“Sweet potato!?”
Shiyeon’s eyes sparkled at the mention of sweet potatoes.
That’s right, Shiyeon liked sweet potatoes.
I wondered why she suddenly wanted to buy them since we rarely ate them…
Anyway, the sweet potatoes were buzzing around in the air fryer, which you couldn’t see inside.
A loud pop sound came as the inside of the sweet potato exploded.
Cleaning the hardened insides of the exploded sweet potato was a hassle, but the appealing point was that if you cooked it a little longer, the burst part turned hard like a dried fruit.
The air fryer timer went ding.
“Sun.”
I transformed into a body that couldn’t feel heat, opened the air fryer, and checked the sweet potatoes.
There were six perfectly roasted sweet potatoes.
Although steam wasn’t billowing up, it was because they were all retaining moisture inside their skins.
I took out a small bowl and picked each one up with my bare hands, placing them on it, then pinched and slowly peeled away the skin that had separated enough to create some space.
I left the skin on the stem part for Shiyeon’s convenience, peeling it off until the golden inner flesh shrank slightly and tilted.
Before I knew it, Shiyeon was already waddling over to the bowl.
It was good that she was eating well, but if she didn’t eat slowly, her palate would surely get burnt.
“Shall we eat after cooling them a bit?”
After I put three particularly large-looking sweet potatoes into the bowl for her, Shiyeon, without answering, gleefully took the bowl away.
After peeling the remaining sweet potatoes, I released my transformation and sat down in front of a small desk with the bowl in hand.
I had a cup of cold water ready to prevent my palate from getting burnt.
You could say it was just six sweet potatoes, but how much could the kids actually eat?
There was no need to put an entire basket in and rotate it.
“I already finished one…”
I picked up the bowl and got to the small table only to see Shiyeon had already devoured one.
Following her example, I picked up the skin that remained on the stem and popped it into my mouth from the end.
The soft and textured sensation had the distinct sweet stickiness of sweet potatoes.
Even though the outer part had already cooled since I had peeled it, the heat that remained inside warmed my mouth as my teeth sank into it.
As I worried it might fly off as expected, I cooled my mouth slightly with the cold water I had brought, swallowing the remaining bits along with my saliva.
With half a sweet potato stuffed into my small mouth, I glanced to the side, and Shiyeon was hurriedly bringing the third sweet potato to her mouth.
Anyone would think she’d been starved for days.
“She’s eating well.”
Shiyeon, with her cheeks full of sweet potatoes like a squirrel storing food, made me wonder if it wasn’t too hot. Then, she brought the cup I had just used back to her mouth.
It seemed still hot, so I presented the bowl with two sweet potatoes remaining in it.
I wasn’t particularly crazy about sweet potatoes; if I were to eat, I preferred steamed potatoes while comfortably sitting down.
When they were warm, splitting it open and sprinkling on some butter, salt, or sugar…
“Yum.”
Imagining the soft, fluffy texture that crumbles when you squish it with your fingers, I couldn’t help but silently admire it.
Snacks for tomorrow would be steamed potatoes, I decided just like that.
“It won’t be long before Chuseok.”
Bored, I found myself checking the calendar and tearing off a page.
Anyway, going back to my student days, I couldn’t help but become sensitive to the holidays and weekends.
With autumn arriving, it wouldn’t be long before Chuseok, the grand festival of our people.
An entire five-day holiday from Saturday to Wednesday.
Dongtaejeon, sanjeok skewers, galbijjim, jellyfish salad, donggrangtteok, cockle salad, marinated crab, grilled fish, and various others.
Nowadays, cold or frozen products are relatively easy to come by, so I was determined to prepare a proper holiday feast unlike the chaotic days of kindergarten.
…Most would be frozen, though.
“What should I order?”
Immediately, the first things that came to mind were jeon (pancakes) and galbijjim.
As they are representative of famous holiday foods, there were many products to choose from even without the seasonal specialty of galbijjim.
Besides, things like namul (seasoned vegetables) or marinated crab, even if I ordered them, Shiyeon wouldn’t know their taste at her age.
It wasn’t that I was particularly crazy about it either, making decisions based on the kids’ diet would suffice.
With no one to point out this and that, we could enjoy Chuseok our way without hard feelings.
[Restricted Caller ID]
“Huh?”
I could guess who would call me from this restricted number.
Wondering if they were just saying nonsense again, I stuffed the now cool sweet potatoes into my mouth and headed up to the second floor bed.
After pressing the green button to answer, I spoke with my mouth full of sweet potatoes, mumbling my words.
“Yohuhuh.”
“Hello… what are you eating?”
“Sweet potatoes, why are you calling?”
I answered the incoming question fully, even while mumbling.
When asked why they called, the conversation went straight to the point this time without circling around.
“You know Chuseok is coming, right? I’ve taken on a new project related to Magical Girls.”
There was something unsettling about the excitement in their voice, as if they were hiding a dark motive, making me feel uncomfortable just from the sound.
I swallowed the sweet potato in my mouth and continued speaking.
“Oh… how much will it cost?”
“Cost! We’re doing this all for you guys!”
The Minister spoke fluently, like an experienced card insurance sales representative.
They went on about the event which wasn’t the joint meetup aspect but rather healthy interactions among Magical Girls during the festival, experiencing various traditional foods from different regions, cooking practices, etc.
If you just listened to the lengthy sentences, everything sounded good.
Like a contractual agreement from an insurance company that only writes good things on the surface, it was obvious there were traps in the unspoken parts.
“What about the money?”
“Oh, we’ll take care of that! The Magical Girls just need to show up~”
“No, not that. I mean the money we usually get.”
“……”
The Minister, whose words had been flowing like water, suddenly stopped.
It seems this was the part they were trying to hide.
The awkward voice that had been cut off on the other end of the smartphone tentatively continued.
“Since it’ll be for fun, it’s somewhat—”
“Is it all about reducing costs?”
“Let’s be honest, yes. So, are you coming or not?”
With the transparent motive laid bare through the phone, the Minister no longer tried to hide it and straightforwardly revealed their intentions.
If the focus were just on money, I would naturally refuse and happily receive money at home, eating frozen food instead.
But…
Looking at Shiyeon downstairs beyond the bed, I knew it wasn’t right for an elementary school student who needed social interaction to be cooped up at home during a holiday.
“How many people are coming?”
“Quite a few! How many was it again? Twelve? Yes, twelve people.”
I had been thinking it wouldn’t make sense if there were too few, but it turned out there were more Magical Girls participating than I expected.
Twelve people meant there would be plenty for Shiyeon to play with.
As soon as my mind calculated this, after a long silence, I came to a conclusion.
“…Both of us are going.”
“Oh my, really? You can’t cancel later!”
The Minister’s voice sounded colored with surprise at the mention of us both going, and so the schedule was set for the Saturday after next.
As the call felt like it could end at any moment, I confirmed one last time with the Minister.
“By the way, there’s really nothing else we have to prepare, right?”
“Oh, of course! Just come as you are!”
Even though it wasn’t a video call, I could almost see the Minister’s blooming smile and gestures through the phone.
Did saving the wages of fourteen Magical Girls for five days make them that happy?
Considering it from the Minister’s perspective, I suppose it might be a profit for them in terms of cost?
Roughly, let’s divide the monthly salary by a daily rate… say around 20 to 30.
“Even now, there are fourteen people…”
Just considering the fourteen that are gathered, the daily wage of nearly two to four million for Magical Girls circulates.
Even if we set it at the minimum value of 280 for a day, it’s only natural that even hiring someone to set up a holiday buffet costs a lot.
However, essentially being part of a governmental body or department, what could be expected from their handling would likely be foolishness.
The esteemed government department had rented a place that matched the purpose of cost reduction, a local cafeteria.
The chefs looked more like public servants who had abandoned the thought of taking a break and wore expressions of fatigue as if they never had any connection to cooking.
How utterly dreary and lifeless would the holiday be?
“Oh no! How can you make food like that!”
“Isn’t this how you do it?”
“You told me to blanch the spinach and instead it’s completely boiled, I’m going insane!”
The Minister was the one managing the chaotic kitchen.
Maintaining a proper attitude as a superior, they were not the type to leave the work entirely and run away.
It seemed they took some pride in the food, darting around from here to there, their slapping skills having taken quite a few people by surprise.
Meanwhile, the people lying in the cafeteria didn’t do much but spend their time plugged into wall outlets, charging their devices.
The smell of holiday food filled the restaurant, but alongside it, the Minister’s shouts got louder too.
“Wait?! Oh no, instead of galbijjim, they are making galbitang! Move aside!”
