CH 157

“At first, I was thinking of reopening the passage I used a week ago.”

Elohim walked forward past the cosmos full of various colours. I followed him, gently stroking the pale pink cosmos petals.

“I think it would be better to open a new path.”

At the end of a beautiful field of cosmos flowers spread out under the bright sunlight, there was an old forest with huge trees tangled. Unlike this peaceful and gentle place, the forest exuded an overly dark and heavy atmosphere.

“Here you go.”

As Elohim waved his hand in the air once, an oval entrance appeared in front of him. It looked very similar to the gate entrance, but strangely, it shone with a silvery light rather than a dark blue light.

“Where did it lead to?”

“This is the entrance to the inside of the gate in D23 Area of ​​Korea.”

“…is that possible?”

“Nothing is impossible.”

Ha Tae-heon looked at Elohim with suspicious eyes at the answer that seemed to be natural.

“You can’t go into a place where safety isn’t guaranteed.”

“Oh, no. But this is only one open passage here.”

A rabbit jumped next to Elohim, who smiled softly. A rabbit sniffing around the entrance looked up at him.

“It’s good thing you come.”

Elohim, who leaned down and stroked the rabbit, pointed to the entrance.

“You don’t seem to believe me at all, so let this child in first.”

The rabbit jumped straight up towards the entrance as if it understood his words. The small, round body disappeared beyond the entrance and within a minute, it showed its cute face again outside the entrance.

“Good job. Kid.”

The rabbit pricked its ears once to Elohim’s thankful and ran out with a more vigorous movement than before. Turning his back from the rabbit that was moving away, he looked at Ha Tae-heon leisurely.

“As long as you’re not weaker than that child, you will be able to walk back to Korea safely. How is it?”

As Elohim sarcastically said in a friendly tone, Ha Tae-heon’s forehead was wrinkled horribly. Ha Tae-heon responded that he couldn’t believe what Elohim did for the entire week he was here, so that level of sarcasm was understandable.

Ha Tae-heon still responded that he was uncomfortable, but the rabbit came back alive, so there was no doubting it anymore. I stood behind him and made eye contact with Elohim.

His golden eyes were clearly visible. It meant the time had come. I smiled bitterly and grabbed Ha Tae-heon’s arm.

“Ha Tae-heon-ssi.”

Ha Tae-heon, who made eye contact with me even though I hadn’t said anything yet, had a hardened face for some reason. I opened my mouth hoping that the expression I was making wouldn’t look too painful.

“Actually, I… I’m…”

“Say it.”

“That…”

The pounding of my heart rang in my ears. In an instant, the tension reached an extreme, to the point where I felt dizzy. I wanted to give up everything right away and run away, but if I did, there was no turning back.

While I hesitated, I opened my mouth at the same time as Ha Tae-heon, who was looking at me and Elohim alternately with his eyes narrowed.

“Han Yi-gyeol. It doesn’t matter if you say you want to stay here.”

“I have to stay here. Huh?”

“What?”

“……”

It was a big deal.

Realizing that the words were tangled with each other, I became pale and sweated, and Ha Tae-heon wrinkled his face badly. I let go of his arm reflexively, this time he grabbed my arm. Elohim, who was watching from behind, let out a small sigh.

“Kid. You’re fine with everything, but it would be better to change that habit of spitting out the main point.”

“I agree.”

Ha Tae-heon, who agreed with Elohim for the first time, clenched his teeth and asked me.

“Right now. Properly. Explain.”

Ha Tae-heon, who gave strength to each word, was conscious of Elohim and pulled me to the other side. He persuaded me to have a conversation with Ha Tae-heon in advance, so Elohim didn’t bother to stop him even when he saw me being dragged away.

Ha Tae-heon, who widened the distance so much that he couldn’t hear the conversation, continued.

“You must have felt enough in the past week, right? This is not an ordinary place.”

“Ha Tae-heon-ssi.”

“Besides the unidentified creature or that guy with a funny tone, this place where the rain and wind never blow… do they look normal?”

I knew enough that he was worried, but that it didn’t stop me from giving up the information I was going to get from Elohim. I looked up at him after taking one deep breath.

“I have a reason to stay.”

“Did the author threaten to not to give prophecy if there’s no benefit?”

“It was an offer, not a threat, and I accepted it. A week ago, I had already made up my mind since I first came here.”

“Since you first came here?”

Ha Tae-heon was still calm, but in his questioning voice, there was a sense of betrayal that he couldn’t hide. I licked my dry lips in the rising nervousness.

“I absolutely need the information he knows and I can’t return to Korea until I hear it.”

“Han Yi-gyeol.”

“…honestly, yes. I was even shaken about giving up information and going back to Korea with you. But things have changed…”

“Things have changed?”

Ha Tae-heon raised one corner of his lips and smiled coldly. An excruciating pain emanating from the wrist held by him.

“Is it because of me?”

“……”

“I asked if it was an answer to my feelings. Han Yi-gyeol.”

There were reasons for wanting to know not only his confession but also the terrible memories I had seen in the book, but I couldn’t explain that part to Ha Tae-heon.

And if I was going to refuse anyway, maybe it was better to let him misunderstand. I slowly closed my eyes and opened them.

“Yes. This is the answer.”

Ha Tae-heon’s black eyes shook for a moment. Seeing that, my heart ached to an unbelievable degree.

“I’m neither free nor relaxed enough to accept or have someone around.”

“What if something like that happens?”

“…what does it mean?”

“Don’t make excuses for the situation, just tell me about your feelings.”

I tried to pretend to be as calm as possible, but this time I distorted my face without realizing it.

This part was deliberately I avoided so as not to hurt Ha Tae-heon somehow, but he stabbed me accurately. I clenched my fist with the other hand and answered with difficulty.

“The feelings are no different. I always respect Ha Tae-heon-ssi and I sincerely hope that you will be happy. But that’s all. I can’t see you… that way.”

At the end of that, a terrible silence fell. Ha Tae-heon didn’t say anything for a long time as if he was lost in thought. I was also not bold enough to break this silence.

Unable to look up at him, I lowered my head and stared at the hand he was holding. Ha Tae-heon’s hand was still warm. I thought he would leave me with his back on me at any moment.

“Okay.”

Ha Tae-heon finally opened his mouth and spoke.

“I get it.”

Unbelievably, it was a voice that was no different from usual. He gently touched my face, which was stiff and tense.

“Look at me, Han Yi-gyeol.”

“……”

I swallowed dry saliva and raised my gaze. Contrary to my worries, Ha Tae-heon’s face, which I barely met, had a friendly light. Seeing that, I was forced to feel a little relieved.

“I don’t know why you’re so scared. Did you think I would be mad at you?”

“That, of course…”

“Do I look like a piece of garbage that gets mad at the person I like for being dumped?”

“Nope. It’s not like that, but I’ve decided to stay here, so I…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

As he was sweeping my cheeks, he soon covered my eyes with his large hands. I later realized that the hand was his right hand.

“Wai…!”

I hurriedly removed his hand, but black darkness spread before my eyes, and my legs lost strength. Gasp, I fell into Ha Tae-heon’s arms in front of me, fumbling around my eyes.

There were no blindfolds, but I still couldn’t see anything. Not only that, but Ha Tae-heon’s body temperature was also felt hotter than usual.

“Because I won’t leave you anyway.”

The words that Ha Tae-heon whispered in my ear gave me goosebumps. Debuff temporarily removed sight and amplified all other senses. It was another ability possessed by Ha Tae-heon’s right hand.

The effect last for 10 minutes each time he touched it, but even at this moment, Ha Tae-heon’s right hand was holding my body, making it difficult to calculate accurately.

“It’s going to be like this in the end.”

The bitter Elohim’s voice was heard. Ha Tae-heon opened his mouth, holding me tighter as I struggled to escape somehow with a body that wasn’t strong enough.

“Get out of my way.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Han Yi-gyeol should stay here.”

Sararak, I heard the sound of dust gathering around me.

“Wait a minute, kid.”

As soon as Elohim finished speaking, an intense cold came over me that made my whole body tremble. It was no ordinary cold. Even though I couldn’t see anything, the fear that gripped my heart rushed in.

“Gasp!”

Kwagak, his body shook several times and Ha Tae-heon swallowed a moan. As the sound of something sharp hitting me resounded nonstop, the strength that was holding me back gradually weakened.

“Ugh…!”

Kugung! At the same time as the ground rumbled, the hot body temperature disappeared and the body was shocked several times. Crush, the sound of grass and the scent of flowers spread deeply. I coughed and patted the soft ground with my palms.

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, kid.”

“Han Yi-gyeol…!”

The relaxed Elohim’s voice and Ha Tae-heon’s sharp shouts were heard alternately. I took a deep breath and focused on amplified hearing.

“It’s useless, Ha Tae-heon.”

“This, let go…”

“Like I said, Han Yi-gyeol chose me, not you. Go back to Korea.”

The sound of something dragging on the ground, followed by the sound of swinging the sword gradually faded. The shaking of the ground felt in the palm of my hand was also disappeared.

“Gasp, gasp…”

I bit my lip and struggled to raise my upper body. I couldn’t control my trembling body. Everything felt too sharp. I bowed my head and tried to catch my breath, but the cool thing behind my back was getting closer.

“Se-hyun-ah.”

“Hu…”

It was too cold and hot at the same time as if facing a huge sun. Instinctively, I shook my head and backed away from the unbearable feeling.

“It’s okay.”

Even though I couldn’t see anything, I kept blinking in tension. Elohim, who spoke as if to soothe me, who had become very sensitive, quickly reduced his energy.

“Open your mouth.”

His hand gripped my chin and forced my lips apart then put something round into my mouth. I tried to spit it out in the stinging taste of my tongue, but his hard hand covered my mouth and closed it.

“Uh, up… uh!”

“Swallow it, Se-hyun-ah. You have to swallow it.”

Elohim whispered, forcing me down who was rebelling. After trying for a long time, I finally swallowed it and the darkness that had covered me began to disappear little by little.

“It’s a candy that removes the debuff effect. Just wait for the next 10 minutes, your eyesight and your senses will be back to normal.”

With blurred vision, I could see Elohim’s face with a soft smile. I looked forward, relying my body on him.

The entrance, which had been shining in silver light, was suddenly closed.

“Ha Tae-heon-ssi… what happened?”

“He entered the entrance without any major problems. He will arrive safely in Korea, so don’t worry too much.”

“……”

Many thoughts crossed my mind, but now there was no turning back. I sighed and nodded my head.

“Come on, let’s go home. You better get some rest.”

Elohim gently hugged me. I closed my eyes, leaning my face on his shoulder.

Ta, Tae-heon? Calm down!!

Oh gosh, this guy really… Poor Yi-gyeol… QAQ I feel panicked too if I can’t see anything suddenly…

BEST COMMENT :

Yi-gyeol, you’re going to get hit hard by karma in 2 months…

I’m afraid because these three seem to have the most windings right now… Yi-gyeol-ah…