THIFSGSTW CH 42

Chapter 42: Even if You Don’t Remember

Following Min Joo-hyuk’s gaze, I looked up at the mansion again.

“You’re right. It’s quiet.”

I answered in a dazed voice. Min Joo-hyuk was right.

The traces of time seemed to be present, but the ravages of time were not felt. The mansion, while retaining a grand atmosphere, revealed its presence weightily even in the darkness.

Squeak.

Park Yul pushed the front gate. It opened inward with a sound that seemed old and rusty. I took a step inside, following Park Yul.

“…I’ll be back.” I heard Song Ha-gyeon’s voice from behind. 

Weren’t we all going in together?

“Stay with Leader-hyung, Yi-han. We’ll do one last check to make sure all the rifts are closed. See you soon, Leader-hyung.”

“Sun Yi-han, don’t get lost and stay close to hyung. Park Yul-hyung, we’ll be back soon!”

And just like that, they all disappeared in an instant. Still, there was no way I’d get lost inside a mansion, right? I suddenly wondered what Min Joo-hyuk thought of me.

“Yihan-ah, shall we go in?”

Park Yul’s gentle voice came from right beside me. I turned my head. He was looking straight at me.

“Yes, Yul-hyung.”

We stepped forward, walking over the overgrown grass. A massive door stood at the entrance of the building, adorned with symmetrical, ornate patterns on both sides.

Clunk.

The door was firmly locked and wouldn’t budge. Next to me, Park Yul flicked his hand, pulling something out of thin air. A small lantern appeared, complete with a black frame and a proper handle. The lantern hovered in the air, casting a warm yellow glow. Park Yul lightly grasped its handle and brought it closer to the door.

“Here it is.”

The lantern’s light revealed a keyhole, standing out clearly. Holding the key in my hand, I felt a sudden wave of tension. What if it didn’t fit? I looked up at Park Yul with anxious eyes.

“Yul-hyung… What if this doesn’t work?”

Hearing my voice, Park Yul stiffened for a moment before turning to me. His pale green eyes flickered in the lantern’s glow as he slowly blinked. Maybe he was worried about the same thing. If the key didn’t fit, we’d have no choice but to wait outside until the others returned.

That would be a little embarrassing. Maybe we should have checked while everyone was still here.

“…Yihan-ah.”

Park Yul’s voice rang out softly. He looked at me for a moment before giving a clear, reassuring smile.

He gently wrapped his hand around my wrist, which held the key. The veins on the back of his hand were faintly visible. His touch felt stronger than usual. My wrist was pressed firmly.

Park Yul opened his mouth slowly as if choosing his words carefully.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be the right key.”

Then he tightened his grip on my hand and steadily guided me inserting the key into the lock.

Click. 

The key fit perfectly. As I turned the key gently, I heard the sound of the lock unlocking.

“See? It opened.”

Park Yul let go of my hand in an instant and pushed the door open.

Creeeak.

A heavy sound echoed as the door revealed a vast, dark hall inside. A thick, wine-colored carpet stretched across the floor.

“This place… doesn’t it feel kind of like Redeo?”

“Really? I guess it does feel similar since it’s just as spacious.”

Park Yul strode into the building and reached out to me. I took his hand and stepped inside. The moment my foot crossed the threshold—

[Thank you.]

A short voice flashed through my mind and then faded away. So this was what it wanted from the beginning.

I stood there blankly as Park Yul conjured another lantern and let it float toward me. As I reached out, he spoke again. “You don’t have to hold it. It’ll stay floating on its own.”

“Then why are you holding yours, Yul-hyung?”

“Sometimes, doing things by hand isn’t so bad.”

Now that I thought about it, Park Yul always rolled up his sleeves when cooking. Wasn’t that something he could do with magic?

“So, all this time… Have you been cooking by hand? Not with magic?”

“For the most part, yeah.”

“Why? Wouldn’t magic be easier?”

“You’re right. It’d be easier and faster.”

Park Yul walked ahead, speaking in a lighthearted tone.

“But sometimes, a slow process has more meaning. The things you remember later tend to be those kinds of moments.”

His voice echoed around the spacious building. Suddenly, I recalled the sound of water droplets falling on flower petals in the garden every day. Had Park Yul always thought this way while watching the droplets slowly pour from the watering can?

Park Yul continued in a bright voice.

“Why? Yi-han, do you want to cook with me sometime?”

“Uh… what?”

Out of nowhere? I guess it was because I brought up cooking first. I wasn’t expecting a question like that.

I’d never even considered cooking before. Back at the temple, we just ate whatever simple meals were available. As I hesitated to answer, Park Yul ruffled my hair. His voice was filled with laughter.

“Never mind.. I’ll keep cooking for you in the future. You just need to eat well, Yi-han.”

In the future…. How long does that mean? Until the end of the Hero’s term and the before we part ways? Or, even after that?

I was curious, but I didn’t want to hear the answer. I didn’t want to ask about the end just yet. Ultimately, I set aside the rising question and brought up the second thing I wanted to say.

“…It’s always been delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Teach me sometime.”

“That’d be even better.”

We climbed the stairs that ran through the building. I brushed my hand along the railing. Thick dust brushed against my fingers. The dense wood grain, which had been hidden beneath the dust, finally revealed itself. As soon as we reached the second floor, I saw four doors. The staircase didn’t go any higher. From the outside, the mansion seemed taller than this.

Click.

We entered the first room. It was a simple space, furnished with a bed, bookshelf, and other ordinary furniture. A faint dusty scent lingered in the air. Park Yul leaned against the desk and slowly opened a drawer. I heard a creaking sound. 

As he stared blankly into the drawer, he spoke. “I was curious. What would a mansion untouched for years look like?”

Park Yul pulled out a small notebook from the drawer. The brown leather cover looked worn and cracked. The sound of pages rustling overlapped with Park Yul’s voice.

“Everything’s still here.”

He was right. Everything was in such good condition that, with just a little dusting, it could be used again immediately.

“You’re right. It’s like the traces of whoever lived here are still fresh.”

Park Yul’s hand stopped flipping the pages. His gaze landed on me.

“Yi-han, would you want to leave behind traces of yourself?”

Another unexpected question. I’d noticed before, but it seemed that Park Yul wa the type to ask whatever came to mind right away.

When he mentioned the place I want to leave traces, was he referring to the temple? I recalled the empty room that I had forgotten for a while. What does that room look like now? Did they clean it up right away as if they had been waiting for me to leave? Or is it still the same, gathering dust because no one cares?

Everything felt a bit bittersweet.

I didn’t wish for anything from the other priests. Did my teacher ever thought of me in that room after I was gone at least once? Would he remember that I had been there?

I don’t know. He was my only Teacher, but I wasn’t his only disciple.

“I hope nothing remains.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“If no one remembers me, then it’s better to leave nothing behind.”

“You think something only has meaning if it’s remembered?”

“Yes.”

Park Yul placed the notebook on the desk. Dust stirred slightly. A strange smile, as if he had just sipped bitter tea, appeared on Park Yul’s face as he looked at me.

“I don’t see it that way. Even if something isn’t remembered, it still has meaning.”

He bent his knees to meet my eyes. In his pale green irises, my reflection was perfectly captured. “Because the fact that you were there doesn’t change.”

Does that make it meaningful? I felt like I almost understood his words but not quite. Park Yul’s voice continued slowly, as if soothing me.

“And there’s no way we’d forget you, Yi-han. Raen, Ha-gyeon, Joo-hyuk—everyone.”

“What about you, Yul-hyung?”

“Of course, I won’t forget either.”

Park Yul lightly brushed my hair and began to walk away. It seemed he was about to leave. As the door opened, Park Yul’s voice trailed off beneath the sound.

“But I wonder if you’ll remember me.”

“I will remember.”

Park Yul paused for a moment at the doorway, then suddenly turned his back to me. The lantern in his hand cast a soft yellow glow. That light shone brightly on Park Yul’s smiling face.

“Let’s go. now.”

With those words, he stepped outside. I was about to follow him when I suddenly remembered the notebook Park Yul had just been looking at. I opened the small notebook that was on the desk. The yellowed paper felt rough against my fingertips. Inside, there was nothing but empty, evenly spaced lines. It was a completely empty page.

“Yihan-ah, come here for a second.”

I heard Park Yul’s voice from the hallway. Click. I closed the door and stepped out. Park Yul was calling me to the room next door.

“Wow… I’ve never seen a painting like this before.”

A large painting hung on the wall of the room. On the wide canvas, engulfed in the pitch-black night, a bright red sun was rising vividly.

“Right? Joo-hyuk would love this.”

“Min Joo-hyuk? Why?”

“He likes painting. You should ask him to show you his work sometime.”

I had no idea he had that kind of hobby. I made a mental note to bring it up later. I quietly studied the canvas. Each brushstroke was neat and deliberate.

“Whoever painted this must have really loved it.”

“Seems like it. After all, it’s big enough to cover the entire wall.”

“But why would they live here? A place where sunlight doesn’t reach?”

“Maybe it wasn’t always like this.”

So they left after the space became distorted? Because the sun no longer rose here?

“That means this mansion might be older than we thought.”

Since no one knew when the distortion began, it was very possible.

The fiery red sun in the painting looked so vivid like I could be pulled into it. Before I realized it, my hand reached out. My fingertips brushed against the hardened paint.

“Wait, hold on. Why is it…”

I thought I heard Park Yul’s voice faintly. At the same time,

Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew. I opened my eyes. The place had changed in an instant.

…What? Where am I?