The Nymphs' Summer Vacation
“Mwehehe, this Oinoi is on summer vacation starting today…!”
It was a day some time after we'd ridden aboard the elves' luxury cruise liner, when Oinoi suddenly came out with something very strange.
“Summer vacation? Where'd that come from?”
“I hear that summer vacation is something very sparkly and wonderful…! And furthermore, this Oinoi is a nymph born under the summer sun…! This Oinoi has more right than anyone to have a summer vacation…!”
Having met the nymph Oinoi, and then other nymphs like Coris and Illinoi, I'd been rather proud to consider myself something of a Korean nymphologist — but nymphs truly were beings you could never fully figure out.
I didn't know much, but I could tell that Oinoi wanted to have a summer vacation.
“If you want a vacation, you have to go to school first.”
“Ahh, so that's what was missing…! I had been thinking something was lacking…! As expected, the master of this house is as clever as the famous Odysseus…!”
That's right.
I was very clever.
Swish—.
I led Oinoi out into the yard.
Only recently it had been spring, with cherry blossoms blooming and the days warm — but before I knew it, summer was approaching, and the season thickening in the air surprised even me.
Until last year, I'd been indifferent to the changing seasons.
But after meeting the nymph Oinoi, even the smallest shift in the seasons had come to feel meaningful.
“Alright, everyone, gather round.”
Swish—.
I called over Keong-keong-i, Kwang-kwang-i, and Ang-ang-i, who were playing in the yard.
━Oro-long…!
Today, Ang-ang-i's girlfriend, the Imperial Princess Ant, was there too.
For the record, Ang-ang-i's girlfriend was an Imperial Princess Ant whose body gleamed like polished black obsidian — a leader who commanded an enormous army of ants.
Her name was Elizabeth.
Anyway.
With everyone gathered, I spoke.
“I'm the principal of this yard school, and I'm going to teach you a little lesson.”
“What lesson do you wish to teach…? Talk to this Illinoi quickly, is what you must do…!”
At some point, Illinoi had appeared in the yard.
I wondered if Seo Yerim had come with her, but she wasn't there.
Illinoi held up the card hanging around her neck.
“Mwehehe, with this card of allowance money, this Illinoi can ride any subway or taxi she pleases…! Anyway, hurry up and start the lesson…!”
So that's how it was.
Soon, Coris arrived from far away as well.
“Everyone, hello it is…! This Coris has been busy helping out at the moving company, is what it is…! In exchange, I received this much allowance…!”
Jingle-jingle—.
Coris showed us an enormous handful of coins.
Apparently she'd made her way here by bus and subway too.
The nymphs were starting to adapt to the 21st century as well, I supposed.
Swish—.
The nymphs and the animals settled into places around the yard.
I addressed them.
“Today's lesson is about what a vacation is. A vacation means playing. And now the lesson is over. From this moment, you are all on vacation.”
“This Oinoi is on vacation…!”
Oinoi was overjoyed.
And Illinoi nodded along as well.
“Truly an excellent lesson…! It reminds this Illinoi of the days when she taught her finest disciple, Adam Smith…!”
“This Coris doesn't really know what is what, but I think it's fun…!”
So what would the nymphs want to do on their vacation?
At my question, Oinoi answered.
“Mwehehe, this Oinoi—. Though she doesn't care for those long-eared fairies, I think their methods have something to teach us…! This Oinoi and the nymph sisters shall hold a supporters' fair…!”
A supporters' fair?
Curious what they intended to do, I watched as Oinoi fetched a wide, flat table from somewhere.
She spread a tablecloth over it, then carefully laid out things that looked lovingly handmade — pebble bracelets, apple pies, and the like.
In front of them, she set up a sign that looked like it had been scribbled on a sketchbook in crayon.
🍋 Kwang-kwang-i Bracelet — 100 won × 100
🥧 Apple Pie — 100 won × 100
🎨 Drawing by Illinoi — 100 won × 1,000,000
🪨 Stones Coris Picked Up — 100 won
🍃 Leaves Left Over from Keong-keong-i's Meal — 100 won × 200
A makeshift stall had been set up in front of the yard, laden with all sorts of goods.
Apparently they were treasures the nymphs had made with their own hands or scavenged from somewhere.
“Mwehehe, picking up stones and selling them—. This Illinoi's business acumen is no match even for the giant mega corporations…! I shall become a very rich nymph…!”
“This Oinoi wants to buy a spaceship too…! But I'm worried — what if the goods sell too quickly and we run out of stock…!”
“This Coris has always wanted to go on a cruise ship voyage…!”
The nymphs were brimming with ambition in every way.
And so the fair — equal parts shop and the nymphs' summer-vacation supporters' event — began.
“We shall gather even more people than the fair those long-eared fairies held…! Surely a tremendous crowd will flood in, so thick there won't be room to set foot…!”
Swish—.
Oinoi kept bringing out more chairs and tables.
Five minutes passed, then ten—.
Then Oinoi spoke.
“Hyehek…! Nobody is coming…!”
That was that.
It was common enough for a business prepared with burning enthusiasm to go nowhere.
Once, I'd tried making and selling Ha Ildo merchandise myself, and when it wouldn't sell, the disappointment had been crushing.
Thinking back on it now, it no longer felt like someone else's problem.
“It's clearly the long-eared fairies' scheming…! A trap to hold down us nymphs with our short, splendid ears…! Call the lawyer here at once…!”
“This Coris still thinks it's a lot of fun…!”
The nymphs' reactions to the customers who never came ran the whole gamut.
Left with no choice, I decided to become their first customer myself.
“What are these bracelets? A Kwang-kwang-i bracelet?”
“It is a bracelet made from Kwang-kwang-i's spider silk…! Like a charm imbued with a very nymph-friendly effect…! It has an effect that will positively startle you…!”
A bracelet with a startling effect?
I knew well the effects of the charms Oinoi made.
And she was selling that for 100 won, a hundred of them.
Wasn't that surprisingly cheap and effective, actually?
“What effect does it have?”
“It increases your 'probability of successfully catching frogs'…!”
A bracelet that helps you catch frogs.
It was an impressive yet profoundly underwhelming effect.
Where would anyone even use that?
From what I heard, most of the bracelets were like that.
Raises your odds of spotting a wildflower while walking down the street—. Or raises your odds of finding a four-leaf clover—. Effects along those lines.
Nice to have, sure, but nothing earth-shattering.
“Is that just how these are?”
I asked, and Illinoi answered.
“By nature, the effects of charms are not something we nymphs can decide…! Still, if we keep making them, something like 'Adds 100 points of poison damage' might emerge someday…!”
100 points of poison damage added?
I didn't know what it meant, but it sounded tempting.
Like a game item.
“Then I'll buy all of them.”
“Each person may only purchase one…! Because we wish to sell fairly to everyone…!”
Is that right?
And here I'd been ready to buy out the whole stock.
I bought the bracelet that raised my odds of finding a four-leaf clover.
It was a bracelet of colorful spider silk with a four-leaf clover dangling from it.
“That bracelet is made from a four-leaf clover this Coris searched very hard to find…!”
I see.
A bracelet made from a clover Coris had made, then.
Anyway.
I had become their first customer.
For the record, purchases could only be made with 100-won coins — no cards or bills allowed.
Fortunately, I had 100 of them on hand.
Jingle-jingle—.
Oinoi dropped the coins into a box.
“The spaceship has drawn one step closer…! This Oinoi may be a fairy with neither wings nor a truck, but I want to buy a spaceship and touch the moon no matter what…!”
It was a very large, very grand dream.
However.
After I bought my bracelet, customers never came.
Occasionally, people visiting Taecho Village to see the dog-squirrels or honey ants would pause to browse the wares, but no one bought anything.
# # #
Evening.
As the sun lolled drowsily toward the horizon—.
The nymphs had grown somewhat dispirited.
“In the end, the only bracelet we sold was to the master of the house….”
Oinoi was utterly deflated.
I said to her,
“Shouldn't you make it possible to pay by bank transfer or bills too? Having to trade only in 100-won coins seems like a bit of a barrier.”
There had been customers interested in the goods.
But a system that accepted nothing but 100-won coins was a serious obstacle to winning people over.
“This Oinoi needs lots and lots of 100-won coins to ride the Mechanical Snail 2 with the nymph sisters…!”
Figured as much.
So a mechanical snail beats a spaceship, huh.
Oh well.
More importantly, it was about time she should have been here—.
Just as I was thinking that.
“Senior! What did you call me out here for? And why did you tell me to bring coins?”
Vroom—.
Someone appeared from far off, driving a tiny car.
It was Yu Ari.
“A nymph supporters' fair?”
Yu Ari looked at the nymphs.
Yu Ari was sharp as a tack, and she seemed to grasp the situation right away.
Swish—.
She took the coins out of her pocket and picked up a bracelet.
Watching her, Illinoi spoke.
“An excellent eye, truly…! That bracelet, for the record, is made from pomegranate seeds this Illinoi left over after eating…! It carries an effect like the river Styx…!”
Made out of what, with what effect now?
Just as I was feeling bemused, Illinoi added,
“The pomegranate is a fruit that is a friend to Kores…! It has the effect of making a Kore even more Kore-like, and of making a girl who isn't a Kore become like one…!”
Then Yu Ari asked,
“What's a Kore?”
“In the nymphs' tongue, it seems to be a word meaning something like a little princess or a young goddess. Ari, if you wear that, you'll apparently look like a little princess.”
“A p-p-princess…!”
Ari trembled all over.
Soon she piled 100 one-hundred-won coins onto the table with a jingle.
Watching her, Illinoi thrust her hand up high.
“This Illinoi is feeling very good…!”
From that moment, people began to trickle in, one by one.
Among them were my parents.
“Oinoi is holding a supporters' fair?”
“You're getting along well with Ildo, aren't you?”
My dad and mom came by and ruffled Oinoi's hair.
Then they each bought a pebble.
“What's this pie?”
Mom took an interest in the pies.
Soon Coris answered.
“It is a pie made from golden apples…! It is very delicious…!”
Swish—.
Mom took a bite of the golden apple pie.
And she was greatly surprised.
“This is really good? You could charge real money for this.”
“Mwehehe, we already are charging money…! This Oinoi baked them so very diligently…!”
Grown-ups kept streaming in and eating the pies.
Soon the rookie awakeners who'd come to the neighborhood to catch dog-squirrels got a taste of the golden apple pie too, and every one of them sang its praises.
Honestly, it really was delicious.
In the end, all ten slices of pie sold out in no time.
The bracelets were all snapped up by people as well.
“Mwehehe, this Oinoi…! I've become rich…!”
“This Illinoi's business acumen is truly amazing…!”
“The boss of the moving company came and went too…!”
Six o'clock in the evening.
Oinoi and the nymphs gazed proudly at their mountain of coins.
I needed to save up money like that too, after all.
But—.
The reason I needed to save had become rather murky lately.
“Ari, I'd like you to run a checkup on my body. Would that be all right?”
While the nymphs were cleaning up—.
I asked Ari, who had been the first to answer my call and come out today, about the state of my body.
Ari readily examined me, then gasped in astonishment.
“Senior. You've reached B-Rank? Did you receive a rank-up procedure recently, by any chance?”
It was the moment a question I'd been carrying around lately finally found its answer.
Breaking through to B-Rank required undergoing a procedure that etched an enchantment into your body.
The going rate was 300 million won on average.
But apparently, without any of that, I had already reached B-Rank.
So the car the elves sent over really was that effective, huh.
“Feeling very good!”
In conclusion, I had saved myself 300 million won just by sitting still.
And at the same time, I even felt a flicker of fear at my own potential!
“Senior. I think it's best to keep this a secret for the time being. Corporations or some rotten villains might come after your body, you know.”
“Like that plague-doctor mask, you mean?”
“Exactly! That woman is definitely a very wicked and terrifying person. I can feel it in my gut. So you absolutely must be careful, Senior.”
“Is that so.”
“Also — it's only rumor, but they say there's a being in this world called the Witch. A top-priority fugitive hunted by agencies all across the world. People like that could come after you too, Senior.”
The Witch.
A code name?
Some kind of nickname?
It was not a story I could afford to let slide past me.