1. Morning of Denial
The sun rose gently over the Choi family farm — or rather, over the one patch of land in the world that hadn't turned gray overnight.
Jaehyun lay sprawled face-down in the soil, one arm flopped dramatically over his head. His shirt read: "World's Saddest Gardener."
"...Nope," he mumbled into the dirt. "I refuse. The world can rot. I'm not saving anything today."
Behind him, the Green Kindergarten gathered in a messy semicircle — Bongyu drooling in his sleep, three kids arguing over who could make their aura sparkle prettiest, and one old man trying to photosynthesize by lying shirtless in the field.
Yeonjin sipped tea. "You're being dramatic again, honey."
Jaehyun groaned. "I saw a world-ending root yesterday, Mom. Drama is how I cope."
Minho puffed his chest proudly. "He gets that from me."
Yeonjin side-eyed him. "No, dear. You get panic nosebleeds from fear of responsibility. He's actually worse."
Just as Jaehyun was about to bury himself in the soil out of shame, a holographic green window blinked into existence above his head.
[Chain Quest: The Last Growth Cycle]
Stage 1 — Stabilize the mana corruption in five regions.
Stage 2 — Nurture five new Green Awakeners to maturity.
Stage 3 — Restore the balance between Life and Decay.
Reward: ???
Penalty for failure: Planetary Collapse.
Jaehyun stared blankly."…Yeah. Nope."He rolled over and pulled a tarp over his head.
Yeonjin: "Son, did the world just give you homework?"Minho leaned over, squinting. "Maybe if you ignore it, it'll go away."
The quest window flashed brighter.
Warning: Ignoring planetary crisis will result in immediate chain escalation.
The soil trembled. A faint boom echoed from far away.
Jaehyun bolted upright. "Okay okay okay, I'm up! I'll heal the stupid planet, just stop threatening me before breakfast!"
Jaehyun gathered his "students":
Bongyu (Age 2) — the prodigy plant-sleeper, 90% nap, 10% miracle.
Hana (Age 7) — can summon vines… that mostly slap her in the face.
Old Man Han (Age 82) — insists his aura works best when he's topless under sunlight.
Two siblings (Age 5 and 6) — use their aura to make grass circles and argue about ownership.
Jaehyun stared at them for a full minute."…So this is humanity's last hope. Fantastic."
He crouched, clapping his hands once. "Alright, sprouts. We're going to heal a dying world. Slowly. Carefully. Preferably without crying."
Bongyu immediately started crying.
Yeonjin whispered to Minho, "He's actually doing pretty well. He didn't curse yet."
Jaehyun, in the distance: "WHO WATERED THE SOIL WITH SOY SAUCE AGAIN?!"
The kids stood in a circle, channeling their green aura like Jaehyun taught them.He demonstrated calmly. "Focus your energy. Picture life. Growth. Imagine something small but persistent. Like me ignoring taxes."
The soil glowed faintly — but then the light fizzled.
Hana frowned. "It's not working!"The older sibling pouted.
"Maybe the earth doesn't like you!"Old Man Han coughed.
"I think I accidentally absorbed the aura again. I feel… leafy."
Jaehyun rubbed his temples. "We're doomed."
Then, from the middle of the failed attempt — a single, tiny sprout broke through the dirt.
Everyone froze.
Yeonjin gasped softly. "It's working."Jaehyun blinked, then knelt beside it, voice low. "It's… really growing."
The sprout shimmered faintly with both green and black — life and corruption intertwined.It wasn't just healing the soil; it was balancing it.
For a rare second, Jaehyun smiled.
Minho screamed. "IT'S MOVING!"
The sprout suddenly launched a tendril at him — wrapping around his leg like a clingy cat.Yeonjin clapped politely. "Oh, it likes you, honey."Minho: "IT'S EATING MY BOOT!"
Jaehyun sighed deeply. "...We'll call this progress."
Solaria (the talking sunflower) turned toward him. "This sprout is the first step, Choi Jaehyun. You must nurture it. It will lead you to the next corrupted root."
Jaehyun stared. "You're saying the apocalypse just gave birth to my new houseplant."
That night, Jaehyun sat by the small glowing sprout, Bongyu snoring softly in his lap.He looked at the quest window again. The next stage now flickered faintly.
[Stage 2 — Nurture five new Green Awakeners to maturity.](Progress: 1/5)
He exhaled slowly.The world might be ending, but for the first time, something had grown again — even if it tried to eat his father.
He leaned back against the fence, staring at the stars."Fine. I'll do it. But if this ends with me raising an army of toddlers, I'm suing the universe."
The sprout rustled.
"Acknowledged."
Jaehyun froze. "…Did that plant just talk?"
Yeonjin from the window: "Ignore it, dear! Plants only talk when you overwork yourself!"
Jaehyun: "Oh good, I'm crazy and the savior now!"