knows if that personâs being forced into this? Still feeling some dissonance, I knocked on the door.
After a brief moment, the door opened.
âHello! Youâre Sun Yihan, correct?â
At that question, Sun Yihan slightly raised his head and made eye contact. Light blue eyes glittered like clear water under pitch black hair; his pupils looked like they had no light in them.
Behind Sun Yihanâs back, I could see no proper personal touches or furniture. The thin cover atop the bed was also straightened without a hint of disorder to show it had been used. There seemed to be not a single ounce of warmth in this spacious room.
ââŚThatâs right. Iâm Sun Yihan.â
I could see myself in the middle of Sun Yihanâs clear eyes. Then, he blinked absentmindedly before smiling half-heartedly. It was a gentle smile, but somehow he looked tired.
Sun Yihan went back inside the room to pack and organize; I waited outside for a while.
The sun was high in the sky; the days were already well into autumn. Looking up at the cloudless, clear sky, I was reminded of Sun Yihanâs eyes. âIt doesnât seem like heâs been forced to follow us.â
His expression didnât show any hints of uncomfortableness. That was a relief.
The four warriors in this generation, except for Park Yul who had been âchosenâ as a warrior, had chosen to bravely pledge themselves to the cause freely. Thatâs the case for me and the same for Raen Hyung-nim and Song Ha-gyeon Hyung-nim.
âThen, did Sun Yihan also take a warriorâs oath?â
He didnât seem like the combat-ready type. Plus, Iâd heard that those residing in the temple couldnât use any magic.
Was he the researching-type, like Song Ga-hyeon Hyung-nim? That Hyung used magic and was a skilled researcher, but perhaps Sun Yihan might only be an intellectual.
Well, we can get to know each other gradually. Besides, I believed that Park Yul Hyung-nim would judge for himself the temple residentâs devotion to the warriorâs oathâI trusted his perspective on matters like this.
Just as I thought that, I heard a voice calling out to me.
I turned my head; my breath caught for a moment.
Sun Yihan stood underneath the blue sky.
His white clothes swaying lightly contrasted greatly against the backdrop of the rigid temple. It felt too foreignâtoo far apart in the spectrum. If there existed only straight lines in this place, he was like a curve. He exuded a light and soft atmosphere, standing out even though he was doing nothing special.
The clothes that Sun Yihan wore looked similar to a priestâs uniform, but, on a closer look, the robes were different. The thin cloth fluttered in the windâquite different from the tightly restricting Priestâs robes. Even the sleeves were billowy and large; the end of the sleeve covered the back of his hand.
Sun Yihan blinked as he stared blatantly at me. I managed to recover from this brief lapse of focus. âShall we leave?â
Sun Yihan nodded and voiced his agreement in a light voice. Even though he was under the bright sun, he looked a little unstable as he walked.
Despite having smiled this entire time, the man looked exhausted; I couldnât easily uncover the reason for his weariness.
His white hem flapped gently in the breeze; he somehow seemed like he was barely standing, so I quickened our pace towards the carriage.
We went back on the same path I took towards the temple. Finding my way out of the temple took less time than finding my way to Sun Yihanâs room; after all, the carriage was parked in front of the temple.
I boarded the carriage with Sun Yihan. The interior rattled lightly as the carriage set off.
Sun Yihan, who sat opposite to me, leaned into the wallsâalmost burying himself into a nicheâand looked clearly paler than before. Perhaps thatâs why his flushed cheeks looked so prominent. Was it flushed from touching the cold wind on his way here?
âBut, we walked for only a few minutes.â
Sun Yihan didnât look totally frail, but he didnât look very strong either. Perhaps the wind temperature was colder than usual for this climate. âSun Yihan. Itâll take us a few hours to arrive.â
I meant to imply that, since there was much time left in our journey, he should take the opportunity to sleep. However, Sun Yihan seemed to have no intention of doing so; he languidly blinked his eyes, looking at me.
âWell, I can at least explain a few things on the way.â
With that in mind, I opened my mouth, âThen, you may as well listen to my spiel on the way there.â
Sun Yihan nodded slightly. I watched my reflection appear and disappear in his pupils as he slowly blinked his vacant eyes. I continued, âOur base is in Reddeo. Originally, one resides in this place when they become a warrior, though Iâm not sure how the place got its name.â
âWhen we arrive, weâll probably meet Park Yul Hyung-nim. Heâs 20 years old and the oldest out of all of us.â
ââŚMhmm. Yul-HyungâŚâ
âRaen Hyung-nim and Song Ha-gyeon Hyung-nim have briefly left on an errand. You wonât be able to see them until tomorrow at the earliest. Theyâre both 18âjust one year older than us.â
âTomorrowâŚI seeâŚâ He seemed to be putting forth his best effort, but his words came out strangely slow. Looking at his blank face, I could tell he was exhausted.
âTomorrowâŚâ Sun Yihan said again, almost a mutter this time. He raised his hand carefully and then covered his mouth with his long sleeves. His head bobbed forward helplessly in the rattling carriage.
âAh, is he perhaps feeling sick instead of sleepy?â I thought he may be suffering from motion sickness instead.
Iâve never had motion sickness, so I wouldnât know what it feels like; however, Raen Hyung-nim often suffered from nausea severely. Sometimes, when riding a carriage, he said he felt like he was going to die.
âSun Yihan, are you perhaps having a difficult time?â
If Sun Yihanâs sickness was as severe as Raen Hyung-nimâs, then it was cause for worry. At my cautious question, he opened his eyes wide, startled. His pupils trembled, as if he were asking, âHow did you know?â
His eyes looked strangely red. I was briefly nervous because I thought he was crying, but, fortunately, that wasnât the case. Still, he seemed to be in a bad state.
âI wondered if you get motion sickness.â
Sun Yihan clamped his mouth shut, looked down at the ground before raising his gaze to meet mine again, and said, ââŚI suppose I do.â
His voice sounded tamped down, suppressed.
TL: I wonder if, by receiving the memories of a child in modern Korea, Yihan tends to follow Asian ideals of propriety. (For example, his unwillingness to be rude by sleeping in the carriage in front of a stranger).
Yihan: Iâm doing well, only a little tired. Oh also, some bloodletting (and yes, thatâs bloodletting, aka, extracting or purposefully releasing some of your own blood)
Joohyuk: Oh god heâs dying.
Iâm not sure you should be so satisfied with this Yihan-ah. New member in a gaming groupânot the âcelebrationâ sort of party lmao Hyung means âbrother.â This is something a younger boy might call an older boy for being a) actually an older brother, b) older non-related person you have a close relationship with