First Outing in 11 Years
Aigoo. Things were getting serious.
I stepped out of the pouch and gasped in admiration at the sight before me. Whether it was crops I recognized by name or ones I didn't, every inch of land as far as the eye could see was bursting with fruit and produce in full, vigorous glory.
The ripe rice heads bowed low under their weight, swaying in the wind like golden waves rippling across the fields. The fruit trees—pears, peaches, persimmons, pomegranates—were so laden with bounty that branches bent perilously, propped up with long poles to keep them from snapping. Not an inch of soil lay idle; along the ridges sat plump pumpkins here and there, while the fields brimmed with radishes, carrots, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Between the plots stood corn and sorghum, heavy with ears. And over there, clustered neatly apart, seemed to be herbs.
Oddly enough, crops with mismatched harvest seasons were all bearing fruit at once... Well, worrying about seasons in this place was pointless anyway.
I savored the strangely abundant rural charm as I entered the village—and gasped again. A spicy seasoning scent had been riding the breeze for a while now. Every death spirit in the village had turned out in force, turning the courtyards into a massive kimchi-making frenzy.
"Aaah, bring that over here. Right here."
"Is the meat cooking nicely?"
"White kimchi goes here, regular kimchi there."
"I like adding sea snails."
"Ew, no! They taste like snail poop!"
"Don't talk about poop when we're discussing food!"
"Sea snails keep the kimchi from spoiling fast and make it tastier."
"Fresh kimchi's great too—why bother!"
"Fine, suit yourself. Stick to your fresh kimchi."
In the lively chaos of bustling spirits, finished batches of kimchi were being carefully packed into massive stone jars—those stone jars. The ones from the cave?
Let me check... They hadn't hauled every last one from there, it seemed.
"They worked hard at it!"
The Earth Spirit popped up beside me, puffing out its chest proudly.
【Those stone jars. I was planning to use them.】
"Ah! No problem! Cave has more! Can make more if needed! Know all spots with jar-making stone! Don't worry!"
No, it wasn't worry exactly. Even if they crammed freshly made cabbage kimchi into brand-new jars, it wouldn't affect drawing out the energy infused in the stone.
Still, watching the Earth Spirit thump its chest with a front paw, I noticed red pepper powder stuck to its claws. Hmm. Mole-like form or not, it was fundamentally a spirit—no risk of contaminating the food. If anything, it might enhance it.
"Looks like we might run short on the stuffing?"
"Then make more right now!"
"Who stuffs it that loose? First time making kimchi or what?"
"Most of us here are kimchi newbies, right?"
"Oh! True! Haha!"
I watched the spirited death spirits with a steady gaze. Not a single one lacked energy; they all overflowed with vigor, itching to tackle one more task.
Village-building, farming, harvesting, and now kimchi-making death spirits. This wasn't the direct result of my deliberate efforts—more a byproduct of the pouch failing as a spirit trap. But... it was a sight for sore eyes.
As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome if they bring true happiness to the masses. If the outcome was justified joy for many, it couldn't be wrong.
"Danced real hard! Real hard!"
Noticing my pleased expression, the Earth Spirit emphasized its efforts once more. I nodded and stepped forward—
"Oh! Benefactor! Perfect timing! If you haven't eaten, join us before you go!"
The boy's mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, beaming at me.
A meal... Right. Here, I could chew and eat properly. Not my original body, but as a spirit form.
【Sure.】
I gave a slight nod of agreement and followed her lead. This time, the death spirits didn't panic and retreat like before, nor bow their heads low.
"H-hello."
"Hi..."
"Th-thank you, thank you so much!"
"Thanks! We're living well because of you!"
More at ease now—smiling faces, a bit awkward but grateful bows all the same.
Hm?
"Aaah, we spread the word hard. Told everyone not to fear you. Said it's all thanks to you we can live peacefully here."
Aha.
"Alright, everyone—spoon of rice and back to work! Benefactor's joining for a meal!"
At the mother's loud call, the spirits set down their tasks.
"Yeah! Let's eat first!"
"Gotta pace ourselves. Sun's not setting yet. Meat should be done too!"
"Aigoo, that pork belly smells divine! Back in my youth, eating my fill of meat just once before dying was my dream!"
"For me, it was a heaping bowl of shiny white rice."
"Aigoo. Those were the days."
"Yeah. Fulfilled it only after dying. Go figure."
Chatting about their harsh, hungry past lives, they bustled about—fetching bowls, chopsticks, scooping rice and stew, slicing meat. Amid the whirlwind, I lent a hand, earning wide-eyed stares that soon broke into bright smiles.
Hmm. Old souls weren't all pure and kind by default, but they definitely felt worlds apart from modern folk...
"Benefactor first!"
Seated, platters appeared before me: two hefty brass bowls brimming with rice, two soup bowls, a plate of fresh kimchi. These brass bowls—nearly three times modern rice bowls—overflowed with glossy, steaming rice from the cauldron I'd seen earlier. Delicious aroma wafting.
Two servings each of rice and soup made sense for a hearty eater like me. Nearby spirits had the same generous portions.
But—the rice in the left bowl differed from the right.
I eyed them left and right, scrutinizing. No malice emanating—just good energy. But how good, and why different?
Curious glances around me as I held off on chopsticks—this took priority.
"This stuff's super rare. Precious even back then, rarer now. Makes sense you don't know. I'll explain."
The Earth Spirit sidled close, whispering intently.
"Made and grown here. Good for spirit. Planted and grown here. Good for spirit and body."
Hmm?
"Made ones—village death spirits thought 'em up. Effort in thought. Shaping ideas concretely. Helps spirit."
What? Its unusually fluent speech made me doubt if this was the same dim-witted Earth Spirit.
"I'm Earth Spirit! Land expert! Here or outside!"
It snorted at my look and continued.
"Planted ones—I brought seeds from outside, planted, harvested. Grew well in now-'spirit realm'. Connected. Blended right. Eat—spirit and body thrive. Gain weight. Healthy!"
Oho?
【This place became a spirit realm? And connected to the outside?】
"Yes! This many death spirits made realm this size. Impressive. They worked hard. Created rare, special stuff. This rice too."
【Rice too? So other things as well?】
"Of course! Saw good growth, planted more. I danced hard—said so earlier!"
Boosts spirit and body. All-purpose tonic? Health and weight gain?
Right—Bin-i said about 5kg gain would allow short outings. Time to eat up.
Spoon in hand, first bite—expectant eyes converged. I blew on the steaming rice, cooled it, chewed thoroughly.
The long-lost taste of rice... sweet, sticky, delicious.
* * *
"What the hell—calling at this hour? What wrap-up now? We already won the game."
"Still, lawyer wouldn't call for nothing. Let's wait."
"Such a pain... Yawn. Barely enough time for schmoozing as is."
As dawn light crept in, the four siblings gathered in their father Ham Man-woo's old office grumbled over a supposed will wrap-up.
"At least it'll be done today."
The eldest scowled; the other three mirrored him.
"Typical—always kept himself squeaky clean, never mind his kids slaving away! Dumping all that cash on lazy bums. Their ancestors did independence movement—so what, they did? Post-colonial era was opportunity galore. They didn't hustle then, so why's Dad bailing them out now?"
"Exactly. 'Ancestor was a patriot'—mooching off that forever. How long they gonna leech honest earners? Learn to beg comfy, never work again. No wonder they say even the king can't save the poor."
"Right. Dad pitied total strangers, blind to his blood kin grinding in business! Could've given in life—now this will gives us headaches! We helped build that fortune too, y'know!"
"Hey, hey. It'll all be ours soon. No need to rage now."
Usually at each other's throats over every scrap, they synced up perfectly on gripes, whining endlessly.
After exhausting curses, tempers cooled; they shifted topics.
"So, how's Dad lately?"
"Same old dementia patient. Deflated balloon—barely lucid."
"Shows you gotta be careful. Guy thought he was top dog—now this."
"Yeah. After seeing him, family's doing dementia checks religiously. Miss the window, you're done."
"—Argh, why isn't anyone picking up?!"
"Huh? What?"
The fourth, glued to his phone amid chatter, snapped; the third asked.
"Who you calling?"
"Guy helping with the will. Knew Dad back in the day. Suddenly no answer—from three of 'em. Called to check for today's issues."
"Too early?"
"Nah. Early risers for workouts or work. Should be up by now."
The second raised his phone too, puzzled.
"...Actually, I've been trying folks too—no picks. Old Dad contacts... They used to jump at calls for crumbs. Something's up?"
"Hm..."
Regular contacts, instant pick-ups lately—greedy for money or favors. Now, radio silence?
What's going on?
Something wrong?
Anxiety surged as eyes darted—then the door creaked open.
Expecting exclusive lawyer Shin Heung-ryeol, they glanced over—and froze.
"Ah..."
"Dad...?"
"How—"
"Y-you're in the hospital."
Shock, fear, dismay, unease mingled in their voices as Ham Man-woo advanced with a stern face. Grinning Shin followed.
Squeak.
No one spoke until Ham Man-woo reclaimed his seat. Opening mouths felt like tempting doom.
What the—?
Saw it with my own eyes!
Just days ago—
How?!
Frantic glances flew until Ham Man-woo finally parted his lips.
* * *
"Day and a half for 5kg? Body was starved so absorbing fast? Hmm. Probably temporary from water weight... But arms and face look fuller for real..."
Bin-i checked my weight, mumbling, then beamed.
"Still, expert plus expert yields results! Trust docs, but Il-sik uncle swore he could bulk the skinny—ack!"
Mom's finger jabbed her side; Bin-i curled up.
"Even so—no calling oppa 'anchovy'."
"Not wrong though... Aaa fine! Fine! Il-sik uncle said he's ace at fattening the frail—and he was right!"
Dodging another poke, Bin-i grabbed my hand.
"Oppa. No pain or breathing issues, right?"
Nod.
"Then... Ask the doc if we can go out? Outing? What do ya say?"
Of course! I grinned, thumbs-up.
Yes. Not spirit-only soul-exit—this was my first proper outing in 11 years, with this body.