THIFSGSTW CH 38

Chapter 38: After falling asleep

I smiled lightly at Raen and continued speaking.

“I’ll try harder too.”

I let go of the hand I was holding and draped a robe over Raen’s shoulders. The robe fluttered once in the wind before settling softly over him. Only then did I feel somewhat at ease.

Raen had seemed a little tense ever since I leaned toward him. He took a slow breath in and gently held my now-empty hand.

“You don’t have to try harder. You’re already enough.”

I could feel Raen’s grip tighten. In a voice so small it was barely audible, he continued, “…It’s enough. Just being here together like this.”

A faint smile, fragile enough to scatter at any moment, appeared on Raen’s face as he looked up at me. Within it, I sensed a tangle of unreadable emotions.

‘What does he mean by ‘just being together is enough’‘

Maybe, deep down, Raen had already decided that saving the world was nothing more than an ambition. Just like I had earlier. Maybe that’s why he thought things were fine the way they were.

I could see why. The fact that heroes kept being chosen meant that no one had succeeded in saving the world before. From that perspective, achieving it now might seem like an impossible dream.

‘But it’s not just ambition. This time, I’m here too.’

Of course, all I could do was help from the sidelines. But even so, they weren’t like me—they were the ones who moved forward directly. Everything was a possibility. They could do anything.

That’s why we couldn’t set limits from the start.

“Raen-hyung, do you really think this is enough?”

“…Yes, Yi-han.”

“But I don’t think so.”

“…….”

Raen bit his lip. The pressure made his lips flush red, and when he finally spoke, his voice trembled. “Do you even know… what I mean?”

His expression was strange as if he was certain I wouldn’t understand. He was smiling faintly, but his eyes were dark and subdued. Had I misunderstood? From our conversation just now, there was only one possible interpretation. I hesitated before answering.

“You meant… saving the world, didn’t you?”

Raen lowered his head. The strength in his grip, which had been holding onto my hand so tightly, suddenly gave way, like a snapped rubber band.

“…I see.”

I thought I heard him mutter those words. Before I could react, Raen lifted his head again. A bright smile spread across his face. It was the clearest smile I had ever seen from him.

“You knew all along. Since you said that, I’ll make sure to save it.”

Behind me, the sound of the campfire crackled and popped. The surroundings seemed brighter. The fire cast a red glow on Raen’s hair, making it look like it was ablaze. Even his face seemed tinged with color.

The conversation had been slightly unusual, but since both of us were satisfied, I supposed it didn’t matter.

The heat from the fire slowly warmed my back. The warm winter night passed.

◇

Time passed, bit by bit.

Everyone had been busy, traveling from place to place. Sometimes they were gone for days at a time. But someone always stayed behind.

‘It’s probably because of me.’

Otherwise, there was no reason to use such an inefficient method. I’d heard that each of them had a specific role to fulfill. If even one person was missing, it would weaken the team significantly.

Still, they all had at least some proficiency in magic. The roles were assigned based on their areas of expertise.

-’So don’t worry about it, Yi-han. I’ve had to go alone plenty of times before.’

I replayed what Park Yul had told me. His light green eyes crinkled as he smiled, showing no hint of exhaustion. Even though he was probably the busiest one of all.

Park Yul was in charge of frontline combat and handling monsters after battles. Raen specialized in wide-area attack magic. Song Ha-gyeon focused on analyzing and documenting monster movements. He also dealt with creatures that slipped through the rifts. And Min Joo-hyuk was responsible for the defense. He surrounded the area with protective magic while simultaneously using binding magic to capture monsters.

…Binding magic.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk.” I turned to Min Joo-hyuk, who was sitting right beside me.

Joo-hyuk had wrapped me up snugly in blankets and laid me on the bed. Now, he was sitting on the chair next to me, arms crossed. I talked to Min Joo-hyuk.

“When are you going to let me out of this?”

Joo-hyuk smirked. “When you fall asleep.”

His tone was light, but judging by how he showed no intention of moving, he wasn’t just joking.

Not that I was particularly uncomfortable. How did he manage to wrap me up so warmly in this blanket? I had no idea, but it felt strangely cozy. Still, staying like this for too long felt a little… weird.

I asked hesitantly, “…Why?”

“What do you think?”

I had a pretty good guess. It wasn’t that long ago. I could still vividly recall Min Joo-hyuk’s urgent voice shaking me awake and the firm grip on my wrist pulling me up.

“If it’s because of that, you won’t let me out even after I fall asleep.”

“Oh, you caught on quick. Just let it be for a few days, Sun Yi-han.”

“…This isn’t necessary.”

“Why? Feeling suffocated?”

“No, not really…”

“Good. I made sure you wouldn’t.”

…What exactly did he do? Did he use some kind of binding magic for this too?

No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get the blanket off. I started to think that maybe that was the case–binding magic. But I shook my head, surely he wouldn’t have gone that far.

“Hey, Joo-hyuk… this isn’t magic, is it?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I looked up at Joo-hyuk’s usual playful grin. …It’s not magic, right? Thinking that I might actually be caught in a binding magic made me feel oddly uneasy.

Sometimes, it’s better not to know. Instead of asking further, I just shook my head. Changing the subject, I continued speaking.

“That won’t happen anymore, Min Joo-hyuk.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because it’s never happened before.”

“You don’t even remember, Sun Yi-han.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? If I don’t know about it anyway.”

Min Joo-hyuk silently looked down at me. Then, he reached out and tapped my forehead with his fingertip. 

“If you hadn’t said that, half of my worries would be gone.”

His gaze lingered on my neck before he spoke again. “Then, if I untie you, can I stay next to you while you sleep?”

“This was your main point from the start, wasn’t it?”

“…You’ve grown a lot, Sun Yi-han. So, what’s your answer?”

Min Joo-hyuk chuckled, locking eyes with me before lowering his gaze again. I couldn’t understand why his expression hardened every time he saw the bandages around my neck.

Yeah. The way he was acting now, was all because of what had happened a few days ago. I didn’t even fully know what that situation had been. By the time I’d woken up and regained my senses, everything had already been taken care of.

When Min Joo-hyuk realized I didn’t remember anything, he didn’t explain the details. But from what little he told me, it didn’t seem like something worth worrying about.

I mean, people have bad dreams sometimes. You can’t always dream about nice things.

Of course, Min Joo-hyuk didn’t seem to think that way.

◇

It hadn’t been long ago. That day, Min Joo-hyuk had decided to stay behind in the tent. He had shoved the exhausted Sun Yi-han onto the bed before stepping outside, dropping onto a log near the campfire.

Stretching his arms, Min Joo-hyuk leaned back and lay down, gazing up at the night sky, completely empty, not a single star in sight.

Min Joo-hyuk’s Perspective

---

‘”Sun Yi-han always seems to tire so easily.’

His pale face, looked like he would collapse into unconsciousness like a switch had been flipped, it kept replaying in my mind. At first, I thought he just had poor stamina, but the more I observed him, the more I realized his body wasn’t in great shape either.

And yet, he never admitted it, making it impossible for me to look away. Just moments ago, he had stared at me with a face as pale as death, pretending nothing was wrong.

He wasn’t good at assessing himself objectively. Whether it was his physical condition or the offhanded things he said.

One time, he told me he didn’t like being alone at night. But when I asked if he wanted me to stay beside him while he slept, he shook his head again. He even tried to brush off the conversation.

—”Wait, Min Joo-hyuk. Where are you going? You should sleep too.”

Just as I was about to step out, he quietly grabbed my sleeve. His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable stubbornness in it.

Leaving behind a quick goodnight, I slipped away. He had done this before, putting me to sleep and sneaking off on his own. I wasn’t about to let that happen again.

‘He’s probably asleep by now.’

I sat up abruptly. The cold night air brushed against my face, snapping me out of my drowsiness.

Song Ha-gyeon hyung had mentioned once that Sun Yi-han sometimes ran a fever while sleeping. Back when they shared a room, he would occasionally check on him in the middle of the night.

But here, that wasn’t the only problem. Park Yul had even seen him coughing up blood alone in the tent. There was no way I could leave him alone. I decided it was time to check on him. I headed toward the tent.

Rustle.

Pulling back the fabric of the entrance, I stepped inside. Warm air instantly enveloped me. Sun Yi-han lay quietly on the bed, fast asleep. His face was scrunched in discomfort, beads of cold sweat clinging to his skin.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han! Wake up.”

I hurriedly shook him. His light frame swayed limply in my grasp. But he still didn’t wake, his body completely slack.

Supporting his neck, I carefully sat him up. The back of his shirt was damp with sweat. Was he sick? I pressed a hand to his forehead, but it didn’t feel hot. Maybe he was having a bad dream. Was that why he always seemed so exhausted?

“Cough.”

Just then, he let out a faint, choked cough, like he was gasping for air.

It looked like he was waking up, but his head drooped forward. His damp black hair swayed slightly. A broken whisper escaped his lips.

“…Why? Why me…?”

“Sun Yi-han, wake up.”

Slowly, he lifted his hand to his throat. His breathing grew unsteady, almost like he was on the verge of tears. A strangled sob slipped out before I could make sense of the situation.

“…Hah, hngh. ….Not yet, Wait…”

Then suddenly, he clawed at his neck, scratching it violently. It happened in an instant. He looked desperate like someone was choking him.

I grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away. His thin wrists fit easily into my grasp. My stomach dropped at the sight. Blood had already soaked into his fingertips.

Slowly, he lifted his head toward me. His expression was vacant. His blue eyes, usually bright like the morning sky, were hazy, and unfocused.