I took Jae-seong to where the jars were stored. The well-organized jars were kept outdoors rather than indoors, with two small creatures standing guard as if on watch.
“Hehe.”
No abnormalities while on guard.
They were diligently following my orders.
“Wow, you’ve made a lot. How many jars are there?”
“About 50, maybe a little more.”
And this isn’t the end. The cultivation and harvesting of beans are ongoing, and as soon as this batch of doenjang (fermented soybean paste) is successful, more will be made right away. At the moment, all the lids were covered, and since it had only been a few days since we started, it would take much longer before it was ready.
“Can I check it out?”
“Of course.”
I was curious too, as I hadn’t checked on the fermentation process since starting it. Had there been any changes?
Clank.
As I opened the lid, I saw a dark-colored liquid and pieces of charcoal and dried peppers floating inside the jar.
“It’s still a long way to go.”
“Yeah, it’s only been two or three days.”
From what I’d read, the fermentation process could take up to three months, or at least 40 days. Of course, the timeline for my homemade paste was uncertain, so it was best to check on it regularly.
“The meju (fermented soybean blocks) was ready faster than I expected. It didn’t take months like I thought it would.”
“Really? Then maybe this will ferment quickly too. Something to look forward to.”
Jae-seong scooped up a bit with a ladle and tasted it with his finger. He then hummed with a not-bad reaction.
“Oh, should I try it too?”
“It’s not tasty yet.”
“Then why did you hum in appreciation?”
“It seems to be fermenting well, so that’s good.”
Oh, hearing that from Jae-seong was a relief. Afterward, he opened the lids of each jar one by one, inspecting them more seriously than I had anticipated. I felt a bit embarrassed that I hadn’t been as diligent.
“Good, good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah, I think they’ll be fine if we leave them as they are. Are you opening the lids from time to time?”
“Yeah, these guys are.”
I pointed to the little creatures, who tilted their heads with their distinctive sound.
“Hehe.”
“They’re reliable.”
How so?
I couldn’t quite understand Jae-seong’s perspective, but I moved on as we headed toward the peppers. The peppers we had initially harvested were spread out on a mat. There were both red chili peppers and green ones, with a ratio of about 8:2. The green peppers are better eaten fresh rather than dried.
“Are these peppers?”
“Yeah. They kind of look like bell peppers or paprika, don’t they?”
“Can I try one?”
“Sure.”
He picked up a drying red pepper and sniffed it before taking a bite. I watched him closely as he crunched on it.
“Hmm! It’s a pepper, alright.”
“It is a pepper. How is it?”
“The flavor is quite rich. Oh, this is interesting.”
“Really?”
I had tried them before, but they didn’t seem particularly special to me, though they were tasty. I guess Jae-seong’s palate picked up something different.
“You’ve tried them too, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
“Have you tried the dried ones?”
“No.”
“Here, try this one.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t yet tried the half-dried peppers. So I took a bite of the partially dried one that Jae-seong handed me.
‘Oh!’
It tasted a bit different from when it was freshly harvested. It was hard to say which was better, but the dried one had a concentrated flavor.
“It’s spicier now.”
“Can we try the freshly harvested ones too?”
“Sure. Let’s head to the field.”
As we headed to the field, we found some visitors there. Seon-ah was showing Ryu Cheon around the field. They were tasting the freshly harvested Layla, strawberries, and paprika, which were at their peak of ripeness.
Squish~!
The slimes, like devoted servants, were bringing the harvests to them from all around. Seon-ah and Ryu Cheon accepted and ate the offerings with ease.
“Aaahhh.”
Ara was sitting beside them, mouth open, receiving food like a baby bird being fed by its mother.
“Oh, the brothers are here,” Seon-ah casually greeted us.
I had asked her to show them around the village, and she turned it into a little tasting session.
“Kyu-seong’s place is like heaven,” Ryu Cheon mumbled as she ate the crops with her usual expressionless face. Nearby, Soo was rolling around with a satisfied look, clearly having eaten his fill.
-Krooom.
Even Gomgom, who usually acted cautiously around strangers, was quietly nestled in Ryu Cheon’s arms. Despite her stoic face, she seemed to have a knack for charming the kids.
“The pepper field is over there.”
“Oh, so you’ve set it up to get plenty of sunlight.”
“I’ve never had much trouble with farming, but I failed with peppers and rice before. But this time, the peppers have finally succeeded, and the rice seems to be going well too.”
As Jae-seong and I headed toward the pepper field, Ara automatically followed us, not because she had something to do, but as if out of habit. Seeing this, Ryu Cheon also followed, holding Gomgom in her arms.
“Is this paprika?” Ryu Cheon asked, looking at the peppers.
I could understand her confusion, so I corrected her.
“These are peppers.”
“The spicy kind?”
“That’s right, the spicy kind.”
We picked a pepper and tasted it right away. It seemed slightly spicier than before, but not overwhelmingly so. If it continues to become spicier gradually, it would be easier to control the flavor. However, considering how much spicier they became after drying, some research might be needed.
“There’s definitely a difference. Hey, can I take a few with me?”
“Of course. While you’re at it, take some of the other crops too.”
As Jae-seong and I chatted about cooking, Seon-ah came over to me and spoke up.
“Brother, Ryu Cheon mentioned that something happened recently?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
In reality, it was something significant. But I didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. Jae-seong looked at me with wide eyes, wondering if I hadn’t told my family.
“I just caught a suspicious person, but it turned out they were connected to the European Union, so it caused a bit of a stir. They apologized to me directly.”
“The European Union?”
“Yes. Oh! I might be going to Europe soon. Just Ara and me.”
At my words, Ryu Cheon’s eyes suddenly lit up with interest.
“Are you going to Europe?”
“Yes. Just to take a look around.”
“It’s dangerous.”
Her words were simple, but I could sense the concern behind them.
“The European Union is dangerous, and so are the dungeons.”
“Oh, it’s just a quick visit for sightseeing. We were invited, so it’s more of a chance to take Ara on a trip abroad.”
“Hmm…”
Ryu Cheon still looked worried, while my siblings, not fully understanding the conversation, just tilted their heads in confusion.
“I’ll try my best.”
“Huh? What will you try?”
Ryu Cheon’s sudden statement left me puzzled. Was she still struggling with Korean? I couldn’t quite grasp where her comment fit into the conversation.
The conversation ended there, and we began planning our next steps. Since we had guests, it was time to give them a proper tour.
“How about showing them the fairy village and then taking the kids to the hot springs? Or maybe we could go to the lake?” Seon-ah suggested.
Nodding in agreement, we all decided to head to the fairy village.
“Fairies?”
“You know what fairies are, right?”
“Ara.”
“Ara isn’t a fairy.”
Ryu Cheon seemed confused. There’s nothing like seeing it firsthand, so we decided to let her experience it herself.
Seon-ah, Ryu Cheon, and Ara rode on Woofy, while Jae-seong and I took Purr. As we approached the World Tree…
“It looks a bit different, doesn’t it? What is it?”
The once bare branches of the World Tree, after winter, were now lush with vibrant green leaves, giving off the feeling of spring.
‘Ah!’
I finally noticed what had changed. Something pale pink was densely growing on the branches that usually only bore leaves.
“What the—?”
“What did you say?!” Jae-seong shouted in response to my muttering.
It seemed he hadn’t heard me over the wind.
“Nothing!”
I’ll have to go check it out. It could have been there from the beginning, or maybe it naturally appeared after winter ended. Since I’ve only experienced one winter here, there’s still a lot I don’t know.
When we arrived at the village, as always, the fairies enthusiastically welcomed us. By now, they were so used to visitors that they even adorably greeted the new guest.
– \(w)/
– \(0)/
– \( ﾟヮﾟ)
– (≥V≤*)
Ryu Cheon stood there, staring blankly at the scene in front of her, seemingly in a daze.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied immediately.
At least she answered quickly.
As we waited for Ryu Cheon to snap out of her daze, Frey appeared, flapping her wings. She had returned to her usual form from the round, rolling shape she had earlier.
“Lord, you’ve arrived! Ah! We have a new guest!”
“Yes, she’s my friend. By the way, you’re back to your original shape? You’re even flying a bit now.”
“Hehe, I’ve been practicing every day.”
Ryu Cheon’s gaze naturally shifted to Frey. Given that Frey had wings and could communicate, it made sense that Ryu Cheon would be interested.
“Fairy.”
“Yes, a fairy. Now you know what I meant by ‘fairy,’ right?”
“It’s a fairy.”
Suddenly, communication seemed to break down again. Frey, noticing Ryu Cheon’s interest, flapped her wings and flew over to her. Ryu Cheon instinctively held out her palm.
Flap, flap—
Frey landed gently.
“Hello?”
“It’s a fairy.”
“Hehe. I’m Alfheim. ‘Fairy’ is too grand a title for me.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Frey! The queen of Alfheim!”
“Frey.”
Soon, a crowd of tiny fairies gathered around. It seemed that Ryu Cheon had a peculiar knack for attracting them. Without doing much, she seemed to naturally draw them in.
“Wow…” Seon-ah looked on with envy.
Honestly, I was envious too.
‘Ah, they did say she had innate magical power. Maybe that’s why?’
It seemed like a plausible theory as we continued our tour of the fairy village. The tour didn’t take long since it was a miniature village.
“Oh, right. Frey.”
“Yes!”
“I noticed something other than leaves on the World Tree. Has that always been there?”
“Ah! Recently, I was able to communicate with the World Tree, and I asked it to try blooming some flowers!”
How should I respond to this?
Frey was now able to communicate with the World Tree, and the first thing she asked it to do was bloom flowers?
“Why flowers?”
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Well, yes, but anything else?”
“Anything else? Is there supposed to be another reason?”
Frey asked me back, clearly puzzled.
“When the World Tree blooms, nothing strange or dangerous will happen, right?”
“I’ll ask again just to be sure.”
“So you really just asked because you wanted to see it.”
“Hehe…”
The World Tree’s flowers… I have to admit, I’m curious too. What kind of flowers will bloom?
‘I wonder if I might get a World Tree seed or something?’
Honey, pollen, fruit, seeds… Thoughts of flowers naturally led to those things. Unlike Frey, I was getting lost in all these worldly considerations.
But who could blame me for being excited?
After exploring the fairy village, we headed to the hot springs. When asked if she preferred the hot springs or the lake, Ryu Cheon chose the hot springs.
“We could go to both, you know.”
Seon-ah, Ryu Cheon, Ara, and Frey had become a close-knit group by now, laughing together as they walked ahead. It seemed like they didn’t even hear my suggestion.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a hot spring.”
“You live in Japan. How can it have been a while?”
“I only work when I’m there. Just researching cooking.”
“Why do you live like that?”
“What? You’re one to talk. I bet you’re not much different from me.”
That’s true. But at least I’m enjoying life here. I make sure to visit the hot springs once a week!
That’s why I even set up a changing room and a storage bin for bathing clothes near the hot springs!
Cliche Novel 