034 – Who Will the Golden Apple Go To? #1
It had been about five years since I started living in a burrow.
I learned many important things during this time.
The first was that if someone does you a favor, it’s wise to repay it.
That way, when you need help again, you can reach out.
Moreover, if you offer favors in advance, you might receive unexpected rewards in return.
People truly live by helping one another.
“This apple, it would be good to give it as a gift to those who have helped me so far, right?”
It was a tasteless apple, but it had excellent effects.
Therefore, everyone would probably want it.
I felt tempted to sell it, but since it was my glorious first harvest and wouldn’t last long, I decided to give it to someone.
The question was, who should I give it to?
“Oinoy, are you really not going to eat it? You grew it, so you should at least taste it.”
“The owner of the house…! The owner being a nymph-friendly person is something Oinoy knows well, but please don’t offer this nymph-hating fruit to Oinoy…!”
Oinoy was horrified like a golden retriever smelling durian.
I was bewildered too.
“No, you said before that the golden apple is a nymph-friendly fruit. Why are you changing your words now? Didn’t you grow the apples eagerly because you wanted to taste them?”
It was definitely disgusting, that part was true.
Still, how could such a statement change?
“It is said that when cooked, it becomes nymph-friendly delicious…! However, Oinoy has not learned how to cook from the master, so Oinoy cannot eat it…!”
“I see.”
“If Oinoy were capable of growing delicious apples without cooking them, it seems that it was a futile effort…! So that is why Oinoy will not eat the golden apple…!”
So that was what was said.
What about Kkungkkungi and Ahn Ahn?
When I offered the fruit to them, Kkungkkungi bristled his fur all over.
—Grrrr…!!!!
He was completely disgusted.
I still didn’t understand Squirrel Beast language, but he was definitely cursing.
Ahn Ahn also shook his head vigorously, as if pressing buttons on a washing machine.
“Alright, I won’t interrupt, so keep washing.”
Thinking of the neighborhood elders, I considered giving one to them.
The neighborhood elders always prepared various foods each morning. Should I give them one?
No, there were many elders, but only one fruit.
“There are so many mouths, so giving just this one fruit feels a bit awkward.”
Just then, Oinoy raised his hand.
“Then I will give it to Core Ye-rim…! Since ancient times, cores like Atalante have loved golden apples very much…! Receiving it will surely express great gratitude to the owner of the house…!”
Seo Ye-rim?
Indeed, I thought it would be great to give this golden apple to Seo Ye-rim.
She had helped me in various ways with getting this house.
Apart from that, did she really help me in any significant way?
She even tried to grab me because some queen bee juice splattered on my shoes.
What a picky person.
Picky Ye-rim.
Picky.
As I was thinking that, a buzzing vibration sounded.
Looking at my phone, I saw a text from Seo Ye-rim.
“That’s kind of spooky. Is this S Rank intuition?”
She must have thought I was talking about myself when I reached out.
「Picky Ye-rim: Everything alright?」
「Me: Yeah, all good. The golden apple grew, so it’s a happy occasion haha」
「Picky Ye-rim: Really? Show me a picture!」
I was naturally someone who enjoyed showing off.
Click—.
When I took a picture of the golden apple and sent it to Seo Ye-rim, the reaction was good.
「Picky Ye-rim: Wow, look at the color haha. It really looks golden! So pretty!」
That radiant golden hue had a captivating effect on people.
Even a superstar like Seo Ye-rim, with 3 million Instagram followers, seemed enchanted by it.
Should I give it to Seo Ye-rim—? Just as I was thinking this, Yu Ara, who worked with me today, popped into my mind.
“Yu Ara bought a lot of meat. Gave me a gift as well. Helped me out early too. She has done a lot for me.”
Above all, Yu Ara was someone who knew how to express gratitude.
If I gave her this golden apple, she might say, “Senior, thank you so much!” with her round eyes wide open and even shed tears of joy.
And since she was B Rank, perhaps she needed the apple more than Seo Ye-rim, who was overflowing with mana as an S Rank.
“I noticed she was scared watching the Demon ‘Assassin Scorpion.’ If her skill improves, she may gain confidence. Should I give it to Yu Ara?”
Just as I was thinking this, Oinoy frowned.
Then he said, “Yu Ara… is a nymph-hating woman…! She had the qualities of a core, but was terrifying like the witch Medea…!”
Oinoy maintained a consistent opinion regarding Yu Ara.
Was it similar to how cats and dogs tremble when they see the veterinarian?
“To wash away that terrifying aura, you must bathe in the River Styx…! In other words, Yu Ara is like a minefield… a minefield woman…!”
Minefield woman.
I felt like I had seen such a term floating around on the internet before.
Yu Ara had been slightly passive and morose before, but was it to the extent of being called that? As I was thinking this, Oinoy said.
“I think giving an apple to the prospective core Lee Jin-A would be good…! Because Jin-A gave Oinoy a ride in a truck…!”
Oinoy seemed to have had a very fun and joyful experience riding in the back of a one-ton truck, making it an unforgettable memory.
“Surely no nymph has ever ridden in the back of a truck…! Oinoy received a great favor representing the nymphs…!”
Indeed, I also owed something to Lee Jin-A.
It was quite surprising how friendly she had been to my mom and dad.
Also, thanks to her pretending to be my fake girlfriend, my parents had laid off a bit.
“Then the list of potential gift recipients is down to three. One of the three.”
Should I draw lots?
As I contemplated this, Oinoy said.
“Three women and one golden apple…! Oinoy is reminded of something…! There’s the story of the shepherd that the master once told me…!”
“The shepherd?”
“The shepherd who had to give the golden apple to one of the three women ended up sparking a terrible war and died horribly…! The owner of the house must be cautious…!”
Was he referring to the story of the golden apple and the three goddesses?
Since meeting Oinoy, I had read plenty of stories related to nymphs, so I had a general idea.
“Hera, Athena, Aphrodite. It’s the story where the three goddesses offered gifts to the shepherd to be chosen as the owner of the apple, right?”
Indeed.
Now that I think of it, my situation resembled that of Paris, the prince who was a chooser of the golden apple.
And a very wise thought came to mind.
“Oinoy, do you know what lesson the story of the golden apple and Paris teaches?”
“Oinoy understands that the lesson is to not let a momentary greed mislead important choices and decisions…!”
“No, when dealing with several people at the same time, negotiate and choose the one you like the most. Yes, that’s it.”
Indeed, people from ancient times were wise.
The golden apple and Paris.
His story was surely made for my future self.
“I can give the apple, so they can ask me what they can do for me. I’m really smart. I’ll give the gift to whoever presents the most appealing conditions!”
“Hiiieee…! Oinoy feels a bad premonition…! This is now uncertain…! The owner must handle it himself…!”
Swish—.
Oinoy went into his room.
What a boring guy!
No matter how scared Oinoy was, I created a group chat with Yu Ara, Seo Ye-rim, and Lee Jin-A.
“Haildo invited Picky Ye-rim and Ari and elitist Lee Jin-A.”
Then I uploaded the photo on top.
「Me: I have one golden apple left. Is there anyone who needs it? If you need it, tell me why each of you needs it. I’ll give it to whoever presents the best reason.」
# # #
“Huh? What the hell is this kid talking about?”
Seo Ye-rim was furious as soon as she looked at her phone.
Huarrk—.
The temperature rapidly rose, causing her friend and secretary, An Young, who was driving, to be flustered.
“Ye-rim, it’s hot. Are you mad at me because the traffic is slow and I’m late getting home?”
“Oh, sorry. No, more importantly, check out the message Haildo sent! He’s trying to hand over the golden apple as if it’s an auction…! He should naturally give it to me, right?”
“Is that so? I don’t think it has to be so obvious. It’s his item, so it’s up to him who he gives it to.”
C Rank Awakened An Young, while being Seo Ye-rim’s secretary, was straightforward.
When she asked why Seo Ye-rim should receive the apple, Seo Ye-rim was taken aback.
“Well, I helped Haildo find his house!”
“Originally, it was a house that had cracks and could have been eaten by him.”
“That may be true. But how well have I treated that guy? How dare he not recognize that favor and stab me in the back like this?”
Seo Ye-rim was angry, but her secretary An Young, who disliked the heat, was struggling to adjust the temperature.
Still, she couldn’t help but be angry.
It was clear she had done numerous favors for Haildo.
In their congested car.
Taking her hands off the steering wheel for a moment, An Young started, “As expected…”
“It was your instruction to give Haildo work at Telos Corporation, wasn’t it? Back when he was still C Rank.”
“W-What are you talking about? Those were chores anyone could have done.”
“Yeah, you’re right, it was chores anyone could have done. But you funneled all those to Haildo. You thought you were doing him a favor, right?”
“What are you saying? No. I just thought he would vanish if he got stuck at C Rank. But he still handled his tasks faithfully.”
“…….”
An Young glanced at Seo Ye-rim in the passenger seat with narrow eyes.
Then, instead of saying anything, she moved her hand to turn on the car’s air conditioning.
Since it was very hot.
Beep— As the light changed, and the car behind honked its horn, Seo Ye-rim said.
“Young, let’s just go to Haildo’s house for now. I don’t know exactly what that golden apple is, but if it’s a fascinating crop, wouldn’t it be better for our Telos to acquire it first and research it?”
“You’re really concerned about the company this much?”
Saying that, the experienced secretary An Young turned the steering wheel.
