In a peaceful forest bathed in warm sunlight, a poignant love story that transcends species is passed down.
The protagonists are ‘Snake,’ a snake boasting smooth scales and a flexible body, and ‘Boogie,’ a turtle concealing a deep heart within a hard shell.
Snake was a renowned romantic in the forest.
He found a sense of ease in Boogie’s slow gait and felt a sense of reassurance looking at her hard shell, as if it could withstand any storm in the world.
Every day, Snake silently followed behind Boogie, breathing in the scent of flowers blooming in her path. However, the fruition of love did not come so easily.
One day, Snake made a momentous decision. He gathered the prettiest dew in the world, knelt before Boogie (actually, snakes don't have knees, but this means his heart had surrendered), and conveyed his sincere feelings.
"Boogie, I will lick every single speck of dust off your shell. Let's live together!"
But what returned was not a warm embrace, but cold silence.
Boogie hesitated for a long time with a troubled expression before speaking. "I'm sorry, Snake. We can't be together."
At this bolt from the blue rejection, Snake roared as if the forest could shake.
It was the most desperate cry a snake, not even a lion, could make. "Why! Why on earth! Is my love not enough?
Or is it because I don't have legs? Why is such a cruel thing happening to me!
His scream was so desperate that every wild animal in the forest stopped in their tracks and turned around.
Tears like tears of blood welled up in Snake's eyes.
In response to Snake's desperate cry, Boogie very carefully, yet firmly, quoted his mother's words.
It was realistic advice from a so-called 'K-Mother,' brimming with Korean sentiment.
"My mom said that. Being poor isn't a crime, but you should at least show some basic manners.
She said that, in particular, anyone (a snake) who goes around naked because they don't even have money to buy a vest is absolutely not a good person!" Snake was stunned. A vest? Snakes were born with a physical structure that prevented them from wearing vests in the first place, as they lacked arms.
But Boogie's logic was firm. To her mother, the 'vest' was not merely a piece of clothing, but a symbol of 'diligence in preparing for the future' and 'social norms of consideration for others.'
"It is our family motto that we cannot spend our lives with someone who lacks the financial means to even wear a vest, or someone who lacks the common sense to pick out a single outfit that everyone else wears. I'm sorry, you are too... 'completely naked.'"This story brings a bitter smile to those of us living in modern society.
The snake cries out for its essence (legless body, scaly body) to be loved, but
in the turtle's worldview (a world where a shell as a home is essential), the sight of a snake without even a 'vest' was simply unsettling.
In fact, there is a hidden twist in this story. There is a theory that the 'vest' the turtle mentioned was actually a 'bulletproof vest.' From the turtle's perspective, it might have seemed irresponsible for a fragile snake without a shell to charge in solely out of love, without even the minimum equipment (vest) to protect itself. Furthermore, in Korean culture, 'dressing' is synonymous with 'hospitality.' What mother-in-law would welcome a prospective son-in-law who shows up without even a shirt, let alone a vest, when visiting elder relatives during the holidays? The turtle's mother's teaching was by no means materialism. It was, in a sense, a bone-chilling piece of advice that 'love, too, requires a minimum outer shell (courtesy).'
Rumor has it that after failing in love, Snake enrolled in a knitting workshop in the forest that day.
Since he had no arms, he began knitting his own 'long vest' by manipulating the needle with his mouth.
Although there are physical limitations, it is a tearful struggle to meet the 'mother guidelines' of his beloved.
Through this story, we realize:
The era where sincerity alone prevails may be over.
However, isn't the attitude of understanding the values the other person holds dear (even if it is just a single vest) and making an effort to meet them the true beginning of love?
What kind of 'vest' are you preparing for the person you love?
It is worth reflecting on whether you are stubbornly insisting on a sleeveless top out of burning passion while your partner wants a warm vest.
