Not long after the Elves left, Kasia called out to me.
“Minho, I wish to learn Korean!”
“Right now?”
“Yes. You have seemed quite busy lately, so I could not ask. I am living in a country called Korea, so should I not know the language?”
‘How impressive.’
Of course, the biggest influence was likely the frustration of not fully understanding movies or dramas. Since she was showing such a strong will to learn, I naturally had to teach her.
“Alright, then go sit at the dining table.”
I grabbed a notebook and a pen from my room and sat across from her.
‘How do people usually teach Korean to children…?’
General foreigners could self-study using translators or dictionaries.
However, what translator would know the language of Elves? I thought it would be best to first familiarize her with interesting words and then slowly teach the consonants and vowels.
In that case, it had to start with that word, right?
I wrote “Sogogi” in the notebook and showed it to Kasia.
“Kasia, this word is *Sogogi*. It is the thing you like, right?”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Beef! When shall we eat it again? I feel as though I am already forgetting the taste!”
“Haha, let us talk about eating later. Let us learn the alphabet first.”
“I understand.”
I began to explain each letter while pronouncing them slowly.
“This is what *So* looks like. This part is *Siot*, and this part is *Oh*.”
I circled the “ㅅ” and “ㅗ” one by one with the pen. Then, I broke down and explained *Go* and *Gi* as well.
Kasia nodded, looking back and forth between my hand and hers. Perhaps because it was her first time holding a pen, she observed the shape of my hand intently before gripping the pen carefully.
Thinking she had followed along well, she nodded to herself and began to diligently trace the letters. I could feel a slight tension at the tips of her fingers.
However, as she continued writing, a smile spread across her lips as if she were gaining confidence.
Since it was her first time, the letters were a bit crooked, but Kasia was following along quite well. Or perhaps the word “drawing” was more appropriate.
“This… is more fun than I thought!” Kasia said with a bright smile.
“I should teach you how to hold the pen first.”
I took Kasia’s hand and explained step-by-step where to apply force and how to support it.
“Ugh! It is hard to put strength into my hand.”
“It is just because you are not used to it. You are doing great, though.”
“Hehe, is that so?”
After learning how to hold a pencil for the first time, people usually experience their fingers being pressed until marks are left and calluses form. Kasia would have to go through that process to get used to it.
“What other word would be good…?”
Kasia rested her chin on her hand, appearing to contemplate, before speaking the word she wanted.
“Tell me how to write your name!”
“My name?”
“Yes. Do Minho. How do you write it?”
Since she was thinking so hard, I thought she was recalling the next most delicious food. For example, the Kimchi, Fresh Kimchi, or even the cabbage she had enjoyed so much.
‘I guess I beat the food? Hehe.’
“Alright, my name is written like this. In *Do*, there is *Digeut* and *Oh*.”
“Mm! This letter keeps repeating. Does that mean *Oh* is also in *Ho*?”
“Exactly! I think you have already mastered the alphabet. You have a talent for languages!”
At the continuous praise, Kasia smiled bashfully, looking pleased.
“Korean is truly interesting.”
Thinking about it, she should probably know how to write her own name too.
“Do you want to learn how to write Kasia next?”
“Yes! I would like that!”
However, unlike the fun she had earlier, Kasia struggled to focus.
“Ugh… Since there is no *Oh*, I do not know any of it.”
It seemed she was struggling because the one letter she had mastered was missing.
‘Since she seems to have learned *Oh*, should I try teaching the vowels first?’
The start of the Korean lesson was smooth, but we hit a wall when I began teaching the consonants.
“I am telling you, if you just add one stroke — or rather, a dot — to *Jieut*, it becomes *Chieut*.”
“Why have you been drawing dots since a while ago!”
Since the letters changed as a stroke or two were added, it was bound to be confusing and difficult.
“I think I taught you too much at once. Should we stop here for today and continue next time?”
“I understand.”
There was a minor argument, but she had still learned quite quickly. Was Kasia actually a linguistic genius?
I handed the notebook to Kasia.
“Kasia, write the words you learned today ten times each in here by tomorrow.”
“Eh? Did you not just say we should stop for today!”
“If you do not review a language, you forget it quickly. If you decided to learn it, you should do it properly.”
At that, Kasia’s expression became visibly sulky. But I wasn’t about to back down.
“Make sure to write them. I am going to check.”
“I understand…” Kasia replied in a tiny voice.
The next morning, I lightly knocked on Kasia’s door.
“Kasia, are you awake?”
“Yes, come in.”
When I opened the door and entered, Kasia was already awake and sitting by the window. The notebook I had given her yesterday was lying beside her.
“Did you finish your homework?”
Kasia nodded with a slightly nervous expression.
“I did it, but… I do not know if I did it well.”
She cautiously held out the notebook. I took it and flipped through the pages. On the first page, the word *Sogogi* was written ten times.
The handwriting was still clumsy, but the marks where she had pressed down firmly showed how much care she had put into every single character.
“Wow, you wrote it better than I expected.”
Kasia’s face brightened.
“Is that true? I practiced continuously until I went to sleep.”
“Yeah, it must have been hard, but you did a great job.”
When I turned to the next page, *Do Minho*, my name, appeared. It was also written ten times.
“Oh, you wrote my name well too. But the *Ho* here looks a bit strange.”
She had clearly tried to draw a circle, but it looked a bit like a triangle or a square.
“Ah, is that so? That character was the most difficult.”
“It is okay. You did really well for your first time. If you keep working hard like this, you will get used to it in no time.”
Kasia smiled, letting out a sigh of relief.
A few days passed, and Kasia’s Korean skills improved significantly. She was now able to read and write simple words.
One day, I was shocked when I entered Kasia’s room. Small paper notes were stuck all over the place.
“Kasia, what is all this?”
Kasia replied with a proud expression.
“I wrote down the names of the objects in Korean!”
I looked around and read the notes. Window, desk, chair… Most of them were written accurately.
“Wow, that is amazing. Did you write all of this by yourself without Jinsu’s help?”
“Hehe. That is right. As I learn it, I find that Korean is a truly fun and easy language.”
Her handwriting was still large and careful, like that of an elementary school student. However, as time went on, it would likely become smaller and smoother. I slowly looked around the room, finding and reading the words one by one.
Blanket, pillow…
Wait, *Baegae*?
“Pfft, hahaha! Kasia, the note on the pillow is a bit strange.”
“Mm?”
Kasia rushed over, sensing something was wrong from my laughter. She quickly snatched the note that said *Baegae* off the pillow to check it.
“Why are you laughing? I wrote *Baegae* well.”
The difference between the vowels *ae* and *e* could be difficult. Their pronunciations were almost identical.
“Ah, you have to write *Begae* here. It means an object you rest your head on… but it is hard to explain in words. Give the note to me.”
Seeing her misspelled words made Kasia feel adorable.
‘Hehe, I should look closely to see if there are any other mistakes.’
“This one! It is not *Otjang* with a *Jieut*, it is *Otjang* with a *Siot*. Hahaha.”
“Do… do not laugh! You probably were not good when you first learned it either! You are being too mean!”
“You are right. I probably wasn’t great either. I am not laughing to mock your mistake; it is just that I cannot help but laugh because you are so cute.”
Finally, I found one last incorrect word. When I lifted the blanket, a note with the word *Jam* written on it caught my eye.
“Kasia, what is this? *Jam*? Surely…”
Kasia seemed a bit flustered.
“Ah, that is… I did not know the name well, so I just wrote what I do there.”
I could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Kasia, you are really cute. This is called a *chimdae*.”
“Bed… I see. I remember now. S-Stop laughing!”
I quickly managed my expression as Kasia glared at me with a bright red face.
‘Did I laugh too much?’
“It is okay. You can learn slowly. I like seeing you work so hard.”
At first, it was difficult because I didn’t know how to teach. But thanks to the funny mistakes Kasia made as she gradually learned Korean, our study sessions were becoming more enjoyable.
***
Aside from studying Korean with Kasia, I didn’t forget to teach the Elves how to farm whenever they visited.
“Lord Minho! This is incredible!”
Today was the day the Elves came to learn farming, and they were shouting and running toward me from a distance. Well, except for the dignified Kari Nu.
“What is the matter? Explain calmly.”
“Sprouts have come up from the cabbages we planted!”
“I did not expect them to grow this quickly!”
I nodded with a smile.
“Cabbages tend to sprout quickly. It seems they are growing well.”
“Oh! I see!”
Then, Kari Nu, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Then what should we do now? To grow them even better, I mean.”
“Hmm…”
I fell into thought for a moment. Now that the cabbage seedlings were up, it was time to teach them the next step.
“From now on, it is important. When you return, please remove the weeds around the sprouts. They are sensitive to the weather, so make sure they do not get too hot or dry.”
The Elves nodded diligently as they listened.
“You are not giving them too much water, are you? You have to give them a moderate amount. Of course, you must keep the soil moist so it does not dry out.”
“It is difficult. How did you do all of that?”
‘How did I do it when I was growing other crops…?’
Recalling when I first grew peanuts, I had Kasia’s help.
“Haha, Kasia used the Earth Spirit to pull out all the weeds for me. I think you could do the same for the fields in Elysium.”
“Mm, I understand.”
If so, removing weeds would be easy for them. The next step was thinning.
“Thinning?”
“If they grow too densely, they interfere with each other and cannot grow well. So, you have to pull some out so that the remaining ones can absorb nutrients properly.”
The Elves’ expressions looked complicated.
“What is wrong?”
“Pulling out nature’s gifts… it feels somewhat wrong.”
They viewed eating the food as becoming one with nature, but it seemed that pulling them out and discarding them felt different to them.
“Do not worry. Even if you discard them, they eventually become soil and return to nature. And it is a necessary method for the remaining cabbages.”
Competition like this happened frequently in nature. The stronger plants took all the nutrients, causing the weaker ones to die off.
“I understand. We shall try it.”
Just then, Kasia stepped outside. In her hand was the Korean notebook she had been studying for several days.
“Lady Kasia. You are studying Korean quite diligently.”
“Of course. I can read and write most words now.”
The Elves who overheard the conversation between Kari Nu and Kasia were impressed.
“Ooh! That is amazing! As expected of Lady Kasia!”
“Kasia is working so hard because she wants to teach you all.”
Praise could make even a whale dance.
‘Should I slowly move into practical application?’
“Kasia, if I get a book that explains how to take care of cabbages, would you like to try translating it into the Elven language?”
“A-Already?”
Kasia hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“I… I shall try… though I am still unskilled.”
I looked at them with a satisfied heart. Seeing the Elves’ farming skills and Kasia’s Korean skills improve day by day, I found myself looking forward to the future even more.