Right after that statement, it was only natural that the press conference room turned into chaos.
An unprecedented incident where a Magical Girl made a crude remark right in front of the press conference.
Escaping from the barrage of questions, I took a break in the waiting room with the Minister and some Uncles.
Well, I had said everything I needed to say.
I thought about smashing the podium, but since there was no physical damage inflicted, I managed to hold back.
“Alright, here’s how it goes.”
“Wow!”
Thus, the waiting room became a place to sit.
Watching the two large Uncles teach Shiyeon how to play with string, the situation where I had just been bombarded with questions felt like a lie.
“Those damn reporters…”
Leaving the happy people to their fun, I picked up a bottle of water.
After replenishing the moisture for my proud mouth that had been busy speaking, I sighed like a short burp.
Malicious articles would surely pour out from the reporters who had just insulted me in person, but at least my insides felt at ease, so I didn’t care.
They weren’t going to step in and defend me instead.
Anyway, the press conference ended abruptly amidst a small uproar.
The Minister slowly approached me in the waiting room, patting my shoulder encouragingly while grinning widely.
“Results might not be ideal, but good job, Sun.”
“Hmm, just in words?”
I said with an annoyed expression while rubbing my thumb and forefinger together towards the Minister.
There’s an old saying: ‘Don’t spit on a smiling face.’
It means you can’t treat someone approaching you nicely like a jerk.
However, in relationships intertwined with money and labor, there are times when it becomes necessary to act like a jerk.
The seasoned lady in politics had already caught onto that hidden meaning.
“So, do you want something?”
“I’d like a meal as a sign to work harder in the future. Something fancy like beef.”
Having been dragged all the way to Seoul, cutting into my precious weekend time, I thought I deserved a meal.
I asked for expensive beef that would be hard to buy with my own money.
The Minister nodded in agreement, thinking, ‘The kids won’t eat that much anyway.’
“Sure, that much….”
“And let’s include the two Uncles who came on the weekend trip.”
I raised my index and middle fingers with my fist clenched to add the two men, and in an instant, the Minister’s expression darkened.
By the time she had already replied ‘I got it,’ she could hardly refuse by adding a pathetic excuse about ‘not wanting them to eat less.’
The eyes of the two Government Uncles who were teaching Shiyeon how to play with string widened with my thoughtfulness.
“Oh, your granddaughters are really beautiful!”
“Yeah, um….”
The innocent question from the staff grilling the meat made the Minister’s face turn from pale to strained.
It was an upscale meat restaurant where you could tell just by looking inside that it was different from regular barbecue places.
Naturally, when two adult men joined the expected group of one adult woman and two elementary school students, it would cost significantly more.
By the way, the two Government Uncles were something else….
“Let’s add some rib-eye here.”
‘They’re not even trying to read the room.’
Even with a disgruntled superior in front of them, they ordered without hesitation as if they were at a buffet.
Were they becoming self-centered middle-aged men in their 30s to 40s, or were they releasing their frustrations from a weekend work trip onto the meat?
Anyway, the Uncles gladly served grilled meat onto our plates as they cooked, saying we were the ones enjoying the meal.
Dipping the perfectly grilled beef into a sauce of sesame oil mixed with salt and pepper, I felt the tender meat melting effortlessly on my teeth and closed my eyes.
‘The rib-eye just melts away.’
What would have originally been a meal under 100,000 won quickly reached a figure starting with three.
As a result of two adult men joining the meal, it was undoubtedly disastrous for one person.
One person became miserable, and four others became happy.
The greatest happiness for the greatest number—wasn’t that enough?
Even though we had come all the way to Seoul, as two girls, there wasn’t much to do in an area not near our home.
After the press conference and a satisfying lunch, we immediately drove back home.
“Thanks to you, the Uncles ate well. See you next time.”
The voices of the Uncles, whose tummies were filled with good food, sounded pleasant despite it being a weekend workday.
I waved goodbye cheerfully, bowing my upper body.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye!”
“Oh, I’m so full.”
As soon as the two left, I clutched my stomach and let out a groan.
My stomach was filled solely with meat, having ordered not a single bowl of rice.
Of course, I’d feel uncomfortable, I thought as I brushed my mouth, lingering with the meaty scent, with toothpaste and a toothbrush.
As I brushed thoroughly, I felt an odd sensation passing in and out between my teeth.
‘…Huh?’
I looked at the bathroom mirror and brought my finger to the teeth that felt strange.
Wobble, wobble.
I could feel the looseness starting from my front teeth.
It seemed like it was time for the baby teeth I hadn’t even thought about to fall out.
Once I started paying attention, the tip of my tongue kept wanting to poke the spot.
Since it wasn’t shaking excessively, it felt like just pulling it out would only bring me pain.
I had experienced that pain before, but I didn’t want to rush it.
I covered the lingering scent of meat with toothpaste and immediately called out to Shiyeon, who was sitting in front of the computer.
“Shiyeon, brush your teeth.”
“Just a sec—”
She exclaimed, possibly during an important part of the animation.
Moments later, a loud explosion rang from the speakers, followed by the scream of what appeared to be a monster.
And then came the exaggerated praises about love and friendship from juvenile voices.
In reality, love and friendship won’t fill your belly.
After the important part passed, Shiyeon paused the video and headed to the bathroom.
As she came out of the bathroom, I quickly called her over and approached.
“Shiyeon, say ‘Ah’ loudly.”
“Ah—”
I carefully slipped a finger into her slightly open mouth, gingerly touching her teeth one by one.
Her front teeth wobbled a lot more than mine. They looked ready to fall out if someone even tugged on them with a string.
I unconsciously muttered that it seemed Shiyeon would lose her front teeth before I would.
“Do we need to go to the dentist…?”
“De…ntist?”
Shiyeon murmured through her mouth as she opened it, suddenly in a panic.
That was a big mistake.
In an instant, Shiyeon pulled her face back and closed her mouth tight, hiding herself under the blanket like a frightened hamster.
For kids, ‘dentist’ is a symbol of horror.
Even if they have never been to a dentist, for some reason, they know about the terrifying sound of the drill that removes tartar.
Even though it really has nothing to do with them.
‘Where is the nearest dentist…?’
Ignoring Shiyeon’s scared reaction for now, the time to extract the tooth was indeed approaching, so I searched for a map on my smartphone.
Of course, I could pull it out at home if I wanted, but for long-term health, a reliable clinic is best.
I had to accept that sometimes you cannot just do what you always want to do.
But if I forcefully dragged her, it might leave a bad impression.
To blend in my intentions, I planned to persuade her by creating an escape route into a greater fear.
“Shiyeon, if you don’t go now, they might use a drill to poke at your teeth later?”
“!”
Whether we go now or later, the result of pulling the tooth is the same.
The terrifying sound of drilling is what happens during cavity treatment or tartar removal.
In any case, the calamity of being drilled wouldn’t happen, but it’s like presenting her with a choice, almost before the ‘drilling’ scenario.
A small fear is overshadowed by a bigger fear.
Historically, this has been the answer.
“…Then, I’ll go.”
With a tiny voice, Shiyeon hesitantly poked her head out from under the blanket with a gloomy face.
“Then let’s go on Monday.”
Even though I planned to go sooner, Saturday’s appointments are typically brief.
Driving to Seoul for a press conference, enjoying a satisfying lunch, and driving back home.
That seemingly short schedule that could be summarized in one line in my diary actually consumed beyond Saturday’s clinic hours.
Moreover, clinics generally don’t operate on Sundays, so the scheduling naturally extended to a weekday after the weekend.
Thus arrived the dreaded Monday.
Accompanied by Shiyeon, who was terrified of something she had never been through, we arrived at the dentist.
“We’re here to get a tooth pulled.”
“Didn’t your parents come with you?”
“No, they gave me the card.”
I sat in the waiting room, engaging in familiar lies.
Far inside the clinic, in a chair you only see at a dentist, a nurse wearing a hygienic cap and mask was operating a tool that made the scariest sounds for Shiyeon right now.
The sound of something grinding against teeth and metal only made Shiyeon’s complexion paler.
“It’s okay, we’re not like that.”
I gently patted Shiyeon, who was trembling, hoping to ease her anxiety.
“Really…?”
With eyes ready to tear up, Shiyeon looked at me.
I had never lied to her before, but the very location of the dentist made even me doubt myself.
“Yeah, really really, I promise on my pinky.”
“Okay… promise.”
Our soft little pinkies intertwined, ties meshing together.
After a short while, it was our turn for the appointment.
Shiyeon’s tooth was about to fall out, so that made sense, but….
“Ah!”
“Ow! Sorry, it didn’t come out in one go.”
One strong strike against the gums and the doctor’s brief apology.
The tooth I hadn’t even thought about became a source of great pain when it didn’t come out all at once.
I should have delayed my own appointment until my tooth wobbled a little more.
