Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Friend (10)
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“The flowers are really pretty.”
While the adults were chatting away, we passed the time sitting in the flower beds of the garden. Even to someone like me, who knew next to nothing about flowers or gardening, the blooms in Hwayoung's estate were stunning.
They weren't scattered in a chaotic mess of colors but carefully grouped by shade into distinct sections, with heights perfectly trimmed and surrounding trees shaped neatly. It felt like stepping into another world.
The flowers that especially caught my eye were clustered in the center of the garden. Their pale purple petals were modest and elegant, while the stamens in the middle glowed a vivid yellow, giving them a striking presence.
Plain in shape, yet they dominated the center and seemed special because of it. Or maybe they held the center because they were special. All the other flowers around them looked like they existed just to frame that pale purple bloom. Hwayoung noticed me staring and spoke up.
“That's a primrose. It's a flower our family holds dear.”
“What kind of flower is it?”
“It's nicknamed the Key to Heaven. That's why so many people around me grow them. They believe you have to cultivate these to ascend together.”
I tilted my head at Hwayoung's words. This world's Korea was a bit different from the one I'd known in my past life. Back there, we didn't have customs like this. Or maybe it existed, and I just never knew about it?
Hwayoung didn't seem delighted as she gazed at the flower. Even as she hesitated and touched the petals, the gardeners and staff kept their eyes glued to our parents, Dennis, and Shifu. The head gardener, in particular, gripped his pruning shears so tensely that it made the onlookers uneasy.
Hwayoung glanced around cautiously before plucking a single primrose.
From the way she was looking around, it seemed like something she shouldn't do. I asked carefully. No one had noticed our actions yet, but my voice dropped anyway.
“...It's the key, right? Is it okay to pick it?”
Hwayoung shook her head at my question and asked back.
“Do you believe, Serika, that flowers like this can get you to heaven?”
I shook my head at her question. The idea of tending flowers to reach heaven was something I'd never even considered. It sounded like cult thinking, but saying that to Hwayoung's face would be rude, so I kept it to myself.
“Hmm, I don't know. Isn't heaven for people who've done lots of good deeds? Just growing flowers to get there feels unfair. And conversely, if you do good but don't grow flowers, you can't go? That's weird too.”
Hwayoung gave a faint smile at my words. She stroked the flower she'd picked, lips curling up, then tossed it into the center of the flower bed. The petals mingled with the lush blooms, indistinguishable from the rest.
“Serika.”
Hwayoung called my name in a soft, ladylike tone, like a noble young miss. I shrugged, wondering if I'd done something wrong, and replied.
“Yeah? What's up?”
“I do believe in ascension.”
I rolled my eyes at her response. Was she mad because I'd called the Key to Heaven idea weird? Like, she believed in it, but I didn't, so she was pressuring me?
No. It couldn't be that.
Hwayoung might be a little eccentric, but she wasn't sinister or mean.
I turned to look her in the eyes, and she stared straight back. What was her intent? What did she want from me? Hwayoung continued, gazing at me.
“If I believed this flower was the key and acted recklessly because of it, what would you do, Serika? If I suggested we ascend together with this flower—what then?”
I furrowed my brow at that. Hwayoung committing evil while believing primroses were the key to heaven? She usually came off as quirky but model-like and refined—it was hard to picture.
Still, imagining it roughly, she'd probably use her abilities to bully others, right?
[“Thwack! Oof! Thud! Bam!”
“Hwayoung! What are you doing?! Even if you have the Key to Heaven, you can't just beat people like this!”
“Ow! Uwagh!”]
...What can I say? Even imagining it didn't feel all that serious.
So my solution came out lighthearted too. Smiling at the image in my head, I looked at Hwayoung and said.
“I'd beat you up. Give you a good spanking till tears flow, and scold you not to do it again.”
Hwayoung looked relieved at that. She beamed, nodded, and said to me.
“Thank you for saying that.”
She seemed truly at ease. I couldn't figure out her intention, so I just shrugged. We gazed at the flowers for a while. I gently touched a primrose with my finger and said.
“But this flower is really pretty. Not flashy, but it draws the eye.”
“Maybe because I called it the Key to Heaven. Or perhaps because it's at the center of the garden.”
For someone who'd called it an important family flower, Hwayoung wasn't defending her garden much. I shook my head at her words and said.
“Even without knowing the meaning, I think I'd call it pretty. Not just that one—I'd say the whole flower bed is beautiful. This one, that one, all of them are lovely.”
Hwayoung turned to look around at that. The garden wasn't just primroses. A variety of flowers blended together, forming something like a Monet painting. She blinked at them, her body stiffening.
It was like she was seeing a stranger's garden for the first time, not her own. What did that expression mean? I had no idea. Before I could figure it out,
“Serika, time to go home!”
Dad's voice called from afar.
The meeting was wrapping up. The staff still looked tense, but Mom and Dad were exchanging goodbyes with Hwayoung's family. Hwayoung waved and smiled at me too.
“Take care.”
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
Hwayoung seemed in a much better mood. I grinned widely back at her refreshing smile.
Today's gathering ended like that.
Mom and Dad seemed pretty satisfied, but the staff looked eager to see us gone. As we headed out the gate, one sighed openly, and the oldest wiped sweat from his brow.
Mom and Dad, on the other hand, were all smiles. Dad, who loved meeting people, had his usual refreshed, cheerful look after such events. Mom fiddled with her phone contentedly and said.
“Wow, what a fun family.”
“Right? I learned a lot, and picked up some great recipe ideas too. Serika, I'll make something even tastier when we get home.”
Mom and Dad were happy, but had they done something weird while I wasn't looking?
It might just be my imagination, so I got in the car with a puzzled look.
If they'd been rude, Hwayoung would tell me later.
Thinking that, I climbed in, and Dad started the engine while saying.
“Hope we get another chance to meet. It was a nice time. Folks like me don't often get to chat with foreigners like that.”
Mom laughed in agreement.
“Me too. Next time, we should invite them. Can't keep getting treated to food—it hurts my pride. I need to show off my cooking. That Hwayoung girl? I'll make something so amazing she'll devour it like you do, Serika.”
“Hahaha! Honey, you're on fire.”
“Oh, did I get ahead of myself?”
“Let's take it slow. Hahaha! We ate well, now home for a good rest!”
The car rumbled to life. Watching the estate fade away, I leaned back against the seat. Somehow, I'd had a fun day.
Mom, fixing her makeup in the passenger seat, turned to me and asked.
“By the way, Serika. Finals are coming up soon, right? Don't slack off just because you improved last time.”
Oh, right. I'd forgotten.
I rolled my eyes briefly at Mom's words. Better not argue here. She was just worried about my future.
It's fine!
I can do it.