Anyway, since that day, I decided to take on monster extermination solo, even if just for a while.
Until Shiyeon confidently says, “I can do it!”
Whether it takes weeks or months.
Even Gomtaengi, which I often carelessly tossed into the room, was kept nearby, at least until that uncertain day.
So I could immediately spring into action if a monster appeared while I was outside.
It was also partly my fault for hanging Gomtaengi in the bathroom.
The Sunday that allowed me to organize my troubled mind passed in a surprisingly colorless manner.
Then came Monday, the dawn of the on-site learning experience.
I quickly turned off the alarm on my smartphone before two seconds had passed.
“Huu.”
Letting out a yawn that seemed to stretch but ended abruptly, I rose up.
A frying pan, long unused and dried out beneath the kitchen sink.
“Sun.”
Cooking was not easy with this body, so I chanted a transformation spell and picked up the frying pan with vibrant energy.
There was no rule stating I had to transform only when a monster appeared, and I was in the privacy of my home without the worry of being caught by anyone.
I placed the dry plastic cutting board, also parched, across the sink and lightened my body to peel a canned ham and set it on top.
I lightly lifted a sharp kitchen knife, neatly sliced it in one direction, and then laid it down to chop it into pieces again in another direction.
The little ham cubes were immediately dropped into the frying pan.
When I turned on the stove hood, the sound of the suctioning wind began to echo in the kitchen.
As the ham pieces sizzling in the pan started giving off oil, I quickly cracked an egg and scrambled it with a spatula.
It was important not to microwave the instant rice. The moisture that needed to be reduced in fried rice would only increase.
For a beginner in cooking, it caused me to end up making fried porridge instead of fried rice.
After tearing open the instant rice packaging, I casually threw it into the mixture of cooked eggs and ham bits.
Now, releasing the clumped instant rice while using just a spatula, I opened a packet of sprinkled flakes and dusted it over the rice.
‘Fried rice is done…’
Stuffed into each section of our lunch boxes, a labor of love was completed.
The next compartment of the lunch box seemed to have room for side dishes, divided into two sections.
I took quail eggs from the refrigerator, scooping out about seven or eight with a ladle into one compartment.
The other compartment was, what we call octopus sausage.
As I made knife marks to ensure the sausage would open up while cooking, I suddenly thought.
‘Can’t I just eat some…’
It was resentment towards the parents who only seem to put in effort on picnic days.
“You wouldn’t do this on a normal day; it’s ridiculous, really.”
Grumbling as I awkwardly spoke to myself, I moved the prepared sausages from the cutting board.
The pan that had the warmth from making fried rice.
Making delicious sounds, the sausages slowly began to cook.
Since eating it plain might be a bit dull, once I sensed they were cooking, I turned down the heat and added a little corn syrup, stirring it to give it a nice gloss.
Seeing the sausages beautifully unfold as in the videos I watched over the weekend, I divided them equally into the side dish compartment.
Lastly came the cherry tomatoes and Shine Muscat grapes.
I lightly washed them under flowing water, removing the stems from the cherry tomatoes.
For the Shine Muscat, I snapped off the grapes one at a time from the stem and placed them in the empty compartment.
The fruit compartment was at the very bottom.
The side dish compartment was in the middle.
The compartment for fried rice was at the top.
After perfectly sealing the lid, I placed them neatly in the corners of our bags.
Aside from that, I had a trash bag, and some basic medications like bands.
I also packed tissues and wet wipes for any stains or spills.
One mat to safely rest with no worries about mites.
‘Hmm, all set!’
Compared to the kids’ picnic preparation, this felt like over-preparation.
Looking at the watch, 30 minutes had already passed.
‘Has it already been this long?’
“Deactivate.”
Silently descending from the air, I released the transformation.
Feeling the overflowing energy drain away, I headed towards the bed where Shiyeon was sleeping.
Gently shaking her shoulder through the blanket, I imitated a motherly voice.
“Shiyeon, you have to wake up.”
“Uuuh…”
“You have to go on a picnic, picnic.”
Hearing the pained moan of sleep from her, I poked her fingers as she buried herself deeper in the blanket.
It was my last resort, which I only used when I thought she wouldn’t wake up under normal circumstances.
Tickling.
“Kyah, ooh!”
As the touch of our brittle bodies caused biological reactions, Shiyeon couldn’t help but laugh.
With just a little consciousness, she couldn’t avoid waking up, as I prodded her ribs with my fingertips.
“Still not awake? How about now?”
“I-I’m awake! Just give me a moment…”
Shiyeon, propelled by my relentless poking, managed to rise up.
Rubbing her eyes, Shiyeon and I sat at the low table.
Breakfast was a few pieces of yesterday’s sweet and sour pork and leftover fried rice mixed with some black bean sauce in the lunch box.
The greasy remains of the black bean sauce with some leftover noodles from the refrigerator met the warmth of the freshly made fried rice, making for quite a decent breakfast.
I wished we had some pickled radish left too.
“The water and lunch box are here, the wet wipes and tissues are in front, if you get hurt, the medicine is here, and the trash bag is here.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Be careful and don’t get hurt, okay?”
What went back and forth was a one-sided conversation I could hardly believe was between kids of the same age.
Shiyeon and I were in different classes, so once it became a school activity, I couldn’t take care of her directly, and it worried me even more.
Anyway, there was probably not much to worry about for the kids’ picnic….
Just, just blindly following my worries.
How should I say it? It felt like watching a cat roam around in a video of setting up dominoes.
The sensation of what might happen at any moment began to surface.
“Okay, everyone! Follow the teacher well!”
Each class had a teacher leading the students.
The sight of them all lined up and bustling together felt like baby ducklings following their mother.
Or perhaps like a marching formation.
It was a relief that I didn’t have to go through that this lifetime.
As we had to act as a class, there wouldn’t even be a chance to meet during the on-site learning experience.
Free time was something only given to the older kids.
Giving such freedom to first graders, who are difficult to control as it is, would turn the school upside down if anything happened.
On-site learning experience, picnic.
Anyway, there wasn’t much to call activities that could be done with first graders.
“Look over there! That’s a water strider!”
“Where?!”
“There it is! Over there!”
After all, the place we came out to was just a nearby park, not far from school.
Coming out to a spot with some grass and a pond, guiding the kids to see common insects was about it.
Since it happened to be just before the peak of summer, there were quite a few insects buzzing about, and as I saw those black bits flying in front of my eyes, I waved my arms to chase them away.
I wondered why we had to come out on such an insect-filled day.
As the insect watching was nearing its end, lunchtime welcomed us under the shade.
“Alright, everyone! Take out your mats and spread them out!”
“Yes!”
At the teacher’s command, we all unfolded our mats, soon creating a wide safe area in the middle of the grassy field.
With the mats spread out like this, I felt at ease about not getting bitten by mites.
“I brought inari sushi!”
“Let’s trade for kimbap!”
“No way!”
Ignoring the kids bickering over what they had brought, I opened my own lunch box.
The compartment at the very top was filled with the fried rice I had worked hard to prepare in the morning.
The cold soy sauce quail eggs from the refrigerator mixed beautifully with the fried rice, creating a pleasant harmony.
Sometimes it might not be a bad idea to make something like this.
After thoroughly stuffing my mouth with cherry tomatoes and Shine Muscat grapes for dessert, I took out a bottled water from my bag and twisted the cap off.
The bottle was brand new, never opened before.
After twisting it off with a pop, I gulped it down, washing down the remnants of food still lingering in my mouth.
“Ahh.”
With a refreshing sigh that marked the end of my meal, I organized the emptied lunch box.
The schedule after lunch was to lie down or sit on the spread-out mat while drawing one of the insects we found captivating on a paper provided.
In the process, I heard a buzzing sound resembling a drone.
Concentrating on the irregular sound I had begun hearing, I shifted my gaze to a nearby tree.
It was far too large to be a wasp.
“Wow, that’s huge.”
Astonished by its impressive size and build, I slowly stood up and moved to hide outside the mat.
As I moved out of the way, the teacher noticed my conspicuous actions and approached me.
“Mary? What’s wrong?”
“There’s a wasp over there; shouldn’t we be avoiding it?”
“A wasp? Where…?”
When I pointed to the gigantic Soldier Wasp that was practically visible even to its compound eyes, the teacher’s expression immediately hardened.
Then, without another moment’s hesitation, they quickly lowered themselves and urgently called out to the students.
“Kids! Kids?! There’s a wasp; slowly get up from your spot and come this way!”
Once the students managed to evacuate somehow, the Soldier Wasp began to crawl around on the now empty mat, as if searching for a good spot.
The teacher and our class had already retreated far away.
As I stood far off, blankly staring at the empty mat, a teacher from another class slowly walked over to our teacher and asked.
“Seol-ah, is something happening?”
It was Seonwook, the male teacher from the adjacent class.
Entering with a tilt of his head, our teacher spoke in a low voice that showed her distress.
“Oh, there’s a wasp at our spot…”
“A wasp? One shouldn’t be a problem; leave it to me!”
“B-but, it’s best not to get too close…”
Ignoring the teacher’s advice, Seonwook boldly headed towards our mat.
It was a wasp, yes, but one with a different physicality that was on a whole different level than the usual wasps.
What else could it be, but the Soldier Wasp?
That day, I learned how quickly a person can run away.
The overwhelming fear that came from its immense size is likely not determined by age.
On the paper for our on-site learning experience, where we were supposed to draw an insect we found interesting.
I was compelled to sketch the face of the Soldier Wasp.
‘What a minister it is, a real minister.’
