CH 8

Wanting to ease his worries a little, I muttered in a mixed tone.

“You’re kidding.”

“Hyung. I’m serious.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

He rolled over to the side where Heo-Sang was, wrinkled his nose, and grinned.

“In real life, I’m alive because you saved my life, so it’s a dream.”

It sounds ridiculous, even to me. He stares at the ceiling for a moment, then glances over at me and sighs heavily. There’s so much I want to say, and my eyes widen, so I try to be more impudent.

“How’s that. You won’t have nightmares now, will you?”

“…You’re so carefree.”

“Well, that’s one of my strong points.”

When I laughed, he closed his eyes and shook his head as if he had given up. But judging from the smile that spread across his face, he wasn’t really angry. As much fun as it was to play with him like this, there was something else he needed to do today.

I had to see the conditions of his awakening. There are a few things I need to check before I can use the ‘Pioneer of the Unknown’ ability.

Firstly, no one within five metres.

“This room is bigger than I thought.”

“I have a big room thanks to the priest’s generosity.”

And you need to be in contact with your subject.

“That’s why it’s a bit cold.”

“…What?”

I casually lifted his quilt, then quickly went over and lay down next to him. When I lifted my head from the blanket, I saw his face very close, and I noticed for the first time that his black eyes shone indigo blue in the moonlight.

I forgot my purpose for a moment, and while I was watching, Heo-Sang cheeks turned red in real time.

“What the….”

I grabbed his hand in the duvet straight away.

“Hey. Why are your hands so cold?”

It was like ice. The last time he held my hand and prayed, my body temperature was much lower when I fell into the sea, so I didn’t expect it to be this cold even on a normal day. Moreover, I found it strange and cute that his face was red as if it was going to burst at any moment, but his body temperature was low.

“What’s wrong with you? …Are you pranking me again?”

His eyes wandered this way and that, lost in thought. I felt a little sorry for him as he was busy swallowing his dry saliva. But it’s a process I have to go through to see the conditions of each castle.

“I told you, it’s cold.”

“It’s still autumn….”

“I get cold easily.”

“Hyung!”

Shh, shh, shh. Everyone whispered that he might wake everyone up, so he clamped his mouth shut.

I was frustrated too. I had all the conditions, but nothing was happening. Is there something missing, or do I need to be more persistent? There were no such conditions….

With the intention of trying something first, I stuck my face into it, almost like a hug. I could feel the tension in his body through our skin. It was a moment when our noses were close enough to touch.

[Triggers ‘Pioneer of the Unknown’ ( )].

[View the awakening conditions for tastemaker ‘Heo-Sang’?]

I’m excited about my newfound ability, but I’m also worried that I’m going to have a hard time with the awakening requirement for Heo-Sang. I blinked in affirmation, trying to hide my nervousness, and a short sentence appeared.

[To suffer separation from a loved one].

Huh. An involuntary chuckle escaped me. The corners of my mouth quirked upward. I was supposed to act like nothing had happened, but I couldn’t hide my embarrassment. As the words disappeared, my face contorted into a grimace in his clear eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh….”

I quickly turned away, pulling the covers up to my head in fear of being found out.

”You’re so cold, I can’t do this, I’m going to catch a cold.”

“What?”

“I told you, duvets are the best.”

Parting with a loved one. I have mixed feelings about it, glad that there’s still something I can do, but also grateful that I didn’t wake up with the loss of my parents. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I’m the only one who meets the conditions for Heo-Sang awakening.

This must be God giving me a chance to atone.

“Good night. Sang-yi.”

Or maybe he’s giving me the perfect excuse to leave his side.

There is a peaceful silence in the church in winter. The trees and flowers that are so colourful in the green season are robbed of their colours by a light blanket of snow. The sky is blue, the sea is deep, and the land is white. The end result is a landscape of blue and white, which can be a bit boring, but I love the monotony of winter.

Perhaps that’s why I was so fascinated by the child born in winter and named Seri Sang.

“They say it’s supposed to snow, but it’s just dry.”

“I know. There’s a sign on the mountain path by the church warning people to be careful.”

I took a deep breath and the cold smell of winter seeped deep into my lungs. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve smelled air this cool. The weather had suddenly cleared up after being overcast until yesterday. Today, the silver sky seemed to be celebrating Heo-Sang birthday.

“So, how was your day? You had a lot planned.”

”…I’m honestly surprised, I didn’t expect so many people to come and congratulate me.”

“Haha, it turns out I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about throwing you a surprise party.”

Heo-sang’s birthday party that everyone had worked so hard to organise had come to an end. Seeing him celebrate with so many people made me feel happy and bittersweet at the same time. I wouldn’t be there for his birthday next year.

“Wow! Look at that sunset.”

I headed to the cliffs above the sea to get a closer look at the reddish sky. I walked boldly to the edge and suddenly an apparition grabbed my wrist. I don’t know how hard he yanked, but it sent me sprawling backwards.

“Ouch,” I grunted, turning around to meet anxious eyes.

“Sang-yi, you’re going to mark my wrist.”

“I’m sorry, but….”

”It’s okay, you should come over here and take a look.”

I understand his fear, but I still want to show him a view that can only be seen from the cliffs. With a gentle tug on his wrist, he obediently follows. As we stood on the edge of the cliff, I could see the sun dipping below the horizon.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Every time I get too much to think about, I come here to clear my head.”

“…It’s too dangerous.”

“But it’s cool. I can’t see anything else, just the sea and the sky.”

A cold sea breeze blew in, colder than your hands. The longer we held hands, the hotter I got. I felt a little sad, so I glanced to the side and our eyes met. I came up here to show you the beautiful scenery, but you weren’t looking at the sunset, only at me. I laughed out loud, but my heart sank.

“Stay here for a second.”

I let go of his hand and turned to walk away, and he followed.

“What? Where are you going?”

“I’m just going in for a minute. I forgot something.”

“I’ll come with you, then.”

“It’s okay, I’ll be right back.”

He waved as he ran, and Heo-sang turned to mush like a puppy being trained to wait.

I hurried into the church’s common room before I caused any unnecessary worry. I opened the locker in the corner and took out the paper bag I had prepared. I didn’t know how to tie a pretty ribbon, so the knot was as tight as a sneaker lace.

“…Will he like it…?”

I want him to cherish it. This is my birthday present and parting gift to Heo-Sang.

I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m leaving this place on the first train at dawn today. And I will never come back. I’m cutting off all contact. No one will be able to find me anyway, because everyone knows me by my baptismal name, John, and I haven’t listed a place of residence. When morning comes, it will be as perfect as the fading dawn.

I had originally intended to leave earlier. But human greed knows no bounds. I procrastinated and procrastinated, hoping to stay just a little longer, just a month longer, until winter finally arrived, and I shuddered at my own stupidity when I saw the morning landscape covered in pure white snow.

Now I really must leave. Still, I must avoid the day when Heo-sang should be most happy, so I chose the day after his birthday. I wondered again and again if this was the right choice. But the time for right and wrong has passed. You have to make the best choice, even if it’s the worst.

I was running towards the door, eager to give him his present.

Boom!

“Ouch…”

I was running so fast that I didn’t see the person next to me and bumped into them. The tip of my nose tingled as my face slammed into an arm, stomach, or body part. Nevertheless, I looked at the gift in my arms. Luckily, the envelope wasn’t crumpled. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the person next to me, a beat too late.

“Oh, sorry about that. Are you okay?”

I don’t recognise the face. He just stares down at me with a blank expression, even as I apologise. He must have been a bit startled by the sudden appearance of a human being. Anyway, he didn’t seem to be injured, so I just said a cold hello and turned to walk away.

When I got outside, he was standing on the street next to the church.

“Sang-yi, what are you doing there?”

He was staring at something and then looked back.

“Oh, I think there’s something here.”

“Huh?”

I walked towards it, hoping to find a stray cat, but the road was empty and there was nothing there. Could it be that he was about to follow me into the church, but suddenly ran into me and made excuses? …No, I don’t think so.
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