Chapter 15

I was so busy all day that I didn’t have time to count the money.

Our laundromat was still accepting cash.

My parents didn’t know how to handle the machine, so they didn’t install a card reader.

‘There are many customers who bring their cards, so a card reader is also needed.’

When you open the cash machine, you see a pile of crumpled cash.

‘One thousand won, two thousand won, ten thousand won… … .’

Excluding free laundry, sales exceeded 100,000 won.

‘Awesome~’

It was difficult to pass without celebrating today.

The pork belly that Director Kim gave me caught my eye.

‘It would be perfect with just one beer.’

I went to the supermarket and bought a can of beer.

I was thinking of buying two, but bought one.

I had to go to the forest today to work, but I had trouble drinking too much.

‘A cup as a souvenir is fine.’

I grabbed the fire and headed to the roof.

It was a good night with a cool breeze blowing.

All in all, it was a satisfying day.

Ahn’s work has been resolved, and Kim Jin-ah has become brighter and the number of customers has increased.

It was the first time in my life that I had such a good feeling.

I kept laughing to myself like a fool.

sizzle.

The pork belly was cooked on the fire and I drank a glass of beer.

* * *

‘Now I have to work.’

I only drank a can of beer, but it was a little clunky.

But I couldn’t procrastinate.

After all preparations were made to go to the portal, I put one of the windflowers I had picked in advance into my mouth.

Then a pleasant wind began to blow around my body, gently swaying my hair and hem.

『Windflower can block the attack of fungal spores for 2 hours.』

With a light heart, he passed through the portal and set foot in the ruined world.

It was really comfortable and good because I didn’t wear a raincoat and gas mask.

We loaded the laundry into the lorry and headed for the forest.

I also took two coffee tree seedlings today.

‘Oh, but what is that?’

Silly~

I saw something round and white floating on the edge of the forest.

Besides, it has two eyes, and the hole in the bottom that looks like a mouth looks like a smile.

It was like a round moon, and it was also like a ‘smile sticker’.

When I got closer, I saw that it was a lump made of dandelion spores.

“Oh, were you guys? I was surprised.”

As I entered the woods, they began to circle around me, chanting happily.

It was bizarrely cute.

What was more surprising was that the letters appeared and disappeared as the pierced mouth moved.

[Why… … late… … All?]

The sentence was not correct, but it seemed to ask why he was late.

“Why are you late?”

He nodded as if the smile sticker was correct.

[You go… … Heat… … study hard… … .]

“Did you study hard after I left?”

Smile Sticker nodded again.

Then he turned around and pointed somewhere.

There were tattered Korean dictionaries scattered all over the place.

“that… … Did you memorize all that?”

[Yes!]

The letters kept popping up and disappearing repeatedly.

[Words… … do. mouth… … need. you have the same face… … All?]

“You need a mouth, so you made it just like my face?”

nodded again.

He seemed to have studied, but he didn’t seem accustomed to talking yet.

It was a bit annoying, but I could understand it.

“No, I’m fine with the eyes, nose and mouth… … Are you afraid?”

[What!]

A lump of dandelion spores turned red in anger.

“Ah… … ok cute.”

[dummy.]

It’s okay to say stupid.

“Can’t you stop talking about that idiot?”

[No… … All.]

The lump turned white again, apparently because of the anger.

“Still, it’s nice to have someone to talk to. you guys are great Have you seen all that thick dictionary before?”

[Pharmaceuticals… … All.]

“I think it’s because of me. You knew I would and brought you the dictionary.”

[…] … You are very boring.][Gorgeous… … It hangs.][…] … It’s a swordsman.]

I was pouring out words I didn’t know.

“What else do you mean?”

[That’s you.]

“Oh, I don’t know. I have to work, so be quiet.”

The quiet forest became a little noisy because of him.

‘Did you bring me the Korean dictionary for nothing?’

[dictionary… … Thank you. Gift… … .]

“Are you giving me a present?”

I was blown away by the word gift.

The wind flower I received last time was also usefully used.

[follow… … come.]

He uttered those words and started moving forward.

I left the laundry and coffee tree next to the creek and followed.

“But are you going to keep talking nonsense?”

[you too… … do.]

ok~

I had nothing to say.

“But you don’t have a name? What do you call it?”

[name? … … none.]

“Then I’ll build one for you. Because it looks like a smile sticker. How about ‘mile’?”

[hate.]

“Then it’s round, so what’s a dongle?”

[not really.]

“Then it’s floating in the air!”

[dog… … ?]

Irritation grew.

And I remembered the name.

“How about Ariel?”

[Ariel… … ?]

It was a name that I learned while writing a screenplay related to a fairy in the past.

He seemed to be contemplating whether he liked Smile.

[What… … All?]

“It means an air fairy.”

I tilt my head as if thinking about it,

cute.

[…] … good. mind… … It grows.]

The corners of his lips rose as if he liked it.

“Really? OK?”

[good.]

“Then call me Ariel.”

[good. Ari… … El, ah… … Riel, Ariel.]

I liked the name, so even without a tail, I could feel my butt fluttering.

It was like a large piece of fluff, and when I touched it once, the spores that had been clustered were scattered and then reunited.

[I hate it.]

“okay.”

Ariel seemed to be in a good mood, so she flew far through the forest.

I walked along the tailgate.

In the vicinity, plants that I had never seen for the first time were blooming in various colors.

After walking for a while, Ariel stopped.

[this.]

When Ariel looked where he was pointing, there was nothing.

“Is there nothing?”

[Idiot, hand… … dance.]

When I put my hand on an empty place, I felt something touching.

After a while, the flower buds that looked like jars appeared transparent, probably because my hand was stimulated.

“that’s interesting. What is this?”

[No flower buds… … water… … .]

“Is there water in the flower buds?”

Then I noticed that there was sap inside the transparent flower buds.

[Eye… … put it in mind… … see.]

Does it mean that if you put it in your eyes, you can see someone’s heart?

Nonsense.

“Really?”

[true… … weave? It’s real.]

I put my finger in her, dipped in the sap, and tried to put it in each eye, one drop at a time.

Then the letters appeared in front of me.

『With a clairvoyant flower, you can see through the mind of the other person for 1 hour.』

I think the name of the flower is ‘perspective flower’.

“Oh, it’s true. Then we should test it.”

He stared at Ariel in front of him.

But nothing appeared.

[dummy. Ariel… … within… … empty… … lies… … none.]

“Ah, my head is empty and I have no heart.”

[head… … no. in my mind… … !]

Ariel was agitated.

“Ah Okay. sorry. sorry.”

[We think… … fly Words… … do.]

“You just say whatever comes to mind?”

nod nod.

It felt good because I didn’t have to worry about what was going on inside.

‘How do people like this? There is no misunderstanding.”

I had no choice but to go home and test it out on people of different minds, inside and out.

I put the sap of the clairvoyant flower in the plastic I had.

[Our forest… … Goes.]

“Okay.”

[We go to the forest.]

“Okay.”

Ariel looked around the forest as before, and disappeared from her sight.

‘I don’t understand how people wander around in such a peaceful forest with something to watch out for.’

Now we can have a conversation.

Returning to the creek, I thought of things to ask Ariel.

Questions such as how the earth perished, how forests were formed, and whether there were any living people.

I haven’t been able to make sentences properly yet, but I think it will get better as we continue to talk.

I went to the creek and soaked the laundry in the water.

Before that, he drank water and washed his face.

[Qualification: Likes][Health and appearance increase.][Maintains more than double the durability as a likable person.][Health: 12, Strength: 12, Intellect: 11, Appearance: 12,]

He did not think that drinking water only increased his physical strength and appearance, but his intellect.

‘What should I eat to increase my intelligence?’

I wanted to live this life a little smarter.

I was the type of person who had trouble with my hands and feet because of my bad head.

‘If the creek was a little wider, I think it would be good for swimming.’

It has not yet reached that level of depth and breadth.

The forest looked a little richer thanks to the coffee trees.

‘I think we should grow more forests.’

I turned on the CD player I left behind and played music.

As sweet classical music resounded throughout the forest, it sounded like a stretch in the forest.

Quickly, blazingly, blazingly.

As before, there was the sound of the forest wriggling.

The soft leaves start to sprout and expand.

There was a sound as if the roots were growing under the ground.

As the roots spread, new stems began to sprout there.

It was a marvelous sight every time I saw it.

The forest expanded about 1m in circumference, and instead, the land of the fungus decreased little by little.(Read more @ wuxiax.com)

‘It’s so much better when the forest grows bigger.’

When the water from the stream was scooped up and sprinkled on the stretched area, the site became more abundant.

Tentacles of light rose from the ground and began to scavenge the molds that had not yet disappeared.

As the amount of water entering the creek increased, the stream widened slightly.

Listening to the music, I took the laundry out of the water and dried it in the sun.

‘Shall we start the coffee harvest now?’

I was looking forward to how many beans would come out of one big coffee tree.

I laid a plastic floor on the floor and carefully picked the coffee berries.

There were so many more than I expected.

As soon as the coveted fruits were full, they were moved to a well-lit place and dried.

Ariel, who had been looking around the forest, returned with her letters floating above her head.

[Forest grows bigger.]

“I think the forest likes music.”

[Music, good.]

However, after some time passed, the forest stopped expanding.

‘Are you tired of hearing this too much?’

Next time I come, I thought I should bring all the classics.

[Scent, good.]

She started sniffing Ariel flying around her drying coffee berries.

Apparently, Ariel is a dog lover.

“But why are you monitoring the forest like that?”

[can not do well. disappears.]

“Huh?”

[can not do well. disappears.][can not do well. disappears.]

He just repeated those words like a broken machine.

Does that mean it will disappear if done wrong?

“Why? How peaceful is this?”

Except for being surrounded by mold, the forest was very peaceful.

[I do not know.]

“You don’t know?”

[I do not know.]

Is the question wrong?

“Then do you know why the earth is like this?”

Then letters appeared in front of him.

[This question does not fit the level.]

‘It’s a question that doesn’t fit the level… … ’

In fact, I was still just a lover.

The guest did not know whether it would be a threat to the forest or a friend.

It seemed that the forest had not yet cleared its borders against me.

‘Yeah, why not wait.’

She slept until the coffee berries were moderately dry.

Ariel also came to my side and she nodded and went to sleep.

With her eyes, nose and mouth, she looked like a white puppy.

* * *

[Acquired simulation ability through imagination.]

When I woke up, a letter appeared in front of me.

But Ariel was nowhere to be seen.

In the place where Ariel was, the round shape disappeared and the scepters were lying around.

Some were blown away by the wind, and were wallowing at the border of the forest.

“Ariel!”