THIFSGSTW CH 5

Chapter 005: It’s Nothing to Be Sorry About

A white bandage was wrapped around half of Sun Yi-han’s left forearm. Small red drops of blood had seeped through, forming a long trail.

The bandage was tightly wrapped without a single gap. It made Sun Yi-han’s naturally pale skin look even more white. The bandage seemed to have been clumsily tied with excessive force.

‘I should probably check that wound.’

I wasn’t sure if it had been properly disinfected. Judging by how the blood had soaked through, it looks like a pretty deep wound. Considering how he couldn’t even stop his nosebleed properly earlier, expecting him to have treated this wound correctly felt like too much to ask.

‘Still, it’s better not to say anything right now.’

I suppressed the urge to undo the tightly wrapped bandage immediately. This wasn’t something I could meddle with so recklessly. We had barely known each other for a day. unwrapping his bandage without permission to check his wound would be crossing a line. And asking him to show me his wound wasn’t a good idea either. Judging by his stubbornness, he would just brush it off, saying it was nothing.

On the contrary, he’d only try to hide it even more. And that would be even worse.

‘At the very least, I should rewrap the bandage properly.’

His slender wrist, with its faintly visible blue veins, looked as fragile as if it could snap at any moment. Of course, I knew that wasn’t true, but it still made me uneasy. My chest felt tight.

Forcing my expression to remain neutral, I let go of the sleeve I had lifted, pretending nothing had happened. Sun Yi-han remained in the same position, gazing forward, his expression still drowsy and indifferent. He didn’t seem to have noticed that I had seen the bandage on his arm.

Looking at his half-closed eyes, He probably wasn’t even in the right state of mind to notice.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han. Just folding this won’t be enough.”

Sun Yihan turned his head towards me and made eye contact with me. His slow-blinking blue eyes reflected my image. The corners of his eyes still looked a little red.

“The blood spread more than I thought. I’m going to use Clean Magic now.”

Sun Yihan, still dazed, gave a small nod. As I reached for his stained sleeve, I spoke again.

“Tell me right away if you feel strange.”

I quietly cast the Clean Magic. As I watched the red stains on his sleeve slowly fade, I asked him, “How is it? Are you okay”

“…….”

No response.

I was sure this level of magic wouldn’t be a problem. Was I wrong? Worried that something was wrong, I quickly looked up at him.

“Hey, Sun Yi-han?”

Sun Yihan was still staring at me. Our eyes met in midair. Sun Yihan blinked slowly, his eyes looking blurry as if they were out of focus. Then, his head slowly tilted to one side. I instinctively reached out, thinking he was about to collapse. Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he leaned his face against my outstretched palm, pressing into it.

His cheek was soft. Strangely enough, it felt unexpectedly squishy. And warm. Even though my hands weren’t particularly cold, his cheek was warm enough to make my palm heat up.

‘Wait. Warm?’

I raised my other hand to his forehead. Unlike his flushed cheeks, his forehead only had a mild warmth. It’s likely a slight fever. I placed my hand on the nape of his neck and shoulders, there was a faint heat beneath his thin clothes.

It wasn’t serious. It didn’t seem like a side effect of magic either. But still, I couldn’t help but feel concerned. He really didn’t look well.

“Sun Yi-han.”

“……”

“Look at me. Are you sick?”

“No.”

For the first time, Sun Yihan replied right away, unlike before. Then, he turned his face slightly, still resting against my palm, and met my eyes. Blinking slowly, he added in a small voice,

“…Just sleepy.”

It certainly seemed that way. For quite some time now. I had no idea why he had been forcing himself to stay awake instead of just sleeping. Sighing softly, I gently leaned his head against the carriage wall.

“I’ve been telling you since the start. Get some sleep.”

His pale face was now slightly flushed—perhaps because of the fever. The sight of him like that made him seem even more fragile.

“Why are you holding on like this?”

As I spoke, I carefully pulled my hand away from his cheek. The lingering warmth slowly faded from my palm. For some reason, it felt a little empty.

Sun Yi-han slumped slightly against the carriage wall, his eyelids fluttering open and closed as if they were too heavy to lift.

Then, in a drowsy murmur, he mumbled, “…Sleeping alone in front of you…”

“Huh?”

“…Sorry.”

His voice was growing quieter, fading out like a whisper. Still, I understood what he meant. And it left me speechless.

‘So, he didn’t sleep all this time because he felt bad about dozing off alone in front of me?’

What an unbelievably foolish person. It made me worry a little. How would someone like him survive in this harsh world?

Still, knowing that he cared about me to that extent… It wasn’t a bad feeling. I had worried that he might resent being here, that he would push us away. But it didn’t seem that way. In one way, I felt a little relieved. Of course, though that relief was soon replaced by another concern.

“Just sleep.”

I took off my coat and draped it over his lap. With the slight fever, I wondered if he was coming down with a cold.

Sun Yi-han’s hazy eyes drifted down to the coat on his lap.

“Don’t worry about it.”

I almost added, ‘It’s nothing to be sorry about’, but instead, I pressed my lips shut and carefully brushed my hand against the corner of his eye. His eyelashes fluttered slightly against my palm as he blinked. Then, they stilled.

‘He’s asleep.’

As I slowly pulled my hand away, I saw his face—peaceful, eyes closed, completely peaceful.

Finally, he was sleeping. The fact that he had forced himself to stay awake for so long despite being this exhausted was… surprising.

‘I wish he’d take better care of himself.’

I lightly swept my fingers through his neatly kept hair. The soft strands brushed gently against my palm.

‘Later, I’ll have to teach him how to wrap a bandage properly. And how to stop bleeding, and disinfect wounds.’

There was a lot to do.

◇

The inside of the carriage was silent. Even with the occasional jolt of movement, Sun Yi-han slept as if he had passed out. Beneath his closed eyelids, deep shadows had formed. His limp arm swayed slightly with each movement of the carriage.

“That wound earlier…”

Judging by its location, it wasn’t an accidental injury from a fall. Nor did it seem like a suicide attempt.

It was deep and long cut. A cut meant to draw as much blood as possible.

Since Sun Yi-han lived in the temple, it was entirely possible. Those at the temple often used their own hair or blood as offerings to wield divine power.

‘I heard that some of them are quite dangerous because of the high cost.’

Back at the academy, we briefly touched on topics related to the temple. It was only a passing mention, but something about it stuck with me—especially regarding divine powers that came at a heavy price. What was it again…

‘Something about a glimpse into the future… or something similar to that’

Since I had only heard about it briefly, I couldn’t quite remember.

‘Either way, I’ll need to keep a close eye on him.’

Whatever it was, Sun Yihan didn’t seem like he was going to tell me first. So I had to watch carefully, and if it turned out to be something really dangerous, I’d have to step in immediately. Besides, the idea that he was hurting himself to use divine power was still just speculation. I was almost certain, but I had to keep an open mind and consider all possibilities.

Squeak.

Just as I was deep in thought, the carriage gradually slowed to a stop. We had finally arrived. I reached out and brushed back Sun Yihan’s slightly damp hair, sticky with cold sweat. It seemed like his fever had gone down while he slept.

I gently tapped his shoulder to wake him. Beneath the thin fabric of his clothes, I could feel how thin he was.

“Sun Yihan.”

Hearing my voice, Sun Yihan flinched slightly. His eyes, which had been peacefully closed, slowly fluttered open. In those clear, water-colored eyes, my reflection was captured entirely.

◇

Sun Yi-han’s Perspective

---

“Sun Yihan.”

In my sleep, I heard a voice calling my name.

With great effort, I lifted my heavy eyelids. Min Joo-hyuk’s face came into view, looking down at me.

“Wake up. We’ve arrived at Redeo.”

Min Joo-hyuk’s bright voice seeped into my dazed mind.

“…Mm.”

I was still half-asleep, my head foggy with drowsiness.

Pulling Min Joo-hyuk’s outer coat into my arms, I slowly sat up. At the same time, he swung open the carriage door, letting in a gust of cold wind.

“Ah.”

The chilly air instantly woke me up. Outside, the afternoon sun was shining yellow. Just earlier, it had been a crisp blue morning—time must have passed while I was asleep. I felt much better than before. And…

‘Wow, I really slept well.’

It was embarrassing. Falling into such a deep sleep just hours after meeting him… That must have left quite the first impression. I glanced over at Min Joo-hyuk. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind, his expression as composed as ever.

‘Well, nothing I can do about it now. I’ll just have to make up for it.’

Bracing myself, I took Min Joo-hyuk’s outstretched hand and stepped down from the carriage.

In front of us stood a large gate, with a modest-looking building beyond it.

As we walked, I carefully folded the coat that had been draped over my lap and handed it back to Min Joo-hyuk. But instead of taking it, he simply unfolded it again and gently placed it over my shoulders.

“Min Joo-hyuk, why…?”

“Why what?”

He looked at me innocently, as if he had no idea what I meant.

“Never mind. Thanks.”

I was momentarily flustered, but the coat was warm against the chilly air. I thought I saw him smile briefly.

We kept walking, and before I knew it, we were right in front of the gate. Min Joo-hyuk reached out and slowly pushed it open.

Inside, a low layer of grass covered the ground. Flat stones were scattered in a path leading from the entrance to the building, and to the side, plenty of flowers bloomed. Some were tall, while others were small and delicate, all swaying gently in the autumn breeze.

“Uh, Park Yul hyung?”

Min Joo-hyuk’s voice rang out beside me.

Following Min Joo-hyuk’s gazeI saw a figure standing among the flowers in full bloom. A thin stream of water trickled down from a small watering can in his hand, Tiny droplets of water glowed under the sunlight.

A breeze ruffled his hair, and in the golden afternoon light, his blond strands shimmered. As Min Joo-hyuk and I approached, his eyes—soft green, like fresh spring leaves—widened slightly as he blinked at us. Bending down, he carefully set the watering can on the ground before straightening up again. Meeting our gaze with a gentle smile, he greeted us. 

“You got here quickly.”

A cool breeze carried the faint scent of flowers through the air.