VNV Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

I blinked slowly at the sudden warmth of another person’s touch.

“Are you okay?”

I hesitated, startled by the unexpected visitor, then raised my head to look at the boy who had stopped me. It was Lee Soo-hyeon. His face was twisted in an inexplicable expression as he looked down at me. Perhaps because of our previous conversation, the strange smile he usually wore was nowhere to be found.

“…I’m fine.”

Lee Soo-hyeon’s lips moved slightly as if to say something, but he simply withdrew his hand. After hesitating a few more times, he finally spoke.

“Did you have lunch yet?”

It was a topic that caught me off guard. After everything that had happened with Yoo Si-eon this morning, and considering the crazy thing I had just been about to do, I was prepared to be interrogated. But instead, I was left bewildered. I stared blankly at Lee Soo-hyeon for a moment before shaking my head.

“Get up. Let’s go buy some bread from the snack shop.”

“…What?”

“You need to eat. Don’t tell me you were planning to skip another meal, looking like a skeleton.”

Lee Soo-hyeon even reached out to help me up. Guided by his grip, I awkwardly rose to my feet, still unsure of what was happening.

“You want to eat? With me?”

“Yeah.”

“That doesn’t make any sense—”

Wait.

“Didn’t Yoo Si-eon tell you? About this morning—”

“He didn’t say anything, but I know.”

For a moment, Lee Soo-hyeon’s gaze turned cold, but it vanished just as quickly.

“The whole school’s been talking about you. How could I not know?”

“Then why…?”

Even without finishing my sentence, Lee Soo-hyeon understood what I meant. His brows furrowed slightly as if searching for the right words. After a brief pause, he finally muttered:

“…Because I feel sorry for you.”

Sorry? His gaze briefly shifted away from mine.

“Yeah. I just feel sorry for you.”

I couldn’t accept those words. Since when had Lee Soo-hyeon been the type to overflow with justice or compassion? At least, the Lee Soo-hyeon I knew wasn’t like that. He never hesitated to turn his back on those who fell out of his favor. So why was he acting differently toward me?

‘There must be another reason.’

I didn’t want to dwell on it any further. Digging into his motives would only lead to unnecessary wounds that I didn’t have the strength to endure.

[ A Side Quest has appeared! ]

A loud fanfare pierced my ears.

[ Side Quest: Have lunch with Lee Soo-hyeon. (0/1) ] *You’re not thinking of passing up this opportunity, are you?

It seemed I didn’t have the option to refuse. I lowered my gaze, clenching my hands into fists.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Suppressing the faint stirrings within me, I lifted my head to meet Lee Soo-hyeon’s gaze with a neutral expression.

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Lee Soo-hyeon quietly swallowed a breath, clenching his teeth.

‘Yeah, it’s because of that look.’

His eyes fixed on Min Yu-un standing before him—the strange person who had recently changed so much. The one who’d suddenly apologized and asked to be friends. But what about before that? Yu-un had been despicable—so much so that it bordered on hatred. And yet, Lee Soo-hyeon had never openly shown his contempt.

It was undeniable that this was still the same selfish, loathsome Min Yu-un. So why did he feel different now? Even at this very moment, his behavior stood out.

The look of hesitation, the restless fingers that fidgeted whenever he was upset, the way his gaze dropped to the floor in resignation—these habits were all too familiar. Lee Soo-hyeon couldn’t possibly forget them, even though they belonged to a past long buried. Min Yu-un resembled that past person so much that it was hard to believe it was just a coincidence.

‘There’s no way I can ignore it.’

“Alright.”

Lee Soo-hyeon quickly shook off his wandering thoughts. His gaze fell on Min Yu-un’s lips as they moved softly, but before he could respond, Min Yu-un had already stepped past him.

“What are you doing? Aren’t we going?”

Min Yu-un, now composed with his usual indifferent eyes, walked ahead without hesitation. He pushed open the classroom door and stepped into the hallway.

Lee Soo-hyeon couldn’t tear his gaze away. Too many memories stirred within him. Shutting his eyes tight, he buried the past deep within his heart. When he opened them again, Min Yu-un had already moved ahead. Snapping back to his senses, Lee Soo-hyeon hurried after him.

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[ Side Quest: Have lunch with Lee Soo-hyeon. (1/1) ] *You’re not thinking of passing up this opportunity, are you?

 

[ Congratulations! You have completed the Side Quest! ]

As soon as the notification window disappeared, I quickly left the scene, using the excuse of going to the bathroom. Fortunately, Lee Suhyeon didn’t try to stop me. I didn’t know what his motive was, but it was a relief, nonetheless.

After confirming that he had disappeared around the corridor’s corner, I changed direction from the bathroom and headed outside the building. Soon, I arrived at a small garden next to the sports field. Looking up at the bright blue sky, I crouched down in front of the garden, gazing at the neatly maintained lawn. Among the grass were countless clovers—commonly known as three-leaf clovers. Their flower language was happiness, wasn’t it? Somehow, it felt like a message that didn’t suit me at all.

“Hey, Min Yu-un.”

I called out in a dry voice.

[What.]

Judging by the thorns in his tone, he must still be annoyed that I had lunch with Lee Soo-hyeon. I hesitated for a moment. Would I even get an answer if I asked? But thinking about it alone wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“These quests… how many of them are there?”

Maybe I was getting greedy. The distrust I had been suppressing started creeping up again. Apologizing, making friends, and now trying to evoke positive emotions from Han Tae-ryeong—anyone would start having doubts at this point. The system said I’d be freed once I finished all the quests, but could I really trust that? Did these quests even have an end? The questions spiraled endlessly.

Why couldn’t I find peace even after death?

[One thing’s for sure.]

Unlike his usual sarcastic tone, Min Yu-un’s voice grew serious, as it had the very first day I heard him.

[If you finish all the quests, you can die. That’s the end.]

I lowered my head and rubbed my face against my knee. My left cheek was pressed against my knee, tilting my view of the world. Nothing looked any different from when I was alive. The nearby bushes, the trash can placed in the corner, even the footsteps approaching this way.

Wait—footsteps?

Blinking blankly, I lifted my head.

My eyes met Han Tae-ryeong’s through the air between us, and his face instantly twisted into a frown. He had warned me not to show up in front of him again. Now, he seemed determined to ignore me, turning his gaze away and stepping forward. In the blink of an eye, he passed by me and headed toward the opposite path.

I watched him go, then abruptly stood up.

“Han Tae-ryeong.”

The name slipped out before I could stop it, as if on impulse.

A few steps away, Han Tae-ryeong halted. Slowly, he turned, his icy gaze landing on me.

‘What… What should I do?’

I called out to him without thinking, so I couldn’t come up with anything to say next. I had only stopped him because he was the target of my next quest. Knowing his personality, if I hesitated even slightly, he’d swear at me and leave. I couldn’t let this rare opportunity slip through my fingers. It would be much harder to approach him intentionally than to take advantage of this unexpected encounter.

[ 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?

I glanced at the system window again.

‘Something I like…’

Did I even have something like that? While I hesitated, my gaze fell on the clovers covering the garden. I didn’t have any more time to waste.

“There are… three-leaf clovers here.”

Pointing at the clovers in the flower bed with my index finger, I spoke up.

Han Tae-ryeong’s expression twisted slightly. I understood his reaction. After warning me not to show up again, here I was, calling him over just to show him some clovers. No wonder he was annoyed. I thought the sight of cute clovers, as innocent as their name suggested, might help lighten his mood, but judging by his expression, that plan had backfired.

Somehow, I felt guilty—not just for myself but also for dragging the innocent clovers into this mess.

“…Never mind.”

I dropped my gaze and sat back down, gently brushing my fingers against the clovers’ leaves. Each leaf carried a faint trace of life and energy—something bright and vibrant, unlike me. Although the quest was important, my exhausted mind focused only on the clovers.

As I carefully stroked the leaves, trying to suppress the sinking feeling in my chest, footsteps approached and stopped beside me. A long shadow fell over me, blocking the sunlight. I raised my head.

“What’s so special about clovers?”

With both hands tucked into his pockets, Han Tae-ryeong looked down at me. His posture, like his attitude, was full of arrogance.

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