God of Tomatoes

In the middle of summer, the sky is blue, the birds are singing, and the trees are… doing whatever trees do.

Oh, and there’s a stranger in Chaewon’s garden.

Calling it a garden is a bit of a stretch since it’s actually a tiny strip of soil about two paces wide and three times that lengthwise, but for an apartment in the heart of the city that’s a luxury. After moving in two Decembers ago, Chaewon did what most boring people do: make a New Year’s resolution.

Her resolution was to start growing plants. Now, if you asked Chaewon, she would say that there’s really no rhyme or reason to said commitment. But if you asked her friends (Yunjin and Sakura in particular), they would whisper about her recent heartbreak (her ex said she was too controlling; the nerve!) and her newfound determination to move past it.

So as Chaewon nurtures the garden, she’s also tending to herself. Chaewon has a one-track mind, and soon the space is filled with all sorts of plants. Every flower, every herb, every fruit balms the wounds of her fragile heart.

The very heart that is currently beating like a drum as a complete stranger is in her garden. Said stranger is in an old-timey looking set of brown robes that look a bit too large for her, the excess fabric spilling around as they shuffle on their knees in front of a cluster of vines.

“Hey!” It comes out more as a strangled yell, but Chaewon does her best bull dog impression, one trembling hand wrapped around a gardening shovel.

The stranger gets on their feet and turns around. Chaewon has to look up… and up because damn she’s tall. Her eyebrows are furrowed as she chews on a green tomato — one of the newer plants that had taken Chaewon quite a while to learn how to grow. She was looking forward to the day they finally ripen just enough so she can make a lovely tomato sandwich with the summer fruit.

“Yesh?” she asks even as she continues to munch on the tomato.

“That’s my tomato, you little shit!” Chaewon reaches for the fruit, but the stranger dodges with ease. The tomato thief even has the gall to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Then Chaewon changes strategy and bullrushes the stranger, tackling them onto the ground.

At least that should have happened. But it was like trying to push a tree; the stranger’s feet was still firmly rooted to the ground despite having all of Chaewon’s body weight flung at her, so she ends up bouncing off them and landing on her butt. Chaewon looks up, shaking her head to push away the loose folds of the robe and get a better look at who she is dealing with.

Long black hair framing a handsome face and a pair of pretty brown eyes that stare back down at her. “Are you okay?”

Chaewon gapes at the girl. Damn she’s pretty.

“Thanks, I guess?”. Chaewon realises that she must have spoken her thoughts aloud, and blushes deeply. The stranger gets on her knees to be eye-level with Chaewon, but the shorter girl scoots back. “It’s okay, I don’t bite,” the raven-haired girl pouts.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Kazuha and I’m a local god,” the stranger replies as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“The local— haha, you’re really funny.” Chaewon gets onto her feet, hands brushing the dirt off her skirt. Kazuha follows suit, taking another bite of the goddamn tomato.

“Well, let me prove it to you!” Kazuha swallows the remainder of the tomato, wiping the juice on her robes. She walks over (more of a shuffle really; there isn’t much room) to the budding begonias hanging on the other side of the garden. Eyebrows furrowed in concentration, Kazuha cups her palm over one of the pots. Chaewon shifts to get a better look.

“Ta-da!” Kazuha lifts the pot from the hook and brings it closer to Chaewon. She peers down at the pot and gasps at the sight of the begonias in full bloom.

“How did you—”

“I told you, I’m a local god,” Kazuha beams proudly. Then, to Chaewon’s horror, she digs her fingers into the soil of the potted plant, pulls the begonia out — root and all — and stuffs the head of the flower into her mouth. “Delishoush!”

“These are the most tasty plants I’ve had in a long while,” Kazuha says after polishing off her meal of: two bell peppers, three more unripe tomatoes, and an entire shrub of rosemary.

Chaewon’s head had been spinning the entire time Kazuha told her story. “So let me get this straight,” she says, head in her hands. They’ve moved into Chaewon’s living room after Kazuha had plucked some more plants from the garden. “You’re a local god,” Kazuha nods as she licks her dirt-strained fingers, “ and you’re bound to this land.”

“Yep.” More lip-smacking.

“And the plants I grew in my garden—”

“Mine actually, since I’m tied to the garden.”

“Whatever!” Chaewon bristles. “So my plants from your garden has been giving you enough energy to manifest?”

Kazuha nods. “I’m really just eating the latent energy from the plants. It’s what sustains me.” The god leans forward and grasps Chaewon’s hands in her own. Chaewon can’t help the tiny yelp and the flush of red on her face. “So, thank you!”

“Y—yuh, you’re welcome…?”

“So, I’ll let you continue growing stuff in my garden and I’ll eat em. Do we have a deal?”

Chaewon finds herself lost in the depths Kazuha’s dark brown eyes.

“Yes.”

“She hasn’t replied to my messages in months!” Yunjin frets, eyes scanning the door numbers in the apartment hallway.

“I’m telling you, she probably found herself a new girlfriend,” Sakura mutters as she allows herself to be pulled along.

“That’s her apartment, right?” Sakura looks at where Yunjin points and gasps. The door to Chaewon’s apartment looks just like the others, except for the mass of creeping ivy wrapped around it. Yunjin gulps, finding a bare space of wood between all that ivy and raps her knuckles on the door.

The two girls share a look of disbelief as they hear a muffled reply from inside. Chaewon opens the door, wearing what seems to be an apron, a red handkerchief wrapped round her hair and a pair of thick gardening gloves.

“Oh hi, what’s up?”

“What’s up?! Girl we didn’t know if you’re still alive! Why haven’t you texted me back?” Yunjin snaps, but Chaewon simply raises an eyebrow coolly at her friend.

“Nice to see you too. Why don’t you two come on in?” Chaewon retreats further into the apartment and the two of them follow. They remove their shoes and step gingerly on the bed of grass that carpets the entirety of the flooring. The creeping ivy extends to the walls and ceiling as well, criss-crossing over every available surface area.

Right in the middle of the living room sits Kazuha, looking absolutely miserable. In front of her are a row of flowerpots filled with dirt. She covers one with her hand, and the two girls gasp as Kazuha’s hand pulls away to reveal a fully-grown sunflower. They watch in fascination as Kazuha does the same with the other pots to grow a myriad of flowers and plants, her shoulders drooping with each one. She doesn’t even bother to look up and greet the guests.

Chaewon trudges back to the living room with more flowerpots in her arms. She sets them by Kazuha’s side and gives the girl a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Thank you darling! Do these ones too, okay?”

“…”

“Okay?!”

“Yes, dear…”

Yunjin and Sakura stare at each other.

“I told you she got herself a new girlfriend!”