Episode 69: The First Autumn (2)

 Healing With Loovely Druid

Episode 69: The First Autumn (2)

"Waaah!"

Heesu let out a yell, grabbing a pillow and throwing his phone toward Siu while keeping the screen paused.

"Look at that. Try to find the snake in there."

"Where is there a snake in this?"

Siu tilted his head, staring intently at the screen.

"I don't see it."

"Watch. Once you press play."

— 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

The moment they saw the brown snake gliding away, both of them yelled at the same time.

"Argh! Where was it hiding?!"

"Hey, that's not the end of it."

"Huh?"

Right after came the appearance of the second snake.

"Whoa!"

Kay, who had run over after hearing the noise, shouted along with them. "It feels like it's going to crawl right out of the screen. It's so creepy!"

"What is this?! Why are you guys watching stuff like that? You're weird, hyungs!"

"Hey. This is Deuvly hyung-nim's channel!"

"But why are snakes popping out?"

"He's teaching people about the dangers in the autumn mountains."

"I didn't plan on going hiking anyway, but now I'm definitely never going. I had no idea hiking was this dangerous."

Kay muttered, looking completely dazed.

"Look at the comments. It seems we aren't the only ones who missed them."

— Suddenly a vision test lololol

— No, hyung-nim?? Two snakes is foul playㅋㅋㅋ You totally startled me

— Who else missed both snakes??

└ Me too. Guess I'm just not going to the mountains in autumn^^

└ Same here hehe

└ I can't give up the autumn foliage thoughㅠ

— That second snake gives me goosebumps shiver shiver

— As long as you don't step just anywhere and stay on the designated trail, you'll be fine.

The three of them finally calmed down and focused back on the screen. Sihyeon crouched down, explaining that people need to be careful with fallen leaves on downhill paths.

— As you can see, nobody knows what lies beneath the fallen leaves. Sometimes there are snakes like earlier, but it could also be an eroded path or a jagged rock popping out. If that's the case, a snake might actually be better.

On the screen, Sihyeon was lifting away the fallen leaves. Old leaves and pine needles. Small bugs and dark soil were revealed as the camera panned slightly downward.

— Ta-da. Did you think it was solid ground underneath the leaves?

"Ugh."

Kay let out a groan. "That's seriously dangerous. Autumn mountains are terrifying."

The ground had caved right in. It wasn't as if someone had dug it up with a shovel. Was it a landslide or what? Leaving Kay's muttering behind, Sihyeon on the screen whispered:

— That's not all. Even if you accidentally push someone just a little bit here... not only are their spine and tailbone in severe danger, but they might also get a concussion. Ha. Ha. Ha.

"……Uh?"

"Huh?"

Heesu raised his eyebrows in an inverted V-shape and asked Kay, "Is it just me? Hyung-nim looks like he has the face of someone who wants to push someone right now."

"Right. It's a look that says he'd accidentally push them, bury them, and then pretend he knows nothing about it, isn't it?"

"But there's no way Deuvly would do that."

Siu let out a soft chuckle and ruffled Kay's hair.

"Even if it's not hyung, people usually don't do things like that."

Heesu pouted his lips.

"You know Rowen from Paradise, right? Want to try saying that to him? Someone pushed him on a music show, and he wrecked his ankle, getting a medical diagnosis that required three weeks of treatment. Putting the pain aside, it happened during the first week of their new song release, so he couldn't even promote. He felt so bad for the fans he looked like he wanted to die. From now on, he's bound to flinch just at the sight of stairs."

"Still, surely it was an accident. Someone must have made a mistake."

"How naive. If it were truly a mistake, someone would have apologized."

Siu handed the phone back to Heesu and said, "It's highly unlikely, but if hyung wants to push someone, there must be a reason for it. I'll be right beside him helping him bury them. Doing it together will be faster."

"Then, I guess I'll keep watch. I can wear a mask, right?"

As Siu laughed at Heesu's reply, Kay, who had been listening from the side, widened his eyes.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, minors stay out of this."

"How absurd!!!"

Kay snatched Heesu's pillow and threw it away.

While checking the comments, Sihyeon received a phone call from Siu.

"Ahaha, so?"

— Heesu turned that into a GIF and is going around showing it to everyone. Telling them to find the snake. Yesterday he went on a radio show and practically thrust it in front of the DJ nuna's face. It almost caused a broadcast accident.

"Is it a bit too creepy??"

— Yeah. How did you even film that? What if you got bitten?

"They didn't bite me, though."

— You're seriously strange. Are snakes included in the list of animals that cling to you, hyung? If that's the case, you should have just become a zookeeper. Then you could watch your favorite pandas all you want.

"Ah, apparently that's not a job just anyone can do."

He had looked into it briefly because pandas were so cute, but whether considering the physical intensity of the labor or the pay, it was a job that required an extremely high sense of calling.

— The fact that you looked it up is even funnier. It's not like it's your dream for the future or something.

Siu's voice was naturally on the brighter side, so it was difficult to guess his mood just from his tone. If he were right in front of him, it would show. When Siu was angry or in a bad mood, his ears or the areas around his eyes would turn red, or he had a habit of crossing his arms.

Sihyeon casually asked about Kang Seunghyun, making it sound like a passing thought.

"He hasn't reached out to you again, has he?"

— No. I told you I'd let you know if he contacts me again. And when that happens, I plan to tell my manager too. Also, I have a variety show recording tomorrow, so I won't be able to call. If you have anything to say, just leave a text.

"Alright. Call again sometime."

Sihyeon hung up the phone and began to trim his bamboo knife.

Would it be best if that guy never contacted him again, and everything passed by as if nothing had ever happened? Or would it be better for something to break out so that the old wounds could be laid bare? The latter felt better. Perhaps because he had been caught in a few predicaments, he absolutely loathed conspiracies, secrets, or unrevealed pasts, and to complete his memories, having things exposed like that didn't seem so bad.

However…… the important thing was ensuring Siu didn't get hurt.

For now, that was the absolute highest priority.

The cousin who had become a celebrity was a fairly well-known actor. While his performance might not be method acting, he possessed the acting skills to smoothly carry out the role of a clean-cut, obnoxious male supporting character, along with the specific looks tailored for it. It couldn't be compared to Tracker, but he had a fandom of his own.

Whatever the reason for his initial contact, if he reached out to Siu again, Sihyeon planned to step in personally this time. The elements causing anxiety for Siu had to be cleared away.

"He has quite a bit to lose himself, so I wonder if he really wants everything exposed."

Sihyeon narrowed his eyes, checked the wooden knife, and sliced through a piece of paper.

Even though it was a thick sheet of hanji (traditional Korean handmade paper), it cut away cleanly.

"Okay. Time to get some work done."

Time to focus.

He needed to trim the ogapi (Siberian ginseng), which was said to be good for joints, into appropriate sizes for dehydration.

The people here were individuals who knew a thing or two. Just like using sweet potato stems in cooking, they knew how to utilize plants without leaving anything to waste, and they discovered medicinal benefits even in the most common wild grasses to consume them as medicine, tea, and food. In some aspects, their resourcefulness was so high that even Sihyeon, a druid, had a thing or two to learn from them.

This ogapi was a prime example.

Once the new shoots appeared, they would harvest them to blanch and eat, and the leaves were eaten raw or turned into pickled side dishes. The branches were dried to be used as tea or medicinal herbs. They utilized the entire tree without leaving a single part behind. While it could be viewed as wisdom born from a destitute life, the amazing thing was that its medicinal properties were truly exceptional.

'Even the pickled side dish was quite delicious.'

The tea infused with ogapi alongside lemon and ginger also carried a wonderful aroma. He looked forward to seeing what kind of effect it would have when a microscopic amount of Cerberus was added to it. Since arthritis was a disease accompanied by severe pain, if crafted properly, it would likely become a tea with a powerful analgesic effect.

If he placed it at the village hall, it would be of great help to the elders of Ginkgo Tree Road.

The corners of Sihyeon's mouth lifted slightly.

Thinking back, how many side dishes and vegetables had he received every time he visited the village hall? They were kind people, practically anxious because they couldn't give more to Sihyeon.

Their knuckles were protruding from inflammation and their backs were bent from a lifetime of farming. When he thought of their warm hearts, sharing pickled dishes, wild greens, and side dishes made with time and devotion despite their knees requiring a thumping every time they stood up... even if manufacturing Cerberus proved to be difficult, it was entirely worth it.

Sihyeon infused natural energy into his fingertips, tossed the cut ogapi a few times, and carefully slid the tray into his newly purchased dehydrator.

Beep. Beep.

He pressed a few buttons.

Sihyeon leaned down to verify that the dehydrator was running properly.

Hummmmm.

"There we go."

The new world possessed many conveniences, but this dehydrator was truly the absolute best.

In the West Forest, where it rained frequently, he had no choice but to throw away more than half of the flower petals when drying them. This was because they would grow moldy or rot during the drying process. Unable to watch any longer, the elders would drive away the rain clouds, but even that carried a designated procedure and frequency limit. If overdone, it could trigger natural disasters like floods or heavy blizzards.

An item was resolving in a single night what used to require dozens of people to fret over for several days. Furthermore, while the one the village chief had given him was a plastic dehydrator, the one Sihyeon purchased this time was a large food dehydrator made of stainless steel. He also took a liking to the fact that it was quite large for a household appliance.

It barely made any noise, and the shape and color of the dried flower blossoms turned out beautifully.

Though it was expensive.

In Sihyeon's view, when it came to value, time was the most expensive thing of all.

"Excuse me, where exactly are we going?"

"It's a secret."

The village chief lifted a hand glinting with a gold ring and brought it to her lips. Sihyeon asked with a puzzled expression, "Wasn't this supposed to be an after-party for the festival?"

"That's part of it."

As Old Man Jeong's one-ton truck rattled and groaned, the village chief began to chide him, complaining of motion sickness.

"Honestly, why on earth are we riding in this cramped, bursting truck when you left a perfectly fine imported car behind? It's tightly packed just with Sihyeon sitting in it."

"In a country that doesn't produce a single drop of oil, we need to save what we can save."

"Then you shouldn't have bought that car in the first place. Complaining after buying it."

The village chief laughed merrily and replied, "That was given to me by my second child's in-laws when they got married. I've only ever ridden in my husband's company car."

"…Those in-laws are quite something too. What kind of intention is it to give an imported car to the household of an automotive company president?"

"People who possess wealth are inherently sly. It's because the daughter-in-law spent a long time studying abroad. Since she studied in Germany, it's a German car. Apparently, all the wedding gifts were procured from over there as well."

"What did she study over there?"

"Music. She played the piano exquisitely."

"……Oh."

Germany, huh. Sihyeon recalled the Germanic warriors who used to live north of the Rhine River. Massive thugs who grew their hair and beards long to braid them, painting their faces in a chaotic fashion. They used to take the lead in plundering Britannia as mercenaries for Rome. The reality that such a land was now famous for philosophy and music was hard to believe.

The village chief adjusted her sunglasses and said, "She even held a few recitals, but she hasn't played it since getting married."

"She studied abroad for so long, it seems like a waste."

"They'll handle it themselves. Whether she treats it as a hobby or studies more, let the two of them hash it out. I'm not interfering. I raised him until he was past thirty; now they need to live on their own."

Old Man Jeong nodded.

"Indeed. It's enough as long as the two of them live well. If old folks try to give instructions, they'll only hear unpleasant responses."

The car rounded the roundabout in front of the market.

Old Man Jeong parked the car in the county office parking lot.

"Let's get out."

"Why the county office?"

"You'll know once you get there."

Sihyeon hurriedly got out of the car to help the village chief. The village chief marched straight toward the entrance of the county office as if she were flying. Sihyeon was surprised by the elderly woman's speed but kept pace with her.

Before long, the spot where the three individuals stopped their steps was the county office bulletin board.

It was already filled with photos from the '14th Mushroom Festival.' It vividly captured various scenes from the festival grounds. There were photos of children using their tiny hands to passionately craft things at each experience booth, smiling brightly upon seeing the results. Among them, Sihyeon spotted a few familiar faces. There were also photos of Hosu and the Pureure staff crafting terrariums, and though it was a side profile, Sihyeon appeared as well.

"Look, here."

The spot the elderly woman's finger pointed to was a group photo taken during the festival. The village chief's face was brimming with pride. Old Man Jeong giggled and said, "My word, Chief. Your wish has been granted. You even got to take a photo with Park Mo-ne."

"Gosh, this old man completely misses the core point."

"The core point?"

"The important thing isn't Park Mo-ne. It's the fact that the Jodae-ri chief is probably about to drop dead from jealousy."

"Oh my. Look at how malicious she is."

"That's not something an old man who staked his life on the calf contest should say. We're cut from the same cloth."

Sihyeon suppressed his laughter as he gazed at the bulletin board.

Printed in large letters across a sheet of thick colored paper was the congratulatory message:

14th Gayang County Mushroom Festival, Local Food Contest 1st Place! Congratulations to Dongun Township!