THIFSGSTW CH 27

Chapter 27: I’ll Tell You Again Then.

Park Yul’s hand on my cheek was cold. I placed my hand over it. As I used Healing, his wound began to close, and fresh droplets of blood trickled down again.

“I just woke up. I’m fine, Yul-hyung.”

But you don’t look fine, I swallowed those words. Beside me, Raen’s trembling voice rang out.

“Leader-hyung, you said we’d move together from now on.”

“Yeah, Raen-ah. Let’s do that from now on.”

“…Park Yul-hyung.”

Song Ha-gyeon stared at Park Yul intently. Park Yul continued speaking, his voice soft, laced with a faint smile.

“I meant to come back before you even noticed I was gone, but… you were worried, huh? There was something I had to check, so I just stepped out for a bit.”

“Still, you should’ve told us before leaving, Leader-hyung. What if something had happened to you while you were alone…? No, I mean, at least I could’ve gone with you….”

Raen trailed off. It seemed that ever since the day he was injured, everyone had promised not to act alone. And Raen, having experienced firsthand how dangerous it was, seemed to realize how dangerous it was to move alone.

He had barely survived last time. It was understandable. At least now, he probably wouldn’t take reckless risks on his own anymore. That was a relief. Park Yul spoke again in a calm voice.

“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking straight. I’ll make sure to do that from now on.”

Raen gave a small nod. Park Yul lightly patted his shoulder before shifting his gaze back to me.

“Yihan-ah. Were you worried too?”

His eyes curved into a bright smile, just like always.

To be honest, I had only just figured out what was going on. So it was hard to say either way. But still, seeing him come back injured like this every time….

“I was worried.”

I was always worried. About Park Yul, about everyone else. How could their bodies hold up when they kept coming back this injured?

Park Yul didn’t say anything for a moment after hearing my response. Then, his expression turned unexpectedly serious.

“I’m worried too, Yihan-ah.”

Park Yul blinked slowly. His soft green eyes reflected my face clearly.

“I’m just glad you’re awake.”

His expression softened again. With a gentle smile, he ruffled my hair. For some reason, my chest felt heavy. Why were they all so concerned about me? It was too much worry for me to accept.

Of course, they didn’t know I couldn’t die, so it must have been alarming to see me unconscious. But even so, this level of concern felt excessive.

‘It’s like I’m deceiving them.’

Even if I told them the truth, it wasn’t easy to believe that I didn’t feel pain and that I couldn’t die. So, was this just how things were going to be from now on? A faint sense of guilt crept up inside me.

“…Don’t worry, Yul-hyung.”

That was my honest feeling. I smiled up at him as brightly as I could, trying to convey that I was fine. Park Yul hesitated for a moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, he spoke again.

“Someday, when you’re ready to accept it.”

His smile deepened at the corners of his eyes.

“I’ll tell you again then.”

His bright smile looked just a little bitter.

Outside, the sky was growing light with a clear blue hue. Sunlight streamed in through the large windows.

A new morning was beginning.

◇

I went upstairs to check on Min Joo-hyuk, who still hadn’t come down. He was still fast asleep in my bed. Park Yul had told me to bring him down if he was awake, but to let him sleep if he wasn’t.

Min Joo-hyuk usually up early in the morning. but he must’ve been exhausted this time. The usual playful grin on his face was gone, leaving him looking serene.

I gently brushed aside his brown hair, which shimmered under the blue morning light. His hair felt soft against my fingertips. I whispered in a barely audible voice.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk.” At that exact moment, Joo-hyuk’s eyes snapped open.

I flinched in surprise. Still looking groggy, he furrowed his brows slightly and blinked a few times. Then, without warning, he abruptly sat up straight. His clear eyes locked onto me.

“Sun Yi-han, you—”

His expression said he had a lot to say. He opened his mouth slightly, as if struggling to decide where to start, then let out a long sigh. And suddenly, he grabbed my cheek and stretched it.

Ah, seriously. If this was how he was going to act the moment he woke up, I couldn’t just let it slide. I quickly swatted away his large hand.

Min Joo-hyuk chuckled lightly and spoke.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han. Have you eaten?”

I nodded. Min Joo-hyuk reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a lollipop, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth. It was sweet. This time, strawberry-flavored.

Rolling the candy around in my mouth, I held out my hands expectantly. Joo-hyuk chuckled again, stuck his hand into his pocket, and asked, “Is it good?”

“Yeah. It’s good.”

Joo-hyuk grinned and poured a bunch of lollipops into my hands. …Wait. Just how many of these does he even carry around in that tiny pocket?

He didn’t have to give me this much. But, well, I wouldn’t say no.

I tucked the rest away and picked out one more. After unwrapping it, I held it up to Joo-hyuk’s mouth. He blinked in surprise as if he was embarrassed.

“Huh? Me?”

I nodded. It was no use looking at me like that—I wasn’t backing down. If you give something, you should be prepared to receive in return.

…Wait. If I had to give back everything I’d received from everyone so far, just how much would I owe them?

I swallowed hard and shook off the thought. If I did my best, that should be enough, right? It’s effort that counts, not the size of the gesture.

Min Joo-hyuk was still staring at me. Wait, did he not like sweets? I’d assumed he did, since he always carried them around.

“You don’t like them? Then never mind.”

“No? I never said that.”

I started wrapping the lollipop back up, but Joo-hyuk suddenly leaned in and snatched it from my fingers with his teeth.

Then, looking right at me, he grinned mischievously.

“… It’s delicious. ”

Min Joo-hyuk ran his hand through my hair, ruffling it lightly. Stretching out with a yawn, Min Joo-hyuk opened his mouth.

“Let’s head down. The others are downstairs, right?”

When we got to the first floor, everyone was still gathered there. A large map was floating in the air as they discussed something. As Joo-hyuk and I approached, Raen who noticed us spoke in a calm voice.

“We might have to leave immediately.”

To where? So suddenly? I swallowed my confusion and glanced around. My eyes met Song Ha-gyeon’s, and he gave me a slow, silent nod.…And that was it.

I hadn’t expected a full explanation from him, but… well, at least he nodded.

Park Yul summoned a tree branch in front of Joo-hyuk. Parts of it were tinged gray, like ash left after burning.

“Joo-hyuk-ah, look.”

Park Yul lightly tapped it.

The branch instantly disintegrated into gray dust.

The scattering particles shimmered in the sunlight pouring through the window. In a blink, the branch was completely gone.

Beside me, Joo-hyuk’s voice trembled.

“Park Yul-hyung, this is….”

Park Yul continued speaking in a calm voice. The branch is said to have just been retrieved from the forest where me and Raen went. It is clear that the monster can seep into other things.

“We need to leave as soon as possible.”

At Raen’s words, Song Ha-gyeon gave a nod and pointed to a spot on the map.

“…For now, here.”

It was an area densely marked with tree symbols. Min Joo-hyuk responded with a serious expression.

“I agree with you, hyung. If we delay, this will be the most dangerous place.”

“Yeah. The farther the corruption spreads, the harder it’ll be to track. The forest is always dark since the sun never rises there.”

“It’d be best to teleport directly to the center. That way, we can move more efficiently.”

“That sounds like a good plan. We need to hurry—it’s a wide area.”

“…Yeah. And Park Yul hyung. When we arrive, the first thing we’ll do is look around….”

The conversation flowed quickly before I even understood it. I once again realized that I wasn’t used to anything that went fast. I had already lost track of some parts of the discussion, but I kept listening quietly to the voices around me.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have questions. I just didn’t know where to start or what to ask. Besides, now wasn’t the time for idle questions. Everyone was busy—I couldn’t demand their attention just to satisfy my curiosity.

And even if I didn’t ask, I had a feeling they’d explain everything to me later when things settled down. They were kind people.

A thought crossed my mind—was kindness a requirement to be a Hero?

People who were willing to make sacrifices without expecting anything in return. Perhaps what was truly needed for saving the world wasn’t power but compassion—the kind of kindness that made someone willingly step into danger for others.

If that was the case, then this whole thing was cruel.

Just like the System had once told me, this wasn’t fair. It wasn’t justified. ^[1]

‘So, if there’s anything I can do for them—’

I would do it. I wanted to.

Though, realistically, all I could do was heal. It wasn’t anything special. My penalty was just a bit inconvenient, but it wasn’t hard.

Realizing how modest my actual contribution was compared to my grand determination, I felt a little embarrassed and let out a small chuckle. At that moment, the voices in front of me stopped abruptly.

“…Huh? What?”

Startled, I instinctively spoke up. Everyone was staring at me. The sunlight streaming through the large window behind me cast a glow on their faces. For a moment, I felt like time had paused.

“Yihan-ah”

I nodded at Park Yul’s call.

He continued speaking in a soft voice.

“We need to leave soon. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’ll try to return quickly.”

Then, after a brief hesitation, he added, “So… will you wait here?”

It took me a second to process what he meant.

They weren’t taking me with them? Why? They knew I could heal them. And judging by the way they were talking, the place they were heading to wasn’t exactly safe.

‘Then… is it because I’d be a burden?’

That made sense. I couldn’t use magic, so I’d only be annoying during battle. Having to protect me would be troublesome.

But I didn’t need protection. Even if I got hurt, I didn’t feel pain. Even if I was severely wounded, I wouldn’t die. I was fine after taking Raen’s injuries. Sure, I had a slight scar now, but if that was the price of the damage, then it was barely anything.

If I explained all of this properly, they would change their minds. Keeping my voice steady, I said, “I won’t be a burden.”