The Taste of Capital

Thud— thud—

It was the height of a sweltering summer, with only three days left before the school semester began. And here I was, doing… what, exactly?

Two days earlier. Chairman Choi Tae-seok, who had come out to the farm to pay his respects, had a house ready the very next day. Then he'd torn up the backyard, turned it into a vegetable garden, and invited me over to see it.

The house the Chairman had purchased had been practically falling apart — and in just two days, it had been completely renovated from top to bottom.

So this is what they call the taste of capital…?

He'd shown me firsthand that there was nothing money couldn't do. And yet the man himself, wearing a battered straw hat, was diligently digging away in the soil right beside me.

Thud— thud, clink!

That sound wasn't right.

"Grandpa, you can't dig like that when there's a rock."

Every now and then a stone would be embedded in the earth, and one wrong strike could hurt your wrist. In those cases, you had to scrape the soil away slowly and check the bottom first.

As for what to call him — we'd simply settled on "Grandpa." He was retired now, after all; what was the point of "Chairman"? He'd told me to just call him Grandpa, so I decided to go with the easygoing "Old Man Choi."

The problem was that Old Man Choi, in turn, had started calling me "Teacher," and his speech had become downright bizarre.

"Another rock, indeed."

"So it is."

By now it was perfectly natural honorific speech. And it was killing me. The sighs came unbidden.

I pried the stubborn rock loose with effort and said, "I told you, just speak comfortably."

"But how could I, when you're my teacher?"

I drove my hand trowel into the pointless dirt. "Think of it like talking to a friend. Please, speak casually. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Ho ho, a friend, you say… Well then, perhaps I shall?"

Finally! He'd finally dropped the formalities!

"Great. I'll call you Grandpa comfortably too, so let's just treat each other nicely."

"All right, then."

Perfect. See how much easier this is?

Of course, after that, we went right back to killing ourselves over the soil.

Thud, thud—

"Oof, another rock."

You tilled this into a vegetable garden, but did it somehow turn into a rock garden instead? As Grandpa Choi and I grumbled our way through clearing the field, Jang Woo-jin appeared carrying a chilled glass of sikhye for each of us.

"Khh—"

Sweet. Delicious. To think someone could turn rice — rice we barely had enough of to eat — into a drink like this. Whose idea had this been? Genius, honestly.

The reason I was spending what little remained of my midday freedom here was simple. Instead of the conversation-companion gig, they wanted me on board as a teacher to instruct them in field work — and there was no reason to refuse. Besides, there was actually something I wanted to verify through this opportunity.

The sweet potatoes Grandpa and I had planted together had come with an effect that strengthened muscles. Out of countless possible effects, why muscle enhancement of all things? I'd mulled it over for the past few days and reached a conclusion: it must have been because muscle was what Grandpa needed most at that moment.

In other words, crops planted in a Mana Land awakened with the effect most needed by the person who planted them.

So what about other people? What special effects would crops take on when planted by someone with a wish of their own? Even desires I couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perceive — would the crops sense them and awaken accordingly?

In that sense, Grandpa Choi was an excellent test subject. The garden wasn't particularly large, it sat on private property, and no strangers would come wandering in. So why not turn the field we were clearing into a Mana Land and run the experiment?

"Chairman, Ji-on. Have a snack while you work."

Right on cue, Jang Woo-jin appeared with refreshments. The menu: watermelon. Cool, refreshing fruit, its crisp juicy flesh practically flowing. Red watermelon pieces, cut in a neat, rhythmic pattern, sat tidily arranged on a tray.

"It's far too hot out. Perhaps you should go inside and rest?" Jang Woo-jin asked, noticing the sweat streaming down Grandpa Choi's face.

Grandpa nodded. "Sounds good. Ji-on, let's head in."

I wanted nothing more than to march in right that second and demolish that watermelon, but I still had a bit of work left. If I turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this place into a Mana Land today, I could plant the seeds too and leave with my mind at ease. I needed to concentrate alone, so a moment when no one was around was ideal.

"Go on in and start without me. I'll just finish cleaning up and come in."

"We'll be inside waiting, so hurry in."

Once I confirmed the two of them had gone in and closed the door, I drove a few rocks I'd scouted out earlier into the edges of the garden. Toss a rough boundary of stones around a field like this, and anyone would assume it was just decoration.

Then I immediately set to work inscribing mana into the rocks. Just the simple basic inscriptions — the more complex ones took too long, and taking too long would look suspicious.

Finally, I used magic to gather the surrounding stones into a tidy border. Done.

"Whew, it's hot."

Still, the work wrapped up quickly.

After checking the System, I hurried inside as well. Thanks to the air conditioning, the air inside the house was crisp and cool.

Suddenly I found myself coveting that air conditioner. Could I manage it with magic somehow? …Wait, I've made plenty of money now — can't I just buy one? Yes. Buy it. I'm buying one.

As I eyed the AC and moved to sit down at the table, something was pushed in front of me. Not watermelon. Well — no, it was watermelon, technically…

Sensing my bewilderment, Jang Woo-jin explained. "It's a watermelon punch I made. I put plenty of ice in it, so take your time."

A clear liquid brimming with fruit floated in the bowl. This is watermelon punch? It wasn't just watermelon — other yellow fruits were bobbing around in there too. But my throat was parched, so I picked up the bowl and gulped it down.

Glug, glug—

"…!"

Sweet — sweeter than the sikhye! The taste was a shock. Behind the sweetness, a fizzy, prickling sensation of carbonation danced at the tip of my tongue.

"It's delicious!"

"I'm glad."

Jang Woo-jin and Grandpa Choi both gazed at me with contented smiles. That kind of gaze was a little much, honestly.

"Ahem. So, about what to plant in the garden…"

"Ah, right. Do you have any recommendations?"

"How about carrots?"

Autumn carrots get sown around this time of year, so the seeds would be easy to come by. I'd done my homework, one way or another — and I'd bought carrot seeds in advance, too.

"As it happens, I already brought some seeds."

"Ho ho, my teacher is well prepared indeed."

All that remained was to see what kind of special crop the carrot registered as here, and today's big task would be nearly complete. Then I'd head to the field and finish harvesting the sweet potatoes.

"Let's go plant them right away."

We polished off the snacks and began sowing the carrot seeds. The plot wasn't large, so it looked like it wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take long. First, I used the hand trowel to mark out furrows at even intervals. Then, along those furrows, I planted the carrot seeds at a proper distance apart. The trick was to place the seeds at the right depth and gently cover them with soft soil.

Pat, pat—

"That should just about do it. Now we only need to water them."

A rich man's well-prepared house was a comfortable thing. Every tool imaginable — watering cans included — was fully stocked nearby. I filled the green watering can to the brim, kept the water pressure gentle, and sprinkled the furrows evenly.

Shhhhhh—

The carrot cultivation setup was finally, completely ready!

The window I'd been waiting for finally appeared.

Yes, obviously yes!

The awakened special-crop effect seemed to be the same as before. This time, the special crop was the Clear Eye Carrot — and just as the name suggested, it appeared to be a carrot that cleared your vision when eaten.

Now all that was left was to prove my theory. If my hypothesis was right — that special effects awakened according to the planter's needs — then Grandpa Choi had to be currently struggling with some problem related to his eyesight.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and searched for an image of tiny text. Then, playing innocent, I held the phone out and asked, "Grandpa, I can't quite read this. Can you make it out?"

"Hmm? My eyes have been going for a good while now, what with old age and all. It's all a blur to me — I can't make it out at all."

There it was. Nice!

So special crops really did awaken with the effects needed by whoever planted them. For the first time, I felt like I had a proper grasp of how the System worked.

"Nothing to be done about it, I suppose. I'll take a proper look at it later," I said, rising from my seat. "The carrots I just planted will probably be ready within a week."

"…That fast?"

Doesn't it normally take, what, two months for a carrot to grow? Chairman Choi tilted his head and stared hard at the soil.

I circled around it for the bewildered Chairman. "I happened to bring some rather special carrot seeds. You know how rare things are everywhere these days. Anyway, once they're fully grown, let's eat them together right away."

"Ho ho, all right. Let's do that."

Subject successfully changed. Leaving behind the delighted Chairman, who was thrilled at the prospect of eating them together, I got up from my seat.

"I should head back soon. My father and grandfather are watching the field in my stead."

Some crops would be ready to harvest starting tomorrow, so I needed to prepare diligently today. By the time the carrots in this garden were fully grown, I'd be attending school. Life was about to get very, very busy.

"Secretary Jang, give Ji-on a ride back."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

Jang Woo-jin grabbed the car keys and followed me out. "Ji-on, after you."

Vrrroooom—

His driving was smooth — truly the polish of a seasoned professional. Even on a dirt road, to put it mildly, there was hardly a single jolt; the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ride felt effortless. I settled comfortably into my seat, marveling at Jang Woo-jin's skill…

…and then spent the entire drive to the field acutely aware of Jang Woo-jin's sidelong glances at me.

Quick flick to the rearview mirror even while driving straight. A glancing look on every left turn. Another on every right turn. Flick, flick.

Hmm….

"Secretary Jang. Is there something you'd like to say to me?"