THIFSGSTW CH 26

Chapter 26: Not Busy Anymore

Raen, who had finally calmed down, brightened the room again. He said his magic had been a little unstable because his focus had wavered. I looked up at him as he spoke. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

Hmm, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, though.

I remembered something Min Joo-hyuk had told me before. Raen was a genius. He had a naturally high amount of mana and worked hard, so he had never lost the top rank in his grade. Everyone at the academy knew about him.

Raen, who had been quietly watching me, suddenly looked like he’d remembered something. Then, in a blink, he disappeared—only to reappear just as quickly, holding a small bowl in his hand.

“If you’re feeling up to it, have some, Yi-han. But don’t force yourself.”

I was told that Park Yul had made me porridge every day, just in case I woke up. It had been a while since I’d had his cooking—it was warm and comforting.

Raen checked on me several times. After reassuring him that I was fine, a thought crossed my mind—wasn’t he tired? Min Joo-hyuk had fallen asleep as soon as he finished healing me.

“Raen-hyung, aren’t you tired?”

“Yi-han, are you sleepy? Do you want to go to bed?”

“…No, not me. I was asking about you.”

“Oh, I don’t sleep much to begin with.”

But I’d seen him come down to the dining hall late in the afternoon more than once. I had assumed he’d been sleeping in.

Well, if that’s what he said, I’d take his word for it. It wasn’t something I needed to press further.

“Hyung, do you think Ha-gyeon-hyung is in his lab right now?”

I should go heal Song Ha-gyeon and Park Yul soon. The lab was closer, so I figured I’d start with Song Ha-gyeon. I already knew where it was—he had told me back when I was dealing with nausea from my penalty.

“Sun Yi-han. If you’re feeling unwell, come down. …Anytime.”

Of course, I never had to go there since I hadn’t needed to.

“Ha-gyeon’s in his lab. Are you heading there now?”

“Yeah. I know the way, so I’ll go alone.”

“Hmm… Alright. Then I’ll go let Leader-hyung know.”

Raen used magic to neatly gather the papers scattered on the floor before opening the door. The hallway was dark. I walked slowly in the dark corridor. Raen walked next to me.

Wait a second.

“Raen-hyung, weren’t you going somewhere?”

“……”

He met my gaze in silence, then gave a faint smile. I felt his hand lightly brush the top of my head before pulling away.

“…Alright, I’ll really go now.”

Raen snapped his fingers, and a fist-sized orb of light materialized, floating gently toward me.

Like snowballs, the light spreads out of the white sphere. It wasn’t very bright, but it was enough to see ahead.

Unlike the ones Song Ha-gyeon created, this one was perfectly round. It seemed the shape of objects imbued with light magic could vary. Interesting.

Raen lightly ran a hand over my shoulder before turning to walk in the opposite direction. I watched him go for a moment before resuming my own steps. The empty hallway felt oddly colder now. Maybe it was because winter was already here.

The lab wasn’t far so I got there quickly. I knocked on the door and waited for a while. I heard a voice come from inside.

Creak.

I stepped inside. Song Ha-gyeon stood there, wearing a white coat and a monocle, holding a thick file in one hand and a pen in the other.

Like the hallway, the lab was dimly lit. The only light came from a round crystal ball on the desk, emitting a soft white glow. Song Ha-gyeon turned his head toward me. The light flickered across his profile. His long, deep purple hair, tied loosely to one side, reminded me of the color of the dawn sky.

“Sun Yi-han?”

His voice was calm as always, but he moved toward me so quickly and smoothly it felt almost urgent. A faint, fresh scent of herbs lingered around him.

Song Ha-gyeon swept my hair back and lowered his gaze to meet mine.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

His voice was slow and careful. I shook my head lightly. His expression remained composed, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes.

The hands that touched my forehead were cool. It struck me then—Song Ha-gyeon was like winter. Quiet and still, like a world covered in white snow.

Yet, he didn’t seem cold in a way that kept people away.

I gently wrapped my fingers around his wrist and activated the healing skill while watching the status window appear in front of my eyes.

<The Healer Will Help!> Healing, Success!

The blue light that wrapped up Song Ha-gyeon came to me as if it was pouring into me. For a moment, his gaze lost focus.

“Ha-gyeon-hyung?”

I quickly grabbed Song Ha-gyeon, who was slightly stumbling. Song Ha-gyeon seemed to be sleepy because his fatigue was relieved like Min Ju-hyuk.

Song Ha-gyeon slowly blinked his eyes. The eyes looking at me were dazed and unfocused. In the dim light, they looked heavier, darker.

“Ha-gyeon hyung, are you sleepy?”

“…No. Thanks.”

Song Ha-gyeon pressed his fingers firmly under his monocle. Then, standing straight again, he waved his hand. A large chair appeared in front of the desk.

“Sit.”

His hand, which had gently rested on my shoulder, tightened slightly. In an instant, I plopped into the chair. It was soft.

Song Ha-gyeon tapped the crystal ball lightly with the tip of his pen. The white halo of light surrounding it spread out even further. I looked up at Song Ha-gyeon.

“Hyung, are you busy right now?”

If he was, I didn’t want to disturb him. I was thinking about heading to the greenhouse garden where Park Yul would be when Song Ha-gyeon stared at me intently.

“….Not anymore.”

As always, his voice was calm and unwavering. My reflection was clearly captured in his eyes. For some reason, I wanted to avoid his gaze. It felt as if he was saying he wasn’t busy because I was here.

Of course, that couldn’t be true. I knew that.

This was my problem. Having spent so much time in the temple without interacting with anyone besides my teacher, I kept overanalyzing even the smallest gestures.

This was why interacting with people was important. I still had no grasp of what was ‘appropriate.’ I didn’t know how close I should get to others, or how close they intended to get to me.

Embarrassed by my own unnecessary thoughts, I hurriedly changed the subject.

“Ha-gyeon hyung. I met Min Joo-hyuk upstairs earlier.”

“Yeah. Joo-hyuk is always there.”

“I also just met Raen-hyung.”

“Oh, so that’s why…”

Song Ha-gyeon glanced at something beside me. The orb of light had vanished without a trace, as if its job was done.

Song Ha-gyeon extended his palm beneath the sphere, letting it land gently. He rolled it across the desk before tapping the crystal ball beside him. A glowing map appeared in front of us.

The light reflected off his monocle, making it gleam. Fixing his eyes on the map, he slowly spoke.

“…Something unusual is happening.”

Until now, the monsters had always maintained their original form. But the one Raen and I encountered last time was different. If it turned out that monsters could seep into other things, relying solely on Raen’s magic to detect them might no longer be enough.

“…We’ll need to investigate further.”

If that was really the case, we would have to carefully check the most dangerous areas first, Song Ha-gyeon concluded.

His long fingers traced a spot on the map, marking it with a red X. I had seen a similar scene in my foresight before. It wasn’t exactly the same situation, but…

Seeing glimpses of the future actually playing out like this didn’t feel good. It was unsettling as if the future was determined. How was it even possible to see the future? And if something could be changed, could it still be called the future?

I didn’t know. I got goosebumps because I suddenly remembered what happened to Raen. My body trembled slightly.

Even if we were preventing something from happening, I didn’t want to see them get hurt. I turned my gaze away from the map, where the red mark remained vivid, and turned to Song Ha-gyeon.

“…Sun Yi-han.”

Our eyes met directly. How long had he been looking at me?

“Are you cold?”

His slow-spoken question once again lacked context. Since I wasn’t particularly cold or hot, I shook my head right away.

Song Ha-gyeon silently looked at me. Then, without a word, he summoned a large pillow and a blanket into the air. Grabbing them, he draped the blanket over me and placed the pillow in my arms. It was soft.

‘But I just said I wasn’t cold, didn’t I?’

At this point, I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t expressing myself clearly, or if Song Ha-gyeon simply had no intention of listening to me.

Still, it was warm, so I let it go. I leaned back deeply into the chair.

It was peaceful. The warm tea Song Ha-gyeon handed me was slightly bitter, but as I drank, I felt my mind gradually settle. Just as I was sipping the tea while lost in thought, a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

The moment Song Ha-gyeon spoke, the door swung open. Raen stood there, looking as if he had rushed over.

“Ha-gyeon, do you know where Leader-hyung is?”

His voice was urgent. Song Ha-gyeon shook his head, and his expression seemed to grow serious.

“If he went alone, it’s dangerous…” Raen muttered anxiously, biting his lip hard.

“Did you check the basement?”

Raen opened his mouth as if to respond, but suddenly snapped his head around. “Teleport.”

He murmured the word and then turned back to us. His golden eyes seemed to shine. Outside the window, the darkness was slowly lifting. Bright light was beginning to seep in. Raen spoke in a firm voice.

“It’s Leader-hyung’s mana.”

Raen dashed out of the room, practically pushing the door open. I quickly followed behind him.

◇

The morning felt like dawn. A deep blue light, just before sunrise, settled over the grand hall on the first floor. In the distance, someone was walking in at a slow pace. Golden hair fluttered gently.

“Leader-hyung!”

Hearing Raen call out, Park Yul turned to look at us. Then, in an instant, he was right before us. A rush of cold air from outside swept in. Beneath it, a faint scent of flowers lingered.

Park Yul looked at Raen and Song Ha-gyeon, nodding at each of them as if to reassure them. Then, he turned his gaze toward me.

“Yi-han, you’re awake.”

His voice was gentle. Park Yul’s eyes softened as he smiled lightly. A small scratch ran just below his eye. A drop of blood slowly trailed down from the wound.

Park Yul gently lifted his hand, cupping my cheek as if to check on me.