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Sun Yihan:
Song Ha-gyeon, holding on to me, didn’t respond.
“I apologize, Ha-gyeon Hyung. Were you really surprised?”
“……”
He still didn’t speak. I didn’t know what kind of expression was on his face due to my blurred vision.
Unnecessary words kept flowing out from embarrassment. I myself couldn’t figure out what I was saying.
“Sun Yihan.” Song Ha-gyeon’s calm voice cut me off. What a relief. I would’ve said nothing but random things for the rest of the day.
I looked at Song Ha-gyeon quietly; he hugged me even harder. A calm and slow voice followed, “You…weren’t you scared?”
“I wasn’t all that scared.”
“……”
“I’m telling the truth. After all, Hyung caught me.”
It felt like my body was floating in the air. Song Ha-gyeon raised a hand and swept it across my eyes silently. His touch was so careful.
My blurred vision cleared up. Song Ha-gyeon’s eyes were trained on me, “It’s alright now.”
“…I know that, Hyung.” Of course I was fine. I patted Song Ha-gyeon on the shoulder.
He stroked my back gently and lifted one hand; a large log glided in from who knows where. He sat me down lightly on top of the log. “…So, what was your reason?”
“What?”
“Up there. You said you were flustered.”
“Umm…Did I?”
“Yeah. You said that.”
Did I say that? I couldn’t remember what I said–this was why one should be careful when speaking. If you talk without thinking, you’ll have to reflect twice as much in the future.
Well, I didn’t intend to hide anything–I explained what I had been through to Song Ha-gyeon. Ah–except for everything related to the quest, of course.
After listening to me, Song Ha-gyeon briefly pondered before opening his mouth, “…A veil?”
“It felt as if my hand passed through a thin wave or something like it.”
“Hmm…I don’t know anything about that… I’ll be right back.”
“Let’s go together.”
Song Ha-gyeon shook his head firmly before taking one step backwards. Reciting a spell, he slowly raised a hand.
Wait a minute. What’s with his urgency?
I jumped to my feet, calling out to Ha-gyeon Hyung. Simultaneously, my legs gave out, and I slumped to the floor.
…How embarrassing. Though I felt calm mentally, my body must have been a bit tense; I should have thought of that.
At times like this, I had to be a bit shameless. I dusted myself off as if nothing had happened.
“Are you alright?” Song Ha-gyeon asked.
Ack–so startling. Song Ha-gyeon approached me in an instant, held me tightly and supported my weight. I held the end of his sleeves tightly so that the older man wouldn’t go off without me with his magic.
“Ha-gyeon Hyung. Take me as well. That way, you can check the phenomenon out properly.”
“Did you really want to come along?”
“…? Yes.”
“Without any reason…Voluntarily…That’s what I’m asking.”
“Yes. I want to take a look at it one more time. I didn’t have a chance to observe and think about it properly before.”
Song Ha-gyeon stared down at me, scrutinizing my face. His gaze seemed to measure whether or not I truly meant those words. However, it wasn’t a lie–not one bit.
When I nodded emphatically, Song Ha-gyeon matched me with a nod of his own, “Alright. Then.”
He instantly created a thick-looking cape midair, wrapped it around me, and loosely tied the strings attached at the front.
It was warm…and just as I thought that, my body lifted up.
“Let’s go.” Song Ha-gyeon had lifted me in his arms. Did he want me to hold onto him right now? The surroundings around me whirled and my perspective became higher before I even had a chance to respond.
He didn’t let me down even after climbing onto the strong branch at the top of the tree. To be honest, I didn’t want to dismount either–not at this height. Hugging the older man obediently, I reached out with one hand.
Pop–
The clear, vibrant sound rang out again. I felt my fingertips passing through something, and the sky wobbled slightly. I was certain.
“Ha-gyeon Hyung. Did you see that?”
“…No.” Song Ha-gyeon looked into the air near my hand for a long while. Then, he raised and held my hand. His long fingers coiled gently around mine.
“…I don’t feel anything.” Song Ha-gyeon said, muttering to himself. “Is it magic?… A barrier?”
Song Ha-gyeon adjusted his monocle before staring straight up; the shadow of the dark sky was cast over his purple eyes. After blinking a few times, he turned to me and said, “First, let’s descend.”
Our bodies floated downwards slowly; our surroundings gradually brightened as we dropped. When we arrived at the ground, it almost felt as if we were being enveloped in a bright light.
Song Ha-gyeon, now that his feet touched the ground, took the light boxes that served to light our surroundings and only left one behind.
“…Hyung? I can walk now.”
“Yeah. Listen, Sun Yihan.” Song Ha-gyeon spoke slowly. He explained that that curtain-like thing I touched might be a barrier that encapsulated this twisted place. “According to Raen, your mana’s structure isn’t ordinary.”
Song Ha-gyeon could not discern the veil, and that may be the reason why I could. He noted that they’ll need to check this place out again when everyone returned. Especially Raen.
Raen was sensitive to mana, so he might recognize if a barrier was present. Of course, there had been no signs of one in the Warrior’s investigation thus far.
‘I think Song Ha-gyeon is right.’
If so, then the system gave me a surprise quest to make me aware of the barrier’s existence. But, why would it do that?
Though I racked my brains, I couldn’t find a satisfactory answer, and I suddenly realized that Song Ha-gyeon still hadn’t let me down onto the ground. I didn’t want to return to camp like this! “Ha-gyeon Hyung. Really, you can let me dow… Huh?”
I felt something sticky dripping down my face; I swept at that area with my sleeve. In an instant, the sleeve turned red–a nosebleed.
Honestly, why is this happening now all of a sudden? I wasn’t particularly tired or anything. At that moment, I heard a ringing sound; I raised my shaky gaze.
「Penalty: Intermittent ‘Nosebleed’ is being applied.」
Ah. So there was a reason. But why, of all times, now? I hurriedly opened my mouth, “I’m alright. I’m like this sometimes…Ha-gyeon Hyung?”
◇~◇~◇~◇~◇~◇~◇
Song Ha-gyeon:
The red blood flowing down his white face was seared into my eyes.
‘Why so suddenly?’
The nosebleed that suddenly burst into existence without any warning was so eerie…
Sun Yihan quickly leaned his head back. I measured the distance to the bonfire burning in the distance. This wasn’t the time for us to walk alone in this forest; I had the mana to teleport two people at this distance.
I hurried my movements and sat Sun Yihan before the bonfire. The younger man looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t follow the rapidly unfolding situation.
I summoned a handkerchief and handed it to Sun Yihan, who held it and bowed his head as if he were used to the procedure by now.
After all, this sudden crisis has happened more than once or twice since Sun Yihan joined us.
""
I recalled a late, dark night–quite like the night that had befallen this forest.
–… Hnngh, eurghk… I hate this…
The image was still vivid in my mind: a pale face, a waterfall of blood, and a desperate vehemence. A shivering, crying body and a mouth stained by blood.
Was he truly okay? Raen had once mentioned that there was bound to be a price attached to healing magic.
I agreed with that statement–I had thought, maybe, that was the reason why Sun Yihan kept vomiting blood.
Nevertheless, Sun Yihan continued to heal others as if it were nothing…Though, there was no way that he wouldn’t realize that his body suffered every time he healed us.
Was there really no price? Was this all a coincidence? That was impossible though… Or, perhaps he was willing to pay the price.
It was the same earlier. Even though Park Yul had directly stated that Sun Yihan had vomited blood before falling asleep, the younger man healed me immediately after he woke up.
–This is something I must do. Because it’s a job only I can complete.”
If he can do something, he needs to do it? Sun Yihan’s strange words circulated in my head, creating more questions.
Though his face was gentle, the younger man was like a straight wick–someone who wasn’t easily swayed. That was obvious; even though his voice was quite soft, he said everything he wanted to say.
Nevertheless, there were times when his movements didn’t seem to come from his own will. As if he was forced to act a certain way.
–Ha-gyeon Hyung, I think I’ll have to cross and go over there.
His eyes, looking straight into mine, appeared troubled and burdened. That meant he didn’t want to go–he had to go.
Sun Yihan’s words belied the existence of another motive.
On second reflection, that was the case with a number of scenarios until now. Even though this was the first time Sun Yihan had visited this place, he walked calmly in the dark as if he were following a fixed path. There was no ounce of hesitation.
–I’ll return soon.
I couldn’t stop Sun Yihan from saying that…
I didn’t know his inner thoughts nor his situation; therefore, I couldn’t exert my opinion over his decisions. If he wanted to go alone, who was I to stubbornly be by his side?
In the end, after I surrounded him with magic for safety, I had no choice but to sit back and watch Sun Yihan rise and disappear into the darkness.
After a long while, the younger man fell down.
My body moved before I could form any thoughts; his body in my arms was tense and stiff.
He slowly raised his face towards me…the expression on his face….
“Ha-gyeon Hyung.” Sun Yihan’s voice cut off my thoughts. He smiled and looked up at me. The blood-stained handkerchief had been removed. “It’s stopped now.”
“…Yeah.” I took the blood-soaked handkerchief from Sun Yihan’s hand and materialized a new, thin towel from midair.
I soaked the appropriate herbs in cool water and wet the towel in the resulting solution. Wringing the towel until only a light herbal scent remained, I asked him, “Does it hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
“…Close your eyes for a moment.”
“Why?” Despite his question, Sun Yihan still obediently closed his eyes.
Long eyelashes fell gently against his cheeks; the slight breeze ruffled his black hair. Underneath, his serene face–with his eyes peacefully closed–was visible. Without realizing it, I placed a bit more strength into the hand that held the towel.