Starting to Farm
Although a new family had joined Three Meals House, Dojin's daily routine remained unchanged.
If there was any difference, it was that he had started clearing out the faculty residence and the nearby vegetable garden, areas he hadn't touched before.
Whirrrrrr.
"All done!"
"Good job, Oppa."
Dohee handed an iced Americano to Dojin as he stepped down from the lawnmower.
"Phew, I feel alive again. Nothing beats an iced Americano when it's hot. Thanks, Dohee."
"Hehe! It's nothing. I just brought you what you already bought."
There were no convenience stores nearby, so buying anything required a ten- to twenty-minute drive.
Because of this, Dojin usually ordered most beverages and daily necessities in bulk.
The iced Americano Dohee had just brought him was also a product Dojin had ordered in bulk from Coupang.
"But you're the one who brought it to me. That's what matters."
"Wow, look at you. Did you attend some speech academy? You claimed I was your first girlfriend, but you're a total smooth talker."
Thump, thump!
"Ouch, ouch! Dohee, that hurts."
"Stop lying. I'm not falling for that anymore."
"Oh, really?"
"See? I knew you were a smooth talker."
Dohee turned her head away as if pouting, but she didn't let go of Dojin's arm.
Dojin smiled happily at his cute wife.
This was exactly the kind of life he had longed for.
A time when he felt happy just by having her next to him, even if they did nothing at all.
Just then, Dohee, who was examining the garden plot Dojin had cleared, asked a question.
"By the way, the soil over there looks a bit different from the rest, doesn't it?"
"Ah, that's because it used to be a vegetable garden."
"A vegetable garden? The school had one?"
"Yeah. We used to keep some animals at school back then, like rabbits and chickens. We would feed them corn and lettuce grown here."
"There were animals here too? My elementary school was like that as well. The kids on duty would feed them."
"We usually had kids on duty do it too. Well, later on, more and more kids skipped out because they found it annoying, so the security guard ended up taking care of them."
"Hehe, you too? Same with us. Is this some kind of unwritten elementary school rule?"
In truth, this was a natural and common occurrence.
Watching them eat was cute for a day or two, but how many children could consistently feed them day after day?
However, Dojin chose not to point this out.
For now, he was content just watching his wife rejoice at finding yet another thing they had in common.
"So, was this field exclusively for the animals?"
"No, the field was too big for just that. Usually, the harvest was served as snacks on harvest day or sent home with the students. We only fed the animals the ones that were too small or heavily eaten by bugs."
"Ah, the principal must have really loved the kids."
"She did."
The face of Director Wang Hye-sik flashed through Dojin's mind.
Although she was running the orphanage when he attended the school, she was indeed the one who had established this tradition.
The practice of sharing the harvested crops lasted from the school's opening until its closure, and the first principal was none other than Wang Hye-sik.
"Then, are you planning to farm here too, Oppa?"
Dohee asked, pointing at the chest cam Dojin was wearing.
Perhaps because he already had so many weed-pulling videos, Dojin no longer brought his action cam for simple weeding tasks.
The fact that he was wearing a chest cam meant she had realized this task was more than just simple weeding.
And just as she suspected, Dojin was planning to farm.
"It felt like a waste to leave the land idle, and I wanted to try being self-sufficient by starting a vegetable garden."
"A vegetable garden..."
At Dojin's words, Dohee looked around.
She hadn't realized it when it was covered in weeds, but the field was incredibly large.
It was large enough to make the story of sharing the harvest with the entire school believable.
And this also meant the land was far too big to be called a mere "vegetable garden."
"How many pyeong is this?"
"Well, I'd have to check the land register, but it's probably just under five hundred pyeong."
Originally, it consisted of three separate fields of 100, 150, and 200 pyeong.
But now, the boundaries between them had blurred, making it look like one giant field.
"I should reinforce the ridges first. It's hard to manage when the boundaries are so unclear."
"Yeah, it's so vast that it feels a bit daunting."
It would be one thing if they were farming rice or focusing on a single crop.
But utilizing five hundred pyeong all at once was quite a burden in many ways.
"Have you decided what to plant? Will there be broccoli and spinach? I love those."
Dojin was well aware of Dohee's eating habits.
Ever since they were dating, his wife had been absolutely crazy about anything containing broccoli or spinach.
In fact, the only complaints that ever came out of the usually bright and positive Dohee's mouth were about spinach and broccoli.
"Why is there carrot cake, but no spinach cake or broccoli cake?"
Watching Dohee speak with genuine dissatisfaction, Dojin could only offer a bitter smile.
Just before she said that, they had eaten broccoli soup and a spinach sandwich.
She had been perfectly happy until then, only to grow gloomy upon realizing the cafe didn't sell any cakes made of spinach or broccoli.
Though thanks to that, I ended up eating enough broccoli cake to make me sick of it later.
Not long after they started dating,
a well-being craze swept the nation, and cakes made with green vegetables began to trend.
Naturally, cakes made of broccoli and spinach appeared, but the problem was that there was so little demand that very few places sold them.
At best, they were only sold in pricey establishments like hotel cafes or specialty cake shops.
Yet, Dohee did not give up on the cakes.
"Oppa! How about a simple dinner at Gimbap Heaven? I really want cheese ramen."
"Huh? I don't mind, but didn't we go to Gimbap Heaven last time? And the time before that? If you're doing this to save my wallet, you don't have to."
"It's not that. I'm worrying about my own wallet. I have to budget if I want dessert."
"Huh? I can pay for dessert..."
"No thanks~. When have I ever asked you to pay? We go Dutch, no matter what. Dutch pay! If you want to pay that badly, do it after we get married."
A smile spread across Dojin's face as he watched Dohee proudly lift her chin.
Come to think of it, she had never unilaterally left him with the bill.
Whenever Dojin bought dinner, she made sure to buy coffee and dessert of equal value.
If she felt Dojin had spent too much on a date, she would inevitably pay for the entire next date.
At least on my birthday, she quietly let me do as I pleased.
But Dohee had returned the favor in kind on his birthday immediately after.
Thanks to that, Dojin's expenses hadn't increased all that much despite having a girlfriend.
"So where are we going? Don't tell me it's that place again?"
"Yep! I heard they just released a bread made with basil pesto and broccoli, and the sandwich made with it is absolutely amazing. It's a limited seasonal menu item and sells out fast, so let's go eat quickly!"
"..."
An awkward smile played on Dojin's lips at Dohee's words.
He had heard that line many times before.
Fooled by claims of "sell-out crises" and "seasonal limits," they would arrive at the cafe only to find that specific bread piled high in stock.
Still, Dojin's response was always the same.
"Sure, let's go. If my girlfriend wants to eat it, of course we should."
In that manner, the number of broccoli and spinach cakes Dojin had consumed easily reached double digits.
Ugh... Just thinking about it makes me feel like I can smell broccoli in my mouth.
Shaking off the memory, Dojin spoke to Dohee, who was looking at him with expectant eyes.
"Unfortunately, we can't plant those right now. Those are crops you harvest in the autumn."
"Oh, really? That's too bad..."
Seeing Dohee look genuinely disappointed, Dojin steeled his heart.
Not only was it the wrong season, but the moment he planted those two crops, this field would highly likely turn into a dedicated broccoli and spinach farm.
"For now, I'm choosing from crops suitable for planting this season. According to the internet, perilla seeds, soybeans, and corn are good options. Lettuce, green onions, and sweet potatoes are also fine."
Eggplant was also on the list, but Dojin deliberately left it out.
Eggplant was the only vegetable Dohee absolutely detested.
She'd probably jump out of her skin the moment I mentioned it.
Since Dojin wasn't particularly fond of eggplants either, he had no intention of planting them anyway.
"Oh, and I'm also planning to plant some catnip."
"Catnip? Ah..."
Dohee's face, initially puzzled by Dojin's words, flashed with sudden understanding.
She realized the reason why he wanted to grow catnip.
"It's because of Samsaek-i and his siblings, right?"
"Yeah..."
A bittersweet look crossed both Dojin's and Dohee's faces.
Without a word, they both looked toward the cat room at the end of the main building, where Samsaek-i and the others stayed.
Right now, Seungwan was in that room, doing his best to comfort the mother cat.
"...She must be so sad."
"Probably. Even if she's just an animal who can't speak, she saw the bodies of her kittens..."
At Dojin's words, Dohee turned her gaze back to the field.
To be precise, she was remembering how the field had looked before Dojin cleared the weeds, when it was completely overgrown.
"I was so shocked. I had no idea there were more kittens."
"Me neither... I heard stray cats rarely give birth to more than five kittens, so I thought those five were all of them."
Thinking back, it had been strange.
The mother cat, who usually didn't react much to whatever Dojin and Seungwan did, had suddenly grown frantic the moment Dojin began clearing the weeds.
Meowww!
Meeeeeow!
"Oh, Bori, what's wrong? Calm down."
Bori was the name Seungwan had given the mother cat.
Unlike her kittens, who all had distinct patterns, the mother cat was a light brown all over, which was why he had named her Bori.
At first, Bori hadn't realized it was her name, but after Dojin called her by it, she had recently started responding.
Seeing that, they thought she had completely warmed up to them, so Seungwan was flustered to see her suddenly thrashing about like this.
"O-Oppa! Come here for a second."
In the end, Dohee called Dojin over from his work.
She had been watching Seungwan struggle with Bori in the hallway and decided she couldn't just stand by.
Since Bori was usually calm around Dojin, she figured the cat would settle down once he arrived.
But this time, something was different.
Meeeeeow!
Meow!
"Bori, what's wrong?"
Dojin was also taken aback as Bori, despite being held by him, thrashed around even more violently instead of calming down.
Then, Dojin noticed something strange.
Bori's gaze had been fixed on the outside for a while now.
He wondered if she wanted to go back to being a stray, but that didn't seem to be it either.
While her front paws and head kept thrashing, her body remained relatively still in his arms.
Sensing something unusual, Dojin spoke to Seungwan.
"It seems like something outside is bothering her. Let's put her in the carrier and take her out."
"Pardon? Ah, yes."
Seungwan brought the carrier as Dojin suggested, only to be startled by Bori's next action.
Bori, who had been struggling as if she wanted to break free immediately, leaped straight into the carrier the moment she saw it.
She didn't even try to come out, even though the door hadn't been closed yet.
"Oh my..."
"Something is definitely different from usual. Let's go outside together."
At Dojin's suggestion, the group went outside carrying the carrier with Bori inside.
That was when Dojin saw it.
Samsaek-i and his siblings were standing by the window, staring outside as if possessed.
Something is definitely wrong.
With not just Bori but all the cats acting strangely, Dojin couldn't help but feel that the situation was serious.
And that feeling became even more certain the moment they stepped outside.
Meow, meow, meowww.
As soon as they stepped outside, Bori began crying while looking in a specific direction. The group naturally walked toward where she was looking.
"This way? Is this the right way?"
Meow...
"I think we need to go a bit further."
Meeow...
"Ah, a little more to the left, Oppa."
Meow! Meow!
"Hmm, I think it's to the right this time."
Meow!
"Huh? Left again? What is it?"
"No, I think we walked past it."
At Dojin's words, as he closely observed Bori, the group naturally scanned their surroundings.
And then, they saw them.
Hidden beneath the overgrown weeds were two tiny, lifeless bodies.
"This is..."
"Wait!"
Dojin quickly set the carrier down and stepped in front of the two women.
There was no good in them seeing dead animals.
Though they might have caught a fleeting glimpse, Dojin turned them around so the image wouldn't linger in their memories.
Only after confirming they had turned away did Dojin examine the bodies.
"They look like... Samsaek-i's siblings."
Although their bodies were much smaller, their patterns were distinct.
Looking closely, he could see resemblances to Samsaek-i and the others in their faces.
"...Did the weeds block out all the sunlight?"
The decomposition wasn't as advanced as he had feared.
Even so, it was a gruesome sight that made his stomach churn, but Dojin held back his nausea as best as he could.
In fact, he had no choice but to endure it.
Meow...
Because a sorrowful cry was echoing from the carrier he had set down beside him.
Even if she was just an animal, he couldn't show his disgust in front of a mother watching her dead kittens.
Meow... Meow...
It was the quietest, most heartbreaking cry he had heard from Bori since they met.
"Bori..."
"Oh no..."
The women, who had turned their backs, seemed to have heard Bori's cries as well.
Before long, both of them were sobbing, their shoulders trembling.
"...Wait here for a moment. I'll go get a shovel."
Returning with a shovel, Dojin began clearing the area near the entrance of the faculty residence.
Perhaps due to his recent experience, he cleared the weeds in an instant and began digging a hole in a suitable spot.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Meow... Meow...
For about ten minutes, only the sound of the shovel and Bori's mournful cries filled the air.
Once the hole was deep enough, Dojin set the shovel down, walked back to Bori, and spoke gently.
"Hold on, Bori. It's almost over. Just wait a little longer."
With those words, Dojin placed the bodies into a box, lowered it into the hole, and covered it with soil.
Just like that, a grave for the two kittens was made.
Dojin brought the carrier over and set it down in front of the grave.
"I couldn't make separate graves for them, but this is better than leaving them abandoned."
Meowww...
Perhaps her throat had gone hoarse, for Bori's cry was barely audible now.
Sensing something, Dojin slowly opened the door of the carrier.
Creak.
Rustle, rustle.
As the door opened, Bori slowly stepped out and approached the grave.
Walking with unsteady steps as if drained of all strength, she circled the grave once before rubbing her head against the freshly turned earth.
Meow, meow, meowww...
"Bori..."
"Sniff..."
Without him noticing, the two women had come closer, shedding tears as they watched Bori.
A considerable amount of time passed.
After rubbing her body against the grave for a long time, Bori finally approached Dojin.
"...Are you okay?"
Meow...
Did she understand his words?
Bori began to rub her head against Dojin's leg.
"...They must have gone to a better place."
As Dojin stroked her, Bori looked up at him once and then leaped into his arms.
Bori, who had refused to let anyone hold her since arriving at Three Meals House, had willingly snuggled into Dojin's arms for the very first time.
"There, there. Let's stay strong. You still have five children left."
Meow...
Bori's behavior changed significantly after that day.
The way she used to hiss and run away whenever Seungwan approached was gone; now, she accepted physical affection reasonably well while caring for Samsaek-i and the others.
Dojin wanted to give a gift to Bori and Samsaek-i's siblings.
"Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like they might settle down here for good, but you never know. They might go back to being strays someday. Before that happens, I want to give them some home-grown catnip."
"Oppa, you're so wonderful."
Meow!
Just as Dohee, moved by Dojin's words, was about to hug him,
a familiar cry sounded in front of them.
"Huh?"
"What? Samsaek-i? How did you get outside?"
Samsaek-i trotted up to Dojin's feet, announced his presence with a loud meow, and began climbing up Dojin's leg.
Scaling him like a cat tower, Samsaek-i reached Dojin's shoulder in an instant, then moved over to the other shoulder.
From there, he began pushing away Dohee's forehead as she clung to Dojin's arm.
"Ah! Hey, Samsaek-i! What do you think you're doing?"
Meow!
"Uh-huh? Hey, Oppa is mine, okay? Get your paw off him! Do you want me to bite you?"
Meowww!
"Oh, really? You want to go? You little...! Ah, ah! Wait, this is cheating, that's cheating!"
Perhaps because Dohee showed no signs of backing down despite his pushing,
Samsaek-i climbed right onto Dohee's head and began relentlessly raining down kitty punches on her crown.
A kitten's punches didn't hurt much, but the problem was her hair getting tangled in his claws.
As her hair became increasingly tangled with every kitty punch, Dojin, who had been watching the spectacle, finally had to step in and pull Samsaek-i away.
"Geez, Samsaek-i, you...! Hmph, my head hurts."
Clutched in the front paws of the dangling Samsaek-i was a clump of hair.
There was no need to explain who that hair belonged to.