THIFSGSTW CH 62

Chapter 62: An Important Matter

Park Yul blinked slowly as if waiting for my answer. In the reddish glow of the sunset, his pale green eyes sparkled.

I couldn’t tell what exactly I was supposed to be ready for, but I nodded again for now. At the same time, my body was lifted up. And just like that, I moved out the window. There was nothing beneath my feet.

‘No, I wasn’t ready for this kind of thing.’

Warm wind swirled around me. My body slowly descended.

I was suddenly floating in midair, but it wasn’t that scary. We weren’t moving fast, and more importantly, Park Yul would never drop me. As the wind that had wrapped around my body dispersed, I was able to land right next to Park Yul.

“Yul-hyung. What did you want to talk about?”

“You’re not surprised, Yihan-ah.”

Did you want me to be surprised? I looked up at Park Yul with that thought in mind. I really didn’t expect this from him. Park Yul smiled with his eyes and tousled my hair.

“You looked like you had a lot on your mind.”

What does that have to do with anything? Park Yul opened my hand and placed the watering can he had been holding into it. Then he supported the bottom and tilted it gently.

A thin stream of water slowly poured down onto the soil. Each drop soaked in the sunset light.

I felt the small droplets bouncing and gradually soaking into the hem of my clothes. Park Yul’s gentle voice came from right beside me.

“When too many thoughts pass through, nothing remains. And when you’re left blank like that, you can’t even figure out what to do anymore.”

Park Yul removed his hand. The watering can was still tilted in my hands. The sound of the water trickling out could be heard. A damp breeze lightly blew by.

“That’s why you can’t just stop and think. You need to have something in your hands, even something small, or someone next to you. Only then can you move forward again.”

Park Yul turned to me. He was smiling brightly, eyes slightly folded.

“That’s why I called you over here, Yihan-ah.”

Park Yul gently patted my lower back, then turned his gaze toward the garden in front of us again. Maybe that’s why he was always standing in this spot.

Park Yul didn’t say anything else. Only the sound of water droplets scattering in the hot, dry air could be heard. From the garden came the scent of flowers and the coarse fragrance of summer grass.

We stood there for a while in silence before I was the first to break it.

“Hyung. There’s something I want to ask.”

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

“Did you really have nothing to say?”

Park Yul was debating whether to say something. I could tell just by the atmosphere, he always hesitated like that. Just as I expected, Park Yul quietly opened his mouth.

“Actually, I do have something I want to tell you.”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

What kind of words was he hesitating so much to say? I swallowed nervously. Park Yul carefully continued.

“We don’t know what the atmosphere will be like in the village we’re going to tomorrow. So we can’t tell what kind of things people might say.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There might be people who respond sharply.”

I looked at Park Yul in surprise. But he was still looking straight ahead, just as always, with that faint smile on his face.

“Why? Is there a reason for that?”

“Because when danger isn’t visible in front of them, they can’t feel it. If nothing happens, they might think we’re just spouting ominous things for no reason.”

Park Yul reached out and brushed a petal. A droplet of water rolled down his hand. He spoke slowly.

“And when the danger does appear in front of them, they think it’s too late. They might say we were too slow, that we didn’t act fast enough.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who gives them the right to say that?”

I responded reflexively, upset. I couldn’t accept it. You were all sacrificing yourselves, giving everything. How could anyone dare say that to you?

Park Yul turned to me and gently brushed my cheek. A cold droplet transferred onto my skin and slowly trickled down.

“I’m glad I said it in advance. No need to be so startled.”

But I wasn’t startled. I just wasn’t good at expressing myself, but this, this was anger. I couldn’t believe how calmly Park Yul was reacting.

Pak Yul continued in a composed voice.

“If no one gets hurt, then there’s nothing to worry about. That means we did well.”

“What if someone does get hurt? Does that mean it’s your fault? Of course not.”

“In that case, what’s important isn’t whose fault it is. It’s how we can manage the situation, even just a little.”

“But…”

“So, no matter what others say in those moments, it doesn’t really matter.”

I wasn’t sure anymore. I felt confused. That doesn’t matter? If that’s the case, then why do you all try so hard and make sacrifices?

Fine. You were strong people. I knew that. But does that mean you should be the ones to carry all that? I couldn’t accept it. There was too much I wanted to say. My thoughts were jumbled. Before I could sort them out, Park Yul spoke again.

“Yihan-ah, listen carefully. What I really wanted to say wasn’t all that. It’s this.”

“…Yes. I’m listening.”

“If someone ever says something cruel to you…”

Park Yul brushed up my bangs, then bent down to meet my eyes. “That’s something very important. So make sure to tell me, okay?”

He separated each word deliberately. Even though he was still smiling brightly, there was an odd force behind his voice. I tensed up instinctively.le.

I nodded. Only then did Park Yul lower the hand he had used to push my hair back.

“Okay. I guess I scared you too much. Don’t worry. That probably won’t happen.”

Park Yul gently straightened my messy hair. Then, he softly took the watering can from my hand. At some point, it had emptied completely.

“The sun’s about to set. Yi-han, should I send you back up?”

Park Yul raised his hand slightly like he was going to stir the air. I quickly grabbed his hand and lowered it.

Park Yul looked at me, holding his hand tightly, and smiled faintly. But it wasn’t funny. I was serious. Thankfully, he must’ve understood, because I was able to walk back in on my own.

Clack.

When I stepped into the room, the sun was already almost down, just like Park Yul had said.

Inside the room, Song Ha-gyeon was sitting against his bed.

Several colorful flasks floated in front of him and one by one went into a wooden case. As soon as he saw me, he spoke.

“…Sleep, now.”

“The sun hasn’t completely set yet, hyung.”

“We’re leaving early tomorrow.”

He had a point. Without argument, I crawled into bed and lay down. The moment I closed my eyes, I heard the curtain being drawn.

Soon, the liquid in the flasks rippled softly, and that resonance gently spread through the air. Hearing that faint echo by my ears felt like I was underwater. My thoughts were a bit tangled. Park Yul’s words still swirled in my head. I furrowed my brows without realizing.

Then, I felt a hand gently covering my eyes. I inhaled. Amid the warm air, there was a faint scent of grass. It was a scent that matched the summer night perfectly. Song Ha-gyeon slowly brushed over my eyes.

“…Don’t worry.”

Did he know what I was worried about? It wasn’t worry for myself. I was worried about them.

Still, his low and calm voice somehow made the tension in my body loosen.

Thank you. I think I either said that aloud or just swallowed it inside.

I vaguely heard Song Ha-gyeon’s voice telling me to sleep well. My mind slowly drifted into stillness.

◇

A new sun rose. The sky was blazing.

“Let’s head to the village entrance first.”

“Yes. And we should look for the village leader, Leader-hyung”

We were supposed to look for the “Valley of Flowing Clouds” after speaking to the village representative. Since we hadn’t been able to reach them, we needed to figure out what was going on first.

“Shall we go, Yi-han?”

Raen gently placed his hand on my shoulder. I met his eyes and nodded.

Whoosh.

The wind swept past my body. I opened my eyes.

The village entrance was in sight. On either side of it stood a large tree. Dust rose from the ground. The summer sun beat down fiercely, sending up shimmering heatwaves.

Just like we’d heard, it was a small village. As we took a step inside, something suddenly flew toward us.

Min Joo-hyuk reached out in an instant. A light blue shield shimmered around us.

Thud, roll.

A round ball bounced off the shield and rolled away. It was the kind of ball kids might play with.

What the heck? While we stood there blankly, someone rushed over. A middle-aged man.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. The kid accidentally threw it toward you…”

“No, not at all. I just reflexively overreacted.”

He quickly scooped up the ball and bowed in apology. Min Joo-hyuk looked even more flustered and waved his hands. The man carefully spoke again.

“Um, but who might you be…? What brings you here?”

Park Yul immediately answered, explaining the situation. It was concise and to the point. He seemed used to it, like he’d done this a lot.

But… why didn’t that man recognize the warriors’ faces? They were saving the world, after all. Did people really not care unless it was right in front of them? That stung a little.

After Park Yul finished speaking, the man looked startled.

“Oh… the messages… Our village leader hasn’t been able to work due to personal matters lately, but I didn’t realize you hadn’t been contacted. I’m terribly sorry.”

“There’s no need for you to apologize, sir.”

“I don’t think you’ll be able to meet the village leader right away. You asked if something was going on. Yes, there is. Please, come inside and I’ll explain.”

At the mention of “something going on,” everyone’s expressions stiffened. The man tossed the ball back to the child in the distance and started walking ahead.

I looked around. Just yesterday I’d been full of worry, but this man didn’t seem to dislike or resent us. That was a relief.

No, it was not a relief. It was the least we deserved. I needed to stay focused.

After leading us for a short while, the man stopped walking.

“Please, come in.”

In front of us stood a two-story wooden building. It seemed to be the largest structure in the village.

As we entered, he explained that the village was in the mountains, so it was hard to come and go. Merchants selling daily necessities usually stayed here. Occasionally, travelers or visitors stayed as well.

“There aren’t many rooms, but I hope you’ll feel comfortable.”

Unfortunately, he wasn’t just being polite. There were only four rooms in the entire two-story building. Each room had just one bed.

No way. That meant two of us would have to share a bed.