HIF 49

Because It Remains in Memory

Meeting Park Yul’s gaze directly, I opened my mouth.

“It’s a gift, hyung.”

Even after mustering the courage to say this much, the Quest Window remained silent. Since the quest earlier said to deliver gifts to the Heroes, perhaps I needed to give them to everyone, not just Park Yul.

Park Yul smiled brightly and gently tousled my hair.

“Alright. Thank you.”

“Hey, Seon Yi-han. What about me?”

Min Joo-hyuk immediately asked me from the side. Of course, I had intended to give him one too.

After placing a flower in Min Joo-hyuk’s hand, I also delivered a flower to Song Ha-gyun, who was unpacking his belongings at the back. I even placed a flower in the hand of Raen, who was standing quietly in thought before the displayed map.

Yet, no success notification appeared.

Why? I delivered them all. The moment I thought that, the Quest Window appeared before my eyes.

You can’t just receive! Deliver a ‘heartfelt’ flower gift to the Heroes.

There was an added phrase. It was kindly enclosed in quotation marks.

Of course, adding words this belatedly wasn’t kind in itself. Couldn’t they have told me from the beginning?

I quietly walked to the window. Flowers were still pouring down like a shower. I felt a bit overwhelmed.

‘What kind of gift is a heartfelt one?’

The criteria were too ambiguous. Is it about putting in effort? But it was impossible for me to make something out of flowers myself. Without stems or leaves, I couldn’t even make a small flower ring.

“It’s difficult…”

“What is?”

I muttered blankly when Raen’s voice suddenly came from beside me. Raen was standing next to me, his gaze fixed outside the window.

Should I ask Raen what he thinks a heartfelt gift is? But since I had just given him a single flower blossom, saying it was a gift, asking such a question felt a bit awkward.

In the end, I could only give a vague answer.

“Just, realizing something belatedly.”

Come to think of it, that was true. If the System had informed me of all the conditions from the start, it probably wouldn’t have felt this difficult.

Because one’s mindset is most determined at the very first moment. If the difficulty had been high from the beginning, I would have mentally prepared myself firmly before starting.

As I was thinking that, Raen’s voice came from beside me.

“Knowing everything from the start might be impossible.”

“Then you can’t mentally prepare yourself.”

“You’re right, Yi-han. If the moment you learn something is sudden, it wouldn’t be easy to accept either.”

Raen turned his head toward me. His red hair swayed slightly in the wind blowing from ahead.

“But, there are also moments that are more meaningful precisely because you weren’t prepared.”

A faint smile formed on Raen’s face as he looked at me. Raen slowly reached his hand toward me. His long fingers lightly brushed near my neck. The ticklish sensation made my body stiffen for a moment.

“Sometimes, isn’t it good to realize something suddenly?”

I blankly listened to his slowly continuing, pale voice. Raen’s hand slid away. In Raen’s hand was a small flower blossom. It seemed to have been attached to my collar.

Raen quietly gazed at the pink flower in his hand, then raised his head to look at me. A voice tinged with laughter followed.

“You have a troubled expression.”

“Hyung, have you ever suddenly realized something too?”

“Hmm. What have you realized now, Yi-han?”

We all needed to establish a rule. A rule to always answer first when asked a question.

Well, I had realized something. That there was an added condition to the quest the System gave me. But I couldn’t say that.

Raen stretched his hand outside the window. The flower on Raen’s hand mixed among the other flowers and disappeared in an instant. Watching that sight, I uttered the words that came to mind.

“That there’s a flower downpour. It seems wondrous. Strange too.”

“Right. Since it’s your first time seeing it, it must feel unfamiliar.”

“What about you, Raen hyung?”

“…Me too. I never thought I’d see it during this season.”

His words continued after a brief pause. It didn’t seem like the answer Raen originally intended. But I decided to let it pass. Because listening to Raen’s words, I had realized something.

Realizing something suddenly like this didn’t seem all that bad. This quest was like that too. I could ponder again what kind of heartfelt gift I could give to everyone.

Come to think of it, there isn’t a single meaningless thing in the world. It’s just that at the time, it feels a bit unfair.

So maybe preparation isn’t necessary. After all, the world doesn’t always wait for you to have time to mentally prepare.

“It’s beautiful. Even though we can’t go outside.”

Following Raen’s gaze, I also turned my head toward the window.

“You’re right, hyung.”

Flowers were still pouring down.

As if trying to dye the whole world pink, endlessly.

◇

I woke up at dawn.

I had fallen asleep amidst the thick floral scent. Perhaps because the window was wide open without glass, it felt like I was buried in a pile of flowers.

I got up and stood by the window. It was pitch-black night. A round, large moon hung in the sky. Beneath it, flowers were still pouring down. Each flower blossom glimmered in the moonlight.

Where does it all start from to come here? As I was quietly gazing at the pink hue tinged with the faint light of dawn, there was a presence behind me.

Huh, I thought everyone was sleeping now. I turned my head back.

Simultaneously, he swiftly approached me.

“Ha-gyeon hyung?”

Instantly, a grassy scent wafted over. His sunken eyes shone in the darkness.

“…Why are you awake?”

Song Ha-gyun brushed up my bangs as if checking my condition.

“I just woke up. What about you, Ha-gyeon hyung?”

There was no answer. Song Ha-gyun stared intently at me and conjured a blanket out of thin air. That blanket softly draped over my back.

“…I was watching.”

“Huh?”

“…I asked. Were you watching outside?”

Song Ha-gyun continued in a calm tone. Moonlight faintly tinged his purple hair cascading over his shoulders. I nodded and answered.

“When night falls, it feels different.”

“…What does?”

“The atmosphere outside. Maybe because it’s dark, it feels that way.”

Song Ha-gyun placed his hand on my shoulder. Then he slowly drew closer to me. My body was gently pushed back. Before I knew it, I was sitting perched on the wide-open window frame.

“Hyung?”

Song Ha-gyun, standing beside me, stretched one hand outward. When he drew it back, he held about three large flowers.

It seemed Song Ha-gyun whispered something in a small voice. Simultaneously, the flowers floated gently into the air and then settled onto my wrist.

A halo of light shimmered around the flowers. Soon, thick green stems grew. Those stems intertwined with each other, loosely wrapping around my wrist. The sensation against my skin was soft.

“A bracelet… So there’s magic like this too.”

As I murmured blankly, Song Ha-gyun’s voice reached me from ahead.

“…It will disappear later.”

A spring dawn breeze blew in. The flowers loosely tied to me tickled my skin.

I knew these flowers would disappear before long. But that wasn’t important.

“They’ll remain in memory, though.”

After spitting out the reply, a conversation from some time ago suddenly came to mind. The reason Park Yul had been gifting disappearing pieces every year. Perhaps Park Yul had thought the same way.

I raised my wrist and brought it close to my face. A vivid fragrance wafted up, enough to make a smile form naturally at the corner of my mouth.

“Thank you, Ha-gyeon hyung.”

“…Yeah.”

Song Ha-gyun, who answered blankly, suddenly pulled my arm. He sprang up from his spot.

“Now sleep.”

Song Ha-gyun’s voice was firm. After confirming I lay back down on my spot, he returned to his own place.

Lying still, I stretched my arm toward the ceiling. The pink flowers wrapped around my wrist shone clearly through the moonlight.

I had grasped a clue. It seemed giving a gift with this kind of feeling would work. This much was a gift that would fill the heart to overflowing.

But I can’t use magic or anything. What should I do? Should I ask him to use magic for me? But using magic and gifting it right away feels a bit off, doesn’t it…?

My thoughts gradually slowed. It felt like I had just closed my eyes for a moment…

When I opened my eyes again, it was already morning.

The surroundings were bright. I saw Park Yul’s face quietly watching me as I lay there.

“…Yul hyung. Am I late again?”

“You’re never late, Yi-han-ah. You woke up exactly on time.”

Park Yul took the hand I stretched out. A gentle touch slowly helped me sit up.

Fortunately, it seemed the sun hadn’t risen long ago. Looking around, though, everyone had already finished packing up.

I sprang up from my spot. Min Joo-hyuk continued speaking while tidying my hair.

“Looks like you slept well. We just finished packing up, perfect timing.”

It seemed we were about to slowly move to the next location. Raen lightly placed a hand on my back.

“Shall we go now?”

A wind blew. The scenery changed in an instant.

The floral scent still lingered. Flowers as red as the setting sun were slowly falling from the sky.

The ground looked as if it was entirely dyed red. A flower fluttering toward me like a red butterfly brushed against my cheek. Then it settled gently onto the ground.

“The flowers here are red?”

“…Because it’s the west.”

Ah, right. This is the west. What does that have to do with it? As I was diligently pondering the connection, Park Yul continued.

“I told you the zone is divided into two, right? In the western region, red flowers fall like this.”

“Is the eastern region different?”

Park Yul nodded. Then, shifting his steps, he asked me.

“What color do you think the flowers are?”

“White, maybe?”

“Oh? Why do you think that?”

“Because it’s the opposite color.”

Min Joo-hyuk abruptly chimed in from the side.

“Is that the opposite color?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Turquoise feels more like the opposite color… Well, everyone perceives things differently. It’s possible to think of white.”

Park Yul, smiling brightly, took over the conversation.

“That’s right. But it’s not white flowers. Think about it slowly some more.”

So he won’t tell me the answer. Park Yul seemed the type not to give hints until I found the answer myself.

Park Yul raised his hand and pointed to a place far in the distance. Following the tip of his finger, I shifted my gaze.

“Right now, we’re heading to that building.”