Bidet, Leaves

The morning sun in Valeraine's bustling town market cast a warm glow over the cobblestone streets, the perfect backdrop for our mission: finding a rice alternative. Prince Luke, Amiel, I-seo, and I navigated through stalls brimming with colorful produce, fragrant spices, and grains that looked promising but never quite matched the texture or taste we craved.

"Look, Sena," Luke said, gesturing toward a stall overflowing with buckwheat grains. "Perhaps this could work as a substitute."

I picked up a handful of the coarse grains, weighing them skeptically in my palm.

"Buckwheat is… fine, I guess. But it's not rice," I sighed, the longing evident in my voice. "Still, in a pinch, we'll make do."

I-seo, always ready to lighten the mood, chimed in with a grin, "This feels like the start of some survival guide. 'How Asians Adapt in a Fantasy Realm: Chapter One—Replacing Rice.'"

Amiel snorted, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Chapter Two—The Heartbreak of No Soy Sauce."

Luke tilted his head thoughtfully. "Do you really miss rice that much? Buckwheat seems acceptable to me."

I couldn't resist. "Prince Luke, no offense, but if I cooked you a bowl of plain rice right now, you'd write me a sonnet about its beauty."

I-seo chuckled, nodding in agreement.

As we moved from stall to stall, the air seemed to grow heavier, charged with an odd energy. I paused, suddenly feeling a strange pressure in my chest.

"I don't like this feeling," I said, glancing around nervously. "Something feels… off."

Luke's brows furrowed, and he adjusted his cloak with a dramatic flair. "The energy has shifted. It's subtle, but I've felt it before."

Before I could ask what he meant, the sky darkened ominously. A gust of wind swept through the market like an overzealous sorcerer, scattering papers and knocking over displays of spices. The atmosphere crackled as if the air itself were alive.

"Stay close," Luke ordered, pulling me toward him, which made me a little flustered as the wind howled louder. "Something is happening."

I turned to I-seo and Amiel, both of whom were shielding their faces from the sudden storm. "What's going on?" I shouted over the noise.

The answer came not in words but in a sudden, vivid shift. The world around us flickered like a faulty hologram. I saw Seoul's skyline overlaying Valeraine's medieval streets, the two realms blending and distorting like oil on water. The cobblestones beneath our feet dissolved into smooth pavement, and the bustling market morphed into a quiet, modern street.

And just like that, we were back in Korea.

The familiar hum of Seoul's city life greeted us like a warm embrace, though the abrupt transition left us disoriented. I looked around in disbelief, trying to process the sudden change. "We're… home?" I whispered, though my voice carried more confusion than certainty.

As we began walking towards my home since where we were transported was just near my home, still clad in our medieval-era attire, a familiar face emerged from the crowd.

Mrs. Kim, our elderly neighbor, approached us with a curious expression. "Sena, where have you been? And who are your friends? You all look so different today with those medieval clothes!"

I-seo smiled warmly. "Oh, Mrs. Kim, we're just visiting. This is Prince Luke, and these are my friends, Amiel and I-seo."

Mrs. Kim's eyes sparkled with recognition and fascination as she looked Luke and Amiel up and down. "Prince Luke? Amiel? It's so nice to meet you both. And you, I-seo, we've been best friends since childhood, haven't we?"

I nodded. "Yes, Mrs. Kim. I-seo and I go way back."

Mrs. Kim chuckled, her eyes lingering appreciatively on Luke and Amiel. "Well, it's wonderful to see you all back. And where's Grandma Hyejin? I heard she's on vacation."

I nodded again. "Yes, Mrs. Kim. Grandma Hyejin is still out of the country, enjoying her time with King Kael."

Mrs. Kim smiled, clearly impressed by Luke and Amiel's presence. "Well, it's lovely to have you all here. If you need anything, just let me know."

As Mrs. Kim and a few passing neighbors walked away, a group of teenagers from the local school approached, eyeing us with wide eyes. One of them, a girl with braids, stepped forward and addressed me, "Auntie, is that your boyfriend?"

What did they just call me now? Kids nowadays really do say something offensive to their seniors.

"So, Auntie Sena and I, yes I am her boy friend," Luke said, trying to maintain a straight face while my cheeks burned red. I glared at him as he called me Auntie.

What is he spewing around, my goodness gracious! They'll misinterpret that he's younger than me, but I am curious about his age already. But, calling me Auntie? The nerve of this guy!

"Ohhhhh…. Auntie's finally got a boyfriend! So sad we thought he's still single," Ara, Mrs. Kim's daughter, said. Before they could say anything else, I dragged Luke inside my home and waved them goodbye.

As I cleaned up all the things we left when we transported from Valeraine, the rest of them stayed in the living room, discussing the meaning of "Auntie," since they used a different term in Valeraine, which was "Modrie."

We ended up knowing that Luke was older than us even before the first time they transported here and even if three years have passed in their world, he's still older than us.

We all burst out laughing as Luke looked embarrassed, his face turning a deep crimson red. "Hey, I didn't know that Auntie and Modrie are the same. A-And that b-boyfriend has a different meaning here," he protested, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Amiel added between chuckles, "Now I recalled, Prince Luke here thought he could mimic Sena's flawless cooking techniques before. Instead, we got charcoal-flavored broth and chicken that could double as paperweights."

I-seo wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Maybe stick to ordering from the experts, Luke."

Luke could only offer a resigned smile, accepting the teasing with good grace. "Alright, alright. Lesson learned."

Inside the house, the familiarity of modern appliances greeted us like old friends, yet they felt alien to Luke and Amiel after three long years in Valeraine. I-seo let out a delighted squeal as she ran her fingers over the buttons of the washing machine. "Do you have any idea how amazing it feels to see this again?" she said, practically hugging the machine. "It's been so long since I last used one."

Amiel, meanwhile, was busy investigating the microwave, his curiosity mixed with confusion. "This box… it heats food? Let me try." He pressed a button, and the microwave beeped ominously.

Suddenly, sparks flew, and a puff of smoke erupted. Amiel jumped back, coughing. "Okay, maybe it's not entirely magical."

I-seo burst into laughter while helping to let the smoke go to the exhaust so that the smoke detector will not activate. "Guess it's more of a fire-breathing dragon than a heating device!"

Luke called me over, his curiosity piqued. "This place has… strange energy," he said, pointing to the refrigerator. "What is this device? Does it preserve food?"

I opened the fridge, revealing its contents. "It keeps food fresh. But judging by this…" I held up an expired carton of milk, "we're overdue for a restock."

I-seo peeked into the fridge and winced. "Yikes. When was the last time you cleaned this out?"

Luke frowned, inspecting a suspiciously wrinkled vegetable. "Is this edible?"

"Sure," I said with a smirk. "Why don't you try it? That way, you'll get to experience the bidet firsthand."

Luke's brow furrowed. "What's a bidet?"

"Oh, you'll find out," I-seo teased, doubling over in laughter.

__________

Three years in Valeraine had dulled Luke and Amiel's memories of modern conveniences. Suddenly confronted with these appliances, their lack of familiarity became painfully apparent.

The bidet quickly became the next object of fascination. Amiel approached it cautiously, eyeing the controls as if they belonged to a mythical artifact. "This throne… it cleans you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," I replied, trying to keep a straight face. "It uses water."

Amiel pressed a button, and a jet of water shot out with surprising force. He yelped and jumped back, water cascading down his face. "That's not cleaning—that's a weapon!"

Luke, ever the skeptic, leaned in to inspect it. "The pressure seems excessive. Is it… drinkable water?"

"It's not for drinking!" I-seo exclaimed, laughing so hard she could barely stand. "Can you imagine? 'Excuse me, waiter, may I have a bidet with my meal?'"

Amiel, still shaken, muttered, "I'll stick to leaves, thank you very much."

"Oh, you mean these?" I-seo said, holding up a tiny decorative leaf. "Good luck with that."

Amiel stared at the leaf in horror, prompting another round of laughter.

The hilarity subsided only when hunger struck. We rummaged through the pantry, only to discover most of the food was expired. "Great," I-seo groaned. "Now what?"

"Delivery," I said, pulling out my phone. "We'll order something."

We decided to order from a popular Korean BBQ chicken store, opting for a meal that included plenty of fried chicken alongside generous servings of rice. I placed the order, eagerly anticipating the arrival.

As the delivery arrived, Luke and Amiel marveled at the concept of food being brought to the door. "Do these couriers use magic?" Amiel asked, peering at the delivery person as though they were a wizard.

"It's called a job," I replied, handing over the money.

Luke nodded thoughtfully. "Valeraine could benefit from such efficiency."

"Sure," I said. "Let's start with rice delivery."

Watching the delivery person approach, Amiel whispered, "Is that a courier or a cloaked wizard bearing gifts?"

The delivery person handed over the package with a smile. "Your chicken meal, ma'am."

I-seo winked. "Ah, the rice wizard has arrived! May your deliveries always be prompt and your rice ever fluffy."

We carried the steaming containers into the living room, where the tantalizing aroma of fried chicken filled the air. Luke and Amiel's eyes widened in awe as they took in the golden, crispy pieces of chicken, the perfectly grilled parts glistening with sauce.

"Thankfully, we didn't end up eating the buckwheats," I said while enjoying every grain of this bowl of rice.

"Buckwheats isn't bad after all," Luke said, so I gaped my mouth in disbelief.

"Go ahead with your Buckwheats while doing a duck-wit," I said, just spewing nonsense to rhyme buckwheat with something.

We all burst out laughing as Luke looked embarrassed, his face turning a deep crimson red. 

I-seo wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Maybe stick to ordering from the experts, Luke. Food will be wasted that even ants can't take your cooking skills."

Luke could only offer a resigned smile, accepting the teasing with good grace. "Alright, alright. Lesson learned."

As we continued to laugh and share stories, another realization dawned on me. Earlier, as we walked to my home, Luke had taken an interest in my everyday habits, trying to mimic them without fully understanding their context.

"Oh, you know what, Sena?" I-seo began, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Prince Luke decided to try out your morning routine today. You know, making coffee and everything."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh really? How did that go?"

Luke, now fully embracing the teasing, chimed in with a playful grin. "Well, let's just say that my coffee-making skills need some… refinement."

Amiel laughed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, His Highness here tried to follow your precise measurements and timings. But instead of a perfect cup, we ended up with burnt coffee and a kitchen that smelled like smoke for hours."

I-seo added, "And don't get me started on the toast. It was so burned that the toaster almost became a blacksmith's forge."

I shook my head, smiling warmly at my friends' antics. "Well, at least you tried. Cooking isn't easy, especially when you're still getting used to all the modern gadgets."

Luke sighed dramatically, pretending to be disheartened. "I guess the God of Cooking doesn't look like He bestowed a talent in cooking for me."

I-seo laughed, slapping Luke on the back. "Don't worry, Prince Luke. With a little practice, you'll get the hang of it. Or at least we'll keep the fire extinguisher handy here."

We all laughed together, the bonds of friendship and shared experiences growing stronger amidst the chaos of our return.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new discoveries, and perhaps new answers. For now, we clung to the comfort of home, knowing that our adventure was far from over.

As I arrived at my dream realm, a figure on a bridge was waving at me and I heard, "Sena... We have to talk about the Rift Storms."

Rift what?!