The delightful festival night passed, and the morning arrived.
After breakfast, just before the big event of the festival.
The magical girls’ competition for festival food began.
“Those who don’t play will lose, rock-paper-scissors!”
“Ahh!”
“I won!”
This Chuseok, for some reason, Shiyeon was the star instead of me.
Was the goddess of luck following her? Every match she participated in, she claimed first place.
Thanks to that, we didn’t have to worry about meals for a while.
Even though she returned the prize, she brought home a hefty amount of food packed in a large kimchi container, making this festival quite satisfying once again.
On our way home in the uncles’ car.
I mumbled a few words in praise of Shiyeon, as if in amazement.
“How did you manage to pick only the delicious ones and win?”
“Hehe…”
That straightforward compliment made Shiyeon happy, and she showed her excitement without hesitation, forming a V sign with both hands.
The victory spoils piled in the kimchi container included rib bones and various pancakes.
Even without winning outright, she would have received a fair share, but since Shiyeon got first place, we’d be set with rib bones and pancakes for three days and nights.
Of course, she took back some of the leftover side dishes, so the fridge, which had often been empty, was set to be filled.
After the traditional Chuseok around late September to early October, we were straight into October with a pile of holidays.
October 3rd is National Foundation Day, and October 9th is Hangul Day.
And before those holidays, there was a day I had to remember.
It was Shiyeon’s birthday.
“What kind of cake do you want for your birthday?”
“For my birthday? Hmm…cheese cake!”
I expected her to say sweet potato cake or chocolate cake, but surprisingly, her choice was cheese cake.
Out of nowhere, wanting cheese cake after not considering it for several years?
I tilted my head in disbelief and squinted at her.
“Cheese? What’s the occasion?”
“Just!”
I asked if her taste had changed, but all I got back was “just.”
Is she tired of eating the same things all the time?
Anyway, since it’s her birthday and she wants it, there was no reason to bring something else for her.
After driving a few hours in a car with the air conditioner at full blast.
Holding the precious kimchi container tightly, I entered the elevator heading to the fourth floor.
As October approached, the weather remained hot and humid.
Those few minutes after getting out of the car and returning home felt like hot air blowing over my entire body, as if someone was using a hairdryer on my face.
“Wow, how is this autumn weather?”
Saying that, I waved my hand in front of my face like a fan while supporting the kimchi container with my knees and leaning my back against the elevator’s handrail.
Every year, news anchors would make a fuss about record-breaking heat, but this heat was truly deserving of the term “historic.”
No matter how many records of extreme heat led to deaths, I had never experienced such weather right up to Chuseok.
“Fourth floor.”
The elevator reached the destination slowly, announcing its arrival with a recorded voice as it presented the corridor on the fourth floor.
Before the door fully opened, I darted out with much quicker steps than usual.
Beep beep beep… I typed my door lock password faster than ever before.
The sound of the metal lock twisting and opening echoed as I hurriedly opened the front door, as if someone was chasing me from behind.
As Shiyeon followed in and securely locked the door, I rushed to set the air conditioner to the lowest temperature and began closing all the open doors.
“This month’s electricity bill is going to be insane….”
I plopped the kimchi container on the table and muttered in complaint.
Once the air conditioner starts running in summer, it becomes a constant necessity.
Even starting it later than most households, I worried about the electricity bill; this summer was undeniably record-breaking for heat.
As soon as I mentioned the electricity bill, the Gomtaengi that crawled out of my pocket blurted out.
“Still, if we want to live, we have to turn it on, what can we do?”
“If you’re not paying for it, shut up.”
“To put it objectively, I am included in the magical girl package too, so can’t the alarm fee offset the electricity bill?”
While my head was already swimming with thoughts of spending money, this guy suddenly started going off on some nonsense.
I silently signaled for him to be quiet; his response was that.
This guy…though it sounded like nonsense, it was somewhat plausible, and these days, he kept quiet.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t let him win an argument, so I replied in a tone that implied it was absurd.
“Your mouth is just a flowing river.”
“They say even a dog can recite poems after three years, don’t they? I’ve been under someone for seven years….”
Adding useless comments with pride, that guy continued.
While taking out the side dishes from the kimchi container, I let out a sigh with a blank expression and gave him a small order.
“Quit the nonsense and close the door.”
“Yes.”
Even when he was babbling a lot, he reacted immediately to my stern command, flitting away.
He knew it himself that he didn’t need to continue talking because he was just saying unnecessary things.
If it were done without knowing, I would have thought, “Oh boy,” but…
The fact that he behaved like that while knowing is what really made me clench my fist.
“Seriously, what kind of weather is this….”
At this rate, it looks like I’ll need to keep the air conditioner on until the end of October.
Suddenly, right after Chuseok ended.
With the forecast confirmed, rain began to fall gently.
From this moment on, the heat that felt humid and hot vanished almost instantly.
Before the rain, the room temperature used to hit 33, 32 degrees, but suddenly dropped to 24 degrees.
A miraculous moment where I felt the season change in just one day.
I couldn’t believe how bizarre this weather was, muttering softly as I put covers on the air conditioner and fan.
“Really, the weather is insane.”
“It changes in just a day….”
Even Shiyeon, who usually doesn’t comment on seasons or weather, was amazed at the transformation.
It was hard to believe that just a few days earlier, the weather required the air conditioner to be blasting; now it was the cool, refreshing breeze.
That day, even with all the doors closed, we didn’t turn on the fan.
Who wants a fan when they’re freezing to death?
So, around the end of September, when I was lounging on the couch at home under a blanket.
While absentmindedly watching the TV news I had left on, a significant announcement broke into our daily lives.
“A bill designating National Armed Forces Day, which marks the XXth anniversary of the military, has been approved as a temporary public holiday in today’s cabinet meeting.”
“Huh?”
It turned out that the plans for holidays had been quietly progressed among the members of Congress without anyone realizing.
The question popped out of my mouth as if to express my disbelief. Suddenly, another holiday? When is that?
Though I vividly remember having served in the military, I had no interest in National Armed Forces Day as a man.
I knew about Parents’ Day, Children’s Day, and Buddha’s Birthday, but National Armed Forces Day, which I had no interest in.
Finding it later, I learned that National Armed Forces Day is on October 1st.
Shiyeon’s birthday is October 2nd, now wedged in between holidays.
If this is a coincidence, it’s quite the remarkable one.
“A day between holidays—”
As with human psychology, even with an unexpected holiday being proposed, the greed never ends.
A holiday on October 1st, a holiday on October 3rd; therefore, I want October 2nd off as well.
Any student who thinks spending even a little time at school is a waste of time probably harbors such feelings.
And, like the wish of the masses, this desire had an impact on reality.
On October 2nd, Shiyeon’s birthday, which was also a weekday.
Due to the principal’s discretion for some reason, school was declared a day off.
I had a feeling this would happen on a weekday between holidays.
In hindsight, such occurrences are not all that rare.
Due to discontent with weekdays that lie between holidays, replacement holidays are set at the national level.
The principal probably thought it would be better to have consecutive holidays.
Yeah, after all, people are all the same.
“Hmmm-♪”
“Are you that happy?”
Shiyeon’s expression, which had been gloomy about having to go to school on her birthday, brightened in no time.
In the daylight, not around school but near home, she was hopping along, shaking her steps in short intervals, showing off her cheerful demeanor.
Asking if she was so happy, Shiyeon nodded vigorously almost spinning in the sky.
“Um-cheong!”
“Watch where you’re walking in front, you might bump into something.”
“Did Hee-young also give you a gift card? Let’s have chicken for dinner!”
“Okay, okay. But let’s also exercise a bit at home?”
“Yes-”
For a small cheese cake that could fit in a middle school girl’s palm, costing 28,000 won.
Even while I couldn’t shake off the thought that the price was quite ridiculous, it was a special day, so I silently took the box home.
The cheese cake I had after a long time that day was not a rich experience but tasted sweet and nutty.
