I Became a Guide For My Childhood Friend

“What?”

“Don’t bother poor Herena. I don’t want to know how you feel.”

Someone grabbed Cassian by the arm and he straightened his posture. The corners of his eyes crinkled with affection the instant he saw that person. It was incredible how his contemptuous gaze, as he stared her down earlier, was now full of warmth in the blink of an eye.

“You don’t have to do that much. I’m sure Yernia was also reflecting on herself.”

Yernia held her breath when she sensed Herena. Herena was right. Even though she couldn’t see her face due to her blurry vision, she could tell just from the voice surrounding Yernia next to Cassian. The Herena in the original novel did exactly what she did next to Cassian when he interrogated her.

“No, I didn’t.” Yernia denied it because she had never bothered Herena. “No, I didn’t bother you. Cassian, believe me.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Believe me. Where are you going? I didn’t do that. I’m telling you the truth.”

A sense of injustice crept up at the back of her throat. When she reached for Cassian, he quickly stepped backward. She could feel that he hated her touch even without saying anything. She was sure he was kind to her until yesterday.

“No, I told you I didn’t. Why don’t you trust me?”

“I felt nauseous every time you guide me.”

That rendered her speechless.

“Get lost.”

Yernia couldn’t plead anymore because his sharp words stabbed her in the heart.

She took a big breath.

No,  she really didn’t.

Cassian stroked Herena’s hair, grabbed her hand, and turned his back on Yernia.

As the distance between them increased, she felt numb and cold. T

Her tears fell on the snow. She kept crying even though she wanted to stop. Cassian was being unfair to her and she felt resentful. She wanted to explain her side of the story but she couldn’t even catch them and make them listen.

“Cassian. Don’t go.”

Despite begging desperately, he didn’t even look back at her. This must be the end of their story. In fact, she knew that Cassian would choose Herena but she was too blinded by the sweetness of the moment. She was an idiot. Suppressing her tears, Yernia raised her hands to cover her face.  She hated it. She hated herself very much. It wasn’t just the fact that Cassian now despised her after finding Herena or for crying her heart out over the situation. She hated them all. After crying for a long time, Yernia collapsed on the snowfield. Her head felt like it was floating as she lost all of her strength. Nothing came to mind. She closed her eyes for a while but when she opened them, she saw her family members and despair sank heavily.

A Cold gaze landed on Yernia’s face as she stared blankly at them. Suddenly, Cassian’s words came to mind.

“Promise me that you won’t worry while I’m not here yet.”

Yernia finally understood the things that didn’t make sense. She made a promise to Cassian and he also promised her that he wouldn’t get hurt as she waited for him. The reason why she entered this forest in the first place was to find him.

“Major Ricardo is in the forest of hallucinations!”

Yernia’s parents dying because of her and Cassian’s abandonment after choosing Herena were all hallucinations. Not reality. As soon as she realized it, her family disappeared as well as Cassian and Herena. As if melting away, their shapes distorted and disappeared without a trace.

“I almost got in trouble.”

Wiping her tears with her hands, Yernia came to her senses. She was scared to death just a moment ago but she was glad to know that they were all hallucinations.

Nevertheless, she was furious.

To whom?

She was furious at the man who made this forest.

“Let’s find Cassian quickly.”

She searched her surroundings but Captain Felix wasn’t there. He must be lost and suffering from hallucinations so Yernia decided to find Cassian all by herself.

Where are you, Cassian?

After a long walk, she still hadn’t seen him.

By the time her legs hurt, Yernia encountered a silhouette hidden in the fog. She couldn’t see her opponent well aside from the large black figure.

It looked human, but it didn’t seem human.

The things stretching behind her opponent’s back moved in perfect order.  Yernia slowly walked to a halt. The opponent looking the other way didn’t move at all.

However, the black things spreading out behind his back ran wild and a tree got cut and fell into an earth-shaking thump.

“Cassian? Is that you?”

Yernia had seen something similar to that black one.

When she was young, she got injured by that black shadow while visiting a sick Cassian and it made her sick too. To make matters worse, she turned into a guide and remembered everything that happened accurately.

The opponent looked her way and she could finally see his face as she walked towards it.

Yernia smiled.

“Cassian! It’s me!”