Episode 84
The girl whose name I didn’t know couldn’t even meet my eyes, nervously shifting her gaze from side to side.
“Who… who are you, anyway?”
“Ah…”
At my answer, she let out a small, helpless sigh. Her eyes welled up as if she were about to cry, and she lowered her head deeply.
Wait—why is she suddenly crying?
All I did was answer her question, and now I’d somehow become the person who made a stranger cry. Staring at her in disbelief, I added,
“Do you need something from me?”
“Th-that is…”
She couldn’t bring herself to finish. Her lips trembled as if she were about to speak, then she suddenly pulled out a carton of chocolate milk she’d been hiding behind her back and thrust it toward me.
“Th-thank you!”
She set it down on my desk and rushed out of the classroom as if someone were chasing her. I blinked blankly, staring at the chocolate milk left behind.
That was my first real meeting with the girl—at least, the one I actually remembered.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Hiwon, catch!”
A soft ball flew toward me. I caught it easily and threw it back at someone on the opposing team, hitting them in the leg.
Beep—!
“Game over! Blue team wins!”
As the PE teacher blew the whistle, the students rushed into the shade as if they’d been waiting for it.
“Ugh, this is insane. Isn’t it way too hot?”
“I put on sunscreen, but I feel like I’m still getting burned.”
Some wiped sweat off in irritation, others aggressively gulped down the iced water they’d brought from home. Amid the noisy chaos, I nodded absentmindedly.
With weather this close to a heat wave, it was only natural everyone was exhausted from outdoor class.
The moment the bell rang, students hurried back into the building, clearly desperate for the classroom air conditioning.
I was about to head in with them when—
“Hiwon!”
The same girl who’d given me the chocolate milk came running toward me, drenched in sweat, and held out a bottle of ice-cold water.
“Take this!”
“Y-you…”
When I took it without thinking, she didn’t even give me time to speak before darting off again like an arrow. It almost seemed like she was deliberately avoiding talking to me.
As I stood there holding the bottle in confusion, the kids nearby spoke up.
“Hey, Hiwon, do you know Lee Yejin?”
“…Lee Yejin?”
“The girl who just gave you that water. She’s a transfer student in the class next door, I think.”
Transferring in the second year of high school was kind of an awkward timing. Not unheard of, but definitely uncommon.
“She didn’t go to a nearby school before?”
“Nope. Apparently she came from really far away.”
Then that meant we couldn’t have crossed paths by chance last year. So how did she know me?
That question was finally answered later that day, after school, when I was leaving late because I’d been assigned classroom cleaning and locking up.
“Hey, I told you I needed money today, didn’t I?”
“Mm…”
“So why didn’t you bring it? You think I’m someone you can mess with now?”
From an alley near the school came a voice that sounded unpleasantly familiar. When I stepped closer, I saw Lee Yejin surrounded by about three students.
It didn’t take much to figure out what was going on. In 21st-century Korea, scenes like this were far too common.
“Ah… I knew this felt familiar. It was you guys the other day too.”
That day, I’d been in the worst condition I’d had in years. Exam stress on top of stomach pain from barely being able to eat.
I’d barely made it through classes with a pale face, and even on my way home, I’d witnessed something like this.
Back then, though, I was in such bad shape that I didn’t remember their faces at all—just that they’d blocked my way and annoyed me enough that I used a bit of force.
“Hey, that guy’s the one from before—”
“Ah, damn it.”
One of them cursed under his breath when he recognized me.
That’s kind of rude, swearing right in front of someone’s face.
They frowned deeply, then turned and left without another word. Looks like they clearly remembered what happened last time when they picked the wrong fight.
“Th-thank you… I’ll get going now…”
“Where are you going?”
When I grabbed her arm, Lee Yejin looked up at me with wide eyes. She quickly lowered her gaze again, though.
“I was wondering where I’d seen you before. It was you back then too, right?”
“…Yeah.”
I didn’t need to ask for details. A shy transfer student was an easy target for troublemakers.
“You kept following me to say thanks, didn’t you?”
“…Yes. You might not remember, but I did. I really wanted to thank you.”
Just a moment ago she couldn’t even meet my eyes, but now she was looking straight at me, as if she’d mustered all her courage.
If she could do that, why did she keep running away every time I tried to talk to her?
“Then keep following me from now on.”
“Huh?”
“At least that way, stuff like this won’t happen again.”
At the time, I said it out of simple curiosity. I wanted to understand what my mom meant when she talked about “friends.”
And not long after, I realized something.
That day became one of the five most important turning points of my life.
❖ ❖ ❖
When I woke from a deep sleep, I found myself lying alone in an unfamiliar cave. I couldn’t even move a finger properly, so I barely managed to turn my head to look around.
…Was someone here with me?
Beside me were traces of crushed medicine and clean bandages. It seemed someone had carried me here and treated my wounds.
“So I survived…”
I recalled the warm light I’d seen just before losing consciousness. It had felt strangely familiar, and now I understood why—it reminded me of a long-missed dream.
It felt like her.
If you could describe a person as light, my one and only friend would be like that. Shy on the surface, but bright and warm once you got to know her.
“Ugh…”
Even lying still, I felt dizzy and nauseous. Pain slowly spread through my body, and I frowned as I closed my eyes again.
I drifted in and out of consciousness like that for a while. Considering the injuries I’d taken in a human body, it was a miracle I was still alive.
“…How many times have I passed out already?”
With no sense of day or night, I suddenly realized something: I had never once seen the face of the person who saved me.
Every time I woke up, the surroundings had subtly changed—more herbs piled nearby, more blood-stained bandages discarded.
Someone was clearly tending to me while I slept, yet vanished the moment I opened my eyes.
“Chirp—”
Birdsong echoed from outside the cave. There were no footsteps, which made it seem like whoever it was hid the moment they realized I was awake.
Who could be so determined not to be seen?
As I pondered that, another wave of pain washed over me, and I escaped into sleep once again.
❖ ❖ ❖
As time passed, I stayed awake for longer periods. I still couldn’t properly support myself, but at least I could sit up and lean against the wall for a while.
Thanks to that, I discovered something strange about the person treating me.
“…Are they messing with me?”
The moment I so much as stirred or showed signs of waking, they would disappear mid-treatment. They vanished so quickly it was impossible to catch even a glimpse.
Why go to such lengths to hide their face? Did they feel guilty about something?
“Chirp—”
Birdsong often came from outside the cave. No monsters ever appeared, and with only birds around, it seemed to be a safe area.
“System.”
SYSTEM: Yes, Player.
“My trial isn’t over yet, right?”
SYSTEM: Correct. The trial is still in progress.
That was a relief. If it had already ended, I wouldn’t have known what to do next.
“Then that’s fine.”
Grabbing onto the wall, I forced myself to stand. My body felt heavy, but it was better than when I’d first been injured.
After lying in the cave for so long, I felt restless. Thinking I should at least look around a bit, I slowly stepped outside.
SYSTEM: Player, you should remain at rest.
“I’m just going to check the area. I don’t even know what’s out here.”
Outside the cave were dense trees and the small animals that had played around me before.
Judging by how many of them there were, it seemed like monsters couldn’t approach this area.
“…I wonder if Rian is waiting for me.”
I murmured while looking up at the sky. I didn’t know the exact date, but it felt like at least a week had passed.
I’d promised I wouldn’t get hurt… She must be worried by now.
Thinking of Rian, I hesitated for a moment before turning back toward the cave as my body started to feel heavier again.
But after only a few steps, I clutched my side and collapsed to the ground.
“Agh…!”
The deep wound from the monster’s claws burned fiercely. As the pain spread through my body and my vision blurred—
Rustle.
With the sound of grass being stepped on, someone rushed to my side and immediately began checking my injuries.
From how precisely they went straight to the wounded area, it was clearly the same person who had been treating me all along.
Did they know?
That this moment was exactly what I’d been waiting for.
“Got you.”
I grabbed the hand examining my wound and opened my eyes to finally see the face I’d been curious about all this time.
Then I froze, eyes widening in shock as I spoke.
“Why are *you* here…?”
The person who had been treating me all this time was none other than my one and only friend.
