I Quit My Job and Run a Café - Chapter 258



Only Krnovel

Quitting the company and opening a cafe Episode 258

Just looking at this, I couldn’t understand what it meant.

It seems like whoever created this place put something here… … .

“This writing doesn’t look that old. Could it have been written by the head monk?”

The last sentence certainly seemed that way. It was a trace that seemed to fit perfectly if it had been written by the monk Juji.

So, did the chief monk write this and put it under the Buddha statue? Then what was the ledger that was on top of it?

As I was about to unfold it again, I heard a rustling sound next to me.

“Are you awake?”

“Ugh~ How long did I sleep?”

“Not much time left. Do you want to rest some more?”

“Um. No. I’ll just sit here and do nothing.”

As I watched Hansongi sit on the narrow porch in front of the main gate of Daeungjeon and start to stare blankly outside, I put away the things I had found and sat down next to her.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Water?”

“No water.”

“Huh? Is there anything else besides water?”

“Just make it.”

If Hansong brought a lunch box, I brought a gift set. And some soda.

Originally, we were going to give it to the head monk here, but since that had already gone overseas, we decided to just eat it ourselves.

“Do you like pears or pomegranates?”

“I am a pomegranate.”

So I decided to make honey pear ade by mixing pear honey, apple cider, and soda.

It was simple to make.

Just put the pear honey syrup in a tumbler and pour in the carbonated water.

The pomegranate ade was the same. I mixed pomegranate honey, citrus fruit, and carbonated water in a tumbler that had only contained water.

“Okay. Here.”

“I will eat well~”

“Let’s eat this too.”

I also took out the pie that was in the gift set.

Since it was already opened, I couldn’t give it as a gift anyway. In that case, it would be better to eat it here.

‘Should I call this a self-Chuseok gift?’

Although Chuseok is still a while away, I ended up giving and receiving the first gift myself.

I didn’t feel bad. It also meant that I had worked hard.

‘It feels like I’m at some kind of pre-holiday workshop.’

It was one of the things I really hated when I was working at the company, but now I like it quite a bit.

It’s leisurely and there’s no one to worry about.

“It feels so peaceful.”

“huh?”

I wondered what Hansong-i meant, but then I realized it right away.

The dampness I felt when I first entered disappeared after dealing with the giant snake of karma earlier.

And the temple, which had been dark, became bright and lively as if sunlight had come in. Thanks to this, it didn’t feel like a temple that was not well-maintained, but rather like grass growing naturally.

Another scene in which the Daeungjeon looked like a large hut naturally appeared in my mind.

I could relate to what Hansong meant by peacefulness.

“That’s right.”

“It feels different than when you eat. Were you really hungry earlier?”

“That could be the case.”

At that time, I had just come out of the influence of the dull aura, and now I have completely come out of it, so that could be the case.

The seasons are like that, when autumn is just beginning and when it is in full swing, it feels different. The scenery of the mountain temple was a bit more lively now.

‘I might do that because I have some free time now.’

I was still a bit wary when I was eating, but that was lifted by what I found under the Buddha statue earlier.

Anyway, I’ve eliminated the source of the dull aura.

There were mysterious ledgers and diaries left behind, but these can be solved later.

“Let’s rest a bit more and then go down.”

“yes~”

Hansongi, who had been dazed from having a good night’s sleep after eating earlier, now seemed to have regained her energy and spoke brightly as she drank her pomegranate honey syrup.

I also felt the atmosphere outside while drinking the pear honey and green ade.

It used to be like this, but… how did it end up like this?

‘It’s not the land that’s the problem, it’s the people above it.’

If we think about the mountain behind where the forest fire broke out and the places where the land was polluted, it was a big problem with people.

That was probably the case here too.

The snake of karma is created by accumulating karma, and that can only be done by humans.

I’ve never seen this happen naturally before.

‘They say that the person who took over after the head monk made the temple like this. So does that mean the ledger is his?’

Well then, the ledger I picked up doesn’t seem to be very good, so I’m a little worried about whether I should keep it.

This was a human problem, beyond the dull aura.

Just in case the owner comes looking for this. That’s… … .

Rustle!

“!?”

Then suddenly there was a sound of the bushes shaking.

It wasn’t just the sound of something blowing in the wind.

A sound.

‘Who is it?’

Hansong-i looked as if she hadn’t heard it yet.

Just in case, I tried to signal Miho in the direction of the sound while being cautious… … .

“What are you guys doing here?”

First, a sound came from the bushes.

But it was a voice I had heard before.

“Huh? Oh, hello?”

He was the old man who told us about the temple in the nearby village earlier. But why did he come here?

“Huh. I thought it was a no-no when you said you were going… … .”

“Oh, yes. But since I’ve come this far, I thought I’d come and take a look.”

“Isn’t everything okay? Someone came here a while ago, but they must have seen something and were scared so they ran away. I was worried so I came here, but they seem okay?”

There was something to guess from what my grandfather said. Maybe he was startled by the cold air from the dull aura, or maybe the snake of karma did something.

But I pretended not to know. Judging from my grandfather’s aura, he didn’t seem to have much to do with this place, but I thought I’d just in case.

‘I don’t think you’ll believe me when I say that in the first place.’

That was another matter. So it was easier to just pretend not to know.

Than that.

“I guess people come here often?”

“They come often. At one time, people came because they thought it was good. They came from far away, and famous people came. Now, those people don’t come, but they still come sometimes.”

So as soon as I mentioned the temple, you knew it was here.

People still come to the temple even though it’s in this state.

“Still, I’m glad they’re both safe.”

“Yes. I think we fit in well here.”

“Is that so? Hmm… … It seems strangely different from before?”

My grandfather looked around, perhaps sensing something strange while looking at the two of us.

It seems like you felt the temple’s energy change.

But since words are just feelings, it seemed difficult to express exactly how something had changed.

So, Grandpa just tilted his head for a moment.

“The temple is really pretty.”

“It’s pretty. It looks like a ghost might appear.”

“Rather, it’s nice, like an ancient temple from a long time ago.”

“Haha! Not only are you pretty, but you also speak beautifully. That may be why the mountain here has opened up a path for you.”

“Yes? Will the mountain open the way for me?”

“There have been mountains like that since long ago. Before this temple was built here, no one could climb it. Of course, it felt different than it does now, but anyway, they used to open the path so that only those who were permitted could climb it.”

“Wow~ So we were chosen.”

The grandfather seemed pleased with Hansong’s reaction and explained it to her by telling her a story about the mountain.

But that wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t completely right either. If that’s the case, then the grandfather who came up here was also someone chosen by the mountain.

And looking at it, it seemed like I had come up here before.

So, it’s a kind of self-praise… … .

‘Let’s be patient.’

I wanted to say something, but I held back because of the atmosphere.

I wonder if that made Grandpa feel better.

“There’s more here. Should I come down?”

“Yes, I’ll be leaving in a little while.”

“Then when you come down, come to our village and have a meal before you go. It looks like it’ll be a bit tricky to even have a meal when you leave.”

“Huh? Really? It’s totally great!”

He invited me to dinner.

They say a word can repay a debt of a thousand nyang, and Hansong-i was able to get a meal with just one word.

I also accepted it without any particular request.

“Then I’ll come see you later.”

“That’s right. Come down carefully. This mountain has always had a strong energy. That’s why there used to be a temple there… … Tsk. How could a swindler like that take over?”

Grandfather turned around as if he was going to go first, but I quickly stopped him after hearing what he was mumbling at the end.

“Sir, where is the person who came here after that head monk?”

“Where are you going? You must have gone to hell.”

“yes?”

“Oh, I heard he went there.”

The place my grandfather was pointing to was the sky.

That means he is not of this world.

“It was a rainy day. Anyway, there was a car accident on the road ahead.”

“ah.”

“The driver swerved his car in surprise when a snake or something jumped out, and since it was raining and visibility was poor, he didn’t realize it was there and hit it. He was punished by heaven.”

There was nothing left to ask after my grandfather’s words.

It was ambiguous whether I was happy or sad that the person I had was no longer of this world.

Grandfather waved his hand and gave me another warning before going down.

Thank you for coming to a place that was over an hour away.

‘By the way, then there is no owner of the ledger.’

Because that person was most likely the owner.

The last date written in the ledger also seemed to match the time my grandfather had told me. That must have been why only the ledger remained.

Because there is no owner.

But even though there was no owner, the karma accumulated there remained in the ledger, so it seemed to have become a snake of karma.

Thanks to my grandfather, I was able to sort out the situation in my head to some extent.

In the end, it means that the ledger and everything under it have no owner.

‘I can take it and check it.’

Thanks to that, I feel less uneasy.

“But if you look closely, there’s something about this place that feels a bit like your brother’s.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Is it because I heard that you did the maintenance yourself? Anyway, I have a strange feeling when I look at the temple like this.”

“What does that feel like?”

“What should I say? It feels like a really big tree is emitting phytoncide.”

“… … What is that?”

“Anyway, it’s something like that. It’s a really big tree with fairy-like things flying around it.”

I almost felt a sting from Hansong’s expression. Even now, Soojung and Miho were flying around.

─Turtle! Turtle is getting better!

Kiyung~!

The look of caution that had been on his face when he came up was now a look of curiosity as to where he had gone.

There’s no way Hansongi would have seen this, but she felt that way.

“What about fairies? They’re just lazy cats.”

“Is that so?”

He said this while pretending not to notice and looking at Langi.

Then, Hansong-i looked at Rangi and smiled in agreement. But that smile strangely resembled someone else’s.

“You just laughed just like Su-ah?”

“Huh? Really?”

“uh.”

Someone did it, it was Suah.

Is it because I’ve been seeing it so much lately?

It was amazing and it changed the topic of conversation.

“Let’s take a short break and then go down.”

“yes~”

I took some time to relax and look at the scenery outside again.

This time, I really didn’t think about anything else and just blankly sat there…

* * *

Time passed really quickly in the mountains, and as I came down, the sun seemed to be just setting over the mountains.

A time when I wonder if it’s too late to go to the village.

Still, since I had made a promise, I went to the village to at least say hello. Then, as if he had been waiting, the grandfather came out to greet me first.

“Are you coming down now?”

“Yes. I came back after a good rest.”

“Really? Lately, there have been only bad rumors going around, so I was feeling a bit uneasy, but thanks to you guys, I feel a bit better. You must be hungry. You probably didn’t get to eat properly there. Come in quickly.”

I was immediately invited to my grandfather’s house. And I was surprised.

The house was ordinary. It was neither particularly large nor particularly small, just a typical country house.

It was clean, as if it had been remodeled, but it still had some signs of age.

So this didn’t really surprise me… … .

“No, why is it like this?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised by the table set so high that it seemed as if my legs would bend.

But that wasn’t the end of the surprise.

A corner of the room with a gloomy aura also surprised me.

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