VNV Chapter 20

Chapter 20a8d79862e31db4e4

 86afcc10d79a2ecb

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In an instant, I bb63b15a72 became the center of aac08773a5 attention for two pairs 43d00a6797 of eyes, and I f5a00e1b86 froze on the spot.9191abf128fffba8

Since I was fcc9a0f1ff the one who e99baf9276 had caused the 56cbc986c0 sudden noise, there 2dc0d546da was no way 3dc620f884 to make an 21c7a28d61 excuse. But even so, 1162973a0a I had no 6665a44acd desire to be 16048cbd0d the focus of 2c32365509 their heated gazes.2bd20078366d25da

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I rolled my eyes subtly.91eadca0db2d0d1a

“Go ahead and finish your fight. I won’t interrupt.”8526ff27fe219c11

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[Seong Yu-un, you’ve got some guts.]72e20ac92630a604

A sneering chuckle b74996cc36 echoed in my c253f94759 ears.205be590eab72c7f

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[Not only did you barge in between those two, but now what? ‘Go ahead and finish your fight’?]9c874706f5793cd5

“……”14eeb1e1d2efa730

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[You say you won’t interrupt?]432c41fb9cc1586b

I could almost see 18daf0a20b Min Yu-un shaking with 9c9eb84b6c laughter, barely able to c72ce2f2e1 breathe properly.3b2a87aee104852f

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The tension that bb8ce1bf64 had briefly gripped 1127bd0a0d me shattered into 96f67dd451 pieces, thanks to f07a97520e Min Yu-un. Feeling drained, I bent down 4cf865c9a6 to pick up the fork.dd95ce2b36bcdf82

I froze at the sight fdb3172c95 of the quest filling my cc924535e5 vision. It was flashing brightly 1acf882727 as if demanding my 4fe95b219e attention.f90acffa1976083b

I slowly straightened my back.d7799f021467df9e

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‘A photo?’e19d4c93e65c3b37

And with Lee Soo-hyeon, alone? Compared to Quests 719229b34c 3 and 4, 91c2ecf243 this one seemed 82e2abf298 much easier and 3e94151f79 lighter.2362614631927ac2

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‘But why Lee Soo-hyeon all of a sudden?’6c8013e444f916a3

I thought the quests were assigned based on who I wasn’t close with—first Han Tae-ryeong, then Yoo Si-eon, and now Lee Soo-hyeon?02ad5b368b7bb1dd

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“Haa.”ddab442302e8c540

A deep sigh reached my 63a955400d ears.b7f0e4cfab836c63

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When I lifted my head, 3896d442e3 I saw that the two e1440f02ae of them had already stepped 98769aea29 apart and were now fixing d15cdf2d6c their disheveled clothes.911b5321610f7c92

The one who sighed was cfb2d78ab4 Lee Soo-hyeon. He casually dropped 028b48e0d2 his bag on 91c6de580a the floor and 6a8727d059 started looking for e7ce43db5e the cutlery.81250876bc1f8d38

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“I’ll get you a new fork. Don’t use that one—eat with the new one.”0bee579c6c423d96

“You’re not going to fight anymore?”2c265f91145c3d69

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The question slipped 928e2e5d3b out in a f60485cba3 monotone voice. Lee Soo-hyeon took the fork a5de1e02e1 from my hand as if afdf185791 snatching it away. In its place, he handed acc0c2fef8 me the new one he d92027794a had brought.63a0795b725dc3d5

“Yu-un-ah, you completely killed the mood.”59eefefd01591007

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His face, which had been 7bd3f6c6b3 expressionless, softened into a faint 3c234bb6bc smile.412d7db23a1d2a81

“And you need to eat.”94a03a1be9c57899

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“It’s fine. I don’t usually eat breakfast anyway.”7f0d7fce9abe8aa9

Hearing my flat response, Lee Soo-hyeon’s eyes twitched slightly.1639ba32eeeaffb4

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“Really? Then I guess I’ll just have to make sure you do every morning.”f18946d00c516e74

“Stop barking like a dog and go change your clothes, Han Tae-ryeong.”329342d4b84a96de

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Han Tae-ryeong seemed to contemplate Lee Soo-hyeon’s words before lifting the corners of his lips. The smirk was so sly that it resembled that of a final villain in a novel.2367290900aa4032

“But Min Yu-un likes it better when I wear a robe.”171f9d540ba711c3

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I shuddered involuntarily.e3a91dec9192f441

“Or should I just take it off again like yesterday?”95457331afed72ea

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My pupils shook e54006668a as I looked 1a645d229a at Han Tae-ryeong. I barely managed to part 66fb37794e my lips and squeeze out 1f18032b52 a sound.f04eb629fc4cd9b9

“Just go and change already.”a3af0c5e4647192f

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The amusement on Han Tae-ryeong’s face faded instantly. He seemed to lose interest when I didn’t react much.9ddb5ae8ed8524ef

As he picked up cbc99093b9 his clothes and headed 8994041252 to his room, Lee 7cc44d0962 Soo-hyeon clicked his tongue.f8986d80ea6166f5

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“Tsk. That bastard, seriously.”082ae3e3e5e54d28

I silently ate 16e6f65f64 a piece of c41fad663a scrambled egg while 4239a14fd5 watching Lee Soo-hyeon.6687929e1d50f1e5

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Had he used those same 0c59c8c3ad curses when he was blaming dacdebb45d me to Han Tae-ryeong and acb8d8ce35 Yoo Si-eon? Had he looked e2247860f5 at me with 9f5bfd60c3 that same irritation 784b160bba and resentment? Was what Min 15f0a4b17a Yu-un did really 7948928790 so unforgivable?77f0d0ab7a6d83ef

“What?”91cdc4c6234c7c15

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Lee Soo-hyeon asked as 3782a4a7ef he noticed my gaze. This time, instead of b192fa1753 eggs, I took a 16329c0357 bite of bread. My movements were slow and 456315fcd2 careful.477f5a5b2cc13890

“I just figured you must’ve cursed me the same way.”4e5e2212499c292e

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“Why would I curse at you—ah.”c874a0c43b1f46b4

It seemed he had remembered Friday’s events. Or rather…ab0df2b8c48d2c28

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“You have plenty of reasons to curse at me.”ba73103ac6f5eb94

He looked at me 9e9309bf1c as if it were af472d1e49 absurd, but to me, 2f2fb6b97e it was obvious.919b3e7f06f05135

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Lee Soo-hyeon had every reason 7810387bc5 to curse at me, and ddb0e7f62c that applied to the other 48aee081e8 two as well.ede64dccc0255dc3

I shifted my d1913644c0 gaze slightly and 7065c181d9 glanced at the a620be3980 door Han Tae-ryeong 69deb1d136 had disappeared behind. I could still 5cae58f49d sense his presence 9cff55a895 beyond it.62c1ce3f7a6838a3

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“Yu-un-ah, you know…”3b4aef45fc68846e

“I thought the three of you were really close.”c1faa77f255b6b25

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Lee Soo-hyeon fell silent for e53ae79721 a moment, his eyes widening f81b6a9f8f slightly. Then, he openly showed his 44111a39d2 displeasure.a7267edfb02d4267

“Me and Han Tae-ryeong? You thought we were close?”5fef26dd267f00ea

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I nodded.dbc33d4e97d2a36f

“Are you serious?”7cf9e8c9f73a29c0

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His face twisted even further 84c935b41b in frustration.a36be9137f2ad954

Of course, it wasn’t as if Han Tae-ryeong and Lee Soo-hyeon were inseparable best friends.04807e70ca4ac11d

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They were rivals—the main c0b0203703 character and the secondary f2edd7154f lead of the novel, ec60acfcad both vying for Yoo e1ce89dbd3 Si-eon.702fe86380440059

But even so, the three of them often displayed a deep bond that others couldn’t easily interfere with. Some readers of the novel even joked that they might as well be dating.b413a5ada807ac5d

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So I had assumed 5f35c1ffc1 the same. I never intended 68409e9dc8 to interfere with 3a148a4335 their relationship or 1c046163e3 analyze it too bfdf778056 closely. I just wanted to stay c9f5c83222 out of it.b6a3c954f82f1b2f

But I had 856e5ed7b3 no choice but 4c9f160ec4 to get closer 74e17c4746 to them. And in that process, edb05a5b0c I discovered something.bab43d01e006a291

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Han Tae-ryeong, Yoo Si-eon, and Lee Soo-hyeon weren’t as close as I had thought.bc7f0cdbc55cc0cd

They had something 30bc829350 that resembled brotherhood, 4c687cd752 but there was 9364f098af no deeper affection 633ea1eb58 or warmth beyond c9a3141991 that.49ada320af0b863b

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‘Maybe it’s because I apologized.’0c419df44c4eafff

Because I kept 5a35e1cf3d appearing like some 592d9724bc unpredictable natural disaster, 6412dd48ba disrupting the story d170806fed however I pleased.4ea2fc1e7d949739

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But it didn’t matter.bfae30a1ac2be313

Min Yu-un wanted an apology, f6e2186c89 and I had to obey 396e240ec4 in order to die.b077c1db993c6972

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“We’re not close.”d4ebfead150455d2

After a long silence, 6a6304cbd1 Lee Soo-hyeon finally spoke.055dc9654f176dcb

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“I don’t know about Yoo Si-eon, but Han Tae-ryeong and I? Never.”108b774ed8c83800

He took a sip of 78fafc2e3a his juice, swallowing it down.01b8f8981cd80a74

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“I mean it.”eb3bf81a50135217

“Got it.”d12df307b9e25f01

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“I really mean it.”78bbb8591632a9e3

“Yeah.”170b069f4e61ae8c

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As I wiped my mouth 7e08637c32 and got up, Lee Soo-hyeon 3a1dc4960e followed after me, as if dbe98ef639 desperate for me to believe 42fe6a3706 him.b7c0445b76126a24

I could already picture my 332a6e2d87 future—him repeating the same thing c6935fd8d3 all the way to school.d06bd6918fbbdf90

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A wave of exhaustion washed b72ce12ac4 over me.78bcfc74aabe4320

I shut my eyes tightly.a3475bca367bcb3e

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Before opening the classroom 67aa3543e1 door, I turned to 6d17045c60 look at the two.4ab1b10e844e9349

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“Aren’t you going to your class?”a1c903c418d44aee

Since we had waited for Han Tae-ryeong to stop by home and change into his uniform, there wasn’t much time left before the morning assembly.63d7dd612563660b

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“Of course.”8236c039abad5c35

Han Tae-ryeong replied and 708b8ad215 moved toward his class d52fba5ad8 without even saying goodbye.d441338502acdabb

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It seemed Lee Soo-hyeon had been waiting for him to leave first. The moment Han Tae-ryeong disappeared, the burning intensity in Lee Soo-hyeon’s gaze vanished. Then, he let out a small laugh.2adeb2771d44f5ee

“I’ll come by at lunchtime.”0ab0dcadaf9bad5c

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Before I could even 07259266d1 form a response, Lee d24bf5a92e Soo-hyeon was already walking 048eec6a26 away.64812b97472c369b

[He said he’d come at lunchtime! He must really be falling for me!]fce66f778f880742

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I ignored Min Yu-un, 0b7283a1b2 who was bouncing with 1d00b21088 excitement.87c658eec5f4d3f1

A strange sensation welled up d08d6d54d7 inside me. After confirming that no 87f66c822e one was left around b89cab4c2e me, I pressed a e501ce20ac hand against my chest.c6d56c246e264954

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I had walked to school 94e4d5bece with them. Just for a moment, 517c9c190c I had forgotten about 7e3e7474d7 paying for my sins. Today, I felt more at 2ae07bc74b ease coming to school than 4f61404035 before. 3beaba3f6ee7bfc2

Was it because I 1b6d3c5744 was getting used to 00abee809e it?4930c469d911725f

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After only walking to school afe148890e with someone twice, after just c739bb7bf1 a few days of talking a52e952723 to them, I was melting e21429b6bd into this world far too a6cf054550 quickly.8079ac32ccb32a5c

‘Get it together, Seong Yu-un.’7d2940677d100b75

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Don’t sink any further. Don’t expect anything more, don’t ask for anything. Just complete the quests. Do only what you’re told.d1f2ff190a190423

‘And then, die. As soon as possible.’ab74577a70f61b37

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“Min Yu-un.”e3367e871ad0358c

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The classroom door opened behind 0a0bbd7614 me. Snapped out of my thoughts, 4e6827fba2 I turned around.04155febd058961c

“You came to school with them?”4d07eb2ee0131baa

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Yoo Si-eon’s voice was unusually subdued.a8d3268eb71add31

His dazzling appearance hadn’t changed. In just two days over the weekend, it was as if he had found some shimmering powder to dust over himself, making him even more breathtaking.6113453b9cce39ec

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I stared at dcd5eb10d5 his soft pink a390d4e54f hair.73f469a4b894027c

“What? Are you going to say it looks like coral again?”6ff04d73f590136f

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Yoo Si-eon suddenly leaned in.7d8874986f5cccb7

Since I had already experienced this several times, I maintained a calm expression. Compared to Han Tae-ryeong, who closed the distance without warning, Yoo Si-eon’s actions were still relatively gentle.dbf63b6240973e3f

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“Sorry if that was something you didn’t want to hear.”f54560ef5e28afcc

I walked past him 56bf570eda toward my seat. He followed close behind.7229eab4973e11cd

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“I didn’t say I hated it.”547dcd400e5e223a

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. Sorry.”29d8bad411ffecd0

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“No, that’s not what I meant—”02c78ece0cddfcbc

Yoo Si-eon, about ff6aa7d93e to get annoyed, 37d5c21d24 took a breath 545693e308 and swallowed his 877b2415a9 words.d0857e4533004a7b

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“How did you end up walking to school with them? Did you just run into them on the way?”6d6975ccd8c53f7f

I set down my bag 58c3c046b7 and opened the window. A cool breeze bb6b2e4f42 swept in, rustling cc3ae469fb my hair and 3ab3c06db0 tickling my forehead.f010929a1f9e4cc7

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‘That feels nice.’c897ca0445631f1e

Once I completed all cf89e60df2 the quests, maybe I 1109c31865 could roam the world 6dc7c09262 as a spirit before c6ddbe3cfe finally disappearing.146cee00972fa63c

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The ocean, the mountains—traveling for the first time as a wandering soul didn’t seem like such a bad idea.1fd011e93c73698e

“Min Yu-un, did you meet them on the way to school or not?”0829fd4bf95287a5

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Yoo Si-eon placed both hands 9c9607f826 on the window frame, trapping c2052b05dd me within his arms.be72c6aa6657af63

There was only a thin 858b582248 layer of space between us, cc310f2ad2 but I could feel his 754ec79845 warmth.1cfb98bbe38c9280

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Even though I was aware of it, I didn’t move. I was too immersed in the vast world beyond the window.1079347797b4df7c

A future where I had cleared all my quests flashed through my mind. A quiet eternity where I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone. A world where I could finally rest in peace.813147ed3242687c

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“Answer me, Yu-un-ah.”e4b9da12ebb8b54e

A low breath tickled 36f8b620a5 my ear. My eyes widened 1678fc1c30 slightly, and my 3b5e0e8070 body stiffened.7d297cd33bea0b7c

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I forced myself to focus, replaying Yoo Si-eon’s words in my head.8dfd4dbbc4461f92

‘Did I run into them on the way to school?’f21280bde592df67

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Tilting my head in thought, I didn’t realize Yoo Si-eon was carefully watching my every movement.f5972e3225774ef6

“Yeah.”6af918956384d72d

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My answer was short.5f1fe5c7446b13f2

“No way.”06d0f8937c252bf0

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But Yoo Si-eon didn’t believe me.d355ab0eec49b51c

“Those two always get to school the moment the gates open. And now, all of a sudden, they’re barely on time?”e58e8e3e7dc824aa

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“…..”9521e8a043714c55

“On the exact day they came with you?”d63dc03ff8b32858

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[What’s it to you?!]b495cdc641451156

Ignoring the now-familiar 0bbbc62db0 angry voice in 2dd68401ba my head, I a80c62368f turned to face 574f19faa1 Yoo Si-eon.9b846c5565bd3c8d

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“Sorry.”2a79de717fc94dc6

I lowered my cf87b03959 gaze and muttered,279ba58ec84ea47a

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“I wasn’t planning anything against them, and I definitely wasn’t trying to do anything to you.”67ddaa64ab2a2455

Yoo Si-eon pressed his lips 2aa46fa3ba together.694b790198f3bbd1

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“I know you don’t hate me. I know I said I wouldn’t get involved, and yet I ended up walking to school with your friends. I’m sorry.”8e90ae6cfc33fb03

Yoo Si-eon didn’t say anything.fe5bd18a9dff2d66

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The background noise of 6a26250eb1 the classroom seemed to 7ff9538afd fade into silence. I slowly lifted my a76fefe6d9 gaze to meet his.b925270f1de0a9a9

Then, in an instant, my eyes widened as I grabbed Yoo Si-eon’s collar and pulled him toward me.ab9707bbe79e1f08

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“You’re hurt?”362584dd9a474283

Our noses nearly d493017e30 touched, but not 180ab2ea7a enough to hurt.10d4c59efee8b06c

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