episode_0010

I have felt warmth many times.

Since I started living alone, I have always fallen asleep under a thick blanket.

Even when I starved for a few days, I kept the heater on full blast during the cold winter.

I bought a good blanket for warmth. It was an extravagant act, but I didn’t regret it.

I also used good fabric softener and always had a diffuser on hand.

So I always slept in a comfortable bed.

But I had never experienced this kind of warmth before.

The face buried in Hong Yeonhwa’s chest. The warmth and soft touch were clearly transmitted even through the clothes. For the first time in my life, I embraced someone.

The touch that gently stroked my head conveyed emotions that were difficult to describe. This too was a first. I had no memory of anyone stroking my head…

“……”

My mind was hazy.

As I absentmindedly felt the warmth and touch, I patted Hong Yeonhwa’s back to indicate that it was okay now.

With a vacant look, Hong Yeonhwa expressed her confusion as she moved her hand.

“Yeah…? Oh, oh!”

Only then did she seem to notice her posture, as she hesitated to jump up, carefully put me down, and then plopped down on the chair.

Upon closer inspection, her eyes, hair, and face were all drenched in a color that could not be distinguished.

‘…What’s going on?’

While Hong Yeonhwa fanned herself to cool her face, I checked my own condition.

It was beyond sweating. Sweat was sticking all over my body. Not only my clothes but also the bed were soaked.

I tried to tidy my sweat-drenched bangs and thought, but I couldn’t make sense of it.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better…”

As a result of fanning herself, Hong Yeonhwa, who had somewhat returned to her previous self, wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“While you were asleep, you kept groaning, so I stayed by your side… Then suddenly, at the end, you gasped for breath, which startled me.”

“……”

“Did you happen to have a bad dream?”

As she worried, Hong Yeonhwa cautiously inquired about the dream, and I made a vacant expression.

‘Groaning?’

In my dream, there was no such thought. Was it as painful as groaning? No, it wasn’t. Even if I subtly accept childhood memories, it wasn’t shocking enough to take my breath away.

A dream is just a dream.

It’s nothing more than a mere reproduction of the past, not the present situation. The past cannot harm me now.

I overcame that trivial past long ago. My unreasonable parents have died and disappeared, so they can’t do anything to me now. Even the loan sharks can no longer find me.

Moreover, the world has changed now. They can’t find me or interfere with me, not even once in a thousand or ten thousand times.

So why should I be afraid?

They absolutely cannot do anything to me.

“By any chance, do you remember the situation before fainting?”

As I tried to calm myself, I reflexively turned my head at the sound coming from beside me. A gloomy Hongyeonhwa was looking at me carefully.

As I nodded, she spat out a gloomy aura and bowed deeply.

“…I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault.”

Followed by an apology.

“I, I was too excited and didn’t look around… No, that’s not it. I’m sorry, that was an excuse.”

Seeing her lose her usual confident attitude and ramble, it seemed she was not in a normal state either.

Without saying a word, I shook my head… and my smartwatch came to mind, projecting a hologram.

[It’s okay. You’ve apologized.]

Thanks to the normalized spatial perception, I could see the hologram projected by the smartwatch.

“…I’m sorry.”

Staring blankly at the hologram, I soon felt puzzled by Hongyeonhwa’s apologetic attitude.

Before the welcome ceremony, was it intentional for her to push me and trip me over? I don’t know. But according to her, it was a mistake, and she apologized.

At the end of the welcome ceremony, throwing the opponent at me like a baseball? That was also a mistake, and she apologized again.

But why such an attitude? It seemed as if she had made an irreparable mistake, as if I refused to accept her apology, her sullen appearance was incomprehensible.

Dark thoughts kept creeping in. My thinking kept tilting towards negativity.

[Why are you sorry?]

“Uh…?

Above all, I don’t really understand why you’re apologizing.

[If you come from a background like yours, can’t you just ignore something so trivial?]

It was a mistake? Shouldn’t you just apologize and move on? If you don’t accept the apology? So what… What could I possibly do to Hong Yeonhwa?

It was intentional. It was intentional torment… Can I even dare to resist in the same way?

Heir of the Geop Clan.

Not just a simple group of ordinary people, but one of the top clans that practically control the nation sitting in a powerful position in the current superpower.

The heir. Someone who will become a prominent figure in the world in the future.

Moreover, even if only the confirmed potential is developed, it’s practically certain that they will become a world-class talent… Why should they show this attitude towards me?

‘Special Admissions Student.’

The first student personally selected by the principal of Siyolam.

Come to think of it, I don’t know if it’s thanks to that title.

The label of a special admissions student is both a tag that invites envy and jealousy, and at the same time, a shield for being the one chosen by the principal.

Even though I can’t stand petty torment, is it really because they can incur the principal’s wrath by killing me outright?

“……”

Hong Yeonhwa, who was blankly staring at the hologram I put up, reached out and grabbed my cheek with both hands. I felt the warmth as it spread through my cheek, making it feel real.

“?”

“Hayul.”

As she pressed her palm against my cheek, my lips pouted like a carp. Seeing my own appearance through spatial perception, I looked utterly ridiculous.

As I absentmindedly stuck out my lips, Hong Yeonhwa spoke with a pitiful… yet firm expression.

“It’s natural to apologize for what you’ve done wrong.”

“……”

“I… I don’t know exactly what kind of environment you’ve been in. I don’t know what you’ve been through, or how you’ve lived.”

For some reason, she continued speaking after biting her lip once.

What’s certain is that I did wrong to you. I pushed you away at first, said hurtful things… and now I’ve caused trouble like this.”

“……”

“I’m really sorry.”

Apologizing for doing wrong is only natural.”

The moment I heard those words, my hazy mind seemed to awaken in an instant. It felt as if the fog blocking my path had suddenly cleared, bringing a sense of liberation.

The series of strange events finally began to function properly.

“Uh, ah…”

At that moment, I became aware of what foolish thing I had been doing.

An indescribable sense of shame overwhelmed me.

As I woke from the dream, I made no resistance to Hong Yeonhwa’s embrace. Instead, I sought warmth and buried myself in her arms…

“Why apologize? Why say sorry?” I blurted out like a fool, only to receive a natural scolding…

My face flushed. Just moments ago, my body was as cold as a frozen fish, but now it felt warm, almost like a hot pack.

“Ah, are you in pain?”

Hong Yeonhwa, who had been pressing my cheeks, looked at it and asked cautiously if I was in pain, which made me even more embarrassed.

Startled, I released my grip and felt grateful yet embarrassed by her gentle touch on my cheek…

“No, I just suddenly felt feverish. I’m not hurt, really.”

“You’re not hurt? That’s a relief…”

I put my hand on her chest, worried that she might be in pain, and watched Hong Yeonhwa breathe a sigh of relief, and I was engulfed in a strange empathy.

The original Hong Yeonhwa had never shown such a side.

A villain with the most association-certified kills.

The one who would burn everything without discrimination, the “Gyeop-hwa (劫火)” and “Gwang-yeom (狂炎).”

A warrior who would charge relentlessly at even second-tier monsters without hesitation.

From the player’s perspective, Hong Yeonhwa was such a character. Although there were sub-stories about her kindness or positive evaluations from others, they didn’t resonate.

I wanted to express my gratitude for a moment, but the curse of silence came to mind and sealed my lips.

“Thank you.”

“I’ve said it many times, but it’s my fault. You don’t have to thank me.”

Hong Yeonhwa pointed to her smartwatch.

“It’s already this late. How are you feeling? Should I take you back to the dorm? Or you can stay here tonight. I don’t have any plans tomorrow.”

Then I’ll sleep here. I don’t have the energy to go back to the dormitory.

Actually, my head still feels fuzzy. The change in spatial perception is making it throb even more.

With the addition of color and contrast, there’s more information, so it’s even worse. It seems like it will take some time to adapt.

I buried my face deep into the pillow. The soft texture tightly embraced my face.

But it’s much rougher than before.

…The sensation of burying my face there just now comes to mind, and I feel feverish. I turned my body completely, burying my face so it couldn’t be seen.

My mind drifted away in an instant. I’m more tired than I thought… than I… am…

* * *

“He’s asleep.”

The orange glow shining through the window was coloring the infirmary.

Inside the infirmary, a heavy silence flowed quietly. Occasionally, the wind blowing in would only make the sound of the window tapping.

On the bed.

Lee Hayul was sleeping comfortably, breathing evenly with half of his face buried in the pillow.

“Phew…”

Hong Yeonhwa stared blankly at him, then suddenly pulled herself together and let out a deep sigh. She had been watching for a while in case he had another nightmare, but there were no signs of that.

‘Thank goodness.’

Yeonhwa rubbed her forehead as she recalled a few hours ago.

She had lost her temper.

She had pushed Lee Hayul over and spat out harsh words. The fault was clear.

Lee Hayul was the sole victim, and Yeonhwa was the perpetrator. She knew that, but she couldn’t help but feel stressed.

She had apologized, but was that enough? When should she apologize again? Should she offer something along with the apology?

Such concerns. Even during the welcome party, those thoughts had been swirling in her head. A friendly match.

Her opponent was a promising athlete from Japan. Their skills were decent, and they both used the same type of sword, so she went out to blow off some steam and have fun.

Did she think she’d lose? No. And indeed, it went that way. She enjoyed it for fun and to relieve stress, and she never once tried to gain the upper hand during the match.

She pushed until the end, then finished the match with a refreshing strike.

The problem was that the battered opponent flew towards Yi Hayul and crashed into her.

As she felt the exhilarating joy of victory, Yi Hayul collided with her opponent and lost consciousness.

Even now, the accident seems to cut off as if my head is turning white and crumpling a blank sheet of paper.

Think from Yi Hayul’s perspective.

In the morning, he pushed me over and accused me of not being able to see ahead.

After that, he immediately apologized and said he would compensate later if I needed something.

Just by looking at this much, it’s not an ordinary crazy person.

But… after apologizing like that, within a few hours, he knocked out his opponent who had tripped him in the morning and caused trouble! Just a few hours later!

“Th-that… saying it’s natural to apologize for what you did wrong,” he muttered as if he were something, but inside, he was sweating coldly.

From Yi Hayul’s perspective, it was an insidious torment that deceived him, and he couldn’t refute it because it was an evil act…

Grudges are certain.

Both grace and resentment are abundant.

The precept handed down from the time of the sijo.

It is a belief that everyone engraved in their hearts if they were part of the Geobhwa family, and Hong Yeonhwa, despite her sharp temperament, was doing her best to uphold the precept.

I made a mistake in the morning. Before making amends, again! The same! I made another mistake! To the same opponent!

Fortunately, Hwayul, who has a very gentle disposition, accepted the apology, but…

If she had rejected the apology and closed the door to her heart…

“Ugh…”

Holding her head, Hong Yeonhwa brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear.

Of course, there is no way to think lightly of such an apology. Since I caused trouble and even hurt feelings, compensation and apologies are planned to be multiplied.

With that determination, she got up. She confirmed that she didn’t have any nightmares, so she decided to go back slowly.

“……”

As she checked her condition for the last time, her gaze unconsciously turned upwards.

The background, where the sunset is like a blanket, and the unique appearance of Yi Hayul met, it was a sight that one could believe to be a painting.

Her eyes were round, and her face itself was thin and soft. Her actions also seemed delicate, evoking a protective instinct in people.

There were many reasons why women’s hearts were drawn to her at the reception.

And her hair felt like some kind of drug, so I absentmindedly stroked it.

She had a nice, tight physique, and she smelled amazing…

“This is insane.”

Before the thought could continue, she slapped her own cheek.

She gently caressed her heated cheek.

…And as thoughts circled back, she found herself pushing away such a man, spewing curses, and feeling a knife at her conscience for making him faint.

“Tsk.”

After coughing in vain, she tried to turn around, but noticed that the blanket had been disheveled. It was due to her tossing and turning for a moment.

Let’s just cover this up and leave.

Thinking that, she pulled up the blanket.

At the same time, Hong Yeonhwa’s body stiffened.

“……”

The warm feeling that had been there just moments ago in the infirmary was now enveloped in a chilling silence. Her eyes wandered, but then fixed on one spot.

For a warrior, the eyes are life. Without them, you cannot pursue an opponent’s attack or defend against your own.

Warrior Hong Yeonhwa doubted her own eyes. It seemed as if her brain was refusing to accept them.

Her body stiffened like a statue. Her breathing became rough. Her chest felt tight and dizzy.

She just wanted to step back. But she couldn’t.

Intuition screamed that she shouldn’t.

Trembling as if there was an earthquake, Hong Yeonhwa reached out with her hand.

The gloves that Yi Hayul was wearing. She didn’t think much about it. Was it just fashion? She thought.

Beneath them, beneath the disheveled gloves, scars were visible.

Traces of a gruesome burn. Up to this point… it hurt, but it was understandable. You might even consider treating those scars as a gesture of apology.

“…Uh, uh…”

Geobhwa (劫火).

A unique ability passed down from her ancestors.

It is a flame that burns oneself and the world, a fire that leaves nothing but ashes of hatred.

Burning fear into the owner’s mind, it gnaws at the body, and if one tries to impose it on others, it clings until the end without easily fading away.

It usually burns to the end, but there are cases where it inevitably fades away. Even in such cases, the fear does not disappear gently.

When it eventually goes out, it leaves a terrible scar on the subject. This serves as a kind of mark that cannot be properly erased by healing abilities.

A hideous mark covering about half of the forearm from the fingertips.

Hongyeon-hwa knows this form of mark very well. She has seen it while facing monsters, and even while defeating villains.

She has also personally engraved it herself.

“…Fear.”

That was the trace of fear.