“Hot!”
Hana woke up to the cool breeze blowing. She quickly got up and looked around, only to find Jiyu and Yumi still asleep. She checked her mobile phone and realized they had slept for about two hours. Hana started shaking Jiyu and Yumi awake. She figured if they slept too much, they wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, so she woke them out of consideration.
“Jiyu! Yumi! Wake up!”
“Ugh…”
Jiyu and Yumi rubbed their eyes and got up. After looking around, they made surprised faces and said,
“We slept outside!”
It’s not every day you see city kids sleeping outside like this. In the city, sleeping outdoors was rare. There weren’t many places to sleep, and if you did, there was always the risk of someone stealing your wallet or phone. For these kids, sleeping in a countryside-like setting was a fascinating experience.
“Sleeping outside feels kinda nice, huh?”
Yumi stretched her arms and yawned. Sleeping on the wooden bench wasn’t so bad. Lying under the trees, feeling the gentle breeze, was truly healing. The leaves shielded them from the bright sunlight, and the sound of the wind and birds made them feel incredibly refreshed.
Of course, since they were used to beds, sleeping like this once in a while was fine, but if they had to do it all the time, the hard ground would probably make their backs ache.
“We ate strawberries and watermelon, so now we gotta work!”
Hana picked up some farming tools and looked at Jiyu and Yumi. With two workers here, it was time to get to work. After all, she had generously shared her carefully grown strawberries and watermelons with them. Truthfully, there wasn’t much to do, but Hana wanted to teach them the joy of growing crops. This kind of experience was hard to come by, even if you paid for it.
Ordinary kids rarely got the chance to experience farming these days. Relatives who farmed were scarce, and the number of farms was steadily decreasing. Finding a proper place to farm was tough.
“Ugh…”
Yumi picked up a hoe with a defeated look, while Jiyu, on the other hand, grabbed a shovel with excitement. Hana planned to let the two kids fully experience what farming was like. Feeling proud, she led them into the greenhouse. When in Rome, do as the Romans do—when in Hana’s greenhouse, you follow Hana’s rules.
——————————————————-
“Done! Let’s stop here, guys!”
About an hour had passed, and Hana called the kids over. Yumi made a face and said,
“Hana, already? Can’t we do a bit more?”
Yumi, who had initially looked defeated, seemed to have gotten into farming and was absorbing knowledge like a genius. Jiyu, on the other hand, was just kinda going through the motions.
“I wanna go to Hana’s room~!”
Jiyu seemed really curious about the room Hana usually stayed in. While chatting with the kids, Hana had mentioned that she lived in a building, so Jiyu and Yumi didn’t think much of it.
They already knew Hana was pretty well-off. She rode around in a fancy car and swiped her card without a second thought when buying snacks or treats.
“We gotta wash up first! If we go like this, my room will get dirty!”
Hana looked at the dirt-covered kids and spoke. Luckily, they had changed into farming clothes earlier, so they only needed to wash their bodies. The clothes they took off were neatly stored by Maru. Hana casually led the kids to the house next to the greenhouse.
Since they had built a temporary house next to the greenhouse while constructing it, there was no need to set up a separate washing area. It was like a vacation home at the Starlight Research Institute. Jiyu and Yumi stared at Hana and said,
“Hana, aren’t you gonna wash up?”
Yumi, knowing Hana was also covered in dirt, spoke up. Jiyu, standing next to her, chimed in,
“Yeah! Let’s wash together!”
Hearing this, Hana’s face turned red as she replied,
“I’m fine!”
From Hana’s perspective, washing together was a crime, so she refused. Jiyu and Yumi tried to persuade her, but Hana’s stance was too firm, so they had no choice but to go wash by themselves. They guessed Hana was just a shy kid.
—————————————————–
After washing up in the bathroom with hot water pouring down…
Jiyu and Yumi stepped outside wearing the clothes Maru had kept for them. Outside, Maru and Hana were already waiting. Hana looked fresh, though no one knew where she had washed up.
“Let’s go to my room!”
The thought of entering Hana’s mysterious room made Jiyu and Yumi’s hearts race. Yumi was especially curious about the room of someone who aced every exam like it was nothing. How hard did she study to never miss the top spot? And yet, at school, Hana didn’t seem all that focused on studying.
She often goofed off during class, though she did seem to pay attention during memorization-heavy subjects.
After walking for what felt like ages from the vegetable garden, they finally arrived at the building. It was sleek and massive—so tall you couldn’t even see the top when you looked up. Of course, the kids didn’t know that if they saved up all the money Hana made in a year, she could buy dozens of buildings like this. If they had known, they would’ve been shocked.
“Alright, let’s go in, kids!”
Maru slowly led them into the building. Since it was still working hours, there were a lot of people inside. Jiyu and Yumi realized that Hana lived in a pretty unusual place. She had mentioned living in a building at school, but seeing it in person was a whole different experience.
No kid they knew lived in a place like this. Seriously, what kid in Korea lives in a building?
“Hi!”
Hana casually waved to the front desk staff, who greeted her warmly. They clearly recognized her, even though they didn’t see her often—it had been over six months since they last met.
Honestly, Hana was the only kid in this building. Most people here were over 20 and working, so a 10-year-old like her was a rare sight. Occasionally, employees brought their kids, but that was a one-time thing.
“The staff here are super nice!”
Hana told Jiyu and Yumi, who nodded in agreement. Maru led the kids to the elevator. Today, she had the duty to take care of them, like they were on a field trip.
They took the elevator to the 10th floor. Jiyu and Yumi marveled at the view outside. The floor-to-ceiling windows gave them a clear view of the city.
“Wow! I think I can see our school from here!”
Jiyu’s eyes widened as she stared at the distant cityscape. Of course, even with eagle-eyed vision, seeing their school from here was impossible—it was just too far. As they admired the view, the elevator dinged, signaling they’d arrived at the 10th floor. It was finally time to enter Hana’s room.
After a short walk down the hallway, they reached Hana’s room. Jiyu and Yumi stepped inside and were greeted by a spacious room.
“Wow! There are so many stuffed animals!”
Jiyu gasped at the pile of stuffed animals next to the bed. Yumi looked around, too. It looked like a typical elementary schooler’s room. They had expected a room filled with books, but their hopes were dashed.
“This is my room!”
Hana ran around, explaining everything. Jiyu excitedly bounced around, playing with Hana, while Yumi followed closely behind. The room had a fresh, new vibe, probably because the interior had been recently renovated.
As they wandered around, they all flopped onto the big bed and started chatting.
Then Maru came in and placed snacks and drinks on the table. She seemed to have grabbed the snacks from the lounge area. The snacks were delicious, and Hana happily munched away. Jiyu stuck close to Hana, inhaling the snacks like a vacuum.
Maru watched the kids and smiled.
“Have fun, you guys!”
“Okay!”
