Lilac
Lilac. She was appointed as the gardener of his secret garden by the command of the last emperor, Minare. Her duty was to tend the garden while protecting it from intruders. To that end, the emperor bestowed upon her the Garden Master's Necklace. Lilac faithfully tended the garden and warded off intruders as per the emperor's orders. She turned the intruders into statues to aid in her work.
But at some point, the intruders stopped coming. The garden held only her and the statues. Lilac continued tending it as her duty demanded. The next year. And the year after. And the year after that. And the year after that. It was an impossibly, unbearably long time. What had begun as a glorious duty became a curse that strangled her. Immortality turned into a curse. She wanted to die. But she couldn't. The emperor's command had become the curse binding her.
Lilac waited only for an intruder to come and grant her death. After thousands of years, a welcome intruder finally appeared—one she hadn't seen in ages. She followed the simulation she'd run in her head hundreds, thousands of times. She used the statues to terrify them into the maze, naturally revealing her abilities and weaknesses. She scattered indirect hints to let them uncover her identity. Her acting was flawless. She'd practiced that much.
One thing deviated from her expectations: the intruder was a chef. She'd expected a mighty swordsman or mage. He asked what she wanted to eat, and her mouth moved on its own to say cake. Lilac didn't even know why she'd said cake. In any case, the chef whipped up a cake in no time, and it looked pretty tasty. Lilac ate the cake he'd made without a second thought.
"……!"
The chef's cake brought back memories from far, far in the past—from her long-forgotten childhood. The fresh cream cake her mother had made for her birthday. That precious memory. A moment of happiness she'd thought faded beyond recognition after thousands of years returned to her like a spring breeze. Tears poured out unbidden at the unfamiliar emotion she'd completely forgotten. She'd thought her tear ducts had dried up long ago.
The chef's skills were top-notch. 'To receive such a gift right before the end...' Lilac bowed her head deeply as she ate the cake. 'I'll give you a gift in return. This necklace is yours.'
But this guy showed no sign of taking it even after finishing nearly the whole cake. "Hehe, can I have just one more piece?" 'Take it this time.' She bowed her head even deeper. This time, she even pulled the necklace out fully. 'Take it! Take it!'
As she'd hoped, he began reaching for the necklace. 'Yes!' But just as his hand was about to touch it, it stopped dead. 'Why! Why stop! Take it!' No matter how long she waited, he didn't grab it. In the end, Lilac lifted her head. Maybe if he realized she'd been caught, he'd snatch it in surprise.
"……."
"……."
But the chef still didn't take it. The emperor's command etched into her mind began tearing at her body. Punish this intruder who has seen through your identity. Lilac desperately resisted her duty, buying a few precious seconds, but he ignored the necklace she was offering and just spouted nonsense.
"Th-the necklace is really pretty, huh?"
"……."
The final emperor's duty—no, curse—began controlling her body against her will. Lilac drew out the glowing green necklace.
"Too late. The chance has already passed, you fool."
Hope turned to despair. Lilac couldn't die this time either. She had to live. Live on, tending this godforsaken garden, waiting for the next unknown intruder. With the guilt of killing this foolishly kind-hearted chef weighing on her.
That was when it happened. The entire maze split in half, and before she could dodge, an arrow flew at blinding speed and embedded in her temple. There had been two intruders. This was truly unavoidable.
'Ahh. Thank you.' Lilac collapsed as if falling asleep, a serene smile on her face.
* * *
A mysterious figure from afar dropped right in front of me in an instant.
"Chef-nim. Are you alright?"
"You..."
A long-haired man. I'd seen him only once, but I knew exactly who he was. He was the owner of the drool that dripped from the trees every time I cooked. The one who'd left a bit of food behind each time.
"Stalker dude."
"S-stalker? Me?"
He flustered, running a hand through his hair.
"Your name?"
"Baek Bal Baek Jung."
"Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim."
"Yes, Chef-nim."
"Thanks for saving me."
"No trouble at all."
"And my name is Hura."
"Ah! I had a hunch. So you really are that Hura-nim."
"You know me?"
"Of course. You're famous for the Tteokbokki Cult."
"……."
Baek Bal Baek Jung glanced at me, Gold Sun, and Tteok Sun-i, then muttered gravely.
"Anyway, this looks like a petrification status effect, right? Monsters with this kind of debuff are super rare, so there aren't many antidotes. Let me check if I have something..."
He rummaged through his inventory as he mumbled.
"Hey, Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim."
"Just a moment. If I don't have it, I'll go fetch some."
"Just shove some of that cake in my mouth."
"Pardon? What cake?"
"The one on the floor there."
I nodded toward the cake splattered on the ground.
"That? Really?"
"Yeah. I made it—it recovers all status effects."
"Ah, got it."
Baek Bal Baek Jung picked up the cake and fed me a bit. Sensation returned to my limbs.
"It really works?"
"Yep. See?"
I wiggled my fingers.
"Ooh, nice. All-status recovery is pretty rare."
"Good ingredients. Could you feed some to those two over there too?"
"Sure."
"I'll make you another one, so don't eat the one on the ground."
"Ah, got it."
Soon after, Gold Sun and Tteok Sun-i woke from their statuesque states, fussing over me before bowing to Baek Bal Baek Jung, thanking him profusely for saving their master.
In the meantime, I knelt to check on the fallen Lilac. She wore a deeply peaceful smile. I knew she was an NPC, but seeing her collapse with that wistful smile tugged at my heart. Death had been what she wanted most. What a tragic life.
"Rest easy."
I removed the necklace from her neck. Her body crumbled to ash and scattered.
Minare's Secret Garden
◈ The necklace of the gardener Lilac, bestowed by the last emperor Minare.
◈ Petrifies a target once per day.
Not bad at all. This must be the special reward for the first clear they mentioned when entering the dungeon. Wait— if so, that means it's not the clear reward itself.
"Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim."
"Yes, Hura-nim."
"Can you sweep the place like before? But lower this time."
"Of course."
Without a word, he flopped onto the ground, nocked an arrow to his bow.
"Everyone behind me."
We scrambled behind him, and he twisted the taut bowstring once. Light began emanating from the arrow.
"Everyone's back there, right?"
"Yes."
I answered from behind him. Only then did Baek Bal Baek Jung release the string.
Schwaaaa—
A blue wind rose, carrying the arrow as it horizontally cleaved the green maze.
"Whoa."
The green maze was mown down like with a buzzcut, clearing instantly.
"Good?"
"Perfect."
I headed toward the center of the maze. Centers always hold something special. Sure enough, stepping over the fallen green walls revealed a sunken underground passage in the middle. Without hesitation, we descended. Golden bowls, silverware, pearl necklaces, ancient gold coins, rings and necklaces embedded with massive gems—treasures of all kinds awaited us in a huge treasure chest.
"Wow..."
You have cleared the hidden dungeon 'Minare's Secret Garden'.
First discoverer bonus: Double rewards granted.
...Whoa. Another identical treasure chest materialized beside it.
* * *
I took one chest, giving the other to Baek Bal Baek Jung, who'd saved me and essentially cleared the dungeon.
"N-no, I can't. I've got plenty of money."
I forced the chest into his waving hands anyway. A person's gotta have some shame. I felt a twinge taking one myself, but without me, he'd only have gotten one as reward too, so I compromised with my conscience there.
He'd refused, but seeing the glittering treasure, the corner of his mouth twitched—he wasn't displeased. Now we were crossing the maze back to the entrance with our loot.
"How'd you get in here, anyway?"
"Ah, I saw the stele you got sucked into. It had ancient script."
"You can read ancient script?"
"Nah, just enough to recognize it. Can't actually read it."
"Ah."
"Ancient dungeons can be dangerous. I was worried, so I followed."
Come to think of it, Lilac was insanely strong, necklace aside. Alone, my win chance would've been near zero.
"Makes sense. Was it Minare's item?"
"...? No?"
"...? Then how'd you enter? Only those with Minare's item can."
I recalled the ring of Minare's that had resonated with the stele, glowing.
"Ah, I forced the space open."
"...Tore space?"
"Yeah. Apply a bit of force at the right angle, and it rips. Not that hard."
"……."
...Do normal archers rip space? This guy's a ranker, probably.
On the way, we passed the garden from before. But the beautiful garden was littered with the wreckage of severed and shattered statues.
"Ooh, your handiwork, Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim?"
"Yeah. They suddenly charged. Usually these traps activate on touch, but these rushed as soon as they noticed I'd spotted them. Maybe 'cause I forced my way in..."
Not you—someone picked over ten flowers. I glanced back to see Tteok Sun-i sheepishly turning her head.
"They moved so suddenly I bolted first. Impressive."
"Ah, yeah. Basics."
Baek Bal Baek Jung kept sweeping back his hair as he replied.
"Ah, there's the exit. Haha."
He pointed at something identical to the stele he'd seen outside.
Feels like he's changing the subject. My imagination?
"Let's go."
Baek Bal Baek Jung carefully stepped around the statue debris, hurrying to the exit, then shoved himself into the stele without hesitation.
"I'll head out first."
"……."
No matter how I look, he seems chased by something.
"Let's go, Master."
Gold Sun and Tteok Sun-i headed for the exit too.
"Hold up."
"Yes?"
"Tteok Sun-i. What's that in your bosom?"
"Ah, w-well..."
Tteok Sun-i flinched, pulling out flowers from her chest.
...She grabbed a ton. When'd she even do that?
"We cleared the dungeon anyway, right? Thought it'd be fine now..."
"...Yeah, good job."
Tteok Sun-i sighed in relief, tucking the flowers back carefully.
"Not going, Master?"
Gold Sun, half in the stele, asked.
"Yeah, go ahead. I'll follow."
"Yes, sir."
After Gold Sun and Tteok Sun-i left, I scanned the serene garden. Then I examined the necklace around my neck. The beautiful green emerald resembled Lilac's eyes. From a game dev's perspective, this dungeon was probably designed that way: a boss with a tragic story, spot the death-wishing hints, steal the necklace, petrify her—that's the proper clear. They'd made the boss overwhelmingly strong to force that route.
In our case, a monster archer who rips space shot the maze to bits and nailed the boss's head. But my heart kept going out to that pitiful woman. Fingering the necklace Lilac gave me, I gave the garden she'd tenderly maintained for millennia one last look, then shoved into the stele.
"Pretty garden."
* * *
"Ah, you're here."
"Yes."
Outside, Gold Sun, Tteok Sun-i, and Baek Bal Baek Jung waited.
Crack—
"...Huh?"
A foreboding sound from behind made me whip around. Cracks spiderwebbed across the massive stele—the secret garden's entrance.
"Master!"
Gold Sun rushed forward, shield up. The stele shattered with a final crackle.
"……."
I picked up a stele fragment from the rubble, fiddling with it. With Lilac gone and all statues broken, this made sense. I set the fragment down gently.
"Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim."
"Yes."
"Wanna register as friends?"
"M-me, really?"
"Don't want to?"
"N-no! I'd love to! Let's do it."
And so, a new name joined my friends list.
"Uh, Hura-nim."
"Yes?"
Baek Bal Baek Jung eyed me cautiously, asking very carefully.
"You said earlier you'd make a fresh cream cake..."
At that, Tteok Sun-i and Gold Sun's eyes lit up too.
"I'd love to, but I'm out of cake dough right now—"
"I'll be right back!"
Baek Bal Baek Jung tore a return scroll—rip—and vanished before I could stop him.
...Those are pretty pricey, I hear.