"Are you alright?"
It was a shout that resembled a rebuke. Perhaps because Kang Sihyun had just been facing a god, the reality of the boy before him felt unreal, and he stared blankly, reaching out his hand to confirm he wasn't hearing hallucinations or seeing illusions. His fingertips touched the boy's cheek. Startled by the sudden contact, Lee Hamin's eyes widened.
"What, what?"
"...Lee Hamin?"
"Are you finally coming to your senses?"
"What?"
As Sihyun responded with a question to a question, the surprised expression on the boy's face quickly turned into a familiar scowl.
"You still haven't regained your senses. You've been sleeping since the plane, not opening your eyes for two days."
"What?"
"You should have said something if you were feeling unwell, instead of hiding it until it got this bad. Is making others worry your hobby?"
Such a troublesome guy.
Hamin added in a quiet voice. Sihyun blinked in disbelief at the words Hamin had just uttered.
"Plane?"
"Why are you acting like this?"
"What did you just say?"
Feeling as if all his energy had been drained, Sihyun barely managed to grasp Hamin's sleeve, pulling the boy toward him to press for answers. Hamin, perhaps considering Sihyun's weakened state, was easily drawn closer despite the feeble strength.
"What."
"What do you mean you've been sleeping since the plane?"
"...If you're really sick, you should sleep more. Weren't you the one who wanted to go to China? How can you forget that?"
Sihyun's expression grew serious, causing Hamin to tense up and click his tongue in frustration. Sihyun, leaving Hamin to check his forehead and neck for fever, mulled over their conversation.
Sleeping since the plane.
Not waking up for two days.
What does all this mean?
All the information Hamin provided was strange. If his words were true, then something utterly nonsensical had happened, leading Sihyun to fumble for the bed.
"Phone."
"What?"
"My phone. Where's my phone?"
"Do you really want to look for that as soon as you wake up?"
"Then give me yours."
"What..."
Hamin, though taken aback by Sihyun's abrupt actions, obediently handed over his smartphone. Sihyun turned on the screen to check the date and time. His blue eyes flickered for a moment.
"...Have I returned?"
"What have you been saying all this time? Kang Sihyun, are you okay?"
"What's happening..."
The date displayed on the phone was different from what Sihyun remembered. Was this a return, or had time passed? It seemed like he had gone to conquer a dungeon on the day he arrived in China, but the date on Hamin's phone was two days beyond what Sihyun remembered.
This made no sense.
Am I still dreaming?
But that theory was hard to believe given Hamin's vivid reactions.
Sihyun half-opened his eyes and pinched his cheek. He felt a sharp pain. Unsatisfied, he pinched Hamin's arm as well.
"Damn, what's with you today? Why are you like this?"
The pinch on the boy's arm was stronger than when he pinched his own cheek, and seeing the fingernail marks, Hamin grimaced and expressed his astonishment.
This isn't a dream.
Realizing the reality of the situation, Sihyun moved his lips. He was sure this wasn't a dream or an illusion, but his mind became even more muddled.
"...Septimus?"
"What?"
"The dungeon? Brother Haru, what about Brother Haru? ...What happened to the guild master?"
"......?"
Sihyun's questions poured out incessantly. Hamin, clutching his arm and squinting his eyes as if dealing with a madman, was at a loss for words. His purple eyes were filled with confusion and dismay, seemingly unable to understand what Sihyun was asking.
"Is Lee Hahyuk alright?"
"He's fine."
The answer to Sihyun's loud question came from the left. As a third voice entered their conversation, both Sihyun and Hamin turned their heads simultaneously.
"Ah."
Upon hearing the familiar voice and turning his head in surprise, Sihyun caught sight of a man leaning against the open door, looking at him, and let out a small exclamation.
Lee Hahyuk.
The leader of Redem stood there as usual, unscathed, with a benign smile at the corner of his mouth.
It was the most fantastical scene Kang Sihyun had witnessed upon awakening.
Breath held in disbelief, he saw black hair over Hahyuk's shoulder. A boy with red eyes peeked out, surveying the situation. Startled upon spotting Sihyun, the boy who had been scanning the room exclaimed,
"Sihyun!"
Immediately pushing Hahyuk aside, Haru rushed in and stopped by the bed.
"Are you okay?"
With wide eyes, he examined Sihyun just as Hamin had, dripping with concern. Realizing that both Hahyuk and Haru were unharmed, Sihyun let go of the grip he had on Hamin, feeling a sudden release of tension.
"Ha."
"…?"
"Haha."
"…What's going on? Why are you laughing?"
A dry laugh burst forth, blending several emotions, and filled the room. Sihyun, facing the three men who had come to check on him, couldn’t hold back his laughter.
It was exasperating, bewildering. Absurd and ludicrous. Yet, above all, the most intense feeling was relief.
Everyone was alive.
There were no injuries, and no one was dead.
Reassuring himself of this fact and turning to look at Hahyuk, Sihyun caught the man staring blankly at him and closed his mouth, suddenly furious.
"Don't live as you please."
"…?"
"And don’t live irresponsibly. What will become of Redem if you die?"
"Are you talking to me?"
Two days after waking up, Sihyun suddenly glared and lashed out, causing Hahyuk, who had been looking around, to point at himself. Sihyun's eyebrows twitched upwards.
"Who else would I be talking to?"
"Why are you angry? Did you have a nightmare or something?"
Unable to comprehend Sihyun's abrupt attitude, Hahyuk tilted his head and murmured, approaching to check Sihyun's fever. "You don’t have a fever, but…" Muttering, Sihyun grimaced and brushed away Hahyuk’s hand.
Of course, if he truly had returned, if nothing had yet happened, then the man was blameless.
Knowing this, however, did not ease the frustration directed at Hahyuk. Even though it might now be considered a past event or non-event, the fact that he had sacrificed himself for Sihyun remained unchanged. Despite being treated as if it never happened, having experienced and seen it made Sihyun narrow his eyes and stick out his tongue at Hahyuk.
If anger was to be directed somewhere, it could only be at him.
After all, one was as good as the other.
Sihyun tried to erase the annoying and absurd memory from his mind and assessed the situation.
It seemed he had returned.
To before all the events in China had happened.
How?
The question that briefly crossed his mind was soon drowned out by a voice he had heard before waking up.
‘I have watched over you for a long time, yet you never cared for anything else. Now that you’ve found things you love, I’ve prepared a small gift for you. I hope you receive it before it’s too late.’
"…Father."
Only after waking did Sihyun realize what the gift was and what the advice to receive it before it was too late meant. Astonished by the unexpected gift, Sihyun slowly observed the scenes bestowed upon him by his creator and bit his lip.
Turning back time was no easy feat.
Someone who was supposed to die lived, and someone who was supposed to live might have died. It was a cunning act of twisting fate.
Though Sihyun gained fortune through this act, the clarity of who had paid the price for this luck made it difficult for him to feel unreservedly happy. Especially since the person he had met just before waking was in a weaker state than in his memories. Using such great power in that state meant he couldn’t be unscathed.
Thinking of the one who must be suffering alone, bearing all the weight and pain, Sihyun took a deep breath and looked back at Hahyuk, Hamin, and Haru.
Contradictory emotions pierced his heart. The thought that Shin would be upset if he knew circled in his mind.
Although it was regrettable for the one who had taken the risk for him, it had already happened, and he was sorry, but it was a gift he didn’t want to refuse. In fact, he was grateful.
Just as he had said, Sihyun had found things he wanted to protect, and knowing that he had been blaming himself for not being able to protect them, he was grateful that his mistake was corrected.
Sihyun faintly smiled, recalling the one-sided
conversation with Shin, capturing Hamin, who was talking as if Sihyun was insane, and Haru, who groaned and clutched at his hand, and gazing at the man who had willingly sacrificed his life in his stead.
Everything had returned.
Having seen the worst outcome, it was time to change the future he had experienced.
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