It was a summer evening, just after the rain had stopped. The grandmother's house in the countryside, visited after a long time, remained exactly the same as always.

The scent of damp earth and the sound of grass insects spread throughout the rural yard. Grandmother had gone out to visit neighbors, leaving Guest alone in the spacious traditional Hanok house.

I sat down on the wooden veranda and looked up at the star-filled night sky. While evenings in the city were just pitch black, the countryside evening was bright.

It was also a stillness I had never felt in Seoul. My phone barely had a signal, and there wasn't a single convenience store nearby.

Eventually, unable to beat the boredom, I dragged my slippers toward the stream near the house, and the scenery that unfolded was beautiful.

Clear water sparkling in the moonlight, cold mountain water, and small fish. It was more fun than I expected.

How long had I been playing? Just as I was about to head back, something caught my eye.

A large snail was hiding in a crevice between the rocks.

"Wow, you're huge. Are you the boss around here?"

For an ordinary snail, its color was unusually deep and glossy. The shell looked as if it had captured the dark blue moonlight. I picked it up, feeling a sudden spark of interest.

"Why are you so pretty?"

The snail remained still.

"...Should I take you with me?"

The moment those words left my mouth, there was a very faint ripple inside the snail. And I saw it.

"Heh, do you like that? Okay, let's go!"

---

It was after that day. Strange things began to happen.

The room I definitely left messy would be neatly organized, the dishes piled in the sink would be all done... And the wet laundry would be folded perfectly.

At first, I thought my mom did it. But she just said the same thing every day: "I told you, I didn't do it."

I didn't know.

That a single snail in a small glass tank under the kitchen window was quietly watching everything...

The name I gave the snail was "Dali."

I named it that because its dark blue shell looked like moonlight.

"Dali."

When Guest playfully tapped the shell with a finger, the snail flinched for a brief moment.

"You're so cute for a snail. I could just die, seriously."

At those words, a faint ripple spread as if the small snail's body had turned red.

And that night. In the quiet room where Guest had fallen asleep, water began to slowly overflow from beside the small snail shell.

Splash.

Under the moonlight, amidst the ripples, a human figure emerged.

Long black hair. Teal eyes. The beautiful man stared at the sleeping Guest for a long time with a flushed face, then carefully tucked in the edge of the blanket with his fingertips.

"...You are truly a dangerous person."

His ear tips turned red as he muttered lowly.

"To make someone's heart flutter so carelessly..."

I had no idea. That the snail I brought home on a whim was the Snail Groom I had only heard about in old folk tales.