THIFSGSTW CH 53

Chapter 53: A Predetermined Answer

After every meal, Park Yul would take a piece of fruit, cut it into small pieces, and try to feed me.

“Yul-hyung, I’m full now.”

“You’re eating even less than usual. You already don’t eat much to begin with. How about just one more piece?”

“I usually eat a lot… Never mind. I’ll eat it myself.”

“Alright. Eating is something Yi-han should do himself.”

When Park Yul talked about eating, he probably just meant chewing and swallowing. The soft fruit melted in my mouth and tasted good.

Song Ha-gyeon handed me a warm cup of tea. It had a fragrant taste.

“…How’s your stomach? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ha-gyeon hyung.”

“…Do you feel dizzy?”

Song Ha-gyeon calmly checked my wrist and asked me various questions. I spent quite a while answering, “I’m fine,” over and over again. After he left, he left behind a thick blanket, a vial of medicine, and a small pouch filled with wildflowers.

Min Joo-hyuk arrived like a gust of fresh air, filling the room with his chatter about everything that had happened while I was asleep.

“Did you know? Yesterday, Park Yul-hyung and Raen hyung talked for about two hours. Ha-gyeon hyung also spoke with Raen-hyung for quite a while.”

“They talked for a long time. Even Ha-gyeon-hyung…? What about you, Joo-hyuk?”

“I was waiting for you to wake up.”

“…….”

“I’m kidding. Since the hyungs already discussed everything, there was nothing left for me to say. And if I talked too, Raen-hyung would’ve been exhausted.”

Listening to Min Joo-hyuk, I realized that Park Yul had probably been considerate of me. That was a relief.

Before leaving the room, Min Joo-hyuk placed a lollipop in my mouth. It tasted like chocolate. How was that even possible?

Raen carefully opened the door and stepped inside, placing a small caramel in my hand. It tasted like milk. Though he started speaking calmly, he eventually burst into tears as he finished his words.

“I’m sorry, Yi-han. I won’t push myself like that again. Never. So you… don’t do it either. Please…”

Tears streamed down his face without a single sob, like a broken faucet. No matter how many times I reassured him that I was fine, it took a long time for him to stop.

Still, seeing Raen firmly promise not to overexert himself gave me peace of mind.

Was everyone that shocked just because I wavered for a brief moment? That was possible. From now on, I needed to stay sharp and maintain my composure no matter what.

Fortunately, everyone had been taking turns checking in while keeping in contact with the third floor. If they had only focused on me, it might have felt a bit burdensome.

Wait. So does that mean it’s not burdensome now?

‘…No, I’ll think about this later.’

Anyway, after spending the entire day eating nothing but sweet, melting treats, I was able to return to the room I had stayed in only after night fell again

◇

I opened my eyes to the dawn. Everything was quiet.

I had only been asleep for a short while, but I had already woken up. Since I had returned to my room, there was no one around, and it felt empty. The air was calm. This silence felt strangely unfamiliar.

‘This is ridiculous.’

It was hard to believe that years of familiarity could crumble in just a few days. I had become more accustomed to being with them all than being alone. Even if I tried to deny it, it was the truth. A strange embarrassment washed over me as I admitted it. My cheeks felt warm, and my heart beat a little faster.

I took a deep breath, and only then did my emotions settle. Sitting up in bed, I swung my legs over the side.

Looking toward the window, I saw red petals fluttering down against a black sky tinged with an eerie purple hue. It almost looked like blood-red rain.

On the table, a vase held four or five blue flowers. Their pointed petals made them look like stars. Someone must have placed them there.

Beside the vase, there was a small lantern. It wasn’t lit.

Click.

I pressed a tiny switch on the lantern, and a soft glow spread outward. It seemed to work similarly to the lamps I used at the temple. Who had brought this here? At least it didn’t require mana.

Gripping its wooden handle, I lifted the lantern. The rough texture of the wood brushed against my fingertips.

‘Should I go outside?’

I considered it but shook my head. The empty expanse outside seemed too vast. I didn’t want to stand there alone.

But I wasn’t going to fall asleep again, either. My mind was clear.

‘Then, should I go to the third floor?’

The third floor always felt a bit more open than here. Maybe it was because the windows were larger. If I was going to stay awake, I’d rather be there.

I pulled the blanket draped over the chair around myself. Despite the faint chill of the early morning air seeping into the room, my body felt warm. Holding the lantern in one hand, I stepped out.

As I passed through the desolate hallway and ascended the stairs, the soft sound of my slippers dragging against the floor echoed gently.

‘Huh? Why is there a light on?’

When I reached the second floor, I noticed a faint glow seeping out from the farthest room. The light spilled through the gap in the door, faintly illuminating the dark hallway.

‘Is someone still awake? Or did they wake up like me?’

Either way, it didn’t matter. Maybe I could stay with them for a little while.

Knock, knock.

I gently knocked on the door, and it slowly opened. Inside, white sheets of paper floated in the air, filling the entire room.

“Yi-han?”

A voice called out. The hovering papers folded themselves neatly and gathered in one place. With the papers out of the way, I could finally see inside. Raen was there, leaning against his bed, wearing round glasses.

As soon as he noticed me, he quickly removed his glasses and made them disappear. Then, he hurried over.

“Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Raen carefully grasped my forearm and guided me inside, then had me sit on the bed where he had been moments ago. He slowly removed my slippers, then conjured a pair of soft, fluffy socks and slid them onto my feet. The gentle touch against my skin tickled.

“Are you cold? Or is it that you can’t sleep?”

The flood of questions snapped me back to my senses.

“I’m fine. I just woke up. What about you, Raen-hyung? You promised not to overwork yourself.”

“I did. This is just my usual routine.”

If he always did this, did that mean it wasn’t overworking? Wasn’t constant overexertion still count as overworking? It was a difficult standard to measure. Even if he wasn’t completely drained of mana, his stamina had to be depleting bit by bit.

This was true not just for Raen, but for everyone. They were always busy and hardly got enough sleep.

For what? Right, to save the world. I knew that. But I still didn’t understand why they were so willing to blindly sacrifice themselves for it.

“Why aren’t you resting, Hyung?”

“Huh? I’m resting.”

I placed the lantern I had been holding onto my lap and reached for Raen’s wrist. Following my touch, Raen quietly sat down beside me.

Thinking back, I had used ‘Import’ on Raen twice now. They all had their tendencies, but Raen in particular seemed to push himself the hardest.

‘It was the same when I used it the first time.’

Back then, too, if Raen hadn’t insisted on staying behind alone to clean up, he would have been safe. This time was no different.

I could heal Raen and ‘Import’ his injuries countless times. But was that really a fundamental solution? Not at all.

Besides, there was no guarantee that an unexpected situation wouldn’t occur. What if I was in a situation where I couldn’t use the system’s abilities? What if my abilities disappeared entirely? Or what if I simply wasn’t there?

“I’ve never once thought that you needed to do better than you already do, hyung. Not even once.”

The stack of papers Raen had neatly organized earlier was piled high on the table. Even from here, I could see the dense lines of black ink covering them.

“If anything, you put in more than enough effort. I think everyone would agree.”

“Thank you for saying that, Yi-han.”

“…It’s the truth.”

Raen turned his head to look at me, then gently ruffled my hair.

“Nothing is ever truly perfect.”

“Does it have to be?”

“No. Perfection isn’t possible. But that’s why we try to get as close as we can.”

Raen slowly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and eased me down. My back met the soft mattress. I felt the light weight of a blanket being draped over me.

The ceiling wavered in the glow of the lamp. As I stared up at it, I continued speaking.

“For how long?”

“For as long as it takes.”

I wondered what it felt like to walk toward an unattainable goal.

I looked up at Raen, who was sitting beside me. In his golden eyes, my reflection was crystal clear. And suddenly, I remembered something.

‘Oh, right. I haven’t finished the quest yet.’

I just needed to give Raen his gift. I had been too preoccupied and had forgotten. It was a relief that I remembered now. I took out the herbarium I had been keeping and handed it to Raen. He accepted it, spinning it around once in his hands.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It’s a gift, hyung. It’ll disappear with time, though.”

“That’s why I’ll cherish it even more. Thank you.”

Raen picked up the lantern that had been resting on my lap. At the same moment, the window swung open. A few red flowers drifted in with the cold wind, filling the air with their scent.

The flowers settled gently atop the lantern. Soon, green stems wound around the wooden frame, growing steadily.

“This is my gift to you.”

The lantern’s soft light flickered around the petals. I sat up and cradled the lantern in my arms. It felt warm.

“Thank you, Raen-hyung.”

Right now, I felt like I wouldn’t be overcome with emptiness when I entered my room.

“There’s still a little time before morning. Get some more sleep, Yi-han.”

“You too, hyung. Make sure to rest well.”

I closed the door behind me. Instead of heading straight to my room, I decided to follow my original plan and stop by the third floor.

As I climbed the stairs, the sky stretched open in all directions. The windows were wide open.

A bright moon shone from above. It felt like I was standing in the middle of the darkness. But it wasn’t frightening. Maybe it was because of the flowers wrapped around the lantern and their scent lingered gently.

I crouched near the window and looked outside. The ground was covered in red. More crimson flowers were still slowly piling up. Seeing them triggered a sudden thought in my mind.

‘Wait, didn’t I just complete the quest?’

The moment that thought crossed my mind.

Ding!

A sound rang out. Seriously, system, you’re so stubborn. You should’ve activated before I even had to think about it.

<Unexpected! Quest> “The Flower Rain Plains” Complete!>

As a reward, you have obtained a ‘Flower That Does Not Disappear (One-Time Use).’

A new status window appeared immediately after.

Who will receive the reward?

1. Hero Min Joo-hyuk
2. Hero Raen
3. Hero Song Ha-gyeon
4. Chosen Hero Park Yul

Huh? The reward can only be used on one person? And this time, it didn’t even ask if I wanted to use it, it just presented the options. The status window remained firm and unmoving, as if urging me to answer. It didn’t disappear.

Well, if that’s how it’s going to be, my answer was already decided. Without hesitation, I spoke.