When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 63
Only Krnovel
63. A bowl of warm noodles
“Here…”
A large greenhouse near the house.
When Yun Seol-ha came inside, she was surprised to see that it was a fairly full-fledged farm.
“I didn’t know that you, senior, could farm.”
“I can’t just stand there with a sword forever. I need to find my own job.”
Oh Hyun-seong shrugged his shoulders and said.
Then Yun Seol-ha looked around blankly.
I didn’t know that the job would be farming.
The fact that he came down to the countryside to live was surprising, and the Oh Hyeon-seong she had in mind was a person far from easygoing or peaceful.
That’s why I never thought that he would turn his back on everything and come down and settle down without any regrets.
“What are you doing blankly? You should hurry up and get things done.”
“…What’s going on?”
“Then, I have to pay for the meal.”
Oh Hyun-seong gave her a mission.
Together with the spirits, they all started farming.
But it wasn’t just strawberry farming as usual.
When Choi Jeong-il stayed for about a month recently, he had the guy work for him and built two new houses to expand the area.
In the newly acquired space, additional crops were planted.
‘You can’t just grow strawberries forever. Of course, I’m not planning on growing them for immediate delivery.’
His real farming took place in the main field, hidden behind a barrier above the house.
However, the house located below this house was a dummy for the outside world and was used to grow strawberries for delivery to department stores.
A place where crops that have been deliberately downgraded to be less affected by the spirits are grown.
The original spirit crops had such a destructive power that they created a separate space to prevent them from turning the world upside down.
‘Especially since I secured the original seeds, the taste has become so excellent that it’s almost overwhelming. If I were to release this into the world, there would be chaos.’
It was a taste that wasn’t just delicious, but something that broke common sense.
Even Choi Jeong-il, who had become accustomed to the spirit crops, was excited.
For people who were living off of horribly tasteless factory-made foods, it was impossible not to notice.
Because of this, he was even less able to share his crops with his neighbors.
So he expanded his range.
I was thinking of serving the crops grown here to my neighbors.
Especially since I’ve only ever gotten lunch boxes from the siblings next door, I plan on treating them properly for once.
‘Of course, we need to think about strawberry delivery as well.’
As I haven’t been sending out items lately, there was an uproar at Hankyung Department Store, asking them to please send me some strawberries.
It seems like they were being grilled by VIP customers.
Of course, thanks to the unfair contract made at that time, there is no disadvantage to him whether he stops trading without saying anything.
Even though my only business partner was in trouble, I thought I would deliver it since it wasn’t difficult.
Oh Hyeon-seong had already received a considerable amount of money from previous transactions, and thanks to that, he was able to freely buy all kinds of camping and fishing equipment, farming and cooking tools.
Yet his finances were still quite surplus.
Since they charge 1.4 million won for a small 1kg box, it is more difficult to dry out no matter what you buy.
“…Is this correct?”
Boom boom!
“Oh, like this?”
Meanwhile, Yun Seol-ha is working on the farm.
Although he was wandering around like a beginner, he was being trained by the water spirit riding on his shoulder.
A faint smile spread across Oh Hyun-seong’s lips at the sight of him groaning and concentrating.
‘You’re working hard.’
She was also going through the same process that most of her guests who visited Changyeong-ri had gone through at least once.
After all, there is nothing better than farming to clear your mind.
If you move your body hard, useless thoughts will also disappear.
When the distracting thoughts that bother you disappear, peace of mind will naturally come.
It’s definitely not meant to be taken advantage of.
‘Certainly, the current situation is much more stable.’
He watched her closely with his arms crossed.
Yun Seol-ha, who had been staying for the past few days and seemed ready to collapse at any moment, has noticeably found stability.
This is probably because the spirits’ crops have neutralized a lot of the turbid energy in my body.
Even the condition of his body, which had been severely overworked, seemed to have improved as he rested quietly.
‘But it is not a complete cure.’
If someone who doesn’t know her saw her, they would be relieved to see that she had fully recovered, but in reality, her condition was much more serious than that of Joo Ji-hye in the past.
‘Originally, psychosis repeats improvement and worsening.’
A brief improvement is meaningless.
Just like the current Joo Ji-hye, it would be meaningful if it becomes completely smooth without any instability in the long run.
For the time being, we had to remain calm and observe the situation.
It was definitely a good choice to bring him here from the hectic city.
They came back after finishing their farm work.
Since I finished all the work that had to be done that day, I spent the rest of the day very leisurely.
The heavy snowfall that had been falling in Seoul had already stopped a few days ago, but it started to fall again that afternoon and piled up.
Oh Hyun-seong was leisurely reading a book with the snow piled up outside the window in the background.
He closed his book and went out into the yard, the sky having already grown dark.
Yun Seol-ha was seen sitting in the middle of a yard covered in snow, warming herself by a campfire.
I wondered what he was doing, and he was just sitting there watching the spirits running around.
Oh Hyeon-seong walked over and sat down next to him.
Knock knock!
“Aren’t you able to adapt? Just sitting there and doing nothing.”
“…That’s right.”
“I was like that at first too.”
Yun Seol-ha stared intently at Oh Hyeon-seong.
The sight of him sitting leisurely by the fire, accustomed to this kind of life, was a very strange sight for her.
The Oh Hyeon-seong she knew was always busy working or training to hone his skills.
Even when he was recovering from an injury, he did not just rest, but helped train his successors at the training camp.
Every bit of knowledge and fundamentals he imparted saved the lives of countless juniors in the field.
In fact, this was not something that was unique to Oh Hyeon-seong, but was a common daily routine for the members of the special forces at the time.
I had to be constantly deployed to the field and fiercely hone my skills to survive even during my remaining time.
“Come here, you little punk.”
Oh Hyeon-seong snatched away a fire spirit that was running around.
A faint smile appeared on Yun Seol-ha’s lips at the sight of him playing with the gurgling spirit.
Her senior, who lived a more intense life than anyone else among the members, and who constantly refined herself and lived a strict life.
When the situation escalated, the mission was carried out with such desperation that it felt like rolling around in the mud.
But I thought that maybe those appearances weren’t due to Oh Hyun-seong’s true personality, but rather the circumstances that made them that way.
“What are you thinking about?”
“What would have happened if we hadn’t been drafted into the unit? If we hadn’t become Awakened?”
“Well, wouldn’t I have just lived an ordinary life? No, is that normal?”
Oh Hyun-seong was lost in thought, his voice dripping with laughter.
If you think about it, the category of ordinary is too broad.
Most people live like that, so if you lump it all together in one word, wouldn’t the answer be meaningless?
However, nothing flashed or came to mind.
I was drafted into the training camp when I was in middle school, so to be honest, I didn’t really have any dreams back then.
I was just busy being excited about the lunch menu that day and playing with my friends.
Now, those are blurry memories.
“What do you think you would have done with your life? Was there something you wanted to do?”
“I dreamed of becoming a painter. I liked painting since I was little, so I wanted to go to art school and was planning to enter an art high school.”
“Oh, that’s surprising. It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“Well… it was just a meaningless story.”
This is her story, which she never told anyone during her long military service.
Although she had shown talent since childhood and had continued to pursue her specialty, she had never picked up a paintbrush since joining the military.
“Since it’s drawing, I guess I can try it again now. Even if I don’t make it my job, at least as a hobby.”
“But is that possible?”
“What could go wrong? There’s plenty of time.”
“Probably… because I won’t be able to live a normal life.”
Yun Seol-ha could not return to the scene.
Regardless of her will, her life as a hunter is effectively over as she must avoid exposure to the elements as much as possible.
That you have to live an ordinary life.
But the problem now is the possibility that we won’t even be able to live a normal life.
She was like a time bomb, and she didn’t know it.
Before she was consumed by madness herself, she had seen many people consumed by psychosis.
We know for sure what their end was.
For now, I was able to calm myself down and control myself, but will I be able to interact with other people and lead a normal life?
I’m afraid I’ll never be able to go back to normal again.
Also, I was afraid that I would hurt others again.
In the past, she was willing to die for a cause.
Even though they were initially a force that was brought in by force, it is true that their mission was to maintain the country and society and save countless people in the rear.
But when I actually crossed the threshold of death, I realized that at that moment, the only thing I could think about was the people I left behind.
Taaak!
“Ugh…?”
Yun Seol-ha looked at him in confusion.
I was holding my cold forehead out of nowhere at night.
“Seo, senior?”
“I told you before. You worry too much for nothing.”
Oh Hyun-seong got up from his seat.
“You must be hungry. Let’s eat something to eat. You’ve only been eating porridge until now. You should try eating some proper food.”
Oh Hyeon-seong entered the house and immediately brought a tray.
Then Yun Seol-ha handed him a large bowl.
A bowl of noodles with a fancy name on it.
“This is…”
“What are you doing? You’re not eating.”
Oh Hyun-seong, who is sitting on the gutter, is already inhaling the noodles.
Then she followed suit and carefully brought a spoonful of noodles to her mouth.
Then her eyes twitched.
‘I have a feeling something is delicious…’
She was in a state of psychosis, experiencing hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and loss of control over all of her senses.
My sense of taste was also naturally affected, and no matter what I ate, it felt like my tongue was completely numb and I couldn’t taste anything.
But now, my sense of taste had returned a little, and I could taste subtle flavors in the noodles.
And these aren’t the noodles made from factory-made synthetic wheat that we eat later on.
The taste of real noodles from the past that I ate as a child.
“… Do you remember the noodles that your senior bought you after we finished our first field trip?”
“Yeah, it was a mess back then. There was this guy called Ace from the 7th generation, sitting there crying, saying he was dragged to death by a sewer monster.”
“We were kicked out because of the smell, so we sat on the street and ate.”
Yun Seol-ha burst out laughing.
And then, as I slurped down the warm broth of the noodles, a warm feeling spread throughout my body.
It didn’t taste that great compared to the actual taste.
What she feels now is a very faint taste.
And that was the nostalgia it gave.
Thinking back now, I was really young and ignorant, but it was a time when I could cry and laugh without any worries.
“Ugh…”
Yun Seol-ha wiped her eyes and pushed the noodles in diligently amidst a blooming smile.
****
No matter how the world turns, Changyeong-ri flows on quietly as usual.
But unlike there, Seoul was still reeling from the aftermath of the recent major incident.
Not only was the entire media in an uproar, but there was also an ominous atmosphere among citizens, as they did not know when a follow-up terrorist attack would occur.
On some streets stood armored vehicles engaged in special security operations.
At that time, there was a plane that landed in Incheon.
A blond man wearing sunglasses who arrived on a private jet.
“Are you here?”
“Guide me.”
He, a French national power-level hunter, got into the vehicle.
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