THIFSGSTW CH 11
by MizuChapter 11: I Told You I’m Fine
Song Ha-gyeon’s Perspective
I closed the door behind me and walked down to the first floor.
‘Did I have any herbs with fever-reducing effects stored away?’
I needed to check my lab. Sun Yi-han didn’t seem to be struggling too much, but when I touched his forehead earlier, he had a high quite fever. It would be best to give him medicine before it got any worse.
Thinking about how my wound had completely healed or how Sun Yi-han had used healing magic that shouldn’t even exist—those were things to consider later.
As I walked down the hallway toward my lab, I suddenly stopped. Right beside me was the defensive magic training room.
‘Min Joo-hyuk should be in there right now.’
I was sure of it. Ever since the incident where I pushed Min Joo-hyuk aside and got attacked by the monster, he had practically locked himself in this room. I figured I should at least tell him that my injury had fully healed.
That incident wasn’t anyone’s fault. The monsters had simply changed their attack patterns—no one had been careless. There was no reason for Min Joo-hyuk to feel so guilty.
If the situation had been reversed, Min Joo-hyuk would have done the same for me. That day, I had simply been the one standing in that spot, and he had been elsewhere.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the door, but there was no response. With all the noise inside, it was no surprise he hadn’t heard me. Rather than waiting, I opened the door without hesitation.
The moment I did, a sphere the size of a fist came flying straight at me, its surface covered in sharp, protruding spikes. Before it could reach me, the sphere suddenly stopped midair, as if hitting an invisible barrier. It wobbled for a moment before dropping weakly to the floor.
“Ha-gyeon hyung! Are you alright?!”
Min Joo-hyuk rushed over, his hands trembling slightly in shock.
I had cast defensive magic just now, but Min Joo-hyuk’s was faster. He must have felt it too, which meant he knew I hadn’t been hurt.
“Min Joo-hyuk.”
I lifted the fallen sphere with magic, bringing it to my hand. Min Joo-hyuk’s eyes followed it uneasily.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But still, hyung, didn’t that startle you? I didn’t realize you were here—”
“I meant about that incident.”
“……”
Min Joo-hyuk fell silent, which was unlike him. He seemed lost in thought. After a moment, he spoke again.
“Defensive magic is my responsibility. I should have done better.”
“If you put it that way, then us failing to take down the monster—”
“That was inevitable. The situation was different from what we’d faced before.”
He answered immediately, his expression serious. If he understood that, then why was he still holding on to that guilt? It was something he should have let go of by now.
“You understand that well. Then you should apply the same logic to yourself.”
I lightly tossed the sphere back to him and he caught it effortlessly. His expression was still somewhat conflicted.
“…You did well, Min Joo-hyuk. You know that, don’t you?”
Joo-hyuk clenched the sphere tightly and spoke.
“Hyung. Doing well doesn’t justify mistakes.”
“Enough. You’ll hurt yourself.”
I pried Min Joo-hyuk’s fingers open and sent the sphere flying far away. His eyes flickered toward my left shoulder with uncertainty.
“It wasn’t anyone’s fault. …And I’m fine now.”
I unbuttoned the top few buttons of my shirt and showed him the fully healed wound. His voice trembled with disbelief.
“H-How…?”
“Sun Yi-han healed it.”
“Then… it doesn’t hurt anymore? Are you really okay?”
I nodded, and Min Joo-hyuk stared at me with shaken eyes. He stood still for a long time, as if absorbing the situation, before he finally spoke again.
“Ha-gyeon hyung… I’m so relieved.”
“…Yeah.”
His voice was as bright as usual, but it wavered slightly. I patted his shoulder a couple of times and buttoned my shirt back up.
“…That’s enough.”
Min Joo-hyuk clenched his fist, then relaxed it. Finally, he lifted the corners of his lips in a faint smile.
“I should head upstairs.”
“…Go on ahead.”
Min Joo-hyuk practically bolted out the door. I figured I should give it a little time before going up. I had to stop by the lab to prepare medicine anyway, so the timing worked out. Leaving the room, I continued down the hallway.
◇
Sun Yihan’s Perspective
I sat in the empty room, lost in thought.
Where exactly had Song Ha-gyeon gone? I had no idea.
Outside the window, the early morning sky was still dark. The air was calm, and everything was quiet. Song Ha-gyeon was a person who suited this kind of atmosphere.
He didn’t talk much, nor did he let his emotions show easily. In many ways, he was a difficult person to understand. Next time, instead of waiting for him to speak, I should just ask him directly. Just as I reached that conclusion—
Bang
The door suddenly burst open.
Min Joo-hyuk stood there, breathing heavily. His brown hair was tousled, likely from running in a hurry. As soon as our eyes met, he rushed toward me.
A gust of air followed him as the bed sank under his weight. Before I could react, Min Joo-hyuk wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace.
He smelled fresh, like the wind. His hands on my back were trembling. He held onto me in silence for a long time, as if I were a lifeline at the edge of a cliff. The intensity caught me off guard, leaving me blinking in confusion.
“Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?”
I had no clue. Was he just relieved to see me awake? I suppose, after seeing me collapse, it would make sense for him to be worried… but was it serious enough to express this kind of reaction?
Min Joo-hyuk slowly rested his forehead against my shoulder. His skin felt cool against my feverish body, and his hair tickled my neck.
Then, in a low, serious voice, Min Joo-hyuk asked,
“Hey, Sun Yi-han. Was it really you?”
Even though he spoke softly, the closeness made his words ring clearly in my ears. His tone was different from before—slow and solemn. I responded just as calmly.
“You mean healing Ha-gyeon hyung?”
The only thing Min Joo-hyuk could be asking about was that. He nodded against my shoulder without a word.
“Yeah. It was me.”
“……”
Min Joo-hyuk didn’t say anything for a long time.
The person who usually talked so much was now completely silent. The conversation came to an abrupt halt. It wasn’t awkward, but I couldn’t figure out why he was acting this way.
Then, his arms around me loosened. The solid warmth vanished, leaving an odd sense of emptiness. His forehead slid down from my shoulder, brushing against my collarbone. His brown hair shifted lightly.
Then, Joo-hyuk slowly raised both hands covering his face.
“Hic, hic….”
A small, choked sob escaped him.
His back trembled as if he were breaking down. My mind couldn’t process the sudden situation.
“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk.”
I wanted to ask, ‘Are you crying?’ but asking that to someone who already looked like they were crying didn’t seem like a good idea. It wasn’t as if I was trying to tease him.
In the end, I couldn’t find the right words and instead awkwardly reached out, patting his back.
“Thank you.”
Min Joo-hyuk spoke in a voice that trembled with sobs.
“I, because of me, Ha-gyeon hyung— ”
In the end, I couldn’t find the right words and instead awkwardly reached out, patting his back.
Click
At that moment, the door quietly opened again. Song Ha-gyeon entered silently and gracefully took a seat in the chair next to the bed. Calmly, he removed the monocle he was wearing and placed it in the small pocket on his chest.
‘Ha-gyeon hyung, what exactly is going on right now?’
I sent him a look, hoping for an explanation. But Song Ha-gyeon simply met my eyes with his usual composed expression. His posture was upright and unwavering.
His steady, violet eyes reflected my image. It seemed like he was checking my condition.
As I continued looking at Song Ha-gyeon, the weight leaning against me suddenly disappeared. I turned my gaze back. Min Joo-hyuk had buried his face in his hands, his head lowered completely.
His broad back was hunched over. Is he really okay?
“Min Joo-hyuk, are you alright…?”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Min Joo-hyuk abruptly extended his arms and grabbed my shoulders. Then, he lifted his head in a snap.
“Thanks, Sun Yi-han.”
His voice was firm. The previous sobbing was completely gone, and there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in his words.
Min Joo-hyuk was smiling brightly. The corners of his eyes were slightly reddened, but his expression was so genuinely happy that it made my chest feel oddly ticklish.
Sniffling slightly, Min Joo-hyuk smirked and added,
“Hey, and for the record, I wasn’t crying.”
The dawn was passing. A soft purple glow seeped through the window.
“…Okay.”
I answered blankly.
Min Joo-hyuk’s smile felt like an early morning—clear and refreshing as if a cool breeze was blowing even though all the windows were shut.
Soon, the sky would brighten into a crisp blue morning.
◇
The room had grown bright. The morning sun was rising. My fever penalty must have ended because my body felt completely refreshed.
Song Ha-gyeon gently removed the small paper that had been stuck to my forehead and then placed the back of his hand against it. After blinking slowly in thought, he took a small glass bottle out of his pocket.
Inside the thin, cork-sealed bottle contains a thick, orange syrup. Song Ha-gyeon held it out toward me.
“…Your fever has gone down a bit. But if you’re still feeling unwell, drink this.”
He added in a slow voice that it was safe to take on an empty stomach, then looked directly into my eyes, waiting for my response.
“I’m fine now.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Min Joo-hyuk abruptly stood up and placed his hand on my forehead.
“I knew it. You still feel hot.”
As if taking my temperature, he moved his hands to the back of my neck and then to my shoulders. Then, hesitating slightly, he spoke again.
“Hey, Sun Yi-han. …Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
The immediate response made Min Joo-hyuk let out a small sigh. Then, raising one hand, he reached for my face.
“…Ah.”
Without hesitation, Min Joo-hyuk lightly pinched my cheek and stretched it out.