I stared blankly at Siwoo, and the two kids beside her stepped forward, their eyes sparkling.
“Wow! Siwoo, you look so pretty!”
“Siwoo unni, your outfit is so cute.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Siwoo gratefully accepted the children’s honest compliments and smiled.
Then, she spun around once in front of me.
Her watery-blue hair matched the maid outfit perfectly.
Even her smile added to it—any ordinary man would probably be completely captivated.
“How do I look?”
“It suits you well, but… where did you get that outfit?”
“I got it from Grandfather a long time ago.”
“Grandfather?”
Now that I thought about it, it did seem like the maid outfit was custom-made for Siwoo.
Grandfather never had a knack for making things like this.
I wondered where and how he got it.
Well, it didn’t matter.
After all, it was Grandfather.
“Hey, Jo.”
“Hm?”
“I want that outfit too!”
“Okay.”
No-Rani came running at me with sparkling eyes.
She seemed absolutely sure that I would make that outfit for her.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Naru, standing next to Siwoo, was also touching the maid outfit and openly expressing her envy.
“Hmm…”
If I were to make one, I’d have to make it for both of them, but unfortunately, I don’t know how to sew.
I had the chance to dabble in various skills and businesses in my past life, but sewing wasn’t one of them.
“If it’s just designing, I could do that.”
When planning a new Franchise Business, there was a time I organized a team with other departments, including the Design Team.
Of course, there was a design department and I had access to plenty of related information.
I’m not especially skilled, but I have at least a basic background.
“Hey, Jo!”
No-Rani now grabbed onto my pant leg and started shaking it.
How does this little kid have so much strength? I was nearly knocked over.
Is she seeing me as some kind of god?
If she’s expecting this much from me…
“Alright, I’ll make one for you.”
“Wow!”
It’s only natural to meet expectations.
No-Rani raised both arms in excitement at my answer.
Then she went over to Naru, grabbed her hand, and spun around together.
Of course, she didn’t forget to sing a new Song about clothes.
“It’s clothes, clothes! New clothes~ New clothes~ They’re pretty and cute, aren’t they?”
“No-Rani, give me a break. I’m getting dizzyyy.”
“Clothes Naru wants clothes too.”
“I’m getting dizzyyy.”
…Naru is having a hard day again.
Siwoo laughed as she watched the two, then came over to stand beside me.
“You’re not overexerting yourself, are you?”
“It’s not too much. It’s not impossible, after all.”
Yeah, it’s not impossible.
It might take some time, though.
I decided to talk about this later and said to Siwoo,
“Didn’t you come too early? You didn’t have to be here this soon.”
“No, I couldn’t wait. I was so excited I couldn’t stand it.”
“Really?”
“Yes! If I work here, I can keep eating ‘Rain Drop’ and ‘Biscuit’! It’s so much fun—why wouldn’t I?”
Seeing her like this, I really felt that Siwoo was like a little sister.
She may look all grown up, but inside, she’s still just a kid.
“Alright, alright. I have something I need to do first, so could you wait a bit? I’ll make it quickly and then prepare some ‘Rain Drop’ for you.”
“Yes! Oh, can I watch you make it from the side?”
“Of course.”
It’s not a big deal.
As soon as I gave her permission, Siwoo quickly came to stand by my side.
Now that I noticed, Siwoo was actually pretty tall.
Even standing next to me, who’s over 180 cm, she didn’t look short at all.
But… she was a bit too close.
“Siwoo, could you stand just a bit to the side? I’m worried we’ll bump into each other while I’m moving around.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. I get that you want a good view.”
“Hehe, that’s right. I’m really interested in tea.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s fascinating.”
While I was selecting the ingredients for Red Peppermint Tea, Siwoo turned on the gas.
I was about to boil the water myself, but with her help, things went smoother.
“Each herb and flower is inedible on its own, but when you blend them, they have amazing effects, right? It’s like Magic.”
“It’s not exactly ordinary, that’s for sure.”
“Is it?”
“That’s right.”
I’m not exactly a tea expert myself.
I just know a bit more about coffee.
Even so, the tea brewed here is special, even to me.
Nowhere else could make tea like this.
Only at the Yangjibareun Tea House is this possible.
“That’s why you can’t go around telling people about it, okay? That we can make tea like this.”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
“Good, good. So, if you mix these like this…”
Ding.
“Jeez… It’s really been a while since it rained like this… Huh?”
Of course, the one who opened the tea house door was Hyeon-ung.
But after shaking off the rainwater and stepping inside, he just stopped at the doorway, staring this way.
His wildly shaking pupils weren’t focused on me, but on Siwoo, who was beside me.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t told the Hyeon siblings about Siwoo.
With all the trouble about Sunyeong Halmeoni, I figured they had enough on their minds, and I didn’t expect Siwoo to arrive this early.
Thanks to all these reasons, Hyeon-ung was meeting Siwoo for the first time.
Hyeon-ung blinked at Siwoo several times, then stuttered his words.
“Uh, uh… uh? Ah… ah?”
No, this is beyond stuttering—he’s completely broken down.
If he were a machine, I’d have tossed him out by now.
“Get a hold of yourself, man. Did you come alone? Where’s Hyeonseo?”
“Th-that, uh, ah… uh?”
“Speak Korean, will you? What language are you speaking?”
“Uh, uh… um, ahem! H-hello there?!”
I’m going crazy.
Siwoo looked between me and Hyeon-ung, then gave a bright smile.
“Hello.”
“Y-yes! Hello!”
“Sigh. This won’t do. Siwoo, could you go inside and get the leaves and flowers I wrote down? We’ll need them for making Biscuits later.”
“I’ll get them right away.”
Siwoo took the Memo and gave Hyeon-ung a gentle smile.
It was just a light, almost business-like smile.
But there are people in this world who get knocked out by even a hint of sweetness.
“Hey, hey… who’s that beautiful lady? Don’t tell me—!”
“Don’t tell you what?”
“Your wife or…?”
“She’s not.”
Don’t say anything so dangerous.
“R-really?”
“Why is your voice getting higher?”
“Well, then is she, uh, y’know, your…?”
“Her name’s Siwoo. She’s like Grandfather’s foster granddaughter. She’s like a little sister to me.”
“Whew.”
Hyeon-ung, who’d been making all sorts of awkward, complicated faces, suddenly stepped up to me.
Then, with those big clumsy hands, he grabbed mine.
“Chief!”
“If you want to die, say another word.”
I yanked my hand away from Hyeon-ung and grabbed the Teapot beside me.
The Teapot regenerates whenever you open the tea house anyway.
But Hyeon-ung’s head won’t regenerate if it breaks.
Maybe he sensed my killing intent, because he started edging away.
“Hey, hey! Can’t you take a joke?”
“Right? It is a joke, right? Make sure it stays that way.”
“Harsh bastard.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
As soon as I took my hand off the Teapot, he let out a sigh of relief.
He probably hasn’t completely given up, but at least the immediate danger’s passed.
Maybe.
“Let’s talk about something else. Did you come alone? Where’s Hyeonseo?”
“She’s still at the Hospital. With Dad and Sunyeong Halmeoni.”
“How’s Halmeoni doing?”
Hyeonseo had already told me that nothing was wrong with Sunyeong Halmeoni.
So right now, my worry is about something else.
“She’s just tired. The Hospital says we don’t have to pay, but they want to run every Inspection they can. She’s had blood drawn, an MRI… it’s chaos.”
“Halmeoni’s having a rough time.”
“Seriously. Do you know what’s even crazier at the Hospital? Sunyeong Halmeoni says this isn’t the first time this has happened.”
“Oh, really?”
“…You sound pretty calm about it?”
I tried to show a bit of surprise.
Guess I shouldn’t act.
“I heard about it.”
“Did Halmeoni tell you?”
“Yeah. She said it happened once before when Grandfather was still alive. She kept quiet because she didn’t want things to get noisy.”
Hyeon-ung looked surprised, but calmed down quickly.
As expected, Grandfather’s name is like Deus ex Machina.
No matter how impossible something sounds, if Grandfather’s involved, it makes sense.
“Now that I think about it, I get the Hospital’s point of view. Still, watching from the side is tough…”
“Halmeoni must be exhausted.”
“Yeah. If I could, I’d have her discharged right now, but she’s putting up with it to check for any problems.”
“Good. But if it gets too hard for her, just go ahead and start the discharge process.”
“That’s what I plan to do.”
I understand the Hospital’s perspective and want to be considerate, but the most important thing is Sunyeong Halmeoni.
Honestly, drinking a cup of tea here might be better for her health than all those medicines and Inspections.
“So you’re working alone today, without Hyeonseo?”
“Probably. But with this much rain, I doubt I’ll be able to work long anyway.”
The rain Siwoo called down last night still hasn’t stopped.
If anything, it feels even stronger.
There’s a chance someone could get hurt at work today.
“Be careful out there. Here, your tea.”
“Thanks. By the way, does that mean Siwoo… how old is she…?”
“Hey! You old pervert, hitting on a girl barely twenty-five. Get your head out of the clouds and go already!”
“Pfft. Just you wait. Next time, I’ll get my revenge for this humiliation.”
Muttering like a third-rate villain, Hyeon-ung left the tea house.
If he keeps this up, I’ll have to call Hyeonseo to bury him myself.
As I watched the Porter fade into the distance outside, Siwoo came out after me.
“President, has the customer left?”
“Yeah.”
“An early customer. Do we take customers at this hour too?”
“He’s a friend. He’s so busy that this is the only time he can come for tea.”
“I see?”
Siwoo gazed at the Porter disappearing into the gray distance.
A few questions floated in my mind, but should I ask them out loud?
“Siwoo.”
“Yes?”
“Are there any stories about Spirits and humans being together?”
“Um… I’ve heard stories. Maybe some older Spirits would know?”
The nuance of “older” sounded different coming from her.
I bet that “old” is very different from a human’s version of old.
“Anything else you want to ask?”
“No, that’s all.”
Actually, I do have more.
How does Siwoo think of Hyeon-ung?
“You said you’re twenty-five. That’s only four years younger than us.”
A four-year difference isn’t that big a deal.
These days, that sort of age gap isn’t even unusual.
So, even if Hyeon-ung were to hit on Siwoo, there’s nothing wrong with it.
But… it’s not something I want to see.
So I’ll keep discouraging him.
“Unless Siwoo looks at Hyeon-ung differently.”
If that would make Siwoo happy…
I should check if there are any real cases of Spirits and humans being together, and what those relationships are like.
Not right now, but eventually.
“Shall we head in? It’s time to make Biscuits.”
“Okay!”
One thing’s for sure—right now, Siwoo’s head is full of Biscuits and ‘Rain Drop’.
***
“Can I try making them with you?”
As I was getting ready to make Biscuits, Siwoo asked.
“You want to try?”
“Yes. I can’t make ‘Rain Drop’, but maybe Biscuits are different.”
“That’s true.”
Only I can make the tea.
Other people can’t touch that area, but desserts might be a different story.
“Want to try? Biscuits aren’t too hard.”
“Yes! I’d love to!”
With enthusiastic Siwoo by my side, I started making Biscuits.
And after an hour—
“Aagh.”
Siwoo let out a defeated sound as she looked at the Biscuits fresh from the Oven.
…It was inevitable.
What was on the tray looked more like charcoal than Biscuits.
If this were a punishment, these would be perfect Biscuits.
“Some are burnt, some are undercooked. What happened here?”
I used the same recipe, the same ingredients, the same Oven as yesterday.
Everything was the same, so why did they turn out like this?
With no answer in sight, my expression grew complicated, but Siwoo gave me a bittersweet smile.
“I guess it only works because the President is special.”
“Well… Nobody’s good from the start. Should we try a few more times?”
Unless you’re exceptionally talented, everyone fails and makes a mess at first.
Even considering that, the quality is pretty bad, though.
But there’s no need to dampen Siwoo’s passion here.
“If you keep trying, you’ll improve. Today isn’t the only day you’ll be coming here, right?”
Siwoo will be coming to work regularly from now on.
There’s plenty of time.
“So let’s try again. You’ll definitely get better with practice.”
“…Yes.”
The gloom that had shadowed Siwoo’s face completely disappeared, replaced by the hope that she’d do better next time.
Seeing her like that makes me want to teach her even harder.
“Let’s stop for today. Could you help with the dishes and prepping the tea ingredients?”
“Of course! Should I start with the dishes?”
“That would be a big help.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Siwoo rolled up her sleeves and started on the dishes.
Watching her focus on washing, I looked back at the ruined Biscuits.
These Biscuits can’t be eaten. I’ll have to throw them out.
But instead, I carefully packaged them.
Biscuits are supposed to be a long-lasting food anyway.
Even if that’s not the case, keeping them in this tea house means they’ll last for years.
This is a special place.
So, I carefully packed up the Biscuits and put them in the cupboard.
I wonder when I’ll open these up and look at them again.
Who knows when that day will come.
One thing’s certain: that day, we’ll be happy.
Here, at the Yangjibareun Tea House.
Clink!
“Eek!”
Crash!
“Eek.”
…Probably.