The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 216:

Chapter 216

Ah.

Kang Hye-rim, who had been staring intently at Yu-hyun, came to her senses when she saw his puzzled look. 

She quickly backed away, flustered, and straightened her upper body.

She said in a defensive tone, her face flushed red.

Uh, um. That is, I was curious about what kind of training you were doing.

She waved her hands and rambled on, but anyone could tell that she was lying. 

However, Yu-hyun decided not to press her further.

So, did you finish your training too, Hye-rim?

Huh? Oh, yes. I was also tired and wanted to rest a bit.

Yu-hyun glanced at her. 

She was soaked in sweat, as if she had been working hard to control the energy of the Heavenly Thunder Sword.

She was still breathing slightly, which meant that she had not finished her training long ago.

As he looked closely at her face, he noticed that there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

He reached out his hand naturally.

Yoo, Yu-hyun?

Just stay still for a moment.

Kang Hye-rim was at a loss when his hand approached her, but soon closed her eyes tightly. 

She looked like a kitten who was afraid of a strangers touch.

He gently touched her eyelids with his fingers.

Ah.

She shivered as she felt his touch. 

His warm fingertips made her heart race uncontrollably.

He was touching her.

She realized for the first time that just this fact alone could make her chest beat like crazy.

His touch was warm and gentle. 

His fingers moved softly over her eyes, as if he was drawing them with a brush.

How long had it been? The warmth on her face disappeared.

You can open your eyes now.

She felt sorry that she could not feel his touch anymore and opened her eyes.

How do you feel?

Huh? How do I feel?

Youve been very tired lately, right? You had dark circles under your eyes.

Yes. Yes?!

She hurriedly checked the mirror on the wall and looked at her eyes. 

It was true that she had reduced her sleep and trained hard lately, but she did not expect to have dark circles.

She felt embarrassed that he had seen her like that, but she was also confused when she saw her normal eyes.

Huh? There are no dark circles.

Of course not. I erased them for you just now.

What? Then does that mean, your touch earlier

Yes. I gave you some energy.

I see

What he had given to her eyes was the blue-green energy. 

It was the optimal energy for recovering physical fatigue, as it was full of life force.

No wonder she felt good. 

She felt grateful and regretful at the same time.

She felt foolish for getting excited and hoping for something more by herself. 

She avoided his gaze with a slight frown.

Huh? Hye-rim? Whats wrong with you?

I dont know.

Kang Hye-rim said that and then moved closer to Yu-hyuns side.

Yu-hyun looked at her silently. 

She seemed angry as if she was betrayed by her expectations, but she was also curious about her attitude that was approaching him.

As Kang Hye-rim came closer, a scent wafted into Yu-hyuns nose.

It was something that could only be described as the smell of clear water. 

It was not a foul odor that he wanted to avoid, but a peaceful one that made him feel like he was at a forest stream.

Yu-hyun realized that it was thanks to the water story that Kang Hye-rim had.

Hye-rim. You sweated a lot, right?

! Why, why? Do I smellbad?

Kang Hye-rim hastily sniffed her arm and shoulder, but she had no way of knowing if she smelled bad. 

Her expression became gloomy.

Yu-hyun added a word to reassure her.

No. I was just curious because you dont smell at all.

Really?

Kang Hye-rims expression brightened up again. 

Her mood changed so quickly that she looked like a naive puppy.

Of course.

I see. But it was still harsh. How can you ask a woman if she sweated?

Why not? It doesnt matter if you dont smell.

Thats not the point, okay?

Kang Hye-rim decided that there was no use arguing with Yu-hyun any further, so she pretended to be angry and leaned against him. 

Their shoulders touched.

Hye-rim?

Yu-hyun called her name with a slight panic, but Kang Hye-rim deliberately ignored him.

She rather lay down on her side and put her head on Yu-hyuns thigh.

Yu-hyun frowned.

What are you doing? Youre heavy. Move your head.

Hea, heavy?! No way! Im not heavy at all!

Do you know that? The average weight of an adult womans head is

Why are you saying that all of a sudden!

I just wanted to say it.

Tsk.

Kang Hye-rim glared at Yu-hyun, but she didnt move her head.

Hye-rim?

I dont want to.

What?

I dont want to move my head. I want to stay like this. Forever.

No, youre not a child. Why are you throwing such a tantrum?

Then Ill be a child. Baby talk collector.

No

Yu-hyun was too speechless to scold her.

It was almost the first time that Kang Hye-rim acted like this.

Hye-rim.

What.

Kang Hye-rim turned her head away, trying not to show her face to Yu-hyun as she spoke curtly. 

She pretended to be angry, but in fact, she wanted to hide her flushed face.

Why am I like this?

Kang Hye-rim scolded herself for doing something she would never do normally. 

She would never dare to rest her head on his lap like this.

But somehow, it happened. 

Was it because of the stress from the excessive training? 

She didnt know.

Yu-hyun looked at Kang Hye-rim, who was lying on his lap, and gave up on saying anything.

He spoke in a softer voice.

Are you having a hard time?

What do you mean?

I saw you training hard lately. I was worried that you might hurt your health.

Kang Hye-rim didnt answer. Yu-hyun didnt expect an answer either.

Its natural to feel impatient. Everyone has such thoughts. Especially someone like you, who has a strong desire to improve.

Yu-hyun gently stroked Kang Hye-rims hair.

His touch made her black hair fall like a curtain. 

The feeling on his fingertips was like touching soft silk.

Kang Hye-rim shuddered for a moment, then relaxed under Yu-hyuns touch.

Youre doing well. More than enough.

I

Kang Hye-rim, who had been silent until then, opened her mouth.

Am I really doing well?

Why do you ask that?

I still dont know. If Im doing well, if Im really amazing.

Kang Hye-rim felt her self-esteem plummeting as she spoke.

But the reality that she had faced was enough to make her feel that way.

She still remembered. 

The sight of Kwon Jia bleeding when she woke up from losing consciousness.

The sight of Chulapantaka, who emitted a brilliant light and tried to destroy the world.

Her own weakness, who could only barely survive and do nothing else.

I thought before that I was okay. I felt stronger because of you, and I thought I was changing every time I did something little by little. But that wasnt true.

She thought she had become stronger, but that wasnt true at all.

She was still weak.

Im still lacking. Everything I thought I had improved was nothing but an illusion.

Yu-hyun couldnt say anything.

It was natural for her to have such feelings.

The enemy she fought was a being of the stars, beyond human. It was obvious that humans were weaker than spirits.

She had chosen the wrong comparison from the start.

But how could that soothe her wounded heart?

Yu-hyun knew. 

The sorrow of someone who looked at the stars in the sky, but couldnt reach them with their hands.

No matter what words of comfort he gave them, he couldnt calm their restless hearts.

Kang Hye-rims voice became more gloomy.

In the end, I was just a frog in a well. And I didnt even know it, and acted like I was great. Im ashamed of myself.

But Im not ashamed of you.

Yu-hyuns voice didnt just linger in her ears.

His voice seeped into her chest, making Kang Hye-rim tremble.

Really?

Hye-rim, you may not know your true self yet, but I do. You are much stronger and kinder than you think.

Yu-hyun saw it then.

The way she fought against the Osman army without fear.

The way she broke through the enemy lines at the last moment, ending a battle that seemed impossible.

And the way they celebrated their first glorious victory.

He never forgot

And always remembered it.

After all, Hye-rim, you are my first contractor.

His sweet voice melted away the tension that had built up over the past few days. 

Kang Hye-rim felt the mana that had accumulated from her forced march surge up.

She tried to stay awake desperately, and asked him.

Then, why do you do that?

Do what?

Why do you keep using formal language?

What?

If you think were close, if you think were precious You can speak casually, right?

Yu-hyun tried to say something, but ended up chuckling.

Kang Hye-rim was annoyed.

Why, why are you laughing? Whats so funny?

Just

Look at this. Youre using formal language again. Cant you just speak casually?

No. I cant.

Why!

Because using formal language is the least I can do to show respect to the people who fought for me.

Yu-hyun was grateful to Kang Hye-rim. 

He was also grateful to Kwon Jia, Baek Seoryeon, and Seo Sumin.

Unlike his previous life where he was not respected, he appreciated them for valuing him highly.

And he felt sorry for them too. He had dragged them into dangerous situations because of his own desires.

Thats why he didnt speak casually to them.

And at some point, he got used to using formal language.

But if everyone wants it. Then Ill consider speaking casually to you.

Really? Youre not lying, right?

Why would I lie about something like this?

Then, thats enough for now.

Kang Hye-rim muttered that and tapped his hand lightly.

It was a cute protest, asking him to move his hand that had stopped stroking her hair.

Yu-hyun shrugged his shoulders helplessly and ran his fingers through her hair again.

How much time had passed like that?

Yu-hyun

Kang Hye-rim cautiously opened her mouth, wondering if she was bothering him.

Werent you scared?

What do you mean?

I mean last time, you were badly injured.

Oh.

She was talking about the time when his heart was pierced.

In fact, Yu-hyun almost died then. 

He was on the verge of death. 

No, it would be fair to say that he did die. 

Even though he had some intention of doing so, surviving was practically a miracle.

Wasnt he scared?

Of course he was scared. 

He had already experienced death once, and he had seen more deaths of others than anyone else.

Even if living was the greatest pain, the fear of death was not something that could be easily erased.

I wasnt afraid at all.

But, Yu-hyun lied.

To reassure her.

To not worry her.

I was sure that everything would be fine.

It was a lie.

It was an impossible gamble. 

He didnt even have any confidence.

How can you be so strong, Yu-hyun?

Why was he strong?

Yu-hyun answered without hesitation.

Because I have something that I must achieve. For the sake of my goal, anyone can become strong.

It was a lie. 

In truth, he was not strong. 

He was just pretending to be strong.

If you have a goal that you want to achieve, you must never compromise or give up.

It was a lie. 

He thought about giving up. 

He wondered if it would be okay to compromise a little.

Strength is something that you have to prove yourself. With your own power.

It was a lie. 

He wanted to cry out that he was tired to someone. 

He wanted to lean on someone and complain.

But, in the end, he couldnt let go of what he had in his hand. 

He had already come too far.

Now, losing this warmth in his hand was more frightening than running towards his goal.

Yu-hyun hid his inner voice, and wrapped his pitiful core with fancy decorations and made it look plausible.

This weakness was only his own.

Showing it to someone and asking for sympathy was nothing but an escape of the weak.

I am stronger than anyone else. So, Hye-rim. You can lean on me if you are having a hard time. You can lean on me anytime.

How rough and painful the road ahead would be.

He had prepared himself for it since he came back from the past.

Thats why he didnt care if he got hurt or suffered.

But he hoped that his comrades who followed his will would be less hard than him.

Because you are all my protagonists.