Chapter 38: Harmony, Not Sacrifice

Today, I closed the shop earlier than usual.

People might start rumors that I’m running my business however I please, but it didn’t matter.

The tea and desserts I offer are the best, ones you can’t find anywhere else.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Of course, this was only possible because the elders understood with hearts as broad as the sea.

I’ll have to offer them some special service tomorrow.

After closing the door, I took a deep breath.

The recipe check was already done, and the review finished.

The dessert to go with the tea was prepared as well.

Now, all that’s left is to summon the guests.

“Siwoo, Naru.”

“Yes, we’ll be back soon.”

“Please wait just a little, Mister.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Siwoo and Naru, having taken off their aprons, immediately held hands and departed for the Spirit Realm.

The two of them will soon bring No-Rani from the Spirit Realm.

Before that.

Ding.

“You’re here?”

I called Yuae first.

Yuae, still with her hood pulled down over her head, strode inside.

Even the way she took off her hood was quite spirited.

How should I put it—it felt like she was expressing “I’m in a bad mood” with her whole being.

“I didn’t expect you to call me so soon. What did you need?”

“What if I say I just wanted to see you, Yuae?”

“That’s a funny joke. But there’s no way that’s true, is there?”

“You’re pretty shrewd.”

“I’ve lived a long time, after all. Whether I like it or not, I’ve learned a lot.”

The natural Flow of Time teaches you many things.

Whether they’re good or bad.

“What do you want me to do? Should I make something with my strength? Or shall I use the power of the moon to send someone into eternal sleep? Or, if you want, should I kill someone for you?”

“Those things are possible…”

“For me, they are. Isn’t that why you called me?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

Now I understood why she was so upset.

She thought I was planning to use her.

As the misunderstanding eased even a little, the murderous light in Yuae’s eyes softened, and some of the anger faded.

“Are you really saying that’s not it?”

“Why would I ask you to do such a thing?”

“Well, maybe you desire my power. My abilities are strong and very tempting to humans, after all.”

At those words, Yuae’s eyes flared up again.

As I watched her hair gently flutter, I hurriedly continued.

“But that’s not why I called you today.”

“Then what’s the reason?”

“It’s about that request you made before. It’s related to that.”

At my words, surprise crossed Yuae’s face.

“Don’t tell me, already… You’re saying it’s finished?”

“That’s right.”

“…That’s impossible. How? I thought it would take at least several years for that to be possible…”

“You don’t believe me?”

“No.”

…She was so direct.

Yuae spoke in a firm tone.

“I’ve waited years to solve this problem. And yet, what, in two days… No, not even a day, you’re saying it’s resolved? If you were me, Chanseong Sajang, would you believe that?”

“I suppose from your perspective, that’s reasonable. But the truth is, I made it.”

With that, I began laying out the ingredients needed to make tea, one by one.

Then, right in front of Yuae, I started blending the ingredients.

Yuae still couldn’t believe it, but as I prepared the tea in front of her, her distrust seemed to slowly melt away.

“While making this tea, I thought a lot about you, Yuae. Why would you need a tea like this, I wondered.”

“I told you the reason back then.”

“True. But when people talk, they’re usually self-centered. They tend to hide things they want to keep secret.”

“Are you saying I’m hiding something?”

“You’re a spirit, Yuae, but you’ve lived a long time. I just thought, maybe that’s the case.”

While speaking, my hands never stopped, and I put the blended leaves and fruits into the teapot.

Then, I broke up the Moon Fragment Yuae had handed me and added two lumps of ice, mixing them in.

Finally, while waiting for the water to reach a boil at 92 degrees, I spoke to Yuae.

“After hearing so much about the moon recently and reflecting on what you told me, I began to see things more clearly.”

Yuae had intentionally hidden certain elements in her story.

“Yuae, you asked to have your strength lessened for the sake of everyone’s happiness. You said it was for all of them.”

“Yes.”

“Does that ‘everyone’ include you, Yuae?”

I slowly poured the boiling water into the teapot.

The leaves and fruits began to steep in the hot water.

As the tea steeped, Yuae let out a long sigh.

“Sigh… Chanseong Sajang, you really are shrewd.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about you, Yuae.”

“Even if I say otherwise now, you won’t believe me, will you?”

“Judging by your reaction, it’s even harder to believe.”

“True. I guess that’s why people shouldn’t act out of character.”

Her words confirmed my suspicion.

“I’ve lived too long. There are spirits who inevitably live a long time, but even among them, I’ve lived far too long.”

A thousand years.

She probably estimated a thousand, but in truth, it must have been even longer.

“Because of me, there are spirits who have suffered for too long. No-Rani will suffer, too.”

“Is that why you want to sacrifice yourself, Yuae?”

“Yes.”

Yuae gazed at the brewing tea.

The unusually black hue made it look almost like poison.

As if it were a forced demand to accept death.

“I’m abnormal. Too many problems have continued to arise because of me. So if the cause disappears, many spirits will have a better life. The Spirit Realm will become a more peaceful place. That’s what I hope for.”

“But, Yuae.”

“Yes.”

“But you wouldn’t be there.”

With those words, I poured the nearly finished tea into Udi.

Udi’s body trembled as it purified the tea of any impure elements, completing the brew.

“I want you to be happy, too, Yuae.”

“Chanseong Sajang, that’s impossible. A Happiness Paradise for everyone can’t exist.”

Yuae held out her hand and created a lump of energy on her palm.

“Nature is all about Mutual Interaction. If one becomes strong, other spirits affected by that must grow weaker. It’s inevitable.”

Someone’s happiness is another’s misfortune.

That inevitability is how nature works, Yuae was saying.

“Don’t underestimate nature.”

“I’ve never done that.”

I poured the tea completed through Udi into a cup and spoke to Yuae.

The finished tea was black with a bit of froth on top—not the most appealing sight.

“I only want Harmony. For a world where everyone can be happy.”

You know that sounds arrogant, right?”

“I do. But you’ll come to see it, too. That I’m an incredibly greedy person.”

Yuae glared sharply at me, then reached for the cup.

But I caught her hand and stopped her.

Suddenly held, Yuae blinked and asked,

“Chanseong Sajang, what are you doing?”

“Wait. This tea isn’t for you, Yuae.”

“Alright.”

“Hmm, just wait five seconds. You’ll understand.”

At the word ‘five seconds,’ Yuae blinked once, then frowned.

She must have sensed something, because she hurriedly tried to pull her hand away, but there was no chance.

I didn’t want to look weak in front of the younger ones, so I’ve been exercising in secret.

“Let go.”

“Sorry, I can’t.”

“You’ll get hurt.”

“I won’t. I’ll make sure I don’t get hurt.”

“Chanseong Sajang!”

Ding.

While Yuae and I argued, five seconds passed.

And entering through the door were No-Rani, Siwoo, and Naru.

“Mister, I found—oh, it’s Yuae! Yuae!”

“No-Rani! Don’t come any closer!”

“Sikpe!”

No-Rani, delighted to see Yuae after so long, ignored the warning and rushed forward.

Yuae, in panic, scattered a powder of energy from her hand, forming a barrier like a Jangmak between herself and No-Rani.

No-Rani, rushing at Yuae, frowned at the Jangmak.

“Mouthpiece!”

No-Rani shouted as she swung her hand, and Yuae’s Jangmak shattered like a candy shell.

Nullifying Yuae’s defense, No-Rani leapt straight into Yuae’s arms.

“Hehe, Yuae!”

“No-Rani, stop. You’ll get hurt if you do this.”

Flustered, Yuae couldn’t easily shake off No-Rani and bit her lip.

Knowing that even the smallest action could hurt No-Rani, Yuae seemed especially cautious.

“Give me the tea! Mister said he’d make me stronger.”

“…Chanseong Sajang. I didn’t expect this, but did you tell No-Rani the same ridiculous thing?”

“Whether it’s ridiculous or not, you’ll see soon enough. No-Rani, drink this.”

The black tea I poured through Udi.

I handed it to No-Rani.

But as soon as she saw the color, No-Rani pouted.

“Ugh. Looks gross.”

“Haha, I know. It doesn’t taste good. But if you don’t want to get hurt, you have to drink it.”

“To be with Yuae unni?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I’ll drink it.”

As soon as Yuae was mentioned, No-Rani took the cup without hesitation.

And in one gulp, drank it all down.

…It must be bitter and astringent.

No-Rani grimaced, but didn’t stop drinking.

“Ew. Gross.”

“But you did well.”

I patted No-Rani’s head and brought out the Madeleine I’d prepared.

“Here, this is your reward. Madeleine.”

“Matille-en. Looks yummy!”

No-Rani grabbed the Madeleine, broke it cleanly in half, and, as if it were natural, offered half to Yuae.

“Yuae! Eat this.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Mister made it, so eat it.”

“I know, but…”

Looking at the Madeleine in No-Rani’s hand, Yuae hesitated for a moment, then cautiously took a bite.

Yuae, chewing the Madeleine, opened her eyes wide.

“This is…”

“What do you think?”

“Chanseong Sajang, what on earth did you make?”

“I told you. I’m going to make a world where everyone can be happy. What you just ate is the first step.”

There’s a special effect hidden in the Madeleine Yuae ate.

Simply put, it works like an anesthetic.

It instantly suppresses the spirit’s energy, and helps reorganize the chaotic energies rampaging within.

“Yuae, you said you had the powers of other spirits, right? The fact that all those powers gathered in you is abnormal.”

“Yes.”

“So I started by separating those powers. If you can give me the separated energies, I’ll turn them into tea or dessert, so I can pass them to the other spirits. That should help, right?”

“I’ve thought of something similar. But—”

“Right, there’s a limit. The energy will keep surging up within you.”

What we’re doing now is just a temporary classification, only drawing it out as much as possible.

In time, it’ll build up again.

“But if we repeat this, the balance will eventually be restored. Until then, I’ll help you.”

“You, Chanseong Sajang?”

“Yes.”

Yuae can’t do this alone.

So I have to help her.

“You know, I’m the only one who can make this Madeleine. Even if Grandpa came back, he couldn’t.”

“So only you can do it.”

“That’s right.”

Grandpa asked me for the spirits’ happiness, and the spirits for mine.

That means I should listen to such requests.

“Don’t try to handle this alone anymore. Come here. Whenever you want, comfortably.”

“Yeah! Yuae, you come often, too! There’s lots of tasty stuff here, and lots of fun, too!”

“No-Rani…”

Yuae hesitated, then patted No-Rani’s head.

Her hand, as it touched No-Rani’s yellow hair, seemed to gently lose its tension.

…That’s probably because their powers are starting to balance each other out.

“We just need to keep solving things little by little.”

The direction is set.

Now, we only have to take the next step.

“Yuae.”

Yuae looked back at me and spoke.

“I…”