The next morning, the entire village gathered at the open field where the annual harvest festival was held every year.
Long tables were filled with fruits, rice cakes, grilled fish, and baskets of vegetables from nearby farms.
The village elders sat proudly in the front while everyone chatted excitedly.
At the center—
The oldest elder in the village slowly stood up.
For nearly fifty years, he had been the one organizing every festival, every ceremony, every village meeting.
The crowd slowly quieted.
"As we prepare for next week's harvest festival…" he began proudly,"…I first want to thank Shaman Il-sung for coming to our village."
Everyone immediately clapped warmly.
Se-Jun awkwardly smiled while trying not to choke on the rice cake he was eating.
The elder continued.
"For the first time in years… our village feels lively again."
Several old women nodded proudly.
"And our fruits and vegetables were finally sent properly into town thanks to our Hye-jin."
Hye-jin's aunt smiled proudly like Hye-jin personally invented agriculture.
Hye-jin scratched her cheek awkwardly.
The elder raised his hand dramatically.
"And tomorrow…"
A dramatic pause.
"…our village's traditional shaman dance ceremony will begin!"
Silence.
Se-Jun slowly froze mid-drink.
"…What?"
The elder laughed happily.
"As tradition says, our shaman will dance and bless the harvest."
Se-Jun smiled nervously while internally leaving his body.
The elder looked directly at him.
"Our villagers are very excited."
Se-Jun nodded slowly like a man accepting his execution date.
"…Yeah."
"Then let us all gather tomorrow!" the elder announced proudly."At the harvest festival!"
Everyone cheered loudly.
Meanwhile—
Se-Jun sat beside another old man afterward, forcing a calm smile.
"It's been years since our village received blessings from a shaman," the old man said emotionally.
Se-Jun nodded politely.
"I'm happy too, Mr. Seung."
Emotionally?No.
Spiritually terrified?Absolutely.
Nearby—
Hye-jin walked through the crowd carrying drinks when she suddenly spotted Seul-gi talking to Rowoon.
Seul-gi waved immediately.
"Hye-jin!"
Hye-jin handed the drinks to her aunt.
"Aunty, I'll be back."
Then walked toward them.
Rowoon smiled casually.
"I heard you brought a shaman into the village."
Hye-jin nodded once.
Before she could say anything—
Seul-gi suddenly grabbed Rowoon's arm excitedly.
"He's around our age! Come on, let's go meet him!"
"Wait—"
Too late.
She dragged him across the field.
Nearby, Se-Jun was sitting on the ground surrounded by children while teaching them fake "spiritual hand signs."
"And this one…" he said seriously,"…summons good grades."
The kids gasped.
"MR. IL-SUNG!"
Se-Jun turned around.
And froze.
Rowoon.Seul-gi.Hye-jin.
All standing there.
Se-Jun immediately stood up politely.
"Oh! Hi!"
Rowoon stepped forward and offered his hand confidently.
"Hello, Mr. Il-sung."
Se-Jun shook it calmly.
"Hello, Mr. Rowoon."
Both smiled.
But Rowoon's expression slowly changed.
"…I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
Hye-jin's soul almost evaporated.
Before Se-Jun could answer—
Seul-gi jumped in instantly.
"He came from New York!"
"He's only staying until the festival," she continued proudly, as if she created his backstory herself.
Rowoon frowned slightly.
"No, I mean… I think I saw him at—"
Hye-jin suddenly cleared her throat loudly.
"AHEM."
Both men were STILL shaking hands awkwardly.
Neither letting go.
A strange accidental bromance tension filled the air.
Finally—
They released hands at the same time.
Seul-gi quickly pulled out her phone.
"Let's take a selfie!"
Hye-jin instantly snatched it away.
"No."
"Why?!" Seul-gi complained.
Hye-jin immediately entered full corporate speech mode.
"What if fans come flooding into the village? It could affect the upcoming project, disturb the villagers, leak production details, damage privacy, and ruin the peaceful environment here."
One breath later—
"And this is my first project as a writer, too."
Silence.
Seul-gi blinked slowly.
"…That was scary."
Rowoon nodded seriously.
"…Valid point."
Beside them—
Se-Jun quietly released the biggest sigh of relief of his life.
Then smiled warmly.
"See you all tomorrow."
He reached into his robe dramatically and pulled out chocolates.
The children screamed happily and ran toward him instantly.
"IL-SUNG HYUNG!"
"ME FIRST!"
"NO ME!"
Se-Jun laughed while handing them out like a celebrity fan event.
Hye-jin glanced at Seul-gi.
"I'm leaving. Bye, guys."
Seul-gi waved happily.
"Bye!"
Rowoon watched Hye-jin walk away through the crowded festival street for a moment.
Then suddenly—
"Bye, Seul-gi!"
And he immediately ran after Hye-jin.
"Hye-jin!"
She turned around.
Rowoon finally caught up, slightly out of breath.
A few minutes later—
The two of them sat inside a tiny local street-food restaurant.
Smoke filled the air from sizzling meat on the grill between them.
Hye-jin looked up.
"So, what did you want to say?"
"Uh…"
Before Rowoon could answer—
"Your order!"
The auntie dropped plates onto the table dramatically.
"Thank you!" Hye-jin smiled brightly.
Immediately, she grabbed the tongs and started grilling meat like she'd been preparing for this moment her whole life.
"Tchhhhhh—"
The sound filled the small shop.
"Tell me," she said while flipping the meat casually.
Rowoon looked at her quietly for a second.
"…I'm happy you started writing again."
Hye-jin paused slightly.
Then nodded once.
"…Thanks."
She picked up a hot piece of meat, blew on it quickly, and ate it immediately.
"Hot—hot—hot—"
Then she dropped another piece onto Rowoon's plate.
A fresh bowl of steaming rice arrived.
Rowoon slowly picked up his chopsticks but hesitated.
Hye-jin kept grilling calmly.
"Look, Rowoon…"
She didn't even look at him while speaking.
"I'm here to work."
Flip.
"I don't mix personal and professional things anymore."
Flip.
"And I won't go easy on anyone just because we know each other."
She finally looked up.
"So I want you to feel comfortable, too. Okay?"
She placed another grilled piece onto his plate.
Rowoon smiled softly.
"…Okay."
He picked up the meat.
The two lightly tapped chopsticks together like a tiny cheers.
And quietly started eating together while the restaurant filled with smoke and warmth.
Meanwhile —
Back at the house, Se-Jun entered his room and switched off the lights.
The room became quiet except for the sound of crickets outside.
Buzz.
His phone lit up.
$5000 CREDITED
Se-Jun stared at it for a second.
Then immediately called his mother.
She answered almost instantly.
"Son!"
Se-Jun smiled faintly.
"…Is it raining there?"
"Yeah," she laughed softly. "Did you send money again? Why, son? I'm fin—"
"I got a role, ma."
Silence.
Then suddenly—
"Really?!"
Se-Jun smiled wider.
"Maybe I'll be working for a few weeks."
He sat down slowly on the floor.
"And I asked Kwang to help find a better rental house."
"Why? I'm fine here!"
Se-Jun sighed quietly.
"When it rains, you still keep bowls around the house because the roof leaks."
His mother looked around silently at the little bowls already placed near the walls.
Then smiled softly anyway.
"It's fine, son."
Se-Jun lowered his head slightly.
"I sent more money. If another job comes… I'll move you here soon."
A small pause.
"Eat properly too, okay?"
His mother's voice softened.
"…You too, son."
The call ended.
The room became silent again.
Then—
Se-Jun slowly opened YouTube.
"Traditional Korean Shaman Dance Tutorial"
His eyes widened nervously.
"…Ah."
He quickly stood up.
The video started playing.
The shaman in the video moved gracefully.Elegant. Spiritual. Powerful.
Se-Jun copied the movement immediately.
One arm up.Step. Turn.
"…Okay."
Another step.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
"OUCH—!"
He crashed directly into the edge of the bed.
Se-Jun grabbed his leg and hopped around the room dramatically.
"Ow—ow—OW!"