Farming Druid - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

056. At the zoo (3)

“If it had fallen, it would have really broken several places. It’s fortunate that the moat wall is a stone ledge. At best, Soobin’s clothes got caught on the ledge and she only suffered a few scrapes.”

The tree also agreed with Haneum’s words.

“The moat down there was pretty deep. If I had fallen in there, I would have been in real trouble… … .”

Phew―

On the way out, the tree ‘clearly’ told the zookeeper about the tiger’s complaints.

I thought the rest was up to the breeder.

“Sir—you look a little better now.”

“Uh— Bora brought me some ice water, so I feel a little better. Thank you.”

Bora smiled as the tree shook the ice water.

The earlobes turned slightly red.

* * *

As the tree party walked.

People looked at the group of trees and spoke to each other.

They were people who knew what had happened in the tiger cage a little while ago.

“Uh— this is a bit… … I want to get out quickly… … .”

Haneum also agreed with the tree’s words.

“I see… … Or should I just wear a hat and go around?”

Bora and Saimdang’s eyes lit up at Haneum’s words.

“Hyung— They’re selling hats at the souvenir shop over there. How about wearing one of those?”

“…You guys don’t plan on going home, do you?”

At the tree’s question, Bora opened her mouth with sparkling eyes.

“Of course. I’ve come this far, so I can’t give up playing just because something happened. This is also a memory.”

“… Oh. That’s true. After it passes, it becomes a memory.”

Haneum and Namu quickly bought a hat from a souvenir shop and put it on, pressing it down deeply.

It was time to head towards the aquarium.

Ding— dong— daeng— ding—

[We would like to give some information to those who have visited our Dong-A Land. If the two men who rescued the child from the tiger cage this afternoon are in the park, please visit the information office.]

Namu and Haneum listened to the broadcast and looked at each other and smiled.

And then.

“Don’t tell us to follow that announcement to the information office. We hate being bothered.”

“Why? You never know. I’ll get you an annual pass here.”

“… I won’t go. If you guys want to go and get it, go get it.”

“The hyungs are the main characters, so why are we taking care of them? I don’t like that.”

Bora and Saimdang were taken aback by the clear expression of intention from the tree and Haneum.

The tree opened its mouth as it looked at the children.

“If this guy hadn’t jumped into the tiger cage, I wouldn’t have gone in either. So let’s go quietly. Even now, people recognize me and I’m wearing a hat… … Should I go there? I’ll have to talk to people about publicity and all… … I don’t like it.

It was the same when I was working at the company.

When something good happened, Namu, who had to work on public relations from the company’s standpoint, could see how things would turn out at Dong-A Land.

Haneum clapped her hands at the sight of the tree’s dislike.

“Then… … it’s decided. I’ll just go to the aquarium, eat at a nearby restaurant, and then go home.”

“… … .”

The children looked displeased.

“Go to sleep – relax your expression… … .”

“Sir! Then let’s go over there.”

The place Bora pointed to was the new feeding experience center.

“Uh… … Okay then.”

Haneum and the children went into the new experience center first, but Namu honestly hesitated outside.

‘I don’t think it’ll be as noisy as Mrs. Park at home, right?’

The tree entered the new experience center with some anticipation.

Beep beep

Zzurruk-

Jjirrurut―

The tree wanted to cover its ears to all the birdsong.

That was because the trees heard the sounds of the birds chirping, not the chatter of the women and their families.

“Oh my—the humans came in again.”

“Hey, Mrs. Park! There are humans extending their hands over there. Go get some.”

“Mom! Here, here, this human baby has a lot in his hands. Let’s go.”

Pororon―.

Paralock-

The tree sighed at the sound of the birds’ wings fluttering and their conversation.

“Here, sir. Here’s some food.”

“Huh? Oh. Thanks.”

Bora handed me a small envelope saying, “New Moi.”

When I spread it on my palm, it was millet and barley.

The birds raised their heads from eating the food that was in people’s hands.

Sniff sniff—

People who saw him tilting his head from side to side looking for something started taking pictures, saying it was cute.

The tree closed its eyes.

‘Please… … let’s not do this, friends.’

The tree was screaming inside.

Because one of them had already started talking to the other birds above his head.

“Here—here—I smell this human tree. A huge green tree.”

“Oh my― this really smells like the forest? Wow― I want to sit here.”

“Me too, me too― Oh my. It’s been a long time since I smelled a forest like this… … .”

The tree sighed.

“Mom—Look at that old man. He’s a new tree.”

“New tree?”

Han-eum covered her mouth at the conversation between the hats, while Bora and Saimdang opened their eyes wide as if they had seen something strange.

“Wow, sir. Seriously. It looks like a new tree.”

“Bora?”

The tree gritted its teeth and called out to Bora.

The guide who was guiding the bird feeding experience approached us in surprise.

Then he looked at the people, turned on the microphone and said.

“Oh my goodness—you guys! There’s a new tree here.”

Chuhup―

Phew―

Khuhuh―

Haneum and Bora Saimdang covered their mouths and laughed silently, shaking their shoulders.

“It’s not a new tree.”

The tree spoke firmly to the guide.

Let’s give the birds a bounce by lightly bouncing our knees.

The birds flew up at once.

“Whoa―”

“Wow— Sadri Nara.”

With the lively voices of children.

Even to adults, it must have looked amazing when the birds flew all at once.

The birds made a big circle.

It came back to the tree, folded its wings, and began to sit down.

The tree, which did not want to become a nest for birds, recoiled again and chased away the birds, but the birds raised their claws and refused to fly away.

“Hey guys? Don’t do this. I’m getting angry.”

The voice of the tree is conveyed to the birds.

It flew to the others with a chirping sound.

“Wow―, what kind of druid is that… … .”

Everyone seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement with what someone was saying.

“That guy… … Huh? That guy. In the tiger cage earlier.”

“Huh? Huh? Really?”

The new experience center was soon filled with the noise of people and the chirping of birds, making the tree feel as if its soul had been taken away.

“I, I’ll go out first.”

After the tree spoke to the group.

I came out of the new experience center.

Was it because of the birds chirping?

The tree that came out of the new experience center could feel it.

It felt like all the animals living in the forest around Dong-A Land were gathering together.

Phew―

“Sigh,” the tree muttered, sitting on a nearby bench with its hat pulled down low.

“Friends, don’t pretend to know. Please. I beg you.”

A squirrel, not paying attention to the tree’s request, came down from the tree’s head and sat on its thigh.

A warm little warmth felt on the top of my thigh.

In that warmth, the tree licked its lips and formed a straight line.

He couldn’t just rudely kick out the animals that liked him.

Let’s reach out.

The squirrel climbed up onto the palm of the tree.

He opened his mouth, meeting her gaze with eyes that seemed to be inlaid with small obsidian stones.

“I’m sorry. I’m a bit tired right now, so I can’t listen to your story.”

Sizzle— sizzle—

The squirrel bowed its head as if greeting.

I quickly climbed up the nearby tree again.

ha-

The tree was leaning on the bench and looking at the sky.

I saw clouds drifting across the blue sky.

“Are you okay, sir?”

It was Bora.

“Yeah, it’s okay now.”

“I asked you before if I was wearing perfume.”

“Huh? Yeah. That’s right.”

Bora sniffed at the tree’s answer.

“You smell like something from the deep forest.”

“Huh?”

What is this?

When I say the smell of a deep forest, I think of the phytoncide scent that comes out of the trees.

That scent is coming from my body?

The tree turned its face toward his shoulder and sniffed.

“It doesn’t smell anything?”

“I don’t know. What should I say… … I feel really comfortable when you’re next to me. It’s like entering a forest.”

“Is that so?”

Bora was talking comfortably, but she was nervous inside.

It was the first time I had such a long conversation with a tree.

“Look, look―”

At Saimdang’s call, Bora glared at her with narrowed eyes.

“You—I told you not to call me that.”

Saimdang and Bora started bickering again.

Haneum approached the tree and held something out.

“What is it?”

“Look and talk.”

Let’s see what Haneum has to say.

The tree frowned.

It was a Polaroid photo.

What was stamped inside was a ‘new wooden man’.

In an instant, all the birds in the experience center were clinging to the trees.

Bora and Saimdang, who were looking at the photo from the side, each said something.

“The old man’s claim that he was a ‘Druid of Gangwon Province’ is clearly proven here.”

“Wherever you go, animals pop out… … .”

Haneum told the children a story of her own experience.

“Don’t say that. When this guy was admitted to the hospital, I thought birds were breaking through the hospital window. Seriously.”

“Huh? Are you hospitalized?”

The tree glared at Haneum at the children’s reactions.

“Ah, he was hospitalized for a day for a health checkup.”

“Ah, a health checkup.”

The tree spoke with its mouth shape, looking at Haneum.

‘It’s over―.’

‘I’m sorry.―’

* * *

Realizing that the zoo was never a place to return to, the tree headed to the aquarium with the children.

Nothing major happened at the aquarium.

During the penguin feeding experience, there was nothing more special than the penguins coming up to us with food in their beaks and piling it in front of the tree.

“Ah— time is up.”

At Bora’s words, Namu and Haneum followed the children.

Let’s go into the building with the sign that says [Orca Show].

The outside view was clear.

The tree discovered where the slight smell of the sea that wafted from the zoo was coming from.

“Here—it’s connected to the ocean. They let the killer whales rest in the ocean and come here only for shows.”

Listening to Bora’s words, Namu and Haneum looked around.

“It’s decorated similarly to the killer whale show in San Diego.”

Bora and Saimdang were asking Haneum various questions.

There was seating spaced far apart around a fairly large pool that was very wide and deep.

?!―

It wasn’t until the show started that the tree realized why the seats were spaced far apart from the grass.

“Ah—here it is. This is our seat.”

It was a seat with a view of the entire pool.

“I was trying to pick this seat. I told you I was clicking.”

Everyone patted her on the shoulder at Hong Saimdang’s tearful words.

Separate from the aquarium, the killer whale show was so popular that it was said to be extremely difficult to reserve tickets as it was only performed twice a day.

The tree had its arms crossed and its eyes closed.

“I think you’re tired, sir.”

“Huh? That makes sense.”

Bora and Haneum’s voices were heard, but the tree ignored them.

As I sat down and waited for the show, Hong Saimdang handed me something.

“Brother – please eat this.”

“Huh? Uh—thank you.”

“There’s also cider here.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

What the children gave the tree were sweet caramel popcorn and cider.

Ti-Rori-Ri-Ding-Ding-

The alarm for the show to begin rang and an usher wearing a diving suit and a cute headband came out, grabbed the microphone, and started greeting people.

[Hello! We sincerely welcome you to the Dong-A Land Aquarium Special Orca Show!]