"That's kind the funny."
In a much better mood than when he first woke up, Kyle finally stood up and stepped out of the tent.
The morning sunlight greeted him immediately.
He squinted for a moment, still trying to shake off the last traces of sleepiness.
But the very next moment, his body froze.
"…You guys?"
Not far away, Karin and Hana were standing there chatting casually. And for the second time that morning, Kyle felt as though he were looking at completely different people.
If Lisa had startled him earlier, this time Karin and Hana delivered a surprise just as big.
Karin wore a maroon cloak that fell elegantly to the ground, adorned with gold embroidery in the shapes of clouds and dragons that shimmered softly in the morning sunlight. A layer of soft green fabric on the inside created a soothing contrast, while her every movement made the garment flow like a calm and dignified dance.
While Karin usually gives the impression of a strong woman, now she looked far more captivating.
On the other hand, Hana exuded a charm that was just as distinct.
A light blue gown gently enveloped her body, adorned with white embroidery in the shapes of clouds and waves that added an elegant touch. The dark blue skirt, trailing nearly to the ground, moved slowly with her steps, creating a calm and beautiful aura like a clear winter breeze.
For a moment, Kyle stood frozen in place.
First, Lisa.
Now Karin and Hana.
"Did everyone secretly turn into characters from a royal drama overnight?" he thought.
"W-wow..."
The words slipped out of his mouth before he realized it.
Karin and Hana turned to look at him simultaneously.
Kyle pointed at both of them, his expression still one of disbelief.
"You two too... you guys look totally different."
Karin turned with a slightly raised eyebrow, while Hana just gave a small smile. Both were clearly aware of Kyle's gaze.
Lisa let out a long sigh.
"What's the matter? Don't stare at them like that. You just look even dumber."
"Huh? That's not what I meant. They… both just look so different."
Kyle tried to explain, but his words came out awkwardly.
Karin crossed her arms.
"Different how?"
Kyle opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He looked back and forth between Karin and Hana.
"Well… they're just charming. And beautiful, too."
In the end, he chose to say what was on his mind.
Hana's smile widened slightly, while Karin chuckled at his reaction.
"Thank you."
Hana then glanced toward Seorin, who was standing quite a distance away from them.
Several servants were busy lifting trunks and various items onto the horse-drawn carriage, while Seorin stood among them, calmly overseeing everything.
"It seems that young lady is really serious about helping us," Hana said softly.
Although they didn't understand the Murim language and didn't even know Seorin's name directly since they'd always relied on Raven as a translator they could still sense her sincerity.
Seorin had truly helped them when Raven wasn't around.
Thinking about that made Hana, Karin, and Lisa unconsciously smile warmly.
"Hey, Kyle. Haven't you eaten yet?"
A voice came from behind them. When they turned around, they saw Kevin walking toward them.
"Looks like the last of the food has been eaten by those guys over there."
He pointed at a few guards sitting around the fire, chatting.
"Huh? The food's already gone?"
"Yeah, that's how it is. Who told you to sleep in so late?" Kevin gave him a quick glance. "And also, what's with that dumb look on your face?"
"Hey, it's still morning. Stop calling me that."
Kevin shrugged.
"I was just guessing. Judging by your reaction, it must be because their clothes changed."
Kyle clicked his tongue softly.
"What can I do? If there are a few beautiful girls standing in front of you, what guy wouldn't look as dumb as I do?"
His tone sounded as if he were bragging.
"Huh. Don't compare me to you, clown."
"Hey, aren't you the same?" Lisa interjected.
Kevin immediately turned his head.
"Huh?"
"Earlier, when you first saw Hana, your reaction wasn't much different."
"Ugh... that..."
"Ahaha, I just remembered."
Karin immediately chimed in.
"You should've woken up earlier, Kyle. Kevin's reaction just now was really funny."
"Hey!"
Kevin protested immediately.
Hana just smiled awkwardly.
"Come on, stop teasing each other."
Then her gaze shifted to Lisa.
"And about the food, didn't you set some aside for Kyle earlier?"
Her smile remained gentle, but for some reason it made Lisa tense up.
"Uh, that..."
"Seriously?" Kyle immediately cut Lisa off.
His eyes lit up instantly.
"So there really is food for me? Lisa, it turns out you're actually nice."
Lisa immediately let out a soft click of her tongue.
"It's just a coincidence, so don't get the wrong idea."
"Yeah, yeah. I get it."
Even though he said that, the wide smile on Kyle's face didn't look at all like someone who really understood.
Lisa quickly turned her face away.
"Wait here. I'll go get it."
After saying that, she walked away immediately.
A few moments later, the atmosphere became a little calmer.
"But by the way..." Karin looked around. "Where's Raven? I haven't seen her since earlier."
"Oh, you're right." Hana nodded. "Didn't either of you see her earlier?"
Kevin shook his head.
"I woke up pretty early, but at that time there were only Kyle and me in the tent. So I figured he'd already left."
"I didn't see him either." Lisa, who had just returned carrying a wooden bowl of hot soup, handed it to Kyle, who was sitting on a rock. "Earlier, when I woke Kyle up, Raven wasn't around the tent either."
"I just woke up, and there really were only Lisa and me in the tent," Kyle added.
A brief silence fell among them. The morning breeze blew gently through the camp.
All around them, the Eunha family's servants and guards were busy preparing the carriages, checking the luggage, and making sure everything was ready to depart.
Hana glanced toward the forest near the river, then unconsciously bit her lip gently.
"He… is he okay?"
"How many more times are you going to worry? Considering what he did before?" Lisa said calmly.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, thinking the same thing.
Kyle looked back toward the forest by the river, where Raven was last seen last night.
"…Do you guys think he's still there?"
Hana clutched her clothes anxiously.
"If he hasn't come back… maybe we should go look for him."
But before anyone could move, the sound of light footsteps came from behind them.
"No need to look for me."
Everyone turned around immediately.
"I'm here."
Raven walked toward them from behind the campsite along the riverbank. The hem of his black clothes was slightly damp, his hair was blowing in the wind, and his aura felt… different.
Kyle scratched his head.
"Dude… you had us freaking out."
Karin snapped back in an annoyed tone.
"Where have you been, Raven? How many more times are you going to make us worry?"
Hana took a half-step forward. The worry on her face was completely unhidden.
"I… I hope next time you'll let us know first."
Raven rubbed the back of his neck gently.
"Well… I'm sorry, everyone."
It was only then that Raven truly took in his surroundings. And that was when he realized there were some changes in his friends' appearances.
Hana, Lisa, and Karin looked different from usual.
The clothes they were wearing were clearly not ordinary travel attire. The colors and designs made the three of them stand out far more than they had in previous days.
Raven's gaze settled on Hana.
The girl's hands were clutching the cuffs of her sleeves hesitantly. The soft blue dress she wore fit her body perfectly, giving off a calm and elegant vibe that contrasted with her still-awkward demeanor.
Hana glanced at Raven briefly...
then quickly looked away.
"U-hm… Raven."
Her voice was soft, almost drowned out by the bustle of servants and guards moving about the camp.
She took a small breath before forcing herself to lift her face.
"D-do you… think this clothes is… weird?"
Raven fell silent.
Not because he didn't know how to answer, but because he wasn't used to giving his opinion on such matters.
His eyes studied Hana for a moment before he finally spoke.
"No."
Hana blinked slowly.
Her gaze remained fixed on Raven, as if waiting for a clearer answer than just a single word.
Raven realized this and let out a soft sigh.
"I mean… it suits you."
There was a moment of silence.
Hana's face slowly flushed.
"R-really?"
"Yeah."
This time, Raven nodded without hesitation.
"It looks good."
A small smile immediately appeared on Hana's face.
Beside her, Karin narrowed her eyes and gave a crooked smile.
"Wow… you call that a compliment?"
Lisa immediately grinned.
"Oh my gosh, Raven. At least give a compliment that's a little more sincere…"
Raven let out a soft sigh.
"I'm just not used to complimenting people," she answered honestly.
Lisa chuckled.
"Yeah, that's pretty obvious."
Karin folded her arms across her chest.
"But I think that's actually the most honest compliment that could come out of his mouth."
Her gaze shifted to Hana.
"And it looks like someone's pretty happy to hear it."
"K-Karin..."
Hana immediately looked down.
She couldn't hide the small smile on her face, while her fingers unconsciously gripped the sleeve of her shirt a little tighter.
"Thank you..." she murmured softly.
Raven just nodded.
Her expression remained calm as usual, even though the atmosphere around her felt much lighter than it had just a moment ago.
"By the way," Raven continued, trying to change the subject. "I hope you've all prepared yourselves. I've spoken with Seorin about us going to her family's residence."
"Huh? Seorin?" Hana asked, confused.
Raven pointed toward the girl who was watching the servants and guards load the luggage onto the horse-drawn carriage.
"Her."
Everyone followed the direction of her finger.
"Wait..." Lisa blinked.
"Her name is Seorin?"
Raven nodded.
"Eunha Seorin."
Karin immediately massaged her temples.
"Oh my... did you forget that we can't speak the language of this world?"
Kyle turned toward Seorin with a look of sudden realization.
"Oh... so that girl's name is Seorin."
Lisa immediately clicked her tongue.
"Unbelievable."
"This is the first time I've seen someone forget to tell their own friends something that important."
"I agree," Kevin chimed in, nodding.
"This isn't even careless anymore."
Karin folded her arms.
"Do you have any idea how hard we've been trying to communicate with her all this time?"
"We didn't even know her name."
Hana nodded in agreement.
"And you're the only one who understands that language, Raven."
Her voice remained soft, but that was precisely why her complaint felt the most stinging.
Raven fell silent immediately.
Her face was slightly stiff, a bead of cold sweat slowly trickling down her temple. Only then did she truly realize something she'd overlooked all this time.
They all came from the modern world.
Not from Murim.
They shouldn't understand the language spoken by the people here. Only she could understand and speak it fluently. All this time, she hadn't even explained anything to them.
Neither about how he could understand the language, nor the reason why he could speak as if he had lived in this world for years.
Raven fell silent for a moment.
Lately, his mind had been too preoccupied with so many things.
From the presence of Death Qi, the changes in his body, to the process of harmonizing the two Qi energies within him.
Because he was too focused on all that...
He had completely forgotten about his friends' condition.
Raven slowly lifted his face.
For the first time since the conversation began, he felt that all the gazes around him were waiting for an explanation he should have given long ago.