chapter 19
‘At this level, it’s okay to have expectations.’
As it turned out, there was nothing special about the site itself, and I wonder if the balloon flower wine I drank at that time came out as a coincidence. I had always had that concern, but the location I just checked was a good enough spot to cleanly erase that worry.
Of course, considering the fact that even the concept of qi has become rare now, there will be limits no matter how good the ground is… Even considering that, it was like an oasis found in the desert to Kang Tae-han.
“Would it be all right if I went to the mountain next week or so?”
“It doesn’t matter when. I need a benefactor, so it’s no big deal to stop by the mountain. It is also a mountain that is practically being played without doing anything in the first place.”
When Shin Jun-ho shrugged his shoulders and said, Park Ho-yeon, who was next to him, showed a surprising reaction.
“okay? Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s not good The other day, I planted several as a test and even moved fruit trees, but all of them were not good.”
it could be. Kang Tae-han nodded inwardly.
Originally, spirituality is not only beneficial to life. To use an analogy, a concept that is fundamentally closer to energy than nutrition. Murim people who recklessly take expensive elixirs and go to the goal do not appear every time for no reason.
In particular, raw and pure aura formed in nature is rather miasmic if it does not have the history of handling and absorbing power.
Most organisms cannot survive long or grow properly in this environment, but… Occasionally, even after absorbing a large amount of spirit energy, an individual appears intact, which soon becomes a spirit plant and a spirit creature.
‘It’s not a suitable environment for farming or orchards.’
It is difficult to grow properly, and even if it is difficult to grow, ordinary grains and fruits will only taste richer if you eat them. It is also a story of a small number of individuals who have adapted to the environment, and the rest are just chaff.
From a commercial point of view, it is a business that does not fit the bill at all compared to the time and cost involved.
But anyway… It was a welcome sound to Kang Tae-han.
The fact that the crops did not grow well was also evidence of the high density of spiritual energy in the mountains. Besides, to have been teasing him for a long time is truly the icing on the cake.
“Can I pick up some herbs and herbs there?”
“of course. I think you said it because of that, but there’s no way you can say no to it. but… … .”
Suddenly, Shin Jun-ho made a worried expression.
“To be honest, it’s not a very nice mountain to walk around. There are no roads because people don’t go well… As far as I remember, the place where Wonho picked up the bellflower must have been at the beginning of the mountain.”
“Then you need to be careful.”
Kang Tae-han agreed with a worried expression, but it was hard to hide his smile inside. As before, it was rather good news.
* * *
Cool weather with a cold wind.
There are many foods that come to mind at times like this, but when you think of something hot and hearty, there is nothing like sundaegukbap.
A clear soup simmering in an earthenware pot.
Adjust the seasoning to your liking in the richly flavored broth.
Salted shrimp is also good, which adds a salty and savory taste.
It is also good to have a dadaegi that gives off a hot red color.
After you have tasted it to your liking, take a spoonful of the still-boiling hot broth and check if the seasoning is right.
“Ah, that’s just right.”
A plain sentiment escaped Kang Tae-han’s mouth. Seonghyun Choi, who was watching him from the other side, smiled.
“It tastes so good. Didn’t you eat lunch?”
“It’s kind of like that.”
Read at NovelNext. com
Looking back, it was Kang Tae-han who accidentally skipped lunch and went to the hospital. I just ate a lot in the morning, so my hunger came late. It was only when he finished work and left the hospital room that Kang Tae-han realized that he was on an empty stomach.
Is that why? The hot warmth that passed down my throat was especially felt today.
After tasting the soup, this time it’s kimchi.
Before rolling the rice into the soup, taste the kimchi along with the raw rice.
Cabbage kimchi that is lightly cooked and still has a crunchy texture.
It’s large, but the inside is well soaked in the seasoning.
Did you know that you can tell the quality of a restaurant by looking at the taste of the kimchi? The first time I knew this house was when I was in the first year of high school, but it is a restaurant that never changes.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while.’
Even when I was in Moorim, I often thought of the soup here. With that thought in mind, Kang Tae-han rolled the rice that was still in the air into the soup.
The point is to eat half of the rice with kimchi earlier. If you roll the entire bowl of rice at once, the soup will become cloudy due to the stickiness of the grains of rice, but if you adjust the amount of rice in advance, you can enjoy clear soup even after rolling the rice.
Spicy soup, chewy intestines, and savory blood sundae.
There’s even rice that holds the center with a subtle sweetness!
It didn’t take long for the two young men to empty the earthenware pot one by one.
“Come to think of it, did you take care of what you said you had to do?”
“Well done. More than I thought.”
When Seonghyeon Choi asked after the meal, Kang Taehan nodded. For a moment, he remembered what had happened when he left the hospital room after work.
‘I’ll tell you the story, so you can come and go when it’s convenient for Taehan. I think you can just leave me a text message.’
Shin Jun-ho said, ‘Do you think you can’t do that much to your benefactor?’, and then added another word of thanks. His tone seemed to be worried that Kang Tae-han would feel burdened.
‘I’m glad you came.’
There is also the achievement of getting a definite answer about the mountain, but it feels good to receive such gratitude and favor. Do you feel it is worth doing good deeds?
“Good. Well then, it’s been a while since we’ve been together… Hey, Hanha lost again.”
Seonghyun Choi’s smartphone showed the score of the baseball game the day before. 2:4. It was a come-from-behind loss with three runs missing in a row at the beginning of the ninth inning.
“It’s Choi Tae-joon again. This man is the problem, this man.”
“Who is Choi Tae-joon?”
“Tosunde, your form has been weird since last year, but this year is really bad. These days, if it explodes one-sidedly or is reversed, it is likely that it happened when this man started the mound.”
Come to think of it, I think I saw the name several times in Internet articles. Modifiers such as super rookie and prospect are often added in front of them… Words such as downfall and fall often follow it.
Are you a player who is going through a slump after doing well?
In fact, I could tell just by looking at Choi Seong-hyun’s words. The fact that your form has gotten weird since last year means that you were doing well before that.
‘It doesn’t happen often.’
A case where a promising player who had been shining bright from an early age stopped growing at some point and rather degenerated than before.
Even if you don’t have to take Moorim’s example, it’s quite a lot. As a result, if you give up on the road, or if you take the wrong way and can never recover.
But it has nothing to do with Kang Tae-han.
He was neither a baseball player nor a baseball fan. He picked up the bill in front of him and stood up.
“Rather than that, let’s play billiards. Where do you want to go?”
“Five… What’s up. Will you pay for billiards?”
Seonghyun Choi said with a smirk. One of the billiard skills is a friend who is confident. To the extent that I have never lost anywhere when I bet on billiards.
However, Kang Tae-han is different now. Of course, this was the first time I came to modern times and played billiards… … .
In other words, you don’t know your limits yet.
Kang Tae-han also smiled.
“If you’re thinking about losing, I won’t even ask you to hit it.”
“great. I’ll have to order coffee at the billiard room.”
A bet made by laughing confidently at each other.
However, an hour later.
“… Why are you playing so well all of a sudden?”
“I had some work, so I practiced.”
“If you’re going to do this, go pro… … .”
Seong-hyun Choi had to pay for the billiard room, coffee, and the train ticket to Seoul the next day.
* * *
People’s expectations are scary.
Choi Tae-joon felt that at some point.
It was different in the old days.
Ever since he was in the elementary school baseball team, he was an outstanding player. If nothing else, throwing the ball was better than anyone around him.
That’s why it was natural to receive the expectations of others, and it was also natural to meet those expectations. Because he had that kind of skill, and he wasn’t lacking in effort.
However… The professional world was different.
People around him praised him as a super rookie and promising pitcher, but he was not the best. He was not a genius, and the top was a position reserved only for real geniuses.
He was still expected.
But living up to those expectations is no longer a matter of course. Skills and talents are also a problem, but it was only possible with luck.
‘… It’s really hard now.’
In particular, these days, Choi Tae-joon felt burdened by catching the ball.
The starting point was a shoulder injury sustained last year.
Excessive practice was overworked, and the injury itself wasn’t that big, so I returned to the mound right away… After that, the condition never returned.
Especially these days, it’s literally the bottom.
It is not the first time or two that the team not only leaked points at intervals, but also gave up a come-from-behind defeat. It was like that a few days ago too.
‘Should I retire?’
If you really can’t do it anymore, giving up cleanly is the way to go. However, Choi Tae-joon shook his head. Even if you retire, it’s not now. I didn’t want to retire leaving behind this image.
“Taejun.”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Take some rest.”
“… I am taking it easy.”
Coach Zhang sat down next to him and said. He was sitting on a bench at the training ground. Originally, there was a lot of practice, but these days, I don’t leave the training ground at all.
Even so, it’s even more unfortunate that I can’t get out of the slump. Coach Zhang looked at him with a worried look.
“I’m not saying that… No, it’s done. Are your shoulders okay? Are you still?”
“Yes, it never goes away.”
Choi Tae-joon said while turning his right shoulder a couple of times.
The shoulder injury healed nicely.
However, sometimes the feeling of a foreign body felt on the back of the shoulder joint bothered my nerves. It feels like a grain of sand is stuck between the bones and muscles.
If you do a test at the hospital, the only thing that comes out is that there is no abnormality. Rehabilitation treatment did not work, and it was useless to receive acupuncture at an oriental clinic.
“I am Really, why are you doing this… … .”
In fact, there is no problem, but maybe my mind is the problem. I wonder if it was a symptom created because I needed an excuse for my poor condition. Now that thought comes to my mind.
“Taejun. There is no game tomorrow, so make time and visit Seoul.”
Coach Jang insinuatedly spoke to Choi Tae-joon.
“Seoul… What?”
“My wife found out about a massage shop somewhere, and she said it was so good. In the same apartment line, a certain husband’s lower body said that he had a rejuvenation or something.”
“You mean a kiss?”
Choi Tae-joon’s mouth was covered in laughter.
I’ve been to so many places over the years, but it hasn’t disappeared. However, I didn’t even think that this problem would be solved with just a massage.
“I heard that it is a reservation system, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get it as I wanted, but the day my wife arranged it was just tomorrow. Come and go once to cool your head.”
“… Okay. thank you.”
But even so, he is not a person who is so angular that he refuses to take care of others. Taejun Choi slightly bowed his head and thanked Coach Jang.