Snow White and the Huntsman

<Episode 8>: Welcoming the New Year-

Speaking of the return of January, come to think of it, I haven't really liked welcoming the New Year since I was a child.

Not only were there no special events or heart-pounding countdowns, but I also hated my dad, who would come home completely drunk for the New Year and torment me for trivial reasons, so perhaps the expression "avoided" would be more fitting.

Even though I resented my dad until I was in elementary school—because he rarely came home but would cause a ruckus like a ghost every January 1st—

Since then, well.

I think there was no conflict, as I would just accept it in despair and kill time doing housework whenever I saw signs of anger.

Time passed, and around the time bruises on my body were piling up one by one, I spent my days busy earning money by frequenting convenience stores during the holidays, ever since I became eligible for part-time work as a high school student.

My father's side had long since abandoned him, and my mother's side cut off even the meager living expenses they had provided for the first few months after my mother's death—though, of course, that money ended up going to alcohol anyway.

For several years, I was left with nothing but skin and bones, giving a few tens of thousands of won in government subsidies to my dad and surviving on a single triangle kimbap a day with money I had secretly hidden away.

Now that all emotion has vanished and it has become awkward to feel anything, I speak as if I am simply passing by,

I’ve really lived a miserable life. A chuckle escaped my lips.

On days like New Year's Day, everyone usually takes a break from work to spend time with their families. However, it is precisely at times like this that the workforce becomes useful in the consumer market.

That is why I work part-time at the convenience store on days like this.

As I sat quietly in my seat and stood up a few times to watch the occasional customers come in, the clock hands were gradually tilting.

I picked up the triangle kimbap and a few drinks scheduled for disposal, put them in the eco-bag I've been using for a long time, and finished cleaning. The moon is already rising.

Outside the window, which I gazed at without a thought, it quickly grew dark—perhaps because it was winter—and the sun was slowly setting while the moon was rising.

You

Even as the New Year arrives, nothing has changed.

There’s no way it could be any different. Letting out a long sigh, I thought, "Yeah, there will be dozens more New Years in my life, so who cares?"

Still, it's a bit of a shame.

I got dressed, locked the door, and left the convenience store. As I walked past the park, I saw books on display that were being given away for free.

You

"..Snow White?"

The story of Snow White, which had started to particularly interest me, captivated my attention with its pretty cover, and after staring at the book for a while, I sat on a nearby bench and opened the pages.

I didn't think much of a childish fairy tale like this, but I read the first line, finding meaning in the fact that I had heard that books with stories you haven't read in a long time can be reinterpreted from a different perspective than when you were young.

Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom

As expected, this is how a fairy tale should start. I nodded, blew on my breath, and continued reading.

A beautiful queen and a king lived together.

The queen gave birth to a daughter as beautiful as herself, but then died young of illness.

The king took a new queen.

The new queen had a mysterious mirror, and if you asked it anything, it would miraculously answer.

One day, the new queen asked the mirror who was the most beautiful person in the place, and the mirror replied

You are Snow White

'He answered'

The queen, blinded by jealousy

You

"...Tell the hunter to kill the princess..."

But the hunter loved Snow White,

The hunter sacrifices himself for her.

Even though I knew I shouldn't be caught by the witch.

Was there anything like this? I don't know if my memory is bad, but I can't believe young kids understand this.

Snow White later fell in love with the prince and married him,

The hunter who abandoned himself for her is slowly losing himself to people

You

It was forgotten.

She seems quite different from the Snow White I know—a hunter. This character has such a devoted image. I closed the book without reading the last page.

Without even looking properly at the book cover, I put it back among the exhibition catalogs, leisurely slung my eco-bag over my shoulder again, and walked along the snowy path.

Snow White and the Huntsman

The moonlight illuminating the white snow was shining on the title that would follow Snow White.

As I welcomed the new month, I stepped out into the alley, hoping that this year would also be just an ordinary, uneventful one.

Until I arrived home, the hunter in the story stirred up my mind.