Chapter 194

“Kim Hae-ah!”

Opening my eyes at the sudden voice, I saw Taeju holding my shoulder.

“…Taeju?”

“Are you with me?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

When I nodded reflexively, Taeju put water in my hand.

“Drink.”

“Huh? Yeah.”

As I drank the water Taeju gave me, it tasted sweet.

I hadn’t realized, but I must have been very thirsty.

After finishing the water he gave me, my breath burst out. At the same time, my body trembled involuntarily.

Why is my body acting like this?

“What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”

At his worried voice, I squeezed my eyes shut as if trying to ignore the flooding memories, then exhaled.

“No. But you, haven’t you slept?”

Though I tried my best to maintain a calm expression, my voice trembled slightly.

“No, I woke up thirsty. But you… had another nightmare?”

“Yeah. Seems so. My body’s drenched in sweat.”

Taeju was used to seeing me like this, having woken me up sometimes when I had nightmares at home.

But today’s dream was incomparably worse than anything I’d dreamed until now.

“I’m fine now. Go sleep.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. You know how it is. This passes.”

I forced my powerless body to rise.

“Where are you going?”

“Just outside briefly. Feel like I’ll have nightmares again if I go back to sleep now. You go back to sleep.”

As I stepped outside the tent, coaxing my trembling legs that seemed ready to collapse, the characteristic stench of monster blood hit my nose.

“Urgh.”

Feeling something surge up, I covered my mouth and ran to the wall.

And as soon as I arrived, I retched.

What is this.

Until now I’d only been aware I’d had nightmares. Not once had I remembered them.

But now was different.

I remembered clearly. Not just today’s dream.

All the nightmares I’d had until now but couldn’t remember came back vividly.

And I also realized what the Saintess’s message was.

“Fuck. This is shit.”

As I was breathing roughly, Haegeum called me.

“Master.”

Having heard my retching, Haegeum created a stream of water and approached my side.

“Haegeum.”

I slid down against the wall with my trembling body.

“Are you hurting somewhere? You’re sweating a lot.”

The water stream slightly cooler than body temperature wiped away the cold sweat from my forehead.

【Child.】

Myeong-ah must have woken because of me too, as they flew over and landed in front of me.

“Myeong-ah.”

I reached out and hugged the blazing phoenix Myeong-ah.

I wasn’t afraid because even though Myeong-ah burned like they could incinerate everything, they gave warmth when touching me.

【Child.】

Myeong-ah’s wings wrapped around me.

Trapped in their warm, cozy embrace, my body’s trembling began to stop.

“Myeong-ah. I just had a dream.”

【Yes.】

“About what could have happened before I came here.”

I hugged Myeong-ah with all my strength.

Though I kept telling myself it was just a simple nightmare, just a dream, that I was overthinking things, I knew it was a lie I told to feel less miserable.

With certainty strong enough that it would be strange I’d forgotten until now.

The things I dreamed about.

They were all things that had happened in my world.

Why couldn’t I remember? No, is what I dreamed today the end of the memory?

Once the thought arose, it led to another and another.

When I first possessed this body, my only memory was of waiting in the car.

But what I saw in the dream was up to being captured and beaten by Kim Deokpal.

Just what is going on…

【Child.】

“Yes.”

Myeong-ah spoke as if blocking my thoughts.

【Time will heal both pain and sadness. So don’t worry too much right now.】

At Myeong-ah’s words, my intermittently trembling body suddenly became drowsy.

【Child. You are ______ so _______.】

Myeong-ah’s voice grew fainter and my eyelids grew heavy.

Then darkness.

***

“Go-woon, wake up! I’m hungry!”

Opening my eyes to the feeling of being shaken, I saw Michael looking down at me with disheveled hair.

“Michael.”

“Get up. I’m hungry. Give me food.”

Does this brat think I’m their maid?

I scratched my head as I got up.

Why am I here?

I definitely was hugging Myeong-ah when I woke up at dawn.

As if answering my question, Myeong-ah rested their face on my shoulder and spoke:

【You fell asleep so I moved you.】

“Thank you.”

I patted Myeong-ah’s head and looked around to see I was the last one up, as only I remained in the tent.

Perhaps because I’d slept deeply, the intense emotions from dawn had mostly subsided.

I shook off the thoughts trying to resurface and got up from the bed.

“Let’s get moving first.”

Since I was the last up, there probably wouldn’t be time to wash, so I took out cleansing wipes from my Infinite Pouch, cleaned up, and went outside.

Unlike my expectation that everyone would be waiting outside, only Shin Sooha was there, drinking coffee in a pose worthy of a camping commercial.

The coffee smell was very fragrant from Shin Sooha who’d said he only had coffee instead of breakfast in the mornings.

“Mr. Shin, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Seems like you woke up at dawn, did you sleep well?”

“Yes. You know me. Where is everyone else?”

“The Saintess, Ms. Mei, and Ms. Chaewon said they had something to discuss and went toward the corridor, and Seo Taeju went to check the newly opened passage. As for Michael-“

“I’m here.”

Michael emerged from the campsite shower, shaking his wet hair as he spoke.

“I’m hungry.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll prepare it right away.”

I walked to the makeshift kitchen to prepare breakfast.

“Master.”

Haegeum poked their head out from the aquarium next to the kitchen.

“Thank you so much for yesterday.”

Though they hadn’t hugged me like Myeong-ah, Haegeum had stayed by my side.

I patted their head as I thanked them, and Haegeum laughed hehe.

“Are you alright now?”

“Not completely, but my heart has calmed down a bit.”

“That’s good.”

“It is.”

Even while chatting with Haegeum, my hands moved busily.

Since I just had to reheat what we ate for dinner, breakfast was ready fairly quickly.

“Perfect timing!”

Just as I set down the last bowl of heaping rice on the table, Mei came running with a bright smile.

“I was just getting hungry, thank you Go-woon-ssi.”

“Yes. Eat plenty.”

After smiling at Chaewon, I coldly glared at the Saintess who followed behind.

But the Saintess sat next to Mei, unbothered by my glare.

I held back my urge to grab the Saintess and ask everything I wanted to know.

They say even dogs aren’t bothered while eating.

As long as we were in the Cradle, the Saintess couldn’t escape anyway.

Besides, when monsters appeared, everyone would be busy dealing with them, so I could find opportunities to talk with the Saintess.

Not now. Just wait a little.

After taking a deep breath in and out, I looked at the newly formed passage.

“Taeju’s late.”

Tch. This isn’t home, and according to plan we need to eat quickly and move, where did he go?

At my complaint disguised as worry, Shin Sooha who had been sitting at the table out of courtesy stood up.

“I’ll go look.”

“No, there’s no need-“

Just as I tried to stop Shin Sooha, I saw Taeju walking from the new passage.

“Ah, there he comes. Hey! Can’t you walk faster?!”

Despite my urging, Taeju ambled over, glanced at me, and shook his head.

What’s with this bastard now?

“Hey. What’s with that head shake? Got a problem?”

“No.”

“Then why shake your head?”

“Just because.”

I picked up my spoon and sat down as Taeju gave a cold reply and started eating.

While Michael and Chaewon ate aggressively like they had beggars in their stomachs, Mei who set down her spoon first asked Taeju:

“How’s the new passage? Is it a fork? Or straight?”

“It’s a fork, with five paths.”

“Five paths?!”

Mei looked at me with surprised eyes.

“Go-woon-ssi. Do you know which path is correct?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

What is there to worry about when I haven’t been wrong yet.

I gave a hollow laugh and went back to eating.

After finishing the meal and shrinking all the utensils back down, we moved to the new passage.

The passage was short, and the fork Taeju mentioned was immediately visible.

The five paths branching from the center with jewels attached looked exactly the same without a single stone’s difference.

“Which way should we go here?”

“He-“

“Wait! Go-woon, quiet!”

Just as I was about to speak, Michael covered my mouth and raised his hand.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“A bet?”

Chaewon’s eyes sparkled, apparently liking bets.

“Yeah. Let’s number them 1 through 5 from the left, and guess which path is correct. How about it?”

“What’s the prize?”

Mei asked Michael, seeming interested too.

“Hmm. Should we bet money?”

“Nah. We can’t do money. Gambling wouldn’t be appropriate in front of the Saintess.”

“Then what should we bet?”

At Michael’s words, Chaewon and Mei fell into thought.

“Mei. Items would be gambling too, right?”

“Yes, that wouldn’t work. How about this?”

When Mei whispered something in Chaewon’s ear, Chaewon nodded with a bright smile.

“That’s good!”

“Right?”

Wondering what they were planning to bet, I looked at Mei, who smiled as brightly as Chaewon and asked me:

“Go-woon-ssi. According to plan, we have about two days left in the Cradle, right?”

“Yes. We’ll reach the boss room tomorrow.”

“Then how about the losers who don’t guess correctly become the winner’s slave for a day as punishment?”

“Slave? Bell?”

As Michael tilted his head, Mei spoke again in English.

“No, not Bell. Slave, Slave!”

“Aha!”

“How about it? This isn’t gambling, right? The winner gets to use the losers as slaves for a day. Call?”

“Good!”

Mei looked at the Saintess.

It was a look seeking approval.

“I like it too.”

The Saintess nodded with a smile.

She can smile too?

I’d never seen her smile since meeting her so I thought she was naturally expressionless, but I guess not.

But I know the answer, what are they thinking?

“What about me?”

When I raised my hand, Michael firmly said:

“Go-woon is excluded since you know the answer. Can’t participate.”

“That’s right. Go-woon-ssi can’t participate since you know the answer.”

“Alright then.”

I readily agreed since I wouldn’t become a slave and didn’t care who got used.

“Okay then Sooha first. Which number, Sooha?”

Why ask Shin Sooha when there’s no way he’d participate in this kind of bet?

“I’ll take number 1.”

I stared at him in surprise, having thought Shin Sooha’s silence until now meant he had no intention of participating.

Oh? Shin Sooha’s joining the bet? Is he changing a bit too since coming to the Cradle?

While I was surprised by Shin Sooha’s unexpected behavior, Michael took out paper from somewhere and wrote while asking Taeju:

“Taeju?”

“I pick 5.”

Whether because of Shin Sooha, though I thought Taeju wouldn’t participate either, he too naturally called out a number.

“I’ll take 3. It clearly looks like the connected path.”

“I’ll take 2.”

After Mei and Chaewon chose, only Michael and the Saintess remained.

The Saintess chose first.

“I’ll take path 1.”

“Same number as Sooha. Then I’ll take 4 that no one picked!”

After writing down his own number last, Michael looked at me.

“Now announce the answer.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

I cleared my throat and spoke:

“The answer is…”

Holding back my desire to say “Will be announced in 3 minutes!” I pointed instead of calling a number:

“Up there.”

My hand was pointing at the ceiling.