HIRANG

7: Hardin

She strolled to the door and swung it open. The bright sunlight beamed upon me, and I bent down as the door was quite low, a perfect fit for someone like Nunong Haikuri. Nunong Haikuri stood ahead, resembling a peculiar child with a back due to her stature. I smiled as I gazed at the outside.

"Wow. It's so lovely!" I exclaimed, feeling breathless.

Before me lay a vast garden enclosed by tall, lush trees bearing various fruits. Despite its simplicity, the place was enchanting. The air carried a refreshing quality. Neatly arranged crops filled the area, surrounded by vibrant green and colorful flowers. My attention shifted to the center of the path, where Pula stood, appearing rigid.

*cock-a-doodle-do!*

He crowed once more, but differently from before, which seemed odd. My eyes followed Nunong Haikuri's gesture towards Pula's feet. There, he stood on a wriggling worm. Perplexed, I furrowed my brows, pondering the situation with the red chicken. He remained motionless, eyes wide, fixed straight ahead. As he stepped back, freeing the worm, a bewildering scene happened. Slowly, he lifts his left leg.

*snap*

And kicked the worm away. Throughout this act, his gaze remained fixed ahead. He wiggled his leg before lowering it again. His movements are like those of a robot. It seems the intelligence he displayed earlier seemed to have vanished. With stiff legs, he then proceeded into the hut, leaving me staring in confusion.

Could it be true? The chicken's gait resembled that of a robot. It's like being possessed. Later, I overheard Nunong Haikuri's disapproving 'tsk' as she shook her head. They truly were peculiar creatures.

"Why, Nunong Haikuri?" I asked.

Nunong Haikuri turned to me, appearing content yet devoid of a smile. Though her expression remained poker-faced, I could somehow say that it was not like the poker face she always showed and that it had a lighter aura.

"Pula tensed up due to his fear of the worm," she says.

It took me a while to process her words. A chicken? A rooster? Are you afraid of worms?

"W-what?" I burst out laughing, trying to confirm Nunong Haikuri's statement.

"That rooster.." she gestured towards Pula, who had retreated inside. "...is afraid of worms." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Pfft. Unbelievable. I've never seen a chicken scared of worms before," I chuckled.

Typically, a chicken would peck at the worm, right? If anything, the worm should fear the chicken, as they are its prey.

I observed Nunong Haikuri becoming serious once more, prompting me to cease laughing. Her mood shifts rapidly. It's like her poker face level 2 become poker face level 1. Hahahahha. Now I could distinguish two emotions in her although they are both being emotionless or cold.

My gaze was once again captivated by the stunning garden. Despite the beauty of the castle's garden, which is tended by expert botanists, this place exudes a more serene and captivating aura. Nunong Haikuri's garden boasts exotic plants and herbs that are unfamiliar to me, unlike the high-class flowers at the castle. Some of these plants resemble those in my world but have unique features, making them quite intriguing.

"Interesting," I remarked as I approached a plant with vines enveloping its large, violet flower. The flower bore black freckles and was shaped like a pumpkin, while its leaves felt coarse and were covered in hairs with blue-colored vines. Just as I was about to smell the flower, Nunong Haikuri stopped me.

"Refrain from inhaling the flower's scents. It has a hallucinating effect."

I was taken aback and quickly stepped away from the flower, realizing the danger it posed despite its beauty.