THIFSGSTW CH 48

Chapter 48: The Flower Rain Plains

The surroundings were bright. I could feel it even with my eyes still closed. Was it already morning? It felt like I had only just fallen asleep.

My eyelids were heavy. I couldn’t open my eyes. Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, I thought I heard voices.

“…He won’t wake up. Let’s just wait until tomorrow….”

“That might be for the best….”

No, wait. That won’t do. I was still hazy, but I couldn’t accept that.

I want to go.

That’s what I said, or at least, I thought I did. I wasn’t sure if my voice had actually come out properly.

“…Sleep more….”

I thought I heard a faint, amused voice, though I didn’t know whose it was.

No.

I reached out my hand, trying to speak more clearly.

Someone took my hand for a moment, wrapping it in their warmth, before letting go. Then, a firm arm slid beneath mine, pulling me into an embrace. A rich scent enveloped me. I couldn’t tell what it was.

My body was lifted with ease. It felt like I was being carried.

Thank you.

As I murmured those words, a gentle hand stroked my hair. I felt the warmth of the person holding me seep into me, making my body feel comfortably warm as well.

A gust of wind swept past us. It seemed like we had moved.

Someone quietly covered my eyes. The glaring sunlight dimmed. A darkness perfect for sleep settled in.

And just like that, I fell asleep again.

◇

My eyes fluttered open. A soft spring breeze brushed against my cheek.

“Yi-han, you’re awake?”

I heard Park Yul’s voice directly above me. The scent of flowers lingered in the air. What was this?

The surface beneath my head felt oddly firm yet soft at the same time.

I was resting on Park Yul’s lap.

“Wow, you slept well.”

Min Joo-hyuk chuckled and tapped my forehead with his fingertip.

“…Take my hand.”

A neatly extended hand reached toward me. I grasped it, and Song Ha-gyeon easily pulled me up. In an instant, I was sitting upright.

“You could rest a bit more. Are you okay?”

Raen’s voice reached me. His robe was draped over me. No wonder I had felt warm. I gave a small nod.

“…Thanks….”

My voice still sounded half-asleep. I raised both hands and slapped my cheeks.

Slap.

The sound was louder than I expected. I could also hear Min Joo-hyuk’s light laughter from the side, as if to say, “What are you doing?”

A flower petal fluttered down onto my face. It was a pink flower petal.

“…Wow.”

Only then did I properly see my surroundings.

A vast plain stretched before me. Pink petals drifted down slowly from the cloudless blue sky.

The ground was covered in flower petals. Though all were shades of pink, each one was slightly different, creating a rippling effect like waves. Here and there, patches of green grass peeked through.

I lowered my gaze. Flowers surrounded me where I sat. That’s why the air smelled so fragrant.

Looking closely, I noticed the petals had no stems or leaves, they had simply fallen as they were. They came in varied sizes and shapes. Now I understood what it meant for flowers to fall like rain.

I stared in awe before shaking off my daze.

“Did I sleep for a long time?”

“No, you woke up pretty quickly.”

Park Yul smiled brightly and ruffled my hair. A breeze whispered past. Beside me, Song Ha-gyeon conjured a delicate glass cup and placed it in my hands.

“Thank you, Ha-gyeon hyung.”

“…Drink slowly.”

I took a sip of warm water. Maybe it was just my imagination, but surrounded by flowers, even the water seemed to carry a faint floral scent.

“Does it always rain flowers like this?”

“Yes. Every day.”

“But the petals don’t seem to pile up as much as I expected.”

“They crumble and disappear after a certain time. Without a trace.”

It felt magical, almost like a dream. Park Yul spoke again, his voice gentle.

“Shall we get moving? We’re staying here for the night since we used teleportation.”

“I thought we were supposed to send a message here?”

“Sun Yi-han, you remember everything, huh?”

Min Joo-hyuk’s tone sounded impressed.

“I was listening properly, Min Joo-hyuk.”

“Oh, you did well. This is the central area, but it’s divided into east and west sections. We’ll deliver the messages there. Right, Raen hyung?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Song Ha-gyeon quietly placed a hand on my shoulder.

“…Do you want a piggyback ride?”

It had been a long time since I’d heard that offer. I shook my head lightly. Song Ha-gyeon looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze away.

We started walking. The petals beneath my feet were soft, yet they didn’t get crushed. They remained vivid and whole, no matter how many steps we took.

After a while, a small white building appeared in the distance. Its round walls extended up to a domed ceiling, with neatly cut square windows. There was no glass in them, just empty frames.

“Are we sleeping here tonight?”

“That’s right. We just need to check something first, then we can settle in.”

We all stepped inside. Judging by the interior, this building seemed to be a tower. A spiral staircase wound upward. After climbing about three floors, we reached a spacious area at the top.

At the center stood a white pillar, and atop it rested a perfectly round, transparent crystal ball. It was the same pink color as the flower petals falling outside.

Park Yul reached out to touch it. For a brief moment, the crystal glowed.

“…Looks like it’s today.”

Park Yul’s voice sounded troubled. Min Joo-hyuk and Raen immediately responded.

“Isn’t it too soon?”

“Yes, the timing is a bit early. If it’s today, when exactly?”

Park Yul turned to gaze out of the window. His pale green eyes didn’t even blink. I followed Park Yul’s gaze and turned my head. Pink flower petals were still fluttering down from the sky.

Then, Park Yul spoke.

“Right now.”

Raen, who was standing beside me, quietly cupped my ears with his hands. His robe lightly brushed my back. A sweet fragrance wafted through the air. I could hear the rustling sound of his palms brushing against my ears.

“What’s happening today?” I asked.

Song Ha-gyeon answered slowly. With Raen covering my ears, his voice sounded small.

“…A downpour.”

At that exact moment, a loud bang echoed from outside. It was as if the sky had shattered.

I quickly turned my gaze from Song Ha-gyeon to the window. Pink flowers were pouring down like rain. The peaceful blue sky that had been visible just moments ago was now completely obscured by the flower petals.

“…A flower… downpour?”

Raen slightly lowered the hand that was covering my ears. Then he slowly continued speaking.

“They usually fall at the end of spring. This year, it’s much earlier.”

The scent of flowers thickened in the air. I walked toward the window. The swirling petals stirred the wind. Min Joo-hyuk stood beside me.

“We’re teleporting out tomorrow, so it won’t be an issue. But we won’t be able to go outside at all today.”

“Yi-han, don’t you feel suffocated staying here all the time?”

Park Yul’s voice came from beside me. I turned my head to the left. Park Yul was reaching out his hand toward the window, his neatly shaped fingers brushing against the falling flowers.

I tilted my head back, looking up at the sky. It seemed as if the flower petals were drifting down from somewhere unseen above. Through the gaps, the sky was still a deep, vivid blue.

“I’m fine. I like it because it’s beautiful, hyung.”

Back at the temple, all I had ever seen were plain white buildings. Being able to witness such a view before my eyes, there was no way it could feel suffocating. If anything, it was wonderful.

The soft rustling of petals brushing against each other filled the air inside. Unlike the dull sound of raindrops, the falling flowers made a clear, delicate noise, almost like the sound of the wind. Over that sound, Park Yul’s voice overlapped.

“Yihan-ah.”

I turned to look at him. Park Yul smiled with his eyes and slowly reached out a hand. His fingers lightly grazed my ear as they passed.

“You’re right. It’s beautiful.”

I raised my hand to touch the spot. Something soft brushed against my fingertips. I carefully took hold of it and looked down, it was a tiny pink flower.

Just as Park Yul said, there wasn’t a single flower that wasn’t beautiful. The fact that they would disappear on their own over time was a bit disappointing. While I was thinking that…

Ding!

<Unexpected Quest!> The Flower Rain Plains!

You can’t just receive gifts! Give a flower to your fellow Hero.

Success: Obtain ‘Flower that does not disappear (1 time)’

Failure: ‘Flower Dissapering’ Penalty

Time Limit: Before leaving the ‘Flower Rain Plains’ area.

A blue window floated in the air. I blinked a couple of times, but the quest window remained in front of me, an intrusive presence in my view.

Wait, a gift…?

Of course, I hadn’t expected to only receive things without giving anything in return. But forcing it like this seemed unnecessary.

And the rewards and penalties were vague. Just from reading them, I couldn’t clearly tell what they meant.

‘Still, it’s better to succeed than to fail.’

Seeing that the success reward had a “1 time” condition, it seemed like this was something I could decide whether to use, just like the rewards I had received so far.

“Alright, let’s unpack and get some rest. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Park Yul stepped away from the window and turned back.

“Yul-hyung, wait a second.”

Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist. Park Yul stopped moving. The wrist in my grasp was firm. Slowly, Park Yul blinked, his pale green eyes reflecting my face.

Ah, I had acted too hastily. I’d been too eager to complete the quest. I quickly released Park Yul’s wrist and instead, gently grasped the edge of his sleeve. Park Yul stared at my hand.

“Do you have something to say?”

“No, not that. I have something to give you.”

I carefully lifted Park Yul’s sleeve. Even though I didn’t use much force, he followed my touch, raising his arm slightly.

“Just stay like this for a moment, hyung.”

Letting go of his wrist, I leaned out the window. There were plenty of flowers. I stretched my hand toward the falling petals.

“Hey, be careful.”

Min Joo-hyuk wrapped an arm around me protectively.

As if I would actually fall from here? Joo-hyuk had a tendency to be overly cautious with me, almost like he was taking care of a child. But with his arm firmly around me, I couldn’t shake him off. So, I just stayed quiet and quickly grabbed a flower.

I placed it gently in Park Yul’s open palm. However, the quest window indicating that I had succeeded did not appear in front of me.

Why? Was this not enough?

If that was the case, then I had no choice but to take a more direct approach.