“No, it’s not that. Just… Don’t worry about me, I don’t really know why you’re saying these things to me, so don’t bother.”

At the sudden defense, Jung Soo-ho blinked.

Come to think of it, it could be possible. It seemed like Jung Soo-ho gently touched his chin.

Looking somewhat awkward, maybe even embarrassed, he quickly typed a message on his terminal.

[No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just, listening to what you’re saying reminded me of the past. What you’re saying is similar to what that friend used to say. That’s why. I apologize.] “No, no. It’s okay. I’m going to bed, so you should get some sleep too. We leave tomorrow, right?”

Upon hearing those words, Rood waved his hand and left. Jung Soo-ho blinked his eyes, looking at him, then soon smiled charmingly.

[Yes, thank you for today. Good night.]

After shaking hands with Rood a couple of times, Jung Soo-ho left for the rooftop.

He didn’t feel well; it seemed like he might throw up. As he opened the rooftop door and entered, he found Kang I-hyun sitting on the stairs.

Looking a bit tired, he rested his head against the corridor wall, wearing a loose T-shirt and a cardigan.

“Hey, hey! What if you sleep here!”

“……Ah.”

When Rood shook him, Kang I-hyun, groggy, opened his eyes. He smiled at Rood.

“Sorry. I accidentally dozed off here…….?”

“Why were you here?”

“Well, I couldn’t sleep at night, so I thought about going to the rooftop. But you and Mr. Jung Soo-ho seemed to be having a serious conversation. So, I waited for a moment and thought about going down together… Sorry if I startled you.”

Suddenly, a chill ran down Rood’s spine.

‘How much did he hear?’

If Kang I-hyun found out that he had yelled at Jung Soo-ho, causing him to leave, what would he think of him?

For a moment, a thought dominated his mind.

It might be an unpredictable situation where Kang I-hyun wouldn’t see him as a good person as he had thought.
He feared that he might be disappointed if he found out that the person he admired and followed wasn’t as strong as he thought.

“Uh, it got pretty loud, huh?”

However, unable to ask that directly, all he could do was sneak a glance.

Kang I-hyun tilted his head and responded with his usual expression.

“Oh no, I didn’t listen for that long. I was the one who got surprised, like a stalker.”

“Oh, no! Um. Let’s go down for now. It’s cold here.”

“Yes, please go down first. I’ll button up my cardigan for a moment and then come down.”

“Oh, right, it’s cold.”

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t heard much. Relieved, Rood nodded and descended the stairs.

About a floor down, Kang I-hyun’s gentle expression turned cold. A message from his indirect chair was evident.

“I understand. Bad feelings shouldn’t be suppressed. But…”

He looked up. Behind the closed iron door, Jung Soo-ho would be inside. Kang I-hyun clenched his fist.

Although his fingernails pierced his palm, the golden aura immediately healed it. He made a small noise.

“What should I do about this frustration? So…”

In the pale blue dawn after barely falling asleep, Rood and Kang I-hyun came down from the main building.

Unable to sleep for several hours due to restless thoughts all night, Rood, who clearly looked tired, yawned and spoke with a hoarse voice.

“Why call someone in the middle of the night like this…”
“Did you sleep late yesterday? It’s almost customary to do it here, so join in.”

Lee Ji-sung and Jung Soo-ho were placing dried pollack, dried rice cakes, and other offerings on plastic plates on the school playground, as if setting up a ritual. Rood raised an eyebrow at their seemingly ceremonial display.

“What are you doing?”

“Gosa Jinnae, Gosa. We always do this before dealing with a big gate. Come back safely.”

Even so, Lee Ji-sung, who mentioned that Kang I-hyun had brought various precious foods with him this time, poured alcohol into paper cups, and placed a pad with a picture of a pig’s head in front of them as a final touch.

“What superstition is this? You’ll probably do well anyway.”

“Arsella, this kind of thing is surprisingly important. If we fail to suppress the gate, it’s a big problem.”

As what happens here is relatively less interesting than in the south, Lee Ji-sung grumbled that they had to believe in such superstitions and spread out a mat.

Rood and Kang I-hyun took off their shoes and stood on it. So, the ascended Jung Soo-ho explained.

“And there are really many people who went back here when the gate first appeared. Nobody will acknowledge it if it’s not us. Just think of it as a land with a lot of energy.”

“Yeah, yeah, they’re asking for spirits or something. Sorry for using your land like this~ But we’ll do our best to make people peaceful~ Please look just this once~ It’s like that.”
Even if it’s not their fault, Lee Ji-sung, who mumbled that it’s a Korean sentiment to ask for the spirits of those who died here, finally sat on the mat.

Right there, they bowed twice as a final gesture.

Rood and Lee Hyun had put a neatly folded 10,000 won bill in front of the pad.

After placing the last 10,000 won bill on the pad, Lee Ji-sung said, “Please make sure our kids come back safely this time, without any injuries. We’re not asking for anything else. Please.”

After placing the surrounding alcohol and finishing a simple ritual, Jung Soo-ho, who saw it, tapped on his terminal.

[Now, I’ll really bring out the jeep.]

“Ah, Suho, your medicine. Oh, look at that expression again, you blinked again.”

Oh, and Jung Soo-ho opened his eyes wide.

Lee Ji-sung tsked and turned his head with a shaking motion, then pulled out white prescription pills from the inventory.

“It’s a 3-day supply. Come back quickly before it runs out.”

Jung Soo-ho nodded his head, put the medicine in the inventory, and headed towards the back parking lot of the school.

Looking at Rood, who was closely watching his figure, Lee Ji-sung said, “He has to take it every morning, once a day, so if the expedition takes longer, take good care of it, you guys.”

“What kind of medicine is it?”

“You don’t need to know that, got it? Keep an eye on him since he keeps forgetting.”
Curious and somewhat concerned, but with no real reason to press further, during their stride, Kang Ih-hyun, who had been unusually quiet since yesterday, smiled and looked at his terminal.

“Oh, Suho has prepared. Let’s go now, Rood.”

“Ah, yeah……”

With their troubled minds in tow, Rood and Kang Ih-hyun headed towards the back of the school.

Believing somehow that the annoyance would be resolved once the gate was cleared and they descended, they continued on.