Anything But Study - Chapter 64

***

The weather gradually grew colder.

Autumn had already begun to retreat, and the beginning of winter was approaching.

Even with the stinging sensation of the cold wind brushing against her cheeks, Melia’s heart felt warm.

‘I should hurry inside.’

Melia’s steps were light as she arrived in front of the hospital to visit Ervan.

Last time she heard that Ervan’s health had clearly improved.

It was different from before, when worries piled up over what might happen if something went wrong with him.

‘Is it really okay for me to be this happy?’

A peaceful daily life with nothing to worry about.

It was the first time Melia had experienced something like this in her life, and she still wasn’t used to it.

Knock, knock.

After knocking on the hospital room door to announce her arrival, Melia slowly opened it and stepped inside.

“Ervan. I’m here.”

“Sister!”

Her younger brother’s face brightened as he welcomed her.

These days, he no longer coughs as frequently as before.

Melia sat on the chair beside Ervan’s bed and asked with a face full of happiness.

“Ervan. They said you might be able to leave the hospital soon?”

The hospital said that by next month, he would probably be able to leave and continue treatment through outpatient visits. It was proof that his condition had improved a lot.

“They say they still need to watch me a little longer.”

“Still. That’s really great news.”

“It’s all thanks to you, sister.”

Ervan joked that if it weren’t for his sister, would he ever have been able to receive treatment in such a good facility?

Now he looked completely different from the younger brother who once wasted away in a cramped little room.

Melia was swept up in unnecessary sentiment.

Just as tears began to gather in her eyes from the overwhelming emotion,

“Sister, did things work out with your friend?”

“Huh?”

As if he’d noticed the tears in Melia’s eyes, Ervan quickly changed the subject.

“Mm. Yeah.”

He must have guessed from Melia’s bright expression lately.

When Melia nodded, Ervan reacted as if he’d expected it.

“See? You two just needed to talk.”

“You were right, Ervan.”

“See? Don’t let that happen again, okay?”

“Alright, alright. I get it. Anyway, once you’re discharged and fully recovered… if we could attend the academy together, that would be really nice.”

It was something she sincerely hoped for.

Her experiences at Erpen had become nourishment for Melia in many ways.

And she’d also met the precious connection named Hailon there.

Things were difficult after her uncle came to visit, but thinking about it now, if she hadn’t endured that hardship, the happiness she has now would not exist.

There was no way she could have met Hailon anywhere other than Erpen.

Still, it hurt and made her feel sorry that Ervan had never been given that opportunity.

If only that fire had never happened.

By now, he might have been preparing for admission to Erpen next year.

Melia could never forget that day.

The moment when the raging flames burned red as they swallowed the orphanage.

And inside it, Ervan had been unable to escape….

“Sister.”

Reading the thoughts in Melia’s suddenly darkened eyes, Ervan reached out and interrupted them.

“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t. I’m happy right now.”

Holding Melia’s hand, Ervan slowly shook his head.

“It’s not as hard anymore, and there’s hope that I’ll fully recover. It’s different from before.”

So don’t carry guilt alone. Don’t be sad about the past. That was what Ervan was telling her.

“The reason I ended up like this….”

Ervan paused for a moment, as if recalling the moment of that accident. It seemed like he hesitated over what to say next.

But soon he smiled brightly.

“It’s not your fault, sister.”

It was simply a disaster.

“Ervan….”

Melia’s voice, softly wet with emotion, settled between the two of them.

“Thank you.”

Right, don’t get buried in it.

The past should remain in the past.

From now on, only happy things remain.

***

Melia was walking down the hospital corridor. The top floor was quiet, with hardly any patients admitted.

Tap, tap-

Her footsteps weren’t particularly loud, but each movement echoed through the hallway.

‘Ervan. You’re right.’

Remembering the comfort he’d just given her, a faint smile rested on her lips.

By next month, Ervan would probably be discharged.

‘I should start looking for a new place soon.’

Thankfully, Melia had the money she earned from tutoring Hailon.

She wanted to leave the old house behind and give Ervan a better environment.

That meant she should start preparing soon.

When he sees the house after being discharged, I’ll surprise him!

Melia was thinking about various things as she stepped toward the stairs leading to the lower floor.

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, she felt a strange gaze.

What was that?

She quickly turned her head, but no one was there.

Again.

It had started not long ago.

Lately, that strange feeling often wrapped around her body.

At first, she dismissed it as nothing, but the frequency gradually increased, and she couldn’t help becoming aware of it.

Now, even Catherine Russell had already left the academy, so who could it be?

But whenever she actually looked around, there was no one there. She couldn’t tell whether it was simply her imagination.

‘It must be my imagination.’

Still unable to completely shake the uneasy feeling, Melia stepped outside the hospital.

“Oh.”

Melia’s eyes widened.

A luxurious carriage she’d grown used to seeing stood before her.

And the person stepping out of it was, of course….

“Hailon!”

Melia ran toward the familiar face.

Hailon had been waiting to pick her up after she finished visiting Ervan.

Seeing his face made her feel relieved, and a soft smile spread across her lips.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. But did something happen?”

Hailon asked the moment their eyes met.

Had he noticed the brief shadow that crossed her face when that uneasy thought appeared?

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised, but Melia shook her head.

“No way. Ervan’s condition has improved tremendously!”

She deliberately smiled brighter.

“That’s good. I’m glad.”

“Thank you. Really.”

Melia was truly grateful.

Everything she had now was thanks to Hailon.

That was exactly why she didn’t want to make him worry about something that might not even be a real problem.

‘It’s probably nothing.’

Just forget it. She repeated the thought to herself.

***

Fierce flames blazed as if they would swallow the orphanage whole. Even from quite a distance, the scorching heat burned against her skin.

“Melia, it’s dangerous. You have to step back.”

“Ervan! Ervan!!”

Despite the director’s attempt to hold her back, Melia shouted her brother’s name until her throat felt torn.

She wanted to rush inside immediately, but there was no way eleven-year-old Melia could overcome the director’s strength.

“Ervan is still inside!!”

“No!”

In truth, Melia already knew.

Even if she ran in there, she wouldn’t be able to rescue Ervan safely.

But then what?

If she simply left him there to die….

She would be alone.

Could she endure a world without Ervan, her only family?

If she couldn’t save Ervan, maybe it would be better to leave this world together like this.

The young Melia was afraid of being alone.

Terrified of Ervan disappearing, Melia burst into loud sobs.

Please, she wished that anyone at all would save him.

Why had a fire like that even happened? Tears mixed with resentment streamed down her face.

There was nothing she could do.

That helplessness, that despair pressed down over her entire body.

And the red flames….

“…Hahk!”

Melia’s eyes flew open on the bed and she pushed her upper body upright. Cold sweat clung to her forehead.

The pupils set in the middle of her wide eyes trembled as if an earthquake were shaking them.

But the blazing flames were nowhere to be seen.

‘It was… a dream.’

The massive blaze that devoured the orphanage. Her younger brother Ervan, who couldn’t escape from inside it right away.

It was a horrifying memory.

Her body still wouldn’t calm down.

She had been sleeping deeply these days, so why all of a sudden now?

…No way.

An ominous assumption flashed through her mind.

Melia hurriedly climbed down from the bed.

Yet for someone in such a hurry, each step she took looked unsteady.

Standing in front of Ervan’s door, Melia slowly reached her hand toward the doorknob.

What if Ervan is there when I open this door?

What if all these happy memories were just a dream, and nothing has actually changed?

Dark, sticky, unpleasant thoughts clung to her mind.

The hand gripping the doorknob trembled uncontrollably.

‘No. That can’t be.’

Forcing the fearful thoughts away, Melia opened Ervan’s door.