Chapter 27: The Artifact’s First Breath

While Siwoo gathered the tea leaves and tidied up, I briefly explained what had happened yesterday.

“That’s what happened.”

“How fascinating.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ve only heard rumors about the Artifact Room.”

Artifact Room.

Siwoo called that underground museum by that name.

“What exactly is the Artifact Room?”

“Well, it’s a place shrouded in rumors. Some say it’s where the First Spirits were born, others claim it holds items capable of shaking the world.”

“There are also tales that it’s the Origin Point for the Spirits.”

Naru added her thoughts.

The Origin Point, huh.

I thought back to that museum I’d seen the night before.

It was certainly an impactful place.

Still, I’m not sure it’s worth all the grand talk.

“No one really knows for sure. The First Spirits have already returned to the arms of the Mother of Nature, and everyone agreed to keep silent about it.”

“If anyone knows the truth, it would be the Mother of Nature herself.”

“The Mother of Nature…”

The mother of all Spirits, and the earth itself.

That’s how Naru explained it.

“It’s not such a grand place, but would you like to go together sometime?”

“I am curious.”

“Hmm?”

Siwoo and Naru exchanged glances.

Then they both nodded.

“We’ll pass.”

“Yes, that’s for the best.”

“Huh? Why? Weren’t you curious?”

Their answer was unexpected.

Siwoo seemed to read my mind and replied,

“I am curious, but…I don’t know. I just don’t feel like it’s the right time.”

Not now.

That reminded me of the being who spoke using the yellow one’s body.

“All right, then let me know if you want to see it later. I’ll guide you anytime.”

“Yes.”

“Then, let’s end this conversation here and start preparing tea? Hyeon Ung should be here soon.”

Ding.

“Good morning.”

“What timing.”

He’s not Junho, but I wonder why he shows up right when I call for him.

I turned to where the voice came from, was taken aback, and spun around again.

“I must really be exhausted. Seeing something like that first thing in the morning.”

Yes, that’s right.

That’s the only explanation.

Otherwise, it just doesn’t make sense.

“Hey, Hyeon Ung, your clothes…”

“Naru, don’t say a word.”

Let me believe this is a dream.

I’m pretending it isn’t real, so if you wake me up, what am I supposed to do?

I rubbed my eyes and faced reality once more.

“This is driving me crazy, seriously. I’m losing it.”

Who would have thought such a suit even existed.

It didn’t fit—the pant legs were too wide…and that crimson necktie.

If he wore that on purpose for some kind of statement, then…good grief…

“What’s up with your outfit today?”

“I just wanted to dress well for once. How is it? Looks good, right?”

“You and your sister are hopeless.”

“You’re treating me like Hyeonseo now? That’s actually pretty offensive.”

“You’re both the same, honestly.”

Why did Hyeon Ung show up in such an impossible getup?

The answer was simple.

He wanted to impress someone.

And that someone—

“Siwoo, obviously.”

The look he gave Siwoo, standing beside him, was absolutely burning with affection.

“Blinded by love, huh?”

“Me? No way.”

“Of course, you’d think so. There’s nothing harder than being objective about yourself. Geez, I can’t take it. Hyeon Ung, I’ll make tea right away, so go wait outside.”

“Why do I have to go out? I can just wait inside.”

“Looking at you in those clothes is making my eyesight fade by the second.”

“Wow, is my fashion that amazing?”

“You’re going to drive me mad, seriously.”

No matter what I said to this guy, it was clear it wouldn’t get through.

Might as well…

“Siwoo.”

“Yes.”

“Could you go get the ingredients for today’s dessert from inside? I’ll write them down for you.”

“I’ll be quick.”

Siwoo flashed a fresh smile and went into the storeroom.

As the object of his affections disappeared, Hyeon Ung’s eyes filled with emptiness.

In that emptiness, anger quickly rose to fill the gap.

“Huh?”

“You’re playing dirty now, aren’t you?”

“Shut it, and try coming in here again dressed like that. I’ll call Hyeonseo to kick you out.”

After exchanging a sharp look, it was Hyeon Ung who backed down.

He knew he had nothing to gain by pushing me.

“I should hurry and finish the tea.”

If I want to get rid of him fast, I need to make tea fast.

I’d been scatterbrained all morning, so I’d only just finished the Fusion.

I immediately placed the blended tea into a teabag.

Now all that’s left is to steep it thoroughly in hot water.

Just as I was about to drop the teabag into the familiar teapot, Naru’s hand suddenly appeared.

“Mister. Use this.”

“Hm?”

Naru handed me Udi.

To be precise, Udi had wiggled his way over, and Naru seemed to have just fetched him.

“Why Udi?”

“Well… try steeping tea in Udi for once.”

Udi trembled slightly, as if agreeing with Naru.

His behavior was like a pet, but he was, after all, a cup.

A vessel for holding water, tea, or any drink.

It wasn’t strange to use him as a teapot.

Maybe this was even his true purpose.

“Shall we try?”

“A new cup?”

“Yeah, wait and see.”

I set Udi down and placed the teabag inside.

Then I poured in the freshly boiled water.

Trickle.

As Udi filled with water, he shivered ever so slightly.

It looked like he was filled with ecstatic joy at fulfilling his role.

After waiting a moment like that, the tea began to steep.

The first change I noticed as I steeped the tea in Udi was the aroma.

“Oh.”

“Wow, it smells amazing.”

“Right?”

Red Peppermint Tea is known for its cool, crisp scent.

Mint is the main ingredient, so that’s to be expected, but today the aroma was different.

There was a sweet, honey-like note beneath the fresh scent.

Even Hyeon Ung, who drinks it every day, instantly picked up on the difference.

“Did you add some special leaves again?”

“No, nothing like that.”

The Fusion wasn’t changed.

The water temperature was the same as always.

The only difference was steeping it in Udi.

“So this is Udi’s power.”

It looked like an ordinary wooden cup, but Udi was another item from the Artifact Room.

Special was to be expected.

Once the Red Peppermint Tea had steeped enough, I poured a small amount into another cup and took a sip.

“…Wow.”

It was different.

The taste, the aroma, even the effect.

There was a clear distinction from the usual Red Peppermint Tea.

“Incredible.”

Red Peppermint Tea relieves fatigue and grants stamina to those who drink it.

It’s said that just drinking it turns you into an excellent worker.

But this Red Peppermint Tea showed even greater effects.

It felt like the exhaustion from a week of all-nighters just melted away.

“To get this kind of effect, I’d usually have to use a lot of leaves from the storeroom.”

Udi created this effect all by himself.

“Impressive guy.”

As I patted the rim of the cup, Udi gave a happy hum.

“You’re looking at that cup like it’s your first love. Is it that precious?”

“Yeah, it’s extremely precious.”

At my words, Naru’s arms—clinging to my back—tightened noticeably.

Guess I accidentally set off Naru’s jealousy.

“It’s as precious and dear as my children.”

“Geez, what kind of cup is worth all that?”

“You’ll understand once you try drinking from it.”

With that, I took the tea from the Tulle, which I’d warmed up with hot water.

Hyeon Ung really lucked out today.

“Go have some and let me know what you think.”

“Got it. I’m going. And, about Siwoo…”

Not wanting to hear any more, I flashed a middle finger in front of his face and waved him out.

He looked like he still had a lot to say, but today, that’s enough from him.

Seriously… sigh.

As I watched him disappear into the distance, Siwoo came out after him.

“Did Hyeon Ung leave?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s too bad. I wanted to chat a bit more.”

“Ah.”

Hearing Siwoo’s words, a question mark popped up above my head.

No way—

“Can someone really find that look attractive?”

Before I could spiral into greater confusion, Siwoo spoke up.

“I was just curious where he buys clothes like that. I thought they looked cool.”

“…Siwoo, next time, let’s go clothes shopping with Naru.”

“Yes! I’d love that.”

“Me too!”

Compared to the other two, Naru seemed to have a better sense for fashion.

If they went together, Naru could probably teach Siwoo a thing or two about proper style.

“Well then, shall we get to work? Oh, before that, could you bring down the rain? It’s the Rainy Season.”

“Hm?”

“But just a little, please. Don’t pour it out like last time.”

“I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

With a twirl of Siwoo’s finger, dark clouds gathered and the rain began to fall.

Just another ordinary day in the Rainy Season.

***

It’s been about a week since Udi arrived at the First House.

And every day of that week, Hyeon Ung showed up in strange outfits at the First House.

Seriously, I’d appreciate it if he considered the eyes of those who have to see him.

“I’m asking seriously: why do you only pick those kinds of clothes? You have plenty of normal ones.”

“Normal clothes can’t express my fashion. And women like men who dress well, don’t they?”

“Hey, that…ugh, never mind.”

I started to say something, then just shut my mouth.

A blue shirt on his left arm, a red shirt on his right.

What is he, Two-Face? Or a runway model?

Still, the kids seemed happy enough just laughing at him.

Of course, Siwoo looked at him quite seriously.

“Boss, what do you think Hyeon Ung will wear tomorrow?”

“No idea.”

And I don’t want to find out.

“Changseong, good morning!”

“Halmeoni.”

Hyeon Ung wasn’t the only regular visitor.

“Here, take this.”

“Why do you keep bringing these, Halmeoni?”

“I just wanted to give them. They’re delicious.”

After Hyeon Ung left, Soomyeong Halmeoni would visit next.

Now completely recovered, Halmeoni kept her promise and came to the First House every morning.

Unless something urgent happened, she’d always stop by for a cup of tea.

That had become part of her daily routine.

Of course, it was part of mine as well.

“Halmeoni, try this.”

“What is it?”

“A new tea. I blended it with some leaves from the storeroom. The effects should be even better than before.”

“My, if it’s better than before, my teeth will turn young again.”

“Oh, it’s not quite that powerful.”

But honestly—

Watching from the side, it really did seem like Halmeoni was growing younger.

She was not only more energetic than when she first started coming, her skin looked healthier too.

It was all thanks to the tea I made.

“People keep asking me what I’m eating these days.”

“Haha, just tell them you’ve been eating wild ginseng.”

“I just tell them I drink tea from the First House every day.”

“Stealth marketing, huh?”

Maybe thanks to that, more and more elders started visiting the First House these days.

Even though it rained often, thanks to Siwoo, they still made time to stop by.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. More importantly, do you have a new dessert today?”

“I thought you’d ask, so I prepared something. Carrot Cake. Please try it.”

I always offered Halmeoni the new dessert first and asked for her opinion before serving it to the customers at the First House.

And Halmeoni always spread the word about the First House.

Now, that’s a win-win.

“Oh, by the way, Dosik and Wook came by the other day.”

“Dosik came? What was the matter?”

“Oh, just something about the fields.”

“Huh?”

Because of Siwoo’s earlier mishap with the rain, Soomyeong Halmeoni’s field had turned into a sea.

Luckily, after the rain stopped, we cleaned up.

The men must have come to check if everything was all right.

“How are the fields?”

“Some of the crops got washed away, but the ones that survived are growing even better now. That’s a relief.”

“That’s…a relief, right?”

“Of course.”

The rain Siwoo brought was special.

Infused with the power of a Spirit, the crops that endured it grew stronger than before.

It’s a shame about the ones that washed away, but thinking about the ones that thrived, it’s a net gain.

“Thanks for the tea today. I’ll look forward to another cup tomorrow.”

“Anytime. Please come every day.”

“Of course, of course.”

As Soomyeong Halmeoni left, the early morning business was wrapped up.

Now, it was time to welcome the morning guests.

Ding.

“Hey, Changseong!”

A familiar face had come calling.