VNV Chapter 08

Chapter 08

 

After sending off Lee Soo-hyeon, who seemed unwilling to leave until the end, I walked alone. A quick glance into the classroom showed only a few students remaining. Yoo Si-eon and Han Tae-ryeong were nowhere to be seen. I headed toward the sports field. Sitting on a secluded bench, a cool breeze brushed against my cheeks.

‘Maybe I should take a nap here.’

Since it was such a hidden spot, there was little chance of running into Yoo Si-eon or Han Tae-ryeong.

‘But I still need to meet Han Tae-ryeong…’

[Quest 3: Draw out a positive emotion from Han Tae-ryeong.] (★TIP: A sweet tip for the socially awkward you★) *When you don’t know what to talk about, why not bring up something you like?

That quest kept flickering before my eyes. However, I had no idea how to go about it.

“Han Tae-ryeong.”

Before I realized it, I had muttered his name. Should I go find him now and kneel or something? Maybe then he’d show some positive emotion.

“Min Yu-un.”

At the sound of my name, I slowly lifted my eyes. Right in front of me stood Han Tae-ryeong, looking down with a piercing gaze. Speak of the devil.

“Well, you sure ran off like a rat, didn’t you?”

“…..”

I slowly stood up from the bench, straightened my back, and met his gaze with an expression devoid of emotion.

“Han Tae-ryeong, I—”

“Hey! Watch out over there!”

A sharp warning made both of us turn our heads. The next moment, something struck me square in the face. My skin burned hot, my nose throbbed, and my vision blurred. The ball that had hit me rolled away across the ground—it felt hard enough to be a soccer ball.

“You’re… bleeding.”

Han Tae-ryeong stammered as if just as startled as I was. That’s when I noticed the warm trickle of blood dripping from my nose. The metallic scent of blood hit my senses, sharp and familiar.

Drip. Drip.

Crimson droplets splattered onto the ground. When I raised my hand, red spots began to stain my palm. Tilting my head back slightly, I closed my eyes. The sky that flickered into view was a vivid blue.

“Min Yu-un!”

A firm hand gripped the back of my head and forcefully pulled me forward. Without a chance to resist, I found myself bending at the waist. When I looked up, my gaze met Han Tae-ryeong’s, who immediately scowled and clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Seriously? Don’t you know the basics? You’re not supposed to tilt your head back when you get a nosebleed.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“…..”

Han Tae-ryeong bit his lip briefly, then let go of me with a rough push. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to suppress his irritation before speaking again.

“Whatever. Just go to the nurse’s office already. I’m not in the habit of insulting people who are injured.”

‘Do I really have to go to the nurse’s office?’

I’ve never liked hospitals or any place related to medical treatment. The pungent smell of disinfectants that I’ve grown too accustomed to, the endless application of ointments and bandages—I was sick of it all. Compared to that, this level of pain was nothing. It was more comfortable to just endure it.

Since I made no move to leave, Han Tae-ryeong’s expression turned cold.

“Ha… And here I was, trying to be nice. You’ve got a habit of ignoring people, huh—”

“I’m fine.”

I cut him off and wiped my nose with my sleeve.

“I’m used to not going. It’s easier to just endure it.”

Silence fell between us. As I sniffled absentmindedly, a realization struck me, and I quickly lifted my head.

‘Ah.’

I was supposed to draw out a positive emotion from him. But I couldn’t read the expression on Han Tae-ryeong’s face. His thoughts were a mystery, and I swallowed a sigh internally.

‘He is probably annoyed.’

That was my confident guess. Even though he despised me, he’d still told me to go to the nurse’s office. Whether he was genuinely worried or just wanted to get rid of the unsightly scene in front of him, it didn’t matter. Either way, he’d shown a bit of kindness.

‘I should’ve thanked him first.’

At this rate, how could I ever complete the quest? I’d probably just keep making myself more unlikeable. After some hesitation, I opened my mouth slowly.

“…Thanks for the concern.”

Along with the words, I gave a small nod—short and simple. Without waiting for a response, I turned to leave. But I didn’t get far.

“Min Yu-un.”

Han Tae-ryeong grabbed the back of my collar. With no room to escape, I was pulled back to my previous spot. His face looked thoroughly displeased, but this time, he neither pushed nor let go of me. Once again, I felt his rough strength as he pressed my head down. Caught off guard, I could only blink in confusion as something soft touched my nose.

“Hold it like that. Until the bleeding stops.”

Without thinking, I accepted the cloth from his hand. It was a sky-blue handkerchief. I glanced sideways at him briefly before checking the system window.

No message appeared saying the quest was complete.

So it was just pity, nothing more.

❤️‍🩹

“The bleeding seems to have stopped.”

As I gently lowered the handkerchief, the pale blue fabric was stained with vivid red. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. Suddenly, Han Tae-ryeong grabbed my chin. His firm grip left no room for resistance. He scrutinized my face closely before letting go as if tossing something aside. Rubbing my tingling chin with the back of my hand, I sniffed quietly, gripping the handkerchief tightly.

‘Looks like I screwed up this quest.’

To clear the quest, I had to draw out positive emotions—that is, I had to build favor. But instead of apologizing, clearing up misunderstandings, or earning trust, I’d only managed to annoy him. Forget positive feelings—I’d be lucky if I didn’t earn even more negative ones.

“I’ll wash your handkerchief—”

“No need.”

Han Tae-ryeong cut me off with a sharp tone as he snatched the handkerchief from my hand.

“Something like you doesn’t need to bother with this. This handkerchief… This handkerchief is…”

He pressed his lips together and shut his eyes briefly, as if holding back irritation. Then he muttered under his breath:

“Just stay out of my sight from now on. I’m already on the verge of wanting to kill you.”

Brushing past me, he deliberately knocked my shoulder as he walked away without a backward glance. I stumbled slightly but caught myself before slowly sinking to the ground.

‘Yeah… He probably hates me even more now.’

[Han Tae-ryeong, that crazy bastard.]

A loud, buzzing noise echoed in my head.

[He never lent that handkerchief to me, no matter what I did!]

Trying to ignore the noise, I slowly raised my head.

“What are you talking about?”

[I begged him so many times, but he never… Why… Why you?]

“Is that handkerchief really that important to Han Tae-ryeong?”

My voice came out louder than expected.

[Why else would he carry it every single day and refuse to lend it even to that oh-so-great Yoo Si-eon?]

My strength drained away as all my remaining motivation faded. I buried my face in my hands.

‘Great. Now I’m officially someone he can’t stand.’

So that handkerchief was something precious. Yet I’d stained it with my blood. I should’ve just gone to the infirmary when he told me to. Maybe that would’ve been slightly better. But I couldn’t afford to fail this quest. I had to succeed—only then could I finally reach the end.

“I don’t know anymore.”

No, the truth was—I did know. I knew that I was someone who only brought trouble to others.

❤️‍🩹

As soon as homeroom ended, I moved quickly. Dealing with Han Tae-ryeong was already overwhelming. On top of that, I had no intention of running into Yoo Si-eon, Lee Soo-hyeon, or—worst of all—Jin Ha-seong.

‘Should I buy a new handkerchief and give it to him?’

I considered solving the problem with money, but it might backfire. No matter how nice the replacement, it couldn’t possibly match the significance of that particular handkerchief. Feeling restless, I stopped by a nearby café and settled into a secluded table. I took a long sip of my cold chocolate latte. The heavy emotions weighing me down seemed to lighten a little.

‘This is a first.’

For once, I could relax and enjoy myself in a public space without worrying about curious stares, loan sharks’ threats, or my father’s unpredictable outbursts. It felt unfamiliar and strange—but not unpleasant. My gaze drifted to the shimmering quest window.

[Quest 3: Draw out a positive emotion from Han Tae-ryeong.] (★TIP: A sweet tip for the socially awkward you★) *When you don’t know what to talk about, why not bring up something you like?

Positive emotions… If only I could draw out even a little of those feelings.

Just as I was deep in thought, thud—someone hit the table. A shadow fell across me, and I slowly looked up.

“Min Yu-un.”

I raised my gaze slowly.

“…Jin Ha-seong.”

❤️‍🩹

Thank YOU for reading! ♡

Much ♡ to bloomin for helping with the editing. ( ੭ ˘ ³˘)੭‎°｡⋆♡‧₊˚