Chapter 12: Give Her Back

Hearing those words made me feel just like a kidnapper.

How was I supposed to explain things?

While I was worrying about this, Naru started speaking rapidly.

“No-Rani isn’t someone who should be here. No-Rani, I’m going to take you home. Sanghyeon Ajussi doesn’t need No-Rani anyway, right?”

“That’s…”

“Forget it.”

It was No-Rani who cut me off.

No-Rani screeched and yanked away the hand Naru was holding.

Then she circled around the table and came to stand at my side.

Standing close, she declared firmly to Naru.

“I’m staying with Ajussi.”

“Oh.”

“I’m not going with Naru!”

Looking down at No-Rani, who shouted so loudly, I glanced back at Naru.

Oh dear.

“N-No-Rani…”

It looked like Naru was quite shaken by No-Rani’s rejection.

Her hand, which had been pushed away, was trembling as she reached out for No-Rani again.

But No-Rani turned her head sharply, ignoring her.

“W-Why are you doing this…”

“Hmph!”

At No-Rani’s defiant snort, Naru’s eyes filled with tears.

Then, a gloomy Grey Fog began to drift out from behind her head.

That’s… the opposite of No-Rani’s Yellow Light Powder.

“Don’t be like that. Come with me, okay?”

“No! I hate Naru right now!”

“Ha…”

No-Rani’s sharp words seemed to stab Naru right in the heart.

The tears that filled Naru’s eyes finally spilled over.

“You… You hate me? No-Raniiii—”

“I hate you, I hate you!”

“Chwaaaaah.”

“Oh my.”

Standing between the two of them was giving me a headache.

A high-pitched screech like a dolphin rang in my ears.

And on top of that, the Grey Fog spreading from Naru.

The plants in the tea house started to wilt, one by one, as the fog reached them.

If this keeps up, it’ll turn from a jungle into a barren wasteland.

“Alright, both of you, calm down. Seran.”

“Okay.”

“No-Rani did something wrong.”

No-Rani’s eyes were filled with grievance at the word “wrong.”

“Don’t cry.”

“Of course, Naru, you did something wrong too. But if you speak like that, Naru gets hurt. Come on, let’s apologize to Naru, okay?”

“Hyung…”

“Come on?”

I spoke a bit more firmly, and No-Rani looked over at Naru.

No-Rani rolled her eyes, thinking hard, and then finally opened her mouth.

“Sorry!”

This kid.

No-Rani shouted, then dashed past me and ran away.

She even stuck out her tongue and ran out of the tea house in a huff.

Honestly, such a stubborn kid.

Naru didn’t even chase after her, just stood there watching.

Tears were hanging from her eyes, threatening to fall.

“Naru, dry your tears. Here, use this.”

I approached and handed her a handkerchief.

Naru took it, dabbed her eyes, and blew her nose with a little honk.

She seemed a bit calmer after that, and managed to speak, though her words trembled.

“No-Rani said she hates me.”

“No, No-Rani doesn’t hate you.”

“But still…”

“She was just angry for a moment. She said something she didn’t mean. She’ll come back soon, just wait a bit.”

No-Rani isn’t a bad kid.

Once she gets a hold of her emotions, she’ll feel sorry and come back soon.

“Before No-Rani returns, want to have a chat with Ajussi?”

As if stroking No-Rani’s head, I placed my hand on Naru’s head.

But the sensation was… odd.

It wasn’t like touching human hair, but more like feeling wood grain.

Rough and bumpy.

“It’s like your hair is carved from wood.”

I was surprised for a moment, but tried not to show it as I stroked her head.

Thankfully, Naru didn’t reject my hand.

Once she calmed down a bit, I had her sit at the table.

“Would you like to wait here for a moment?”

I went back to the kitchen and took out the recipe book.

It wasn’t hard to find the tea with Naru’s name on it.

There was a large warning in the recipe, so I had marked it separately for that reason.

“Thankfully, it’s not too hard to make.”

I went to the storage and got the necessary leaves, then placed them in a teabag.

While the water was heating to 86 degrees, I poured it over the teabag to steep.

The cup gradually filled with a green hue.

Let it steep for three minutes.

Once the time was up, I removed the teabag.

A light sprinkle of salt finished the tea.

“Here, have a cup of this.”

“…Thank you.”

Naru bowed her head and took the tea.

The child who’d been so defiant earlier now sat quietly, looking so forlorn.

She took a sip, then blinked her eyes wide.

She took another sip, and tears welled up again.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah. sniff It’s just… because I’m happy.”

“Because you’re happy.”

“This is Green Dawn, right? I thought… I’d never taste it again.”

Naru, wiping her tears, took another sip.

The tea Grandfather had made just for Naru, Green Dawn.

She recognized it with just a single sip.

“Is it similar to Grandfather’s?”

“Yes. It tastes just the same.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried since it’s my first time making it.”

“It’s really, exactly the same.”

Hmm… I am curious about the taste.

But there must be a good reason Grandfather warned so strongly.

As much as I want to try it, I’ll hold back.

As she drank the tea, Naru became as calm as she’d been when she first arrived.

“Naru, can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

Thanks to the tea, Naru seemed to open up a little more, her wariness much less pronounced.

I felt grateful to Grandfather yet again today.

“What did you mean by ‘bring No-Rani back’?”

Naru gripped her teacup tightly.

Her eyes hardened too.

The anger and wariness she’d forgotten were starting to rise again.

“Should I have not brought it up?”

“Do you know what kind of kid No-Rani is?”

“She’s cute, energetic, and just like the sun to be around?”

“…You see her well, in this strange place. But that’s not what I meant.”

So, something else.

If Naru was as special as No-Rani, she must mean something like this.

“Does it have something to do with the Yellow Light Powder that comes from No-Rani’s hair?”

“Ajussi, you can see that too?”

“I don’t think anyone else can.”

“That’s right.”

Naru rolled her eyes and held her cup in both hands.

She was thinking deeply, and I could guess what kind of dilemma she was having.

She wanted to say something, but couldn’t decide if she should.

At times like this—

“Naru, I don’t know how it looks to you, but No-Rani is precious to me too.”

At my words, Naru looked up and stared straight into my eyes.

There was some anxiety in those eyes.

And I think I understood the reason for it.

“She’s worried I’ll take No-Rani away from her.”

All that study I did about children’s psychology for No-Rani has paid off.

“I have no intention of taking No-Rani from you.”

“Really?”

“Having someone precious doesn’t mean there’s only one. There can be many, and someone precious to me can also be precious to someone else.”

“Since No-Rani is precious to you, she’s precious to me too. I’d never think of hurting someone like that.”

When you share happiness, it multiplies.

That saying isn’t wrong.

It seemed Naru understood, as she drank the rest of her tea.

And then, slowly, she began to speak.

“No-Rani is the Spirit of the Sun.”

“Spirit?”

“Yes. I’m the Spirit of Wood. Spirits are like… incarnations of Nature itself.”

Incarnations of Nature.

That makes sense.

“We usually live in a different world, unseen by humans. The only way for us to come here is through the Yangjibareun Tea House.”

“So that’s why no one’s ever seen No-Rani before.”

Now I understood why the villagers didn’t know No-Rani.

The Spirits were beings only Grandfather could see.

Everything makes sense now.

“No-Rani is special among the Spirits.”

“Special?”

“Yes. No-Rani is the sun itself.”

“I see.”

If the sun disappeared from the world, what would happen?

I saw a documentary about that once, home alone.

I can’t remember the details, but I remember one thing.

Within seconds, the earth would become a dead planet.

No life could survive; it would truly be a land of death.

“Through No-Rani, many Spirits and Nature itself receive strength. But for four days, No-Rani disappeared.”

Four days.

That was during the fashion show, when No-Rani got excited and didn’t go outside.

Unlike usual, she hadn’t gone to play in the Spirit Realm, and it seems chaos broke out there.

I feel bad about this…

“Everyone was struggling, so I came to find No-Rani.”

“I see.”

“So please, I’m asking you.”

Naru stood up and bowed deeply.

“Please, return No-Rani to us.”

“Hmm…”

This is quite the dilemma.

I just wanted to make No-Rani happy, but it’s caused all this trouble.

“Naru, first, sit down. I feel uncomfortable if you’re standing like that.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like more tea? Or some cookies?”

I took out the cookies I’d prepared for No-Rani.

Naru stared at the cookies for a moment, then slowly took a bite.

Her eyes sparkled from the taste; she was as cute as No-Rani.

In the meantime, I gathered my thoughts and spoke calmly to Naru.

“Naru, I understand now that No-Rani is needed in your world. But I can’t just send her back against her will. She wouldn’t want that.”

“But—!”

“That’s why I want to find an answer too. Sometimes, you get a better answer when you think together instead of alone, right?”

Naru, who had jumped up, closed her mouth and then slowly nodded.

As expected, she’s a good kid.

She only tried to act mature and confident because of what she felt she had to do.

“No-Rani is lucky. To have a friend like you.”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, my eyes caught the entrance of the tea house.

Outside the door, No-Rani was peeking in, looking unsure.

“She realized right away that she did something wrong.”

Shall I give our No-Rani a little push?

“No-Rani, what are you waiting for out there? Come inside.”

When I went out and opened the door, No-Rani looked at me with drooping shoulders.

“Ajussi.”

“I’m fine. But you should apologize to Naru, right?”

“…Okay.”

No-Rani came in and dashed over to Naru.

“Sorry.”

“No-Rani…”

“I don’t hate Naru. I like Naru. I love Naru! Love you lots!”

“Me too, me too!”

Having finally calmed down, Naru burst into tears again as she hugged No-Rani tight.

And so, she started crying again.

Honestly.

We sure have some tearful new friends.

It took another ten minutes for the two little ones to settle down.

***

“Alright, let’s start the strategy meeting.”

“Meeting! A meeting!”

The three of us sat around the round table, facing each other.

Naru wore a serious expression, No-Rani looked excited and full of curiosity.

“…No-Rani, you know what a meeting is, right?”

“The problem is… No-Rani has been here so long, and the Spirit Realm—oh, is it okay if I call it that?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Alright. So problems are happening in the Spirit Realm, right?”

“That’s right.”

Then, we need to know what kind of problems are happening, and in what situations.

“Naru, how long does No-Rani have to be away from the Spirit Realm before it becomes a problem? Does it only affect Nature? Or does it also affect other Spirits, like you and No-Rani?”

“Ah, well…”

“Ajussi, don’t pick on Naru!”

“I’m not picking on her, just asking. We need to know the problem to solve it.”

Understanding the cause of a problem is more important than you might think.

If you get the cause wrong, there’s nothing more wasteful than time spent on the wrong solution.

Naru thought carefully about my question, then answered seriously.

“Nature and Spirits influence each other. If I’m struggling, the trees and forest suffer too. And if the trees and forest are in trouble, so am I.”

“So it’s a mutual relationship?”

“Yes. So, if Nature is struggling because No-Rani is gone, then the Spirits are too. Even I’m… a little tired.”

“I see.”

“Naru, don’t be sad.”

No-Rani hugged Naru tightly.

They really are like loving sisters.

Hmm, in that case…

“So Naru, if you stay with No-Rani, will the trees and the forest be okay?”

“Ah, yes. If I receive No-Rani’s energy and pass it on, it works.”

“So as long as either Nature or a Spirit like you is with No-Rani, the impact is less?”

“That’s… probably right.”

“Then…”

A new idea popped into my head.

“Naru.”

“Yes?”

“Ajussi was thinking, what if the other Spirits come visit the Yangjibareun Tea House too?”

At my suggestion, Naru’s eyes rounded in surprise.

She thought for a moment, then stammered,

“Then… um…”

“Never mind. If it’s okay with the other Spirits, they can stay at my house anytime. There are plenty of empty rooms. If you’re okay with it, Naru, would you like to sleep over tonight?”

I don’t think this is a perfect solution.

Nature is all interconnected in complicated ways.

Still, maybe it’s the next best thing.

“Wow! Naru will live with us! Naru will! She’ll stay with us! Yay!”

…No-Rani, Naru hasn’t answered yet.

But looking at Naru’s expression, I could tell.

“At least… for today…”

Her answer was already there.