episode_0063

The chilly night breeze brushed against my cheeks, sending shivers down my body as the cold seeped into my skin.

I was led by Baek Arin to the park outside the banquet hall.

The sunlight had already disappeared, leaving a dim atmosphere. The only sources of light nearby were the street lamps and the glow-in-the-dark stones embedded in the walkway.

“It’s already night.”

I had been so preoccupied with being led around that I hadn’t realized how time had flown by. How many hours had passed already?

My plan to just exchange greetings and leave had been completely ruined.

Baek Arin held onto my sleeve as we strolled along the park’s walkway. It was a park I had crossed once upon entering.

“Ah, it feels so refreshing. I can finally breathe.”

While I was shivering from the cold, Baek Arin, on the other hand, seemed content, her chest puffed out with satisfaction.

“They had the heating on too high inside. My clothes were practically soaked with sweat. Wasn’t it too hot for you, Hayul? I was feeling dizzy from the heat.”

Was she not complaining about the warmth, but rather seeking relief from it by fluttering her clothes against her chest?

For a moment, I felt a sense of awe at her demeanor, but considering her constitution, she might indeed feel hot.

In fact, I hadn’t realized it before, but the inside of the banquet hall was also quite warm. Stepping outside and feeling the cold air hit me made me realize my body was overall warm.

Personally, I preferred the warmth, so I had no complaints, but Baek Arin was probably different.

With her constitution specialized in absorbing heat and cold through her skin, the stuffy interior must have been uncomfortable in many ways.

Baek Arin grumbled as she sat me down on a bench along the park’s walkway. She then plopped down on the same bench next to me.

The street lamp next to the bench illuminated the darkness, giving it a subtle charm.

It was the kind of bench and street lamp that could be found circulating as sentimental memes on the internet.

“Sigh…”

It hadn’t been long since we stepped outside. It must have been only about ten minutes.

Though a short time, I personally thought it was enough time to cool down my slightly warm body with the night breeze, but Baek Arin seemed to disagree as she continued to flutter her clothes.

“Do you need more cooling down?”

“Yes. There’s too much accumulated heat, it feels like it’s melting away…”

Baek Arin let out a rare soft sigh as she leaned back against the bench.

Was it really that hot inside? While it was true that my body had warmed up a bit, I wasn’t sure if Baek Arin, who possessed coldness, would be affected to that extent.

Since I hadn’t experienced having coldness, I couldn’t know for sure. Perhaps it was similar to warmth.

Warmth is specialized in heat, so users of warmth tend to have warm bodies. That’s why Hong Yeonhwa’s embrace is particularly warm… Why am I thinking about this now?

I quickly shook off the strange thoughts and focused on something else. My head was spinning, but I managed to redirect my thoughts.

I tapped my cheek lightly and operated my smartwatch. The question that had slipped my mind resurfaced.

“Where is Hong Yeonhwa?”

“Yeonhwa couldn’t attend due to the burden of warmth. It seems she’ll be absent for a few more days.”

“Oh.”

The side effects of warmth. I had known about it since seeing Hong Yeonhwa struggle since the last day of the tower.

Nodding at Baek Arin’s response, I pondered silently.

“Is the side effect really that severe?”

I searched through the original memories.

From the 1st to the 12th episode.

In the early episodes, the butterfly effect that players could trigger wasn’t significant. At most, it would result in planting a seed for a massive storm to come in the future.

The first time entering the tower, especially in the early stages, it is difficult for players to trigger any major events.

Thanks to that, the early stages usually flow in a similar manner, and Hong Yeonhwa experienced changes in Geophwa with each episode.

It wasn’t a big event.

Except for the fact that Geophwa’s already powerful output became even more intense, there wasn’t any event worth paying attention to.

‘…Is she okay?’

As I thought about it, worries came to mind.

I asked Hong Yeonhwa, who seemed to be in poor condition in the tower, if she was okay, but all I got was a reply saying there was no problem.

Although she only seemed to be slightly off in terms of condition, I accepted her words… Could the side effects have worsened to the point where she couldn’t participate in the afterparty?

I didn’t know how Hong Yeonhwa overcame the side effects in the original work.

It could have been summarized as simply completing the first tower entry and meeting Hong Yeonhwa, who had become stronger after experiencing Geophwa’s changes.

I didn’t know how difficult that process was.

[Hong Yeonhwa, are you okay?]

“She says she’s okay, but… this time, the side effects seem particularly severe.”

Baek Arin, who had her arm resting on the back of the chair, replied with a lowered head.

As I gradually nodded in response, my worries deepened.

Suddenly, memories of the 11th episode came to mind.

In the 11th episode, when I dug into the records of the Geophwa family, there was a record of a Geophwa user who died due to side effects, although it was rare.

That sparked unease in me.

“Don’t worry too much. Even if she seems reckless, she knows her limits, and if it gets really dangerous, she’ll call someone from the family to help.”

Seeing my expression, Baek Arin added an explanation as if to reassure me.

But even with such an explanation, my worries didn’t subside. Baek Arin let out a bitter smile and continued.

“If you’re really worried, maybe you should pay her a visit. I’m sure she’ll… appreciate it.”

The following words suddenly crumbled. Without finishing the sentence, they dissipated into thin air. Baek Arin blinked her eyes.

“Um… huh?”

‘?’

Then she made an odd sound with her mouth. It seemed like she was pondering something.

Curious, I waited for a moment.

After being lost in her own thoughts for a while, Baek Arin soon smiled.

It was a mischievous smile tinged with playfulness.

“Ha Yul, would you like to take a picture with me?”

[Sure?]

It seemed like she was calling me by name.

I nodded, and she continued with a mischievous smile.

“Let’s just take a picture like this to avoid it being boring.”

A breath tickled my ear, causing my shoulders to tremble. Even though I was adjusting my senses, it still happened.

If I had the amplified senses from the tower, I would have jumped right there.

In the information transmitted through spatial perception, there was me and Baek Arin sitting on the bench.

Baek Arin was leaning close to me, with her arm resting on my shoulder.

Earlier, when Baek Arin asked why we needed to take a picture, she replied like this.

– I’ll send it to Yeonhwa.

That was the explanation.

Yeonhwa couldn’t participate in the afterparty due to her condition, so she asked Baek Arin to check on me a bit.

After hearing the explanation, I inwardly nodded.

Indeed, Baek Arin seemed to be subtly concerned about me from the moment I arrived, and if there was such a reason behind it, it made sense.

Amidst feeling a strange affinity towards Hong Yeonhwa, who worried about me even in her poor condition.

Baek Arin’s words, saying that she will send a picture they took together as a way of showing that she is paying attention, made me nod in agreement.

“Now, I will take the picture~”

I straightened my posture at Baek Arin’s signal.

– Click!

A hologram appeared on Baek Arin’s arm-attached smartwatch.

The camera’s distinctive alarm went off, and the hologram displayed a picture of Baek Arin and me.

“Done!”

Baek Arin relaxed her posture and operated her smartwatch. It seemed like she was sending the picture to Hong Yeonhwa.

– Ding!

After a moment, an alarm rang. It seemed like the picture was sent successfully.

“Now, shall we start heading back?”

I had taken the picture, and my body heat had subsided quite a bit. My head had also cooled down, making it easier to think.

My condition must have improved as well, as I was about to get up with the intention of heading back.

– Ding!

– Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Baek Arin’s smartwatch rang alarms like crazy. Startled by the sudden barrage of alarms, I turned my head.

“Ahaha!”

Whether she said something or not, Baek Arin burst into a clear laughter, as if something was incredibly funny. Her laughter spread in all directions, filling the air with a loud sound.

[Baek Arin?]

“Uhuhu… Ah, it’s nothing. Thank you for sending the picture, Yeonhwa.”

Baek Arin wiped away the tears forming in her eyes as she spoke.

I couldn’t help but wonder why she was sending so many messages just to say thank you, but since she said it like that, I had nothing to say in response.

If I wanted to, I could have checked the message history, but I suppressed my curiosity for privacy reasons.

I nodded my head with a puzzled expression.

‘What’s going on…’

I didn’t know what it was, but Baek Arin seemed to be incredibly happy. Even now, looking at the hologram and chuckling was evidence of that.

It was a rare attitude for Baek Arin, who usually exuded a gentle atmosphere.

People were like that. People couldn’t always show the same side of themselves.

That was what made people so unpredictable.

People weren’t NPCs with rigid settings.

The first-round Baek Arin who stayed by the player’s side until the end in a world on the brink of destruction.

The eighth-round Baek Arin who stabbed the player in the back and killed them.

Baek Arin who disliked the heat and liked strange old-fashioned candies.

Just knowledge confined to the game. A world that matched the knowledge of the game.

Me, possessing abilities written just like a game character.

‘……’

Perhaps it was because it was nighttime, but all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. This could be called a midnight sentiment.

It was a complex feeling in many ways.

* * *

– Ding!

[Player Adjustment System: Affection Level]

Yoo Ha Yul → Baek Arin

●●●●●○○○○○(50/100)

｢Affection｣ ｢Question｣ ｢Confusion｣

[Did not meet the conditions for lifting the curse of “Silent Curse”]

[Did not meet the conditions for lifting the curse of “Loneliness Curse”]