THIFSGSTW CH 43

Chapter 43: Time flies so fast

It was a cramped space. Cold air rose from the wooden floor. There was a smell of dust. The slanted ceiling loomed low. A large window was cut into the upper part, revealing a pitch-black night sky, as if it were about to swallow me whole.

“…I won’t touch anything from now on.”

My voice scattered in the air.

“I mean it.”

I spoke with sincerity, but that didn’t mean I was trusted.

I felt disoriented, trapped in an unfamiliar place. I had only lightly touched a painting—who would have thought that would cause me to drop into an entirely unknown space?  A lantern floated nearby, casting a soft glow around me. It was the one that Park Yul had set afloat earlier. I was glad it had come along with me.

Creak.

Every time I stepped on the floor, it creaked. I hadn’t taken many steps, but I could see the entire place. The only thing I found was a dusty pouch tucked into a corner. Inside, a single pure white seed rested.

…And that was it. There was no door, no exit in sight.

‘I’m trapped.’

The moment I realized that, a wave of fear washed over me. I quickly turned my head to the floating lantern beside me. I pulled it close and hugged it. It wasn’t hot or cold, but its steady brightness was reassuring. Taking a deep breath, I felt my heart calm down a little. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. Right. I had gotten myself in here, so it was my responsibility to find a way out. If I caused the problem, I had to fix it.

But what could I do in this situation? With trembling hands, I reached up to the window. The glass was cold against my palm.

As I stared into the empty darkness, I suddenly noticed that the light of the lantern I was holding seemed to brighten a little. I lowered my head. It was definitely brighter.

Whoosh.

A golden light flared out unexpectedly. I squeezed my eyes shut, momentarily blinded.

Knock, knock.

A tapping sound came from above, against the glass window. I flinched. Was it the person who had brought me here? Or… was it Park Yul? My heart pounded. Slowly, hesitantly, I opened my eyes. The window was now filled with light. Golden hair fluttered in the wind just beyond the glass. A pair of soft green eyes met mine and gleamed. Through the window, Park Yul pressed his palm against mine.

His lips curved slightly as he mouthed the words:

Wait.

From the shape of his mouth, it seemed he was saying that. Park Yul briefly disappeared from my sight. Then I felt a presence behind me. A gentle touch wrapped around my waist as if to embrace me.

My body was lifted. When I regained my senses, I found myself being carried by Park Yul, out the window. The sound of the wind brushed against my ears.

“…Yul hyung.”

“Yi-han, are you okay? That must’ve been scary.”

Park Yul landed gracefully on the slanted roof.

“There was a teleportation spell on the painting. It must have been triggered suddenly.”

His grip on my waist was still firm. For some reason, I felt a bit warm. The slope wasn’t as steep as I had expected—he could let go now.

“But how did the magic activate when there was no caster…?”

Park Yul murmured to himself, his voice close to my ear. It seemed like he had forgotten he was still holding me.

“Thank you, hyung. You can let go now.”

“Are you sure?”

Park Yul’s hand slowly drifted away. At the same time, his voice continued softly.

“Are you really okay? We’re pretty high up.”

The sky in front of me was completely black, making it hard to measure the height. I glanced down. Below, I could see tiny, dark trees densely packed.

Wait. Tiny trees?

“No, don’t let go. I miscalculated.”

I instinctively turned toward Park Yul and clung to his clothes. It wasn’t that I was scared. It was just… since we were this high up, there was no need to move away unnecessarily.

Park Yul let out a quiet chuckle.

“I would never let you go.”

My mind went blank. I finally felt the firm grip supporting my waist. When did he grab me again? I glanced up at Park Yul’s face. His eyes were beautifully curved. He seemed to be enjoying my reaction. I spoke in a calm voice.

“I actually knew that.”

Park Yul nodded. His expression didn’t seem to indicate that he believed me. He gave my back a light pat.

“Then, did you also know I’d come for you?”

“……”

“You didn’t think I’d come looking for you, did you?”

“No. I just thought I could get out on my own.”

“Then why are your eyes so puffy?”

Park Yul brushed a hand lightly over my eyes. Then, he pulled me into a firm embrace.

“Let’s go down. The others will be back soon.”

The wind whispered against my skin as we slowly descended.

Now that I could see properly, I realized we were on the highest floor of the mansion. It seemed too high to be just the second floor from below. So there was a space like this…

My feet touched the ground. Park Yul smoothed my slightly disheveled hair.

Creak.

Just then, the front door opened. The others were back.

“…We’re back.”

“We checked everything. All the rifts are closed.”

“That’s a relief. Let’s take a quick look around and head out.”

“Would it be okay to leave right away?”

“There’s something I need to check with you. Let’s go inside first.”

They stepped into the mansion. Opening a door on the second floor, they stood before a painting. Min Joo-hyuk spoke in an admiring tone.

“I think the owner of this room painted it himself.”

He said painting was his hobby, was that why he knew such things? I spoke to Min Joo-hyuk, who was keenly interested in the painting.

“How do you know?”

“Not sure. It’s just the feeling I get.”

I see. It wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but it was a reason good enough. Intuition was right more often than one might think. Min Joo-hyuk carefully examined the painting from different angles before continuing,

“But there’s no signature. We don’t know who painted it.”

“Joohyuk-ah, have you checked the magic cast on the painting?”

“You mean the teleportation spell? I didn’t look too closely since it only reacts to the caster’s mana.”

“But just now, that magic was triggered. Only once, but still.”

“…How?”

At the same time Sun Ha-gyeon spoke, Raen flicked his fingers. A faint light shimmered over the painting, flickering before vanishing again.

“I don’t sense anything special. Like Joo-hyuk said, without the caster’s mana, the spell is just an empty shell.”

“Right? Then there’s nothing more we can check for now.”

Park Yul traced his fingers lightly over the painting, as if sketching over it, then turned toward them.

“If we need to investigate further, we’ll come back later. We can’t just stay here.”

They descended the stairs. In the silent building, the sound of their footsteps echoed softly. The stairs, once frequently used, creaked as though they hadn’t been stepped on in a long time.

Just as I was about to follow the others outside, I turned back. An empty hall, steeped in darkness, came into view. A transparent chandelier hung high from the ceiling. Once I closed the door behind me, this place would be completely swallowed by darkness. As that thought crossed my mind, something soft brushed against both my ears.

I turned my head. It was Song Ha-gyeon. When I reached up to touch my ears, I felt something round and fluffy. It was as if he had put earmuffs on me. Whatever magic he had used, my hearing remained completely clear.

“Thanks, Ha-gyeon hyung.”

“…Mm. Let’s go.”

Song Ha-gyeon grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me forward.

Behind me, the sound of the door closing resonated softly.

◇

We walked slowly along the forest path. The dense trees gradually became sparse. It seemed we were almost at the edge of the forest.

I heard Raen’s voice beside me.

“It’s going to snow soon.”

“Today is already the last day of the year.”

When the old year ended and the first sun of the new year rose, pure white snow always fell, as if to cover the past and welcome a fresh start.

‘Even back at the temple, it always snowed on the first day of the year.’

The path in front of the annex where I had stayed was one no one ever passed through. I used to sit against the wall of that building, crouched down, watching the snow pile up. Sometimes, I’d press my hand into the fresh snow.

Snow would settle over the imprint I left behind. Then, I’d place my hand there again. Until I could fully feel that I existed in that moment, the cold snow would slowly melt under my palm.

By the time my hands turned red, I’d go back inside. It was a freezing winter. The start of each year was always bitterly cold.

“Time flies so fast, Raen hyung.”

Another year was passing like this.

And once the snow fell and the year changed, spring would follow not long after. The end of winter and the arrival of warmer days were not far off. Raen gently brushed his fingers through my hair.

“Maybe it’s because we’re together, Yi-han. Precious moments always pass by quickly.”

Raen’s hand slipped down, and then he lightly clasped mine.

“But it’s alright. We still have so many days left together.”

Raen smiled at me, clear and bright. Maybe he was right. As that thought crossed my mind and I took a step forward—

Pop.

A crisp sound rang in my ears. It felt as if I had passed through a thin veil. A sharp wind rushed past.

I opened my eyes. The surroundings were bright. In the distance, dawn was breaking. The deep blue sky, studded with stars, was gradually being pushed away by the rising red sun.

After seeing nothing but pitch-black skies for so long, this pale sky felt unfamiliar.

I took a step. A thin layer of snow had already settled beneath my feet, crunching softly as I stepped on it. A small snowflake landed on the tip of my nose, melting instantly.

“It’s already….”

Time really did fly. The new year had begun before I even realized it.

Min Joo-hyuk, who had been walking ahead, suddenly spun around to face me. With warm, firm hands, he cupped my cheeks briefly before letting go. My face heated up in an instant.

His brown hair fluttered faintly in the wind, shimmering as if soaked in sunlight. Just like that glow, his voice was bright and clear.

“Sun Yi-han, look at this.”

Min Joo-hyuk pulled something transparent from his coat. Inside the small, hexagonal crystal was a tiny golden flower. The crystal, resting in his palm, slowly disintegrated into fine dust and scattered into the wind.

The surroundings sparkled and shone. The falling snowflakes, the drifting golden powder. Everything shimmered. It was such a vivid moment. I clenched my fist tightly.

Then, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist. My body flinched.

“Ha-gyeon hyung?”

Song Ha-gyeon gently lifted my wrist. Then, with slow and careful movements, he unfurled my tightly clenched fingers. His calm touch made my strength gradually loosen. Even though the rising sun brightened the surroundings, his eyes looked as if they held no light, sinking into a deep stillness. He quietly held me in his gaze.

“…Here.”

He placed a crystal in my palm. It was the same as the one Min Joo-hyuk had shown. The sparkling light in front of my eyes gradually scattered and disappeared.

“What is this?”

Just as I asked, I felt something heavy settle over my shoulders. A sweet scent spread through the air.