THIFSGSTW CH 16

Chapter 16: There Must Be a Price

As Park Yul’s cautious voice reached me, a status window appeared in front of me.

<The Healer Will Help!> The Chosen Hero ‘Park Yul’

Heal/Import

I knew it. I had been watching them all this time, and no one ever mentioned their injuries, no matter how bad they were. What did they even think I was here for?

With a small sigh, I selected “Heal.” If they weren’t going to tell me, I had no choice but to find and treat their wounds myself.

<The Healer Will Help!> Healing, Success!

The blue light that had been wrapped around Park Yul’s side and knee slowly flowed into me. The familiar gauge bar I had seen before appeared at the edge of the status window. The red portion filled up just a little more.

“Ah, Yihan-ah. It wasn’t anything serious.”

His voice, adding a soft “Thanks” at the end, sounded slightly shaky for some reason.

What even counted as a serious injury, anyway? If there was a wound, wasn’t it natural to heal it, whether big or small?

“It’s really not a big deal for me to heal you, Yul-hyung.”

I continued as I looked at Park Yul, who smiled brightly with crinkled eyes.

“Do you know where Raen-hyung is?”

Since both Park Yul and Raen had been outside together, Raen was probably injured too.

“He’s probably in his room. Every time I go looking for him, he’s always there.”

Well, if I had a room like his, I’d probably want to stay in there all day too. Park Yul lightly patted my shoulder and told me to go carefully before picking up the watering can again.

Behind me, as I walked into the building, the soft sound of water droplets falling onto flower petals echoed gently.

◇

Knock, knock.

I stood in front of Raen’s door and knocked.

“…Come in.”

Song Ha-gyeon’s voice came from inside. I checked again to make sure I had the right room. It was definitely Raen’s. The door slowly creaked open.

“Ha-gyeon, you sure act like this is your own room… Oh, Yi-han? Come in. What’s up?”

Raen was half-turned in a large velvet chair, while Song Ha-gyeon was sitting against the bed.

In the middle of the room, a large glowing map was floating in the air. When Song Ha-gyeon gave a small wave of his hand, the map scattered into shimmering particles and disappeared.

On the desk in front of Raen were the crystal ball I had seen before, several colorful cube-like boxes, and an open inkwell, all messily scattered. Above the desk, multiple sheets of paper filled with dense writing were floating in midair. They neatly stacked themselves on the desk.

“Sit down, Yi-han.”

Raen pulled a chair closer beside him and then turned to Song Ha-gyeon.

“Ha-gyeon. Can you check the drawer in the side table next to you? There should be a silver tin inside.”

“…Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

Song Ha-gyeon slowly stood up, as if he was about to leave.

Raen flicked his fingers, and a transparent glass sitting on the table and the silver tin from the drawer floated gently toward him.

“Yi-han. Do you like sweet things?”

“Yes, I do.”

Raen let out a small smile and twisted the lid off the round tin.

“I like them too.”

I had thought this before, but Raen looked much more at ease with a soft smile rather than his usual sharp expression.

Suddenly, a small floating spoon scooped a heap of brown powder from the tin and transferred it into the glass. Then, Raen summoned a white kettle and tilted it smoothly over the glass.

A stream of milk poured from the kettle and steam rose from the surface. Raen stirred it a few times with the spoon before handing it to me.

The warmth of the glass seeped into my hands. Taking a sip, I tasted a rich, sweet chocolate flavor.

“It’s delicious, hyung.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Raen lightly ran his fingers through my hair and i spoke again.

“Hm… Next time, I’ll make it for you, hyung.”

Just then, a slow voice came from the bed.

“…What about me?”

Song Ha-gyeon, who had seemed like he was about to leave earlier, was still sitting on the bed. Raen responded in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Ha-gyeon, you don’t even like sweet things.”

“…I don’t hate them.”

“Since when? No, you don’t particularly like them either.”

“……”

Raen’s voice carried a hint of skepticism.

Since they had attended the same academy, it seemed like they knew a lot about each other. I’d have to ask Song Ha-gyeon later—maybe he had a way to convince Raen otherwise.

I was lost in thought when I suddenly felt Song Ha-gyeon’s gaze on me. I turned my head, and sure enough, he was looking right at me.

“Ha-gyeon-hyung, do you want to share mine?”

“…Yeah.”

Song Ha-gyeon answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for it.

Raen quickly cut in.

“Don’t even think about stealing the milk.”

“…Yeah.”

“You don’t sound very convincing.”

Raen gave him a long look before shrugging lightly and speaking again.

“Well, it’s not like I can’t make another one…”

Song Ha-gyeon met my eyes for a moment before shaking his head.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“I thought so.”

Raen chuckled as if it was expected. Song Ha-gyeon suddenly got up and walked toward me. Then, he lightly ruffled my hair.

“I’m going.”

After giving a slight nod to Raen, Song Ha-gyeon swiftly disappeared out of the room. He was as unreadable as ever. Raen, who had been watching me silently, smiled faintly before asking,

“So, Yi-han. Why did you come here?”

Ah. I had been too distracted by the sweets and nearly forgotten. I reached out a hand toward Raen.

“Raen-hyung, please hold my hand.”

Raen’s eyes widened slightly. He blinked slowly, his clear golden irises reflecting my face. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he gave a sheepish smile before reaching out.

“Like this?”

Raen took my hand in both of his, gently wrapping around it. His hands were soft and firm at the same time. For some reason, I could catch a faint, sweet scent.

<The Healer Will Help!> Hero ‘Raen’

Heal/Import

The status window appeared properly. As I gave Raen a small nod, I silently selected “Heal.”

<The Healer Will Help!> Healing, Success!

As I finished treating Raen, a soft blue light wrapped around him before flowing into me. Just then, I heard a voice calling my name.

“Yi-han.”

When I looked up, Raen’s expression had hardened. His face was serious.

“What’s the price for healing magic?”

A price? There wasn’t anything like that. As I tilted my head slightly, Raen tightened his grip on my hand and spoke again in a low voice.

“Think about it carefully. Are you sure there hasn’t been any price at all?”

Raen bit his lip, then spoke with deliberate weight behind each word.

“The law of causality. Every effect has a cause”

His eyes wavered as he looked at me. There was a hint of unease in his expression.

Maybe the wariness I always saw in Raen’s eyes wasn’t actually suspicion but anxiety. The firm grip on my hand felt more like a gesture of concern.

“Yi-han, you must have done something beforehand to cause this. In some form or another. And in exchange for being able to heal like this… you must have paid some kind of price. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I’m sure of it.”

Raen added, “Be honest with me,” his voice quiet but firm.

I shook my head lightly.

“Hyung, there’s nothing.”

Maybe it was because my healing wasn’t magic but a system ability, and the system didn’t require a price. Or maybe I was just lucky enough to avoid the price.

…Or maybe—

A sudden realization hit me.

The glowing, rod-shaped gauge appeared in my vision again. It had only a small gap left, almost entirely filled with deep red. For some reason, that sight suddenly unsettled me. Maybe the “price” Raen was talking about was slowly piling up, bit by bit.

…But that was something to worry about later. No point in stressing over it now. That wouldn’t be arrogance—it was just the truth. The most important thing was always what I could do in this moment.

I smiled quietly at Raen, whose eyes were still shaking.

Releasing his hand for a moment, I set my empty glass down on the desk, then reached out and placed my palm over the back of his hand. When I gave it a gentle squeeze, the tension in his grip slowly eased.

“Yi-han… If you ever figure out what the price is, tell me. No matter what.”

Raen’s voice sounded more desperate than usual.

I gave a light nod before shifting my gaze toward the window.

The cloudless blue sky looked colder than usual.

◇

A few more days passed.

Everyone was busy coming and going outside. Of course, I was busy too—tracking them down to heal their injuries whenever I could. They never told me when they were hurt unless it was serious.

My healing gauge still had a small gap left unfilled. I glanced at it before heading upstairs.

Creak.

As I opened the door, the room was bathed in the deep red glow of the setting sun. It was that time again. Since the cooldown for this was only natural.

<Skill! Upgrade> in Progress

‘Future Vision‘ Beginner → ‘Future Vision’ Intermediate

Progress (9/10)

Just one more use, and I’d be done with this. No more of this boring cycle. It didn’t hurt, but the growing number of faint scars on my skin wasn’t exactly pleasant either.

From what I could tell, everyone was out right now. Probably. I hadn’t seen anyone since lunch.

A faint smile tugged at my lips. I unwrapped the bandages on my arm and picked up the knife. The moment the cold blade touched my forearm—

“Yi-han?”

Raen was standing at the doorway.

…Wait, he didn’t go out?

And did I forget to close the door?

It was my own carelessness. Raen hesitantly stepped inside, his movements slow and unsteady.

“Why… No, Yi-han. Wait. Just… wait a second.”

His voice wavered.

I had no intention of making him panic even more, so I stayed still.

Drip.

A few drops of blood had already fallen to the floor, staining it red. Still, I stopped moving, just as he asked.

I was just as caught off guard as he was. This wasn’t something I wanted anyone to see.

But since he was here, I forced the corners of my lips up into a small, reassuring smile—hoping to ease his worry, even just a little.

The crimson light of the sunset seeped into the bloodstains on the floor.

“…Yi-han.”

Raen called my name again, his voice trembling. It sounded like he was about to cry.