Whirling through the air—without the door having been opened, an inexplicable gale whirled the curtains and swept across the room, engulfing everything in Hahyuk's bedroom with light, obstructing Kang Sihyun and Hahyuk's view. The brilliant light gradually diminished until it finally condensed into a small mass, seeping into Haewoon.
The dazzling energy vanished into the boy's body, and the heavy air that had filled the room dissipated along with the wind. As Kang Sihyun’s hair, which had been wildly fluttering as if standing in front of a massive fan, settled back into place, he slowly lifted his eyelids that he had closed at some moment.
"Ah...."
A voice, starkly different from the vigor just moments before, laid a blanket of tension and surprise in the room, frozen after the thunderclap. Kang Sihyun, having lost a few minutes of memory, alternated his gaze between the boy and his fingertips before turning around.
Behind him stood Hahyuk, wearing an expression Kang Sihyun had never seen before.
His eyes were wide open, rare for him, and his hair seemed to have been blown back by a strong wind, its strands tousled. The slight twitching of his face's muscles betrayed the man’s astonishment and bewilderment.
"...What happened?"
Though he seemed just as confused, it was necessary to address the matter at hand. Unable to wave his hand in front of Hahyuk's eyes to check if he was fully conscious, Kang Sihyun opted to rouse him with his voice, like awakening someone from a dream. The man, having seemed lost in thought, looked Kang Sihyun up and down before raising his hand.
His fingers, distinctly defined, covered his reddened lips.
"Was it like this."
"Excuse me?"
"...It's nothing. I think I understand what you were saying."
The man who had covered his mouth as if to wash his face slid his hand up to his forehead, sweeping over his face, and then meticulously observed Kang Sihyun with his purple pupils.
It was a gaze that seemed to be searching for some trace or form.
Unaware of what he was seeking, Kang Sihyun presumed it to be absent from him and revisited the question he hadn't received an answer to yet.
"Why do you look so lost? So, what happened?"
His impatience made him lose a bit of his manners. With a more emotional tone than before, Hahyuk moved from where he stood grounded like a fixture to the bed where Haewoon lay.
"It seems...”
“……”
“We’ve succeeded.”
Hahyuk announced after checking Haewoon's pulse.
Suddenly, as Kang Sihyun tensely awaited Hahyuk's answer, his strength drained away as if he had turned into a mollusk, slumping down.
Just as his buttocks were about to touch the ground in an unexpected fall, a firm hand caught his arm. Hahyuk supported Kang Sihyun's body to prevent him from fully collapsing and lifted the boy up.
“…Thank you.”
Kang Sihyun barely managed to stand on his two legs, mouthing words he himself didn't fully grasp. After steadying his trembling legs with a couple of punches, he looked towards Haewoon.
Hahyuk, having provided an answer, still prompted Kang Sihyun to check for himself.
As he moved closer, extending his hand touched the tip of the nose of the boy who seemed lifeless with his eyes closed.
“……”
Breath.
He felt a breath.
At the tip of his fingers, a slight but unmistakable sign of life was felt, carrying a faint warmth. Kang Sihyun nearly collapsed again, but Hahyuk, who had been closely monitoring his condition, quickly took care of his guild member. Leaning partly on Hahyuk, Kang Sihyun stared at Haewoon.
The chest was slowly rising and falling. Haewoon was breathing. His heart was beating, and a slight warmth was felt at his fingertips.
Whatever had been done, it was certain that the voice had granted his wish.
“Ha…”
A sigh of relief finally escaped, and Kang Sihyun moved away from Hahyuk to sit down. It wasn’t because he couldn’t maintain his posture but because he had wished to sit on the floor, so Hahyuk didn’t stop him this time.
Sitting on the hard floor with his slippers on, Kang Sihyun leaned his head towards the bed.
It was quiet.
Both Hahyuk and he remained silent, not even moving their lips. As he listened, Haewoon's breathing could be heard, bringing a sense of calm to Kang Sihyun, who slowly closed his eyes and called out to the presence of the voice.
‘I don’t know how you saved him, but thank you
.’
A slight smile seemed to form on his lips.
For the first time since he had entered this ordeal, he wanted to talk more about it, but for some reason, the voice he had softly summoned did not respond.
‘Hello?’
He called out again.
‘…Can’t you hear me anymore?’
Feeling strange, he tried calling out again. Hello, over there, Mr. Voice, hey. He called out to the presence inside him with everything he could think of, but no response came. After calling out to the voice alone for about ten minutes, Kang Sihyun came to realize one thing.
The presence of the voice had disappeared.
It might simply be that he could no longer hear its voice, and it could no longer hear his, but Kang Sihyun was certain it had vanished.
His senses told him so.
To leave without saying goodbye like this.
There had been no day since Kang Sihyun had become who he was now, as grateful as today. He wanted to express his gratitude, but the very entity that had granted the gift was gone, leaving him feeling empty. He reminisced about the moments before he lost his memory.
Or had it said goodbye?
‘This is as far as I can go with you.’
He had certainly heard such words. At the time, he was too distracted by trivial matters and the urgency of the situation to pay attention, but realizing now that it had been a farewell, he felt a tinge of regret and a brief bitterness.
Hahyuk was the one who prevented Kang Sihyun from dwelling on these slightly negative emotions.
“You did well.”
After giving Kang Sihyun a moment to accept reality and fully relax, the man extended his hand as if to say it was time to get up again. Kang Sihyun stared blankly at the sturdy palm before taking a deep breath.
Right.
Just think of it as hitting the lottery once.
The existence of the voice had been unexpected. He had solved many things thanks to it, but to wish for more would be shameless.
Deciding to let go of the longing and guilt he felt towards it, Kang Sihyun exhaled the breath he had been holding and grabbed Hahyuk’s hand.
“You too, Guild Master.”
Firmly. Their hands met, and Hahyuk exerted strength to lift Kang Sihyun up.
Without a word between them, the eyes of the two standing men simultaneously met Haewoon's. Hahyuk checked the boy's pulse again, and Kang Sihyun checked his breath once more, nodding at each other.
There seemed to be no apparent anomalies on the outside.
“Are we heading back to the guild now?”
“We can't leave for too long. We'll check if Haewoon is in a condition to be moved before we head back. Your friends must be worried about you too.”
“That's true.”
It wasn't a joke or an empty remark; they truly must have been carrying a lot of worry.
Having set out at dawn, fainted once, and treated Haewoon, it was already afternoon. Knowing the kids from Class A, they wouldn’t have slept and would have been waiting for him, so Kang Sihyun considered hurrying back after checking on Haewoon's condition.
His pulse was normal, and he looked peaceful. After administering a top-tier heal using the recovered mana and setting up a protective barrier, Hahyuk deemed it safe to move Haewoon and carried the boy out of the room.
Kang Sihyun turned off the room's light and opened the door. Only after moving Haewoon to the passenger seat did he finally feel a true sense of relief.
Haewoon had survived.
He had completed the fourth Awakening Mark, yet no apparent issues were visible on his body.
Considering what he had gained, it was a significant achievement, so Kang Sihyun relaxed in the back seat, thinking of the faces he wanted to see even as the car started moving.
They're probably going to nag a lot.
It was a relief that he had asked Jihye to explain what had happened in Egypt to the kids, leaving out Haewoon's part, before leaving. That was one less thing to be hassled about.
At this moment, Jihye must be exhausted from addressing the kids' curiosity and worries on her own. Expressing gratitude inwardly, the car left the parking lot and sped towards the guild on the road.
It was a complete return.
“Haewoon will be staying in a separate lodging until he wakes up, not in his usual room. If you're coming to visit, come to the address I've texted you. We're moving him for his stability, so don't be too loud there.”
Hahyuk dropped Kang Sihyun off in front of the lodging and glanced at Haewoon, still in the passenger seat, as he spoke. While Kang Sihyun's task here was done, Hah
yuk had to continue caring for Haewoon, ensuring medical staff were on hand and overseeing his transfer to the stability room. Though Kang Sihyun wanted to follow, it was already past 3 PM, and he was worried about the kids, so he left Haewoon in Hahyuk's care with a nod.
“Please take care of him.”
“You don't need to ask for something like that. It's my job anyway. Now go rest.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“And you too.”
After exchanging farewells and turning away from the car, Kang Sihyun heard the engine start behind him, and the black vehicle slowly disappeared from sight. Half-turning to watch it leave, he then headed towards his lodging. He needed to change clothes, so he went to his own lodging, but upon opening the door, he saw six kids sitting there.
He had expected them to be waiting in Jihye’s room, but it seemed they had decided to camp out in his room instead.
It wasn’t a surprising scene. In fact, it was somewhat expected, so Kang Sihyun, barely containing a laugh, had just opened the door when the kids turned their heads towards him like meerkats.
"…Did you all do well?"
It felt like a very long time since he had seen them, even though they had been separated for a much shorter period than during the Titan incident.
Not knowing what else to say, he chose the most neutral greeting, causing the kids, who looked as if they had seen a ghost, to finally realize that the Kang Sihyun in front of them wasn’t an illusion but the ‘real’ Kang Sihyun. They jumped up in surprise.
"Kang Sihyun!"
"Hey, Kang Sihyun!"
"Are you back?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"How is Kang Haewoon?"
"How are you feeling?"
The kids clustered around him, throwing out one question after another, quickly stacking up four inquiries. Surrounded by them, Kang Sihyun took off his shoes and stepped inside. Like bodyguards, the kids encircled him, moving as he moved, eagerly awaiting his answers. Occasionally, unable to wait, they would prod him with impatient hands.
"Let's sit down and talk, sit down."
He was glad to see them and had many questions for them too, but after entering the lodging and seeing their faces, his body relaxed, and his legs felt weak. He wanted to sit down comfortably for the conversation, so upon his request, the kids seated Jihye and Kang Sihyun on the bed, while they sat on the floor, their eyes sparkling, waiting for the conversation to start.
"Why are you guys on the floor? Let’s talk sitting on the bed."
"It’s okay, you start. Jihye told us what happened, but nothing about Kang Haewoon. Is he okay?"
Down, brushing off any irrelevant details, asked with a slightly subdued voice. He seemed to have grown more assertive in Kang Sihyun's absence.
Seeing no use in hiding it any longer due to the palpable excitement, Kang Sihyun skipped the preliminaries and directly addressed their long-held curiosity.
"Kang Haewoon is fine. His injuries were severe, so he couldn’t come back to the lodging and was taken to the hospital. Now, he’s not seriously hurt anymore, and he’s been moved for stability. Let’s go see him later."
"Really okay?"
"Yeah."
"Then you?"
"Hm?"
"Are you okay?"
The six pairs of eyes were uniformly fixed on him. Jihye, having checked on his condition until he left for Hahyuk's house, seemed still not to be at ease.
Not answering right away led to increasingly anxious glances, making Kang Sihyun's heart flutter uncomfortably, but instead of feeling burdened, he felt rather pleased. With a slight shrug and a smile, he reassured them.
How could I ever give up on you guys.
"I’m fine too. No injuries, no pain, nothing strange. Everything’s intact."
"That’s a relief. Anything else happen?"
"Just one thing."
"What is it?"
"I underwent the Awakening."
"……"
The room, which had been noisy with relief at his assurance, fell silent in an instant. It was as if someone had poured cold water over them.
"...What did you just say?"
Hamin, taking the lead, asked incredulously. Kang Sihyun, faced with disbelieving and shocked eyes, cleared his throat.
"Exactly what I said. I completed my fourth Awakening."
As an Archer.
He added nonchalantly, hoping they would take it lightly, but it seemed to have no effect. The kids, their emotions shifting from surprise to horror, clung to Kang Sihyun's shoulders in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?"
A voice, resembling a shout, followed the aggressive action.
They questioned whether his body was really
okay and if he had fainted.
Responding 'no' to the question of whether his late return was due to fainting, Kang Sihyun, sweating bullets, calmed the excited kids.
"It really didn’t hurt this time, and instead, opening the fourth core made my body feel lighter. It seems like my body’s balance is adjusting. I’m not in pain, really."
"Didn’t faint?"
"No."
"No nosebleeds?"
"None."
"You didn’t collapse?"
"I told you, I didn’t."
As if they had been deceived all their lives.
Despite his earnest denials, Class A’s kids continued their interrogation relentlessly.
The ongoing standoff was exhausting. Kang Sihyun, feeling awkward as he continued to deny despite their persistence, was about to express his discomfort when Seowoo intervened.
"If he’s insisting that much, we should believe him. Let's stop now. Kang Sihyun must be tired."
"Tired."
That remark made the kids, who had been aggressive, retract their intensity and apologize one by one. Kang Sihyun hadn’t expected apologies, so he felt a prickle of conscience but reassured them it was okay, then switched from being questioned to asking how they had been during his absence.
Questions and answers flowed, worries and laughter intertwined.
The tense atmosphere that had filled the room when Kang Sihyun first entered had completely dissipated, leaving everyone, including Kang Sihyun, with a sense of ease by the time they felt the questioning session was winding down. Seowoo then drew everyone’s attention for a moment with an "anyway."
"You did well. Kang Sihyun. And you, Jihye. It’s good you’re back safe."
The gentle voice wrapped up the situation. All the kids, expressing the collective sentiment, nodded, and Hamin, unchanging in his childish demeanor, grumbled that Seowoo had taken his words.
Seowoo asked if that was true, provoking Hamin, who was held back by Geonu. Daun looked at Hamin with an "are you serious?" expression and shook his head while Jihye covered her mouth, laughing.
It was a peaceful, harmonious scene.
This was all too familiar to Kang Sihyun, confirming he had finally returned to his sanctuary, leading him to belatedly respond.
"Yeah."
He said with a smile on his lips.
Watching the boy smile so comfortably, the conversation paused momentarily. Daun and Jihye, having stopped their chatter, looked at Kang Sihyun. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel their stares, but rather than feeling pressured, he felt more inclined to smile again and slowly opened his mouth.
"I missed you guys."
He said leisurely.
"Do you think we didn’t? You’re finally realizing how precious we are, huh, really."
"Kang Sihyun, was it only this time you missed us?"
"What’s with the sudden drama? Are we shooting a youth movie?"
"We missed you guys too."
Different voices replied nonchalantly to his statement. Pleased by their reactions, Kang Sihyun laughed out loud once more, closing his eyes with ease and rounding off the conversation with, "Just, I wanted to say that."
A response indicating indifference followed, and the conversation picked up again.
Even if there were more challenges to face in the future, even if there were tougher trials ahead.
At that moment, it was peaceful.
Yes, it was a cozy peace.
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