Among the things humans say, don’t they say, *“Nothing ever goes my way”*?
I truly understand that now. If even I, the Goddess of the Earth, am like this, how much worse must it be for humans?
After everything I did to raise him… If it weren’t for me, do you think he could have received awards like Farmer of the Year or Livestock Farmer of the Year? What, a demon’s latched onto him? I’m a goddess, for goodness’ sake—how could a demon latch onto him? Are you comparing me to that petty demonic energy? *Sigh*… Anyway, I hope I can see him again.
– From an interview with the Goddess of the Earth –
The phone rang. It was my sister-in-law.
“Yes, sister-in-law.”
“Uncle, Gaeun’s dad wants to have lunch together today. Are you free?”
“Lunch?”
“Yes. I told Mr. Yeongho to prepare some cow feed. You said you’d keep them through the winter, didn’t you? Oh, and do you have any sweet potatoes left?”
“No. I gave some to relatives who came for Mother’s funeral, so I’m out. Should I bring some from the neighbor’s?”
“No, this girl is on a diet and only eats sweet potatoes, but she won’t eat them unless they’re Uncle’s. Whether she knows it or not, she has an uncanny sense for whether her uncle’s crops are good. It can’t be helped. See you in a bit. Oh, that restaurant in front of the department store we ate at last time—just come there.”
*What’s gotten into my brother, suddenly wanting lunch?*
“Hey, I’m going out for lunch. My older brother wants to see me.”
“Got it. I’ll feed the cows. Just like during Mother’s funeral, right?”
“Yeah, please do. But where did these sweet potatoes come from?”
I see two washed sweet potatoes on the table.
“They were in the storeroom. I think those are the last ones. I was going to add them to the rice.”
I think of my niece, who only eats sweet potatoes from my farm.
“I’ll take these. Just eat your rice without them.”
Without waiting for a reply, I wrap them in a bag and stow them in my backpack.
*Since I might stop by my brother’s house, I should pack a tracksuit too.*
“I’m heading out. You don’t need anything while I’m gone?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about the cows and just go.”
Was it because it was a weekday and there wasn’t much traffic? I arrived earlier than expected.
To kill some time, I step into a store next to the restaurant that supposedly sells everything.
I’ve been to nurseries, hardware stores, and farmers’ bank & marts, but a place like this is a first.
*Wow, they sell these too? Is this different from what they sell at the nursery? Should I try planting them in a corner of the field?*
Following that thought, I drop a few packets of seeds into my basket. Radish, cherry tomatoes, soybeans, sunflower.
*I should plant the sunflowers near Mom’s grave.*
*Wow. They sell tools too, and this saw is only 5,000 won? That’s cheap.*
They sell fishing supplies too. Now I won’t have to go to a fishing shop. I might as well do some smelt fishing at the reservoir, so one container of 50 small hooks. Should I get mono line? Braided line is thick… Is fluorocarbon good because it floats? What did I buy before? Ah, might as well buy everything while it’s cheap.
I’d only meant to look around, but my basket was full of this and that.
A folding saw, a multi-tool knife, several packets of seeds, a pack of five chocolate bars, one bottle of water, a box of four soap bars. A pack of ten hand warmers. One container of fishing hooks, three types of fishing line. Luckily, it all fit in my bag.
After paying, I head to the appointed restaurant.
“Uncle, over here!”
*My older brother and sister-in-law arrived first.*
I sit down and we eat.
When we’re almost finished, my sister-in-law abruptly hands me my passport and a ticket.
“Go and meet her.”
“What? Who?”
“It’s a marriage meeting. It’s a woman Mother liked too. You remember the CEO who wanted my husband to go abroad when he first got hired? I said I didn’t want to go, so my husband was stationed here, and that CEO went abroad. He met a local woman there, his current wife, and this is their daughter. She wants to meet you, so go and see her.”
“Hyung. You could’ve at least told me beforehand.”
“Uncle, I had your fortune read, but they said a demon’s latched onto you, so we couldn’t tell you beforehand. Actually, the last family trip was planned because of this too, but you were the only one who couldn’t go because work came up. The previous family trip was the same. Anyway, before that demon strikes this time, hurry up and go.”
“What?”
“I heard she’s a powerful shaman. You haven’t even been to Jeju Island since you were little because of that. I don’t really believe in shamans, but whenever you’re supposed to get on a plane, something always happens, so I do wonder if we shouldn’t make plans in advance. Anyway, your flight is this afternoon, so give it a try. If you don’t like her, just treat it as a trip and come back. You’ve never even been abroad at your age. What good are awards like Farmer of the Year or Livestock Farmer of the Year? If you get married and have a baby now, you’ll be seventy by the time the kid goes to university. Speaking of university, you haven’t had a girlfriend since college, right? You broke up after joining the fertilizer company, and there hasn’t been anyone since? It’s not like you broke up because you said you’d become a farmer. At least when Mom was alive, she took care of you. I know you inside and out, and it’s obvious how you’ll end up living alone like that. International marriage isn’t so bad either. Just go meet her once, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll introduce you to an old maid at my company. Just go.”
“Alright, brother, stop. I’ll go and come back. I just have to go and come back, right?”
“I’ll park the car at our house, so give me the keys. Call me when you arrive.”
And so now I’m on the plane. But was a plane always this loud?
They said it was business class—so isn’t this supposed to be a good seat? Yet it’s still loud. Are they practicing a fantasy drama script inside the plane or something?
“Hey, tell the ones casting the summoning spell right now to change the coordinates to where I am.”
“What? We set everything to that side to search for hero candidates, though.”
“Hero or whatever, none of that matters. We need to bring him here.”
“Then we won’t be able to bring a hero candidate for another ten years.”
“That’s why I’m saying we can bring a hero ten years from now. Do it then. For now, he’s the one who matters.”
“Then we’ll need to set the coordinates for where to send him, so it’ll take a moment.”
“Once he gets off that plane, it’s over. We can’t bring him. Magic won’t work on him either. For now, set the summoning spell here and send him, and since he can’t die while we’re searching for him, cast a blessing so he won’t die. He had a bag earlier—send it along with him.”
“Yes, understood.”
A short while later.
“Ladies and gentlemen, hello. This is your captain speaking.
We are currently passing through an area with dense storm clouds, so it may appear dark outside the window, and you may feel slight turbulence. This is a normal weather phenomenon, and there is no problem with the aircraft’s operation.
For your safety, please keep your seatbelt fastened while seated, and take extra care when moving about the cabin. The flight attendants will assist you if needed.
We expect the weather to stabilize again once we pass through the cloud bank. Thank you for your understanding, and we will do our utmost to ensure a comfortable flight. Thank you.”
The announcement plays.
When the sky brightened again after passing through the storm clouds, no one noticed that someone who had been sitting there had vanished, leaving behind only an empty seat. Only a smartphone lay abandoned on the table.