The Night Outside the Labyrinth (2)

The girls' tent was quiet.

Even, steady breathing already drifted from the others around her, but Lee Si-hyun couldn't close her eyes. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

No matter how many times she turned over, sleep refused to come. She had only woken from the labyrinth a few hours ago herself, so the restlessness was hardly a surprise. But that wasn't the only reason she was still awake.

Lee Si-hyun pulled the blanket up to her chin and pressed her lips together.

What had happened in the forest earlier kept replaying in her mind. The way she had finally broken down and cried in Seol Dam's arms. The way she had clutched his sleeve, saying she was scared, and refused to let go.

The more she thought about it, the hotter her face became.

Why did I even do that...

She had gotten him to promise he wouldn't tell anyone about it. So she shouldn't have to worry anymore. And yet something kept catching at a corner of her heart.

The things that had happened in the labyrinth kept circling through her mind. The way he had helped her every time she was in danger. The way he had stayed by her side for two days as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She hadn't even managed a proper thank you.

Lee Si-hyun fidgeted with the edge of the blanket, then pressed her lips tight.

Should I tell him now?

She rolled over and looked at the tent flap.

It'd be weird to go say it now...

She didn't even know if Seol Dam was still awake.

I can just tell him tomorrow.

She closed her eyes again, clinging to that thought. But it wasn't long before her eyelids lifted once more.

If I wait until tomorrow, I'll just pretend nothing happened again.

Lee Si-hyun let out a small sigh, careful not to let the sound carry. In the end, she pushed the blanket aside and carefully sat up.

I'll just go get some air.

A rustle of fabric. The cool night air brushed against her face. She tucked her messy hair behind her ear and slowly looked around.

The campsite, emptied of people, was still. The campfire that had burned so brightly had faded to nothing but faint red embers.

And in front of it sat a familiar figure, alone, looking up at the night sky.

Lee Si-hyun's steps came to a halt.

Why is he outside?

She hadn't expected to run into him. She'd only meant to get some air and go back, but the moment she spotted Seol Dam, her mind went completely blank.

Uh... what do I do.

Wouldn't it be weird to just turn around and go back to the tent?

But she didn't have the courage to walk over and say words she hadn't even prepared. Lee Si-hyun stood there for a while, just fidgeting with her fingers. Then, when it looked like Seol Dam might glance her way, she hurriedly started walking — as if she'd already been caught.

One step. Then another. The closer she got, the emptier her mind became.

What finally came out of her mouth had nothing to do with anything she'd been thinking.

"What are you doing out here?"

White hair drifted lightly in the night breeze.

"Couldn't sleep."

"You too?"

Lee Si-hyun said that as she came over beside me.

"You can't sleep either?"

"Yeah. I tried lying there with my eyes closed, but I wasn't even a little tired."

Well, Lee Si-hyun had been trapped in the labyrinth for the same stretch of time as I had, so it wasn't that strange. She looked around for a moment, then sat down next to me, leaving a modest amount of space between us.

A small spark leapt up from between the nearly dead logs. Lee Si-hyun and I stared at the campfire without a word.

Just a moment ago, I'd thought it was quiet because I was alone. Now that someone was sitting next to me, that silence felt strangely awkward.

Lee Si-hyun had her knees pulled to her chest, staring fixedly at the embers. I picked up a nearby stick and poked at the dying wood for no particular reason.

The fire cracked. In the end, I was the one who couldn't stand the silence.

"Got something to say?"

"No."

"For someone with nothing to say, you've been glancing at me this whole time."

"I have not."

Lee Si-hyun immediately looked away. That reaction alone told me I was right.

"If you really don't have anything to say, I'm heading in."

When I started to get up, Lee Si-hyun spoke in a small voice.

"...I do."

"I knew it."

"Just sit down."

"Alright."

I sat back down. Then Lee Si-hyun just sat there, her lips moving without a single word coming out. What on earth was she trying to say?

She stared at the campfire, then snuck a glance at me. And when I met her eyes, she hurriedly turned her head away.

"What's wrong?"

"Just wait a second."

"Wait for what."

"I'm preparing myself."

"What kind of thing do you need to prepare yourself for?"

"If you keep rushing me, I'm not saying it."

"Fine. Take your time."

I didn't ask any more and turned my gaze back to the fire. A dying log split apart, and red embers scattered quietly into the dark.

How much time passed like that? A small voice came from beside me.

"...Thank you."

For a moment I thought I'd misheard, and turned my head. Lee Si-hyun was still staring at the fire.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I didn't quite catch that."

"...Don't lie."

Lee Si-hyun pressed her lips together and glared at me. The tips of her ears had gone faintly red. I looked at her for a moment, then turned back to the fire.

"What, why'd you have to make such a production just to say thank you."

"So. What are you thanking me for?"

It was a casual question, but Lee Si-hyun didn't answer right away. Instead, she tightened her arms around her knees a little more and just stared at the dying embers.

After a long while of her lips forming words that wouldn't come, Lee Si-hyun finally spoke.

"...Everything."

"Everything?"

"Yeah."

After that short answer, she opened her mouth again.

"You kept helping me in the labyrinth this time too."

"You helped me too, though?"

"That's not what I mean..."

Lee Si-hyun let out a small breath.

"Saving me at the end, and staying with me when I... cried. All of that."

"And thinking about it, it wasn't just this time. When I got dragged off by the Gwang-a Wolf before, you came to save me then too."

Lee Si-hyun's fingers slowly twisted the hem of her clothes.

"I did say thank you back then."

"Then that's that."

At my words, Lee Si-hyun fell silent for a moment. Then she bit her lip and quietly went on.

"The truth is... I suspected you back then."

Well. I already knew that.

I'd confirmed it through the system, and afterward Lee Si-hyun had even warned me not to try anything funny.

"And?"

When I asked back without much of a reaction, Lee Si-hyun's gaze dropped.

"It was weird that you suddenly went that far to save me."

She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes as she continued.

"I thought you'd already decided to cut me off... but you came to save me with your life on the line. So I wondered if maybe there was some other reason."

Her voice grew gradually quieter.

"I was grateful you saved me, but at the same time, a part of me kept being suspicious."

Lee Si-hyun pressed her lips together for a moment.

"But that's not okay. You risked your life to save me, and I was sitting there thinking things like that..."

The eyes that had been watching the firelight slowly sank downward.

"Later on, it just kept eating at me. I wanted to say I was sorry, but it felt weird to just bring it up out of nowhere. And so I ended up not saying anything at all."

She was speaking as if it were nothing, but her hands wrapped around her knees had gone tight with tension.

"It was the same this time."

"What was?"

"After we got back, everything was so chaotic... I couldn't say it properly."

Lee Si-hyun closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them. As if she'd made up her mind, this time she didn't look away. She looked right at me.

"So I wanted to say it before it got any later."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Her wavering gaze lingered on my face for a moment.

"For saving me back then, and for staying by my side this time too."

"Thank you. For all of it."

She paused, then forced out one more thing.

"And... I'm sorry for doubting you."

Having said it all, Lee Si-hyun finally let out the breath she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been holding. Then, as if she couldn't bear the embarrassment, she turned her head back toward the fire. The tips of her ears, caught in the firelight, had gone completely scarlet.

I looked at Lee Si-hyun's profile in silence for a while.

"That's it?"

"...What."

"The way you were building it up, I thought you were about to drop something huge."

I'd been wondering what she was taking so long to say. Now that I'd heard it all, it was a lot less of a deal than I'd expected.

At my words, Lee Si-hyun glanced over.

"It was a big deal to me."

"Why would you keep holding onto something like that."

"Something like that?"

"People get suspicious. It's not like things were great between us back then. Someone who'd suddenly started pulling away showing up and risking their life to save you — it wasn't unreasonable to find that strange."

If I'd been in Lee Si-hyun's position, I probably would have thought something similar.

"And it's not like you ever actually said anything to me about it."

"Still..."

"It's fine. It's not something you need to apologize for."

"...Really?"

At her cautiously asking voice, I nodded.

"Yeah. I already knew you'd suspected me, anyway."

"You knew?"

"More or less."

I couldn't exactly say I'd confirmed it through the system, so I glossed over it. Lee Si-hyun's eyes narrowed.

"So you knew and just pretended you didn't?"

"What would be the point of acting like I knew."

"I was stressing about it this whole time."

"That's on you for holding onto it by yourself."

"You're so annoying."

I glanced at her, and the expression that had been so tense just a moment ago had eased considerably.

"Well, you said it now, so it's fine."

"...Yeah."

"From now on, don't bottle up weird stuff by yourself. Just say it when it happens."

"You should talk."

"About what."

"You act like nothing's wrong and try to handle everything yourself."

"When did I ever do that."

"You did it in the labyrinth this time too."

"That's because I could handle it."

"See? There you go again."

Lee Si-hyun let out a short, incredulous laugh. I smiled back and turned my gaze to the fire again.

The last remaining embers were fading away. The silence that had been suffocatingly awkward just a moment ago now felt comfortable.

And then, a blue message quietly appeared before my eyes.

Two levels at once.

When I first came back, I hadn't planned on getting this close to Lee Si-hyun again.

How did it end up like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this.

Not that I felt like pushing her away again at this point. Lee Si-hyun would become a key fighter down the line anyway, so getting closer wasn't a bad thing.

I guess what's good is good...

With a strange feeling, I closed the message and looked up at the sky. Countless stars glimmered faintly across a cloudless night.

"Doesn't look like either of us is getting any sleep tonight."

At my words, Lee Si-hyun also lifted her head to look at the night sky.

"Yeah."

"Even if we go back and force ourselves to lie down, we won't fall asleep."

"Yeah."

Lee Si-hyun pulled her knees in and shifted into a slightly more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠comfortable position.

"Let's just stay here a little longer, then go in."

"Alright."

After that brief exchange, we looked up at the night sky side by side. The stars weren't as sharp as they'd been inside the labyrinth. And yet, strangely, the night sky I was looking at now seemed a little nicer than before.