"What on earth happened to your hair?"
"Does it look strange?"
"It's not that it looks strange."
Hosu narrowed her eyes.
"The short hair actually suits you well. You should have cut it sooner. Your eyes are completely visible now."
"Really? That's a relief."
"What kind of sudden change of heart prompted the style change?"
"It's nothing like that. My bangs just got a bit singed."
"How? Were you charcoal-grilling pork belly?"
"……That's a very typical thought for you, but let's just say I had a bit of an incident."
Just then, Brother Peter, who had been clipping rose blossoms, walked over and offered a greeting. Hosu buried her nose directly into the blossom the monk held out, inhaling the fragrance of the rose for a long time. They said she had been highly sensitive to scents since childhood—I guess that's how all perfumers are.
"How is it?"
It was obvious that Brother Peter was nervous.
To Sihyeon's eyes, it was a flawless rose. Sihyeon patted Brother Peter on the shoulder and waited for Hosu's response. It was a red rose beautifully cultivated by granting the rose's exact requests. Brother Peter hadn't rested properly for a single day, diligently adjusting the subtle lighting conditions every morning.
Given the immense effort poured into it, it was a crucial moment for a proper evaluation. Even so, through the eyes of a druid, it was in perfect condition. Sihyeon looked at Hosu with a confident expression.
Hosu lifted her head and let out a groan.
"Ughhhhh."
What kind of reaction is that?
"W-why? What's wrong?"
"Is there some kind of problem?"
Hosu looked back and forth between the two men and flashed a broad grin.
"This is absolutely spectacular."
"Hey, don't scare us like that."
"Whew."
Brother Peter let out a sigh of deep relief. Looking at his sun-reddened neck and thickened forearms, it was easy to tell just how much he had struggled over the past weeks.
Hosu smiled brightly at Brother Peter.
"You worked so hard. I saw everything as I came back and forth. I know exactly how much devotion you poured into cultivating these."
"Oh dear. Thank you, thank you. What a relief."
Brother Peter crossed himself, his lips moving silently. Hosu nodded toward a Pureure employee who was scanning the herb house and said:
"Let's pack up just one box and take it back for now. We need to check the composition anyway. Everyone back at the lab is practically dying of curiosity."
Sihyeon gestured to the Pureure employee holding a box.
"The rose blossoms are still small on that side, so please come over here. Those over there need to grow a bit more before they can be shipped out."
"Hello! Sihyeon-ssi."
"Oh, it's you again?"
Come to think of it, this was the certified terrarium expert who had come to help during the mushroom festival! She was an incredibly dexterous, golden-handed employee. Her bright face was brimming with awe.
"Everyone from the research lab wanted to come see the roses."
"Pardon? Why?"
"First of all, it counts as an off-site work day. Plus, the Team Leader is a total foodie, so we get treated to amazing meals. Naturally, since it's a research lab, everyone is bound to be curious about the state of the raw materials for the essences. Everyone was completely astounded after seeing the composition report for the lavender. They're all dying to know how you do it, Sihyeon-ssi. Hoho."
Sihyeon scratched his cheek lightly. Compliments always made him feel a bit ticklish.
"Then, please visit often. The air is great here."
"I'd absolutely love to come often, of course! Hoho."
Her ears turning a faint shade of pink, the employee scampered off into the distance with her box. From afar, Brother Peter's voice echoed: "Sister! Not that way!"
Checking her phone, Hosu lifted her head and slid a sly smile toward Sihyeon.
"You'd better watch your back."
"For what?"
"The research lab staff are intensely curious about you. I've scored a ton of free coffee from them because of you."
Is she talking about being the god, the alpha, and the omega of that lavender essence again?
"It was only like that at first. After I visited the arboretum a few times, they stopped asking about those things."
"There are quite a few research lab lunatics whose ideal type happens to be a big teddy bear."
"What on earth are you talking about."
Giggling, Hosu vanished among the rows of roses. What a strange girl.
Ever since meeting Hwaryeong-nim a few days ago, his mind was entirely occupied by that encounter, even when he was resting.
Curious about what exactly a Vermilion Bird's nest was, he had scoured the internet, but it was filled with nothing but nonsense. The funniest part was the section comparing them to a phoenix. People claimed the phoenix was an immortal creature that rose from its own ashes every 500 years, but a phoenix was clearly a bird. It couldn't manifest in a human form.
But could the Vermilion Bird truly be dismissed as a mere bird? What about those absurd, reality-defying abilities? Not only could she assume human form, but she could also vanish into pure light, and crucially, she possessed an undeniable 'dignity.' Even though her appearance was that of a high schooler at best, formal honorifics had slipped from his mouth entirely naturally.
"It's a bit of a shame that spirits don't exist here."
No, wait. Come to think of it, if divine beasts existed, there was no logical reason why spirits couldn't exist either. Druids or fairies might still be lingering somewhere in Salisbury. An opportunity to actually cross paths with them might arise. Perhaps he could hold conversations with them, just like he did with Hwaryeong-nim. This world had suddenly become several times more thrilling.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
Beep-beep-beep-beep.
The low humming of the dehydrator came to a halt.
Sihyeon pulled out the tray and carefully transferred the dried jimsonweed onto a sheet of traditional hanji paper. Today was the day he had to complete Cerberus.
He had already ground the foxglove and lily of the valley into a fine powder, and the monkshood and poisonous mushrooms harvested from his mountain had been chopped into appropriate sizes. He had omitted the greater celandine due to its addictive properties.
Storing the bulk of the dried jimsonweed in a large glass jar, he used a mortar and pestle to grind only the amount required for immediate use. He had to be extremely careful to prevent the toxic dust from airborne dispersal.
Pouring about a quarter cup of poisonous mushroom juice into a large glass beaker, Sihyeon began to meticulously add the prepared toxic herb powders. Since his supply of materials wasn't abundant, a single misstep meant starting over from scratch.
"Whew. Carefully now."
Sihyeon verified the medicinal value and toxicity of the ingredients, adjusting the concentration as he went. Combining the toxic powders bit by bit, he formulated the most lethal level of toxicity. Sweat trickled down his forehead. It feels like it needs just a tiny bit more, but what am I missing? After pondering for a moment, he boldly threw in a dash of monkshood powder.
In an instant, a vivid blue-green aura burst outward.
"There we go."
Sihyeon quickly capped the beaker, swirling it to blend the contents. Simultaneously, he conjured his natural power, channeling it into the vessel. The blue-green aura deepened until it appeared almost pitch black.
The corners of Sihyeon's mouth lifted slightly.
"It's been a while. Cerberus (The Black Hound of the Underworld)."
His next movements were even swifter.
Sihyeon brought over the arthritis remedy he had previously manufactured in the medicine cabinet. Because the remedy possessed an exceptionally wonderful energy, the ivy wrapped around the cabinet had coiled tightly around the bottle, refusing to let go, forcing him to practically wrench it out. This alone was already an excellent medicine, but if he blended a microscopic drop of Cerberus into it…….
Taking a deep breath, Sihyeon opened the cap of the beaker. Using a dropper, he introduced exactly one drop of Cerberus into the mixture. At that exact moment, his eyes flashed blue as he monitored the shift in its medicinal properties. At a slow, deliberate pace—like ink bleeding through paper—the medicinal potency began to skyrocket.
It was a complete success!
A smile resting on his lips, Sihyeon immediately dove into cleaning up. It was always safest to clear away deadly toxins as quickly as possible. Sihyeon triple-sealed Cerberus securely and stored it in the deepest, darkest corner of the medicine cabinet.
"Bind."
The ivy vines twitched, shuddering as if recoiling in sheer revulsion. Sihyeon let out a dry laugh. These vines truly possessed a ghost-like ability to differentiate between medicinal value and pure toxicity.
"Look, I've sealed it three times over. It will never leak or spill. Bind!"
Since he commanded them with an extra dose of power, they couldn't refuse, but it was best to reassure them for the future. Though the ivy clearly loathed it, the vines reluctantly extended their tendrils as if acting under pure duress. With a rattling movement—almost like a protest—they bound Cerberus tightly.
"Um, I have these over here too."
Rattle—!
"Ah, sorry about that~."
Sihyeon engaged in another brief scuffle with the medicine cabinet to entrust the glass bottles containing the toxic powders and liquids. After neutralizing the used beaker, he sterilized it in boiling water and wiped away all remaining moisture from the counter. Finally, he washed the dishcloth and hung it up in the sunlight.
"Let's see."
In the meantime, the arthritis remedy had aged perfectly. A dosage of this caliber would yield dramatic results. Sihyeon distributed the arthritis remedy into ten tiny glass vials—each about the size of a pinky finger—and sealed the remainder.
He hurriedly picked up his phone.
"Village Chief!"
— Huh?
"Are you at home?"
— I'm out in the back orchard picking apples with that old rascal Jeong.
"I'll head over for a brief moment."
— I'm about to make egg rice with radish sprouts and kimchi, so hurry on over.
"Got it!"
Sihyeon packaged the arthritis remedy with an expectant, fluttering heart.
"She complained of frozen shoulder, so why on earth is she out picking apples?"
Muttering to himself that rural elders were all absolute workaholics, he headed toward the village chief's estate. After walking at a brisk pace for about twenty minutes, the entrance to her house came into view. He visited often, but the estate felt grand every single time he saw it. The property contained a waterfall, a hill, a greenhouse, a massive grove of fruit trees, and an enormous cluster of earthenware crocks.
His late grandfather had been notoriously doting toward his wife—a legendary fool for love—but could he have ever imagined that the village chief would manage this entire estate by herself after his passing?
The savory, rich scent of perilla oil wafted through the wide-open gates.
"I'm here!"
The two elders welcomed Sihyeon in their own respective ways. Old Man Jeong gave a casual wave from where he sat, while the village chief approached and pulled Sihyeon into a brief embrace. Sihyeon bent his tall frame, yielding his head to the elderly woman's touch.
"My word! Our Sihyeon is looking sharper by the day."
Sihyeon giggled. He had been hearing that exact compliment for months now.
Old Man Jeong muttered indifferently, "He has the exact same face every single day, yet you make a fuss every time you see him."
"Oh, hush. He bared his forehead today. He looks so dashing and bright."
Sihyeon sat across from the village chief and pulled out the arthritis remedy. Witnessing Sihyeon's careful, deliberate hand movements, the attention of both elders locked onto the table.
"What is it that you're handling so preciously?"
"I formulated this recently. Please try it."
When it came down to explaining it, he felt a bit stuck. What was the most accurate way to describe this? The village chief twisted the vial around, inspecting it from various angles, and remarked:
"The color looks exactly like red ginseng extract!"
"What kind of juice did you press now? How much longer do you think us old folks are going to live anyway?"
"Uh……."
Technically speaking, it was an extract. It just happened to have quite a few unique things blended into it.
"…It's something that's highly effective for arthritis. It carries a powerful analgesic effect, too."
"Is that so?"
"Just try it. Seeing you groaning while picking apples earlier, you looked like you were on your last legs."
"You old rascal. Watch your mouth!"
The village chief unhesitatingly opened the glass vial and chugged it down in a single gulp. Even though the portion was barely a mouthful, a thick scent of ginseng radiated intensely from the viscous liquid. Sihyeon felt slightly touched by her unhesitating attitude. When a neighbor handed over a suspicious liquid, how many people would actually drink it down in a single breath? How could she know what he had put inside?
"Hmm?"
Sihyeon focused intently on the village chief's expression. The effect of Cerberus within the arthritis remedy was an instantaneous analgesic response. If it worked according to his design, the pain should cease immediately.
The village chief's expression turned thoroughly puzzled. She was wearing a flowing outfit adorned with yellow flower petals, and she suddenly extended her arms straight out to the sides. As the fabric unfurled, a massive printed sunflower revealed itself.
"Huh?"
The village chief spread both arms out, clenching her fists and bending them back and forth several times as she verified her physical state. The sunflower flickered in and out of view.
"Oh my. Sihyeon."
"It works well, right?"
The village chief nodded rapidly.
"What on earth is this wizardry? This is far better than getting a steroid shot! The pain has just completely vanished."
Waving her arm toward Old Man Jeong, the village chief urged him, "You old rascal, hurry up and drink one too. Didn't you say your knees were making cracking noises?"
"Why should I go around wasting something so precious? You should keep it and drink it yourself."
Sihyeon spun a vial around and held it out.
"I manufactured these precisely for the two of you to consume."
"Ahem. Well. Gosh."
"Go ahead."
"Well, my word."
Pretending to act against his will, Old Man Jeong picked up the vial and swallowed it down. The old man suddenly bolted up from his seat and gave his knees a slight bend. His joints shifted smoothly, as if they had been newly greased. There was absolutely no pain.
"This is completely different from the tea you gave me last time?"
"This will yield a far greater effect. It contains significantly more precious ingredients."
The village chief patted Sihyeon on the shoulder and said:
"It would be wonderful to give a bottle to Mimi's grandmother too. That old woman loves giving things away, and her knuckles are in terrible shape from constantly trimming and prepping vegetables all day long. The pickled perilla leaves and wild greens you enjoyed last time were actually her handiwork."
Even in a moment like this, she was thinking of sharing. She truly was a person of exceptional kindness.
Sihyeon nodded.
"Please distribute them as you see fit, Chief. Consuming it about once a month should be plenty. And please don't mention that it came from me. It requires an immense amount of manual labor, so I can only manufacture it once in a while. It would be a bit troublesome if rumors started spreading."
Old Man Jeong chimed in knowingly:
"You've been diligently traversing the mountain morning and night. You aren't just making Western teas anymore; I smell ginseng, I smell arrowroot. Your craftsmanship is getting sharper by the day."
"Ohhh. You know a thing or two, sir?"
"I possess a bit of an absolute palate, you see."
The village chief let out a snort and remarked:
"Absolute palate? Please. An absolute bloodhound nose is more like it. He can sniff out anything good for the body like a ghost."
"Ahem. …But is it truly alright for us to just consume something this precious for free?"
Sihyeon opened his eyes wide and replied:
"I plan on coming over to get free meals every single day!"
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