Chapter 28: An Old Friend Returns

The one who opened the door and came in was Kihyun, whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

Ever since he returned home, we hadn’t met, so it really had been ages.

“How have you been?”

“So-so. I’ve been pretty busy lately.”

Kihyun’s job, in old terms, would be called a merchant, but these days he’s a Truck Merchant.

He buys agricultural products at low prices and then drives around selling them here and there—that’s Kihyun’s work.

Since his job means he never gets a day off, it must have been really difficult for him to make time to visit like this.

“What sells well these days?”

“Come on, it’s obvious. Watermelons, of course. Nothing’s a better cash cow in summer than watermelons.”

Watermelons, huh.

The faces of those two popped up in my mind.

“Then while you’re here, stop by the Hyun siblings’ watermelon field. Help them sell a few.”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t sell their watermelons, even if I take them.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

I wanted to hear more details, but Kihyun didn’t sit down and instead started looking around the tea house.

He used to visit often during our school days, and he was close with Grandfather, too.

It was only natural that he felt some kind of affection for this place in his own way.

“You’re still using this table?”

“Yeah. There’s no need to replace everything, right? It’s still good enough.”

“You’re right. But it looks like you brought in a new bookshelf? You still love books, as always.”

“Yeah, yeah. Take your time looking around. Want some tea?”

“Anything’s fine.”

Kihyun answered halfheartedly and pulled a book from the shelf, starting to read.

True to his love of reading, he was quickly absorbed in the book.

At this rate, I figured it’d be an hour or two before we could talk again.

“President, is that your friend?”

“Oh, right. My friend. High School Alumni, and we used to see each other often back in Seoul.”

“I thought your only friends were Hyeon Ung and Hyeonseo Aunt.”

“Aunt? Naru, if Hyeonseo hears that, she’ll clutch the back of her neck and faint.”

She’s still a fresh-faced twenty-nine.

I’m the only one who’s old and returning home, and though Hyeon Ung doesn’t mind, it’s a bit pitiful for Hyeonseo to be called Aunt already.

“Next time, I should prepare not just red peppermint tea but also something good for the skin.”

Thinking that, I pulled the glass jar of tea leaves toward me.

While Kihyun read, I planned to brew a cup of tea he could enjoy at his leisure.

“I’d better prepare something special.”

I feel a mix of guilt and gratitude toward my other friends as well.

But even all of those together can’t compare to what I feel for Kihyun.

Even after I moved to the city, he stayed by my side, often dropping by my basement room just to see me.

Whenever there was good news, we celebrated together, and in times of sadness, he shared in it with me.

He often brought me news of Grandfather, too.

“I let a guy like this drift away… How foolish I was.”

The reason I lost contact with Kihyun was entirely my fault.

A very small, but huge mistake.

Every time I remember it, I feel my face getting red.

“Mister, are you sick?”

“…Ah, no, I’m fine, really.”

Maybe my expression gave me away, because No-Rani looked at me with concern.

I stroked No-Rani’s head and quickly got a hold of myself.

“It’s all in the past, and it won’t happen again.”

Nothing like that will ever happen again.

And to atone for my mistakes from my past life, I’ll repay with delicious tea and desserts.

“What tea would be good?”

I recalled Grandfather’s Recipe Book, which I’d memorized by heart.

Of them, about five teas would suit Kihyun.

I checked those five again and picked the perfect one.

“Humpty Dumpty.”

A tea named after the egg from Alice in Wonderland.

Maybe it got its name because it looks like an egg when steeped.

Its taste is similar to warm eggnog, which some people like and others don’t, but knowing Kihyun, he wouldn’t care.

He eats anything that’s not food waste, after all.

“But I can’t just serve it as is.”

The recipe that came to mind is just the base.

How to refine and improve this tea—

That’s a matter of my own skill, entirely beyond Grandfather’s help.

I thought about the dried tea leaves in front of me, the flower petals and fruits in the storage room.

I even considered the extra ingredients kept in the fridge, exploring all possibilities.

Though I’ve improved compared to the first time, this process is still difficult.

A single mistake, and I might end up making poison instead of tea.

“If I add three more grams of this, and toss in some dried petals, that should do.”

I was careful, but not worried.

I had confidence I wouldn’t fail.

“All right, let’s do this. Siwoo, could you go get a Blue Snowflower from the storage?”

“Yes.”

“Mister, I want to help too.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Normally, the two girls would be off in the fairy realm, but today, for some reason, they stuck close by.

I didn’t know why, but the elders who visit find them adorable, and even my clumsy hands are being helped, so it’s not bad.

“Then could you wipe down the tables? Just a light dusting is enough.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, ah, No-Rani, do it together with Siwoo.”

Honestly, the tea house is managed with a special kind of magic, so dust never really piles up.

But giving them something to do is better than letting them get bored.

That’s one of the lessons I’ve learned these past few days.

“Here’s the Blue Snowflower.”

“Thanks. Then heat the water to eighty-five degrees, and when it’s ready, hand me the warmed teapot, would you?”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and could you take out two of the madeleines I baked earlier and plate them for me?”

“Already done.”

“…So quick?”

“I’m just used to it now.”

Maybe it’s because Siwoo helps out every day, but she’s gotten good at these little tasks.

If I’m preparing the tea, she’s already setting out the pre-made dessert or warming the teaware, and so on.

Thanks to her, I have a lot less work to do.

Now, at the Yangjibareun Tea House, Siwoo has become someone who can’t be done without.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I just want to help out as much as I can while I’m here.”

“Hm?”

That last comment caught strangely in my mind.

Somewhere inside, I felt a faint unease.

I wasn’t sure why.

As I watched Siwoo with a bit of worry, she pointed at my hand.

“President? The flower will wilt.”

“Ah, right.”

First things first—I need to make the tea for Kihyun.

The Blue Snowflower wilts quickly once it’s taken out of its container, so time is of the essence.

I put the Blue Snowflower and the tea leaves from the kitchen into a small mortar and ground them by hand, then placed them in a teabag.

In the past, I used to weigh each ingredient one by one and mix them, but now, the moment I pick them up, I can judge how many grams they are.

“Siwoo, water.”

“Yes, here you go. I’ll leave the teapot right here, President.”

I put the teabag into the pre-warmed teapot and poured water at the right temperature.

After waiting three minutes, it was ready.

“I’ll take the tea and dessert to him myself. You two can rest for a bit.”

“Okay, I’ll play with No-Rani and Naru.”

“Alright, help yourselves to the snacks inside.”

Who would complain about kids playing freely when there are no customers?

I smiled softly as I watched them get excited at being allowed to have snacks.

***

Kihyun was sitting in a chair close to the bookshelf, reading.

The book he was reading was an essay.

“Is it good?”

“…Yeah. This is interesting. The writing style is feminine, but it’s surprisingly bold.”

“It has a kind of androgynous charm.”

“You’ve read it?”

“Yeah.”

Not in this life, but in my previous one.

If I recall, it was around next year.

It stayed at number one on the bestseller list for thirty consecutive weeks, so I picked it up out of curiosity.

“It’s good. Take it with you and finish it if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just bring it back properly later.”

“Then I’ll take it without hesitation. I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had time to read.”

After gently closing the book, Kihyun finally glanced at the tea and madeleine I’d brought.

“Oh, seeing it like this, you really look like a tea house president.”

“I’m not just like the president. I am the president of this tea house.”

“It’s not even been a month, though.”

“Just taste it and you’ll see.”

At my provocation, Kihyun grinned and lifted the teapot.

Other than Hyeon Ung, I’d never served tea to a guest in the teapot itself before.

But this time, since it’s for Kihyun, I’ll make an exception.

“Oh.”

“How is it?”

“Did you really make this? Don’t lie. If you’re lying, you’ll lose your head.”

“Who else but me would brew tea here?”

“Maybe your part-timer did it in secret. Is she secretly a master?”

By part-timer, he meant Siwoo.

Siwoo has definitely gotten good at these little jobs.

But making tea or desserts is still impossible for her.

No matter how many times she tries, it’s the same.

So when it comes to making special tea or desserts, I think I’m the only one who can do it.

“Is it so hard to just admit I made it?”

“It’s not hard, just hard to believe. When did the guy who hid away in the basement and only studied learn these skills?”

“…I’ve got my ways. Try the madeleine, too.”

Today, Kihyun was lucky.

The madeleines I baked this morning paired perfectly with the Humpty Dumpty tea he was drinking now.

The Humpty Dumpty’s Restoration Effect for joints and nerves would be maximized.

As Kihyun took a bite of the madeleine, his expression twisted in an odd way.

“It’s delicious.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

“My pride hurts. I don’t want to admit it, but I have to. You’re not just pretending to be a president—you really are one.”

It feels both good and bad.

How should I put this?

Lost in these mixed emotions, Kihyun held up the madeleine and asked,

“Changseong, have you thought about selling these in sets later? I could help you find an Online Distribution network. These days, you can sell a lot through Online Distribution, you know?”

“You want to package my madeleines into a set?”

“Let’s call it a win-win.”

“How about the packaging, though.”

Typical of a guy who makes a living with his mouth.

It sounds tempting enough.

But my answer is firm.

“No thanks. I don’t plan to live that busy.”

“Hey, these would really sell, you know?”

“If I have to make more than this every day, I’ll die from exhaustion. Making enough for the villagers is plenty for me.”

“Ah, that’s a shame.”

Kihyun kept muttering, but he didn’t push any deeper.

He knew I wouldn’t listen anyway.

That’s the good thing about old friends.

“Business talk aside, are you leaving right away today? I’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“Actually, I took time off for today and tomorrow. I’m staying over at your place.”

“Did you bring your things?”

“Of course. Didn’t I say when you moved here that I’d sleep over?”

Oh, right. I did.

I’d forgotten in the chaos.

“Looks like we both have plenty to talk about. Let’s talk all night.”

“Then I’ll invite Hyeon Ung and Hyeonseo to come later. We can all talk together.”

“W-well, we could do that, but I wonder if they’ll actually show up.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I’ve got a sin to atone for.”

A sin to atone for?

The upright Kihyun, of all people?

The one who never does anything to be criticized?

“What do you mean? Ah, is it about the watermelon?”

Earlier, Kihyun had said so.

That he couldn’t sell the Hyun siblings’ watermelons, even if he took them.

I thought he just meant he didn’t mix money with friends, but it seems there’s more to it.

Clearly, something happened without me knowing.

“Did something happen?”

“They haven’t told you?”

“Why would they? They just mentioned you stopped by a few times.”

“Well.”

Kihyun shook his leg awkwardly and scratched his unshaven chin.

He looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t get it out easily.

For a guy as manly as him, what could make him like this?

“What is it?”

“Well, um…”

Ding.

Just as Kihyun was struggling to open his mouth—

“Changseong, we’re here!”

“Ugh, bring the drinks. I worked hard today.”

“Get us some snacks, will you? We’re day-drinking today…”

Just like a comedy skit, the Hyun siblings burst into the Yangjibareun Tea House.

At that moment, I knew.

Getting through today quietly was out of the question.