“I’m wearing everything I can.”
While casually bringing over a container of kimchi and putting it in the fridge, I felt something was off by just leaving it there, so I took it out again.
I placed a small pan on the induction stove and turned up the heat, then took out a vinyl glove, putting it on, and grabbed a handful of the marinated kimchi to gently set it in.
Once fluffy white steam started rising, I clumsily stirred it in the small pan, lightly frying a small amount until it was just cooked, and popped it into my mouth.
The tender and chewy duck skin along with the meat.
“It’s delicious.”
The unique sweet moisture flowing from the chives mixed in my mouth, creating a flavor that made me savor it.
I decided to only take a little taste, but it was such a taste that made me want to take out white rice from the fridge and heat it in the microwave for no good reason.
It left me longing, but I decided to eat with Shiyeon later in the evening and started cleaning my house, which I had been neglecting for a few days.
I lightly attached an electrostatic cleaning cloth to the mop and swept the floor once, then threw the now-black cloth into the trash.
Next, I attached a wet cleaning cloth to the mop and made big strokes to clean the floor.
Like before, after one sweep, I detached the blackened cloth and tossed it into the trash.
Lately, I’ve found it annoying to vacuum, so I’ve been using this workaround frequently.
Plus, I don’t even have to empty the dust bin… it’s convenient.
The cleaning was done, and the amount of laundry wasn’t too piled up yet.
After finishing the household chores, I flopped onto the sofa and felt the lingering warmth.
“It’s starting to get hot.”
In early June, I still couldn’t hear cicadas, and the weather was bearable with a fan.
The problem is that summer vacation exists partly to escape the heat, but right after it ends, a proper heatwave hits.
From early July when vacation ends, the blazing sunshine begins, but we have to go back to school then.
I understand in my mind that the school schedule can’t be helped, but my body is already screaming at the forecast of future sweat drops.
“I really hate this…”
The gentle warmth felt from the soft fur of the sofa also approached me as discomfort during this time.
Eventually, I got up from the sofa and lay on the relatively cool floor, allowing the fan’s breeze to envelop me.
I usually refrain from laying face down out of discomfort.
Comparing to my past life or childhood, I find it suffocating in several ways due to my physical characteristics.
That time is one we both requested, me and Shiyeon.
Having directly experienced what I only heard about, that subtle sense of discomfort is something I can’t forget.
It was a moment realizing that I’ve truly become a woman…
In the end, this pain from the pre-transformation body was something that transformation couldn’t change.
“It would be nice if the pain just stopped for that short moment after transforming.”
I tried transforming at home to see if it would help, but after releasing the transformation, the pain returned.
I was convinced that the only things that could be used in the transformation as workarounds were cigarettes or alcohol.
It’s not to forget the pain but rather to choose the body’s altered state as the means to indulge in pleasure while suffering.
By the way, does that altered body inherit anything?
Is it okay to treat it this way? Do nicotine or alcohol also fall into the realm of recovery?
As I pondered such thoughts, the Gomtaengi flew around the room, took a quick glance around, and touched the clothes on the drying rack.
“Mary, are you not going to fold the laundry?”
“Do it for me, I’m lazy.”
It was raining intermittently, leaving the drying rack standing alone in the living room.
Just a few hours ago, the clothes had been slightly damp, but now they were completely dry.
I thought I was done, but a sudden annoyance about the remaining household chores rushed in, so I made it fold the laundry.
It hesitated for a moment, then, subtly turning its head in my direction, seemed to want something and opened its mouth.
“Then, can we have sweet and sour pork tomorrow?”
“You sly little brat, sure.”
“Nice!”
The Gomtaengi demanded sweet and sour pork in exchange for doing the chores.
In fact, paying for laundry duties with such large money seems like a lot, but considering its size, folding laundry is more than adequate for it…
“Looks like it has improved quite a bit with household chores.”
The fact is that its skills have also improved, and it was quite impressive.
It twisted its whole body and neatly folded the pants and tops, and surprisingly, the folded clothes were tidily done without many wrinkles.
Whether it had secretly practiced or what, whenever it wanted food, it was on the lookout for opportunities to help with chores.
Sure, it took longer than a person would, but thinking of it as an automatic hunting system, the speed was understandable.
Also, somehow it knew how to distinguish between my clothes and Shiyeon’s clothes.
As I watched the Gomtaengi fold laundry, time passed swiftly.
As the last laundry stack was completed, the Gomtaengi proudly declared.
“All done!”
“Nice job, you’ve earned that sweet and sour pork.”
After giving the best compliment I could muster to the Gomtaengi, I got up.
I moved to distribute the laundry to their respective rooms.
Since the most annoying part was resolved, I felt motivated to deal with the less annoying part of putting it away.
Entering Shiyeon’s room, I opened the drawer of the wardrobe and placed the clothes inside.
On the bed, I noticed the school bag tossed carelessly and the plastic trash on the desk.
I could have said something like “clean it up well…”, but at this point, they all look the same.
This isn’t something that will change just by saying; I should leave it until it becomes bothersome enough for them to clean it up.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, a large sketchbook caught my eye.
I absentmindedly opened it to check inside, standing alone in the center of the desk.
Inside was Shiyeon’s hand-drawing, something she had never shown much.
As someone who knows nothing about drawing, I was just amazed that the figures weren’t characters copied from anywhere but actually resembled human forms.
With each page turn, the theme of the drawing changed dramatically; there were even drawings considered classics, like three-dimensional circles and cubes.
For someone like me who couldn’t even draw a basic square house with a triangular roof, everything looked impressive.
They seemed to be well-drawn, but then I wondered if my eyes were simply strange.
Or maybe Shiyeon’s “drawings she can show” have a high standard for passing.
I wasn’t sure, but the drawings she had been so shy about became something I didn’t take a look at. I closed the sketchbook and left it in the center of the desk, as it was before.
“Should I just finish the vacation homework?”
After placing the clothes into their wardrobes, I headed towards my room, conscious of the vacation homework.
The vacation period has become much shorter than before, yet the obligatory vacation homework still comes along.
In just three weeks, I’m entirely confused about what they’re having me do so much.
Reaching for the school bag that had been left untouched in my room, my hand stretched out.
With things like a science lab report I wouldn’t even carry out and reflections on books that made an impression, there’s a myriad of different subjects.
While grumbling about it, upon examining, most could be found online.
Maybe that’s why nowadays, in this era of smartphones and information, if I invest a few hours, I can get through it easily.
Of course, that doesn’t apply to subjects like English, where they wouldn’t cut me any slack.
What kind of madness is it to require handwriting English vocabulary in this day and age?
They wouldn’t do it themselves.
[Write your thoughts about the activity you learned regarding zero waste.]
“Hm, thoughts?”
For the last of the vacation homework, science.
At the point where I only had one step left for all the vacation homework, I came across a question for the science assignment.
Zero waste, related to environmental issues, is some sort of term advocating thinking about the environment with the aim of achieving 100% recycling.
Upon investigation, it seemed to include activities like replacing plastic straws with paper straws, etc.
Everyone goes on about being eco-friendly, but the conclusion ultimately comes back to one point.
As the pencil tip glided across the paper, writing phrases that seemed like epiphanies.
“If China doesn’t disappear from the Earth, it’s all just in vain.”
There’s a saying about the environment that’s tiresome to hear every time.
Just because I’m a single person, I shouldn’t even start with myself.
However, having come across a plethora of truths and statistics on the internet, I think otherwise.
What’s the use of me recycling a few grams? If a continent is dumping thousands of tons into the ocean, I could dispose of all the trash I’d throw away in a lifetime.
In the end, unless the great powers change, the environmental issues will remain unchanged for a lifetime.
Even if experts repeatedly warn every summer, what’s the use? The ones who need to change act as if they didn’t hear anything.
“What are they talking about?”
Having completed all the homework, in a moment of boredom, I pressed the button to turn on my smartphone.
When I entered the messenger app, the group chat was already buzzing with 300+ messages.
None other than the group chat with my classmates.
With only 34 new messages, it was a stark contrast to the students’ chat with our teacher.
[Has anyone finished their vacation homework?]
[Looking for Seonhyuk to go to the PC bang.]
[I can’t go, sorry.]
[Anyone here playing Meole?]
[Me.]
[What game are we playing?]
Each person chiming in with what they wanted to say, typically a group chat of 7th graders where they casually converse and find like-minded individuals.
As always, it felt free and easygoing, whether they invite someone or not.
Sometimes, Shiyeon’s chats with friends appeared, but after a few exchanges between friends, it would often quiet down again.
There didn’t seem to be many beneficial discussions, so I pressed the back button and left to message Shiyeon in the personal chat.
Just a simple request to leave a message when she finished.
However, the silent notification remained until Shiyeon came back from the academy.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, I walked barefoot over to the entrance.
“Didn’t you see the message?”
“Um…”
Despite waiting and waiting, the notification hadn’t returned or disappeared, so I asked if she had seen the message…
Shiyeon, looking for cues, presented her cracked smartphone screen, which had more white than black.
