Chapter 31: A Night Before the Farewell

No-Rani and Naru, who each got a flick on the forehead from me, clutched their foreheads tightly.

You played a bad prank, so you have to pay the price.

“Ow, that stings!”

“Do you know how much you made my heart race?”

“But… even three days is too long.”

“That’s right. Even three days!”

Sure, for kids, three days can feel like a long time.

But honestly,

The way you two acted, it was like you wouldn’t see each other for thirty years.

To make it worse, I was the only one who wouldn’t see them for three days, and I felt even more left out.

“You two see each other every day in the Spirit Realm.”

“Still, that’s not the same!”

“We can’t see Siwoo unni in her maid uniform.”

“Oh, come on.”

I thought about flicking their foreheads once more, but let it go.

One flick is just teasing, but two is a bit much.

“Siwoo, you need to keep some distance from these two. Don’t learn their pranks.”

“But it was fun. And… it made me happy.”

“What made you happy?”

“I realized the President cherishes me.”

Of course I do.

Even though we’ve only known each other for a little over a week, Siwoo is already a part of my world.

There’s no way I’d ever treat her carelessly.

Not just these three, but any Spirit I haven’t met yet will be the same.

“So, tonight you’re sleeping over, but after that you can’t come to work for a while?”

“Yes, I think I’ll be away for about three days. And it’ll probably happen again.”

“Is it only this time?”

Naru quickly explained.

“Siwoo unni’s power is still weak right now, so she has to travel around and directly sprinkle the Prophesied Rain or help it form.”

“I see?”

Siwoo seems more mature than the other kids, but out of the three, she’s the weakest.

“If this was before, I couldn’t have even stayed this long. I’d have to rush off to the next place.”

“So now it’s different?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to you, President.”

“Me? Ah, it’s the effect of Rain Drop.”

“And Biscuit, too.”

The Rain Drop and Biscuit I made helped Siwoo become stronger.

That’s why Siwoo could stay here this long and the balance of nature was still kept.

But I guess it was still a bit lacking.

“So, President, please don’t get sick while I’m gone.”

“Don’t worry. And isn’t that farewell a bit too early?”

Siwoo is staying over at our house tonight.

The three friends will probably chat the night away, but it’s too early for a farewell.

“The night is just beginning.”

***

After tidying up the tea house, I set off for home with the three kids.

Siwoo looked around curiously the whole way.

“It’s all new.”

“Right? I knew you’d be amazed, Siwoo unni.”

“Siwoo, you’ve only ever been to the tea house, right? It’s your first time outside?”

“Yeah. It’s moving.”

No-Rani and Naru boasted to Siwoo, showing off as seniors.

They’d both explored this world before.

Siwoo listened intently, but smiled a little sadly.

“Still, it’s hard to stay here for long.”

“Is it tough?”

“A bit… no, actually, quite a lot.”

“You just haven’t gotten used to it. It’ll get better with time. Once you get stronger.”

“I hope Naru’s right.”

“You will be.”

At the encouraging words, Siwoo nodded.

To Siwoo, their words must have felt like the light of a lighthouse.

As I walked, listening to the kids chatter, we arrived at the house before I knew it.

“Here we are, come on in.”

“This is it?”

“Yep. It’s big, isn’t it?”

“Wow… are all people’s houses like this?”

“Our house is a bit special.”

I almost set a bad example for Siwoo and made her think it was normal.

I quickly corrected her misconception and led her inside.

For now, the room next to No-Rani and Naru’s will be…

“We’re sleeping together tonight!”

“That’s right, Siwoo unni will sleep with us!”

The two stuck close to Siwoo as if they wouldn’t let her out of their sight, even for a moment.

And Siwoo didn’t seem to mind, nodding along.

“Is that alright?”

“Of course. The bed’s big, anyway.”

The bed in No-Rani’s room is big enough for three adults, so there’s no problem with Siwoo sleeping beside them.

But still.

“The problem is what you’ll wear, Siwoo.”

Siwoo looked down at her maid uniform and asked,

“Can I not just sleep in this?”

“It’s not that you can’t, but it might be uncomfortable, and your friends will be coming over soon.”

If it was just us at home, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But tonight, other friends are coming over for a housewarming.

That’s the issue.

“If they see, it’ll cause an uproar.”

“Okay.”

I could already picture a few scenarios in my head.

First, as soon as Hyeon-ung comes in and sees Siwoo, he’ll freeze up.

Then, he’ll pull me aside and interrogate me about why Siwoo is sleeping here.

And once that’s settled, he’ll blow up again over her wearing that outfit at home.

I’ll explain as best I can, but who knows if he’ll believe me.

No-Rani and Naru look like little kids, so they’ll get away with it, but Siwoo looks like a full-grown adult.

“A man blinded by love is the real problem. And I can’t reveal she’s a Spirit, so what am I supposed to do?”

I could only hope Hyeonseo and Kihyun would cover for me, but that’s probably wishful thinking.

They’d just find it fun and throw more fuel on the fire.

I can’t trust anyone.

“President?”

“…Ah, yeah.”

Siwoo’s voice brought me back from my wandering thoughts.

“So, it’s better to change into some comfortable clothes while you’re in the house. That outfit is for work.”

“…Ah, you mean the Uniform, right? Grandfather told me about it.”

Siwoo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Then should I wear something else?”

“Do you have any other clothes?”

“They’re in the Spirit Realm, but if I could use a little water in the house, a place like a pond would be best.”

“That’s easy enough.”

There’s a bathtub in the bathroom near No-Rani’s room.

She can fill it with water and use that.

As I was about to explain, No-Rani grabbed Siwoo’s arm.

“I’ll show you!”

“You, No-Rani?”

“Yup. I know the whole house. Come with me!”

No-Rani grabbed Siwoo’s arm and strode off.

Siwoo glanced at me briefly, but quickly let herself be led away.

No-Rani would never do anything bad, and it’s better to let them play together.

“She’s a good kid.”

“Yeah. Siwoo unni is really kind.”

“Aren’t you going with them, Naru?”

“I will. If I leave No-Rani alone, who knows what she’ll do.”

Saying it like that makes No-Rani sound like a troublemaker.

Not entirely wrong, though.

“Oh, and mister.”

“Hmm?”

“When Siwoo unni comes back from her trip, I think more Spirits will start visiting.”

Naru fidgeted with her hands as she spoke.

“Actually, word about the Yangjibareun Tea House has already started to spread. But there are still a lot of Spirits who don’t believe it. No one thought there could be someone to take Grandfather’s place.”

“That’s true.”

Not just any Grandfather—it’s ‘that’ Grandfather.

It doesn’t make sense for someone else to take his place.

“But now that Siwoo unni is traveling around the Spirit Realm, everyone will know. Her power is much stronger than before, and she can control it much more delicately now.”

“So?”

“You might not realize it, mister, but we can sense it very clearly.”

Naru glanced towards the room where Siwoo and No-Rani had gone.

“Once everyone knows the rumors are true, lots of Spirits will come to visit. They might even ask you for help with all sorts of things.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But I hope you won’t find it troublesome. They’re all good Spirits, and friends, after all.”

Naru lifted her head and looked up at me.

In her crystal-clear eyes, I could see gratitude, guilt, and longing all mixed together.

“Mister, we…”

“I don’t dislike you. There’s no way I’d ever hate you.”

I cut off Naru firmly.

And seeing Naru’s slightly relieved face, I pinched her nose lightly.

“As long as you don’t hate me, that is.”

“That’ll never happen.”

Just as I was certain to Naru, she was certain to me.

“You’re a good person, mister. Everyone will love you.”

“You weren’t saying that earlier.”

“That was just a joke.”

We smiled at each other.

I felt like there would be more happy meetings ahead.

I just had that feeling.

“Go on, then. No-Rani and Siwoo are waiting.”

“Yes. Oh, we’ll play in the room as much as we can.”

“You’re free to wander the house, too. It’s your home as much as it is mine.”

Naru nodded and ran off down the hallway after the others.

Even though I said it, these kids are good, so they’ll probably just play in the room.

“I guess I should get ready before those people arrive.”

Getting ready just means putting out some spoons and cups, but that’s better than nothing.

***

“This is insane. Seriously insane.”

“Totally got tricked. We were completely fooled.”

Hyeon siblings’ reactions as they got out of the car were identical.

Makes you think they really are identical twins.

“Aren’t you coming in? You’ll swallow a bug with your mouth hanging open like that.”

Even after my nagging, their jaws refused to close.

After a while, Kihyun patted both of them on the shoulder.

“I get it. I didn’t believe it either the first time I saw it. Didn’t think it was possible.”

“Seriously.”

“And what’s even weirder? We’ve been by here so many times, but we’ve never seen a house like this.”

“You guys just don’t remember, that’s all. It’s not that you never saw it.”

“Hey, are you saying our memory is bad?”

That made me wonder.

Hyeon Goon is a tiny rural town.

If I exaggerate, it’s so small you could count the number of chopsticks in your neighbor’s house.

So how is it possible no one ever saw such a big house?

“It doesn’t make sense.”

At the very least, there should’ve been some rumor.

If any of the elderly folks knew, they would’ve come to check it out themselves.

But nothing like that ever happened.

No one acted like they’d ever seen this house.

Just like with No-Rani.

“Maybe no one really could see it.”

Maybe this house was hidden in another dimension and only appeared when I returned?

A house you can’t see unless you recognize it.

It sounds like magic, but it’s a surprisingly plausible theory.

“Hmm. How should I explain this…”

Should I tell these curious guys the truth?

I thought about it for a moment, but decided not to.

Maybe someday, if I ever learn more about Grandfather, I might tell them.

But not now.

If I say anything now, it’ll just sound weird or confusing.

So for now—

“I’m not insulting your memory, I’m saying your memories have been tampered with.”

That’s the only way to brush it off.

Just as Hyeon-ung tried to ask more, Kihyun clamped his mouth shut.

“Hey, when did this house appear and why does it matter if it’s nice or important?”

“Doesn’t it matter?”

“There’s something even more important. This is that guy’s house.”

“…He owns it?”

“Basically.”

“Are you kidding?”

The Hyeon siblings looked at me with eyes full of envy.

These guys are funny.

If they wanted to, they could easily buy a place, if not this big.

They just like living together for now.

“You’re paying for all the drinks tonight.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll pay for everything, just come in. My legs hurt.”

“Yeah, let’s go in.”

So it was settled that I’d pay for everything tonight.

For now, anyway.

Not forever.

“President, we— oh, you’ve arrived?”

Of course.

I was planning to calmly explain about Siwoo, but she appeared at just the wrong time.

And just like I expected, the three of them froze at the sight of Siwoo.

Especially Hyeon-ung, whose eyes trembled like a 9.0 earthquake.

“Why… why is Siwoo here?”

Hyeonseo was the first to recover her senses and speak.

I should’ve stopped her.

That’s my mistake.

And the price for that mistake—

“Ah, the President said I could sleep over.”

—came back like a snowball.

What that means is—

“Lee Chanseong, you crazy bastard!”

Yeah. I’m doomed.