Forever Snow || Seventeen [Rewriting]

✨ Chapter 8 ✨

None of his brothers seem to realize that he went missing. As much as it should hurt, Vernon just felt numb. It was like nothing changed from when he left and when he arrived. It was as if time did not move from where he was.

"Hyung, are you ok?" Vernon ran after Seokmin, who ran out of their shared room with tears streaming down his face. Seokmin nodded, even though it was obvious he was not ok. Hansol held out his arms for his brother to get into.

That was not a Vernon thing to do but who was Seokmin to let this opportunity go? He ran to his younger brother's arms and cried on his shoulder. Vernon just awkwardly patted his hyung's back as an act of comfort.

A few more sniffles then Seokmin was able to compose himself. "What happen?" Hansol asks. "We just finished fighting... Mingyu mad- hate me- made them mad-" None of Seokmin's sentences were consistent but Vernon got the general idea.

"You guys just finished arguing?" The boy was confused. He was sure he's been in Caratnia for a few hours. It was possible that they could have been fighting for hours but, that was very unlikely. "What time is it, hyung?"

They looked at one of the grandfather clocks that are scattered around the mansion. "It's 12:35..." But I left the room around 12:19, Vernon thought. "Hyung... Caratnia is real. But, something seems wrong about it."

The older boy's head snapped towards his younger brother. "Wh- what?" "I said, I believe you but... something seems wrong with that place..." Seokmin ignored what Vernon said, only focusing on the fact that he believed him.

"You believe me? You went there? Why didn't you tell me? How did you fi-" "HYUNG!" Vernon exclaims, cutting of Seokmin's question relay. "I left the room at 12:19... I've been in Caratnia for hours but... It's has only been 16 minutes."

Seokmin didn't know what to say. He probably didn't notice the time since he was too busy trying to find where everyone was after he came back. If Vernon was right... that meant Caratnia was more magical than he thought.

"We should tell the others." Seokmin immediately disagreed. "Why not? You have me on your side now. They'll find it more believable now." But Seokmin still disagreed. He was scared that the others will think he forced Vernon into this fantasy.

The younger felt bad for the older boy. He felt pity for how things turned out. One of the most intense arguments always happens between siblings- both full blooded ones and siblings through bond, which they were the latter.

"Come, hyung." Vernon would not allow the others to call Seokmin a liar no more, Sure, he didn't believe the boy prior to this but, he changed. He changed his beliefs as Seokmin was telling the truth. He saw it with his own eyes.

He was going to help Seokmin convince their brothers to come with them to Caratnia to prove that neither of them were crazy. He owed it to Seokmin for not believing in him. He also owed it to Seungkwan to bring them there.

Vernon led the boy to the kitchen first to take a sip of water. Drinking water after screaming and crying is essential. You need to replenish your throat and regain the fluids that escaped your body as tears. Why did I find it needed to explain this?

And though Seokmin kept on trying to stop the younger, Vernon was persistent in wanting to convince the others that this place was real and that his brother, their brother was not crazy. Seokmin was not crazy, neither was he.

(A/N: I'm living for the Vernon and Seokmin brotherhood rn)

Having to hear a story about a place that seemed to never stop snowing, the entrance being found in a library, hearing that it is also very magical and hours spent there would only result to a few minutes passing in the real world was unbelievable.

Hansol understood this but, they had to believe them! It may sound like some fairytale or something made up in someone's imagination but Vernon would never lie about something like this. Seokmin could, but not Vernon.

When the two boys barged into their shared bedroom and insisted that this Caratnia place was real (mostly Vernon, Seokmin was silent), something at the back of the rest of the brothers's minds told them to believe him.

"Caratnia is real, I'm telling you! Seokmin hyung's not lying." Vernon exclaims. Mingyu rolls his eyes. "You too? What did Seokmin give you for a bribe?" Seungcheol slapped the boy's arm for how rude he sounded for asking that question.

That statement made Hansol offended. Did Mingyu, their brother, their hyung, seriously believed that Seokmin would stoop that low as to bribe someone just to have them have his back? Did he really think that lowly of him?

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" Shockingly, it was not Seungcheol who exclaimed. The brothers looked over at Jun, who was seething in rage. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS ARGUING!" He looked over at all of them, staring directly at their eyes.

"We all know how Seokmin thinks but since Vernon believes it, there must be some factual evidence to what he's saying. Vernon, don't scream at your hyungs! Mingyu, don't think so lowly of Seokmin! You know he is not like that."

The two singled out boys looked down in shame. "Seungcheol hyung, I saw how you practically stopped Soonyoung from defending Seokmin. I am ashamed." The oldest boy there looked shameful and guilty, as well as Soonyoung.

"I know I laughed at him as well but at least I'm now making up for it. To end this whole dialema," Jun cleared his throat that was dry from screaming. "We are all going to check out this place to see if it is real or not. No excuses."