THIFSGSTW CH 25

Chapter 25: Because I Believe in You

Still, I had some guesses among the choices. The research lab was where Song Ha-gyeon would likely be, and the greenhouse garden seemed like a place where Park Yul might be.

Then, was it the art studio or the study? Which one?

Thinking back, every time I went looking for him, Raen was always reading a book or looking at papers. I leaned towards the study. These things were best decided by instinct. The moment I made up my mind, a string of blue light particles stretched out before me.

Guiding you to the ‘study’

The status window helpfully informed me. So, it even showed the way? What a convenient quest.

I stepped out of the room and followed the glowing path. The entire building was shrouded in darkness. Walking along the illuminated trail in the midst of it gave me an odd feeling.

The light led me downstairs to the first floor, stopping in front of a small door at the end of the hallway. A soft orange glow seeped through the door’s narrow gap.

I knocked and carefully pushed it open.

Click.

The room was neither too big nor too small. The study was bathed in a cozy, amber light. The large bookshelves on both sides were crammed with thick volumes.

Right in front of me was a large window. The thin, translucent white curtains were slightly drawn back, revealing the night sky. It was pitch black and silent, with neither the moon nor the stars in sight.

“…Yi-han?”

A trembling voice called out.

Raen was seated with his back turned to the window, facing me. He had a white eye patch over one eye, as if he was injured.

The desk in front of him was cluttered with scattered books and open ink bottles.

Rustle.

Dozens of floating sheets of paper suddenly rained down on the floor. The light cast a soft glow over them.

“Yi-han.”

Raen abruptly stood up. He took a hurried step toward me—only to stop dead in the middle of his tracks.

Even as the scattered papers crumpled mercilessly under his feet, Raen didn’t seem to care.

Raen blinked his eyes greatly as if he could not believe it. His golden irises trembled, shimmering faintly.

Then, without a sound, transparent tears began to spill down his cheeks. The falling droplets caught the light, glowing softly. Raen’s gaze was locked on me.

For a moment, I thought of the full moon.

Like a silent moon shining in the depths of a starless night, Raen’s bright golden eyes reflected me entirely. I took a slow step toward him. His gaze, full of turmoil, followed my every movement.

Raen took a step back. For some reason, the warm glow of the study’s lamp seemed to flicker faintly.

“Don’t come any closer.”

His voice was a whisper, strained and weak. I stopped in my tracks at his words. His expression was frozen. Why? I stared at Raen, puzzled. But he didn’t avoid my gaze. Instead, he met my eyes directly and slowly opened his mouth.

“I believe you, Yi-han.”

Out of nowhere? But his expression was sincere. Raen’s voice was unwavering, almost like a confession. Yet beneath that resolve, an inexplicable guilt lingered.

I’d heard this kind of voice before.

When was it?

A vast room shrouded in blackness. Someone kneeling before me, holding my hands, meeting my eyes…

Who was it? What did they say to me? A hazy memory hovered at the edge of my mind, just out of reach.

“Yi-han. No matter what it is—”

Raen’s voice cut through my thoughts. I snapped back to reality.

Right—whatever memory it was, if I’d already forgotten it, then it wasn’t something I needed to worry about now. What mattered wasn’t the past, but the present. I focused on Raen’s voice as he spoke.

“I’ll believe everything.”

Raen, who had finally managed to say what he’d wanted to, wiped away the endless stream of his tears with a firm press of his hand.

I watched as he unconsciously kept stepping backward, then shifted my gaze slightly to the side. The status window I’d put off checking earlier came back into view.

Penalty ‘Random Nosebleeds’ will last for ‘3 weeks‘

The penalty message appeared along with a notification that I had failed a quest. I read the sentence over again.

Right beside it, a new quest window had appeared.

<Required! Quest> ‘Raen-Please Don’t Doubt!’ Ⅴ

Success: Gain Raen’s trust

Failure: Random Hemoptysis^[1] for 3 months

Time Limit: 3 months

Had the timer started while I was unconscious? It was already counting down. I thought this quest would have been completed by now.

How exactly was this supposed to end? I let out a quiet sigh, but before I could dwell on it any further, Raen’s voice reached me hesitantly.

“Because I believe you, so… don’t do it anymore.”

I almost asked, Don’t do what?—but then, seeing Raen slowly inching away from me with wary eyes, I understood.

He was talking about my <Import> Skill.

Thinking from his perspective, it made sense for him to be shaken. I hadn’t explained anything, and yet I had suddenly collapsed. He’d had to carry me here while I was unconscious—it must have been a hassle.

I couldn’t say I didn’t understand his feelings. But still…

“Raen-hyung.”

At the sound of my voice, Raen bit down hard on his lip. The lights in the room flickered, dimming before returning to normal.

“Are you going to keep avoiding me like this?”

I took slow steps toward him. There were a lot of things I wanted to say, but none of them felt quite right.

‘It won’t happen again in the future?’

That was what I wanted to say most, but even I couldn’t be sure of it.

Of course, I didn’t think I would have to use <Import> anymore. I had found a way to empty the healing gauge before it filled completely—though I hadn’t tested it yet.

But things in life didn’t always go as planned. And I didn’t want to make promises I couldn’t keep.

In the end, there was only one thing I could say. I looked at Raen and gave a remorseful smile.

“Thank you, hyung. I should’ve said that first.”

Raen, who had been slowly backing away, suddenly stopped.

Right behind him was a large window. The pitch-black night outside was unsettlingly dark, like a vast, empty void.

Standing just in front of it, Raen was utterly still. Yet, with his golden eyes wide open, his frozen expression made him look as if he might disappear into the darkness at any moment. I reached out toward his face.

With nowhere left to retreat, Raen’s back pressed against the cold glass of the window.

“…Yi-han. Don’t.”

His voice was filled with desperation. His fingers lightly grasped the end of my sleeve as it draped over my wrist—a touch that felt more like a push than a hold.

The lights in the room flickered again, trembling unsteadily. Under that unsteady glow, Raen’s figure shifted between light and shadow. I spoke calmly.

“It’s okay.”

I thought I heard a faint wait, but before I could get through it, my hand had already touched Raen’s cheek.

A status window appeared in front of me.

<The Healer will help!> Hero ‘Raen’

Heal/Import

I selected Heal, and a blue light enveloped Raen’s eye—the one covered by his bandage. I reached out and carefully untied the knot. The white fabric unraveled smoothly, fluttering as it slipped away.

The moment the bandage, weightless as a snowflake, softly touched the floor—

Whoosh.

The light surrounding Raen’s eye surged toward me. At the same time, the flickering orange glow of the room’s lamps vanished completely.

Silence and darkness swallowed the space whole.

Only Raen’s golden eyes glowed in the pitch-black, reflecting me within them.

“Raen-hyung.”

I smiled faintly and brushed my fingers against the corner of his eye. His skin was flushed.

“See? It’s fine.”

Raen listened quietly to my voice, tinged with laughter. He didn’t say anything. His lips remained pressed together. His expression was hard to read—half a smile, half something else. He looked relieved, yet also as if his heart was aching.

From Raen’s left eye, freed from its bandage, silent tears fell. I gently wiped them away with my fingers. At least this time, it wasn’t blood.

“…Yi-han.”

His voice was soft, yet strangely heavy as if caught in his throat. Raen briefly held my wrist before his grip loosened.

Then, as if collapsing, he leaned into me. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and the faintly sweet scent of him filled my senses.

A few strands of his short red hair had come loose, slipping down to brush against my skin. The room suddenly felt warmer. With his head resting right next to my neck, Raen spoke slowly. His whispering voice was right by my ear.

“I kept telling you.”

He took a breath, as if overwhelmed. Then came the words I’d heard from him time and time again.

“That’s not okay.”

His voice carried no trace of a sob, but for some reason, I felt as if he were still crying. His body, pressed against mine, was trembling ever so slightly.

Maybe, just maybe—Raen was even more delicate than Min Joo-hyuk, who was so easygoing, or Song Ha-gyeon, who was always composed. That’s why, even now, despite my reassurance, he was still so worried about me.

“I really am fine, Raen-hyung.”

At my words, Raen clung to me even tighter. His trembling grew stronger. The situation wasn’t funny, but I found myself chuckling softly.

They say you never truly know until you experience it yourself. I ran my hand along Raen’s broad back and spoke.

“But if you say this isn’t okay, Raen hyung…”

Behind Raen, the same empty darkness stretched on. The night was heavy, pressing down like a weight. But even that was okay—because I wasn’t alone.

Still, if you’re that worried about me…

“Then I’ll think about it. I don’t really get it..… so, hyung, please help me understand.”

I finished my sentence with a smile. Raen’s voice shook as he replied.

“I’ll tell you anytime. And I’ll believe you. Every word you say to me, Yi-han.”

I couldn’t see his face—he still hadn’t lifted his head—but I could tell his words were sincere. I nodded slightly and thought to myself.

Then why hasn’t this quest ended yet?

Blink.

Beside me, the timer on Raen’s doubt-related quest continued to tick down.

Who, exactly, was Raen doubting? And what? Was it really me? Or maybe—

Ding.

A sudden notification sound made me pause as I shifted my gaze. A quest window appeared before my eyes.

<Unexpected! Quest> Find the Hero – Success!

As a reward, you have obtained ‘Hero, I’ll Come To You (1 time).’

The moment I finished reading, the window vanished. Outside the window, the pitch-black night was fading away. The vast emptiness of darkness was being pushed back by a violet dawn, slowly painting the sky.