The Goddess's Guide to Farming (Korean: 신농사직설) is a 70-chapter romance fantasy Korean Webtoon by Yosin and Hwiyeong.
Construction/real estate heiress Seol Lee is desperate to develop a resort in the country to prove to her father that she's got what it takes to run the company. However, one farmer, Bongsu Cha, is refusing to sell his land and challenges Seol to do hard labor on the farm for three months. If she can do that, he'll sell. The smart and ambitious Seol agrees. Despite the villagers making her feel unwelcome, her half-brother's attempts to sabotage her, and her burgeoning feelings for the attractive Bongsu, it becomes apparent that Seol possesses a...divine talent for agriculture.
Initially released in its native Korean on Ridi in 2022, an English translation
arrived on Webtoon in 2023.
Tropes:
- Anchovies Are Abhorrent: The villages boil salted anchovies to make sauce, hoping the odor will disgust Seol.
- Arranged Marriage: Seol is so desperate for the resort to push through to prove her worth because her father has threatened to marry her off into a political family. She had argued that it was obsolete, but he responded that it was her duty as a chaebol daughter.
- City Mouse: Played With. There's humor mined from corporate heiress Seol being unprepared for rural farm work in her sundresses and sandals, and freaking out at the sight of bugs, but it turns out that the townspeople actually have comfortable technology (with robot assistants and all). The villages are deliberately making her live like she's in the sticks to make her uncomfortable enough to leave.
- Curtains Match the Window: Unlike everyone else's dark hair, Seol has dark orange hair and eyes.
- Deity of Human Origin: In chapter 2, Seol dreams about a human who made her way up to the celestial realm and was granted divinity, to the shock of the other gods.
- Gilligan Cut: Seol claims that she has trouble falling asleep in new places before the next panel has her snoring comfortably. This happens in Chapters 2 and 14.
- Hot Men at Work: Seol's first impression of Bongsu is that he's way too hot to be a farmer. Her second impression is that his back is so broad from all the work he does.
- Humanizing Tears: Lampshaded by Bongsu, who's a little dumbstruck when Seol — who had previously been proud in her financial superiority, confident in her skills, and abrasive — turns up at his doorstep sobbing and in tears.
- Instant Expert: Seol quickly proves to be incredible at farming, even though the techniques were only recently introduced to her.
- Meet Cute: Seol makes the mistake of showing up to the farm she's attempting to buy in high heels. She trips and is caught by handsome farmer Bongsu. When he learns she's trying to buy his land he wonders if she staged that encounter to reel him in.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: When Seol begs Bongsu to let her stay over, she looks up at him with beseeching eyes (next to a doodle of Puss in Boots doing a similar thing).
- Sneeze Cut: Seol goes on a learning binge on modern farming techniques cursing Bongsu's name in chapter 9. Cut to him sneezing.
