Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 31 (Part 2): Snowflower (6)

We finished breakfast in silence.

“Let’s go. Hunting.”

We needed a bit more food. Two or three adult deer would put us in a stable position.

“Yep. Hey, guard the house well, okay?”

Seo Ji-woo spoke to the wolf. It was busy gnawing on deer bones.

Somehow, we’d even ended up with a guard dog.

* * *

We hunted with relentless focus for half a day but only caught one deer. As expected, the wildlife population had drastically decreased.

“…Your eyes are beautiful.”

Seo Ji-woo murmured admiringly at the deer lying in the snow. I placed a leaf over its eyes and slit its throat.

Seo Ji-woo squeezed her eyes shut.

After butchering the deer, I buried it.

“Why bury it?”

“Just in case. We’ll come back for it later.”

We could treat it like buried treasure and retrieve it later. My memory was good enough for that.

“…Oh! Hey, over here!”

Suddenly, a voice echoed from afar. A man and two women were waving and running toward us.

They didn’t seem hostile, but caution was necessary.

“Can you help us, please?!

“Huh? Jin Ho-seung-ssi?”

Seo Ji-woo recognized one of them—A-tier Jin Ho-seung.

“Ah, Ji-woo-ssi! Thank goodness. We need a mage. One of our teammates is badly injured.”

“We’ve gotta go!”

Seo Ji-woo immediately sprinted off.

“Hey!”

I almost grabbed her but stopped.

If we split up now, I wouldn’t have to stay with her. I wouldn’t need to hunt more food, and I wouldn’t have to think about *him*.

“…Tch.”

I clicked my tongue silently and sighed deeply. My mind was a mess.

I’d been making excuses for staying with Seo Ji-woo all this time. Screen time, protection, recognition, whatever. But it was all bullsh*t—ultimately, it was because of *him*.

The guy who still hasn’t been completely buried in my heart.

Seo Ji-hyuk.

Because she’s your little sister. Because she resembles you more than anyone. Because she’s the one you worried about even as you were dying…

“Haah.”

I followed Seo Ji-woo. My staff sank deep into the snow with each step.

—

Jin Ho-seung’s team’s hideout was a reinforced ruin. They’d added wooden planks to an existing wreck to make it livable.

“Come in.*

On a makeshift bed inside lay a severely injured person—a deep gash across the shoulder. Beside them sat a very familiar face, eyes closed.

“Huh?”

Seo Ji-woo blinked and called his name.

“What? Lee Jun-ho?”

“You’re part of this team?”

Lee Jun-ho opened his eyes. His first reaction was a hollow laugh.

“Pfft, no. I’m not with them… Ji-woo, why are you here?”

“Why? Because someone’s seriously hurt.”

“…Yeah. Someone got hurt.”

He nodded grimly.

“I cut him by mistake. At night. Thought he was an enemy.”

“What? Are you insane?”

“Guess I was, for a moment.”

Lee Jun-ho ran a hand through his hair like it was no big deal. Seo Ji-woo quickly checked the patient’s condition.

Lee Jun-ho looked at me.

“You’re Seol Ha-woon, right?”

I nodded quietly and scanned Jin Ho-seung’s team.

Three men (including the injured one) and two women. Five people was too many for surviving in such extreme conditions—it was actually a disadvantage.

“Sorry, really. I mean it.”

Lee Jun-ho apologized again to Jin Ho-seung, who shook his head.

“It’s fine. Mistakes happen. There was a blizzard too.”

Jin Ho-seung poured water into a cup. With his*left hand.

His teammate took it and handed it to me. With their left hand.

“Not thirsty.”

I declined.

“Ah, okay.”

The teammate passed the water to another.

That teammate drank instead. With their left hand.

“…I’ve applied first aid for now.”

Seo Ji-woo wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“The wound’s pretty deep, but I’ve sealed it with magic to stop the bleeding. This is Lee Yong-seung, right?”

I glanced at the patient. The treatment was flawless. Guess she learned well at magic school.

“Yes. It’s Yong-seung.”

“He’s a Warrior, so if we keep the bleeding in check and maintain his body temp, he should recover on his own…”

Seo Ji-woo subtly glanced at me. Her eyes asked if we could move him to our cabin.

I refused silently. She nodded. She wasn’t childish enough to push in a situation like this.

“Uh, got any matches or something?”

“Yeah. About three.”

Jin Ho-seung’s fourth teammate handed matches to Seo Ji-woo. Again, with their left hand.

What is this, the Left-Hand Crew?

Seo Ji-woo put the fingernail-sized match into a bucket-like can and amplified it with a spell.

*Whoosh!*

Flames roared to life, filling the space with warmth.

The air grew cozy, and the patient’s breathing stabilized.

“…Whew. Thank goodness. This is why mages are essential in labyrinths.”

Jin Ho-seung bowed to Seo Ji-woo.

“Oh, it’s not that big a deal~”

“Move aside for a sec.”

I nudged Seo Ji-woo away and crouched beside the patient, placing a hand on his body.

“Oh, you’re treating him too?”

First, I checked the pulse on the left chest.

Then, the right chest.

“……”

My expression stiffened. Narrowing my eyes, I scrutinized each member of Jin Ho-seung’s team one by one.

I see.

Now I get it.

Seo Ji-woo asked,

“How’s he doing?”

“…Stable.”

Giving a vague answer, I slipped a hand into my pocket.

“I’ll step out for a smoke.”

I pulled out a cigarette—something I’d scavenged from the ruins. I’d quit a long time ago, but I kept it just in case.

Lee Jun-ho’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, you’re smoking? How many do you have?”

“Just two.”

Lee Jun-ho was a smoker. That’s why I’d taken it out—to make sure no one here would suspect us.

“Can I bum one? Just one!”

“Follow me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Lee Jun-ho stood up eagerly. Seo Ji-woo, still monitoring Lee Yong-seung’s pulse, called out,

“Then hurry back. I’ll keep nursing him.”

I nodded.

We didn’t all need to leave anyway.

The secret behind this strangely unsettling warrior party?

Lee Jun-ho alone would be enough to uncover it.

Dangun

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