“Hey there!”
With the porter’s energetic shout, the entire space trembled.
Soon, accompanied by the sensation of settling on the ground, a lively greeting rang out.
“Welcome! This is Seocheon Flower Garden.”
The palanquin door swung open, letting in bright sunlight.
From inside, a man with a thin frame and a neat appearance stepped out.
Standing to greet him was not a fairy, but Shinsomi, guarding the east gate of Seocheon Flower Garden, who offered a welcoming smile and extended her hand.
“Could you please show me your Invitation first?”
“Here it is.”
He took an envelope from his sleeve and handed it over. After checking it, Shinsomi recorded the details in her List and returned the envelope.
“Welcome, Clear Bright Child.”
“Just call me Clear Bright.”
“You’re here with Manjusri Bodhisattva’s filming team, correct? Would you like me to guide you over there?”
“That’s right. In that case…”
“Please come with me!”
Startled by the rough voice, he turned to see a man with matted, disheveled hair and tattered clothes running toward him in a hurry.
Clear Bright couldn’t help but frown at the sight.
“And who might you be?”
“I’m Juun. I was bored with no companions, but you arrived just in time, brother!”
Up close, the man’s thick black beard and stench of alcohol and time marked him as a bona fide beggar.
Shinsomi, who stood nearby, gasped and instinctively took a step back.
Yet she maintained her smile to the end, fulfilling her duties without fail.
“In that case, I’ll guide you both to your private seats~!”
“But I’m with Manjusri Bodhisattva’s filming team…”
“Understood! Let’s hurry along!”
Juun cut off Clear Bright’s words, raising his voice and even grabbing Clear Bright by the arm.
He leaned in close to Clear Bright’s ear and whispered in a low voice.
“…You don’t really have anything to discuss with Manjusri Bodhisattva, do you?”
“…So you’re not drunk, you’re just pretending to be a Pain Pouch.”
In the end, Clear Bright had no choice but to let Juun take his arm and walk along with him.
Heading in the direction Shinsomi had pointed out, they found many tourists already gathered.
Most of them were busy filming in small groups or alone—SNS influencers hard at work.
“The Underworld’s flower field, Seocheon Flower Garden! It’s really a hot spot these days?!”
“I heard this is the first time Seocheon has officially invited tourists like this…”
“Let’s see what awaits us! I’ll share it all live with my subscribers!”
The road was neatly paved with square stones instead of dirt.
It looked as though the sidewalk had only recently been installed for the guests invited to the event.
Clear Bright and Juun walked along, taking in their surroundings.
‘They said it was a rural place, but it’s quite tidy.’
Indeed, the wide fields outnumbered buildings, making it look rural, but with paved roads and regularly spaced streetlights, it wasn’t bad at all.
True to its reputation, the garden’s flowers bloomed in full, bringing a hint of excitement even to Clear Bright, who was here for business.
“Wow~ They really call it the Underworld’s flower field. The scent of flowers is everywhere.”
If only this clingy tick beside him wasn’t attached at his hip.
Clear Bright tried his best not to turn his head toward Juun as he asked,
“…By the way, why have you arrived so early?”
“When did I ever say when I’d be arriving?”
Still, it was nearly impossible to ignore the falling white dandruff from Juun’s head as he grinned and scratched at it.
Clear Bright unconsciously shut his eyes tightly.
“I was hoping to arrive first and report in…”
“I prefer to see things with my own eyes, you see.”
As if he understood Clear Bright’s inner thoughts, Juun flashed a toothy black grin.
“…Let’s hope this event is enjoyable.”
Clear Bright sighed inwardly and changed the subject.
At last, white tents appeared before them.
“The private seats are this way!”
Shinsomi, now wearing a necklace that signaled she was a guide, called out to the guests.
Inside the tent, rows of plastic chairs waited for the visitors.
“They call it an Outdoor Event, but what’s with the field?”
Juun grumbled as he sat down.
Just as he said, the tent surrounded a vast field, cordoned off by sturdy ropes to prevent entry.
Clear Bright knew exactly what plants grew in that field.
“It’s not just any field. Those are Flesh Rebirth Flowers.”
“Flesh Rebirth? What a name. As bizarre as they look, the name’s just as odd.”
“There’s a reason for it… I wonder where the arena is. Maybe they want to introduce the local specialties first?”
Just as Juun mentioned, the plants filling the field had a strange appearance.
Between the bushy, round leaves covered in fuzz, shiny apricot-colored flowers bloomed upright.
Juun snorted in disbelief.
“They should’ve called them Butt Flowers, not Flesh Rebirth Flowers!”
“This guy’s crazy! That’s hilarious!”
A group of Goblin Masks who had been filming themselves with selfie sticks turned to Juun in amusement.
Juun replied with a look of disbelief.
“Who are you calling old man?!”
While Juun got caught up chatting with the Goblin Masks, Clear Bright quietly slipped away.
He took the opportunity to focus on his notes, taking in the scenery of Seocheon Flower Garden, when someone spoke to him.
“Are you with Manjusri Bodhisattva’s group?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you here?”
Irritated at having his work interrupted, Clear Bright frowned and looked up.
In front of him stood a boy with wide, blinking eyes.
“Uh…”
The boy’s face was so pure that it nearly left him speechless.
A necklace reading “Boy Operator” hung around his neck.
Recognizing who he was, Clear Bright straightened up and composed himself.
“Yes, that’s right. I must have gotten swept along by mistake when I was guided here.”
“I see! Then shall I show you the way?”
“Thank you. But how did you know my affiliation?”
The boy grinned brightly and pointed at Clear Bright’s waist.
There, hanging from his belt, was the Lion Sword Scabbard.
“It’s a symbol of Manjusri Bodhisattva, I’ve heard.”
Clear Bright let out an awkward chuckle.
“So it is.”
“There’s Manjusri Bodhisattva sitting right over there! Bodhisattva~!”
Spotting Manjusri Bodhisattva petting a blue lion under a nearby tent, the boy shouted.
Startled, Clear Bright tried to calm him down.
“Please don’t do that. I’ll go myself, so you should attend to your duties.”
“Understood! If you need help, just call for me!”
Before he could even ask the boy’s name, he dashed off at lightning speed.
Luckily for Clear Bright, someone in the distance started shouting the boy’s name.
“Mujae! Mujae, where are you?!”
“I’m over here!”
“Aha.”
It was the very name that Ggotgam Officer had said was behind Seocheon Flower Garden’s recent rise in popularity.
Instead of heading straight for Manjusri Bodhisattva, Clear Bright decided to blend in with the crowd to avoid being noticed.
As he drew closer, he saw a porcelain-skinned boy scolding Mujae harshly.
“The opening ceremony’s about to start! If you’re supposed to give a speech, you need to get ready—why are you wandering around?”
“Hehe, I didn’t realize the time~ It’s fine! I practiced again last night.”
But Mujae, smiling so brightly, didn’t seem the least bit fazed.
Rather, he patted his friend’s shoulder as if to reassure him instead.
“It’s alright, Hallakgoong. We’ve got more guests than we expected, but once the opening’s done and the competition is over, there’s a ‘Surprise’ waiting, right?”
“…That’s true, but…”
The boy called Hallakgoong hung his head anxiously.
At that moment, a large youth with a camera slung over his shoulder approached from elsewhere.
He, too, wore a Boy Operator necklace.
‘What’s he saying?’
The big youth gestured in sign language, and the two boys nodded in response.
Clear Bright, who didn’t know sign language, tilted his head in confusion as the three Boy Operators scattered in different directions.
He was still deciding whom to follow when—
“There you are! I’ve been searching for you.”
Juun, with his massive hand, clapped Clear Bright’s shoulder.
Though it hadn’t been long since they met, Clear Bright already felt they were a terrible match and shook his head.
“…Are you done chatting?”
“Chatting? While dealing with those little guys, I picked up some intel. Do you know what that Butt Flower is for?”
Juun pointed confidently toward the flower field.
“They say it’s a miracle cure for any wound!”
“……”
“So, apparently the hells that torture sinners are always fighting to get their hands on this local specialty. They torture sinners, heal them with that, then torture them again.”
Juun shuddered as if truly horrified.
But to Clear Bright, who already knew all the information, it just seemed like an act.
“I. See.”
“Huh? What’s with that reaction? Isn’t that cruel just to hear about? Brother, are you, perhaps, a T?”
Clear Bright had reached his limit with Juun’s nonsense and was about to respond when—
An announcement rang out from the speakers set up in the tent.
[The ‘Seocheon Flower Garden 1st Outdoor Event’ will begin soon. Please take your seats.]
“Oh! Let’s sit down, old man.”
“Hey, why do you keep calling me old…?”
“There’s a seat right there!!”
Unable to resist Juun’s persistence, Clear Bright finally sat beside him.
Trapped in this unsatisfying situation, Clear Bright could only wait for the opening ceremony to begin.
Before long, the murmuring died down, and Mujae stepped onto the stage set far across the flower field.
[Hello! Welcome, everyone. I’m Mujae, host of the Seocheon Flower Garden’s first Outdoor Event!]
Even from a distance, Mujae’s wide eyes sparkled with excitement.
His bright voice rang out from the speakers.
[I heard this is the first time so many guests have come to Seocheon Flower Garden. Our Outdoor Event has always been a time for everyone working here to come together and bond, but…]
He was a little shaky at first, but grew steadier with every sentence.
The image of Seocheon Flower Garden that Mujae was painting was slowly recorded in Clear Bright’s notebook.
[…but with the overwhelming interest and affection you’ve shown us, we’ve decided to invite you all. Please enjoy yourselves throughout the three days of the Outdoor Event.]
[Today is a day to forget work and titles, and to become one in spirit. Please laugh and have fun to your heart’s content!]
At Mujae’s words, a cheer erupted from the tent where Shinsomi and the other staff were gathered.
Their delighted dancing and swaying brought laughter to the rest of the audience as well.
[Let me now introduce the first game!]
-Ujigeun!
With Mujae’s announcement, all the ropes surrounding the field snapped at once and vanished.
With a tremendous boom, the ground began to tremble slightly.
“?!”
-Kugugugu….
The entire tent started to rise steadily into the air!
As the seats arranged around the flower field ascended like stadium steps, Clear Bright instinctively grabbed the armrest in surprise.
Then he saw the large youth from before, his hand pressed to the ground.
“…?!”
Was that youth controlling the earth?
Before Clear Bright could finish his thought, the tents had already risen to a height where the entire Flesh Rebirth Flower field could be seen at a glance.
The soil beneath their seats had solidified into stone, and safety bars dropped in front of each row to protect the spectators.
In the blink of an eye, the whole place had transformed into a massive arena.
[Our local specialty at Seocheon Flower Garden—the ‘Flesh Rebirth Flower Harvest’ competition is about to begin!]
As Mujae’s voice rang out, the Shinsomi waiting below the stage raised their sickles, which gleamed all at once.
Something sparkled in the sky above. Looking up, Clear Bright saw a bird with a camera around its neck slowly circling and filming them.
“Woooooow!”
A roar of anticipation and excitement exploded from the stands.