THIFSGSTW CH 12

Chapter 12: I’ll Do My Best

Sun Yi-han’s Perspective

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I look up at Min Joo-hyuk with bewildered eyes. It doesn’t hurt, but it feels strange. Min Joo-hyuk still had my cheek in his grasp and stretched it as he continued with a confused expression.

“You really….”

What about me? Watching him closely, it seems like he’s going through mood swings all on his own. I grab his wrist and pull his large hand away.

Min Joo-hyuk silently looks down at my fingers wrapped around his wrist before obediently letting go. I don’t pay him any more attention and turn back to Song Ha-gyeon.

“Ha-gyeon hyung, thank you. But I’m really fine now.”

“…I should be the one thanking you. For healing me.”

Song Ha-gyeon speaks in a quiet voice and places the medicine bottle on the bedside table. Then, he places his hand gently on my head.

“Shall we go?”

Min Joo-hyuk responds enthusiastically. “Yes, hyung! Everyone is probably in the dining hall by now.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll be right ahead. Take your time coming out.”

Song Ha-gyeon gives a small nod. His loosely tied hair sways slightly. Even under the bright morning sun, its color remains as dark as the early dawn.

Since we’re heading downstairs, I should get up too. As I shift my body and extend my legs toward the floor, Song Ha-gyeon firmly grips my wrist.

“Ha-gyeon hyung…? What is it?”

“…Want me to carry you?”

His tone is completely flat. So I was having a hard time understanding what he meant. It takes me a moment to process what he means. Is he offering to carry me downstairs? Why?

Seeing my expression, he gently let go my wrist and walks over to the opposite bed. When he returns, he’s holding a pair of white slippers. Kneeling on one knee, Song Ha-gyeon reaches toward my feet.

Wait a second. I quickly pull my legs back onto the bed and speak up.

“No, hyung. I can do it myself.”

“I know.”

He says he knows, yet he stays there, not moving an inch. His eyes, looking up at me, don’t waver in the slightest. He shows no sign of getting up.

In the end, I carefully extend my legs toward him. Song Ha-gyeon gently wraps his hands around my ankles. His touch is warm. Maybe it’s because my fever has gone down that it feels even warmer.

He slowly guides my feet into the slippers, one at a time. Then, standing up, he extends his hand toward me.

“…Thank you.”

When I take his hand, with barely any effort, he pulls me up. Even though it doesn’t seem like he used much strength, my body lifts easily from the bed.

The warmth of the slippers beneath my feet feels soft, almost like stepping on clouds.

I leave the room with Song Ha-gyeon. Min Joo-hyuk is leaning against the wall right beside the door. He ruffles my hair once before heading down the stairs first. I follow behind him at a slow pace.

My head is bit complicated.

Min Joo-hyuk, Song Ha-gyeon… Is this normal? Is it natural for people to show this much care for someone else?

I don’t know. I had never properly interacted with others at the temple, so I had no way of knowing.

I don’t feel uncomfortable with their attention. But it’s so unfamiliar that it feels strange. If it wasn’t normal for people to ignore me, then why have I been….?

“Sun Yi-han.”

Song Ha-gyeon’s voice comes from right beside me. I must have stopped walking without realizing it. His gaze on me seems slightly subdued, almost like he’s worried

I nod and smile at him. Yeah, there’s no need to think about the past in the temple now. It’s already behind me, and I’ve left that place. It’s just a little frustrating that’s all, but otherwise, I’m okay.

I continue walking down the stairs. When I was carried up, I was half-asleep, so I don’t remember much. At least I’m fully conscious on the way down.

◇

Sunlight pours in through the large glass windows of the first-floor hall. The early morning’s blue tint has disappeared, and the day is now fully bright.

As soon as I step into the dining hall, a delicious, savory aroma fills the air.

Calling it a dining hall sounds grand, but it’s just a space with a kitchen and a large table. It makes sense, considering only four people live here. Someone stands at a distance, cooking. Sunlight streaming in from the large window beside him highlights his back.

Golden hair shimmers softly as it catches the light. It’s Park Yul.

Sensing our presence, Park Yul turns around to face us. When our eyes meet, he smiles, his light green eyes gently curving. The golden sunlight around him makes him appear even more radiant..

“You’re here? Yi-han, you came down too.”

Behind him, wooden spoons and various bottles of sauces float midair. If he’s going to use magic anyway, why does he even bother rolling up his sleeves?

With a flick of his hand, Park Yul waves his hand toward the table. Three chairs slide back smoothly.

“It’s almost ready, so have a seat for now.”

“Park Yul hyung, is Raen hyung not here yet?”

“Nope, he still hasn’t woken up.”

Min Joo-hyuk nods as if it’s a common occurrence. As I watch them, a hand suddenly grabs my shoulder. It’s Song Ha-gyeon.
“…Sun Yi-han. What are you doing?”

“…Huh?”

“Oh, Yi-han, sit anywhere you like. Or are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah. No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

So I have a seat too. I thought those three chairs were theirs.

Song Ha-gyeon gently nudges me into a chair and sits beside me. Across from me, Min Joo-hyuk pours water into white glass cups and places them on the table.

One of them is set in front of me. Inside, a pale green tea swirls. As I stare blankly at it. Then Song Ha-gyeon softly wraps his hand around the back of my neck as if checking my temperature.

“…Are you really okay?”

“Yes.”

I grip the glass. My hands tremble slightly, causing the tea to shake a little. The surface of the glass is warm.

As I hold the cup tightly with both hands, a small bowl gently floats in front of me and lands on the table. Inside, there’s a porridge filled with finely chopped colorful vegetables.

Park Yul soon levitates several plates onto the table. Each round dish holds appetizing toast and salad.

He walks up behind me and lightly brushes my hair aside. A firm hand presses against my forehead.

“Are you feeling better?”

I nod slightly. As Park Yul moves to his seat, he continues speaking.

“It might upset your stomach if you eat too much at once, so start with something easy to digest.”

Hearing his warm, gentle voice, my chest tightens.

Suddenly, it all feels real. The fact that I am here.

A white table, white teacups, and neatly arranged dishes. It was exactly the same as in the temple, yet the warmth I feel is different. It is unfamiliar. Overwhelming.

I want to push my chair back, jump up, and run out of here. This could not be real.

Maybe this is all just another fleeting dream. And if I open my eyes, will I find myself alone again, lying in the dark temple room?

“…Why.”

The words slip out before I can stop them. I feel the weight of their gazes turn toward me. That, too, is unfamiliar. I don’t know what kind of expression I’m making right now. My blurred vision makes it impossible to read their faces either.

“Why are you… doing all this for me?”

My lips move on their own. My voice trembles uncontrollably. Something feels off inside me—like a wave of nausea rolling through my stomach.

I don’t even know what kind of answer I want. Maybe I don’t want to hear any answer at all. Panic surges, and I hurry to take back my words.

“No, never mind. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Yi-han.”

The moment I finish speaking, Park Yul’s voice calls out to me.

“…Please don’t answer.”

I mean it. No matter what he says, I’m not sure I can handle it.

The people in the temple are always kind to me when I have no mana. But the moment I have it, they won’t even look at me. But I don’t choose to have mana. It isn’t my decision.

So what if I change again? If the reason they look at me now disappears, then what?

That would be miserable. No—it would be unfair.

So I don’t want to hear anything. If it is something I can’t control, then it is better not to know. Through my hazy vision, I see Park Yul rise from his chair and slowly approach me.

He stops beside me. With a flick of his hand, my chair gently turns toward him, as if guided by magic. Then, cupping both my cheeks, he gently lifts my face.

“What difficulties have you gone through to make you talk like this?”

His voice is soft, almost like a whisper. But I have never said I am struggling. I want to tell him that—but before I can, something cool presses against my eyes. It feels like a damp cloth.

A drop of water slides down my cheek. It must be from the handkerchief Park Yul is holding. Slowly, his fingers brush the spot, tracing the path of the tear.

“Yi-han. Do you really think you need a reason?”

His voice is calm.

Do I? Can kindness exist without a reason?

I don’t know. Amid my confusion, Min Joo-hyuk’s bright voice rings out.

“That’s right, Sun Yi-han. We’re a team now.”

The cloth that covered my eyes slips away. I open them. My vision, now clear, takes in the sight of Park Yul smiling at me. His light green eyes crinkle slightly as he does.

“Joo-hyuk’s right. So you don’t have to think too hard about it.”

Sunlight streams into the room, warming the air. Park Yul lightly pats the corners of my eyes, wiping away any remaining dampness. Then he gently turns my chair back and returns to his seat. Beside me, Song Ha-gyeon reaches out and gives my back a slow, reassuring stroke.

Song Ha-gyeon watches me quietly before lifting a glass of water and bringing it to my lips, tilting it just slightly. Then I take the glass to my mouth and slowly tilts it. In the car, it had a light grass scent.

A delicate herbal scent wafts from the tea. As I take a few small sips, the turmoil inside me settles just a little.

“…Thank you.”

“…You don’t have to thank us for everything.”

Song Ha-gyeon’s quiet words make me look at him.

For a brief moment, a thought crosses my mind—maybe there really doesn’t need to be a reason for kindness.

I’m not sure. But maybe it doesn’t matter. I feel the tension in my body eases just a little.

Taking a deep breath, I turn toward the large window. The garden is in full bloom, bathed in the golden sunlight. Above it, the sky stretches high, a brilliant blue. It is quiet. And peaceful. Like a river clearing after a storm, the swirling thoughts in my mind begin to settle.

Right. I really don’t need to overthink this.

‘Status window.’

A translucent blue screen appears before me.

The only healer of the Hero’s party, ‘Sun Yi-han’.

The words at the top are written so clearly. I read them again.

‘The only healer of the Hero’s party.’

Maybe I don’t need a reason. Or maybe—just now—I have found one.

Because now, I know. There is at least one place for me in this world. Maybe closer than I had thought.

Maybe right here.

I’m not certain of anything yet. But that doesn’t matter.

All that matters is that I will do my best in the place where I stand.