READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 259
Such doubts soon scattered like they were buried in the heat of the sunlight…
The hottest month of the year in Korea, September, had arrived.
The scorching heat that could kill people, the typhoons that knock down giant trees.
No country is spared; it’s a global mess during this time.
Every year, experts make a fuss about environmental issues, but it feels like something unrelated to oneself.
Whether the Arctic ice melts or not, under the school air conditioner, murmurs about the upcoming Chuseok.
“What are you doing for Chuseok?”
“Going to the countryside.”
“What about Mari?”
“Me too.”
As if nothing special was happening, she replied in a thick, awkward Korean-English accent.
Early September brings the Chuseok holiday, followed by midterms at the end of the month.
After midterms, the high school field trip in early October.
It used to be called a retreat, but now it’s just called a field trip.
The term “retreat” is mostly used for church camps these days, not so much in schools.
Anyway, the school schedule subtly hints that “the last time high schoolers can have fun is in their first year.”
The topic of conversation quickly shifted from the upcoming Chuseok to the field trip.
“Your sister’s school goes in their second year, right?”
“That’s school-specific.”
“XX Girls’ High also goes in their second year.”
Random stories about other schools, friends’ schools.
Thinking about it, it seems rare to go on a field trip in the first year.
Maybe I went around the second year in a past life, or maybe not…
Anyway, it’s been over ten years.
Rather than the exact timing, all I remember is the negative experience of a pseudo-military camp.
On the second day, playing sad songs, lighting a bonfire, and forcing tears while thinking of parents at home…
That ridiculous retreat course.
If I had to compare it to something equally infuriating, it would be the military.
“Don’t waste the food made with taxpayers’ money,” or something like that.
The words I heard from the drill sergeant during training, telling us not to leave leftovers.
If they wasted food made with our parents’ taxes, it’s truly infuriating.
They probably left a ton of mackerel stew themselves, those bastards.
“Where did Mari go for fun?”
While I was lost in old memories, a question suddenly came my way.
They seemed curious about my three-day schedule, which I had spent on outdoor activities.
As if it wasn’t a big deal, I casually summarized the three-day trip.
“Just a nearby beach.”
Not elementary school kids who followed their parents’ every word, but high schoolers.
Having outgrown the phase of following parents on domestic or international trips, it was normal to envy just skipping school.
At the word “beach,” classmates swarmed like bees.
Like a swarm of bees, they started bombarding me with questions I couldn’t handle alone.
“Which beach?”
“Did you go with your family?”
“Did you take lots of photos?”
“Only a few…”
I managed to answer, but the questions kept coming relentlessly.
“Lucky, did you wear a swimsuit?”
“Of course, since we went to the beach…”
Just recounting the experience drained my energy.
I spent an entire break answering questions.
The next break was the same, with a barrage of similar questions.
But noticing how tired I looked, even those around me started covering for me.
“Hey, ask one at a time.”
Someone gently wrapped their uniform shirt around my head from behind.
Pretending to care, they shielded me while playfully pinching my cheek, satisfying their own whims.
Ah, is there no true ally here?
Even though these friends are so interested in me…
“See ya~”
“Bye~”
As soon as school ended, the phenomenon vanished like an illusion.
Well, home is better than being a plaything for friends.
I would’ve done the same, but I felt a slight pang of loneliness as I joined Siyeon.
Like an awkward father who rarely talks, I stood beside her and casually spoke.
“Didn’t your friends ask about your beach trip?”
“Yeah, so I showed them the photos we took… and the food photos too?”
“Hoo~”
Siyeon bragged about bragging to her friends.
I played along with a “Hoo~” and brought up the upcoming Chuseok.
“What are you doing this Chuseok? Going down?”
The difference between other families and ours.
We have the choice to go or not, not forced by anyone.
Honestly, once money becomes a factor, going down for the holidays doesn’t seem so appealing.
Especially when you manage your own account and see the numbers every month.
If I stay home and catch monsters as usual during the holidays, I get extra pay. But if I go down for holiday food, that number drops…
“It’s not a holiday gathering; it’s paying to meet people.”
With that thought, I took a deep breath and stared at Siyeon.
If you think rationally, skipping it makes sense.
“Hmm…”
Siyeon seemed to think similarly, groaning deeply as she pondered.
The situation is different from middle school when I managed her account and paid for her.
Now that she sees money coming in and out of her own account, she’s more conscious of it.
Seeing through Siyeon’s thoughts, I smirked and slyly said,
“Money’s starting to catch your eye, huh?”
“Hehe… yeah.”
Hit the nail on the head, Siyeon laughed and answered.
When you start earning money, even the 3.3% tax feels like a waste.
Knowing that, skipping the holidays isn’t a big deal.
“If you don’t want to go, let’s not go.”
Most holidays, I attended mostly because I didn’t want Siyeon to feel lonely, but if she doesn’t want to go, there’s no need for me to go either.
It’s not like we have relatives we’re forced to see or anything…
Still, thinking she might miss the symbolic holiday foods like jeon or galbijjim, I added a few words.
“We can just buy or make holiday food ourselves.”
“Hmm, then… I won’t go!”
Pushed by my words, Siyeon decisively declared her intention to skip.
Realizing the value of money, huh? That’s a good thing.
After firmly deciding to skip the holiday gathering, we returned home.
The one most shocked by our decision was my mascot.
“Wait, you’re not going down for Chuseok this year?”
Not the two mascots, but my mascot.
In other words… only Gomteng freaked out.
“Huh? Yeah.”
Startled by Gomteng’s interrogation, I answered nonchalantly.
The cub’s eyes widened like a hungry beast, persistently asking.
“Why?”
“Why? Because we don’t want to go.”
While warm conversations like “I see,” “Staying home is nice,” were happening in the next room, Gomteng was unusually fixated on us going down for the holidays.
Then, as if defeated, he flopped on the floor, lifted his head, and wailed pitifully.
“My galbijjim and dongrangttang! Waaah!”
The one obsessed with holiday food wasn’t Siyeon, but this guy.
Did a food-obsessed ghost possess him or something?
To the cub who already claimed the holiday food as his own, I muttered in disbelief.
“Who said that’s yours…?”
With Gomteng’s lament, the holiday preparations began.
Anyway, if Siyeon asked, I would’ve done it…
If I didn’t do anything, the smell of holiday food wafting through the apartment hallway for three days would’ve been unbearable.
Since it’s food we’ll eat, we freely bought what we wanted.
Frying powder, frozen pollack, dangmyeon for japchae, minced meat, ribs, a tray of eggs, ham for kimbap, danmuji, imitation crab, etc…
The ribs were soaked in a large basin to remove blood, and the frozen pollack was seasoned with salt and pepper before being refrigerated.
The minced meat for dongrangttang was mixed with finely chopped onions, forming a dough-like mixture.
The short-cut green onions, ham, danmuji, and imitation crab were skewered the day before…
A day later, the first day of the holiday arrived.
“Alright, let’s start!”
Taking out a large frying pan and pot, I declared the start of the holiday with my own voice.
Thus began the holiday for two people and three beasts.
The cat, unable to help, was just for show.
The two mascots dipped the thawed pollack in frying powder and gently placed it in the beaten egg mixture.
Siyeon shaped the dongrangttang dough with her nimble hands.
Of course, the dough was also dipped in frying powder and egg mixture, with the mascots twisting their bodies to help.
Gomteng was the most enthusiastic about preparing the holiday food.
Sure, freshly made holiday food is delicious, but…
“Dongrangttang, pollack jeon, colorful jeon, hehehe…”
Hearing the cub’s muttering from behind, I tilted my head.
He’s completely lost it.