Not long after the noble sacrifice of the six monsters, life on Earth returned to normal.
Amid the restored daily routine, Mari lay sprawled on her bed in the middle of a bright weekend afternoon.
She had taught Siyeon how to use a food delivery app, thinking she might get hungry while Mari slept. Unlike her usual demeanor, Mari, who had temporarily shed her worries and concerns, was sleeping peacefully for once, appearing more her age.
Of course, the smartphone that once belonged to Mari had fallen into the hands of Siyeon and was now held by Gomteng, who had sweet-talked Siyeon into giving it up.
Gomteng, a former monster turned mascot, had grown quite adept at using the smartphone, not only familiar with the gallery app but also proficient in navigating various online communities.
“Let’s see what trash news is out there today,” Gomteng thought, pressing the screen with his soft paw. There wasn’t much for mascots to do other than detecting monsters, so discovering something new to do besides watching TV felt like a godsend.
As soon as he opened the search engine, the news headlines flashed on the screen:
– [“The nightmare is over: Monster numbers in the Sun & Moon district normalized.”]
– [“Professor Lee, monster expert: ‘A behavior pattern we’ve never seen before. We need to keep an eye on it.’”]
– [“New monster strategy ends in utter failure… Who is the magical girl who stopped them at the front lines?”]
– [“Representative Na faces backlash for comments on magical girls, lashes out with a ‘sorry.’”]
– [“As expected, she’s different: Sun, the magical girl who stood firm against the rising number of monsters, reveals her strategy.”]
The same kind of news, day after day.
Gomteng furrowed his brow and scrolled back up the feed.
Seeing the same updates plastered all over the newsfeed was getting old fast.
As this thought crossed his mind, Gomteng collapsed onto a cushion, muttering absentmindedly.
“It’s just the same obvious stuff every day.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
“Huh?”
Gomteng’s head tilted in confusion. They say if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.
Slowly being absorbed into the world of online communities, Gomteng hadn’t even realized his speech was changing. After his fellow mascot pointed it out, Gomteng finally became aware of the shift.
“If you keep talking like that, aren’t you going to get in trouble again?”
“Oh… I’m screwed, aren’t I.”
Just as he was about to slip up and use that one curt phrase again, Gomteng consciously forced himself to swallow the words and correct his speech.
The last time he’d let slip something inappropriate, the reaction had been chilling—he knew he wouldn’t survive if it happened again.
Gomteng, now unexpectedly burdened with a new problem, spent the day nervously swallowing dryly at the thought of what lay ahead.
The next day at school.
Mari, having woken up refreshed, was finally free from the devil called drowsiness, sitting at her desk with a completely rejuvenated expression.
Her bright mood was not just because she’d escaped the horrors of sleep deprivation, though.
Vacation—summer vacation!
For students, it was a sweet word, one that could only bring joy.
The most coveted and eagerly awaited moment for all students was now just around the corner.
Today was the day of the closing ceremony.
“Everyone, today is the last day before vacation, right?”
“Yeeees!”
The teacher asked a question, and the children responded energetically.
Their youthful shouts gathered into a piercing noise that scratched at my eardrums.
First graders, at an age when loud shouting is typical, and with the added excitement of the last day of school before vacation, the voices sounded even louder than usual.
It wasn’t just my imagination.
“Alright, pass it back from the front!”
I, feeling the misfortune of sitting in the front row, reached out and accepted the papers.
Various sheets announcing the start of vacation: notices about the library being open, classroom operations during the break, and more. Ignoring the irrelevant ones,
I quickly scanned the things I had to deal with in advance.
When it comes to vacations, homework is a given. But since I’m only in first grade, there’s not much to do anyway.
[Write a picture diary once a week]
[Complete at least one reading worksheet]
[Exercise regularly]
[Engage in various creative activities (origami, crafting, drawing, etc.)]
[Have diverse experiences (traveling, etc.)]
Most of them were tasks that didn’t require anyone to check whether they were actually done or not.
In other words, if I wrote four diaries and one book report, I’d be free to play for the rest of the month without having to wake up early!
Exercise, origami, travel?
‘Yeah, no thanks.’
“Now, let’s work on your vacation schedules!”
While internally mocking the whole thing, the teacher handed out another pile of papers.
A sheet with only a small dot at the tip of the clock’s hand and the grand words “Vacation Schedule.” Without even glancing at the back, I grabbed one, reminiscing how this was just another part of childhood.
I lazily drew crooked lines, filling in the slots with ‘Sleep,’ ‘Breakfast,’ ‘Lunch,’ ‘Exercise,’ and other grand plans that I knew I wouldn’t follow.
In reality, it would just be: sleep, eat, irregularly fight monsters, fall asleep while watching my smartphone. Still, since I had to, I swiftly created a ‘proper’ schedule.
The key to making a vacation schedule is to make it look like you’re a good kid who sticks to the rules.
You mustn’t give the impression of a lazy child who goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at 11 a.m.
You’d definitely get rejected if you wrote it like that.
Even though it’s not true, I wrote that I would go to bed around 8 or 9 p.m. Even though it’s not true, I wrote that I would wake up around 7 a.m. It was hard not to laugh at myself as I wrote it.
‘Why would I wake up at that time if there’s no school?’
If there’s ever a time I wake up that early, it would probably be because of monsters.
Finishing my internal mockery, I showed the teacher my fake vacation schedule.
The perfect, textbook schedule, complete with all the vacation homework. It passed on the first try with ease. With its purpose fulfilled, the schedule was carelessly shoved into my bag.
Wrinkled or not, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to follow it anyway.
After the teacher’s final words, “Have a great vacation,” I headed home.
Still just a first grader in elementary school.
Some parents still pick up their children every day, whether from the back gate or the front, with the same instinct they had when their kids were in kindergarten.
Of course, some kids aren’t happy about it.
“Why’d you come! I can go by myself!”
“It’s because I worry about you.”
Today too, the sounds of a parent worried about their child mix with a kid embarrassed by being picked up in front of their friends.
Though we go to the same school, unless Siyeon says she’s going with a friend, that role falls to me.
I’ll be saying goodbye to this scene for a month now, thank goodness.
In the sweltering heat that even heats up the pavement, I walk up the stairs and arrive in front of the house.
Once we get home, there’s been a recent problem.
“It’s hot…”
The absence of the air conditioner, the perfect companion for summer.
Until now, we barely survived with a fan, but after experiencing the greatness of air conditioning at school and in stores, the need for one has only grown stronger.
Seeing Siyeon sprawled out in front of the fan as the weather gets hotter, I realize we can’t delay any longer.
We had been putting it off, wary of letting a stranger into the house since the air conditioner installation would involve running pipes, and with only two elementary school kids living here…
‘If it’s like this, I won’t be able to bear it either.’
I muttered my frustration to myself and imagined a dreadful scenario in my mind.
Coming back home after a monster fight, only to find the house like a sweltering sauna in the middle of summer?
The mere thought was horrifying.
But opening the balcony door wasn’t an option either, since the occasional whiff of nicotine could have a bad effect on Siyeon.
In the end, I searched for information about installing an air conditioner and entered the non-member checkout page on the official website to make a genuine purchase.
[Identity Verification]
[XX.com restricts the use of services by children under 14, so an identity verification process is required to confirm your age. Please select one of the verification methods below.]
What appeared before me was an age verification screen, demanding personal identification even for non-members, instantly souring my mood.
‘This is bullshit.’
Cursing internally, I resented the world where kids under 14 can’t do anything.
At the moment I realized I couldn’t buy what I had resolved to purchase…
A person goes mad.
Longing turns into stubbornness.
Stubbornness becomes obsession.
‘I’ll find a way to buy it and install it myself.’
That obsession turned into action.
Grabbing Siyeon’s hand, I dragged her out and headed to none other than the department store.
More specifically, down the escalator to the basement.
In the basement, a multitude of appliances awaited us, neatly displayed, flaunting themselves, waiting for the touch of a hand that would grace them with a purchase.
Occasionally, families walked by, adults pushing shopping carts with children sitting inside, happily kicking their feet.
Amid this normal scene was an odd sight—two girls, holding hands with just one hand.
“We’re buying an air conditioner!”
“Air conditioner!?”
It was me and Siyeon.
Proudly, I took the other end of her hand and placed it on my waist as I announced it, but Siyeon repeated the word “air conditioner” and became angry.
Yes, now our home will have an air conditioner too.
“If you keep talking with your brother or sister, you need to be quiet. Got it? Otherwise, you can’t buy the air conditioner.”
“Yeah…!
They have financial resources, but the absence of responsible adults.
Even when buying things, it’s unthinkable that an unreasonable staff member would easily approve a payment in the millions of won using a child’s card with a simple “Yes, is that so?”
Then what do the two of us, with just the two of us kids, need?
**Scenario.**
From now on, Siyeon and I have imaginary parents.
Leaving two kids who have just become first graders in charge of buying home appliances, while our parents head to the second floor to buy clothes…
They have parents who are outrageous but wealthy, lacking any common sense.
**Author’s Note**
The Great Air Conditioner Purchase Operation, commencing!
I actually tried to place an order on Samsung’s website, but… it doesn’t allow purchases under 14 years old…
Oh no.
**To be continued**
Your next favorite story awaits! Don't miss out on Do you want to meet again? – click to dive in!
Read : Do you want to meet again?
thanks for the chapter
Wow in korea this age verification thing seems like a big deal