HIF 3

A Person Who Looks Precarious

Hearing Min Joo-hyuk ask if I was having a hard time made me reflect deeply. Showing how difficult things were right in front of someone. Even in front of the person who came to pick me up before dawn.

It wasn’t that hard, really. I had bled a little and hadn’t slept properly, so I was just a bit tired. I stared back, wide-eyed with embarrassment, and Min Joo-hyuk awkwardly added,

“I thought you might be getting motion sickness.”

I pondered for a moment how best to respond. But there was no other way to explain my behavior until just now.

In the end, when I replied that it seemed so, Min Joo-hyuk tried to get me to sleep, saying that sleeping was the best for motion sickness.

Good heavens, thank you, I almost closed my eyes right then and there, but thankfully, reason stopped me.

No matter how I thought about it, falling asleep here and now would be incredibly rude. Min Joo-hyuk must be tired from coming all this way, and I didn’t want to fall asleep before him.

I said it wasn’t that bad and turned my gaze to the window. Min Joo-hyuk, understanding, continued to speak in a soft, gentle voice. I only responded with “Uh-huh,” and “I see,” and things like that.

Of course, I didn’t hear a word he was saying. If it was important, he would tell me again later. I trust that Min Joo-hyuk noticed that I was answering with a screw loose.

…Should I just sleep then? Or not? Meaningless thoughts floated around in my dazed mind.

Still, talking with Min Joo-hyuk brought us much closer.

“Hey, Seon Yi-han.”

He was even calling me that.

I called him “Hey, Min Joo-hyuk,” in return, so I didn’t feel like I was at a loss. I vaguely remembered the satisfied smile on Min Joo-hyuk’s face after I called him that.

Wait. But wasn’t this too sudden of an approach? We had only met a few hours ago.

‘Well, whatever. What’s done is done.’

Such complacent thoughts drifted through my mind intermittently. Half-asleep, I leaned against the rattling carriage in a hazy state.

The journey was generally peaceful. Although there was a minor commotion, such as a nosebleed in the middle.

At first, I was bewildered and stared blankly at the dripping nosebleed. Wait, aren’t healers supposed to be immune to pain? Why a nosebleed?

But when I thought about it, it didn’t really hurt. Only the pain was gone.

Ah, so physical fatigue still accumulates. I gained an important realization. I was satisfied.

After flurriedly dealing with the surprised Min Joo-hyuk and getting the situation somewhat under control, Min Joo-hyuk had me lean my head against the carriage wall and put me to sleep.

It was hard to hold on any longer. It felt like the air had become stuffy. It was no wonder after all that commotion.

The warm air inside the carriage was lightly mixed with the cool air coming in through the window gaps. Thanks to Min Joo-hyuk’s coat draped over my knees, my body was warm.

‘Huh? What coat? Why is this here?’

Anyway, it was the perfect situation to fall asleep.

And so, I fell asleep in an instant.

◇

Min Joo-hyuk thought as soon as he entered the temple.

‘Wow, this is really bleak.’

It had been quite a while since his last visit, but nothing had changed. The magnificent temple, all painted white with gold trim, had an atmosphere that somehow intimidated people.

If he didn’t have to come to pick up a new companion, he would never set foot in here again.

He could feel glances from afar, pretending not to look but peeking this way. The priests, neatly dressed in white Priest Robes and going about their business, felt more cold than solemn.

It didn’t bother him much, but he didn’t like this suffocating atmosphere. He sighed softly and moved on.

‘Is it here?’

As he had been told in advance, a small annex was set apart a little further in. It was quiet inside, without a sign of life.

He raised his hand to knock on the door, then hesitated.

‘His name was Seon Yi-han, right.’

A while ago, Park Yul had received a call from the temple. They said there was someone to add to their group. There was no detailed explanation.

-Seon Yi-han, 17 years old. He will be helpful to the Heroes.

The other brothers weren’t too happy with the temple’s sudden and unilateral notification, but I wasn’t so dissatisfied with the situation. If we’re going to live together anyway, isn’t it better to start with a good attitude?

And the fact that Seon Yi-han was the same age as me was also pretty good. They’re all older brothers and I’m the only youngest. Well, it would be even better if there were two youngest.

‘Come to think of it, I feel a little sorry for him.’

Unlike us, Seon Yi-han wasn’t joining of his own volition, so he probably didn’t feel comfortable.

The thought that he might be dragged along against his will didn’t make me feel too good either. Putting aside a bit of gloom, I knocked on the door.

Creak.

After a moment, the door slowly opened.

“Hello! You’re Seon Yi-han, right?”

At my question, Seon Yi-han raised his head slightly and met my eyes. Beneath hair as black as if it contained not a single ray of light, pale blue eyes sparkled transparently.

Inside the room behind Seon Yi-han, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of belongings. The blanket on the bed was also neatly folded. The spacious-looking room somehow seemed to lack any warmth.

“…That’s right. I’m Seon Yi-han.”

Seon Yi-han’s clear eyes fully captured me. And he blinked blankly, then smiled faintly. It was a smile as soft as could be, but somehow, I thought he looked a little tired.

Seon Yi-han went back into the room to pack his things. I waited outside for a moment.

The sky was high. The season was already passing through autumn. Looking up at the clear sky without a single cloud, I was reminded of Seon Yi-han’s eyes that I had just seen.

‘It didn’t feel like he was being forced to come along.’

His expression didn’t show any discomfort. That was a relief.

Among the four Heroes of this generation, except for Park Yul, who had been ‘chosen’ as a Hero, all had taken the Hero’s Oath of their own accord. I had, and so had Raen and Song Ha-gyun.

‘So, is Seon Yi-han going to take the Hero’s Oath too?’

I didn’t think he would be on the front lines of battle. I had heard that people in the temple couldn’t use magic at all.

Was he going to do research like Song Ha-gyun? Song Ha-gyun used magic and did research, but maybe Seon Yi-han would only do research.

Well, I’ll find out in due course. I trust that Park Yul will make a good decision about the Hero’s Oath. I trust his judgment.

As I was thinking that, I heard a voice calling me from right next to me.

“Min Joo-hyuk.”

I turned my head. For a moment, I felt breathless.

Seon Yi-han was standing under the blue, bright sky.

Against the backdrop of the rigid and straight temple building, the white clothes swaying faintly seemed foreign, as if they were out of place.

If there were only straight lines here, Seon Yi-han was like a curve. He was a person with a soft and gentle atmosphere, but he stood out without blending into anything.

The clothes Seon Yi-han was wearing looked similar to a Priest Robe, but they were different upon closer inspection. The thin fabric fluttered in the wind, and unlike the Priest Robe that was fitted to the body, it was also very large. The long, wide sleeves covered the back of his hands.

Seon Yi-han stared at me and blinked. I barely regained my dazed mind.

“Shall we go?”

When I spoke in my usual light voice, Seon Yi-han nodded. Even under the bright sun, his profile as he moved looked a little pale.

I couldn’t tell if the reason Seon Yi-han looked tired, even though he had been smiling the whole time, was simply my imagination or not.

The hem of his white clothes fluttered softly in the light breeze. The sight of it somehow looked precarious, so I hurried my steps toward the carriage.

We went back the way we had come into the temple. It was faster going out than coming in. The carriage was right in front of the temple.

◇

Seon Yi-han and I got into the carriage. The interior of the carriage rattled slightly as it started.

Seon Yi-han, sitting across from me and leaning back as if buried in the swaying carriage, looked noticeably paler than before.

Perhaps that was why his slightly flushed cheeks stood out. It might have been because he had been exposed to the cold wind on the way here.

‘It didn’t take more than a few minutes to walk, though.’

Seon Yi-han didn’t look weak, but he didn’t look particularly strong either. The wind was colder than usual today, so that was also a possibility.

“Seon Yi-han. It’ll take several hours to get there.”

“I see.”

I meant for him to get some sleep since there was still a long way to go. Despite looking quite tired, Seon Yi-han didn’t seem to want to sleep, blinking slowly and looking at me.

‘Well, it would be good to explain things on the way.’

Thinking that, I opened my mouth.

“Then listen to the explanation while we go.”

Seon Yi-han nodded slightly. My figure was reflected and disappeared repeatedly in his dazed eyes as he slowly opened and closed them.

“The place we’re staying is called Ledeo. It’s originally where Heroes stay, but I don’t know why it’s called that.”

“Ledeo…….”

“You’ll probably be able to see Park Yul when we arrive. He’s 20 years old. He’s the oldest among us.”

“…Yeah. Yul is the oldest….”

“Raen and Song Ha-gyun are out for a bit right now. You’ll probably see them tomorrow at the earliest. They’re both 18 years old. One year older than us.”

“Tomorrow…. I see….”

He seemed to be trying quite hard in his own way, but the end of his words trailed off strangely. Looking at his dazed expression, I understood. He was really tired.

“Tomorrow….”

Seon Yi-han answered again slowly, almost muttering, and slowly raised his hand. Then, he lightly covered his mouth with his long sleeve. His head shook weakly forward with the rattling carriage.

‘Ah, maybe he’s not sleepy, but feeling sick?’

I thought that Seon Yi-han might be getting motion sickness.

I’ve never experienced motion sickness, so I don’t know much about it, but Raen, who gets severe motion sickness, would look like he was about to die whenever he happened to ride in a carriage.

“Seon Yi-han. Are you having a hard time right now?”

If Seon Yi-han was that bad, I was a little worried. When I asked carefully, Seon Yi-han was startled and looked at me with wide eyes. His pupils trembled slightly, as if asking how I knew.

His eyes looked strangely red. I was momentarily nervous, wondering if he was crying, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. Still, he really did look like he was in bad shape.

“I thought you might be getting motion sickness.”

Hearing my words, Seon Yi-han pressed his lips together tightly, lowered his gaze for a moment, and then looked at me again. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…I think so.”

His voice sounded suppressed.