Hide and Seek (3)
Hide and Seek (3)
"My eyes... my eyes hurt so much..."
"Just bear with it a little longer."
Maria, who recovered her sight first, channeled holy power into Lee Na-young's eyes as she lay sprawled on the sled.
Idni, who had been kneading a snowball in her hands, slowly lifted her eyelids and lowered her hands, her brow furrowing at the still-blurry view.
Fortunately, the hazy world didn't last long.
Idni recovered her vision quickly through innate physical ability without healing, and the moment she spotted the awkwardly smiling blonde woman, her face instantly crumpled.
"How are you even in here...?"
"Ah!!"
At Idni's question, thick with mixed emotions, the blonde woman's eyes widened, and she hurriedly explained.
"I-I came as an exchange student on Monday. I didn't trespass. I went through all the proper procedures!!"
The blonde woman explained, gesticulating wildly.
Idni glanced at the woman's chest swaying with every movement and the rapier at her waist, then scratched her head vigorously over her pushed-back concealment hood.
"Hey, did you know about this?"
"I don't know everything, you know. But maybe the High Priest knew."
"Hah, seriously... a big shot like this shows up and the academy was that quiet?"
"Quiet? It was crazy loud because of Professor Baek."
"Oh, right."
Idni recalled the freshmen's protest and nodded slowly.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah. Thanks."
Lee Na-young, her eyes slightly moist, wiped them and carefully rose from the sled, having regained her sight.
"Yeon-ju, how about you?"
"I'm fine too."
While Idni recovered through her physical ability, Na Yeon-ju regained her sight by using holy power for self-healing.
"Looks like we're ready to head in now."
The blonde woman, who had been locked in an awkward standoff with Idni, quickly moved when Maria turned toward them.
"Then let's go inside!!"
With a booming voice, as if she didn't care about nearby monsters, the blonde woman dashed off alone into the darkness.
"Ridiculous."
"I agree, for once."
Maria, rarely agreeing with Idni's assessment, conjured a small sphere of light to illuminate the darkness and checked the compass in her hand once more.
"Isn't that thing actually broken?"
At Idni's reasonable doubt, Maria took a few steps to the side. The arrow, which had been pointing ahead, shifted toward the opposite direction.
"Nope, it works."
"Then maybe it's not the cave but beyond this cliff or something."
"Could be. Anyway, let's go inside."
"Hah, I told you—you can't trust items from those luck-dependent assholes."
Since they had already confirmed it was safe, Na Yeon-ju followed the two striding in, slowly pushing the sled inside.
Crackle, pop.
How long had they walked?
The four found Yoon I-seul sitting leisurely by a campfire in a wide cavity.
"What a coincidence, meeting you here."
"Indeed. I didn't expect you to participate in the second-year lecture recruitment, given how busy you must be with Student Council duties at the start of the semester."
"I left all the trivial stuff to my subordinates, so I wasn't too busy. And I think Professor Baek Woo-jin's value is too high to just lump into second-year lectures."
Yoon I-seul's gaze, as if asking, 'You don't think so?', made the corner of Maria's left eye twitch slightly.
Yoon I-seul, catching that subtle change, smiled leisurely and spoke toward the darkness beyond the firelight.
"Are you planning to stay there forever, Jane?"
"I was about to come out!!"
The attacker who had burst out with light at the cave entrance, Jane Moore, glared at Yoon I-seul and emerged from the shadows.
"I'm sorry about earlier."
"Ah, okay."
Idni looked at Jane Moore's outstretched hand with a reluctant expression, but eventually shook it. After all, they couldn't keep sulking just because they'd been ambushed; there was no rule against attacking other participants.
"I'm Jane Moore. I came as an exchange student from First Academy in the U.S. I'm friends with Ha-na. So you should all be friends with me too!!"
At this sudden declaration, Idni blinked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Jane. Didn't I tell you that coming on strong like that with strangers makes everyone dislike you?"
"Ah, sorry. I get excited easily."
Jane Moore quickly admitted her fault and bowed her head in apology.
"Now, how about we have a slightly more constructive conversation?"
"I was hoping for that."
Maria, as if waiting for Yoon I-seul's timely shift, stepped forward past Idni.
"As you can see, we've only just arrived, so we haven't unpacked yet."
She patted the heavy bag beside her and smiled gently.
"You four, us two. The maximum team size was seven, right?"
"The problem is that forming teams after entering is prohibited."
"Right. So here's the thing: we'll give up this spot. As you can see, it's pretty nice, isn't it?"
"You wouldn't just give it up for nothing. What do you want in return?"
In response to Maria's question, Yoon I-seul slowly rose, propping herself up on her bag.
"I'd like you to set up a natural chance for Ha-na to meet on the weekend. As you can see, Jane really wants to see her."
"If you're friends, you'd have exchanged contact info. Why not just contact her yourself?"
"She may look like that, but she has a childish side. She wants to surprise her."
At Maria's glance, Jane Moore, who had been standing quietly, nodded vigorously with sparkling eyes.
"If the situation turns into something Ha-na dislikes, I'll immediately tell her about our deal today."
Yoon I-seul didn't reply, simply picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.
"Jane. Get your bag."
"Okay!!"
Despite the late hour and the time limit, Jane Moore happily gathered her belongings and strapped on her bag.
"I'll pass along your contact info sometime next week."
"Me too! I want to exchange numbers too!!"
"Jane. Be quiet."
"Unfair! I want to talk to Ha-na's friends too!!"
"That's why I'm telling you."
"...How am I supposed to talk if I shut my mouth?"
When Jane Moore, still speaking clumsy Korean, tilted her head in confusion, Yoon I-seul whispered, 'Just be quiet and follow me,' and led her by the hand out of the cavity and into the darkness.
"They really left."
"Would they fake it?"
Unlike Idni, who still looked uncomfortable, Maria, unfastening her concealment hood, said.
"This is ours now, so let's unpack."
"Wait."
Idni grabbed Maria as she was heading to the sled and whispered in a low voice with a stiff face.
"First, let's eat— Aaack!!"
A sharp sound rang out, and Idni's short scream echoed through the cavity.
**
"Even if it's trivial, wake me up right away if you sense anything off."
"Don't worry."
"Alright, I'll trust you and sleep."
Idni, who had been poking her head out of the tent, withdrew back inside.
"Don't feel like you need to be nice and stand guard an extra hour or two—wake me as soon as it's time. We'll be staying here three days, so don't worry about our stamina."
"Uh, yeah. I'll wake you right away."
After wiping herself down with a damp towel, Maria approached Lee Na-young and Na Yeon-ju, who were still in their gear for night watch, and placed the compass in Lee Na-young's hand.
"Then see you at shift change."
"Okay, good night."
"Rest well."
Maria entered the tent where Idni was and closed the flap.
"Sh-shall we sit down first?"
"Alright."
Na Yeon-ju was perfectly polite and respectful even toward the much smaller Lee Na-young. Lee Na-young, trying to calm her fluttering heart, sat beside Na Yeon-ju with the thermos she'd taken out earlier.
"It's a fatigue recovery tonic... want some?"
"Oh, thank you, I'd be grateful to have some."
"Here."
Gurgle.
She poured the contents into a small paper cup and handed it to Na Yeon-ju.
"Thank you."
Glug.
Na Yeon-ju, smiling, tasted the tonic right away, and her eyes grew round.
"It tastes like yuzu tea."
"I put some effort into the flavor. Is it okay?"
"Really delicious."
Proving she wasn't just saying that, Na Yeon-ju emptied the cup in a flash. Lee Na-young, praised for her potion, blushed slightly and refilled the cup.
"By the way, Big Sis Na-young, how did you become friends with Big Sis Ha-na?"
"Me?"
"Yes. I heard Maria and Big Sis Idni have been friends since middle school. But Big Sis Na-young is in a non-combat field and has no overlapping areas with Big Sis Ha-na; it's amazing you're close."
It could have sounded like an offensive misunderstanding, but Lee Na-young took it as pure curiosity and answered.
"It's nothing special. We just happened to become roommates, and Ha-na took really good care of me from day one."
"Roommates? Aren't those usually arranged within the same department?"
"Yeah, I know. But oddly, I ended up sharing a room with Ha-na."
"Ooh, so is this destiny?"
"D-Destiny..."
Despite squirming at the younger girl's embarrassing words, Lee Na-young didn't fully deny it.
Originally, she'd lived with severe social anxiety—finding even attending lectures unbearable without medication—and she might have eventually dropped out.
But after meeting Baek Ha-na, and later Maria and Idni, so much changed. Thanks to these trustworthy friends, she became less afraid of others' eyes, able to attend lectures and roam the academy without sedatives.
Beyond that, she'd received help in Grade Evaluations, as well as countless assistance in testing new potion formulas and assessments for assignments.
And more recently, she'd even flown on a private jet, stayed in a suite at a world-renowned five-star hotel, and gone sightseeing without spending a dime.
It was a happy, joyful time she couldn't have imagined back when she'd entered the academy thinking she'd just hole up in the lab to cover tuition and research costs.
"Yeon-ju, you..."
Lee Na-young, who had heard from Maria that Na Yeon-ju had also grown up in the temple, was trying to be careful about that as she continued the conversation when she suddenly shivered slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"I-I need to use the bathroom..."
"Ah, then I'll accompany you up to the front."
"No... don't... I set up alarm magic and prepared thoroughly, so it'll be fine..."
Lee Na-young quickly stood and grabbed the portable toilet pack.
If they were truly a party for clearing the rift, it would have been the right move to just go nearby for the team's sake, but for Lee Na-young, whose guard was down and who wasn't used to rifts, it was far too high a hurdle.
"Even the rustle of leaves is okay, but if you feel uneasy, you must scream right away, you hear?"
"Uh, yeah. I'll be quick..."
Leaving a worried-looking Na Yeon-ju behind, Lee Na-young quickly moved toward the entrance with short steps, following the glow-in-the-dark stickers she'd put on the wall earlier.
"...This should be fine."
No matter how embarrassing, she couldn't go all the way outside, so Lee Na-young had to stop right before the entrance.
Rattle.
"Ugh, h-hurry..."
Lee Na-young dropped everything she was holding on the floor, and as the urge grew stronger, her hand movements sped up.
Thus, barely managing to peel off the protective gear she'd piled on and find the zipper, Lee Na-young succeeded in preserving her human dignity by a hair's breadth.
"Haa... I need to stop drinking potions..."
It was better to be a bit tired during the day than to come to such a dark place to relieve herself. After all, her role was pretty much done, having packed plenty of potions.
With the urgent business done and tension completely released, Lee Na-young sealed the zipper bag tightly and then began putting her protective gear back on one piece at a time. But having only seen it done once, she couldn't quite manage it properly, and it inevitably looked far messier than before.
Clatter.
"...?"
After putting on all her equipment, Lee Na-young was about to pick up the zipper bag and head back when she heard a small noise below her. She looked down and spotted the silver compass Maria had given her.
'I was in such a rush, I brought it with me...'
She quickly picked it up.
Clatter.
"...??"
At first, she thought the compass itself was rattling from the chilly wind. But even now, as she held it tightly in her hand, the sound continued.
Gulp.
With an inexplicable unease, she cautiously opened her hand and looked at the compass.
Clatter!!
The source of the sound was indeed the compass needle.
Fortunately, the needle was pointing toward the base camp. The problem was that while the direction was the same, the needle kept twitching upward.
"Huh...?!"
Because her tension had fully dissipated, Lee Na-young realized the meaning a beat too late. With a start, she spun around and opened her mouth.
"Yeon-..."
Whooosh──!!
Something white dropped from the dark ceiling and instantly sealed her mouth shut.
Close enough that their breaths mingled.
Blue eyes that felt like they could pierce even the soul slowly blinked.
Hiccup.
Her legs gave out, and a gradual warmth spread through her lower body.
That was the last thing Lee Na-young remembered.