The Stranger I Refuse to Know

“It was a mistake caused by excessive loyalty.”

“But, Mayor—!”

“I said I’m fine.”

A man shouted in frustration, and Seo Tae-ju answered him kindly.

To Garam, the entire exchange looked like a staged performance.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Garam clapped her hands.

“Right, I understand. Great and honorable Mayor, I have nothing more to say. Please leave.”

“Garam, are you still angry with me?”

“Stop saying the obvious.”

“You must’ve been very hurt.”

That bizarrely gentle tone—

Listening to it made murderous rage creep up her spine.

If she had the strength, she would’ve already knocked him out.

Garam let out a deep breath.

At least Jae-heon standing behind her gave her a sense of security.

“Fine. I’ll say it clearly and not avoid it anymore. Taegu-hyung. You threw me away because you didn’t need me. You sold me to slavers who treat people like livestock.”

Someone gasped sharply.

“I could’ve ended up butchered there. They traded human meat—you knew that, didn’t you? And now you say you’re sorry? I’m supposed to accept that? You crazy bastard!”

“That was a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding my ass. I’m never going back to that past, so get lost!”

As she shouted, Garam raised a single, perfect middle finger—the gesture she often used on Park Deokpal.

The reception room fell silent.

Then a soft laugh broke the quiet.

Jae-heon.

His shoulders were even shaking with how hard he was laughing.

Seo Tae-ju, in contrast, stared stiffly at her.

It felt good, honestly—her insult had hit exactly where she wanted.

But only for a moment.

Another laugh echoed.

Seo Tae-ju—the one she had insulted—was laughing too.

‘Why the hell is he laughing?’

He looked completely insane.

Was he the type who liked being cursed at?

He seemed more twisted than she remembered.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that.”

Seo Tae-ju said, seeing Garam’s cold expression.

“I’m just… happy. Garam, you’ve grown. You used to be such a soft kid.”

He was the one who ruined that soft kid.

“You’ve even learned to bite back. Good. Then I’ll leave for today. Let’s meet again.”

Garam calmly raised her other hand—

Double middle finger.

A double insult.

There would be no next time.

Seo Tae-ju looked at her, laughed again, and left without hesitation.

She truly didn’t understand how a person like that existed.

“Are you not going to take revenge?”

Jae-heon asked while watching Seo Tae-ju walk away.

“With my current strength, I can’t.”

“But you have a lover who can do it for you.”

…Excuse me?

Who is whose lover?

Garam stared at him, dumbfounded.

“That’s not real.”

“Even if it isn’t, I can still help you. I owe you.”

He must have meant saving the flowerpot.

“No thanks.”

She would take revenge someday—once she became stronger.

Considering how quickly she was leveling these days, that day didn’t seem far away.

She might not be able to fight physically, but revenge came in many forms.

“I’ve decided.”

“Decided what.”

“I’m going to become the King of Farmers!”

And then she would take her revenge.

She shouted it proudly—but instantly regretted it.

King of Farmers? Why had she yelled something like that?

“Good.”

But Jae-heon didn’t laugh at her.

“I’ll help.”

His voice was unexpectedly gentle.

Meeting Seo Tae-ju had been awful, but the end result didn’t feel so bad.

From that day on, Garam practically lived in the farmstead.

Except when sleeping, she spent all her time tending crops.

Park Deokpal and Kang Joong-bae continued to help her faithfully.

“Hey, King of Farmers!”

There was one problem—the words “King of Farmers” had leaked out.

Deokpal seized every chance to tease her.

“Hzm mlagh—”

She tried speaking through clenched teeth, but it didn’t help.

“Why? It’s a good thing! A king! The King of Farmers!”

“Shut up.”

“Oh dear, Your Majesty, as your lowly subject, I feel honored.”

“Shut. Up.”

Garam erased Deokpal’s name from the scarecrow.

The scarecrow immediately charged after him.

“HEY! That’s cheating!”

Peace returned instantly.

“Same as ever.”

Kang Joong-bae chuckled while working quietly.

He had softened a lot since the last incident.

So Garam decided to treat him a little differently too.

“He’s annoying.”

“He’s been like that since he was little. That’s Deokpal’s charm. Life’s more fun with him around.”

That was true.

As annoying as he was, he kept things lively.

“So don’t hate him. He genuinely likes you.”

“…I don’t hate him.”

“Good. Anyway, we’re harvesting this whole side today, right?”

“Yes.”

As the farm expanded, it was getting hard to manage with just the three of them.

Maybe she needed to request more help—

She was thinking that when a level-up notification appeared.

[Level Up!

You have reached level 15.
A new function has unlocked: Harvest All. Check your hoe for details.

You can raise more bees.

Your scarecrows grow sturdier. You may now place two scarecrows.

*Beginner Farmer → Regular Farmer upgraded.

New seeds available: (Pumpkin, Eggplant, Strawberry)

*We Can Communicate Lv1: You can sense the current state of your crops.]

The suddenly appearing status window made her dizzy.

“What’s wrong?”

“I gained new skills! And I can harvest everything at once now. Maybe we don’t need more people after all?”

“You were going to ask for more help?”

“It’s getting harder to manage.”

“That’s true.”

Meanwhile, Deokpal, who had run laps escaping the scarecrow, quickly hid behind Garam.

The scarecrow halted.

“Hiding behind her? Really?”

“YOU started this! You unleashed that murder machine on me!”

“It’s just a scarecrow.”

“Then you fight it!”

“It doesn’t attack me. I’m the owner.”

“Ugh… fine! I surrender!”

Deokpal admitted defeat and promised never to call her ‘King of Farmers’ again.

Forgiveness granted.

“By the way, looks like there’s a guest outside.”

“Really?”

Garam dusted off her pants and got up.

When she stepped outside, she saw a familiar face.

Kang Yujun—who had resumed assisting Jeong Jin-young.

“Miss Park Garam. The city hall has sent a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes.”

“What kind?”

“Various seeds and seedlings, fertilizers, and farming tools.”

So obvious.

“The gifts have already been inspected. No danger.”

“Do I have to accept them?”

“You may refuse.”

Yujun answered instantly.

“Then I refuse. I don’t need anything right now.”

“Understood. I’ll return them all. They also sent jewelry and clothing—shall I return those as well?”

“All of them.”

“A wise decision.”

He gestured to the stacked gifts.

“Send everything back.”

Then he bowed slightly toward Garam.

“Thank you for turning them down. Ever since they arrived, Mr. Lee Jae-heon seemed… displeased. I was worried.”

“Why?”

“You know why.”

“…What?”

Garam blinked blankly.

“Are you stupid?”

Deokpal cut in from behind her.

“That’s a gift sent by another man with ulterior motives. Anyone would be pissed if their partner accepted it.”

“But—”

We’re not actually partners.

She looked at Deokpal for help.

He shrugged.

“Could be performance.”

Ah. So even if they weren’t real lovers, people might think they were.

So Jae-heon acted displeased to avoid misunderstandings?

Garam nodded slowly.

“I won’t accept gifts like these from now on.”

“You won’t?”

“I won’t. Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

“Then I’ll get back to farming.”

Garam waved and went back inside.

“…Kind of a waste though. That stuff looked expensive.”

“You’ll get stomachaches eating that kind of thing.”

Kang Joong-bae added wisely.

“That’s why I told her to refuse. Good job, right?”

“Yeah, good job. You too.”

No need to praise both of them, honestly.

Stretching her back, Garam grabbed the hoe at her waist.

It was time to test her new skill.