Drowsy from a nap under the eye-catching meal and excessive protection, Sihyun woke up in the afternoon, blinking at the empty bed. Checking the time, it was already 2 o'clock. Whether it was because he fainted after struggling in the water for a while, or because he slept poorly due to the eye-catching meal he received all night, it was hard to tell.
Whatever the case, he had stayed awake until dawn, skipped breakfast, and now he was skipping lunch as well. With so much happening and energy drained, coupled with having nothing to eat, hunger hit him quickly. Sihyun placed his hand on his stomach. It felt deeply sunken. Just when he thought he had gained some weight, it seemed like he was back to square one.
I need to eat something.
Even though mealtime had passed, it seemed like there would still be something to eat in the dining hall. Sihyun, who had come down from the bed due to hunger so intense that it caused pain, reached towards the door.
Creak!
"Hmm?"
Whether it was stuck or not, the door, which used to open easily until yesterday, didn't budge suddenly. Pushing, pulling, and shaking it didn't make a difference. Sihyun, who had tapped the door a couple of times, shouted, but there was no response. Sensing that something was strange, Sihyun hurriedly headed for the window.
As he raised the blinds, he saw something like wooden boards beyond the window. Sihyun burst into laughter at the sight of the entirely wooden landscape. Opening the window and touching it, it was not some hallucination but real wood.
No wonder the gazes were unusual yesterday... Is it Kang Haewoon?
Only Haewoon would do something like this. Contemplating whether to break the door or not, Sihyun, with a serious expression, continued his deliberation. Travel agency employees flashed through his mind. Thinking about them made him feel sorry. However, with many places already broken, would one more door make a significant difference? After a moment of contemplation, when he decided to break it, the door that had been closed suddenly opened.
"Oh, awake? Good morning!"
Haewoon, who casually greeted Sihyun with a tray of luxurious meals, entered, and the kids from A-class rushed in upon hearing that Sihyun was awake. The rest of the students seemed to want to come in as well, but Geonu restrained them.
Bang!
Except for A-class, the others couldn't enter as Geonu closed the door. Puzzled, watching them quietly, when Sihyun looked at them, Haru led him to sit on the bed. Sihyun, who experienced the floor for the first time in half a day, fell off in 10 minutes.
"What's going on?"
"Still hurting?"
"Yes?"
A question was met with another question. For now, let's say it's not hurting. Haru reached out and placed his hand on Sihyun's forehead, as if checking for a fever. After a while, he nodded and Haewoon approached, placing the tray on the table.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? What?"
"The door is locked, and the window looks like that. Did you lock me up or something?"
"What? How can you say something so barbaric!"
When I asked, the guy who shouted back at me handed me the soup from the tray, as if expecting me to eat it like a baby bird. Sihyun grinned at Haewoon, who seemed to think I would eat it like that. As if the crazy guy didn't eat something wrong overnight.
"What is it."
"What is it? Nursing, of course! Right?"
Haewoon answered brightly, seeking Seo-woo's agreement. Then, he walked over to me, sat next to me, and smiled brightly.
"You've been pushing yourself a lot this time. Your body has weakened. So we decided to take care of you."
"Blocking both the door and the window?"
"We thought stability would be best."
Keeping people locked up is definitely not stability. Sihyun, feeling awkward, looked around and found someone who seemed relatively normal. He sent a skeptical look towards Hamin, who was leaning against the door, probably wondering what they were talking about without stopping him. Normally, Hamin would just nod or sigh at such moments, but now he returned a look of distrust. It seemed like he was an accomplice too.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Who knows if I let him go, he'll collapse or fall into the sea."
"What?"
"Yeah, yeah! Trauma might still linger, you know!"
"...Sihyun, don't go out. Okay?"
"...."
Sihyun looked at the people who were worried about him, uttering words of concern. It was like Haru telling him not to go out again, holding onto his hand. Sihyun laughed awkwardly, finding it surprisingly difficult to leave the room.
"Sihyun, aah!"
Even in the midst of this, while Haewoon was trying to feed me, Sihyun, who was trying to figure out what he did without stopping Hamin, looked at the seven people in front of him. Starting from Daun, who stubbornly asked for a spoon, to Hamin, who unexpectedly worried about me. None of them were in their right minds.
I'm not a child... Hearing about being locked up because I might collapse or fall into the sea, my head throbbed. Haru grabbed Sihyun's hand when he touched his forehead.
"Is it hurting again?"
"...No, it's not."
"Really?"
He asked as he slightly bowed his head. Sihyun wondered if he looked like he was about to cry with the red eyes right in front of his nose, but he nodded, thinking his sparkling eyes were pretty. Haru then told me to eat, holding out a bowl of soup. It seemed like he had properly tasted it.
Sihyun signaled his annoyance with a sigh, even towards the kids who had been drenched in Haru's gentleness.
"You guys are being overly protective."
"We know!"
"...."
There's nothing to say if they understand. Sihyun, feeling a headache from the confident answer, tried to compromise, thinking he might die of some strange illness. It's natural for people to worry when someone collapses in front of them. He decided to tolerate it for a while, thinking they would probably forget about it later. Sihyun, who made a compromise close to resignation, mumbled and snatched the spoon from Haewoon.
Even the gentle Haru was now looking at him differently. It seemed like he would only be satisfied if he finished this dish.
It's going to be tough.
Sihyun, who had a second spoonful, mumbled while feeling the penetrating gaze among the persistent stares.
If I eat only this soup, I have to let everything out.
Since stability was mentioned, might as well take full advantage of it and let go of all the troublesome things. With this determination, Sihyun played with the spoon once again in the persistent gazes.
---
The ship that was supposed to go to Germany never reached it and returned to Korea instead. Sihyun, who had seen only three types of irregulars and the luxurious facilities on board during the math trip, got up from the bed where he was lying down. It was half a joke, but except for me, the A-class students guarded Sihyun's room until the ship arrived, making sure that Sihyun didn't go out and that other kids couldn't come in. In their words, it was protection, but to Sihyun, it just seemed like madness.
Moreover, they even took me to the bus, filling in for Gunwoo's sleep mask. The fact that Sihyun was the only one who almost fell over about eighteen times because he was blindfolded was his own problem.
While walking with his eyes covered, he felt the threat to life several times and, feeling tattered, was able to take off the sleep mask only when he got on the bus. Sihyun, looking at the window, finally saw the sight of Ruth being taken away by the awakened members of the association. It was a sight of him keeping his promise to visit the association before going back to the United States. Looking at him laughing like a crazy person, Sihyun, who bowed his head at the teacher's announcement that they were departing, put on his seat belt.
The bus shook slightly once, and the wheels rolled slowly. From the ship to the bus, Sihyun, who was blindfolded all the way, finally looked outside after taking it off. He could see Ruth being dragged by the association's awakened individuals. It was a scene of him fulfilling his promise to visit the association before returning to the United States. When he was outside, he was blinded, and now that he was inside, the situation was the opposite. Just as when he came, it was his concession, and when he left, it was Haru's consideration.
Sihyun, who was absent-mindedly looking out the window, remembered one thing he had forgotten and called for Haewoon. When he asked for a buff, Haewoon gladly nodded and applied a resistance buff. Sihyun, who had thoroughly enjoyed Haewoon's buff on the way here, could finally comfortably close his eyes.
This time, Haewoon seemed to be more considerate, not making a fuss like when they were going. With his eyes closed, Sihyun exhaled. Unlike when he came, it was a peaceful sleep even without a sleep mask and earplugs.
The math trip, which was scheduled for 3 days and 4 nights, ended in just 1 night and 2 days.
"A class, wake up now! I'll check one more time to make sure there's nothing left behind!"
Sihyun slowly raised his eyelids at the teacher's words. Even when he entered the lounge, he didn't wake up once, and even though he slept on the bus, his body felt refreshed.
"How can you not wake up even once?"
Hamin, who was slowly getting up and packing his things, said something strange to Sihyun. It was a signal to not talk to him since there was something to do.
Checking for any missing items for the final time and picking up his bag, the bus stopped. Sihyun, who finally arrived at school after what felt like a long time, got off the bus while capturing the school playground in his eyes. Stepping on the ground gracefully, he finally felt that he had arrived at school. The math trip had truly come to an end.
"I wonder how Pia is doing."
Before he came, he was the one who used to cry like that. Wondering what would happen if he kept crying even after I left, I glanced towards the office. A teacher, who got out of the car after finishing the final check, approached Sihyun.
"Since we arrived during an ambiguous dinner time and didn't eat, how about having dinner and discussing tomorrow's plans? Of course, if Sihyun's feelings haven't changed."
The teacher still seemed unable to let go of the regret about canceling the attribute imprint. Sihyun, who had no intention of yielding, looked towards the principal's office.
"Can't we do it today?"
"Even if there's no time to think a little more?"
"Yes."
The teacher sighed as Sihyun stubbornly spoke until the end. It was a sign of yielding. Following the teacher's instruction to come along, Sihyun sent the kids ahead and followed the teacher. The destination was the principal's office. Whether he heard in advance or not, the teacher who was stroking the imprint device greeted Sihyun as he entered the principal's office.
"Puff, puff!"
Pia, who looked healthy, was also there.
"We heard about what happened on the math field trip. You went through a lot."
"Yeah, well..."
Concerns heard multiple times came back. Ignoring the teacher's apology for the condition of his body, Sihyun reached out to Pia. Other than slightly swollen eyes, he looked fine. Fortunately, dehydration seemed to have been avoided.
"Phew!"
The creature that rode on his hand lay down with a flop. Then, rubbing its body with his hand, it seemed to be the appearance I wanted to see. Sihyun, who was watching quietly, thanked the principal teacher who pushed the imprint device towards him. Only then did Sihyun's gaze move away from Pia.
"You know the way."
"Yes."
"No regrets?"
"No."
"If Sihyun thinks so, then that's how it is."
It was refreshing. Sihyun, who did not try to postpone the imprint like other teachers, nodded at the principal teacher who did not oppose and patted Pia's head before putting him down on the table. Then, he raised his hand on the device. The sensation he had felt a few months ago was transmitted through his palm. Taking a deep breath, Sihyun slowly opened his mouth.
"Impression."
Light emerged, and the sensation he had experienced about twice before enveloped his body. The marked back of the neck felt slightly tingling. Sihyun, who felt that his eyes, closed before, opened along with the extinguished light.
It was a strange feeling. The senses became even more acute.
Sihyun, whose usual sensations were heightened, looked at his hand. The round fingertips were seen trembling finely.
Could it be the accumulated fatigue of the journey?
He was thinking about it with a tilted head.
"Cough!"
Blood flowed from Sihyun's mouth.
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