Chapter 36: A Magical Detour: Rest Stops and Responsibilities

A little while later, two neatly dressed middle-aged men came to our house.

They were the precious means of transportation that would take us to Sokcho, and public officials who knew that we were magical girls under the minister’s authority.

“You must be Kim Mari and Lee Siyeon, who are going to Sokcho, right?”

Noticing our age, the two men tilted their heads in uncertainty.

After all, we were just two elementary school students, both with school bags slung over our shoulders. We looked more like we were going on a trip than filling in for a magical girl who would be temporarily absent.

“Yes!”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re the ones sent by the minister, right?”

Siyeon, excited about going to Sokcho, dashed to the entrance to answer immediately.

Her firm response gave confidence to the bewildered expressions of the two men. Once she calmly mentioned the person who sent them, they brightened up with a smile, saying, “Alright, we’ve parked outside, let’s go.”

“Oh, just a moment…”

I briefly asked for their understanding and hurried back inside to double-check if I had forgotten anything.

Checked the circuit breaker—down.

Confirmed the door wasn’t left open.

Made sure Siyeon had her toiletries and homework packed. Finally, I checked if we hadn’t forgotten our mascot.

Only after confirming everything was in order did I step out and close the front door.

“All done.”

Heading outside, we found a white sedan with the engine running under the blazing sun.

The two adults naturally moved to the driver’s and passenger’s seats, while we squeezed into the back seat.

It had been quite a while since we had been in a car other than public transport. Usually, we only took buses, taxis, or occasionally the subway.

Magical girls typically stayed confined to one area, so that was the norm.

Was that why Siyeon looked especially cheerful today?

Her legs were bouncing with excitement.

We left the apartment, and unfamiliar streets began to appear outside the window.

Resting my elbows on the small space below the door handle, I propped my chin on my hands.

Beyond the bottom edge of the window, which was still at quite a high level, we entered the highway, and the scenery kept passing by, looking the same.

“Do you like being a magical girl?”

Then, as if feeling bored just holding the steering wheel, a question flew our way.

It was a straightforward question, asked at our eye level.

“LH!”

Since Siyeon was still pure-hearted, she answered without a moment’s hesitation that she did. The diagonal safety belt she was wearing was snug against her neck.

While Siyeon could answer immediately,

I crossed my arms and thought about it.

Was it good to be a magical girl? First, it was a benefit that even elementary school students could contribute to society.

However, it was also a significant drawback that they had to feel the tension of the emergency response team.

In conclusion, like many things, it was neither good nor bad.

“Um… it’s okay, I guess.”

“Wow, I never expected to hear ‘it’s okay’ from a kid.”

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re talking to a new recruit in our department?”

“Right? They do seem a bit similar.”

I was just expressing my honest feelings, but their conversation about me felt oddly insightful.

Should I have said something like, “I really like Siyeon so much that I could die?”

Whenever I use a slightly difficult word, an unusual atmosphere that doesn’t quite fit my age seems to emerge.

Before I knew it, the two middle-aged men in the front seats were chatting as if they were alone.

“What was there to eat in Sokcho?”

The conversation began with the food from Sokcho.

Since they appeared to be around middle age, it seemed like eating came first, no matter where they went.

“Um… Well, since it’s by the beach, seafood? There’s mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), and squid sundae.”

“I’ve never tried squid sundae.”

The sight of the man in the driver’s seat gazing ahead and having a leisurely conversation felt both comfortable and familiar.

That’s not something that comes easily.

“It’s nothing special. It’s just squid instead of the usual sundae casing, and it’s fried with various fillings like donggeurangttaeng (Korean savory pancakes).”

“Oh right, isn’t chicken gangjeong (crispy fried chicken) also famous?”

“Oh, chicken gangjeong? I don’t really get why that’s so tasty. If you fry chicken and toss it in sauce and it’s not good, then that’s just talent.”

“They say mushrooms are also famous, right?”

“What’s tasty about just mushrooms? Meat is the main attraction.”

With the two in the front constantly talking about food, my stomach started to growl too.

It seemed the two men in the front weren’t exceptions either.

Just then, a perfect sight: a rest area sign visible through the windshield.

The conversation began to shift direction.

“I’m feeling a bit peckish; let’s stop at a rest area.”

“Sounds good, what do you want to eat?”

“Walnut cookies?”

The smoothly turned steering wheel took the car off the highway and into a parking lot made up of neat squares.

A rest area you have to stop at when traveling between regions.

At the moment the car entered the parking lot,

I naturally unbuckled my seatbelt and prepared to step out into the sweltering sunlight.

But first, I needed to wake Siyeon, who had somehow fallen asleep.

“Si-yeon, Si-yeon.”

“Hmm…?”

As I gently shook her tiny shoulders, Siyeon blinked sleepily, her eyes trembling.

“We’ve arrived at the rest area; let’s go to the bathroom.”

“Ugh……”

She turned away as if she didn’t want to wake up, letting out a groan that sounded reluctant.

Even when I asked if she didn’t want to go to the bathroom, she shook her head again, refusing to open her eyes.

With no choice, I dragged myself out into the hot sunlight with the two men.

Maybe it was because she was small; the sunlight was pouring down from above,

while the heat radiating from the asphalt quickly enveloped me.

It felt like hot air was being blown into my lungs, and I struggled to breathe in the midday heat.

I followed behind the men with my short strides, urging my feet to move faster toward the shade of the store.

“The weather is insane, seriously…”

“The high temperature is said to be 34 degrees.”

The food at the rest stop is surprisingly rare to find elsewhere.

Fried chicken skewers have almost disappeared from the stands, and deli manju can only be found in some subway stations.

I’ve hardly seen seasoned potatoes anywhere except at rest stops, and while walnut snacks and peanut snacks used to appear occasionally in winter, now only a few well-known shops seem to remain.

Thus, I buy food that can only be found at rest stops, enough to satisfy my small stomach.

The skewers, drenched in sauce, would be a disaster if spilled in the car.

I skip those and grab some peanut snacks and walnut snacks.

I also take a bunch of bread-like items like deli manju and return to the car, gently shaking Siyeon awake as my stomach starts to growl.

“Siyeon? Let’s eat walnut snacks and peanut snacks. I also have deli manju.”

“Ugh….”

Siyeon, who wouldn’t wake up when I said we should go to the bathroom, immediately rubbed her eyes at the mention of snacks and deli manju.

I should have just taken the snacks hostage to get her to the bathroom.

“Buckle your seatbelt.”

A few warm words reminding her to fasten her seatbelt and the sound of the engine starting up.

And the car begins to leave the rest stop.

In that car, Siyeon started munching on the walnut snacks, peanut snacks, and deli manju like a squirrel, her small mouth moving rapidly.

Was that really her, who had just been sleeping soundly?

‘Where…….’

Seeing her enjoy the food so much, I also reached into the bag and took one out.

In that brief moment of reaching into the bag, I felt the moisture on my hand.

It was a clear sign that it had just been made.

Deli manju, which I hadn’t tasted in years.

Beyond the fluffy and chewy texture of the bread, the moist and yellow cream flowed down.

The smell was a perfect score, but the taste only scored 60 points.

This disappointment is a characteristic of deli manju that I can’t help but feel, and every time I eat it, I can’t help but wish the cream were a little sweeter.

Knowing full well that this is the kind of taste it has, I still end up buying it just from smelling it—it’s a truly tempting food.

At the point when the navigation in the front seat indicated there were about 40 minutes left, the bags of walnut snacks, peanut snacks, and deli manju were all empty.

I worried about Siyeon, who was gulping down water even without having gone to the bathroom.

Not long after entering the general road from the highway, the dreaded situation finally happened.

“I need to pee….”

“Huh?”

“Hey, hey, hey, hold it a little longer.”

The exclamations of panic came from the two public officials in the front seat.

Their voices sounded even more urgent than Siyeon’s.

“This is a government vehicle; this is a big deal!?”

“Is there a bathroom nearby…? Or even a convenience store….”

“Oh! There!”

Fortunately, since we were near a beach where many people were passing by, there were public restrooms here and there.

Before the car even parked, one of them unlocked the car door and kindly opened the back seat door for Siyeon.

“He released it.

In a hurry, Siyeon turned her body and headed towards the women’s restroom, guided by the man.

‘See, I told you to go when you need to use the restroom…’

  • Author’s Note (Author’s Commentary)

Make sure to use the restroom at the rest area…

Next episode viewing”


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Dawnless
Dawnless
2 months ago

Thanks for the chapter

Turtle
Turtle
2 months ago

thanks for the chapter