“…You said my mother saved your life?”
Elliot was as surprised as she was. Every time his life was in danger, the necklace she gave him was poisoned or cut off, and it was all Elliot’s mother’s doing. No wonder. Even though she said she didn’t do anything, Elliot didn’t believe her and called the wrong person a lifesaver.
“Look. What did I say? It’s not thanks to me?”
She poked Elliot in the side.
“There is no such thing as Hazel Duck.”
Their mother smiled and shook her head at her.
“I cannot touch things that are originally in the world of the living. However, because the necklace is an item that contains a little bit of the witch’s magic, I was able to touch it with holy power.”
How long has it been since they looked back on the past and talked about things they couldn’t finish?
‘What?’
The two people’s hands stroking Luca and Luna’s hair looked blurrier than at first. She wondered if her eyes were blurred because she was sleepy because it was late at night, but it wasn’t.
“Now it is time for the effect of the ritual to wear off.”
Their father looked down at his hands and smiled bitterly. The two took turns hugging their three children and said goodbye. Not only Luna and Luca, but also Elliot had a sad face.
“I will always protect you by your side, so don’t be sad.”
“Yes, don’t forget that we are always by your side.”
“Luna, Luca. Don’t forget this too.”
Their mother held each child’s hand and was at eye level with them. Her eyes were watery.
“Mom and Dad love you forever.”
The two children nodded, holding back their tears. The children were so choked up that they had to repeat the words ‘we love you’ to them several times before they could be heard clearly.
“I was always sorry that I couldn’t be there for you while you were growing up, but I can’t tell you how grateful I am that Elliot did that for you.”
“You went through a lot of trouble on our behalf. I will always be grateful.”
“They are my younger siblings, so it’s only natural.”
Their mother stroked Elliot’s cheek and his father patted his shoulder.
“All three have grown up so well that it’s disappointing.”
“We didn’t need to start from the beginning, right?”
“It was possible because everyone was there to protect us.”
“Still, there are limits to the guardian spirit’s work…”
“Not only did we protect Luna and Luca and raise them well, but it was you and Miss Hazel who took revenge on us, not us.”
Their father asked her to shake his hand. Their mother nodded her head as if it were correct, and she opened her arms towards Elliot.
“Elliot, we are so proud of you.”
The two people, who had been bickering playfully just a moment ago, shared an affectionate hug.
“Thank you for always watching over me.”
Elliot’s eyes were also watery. Now it was their father’s turn to give Elliot a hug after shaking his hand for a long time.
“Elliot, congratulations on your wedding.”
Their father, who was as tall as Elliot, patted his son on the back and congratulated them on their marriage.
“You can be a great father because you have good allies just like I did.”
Their father said, ‘Good allies,’ and he smiled at her.
“I should give Hazel a hug too.”
She was held in their mother’s arms.
“Thank you very much. I feel safe having Hazel by their side.”
Their mother hugged her and comforted her, and then she said something unexpected.
“I guess this will allow me to hug my grandchildren.”
“Grandchild… what?”
“Oh my, I already told you.”
Their mother covered her mouth as if it was a mistake. Elliot’s startled gaze turned to her stomach.
“That means Hazel is having a baby… And twins…”
“Now that I’ve already said it, it’s the princess and the prince.”
So, their mother left after telling them that she was pregnant, which they didn’t even know about. Even after the two people gradually faded and disappeared, we couldn’t leave the spot and waved. Even after they stopped holding hands for a while, they didn’t say anything. Then, the first person to break this emotional silence was Luca.
“I don’t think I’ll forget mom’s smell anymore.”
They smiled at each other with teary eyes.
“By the way, your mother is here too.”
Elliot joked, wrapping his hands around her stomach. She thought as she received his affectionate kiss.
‘I’m glad I’m a witch.’
She always thought of this mysterious ability as a blessing, but there has never been a day more rewarding than today.
“Then I’ll be waiting, so take your time and come back.”
Elliot took her to the other side of the greenhouse with the chestnuts. Alone she lifted into the moonlight one of the legs of the snake he had given her before he left.
“Whoa…”
Again she took a deep breath. She wasn’t afraid that her order would be wrong. Now she knew how those three felt before meeting their parents. How nervous were you? How hard would it have been to hold back the tears that were already about to burst out? She took countless deep breaths and held back her tears before she finally recited the spell.
At that moment, something unexpected happened. The greenhouse in front of her slowly disappeared and another space began to appear. Floral wallpaper. Numerous flower pots lined up along the veranda window. A TV with a terrible drama on it. And hot ondol.
It looked familiar. Because it was the living room of the house where my grandmother and she lived.
“What?”
“What are you saying? Just sit down.”
She turned towards the voice and saw her grandmother coming this way from the kitchen with her tray.
“Grandma!”
When she saw the face of her grandmother, whom she had longed for, tears welled up in her eyes. Her grandmother kept telling her to sit down. When she wondered where she was talking, she saw a dining table spread out in the middle of the living room. It was just like the one her grandmother used when she was alive. As soon as she sat down, her grandmother prepared a meal in front of her.
Tightly pressed gobong rice. Grandma’s style soybean paste stew with a generous amount of diced tofu and brisket. In addition, there are dishes such as braised beef ribs and crab paste, and side dishes such as egg rolls, stir-fried anchovies, and pickled perilla leaves. There were so many side dishes that she was worried that she might break her upper leg.
“Thank you for this food.”
“Eat a lot.”
Her grandmother, whom she missed so much with tears in her eyes, has her dinner table right in front of her eyes. She suddenly forgot about the thought of Elliot having a fond and affectionate reunion with her grandmother, just like she did with her parents, and picked up the spoon first. The first place the spoon went to was soybean paste stew. She really wanted to eat it because she couldn’t eat it here.
“Wow, how long has it been since this?”
It’s been almost 10 years. She almost cried as soon as she took a big spoonful of stew and put it in her mouth. This savory and spicy taste. She was sure this was just a fantasy, but it was just like her grandmother’s old soybean paste stew. A taste she had never tasted since her grandmother passed away. In addition, she felt the warm feeling that made her heart every time she ate the food her grandmother prepared for her for the first time in a long time.
She thought she was going to cry, but when she looked up and saw her grandmother’s face, she saw her smile.
“Is it good to have dinner with Grandma after a long time?”
Her grandmother stroked her face and smiled.
“Doubly so because I haven’t seen my grandmother in a long time, no. It’s a hundred or a thousand times better.”
She went back to being a little kid and playing a prank on her grandmother. And then her grandmother went back to being her grandmother and began her lament by saying ‘Aigoo’.
“I raised you so well, but you threw away your life to save someone else’s life. Even if the child is good, it’s a real disaster.”
“Lol…”
“Oh my gosh, look at how he’s smiling no matter what he says.”
Even her grandmother who was giving her a bruise was smiling.
“Grandma, but how did you get here?”
It turns out that she also had a guardian spirit in her original world. She was her grandmother. She was her guardian spirit. When her soul was pulled this way, she followed along.
“I’m worried because you’re so stubborn… I followed you and you ended up following me here.”
“My grandmother is traveling to Europe thanks to her granddaughter.”
“…You are truly carefree.”
Her grandmother burst into laughter.
“Yes, Europe and all are good, but you still look weird.”
Her granddaughter, who was Korean in her grandmother’s eyes, suddenly looked like a young girl from a European-style fairy tale, so she had a hard time adjusting.
“Still, you’re pretty.”
“Right, Grandma? I drew it.”
“Yes, she drew it well.”
She was from Gyeongsang Province, so it was a huge compliment for a blunt grandmother. She chatted with her grandmother about her past and continued teasing her with spoons.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes.”
“Stay a lot.”
The dishes were already gathered in front of me so that the side dish bowl was touching her rice bowl, but her grandmother pushed the side dish bowl further towards her.
“If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more. Don’t leave anything behind.”
“I feel like my stomach will explode if I eat all of this…”
“It won’t explode.”
Her grandmother spread her grilled mackerel and placed it on her spoon.
“Anyway, I taught you how to make red pepper paste, but why don’t you try it?”
She chewed the rice very slowly, swallowed it, and drank the water. After a long pause, she answered in a hushed voice.
“Well, I don’t have soybean powder…”
“Oh my.”
Just as she had feared, her grandmother taught her how to make soybeans. As she listened, her head started pounding.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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