THIFSGSTW CH 6

Chapter 06 : Abnormal Approach

I couldn’t take my eyes off the golden hair fluttering in the wind. If the word “Hero” were to be drawn as an image, it would look exactly like the figure before me.

If Min Joo-hyuk was like the cool morning breeze, then this man was like the midday sun. Under the bright sunlight, his fair skin glowed with a healthy flush.

‘All heroes really do shine like this’

As I stood blankly at the gate, lost in thought, a gentle warmth wrapped around my wrist. It was Min Joo-hyuk’s hand. His hand was much larger than I had expected, completely wrapping my wrist with room to spare. Min Joo-hyuk made eye contact with me and said. 

“Sun Yi-han. It’s okay, come inside.”

His hand led me forward at a steady pace, guiding me through the gate. The scent of flowers carried on the breeze grew stronger. Beside me, Min Joo-hyuk’s voice rang out.

“Park Yul Hyung! Have you been waiting long?”

“I just got here, Joo-hyuk. You got here quickly. And…”

He spoke with a gentle smile on his face, then turned his gaze away from Min Joo-hyuk and looked at me. His eyes were still curved in a bright, cheerful smile.

“Hello. I’m Sun Yi-han”

“Yeah. Hi, Yi-han. I’m Park Yul. You can drop the formalities with me.”

His voice was so warm and gentle that I could believe it was infused with sunlight. 

“Alright, Yul-hyung.”

I answered firmly, but for some reason, my voice trembled slightly.

◇

Min Joo-hyuk and Park Yul exchanged a few words on the spot. Then, Park Yul brought something up.

“Joohyuk-ah, Raen reinforced the Defensive Magic Training Room.”

The hand gripping my wrist trembled slightly. Ah, I just realized—Min Joo-hyuk was still holding onto me.

Park Yul continued in his usual gentle tone. “Just like you mentioned before. Raen asked me to let you know when you arrived.”

Min Joo-hyuk paused in silence for a moment.

When I glanced at him, his expression had stiffened slightly. I didn’t know what was going on, but judging by his serious face, he looked like he wanted to go check it out immediately. I stared blankly at his firm grip on my wrist. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he was still holding onto me. When I lightly poked the back of his hand, his body tensed for a moment. Then, he quickly turned to look at me, seeming a bit surprised.

Meeting his gaze, I spoke, “You should go. It sounds important.”

“I should take you to your room first. Do you know where it is?”

I didn’t. But I didn’t want to waste his time. As I was thinking about what to say, Park Yul spoke up. 

“Joo-hyuk-ah, just go ahead. Yi-han can come with me—we’ll chat along the way.”

I immediately nodded at Park Yul’s suggestion.

Min Joo-hyuk still seemed hesitant, so I took off the coat he had draped over my shoulders and handed it back to him. He looked down at his coat for a moment before sighing as if he had no choice.

“I’ll head there first, then. Thank you, Yul-hyung!”

Then, for some reason, he added a few unnecessary comments, he muttered about how I looked tired and needed to rest. Beside him, Park Yul nodded with a faint smile. 

‘I’m not tired.’ I wanted to tell them that I was perfectly fine, but considering I had slept soundly the whole way here, I decided to keep quiet. And before I could say anything, Min Joo-hyuk had already finished speaking. Then, he ruffled my hair lightly before leaving.

“I’ll be going. Get some rest.”

Then he turned and sprinted off, disappearing into the building in an instant.

I stood there for a moment, watching him go, before absentmindedly smoothing my messy hair. Park Yul chuckled softly and helped straighten out the rest of the mess Min Joo-hyuk had left behind.

We walked at a relaxed pace. The sun-warmed stone beneath my feet radiated heat. As I lifted my head, I saw a small, square-shaped building just ahead, with a door positioned right in the center.

Creak.

Park Yul opened the door. The door didn’t look old, but it made a noise like rusted machinery grinding against itself. Inside, I couldn’t see anything. It looked completely empty, pitch dark. I took a step forward. At the same time, a strong gust of wind rushed in. Startled, I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut and staggered backward. My foot caught on something, and I nearly fell backward—

But before I could fall, a steady hand caught me. I opened my eyes slightly. Park Yul had extended his arm to support me, holding me steady.

“Yihan-ah, are you very surprised?”

I was surprised. To be honest, I was so surprised that I rubbed my eyes hard and opened them again.

It wasn’t because of the wind. It was because of what I saw inside.

Sunlight was pouring in, completely unfiltered. When I looked up, I saw a circular glass dome instead of a solid ceiling, allowing light to pour into the space. The interior sparkled as if it were glowing. A softly curved staircase spiraled up along the wall, leading to the second floor. A plush carpet covered the floor. 

‘It didn’t look this spacious from the outside.’

As I tried to process over the contrast between the exterior and interior, Park Yul let out a small laugh beside me.

“You look so surprised, I’m sorry”

His voice had a playful tone rather than apologetic. Since I really had been startled, I just stared at him wide-eyed. Park Yul continued with a lighthearted voice.

“We needed a large space. But having something too flashy would draw attention, so we used magic when we first built it, to make it look like an ordinary building from the outside.”

Magic can do something like this? As I marveled at the usefulness of it, I felt the hand supporting my back withdrew, and then I felt a light weight settle on my head.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? How much appearances matter.”

It sounded more like a murmured thought than a question. When I looked up at him, Park Yul met my gaze and smiled gently.

“Come on, let’s go in, Yihan-ah. We have a lot to talk about. Both you and I.”

Just like Min Joo-hyuk had done earlier, he lightly ruffled my hair. I met his calm gaze and gave a small nod.

◇

We arrived at a small room on the first floor.

There was a low table in the center, and on either side were plush chairs that looked like sofas. Yellow sunlight shone through a large window on one wall.

Park Yul poured tea into two cups and set out an assortment of cookies on a plate. I lifted the teacup in front of me. It was warm. Thin slices of fruit and flower petals floated in the soft pink tea. The scent of honey and flowers filled the air. Park Yul, who was looking at me as I sipped my tea, smiled faintly and gently pushed the plate of cookies toward me. Then, he spoke.

He briefly explained the layout of the building—the dining hall was on the first floor, there were four rooms on the second floor, and each person had their own.

“So, Yihan-ah, would you be okay sharing a room with Ha-gyeon? Song Ha-gyeon—he’s a year older than you.”

Apparently the room was spacious, and Ha-gyeon apparently spent most of his time in the first-floor research lab. Song Ha-gyeon had also agreed to share the room, but Park Yul added that if I didn’t want to, there were other options, so I should feel free to speak up.

I didn’t really mind. As long as I had a place to sleep, it didn’t matter. When I said I was fine with it, Park Yul nodded.

“Now, can you tell me about yourself?”

For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. I wasn’t even sure where to start—I didn’t know much about myself. Sensing my hesitation, Park Yul spoke carefully.

“I heard people from the temple don’t have mana.”

Ah. At least, I could answer this question. “That’s right. But for some reason, I do have mana. I don’t know why.”

Park Yul’s hand, mid-lift toward his tea, paused. His expression turned thoughtful. Just as I was about to elaborate, he suddenly looked up at me.

“Yihan-ah”

“Yes?”

Park Yul made eye contact with me. His clear, pale green eyes reflected my image perfectly.

For a split second, a flicker of red flashed in the center of his eyes.

<Warning!> ‘Abnormal Approach’ Detected.

Activating firewall to block intrusion.

At the same time, a status window appeared in front of me, its color shifting to a deep red.

“Firewall activation: 3 seconds remaining.”

“Firewall activation: 1 seconds remaining.“

“Firewall activation: 1 seconds remaining.”

The numbers went down in a flash. Just as I wondered what was happening—

Beeep-.

A sharp ringing noise pierced my ears, and a wave of pressure made my head feel heavy. My body suddenly weakened, as if the strength had been drained out of me. I couldn’t support myself as my body slumped to the side. Clutching the armrests of my chair with both hands, I rested my forehead against them.

“Yihan-ah?”

I could hear the concern in Park Yul’s voice, but I wasn’t in a state to respond. My whole body trembled from the relentless ringing in my ears, and an overwhelming sense of fear crept in.

There was the sharp screech of a chair being pushed back as Park Yul stood up in a hurry.

“Yihan-ah, turn your head.”

His urgent voice was followed by the firm hand tapping my shoulder.

“Just a second, look over here.”

His voice sounded distant, muffled by the ringing in my ears. Then, Park Yul gently cupped my head with one hand and slowly turned it toward him. I barely managed to move at his touch. Park Yul was kneeling in front of me, one knee on the floor. His expression was tense as his eyes met mine. A faint red light was still flickering at the center of his pupils, reflecting my own condition.

“Yeah, just like that. Don’t close your eyes. Look at me.”

His brows furrowed slightly. Then, in an instant, the red glow in the center of his pale green eyes vanished.

‘Abnormal Approach’ lifted.

Disabling firewall.

The status window in front of me flickered, shifting back to its usual blue hue.

The ringing in my ears stopped. The fear that had overwhelmed me only moments ago faded away. But the strength in my body didn’t return. As I remained limp, Park Yul brushed my hair back. A cool sensation touched my forehead—I must have broken into a cold sweat.

“Are you okay?”

His tone sank, tinged with concern. I wanted to reassure him, to say that I was fine, but exhaustion kept me down, and no words would come out.

When I remained limp and unresponsive, Park Yul suddenly rose to his feet.