THIFSGSTW CH 4

Chapter 4: The Red Bloodstains on White Clothes

Sun Yi-han’s already pale face somehow looked even paler.

‘He really does get severe motion sickness. But why didn’t he say anything…?’

Not that I could’ve done much to help, but still, if he wasn’t feeling well, wouldn’t it have been better to speak up? It seemed like Sun Yi-han wasn’t the type to show when he was in pain.

Click.

I reached out and opened the window slightly. Raen-hyung used to do this when he felt motion sickness. A bit of cool air seeped through the small opening.

“Just sleep. We’ve got a long way to go.”

“…It’s not that bad.”

Sun Yi-han, looking like he might collapse at any moment, simply stared blankly out the window.

I thought about continuing my story about our hyungs since he insisted he was fine, but after a few words, it was obvious he wasn’t really listening.

I could always explain again later, so I decided to switch to asking questions instead.

“Sun Yi-han. You’re just going to sit there and not sleep?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re not tired?”

“…Yes.”

Even I was getting exhausted just looking at him. Swallowing back my words, I spoke again.

“Your face is pale.”

“Oh… is that so…?”

“You don’t feel well, do you?”

“… Yes.”

“You’re not listening to me at all.”

“…Yes.”

At this level of stubbornness, he should’ve at least nodded or something. Even in his dazed state, Sun Yi-han kept answering persistently. I doubted he was processing anything properly.

His light blue eyes blinked slowly as he stared out the window. Nevertheless, Seon Yi-han never fell asleep.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han.”

I called out a few more times before he finally turned his head to look at me.

“Sun Yi-han, seriously… you’re…”

… So damn stubborn. I swallowed the rest of my sentence. He looked awful, but just as I was about to repeat what I’ve said many times that he should sleep, Sun Yi-han slowly opened his mouth.

“…Hey, Min Joo-hyuk.”

Suddenly, he called me comfortably without any formalities. Well, I had been speaking informally to him from the start anyway.

Since Sun Yi-han and I were the same age, he seemed a bit awkward when speaking informally, but now, it didn’t seem awkward at all.

It might have been because he was half-conscious, but I’d be happy if he kept treating me comfortably like this. I smiled and looked at Sun Yi-han, encouraging him to keep talking. Sun Yi-han continued in a drowsy voice. 

“…I told you. …I really am… fine…”

Correction. I would like him to be comfortable with me, but I’d also appreciate it if he actually listened when I spoke.

‘Fine, my ass…’

A sudden worry crept in—how was I supposed to handle this every time we traveled?

People without mana suffered physical strain when exposed to strong magic. That meant I couldn’t even use teleportation magic on Sun Yi-han.

While I was lost in thought, Sun Yi-han continued staring blankly out the window, lost in his own world.

◇

I thought that if I stopped talking to him altogether, he might just doze off on his own.

Every time the carriage jostled, his slender neck swayed slightly. His gaze remained fixed outside. Curious, I followed his line of sight.

Hmm. Grass. Trees.

I felt bad thinking this in front of someone who was intently staring out the window, but honestly, the scenery was the same no matter where you looked.

‘You’re just zoning out, aren’t you, Sun Yi-han?’

Even after a long stretch of silence, Sun Yi-han remained awake, still ghostly pale.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, I heard a quiet voice. I wondered what was happening, so I pulled my gaze away from the window and looked at Sun Yi-han.

Sun Yi-han had his head bowed low. His white clothes were slowly being stained with red droplets of blood, one by one.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han!”

My sluggish drowsiness vanished in an instant. I was shocked, as if my heart had dropped, and I jumped up from my seat.

Drip. Drop.

The quiet sound of blood dropping onto the white clothes rang through the silence. The crispness of it felt eerily out of place.

His bright white clothes gradually colored with vivid red stains, so strikingly clear it was almost unsettling.

“…Shit.”

A memory overlapped over the sight before me. My breath caught in my throat. My heart pounded wildly. My hands trembled. My vision spun.

‘No. Don’t think about it.’

I clenched my fists. Now is not the time for this. The past was supposed to be something you step on and move forward from—not something that drowns you. 

I refused to be swallowed by the past. I couldn’t let it drown me.

But despite my desperate attempts, the scene from our last battle vividly replayed in my mind.

◇

Woong

A thin veil wavered around us.

In the last battle, I cast a defensive magic around us as always. Then, I cast magic to hold back the surging monsters.

At the front, Park Yul-hyung and Raen-hyung were casting attack magic at the monsters.

Song Ha-gyeon hyung was standing on my right side. Occasionally, he cast attack magic at the monsters that slipped through the gaps. Wearing a monocle, he scribbled something in his notebook.

“Ah—”

Suddenly, Raen-hyung drew a sharp breath and turned around. Instinctively, I started to follow his gaze—

Thud–

Song Ha-geyon hyung forcefully pushed me aside. I collapsed onto the ground just as a chilling sound of flesh being pierced rang in my ears.

Raen hyung quickly fired magic at the monster behind me, but it was already too late.

“Ugh…”

Song Ha-gyeon hyung clutched his left shoulder. His clothes were quickly soaked in deep red blood. The blood dripped, forming small puddles on the ground. My breath caught in my throat. If only I had sensed the monster’s presence sooner. If only I had layered more defensive magic. Regret and guilt stabbed through me.

Right beside me, Song Ha-gyeon’s notebook had fallen. One by one, drops of hot blood splattered onto it.

Drip. Drop

The sound of blood dripping echoed in the silence. A clear sound that felt eerily out of place. On the pure white paper, vivid red stains spread slowly, searing into my vision.

◇

Rustle.

A faint sound of fabric shifting pulled me from my thoughts. Sun Yi-han was lifting his hand. Slowly, Sun Yi-han brought his pale hand under his face. Drops of blood fell onto his white palm, one by one.

I let out a small breath. My dizzy vision gradually stabilized, and my heart calmed a little. Fortunately, not much time had passed while I was lost in thought.

“Seon Yi-han. Press with this.”

I took a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to him. It was a relief that I had a handkerchief with me. Since summoning magic required a significant amount of mana, I couldn’t use it while I was next to him.

“…Why.”

Seon Yi-han murmured in a small voice, holding the handkerchief in his hand while looking up at me in a daze. His transparent eyes trembled slightly, filled with confusion.

‘Does he not know how to stop the bleeding?’

Judging by his expression, that seemed likely.

“Hey, don’t lift your head.”

I placed my hand gently on the back of his round head and pressed carefully. His soft hair brushed against my palm. As soon as I touched him, he obediently lowered his head. I folded the handkerchief twice and pressed it against his nose and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Sun Yi-han remained still, his face clouded with deep thought, though traces of embarrassment lingered.

For a moment, his eyes slightly furrowed. Worried that I was pressing too hard, I loosened my grip a little—

“…Ah.”

Sun Yi-han let out a quiet sigh, as if something had just clicked in his mind. It seemed he had finally understood how to stop a nosebleed.

“Yeah, just like that.”

I guided his hand to hold the handkerchief properly. Once I confirmed he was applying pressure correctly, I removed my hand from the back of his head.

Sun Yi-han remained still, keeping his head down. He had a somewhat satisfied expression, as if he was proud of himself for managing to stop the bleeding properly.

◇

At last, Sun Yi-han’s nosebleed stopped.

I was worried it might last longer than expected, but thankfully, it subsided after a while.

‘Hmm… But what do I do about the bloodstains on his clothes?’

I had cleaned the floor, but the bloodstains on his clothing were another issue. Crimson marks stood out clearly on his sleeves and at the hem near his knees. The only way to remove them would be with magic.

“Sun Yi-han, have you ever seen someone use magic up close?”

“…No?”

He took a moment to think before answering. Since he had lived in a temple, it made sense that he hadn’t encountered magic before. Still, cleaning magic used very little mana—it was one of the first magic taught at the academy. It should be safe enough to use.

“I’m going to use magic to clean the blood from your clothes. Let me know if anything feels strange.”

“…Okay.”

“It should be fine, but just in case. Nothing to worry about.”

I knelt on one knee and placed my hand over the bloodstains near his knee. As I cast Clean Magic, the vivid red marks gradually faded until they vanished completely.

“Sun Yi-han, are you feeling okay?”

“…Yeah, I’m fine.”

He answered immediately, though his face still had a blank expression. However, he didn’t seem to be in pain or discomfort. As expected, being exposed to such a small amount of mana didn’t appear to affect him.

‘Even so, I should minimize the use of magic as much as possible.’

Since he didn’t seem to be in great health, it was best to be cautious. The bloodstains on his sleeves could be covered if I simply rolled them up.

“Let’s just fold your sleeves.”

Saying that, I gently rolled up the fabric that had been covering the back of his hand.

‘…What is this?’

A rough bandage came into view. It wrapped around his arm, starting just above his slender wrist and extending halfway up his forearm. Faint traces of blood seeped through the fabric.