HIF 33

It’s Always Night Here

Seon Yi-han, who had fallen asleep in an instant, was still lying quietly with a pale face. Park Yul sat beside him for a long time, lost in thought, before slowly rising from his seat.

He cut off the long train of thought as if severing it. A faint voice came from outside. It seemed everyone had returned. It was time to go out.

Swish.

Park Yul, who had moved his reluctant feet, stepped outside the tent. The cold air momentarily rushed into the tent before scattering.

Outside, the profound darkness remained.

“He just fell asleep, Yi-han.”

At Park Yul’s following words, Raen checked Seon Yi-han’s condition with a wavering gaze.

Raen brushed back Seon Yi-han’s forehead and summoned a small table right beside the bed. Then, he placed a cup and some warm water on it.

Min Joo-hyuk meticulously tucked in the blanket and gently held Seon Yi-han’s hand.

Min Joo-hyuk, who had been stroking the ice-cold hand, conjured a fluffy glove in the air. The white glove was designed to have a separate thumb and the rest of the fingers together.

“Hey, Seon Yi-han. Don’t even think about using healing magic as soon as you wake up this time.”

Min Joo-hyuk said in a playful voice, slipping the glove onto Seon Yi-han’s pale, drained hand as if enveloping it. The generously sized glove was soft and light as cotton.

Song Ha-gyun silently took in the sight of the sleeping Seon Yi-han before tying a pouch of medicinal herbs to the head of the bed. The scent of herbs and flowers spread around. And Song Ha-gyun was the last to leave the tent.

Seon Yi-han woke from his sleep a little while later.

◇

I opened my eyes. The air was warm. The surroundings were faintly bright, and there was a light scent of grass. And I was lying buried deep in the blanket.

‘Just one thing after another…’

My body felt refreshed. Still, I disliked this kind of refreshment. I’d lost count of how many times I’d fallen asleep and woken up like this, as if cut off. Now, I couldn’t even properly tell how time was passing.

I used to be perfectly fine staying up for several nights. Why did my stamina suddenly hit rock bottom like this? Should I start exercising? I’d been fine without it until now.

Beside me, the Healing Bar flickered. It was completely empty, not a single trace of red.

Right, this was the last thing I checked. The tutorial for emptying the Healing Bar. And then I showed Park Yul vomiting blood.

Thinking about it again was dizzying. From now on, I had to empty it after falling somewhere no one could see.

‘First, I should go outside.’

I needed to go out and assess the situation. I slowly sat up from my spot.

A cup of water was placed on the table right beside me. As I reached my hand toward it, I saw a white glove on my hand.

What’s with the glove? I couldn’t feel it, so I didn’t even know it was there. I quietly clenched and unclenched my hand. The fabric touching my skin was soft and warm. Why did they put this on my hand before leaving?

‘Is there some reason?’

It seemed better to ask and take it off, just in case. They might have cast some magic on it. I needed to be cautious because I didn’t know much about such things.

After taking a sip of the warm water placed on the table, I moved my steps outside the tent. I pushed aside the fabric at the entrance. Cold air touched my face.

It was dark outside. A campfire was burning in the distance. Next to it, I could see a figure sitting on a log.

‘Brother Ha-gyeon?’

The neatly tied and hanging hair shimmered with the campfire’s light. I walked toward Song Ha-gyun, who sat quietly in place without even a small movement.

The campfire wasn’t too far from the tent. But it wasn’t that close either.

Song Ha-gyun didn’t notice until I was almost right next to him. Looking quietly, he seemed to be slowly writing letters in a notebook. A drawing that looked like a map was also sketched.

‘He looks busy.’

Thinking that, the moment I took one more step, Song Ha-gyun abruptly raised his head. Song Ha-gyun’s gaze turned toward me.

“…Seon Yi-han.”

Song Ha-gyun, who had quickly closed the notebook, sprang up from his seat. Then, he firmly grasped my shoulders. In the blink of an eye, I was occupying the spot where Song Ha-gyun had been sitting.

“Any… discomfort?”

I nodded at Song Ha-gyun, who continued speaking, saying he’d heard from Brother Park Yul. Song Ha-gyun stood still right in front of me, looking down at me. His face seemed to show a hint of worry.

I was always fine; it was you who weren’t. I’d lost count of how many times I’d had this thought. By now, it was almost tiresome.

I met Song Ha-gyun’s gaze directly. I had something to ask.

“That’s right, Brother Ha-gyeon.”

“Seon Yi-han. You, last time too…”

Ah, we spoke over each other. Just as I started to speak, Song Ha-gyun hesitantly opened his mouth. I looked at Song Ha-gyun, signaling him to continue, but Song Ha-gyun quietly shook his head.

Seeing him with his lips tightly sealed, I decided to speak first. I slightly extended both hands toward Song Ha-gyun and continued.

“Can I take it off?”

I had to fulfill my duty. It meant I needed to use healing on Song Ha-gyun. To do that, I had to take off the glove.

Come to think of it, Song Ha-gyun was the first person I healed. Back then, the Status Window appeared even when my hand touched over his clothes, but after that, the Status Window only appeared when skin directly touched skin.

Why? Did they go easy on me because it was the first time? Well, it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t a difficult task. I was lost in thought for a while, but Song Ha-gyun still hadn’t answered my question.

“…Brother Ha-gyeon?”

Song Ha-gyun was looking down at my face quietly, his eyes slightly wide open. He remained frozen in place.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew from the side. The flames of the campfire swept over toward us. The intense heat approached closely before receding.

The light purple eyes looking at me seemed to waver faintly. Should I not take off this glove?

This time, I stretched out my arm and waved it right in front of Song Ha-gyun. Song Ha-gyun’s gaze slowly shifted toward it.

Song Ha-gyun, who had blinked a few times, raised his hand. Then, he lightly grasped my wrist and gently pulled off the glove. Even though he didn’t grip tightly, the touch of his hand was distinctly felt.

Song Ha-gyun neatly gathered the glove and placed it on my hand. Then, he answered slowly.

“…Yeah. You can take it off.”

……Was that something that required such long thought? Well, if it’s Song Ha-gyun, it’s possible. He was always on the slower side. Still, I didn’t dislike that.

I put the glove in my pocket and took Song Ha-gyun’s hand again. Firm, cold fingers wrapped around mine. Perhaps it was my hand, which had been wearing the glove, that was warm.

Looking at the Status Window that appeared before my eyes, I selected healing.

「<The Healer will help you!> Healing, successful!」

Song Ha-gyun hastily pulled his hand away. But the healing was already complete. Song Ha-gyun, who had watched the light being absorbed into me, spoke faster than usual.

“You don’t have to do it for me.”

Even if he asked for healing first, it wouldn’t be enough, so why does he avoid it so much? Not just Song Ha-gyun, but everyone was like that. Unless it was a fairly serious injury, they tried to just let it pass.

Last time, I asked Raen about the cost of healing. Could it be that everyone thinks there might be a cost to healing? But, even if that were the case…

“Brother Ha-gyeon, you’re also doing what you have to do, right?”

So, I was also doing what I had to do. It was only natural.

“This is what I have to do.”

“…Why is that something you have to do?”

“Because it’s something I can do.”

I do what I can. Because that’s right. At first, that was the only reason.

But now, it wasn’t just that. Because I don’t like that only you are sacrificing yourselves for the world. I still don’t really understand saving the world, but I don’t want to see you suffer.

“And healing isn’t really a strain for me. So, if you get hurt, tell me first, Brother.”

“…You say it’s not a strain.”

Song Ha-gyun stared straight at me. His eyes seemed unconvinced. I couldn’t understand Song Ha-gyun’s reaction either.

“The one straining isn’t me, it’s you, Brother. Everyone is so busy running around without even a moment to rest…”

“We… chose this ourselves. Well, except for Brother Park Yul. But, what about you?”

Song Ha-gyun fixed his gaze straight on me. I see. He seemed to guess that I had no say when they brought me into the group at the temple.

It was true that it wasn’t entirely my choice from the beginning. The System appearing was an unexpected, sudden event. The same went for ending up with everyone. But…

“Brother. Is that so important?”

Whether I chose it from the beginning or not, that wasn’t something to be overly concerned about. What I can do now, and what I want to do, is help you. Isn’t that reason enough?

“What’s important is now, right? So, it’s okay.”

“……”

Song Ha-gyun didn’t say more. He had a quiet expression, as if lost in thought. What was he thinking so deeply about?

I took a deep breath. The heat from the campfire seeped strangely into the cold air. It was both cold and hot simultaneously. The different temperatures were all distinct.

The surroundings were still dark. It would probably remain so. Because it’s always night here. Still, outside, the sun would be rising day by day.

Even if I couldn’t see it, I knew. Because you don’t have to see everything with your own eyes to know.

It was night. A deep night, where the sun might be rising in the distance.

◇

The crackling sound of the campfire burning echoed quietly. Song Ha-gyun, who had been silent for a while, slowly opened his mouth as if having sorted out his thoughts.

He said that when they returned from scouting the forest, a Rift had opened. It hadn’t been left unattended for long, but they still had to deal with it quickly, so everyone had moved.

Song Ha-gyun silently watched me as I listened and nodded. His gaze seemed to be checking my condition. Song Ha-gyun, who turned his head forward again, opened his mouth.

“Seon Yi-han. If you’re okay… shall we walk together?”

It was a tone that flowed past, as if drifting by.

It seemed it didn’t matter whether I agreed, disagreed, or even didn’t answer at all. Even though it was clearly a question, its meaning was conveyed vaguely.

“I’ll walk with you.”

I actually wanted to look around the area anyway. I needed to check if there were any places I could sneak off to later when emptying the Healing Bar.

Song Ha-gyun turned his head and met my gaze. My reflection was captured in his dawn-like purple eyes. Even though he didn’t say anything, it felt like he was asking again if I was really okay.

I found myself nodding. Song Ha-gyun continued in a voice that sounded a bit relieved.

“…Okay. I’ll also… show you the defensive magic boundary.”

Perhaps because of the nearby firelight, Song Ha-gyun’s monocle seemed to glimmer.