Chapter 14: The Tea House Opens Again

“Grandfather’s tea house grandson, your tea tastes great.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Here, take the money. And this—these are some melons from our house, they’re nice and cold. Eat up.”

“Thank you. But isn’t this too much money?”

“Think of it as a gift. Take it, so you don’t close up shop and keep working hard.”

The elders who stopped by the tea house would always pay for their tea, of course, but also each brought along a crop or two from their own gardens.

I only accepted a handful of gifts, but before I knew it, the kitchen was packed full.

Just bringing all this home would be a task in itself.

Maybe I should borrow Hyeon Nammae’s cart later.

“I’ll come again next time, on my day off.”

“Come by whenever you like.”

“Alright. Take care, now.”

The last elder left after saying goodbye. It was already half past five in the afternoon.

Considering the countryside night comes early, it was basically closing time.

“Didn’t we really receive a big Open Early Blessing?”

I’ll have to check the register, but I think we made over 200 today.

That might be little for a city café, but in the countryside, 200 a day is a lot.

That many elders came by today.

Each ordered a cup of tea and a dessert, so the sales shot up in no time.

Since there’s hardly anything to spend money on in this first house, it’s pretty much pure profit.

They say money can’t buy happiness, but having money isn’t a bad thing.

“By the way, they’re late.”

No-Rani and Naru, who left at dawn, still hadn’t come back.

No-Rani usually comes back by evening, but maybe there’s something going on in the Spirit Realm? I can’t help but worry.

I hope nothing’s happened.

“Should I make something tasty for them?”

“I’m back!”

“…No-Rani, you really can’t be a proper lady, can you?”

“Huh?”

No-Rani burst into the tea house and tilted their head, not understanding a word.

Seeing that innocent face made me feel a bit relieved.

I quickly prepared No-Rani’s usual honey water and asked,

“Where’s Naru?”

“She’s coming! I ran ahead!”

“Why did you run?”

“I was hungry!”

“Oh, I see.”

Well, it is dinner time.

If they played hard all day, they’d be hungry by now.

Before getting dinner ready, I handed over the honey water to No-Rani.

“Drink this first. I made it nice and cold.”

“Wow, honey water!”

“Sanghyeon Ajussi will make you dinner. Ah, is Naru coming too?”

“Yup!”

“Good, good.”

Today, among the things I got, there was a whole head of kimchi, and there are some eggs in the fridge too.

There are some chestnuts left over, so Kimchi Fried Rice should do the trick.

It’s simple and quick, just perfect.

The moment I thought of it, I fired up the stove.

Ding-a-ling.

“Naru!”

“Yes, No-Rani!”

“Aaaah! My head hurts!”

“I told you not to run! Didn’t I say no running?!”

So it was Naru who’d arrived.

The moment she came in, she and No-Rani started bickering—No-Rani must have really gotten on her nerves in the Spirit Realm.

“Naru, you’re back?”

“Yes, Ajussi.”

“Did you have a good day?”

“Well…”

Naru’s expression looked rather complicated.

I couldn’t tell if things had gone well or not.

At times like this…

“Shall we eat first?”

Even Mount Geumgang looks better on a full stomach.

Once your belly’s full, you feel more relaxed, and your thoughts come easier too.

“Food?”

“Yes. It’s almost ready.”

Since fried rice doesn’t take much effort, I whipped it up quickly.

After plating it on two dishes, I set it down in front of the kids.

“Here, Kimchi Fried Rice. My special recipe.”

“Special recipe?”

“Why is it special?”

“I used to make Kimchi Fried Rice all the time.”

With my wife often out and the kids gone overseas, I cooked for myself to feel less lonely.

And the dish I made most often was Kimchi Fried Rice.

Kimchi can be bought in bulk and keeps well, plus it’s easy to make.

Once I started getting bored, I’d try all sorts of variations, so it became the dish I was best at.

“Go ahead, give it a try. I think you’ll like it.”

“Thank you for the meal!”

“I’ll eat well.”

The two of them took big spoonfuls and stuffed their mouths.

I was confident in this menu, but it’s my first time feeding it to kids.

I felt a bit nervous.

“Yum!”

“It’s delicious.”

The two opened their eyes wide and took several more mouthfuls.

Thankfully, they both ate so well that my worries disappeared.

“There’s more if you’re still hungry.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Ajussi, I want more!”

“No-Rani, let’s eat a little slower. You’ll get a stomachache.”

“It’s fine!”

“It’s not fine, that’s why I’m saying it.”

***

In the end, No-Rani ate three whole bowls of Kimchi Fried Rice.

Even though I served kid-sized portions, three bowls is about as much as two adult servings.

They must have been really hungry.

“You really don’t need any more?”

“No.”

After finishing up, Naru shared something unexpected.

“We basically get our nourishment from nature, so we don’t actually need to eat anything.”

“Wow, I see.”

Come to think of it, they’d never had to deal with any bodily needs either.

But…

“No-Rani says they get hungry when they come here, though?”

“That’s right. I get hungry.”

“So you don’t have to eat, but you can? And No-Rani likes eating?”

“Exactly.”

If I give No-Rani a Cookie, they’ll savor it slowly, taking little nibbles.

I have to admit, they really love eating.

“I’m glad. I was worried you’d get sick from eating.”

It’s a bit late, but it had been on my mind.

“Ajussi, you’re a really nice person.”

“Am I? I don’t know, everyone in this village is nice, so I can’t really tell.”

At least, as far as I know, no one here would react differently than me.

Naru said, as if amazed,

“Actually, we’ve always heard that humans are dangerous.”

“From who?”

“Gayoun!”

“Ah, I see.”

From nature’s point of view, there’s no being as troublesome as humans.

We destroy the environment whenever we get the chance, so it makes sense.

Naru smiled gently as she looked at me.

“But Ajussi, you seem different.”

“There are bad people in the world, but there are good people too. Ah, would you like a cup of Green Dawn?”

“Yes!”

The moment I mentioned Green Dawn, Naru’s spirits rose as much as No-Rani’s.

The more I see, the more curious I get about that tea.

While preparing the tea, I asked what I’d been wondering.

“How did things go today? The thing you were worried about?”

“Ah, that?”

“It went well.”

“Really?”

She skipped the buildup and gave me the ending right away.

At least it’s not a bad ending, so that’s a relief.

Naru, seeming a little more at ease, continued.

“I think maybe because I was with No-Rani, the trees were okay. I think they got the energy they needed.”

“So my guess was right.”

“Yes. But it’s not all solved yet.”

I set the finished Green Dawn in front of Naru.

She spoke with an unusually serious look for a child.

“I checked around the Spirit Realm today, and most of the places where problems had started were restored after No-Rani came.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So I think it’s okay now, but the spirits feel a bit differently.”

The spirits’ perspective is different.

Simple as her words sounded, I could feel their weight.

“Most of the spirits still want No-Rani to stay only in the Spirit Realm.”

Hearing that, a feeling of suffocation washed over me.

Like I’d just swallowed a hard almond without chewing.

“No-Rani is the Spirit of the Sun, after all. Many spirits depend on them.”

“So they want No-Rani to stay in the Spirit Realm only?”

“Yes.”

“But didn’t No-Rani come here before?”

This isn’t the first time No-Rani’s been to Grandfather’s tea house.

Other spirits probably visited this tea house when Grandfather was alive, too.

If it caused problems, shouldn’t it have happened before?

“It’s just that No-Rani never left the Spirit Realm for several days at a time like this before. At most, it was for a day, maybe half a day.”

So the trouble started after letting them sleep at my house.

I stroked the chestnuts for a moment, then looked at No-Rani.

“No-Rani, what do you think?”

“Don’t want to.”

No-Rani pouted.

“It’s not that I hate it there. But it’s boring.”

“Yeah, I can see why.”

If stars had consciousness, I’m sure they’d think it was boring too.

Always spinning and orbiting the same way.

It makes sense No-Rani would feel that way.

No-Rani spread their arms wide, making a big circle.

“I want to stay here. I like it here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was good when Grandfather was here too, but now I like it even more! There’s delicious food, too!”

“Grandfather wasn’t much of a baker or cook, after all.”

Even if his tea tasted better, I have the upper hand in other areas.

Other people agreed, so maybe I win by a small margin?

“Because of all this, the conversation went on for a long time today.”

“The differences in opinion are hard to bridge, huh?”

“Yes.”

Naru held her teacup in both hands and said,

“I like No-Rani.”

“Me too! I really like Naru, too!”

No-Rani clung to Naru, rubbing their cheek against hers.

With a soft smile, Naru said,

“So I want to let No-Rani do what they want. I want No-Rani to be Happy.”

“Happy… huh?”

That word came out here.

Somehow,

Grandfather’s face flashed through my mind.

And—

“Ajussi? That’s—”

“That’s the Recipe Book Grandfather left me. It has all the ways to make the teas you both like. And—”

The words he left on the last page.

『Be happy with the children who come to this place.』

Maybe Grandfather had foreseen all of this.

Of all people, if it was Grandfather, maybe he really did.

“The children written here probably mean you both. So Grandfather wanted me to make you happy. No, he wanted us to become happy together.”

It’s not about sacrificing myself for the happiness of the spirits.

No-Rani and Naru should become happy, and so should I.

And—

“I hope the other spirits can be happy like No-Rani, too.”

I closed the Recipe Book and looked at Naru.

“So if you ever need me for anything, just say the word. I’ll help.”

“Ajussi…”

Naru set her teacup down and looked quietly at me.

Her eyes shone with hope.

“Ajussi, then I have a good idea.”

“What is it?”

“The Recipe Book. You said it was customized for us, right?”

“That’s right.”

It also has things the villagers like, but basically, I think it’s a book of teas for the spirits.

The special teas written inside must be for that purpose.

“If we make those teas, I think they’d be very special to us. Like this Green Dawn.”

“What’s so special about it?”

“When I drink this tea, I feel power welling up inside me.”

Naru reached toward the orchid that was closest.

From her fingertips, a green mist flowed out, and as soon as it touched the orchid, the flower perked up and blossomed with a bright red flower.

Beautiful.

“Doesn’t No-Rani have power like that too?”

“You can’t compare me to No-Rani. No-Rani’s much more amazing. Phew.”

Naru exhaled deeply and wiped her forehead.

I was watching the orchid and didn’t notice, but she looked exhausted, like she’d just run a race.

Catching her breath, Naru looked at the refreshed orchid and said,

“Normally, I can’t do this much. At best, I can just make the leaves look a bit greener.”

“But right now you can do more?”

“It’s because of the tea. The tea you made, Ajussi, gives me this strength.”

“The tea?”

I had no idea.

Since I can’t drink it myself, I never would have known.

But there were signs.

The Red Peppermint Tea I gave Hyeon Nammae.

The Snow Shine I made for Sanghyeon Ajussi.

And the Watermelon Juice, made by blending Lunatic Leaf and Kain Leaf.

All of them had effects that ordinary teas couldn’t produce.

No wonder the spirits think these teas are special.

“Yes. So I’m going to spread the word about this tea house in the Spirit Realm.”

“?”

“Yes. If spirits come here, just like when Grandfather was alive, they’ll be able to get a lot of help. Once this rumor spreads, the problems in the Spirit Realm will be solved, and new problems will be prevented. Not everything will be solved, but…”

A single cup of tea could prevent many things.

That’s what Naru was saying.

Naru finished her Green Dawn, then got up from her seat.

No-Rani, looking reluctant, grabbed onto Naru’s sleeve.

“Naru, let’s stay together.”

“I want to stay too, but I’ll come back tomorrow. I have to spread the word about Ajussi.”

“Alright. Okay.”

Maybe because they’d already talked it over once, No-Rani didn’t throw a big tantrum.

They just looked sad as they saw her off.

Naru was about to leave, then stopped and turned back to me.

Hm? What is it?

“Um… Ajussi.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Um, can I come help again tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

That’s what you were worried about?

I’d forgotten for a moment how sensitive Naru can be, since she’s also quite bold and straightforward.

She was probably anxious, wondering if I’d tell her not to come.

“Naru.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember what I told you yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Naru recalled my words and smiled brightly.

When she smiles, she’s charming in a different way than No-Rani—she’s really our Naru.

“Our door is always open to you.”

“Yes!”

Relieved, Naru headed out the door.

She’ll probably come back from the Spirit Realm tomorrow.

It’s only a day, but I already miss her.

Just like No-Rani, Naru has become a big part of my heart.

“Naru will be staying with us now, too.”

“Yay! Yay! So happy! Really happy!”

Life with Naru, too.

“I’m happy as well.”

I’m already looking forward to it.