THIFSGSTW CH 46

Chapter 46: So This is Where it All Began.

Min Joo-hyuk ruffled my hair and continued in a cheerful voice.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”

Before I realized it, a paper bag was in my hands. Min Joo-hyuk wrapped his fingers around my wrist and gently pulled me toward him.

“Come with me. Let’s go to the first floor.”

It wasn’t so much that I was following him, I was practically being dragged. I glanced down at my wrist, dangling in his firm grip. Maybe he was stronger than I thought. It wasn’t that I was weak, after all.

Min Joo-hyuk led me down the stairs and stopped in front of a door at the corner of the first-floor hallway.

“This place existed?”

“You didn’t know? Well, it’s just a small room.”

With a click, Min Joo-hyuk opened the door.

A stream of blue-tinted sunlight poured in through a small window. In the center of the room stood a large easel^[1]. In front of it sat a round wooden stool with no backrest. A peculiar scent lingered in the air. It was like the smell of old books or the damp earth after rain.

As he stepped inside, Min Joo-hyuk spoke again. “Does it smell a lot like paint? I did try to air it out.”

“Not really. And it’s fine.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

The window slid open with a soft sound. A gentle breeze drifted in, making the hem of my clothes flutter lightly against my skin. Min Joo-hyuk smoothly took the paper bag from my hands and murmured,

“It’s already spring. The air feels crisp.”

He was right. Spring had arrived before I knew it. The snow, which had seemed like it would never melt, had disappeared in no time. The cold, which had felt like it would never fade, was beginning to soften.

“Time feels like it’s moving too fast, Joo-hyuk.”

“Time has always moved fast.”

“Not for me.”

Time had trickled by, each moment sinking into my skin. It had stretched endlessly, moving sluggishly, like I was watching it through a haze. But looking back, none of it really mattered. There were times when I’d been a little bored, but it hadn’t been all that bad.

It’s just that, sometimes, I’d think about the past. And I’d realize just how differently time could be felt. 

“It’s strange. Everything just passes by so quickly.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Min Joo-hyuk opened his mouth like he was about to say something more, then closed it again. His eyes, as they gazed at me, seemed oddly subdued. He spoke again, his voice quieter than before.

“Doesn’t it make you sad, how fast time moves?”

“Not really.”

“…Is that so?”

Min Joo-hyuk looked at me silently for a moment, then took a step closer.

“I think I’m a little sad.”

Min Joo-hyuk reached out and gently cupped my chin with one hand, tilting my face upward. Our eyes locked. My reflection was clearly visible in the unwavering depths of his gaze.

His grip tightened just slightly, making my head turn to the side. His voice was slower than usual.

“Look. We’ve both gotten a year older already. The person in front of me now is eighteen-year-old Sun Yi-han…”

A quiet, rueful curve appeared on Min Joo-hyuk’s lips. His voice was calm, but his smile carried a hint of regret as he finished his sentence.

“The Seventeen-year-old Sun Yi-han is gone now.”

For some reason, I felt nervous. What was he even saying? Expecting something dramatic, I caught his wrist and lowered his hand.

“Is that something to be sad about?”

“Of course it is. I can’t paint seventeen-year-old Sun Yi-han anymore.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah. I was thinking of painting you, but if you don’t want me to, then forget it.”

I didn’t dislike the idea. I quickly shook my head. Min Joo-hyuk placed his palm on my head, stopping me from shaking it too hard.

“I’ll be leaving again in about a week, so I should have a little time before then.”

“Where are you going?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I have a few places in mind… Oh, do you want to help me pick?”

“No, I’m good.”

I didn’t know any places anyway, so I wouldn’t be much help. Min Joo-hyuk seemed lost in thought for a moment before he continued.

“Alright. I’ll tell you once I decide. That means I should start painting tomorrow.”

“What about today?”

“Today… I’ll show you some of my work. Not that there’s much to see.”

He walked to the other side of the room, where several paintings lay covered with cloth. With a flick of his hand, the white fabric lifted into the air.

“Whoa. Joo-hyuk, you drew all these?”

I crouched down in front of them. They were landscape paintings. Thick layers of paint marked by bold brushstrokes made the scenes feel alive, as if they were right in front of me.

“You painted it so well…”

“Huh. You’re being honest today.”

Min Joo-hyuk clapped me on the back. I’d never been dishonest before, though. I gave him a brief side-eye before turning back to the paintings.

“When did you start painting?”

“Seriously? About three years ago.”

“So, after you took the Hero’s Oath.”

“…Yeah.”

I quietly gazed at the painting in front of me. It depicted a forest.

The whole scene was covered in lush green. Above it, the sky was a pale shade of blue. In the distant corner, faint gray clouds seemed to linger.

“Come to think of it, why did you take the Hero’s Oath?”

There was no response. I lifted my gaze to Min Joo-hyuk’s face. Before I could read his expression, his hand landed lightly on my head, blocking my view.

“Yi-han, why did you join us?”

“Uh…”

How was I supposed to answer that? I could easily explain why I was still here. But if he asked how I joined in the first place… that was harder to say.

Because the system appeared in front of me? Or because my teacher said he saw the future? Neither of them seemed like a good answer. While I hesitated, Min Joo-hyuk spoke again.

“You don’t have to force yourself to answer. Just tell me someday.”

Min Joo-hyuk removed his hand from my head. Then he reached out both hands toward me. It seemed like he wanted me to grab them.

I placed my hands over his. Min Joo-hyuk pressed down lightly on the backs of my hands as he spoke.

“I don’t have a real reason. It just happened, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I first heard about the Hero’s Oath, I agreed to it immediately. But thinking back, that’s not right. How could I make such a big decision in an instant?”

Min Joo-hyuk gave me a slight tug, and I was lifted effortlessly to my feet.

“It’s not that I didn’t have a reason, I just can’t pinpoint a single one. The reasons were probably piling up for a long time before that.”

He met my gaze and grinned.

“And only afterward do you realize, ‘Oh, so that’s where it all began.’”

A soft breeze blew in through the open window, caught between the last breaths of winter and the first whispers of spring. Min Joo-hyuk’s brown hair swayed in the wind.

“Let’s head back upstairs. Come to my room when you wake up tomorrow.”

“What if you’re not there?”

“Then I’ll probably be in the defensive magic training room next room. Don’t open the door, no matter what. Just knock. Got it?”

Once he confirmed my nod, Min Joo-hyuk gently pushed me out of the art room. With a quiet click, the door closed. The faint, lingering scent of the studio was cut off instantly.

What remained was the solid warmth of Min Joo-hyuk’s touch, still pressed against my back.

◇

It’s been six days since Min Joo-hyuk started painting.

That meant that tomorrow would mark a full week, and soon, it would be time to move to a new location.

It was only natural that Min Joo-hyuk, being busy, wouldn’t be able to spare much time. Yet, he had made time every single day without fail. Of course, he hadn’t forgotten to tease me during that time either.

– “When are you going to show me the painting?”

– “I never said I would.”

Seeing how confidently he said that, I was left speechless. Min Joo-hyuk wasn’t exactly wrong, but that didn’t mean I could just accept it either.

– “No, Sun Yi-han. Why do you have that look on your face? Obviously, I was joking.”

– “Oh… Oh, I see.”

– “But still, it’s not like I wasn’t being serious at all. I want to show you when I have something properly painted.”

Hearing that response made it understandable since he had mentioned before that he didn’t have enough time to use paint.

– “It’s not about it being properly painted. It’s just that it’s yours, so I like it. But whatever, do as you want.”

When I said that, Min Joo-hyuk had an expression that I couldn’t quite read. He looked both proud and contemplative at the same time. Then he smiled and said he would think about it.

It was a painting someone was making for me, of course, I wouldn’t dislike it. But in the end, it was Min Joo-hyuk’s decision to make.

Anyway, now it was time for me to do my part. It meant I needed to check if I had packed my things well for tomorrow’s departure. I rummaged through my loose bag once more. It was perfect.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door. When I told them to come in, the door opened slightly. It was Raen.

“Yi-han, were you organizing your things?”

“Yeah. I just finished.”

Raen gently took the bag from my hands. In the blink of an eye, the bag disappeared from Raen’s grasp. It seemed like he had used magic to store it.

“Thanks, hyung.”

Raen lightly shook his head and plopped down on the bed next to me. He sat there quietly without saying anything.

“Raen hyung, is something wrong?”

“Mm… I just wanted to check if the magic I gave you hadn’t run out.”

“Didn’t you give me a new one just a few days ago?”

Right now, I had a bunch of magic-casting papers from Raen stuffed in my pocket. Had he forgotten?

Raen looked at me silently, blinking rapidly like he was flustered. It seemed like he hadn’t even considered the possibility that he might have forgotten.

“That… seems to be the case.”

“Yeah. But thanks anyway.”

After a brief moment of thought, Raen continued speaking in a calm voice.

“Oh, I also came to tell you where we’re headed tomorrow.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’ll be moving to the center of this land. It’s a vast plain.”

“The center… Does that mean there are a lot of people there?”

“No, not a single person lives there. In that place, flowers fall like rain….”

Raen’s voice gradually faded. The world spun before my eyes. It felt like my consciousness was being sucked into something.

This feeling… I had felt it before….

I urgently grabbed onto Raen’s arm. My fingers trembled, weak against his forearm. My voice came out in a rush.

“Raen hyung… Wait, just a sec—”

The moment I said that, everything went black.