THIFSGSTW CH 20

Chapter 20: Because I Believe in Myself

It was just a few days after my <Future Vision> Intermediate skill had activated automatically.

“Leader hyung, I’m going to take a quick trip to the western forest today.”

Raen, who had been eating a late lunch with a tired expression, suddenly spoke up. Park Yul, sitting across from him, immediately joined the conversation.

“When? Should I come with you, Raen?”

“I’m planning to go later, at an easy pace. I’ll go alone.”

Raen casually stabbed a small piece of bread with his fork before continuing.

“I’m just going to check on a magic I set up. It’s fine, Leader hyung.”

“Alright. The western forest is relatively safe, so that should be okay. But still, be careful.”

Raen nodded. He stood up and floated his dishes in the air as he walked away, seemingly cleaning up after his meal.

Sunlight streaming in through the window caught in Raen’s red hair. As I watched his figure slowly fade into the distance, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Today is the day.’ I could feel it. The future I had seen—it was going to happen today.

A chilling sensation coursed through my body. My fingertips trembled.

No, it’s fine. I can change it. Raen would still be here tomorrow, sitting in this spot, just like always. I forced myself to calm down and spoke.

“Raen hyung. I want to go with you.” I tried to sound composed, but I couldn’t completely hide the tension in my voice.

After thinking about it for days, I realized this was the only way. I couldn’t reveal the future, and suddenly stopping Raen from going would seem too suspicious.

Telling him to take someone else with him wasn’t a good option either. I had no idea what would happen—bringing more people might not help at all. Worse, they could all end up in danger.

So, the best way was for me to go myself. If the worst happened, I’d be there to act quickly.

“Yi-han, why all of a sudden? I’d rather you didn’t come,” Park Yul said, frowning.

He was worried—because it might be dangerous.

Even though just moments ago, he had said the western forest was relatively safe. I understood why. He was worried because I couldn’t use magic.

And, honestly, it was a dangerous place. Not for me, but for Raen. I immediately used the excuse I had prepared.

“If Raen hyung thinks it’s safe enough to go alone, then I’ll be fine too. I can’t stay cooped up here forever, Yul hyung.”

“Yihan-ah. There’s plenty of time ahead. There’s no need to rush. You can go out when you’re properly prepared.””

I had been about to insist on going, but Yul was more stubborn than I expected. And everything he said made perfect sense. I had been too complacent. I had never had to persuade anyone before, so I had assumed a simple explanation would be enough. I should have thought this through more carefully.

But I couldn’t just let this go and let Raen leave alone.

‘What should I say?’

My thoughts were a tangled mess. I had been in urgent situations like this before, but it never got any easier. I turned to Raen, thinking he would probably agree with Yul, but—

Our eyes met. Raen had been watching me the entire time.

“Yi-han”

Raen’s expression looked stiff. He almost seemed nervous. But why would Raen be nervous?

As I was wondering, Raen cautiously spoke.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

Then, silently, he mouthed the words:

‘That time before.’

A realization struck me. He was talking about that time—when he saw me cut my arm to use my foresight skill. The time when he told me to talk to him whenever I needed to. I hadn’t even considered that Raen would interpret my actions that way. But now wasn’t the time to explain. I quickly nodded. Seeing my reaction, Raen finally spoke.

“Leader hyung, I’ll go with him.” I was relieved that Raen accepted my stubbornness.

At first, Park Yul seemed like he was going to stop us. But after exchanging a few words with Raen, he eventually agreed. Since he had mentioned earlier that the western forest was relatively stable, he seemed to think it wouldn’t be too dangerous.

Golden sunlight poured in through the window, bright and clear. By the time that sunlight turned red, Raen… Raen would return safely.

‘It’ll be okay.’

The quest was still incomplete. Somewhere in his heart, Raen must still have doubts about me.

But I didn’t doubt myself. I could do this. I repeated it in my head like a mantra.

◇

Raen soon led me into his room. He stood there, waiting for me to speak, as if he wanted to hear something from me. But, of course, I had nothing to say.

“It’s okay, Yi-han. Take your time.”

He added a small, soft “Thank you” and then reached out, gently patting my head.

With a wave of his other hand, the drawer of the bedside table opened. From inside, several small, wrapped chocolates floated up.

The chocolates drifted toward the desk beside me, landing softly in a small pile. Raen picked one up and unwrapped it with his long fingers. Then, slowly, he brought it to my lips.

“Say ah.”

The sweet scent of chocolate wafted toward me. Raen smiled faintly. Whenever he smiled like this, the sharpness in his usual demeanor softened, making him look much more at ease.

Before I realized it, my mouth parted slightly. Raen’s fingertips brushed against my lips for just a moment before pulling away. The chocolate melted slowly on my tongue, spreading its sweetness.

Raen studied my face for a while, then smiled again before speaking.

“Alright. First, I’ll briefly explain where we’re going.”

He tapped a crystal orb on the desk. Light burst from within, forming a small, glowing map. He pointed to a forest in the corner of the image. 

“Here. I’m going to reinforce the detection magic I set up there.”

“Detection magic?”

“Yeah. If a monster escapes and moves around, I’ll be able to sense it.”

I was impressed. I didn’t know such magic existed. Raen explained that monsters operated purely on instinct and aggression, so they had to be dealt with swiftly.

“Oh, but don’t worry. We’re not going because a monster was detected. I just… have a strange feeling. I need to check something.”

He fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. He bit his lip slightly before suddenly widening his eyes, as if he had just remembered something.

Then, he reached into his robe and pulled out an object, placing it in my palm. It was a sharply cut blue gemstone.

“A return stone. Just grip it tightly and crush it. Keep it with you, just in case.”

I stared at Raen in a daze.

The shape of the return stone was familiar. It was the very one I saw in my <Future Vision>—the one Raen never managed to use in the end. My heart became a bit complicated. So even teleportation magic wouldn’t be an option in case of serious injury.

“Yi-han.”

Raen’s voice called me back. He folded my fingers over the stone one by one, closing them tightly around it. Then, still holding my hand gently, he leaned in slightly.

The robe draped over his shoulders shifted smoothly. There was a faintly sweet scent.

“Shall we go now?”

By then, the sun had sunk low.

Through the large window behind Raen, the red sunset poured in. His crimson hair shimmered in the light. In his golden eyes, I saw my reflection.

The gemstone in my hand was hard. And somehow, it felt unbearably heavy. I could feel the firm grip of Raen’s hand over mine. Only then did I realize that my hands were trembling. I met Raen’s gaze and nodded.

“Close your eyes for a moment.”

A gust of wind swept through.

When I opened my eyes, I was in an unfamiliar place.

No—somewhere I knew all too well. The place where, in the future I had seen, Raen had collapsed alone.

My body stiffened with tension. The ground beneath me was a dirt path, and the scent of the forest hung in the air. The scene played vividly in my mind.

“Yi-han.”

A soft voice called me from ahead. Raen patted my shoulder. With every touch, warmth spread through me.

“It’s okay. Don’t be nervous.”

Raen placed his palm against my cheek and gently tilted my head upward.

Our eyes met. Raen’s gaze was steady, locked onto me. Behind him, the red sunset stretched wide. A gentle breeze swept through. Raen’s loosely tied red hair slipped free, strands flowing softly. His robe fluttered faintly in the wind.

For a moment, I thought the air smelled sweeter, the scent growing strong enough to mask the earthy aroma of the forest.

“Yes, Raen-hyung. I’m okay now.”

And I truly was. Because right now, in this moment, we were still here—still safe.

◇

Raen matched his pace with mine as we walked slowly along the forest path.

The conversation continued slowly. He was worrying about me—far too much, really.

I figured this was as good a time as any to clear up the misunderstanding. If left unresolved, it would only pile up, growing into something irreversible. Now, while it was just the two of us, was the perfect moment, to be honest.

“Raen-hyung.”

I called his name, my voice trembling slightly. Now that I was about to explain, it felt like an excuse—like I was making up a justification after the fact. And I felt a little guilty, knowing how deeply mistaken Raen must be.

I hesitantly put together the words: that day, it wasn’t what he thought—it had simply been a ritual to see the future. Raen listened in silence, his expression serious. Then, he finally spoke.

“Yi-han, can I ask why you wanted to see the future?”

I had already prepared my answer to that question long ago. Without hesitation, I replied.

“So I could prepare for what’s to come.”

“And… after all that—after bleeding yourself again and again—did you see the future you were looking for?”

“……No. I didn’t see anything. Maybe because I never got proper training at the temple.”

I hadn’t expected him to ask that. Still, there was no need to admit that I had seen something. I couldn’t tell him anyway. Instead, I forced a small smile and added lightly,

“I won’t do it again. So you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Raen watched me for a long moment before shifting his gaze forward.

“Yi-han,” he said quietly. “Sometimes… I get scared.”

His voice was hushed, like a confession. With his eyes still fixed ahead, he continued in a calm, even tone.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to do things properly. That in the end… the one who ruins everything will be me.”

His expression wavered slightly, though his voice remained steady. He bit his lip, then turned his head to look at me. His golden eyes shimmered faintly as they met mine.

“So I think… I might understand, at least a little, what you were feeling when you wanted to see the future.”

What… feeling…?

I had started this conversation to clear up a misunderstanding. But somehow, things were heading in an entirely different direction.