episode_0196

At the sudden appearance, Lee Hyeon immediately tried to turn around.

But the voice of the schoolgirl following him stopped him.

“… Don’t look.”

“Senior?”

“I told you not to look.”

Yeonmin-ha muttered, tightening her arms even more. Now that she looked, her trembling voice was filled with resentment and tears directed at him.

“Who, who would call your senior’s name so carelessly?”

Once pierced, her lips continued to pour out criticism at Lee Hyeon without stopping.

“Sniff… Who are you to act so selfishly? This is exactly what I want… ”

“Sigh… ”

However, upon hearing that voice, Lee Hyeon instead let out a sigh of relief. The sense of stability that enveloped his body was extremely strange.

“Senior.”

After listening to the sad mutterings for a while, Lee Hyeon finally opened his mouth.

“Don’t call me…sniff.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“… None.”

Even while sobbing with pity, she answered his questions sincerely.

“What are you doing here alone in this mess? It’s not enough even if you evacuate quickly.”

“Why did you come here?”

“… Yes?”

The one who was slightly embarrassed by Yeonminha’s calm question was Lee Hyeon.

“Well, I’m sure my senior is waiting for me… I promised, right?”

“Me too.”

And then, as if waiting with pity, she took his words.

“Because you promised… That’s why I was waiting.”

“What if I can’t come… ”

“That won’t happen. You’re the kind of person who keeps your promises. Even back then…you were like that.”

It seemed as if he was asking why she was saying such an obvious thing. Yeon Min-ha hesitated for a moment and then added a little something.

“Of course it’s a little late this time… sniff.”

“I’m sorry.”

“… Okay. Is it because of those weird guys?”

“… Yes.”

Lee Hyeon reluctantly nodded to Yeon Min-ha’s words.

“There were a few of them here too. They were trying to set the garden on fire. The spirits were crying out for help… ”

“Then what’s that at the entrance?”

“These are the guys I dealt with. Something was strange, so I knocked them out for a bit… The security will take care of the rest. The injuries were their fault… ”

The butterfly spirits were still flying around them, emitting light. Listening to Yeonminha’s words, they seemed even more joyful.

“Anyway… Since you’re here, it’s okay.”

Before long, the moisture in Yeonminha’s voice had subsided a little. Of course, it was still blunt.

Lee Hyeon took advantage of that gap and spoke to her again.

“Senior.”

“Why.”

“Can you show me your face now?”

“… No.”

Lee Hyun could feel the strength returning to the slender arms that were wrapping around him. The image of a certain female student nodding her head behind him came to mind.

“What is the reason?”

“That’s… a punishment.”

Yeonmin-ha continued speaking in a flustered tone.

“Bee… ?”

“Ha, I have no face to show to a rude junior who carelessly calls the name of a senior who is as good as the sky. Do you think that’s all? You don’t even keep your promises… How long have I waited here… ”

“Then I guess I have no reason to be here. Can I just go now?”

“Oh, no…!”

Yeonminha shouted in panic at Lee Hyun’s gesture of trying to pull his arm away. Then she tried to squeeze him tightly again.

What do you want me to do? Lee Hyeon let out a light sigh.

And then, as if he was thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly grabbed Yeonmin-ha’s arm and turned around.

“Wait, wait…! I’m a total mess right now…!”

The shrill scream that had been coming out suddenly stopped as soon as Lee Hyun turned around completely. He could still feel the warm body temperature on his chest.

“I told you not to… ”

About a head and a half below. A resigned muttering can be heard.

The eyes of the female student looking up at him in that close position were a clear red. The makeup smeared messily around her eyes was a trace of sadness and sorrow no matter how you looked at it.

Yeon Min-ha, who had caught Hyun Lee’s gaze, quickly lowered her head like a rabbit hiding in a hole.

“I told you… I clearly said it was a mess… ”

Her voice, which seemed to have calmed down a little, was becoming moist again.

“Idiot… real idiot… idiot moron… ”

The hem of the sleeveless dress flutters in the wind.

“I, I prepared so hard… but… ”

A one-piece dress that was the exact same color as her hair. Anyone who looked at it could tell that a lot of effort had been put into it.

Lee Hyun, who had taken a step back, was finally able to see the red drops of blood spattered here and there on the white paper.

“It seems okay.”

“… Don’t say things you don’t mean. Do you think I’m stupid?”

Yeonminha shook her head and vehemently denied his words.

“I don’t lie about things like this, you know that.”

“Sniff… Really?”

But at Lee Hyeon’s subsequent words, she raised her head slightly as if nothing had happened and glanced at him.

“Really.”

“… ”

Lee Hyun emphasized what he had said again with more force.

Yeonmin-ha, who had been silent for a while, walked towards him and grabbed his sleeve, muttering.

“… Tell me more.”

“It’s pretty.”

“… more.”

“You look pretty even if your makeup is smudged. It looks like flower petals have fallen on the dress, so it suits you even better.”

Yeonmin, who had been listening to him silently, nodded slightly as if satisfied.

“… That’s enough.”

“Oh my… ”

Hyun Lee sighed as he noticed that Yeonmin Ha’s mood had lifted.

Suddenly he turned his head towards the distance.

The screams and explosions seemed to have died down. However, there were still unextinguished flames visible here and there.

He said, looking at Yeonmin-ha.

“Senior. You should move now. If you stay here, those guys might attack you again.”

“It’s okay. You saw it earlier. Even if a hundred of those guys come, they’re no match for me.”

But he shook his head in pity.

“And I’ve spread the spirits around. Now, we’re the only ones in this garden, so you can rest assured.”

Then he added a word, shaking his shoulders for a moment.

“… Maybe.”

“Maybe…?”

“Okay. It’s not that important… ”

Yeonmin-ha, who avoided eye contact, changed the subject.

She took a deep breath, as if she was about to do something important.

Before I knew it, her white cheeks were flushed again, but it definitely wasn’t the same kind of resentment as before.

Finally, she opened her mouth, looking nervous.

“… Right. Do you remember why I told you to come here?”

“You said you had something to say.”

Lee Hyeon muttered as he recalled his memories.

“Even though I couldn’t keep the time… ”

“Okay. Now that I think about it, time doesn’t seem to be that important.”

Then, Yeonmin-ha hesitated and added a word.

“More than that, the heart is more… important.”

“Ma… Hmm… ?”

Lee Hyun thought back to Yeon Min-ha’s words. It was as if she was trying to understand their meaning.

“What on earth are you talking about… ”

“… ”

Pity did not answer. Instead, she took his hand and walked deep into the quiet garden.

Square, square. The monotonous sound of grass leaves rustling in the night breeze tickles my ears.

Beneath the giant century-old tree stump we had reached again, there was a place where unusually bright light seemed to shine.

The fresh green vines that had been entwined between the luminous blue leaves were now drooping their stems down.

“This is… ”

“I’m barely surviving.”

Yeonminha’s sweet voice tickles my ears like leaves of grass.

“Have you ever heard of it?”

“Barely surviving… ”

This is my first time seeing it, but I’m sure I’ve heard of it before. And it was very recently.

-Is it still there? Barely surviving.

-What? What is that?

-You know, they say that if you confess downstairs, your love will come true…

In the middle of the festival, the conversations of the magicians passing by vividly came to his mind.

And the moment he heard that name, Lee Hyun froze.

“… I’ve heard of it.”

That little superstition was a good thing after all. Why had Yeonmin-ha dragged him here? Lee Hyun finally realized.

My heart was pounding, my mind was turning white. The speculations I had tried to ignore because of the fearful experience were coming back to me.

Lee Hyun barely managed to look ahead. There was a girl with her head slightly bowed, carrying a backpack on her back under a tree.

Her shoulders were shaking violently as if an earthquake had occurred. Even then, her gaze was firmly fixed on Lee Hyun.

“Then… you know what I’m going to say… right… ?”

***

Seoyeon was walking with an unsteady gait.

It looked like it had been through several battles and was a mess.

I barely managed to get up and come to my senses, but there was no trace of the man anywhere.

Still, she was desperately moving towards where he might be.

‘I, I was a fool…’

It was a pain as if her heart was being ripped out. Seo-yeon blamed herself harshly.

‘What on earth did you do to Hyun? To such a kind kid?’

The weight of the words she had spoken herself came back to her and weighed heavily on her.

“At least…you should apologize… ”

Every time I recalled those empty eyes, I trembled with fear. I would become nothing to him. It was such a horrible thought that it made me shiver.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… ”

Seoyeon deliberately muttered out loud to console herself.

“Just take it slow… Start over from the beginning… There’s plenty of time ahead… Anyway, Hyun-i is alive… It’s okay… ”

Before she knew it, she had entered the entrance of the garden.

I didn’t even know why I had come here. I just leaned forward, following my instincts.

Meanwhile.

With her senses expanded by magic, she was finally able to spot a familiar presence.

However, there were not one but two sounds. Seoyeon ended up biting her lips at the close proximity.

“No way… ”

Without realizing it, she muffled her voice and headed toward the source of the noise.

And finally, I could capture in my eyes the two shadows standing facing each other under a huge tree.

‘What, what are you doing…’

A momentary sense of unease enveloped her. Cold sweat flowed down her body and her heart pounded as if it was going to burst.

And the next moment.

What was stuck in her ears was the shy voice of a certain schoolgirl whom she absolutely hated.

“Then… you know what I’m going to say… right… ?”