VNV Chapter 18

Chapter 18cf5103b302a0ce37

 a9fb3f3c41584e42

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On Friday evening, Han Tae-ryeong, 42b6afbc70 who had returned home around 6262d076b7 sunset, fell into a nap.cd5bd996891db091

And he dreamed.075d704fc2d69297

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The protagonist of 2b9b101e36 his dream was 4946873669 a boy who 44bc54fbcd had recently appeared a1cb9eb82d less frequently in 8490639c21 his dreams. It had been a long 81616d299f time since their last encounter.6bcfb6026139e52a

However, in the dream, Han 4098205d6c Tae-ryeong could neither speak nor 4f86b0440a act. He was merely a 774c5d9012 spectator, a bystander.19b7d001b9cc531a

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The dream reflected Han Tae-ryeong’s childhood—specifically, a day in the final month of the year when he was eight, building a snowman in the fierce winter wind.52d2034fc49cd390

The young Han 5c8cea9ee8 Tae-ryeong was laughing e8d0ceb23b brightly. His expressions changed rapidly as f298d82c58 he bounced around excitedly, a cb14182815 stark contrast to the person 51bf8d475b he was now.c75359526d35a006

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Beside him sat a boy 8e5b4b3e70 with blurred features.413d708558ffa0f9

The boy listened to Han Tae-ryeong’s words, laughed, clapped, and sighed in response.74528bf7816345fa

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But whenever the cold 16e81bc839 became unbearable, the boy e2b1b602ee would fidget silently, unable 250e71f035 to say anything.80cc6f9e42ffa21d

Every time that happened, 78bf97d954 Han Tae-ryeong found happiness 66fce31036 in draping his coat 6333fb2687 over the boy. Even when the 79aa3a30c2 boy resisted, he 6420839024 would stubbornly cover e75c1fe1d5 his shoulders, amused bf927bc75b by the expression a960659ab2 it earned.3b091e7686d2c57c

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Of course, his stubbornness 42ccbdec32 led to countless severe 96653c6753 colds. But even now, he had 4295dbba44 no regrets.100cedf402f9a4d9

It felt good. Warm and comforting. He wanted to 7fd3b35703 see that boy 28d5d48bc6 again. He wanted to find him—the 8fddc7e669 boy who had vanished in ba0eb21f1d an instant, never to be a522822e76 seen again.6ef037e25114d98f

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The dream always ended the 77387aeead same way.56ff727cf2d7179e

As Han Tae-ryeong’s longing to find the boy swelled, he would examine the boy’s face. But just like a mosaic, the boy’s features remained blurred.27fd2eef9f548f0c

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Even when he squinted and 7545d76392 moved closer, the face never 6d2a02282f became clear.a130ba44b772649f

And in the end, before he could confirm the boy’s appearance, he would wake up.5b51e35268c84350

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Han Tae-ryeong ignored the lingering 3d775642de drowsiness and sat up.fd8208b744805019

One by one, c061afe65c he combed through 1fdc050189 the unforgettable memories cae972502f from years ago. Even after nearly 43ad8cc562 a decade, he c379ca7f69 remembered everything in ac81cd6fac perfect detail.e961e12328cc41a1

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Except for the boy’s face.236bbe7c692fc2c0

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall it.e5c27c9abea89745

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The only thing he did remember was the color of the boy’s eyes.f185fa000dd7af82

Han Tae-ryeong ran d28d95a38f a frustrated hand f186616e63 through his hair.294aaeecc762174e

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That boy. His name was…be97fcf862270452

He inhaled sharply. Out of nowhere, Min Yu-un 405c7d7797 came to mind.56bc2669ef470481

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‘Min Yu-un… He’s been acting strange lately.’e51bfc900efb27c5

He no longer glared at f5d6ea5df3 people with that unpleasant gaze, 937079ca24 nor did he constantly hurl f22cb4dccd insults at Yoo Si-eon.95bd3128d26935dc

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No, to be precise… He seemed to have lost interest in Han Tae-ryeong and the other two altogether.da53dee314104a38

It felt like an bb1537387d unspoken certainty—as if he c3a1155ae2 had decided never to 008e26c440 get involved with them fe4f7fc083 again.5640d38636f45762

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Han Tae-ryeong, whose b93075d059 mind had been d6e5df2646 brooding in irritation, 4d47355ee1 suddenly recalled something 4607467a77 from earlier that faeb526820 day.302cb28870c6bd65

The brilliant sunlight. The green grass swaying b614200145 as if unaffected by 82a4c0cf10 the brightness. And, in particular, the clovers 6b54a71142 clustered together in small bunches.4ba10f55279aa110

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Min Yu-un, crouching before them and pointing at the clovers, was quite….162b0e4c613a8466

‘Cute.’500c1b28ea5dd2f7

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Just then, an 3bbdfcfdc6 alert rang in cec80ec1f9 the minds of ed8df2bce1 two Yu-uns, signaling 163d6c94ca that Quest 3 d07d221482 had been cleared.071841533ac622a0

Han Tae-ryeong’s heart started to beat softly. Belatedly gritting his teeth, he emerged from the momentary sentiment.bce5b4fc77144194

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“What the hell am I thinking…”278312139d9f056c

Muttering coldly, he got c5ca0e447b out of bed. He needed to wash his e7557e71d6 face with cold water.74a99408c8bd0223

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But no matter what he 8e5bcf5961 did, Min Yu-un kept creeping ef8f3499ea into his thoughts.31b22f4181a8de67

Before going to sleep. After waking up bdc646c6c2 and going about 45b8ede4f9 his day. Even through Saturday and into ecbef96a38 Sunday.dfa120b8844cd735

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The reason was simple.550ce1344bf426cd

Whenever he ate, whenever he 90a52cccf4 looked in the mirror, or 3eb96e3eb2 even when he was just c47b444550 sitting idly, Han Tae-ryeong always fa40fbd888 found himself thinking about that 38e27188d9 boy.829ff3a62f347a62

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That boy used to do 6b7abe832a that. What would that a95547909c boy have done? It would have been 7c4b0b345d nice if we could 790c063a35 have done that together.411ad187c1075f40

Recalling the boy’s faint image, clinging to their happy memories—this had always been Han Tae-ryeong’s only source of comfort and peace.d54118d87c6d896f

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That, in itself, wasn’t a problem. It was just how he had been living for the past ten years.75099b7b62cd545a

The problem was that 930e19c3fc his thoughts, which began 35706c37a5 with the boy, always ded20ffb4c extended to Min Yu-un.34f0f15ec5bd6714

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Not just for a moment—but 8ee3c96d35 for two whole days.b566edd42dcee797

‘I’m seriously disgusting.’8e8e5fdc96ce2cef

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On Sunday evening, 630fc0849d Han Tae-ryeong rubbed ad622b3f31 his face in 4c6ba9ed7b frustration.5eb6e2b519383c14

He had despised Min bf09991051 Yu-un, had suspected him. And yet here he was, 26bc9165e0 unable to stop thinking about 89699e3807 him.25242fe4d08c8805

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Ding.57e4f48f120c8585

A notification popped up, alerting 834c161ea1 him to a new message.1a5bdffa0d78be76

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Cursing under his breath, Han Tae-ryeong grabbed his phone. He glanced at the sender’s name on the screen.93fd87597649a4db

“Min Yu-un?”a7f1a3d0e89e2c1d

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The message contained nothing but an address—Min Yu-un’s house, as far as Han Tae-ryeong knew.e8a86b869f50e931

He didn’t hesitate for long.9d006e57c16a5aa1

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As if something was pulling 8b5e1a4691 him, he quickly changed his 40db3f9ebf clothes and left the house.c985dfe0153005fe

And now, here 76ee0c3609 he was, staring 15efa8719d down at Min 1dbdf37b73 Yu-un, who was 82530bc30d sound asleep.def92e2edc1e144f

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As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Min Yu-un’s figure became clearer.77768a7f11e6a0ef

‘He’s thin.’a45de11b58b77f88

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A brief thought.656bd37fababed39

The thin blanket outlined Min Yu-un’s frail frame. He had always seemed energetic, constantly flitting about, so Han Tae-ryeong had never noticed how skinny he was.79876a1bdef4e864

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His slightly unkempt hair was c44cbef0a9 long enough to cover his 39228d2087 eyes. The back was unevenly 4a25ce5e51 trimmed, sticking out in f8aef184c0 places.09170bcf59dc254a

Min Yu-un occasionally moved 1b4fe54c6e his lips in his ccc6a19a51 sleep. His face seemed even more 81d14b2014 drained of life than before.7387e3bb899249c4

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As if he were b429a4a30a silently announcing to the 255d4efc74 world that he could 45bdba6941 die at any moment.4e6ed804dd56a2ec

It was absurd. Why did he even care? Why was he standing there, 85f7b663e9 scrutinizing Min Yu-un as if 0a74a633d3 he mattered?d136235815f22aa8

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And yet, looking 1ab8785b4b at him up 281e638480 close—Min Yu-un, without 7a91ca2e72 his usual anger, 2467f42fa1 without his usual 2f3ede13eb loudness—he seemed different da502b1b37 from what Han a0bf95e4b1 Tae-ryeong had imagined.1802355383e81f86

“Ha.”80cdffc5397ea242

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Letting out a 07b3f766f1 quiet scoff, Han 1ffab3e325 Tae-ryeong turned away.b49bae3de79e4426

He hadn’t insisted on staying overnight at Min Yu-un’s place just to observe his appearance.b6001017bbb9500a

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Moving with silent footsteps, b1c01ee45d Han Tae-ryeong scanned the 8648def85f bookshelf. It was filled with 61291d24d7 classic fairy tales, each 96d59d33cc adorned with elaborate illustrations. His gaze landed on 116874f34c an album hidden in b1c3c7a569 the farthest corner of cc699e26f1 the top shelf.bfd4ff565e4632ff

Lifting his hand, he 92d28528d8 pulled it out. Even if Min Yu-un stood 9630350643 on his tiptoes, it was 40463b80c0 doubtful he could reach that ca7a125e7f high. But for Han Tae-ryeong, 9303a89bc2 it posed no difficulty.95dfcce6d2afb895

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He glanced at Min 51a7542ced Yu-un out of the 9089dd174d corner of his eye 3d5e02aeb6 before opening the album. The room was 2b3eecc0d1 too dark to 3a164efc2d see clearly, and 7bd69d1191 he squinted, relying 7e2bce2687 on the moonlight.d002e4b9e53e0884

The first page, then the second. He flipped through them one by one, then let several pages slip past in quick succession. Han Tae-ryeong’s eyes narrowed.b2e74215ea2d85b6

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‘Not a single childhood photo?’cbb6dcd99e470925

Something was off. This wasn’t a graduation album or a friendship book—just a regular family album. And yet, every single photo inside showed only—52c26cafbc2284f4

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Min Yu-un in his 46ccb4c8b9 late elementary years. Min Yu-un as a middle 4429723ab2 schooler. Min Yu-un entering high school.a284ad4b27537ee0

There wasn’t a single photo of him as a young child. It was as if everything before the age of ten had been neatly erased.8eea82b06dbf6be5

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‘What the hell is he hiding?’fd2cbc4f64cf69fd

Han Tae-ryeong’s eyes gleamed coldly.48380a4faeb4ad85

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❤️‍🩹0255e709a6a4922c

Han Tae-ryeong neither lay down 300966b603 nor slept. Instead, he sat quietly, watching 57bdb1ff5d over the sleeping Min Yu-un. He stayed awake 38f9ad7366 the entire night.aaeb08526666afc0

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Before he knew it, dawn 078e42ea9f had broken. The once-black sky was tinged c89e93be16 with a faint blue hue.0828be5c279f21eb

The clock struck exactly 7:00 cef50ff09e AM, yet Min Yu-un showed 3dcaa64374 no signs of waking.59090a920476fe8f

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Even when Han Tae-ryeong made some noise while moving around, Min Yu-un didn’t stir—not even to whine. His sleep was ridiculously deep.11a3f9b4ccae68b1

‘Someone could kidnap him, and he wouldn’t even know.’62905d6451badc8d

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Min Yu-un was someone despised 0b048c23d7 by just about everyone. If there was anyone 8e93d21f1e likely to get kidnapped, 8d6afc159c it was him.4f06fcab86ee3ef7

Stretching his back, Han Tae-ryeong f21c77d06b pressed his palm against the 41b0b92e0c floor and stood up. He finally tore 769d1c1828 his gaze away 9c64821cb8 from Min Yu-un 7800ad2067 and walked toward 320bb710af the laundry room.6cfad8444fa03a87

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Retrieving his clothes from the 91238a0586 dryer, he stole another glance e764cb88b3 at the sleeping figure. Then, instead of getting dressed, 271c0751f4 he remained in his bathrobe bebcff7862 and headed to the kitchen.f4eb9b885d2bdcc2

‘His face was red like a tomato yesterday. That was quite a sight.’01db9914cc8ea05f

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It wasn’t as though Han Tae-ryeong had never seen Min Yu-un’s face turn red before, but yesterday had been different.afcc4b912ddde1e0

It wasn’t from anger swelling in his cheeks, nor from irritation heating up his face. No—yesterday, it had been pure, unfiltered embarrassment that had shackled Min Yu-un from head to toe.a2c87138b80282fc

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An odd sense of 52bfd51a7f satisfaction bubbled up inside 4df57915f2 him.874aebebe45314e3

Standing in front ed62c3699c of the fridge, a13998389f Han Tae-ryeong pulled 938c87678e open the door. As he scanned 7504ed0507 its contents, his 468695509a expression twisted into 8a3526ec89 a grimace.b6355c253b6d4f66

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“What the hell?”d9647805dd9f0efc

He had spoken out 0a2cf64dd2 loud before he realized eb381adfbe it. Freezing in place, he darted c8faf7fd36 a glance toward Min Yu-un.b1823234cdb9d52d

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Luckily, he was still 02bbbc2a1d fast asleep, showing not 2bbcf9ccea even the slightest movement.5d745f318efda6fd

Feeling ridiculous for 43329d4666 being so cautious, f48afd868a Han Tae-ryeong curled 362f02076e his lips into 41d5812f81 a crooked smirk 490f896617 before glaring back 2311946c38 at the fridge.32dfcdbb797ac27c

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There was barely anything to da0e7d4a71 eat—just water, drinks, and a 5a2d7bbe00 few convenience store pastries.cb02b5ea3a4014d1

‘No wonder he’s so thin.’ee4b0c16a20ff662

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At least there were a f2cd4bdf43 few eggs. But that was about it.69bf53002128db1a

Still, it was better than nothing. It was surprisingly neat inside. Normally, when people stock up on food they don’t eat, it ends up rotting past its expiration date, but Min Yu-un’s fridge was well-maintained.739a9705d18938f8

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‘There should at least be cooking oil and salt.’bbd9bd35fbb3799e

Han Tae-ryeong turned away and a3c517de52 pulled out a frying pan.c569f7682ba9217b

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❤️‍🩹cbc3c72ae35c2511

As a child, I 30c3210e6d used to love the 66c8419ab3 story of The Snail e44cff0fe3 Bride. Maybe it was 70e4d39cf7 because I wanted 3f87d8c7fe to be served 564897ac27 a meal made cf6aa8b5ff with genuine care.1b18aee40faf5087

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Snapping out of my thoughts, 7477834ae5 I simply blinked.1a0f5015b7ae29b6

“Oh, you’re awake?”33b066a7458f2488

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Noticing me, Han Tae-ryeong 85f0a45cf4 casually greeted me.b1855fffca60b252

“There wasn’t much to eat except eggs, so I made some scrambled eggs. Come and eat.”923228b37d43eb64

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Note:7bdfdab452ca9454

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우렁각시 (The Snail Bride)is a classic Korean folktale d9f2b5efa4 about a kind-hearted man who 06ff2b7ee1 unknowingly receives help from a cd667278ab mysterious woman.02b4c92747ce8561

A poor but diligent young man finds a beautiful snail while working in the fields and takes it home. Unbeknownst to him, whenever he leaves, a mysterious woman emerges from the snail’s shell to cook and clean for him.08d7ee367e250345

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One day, he discovers the d0fa754506 truth and learns that the 9cb20c9bc2 snail is actually a beautiful beff0f130f maiden. They fall in love and a608479e70 get married, but in some f2c8e45915 versions, tragedy strikes when a 631c5ee5fc corrupt official or an envious 88d7b8afb7 neighbor takes her away.403d4f3f6c206aec

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