Chapter 17

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: Three Dryads Under One Roof

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I climbed down from Grandma's arms and followed behind her.

Grandma passed right by the house, heading straight to the backyard without hesitation.

Even though the terrain was rough and rugged, she moved as smoothly as if strolling across flat ground.

It was like the forest was parting for her, the earth reshaping itself beneath her feet.

"Heh..."

I trailed after her, mouth agape, when I spotted that squirrel from earlier—the one that had climbed onto my head—watching us from afar.

I held out my hand, and it scampered right over again.

Seeing this, Grandma spoke up.

"Weren't animals strangely drawn to you before? Like this."

"Huh?"

Memories flooded back then.

At first, those geese bit my hand, but after my body changed, they acted all regretful and clingy... Ever since that bite, I tense up whenever I see geese.

Then there was that time at the department store with Ga-eun. A Golden Retriever—Rich, was it?—came bounding over when I was feeling so elated I didn't know what to do with myself.

And all the birds from the neighborhood swarming me...

"It's because your power's overflowing. Your life force is already spilling everywhere, and when it mixes with your emotions, plants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and animals can't help but be drawn to it."

Plants probably showed their affection too, but since they move slowly, I hadn't noticed.

'Could it be the same with people...?'

People are animals too, after all.

Well, maybe not everyone.

That mantis guy from the department store sure didn't seem to like me, no matter how I thought about it.

"Guess I need to teach you how to rein it in while you're home. You planning to summon every animal in these mountains?"

I glanced around at her words, and sure enough, eyes gleamed from the bushes and trees—deer or roe deer, maybe; birds I'd never seen before; squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, snakes, wild boars, centipedes, bees... a ton of bugs... Wait, is that a bear...?

"Tsk tsk, look at you getting all excited."

Grandma ruffled my hair roughly as I gawked around wildly, then pressed on.

We trekked through the forest a bit longer until a small clearing appeared.

And in its center stood a massive tree.

The other trees seemed to have yielded the space to it, leaving it to bask alone in the sunlight, shrouded in an indescribable, mystical aura.

I stared, overcome by an inexplicable feeling, when Grandma came up behind me and spoke.

"Hey, sweetie, your baby's here. Time to get up."

Crack—

No sooner had she said it than the thick trunk split open.

Its pale innards emerged, morphing into the form of a young woman who stepped barefoot onto the grass.

She wore a simple white cloth draped loosely around her, cinched at the waist with a vine—like a goddess from myth.

Her skin was so pale it almost reflected the surroundings, tinged faintly green.

Her eyelids lifted slowly, and when our eyes met, they curved into crescents.

"My baby's here?"

"M-Mom...?"

It wasn't certainty, more like a question.

The mom I remembered had deep brown eyes and hair, not green.

Just the color change made her feel so utterly different.

The woman grinned innocently at being called Mom, then scooped me up effortlessly and rubbed her cheek against mine.

"Mwah mwah mwah."

"Yeah, it's Mom. My baby—no, my daughter now? Hehe~ So soft."

Ever since my body changed, I'd heard that a lot. Already four people...

Mom rubbed my cheeks for a good while before cradling my bottom and meeting my eyes.

"It's been so long, Hyeon-ah. Have you been well? Did you miss Mom?"

"Ah."

Did I miss her?

As if.

I'd missed her terribly.

There were no memories of her past a certain point.

Had she died of illness? An accident? Or did she abandon me because she hated me?

Why couldn't I even remember the last moment she vanished?

I'd avoided asking Grandma, not wanting to be rude.

She was my mom, but Grandma's precious daughter too. I didn't want to dig up old wounds.

"Mom..."

"Oh my."

This time, I clung to her.

"Good girl, good girl, my daughter?"

Sniffle.

"Hehe~. What a fresh scent. Still a baby, huh?"

"I'm an adult, though..."

"This tiny? Hehe."

Grandma, who had waited quietly without interrupting our reunion, finally chimed in.

"So, how's the body holding up?"

"Yeah, Mom. I woke up a bit earlier than usual, so I'm sleepy, but that's it."

"Mom, are you hurting anywhere?"

I jolted up from where I'd buried my face.

Mom smiled faintly at my expression and planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

"No? I'm feeling great—full of energy just from seeing you, Su-hyeon."

"It's tied to you too, so we'll talk about it later."

"Mom!"

Mom shot Grandma a playful glare.

"Hiding it won't change facts, girl."

"Hmph."

"Tch, doesn't even know her own mother's state. Let's head home for now."

"Yess~."

We made our way back to the house.

I stayed nestled in Mom's arms as she and Grandma sat facing each other, filling me in.

"Dryads?"

"That's right."

'The tree nymphs from Greek myth...?'

"This old lady's a Dryad—one of the Meliae, born from ash trees. Your mom too."

I glanced at Mom, and our eyes met; she nodded with a bright smile.

"So me too...?"

"For now, you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Melia too. But with a human father, there might be differences."

Dad was human. Well, obviously...

Apparently, he'd died in an accident before I was even born.

...I'd hoped otherwise, but it stung a little.

Unlike Mom, I'd never seen his face or spoken to him, so it felt distant, like someone else's story.

"Your mom ran away from home as a kid. Ended up on the opposite side of the Earth."

"Huh...?"

"Grandma nagged too much. Always 'no this, no that!'"

"Things are different now—humans rule Earth, it's dangerous. I tried keeping her from going out, and she bolted that day."

"Shouldn't have been so strict from the start. But then I wouldn't have met our Su-hyeon. Right~?"

"Can't you stay quiet? Tch tch... Spoiled her as the baby, and she turns into a walking disaster."

"A young thing strips naked and goes making babies. I chase after her, and she's married some human scum. Nearly passed out."

"Don't call Hyeon-su 'scum'!"

"......"

Mom, you weren't like this in my memories. Way more carefree than I thought.

"Hyeon-ah, want to see Dad's picture? Here, look."

"Here she goes again."

The second Dad came up, Mom dashed to her room, rummaged a drawer, and came back with a photo album.

I was secretly curious too, so I waited quietly.

Grandma noticed and paused the conversation.

"This one's from when Dad became branch manager. This during our dating days. This after a year together."

"Oh..."

The photos showed a handsome man straight out of Kingsman—neatly combed hair, sharp features rare for an East Asian, classic old suit giving him a refined air.

He wore thin black-framed glasses and smiled softly.

Even from my old male gaze, he was stunning.

'Why's it black-and-white, though...?'

I rolled my eyes in confusion.

"1926."

Grandma's voice cut in.

"The year your father died. 1926. Age 39."

"Wha...?"

"You're an incomplete Dryad."

"Because Dad was human?"

"Nah. Human-Dryad kids come out fully one or the other by birth."

"Then why...?"

'Don't tell me it's from eating that dirt.'

My head spun at the unforeseen bombshell.

"You shouldn't have even been born."

"Mom, watch your words!"

"Your mom was too young to bear a child. Her power wasn't mature. Then her man died, and in her grief, with her remaining strength, she conceived you."

"Huh...?"

"Conceiving was a miracle already, but you'd have died soon after birth. So while pregnant, she poured most of her power into you."

One miracle after another.

Grandma clicked her tongue, visibly pained.

"To me...?"

"Oh, Su-hyeon, don't make that face. Mom's so happy to have you. Thank you for being born?"

Sensing my gloom, Mom hugged me tight. Her thanks made my nose tingle.

"When you were born, a seed clung to your umbilical cord."

"......Huh?"

S-see... seed?

"How does a seed come from a human body...?"

"Beats me. First time seeing it. But luckily, both your human body and the seed were healthy."

"Raised the seed and you both. Freaked out detaching that seed from your navel—thought something terrible would happen. Hehe."

"?????"

What kind of creature was I, exactly?

"You both grew without issues. Except..."

"You slept a ton. More asleep than awake."

"Don't babies do that?"

"For years at a time?"

Yeah, definitely not human.

"Your human body grew slowly, and the seed too. You only started developing recently. Awake time stretched longer as you grew."

"We took turns watching you, but school gave us some breathing room."

"Once you stayed awake for years, figured a year among humans per cycle was fine. Sent your mom to recover her damaged body then."

"So when you woke up while I was asleep, I'd get up and come."

"Th-that's why..."

"No memories, huh?"

I nodded.

That explained why I never knew anyone when grades advanced each year...

What had I been trying to do?

No real interest in college.

Maybe make new connections?

Or search for lost friends beyond the mountains?

Grandma stared long and hard, then said if I wanted to, go ahead.

Looking back, maybe she let me go easy after Mom's runaway—didn't want to forbid it.

'They didn't leave because I did something wrong.'

Realizing it wasn't my fault eased my heart.

Well, I had issues, but not personality flaws making everyone sneak away.

"Why's our Su-hyeon crying again? Eyes'll puff up like cotton balls tomorrow. Hey! Don't rub with your hands."

Mom stopped me from wiping my eyes with my arm, dabbing them gently with her sleeve.

"Th-then why'd my body change? Was it supposed to happen like this?"

"Expected it eventually, but not this fast."

"Yeah? We figured after you became a grandpa."

"G-grandpa...?"

"See this."

Grandma held out a bean on her palm—don't know where she got it.

"In human form, you were the cotyledon. Cotyledon."

"Cotyledon?"

"See this bean? Split it in half."

She cleaved it lengthwise effortlessly and showed the cross-section.

A tiny bump protruded at the end of the inner flesh.

"That's the real sprout. The rest is cotyledon—nutrients for initial rooting. Your bonsai was the seed; human you, the cotyledon. Figured when the human lifespan ended, you'd rebirth as a Dryad."

"But why now...?"

"You gobbled my special soil and fertilizer—no need for more nutrients!"

"Eek."

"Mom! Where're you hitting her?!"

Grandma swatted me lightly; Mom fussed over my head dramatically.

"Aigoo, who do they take after? Mother-daughter duo pulling one ridiculous stunt each."

"Hehehe, Mom, that's spitting in your own face."

"You take after Dad."

"Ridiculous, really?"

"Pffft."

I just giggled behind my hand, loving the moment.

Found out I'd been misunderstanding alone, met Mom.

And us three chatting like this? Perfect.

Today's been nothing but good.

Mom, bickering with Grandma, grabbed my cheeks and asked.

"But Su-hyeon, you ate dirt? Why? Grandma not feeding you?"

"Ah."

W-wait, Dryads don't eat dirt...?