On Sunday, it was the first day since Senior Jiun left for her honeymoon in Japan.
Was it a 9-night, 10-day trip?
It seems she took 5 days off for special occasions and added some of her annual leave too.
They said it was an onsen tour, but how many places is she planning to visit?
Anyway, it seems like Senior Jiun is having a good time on her own.
By the time I started getting tired of replying to the messages she sends when she’s bored…
“Nice onsen, huh?”
While I was appreciating the pictures of the onsens she sent and repeatedly replying, my smartphone vibrated with a ringtone that didn’t quite fit the leisurely Sunday.
The game screen that had been running well switched to the phone call waiting screen, displaying “Caller ID Restricted.”
“What could this be about?”
Caller ID Restricted.
“Ahem.”
With a couple of short coughs and adjusting my voice, I anticipated who would be calling—so I lowered my tone and pressed the green button to answer.
“Hello.”
“Yes, it’s me, is that Mary?”
I went up to the second floor of the room to take the call so as not to disturb Shiyeon’s game sounds.
It felt like it had been a long time since I had received a call from the Minister.
Well, thinking about it, I really hadn’t spoken directly with her in ages.
Perhaps the Minister had the same feeling, as she confirmed once again if it was really me on the other end.
“What’s going on? You’re calling me directly?”
“Oh, right… Since Jiun is away on a trip, I thought I’d just call.”
Her voice promised certainty.
It sounded as if the reason she called directly was to reassure herself.
It seemed that all the little matters and messages had been conveyed by Senior Jiun until now.
With that realization, I finally heard the purpose of the call.
“It’s not anything major, but did you happen to meet a magical girl when you were in the United States?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”
I was going to reflexively say no, but then a figure popped into my mind.
The girl with golden hair and blue eyes who I admired while hearing the curse words in Korean.
Had I unwittingly gotten involved in something troublesome?
Why is she asking about that?
It was a situation where I couldn’t lie and instead just stuttered.
More than anything, it felt like she already knew everything before calling.
With no other option, I had to admit it.
“I think that’s right… Why?”
“Oh, her name is Anne? Her magical girl name is Tiara.”
“…And?”
I pulled my smartphone away from my ear, sensing something ominous.
“She had always been interested in Korea, and she mentioned she’d come visit someday….”
Hearing just that much, I immediately pressed the call end button, cutting her off without hesitation.
I didn’t know why she was telling me this, but I firmly meant to indicate that I had no intention of getting involved.
Ignoring the re-calling phone completely, I buried my smartphone in the blanket.
When I returned to the first floor, Shiyeon, who was busy gaming, turned to me and asked casually,
“What was that phone call about?”
“Oh, just a call I didn’t need to answer.”
After stating that it was a call I didn’t need to take because it involved something bothersome, I threw myself on the living room floor, letting the sunlight coming through the window warm me.
The warm sunlight made me feel good, so I just brought over a pillow and lay down comfortably.
In that way, I forgot about everything related to the United States.
I had about 8 missed calls, but for some reason, there hadn’t been any calls since that day…
“I brought back souvenirs!”
DoX bananas, RoyX raw chocolates, and Shiyeon’s favorite Koibito.
Since Senior Jiun didn’t mention anything when she returned from her Japan trip either, I figured it was decided that I wouldn’t pursue it any further.
Then, as a bonus for bringing souvenirs, Senior Jiun gathered us saying she had something to talk about.
Of course, since she got married, there would come a time when she would need to take care of her family.
For a couple of months, she said she would still come over as usual, but after that, it might get more difficult.
“Anyway! I’ll still treat you well until then, so don’t worry!”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
Seems like she recovered well from her trip and is confidently speaking, straightening her shoulders and chest.
I gave her a half-hearted response, thinking how quickly that day would come…
Yet, for those two, I sensed how good their marital relationship was.
Starting from early summer, I noticed something was off, but in autumn, it became evident.
As her belly grew, she stopped coming to our house by winter.
Now, I only communicate with Senior Jiun via messenger.
Out of the blue, when I got curious and asked when her due date was, she said it would be around February.
Wait, February?
“Then, during the trip…?”
Considering the average period, it was roughly 10 months.
I ran the calculations and it turned out she got pregnant not long after getting married.
If that’s the case, how intense could the nights have been during the trip…?
While I was lost in these mundane past reflections, I heard a voice.
“I’ve finished the laundry, and I’ve put it there.”
“Yes, thank you.”
It was a new lady who had come in after Senior Jiun left.
Unlike the familiar and friendly Senior Jiun, this lady was all business, sticking to her designated tasks.
It couldn’t be helped; she was just a babysitter-like person who knew nothing about magical girls, here to help out a household with two kids.
As we were heading into 5th grade, with Senior Jiun gone, I found our conversations declining.
Shiyeon, who used to stick to me like glue, seemed to be moving away.
Especially during the upper grades, she started spending more time with friends after school.
She’d send messages saying she’d be going to karaoke with friends or that she’d come back after dinner or that she’d set a date to go to a convention someday.
Face-to-face conversations gave way to frequent exchanges through messaging apps.
“It can’t be helped…”
I was living my life, heading straight home after school, in contrast to her.
On one hand, it was nice not to have to look after someone, but on the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely.
It felt akin to watching a puppy that once only played with me grow up and start playing well with others…
If someone were to ask if I had friends, I would wonder if I even had any?
I could have a conversation to an extent, but after 4 years, those who became close in elementary school were doing well enough.
There were rumors that I was the daughter of a congressman and that anyone who touched me would be in serious trouble, so no one ever approached me first.
Of course, that was except for during gym class.
During games where prizes or bets were involved, those who usually wouldn’t even greet me would pretend to be close friends with me during gym, making me want to punch someone.
“Well, it’ll be fine if I do well in middle school.”
With that little promise, I powered on the computer like a recluse and tried out an AOS genre game.
I boldly swapped my usual RPG game experiences for a genre I had never played before.
At the end of that glorious endeavor as a pioneer…
[What kind of f*ing support player are you?]
It resulted in me losing my already non-existent parents.
Certainly, the comment was meant to criticize my inhuman gameplay, but since it was all true, I felt nothing but indifference instead of negativity.
As a proud pioneer, I confidently typed in the chat.
[ㅇ]
A short one-word reply.
The person who had just been cursing across the screen seemed to have been even more enraged, stopping their character altogether and unleashing a torrent of insults.
Choosing to enjoy rather than win, I positioned my character next to the cursing character and made it dance while replying with another short one-word message.
[Dance?]
In response to that brief comment, the character could no longer hold back and just quit the game.
After overcoming that unfortunate first match, as I played more games, my skill gradually improved.
With my increasing experience, Shiyeon’s complaints about computer time started to bubble up.
“I need to finish my homework….”
“Just one more game.”
“You said that before…?”
“That one isn’t over yet.”
Thud, thud, thud, Shiyeon’s footsteps headed toward the outlet.
Her hand gripping the power cord tightly.
“Wait, are you pulling this out?!”
“Hey, no! For real, I’ll finish in just 5 minutes!”
Hearing my urgent voice, Shiyeon finally released her grip on the power cord.
The fights starting from the longing for the only computer became a routine.
I played games on the computer while Shiyeon…
“I can’t do without you!”
Would watch her favorite female-centric anime.
Of course, it was an anime imported from Japan.
The cringey feeling from the Japanese language deciphered to some degree.
Whenever Shiyeon blasted that type of anime on the computer, I’d retreat to the second floor.
What was enjoyable about men with overflowing masculine energy playing out romance together?
The magical girl anime merchandise that Senior Jiun bought for me ended up gathering dust.
Instead, my desk was loaded with acrylic stands of handsome male characters and related goods.
Anyway, after retreating to the second floor to escape the cringey female-targeted anime, I turned my gaze to the ceiling in February, just a short while after Seol passed.
Surely… didn’t I have something scheduled around this February?
“What was it?”
