CH 25

Sun Yihan:

Still, I had a hypothesis for some of these locations. Song Ha-gyeon was likely to be at the laboratory, and Park Yul was likely to be in the greenhouse garden.

Then, the studio or study? Which one was it?

When I thought further, I remembered that Raen was always looking at some books or leaflets of paper every time I visited his room.

My thoughts leaned toward the study; you had to follow your guts for things like this. As soon as I made the decision, blue grains of light appeared before my eyes and created a lined path.

「Guiding you to the ‘Study’.」

From the status window’s kind explanation, I gained a small understanding; the system was going to find a path for me. What a very convenient quest.

I left the room and followed the line created by the light. The entire building was plunged into darkness. The highlighted road was the only source of illumination, and I felt a little strange following it.

The light led me down to the first floor and cut off in front of a small door at the end of the corridor. A pale orange light leaked through the gap made by the door and the floor.

I knocked on the door before opening it carefully.

Click–

The room was neither big nor small, and the study was filled with cozy orange lights. Large shelves at either side of the room were crammed full of thick books.

Right in the front of the room was a very large window with translucent, thin white curtains slightly drawn back. I could see the night sky through the glass–black and tranquil with neither a moon nor a star high in the sky.

“…Yihan?”

I heard a shaky voice.

Raen sat, facing the door, with his back turned to the window. He wore a white eye patch over one eye, as if he were hurt.

The desk right in front of him was full of messy books and open ink bottles.

Whooosh–

Dozens of papers that were floating in the air fluttered down to the floor in an instant; the light gently shone on the papers.

“Yihan.” Raen sprang up from his seat. He then tried to move quickly to my side but hesitated right before his chair. The warrior didn’t even seem to care that he was crumpling the scattered paper mercilessly under his feet.

He blinked almost exaggeratedly as if he couldn’t believe I was there. His golden irises seemed to tremble as they twinkled.

Soon enough, transparent tears poured down silently; each droplet seemed to trap the light. Raen’s gaze looked straight at me.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that his eyes resembled a full moon–a moon that shone silently in the dark, in a complete absence of light. My reflection was captured in the bright golden orbs.

I took a slow step towards Raen, his shaky gaze following me. The Warrior retreated one step backward, and somehow the dim lights that lit the room seemed to tremble as well.

“Don’t come near me.” A whisper–yet, it sounded as if his throat had an arduous time speaking. That voice stopped me from walking any further. Raen’s expression was stiff and rigid–why?

I stared at Raen’s doubting expression; the Warrior, in turn, didn’t avoid my eyes and stared back.

He slowly opened his mouth, “I believe you, Yihan.”

‘So suddenly?’

Raen’s expression looked so grave. His words were unwavering, calm…as if he were confessing something to me. There was a deep guilt, stemming from an unknown origin, permeating through his determined voice.

I once heard this tone before.

‘When was it?’

A large, darkened room; someone kneeling down before me holding my hands and gazing deep into my eyes…

Who was it? What did he say to me? I wracked my head to try and bring that blurry memory to the surface of my consciousness.

“Yihan. Whatever it may be.”

Raen’s voice cut through my musings.

I came to my senses–that’s right, if I had forgotten, then it mustn’t be too urgent. The past didn’t matter as much as the present. I focused on Raen’s voice.

""

“Everything. I’ll believe you,” He said.

It felt as if Raen really wanted to tell me all this; afterwards, he wiped away the tears that constantly flowed down. I kept staring at the Warrior, who kept retreating almost automatically. I flickered my gaze to the side; the status window, which I had delayed checking earlier, could be seen in the corner of my perspective.

「The penalty, ‘intermittent nosebleed’ will be sustained for a duration of ‘three weeks.’」

Alongside a quest fail notification, the system had given me a penalty. I read the sentence over and over again.

Right next to that was a new quest window.

<Required Quest!> ‘Raen – Please, no more doubts!’ V

On Success: Acquisition of Raen’s Faith

On Failure: Intermittent Hemoptysis for 3 months. 1

Time limit: 3 months

The time limit had already begun to count down–it must have started while I was still unconscious. I had thought this quest would have already been completed.

Just what in the world must I do to finish this quest?

While I sighed inwardly, I could hear Raen’s cautious voice, “I believe, so please, don’t do that anymore.”

I almost asked, ‘Do what?’ But, judging by Raen’s wary retreat, I could guess that he was referring to the ‘Import’ function of my skill.

Of course, that must have been a surprising event for Raen; after all, I had suddenly collapsed with no detailed explanation. It must have been such a hassle to carry home an unconscious man.

It’s not like I didn’t understand his heart. Still…

“Raen Hyung,” I called out to him.

As soon as he heard my voice, Raen bit his lips hard. The lights that filled the room with their glow dimmed and returned to their original strength repeatedly.

“Are you going to keep avoiding me like this?” I walked slowly to the Warrior. I had a lot to say, but I wasn’t sure what would be proper in this instance.

‘Should I say, ‘This won’t happen again?”

I wanted to be able to say that, but I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise.

Of course, I didn’t think that there was a need to use the ‘Import’ skill anymore–there was a way to empty the gauge before it became full. Though, I haven’t really confirmed what that method may be.

Still, the world never went the way I pleased. I didn’t want to make promises that I couldn’t keep.

In the end, there was only one thing I could say. I smiled awkwardly and stared straight at the Warrior, “Thank you, hyung. I should have said this first.”

Raen, who had been slowly stepping backwards, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The large window was right behind him; the dark night stretched eerily behind him–like a deep void.

I reached out to Raen’s face. His back touched the cold window–there was nowhere to retreat.

“…Yihan. Don’t…Do it.” His voice sounded desperate. Raen very gently clenched the tip of my sleeve–which had slipped down my wrist–to push it away.

The lights in the room shook, almost like they were blinking. Below, Raen’s figure was repeatedly plunged into darkness and then bathed in light.

I opened my mouth calmly, “It’s alright.”

Before I could hear another quiet, ‘Wait,’ I took the initiative to touch his cheek. The status window manifested before me.

「<This Healer will help!> Warrior ‘Raen’

Heal/Import」

A blue light surrounded Raen’s eye–the left one, covered by the eyepatch–when I chose the ‘Heal’ option.

I reached out and carefully untied the knot. Now loosened, the white eye patch gently fluttered to the ground. The white cloth fell lightly like a snowflake.

Just then–

Whoosh–

The light that hovered around Raen’s eyes poured into me.

At the same time, the blinking orange lights in the room vanished.

The tranquil darkness settled around the room. Only Raen’s golden eyes, right before me, gleamed in this darkness. His pupils…and my reflection in those golden orbs…

“Raen Hyung.” Smiling lightly, I swept my fingers across the corners of his red-tinted eyes. “See? I’m alright.”

Raen listened to my amused voice quietly. He chewed at his lips and still did not respond.

He had a strange expression–half tearful, half smiling. Somehow he seemed both relieved and also affected by the burning anxiety in his heart. Tears flowed quietly from Raen’s left eye, now exposed after the eye patch was untied. Gently and carefully, I wiped away some of his tears with my fingers. At the very least, I must be a better sight than last time–he wasn’t watching me bleed out.

“Yihan.” His voice was soft as usual, but the syllables seemed partially stuck in his throat.

Raen clenched my wrist slightly before relaxing his grip; then, he leaned onto me as if he were falling apart. When he wrapped his arms tightly around me, I could smell a sweet scent wafting from him.

A few strands of short red hair loosened from their tie; the strands grazed past my skin as they slid down. For some reason, the room felt a bit hot.

Leaning his head right into the side of my neck, near its nape, Raen slowly continued to speak. I could hear his whispers through my face. “Haven’t I always said…”

Raen breathed heavily, as if he were overwhelmed. His following words–something he had repeated many times in the past–were uttered with much difficulty, “…That what you’re experiencing isn’t ‘alright.’ It’s not fine.”

Though the tearful quality of his voice had disappeared without a trace, I still felt like Raen was crying inside. A weak tremor racked his body.

Raen may actually be more soft-hearted than the amiable Min Joo-hyuk or the tranquil Song Ha-gyeon. That must be why Raen was so worried for me.

""

“I’m truly alright, Raen-hyung.”

Raen clung to me and hugged me hard; the tremors grew in intensity.

Though it was inappropriate in this situation, I couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. I guess this is why people say ‘You don’t know how you’ll react unless you’re in the thick of it.’

I stroked Raen’s broad back, “Still, if Raen Hyung still says this isn’t okay…”

The empty darkness still spread behind Raen’s back. It was a heavy, almost intimidating night, but I could handle it–I was no longer alone.

However, if you’re so worried about me…

“Then, I’ll think carefully about what you mean, although I’m not sure I understand. Therefore, Hyung should tell me and teach me well.” I finished with a smile.

Raen replied, “Anytime–always–I’ll say it. And I’ll believe you. Everything Yihan-ie tells me.”

I couldn’t see Raen’s expression since his head was still buried in my neck, but I could tell he was sincere. I nodded my head quietly and thought, ‘Then, why isn’t this quest completed?’

Tick Tock–

Right next to me, the time limit for the quest to relieve Raen’s doubts was decreasing.

Who or what was the subject of Raen’s doubts? Was I incorrect in thinking that his doubts were about me in the first place? Or maybe…

Rring–

My thoughts were cut off by the clear and sudden sound of a bell. Belatedly, the quest window manifested before my eyes.

<Surprise Quest!> Find the Warrior – Success!

As a reward, you’ve obtained the ‘I’ll come find you, Warrior-nim (1 time)’ flag.

As soon as I checked the window, the quest notification immediately closed down and disappeared.

The pitch-black night passed by outside the window; The purple dawn, driving away that empty void of darkness, slowly began to color the sky.