“I told you, you don’t have to bring stuff like this.”
“Hey, it’s okay.”
The unique sentiment in South Korea that prompts one to politely refuse at least once under the name of Jeong.
In a culture where it’s tiring to play hard to get, she was opening the energy drinks she had brought and stuffing them one by one into the lady’s refrigerator.
Even after receiving free dinner, if I just sat quietly and wiped my mouth, it would make me feel like I was being scrutinized instead.
It was a warm, spirally piece of beef bulgogi that allowed me to enjoy a tasty meal.
If I ever find myself visiting a butcher later, should I buy about two kilograms of beef for bulgogi and try making it at home?
It tasted so good that I couldn’t help but think of such things unconsciously.
Isn’t it true that side dishes made by someone else taste different from those made at home?
“There’s an apple. If I peel it for you, would you like to eat it?”
“I’m full…”
Just after eating, the lady, noticing there was an apple, asked if I would eat it if she peeled it.
While emphasizing that I was full and pleading that there was no more room for more, she said, “Then don’t eat it all at once; take your time and enjoy it,” as she headed back to the kitchen.
If she was going to give it to me regardless of my will, why did she ask?
Was the option of not eating it never on the table?
“Ugh.”
A burp involuntarily escaped me, reminiscent of my stuffed stomach.
To distance myself from food, I retreated into Taehyun’s room.
Taehyun, who was eating about five minutes faster than we were, had already gone into his room, turned on the computer, and was playing a game.
I couldn’t lay down because my stomach was still full, so I perched on the edge of the bed.
As I watched that kid’s screen during an intense gaming session, I looked for any flaws in his play.
I noticed a particularly aggressive opponent in the same position.
“Someone’s coming for you from the side; you should dodge.”
Unable to hold back, I offered some unsolicited advice, causing Taehyun to startle and pull back.
Once a safe distance was established, an opponent’s character popped up from a previously hidden area.
“Wow, how did you know?”
Taehyun, with his eyes glued to the screen, was amazed and grinned while safely continuing his farming.
How did I know? It was obvious just from watching the play.
Anyway, this is why teammates can be such a handful…
I decided against explaining in detail, assuming he wouldn’t fully grasp it, and hinted at the gap with a somewhat dismissive tone.
“Everything’s visible to my eyes, you know.”
“Whoa, the Red Star truly is different.”
Regardless, looking at it from Taehyun’s perspective, he played well as an individual, but the outcome was a loss.
No matter how well you play alone, if the other three throw the game, it can’t be helped.
With the sound of footsteps approaching, the lady entered Taehyun’s room.
She offered us a small bowl filled with fruit, unable to let us just lay there.
“Here, eat an apple!”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the bowl of fruit, rolling the pronunciation of ‘thank you’ roundly.
I took a piece of apple skewered at the center with a fork and lightly bit into one side.
The chilling sensation from someone who had just pulled fruit out of the refrigerator.
It must have just come out of the fridge.
While munching on the apple and keeping my gaze glued to the computer, Shiyeon and I were caught in it.
The lady looked at us and, seemingly displeased with Taehyun, opened her mouth.
“Taehyun, you’re playing games while Shiyeon and Mary are here?”
It seems the perception that a kid focused on gaming is unsatisfactory remains unchanged through times, whether friends come or not.
After all, this is one way of spending time together.
Perhaps feeling guilty about having two girls in his room while playing games, he immediately quit the game as soon as the round ended.
“Start getting ready to go out.”
“Uh-”
The lady told Taehyun, who was turning off the game, to start thinking about preparing to go out.
Taehyun replied lazily and started to pack a different bag than his school bag.
It was 6:21 PM; what student suddenly goes out at this time?
I tilted my head, munching on the apple with a squished pronunciation as I asked.
“Going out? What do you mean?”
“I have to go to a study academy.”
Only after hearing the answer did I understand why he wasn’t doing self-study and why he lightly played a quick game and shut it off.
Even if it wasn’t self-study, he had the academy. Right.
As I chewed on the apple that had been crushed like ice in a slush, I said,
“Oh right, you did go to an academy.”
“What about Shiyeon? Didn’t she say she went to an art academy?”
The kid, who had picked up the coat he had thrown on the bed, seemed to recall that even if it wasn’t a study academy, Shiyeon was attending one when he looked at us, both at home at this hour, with a puzzled expression.
I don’t know why the question about Shiyeon came up without asking Shiyeon directly, but since our eyes met, I explained on her behalf.
“Oh, Shiyeon’s academy? Didn’t I say she dropped out?”
“I’m free!”
As I explained that she had quit the academy instead, Shiyeon raised her arms triumphantly next to me, boasting her freedom.
Perhaps it had put a lot of psychological strain on him, as his expression turned sour, openly showing that he didn’t want to go to the academy.
“Oh, I’m really jealous…”
Seeing Taehyun express his envy without hiding it, I suddenly got curious and spoke up.
“What time do you come back if you go to the academy now?”
“The high school division ends around 8:30?”
He replied that he would be back home by around that time.
I couldn’t help but let out a hint of ‘back in my day’ mentality as I reminisced about the old days.
“Wow, still better than the self-study back in the day.”
It wouldn’t matter much if a girl who doesn’t go to an academy said such things, but still.
Thinking about the daily life of a high school student in the past, it was going to school by 8 AM and having classes until 5:30 PM.
After dinner time, there was enforced confinement known as self-study until 10 PM.
I recalled the memory of wandering slowly in the corridors under the eyes of the teachers, munching on snacks and repeatedly staring at the same portions of textbooks.
And what about students attending academy as well? They would easily get home past midnight.
On deeper thought, to those who don’t study, this academy time is more useless than wasting time on game tutorials they already know.
Just as he was about to leave the house, I emptied the fruit bowl and got up.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I had a nice dinner.”
“Thank you for the meal-”
After expressing my gratitude for the nice dinner in response to the lady’s question, I bowed.
I walked with Shiyeon to the kitchen, placed the bowl in the sink, and followed behind Taehyun as he gathered his shoes by the front door.
There were two empty energy drink boxes placed near the front door.
The comfort that what they got wasn’t free covered my mind, despite the emptiness of the boxes.
“These days, I hardly see you. Come over easily, okay?”
“Yes, goodbye-”
“Goodbye-”
After bowing our heads and exchanging short goodbyes, the family exchanged their farewells.
“I’ll be back-”
“Be careful on the road-”
Taehyun was off to the academy, and we were heading home.
In the short time it took to take the elevator from the 17th floor down to the 4th floor.
I suddenly became curious about the whereabouts of the two friends I had hung out with Taehyun, so I subtly asked.
Was it because I had been spending so much time with girls in the 3rd year of middle school that I never heard anything about where the two had gone to school?
“Is Seonhyuk and Dongha at the same school?”
“Only Seonhyuk is at the same school; Dongha went to a high school a bit far away that has a wrestling team.”
Seonhyuk is in the same boys’ school as Taehyun, and Dongha has gone to a high school that’s a bit far away, utilizing the physical attributes showcased during the sports festival.
Anyway, Dongha, who has a clear goal.
Having something to dedicate oneself to outside of studying is truly a good thing.
Just as Shiyeon has her art, Dongha has wrestling.
“Oh… Did he decide on that for his career?”
“Looks like it.”
High school students with clearly set careers.
This is beneficial because, while others are agonizing over their career or college paths, they can focus on pursuing their relatively uncomplicated goals.
Though the paths to become civil servants are open for both Shiyeon and me…
That doesn’t mean it’s similar to Shiyeon’s art or Dongha’s wrestling, right?
As we talked about the two, we had already arrived at the 4th floor.
“Have a good trip-”
“Okay, bye.”
After finishing our late-night farewell, I turned to walk home, seeing the dimly lit sky in the hallway.
The hamburger bag that should have been at the front door was nowhere to be found.
Perhaps Gomtaengi and the sea monster had taken it inside.
Upon entering the house after inputting the front door password, pleasant and light smells of fried potatoes wafted from the kitchen.
As the potent scent of frying reached me, Shiyeon exclaimed a few words of admiration as soon as she stepped through the door.
“Wow, that smells great!”
Indeed it did, but the overwhelming aroma suddenly reminded me of the exhaust fan.
I shuffled off my sneakers with a displeased expression while brushing them together and headed toward the kitchen, muttering a few words.
“Hey, didn’t you turn on the exhaust fan?”
“Oh, right.”
“Right does nothing, hurry and open a window.”
In response to her command, the two friends greeted each other with hamburgers in their mouths as they moved towards the living room’s balcony and the kitchen window.
The round packages of hamburgers had already disappeared down to three, while the rectangular bag of fries was all but gone, replaced by a round dish filled with fries.
Despite having just eaten, the two mascots, while heading towards the window, dipped them into a bowl overflowing with ketchup and took bites.
Crispy, savory fries enhanced by the sourness of the ketchup.
‘Indeed, stealing someone else’s food is the most delicious!’
