211 – My Victory of Surviving #3
The countryside in autumn has a quaint charm.
Close your eyes and imagine. Dragonflies are buzzing around the fields during harvest season, and the beautiful sunset hangs in the orchard, painting the world in red.
Abundant apples are packed into boxes and neatly stacked in every warehouse. Just approaching those warehouses would envelop you in the refreshing scent of apples.
However, these days, Primal Village has changed and become less charming as convenience stores, Baskin-Robbins, and Burger King have opened to attract passing visitors.
“Hey, Il-do, where are you going? If you’re taking the short route, want me to take you in my newly selected Maybach? The price of the peanuts sold for the Squirrel Beasts has skyrocketed thanks to you…!”
“Why not grab a coffee at the Starbucks that just opened nearby? The village meeting season is coming up! We need to elect a new mayor! Come in my Ferrari!”
Even the elderly in the village mostly drove foreign cars instead of tractors or farm vehicles. Electric cars were also becoming common.
There was a saying that 21st-century farmers were the rich who owned land, and it certainly felt true.
Especially since Primal Village is known for the appearances of Squirrel Beasts, honey ants, and tiger owls, the residents’ income had increased significantly due to business with tamers who came to catch these creatures.
Anyways.
Even in the changing autumn of Primal Village, a romantic sentiment still lingered. People were running around the fields looking for Squirrel Beasts, along the paths of the orchards.
Strolling through that place filled with various wildflowers and blooming cosmos brought a sense of ease and warmth to my heart.
“Oh, I found a four-leaf clover.”
Swipe-.
I found a four-leaf clover while walking leisurely down a narrow path that had formed between the apple orchards. It was a moment that made me feel incredibly happy.
“Lucky!”
Now that I was in a sentimental mood, I must confess that I really liked the story of the four-leaf clover. The four-leaf clover is a symbol of luck.
People say that countless individuals rummage through clovers to find such a four-leaf clover and enjoy their fortune.
However, in reality, clovers symbolize “luck,” “peace,” and “promise,” regardless of the number of leaves. A three-leaf clover is also, in truth, a symbol of luck and peace.
So we miss out on recognizing various lucks and peace that come to us in our daily lives while searching for a special fortune.
It undeniably carries a moral lesson.
Indeed.
In fact, luck and happiness aren’t that far away.
Coming home from work, taking a refreshing shower, and taking a bite of warm chicken while watching a highly anticipated show.
It would be perfect with a glass of cold cola or beer.
Having someone to chat with would make it even better.
In my case, I had the Nymphs.
“Inoi, look at this! It’s a four-leaf clover!”
Swipe-.
I held out the four-leaf clover to the nature fairy, Nymph Inoi. I thought the Nymphs would appreciate it.
In the peaceful autumn atmosphere, Inoi, who had been looking at her smartphone, raised her head and widened her eyes.
“Ahh…! It is truly amazing…!”
“Isn’t it?”
“But it’s not a four-leaf clover; it’s a red clover…! It’s a soft, tender plant that Squirrel Beasts love to eat…!”
What? The plant I found isn’t a clover but a red clover?
Whether it’s a three-leaf or a four-leaf clover, both symbolize luck, but red clover was out of the question.
What does red clover symbolize?
A rabbit?
I didn’t know, but I felt disappointed.
– Kkung-kkung…!
At that moment, Kkungkkungi, who had been frolicking around with the flying squirrel Phey, approached me.
He then swiftly snatched the four-leaf red clover from my hand and began to nibble on it, holding it with his two forelegs like hands.
Chop-chop-chop-.
It was truly the sound of a Squirrel Beast munching on clover.
Squirrel Beasts are omnivorous, so they occasionally eat plants too.
“What a fascinating sight.”
I had often seen Kkungkkungi eating fresh lettuce or cucumber, but it was my first time seeing him eat plants like this, which was captivating.
Inoi remarked while watching the scene.
“This Inoi used to nibble on red clover when I just woke up from hibernation and found the world lacking food because the snow hadn’t melted…!”
A Nymph eating red clover. I thought it was very nature-friendly and laid-back, but then Inoi raised her smartphone high and shouted.
“But with this smartphone, I don’t have to eat something tasteless like red clover…! Just a few button presses can result in ‘delivery’…!”
“Really?”
“This Inoi wants to order some crunchy chicken today…! Because the seasoning of crunchy chicken is the same honey color as my hair…!”
The Nymphs seemed to prefer smartphones and crunchy chicken over nature-friendly red clover. I also liked chicken in any form.
Just as a four-leaf clover and a three-leaf clover both symbolize luck, so too does chicken always mean chicken to me.
In that sense, today was the day we all decided to gather and order chicken and pizza. It was the day the previously held A Rank battle would be edited and released.
“No Nymphs would surely have ordered delivery like this…! This delivery app is proof that Inoi is the top Nymph…!”
When I temporarily left my house for the A Rank survival, I had carefully taught Inoi how to use delivery apps.
Although Inoi enjoyed taking things from the refrigerator and was good at buying food from convenience stores, I meant for her to be ready to order food if necessary.
Since then, Inoi had ordered various things with great interest, and it seemed like she had become completely engrossed in ordering food.
For Inoi, who had once eaten red clover when she was hungry, the delivery app, which brought food after just a few taps on the smartphone, was both fascinating and fun.
# # #
“Coris, it’s nice to see you…! It’s a great pleasure to meet you…! Meeting like this is a great fate…! Let’s do the Joyful Nymph Dance…!”
“Actually, my Nymph sisters and I met yesterday, but that doesn’t matter…! I, Coris, also want to do the Joyful Nymph Dance…!”
Dum-chi-dum-.
In the town near Primal Village. In front of a fairly large department store, Coris and Inoi embraced each other warmly. Then they began to do the Joyful Nymph Dance, which consisted of placing their hands on their waists and spinning around.
Just as clovers symbolize luck, the Joyful Nymph Dance symbolizes “joy.”
Soon, Lee Jin-A stepped out of a parked truck in the distance.
“Haildo, you made it without being late, huh? How are you?”
“I’m in good shape. Seems like you have some time now?”
Meeting in front of the mart around lunchtime was a promise that Jin-A had made to me first. She suggested that we buy meat, vegetables, or drinks for the gathering later in the evening.
Today, we were all going to gather to watch the broadcast featuring our exploits. Kim Yu-mi and Do Jun-hwan were also coming, and Seo Ye-rim said she’d come too.
By the way, the location was Seo Ye-rim’s personal theater at her house.
“So how does it feel to suddenly become a single-digit ranker? What on earth happened after I got eliminated?”
I asked Jin-A as we entered the mart.
Jin-A was ranked A, 5th place. It was a very high rank, and since I had never expected that she would last this long and perform so well, curiosity naturally arose.
Then Jin-A replied.
“Explaining would take too long. Just watch when the show’s on.”
I see.
Anyways.
With that feeling, we arrived at Seo Ye-rim’s house around dinner time.
As Jin-A’s old truck came to a stop in front of a very large gate, a beeping sound resonated, and the doors automatically opened.
The expansive garden spread out before us, resembling a playground.
There was a fountain, a swimming pool, and expensive-looking statues, presenting a luxurious ambiance that felt like visiting a museum or an opera house.
In fact, the building looked like an opera house.
Vroom-.
As Jin-A carefully stepped on the accelerator and entered the garden’s road, she remarked.
“Wow, what kind of house is this? Did you say this is the second house built in Makcheon City? The main house is originally in Seoul? People owning multiple houses, it’s really a different world we live in.”
Even someone as confident as Jin-A seemed a bit diminished in the face of Seo Ye-rim’s overwhelming wealth.
With a click of her tongue and a frown, she seemed to express, “The rich…” reflecting the solidarity we commoners often feel.
People like me and Jin-A inherently possess vague jealousy and anger towards the wealthy. Seeing Seo Ye-rim’s extravagantly luxurious house must have ignited that annoyance.
I said to Jin-A.
“Rich people can spend their money. It’s necessary for the economy to keep moving. They should spend as much as they earn to keep the market economy active. In that sense, Seo Ye-rim is a healthy rich person.”
In my view, wealthy individuals spending their money lavishly was a compliment. In truth, it’s the frugal rich who are dangerous and unhealthy, isn’t it?
If the rich hoard their wealth without sharing it, how can they positively impact the market economy?
Vroom-.
Anyways, with that sentiment, we parked in the parking lot and arrived in front of the grandiose building resembling an opera house.
The doors opened automatically without us even needing to ring the bell.
As we entered, the interior adorned in a light ivory color theme stretched upwards to the ceiling.
Curved staircases, transparent glass windows, a solid marble floor, and an old-fashioned fireplace, with a swimming pool visible beyond it─.
“Ahh, Coris…! There’s a swimming pool…! Let’s jump in…!”
“I can tell that Core Ye-rim is rich because she has a swimming pool at home…!”
Splash, splash-.
The Nymphs dove into the swimming pool in their clothes.
“Nymph game, splashing around…!”
Splash, splash, splat, splat-.
They looked like they were having a great time.
While watching that spectacle, someone descended gracefully from the staircase on the second floor.
It was Seo Ye-rim, wearing indoor slippers.
“You arrived here on time without being late?”
Her outfit was a red tracksuit that would normally feel casual, but in this context, it began to feel like a wealthy person’s casual attire.
“Other A-rankers Kim Yu-mi and Do Jun-hwan arrived first and are waiting.”
Swipe-.
Soon, Seo Ye-rim took the bag filled with meat, vegetables, and alcohol from Jin-A’s hands.
“What’s this? You bought so much. Great. I’ll grill it later. I’m really good at grilling meat.”
Swish-.
Seo Ye-rim disappeared into what felt like a space aptly named the “Nordic Dining Kitchen.”
She had a strangely buoyant and friendly demeanor.
