The Two of Us in the Labyrinth (3)
"That hit the spot."
"Yeah, it really did."
Lee Si-hyun gathered the empty wrappers off to one side and pushed herself to her feet. Night had already swallowed everything around them. The only light left was the campfire, popping and crackling between the two of them.
"So what now?"
"We sleep."
"...Already?"
"There's still a long way until the next wave. Rest while we can."
Three waves left. The first had been nothing but five goblins, but from here on the difficulty would only climb. There was no reason to burn stamina when they were still in one piece.
I opened the shop window without wasting another second. Let's see here.
I flicked through the list a few times before something suitable caught my eye.
◈ A specialized blanket with exceptional heat retention. Keeps body temperature stable even in the cold.
◈ Price: 3,500 Points
This'll do.
Thirty-five hundred points was a decent chunk of change, but better to spend it now than spend the whole night shivering. I hit purchase without a second thought.
A moment later, a thick blanket materialized out of thin air. I reached out and caught it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"......"
A peculiar stare settled on me from the side. I turned my head and found Lee Si-hyun looking fixedly at the blanket in my hands.
...Yeah, I know why she's looking at me like that.
I'd already burned through a lot of points today — the Magic Circulation Gum, the food. With three waves still ahead, spending any more was starting to sting.
Well. Si-hyun can handle a little cold on her own.
I unfolded the blanket, pretending I hadn't noticed a thing.
"What."
"......Where did that blanket come from?"
"Subspace Pouch."
"Again?"
"Yep."
Lee Si-hyun stared at the blanket a moment longer. I read the look on her face and spoke first.
"Just so you know, I've only got the one."
"......"
Her mouth opened, then closed again. She didn't say anything else.
Well. After mooching a whole meal off me, asking for a blanket on top of that would be a little awkward.
I didn't bother explaining further. I found a reasonably flat patch of ground and lay down.
"Night, then."
I pulled the blanket up over myself and closed my eyes.
"......Yeah. Night."
A moment later, I heard her settling down near the campfire.
There's a fire. She'll be fine.
With that, I let myself drift off.
"......"
Cold...
Lee Si-hyun curled in on herself even tighter. At first she'd thought she'd be fine. There was a campfire, and a little cold like this was nothing she couldn't handle. The problem was that the temperature kept dropping the longer the night wore on.
"...It's cold."
She muttered it under her breath and shifted, hunting for a better position. Sleep was out of the question — she was shivering too hard to even keep her eyes shut.
Then her gaze drifted, almost on its own, to the other side of the fire.
"......"
There was Seol Dam, sleeping just fine. Wrapped up snug in that thick blanket, no less.
Looks nice and warm over there. All by himself.
It was irritating, just a little. But only for a moment. Her eyes locked onto the blanket covering him. It looked a bit tight for two people.
But I could probably squeeze in somehow...
"......"
The second that thought formed, her face burned.
No. What am I even thinking.
Sharing a blanket with Seol Dam, just because she was cold. On any other day, the idea wouldn't have even crossed her mind.
Then—
—Whooooosh.
Another gust of icy wind swept through, and Lee Si-hyun flinched, drawing her limbs in tight.
"Ugh..."
She wrapped her arms around herself and curled up as small as she could, but it was useless. The cold air wormed its way through her clothes, and her fingertips had already gone numb.
...Just hold out a little longer.
She closed her eyes again. A few minutes passed.
"......"
She opened them. It was too cold. She couldn't sleep. No matter which way she turned, it was the same. She scooted a little closer to the fire, but the flames had already weakened too much to keep the cold at bay.
Her eyes found Dam again.
"......"
No.
She turned her head away immediately. Sharing a blanket was still a bit much, wasn't it?
If I just hold out a little longer, I'll fall asleep eventually.
She curled up again.
—Whooooosh.
"...Nnh."
This time the wind was even colder, raking straight across her body. She trembled.
So cold...
It really was. Pride, dignity — none of it mattered anymore. She couldn't take it.
She looked at the blanket covering Seol Dam again. For a long time. She really did think about it for a long, long time. Then she bit down on her lip.
"...Ah, forget it."
Lee Si-hyun carefully pushed herself up from the ground and approached the sleeping Seol Dam, step by quiet step.
Just a little.
Just sharing a corner of the blanket — that would be fine, right?
She looked down at his face for a moment.
When we were kids, we used to sleep under the same blanket all the time.
Back when they treated each other's houses like their own, this kind of thing hadn't meant anything at all. Things were a little different now, of course.
...Still.
Lately, Seol Dam didn't act the way he used to around her. He didn't keep saying he liked her. He didn't crowd her or make things uncomfortable. Today, they'd even talked like they used to, for the first time in a long while.
I don't think he even feels that way about me anymore.
So this much should be fine. It didn't mean anything. She was just cold. That was all.
She repeated the justification to herself a few more times, then gently lifted the edge of the blanket and slipped inside.
"......"
It was warm. The shivering from moments ago felt like a lie — heat wrapped around her as if it had been waiting.
I should've just come in from the start.
She let out a small breath and was about to close her eyes when—
"...What are you doing?"
"......"
Lee Si-hyun's body went rigid.
...What was that.
At first I didn't think much of it. I figured I'd just sensed something in my sleep and tried to drift off again. But a moment later, one side of the blanket lifted, and a draft of cold air seeped in.
What the.
I stayed still, eyes closed. Then—
—Rustle.
Someone carefully climbed in under my blanket. I didn't need to look to know who it was.
...What's she doing?
I opened my eyes slowly. And there was Lee Si-hyun, curled up right next to me. She'd been about to close her eyes — and our gazes met.
"......"
"......"
A beat of silence stretched between them. I spoke, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"...What are you doing?"
"......"
Her whole body locked up.
"No, I mean..."
"I said, what are you doing."
"...Sorry."
She avoided my eyes, fingers curling around the edge of the blanket.
"It's too cold... I couldn't sleep."
"So you snuck in?"
"...Yeah."
"Wow."
A disbelieving laugh slipped out of me. She ducked her head, looking even more mortified.
"I really am sorry for just climbing in..."
"......"
"Could we... maybe share it? Just a little?"
She looked at me carefully.
"......"
"The fire's almost out. It's freezing."
I watched her in silence for a moment, then a question occurred to me.
"Weren't you uncomfortable around me, though?"
Her mouth snapped shut. The fingers gripping the blanket fidgeted.
"That's..."
She hesitated, searching for the words, then looked away.
"It's different now."
"How?"
"You don't act like you used to anymore."
"And..."
She hesitated again. Then, in a smaller voice:
"When we were little, we used to sleep together all the time."
"That was when we were kids."
"Still..."
She pouted, just a little.
"......"
When I didn't answer, her expression grew steadily more uneasy. She glanced toward the outside of the blanket.
—Whooooosh.
A cold wind swept through the forest. Just the sound of it made her shoulders hitch.
"I'm seriously so cold."
She looked at me again. Her face was far more desperate than before.
"......"
"I've been trying to sleep this whole time and I just can't."
Her grip on the blanket tightened.
"So... can we figure something out?"
"I'll be good. I promise."
She watched my face, then hurriedly added:
"I won't steal the blanket."
"I'll stick to the very edge. I swear."
Her voice grew more and more pleading.
"Okay?"
"......"
"If I go back out there I think I'm actually going to freeze to death."
"...Please."
I looked at her for a moment.
I figured she could handle this much on her own.
The cold must have been a lot worse than I'd expected. Looking closer, she was still trembling faintly even after getting under the blanket. The fingertips clutching the edge were stiff with cold.
...Yeah. She really was freezing.
Seeing her like that, I felt a little bad. I'd assumed too easily that Si-hyun would just tough it out. Besides, if she didn't get any real rest and her condition tanked, we'd be in trouble. Three waves left, and she was the one who'd have to handle most of the fighting. Losing her in peak form was the same as losing our most important asset.
I let out a small sigh and shifted over, making room.
"Fine. Stay."
"...Really?"
The miserable look on her face lit up instantly.
"Yeah."
She exhaled, finally relaxing. Then, after a brief hesitation, she said in a small voice:
"...Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Just sleep."
"...Okay."
And so the night deepened around them — a little awkward, a little strange.