“Why did you go there?”
“Ugh, you’re ruining my appetite.”
“Are you even eating rice right now? That’s a madeleine, isn’t it?”
“All you do is work in the fields every day, and now your vocabulary’s scraping rock bottom? Can’t you understand what people are saying?”
Between the Hyeon siblings and Kihyun, ominous sparks flew.
This wasn’t the sort of talk friends usually had with each other.
It was nothing more than sharp words hurled at enemies.
“Guys, let’s calm down for a bit.”
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, where fists looked ready to fly at any moment, I hurriedly jumped in.
Just looking at their eyes, it wouldn’t be strange if they started brawling right now.
As I wedged myself between the three of them, Hyeonseo clicked her tongue.
Sometimes, Jaega is even more hot-blooded than Hyeon Ung.
“I don’t know what happened between you all, but don’t fight in my house. If you want to fight, go outside.”
“Oh, so we just have to go out, is that it?”
“You said it yourself. Hey, Seo Hyeon Ung, Seo Hyeonseo. Come out with me.”
“Do you think we’ll get scared if you say that?”
I made a mistake, you brats.
I meant it as ‘don’t fight,’ but now it looks like they’re seriously planning to step outside and go at it.
“How about this—why don’t you all just sit down—”
“Seo Hyeon Ung, did you forget how you got your lights punched out back in middle school?”
“Oh, Kihyun, you got dragged by the hair and ended up with a bald spot, remember? You ran all the way home crying that time.”
“Seo Hyeonseo, what about your cracked molar?”
At this point, talking seemed pointless, but none of them listened to a single word. Their eyes were wild.
What am I supposed to do…?
“Enough! Quiet down!”
The one who put an end to this chaos was No-Rani.
Taking advantage of the commotion, No-Rani climbed up on the table and crossed their arms.
Who knows where No-Rani picked this up from, but they put on a stern expression and spoke.
“Don’t fight! Friends shouldn’t fight!”
At No-Rani’s resolute words, the three friends averted their eyes.
They must not have expected to get scolded by a five-year-old.
As No-Rani spoke, Naru joined in.
“Even if you fight, don’t say things that hurt each other’s feelings. Uncle said so. Because you’re friends—more, more, more!”
Naru’s admonishment seemed to settle in, and the three boys shifted their eyes this way and that.
The mood turned awkward in an instant, but it was the perfect opportunity.
“They’re right. Friends shouldn’t fight.”
“Hey, hey. Jaega’s not our friend.”
“Yeah, sure, you’re his friend. Not ours.”
“Those little…”
Sss…
Just as the flames of battle were about to be rekindled, No-Rani and Naru scowled fiercely.
Our kids, they’re good at this.
“Don’t make a scene in front of the kids. Sit down for now. I’ll bring some cold watermelon juice.”
“That’s right, don’t just stand there—please, have a seat.”
Siwoo, watching for the right moment, smoothly guided the Hyeon siblings to the table.
The siblings, who looked like they’d never sit down, nevertheless—
“Ah, yes! Of course we should!”
“…That bowl-headed punk.”
At Siwoo’s single word, Hyeon Ung was completely disarmed.
It’s hard to believe this is the same wildcat that was about to fight to the death just a moment ago.
Hyeonseo let out a deep sigh and reluctantly followed.
***
There was a distance of two tables between Kihyun and the Hyeon siblings.
That distance was as much psychological as physical.
“They didn’t use to be this hostile with each other.”
Fighting was pretty much their daily routine.
They had filthy mouths, always getting on each other’s nerves and ending up grappling.
When Hyeonseo joined in, it really turned into a mess.
But they managed to stay friends because, after some time passed, they always apologized honestly for whatever they’d done wrong.
“But… this time seems different.”
No matter how much they fought, they’d always at least sit at the same table—how did things end up like this?
I took out the watermelon juice I’d prepared in advance and poured it into two cups.
It was a shame that Woojin had already given his to Kihyun, but oh well—this is better than nothing.
“Here, drink up, you two.”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yeah, yeah. But do you guys have work at this hour? Isn’t this the first time you’ve come in the morning?”
“Th—uh, that.”
The Hyeon siblings frowned at the same time.
You’d think they were twins, seeing them make the same face.
“There was a problem at work.”
“The Worker Dispatch Company that supplied the laborers messed with the payments. So now everything’s in chaos over there.”
“The workers are making a fuss about not getting paid. Thanks to the mess, all the Agreements we’d signed went out the window, and we were left twiddling our thumbs.”
“Sticking around would just be a waste of energy, so we decided to call it quits early and come take a breather.”
They explained everything so clearly, I understood right away.
“That’s just like you guys.”
“Kihyun, why do you always look for a fight?”
I tried to use some small talk to break the ice and get to the main point, but those roosters couldn’t wait.
Seeing them ready to start bickering again, I realized I couldn’t let things go on like this.
“Hey, you two, scoot in closer.”
“I don’t want to sit at the same table as him.”
“No complaints, just move. Unless you want to pay eighty thousand won per cup for Red Peppermint Tea.”
“Don’t you have a conscience?”
“That’s highway robbery.”
“This is business. A shopkeeper does as they please. Stop whining and move in.”
The Hyeon siblings grumbled with faces as long as rain gutters, but did as they were told.
They’d already seen how effective the Red Peppermint Tea was, so there was no going back.
Somehow, saying it like that makes me sound like I did something shady.
“Siwoo, can you lock the shop and go out with the kids for a bit?”
“We’re not opening today?”
“No, I’m not opening until this is settled.”
When I laid down this hardline measure, Kihyun and the Hyeon siblings stared wide-eyed.
Bet they didn’t see this one coming.
“While the shop’s closed, you all can relax. Feel free to have some snacks. Or, Siwoo, you can practice making Biscuits if you want.”
“Wow! Really? I can, right?”
“Of course.”
Siwoo, genuinely excited, hummed a tune and went to lock the door.
The three guys watched her go and then turned to look at me.
They must have thought I was bluffing.
But I’m not that easy.
“See that? If you don’t work things out, I’m not doing any business today.”
“Why you—”
“I can’t stand watching you fight like this. So, explain. Everything.”
I tapped the table as I spoke.
“Who, when, why, how, and what exactly happened. Don’t leave anything out.”
Under my pressure, the three exchanged furtive glances.
Some unspoken conversation passed between them, then they broke eye contact again.
I wondered who would start, but Kihyun sighed and spoke first.
“It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”
“Before you start running your mouth, explain in detail.”
“Tch… Seriously, it’s nothing. This year, I just told them I won’t take their watermelons anymore.”
As Kihyun bowed his head, the Hyeon siblings’ faces twisted with anger.
He was definitely keeping something back.
Having started, Kihyun continued to explain.
“Last year, I took their watermelons and tried to sell them, but I couldn’t sell them all. Do you know why? People said the watermelons didn’t taste good. The flavor changed from before, and nobody wanted to buy them.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you know how much I can sell in a day? But when I can’t sell the produce, I take a huge loss. The Trust I’ve built up disappears, obviously.”
Kihyun glared at the Hyeon siblings, full of resentment.
They opened their mouths, then closed them again.
“Now that you mention it.”
When I visited their field after coming back, there was a mountain of discarded watermelons.
They said they had to throw them out because they couldn’t sell them.
Back then, thanks to No-Rani, we managed to save some of those watermelons, but the Watermelon Field is huge.
If I tried to count all the unsold watermelons, there’d be no end.
“So this year, I said it. I won’t take your watermelons unless they’re good. If you want to sell, only give me the tasty ones.”
“You jerk! When did we ever sell you watermelons that weren’t fit to eat? We only passed on the best ones from our kids!”
“So what? They still didn’t taste good! Those best kids had flaws.”
“You bastard.”
“Enough, enough!”
Seeing Hyeon Ung’s fist clench, I jumped in again.
“Okay, now I get the picture. You’re both at fault.”
“Hey, I agree!”
I held up my hand to stop Hyeonseo’s voice full of hurt.
“Hyeonseo, Kihyun’s just a guy who lives hand to mouth. Think about gas and all the expenses in the middle. When he can’t sell the goods, it’s a massive loss. You guys run a Business too—you know what that means.”
The primary industry is still Business.
From a broad perspective, Kihyun’s job and the Hyeon siblings’ are the same.
“Kihyun was just thinking in Business terms. You too, Hyeon Ung. Didn’t I tell you before? Even with friends, if you slack off on that part, problems happen.”
There are certain manners you have to uphold with friends.
This is one of those cases.
After hearing this, Kihyun straightened his nose in pride, while the Hyeon siblings’ shoulders slumped.
Every word was true, and hearing it in person made it sting.
But I still had something to say.
“If you start sulking over this, what am I supposed to do? And it’s not like Kihyun didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, I told you to check your Watermelon Field more than once.”
Knowing Kihyun, he wouldn’t have flat out refused to buy the watermelons.
He must’ve told them to check the field, asked them to check for problems, too.
But the problem wasn’t caught.
“I explained everything, but if you’re going to act like this, I get upset too! You punks!”
At Kihyun’s words, the Hyeon siblings became like tigers that had swallowed honey.
It might look like Kihyun won by default, but—
“You’re not blameless, either.”
“How am I at fault?”
“Of course they’d be upset if you refused to buy. But why get emotional right back at them? Are you a grade-schooler? If the kids act emotionally, you’re just going to respond the same way? Try to understand like an adult, will you?”
Now that the arrow was turned on him, Kihyun opened and closed his mouth.
Even he knew his actions were childish.
“Do you think there’s a reason people say farming is a job blessed by the heavens? It’s not like they wanted to grow tasteless watermelons. Those were watermelons they raised with care. If you badmouth them like that, you think they’ll listen to your advice? They’ll just headbutt you.”
“That’s right, so true!”
“Feels good to hear it out loud.”
“…Aren’t you two going to reflect a little more?”
At my words, the Hyeon siblings looked away again.
Good grief.
“So, both sides are at fault this time. Come on, shake hands, make up, and hug each other.”
“…What do you mean, hug each other?”
“Are we elementary schoolers? We’re twenty-nine, you know.”
“You think I don’t know we’re the same age? I’m telling you to hurry up and make up, you brats.”
I held myself back from giving each of them a good smack on the head.
The three of them pouted, but soon made eye contact.
What passed between their eyes was similar to earlier, but also a little different.
After a brief silence—
“Sorry. I was out of line.”
Kihyun spoke first.
Once the hand of reconciliation is extended, the rest is easy.
“…No, we were the ones who got too emotional.”
“Yeah, you’ve got your livelihood to worry about too. It just stung, thinking you were badmouthing our watermelons.”
“They really weren’t selling at the time, so it made me feel guilty too.”
“How about now? Any better?”
“Relatively? It’s gotten a lot better.”
Hyeon Ung crossed his arms as he spoke.
“When did it start? The top grades coming in?”
“Not long ago. Right before the rainy season started.”
“That’s right. From then on, the watermelons have been great.”
It’s no wonder.
After the Hyeon siblings started coming by the house, No-Rani’s magical light dust clung to them, and the Red Peppermint Tea I brewed helped them work much more efficiently.
Plus, Siwoo’s own rainwater was added to the mix.
The Blessing of Nature was sprinkled evenly across the Hyeon siblings’ field.
It’s impossible for those watermelons not to taste good.
“What changed around then to make things so much better?”
Now that his mood had improved, Kihyun asked.
And then—
“Around that time…”
“A change…”
The Hyeon siblings’ eyes zeroed in on me. Then they said,
“The only thing that changed… was that you came.”
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