The Boundary of Dreams
"M-My chastity… has value in itself… right?"
Tears welled in her eyes as she trembled, yet she kept trying to persuade me. The sheer desperation of it all was almost absurd. What exactly did this woman think of me? Well, her impression of me was hardly favorable to begin with…
"So… just sit down and… talk—"
"Senior."
"Hic… h-huh…?"
"I came to help you sleep."
I cut her off. I couldn't listen to any more of this. Only then did Yeon Minha stop crying and stare at me with dazed eyes. After a brief silence, her lips parted, as if she had finally grasped the situation.
"…That… isn't something you should do from far away…?"
"No. It isn't."
"B-But… in the dorms…"
"A single wall is fine. But my room and this one are too far apart. I can't hang from the window all night, and I can't loiter in the hallway either."
"Th-Then… h-hic…"
The tears that had been brimming finally stopped, but Yeon Minha's face flushed crimson like a ripe tomato. She pulled the blanket all the way over her head and shot me a resentful glare from beneath it.
"H-How dare you… this… this is sexual harassment…"
"Did I harass you? You did it to yourself, Senior. And what exactly would you do if I did?"
"Hic… hic…"
Her indignant retort died on her lips. The sight of her flinching at the slightest movement—like some small, frightened animal—softened my irritation. I gave up on arguing and sank into the chair by the table, a heavy sigh escaping me.
"Haa… I won't. We even made a contract, remember? And if you thought that from the start, why did you leave the window open?"
"I-It was an order… And if I didn't open it… I didn't know what you'd do…"
"Senior. What exactly do you think I am?"
"Th-That…"
"Be honest. That's an order."
Yeon Minha, still trembling, lowered her head. When I pressed again, she slowly turned her face aside and forced the words out.
"P-Pervert… lecher… *sniff*…"
"…"
That crude perception was truly lamentable. I could admit I'd treated her harshly, but I had no memory of crossing any lines in that regard. …Come to think of it, the image of the "Commander" might have been projected onto me…
"I have no interest whatsoever in your body, Senior. I don't even want to touch it. So stop worrying about pointless things."
"D-Don't say 'whatsoever'… M-My body's so beautiful…!"
She flared up for a moment, then realized how inappropriate the remark was and cut herself off, burying her face again. Self-love was a word that had nothing to do with me, but at least it didn't seem to apply to Yeon Minha either.
"Satisfied? Then go to sleep already. You looked exhausted from the trip down south."
"H-How can I sleep when you're watching me like that… No matter what… sharing a room is…"
"It's not the first time."
"Not the first time…? W-Wait… then…"
As if realizing something, Yeon Minha's eyes widened into perfect circles as she stared at me.
"Th-That time… you didn't come in the morning…?"
"I was beside you all night."
When I mentioned the day after completing the first request, Yeon Minha let out a sound like steam escaping a kettle. I had been about to say I knew all her sleeping habits and little snorts, but I decided to spare her dignity.
"Enough. Lie down now."
"Eep…"
At my somewhat forceful tone, Yeon Minha unwrapped the blanket she'd been twisting around herself and finally lay down properly. But she still didn't fall asleep. I could feel her gaze flicking toward me every few seconds.
"A-Aren't you going to sleep…?"
After a moment, as if making a great resolution, she took a deep breath and asked hesitantly.
"Rather than sitting there… you could at least lie on the floor…"
"I can go two days without sleep."
Yeon Minha's negotiations continued. She clearly didn't trust the idea of falling asleep while I stayed awake. But once she slept, her ability would spread beyond her will, and I wouldn't be able to project it only within this space. The journey here had been manageable by camping at a distance, but now that wasn't an option…
"I-I could also… stay up one night…"
"That's rich, coming from someone whose eyes keep drooping."
"H-Hic…"
Embarrassed by the sudden remark, Yeon Minha yanked the blanket up to cover her entire face. I hadn't said it to shame her. She seemed to have fallen into a sweetness she hadn't experienced in over ten years, sleeping far more soundly than before. She went to bed early and I rarely saw her wake before me.
"…W-Why are you doing this…? You're not helping me… but you're not the opposite either…"
After some time, Yeon Minha peeked out from under the blanket with only her eyes and asked. There was no point in coming all this way just to tell her to sleep well. She clearly had no intention of falling asleep alone. I pondered how to handle this, but ultimately decided that clearing up some of her doubts might help improve our relationship.
"I told you. It's for the benefit of myself and my patron."
"Your patron… the Black Lotus?"
"Yes. So I simply chose the best method available in the current situation."
"…True. The Black Lotus and Paecheon don't exactly get along. So you're helping me… wait."
I hadn't mentioned the principal's request, out of consideration for her pride. But just as Yeon Minha seemed to accept it with a nod, her expression suddenly turned indignant and she shouted.
"I-If that's the case… you should've said so from the beginning…!"
"Honestly, I didn't think you'd accept my request even if I told you the truth. Am I wrong?"
"Hic… hic…"
Looking frustrated and wronged, Yeon Minha lowered her head. Just when I thought it was over, she started asking again in a hesitant voice.
"…You seem pretty close with Sa Jaehyuk…? The way you carry out your 'passionate' work…"
Her curiosity was unusually persistent today. She seemed to put extra emphasis on certain words. Was that a good sign?
"…I owe him and my sisters my life."
"Th-There must've been some circumstances…?"
"Yes. Without them, I probably wouldn't be in this world right now. They're good people. Nothing like the rumors say."
"I-I see… Now that you mention it, you definitely lived in the countryside… no, the frontier… Your hometown… it felt like that earlier…?"
There was no malice in the question. But that innocent curiosity pulled me under the water. Things I had buried deep, things that ached just to think about, bubbled up to the surface again. Everything I had once wanted was there. But now they were nothing more than shattered memories of days that would never return—scattered like grains of sand through my fingers.
"…It was worse. In truth, it wasn't even comparable."
"R-Really…? It must've been hard for you… living in a place like that…"
Still no malice. To a noble young lady, that was probably just common sense. But…
"…It was the happiest time of my life."
At the regret that slipped into my voice, Yeon Minha looked at me with slightly surprised eyes. As if that moment had never happened, a heavy silence fell over the room again. I hadn't wanted this atmosphere.
"That's enough about that. May I ask you something in return?"
"W-What…?"
I decided to simply steer the conversation elsewhere.
"If this request succeeds, how much will it help your position, Senior?"
"…It'll help quite a bit. Transport requests carry a lot of bonus points to begin with, and the agricultural district is one of the long-term projects selected by the Supreme Council, so it has symbolic value too…"
"Then could you catch up to… Senior Baek Seoyeon?"
"That… is impossible."
Yeon Minha suddenly pouted, looking sulky.
"That girl… she received the Silver Star Martial Arts Medal for last year's subjugation results… the bonus points were enormous. Unless I get a Gold Star Medal or something, catching up in one go is going to be tough…"
"Is that so?"
"…Yeah. Even if escorting the transport is an important mission, it's nowhere near that level. And because of my mental pollution, I can't leave the cradle… This is actually my first external request…"
She had seemed quite skilled for someone claiming inexperience. If she hadn't said anything, I never would have known. In that sense, the mental pollution had clearly been a powerful shackle on her.
"…We'll finish this successfully."
"H-Huh…?"
"Now sleep. If the bed feels uncomfortable, I'll turn toward the window. I'll leave on my own around dawn, so don't worry about it."
"U-Understood…"
Before long, Yeon Minha's drowsy eyes fully closed. Soon, only the sound of deep, slow breathing filled the dark room.
What I had said to Yeon Minha was also my own hope. The peace was so excessive it felt awkward, like an obstacle in my heart. I could only wish that this uneasy peace would last, at least until we left the south.