THIFSGSTW CH 28

Chapter 28: Nightfall Forest

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone seemed to freeze for a moment. Taking advantage of the silence, I carefully and logically explained why I needed to go with them.

Someone tried to interrupt me halfway with a quick, “Wait—” but I stood my ground and kept speaking.

With things like this, I had to insist firmly. And besides, I wasn’t wrong. Everyone would benefit more if I came along. Whether my reasoning convinced them or they just gave up, in the end, the decision was made. I was going too.

Min Joo-hyuk, who had been looking at me with a somewhat conflicted expression, met my gaze. I shrugged at him. This wasn’t something to be so serious about.

From up ahead, Park Yul spoke.

“Yi-han. Just so you know, I wasn’t asking you to stay because you’d be a burden,” It seemed like he felt the need to clarify, so he added that before meeting my eyes.

“We can come back right away if needed. If it’s too much, just tell us anytime.”

I nodded, and right then, Raen came up beside me. His hand rested gently on my shoulder, the soft fabric of his robe brushing against my back.

“Yi-han, we’re teleporting now. It’ll be really dark, so don’t be scared.”

A strong gust of wind blew past. In an instant, the scenery changed.

The air smelled crisp yet damp, filled with the scent of the forest. Faint chirping of insects resonated in the distance. Against the pitch-black forest, a glowing blue system window appeared in front of me.

You have arrived at the ‘Nightfall Forest’

Nightfall Forest? Is that why it’s this dark? As I thought that, the system window flickered, distorting as if it were malfunctioning. A moment later, black text flashed across the screen.

Please Remember

And with that brief message, the system window vanished. The blue light disappeared in an instant. Suddenly everything seemed to be quiet. Nothing was visible. Having just been staring at the bright system window, I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed in the deep darkness.

It felt like I couldn’t breathe. Without realizing it, I took a step back. At that moment, a firm hand pressed against my back, steadying me.

“Yi-han.”

Raen’s soft voice reached me. Right. I wasn’t alone here. As if that realization had loosened the tightness in my chest, I found myself breathing normally again.

From the front, a faint glow spread out. Song Ha-gyeon was levitating a smooth, white cube in the air. His gaze met mine, worry evident in his eyes. The eyes of Song Ha-gyeon met mine obviously looked worried.

“Sun Yi-han, do you want to head back?” Min Joo-hyuk’s voice came from right beside me.

I was fine now. It wasn’t dark anymore, and most importantly, I wasn’t alone in this place. I quietly shook my head. I said “It’s okay”.

Seeing my answer, Park Yul reached out his hand toward me. “Then, shall we go, Yi-han?”

His green eyes gleamed softly in the darkness, the only thing retaining its natural color in a place where even the leaves had been swallowed by darkness. I took Park Yul’s hand and stepped forward. His grip tightened around mine.

“Let’s go.”

It was as if my ears had been unplugged, the sound of insects humming returned. Right. There was nothing to be afraid of. Beneath my feet, dry leaves rustled softly.

◇

After walking for a bit, we came across a flat clearing.

Park Yul stood still for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before summoning a tent with magic. It was a decent size and everyone looked used to it.

Min Joo-hyuk, who had been circling the area with Raen, casting magic over a wide range, run slowly to me.

“Sit down.”

Min Joo-hyuk flicked his fingers, and a large log floated over from somewhere, he cut it instantly as if it had always been meant for sitting. Again, it was not a skill he had done once or twice.

Was this how they always set up camp? As I blankly watched, he dumped a handful of dry branches in front of me.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han. Watch closely.”

Min Joo-hyuk snapped his fingers. A burst of flames roared to life.

The branches crackled as they burned with fire, thin trails of smoke curling into the air. The surroundings brightened, the scent of burning wood spreading gently.

It was fascinating. Magic itself was already amazing, but seeing fire appear so suddenly right in front of me made it even more surreal. I stared at him, wide-eyed, and he grinned as he ruffled my hair. With a satisfied plop, he sat beside me, the firelight flickering across his face.

“What do you think?”

He looked like he wanted a reaction.

I wasn’t really the type to be overly expressive, but I did my best to nod. Briefly, Min Joo-hyuk’s expression shifted, he seemed satisfied.

Turning my attention back to the fire, I found myself wondering, They can create light with magic, so why go through the trouble of making a fire?

As soon as I voiced my question, Min Joo-hyuk chuckled.

“Because it’s romantic.”

…What? Did I hear that right? I turned to him again. He was still grinning, completely serious.

…Really, because of that? I mean, sure, sitting around a campfire in the middle of the forest is kind of romantic, but—

Just then, a warm presence wrapped around my shoulder.

“That’s half of the reason, but it’s also more efficient this way.” Raen said, his voice gentle, “It saves even a little bit of mana, just in case.” Raen sat down next to me.

Ah, that made sense. So Min Joo-hyuk could’ve just explained that from the start, but instead, he had to go on about romance… As I was thinking that, Min Joo-hyuk suddenly turned to me again.

“Raen-hyung, the atmosphere matters more than efficiency!”

…So he really meant it.

Min Joo-hyuk wasn’t entirely wrong. The atmosphere was nice. Just as I was starting to accept that, Raen’s amused laugh reached me from beside me.

“That’s right. Joo-hyuk has always liked this kind of atmosphere. I like it too.”

Min Joo-hyuk nodded in satisfaction. Raen then calmly continued. “But that doesn’t change what’s more important.”

“…!”

Min Joo-hyuk’s eyes widened as he stared at Raen, looking genuinely shocked. He always had such a vivid range of expressions.

Not willing to back down, Min Joo-hyuk quickly shot back, “Raen-hyung, I think we should get Park Yul-hyung’s opinion on this, too!”

“He’s just going to say they’re equally important.”

“Then let’s ask Song Ha-gyeon-hyung—”

“He’d probably say reasons don’t really matter.”

Raen’s guesses seemed spot on. Those were exactly the kinds of answers Park Yul and Song Ha-gyeon would give. As I was quietly considering this, Min Joo-hyuk suddenly turned toward me.

“Sun Yi-han! What do you think?”

…Wait, me? I didn’t expect him to ask me, too.

Min Joo-hyuk was looking at me with this I trust you kind of gaze. Seeing that, I had the sudden urge to say the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Should I really do it?

I hesitated for a moment before glancing at Raen. He was watching me with a faint smile … aha.

Min Joo-hyuk, get it together. You’re the only one taking this so seriously right now. With a small sense of sympathy, I patted his back twice before giving the safest answer possible.

“Everyone values different things, so both sides have a point.”

“Right. But what’s most important to you?”

Min Joo-hyuk wasn’t letting it go that easily. Well, I supposed everyone had at least a few things they refused to back down on. I just never thought this would be one of his.

In the end, I answered as best as I could.

“I don’t know. Romance is nice, and efficiency is useful, too. But in the end, they both have reasons behind them. That’s what matters most, isn’t it?”

Min Joo-hyuk stared at me, waiting for more. That was it. That was all I had to say. Is that not enough?

“Why do you think so?”

Raen’s soft voice reached me. I turned to him. He still had that faint smile, but the firelight reflected in his golden eyes, making them seem quieter, deeper. I didn’t have anything in mind so I answered honestly.

“Because if something matters to someone, then it’s not meaningless anymore.”

I lowered my gaze, staring at the fire. A tiny ember floated up into the darkness. The warmth of the flames reached me, burning steadily.

“That’s enough reason for it to exist.”

As I finished speaking, a thought crossed my mind, I was getting better at answering unexpected questions. I could still vividly remember how, on the day I first met Raen, I could barely string a sentence together. People really do change, huh? That realization felt… nice.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han.”

Min Joo-hyuk reached out and ruffled my hair. He didn’t say anything else. When I turned to look at him, his expression was… strange. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Raen reached out, gently holding my hand for a moment before letting go.

“Yi-han. Everything in this world exists for a reason. Not just because someone thinks it’s important, but because its existence itself has meaning.”

“…Huh?”

The sudden comment caught me off guard. Beside him, Min Joo-hyuk added in a calm voice, “Nothing exists without meaning.”

“Exactly. So, Yi-han, I hope you find your own reason, too.”

I could feel their eyes on me. But I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t understand the context of the conversation.

Min Joo-hyuk grinned, then grabbed my cheek and stretched it slightly as he spoke lightly, “Don’t overthink it. Though, of course, it’d be even better if that reason happened to be romantic.”

“…Ah.”

“Raen-hyung, did you hear that?”

Hear what? It meant to get your hands off quickly.

I couldn’t just let this misunderstanding slide. The system had already misinterpret my words before… No, never mind. Let’s not think about that. That was in the past.

I firmly pushed Min Joo-hyuk’s hand away and stated clearly,

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You heard it too, right, Joo-hyuk?”

“…Yeah.”

Min Joo-hyuk suddenly went quiet. Fine. I’ll let this slide just this once. I slowly continued, “I never said I didn’t like the idea, either. I’ll think about it.”

I stared at the flickering flames. For some reason, I felt calmer. In the cold winter air, the warmth of the fire melted into the surroundings, gently wrapping around me.

A wisp of white smoke curled up into the darkness. Following its path, I lifted my head. The sky above was pitch black.

Nightfall Forest. It was a fitting name. The darkness stretched infinitely, like the deepest moment of the night had settled over the sky. I reached out, raising a hand toward the heavy, endless void. Of course, my fingers touched nothing.

It was just deep, endless darkness.