The Secret of Mushroom Mountain! Without Love, You Can't See Them!

The next day.

Just as planned, we signed up for the New Yangyang Mushroom Festival, fired up and ready to get our hands on the Beyond Rare Mushroom card we had come for.

Of course, it being a festival, we were far from the only ones there. A whole crowd—including the chefs we'd seen the day before—had gathered at the trailhead leading into the mountain. Standing before them, the judges from yesterday cleared their throats and drew everyone's attention, then launched into a full rundown of the festival.

"Hello, everyone. Before we begin in earnest, allow me to go over a few points of caution. As you know, this is a year in which the Beyond Rare Mushroom can be harvested. We have prepared more than enough for every guest who has come to the festival to take home a generous share—however, there are a few rules you will need to observe, so please lend me your ears for a moment."

—Ooooh.

Everyone gave a short cheer, but the old man only smiled slyly, as if to say they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shouldn't get too happy just yet.

"This festival is an experiential event in which many families and couples hike the mountain themselves and gather mushrooms with joy. Once we begin, please follow the branching trails and freely collect mushroom cards as you go. If you enjoy this festival with a true love of mushrooms in your hearts, then surely the Beyond Rare Mushroom will reveal its beauty to you as well."

The instant the old judge finished explaining how to enjoy the festival, a line of musclebound men in mushroom masks standing right beside him struck the exact same pose and bellowed the line in perfect unison.

"These gentlemen are our safety staff, here to assist you should anything arise during the event. They may look the way they do, but they're all very good-natured, so please don't hesitate to speak up if you need anything."

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blew a whistle to signal the start of the festival, and the pack of musclebound mushroom-mask men who had been blocking the trailhead stepped aside.

"I'll say it once more. We have prepared plenty of Beyond Rare Mushrooms. Even so, if you fail to find one, I ask that you carefully reconsider what mistake you may have made—and why the mushrooms refused to show themselves—while reflecting on the advice we have given you."

In case anyone got lost, they even handed out hiking GPS watches that would display our positions in real time.

We were a little dazed at first, but before long we were climbing the mountain trail in high spirits.

"What was that just now…?"

"Those guys were terrifying. Rina does not want to battle them…"

Yumi and Rina clung to each other, trembling.

Couldn't really blame them. All those men had been wearing were the masks and slingshot swimsuits.

Never mind the lines and the posing—what the hell was with that outfit…?

Whatever the reason, I figured the one thing we absolutely should not do was cause trouble on this mountain, so we split off from the other participants and went our own way.

"Hey, Baek Mi! You got the better of me yesterday, but it won't go that way today. I'm going to reclaim every last Beyond Rare Mushroom on this mountain!!"

"You're about to make the same mistake all over again. With that kind of attitude, you'll never be able to enjoy this festival."

"Hmph! As if I care! I'm not taking any advice from the likes of you!!"

For the record, the party of chefs right nearby went charging up the trail while trading the most stereotypical lines imaginable.

For now, I decided they clearly existed in a different genre from ours and resolved not to worry about them too much—then turned my attention to looking after the kids.

"Everybody got their work gloves on?"

"Yes~!"

"And what do we do when we find a mushroom?"

"Check the card name and effect~!"

"Good. Songi Squad—move out~!"

At my command we picked up the pace. Naturally Yumi and Ga-eun yelled at us not to run so hard, but the kids were long past the age of listening to that kind of thing. We hung back and watched them eagerly scour the trees around us to satisfy their curiosity, soaking in the fresh air under a clear blue sky.

"When I was little I used to wonder what the fun was in hiking. Never thought I'd actually get it once I hit this age."

"It's not the sticky sweat you get from work—it's healthy sweat, soaking into the mountain air~."

"The yoga studio I go to every week is nice and all, but this is good every once in a while too~."

Unlike the kids shrieking and chattering away, the adult group was savoring the atmosphere itself. We stretched under the sun, staring blankly upward, and let the scent of grass from every direction wash over us. That feeling of everyday stress melting away under nature's own power—of the mind growing healthier—really was wonderful.

And above all, if this had been an ordinary hike it might have been boring. But where were we, again?

"Oh, Mom! It came out!"

"It's a mushroooom~!"

On the trail, as if some monster had just spawned, a two-legged mushroom creature suddenly appeared.

—Yangyang!

It even made a weird little cry.

At the arrival of a giant mushroom whose cap was flushed pink, Taeyang and Rina raised their hands in fighting stances—while Saetbyeol, by contrast, calmly tapped away at her laptop.

"That's a Chestnut Mushroom. Because it looks like a cherry blossom, its other name is Cherry Blossom Mushroom. It's an edible wild mushroom that grows in chestnut and oak forests."

At that, the mushroom revealed its own status.

"This thing's materialized!?"

"Without a master?"

"Those people we saw earlier were all crazy about mushrooms—maybe it's been influenced by that power."

Yangyang! Yangyang! Yangyang!

As if to prove Saetbyeol's guess right, the two-legged mushroom hopped in place, putting on a full display of cuteness.

It was about the size of a large dog, coming up almost to the kids' chins, so they were feeling a little intimidated.

"Whatever it is, should we just settle this with a battle?"

Chaerin in particular looked ready to pull out her deck and answer in kind—at which the Chestnut Mushroom immediately backed off and hid behind a big tree.

Yangyang! Yangyang!

"I can't tell what it's saying~!"

"Hey, Princess. You're both cards—can you, like, talk to it or something?"

Taeyang. What exactly do you think I am? I'm a dragon, not a mushroom. And before that—'Yangyang' isn't even a word; it's the name of this region.

"Yeah, fair point…"

Just in case, Taeyang's group tried to ignore it and walk on—only for the Chestnut Mushroom that had been hiding behind the tree to leap out again and block the path.

Yangyaaang~!!

"Look, we came here to find the Beyond Rare Mushroom. If you don't want to fight, then move."

Yangyang! Yangyang!

"W-whatever it's doing, this thing just started wriggling its body all over the place!?"

"Why would it do that?"

"Rina doesn't get it either! We still shouldn't kill it, right!?"

Yaa~ang! Yaaa~ang!!

The Chestnut Mushroom, equally frustrated that it couldn't get its intentions across properly, started stretching out its cries.

From behind it was a hilarious scene, but we couldn't just stand there forever. Yumi and Ga-eun were starting to look curious about what the mushroom wanted, too.

"It seems like it wants something from the kids, doesn't it?"

"Ah! Maybe it wants us to save its friends? You know how that goes—a wild animal gets caught in a trap and comes begging people for help~."

"Oh, just like you said, Unnie, that could totally be it~!!"

"This thing looks pretty smart for how it looks! That has to be it!"

If Ga-eun's guess had been right, it would have been pointing somewhere and trying to lead us instead of blocking the path.

But no matter how you looked at it, that wasn't the vibe. If anything, it felt like it was trying hard to sell itself.

"Hmm."

"What do you think, Mister?"

Whenever the questions start going around, they always end up with me.

The Chestnut Mushroom shoved its face (probably) toward me with a look of expectation, and as I circled around it I noticed something odd.

"Ladies. From a housewife's point of view, how would you usually prep a mushroom like this?"

"With mushrooms, first you brush off the dirt. Then you either blanch them lightly in salted water or soak them in water with a splash of vinegar. What about you, Unnie?"

"At our house we lightly stir-fry them in perilla oil. Mix them with some meat after that and even Manbok eats them happily~."

The two housewives' vivid advice settled it for me.

"For something that lives on a mountain, isn't this thing a little too clean?"

"Huh?"

Whether it had been lightly blanched or rinsed, this was clearly no raw mushroom. Just as the two of them had described, it smelled wonderful—like the prep work was already done.

So I dug straight into my pack, pulled out the tongs I used for grilling meat, and with them gave the mushroom's stem a long, slow tug.

"Ugh… Mister. Is that even okay to eat!?"

Yangyang~♪

Taeyang. Look closely. It's actually pressing itself toward him.

"Whoa. You're right!"

"It's not even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in pain—it's happy!!"

"So that 'yummy' text on the card was because of this."

"It really is!"

With the kids' attention locked on us, I tore off the pulled stem into bite-sized pieces and swallowed them all.

Sure enough, almost all the dirt and bitterness were gone. Even the aftertaste kids might normally hate had been coated in perilla oil—it had clearly already been stir-fried.

I probably shouldn't have done this in front of the kids, but the flavor made me crave a drink so badly I smiled without thinking—and the Chestnut Mushroom clapped its two little legs in delight to match.

"Mister! We want some too!"

"Rina hates mushrooms~."

"This one's fine. It's not the mass-cafeteria stuff—it even tastes like salted seasoning."

"What's that?"

"You'll know when you try it."

I fed them each a bite. Rina grimaced at first, put off by the idea of mushroom flavor, but her face soon smoothed out.

Most of the reason kids hate mushrooms is either the smell or that funky, earthy taste—and in this case neither applied, so she looked genuinely surprised.

"Ooooh. I can eat this!"

"Mister, me too, me too~!"

"Nom nom!"

I stuffed a piece into each of the kids' mouths, then finished by feeding Yumi and Ga-eun as well.

"—Haaahm. Ohh, for a wild mushroom, the flavor is surprisingly deep…!"

"This doesn't even taste like Chestnut Mushroom anymore!?"

"Right you are."

It was already a different mushroom entirely, but none of us felt like arguing the point—we just enjoyed the taste together.

Yangyaaa~ang!!!

"Whoa!?"

The Chestnut Mushroom scattered its spores and vanished.

"Cough, cough!"

"That thing just exploded out of nowhere!"

Look at the ground!

When the spores cleared, a card I'd never seen before lay in the spot where the mushroom had been standing.

It was definitely still a Chestnut Mushroom, but its stats were a little different from before.

"This thing's insane."

A one-cost 3/4? What even is that?

How happy did it have to be about getting eaten by us to get this strong?

Cards grow stronger the more they're connected to a battler. This mushroom must have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt a bond with you, Mister.

"So what do we do with it?"

You're the one who suggested eating it first, Lee Baek. The Chestnut Mushroom is definitely going to want you as its master, so take it all.

I happened to need more cards for my deck anyway. Figuring it might come in handy someday, I tucked the card into my coat.

"Aha, so this is how you enjoy the festival?"

"If we just keep eating every mushroom that comes up to us, good things are bound to happen~♪"

Even for a mushroom festival, this was a thoroughly Beyond-style event.

Now that we'd all figured out how to have fun with it, we climbed the mountain with a lighter, livelier step than before.