HIF 40

Close By

My reflection appeared in his light brown eyes. Min Joo-hyuk gazed down at me lying on the bed.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk. Did you sleep well?”

Min Joo-hyuk blinked as if shaking off sleepiness. Then, he rubbed his face once as if washing it, looked at the blanket draped over his lap, and opened his mouth.

“Seon Yi-han. When did you… this…”

“Why didn’t you sleep on the bed and slept there instead?”

Even for a short nap, it would be better to sleep comfortably. Worried, I asked seriously, but Min Joo-hyuk answered in a light tone, brushing it off.

“I wasn’t sleeping?”

That was some top-tier acting. In that case, I had something to say too.

“Oh? Then did you hear what I said?”

“…Huh?”

“But then, why didn’t you answer…?”

I said it dazedly, and Min Joo-hyuk flinched upon hearing my voice.

Min Joo-hyuk shot up from his spot. The blanket slid off his shoulders. His eyes looking down at me lying on the bed were wavering as if flustered.

“Why? What did you say?”

Min Joo-hyuk sat on the edge of the bed. The bed sank deeply on that side. Min Joo-hyuk reached out and gently placed his hand on my forehead as if checking for fever. His words followed quickly.

“I didn’t hear. Are you hurting somewhere? Did you have a bad dream?”

Min Joo-hyuk’s expression meeting my eyes looked serious.

I didn’t expect this kind of reaction. I just meant to tease him a little.

Feeling a bit sorry, I gave an awkward smile. I lightly tapped the back of Min Joo-hyuk’s firm hand resting on my forehead with my finger and continued. Min Joo-hyuk’s body seemed to stiffen for a moment.

“No. It’s nothing, really. But come here for a second.”

I rolled over a full turn on the bed I was lying on to make space. Yet, Min Joo-hyuk remained seated as if nailed in place, just looking at me.

“Aren’t you going to lie down?”

“Why should I… lie down?”

“To sleep on the bed.”

Min Joo-hyuk met my gaze with eyes shaking intensely, seemingly at a loss for words. I don’t have the ability to read thoughts just by making eye contact, you know? I smiled slightly and sat up.

“Or should I go?”

“Go where. Just lie back down, Seon Yi-han.”

“I just woke up.”

“Right. So rest more. Wake me if you’re in pain.”

Min Joo-hyuk sat up as if giving in.

Min Joo-hyuk ruffled my hair once and went to the bed on the other side, flopping down. He seemed to be lying roughly with his legs halfway off the bed, feet on the floor.

He sometimes scolds me for being stubborn, but looking now, the truly stubborn one was Min Joo-hyuk. Min Joo-hyuk needed to reflect on his own actions first.

I got up from my spot and approached where Min Joo-hyuk was lying. Standing right in front, Min Joo-hyuk opened his eyes wide and looked up at me.

“Uh, why?”

His voice was wavering. His usually playful expression looked slightly flustered. Not bad. I smiled back and gently pushed Min Joo-hyuk, rolling him over one turn.

Even though I didn’t use much force, Min Joo-hyuk moved his body following my touch.

“Hey, Min Joo-hyuk. Sleep well.”

I pulled the blanket and covered Min Joo-hyuk with it. Min Joo-hyuk had tied me up with a blanket, but I decided not to do the same. Partly because I couldn’t. Anyway, I was being considerate.

Min Joo-hyuk stared at me intently and then smiled lightly. Wait, why does he look like he’s the one being considerate now? Just as I was feeling slightly wronged, Min Joo-hyuk opened his mouth.

“Thanks, Seon Yi-han.”

“For what?”

I sat on the chair right next to him, just like Min Joo-hyuk had done earlier. Min Joo-hyuk continued slowly.

“Just. So what did you say earlier?”

Ah, so he remembered.

Min Joo-hyuk fixed his gaze on me, eyes wide open. I just made him lie down to sleep.

Looking at his condition earlier, it wasn’t fatigue that would be relieved by just a short nap. I gently turned Min Joo-hyuk’s head facing me straight forward. Then, I lightly covered his eyes with my palm.

Min Joo-hyuk opened his mouth in a faint voice, like talking to himself.

“…Soap scent. Did Clean magic have something like that too?”

“What Clean magic?”

“Nothing. So?”

I wish he’d at least say something I could understand the meaning of.

Since Min Joo-hyuk didn’t answer when I asked again, maybe I don’t have to answer his question either?

But this time too, I decided to be considerate. If I’m curious, I won’t be able to sleep anyway. I removed my hand covering his eyes and continued.

“I asked if it was a good thing.”

“What kind of thing?”

Telling the truth wasn’t something to do right now, at least. Min Joo-hyuk didn’t seem to think it was a good thing that I couldn’t remember nightmares or feel pain.

Persuading Min Joo-hyuk was a task for later. Now was time to sleep. So I had no choice but to give a vague answer.

“Uh… Just, all of this.”

“Is it good even now?”

Min Joo-hyuk asked in a drowsy voice. I also answered in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“Okay. Me too.”

What’s good for you? I wanted to ask that, but I didn’t open my mouth further. As I stayed still, Min Joo-hyuk didn’t continue speaking either.

Not long after, quiet breathing sounds were heard. Min Joo-hyuk had already fallen asleep again.

Was this how you felt watching me sleep? Looking at Min Joo-hyuk’s peaceful face, I somehow felt my heart calming down too.

I smoothed the blanket covering Min Joo-hyuk. Soft, plush fabric wrapped around my hand.

Outside was probably still a quiet night. A dark, lonely, deep night where you couldn’t see an inch ahead.

But here was neither dark nor lonely. It was the same night, yet so different.

Time was flowing slowly.

◇

The weather had suddenly turned much colder.

Thinking day by day, time feels so slow, but looking back on past events all at once, it seems it can’t be this fast. The year was already coming to an end.

Click.

I carefully opened the tent flap at the entrance. I had to get out without being noticed.

Ever since I had that nightmare and injured my neck last time, everyone’s worry was excessive. So when we were together or when I was sleeping, they hardly tried to leave my side. But that posed a bit of a problem.

‘Healing Bar.’

Since everyone kept coming with many minor injuries, the Healing Bar had filled up quite a bit. To expend it, I had to spit blood, but that wasn’t a sight I wanted to show.

If they worry so much over trivial, harmless things, showing them me spitting blood seemed like it would be a huge deal just imagining it.

So this time when sleeping, I firmly said I wanted to be alone. The only chance to sneak out was now.

‘Isn’t there something like an air purification magic?’

If that existed, I could spit blood inside the tent. But if I asked Raen about that magic or asked him to put it on paper, he would definitely notice. Raen has good intuition.

I stepped one foot outside the tent. Cold air brushed past my body.

In the distance, I saw a campfire at a moderate distance. And right next to it, the figures of two people sitting upright. The side profile of someone wearing a robe and the back view of bright blonde hair sitting diagonally across.

I gulped. For some reason today, both Raen and Park Yul were there. I moved my steps slowly without making a sound.

They didn’t seem to notice even though I had put some distance. They seemed to be having some kind of conversation. That was fortunate. I hurriedly moved around the back of the tent to a somewhat distant corner.

A blue Status Window appeared in the air. In contrast, red blood dripped at my feet, forming circles.

I bent over. Cough, I calmly spat out blood. I had gotten the hang of it now, so it wasn’t difficult. The red portion of the Healing Bar was almost gone too. It would be over in a few minutes.

I felt relieved after emptying the gauge. As I was taking out the paper with Clean magic from my pocket, something flashed through my mind.

Huh? What key? It wasn’t my own thought. That which momentarily appeared and disappeared in my mind seemed like letters or a tiny voice.

I straightened my posture while wiping the nearly stopped blood with my sleeve. Immediately after, a new voice was heard.

It was a voice that sounded strained, as if squeezed out. The System? No. It felt different from the System.

Last time when I did the gauge-emptying tutorial, a sentence was engraved in my mind. But this time, it wasn’t letters but a voice. And a faint, tiny voice at that, as if about to fade away.

Suddenly, the air seemed to turn much colder. I got goosebumps. I looked around. It was still pitch-black darkness with nothing.

‘It felt like something was around.’

No, thinking about it, that couldn’t be. I tightly closed my eyes and took a breath. Vaguely cold air rushed into my body and spread. My mind sharpened.

Right. First, I just needed to do what I could do. Whether this was the System’s voice, or some other… something’s voice. It made no difference.

Worry later. I had to move first. If I stay still, nothing progresses. Since the voice announced that a key was close by, if I found it, I might learn something.

Of course, no quest appeared, but I didn’t want to ignore that voice that sounded somewhat desperate somewhere.

‘But how do I find the key?’

Saying ‘close by’ is too broad a range. The surrounding area was dense with wide grasslands and tall trees. I wish I had at least a hint.

I rummaged through my pocket. First, I tore the paper with Clean magic and used it to clean up the scattered blood. Then, I carefully examined other magics.

There were several basic magics, but none seemed suitable for finding a small object like a key.

‘Ah, right. The reward I received last time.’

When doing the ‘Find the Hero’ quest, the path of light guided me to Raen. Was the reward I received for succeeding in that quest unusable now?

As soon as the thought ended, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

Hmm… It seems this reward can only be used for Heroes. When I thought about not using it, the Status Window showed the reward list screen again.

As I was desperately scanning other rewards like grasping at straws,

Fzzzt.

The Status Window shook. Parts of the screen cracked and returned, blinking repeatedly. Just like when I first arrived here.