Was that the reason?
Until we parted ways in the elevator, I didn’t say anything beyond a simple goodbye to Taehyun.
It was the type of person who worries too much about what they’ve said.
But the involved parties usually don’t think about it that much.
After returning home, I started my usual tasks like laundry and cleaning.
The sound of air being sucked in began from the living room and swept through the entire house.
After a while, I turned off the vacuum cleaner with the tip of my thumb and headed towards the washing machine.
“Mary….”
“Ah! Why, why?”
I jumped at Shiyeon’s voice suddenly coming from behind me.
It seemed that I hadn’t even heard her footsteps over the noisy vacuum.
Shiyeon looked hesitant about something.
She seemed to have something to say but couldn’t muster the courage to say it, so I patiently waited.
As if to signal that I was giving her plenty of time, I stood awkwardly holding the vacuum cleaner until, with some difficulty, Shiyeon finally spoke.
“Can I go to the academy?”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by the surprisingly familiar question, I fell silent for a moment and tilted my head up to the ceiling in thought.
This conversation felt strangely familiar.
I narrowed my eyes slightly, wondering if someone was bothering her again, and asked directly.
“Is someone bothering you again?”
“Th-this time, it’s really not!”
Shiyeon panicked and shook her head at my pointed question.
That’s understandable—if we were always stuck together during school and commuting, it would be quite something if someone could manage to bother her during that time.
So, deciding she wanted to go to the academy was a statement she made herself.
The academy, huh.
‘Hmm…’
An internal sigh of contemplation stretched out.
Naturally, there are many different kinds of academies.
Some teach various subjects almost indistinguishable from school, while others are focused on core subjects like Korean, English, and Math.
The problem is, I have no idea which academy would be good academically.
Well, the neighborhood moms with kids probably have heard a thing or two from each other about which academies to send their kids to.
However, at my age, getting involved in the neighborhood moms’ communications feels a bit…
I continued wringing my hands and pacing back and forth as I mulled it over.
I thought I might as well ask Shiyeon if she had a particular academy in mind.
“Do you have a specific academy in mind?”
“Yeah…”
She went into her room and came out with something.
She handed me a crumpled flyer.
I couldn’t tell where she’d found it, but it was clearly a bit worn.
On it were phrases like #DigitalDrawing #Animation #MiddleAndElementaryArt along with a prominently featured drawing in a Japanese anime style.
And the four characters that stood out said “Art Academy.”
“An art academy?”
My eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected flyer.
Taken aback, Shiyeon nodded silently in response to my astonished tone.
That makes sense—it’s not every day that a kid who should be enjoying their youth expresses a desire to attend an academy.
Still, an art academy out of the blue…
Wondering if she might have some kind of goal, I decided to ask her the reason now that the topic had come up.
“Why an art academy?”
“…Just because?”
There didn’t seem to be any particular reason, just that.
Her answer was a little lackluster compared to my question, but then again…
That’s how hobbies are.
It’s normal not to have a specific reason.
You do it because you want to, there’s no point in questioning it.
“Then you can just apply and go, why ask for permission?”
“Well, it’s because of the monster extermination thing…”
“Oh right, there’s that.”
It suddenly dawned on me about the rule of odd and even days that I had forgotten.
If she were to attend an academy, it would naturally be after school.
Unlike school, where she could sneak away to the bathroom with various excuses, an academy is paid for directly, so it wouldn’t be a good time to be disturbed by a monster.
In other words, I was being asked to take on the mission of monster extermination alone.
The worry didn’t linger for long.
After putting the vacuum away and folding the laundry from the drying rack, I spoke up.
“Well, I suppose…do what you want.”
“…Okay!”
Shiyeon replied enthusiastically to my nonchalant nod.
In the past, when we were still in elementary school, I usually did everything, and the extermination work was essentially mine alone.
Going out to exterminate monsters by herself now shouldn’t be an issue at all.
In fact, I found there was often more trouble in sorting and cleaning than in monster extermination.
Especially with plastic waste and regular garbage.
Every little thing seems to change the rules, and it’s chaos.
By the way, Shiyeon wants to attend an art academy… I never would have guessed she’d develop an interest in drawing.
I hadn’t seen a hint of that side of her until now.
Just when I felt a slight pang of disappointment at discovering she had a secret hobby I didn’t know about.
I sighed gently, relieved by Shiyeon’s bright demeanor, which seemed to be growing in the right direction.
‘Still, the fact that she has something she wants to do is what’s important.’
What are your dreams? What do you hope to do in the future?
Those are questions you hear often by the time you reach high school.
But from as early as elementary school, it’s just school, academy, school, academy.
In that endless cycle, children end up doing only what they’re told, forgetting their own aspirations and desires.
Like a jellyfish floating on the waves of the world.
They just let themselves be carried along, drifting aimlessly.
Like fish swimming against the current, they soon forget how to resist it.
They live saying to do only what they’re told rather than pursuing their own desires.
As long as they can earn a decent living as an adult, that’ll be enough.
And thus, you have students who say their dream is to be an office worker, not knowing which company.
…It’s bittersweet, but that seems to be the reality.
“Phew…”
Once I finished folding the laundry, I let out a sigh, a mix of refreshment and bitterness.
In such a harsh and bitter world, she has found something she wants to pursue.
Though I wouldn’t call myself a guardian at my age, I couldn’t help but support her decision.
An art academy has various tools, starting from tablets, but our home lacks that environment.
If we don’t have it, we’ll just have to create it.
As soon as I finished with the chores, I immediately began searching online for reviews of good tablets.
‘There are ones around 100,000 won… but what’s this? 1,300,000 won?’
There were tablets that could serve as drawing tools, as well as ones that could run all sorts of apps and games.
Prices ranged from affordable ones around 100,000 won to those that far exceeded 1,000,000 won.
I didn’t quite know much about the world of drawing since I hadn’t experienced it yet…
But if she learned the basics at the academy, she could definitely continue her hobby at home later, right?
Even if Shiyeon loses interest in drawing later, it could still serve as a gaming device with a big screen.
With these light thoughts in mind, I went ahead and ordered a fairly pricey tablet.
There was no hesitation in placing my order, and once that was done, I lay on my bed, thinking one thought.
‘Something I want to do…’
Something I want to do.
Though I muttered self-importantly to myself like a life mentor, I realized I hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do in either this life or my previous one.
As a magical girl, exterminating monsters hasn’t been a bad deal, and social welfare has certainly improved recently.
But I’m merely doing labor out of responsibility.
Was this what I really wanted to do? Absolutely not.
But if you ask me whether I have something else I truly want to do, the answer is also no.
I’ve somehow ended up living a second life as a woman, but aside from my body, nothing has truly changed.
“Mary?”
“Huh?”
The voice of Gomtaengi, pulling me back from deep contemplation.
It seems he crossed his short arms, a sign that something was bothering him, as he continued.
“I’ve called you several times, didn’t you hear me?”
“I was just lost in thought for a moment, why?”
Though I wanted to twist that sarcastic mouth of his, it was my fault for not hearing him call this time, so I simply turned my head slightly while still lying on the bed to ask.
“They say there’s a meetup in two weeks on Saturday. Are you available?”
‘Is it already time for a meetup again?’
As time flows quickly, the intervals between magical girl meetups feel like they’re getting shorter.
Despite the fact that we meet at similar intervals, somehow as time goes on, they feel shorter.
Anyway, the fact that we’re meeting is meeting, and the most influential factor for a meetup is the location.
“Where are we having it? That’s the problem; where is it this time?”
I firmly resolved that I wouldn’t go if it’s a distant area like Busan and asked my question subtly.
“Well, it’s….”
Gomtaengi seemed to recall something he had forgotten and uncrossed his arms, moving both arms to the sides of his head.
From the trailing end of his sentence, the name of the area emerged.
“It’s in Cheorwon.”
A location that a man might be quite familiar with.
Isn’t that right at the front lines?
Am I a magical girl or a soldier instead?
‘It’s tough to back out…’
I had comfortably attended meetups in elementary school, benefiting from being treated to meals.
Having spent quite some time as a magical girl, maybe it’s time for me to cover my own expenses.
Even though I had sworn I wouldn’t pee in that direction.
sigh It was better when they were held in Daejeon or Incheon…
