│석류│- Seoglyu

I.

Things had seemingly come to a peaceful end for Lord Habaek in the human realm- although Mu-ra was still a bit bitter about the water god falling for a human.

His servant, nonetheless.

A certain goddess had seen it all coming from a mile away.

She wasn't a goddess of love, but she was a great gambler when it came to these kinds of things.

Having an insatiable hunger for knowledge helped too.

The young goddess of spring sat quietly under a pavilion of vibrant periwinkle wisteria, gently turning the pages of book pertaining to emotional intelligence.

A few petals fell down on the reading beauty as the gentle breeze caressed each blossom.

She had soft glistening skin that was the hue of ground cloves (a warm dark brown) and an obsidian shoulder-length afro adorned with a few flowers tucked into her coily hair. 

Soft hums filled the air as bumblebees bounced on the flowers before zipping away to make honey.

"Ah. There you are, Ah-in."

Gentle dark brown eyes looked up at the approaching high priest as the goddess closed her book. "Hello, high priest."

The old man gestured for her to remain seated before moving to sit down next to her. "I've been thinking."  

"About?"

"Why don't you go to the human realm for a bit?"

"And do what, exactly?" She tilted her head.

"Explore."

"There's nothing under the sun I haven't seen or read about." 

"Nothing is a strong word."

"Even if there is something new, it has to be of great interest to me."

"Oh? The priest tilted his head. "Well, have you ever met a demigod before?"

Ah-in arched an eyebrow. "No."

"Well, I heard there was one in the human realm."

"What's so great about this demigod?" Her gaze moved up to the bees working hard around her.

"He lives and dies and is born again."

The spring goddess tried to conceal her curiosity. "Why's that?"

"He's got human blood."

"Oh."

The priest smiled at the woman sitting next to him. "I think you should meet him. He could use a friend."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"You've met him?"

"In a way."

Ah-in thought things over for a moment before getting up. "I suppose bringing spring in person wouldn't be too different than doing it from here."

"That's the spirit."

"I'll return once I'm done learning about this man." She put her hands on her hips.

The high priest nodded with understanding. "I look forward to your return, Ah-in."

"Before I jump into this blindly..." The goddess paused for a moment. "What's his name?"

"What's the fun in me telling you?"

Ah-in sighed softly. "The planet has too many people."

"His name is Shin Hoo-ye."

"Thank you."