THIFSGSTW CH 63

Chapter 63: Same room

“I’ll be on the first floor. Please come down at your own pace.”

He lightly stepped away and descended the stairs again.

Earlier, it had looked like the first floor was set up like a dining area. About half of it was a kitchen space, and in front of that were a few round tables with chairs.

Just like with Redeo, I wondered why the number of rooms was always like this wherever we went. Perhaps there was an unspoken rule that only four rooms should be made.

‘We’ve never shared a bed before.’

At the temple, we always stayed separately in the annex. In fact, the first person I ever shared a room with was Song Ha-gyeon, so there was no way I’d ever shared a bed with anyone.

Would it be okay if I said I wanted a room to myself? Even if it wasn’t allowed, maybe I could just bring it up. I was about to open my mouth with that thought when—

Ding.

A familiar sound rang in my ears.

<Unexpected! Quest> A Night Together!

You can’t miss this chance to get closer! Sleep in the same bed with the Hero.

Success: A Night Spent with the Hero (1 time)

Failure: Lonely Night Penalty

Time Limit: Before leaving the ‘Valley of Flowing Clouds and the Village’ area

Who will you spend the night with?

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

Damn system. How could it just force something like this? What the heck did sleeping in the same bed have to do with “getting to know someone better”?

I couldn’t even guess what the reward or penalty would be. Though I was pretty sure the reward would be better than the penalty.

I let out a small sigh. That’s how the world worked, pushing for choices without ever explaining things properly. At least I was still sane enough to keep my head on straight. I thought carefully.

‘Since I go to bed early and wake up late…’

If I had to share a room, it should be with someone I would inconvenience the least.

I’d always shared a room with Song Ha-gyeon, but I’d never seen him sleep. If I fell asleep first, he might be uncomfortable.

Raen had stayed up late last time too. Min Joo-hyuk got up way too early in the morning. In that case…

“Yul hyung.”

Park Yul, who was checking rooms one by one, looked at me and made eye contact, as if encouraging me to go on.

“When do you usually sleep and wake up?”

“Hm? Why?”

I hadn’t expected him to turn the question back on me. Saying it outright felt oddly embarrassing. I hesitantly spoke.

“I was wondering… if we could share a room.”

Why did it take so much courage just to say that one line? Without realizing, I clenched my trembling hands tightly. Park Yul blinked once at me, then walked over and gently tousled my hair. His calm voice followed.

“Sorry, Yi-han. I stay up too late, so I might wake you.”

It wasn’t really something to apologize for. Honestly, there probably wasn’t anyone who went to bed earlier than me. I hadn’t thought this through.

Then, maybe it didn’t really matter who I shared a room with. None of them were likely to sleep at the same time as me anyway. While I was thinking that, Park Yul crouched down to meet my eyes.

“I’m not saying this for any other reason; it’s really true. So I’ve never shared a room with anyone until now.”

“I believe you.”

At that moment, someone ruffled my hair from behind. I looked up. Min Joo-hyuk was standing there, grinning.

“You don’t look like you believe him, Sun Yi-han. But it’s true. No one’s ever shared a room with Park Yul hyung.”

Of course, I believed it. I said I did.

Then, maybe Park Yul’s sleep schedule was just an excuse. He probably valued his privacy. Now that I think about it, I’d never been inside Park Yul’s room back at Reddeo either.

Next to me, Min Joo-hyuk chuckled and continued.

“I thought you’d come to me first.”

“Why would I?”

“What do you mean why? We’re the same age. Of course we should share a room.”

Oh, so that’s how it’s been until now? If that’s the case, then when the number of rooms was insufficient, it might be that Song Ha-gyeon and Raen had been sharing a room. I was about to nod when I heard Raen’s voice from behind.

“Joo-hyuk. Since when did we divide up rooms like that?”

Min Joo-hyuk was more shameless than I expected.

“The youngest ones will share a room. Shouldn’t the older ones get to sleep more comfortably?”

Honestly, he had a point. Maybe he thought things through more than I gave him credit for. Raen paused, then looked straight at me.

“Shouldn’t what Yi-han wants matter most?”

Why did that matter? My opinion didn’t really matter. I just had to share a bed with someone, that’s all. “I’m fine with anyone. But you all tend to sleep late, and I go to bed early, so I don’t want to be a bother.”

Judging by how Min Joo-hyuk woke up early, he probably slept early too. No way he was one of those who sleeps late and wakes early.

Raen thought for a moment, then spoke in a calm voice. “I’ve been sleeping early these days. I’m trying not to overdo it anymore. So…”

He stopped there and lightly bit his lower lip. His lips turned a flushed red. He hesitated, then slowly continued. “Even if not tonight, maybe next time… just let me know.”

Did he really need my confirmation? Still, I liked that he wasn’t pushing himself. I smiled and nodded. Just then, I felt a hand gently wrap around my wrist. I turned to see Song Ha-gyeon, who began walking toward one of the rooms while holding my wrist.

“Ha-gyeon hyung…?”

“Let’s go. We always shared a room, right?”

“But you stay up late…”

“…I’ll be quiet.”

He was already always quiet. If he got any quieter, he’d basically vanish. I quickly shook my head. “No, it’s not that. I mean I was worried I’d disturb you.”

“That won’t happen.”

His voice was firm. Then maybe this wasn’t so bad. I’d always shared a room with Ha-gyeon, so maybe it would actually be more comfortable. I was used to him.

Behind me, Min Joo-hyuk said playfully, “Aw, too bad. That was close.”

Song Ha-gyeon glanced back and smiled faintly at him, then opened the door and stepped inside. As soon as I followed him into the room, the door shut behind us with a quiet click.

“There really is… just one bed.”

Seeing it for myself made my heart flutter a bit. I wanted to stay composed since this was a quest, but it was still unfamiliar and nerve-racking.

“…Is this your first time… sleeping like this?”

“It is. Even at the temple, I had a room to myself.”

Ha-gyeon looked at me for a moment, then slowly spoke. “…It’s my first time too.”

“But you’ve been to a lot of places, haven’t you? Never even once?”

“Not with you.”

That was… kind of obvious. He didn’t need to say it like that. I nodded and sat down on the bed. The sky-blue blanket crinkled beneath me. The fabric was cool and light.

Thankfully, the bed wasn’t too small. It wasn’t spacious, but two people could probably manage.

Still, with how tall and broad Ha-gyeon was, I did worry a little. But honestly, that was true for everyone else too. Maybe it was a hero thing. It’s not like I’m small, either.

“…Hold on.”

Saying that, Ha-gyeon neatly stacked several wooden bags in the corner of the room. Once he finished unpacking, we’d go down to the first floor together.

“Okay. Take your time, hyung.”

Not that he needed me to say that, he probably would’ve done things at his own pace anyway.

I looked around the room. There was a small sliding window on one wall, and right in front of it, a square wooden desk and chair. That was all the furniture in the room.

‘Quest window.’

As soon as I thought of it, a blue window popped up in front of me.

Hero you will spend the night with is Hero Song Ha-gyeon

As expected, it had already been selected. The moment I entered the room with Ha-gyeon, the quest window that had been floating around earlier had disappeared. So it was automatic.

With plenty of time and a good chance of success, I didn’t feel rushed. While I was quietly staring at the quest window, Song Ha-gyeon approached me after finishing his packing.

“Let’s go.”

He held out a hand, and I grabbed it to stand up. We stepped out of the room and headed downstairs. Song Ha-gyeon and I were the last to arrive. I thought we were pretty fast, but somehow everyone else had moved way quicker.

The person who had brought us here seemed to have already left. He was quite quick in his actions. Park Yul, Raen, and Min Joo-hyuk relayed the information they had received from him.

“They said there’s a Flowing Clouds nearby. Sounds like the monsters have already seeped into those clouds.”

“Yeah. Luckily, the clouds are still contained within the valley, so the village hasn’t been affected.”

“Still, we need to act quickly.”

“Right. The village leader cast protective magic around the area, but we still need to go assess the situation.”

It was a relief the village hadn’t been harmed. Now all we had to do was make sure no one got hurt and finish things safely. Though of course, that would be the hardest part. I’d have to give it my all too.

“…Why didn’t we get any contact?”

“They said it was due to the village leader’s personal situation. He couldn’t send a message.”

“Yeah. He asked to meet us soon so he could explain directly.”

Now that we had unpacked and assessed the situation, we planned to visit the valley before sunset. The sun was already beginning to take on a yellow hue.

“If the monsters have infiltrated the clouds, it won’t be easy to deal with them.”

“That seems likely. It could be quite tricky.”

“We won’t know until we check it out. There’s no need to worry too much just yet.”

“…We can adjust our strategy after we scout the area.”

Everyone seemed ready to head out. I jumped to my feet. “I want to come too. I won’t be a burden. There’s something I want to check.”

“Sure, Yi-han. You want to learn more about the distorted area, right?”

Park Yul nodded and responded immediately. It was like they’d already assumed I’d be going too. I was glad.

“Alright then, let’s head out.”

Raen gently placed a hand on my back. A strong gust of wind blew through, and the scene around us shifted. A completely unfamiliar landscape spread out before me.