Unable to comprehend what he had just seen, Sihon felt his legs turn to jelly, and he dropped onto the porch steps trying to wrap his head around the fact that the village chief had sent him five million won for taking care of a single orchid. In his previous life as a druid, his master used to tell him that druids must be properly rewarded for their skills, whether they were saving a plant or dealing with an enemy.
That was the principle he had lived by, because the world worked on a give-and-take basis. His master had also warned him that life would throw more work at him if he received too much. Sihon finally understood what his master had meant as he stared at the insane amount of money the village chief had sent him for such a small thing.
The sum made him tremble, and he had no idea what to do with that much money. Unable to keep it for himself, he tried to return it, but when he called her again she only scolded him for rejecting her sincerity. He had to accept the gift, but he decided to give her something else in return.
Since it was almost time to harvest the grapes from his garden, he decided to use some of them to brew wine for the village chief. A little later he turned to his favourite place, the internet, where he ordered a two-hundred-and-twenty-litre French oak barrel for his wine-making. It cost him almost a million won, but he did not mind, because it was worth every penny.
Back when he was a druid, he had never needed to buy barrels, because he grew up surrounded by oak trees. Looking back now, he could not help missing those days, when life had been much simpler. Putting the thought aside, he looked forward to making wine with the delicious grapes from his garden, which was now overflowing with the power of nature.
He decided to let the grapes ripen a little more, into their freshest state. Soon afterwards he received an unexpected visitor, one he did not recall inviting. It was a contractor named Yeonju, who had been hired by Siu to fix up the dilapidated house. After confirming the man's identity, Sihon let him tinker around the place for an inspection while he spoke to Siu on the phone.
He told Siu that he was nervous about the inspection, but Siu assured him that Yeonju was an expert who had done several restorations on other hanok houses. Sihon finally realised that this was the gift Siu had spoken about the last time he visited with his road manager. He told his brother he would have managed the house without all the fuss, but Siu said it did not sit right with him to have his big brother living in such a place.
He also reassured Sihon that he would cover the cost of the renovations and told him not to worry about it. Flustered but grateful, Sihon accepted the offer, and Siu informed him that the contractor was the uncle of one of his band members, who happened to be a fan of Sihon's channel. Given the connection, Siu assured him that the contractor would take care of everything, and that Sihon could give the band member an autograph later to show his gratitude.
The contractor, listening to the call from a corner, was very excited when he heard that. Sihon thanked Siu for the gift, and they ended the call. By then Yeonju had completed the inspection, and Sihon anxiously asked him for the result of his analysis. Yeonju informed him that the house was a complete mess and that the kitchen would certainly collapse in the next typhoon season.
He also pointed out that the ceiling was just a board thrown on top of the beams, and that the kitchen pillars had almost been entirely feasted upon by termites. Sihon was not happy to hear that his precious space was a mess, because a druid's house was supposed to be a sanctuary built as one with nature. Since moving in, he had not felt uncomfortable there.
He had simply assumed he could bear with the house in that state for a while without worrying. As if trying to console him, Yeonju told him that the roof and tiles were quite strong and that some of the structure was still sturdy. He stressed, however, that the major problem was the termites and that they would have to be dealt with as soon as possible, because if they were left alone they might make the structure unstable and bring the house down.
Yeonju also told him that the termite infestation might cause allergies, or that the insects might bite him in the long run. Sihon was not concerned, because he knew termites would not dare hurt a druid. Still, he admitted there was no reason not to listen to the contractor's advice, since Siu had already hired him and offered to pay for the work.
He asked how much the renovations would cost, and Yeonju reassured him that it was not as much as he feared. He also told him that he could apply for a subsidy, since the government provided about half the cost of major repairs on a hanok in that area. Sihon was over the moon to hear it, so he decided to leave everything in Yeonju's hands.
Yeonju then reassured him that he would pay extra attention to this renovation, since Sihon was Siu's brother. After seeing him off, Sihon could not help feeling relieved that the government covered half the cost. He had felt guilty at first, but after learning about the subsidy it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
As he headed back inside, he found himself looking forward to the renovation. From Yeonju's words, he concluded that it was going to be a large-scale one. He stood and stared at the house for a while, wondering what it would look like when they were finished with the repairs. Lost in those thoughts, he stood there until the sun set.