I stopped walking toward the field and let out a long sigh.
In the distance, between the rows of green onions, I could see a small figure.
It was Parong.
‘He’s still doing that.’
I had tried to comfort Parong repeatedly since returning from the Dragon Palace, but it was no use. Parong was one of my precious guardians; I couldn’t just leave him like this.
I walked slowly toward the field.
As I got closer, Parong’s form became clearer. His small body, which looked like a bundle of green onions, was hunched over, and his eyes, which usually blinked with curiosity, were currently clouded with sorrow.
“Parong,” I called out softly.
Parong lifted his head and looked at me, but he didn’t cling to my leg or jump on me like he usually did.
‘Ah, he must have been really hurt…’
It wasn’t that Peanut or Little Pepper were bad kids, it was just the situation. I crouched down in front of Parong.
“I’m sorry, Parong. For leaving you behind.”
At that, Parong turned his head away. I knew exactly how much resentment was packed into that tiny gesture.
“I know how important you are. Because of you, this field was able to grow safely.”
I put all my sincerity into my voice.
“We didn’t go to the Dragon Palace just to play, chu. Were you very lonely while we were gone, chu?”
Little Pepper had approached us at some point and chimed in.
Parong slowly lifted his head and looked at us. I didn’t miss the flicker of curiosity that passed through his eyes.
I explained in detail everything that had happened at the Dragon Palace—the Dragon King, whose life was in danger; the suffering Sailun; the reasons why we had to help them; and the difficulties we faced along the way.
Finally, I gave a vivid description of the battle with the Giant Starfish.
Though I had started talking just to comfort Parong, the emotions from that time naturally resurfaced as I recalled those events, making my heart race.
As the story progressed, Parong’s expression gradually changed. The resentment was still there, but a light of understanding was slowly spreading.
“It was really hard without you. I can’t believe I left you behind after seeing how well you did in Eliya.”
Then, Little Pepper added her voice again.
“It would have been much more reassuring if Parong had been there, chu.”
Parong’s eyes widened. For the first time, he looked me straight in the eye.
“Let’s definitely go together next time. I promise.”
I held out my pinky finger.
Parong hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching my hand. Then, he hugged my finger tightly.
“Thank you, Parong.”
And finally, after a long time, he clung tightly to my leg. At that moment, it felt like the heavy stone in my heart had vanished.
I carefully picked him up and placed him on my shoulder. I could feel him squirming around to find a comfortable position.
I made eye contact with Little Pepper, and she gave me a wink. I nodded slightly and winked back.
After reconciling with Parong in the field, just as I was about to catch my breath, my phone rang.
[ Caller: President Han Sangsoo ]
My heart felt like it stopped for a second. I remembered the promise I had made to go on a trip with him and the Elf Tribe Leader. I felt terrible about rushing off to the Dragon Palace without being able to keep that promise.
‘He must have been very disappointed…’
I composed my voice and answered the phone.
“Hello, President.”
I greeted him a bit more cheerfully than usual, but the voice that came back was colder than I expected.
—Mr. Do Minho, have you been well?
The formal “Mr. Do Minho” instead of just “Minho” felt strange. It made me feel uneasy to have the President, who usually treated me with such friendliness, draw such a sharp line.
“Yes, well… I’ve been to the Dragon Palace for a bit. I’m truly sorry, President. We were supposed to go together, but something urgent came up so suddenly…”
My voice trailed off. Knowing how disappointed he must be made me feel even more apologetic. He had been so vocal about wanting to go together.
—I heard from Minjun. I was looking forward to meeting the Elf Tribe Leader in my own way… well, I understand that things happen.
Despite saying he ‘understood,’ the President’s voice was still laced with disappointment. I had to resolve this situation somehow.
“You must have been very disappointed. That’s why I’d like to arrange a meeting where you can see the Elf Tribe Leader directly. I want to keep that promise now, even if it’s late.”
A brief silence followed. It seemed like the President was thinking it over.
—You’re saying I can meet the Elf Tribe Leader in person?
“Yes. You had a lot of questions about the Elves, didn’t you? It will be a great help if you can speak with the Chieftain directly.”
I spoke with deep sincerity. At that, some warmth began to return to the President’s voice.
—Hmm… if that’s the case, my disappointment might fade a little. I’ll look forward to that day, Minho.
I let out a sigh of relief the moment I heard that. I could definitely feel that his disappointment had lessened, just as he said. It was also good to hear him call me “Minho” again.
“Yes, President. I will make sure it happens.”
After hanging up, my heart felt much lighter.
After Kasia and Jinsu returned from Eliya, I stepped outside to finish up the fieldwork and take a breather. Having resolved the things weighing on my mind, I felt refreshed.
However, there was still plenty of work to do.
One of those tasks was managing the chicken coop. I had been worried because I hadn’t been able to pay enough attention to the coop lately due to my busy schedule.
While checking on the chickens inside the coop, I personally gave them feed and stroked the hens to make up for my recent neglect.
“You guys are eating well.”
“It’s tastier because the owner is giving it to us, cluck~”
“I should come and feed you more often.”
Talking with the chickens made me feel better. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a truck in the distance.
‘Hm? That sound…’
I stopped what I was doing inside the coop and listened. The sound of the truck grew louder until it stopped near the field.
‘Who is it?’
Curious, I left the chicken coop and headed toward the field. There, I saw an old truck I hadn’t seen in quite a while. It was Mr. Kim’s truck.
“Mr. Kim!”
I couldn’t help but smile as soon as I saw him. Mr. Kim got out of the truck and gave me a small smile.
“Hey, Minho! Everything all right? It’s been a while.”
Mr. Kim raised his hand in a brief greeting.
“Yes, sir. It’s been a long time! What brings you here so suddenly? Is something going on?”
I welcomed Mr. Kim warmly. He looked around as he approached me, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Wow—the field has gotten massive, hasn’t it? It looks like you’re growing all sorts of things now. I can’t help but be impressed.”
“Hahaha, really?”
Mr. Kim looked at the scenery of the field with admiration. For a man who rarely expressed such things, his reaction was significant. It made me feel even more proud to be recognized by an expert.
Next, Mr. Kim’s gaze turned toward the chicken coop.
“Should we see if the little ones have grown well?”
He then strode over and entered the chicken coop. I quickly followed after him.
“Well, they look fine for now.”
Mr. Kim grabbed one of the chickens that was eating its feed. He felt the feathers and ruffled them.
“Smooth and glossy. The condition is very good.”
He even flipped the chicken over and checked its feet.
“You’re raising them well.”
Wow, he really is an expert. He can tell just by looking at their outward appearance.
“Sir! Please teach me too. How do you judge if they’re healthy or not?”
“Oh, that? It’s nothing much. These things don’t move when they’re sick. And their eyes get all cloudy—it’s obvious when something’s wrong.”
Mr. Kim told me several other things, explaining how you can tell by the state of the feathers, the comb, the legs, and the feet.
“Whoa. I see. I guess I still have a lot to learn from you.”
“Is that so? Then why haven’t I heard from you lately? I thought maybe you didn’t have anything left to learn, so you stopped calling.”
Wait!
Is that what he had been thinking?
“No way! I’m always grateful to you. I’ve just been so busy lately that I haven’t had a chance to reach out. I was actually thinking I should call you soon.”
“Really? I guess I just happened to show up at the right time then?”
Fortunately, he seemed to let it slide.
“Of course. I’m so touched that you came to visit.”
Mr. Kim nodded with satisfaction. Then he stood up and took a look around the inside of the coop.
“This should be over here. Otherwise, the chickens will trip over it or be uncomfortable.”
As his light touch adjusted things, I heard the voices of the chickens.
“The house feels bigger, cluck!”
“That was annoying, but he moved it, cluck!”
Haha, you guys should have told me if it was uncomfortable. We can communicate, after all…
However, since I couldn’t exactly talk to them in front of Mr. Kim, I decided to tell them later. To tell me whenever they were uncomfortable.
“Are you not planning on increasing the number of chickens? Seems like it’s about the same as last time.”
“Yes, since I’m also farming, I think it would be hard to manage if there were more.”
“Mm-hmm, this is just the right amount for the size of this coop. Good thinking.”
We walked outside and chatted while looking around.
“I should have come by more often. I didn’t know it had changed this much. I remember when it was just a small-scale farm, but now, how should I put it… you look like a master of farming.”
“Haha, it’s still small compared to your fields, sir.”
Mr. Kim touched the crops one by one, checking their condition.
“The peanuts, peppers, and green onions are of very high quality. What were you growing here?”
“That’s cabbage! I just made some fresh kimchi earlier. I’ll pack some for you when you leave! It turned out really well.”
“No need—we have plenty at my house. But what is this? I’ve never seen this before…”
It was the Eliya plant field I had set apart. Porti, Ainmosni, and the recently planted Trnalpria were growing there.
I felt like it would be okay to tell him. He wasn’t the type of person to go around blabbering to others.
“These are plants I gathered from another world.”
“Another world? You mean that dungeon thing or whatever?”
Well, this place was quite far from any dungeons. He probably had never seen one in person.
“Yes, something like that. They’re plants that grow inside, and they’re helpful to people, so I gathered some separately.”
“Ho. But do they grow this well? This one looks like it was planted not too long ago.”
As expected. He immediately recognized that the Trnalpria was a recent addition. But his interest was fleeting, and he soon turned his head to look at me.
“But I don’t know if it’s okay for me to ask…”
“Yes? What is it? Ask anything, sir.”
Mr. Kim looked at my shoulder with a strange expression.
“Why… why are you walking around with a green onion on your shoulder?”
I was momentarily speechless. I could get away with the chickens as long as I didn’t speak to them… but I wasn’t sure how to explain Parong’s existence.
I thought about just brushing it off, but my relationship of trust with Mr. Kim weighed on my mind. Rather than making things awkward with a clumsy lie, I thought it would be better to be honest.
“Ah, this?”
I pointed to Parong on my shoulder.
“This isn’t actually a green onion, sir.”
Mr. Kim’s eyebrows shot up.
“If it’s not, then what is it? It looks just like a green onion.”
I took a deep breath and spoke.
“Actually… I’m an Awakened.”
Mr. Kim’s face was filled with shock.
“An Awakened? You mean like those Hunters or whatever?”
“Something like that. This one on my shoulder is called Parong. He’s a Green Onion Guardian born from my ability.”
Hunters fall under the category of Awakened, but I didn’t feel the need to correct him. Mr. Kim seemed lost for words for a moment. Then he slowly nodded.
“I thought it looked like it had eyes, a nose, and a mouth and was alive.”
“That’s right, sir.”
Mr. Kim, who had been silent for a while as if flustered by my words, slowly nodded again.
“Then those other-world plants must be because of that too.”
I hadn’t consciously realized it, but in the end, Mr. Kim was right.
“A lot has happened… but thinking about it, it’s true that I was able to bring those plants back because of my ability.”
Mr. Kim’s expression softened a little.
“I see. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked all this time, so I know. But is it okay to tell me something like this?”
I smiled.
“Because I trust you. And I didn’t want to lie to you, sir.”
Mr. Kim was silent for a moment before he slowly nodded.
“Thank you. Just as I trust you, you trust me.”
At that moment, Parong squirmed on my shoulder and turned his head toward Mr. Kim. It was the perfect situation to use the ability I had recently acquired.
**[ Communion-Interpretation: Allows communication even between parties not currently in communion. ]**
“…New human… Phya-phya.”
Mr. Kim jumped back in surprise.
“W-Whoa… this thing talks too?”
I explained with a smile.
“Yes, Parong can speak. Thanks to my ability, I can talk to other living things.”
Mr. Kim stared at Parong for a long time before slowly reaching out and touching him.
“How fascinating… I can’t believe such things exist.”
“I have two more guardians; would you like to meet them?”
“No. My heart is already racing enough as it is. Any more would be a lethal dose.”
Mr. Kim spoke with a smile.
“Anyway, it’s amazing that you have such incredible abilities yet still put so much heart into your farming. Keep working hard, and I’d love to hear more of these fascinating stories from time to time.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep visiting you often. And I’ll tell you more about the guardians, too.”
Just then, Kasia came out of the house. Mr. Kim’s eyes widened as he examined her closely.
“Huh? Isn’t that beautiful foreign lady the same one from before?”
Kasia greeted him with a smile.
—It has been a while.
He remembered Kasia. Well, I suppose it’s fine to tell him now, right? It’s already been revealed that Elves are living in Gangwon Province.
I used **[ Communion-Interpretation ]**.
I explained to Mr. Kim.
“Sir, actually, Kasia is an Elf. You’ve seen them on television, right? The ones who were moving to Earth.”
Mr. Kim’s eyes widened once again.
“She’s an Elf? People said they were incredibly beautiful. It’s true, it’s true.”
Kasia tilted her head and spoke.
—Heehee. I am rather beautiful, aren’t I? It is a pleasure to meet you.
“I-I can suddenly understand this lady! Minho, your ability really is something else!”
Mr. Kim expressed his admiration, even stammering a bit, which was rare for him. As I watched Mr. Kim and Kasia looking at each other, a good idea flashed through my mind.
‘I think Mr. Kim and the Elves would get along really well.’
A meeting between pure-hearted people. They suited each other. If this went well, the Elves would likely adapt to Chilcheon-ri much faster.