Chapter 57 : The Fever and the Transformation

The day the smartphone life fully opened up for me was a demonstration.

However, due to the nature of the internet, I couldn’t fully embrace it.

I just needed the basic, popular messenger apps to stay in touch with people, and a basic app store to download various games.

With those, I could hang out with friends who had smartphones.

Even so, I still worry about some search engines that often display news with malicious headlines.

At the moment, I don’t care much about the news, but…

“Be careful. Keep your phone in your pocket when walking.”

It’s true that bad habits began to form once smartphones became widespread.

Playing games while walking became a norm, with the screen almost glued to my face.

Even at home, I would lie on the bed, charging my phone, and staying connected.

I try to correct these bad habits by pointing them out, but if they could be corrected with just one reminder, they wouldn’t really be habits, would they?

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about families that have conflicts over smartphones.

Now, I understand why the older ladies in YouTube videos advise parents to delay giving smartphones to their children.

But, is it different from the usual rebellion that happens when authority figures impose restrictions?

Unlike those families with constant conflict, I didn’t hear a single complaint from Siyeon.

She’d follow my words even when she was clearly uncomfortable, sighing but obediently following through.

‘Hmm…?’

Siyeon was right next to me, so I couldn’t break the rules myself.

I could have taken out my phone at the crosswalk, just for a moment, but when you spend most of the day together, it’s hard to do that.

Without realizing it, my fingers fidgeted uncomfortably.

Actually, I might be more addicted to my smartphone than Siyeon.

I don’t post anything on community forums, and the only messages I get are from Siyeon or the occasional random advertisement or payment notifications.

There really was no reason to look at my phone.

My foot kicked the slipper pouch harder.

The sound of air bursting from the pouch as I kicked it echoed, drawing unwanted attention.

The attention came from elementary school kids, who didn’t even care about grade levels, or from a few parents from the “Green Mother’s Group” repetitively opening and closing flags at the crosswalk.

The usual sight of clean white slippers as I headed to class.

The other kids in my class had started wearing thicker clothes as autumn deepened.

Some kids looked as if they had been forced into thick jackets.

If they’re dressed like that in early autumn, what will they do in the middle of winter?
‘Noodle box too…’

I tried not to focus on other people’s children and glanced at the timetable posted on the blackboard, quietly muttering the first letters of the subjects.

Korean, Math, Integrated Studies, Ethics.

Either way, I was so out of sync with my mental age that I couldn’t concentrate during those hours.

Four hours that felt the most meaningless in the world passed by, and finally came the lunchtime, which felt somewhat meaningful.

It was no different from middle school students puffing away cigarettes behind the school; the reason for

lunch to come to school was almost the same.

It’s mandatory education, so I couldn’t just skip it.

After the somewhat meaningful lunch break, it was time to wait for release after the torturous fifth period.

“Alright, kids, I’m going to hand out the piggy banks and the school newsletters.”

‘Here we go again.’

With the teacher’s short announcement, the piggy bank, shaped like a blunt, ugly little bread, and the school newsletter were handed out.

It was a form of extortion from the school, disguised under the name of charity.

They said we didn’t have to put in a single coin, but in reality, few students actually did that.

It was like the dark, ominous undertones mixed in with the children’s picnic lunches.

A competition among the parents, stirred up by the name of charity, to flaunt their wealth.

Of course, there are also wise parents who don’t fall for this tactic.

“I’m too busy trying to make a living to donate,” is a perfectly reasonable attitude.

Even if donations are made with good intentions, the money that ends up going to the families in need is barely 1%.

It’s better to directly go to a person in need and stuff money into their pocket than donate to some organization.

The money collected through such organizations mainly goes to operational costs.
Naturally, schools are no exception to this.

Charity organizations like Love’s Fruit and Christmas Seals had faded out after their scandals, but it turned out there were still places continuing such activities.

Determined not to donate a single cent, I checked that I wasn’t on cleaning duty, and then immediately grabbed hands with Siyeon to head home.

“Achoo!”

‘Huh?’

Siyeon sneezed shortly after we got home.

And that was the beginning of the small change.

News about the disease started spreading through TV and other media, although late.

The disease, which started in China, had already spread to our country.

With all the crazies roaming around, ignoring quarantines, the situation began to spiral out of control.

And coincidentally, there had been a family from Siyeon’s class who had recently returned from China.

As a result, Siyeon ended up getting sick too.

Back to the present situation.

“Kek, keh-ek.”

With a foreign sensation in my throat, I kept coughing, but my voice grew hoarse, and the dizziness only worsened.

The problem wasn’t just Siyeon.

Naturally, I couldn’t avoid infection either, as I’d been in the same space with Siyeon longer than anyone at school.

Who would have known?

That what kills a magical girl isn’t a monster, but a disease spreading around by the ignorant idiots born with their concepts in their urine.

‘Ugh… shit.’

I cursed inwardly, pressing my aching forehead, and quietly pulled back the blanket Siyeon was curled under, trembling with fever.

“Siyeon, you shouldn’t cover yourself with the blanket…”

When you have a fever with chills, keeping your body too warm only prolongs the illness.

With chills and high fever, you should wipe your body with a lukewarm cloth.

In a dizzy vision, thinking that this might be the end for both of them, I finally recited the transformation spell.

“Sun. Moon.”

In an instant, the headache and dizziness disappeared. Though my body might be slower to heal, I had to stay in one piece to help. “Marie, here, a damp towel…”

“Alright.”

Unlike usual, even the mascots came over, helping out by wetting the towel, showing that we were in real trouble.

I placed a thermometer like device into the ear of Siyeon, who was lying there, struggling, and pressed the measurement button.

Beep, a sound with a display of 38.9 degrees on the screen. “Release.”

Then, I released the transformation, and quickly put the thermometer back to Siyeon’s ear, detecting a temperature of 39.2 degrees.

It wasn’t just Siyeon—my temperature was almost as high too.

“Sun.” I recited the spell again to shake off the headache and fever. At least if one of us felt better, that would be the priority.

My body was already equipped with some kind of protocol for dealing with fever and other illnesses, but Siyeon was more vulnerable, so I needed to stay sharp for her.

When someone gets sick, eating well and resting properly is key. I remembered that porridge was good for easy digestion when sick…so I quickly tossed my smartphone to Gomteng.

“Gomteng, order some porridge via the delivery app.”

“Yes, what kind would you like to order?”

“Just white rice porridge would be best, but for now, something like beef and vegetable porridge.”

Siyeon, only in her underwear, was shivering uncontrollably, and I felt sorry but could only help by wiping her down with a lukewarm wet towel.

She responded with a slight shiver when I touched her with the damp cloth, which made me feel even more helpless.

“Marie, it’s cold…”

“Just bear with it.”

I covered Siyeon with just a thin blanket to warm her up, remembering past times when she was sick.

After the delivery porridge was ready, I carefully fed a small amount to Siyeon, propped up slightly.

Then, I also had to force down a headache pill from a nearby pharmacy.

No matter how many times I tried calling the hospital, there were just too many appointments, and even if we went, there wasn’t much they could do. So, I chose the immune system’s natural approach over the risk of getting more diseases in a crowded hospital.

On top of that, with the mask shortage and panic buying, things were getting really out of hand.

After finally lowering the fever, Siyeon managed to fall asleep.

“Release.”

I released the transformation and struggled to force-feed myself some porridge, along with a headache pill. Then, I decided to take a short nap on the floor.

There was no one else to ask for help except each other.

One old man.

If both of us say we’re sick, I thought at least the director would get a report, so I left a message saying I think I’ve caught that recent troublesome disease and then closed my eyes.

While I was barely sleeping due to the effects of the medicine, there was a loud banging sound on the thick iron door.

I groggily opened my eyes and checked my smartphone.

The curtains were completely drawn, so I couldn’t see any outside light. It was 3:27 in the morning.

There were several missed calls from a restricted number and a familiar number.

It didn’t make sense that someone would visit at this hour, but the frantic banging, which seemed to indicate they were at our house, forced me to get up with difficulty.

“Who is it?”

“Oh, you’re awake! I called you but couldn’t get through… Are you okay?”

The voice from beyond the door was that of a public servant, one of the two people who had left multiple missed calls on my phone.