Chapter 10

EP.10 Dream (2)

I have felt warmth many times.

Since I started living on my own, I have always slept under a thick blanket.

Even if it meant going hungry for a few days, I would turn the boiler on full blast in the cold winter.

For the sake of comfort, I bought a good quality blanket. It was a luxury, but I never regretted it.

I used high-quality fabric softener and always kept a diffuser on hand.

So, I always had a good night's sleep.

However, I had never felt this kind of warmth before.

My face buried in Hong Yeon-hwa's chest, the warm and soft sensation was clearly transmitted even through her clothes. It was the first time in my life that I had been held by someone.

The gentle strokes on my head conveyed an indescribable emotion. This was also a first. I had no memory of ever being stroked on the head.

‘...’

My mind was hazy.

I just felt the warmth and the touch, and then I gently patted Hong Yeon-hwa's back to indicate that I was fine now.

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been moving her hand in a daze, showed a puzzled look.

“Huh...? Ah, ah!”

Only then did she seem to notice her position, and she started to pull back, but then stopped, gently put me down, and slumped into a chair.

Looking at her, I saw that her eyes, hair, and face were all flushed.

‘...What happened?’

While Hong Yeon-hwa was fanning herself to cool down, I checked my own condition.

I was in a terrible state. Sweat was plastered all over my body, and my clothes and the bed were soaked.

As I tried to straighten my damp bangs, I couldn't figure out what had happened.

“It's a relief that you're feeling better...”

Thanks to the fanning, Hong Yeon-hwa's face had returned to its usual color, and she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“You were groaning in your sleep, so I stayed by your side... but then you suddenly stopped breathing, and I was really scared.”

“...”

“Did you... have a bad dream?”

Despite her worry, Hong Yeon-hwa asked about the dream cautiously. I had a blank expression.

‘Groaning?’

I didn't have such thoughts in my dream. Was I in so much pain that I was groaning? No, I wasn't. Although I had a subtle acceptance of my childhood memories, it wasn't shocking enough to make me stop breathing.

A dream is just a dream.

It's merely a replay of the past, not the current situation. The past can't harm me now.

I overcame that past long ago. My parents, who were beyond help, are dead and gone, so they can't do anything to me now. The loan sharks can't find me anymore either.

Moreover, the world has changed. Even if one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, they can't find me or interfere with me.

So why should I be afraid?

Absolutely, they can't do anything to me.

“Do you remember what happened before you fainted?”

Just as I was calming down, I heard a voice from the side and turned my head reflexively. Hong Yeon-hwa was looking at me with a somber expression.

I nodded, and she bowed her head, emitting an even more somber aura.

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

Another apology followed.

“I got too excited and didn't pay attention to my surroundings... No, that's not it. I'm sorry, that was an excuse.”

Her usual confident demeanor was gone, and she was rambling, which suggested she wasn't in a normal state either.

After shaking her head silently... I remembered my smartwatch and projected a hologram.

Thanks to the normalization of my spatial perception, I could see the hologram projected by the smartwatch.

“...I'm sorry.”

Hong Yeon-hwa stared at the hologram blankly, then with a dejected look, apologized again. I was puzzled by her attitude.

Was the incident before the welcome party intentional? I don't know. But according to her, it was a mistake, and she had already apologized.

The sparring match at the end of the welcome party, where I was sent flying like a baseball? That was also a mistake, and she had already apologized.

So why this attitude? It's as if she had made an irreparable mistake, or as if I had refused her apology and was upset.

Dark thoughts kept surfacing. My thoughts kept veering towards the negative.

“Huh...?”

Most of all, I didn't understand why she was apologizing.

A mistake? Shouldn't it be fine to apologize and move on? If I don't accept the apology, what can I do... What can I, someone like me, do to Hong Yeon-hwa?

It was intentional. It was deliberate torment... Can I even dare to resist?

The successor of the Gyeokhwa Clan.

Not just a simple gathering of superhumans, but one of the top clans that effectively control a powerful nation.

She is the successor. In the future, she will be one of the most powerful people in the world.

Moreover, even if her confirmed potential alone blossoms, she will become a world-class ability user, which is practically certain... Does she really need to show me this attitude?

‘Special Admission Student.’

The first student personally selected by the president of Shiyoram.

Thinking about it, it might be because of that title.

The label of a special admission student is both a badge that attracts envy and jealousy, and a shield that signifies being chosen by the president.

While minor and subtle bullying can be managed, really trying to kill me would incur the president's wrath, so perhaps that's why.

“...”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been staring blankly at the hologram I projected, suddenly reached out and grabbed my cheeks with both hands. The warmth transmitted to my cheeks made me feel more grounded.

“?”

“Hae-yul.”

She pressed her palms against my cheeks, making my lips protrude like a fish. Looking at myself through spatial perception, I looked ridiculous.

As I stood there with my lips protruding, Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me with a mix of pity and determination.

“Apologizing for my mistakes is the right thing to do.”

“...”

“I... I don't know much about your environment. I don't know what you've been through or how you've lived.”

She bit her lip, clearly displeased with something, and continued.

“What I do know is that I wronged you. I... pushed you over, said hurtful things... and now I've caused you more trouble.”

“...”

“I'm really sorry.”

Apologizing for mistakes is the right thing to do.

Hearing those words, my hazy mind suddenly became clear. It felt like the fog in front of me had been instantly dispelled.

My thoughts, which had been tangled, finally started to function properly.

‘Oh, ah...’

At the same time, I realized what foolish things I had been doing.

I woke up from the dream and didn't resist at all when Hong Yeon-hwa hugged me. Instead, I burrowed into her embrace, seeking warmth...

I asked why she was apologizing and why she was sorry, and I made a fool of myself by hearing a natural comment...

Blood rushed to my face. Just a moment ago, my body was as cold as a frozen fish, but now it was hot above my neck, almost like a hot pack.

“Ah, did it hurt?”

Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been pressing my cheeks, asked cautiously if it hurt, which made me even more embarrassed.

Startled, I relaxed my hands, and her gentle strokes on my cheeks were both grateful and embarrassing...

“It didn't hurt, right? That's a relief...”

She placed her hand on her chest, relieved that it might have hurt, and I was enveloped in a strange feeling.

The Hong Yeon-hwa in the original story had never shown this side.

The Association-recognized most prolific villain killer.

The Gyeokhwa (劫火) and Kuinyeom (狂炎) who burned everything, including herself.

The relentless warrior who never backed down against a second-tier monster.

From the player's perspective, Hong Yeon-hwa was such a character. While I saw her kindness and positive evaluations from others in side stories, they didn't really resonate with me.

To the player, Hong Yeon-hwa was just an endlessly annoying enemy when choosing an evil route.

I moved my mouth, about to say something, but the curse of silence came back, and I closed my mouth again.

“I've said it many times, but it's my fault. You don't have to be grateful.”

Hong Yeon-hwa shook her head and looked at the smartwatch.

“It's already this late. How are you feeling? Should I take you back to the dorm? You can stay here if you want. I have no schedule for tomorrow.”

Actually, I still felt dazed. Maybe because my spatial perception had changed, my head was throbbing.

Perhaps because the information from the added colors and contrasts was overwhelming, it would take some time to adapt.

I buried my face in the pillow. The soft touch enveloped my face.

But it was rougher than before.

...The sensation of the place where I had buried my face just now made my face heat up. I turned my body so that my face was hidden.

My mind quickly drifted away. I was more tired than I thought... more than I...

* * *

“She's fallen asleep.”

The orange sunset shining through the window dyed the infirmary.

The infirmary was filled with a heavy silence. The only sound was the occasional breeze that gently tapped the window.

On the bed.

Lee Ha-yul, who was breathing peacefully, was fast asleep.

With half her face buried in the pillow, she was breathing steadily, indicating that she was deeply asleep.

“Sigh...”

Hong Yeon-hwa stared at her for a while, then suddenly came to her senses and sighed deeply. She had been watching to make sure she didn't have a nightmare, but there were no signs of one.

‘Thank goodness...’

Hong Yeon-hwa rubbed her forehead, recalling a few hours ago.

She had been caught up in the sparring match.

Pushing Lee Ha-yul over and spouting insults. The mistake was clear.

Lee Ha-yul was the victim, and Hong Yeon-hwa was the perpetrator. She knew this, but the stress was still building up.

She had apologized, but it wasn't enough. When should she apologize again? Should she offer something as a gesture of apology?

Such thoughts. During the welcome party, while these thoughts were swirling in her mind, someone suggested a friendly sparring match.

The opponent was a promising student from Japan. He was skilled and, coincidentally, used a sword like her. She went out quickly to vent her frustration.

Did she think she would lose? No, and it didn't happen. She enjoyed it to vent her frustration and never lost the upper hand during the match.

She finished the match by decisively knocking the opponent down.

...The problem was that the opponent flew and crashed into Lee Ha-yul.

While she was feeling the thrill of victory, Lee Ha-yul collided with the opponent and lost consciousness.

Thinking about it now, her mind went blank, like a sheet of white paper.

Put yourself in Lee Ha-yul's shoes.

In the morning, she pushed her over and started a fight, saying she couldn't see.

Then, she immediately apologized and offered compensation, saying to let her know if she needed anything.

Just from this, she seemed like a crazy woman.

And... after apologizing, just a few hours later, she knocked her sparring partner into her, causing her to faint.

The same person who pushed her over and started a fight in the morning! Just a few hours later! Again!

“Gulp...”

While saying, “Apologizing for mistakes is the right thing to do,” she was sweating profusely inside.

From Lee Ha-yul's perspective, it could be perceived as malicious torment, and there was no real way to refute it...

Gratitude and resentment are clear.

Both gratitude and resentment are abundant.

The family motto passed down from the ancestors.

A belief that every member of the Gyeokhwa family engraves in their heart, and Hong Yeon-hwa, despite her prickly personality, strives to uphold it.

She made a mistake in the morning. Before she could make amends, she made the same mistake again with the same person.

Fortunately, the very kind Ha-yul accepted her apology and forgave her...

If she had refused the apology and closed her heart...

“Ugh...”

Hong Yeon-hwa shook her head and pushed her disheveled hair behind her ear.

Of course, she had no intention of letting an apology suffice. She had caused trouble and made hurtful remarks, so she planned to make several times the compensation and apologize.

With that resolve, she got up. Since she had confirmed that she wasn't having a nightmare, she planned to leave soon.

“...”

While checking her condition one last time, her gaze involuntarily moved upwards.

The sunset, used as a blanket, and Lee Ha-yul's unique fairy-like appearance created a scene that could be mistaken for a painting.

Her eyes were round, and her face was soft and delicate, giving off a fragile aura that evoked a protective instinct.

There was a reason why female students were particularly drawn to her at the welcome party.

Her hair had a texture like a drug, and she found herself absentmindedly stroking it.

Her body was huggable, and she smelled amazing...

‘What am I thinking...’

She slapped her cheeks before her thoughts could continue.

She rubbed her burning cheeks.

...And then, the knife of conscience stabbed her for pushing this person over, spouting insults, and ultimately causing her to faint.

“Ahem.”

After a false cough, she turned to leave, but noticed the blanket was disheveled. It must have been from her tossing and turning.

I'll just cover her up and go.

Thinking that, she lifted the blanket.

At the same time, Hong Yeon-hwa's body stiffened.

The infirmary, which had felt warm just a moment ago, was now filled with a cold silence. Her eyes wandered but then fixed on one spot.

To a warrior, eyes are life. Without eyes, one cannot track the opponent's attacks or aim their own.

As a warrior, Hong Yeon-hwa doubted her own eyes. Her brain refused to accept what she saw.

Her body, like a statue, was frozen. Her breathing became rough and ragged. Her chest felt tight and dizzy.

She wanted to back away, but she couldn't.

Her intuition screamed that she couldn't.

Hong Yeon-hwa extended her trembling hand as if in an earthquake.

Lee Ha-yul's glove. She hadn't thought much of it. Was it just a fashion statement? She had thought.

Underneath, beneath the disheveled glove, a scar was visible.

A hideous burn scar. Up to this point... it was painful to see, but she could understand. She might have even thought about healing the scar as an apology.

“...Ah, uh...”

Gyeokhwa (劫火).

The unique ability passed down from her ancestors.

A flame that burns both herself and the world, a fire that leaves nothing of what it hates.

By burning the owner's insides, it enhances the body, and when it burns the opponent, it doesn't easily extinguish, clinging on until the end.

It usually burns to the end, but there are times when it must be extinguished. Even then, Gyeokhwa doesn't disappear cleanly.

When it finally goes out, it leaves a terrible scar on the target. This scar, which cannot be properly removed by healing abilities, also serves as a kind of brand.

The hideous mark that covered from the fingertips to about half the forearm.

Hong Yeon-hwa knew this mark very well. She had seen it while fighting monsters and while executing villains.

She had even carved it herself.

“...Gyeokhwa.”

This was the mark of Gyeokhwa.

Oh.