The next morning, Jaehyun was still missing from the greenhouse.He'd gone silent, holed up somewhere near the western ridge — probably "thinking," or more likely, "staring dramatically at mud until inspiration strikes."
Which meant one thing.The Green Kindergarten was unsupervised.
A terrible, beautiful thing.
"Alright!" Hana clapped her hands, her face full of determination. "We'll surprise Master Jaehyun with a brand-new farm when he gets back!"
The other kids gasped.Bongyu, still in his oversized cloak and clutching his cracked watering can, raised a tiny hand.
"Like a gift?""Exactly!" Hana beamed. "He's sad, so we'll make him happy. We're going to grow food—on our own!"
The group cheered.And that was the moment humanity's last hope for agriculture officially declared war on common sense.
Phase 1: "Soil Preparation"
"First, we need good soil," Hana said.
"Like dirt?" asked Minji, the smallest of the group.
"Yes, but not just any dirt," Hana replied sagely. "We need fertile ground. Like the one Master Jaehyun uses."
Five minutes later, they had successfully stolen dirt from Jaehyun's field.Directly.With spoons.
Phase 2: "Planting"
"Okay, so what do we grow?"
"Bok choy!" Bongyu said immediately, his little fist pumping. "It's gween and makes yo tongue col!" Bongyu undeveloped babies talk
"That's toothpaste," Hana said. "But sure."
They gathered seeds — or what they thought were seeds. In reality, the collection consisted of:
One handful of random dried beans from last week's stew,
Two sunflower seeds from Jaehyun's snack pouch,
A suspicious shiny pebble Bongyu swore was "Earth Core essence," and
A bent nail.
They dug shallow holes and dumped everything in, humming like professional farmers.
"Do we say the farming words now?" asked Minji."Yes," Hana said solemnly. "Master Jaehyun always talks to the plants. Let's do the same."
They leaned in close to the soil.
"Gwow," Bongyu whispered intensely."Or else," Minji added."That's… threatening," Hana said. "But maybe it helps."
Phase 3: "Watering (Disaster)"
"Okay, watering time!"
Bongyu grabbed his cracked watering can, filled it from the purifier barrel, and began pouring generously.
Too generously.
Within minutes, the tiny field became a swamp. Minji slipped, face-first into the mud. Hana tried to pull her up but got stuck too. Bongyu proudly declared this was "a natural irrigation system."
"Master Jaehyun will be so proud!" Bongyu said, now halfway submerged."He'll bury us in this field," Hana muttered darkly.
Phase 4: "Fertilizer (Tragedy)"
Bongyu suddenly gasped.
"Wait! We forgot the most important thing! Fertilizer!"
He dashed off toward the compost bin — and returned carrying a glowing, humming crystal.
"Look! I found super fertilizer!"
Hana blinked. "...That's a monster core."
"So it is nutritious!"
Before anyone could stop him, Bongyu chucked it into the mud like a champion shot-putter.
The ground pulsed.
The puddle began to steam.
"BONGYU, WHAT DID YOU DO—"
A violent POP echoed through the camp as a burst of green energy shot skyward, showering everyone with glowing mud. When the smoke cleared, they stared at the field.
It was… alive.
Wild vines spread in every direction, cabbage-sized leaves flapping like wings. Somewhere in the center, something was actually moving.
Minji whispered, awestruck, "It's breathing."
Bongyu nodded sagely. "It's our child now."
Phase 5: "The Return of the Farmer"
The door creaked open.
"...What the hell happened here?"
Jaehyun stood in the doorway, expression somewhere between disbelief and the slow death of his remaining sanity.
The children froze.
Hana pointed at the writhing patch of mutant crops. "Surprise?"
Jaehyun blinked. Twice.
Then he walked over, crouched beside the overgrown mud pit, and poked a vine.It tried to bite him.
"Of course," he said flatly. "Of course it bites."
He straightened slowly, looking at the kids — all muddy, proud, and terrified.
"You planted... this?""We wanted to make you happy," Bongyu mumbled. "So you'd smile again."
The room went quiet.For a long moment, Jaehyun just looked at them.Then, very softly—
"...I'm actually kind of impressed you survived it."
They blinked.
"Next time," he added dryly, "please ask before committing eco-terrorism in my absence."
And then, finally — for the first time in days —Choi Jaehyun laughed.
A real one.
Even as the "plant" behind him tried to crawl toward the storage shed.
Later that night, when the kids were asleep, Jaehyun sat beside the strange, glowing patch of soil.It pulsed faintly with energy — chaotic, wild, but alive.
He smiled tiredly.
"You're all disasters," he said quietly, looking toward the greenhouse where his little team slept. "But maybe you're the kind of disasters this world needs."
The vines rustled softly, like laughter carried by the wind.