THIFSGSTW CH 40

Chapter 40: Nearby

A reflection of myself was captured in the light brown eyes gazing down at me. Min Joo-hyuk was quietly looking at me as I lay in bed.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk. Did you sleep well?”

He blinked a few times, as if trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. Then, after rubbing his face dry with his hands, he noticed the blanket draped over his knees and finally spoke.

“Sun Yi-han. When did you…?”

“Why didn’t you sleep on the bed instead of over there?”

Even if it was just a short nap, it would’ve been more comfortable to sleep properly. I asked seriously out of concern, but Joo-hyuk responded in a lighthearted tone, as if brushing the question aside.

“I wasn’t sleeping.”

His acting skills were top-notch. If that was the case, then I had something to say too.

“Really? Then do you remember what I said?”

“…Huh?”

“Then why didn’t you answer me?”

I spoke absentmindedly, but at my words, Min Joo-hyuk flinched. He shot up from his seat, causing the blanket on his shoulders to slip off. His eyes wavered in confusion as he stared down at me lying in bed.

“What? What did you say?”

Joo-hyuk perched on the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to sink slightly. He reached out, placing a hand on my forehead as if checking for a fever. His voice came fast and urgent.

“I didn’t hear you. Are you sick? Did you have a bad dream?”

His expression, as he met my gaze, was serious. I hadn’t expected this reaction. I had just meant to tease him a little.

Feeling slightly guilty, I gave him a regretful smile. Tapping his firm hand on my forehead with my fingers, I continued speaking. Min Joo-hyuk stiffened for a moment.

“No, it’s nothing. But come here for a second.”

I rolled over in bed, making space for him. Even so, Min Joo-hyuk remained seated as if glued to the spot, just staring at me.

“You’re not going to lie down?”

“Why would I…?”

“So you can sleep on the bed.”

Min Joo-hyuk looked at me with wide, bewildered eyes. I didn’t have the ability to read minds just by making eye contact, but I could tell what he was thinking. I chuckled and sat up.

“Or should I come to you?”

“Where would you go? Just stay there, Yi-han.”

“I just woke up.”

“Exactly. So rest some more. If you’re not feeling well, wake me up.”

With a sigh, Min Joo-hyuk finally stood up as if it was inevitable.

He ruffled my hair once before moving to the other bed and flopping down. He lay on his back with his legs dangling off the side, his feet touching the floor.

He always said I was stubborn, but in reality, the truly stubborn one was Min Joo-hyuk. He needed to take a long, hard look at his own actions.

I got up and walked over to where he was lying. He looked up at me with wide eyes.

“Huh? What?”

His voice wavered slightly. His usual playful expression seemed momentarily flustered. I didn’t mind it. Smiling, I gently pushed him, making him roll onto his side.

I hadn’t used much force, but he moved easily under my touch.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk. Sleep well.”

I pulled the blanket over him. Min Joo-hyuk had wrapped me up in a blanket before, but I chose not to do the same to him. Well, partly because I couldn’t, but still, it was my way of going easy on him. Min Joo-hyuk stared at me for a moment before giving a small smile. Wait, why did he look like he was the one going easy on me? Just as I was feeling slightly annoyed, Min Joo-hyuk spoke.

“Thank you, Sun Yi-han.”

“For what?”

I sat down in the chair beside the bed, just as he had earlier. Joo-hyuk slowly continued. “Just… everything. So, what did you say earlier?”

Ah, so he did remember.

Min Joo-hyuk’s gaze remained fixed on me, his eyes wide and expectant. I had told him to sleep, but here he was, waiting for an answer. Judging by his condition earlier, there was no way a short nap had relieved his exhaustion. I gently turned his face away from me and covered his eyes with my palm.

Joo-hyuk mumbled to himself in a sleepy voice. “…Soap scent. Did Clean Magic always have that?”

“What Clean Magic?”

“Never mind. So?”

At least say something I can understand. Min Joo-hyuk had ignored my question earlier, so shouldn’t I have the right to ignore his? But this time, I decided to let it slide. If he was curious, it would only keep him awake.

Removing my hand from his eyes, I finally answered. “I asked if it was a good thing.”

“What was?”

It wasn’t the right time to tell him the full truth. Min Joo-hyuk didn’t seem to think it was good that I couldn’t remember my nightmares or feel pain. Convincing him could wait. For now, it was time to sleep. I had no choice but to give him a vague answer.

“Just… everything.”

“You still think so?”

Joo-hyuk’s voice was soft, relaxed. I answered just as quietly.

“Yeah, I do.”

“…Good. Me too.”

I wanted to ask, ‘What do you mean?’ ‘What’s good for you?’ But I held my tongue. As I stayed silent, Joo-hyuk didn’t say anything more either.

Soon, his breathing evened out. He had fallen asleep again.

Was this how he felt when he watched me sleep? Seeing his peaceful expression somehow made me feel calm as well. I reached out and smoothed the blanket over him. The soft fabric bunched up slightly under my fingers.

Outside, the night was still and quiet. Dark, desolate night where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

But here, it wasn’t dark or lonely. It was the same night, yet it felt completely different.

Time flowed slowly.

◇

The days had gotten much colder. If you think about it, the time is very slow. But when I looked back, I couldn’t believe how fast everything had gone. The year was already coming to an end.

Rustle.

I carefully lifted the fabric covering the entrance of the tent. I needed to slip out without getting caught.

Ever since I had that nightmare and ended up injuring my neck, everyone had been overly worried. They barely left my side when we were together, and even when I slept. But there was a problem.

‘Healing Gauge.’

Since everyone was always getting minor injuries, my Healing Gauge had filled up quite a bit. To use it, I needed to spit blood, but that wasn’t something I wanted anyone to see.

They worried over the smallest things. If they saw me coughing up blood, it would be a disaster. That’s why I had insisted on sleeping alone this time. This was my only chance to sneak out.

‘Is there some kind of air purification magic?’

If there was, I could just spit the blood out inside the tent. But if I asked Raen about such magic or requested it on a piece of enchanted paper, he’d definitely catch on. He was sharp. I stepped out of the tent. The cold air brushed against my skin.

In the distance, a campfire flickered. Two figures sat beside it, one wrapped in a robe, the other with bright blond hair. I swallowed hard. For some reason, both Raen and Park Yul were here today. I carefully moved without making a sound.

Even after I had put some distance between us, they didn’t seem to notice. They appeared to be having a conversation. That was a relief. I hurriedly moved around the back of the tent and made my way to a secluded spot.

‘Emptying Healing Gauge’ In Progress!

A blue status window appeared in the air. In contrast, red blood dripped onto the ground, forming small circles at my feet.

I bent over. Cough. I calmly spat out the blood. I had gotten used to this by now, so it wasn’t difficult. The red section of the healing gauge was nearly gone. It would be over in a few minutes. I felt relieved after emptying the healing gauge. As I reached into my clothes for a cleansing magic scroll, something flickered through my mind.

[Key]

Huh? What key? That wasn’t my thought. It flashed through my head for just a moment before disappearing. It felt like either a word or a tiny voice. I wiped the almost-stopped blood off with my sleeve and straightened up. Soon, another voice followed.

[Nearby.]

It was a strained, struggling voice. The system? No, it didn’t feel like the system.

When I had done the emptying healing gauge tutorial last time, words had been engraved in my mind. But this time, it wasn’t letters, it was a voice. A faint, flickering voice that seemed ready to vanish at any moment.The air suddenly felt chillingly cold. A shiver ran down my spine. I quickly looked around. Still, there was only darkness and nothing there.

‘It feels like there is something around me.’

No, on second thought, that didn’t make sense. I shut my eyes tight and took a deep breath. The sharp, icy air rushed into my lungs and spread through my body. My mind cleared instantly.

Right. First, I needed to do what I could. Whether this was the system’s voice or… something else, it didn’t matter. I could think about it later. I had to move first. Nothing would progress if I just stood still. The voice had said the key was nearby, so if I found it, I might learn something. There wasn’t a quest notification, but I didn’t want to ignore that desperate voice.

‘But how do I find the key?’

“Nearby” was too vague. The area around me was full of thick grass and towering trees. I wished it had given me a hint. I rummaged through my belongings. First, I tore a cleansing magic scroll to clean up the spilled blood. Then, I carefully examined my other magic spells.

There were various basic spells, but none seemed suitable for locating a small object like a key.

‘Oh, right. The reward from last time.’

When I had done the “Find the Hero” quest, the Path of Light had guided me to Raen. Wasn’t the reward I received from completing that quest something I could use now?

As soon as I had the thought, a blue window appeared before me.

‘Hero, I’ll Come to You (1-time use)’ Would you like to use it?

1. Hero Min Joo-hyuk
2. Hero Raen
3. Hero Song Ha-gyeon
4. Chosen Hero Park Yul

Hmm… It seemed to be a reward that could only be used on heroes. When I decided not to use it, the status window returned to the reward list screen. As I scanned through the other rewards, grasping at straws—

Bzzt.

The status window flickered. Parts of the screen shattered and restored themselves repeatedly, blinking erratically. Just like when I first arrived in this place.