THIFSGSTW CH 9

Chapter 09: Engulfed in the dawn

Raen’s Perspective

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The setting sun cast a low glow outside the window. I fixed my gaze carefully on the pale green eyes before me.

For a brief moment, a dark, crimson glimmer flickered within the pale green eyes before vanishing without a trace. Maybe it was just a trick because of the sunset. If that were the case, it was a relief. But if it wasn’t…

No, this wasn’t what I was supposed to be thinking about right now.

I explained to Leader-hyung and Min Joo-hyuk about the mana I had seen in Sun Yi-han. That strange blue aura surrounding his pale body—it wasn’t even the type of mana I could confidently recognize.

As I continued my explanation, Leader-hyung’s expression grew more serious. Beside him, Min Joo-hyuk listened quietly, fully focused.

“I see. Let’s talk to Yi-han about this later.”

“Yes, Leader-hyung.”

Leader-hyung smiled gently and tapped his fingertips twice near his lips.

“There’s no need to blame yourself, Raen-ah.”

I hadn’t even realized I was biting my lip until he spoke. I quickly stopped and nodded. Leader-hyung lowered his voice and continued.

“Alright, let’s head out now. Yi-han is sleeping, so we should let him rest.”

With that, he carefully pulled the blanket up over Sun Yi-han once more before heading toward the door.

“Raen-hyung, please don’t worry too much. He’s just asleep—once he’s rested, he’ll wake up soon.”

“…Right.”

“You worked hard on the investigation.”

Min Joo-hyuk smiled at me and lightly bowed before gently brushing back Sun Yi-han’s jet-black hair. Then, he walked away.

The door closed with a soft sound, leaving the room in silence. The only sound remaining was the faint breath of Sun Yi-han, buried in the large bed. I reached out and placed my hand on his forehead.

Though his pale skin seemed flushed in the sunset’s glow, his temperature was oddly cool beneath my fingertips. He was slightly damp with cold sweat. That unfamiliar sensation made me shudder.

I stared at the red-tinged sunset that washed over his face before walking toward the window. The sun had nearly set now.

Quietly, I pulled the curtains shut. Sitting by the windowsill, I lifted a small sheet of paper with magic from the desk and let it hover in the air. It was a magic that required very little mana, so using it wouldn’t be a problem.

I dipped a quill into the black ink bottle and let it float. The letters slowly formed on the white paper. The soft scratching of the pen nib against the paper filled the quiet room.

After placing the final period on the sentence, I carefully laid the sheet on the bedside table. Sun Yi-han remained motionless in deep slumber.

I gently brushed back his bangs and leaned down, resting my forehead lightly against his. This time, his skin was neither hot nor cold. That neutral warmth made me a little relieved.

Click.

The sound of my footsteps faded as I moved away from the bed, and the soft click of the door closing echoed through the room.

◇

It was the middle of the night.

Sun Yi-han’s eyes fluttered open. In the dark room, his blue irises glowed faintly.

Sun Yi-han’s Perspective

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‘No, wait. Midnight?’

It was pitch black. He couldn’t believe it. Time had passed again just like that. 

I quickly sat up in bed and spotted an upside-down glass on the bedside table. Underneath it was a small sheet of paper.

I picked up the paper and read the words. It was from Raen. It contained an apology and a note saying that he would be in the next room, so I should call him when he woke up.

‘He really doesn’t need to feel this guilty.’

Honestly, it was a little embarrassing. It wasn’t like I had passed out because of Raen, nor i was sick. There was no real reason to call for him just because i had already woken up.

Well, from Raen’s perspective, it was understandable. Who wouldn’t be shocked if someone suddenly collapsed mid-conversation right in front of them? I’ll have to explain later that it was nothing to worry about.

I reached for the water pitcher on the table and poured water into the glass. The liquid was still warm—as if magic had been cast into the water.

A faint herbal scent drifted up. Taking a sip, I felt warmth spread through my body. I felt my body losing the tension from earlier.

I turned my body to the side and leaned against the headboard. The window was right in front of me. Through the closed curtains, soft moonlight seeped in.

Curious, I walked to the window and drew the curtains open with a soft rustle. A large, round moon hung in the black sky.

I stood in front of the window and stared up at the moon in a daze. Compared to when he had left the temple, the moon had waned slightly, but it was still round.

Out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention—the persistent, infuriating quest window.

<Required! Quest> ‘Raen-Please Don’t Be Suspicious!’ Ⅱ

Time Limit: 10 minutes, 33 seconds

So time was ticking even while I was asleep.

Of course, time waits for no one. But if there’s a time limit for a quest, shouldn’t the countdown only start when the person is awake?

‘Fainted for 3 minutes,’ they said. Then they just let me sleep after that.

There was never any mention they will waking me up after the penalty wore off, but wasn’t that common sense?

…No, expecting common sense from the system was my mistake.

I let out a deep sigh. Leaning back against the window frame, I felt the cool glass press against my back.

‘Oh, right. My clothes…’

I suddenly realized I hadn’t washed or changed for days. Damn. I just realized.

I hastily checked my clothes. Fortunately, they were still in perfect condition —white and spotless. Even my skin felt clean.

‘Is this Clean Magic from before?’

I vaguely remembered Min Joo-hyuk using clean magic in the carriage. Now I could finally relax. I worried that I would be a mess after all that time spent unconscious.

Leaning against the window, I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. It was nighttime, so the air was a little chilly.

‘I still need to check my <Future Vision> ability…’

I needed to read the explanation to see exactly what that ability was, but I was too exhausted. I just wanted to rest. Not physically, but mentally. I had slept enough—too much, even.

Ever since leaving the temple, all I had done was collapse and pass out. Time kept moving forward while I was unconscious, and it felt unsettling.

‘I’ll check it later…’

I’m not procrastinating. I’m just taking a break. There’s a difference. The former meant pushing the task far into the future, while the latter simply meant pausing for a moment.

I was doing the latter. For now, this was the right choice. Once I was a bit more clear-headed, I would deal with things one by one.

My gaze shifted to the glowing quest window. The timer had nearly run out. Was the penalty a high fever? It wouldn’t be painful, but it would probably make me feel sluggish.

Just as I was thinking that, a soft chime echoed, signaling a new quest window.

<Required! Quest> ‘Raen-Please Don’t be Suspicious!’ II. Failed!

Penalty ‘High Fever’ will last for 3 hours.

<Required! Quest> ‘Raen-Please Don’t be Suspicious!’ II. Failed!

Penalty ‘High Fever’ will last for 3 hours.

Of course. What a joke. They didn’t even give me a chance to clear the quest.

Another window immediately popped up.

<Required! Quest> ‘Raen-Please Don’t be Suspicious!’ Ⅲ

Success : Gain Raen’s Trust

Failure : Nausea for 3 Day

Time Limit : 3 days

The countdown ticked down by one second.

Is this ever going to end? At this rate, the next one might have a three-year limit.

I felt my forehead burned as heat crept up in my face. I tilted my head slightly and leaned against the window frame with a sigh.

It had felt cold earlier, but now it was refreshing. People are like that. They feel things however they want and interpret them however they please.

Just as I was getting lost in idle thoughts, I heard a faint noise outside the door.

It was the sound of dragging footstep. The sound was getting closer.

Soon the doorknob turned.

Creak.

The door slowly opened, revealing a tall figure in a white shirt and black trousers. The monocle in his eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and long, dark violet hair was loosely tied over one shoulder.

The person staggered slightly, leaning against the doorframe before stepping inside.

“..Oh”

Then he made eye contact with me. The man blinked slowly with pale violet eyes.

“Ah…”

Then, as if just realizing something, he nodded slightly. His dark purple hair, tied to one side, swayed slightly. Some of the buttons on his shirt were unbuttoned.

He walked slowly toward a small drawer beside the desk. He looks unsteady. Yi-han recognized him immediately.

‘Song Ha-gyeon?’

Since I had been told that I would be sharing a room with Song Ha-gyeon, that must be him. Should I introduce myself? But it didn’t seem like the right moment.

Song Ha-gyeon was kneeling on the floor, hurriedly opening a drawer and rummaging through its contents. The dull sound of objects clattering against each other echoed through the quiet room.

He was clearly looking for something. Eventually, as if frustrated by his failure to find it, he began pulling things out of the drawer and placing them on the floor—no, more like tossing them in a rush.

‘Should I help him search?’

But to help, I would need to know what he was looking for in the first place. He seemed busy, and I didn’t want to get in the way by hovering around uselessly.

Still, just sitting here and watching felt uncomfortable. The cold air from the window pressing against my back seemed to be pushing me away.

Maybe it was the fever from the penalty, but I felt strangely hazy, as if I were dreaming. With my dazed mind, I came to a quick conclusion.

‘Yeah. Right now, the best way to help is to stay put.’

No matter how I thought about it, there was nothing I could do.

I quietly reached up and pulled the curtain open a little more. Wouldn’t it be easier to find something with more light? 

Moonlight spilled in through the window behind me, washing the room in a deep blue glow. It looked like the depths of the ocean. It felt like being submerged in the darkness of dawn. A suffocating kind of stillness. If I were alone, I might not have been able to bear it.

The thin light of the moon stretched out toward me, as if carving out a space to breathe. Dust particles caught in the light shimmered in midair, like tiny bubbles rising.

Then… was I sinking into this darkness? Or was I floating up?

“… Ugh.”

A strained voice broke through the silence, snapping me back to reality. Song Ha-gyeon had frozen in place. Slowly, he raised his right hand toward his left shoulder, but it hovered there, unable to make contact.

“Ugh, Heurgh….”

A soft, pained sound escaped his lips. His body trembled slightly as he hunched over where he sat, his pale profile illuminated by the moonlight.

The moment I saw him, I pushed myself up from the windowsill and hurried down to the floor. The cold that had been pressing against my back fell away.

This was not the time to stay still.