The Memory Relic

“Is there any way to tell what a memory looks like?

Will I know the moment I find one?”

[TIP! Memory relics generated in a Hidden Field are either excessively ‘realistic’ or ‘unrealistic’.]

…Guess I just have to search carefully.

I ignored the message and started moving my legs.

The forest was blanketed by enormous trees.

They were packed so tightly together that not a single ray of light could properly enter.

The faint light that occasionally seeped down from above looked fragile, as if it might fade at any moment.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

If this place reflected the owner’s subconscious, then Hyeon Jaeyul must be a deeply gloomy person.

And yet, in contrast to that gloom, the trees themselves were remarkably sturdy.

Their roots seemed to run deep, and there wasn’t a single broken branch in sight.

The trunks were so thick that it would take three people with outstretched arms to barely encircle one.

They looked like proof that this dark forest wouldn’t collapse easily.

It felt like it would turn into a beautiful forest if only the ash were gone.

Thinking that made me want to see what the forest would look like without the ash.

I placed a hand on one of the massive trees and surveyed the surroundings.

I watched the ground carefully to avoid tripping over roots, then absentmindedly lifted my gaze toward the sky.

That was when—

“…A balloon.”

A jet-black balloon was caught between the trees.

It was stuck at an awkward height, just out of reach even if I stretched my arm.

“Should I throw a rock or something? If it pops, it’ll fall.”

I muttered while scanning the ground.

Since all I had to do was cleanse the ash, it seemed like I could just pop the balloon and grab it.

[TIP! Memory relics may be damaged if subjected to strong impact.

If a relic is damaged, the field will recognize the player as a ‘hostile entity’.]

The system hurriedly spat out a tip, reacting to my voice.

“Hostile?”

[TIP! The field will respond aggressively toward entities it recognizes as ‘enemies’. Please treat memory relics with care.]

I felt awkward, like it was calling out my carelessness.

“If I could just reach it, I wouldn’t even be thinking about this.”

I pouted and made excuses.

They could’ve just explained ‘no destruction’ from the start.

Then the only option was climbing a tree.

I rolled my shoulders, did a brief stretch, and rotated my neck—then froze when I saw something flash between the trees.

‘I didn’t hear anything. Since when has he been standing there?!’

Gloomy black eyes devoid of emotion stared straight at me.

A face with no joy, no sorrow, no expression at all.

The man spoke in a low, somber voice.

“…How did you get in here?”

He was—

Hyeon Jaeyul, with his eyes open.

(Curling in on themselves against the biting cold)

“Why are we waiting in a place like this?”

“Because Godot might pass by without seeing us.”

“Damn it. It’s freezing.”

“If you imagine a warm fireplace, it gets easier.”

“If Godot comes, we’ll forget about the cold.”

“Then imagine meeting Godot.

How is it, does the cold feel better?”

“Damn it. Still freezing.”

“If Godot really comes, it’ll feel like waking from a dream.”

“Yeah.
Like waking from this cold dream….”

(The two sit close together,
staring into the distance.)

Hyeon Jaeyul, standing there with his eyes open and moving, looked far tougher than I’d imagined.

What drew my attention first were those black eyes that held no emotion at all.

His large frame already made him intimidating to approach, and those emotionless eyes reinforced that presence.

His hair, darker than the ash-stained forest itself, gave him an extremely cold impression.

His low voice carried weight.

It was easy to understand how he’d survived despite having his head nearly split open.

Unlike reality, there were no signs of injury on his head here.

Hyeon Jaeyul approached me with slow steps.

As if he thought I were some frightened rabbit, his movements were exceedingly careful.

“This isn’t a place for someone like you.

I don’t know how you got in, but leave quickly before you’re tainted by this place.”

Someone like me?

Ah.

He was probably judging based on appearance alone.

I thought of my hair, the only bright thing in this dark forest, and my golden eyes that must be shining even now.

I met Hyeon Jaeyul’s cautious approach head-on and spoke.

If memories from this place carried over into reality, I needed to decide how to treat him starting now.

“I came to get you, Hyeon Jaeyul.”

“…What?”

I smiled faintly and held out my hand to him.

My slender fingers extended in his direction.

The faint light filtering through the forest touched my palm, making it glow white.

Hyeon Jaeyul’s expression turned slightly blank.

He looked back and forth between my hand and my face, clearly struggling to process what he’d just heard.

“…Don’t you remember me?”

I asked in a sorrowful tone, meeting his confused gaze.

It was something I could say because I’d heard he had no memory.

“I don’t. I don’t remember.”

After a brief moment of confusion, he answered with a face that returned to complete neutrality.

‘…Does this guy not have emotions or something?’

I had just spoken with an unmistakably wistful, sad expression.

And yet he replied with a look so indifferent it bordered on apathy.

Man or woman, adult or child—

I’d always been someone who could lower people’s guard with nothing but my face.

I was fairly confident in the emotions my appearance stirred in others.

Which meant Hyeon Jaeyul’s reaction bruised my pride.

He had lit a fire under my acting instincts.

Hyeon Jaeyul.

Before this dream ends, I swear I’ll become your precious childhood friend—more important than the very life you forgot.

I clenched my teeth and vowed it.

“…It’s Doya….”

Maybe because my teeth were clenched, the words came out sounding like I was on the verge of tears.

“Doya? I don’t know that name.”

An ordinary person might have reacted to that wavering tone, but Hyeon Jaeyul didn’t hesitate at all before answering.

“Godot. You don’t remember?”

“I don’t know that name either. Hyeon Jaeyul is my name, though.”

[‘Hyeon Jaeyul’s’ affection has slightly decreased.
‘Hyeon Jaeyul’ now considers you a ‘strange person’.]

…Better stop pushing it.

‘If I keep this up, I won’t just be strange. I’ll look insane.’

This wistful approach wasn’t going to get past his walls.

Apparently, Hyeon Jaeyul had terrible aesthetic sense.

Hard to exploit, but honestly, he was the type I liked.

I let out a short sigh and withdrew the hand I’d been holding out to him.

With someone like this, it was actually easier.

I didn’t have to fake myself or perform some carefully crafted persona.

“…Fine.

If you don’t remember, whatever. Let’s get out of here first. You’re unconscious in reality and can’t wake up.”

I added, still keeping up the pretense of being his friend.

“Leaving this place will probably wake you up.”

At my slightly cooler tone, he tilted his head and stepped closer.

“Did you meet me in reality?”

“Yeah.

And we were childhood friends. You don’t seem to remember, though….”

“How did you know this isn’t reality?”

Jaeyul cut me off and asked sharply.

[[TIP! Characters other than the player have difficulty understanding ‘systems’, ‘hidden fields’, and ‘scenarios’.]]

Honestly, even I barely understood it.

I glanced around at the black forest surrounding us and answered in a thoroughly exasperated tone.

“Does this look like reality to you?”

“…No.”

“Right. It doesn’t.”

He immediately accepted that, shaking his head with a hesitant look.

I smiled faintly and relaxed my shoulders.

Hyeon Jaeyul.

This man was easy to deal with—in a different way.

He looked cold and stubborn, like he wouldn’t listen to anyone, but once something made sense to him, he nodded along even if the speaker was a complete stranger.

A huge build, but the image that came to mind was a simple, docile sheep.

Even those emotionless black eyes, when you really looked, just seemed vacant.

Strangely easy.

He looked tougher with his eyes closed.

I glanced between his tall frame and the height of the balloon caught among the trees.

Yeah. If he lifted me, I could reach it.

“Lift me up for a second.”

Hyeon Jaeyul tilted his head, looked down at me, then reached for my waist without asking a single question.

“…Who said to lift you face-to-face?”

And just like that, he hoisted me up so I was facing him.

“Then?”

He blinked up at me with innocent eyes, as if this misunderstanding was entirely my fault.

“The other way.
I meant lift me so I can grab that balloon.”

“Oh.”

He sighed, finally understanding.

I stared into his eyes as he reacted.

When we first met, I’d thought his eyes were gloomy and emotionless.

‘Emotionless’ was right.

But ‘gloomy’ was completely wrong.

Hyeon Jaeyul simply wasn’t the type to calculate things in his head.

If his looks hadn’t been so sharp, people would have taken advantage of him until he was torn to pieces.

That intimidating appearance probably kept most timid people at bay, and it had clearly played a major role in his survival.

“…Lucky it was only your head that got split.”

I muttered very quietly.

Either his hearing was as dull as his aesthetic sense, or he just ignored it.

He didn’t respond, striding straight under the balloon and gesturing for me to come closer.

Seeing him motion beneath the balloon, I stepped forward as well.