Memorize - Episode 23
23 The City of Traps
After the meeting ended, I immediately checked on Ahn Sol's condition, guided by Ahn Hyun. Seeing her sleeping peacefully on a bedding, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Placing my hand on her forehead to check her internal state, I found that, as expected, Ahn Sol's magic was in a tangled state. Although it hadn't gone too far and would likely return to its original state through self-healing after some time, I decided to help.
"It seems better to have someone looking after Ahn Sol through the night."
"I'll do that."
As Ahn Hyun naturally volunteered, I shook my head. Looking out the window, I saw that darkness had already fallen outside. Ahn Hyun's eyes were already full of fatigue. Everyone must have expended considerable mental energy throughout the day. Although he was holding up with willpower, it would be problematic if it affected tomorrow's actions.
"You look tired. Go out and get some sleep for now. I'll watch over her."
"Aren't you going to sleep, hyung?"
"Later. Let's have the girls sleep well tonight, and you and I can take turns watching Ahn Sol. I'll wake you up at an appropriate time, and we can switch then."
"Ah, taking turns. That should work. Then I'll leave my sister in your care, hyung."
I nodded in response. Ahn Hyun staggered out, closing the door behind him. Although I still had things I wanted to ask, seeing Ahn Hyun barely holding back his need for sleep, it seemed better to ask later when we had some free time. With my mind preoccupied with thoughts about the Trap Point and the group's attitudes, I planned to organize my thoughts as well. But first, I had something to do.
After confirming that the door was tightly closed, I calmly raised my magic. Like ripples forming on a calm water surface, a pale crimson energy began to flicker in my right hand. I slowly extended my hand, placing it over the center of her chest, and immediately projected magic inward. While treating her, I thought it wouldn't hurt to provide a little extra service.
Fixing severely backflowing magic or tangled circuits following the meridians is quite troublesome. However, simply calming overdriven magic and untangling it was an easy task. As my magic energy, imbued with pure fire attributes, flowed in, Ahn Sol's body twitched momentarily.
Magic takes on different attributes depending on an individual's inclinations. The magic attribute I sensed from her now was righteous and had a white light. At first, her magic was flustered and uneasy, not knowing how to react to my overwhelming magic that had flowed in, but I embraced Ahn Sol's magic as gently and sweetly as possible so as not to startle them. It's okay. It's okay. I'm here to help. Good girl? Stay still. As I continued to comfort Sol's magic with a soothing feeling, they seemed to recognize that I had come to help and began to flock to where my magic was.
I operated as flexibly as possible so as not to startle her, comforting her magic. Seeing her magic rubbing here and there as if asking to be stroked first, I found it cute. I swept through her entire body, stabilizing startled areas and untangling knotted ones. As the process neared its end, a rosy flush had appeared on her face. Her face looked peaceful too. Was she having a happy dream?
There was one thing that caught my attention. After sweeping through her entire body and trying to withdraw my magic, Ahn Sol's magic clung to it. When I tried to remove my hand, the internal magic of her body pulled, asking me not to go and to comfort them a little more. I barely managed to catch my breath after shaking them off with difficulty.
After completing the work, about an hour seemed to have passed. It took longer than expected because I had given her a thorough examination and even boosted her vitality. There was no particular disturbance from outside the room. It seemed everyone had fallen fast asleep. After stretching my arms high, I plopped down in my seat. With nothing else to do, it would be better to get some sleep, even if just for a moment.
How much time had passed? I opened my eyes that I had closed when I sensed someone opening the room door and entering. Pitch-black darkness had settled around. As I turned my head, a sturdy figure peeked in, and our eyes met directly. Lee Yoo-jung had short hair, and Kim Han-byeol had straight hair that reached her shoulders. It wasn't either of them, so it must be Ahn Hyun.
"You must have been tired today. You can sleep more."
As I greeted him in a calm voice, he didn't respond for a while. I could only see him staring at me blankly. After a minute of silence passed, I could see Ahn Hyun's mouth slowly opening.
"No. I'm too worried to sleep well. Hyung, how is Sol's condition?"
"She's much better. To the point where she might wake up tomorrow. You don't need to worry too much."
"Really? That's a relief. Um, hyung, then..."
Ahn Hyun seemed to be hesitating, unlike his usual self. However, I calmly waited for him to speak. Somehow, I felt like I should do so now. And soon, Ahn Hyun opened his mouth.
"Hyung. There's something I want to talk to you about now. But it's difficult here."
"Anytime. Shall we go to the rooftop then?"
"Yes."
It seemed Ahn Hyun hadn't gotten much sleep either. He probably had a lot on his mind, including Ahn Sol's issue, making things complicated. Reading the sincerity in his voice, I immediately stood up.
In the living room, Lee Yoo-jung was sleeping, tightly hugging her bedding. Kim Han-byeol wasn't visible, suggesting she was sleeping in another room. Carefully unlocking the door so as not to wake them, I quietly went up to the rooftop with Ahn Hyun.
Standing on the rooftop, breathing in the cold air carried by the night breeze, I felt my head clearing. We stood there for a while, silently looking at the pitch-black city before us. Ahn Hyun was the first to break the silence.
"Hyung. This city is really quiet."
"It is. Suspiciously quiet. But we can't let our guard down."
At my words, Ahn Hyun made a lonely face before showing a self-deprecating smile. I could roughly guess what that face meant, but for now, I had to hold back and wait for him to open up.
"When I look at you, hyung, you really seem amazing."
"What are you talking about? We're the same, there's nothing amazing about it."
"No, that's not it. That's not what I mean."
Ahn Hyun shook his head, denying it three times in a row. His face was full of distress, and powerlessness could also be glimpsed. Although I wasn't unaware of his feelings, it was still vague, so I kept quiet, intending to listen more.
"After you left today, I had a lot of thoughts. When you were here, I felt like we all got along really well. You might not have felt it, but I thought that if it was the five of us, we could escape this place by working together."
"I think so too."
"Yes. But it wasn't like that. You said to take care of the others. But I couldn't lead them well. We were overwhelmed by those strange things and even Sol was put in danger. And you noticed something strange between Yoo-jung and Han-byeol today, right? They fought. About whether to go rescue you or not."
Ahn Hyun's face became pained as he spoke at length. But his words didn't stop.
"But what I really hated was... that I couldn't make any choice at that time. I couldn't even stop them. All I could do was reluctantly step forward, saying I'd go. It was all I could do, feeling pushed. My chest felt so tight."
"..."
"If it weren't for you, I'd still be thinking like this. What about tomorrow? Can I do well? I even thought I wanted to die, writhing under this pressure."
"Ahn Hyun."
I called out to stop Ahn Hyun from becoming more emotional, but he shook his head vigorously again. It was a signal that he had more to say.
"But then you appeared. Like a miracle. Do you know what emotion I felt when I saw you? Gratitude? No. Apology? No. It was relief. I thought, if it's hyung, he'll manage somehow. If it's hyung, there's something to believe in. And it's true, isn't it? As soon as you came, the atmosphere became okay again, and Sol's condition improved. You're always calm and composed. A feeling of being unshakeable? You seem different from us. I don't know what it is, but there's clearly something different."
For a moment, I felt a twinge at Ahn Hyun's last words, but I managed to maintain a calm expression. Seeing Ahn Hyun drooping his head as if he had said everything he wanted to say, I opened my mouth in a quiet voice.
"Then can I say something? It won't be too long."
"It's fine if it's long. I'll listen carefully."
Seeing him answer with a relieved voice, I smiled gently. Then I slowly approached and put my hand on his head. Ahn Hyun looked up at me with a surprised face.
"It's okay to want to rely on someone, or to feel this burden. Rather, I think it's fortunate."
"Fortunate?"
"Think about it. How were we in the forest? You didn't try to do everything on your own like that troublemaker, did you? Nor did you oppress others. When I gave a general opinion, Yoo-jung and Han-byeol would look into the details and give additional opinions. And you and I would gather those opinions and choose what we thought was the best method."
"..."
"We are all helping you. It's natural to feel burdened, but you don't need to bear all of it. Even if things go wrong, I think it's all our responsibility, not just yours alone."
"But..."
Ahn Hyun tried to say something, but this time I raised my hand and stopped him. Understanding my signal, Ahn Hyun closed his mouth that was about to open.
"You might see me as amazing, but conversely, I think you're amazing too. Bringing your scared sister this far, and always acting quickly and decisively. Just as Ahn Sol relies on you, you might want to rely on me. I, Yoo-jung, and Han-byeol might also have things we rely on you and Ahn Sol for. The five of us working together to escape this place. That's what you first said to me. But what you said next was quite contradictory. It's not wrong to rely on each other, is it?"
I meant to speak briefly, but as I talked, it ended up being a bit long. However, since I couldn't stop now, I decided to continue with my final words.
"We'll share the burden that comes with the name of responsibility. So you just do what you can. That's enough."
"What I can do..."
"Yes. What you can do. You don't need to worry about anything else, right? We'll help you as much as we can with the rest."
I felt the night breeze as I watched Ahn Hyun slowly chewing over my words. The night breeze seemed particularly ticklish today. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ahn Hyun raised his head. His eyes were no longer unstable as when we came up to the rooftop, but the deep and heavy eyes I saw when I first met him. And Ahn Hyun's face showed relief, as if he had somewhat eased the worries in his heart.