Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Grow
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After the conversation ended, I decided to learn from Grandmother how to gather energy.
I followed her out to the forest a short distance from the yard.
"We were born as the earth itself, the origin of all things and the mother of everything."
As Grandmother walked slowly, she brushed her fingertips against the low bushes, and the leaves reached out on their own to touch her and then receded.
"When the primordial sky was dethroned, its blood fell to the earth—that was the birth of us Meliae. Later, we were classified as a type of Dryad."
It was such an enchanting sight, like a fan meet-and-greet. I couldn't help but follow Grandmother's hand with my eyes.
"The earth, the seasons, balance, the cycle of life, harmony, motherhood, destruction, the ecosystem and the unity of all living beings. In other words, the beginning and the end. Among His descendants, we inherited those traits most strongly."
Grandmother stopped in front of a suitably large oak tree and turned to look at me.
"Animals are tricky, so let's start with plants."
As I approached at her gesture, Mom whispered a quiet "Fighting!" from behind.
"We can read their emotions and commune with them. Feel this tree's mood."
"How...?"
"Communion starts with empathy, no matter who or what the other party is. Think from their perspective. Imagine what it would be like if you were this tree. Empathize with them, open your heart, and share feelings. That's communion."
Figuring I had to try something, I placed both hands on the tree trunk.
'Open my heart? How...?'
I closed my eyes and tried to become the tree's mood.
It had stood in one spot for decades. It must have seen and heard so much, but still, wasn't it bored day after day?
And now someone was approaching and doing something strange to it, so it was probably a little startled right now.
As I thought that, something began to stir in my chest.
"Something warm and soft... I think I can feel it."
"You're doing well. Can you tell how the tree feels now?"
"It's amazed, and maybe a little happy. Um... it seems a bit worried too. Probably because it hasn't rained in a while."
"It's the dry season right now. Even the water level in Snake Valley has dropped a lot. But the air tells me it'll rain tomorrow. Can you relay that to it?"
"Uh, my grandmother says it's gonna rain tomorrow? Hang in there...?"
"Trees don't understand human speech. Convey it with your heart."
"Ah."
Mom's happy laughter came from behind.
Along with something about how cute it was and she couldn't help it.
Why didn't she tell me that from the start...?
Ignoring my burning face, I closed my eyes again and tried sending my feelings to the tree.
'It's okay. Rain's coming soon. Don't be scared.'
Something came back from the tree.
"It seems more energized. Brighter somehow."
"Good job. You've learned to exchange emotions with a tree. Now, let's learn how to influence growth and death."
"Pardon...?"
Growth and death? It suddenly felt ominously advanced.
"Don't worry. Power depends on how you use it."
Grandmother picked up a thick branch that had apparently fallen recently—whether from wind or an animal, I couldn't tell.
"Even fallen branches and dead leaves still hold some life force."
"Uh... yeah."
It was still fresh and green; I could tell without touching it.
"But eventually, that force fades and crumbles away."
"Right...?"
"If you feel it's a waste for that force to scatter meaninglessly, you can use it like this."
In an instant, the leaves withered and crumbled off.
The wood looked like all its moisture had been sucked out, twisted and dry.
My eyes flew wide at the unbelievable sight.
Grandmother tossed aside the branch, now rotted like it had been decaying for decades, and approached a nearby sapling.
It was so thin it barely looked like a tree yet. It had hardly any leaves and was turning yellow, dying.
"It's sick. No leaves means no photosynthesis, and it doesn't even have the strength to sprout new ones."
Grandmother merely gazed at the sapling, and all the diseased leaves fell away as fresh green jade-like leaves budded. The limp stem seemed sturdier now.
"Feel the cycle of growth. Imagine sprouting buds, bearing fruit, scattering seeds—all those moments. Then share your energy. Very, very little at a time."
I didn't fully get it, but I'd follow instructions.
I closed my eyes again, communed with the tree, nurtured its emotions, and comforted it from the depths of my heart.
Then I felt something flowing out from within me.
Like a single grain of sand rolling off a sandcastle.
"That's it, you're doing well. Pass it slowly... and stop."
I pulled my hands away and looked at Grandmother.
"Always respect life and understand what they need. Too much life force is poison—to you and to them."
Her words reminded me of the magic beasts I'd made explode in the department store.
Had they burst from excess life force?
That would explain why they collapsed as soon as I left.
"Can you see how the tree has changed?"
Even with just a tiny bit of life force, it looked noticeably different.
The leaves swaying in the breeze seemed to dance with joy.
"Yes...!"
"Practice on this for now."
Grandmother held something out, so I extended my hand and took it.
A bean. A soybean?
She dropped a different bean on the ground, and in moments, it sprouted, grew, and bore fruit.
"This variety has strong life force, unaffected by climate. It's adaptable, doesn't need much nutrition—perfect for beginners. Once it sprouts, plant it anywhere; it'll grow on its own."
Sprouting it turned out to be much harder than I'd thought.
There was a vast gap between gifting energy to a healthy, thriving tree and stimulating a dormant life to awaken and grow.
Mom had me sitting on her lap, playfully ruffling my hair here and there. As her fingers brushed my head, flowers bloomed wildly, forming a flower crown.
Breathing in the floral scent, I placed the bean on one hand and covered it with the other.
"Hng...!"
My face turned red from the effort, but Mom just beamed happily.
I ultimately failed to sprout it.
As the sky turned red, we headed back to the house.
Noticing my disappointed expression, Grandmother comforted me, saying she hadn't expected me to master it overnight.
"Isn't it weirder if someone who lived as an ordinary person until now suddenly nails it?"
"Yeah, when you put it that way..."
"You did amazingly today! Our Su-hyeon is the best."
Mom just poked my cheek with her index finger, radiating endless positivity.
Grandmother made dinner.
She said it was Mom's favorite.
Kimchi stew.
Dad used to make it for her often...
I tried to help with cleanup but got scooped up and plopped on the porch to enjoy the evening glow.
She said the sun sets early in the mountains, so soak it up while you can.
After the long trip and using energy today, it was best to stockpile as much as possible.
For the record, Mom got grabbed and sat down beside me too.
"What about Grandmother?"
"At my age, I could go years without it."
Years, huh...
I could feel how different their sense of time was.
"Mom, how old is Grandmother?"
"Hmm? I don't know exactly..."
"It's been so long since I counted that I'm not sure myself."
Her voice came from the kitchen, as if she'd overheard.
"But I did see humans when they were still hairy and primitive. They all looked so different back then."
"...?"
My brain froze at the unimaginable statement, and that's when Mom shoved her face in close.
"Su-hyeon, aren't you curious?"
I was.
"How old are you, Mom?"
"Let's see, it's 2040 now? So... one, two, 914 years old!"
"Gah."
My head spun from the math.
"Around 700, I ran away and wandered until I got here. But there's this vast ocean wider than anything I'd seen! I was pondering how to cross it when I met your dad. That was around 780, I think?"
"Do you know how much I wandered looking for you? You young thing, clueless about the world's dangers."
"I'm all grown up, so I'm fine! The baby here is our Su-hyeon~."
With Grandmother and Mom bickering in the background, I did some rough calculations.
Grandmother's age was too vague to pin down, but definitely in the ten-thousands...
And Mom was born around the Goryeo Dynasty era. Not on the Korean Peninsula, though.
Grandmother had mentioned coming from the opposite side of the world, and since nymphs and Dryads originate from Greek mythology, probably from there.
Plus, running away at 700 would be around 1826—just because she hated nagging, circling the globe halfway.
'Mom really never listened, huh.'
It was changing my image of her.
"That's why I came all this way at my age. Learn from Su-hyeon!"
"Our Su-hyeon can't help it~ Mwah."
I let Mom smoosh my cheek with a kiss and cleared up my remaining questions.
"So your names weren't originally Korean?"
"Nope! Your dad and I named each other. 'Ji' from tree branch, 'Hyeon' from sunlight—so Ji-hyeon. Pretty, right?"
"Oh..."
Naming each other like lovers—romantic.
I pictured an innocent Dryad in the mountains poring over books with a young man to pick a name.
"Grandmother didn't care, so I named her. Kim Ok-rye! Doesn't it suit her?"
Hee hee hee.
Mom giggled like a mischievous kid, but Grandmother didn't seem bothered. If anything, she looked pleased with the name her daughter gave her.
"So, did you have original names?"
"Yeah, we sisters call Grandmother Aidrisa. Her real name's Aideomina. Too long, right?"
Hmm, sounded pretty cool.
But Mom didn't like it because it was a hassle to say. Korean names were definitely easier.
'Do I have one too?'
I asked with a sliver of hope, but...
"Huh? Su-hyeon's Su-hyeon. You were born in Korea."
Aw...
I felt my hair droop a little.
I slept sandwiched between Mom and Grandmother.
Through the sliding door, the chirps of various insects created a peaceful atmosphere.
Mom kept tickling me and blowing raspberries on my belly to make me laugh until Grandmother scolded her.
"How was today for you, Su-hyeon?"
"Today? ...It felt like a dream. Seeing Mom after so long, meeting Grandmother, learning amazing things, and feeling so much more at ease."
Hee hee hee.
Grandmother pretended to sleep with her eyes closed, but I saw her lips twitch at "meeting Grandmother."
"It feels like a dream for Mom too. I want to stay like this forever."
Sleep well, my daughter.
The next day, early dawn.
Grandmother's mornings start early.
Dryad mornings are early too.
A Dryad grandmother's morning is even earlier.
Before the sun rose, Grandmother woke Mom and me.
"Ugh, the sun's not even up yet..."
"Every minute counts for me! Get up, you."
Mom got dragged out by the scruff of her neck.
I saw her reach out pitifully calling my name, but there wasn't much I could do. I'd just tidy the bedding.
We set the table in the yard, mixed rice with wild herbs, ate, and headed somewhere else.
Someone she wanted to introduce us to.
We walked to the back of Wayun Village. Thanks to Grandmother's power, the hike felt quick.
"I'll stop by the village and come later. You two go ahead. Remember the way?"
"I've been around longer, of course."
She often visited and had business in the village, so she told just Mom and me to go.
Grandmother's chatty friend?
Makes sense—I wasn't around, and Mom was always recovering as a tree, so Grandmother must get lonely.
"Not tired, Su-hyeon? Want a piggyback?"
"No, I'm fine."
I was tempted but refused.
I wasn't going to be a spoiled brat!
Mom looked a bit disappointed, and I regretted it a little.
...Should I ask for one now?
As I climbed the stairs slowly with such thoughts, an incredibly ancient pine tree came into view up ahead.
Millennium Pine.
A sign read Natural Monument No. 424.
"Hi, we're here."
Mom greeted the tree like an old friend.
As I turned to her with a puzzled look, I heard—or rather, felt—a voice.
"Huh."
What? Yesterday Grandmother said trees don't understand human speech...?
But clear Korean came through.
In a warm, grandmotherly voice, no less.
"Hyeon dropped by after so long, so I woke up for a bit."
"Yeah, something came up, so she changed."
"Pfft, barely over 800 and you call that old? You're in your prime."
A millennium pine, and not even 1,000 yet?
No, more importantly!
"M-Mom. It's talking."
"Uh, hello...?"
"You've picked up the village folks' chatter over 800 years down there. That's how I learned too, more or less?"
"Uh, um..."
"Hee hee, I was shocked too."
"I needed a chat buddy back then. You had fun too, right?"
"Uh uh..."
"Ugh, that story again. How many times have I heard it?"
"......"
It turned into full-on auntie gossip, and I just stood there dazed, listening.
Grandmother, come quick.
Unfortunately, Grandmother was gossiping with the village head's wife at that moment too, so Su-hyeon endured an hour of blood-curdling chatter.
Auntie talk spares no one—human or tree.