NOVPUBHwang Jiho smiled at Hyang Rok’s words, and Baekho-gun also widened his eyes slightly.
Hwang Jiho asked as if to confirm.
"Is that true? Unsa will wake up soon?"
"Yes, it wouldn’t be strange if he woke up at any moment. Looking at his physical responses and the state of his ineung (special abilities), it seems he’s suddenly gotten better..."
Hyang Rok flicked his little finger and touched Unsa's forehead.
A light flowed from the tip of his finger and was absorbed into Unsa’s forehead.
Hyang Rok focused for a long while before speaking.
"There are traces of sagi (evil energy)."
Hearing those words, my head throbbed.
I had thought that the dark force might have done something to Unsa, but I hadn’t planned to examine it thoroughly.
I had vaguely left it to the aristocrats.
"I didn’t send him off cleanly, did I? I should have thought about that. Was it deliberately planted, or did it just happen because he was with the dark force...?"
Given the thoroughness of the dark force, it was more likely the former.
Even if he had slipped through my grasp, they probably hid the harmful energy deep within him, making sure he deteriorated slowly without drawing attention.
If Hyang Rok hadn’t paid extra attention to the sudden improvement in Unsa’s condition, it might have gone unnoticed.
It seemed like Hwang Jiho hadn’t thought about it either.
"That sagi was in Unsa’s body? I didn’t feel anything when I examined him."
"Looks like it was hidden thoroughly, even to the point where you couldn’t detect it. Hmm, even I didn’t realize it immediately. But the sagi is being washed away."
Hyang Rok slowly scanned the area, as if searching for the cause.
I didn’t need to look around to know what the cause was.
It was Ahn Dain.
"It’s thanks to Ahn Dain’s special constitution."
Hyang Rok’s gaze stopped in front of Ahn Dain.
When I first met Ahn Dain, Hyang Rok had already noticed something about her special constitution.
It seemed Hyang Rok had figured out the cause of Unsa’s recovery.
"I’m glad we brought Ahn Dain today!"
Hyang Rok said brightly.
Ahn Dain had a unique constitution that purifies toxins and sagi.
Her special constitution purifies toxins and sagi, and it had saved Unsa this time.
Hwang Jiho expressed his gratitude to Ahn Dain.
"It’s thanks to you. Thank you."
"I’m happy that I could help."
Even while I admired the title heroine’s great contribution, I also felt a bit guilty.
I could have used the player's trajectory, but what had I actually done?
"I should have realized that I could use Ahn Dain’s power and immediately restored Unsa..."
Maybe I should recheck my strategies, so I don’t miss anything again.
Once we returned to the dorm, I was thinking about what steps to retrace.
While I was lost in thought, Ahn Dain suddenly spoke to me.
"It’s all thanks to Eui-shin finding my family. Right?"
"That’s right. Without Jo Eui-shin, neither Ahn Dain nor Unsa would be here."
Ahn Dain and Hwang Jiho spoke a lot, looking my way.
They showered me with praise, which made me feel embarrassed, and Hyang Rok just watched silently.
Baekho-gun occasionally nodded as if agreeing, and the more the tigers spoke, the more my embarrassment grew.
"Then I’ll make the elixir!"
"Please do so."
Thanks to Hyang Rok, the sudden praise finally came to an end.
I was relieved, but now I was worried about Unsa.
"To have to drink the elixir that Hyang Rok made right after waking up..."
While it was a happy moment that Unsa was waking up, I felt sorry for him.
Wouldn’t he just fall back asleep after drinking something like that, when his body and mind are still not fully back to normal?
If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to keep my senses straight.
As my attention turned to Hyang Rok making the elixir, I heard Baekho-gun’s voice.
"...Unsa."
I turned my head, and Baekho-gun was looking down at Unsa's face.
Unsa’s eyelids were twitching.
Hwang Jiho quickly stood up and approached Unsa.
When Unsa opened his eyes slightly, a cloudy look filled with dark clouds appeared in his eyes.
"Hwang-ho..."
His voice was faint, but it sounded soft and kind.
There was a feeling of welcoming a long-lost friend.
Hwang Jiho nodded at the voice calling him and looked down at Unsa.
Unsa slowly blinked, then called out Baekho-gun’s name behind Hwang Jiho.
"Baekho..."
Baekho-gun stared at Unsa in silence.
Unsa faintly smiled.
It had been so long since he moved his facial muscles, and there was barely any change in his expression, but his joy was clear.
I was trying not to intrude on the reunion of old friends when Unsa suddenly looked at me.
"...Jo Eui-shin."
Did he just call my name here?
How does he know me?
I wondered if I had misheard, but seeing the reactions around me, it wasn’t just me who heard it.
Unsa definitely called my name.
"Why does he know my name, and why is he calling me at this important moment?"
I quickly traced my connection with Unsa.
Something came to mind.
It was when Do-cheol used the powers of Unsa and Seong Hyeong-woo to look into my past and fears.
"If he saw my past, he would know my name. Could it be that Unsa saw all of that and remembered it?"
It wasn’t impossible.
Even if Do-cheol didn’t see it, Unsa might have seen it.
In fact, Unsa’s power had moved Seong Hyeong-woo’s gwangnim (clairvoyance), so it was possible that he had seen it.
I considered the possibility that Unsa saw it, but I never thought he would remember me.
He had been suffering in the furnace for so long that he had almost lost his sanity. I thought he wouldn’t be focused on remembering one human’s name.
But Unsa’s mental strength was certainly stronger than I had assumed.
"I’m sorry..."
I wondered what he was apologizing for, but Unsa was looking at my left eye.
Maybe he remembered the moment when the dark clouds took my left eye.
Unsa’s eyes were moist as he spoke his apology.
The dark clouds that took my eye were the work of Do-cheol behind the scenes, or more broadly, the dark force.
Unsa had no part in it.
I was thinking of explaining this to him, but I couldn’t come up with the right words that wouldn’t burden his heart and would make him understand.
Unsa’s body and mind seemed so fragile right now.
"You shouldn’t cry. It will drain your energy. Focus on your body first!"
Hyang Rok put an end to my worries.
As Hyang Rok said, Unsa needed to focus on restoring his health rather than apologizing right now.
"But Hyang Rok really only thinks about the patient’s well-being."
Thanks to the aristocrats’ unrestrained actions, many secrets had been revealed in front of Hyang Rok. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Ahn Dain’s existence, and now Unsa’s condition too.
Even if he didn’t know the full story, he could probably guess a lot of it.
He might even find it thrilling, but Hyang Rok was only interested in Ahn Dain’s special constitution and Unsa’s condition.
Maybe that’s why the aristocrats had brought him to such an important position.
Looking at Unsa, Hyang Rok spoke cheerfully.
"First, it’s best if you take my elixir and recover your health. It’s easy to take, even if you have trouble chewing, swallowing, or digesting, because I made it that way. Go ahead and try!"
Although Hyang Rok spoke as a suggestion, he clearly seemed eager to feed it to Unsa right away.
The elixir was already in Hyang Rok’s hand.
It was contained in a glass dropper bottle.
The dropper, which seemed to have a larger capacity, contained an elixir with a sinister color and scent.
Hyang Rok brought the tip of the dropper right in front of Unsa’s mouth and looked at Hwang Jiho.
It seemed he was prioritizing Hwang Jiho’s permission over Unsa’s will.
"Hwang Jiho is merciless in front of the elixir."
Hwang Jiho had made the other tigers drink the elixir, no matter how much they struggled.
It was likely the same for Unsa.
Hwang Jiho silently stared at Unsa’s tearful eyes before speaking.
"It’s better to restore his health before he wastes any more energy. Hyang Rok, go ahead and feed him the elixir."
"Understood!"
Before Hwang Jiho’s words even finished, Hyang Rok moved the dropper.
Unsa, who hadn’t grasped the situation, tried to say something with his mouth half-open, but the dropper stopped him.
Soon, Unsa began to suffer.
He didn’t scream, but his body flinched.
It seemed the taste was really awful.
"For someone like Unsa, who’s proficient at hiding pain, it’s clear that his body is still not normal."
I felt sorry, but I thought it was better for him to suffer from the elixir and get better than for him to apologize in this weakened state.
This time, I decided to support Hwang Jiho’s decision.
After the dropper had been emptied twice, Unsa’s vision became blurry.
Hyang Rok cheered him on.
"You can’t faint. If you lose consciousness, I’ll put a special herb on your tongue to wake you up. That’s even worse!"
Thanks to Hyang Rok’s encouragement, Unsa slowly but successfully finished the entire dose of the elixir.
Ahn Dain and I clapped lightly, even though it wasn’t something we’d agreed on.
It was natural given that we had just tasted the elixir.
"...Help me up."
Thanks to the elixir’s effects, Unsa’s body and ineung (special abilities) were in much better shape than when I first saw him.
His pronunciation had also become clearer.
His speech was slow, but that seemed to be his usual way of speaking.
From the reactions of the tigers hearing Unsa speak, it seemed they felt both relieved and nostalgic.
Instead of helping him up, Hwang Jiho looked at Hyang Rok.
"The effects of the elixir haven’t fully taken effect yet, so it’s going to be hard."
"I want to sit and talk."
Unsa’s voice lacked strength, but there was a sense of determination.
While Hwang Jiho was thinking about it, Baekho-gun moved first.
Because of his large build, Unsa looked even thinner and frailer next to him.
Hwang Jiho didn’t stop him and watched as Baekho-gun helped him.
Although Baekho-gun’s support was necessary, Unsa succeeded in sitting on the bed.
"Hwang-ho-nim."
"Hwang-ho-nim? I’m still your close friend, not the head of the clan. Baekho and Jeokho still call me Hwang-ho. You can speak to me casually, like before."
Hwang Jiho spoke with undisguised joy.
Though he looked like a high school version of himself, he was still the familiar friend of the tigers.
But Unsa’s expression seemed strange.
Unlike Hwang Jiho, who was simply happy, Unsa’s face was filled with guilt.
Unsa hung his head in shame.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"I knew about my friend’s betrayal, but I couldn’t stop it. I allowed my powers to devastate the entire peninsula. Please punish me."
The atmosphere froze at his words.
It seemed he had gathered his strength to say this and had asked to be helped up to speak.
Hwang Jiho’s smile faded.
Baekho-gun’s expression also darkened.
Unsa, silent for a moment, spoke again.
"I had the chance to reveal what I knew. But I thought I could change my friend’s heart."
Upon hearing that, the tigers who had been about to speak stopped in their tracks.
It seemed Unsa hadn’t immediately revealed what he knew about the betrayals of Pungbaek and Usa.
Judging by Unsa’s demeanor, it seemed there were even more secrets behind Pungbaek and Usa’s betrayal of the aristocrats.
The buried past of myth was about to be uncovered.
