Unsu and Jjo-ang returned to the Spirit Realm after fully enjoying their tea. I wished they could have stayed longer, but these two children were weaker than any spirits I had met so far.
Because of that, they couldn’t stay in the Human Realm for long. They had shown signs of struggling even while drinking the tea, and seeing them like that made my heart go out to them.
‘Will they get better if they keep drinking the tea?’
“It will take a long time,” Yuae said, having arrived as soon as the two spirits left.
Norani welcomed Yuae the moment she saw her, but Yuae maintained a strict distance using her own power. Yuae’s judgment was that it still wasn’t safe. Norani was clearly disappointed, but safety had to come first.
Yuae took a sip of Night-Blooming Moon before speaking. “It took over 1,000 years for the spirits of the river and clouds to weaken. It will take quite a lot of time to regain that power.”
“I’ll have to work harder, then.”
“…Still, the fact that they are regaining it is what matters. Don’t overdo it. If you get hurt while pushing yourself, it will all be for nothing.”
“I’ll be careful. How is the atmosphere in the Spirit Realm?”
“Everyone has begun to feel the change little by little. Nothing has changed significantly yet, but if you look closely at the changing nature, you can’t help but notice.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Owner Chansung, do you really think so?”
Yuae’s follow-up question carried a strange sense of anxiety. She looked at me intently and asked, “You’re human, so you probably don’t know much about how the power of spirits strengthens or weakens, or how the flow of that power changes.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“If you have time, it would be good to learn about those dynamics. There are a few spirits who view this situation unfavorably.”
“Huh?”
That was something I hadn’t expected to hear.
“Not all spirits are gentle and kind. You know that, right?”
“You mean spirits are just like humans.”
“Not as spiteful or malicious as humans, though.”
Unsu was proof of that. He had shown hostility toward me the moment he saw me, simply because he thought I had troubled Yuae, whom he cherished.
“There are spirits who have lived for a long time, though not as long as I have. Those children don’t necessarily welcome change.”
“Is it because of the balance?”
“Yes. The longer they live, the more obsessed they become with equilibrium.”
In short, I had caused ripples in a Spirit Realm that had been perfectly maintained.
“But there were spirits who lost their power and suffered in that process.”
“True. But they consider even that to be a part of the balance. And you are the one changing that.”
“That sounds quite dangerous.”
Knowing I had invited the wrath of spirits made me feel uneasy. Sensing my mood, Yuae changed the subject and asked playfully, “Do you finally understand what kind of scale you’ve started working on, Owner Chansung?”
“Well… just that it’s much larger than I thought?”
“Are you going to give up? If it’s now…”
“That’s not going to happen.”
I had already started this work. It was for Yuae, and for the other spirits like Jjo-ang and Unsu.
“Since I’ve already set the stage, I might as well make it grand and ensure it’s a success.”
“Owner Chansung, you seem timid yet bold at the same time.”
“You can’t know a person by looking at only one side of them.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Yuae finished the rest of her tea and stood up.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes. If I stay here any longer, it will be hard on Norani. I should go.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Don’t worry too much. If we keep doing this, the day will eventually come when I can happily give Norani a hug.”
Yuae said those words while looking at Norani, who was staying still in the corner. Norani looked like she wanted to run into Yuae’s arms right then and there, but she was holding back well. Since she was such a good child, ‘I should give her a reward later.’
“I hope so.”
“Don’t worry too much about the affairs of the Spirit Realm. Even if there are spirits who view this situation negatively, they won’t be able to harm you.”
“Wait, why?”
“Because I’ll make it so.”
With Yuae’s words, a chilling wind brushed through the night. It felt like things had grown far too large. Since I couldn’t go to the Spirit Realm, I had no way of knowing exactly how things were unfolding.
“Yuae, about that…”
“Please continue to take good care of Norani and our spirits. And me as well.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
I didn’t even need to be told. Yuae pulled her hood over her head and walked out the door. As soon as she vanished back to the Spirit Realm, Norani, who had been quiet, came running over.
“Mister, I want tea.”
“All right. Can you wait just a moment?”
The tea she just mentioned didn’t mean Honey Water. I set down the same tasteless tea she had drunk before in front of her. Norani gulped it down in a single breath the moment she received it.
‘Before, she at least looked like she didn’t want to drink it.’
Now, even that sign was gone. I suspected that today’s events had strengthened Norani’s resolve.
“Mister.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to get strong.”
“Right, right. I’ll help you.”
“Okay.”
Norani clenched her tiny fists, showing her determination. The sight was so adorable that I caught it in a photo. If this resolve and effort continued, surely a good day would come.
***
Time continued to flow quickly. Between seeing Dusik’s rice paddies return to normal and serving tea to the spirit children every day, the days flew by. Before I knew it, it was September.
“You seem a bit more relaxed now.”
“Yeah, a little?”
Hyun-woong, who visited the tea house around lunch, wiped the sweat from his brow. Lately, if you had to pick the busiest person, Hyun-woong would be at the top of the list. Even though the watermelon season was winding down, there was still work to do, and he was busy collecting various data for the village — likely because Dusik was working him hard.
Still, it seemed he could finally catch his breath. When I handed him a watermelon juice, Hyun-woong downed it in one go.
“So, this year’s watermelon farming is over, and now I have to prepare for next year.”
“Are you going to rest for a bit until then?”
“Not really. It’s not like we only have watermelon fields.”
“Is that so?”
“Now I have to go to the orchard and pick apples.”
He sure was diligent. He was a fellow truly suited to be a farmer.
“You’re busy.”
“The orchard is small, so it’ll be over in one or two weeks. Oh, more importantly, take this.”
“Hmm? What’s this?”
It was a small poster that Hyun-woong handed over. On the crudely made poster, the words “Harvest Festival” were written in large letters. Ah, it had been a long time since I’d seen this.
The biggest crop in Ha-hyeon County was, of course, rice. Therefore, when autumn arrived, a village festival was held to celebrate the rice harvest. That was the Harvest Festival.
“You’re preparing for it already?”
“You have to prepare these things early. If you try to do it later, everyone is so busy helping with the harvest that they can’t do it properly.”
“You’re basically the Youth Association President now.”
“Argh, shut up. My father keeps nagging me to take over as Youth Association President, and it’s driving me crazy.”
Mr. Sanghyun had been looking for a chance to pass his duties to Hyun-woong for a while. Since he had paired him up with Dusik to help out, the level of pressure seemed to be intensifying. How long would he be able to hold out? That was one of the local points of interest.
I looked at the poster Hyun-woong gave me and asked, “Who made this?”
“My father.”
“Ah, right.”
Clearly, Hyun-woong or Hyeonseo were much more talented in this area. If the Hyeon siblings had even the slightest desire to do it, the result would have been much better. It seemed they really didn’t want to do it.
“Do you hate the Harvest Festival that much?”
“Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
“It’s a hassle.”
Hyun-woong answered very truthfully.
“We have to coordinate with the village market days, notify the elders in advance, and pick a main event.”
“There’s a lot to do.”
“That’s why it’s a hassle. For you, you’ll just come and sell some tea and be done with it.”
“Why do you have to say it like that?”
“The world is unfair. Don’t touch me.”
“Hmm…”
Should I throw a carrot to the hardworking fellow?
“Oh.”
“What? What now?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way. Siwoo likes people who work hard.”
At my words, Hyun-woong’s head, which had been hung low, slowly lifted. His ears turning red like his sun-burned face was a bonus.
“Really?”
“You’ve been running around working hard lately. She said it was good to see you working so hard.”
The words themselves were true. However, she hadn’t meant it in a romantic way. But look at him. In his head, he probably already had his grandchildren’s names picked out.
‘He’s completely lost his mind.’
“Ahem. Well… if that’s the case…”
“Yeah.”
“Then, well. I guess I’ll have to find some more strength.”
Goodness, what am I going to do with this eyesore? If Siwoo had been here today, she would have completely lost all respect for him after seeing that, but unfortunately, she wasn’t here. She was away on business in the Spirit Realm again. She would probably return in two or three days.
“Anyway, just know that and work hard.”
“Is it time to show off my skills again? Hehe.”
“You’re such an eyesore.”
“Shut up. What do you know?”
Hyun-woong, who was imagining a rosy future, soon stood up from his seat. It seemed he intended to go straight to work while his spirits were high.
“By the way, Hyun-woong, let me ask one thing.”
“What?”
“What was the atmosphere of the Harvest Festival like last year?”
The Harvest Festival was a celebration to toast a bumper crop and soothe the year’s hardships. However, they said that last year’s harvest across all fields was at an all-time low. They also said the quality of the harvested crops wasn’t very good. The atmosphere couldn’t have been good…
“I’ve never seen such a drinking bout.”
“Is that so?”
“Quite a few adults were crying. The situation was just that bad.”
“That’s a bit heartbreaking.”
To a farmer, the rice paddies and fields are like their children. No parent would feel fine when their children are in a bad state.
“Still, well. This year will be a bit different. Our watermelons did well, and Mr. Dusik’s rice paddies recovered. Everyone will be in better spirits.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
“Don’t worry about that. Just think about if there’s anything worth putting up as a main event. Or it would be great if you could find a Trot singer who’s reasonably famous but has a cheap appearance fee.”
“I’ll think about it, but I don’t know if I’ll be of much help since I don’t know anyone.”
“Better than nothing. I’m off then.”
Hyun-woong left with those words.
***
“A Trot singer.”
The average age in Ha-hyeon County was in the 70s, which was quite high. Naturally, there were many elders who loved Trot. Quite a few of them would drink and dance to Trot music. The good news for them was that the entire country was about to enter a golden age of Trot. Thinking about it again, it didn’t make much sense, but since it was the truth, what could I do?
“Hmm… But with the budget of Ha-hyeon County, they wouldn’t be able to bring in a decent Trot singer.”
I didn’t know the exact budget for this Harvest Festival, but it wouldn’t be enough to bring in a good Trot singer. Even if Trot singers had lower event fees compared to other singers, it was all relative. Nothing ever escaped the laws of supply and demand.
“Should I try to pull some strings?”
I organized the memories of my past life in my head and wrote them down in a notebook. Then, based on the organized content, I added a few ideas. After reviewing whether the ideas were realistic and whether the budget and time were sufficient, a plausible planning document was completed in no time. The skills from my past life hadn’t gone anywhere.
“Hmm… If we just follow this, it shouldn’t be bad.”
I should talk to Hyun-woong when he comes by later. Just as I was finishing up the planning document in my notebook…
*Ting.*
“Welcome.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
A young man carrying a quite large backpack walked in, huffing and puffing. The shabbily dressed young man looked like he hadn’t even been able to wash for several days. But surprisingly, the young man’s face was familiar. After thinking about where I had seen that face, I was soon shocked.
‘Why is this person here?’
The man who would later appear on *Trot Empire*, take an overwhelming first place, and become the Trot Emperor who captured the hearts of all the elders.
“Could I… get a glass of water?”
The nation’s son, Hwang Taeseong, had come as a guest. And in the state of a beggar, no less.