Woo-ooong-
“….”
Woo-oo-ooong-!
“Um, Kana?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that a call coming in?”
“Yep.”
So?
As I stared blankly, Da-eun’s head filled with question marks.
“But why aren’t you answering?”
“Too lazy.”
It’s obviously spam; why should I bother?
I used to pick up without thinking at first.
Every time I did, it was always about loans, internet stuff, investments… just the same old chatter.
“Ah.”
After hearing me, Da-eun nodded, showing she understood.
“There is a lot of spam. I seriously considered turning my phone off because I was so tormented by it.”
“Then just turn it off.”
“But then I can’t receive calls. Well… I guess for you, since no one would call, it’s mostly spam.”
“Yep.”
Since I haven’t shared my number with anyone else, who could possibly call?
I told the aunties and uncles, but unless something happens to Da-eun, they won’t be contacting me first.
So it’s concluded that any call coming now must be spam.
Unlike those who give up after a few tries, this caller keeps pestering me, but if I keep ignoring it, they’ll probably give up eventually.
Huh?
As I thought this through, I tilted my head.
…Feels like I forgot something.
From the moment Da-eun spoke until now.
After chewing over the conversation again, I quickly found the awkward point.
“If I haven’t shared my number, how can I be getting spam calls?”
I haven’t signed up for anything or anything like that.
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Vk94SEJaZ2psT2hwSVNCVnl6d3p5QnNDZ20xWE9PZS9nYVM2K3phdm14Ug
“…Ah.”
“?”
“Kana, you shouldn’t delve too deep into the world’s mysteries.”
“Are you starting again?”
“…Starting again? What kind of reaction is that, like you saw a merchant?”
“Wow.”
Clap clap.
“I saw it precisely.”
How did she read my mind so accurately?
I clapped with appreciation.
“That’s not a compliment, it’s mockery!”
Da-eun, who had yelled that momentarily, quickly regained her calm.
“Anyway, there are grown-up reasons tangled up in it. It’s still too early for baby Kana to know about it, so I’ll tell you later, okay?”
“…Baby?”
“…Gasp! Kana’s cuteness…! Ugh, why wasn’t I filming this…!”
“Does this look like I’m being cute?”
Da-eun is definitely not in her right mind.
As I shake my head, the phone, which had been trembling the whole time, finally stopped moving.
Looks like it finally gave up.
“If the vibrations are bothersome, just flip the phone over next time. That’ll turn it completely silent.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Still, sometimes she does drop some helpful advice. I tried my best to listen when Da-eun started talking.
“…Sometimes? …Effort? Was that all it was?”
“This is a pretty generous compliment, though.”
“That’s just mean!”
Da-eun cried out, complaining about how harsh my words were.
But isn’t the truth always harsh and bitter when it’s hard to accept?
“Even so, you have to humbly accept it to become a better person.”
“You’re saying weird things just like Kana!”
“…Oh no. I’ve caught Da-eun’s disease.”
“…Seriously, that’s too much.”
Saying that, Da-eun sniffled.
I scratched my cheek.
‘…Should I apologize?’
Of course, it wasn’t because I felt guilty seeing Da-eun cry.
She wasn’t seriously crying, and she definitely wasn’t hurt, so I couldn’t possibly feel any sense of guilt.
Look at her. She’s even smiling right now.
I sighed, noticing the slight upward curve of her lips peeking through her palms.
The last time I wondered if I was being too harsh, she said,
“Huh? No, no. I actually like it when Kana treats me like this. After all, I’m the only one Kana acts this way with, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“So it’s okay! It just means you feel comfortable with me.”
And she laughed.
I had so much more to say, but when I saw her clear smile, all those words vanished.
…Anyway.
Seeing Da-eun rambling, even the auntie slaps her on the back, so I didn’t feel too bad about what I just said.
But why was I hesitating to apologize?
Well, it’s because Da-eun handles the snacks.
She threatens me by saying she won’t give me snacks if I make her mad, what can I do?
It’s not like munching on them is going to ruin my health.
But the money for the snacks comes from Da-eun’s wallet, so as a moocher, I had no choice but to comply with her demands.
“Oh, I’m hungry… Should I have some snacks now? …Huh? Where did the snacks I bought the day before yesterday go?”
‘….’
“What the? No chocolate, no candies, and no bread? I feel like I bought a whole truckload…”
‘….’
“Excuse me, Miss Kana? Don’t just play dumb, hurry up and answer!”
‘…I didn’t eat any.’
“Did Kim Ye-rim sneak in and eat it? Or did a hungry thief just nibble and run?”
“…Maybe a rat took it?”
“Aha! So we have a rat in the house.”
“….”
“Kana.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Snacks confiscated.”
“…!”
Honestly, I did eat quite a bit.
I said I’d only have one or two, but before I knew it, the wrappers were everywhere with nothing inside.
What kind of horrifying addiction is this…?
Even with my memory blurry, thoughts of chicken were clear as day.
I only escaped the fiery gaze of Da-eun after enduring a surprise cavity check.
I’ve committed sins, and since Da-eun usually lets me do what I want, she took over the snack management.
So, to avoid losing today’s snacks, I had to keep my mouth shut now.
One wrong move here, and I’d be over the line.
“Da….”
~♪
“Hmm?”
Just as I opened my mouth to call Da-eun, a song started playing from her phone.
It was that song she really liked from our last camping trip.
Thanks to the perfect timing of the ringtone, Da-eun didn’t hear me and picked up her phone.
“Hello?”
Maybe we’re not that close? Da-eun’s first words had a stiff, typical greeting vibe.
“Excuse me? Who’s this? …Oh. But why are you calling me..?”
From what she said, it sounds like it’s a call from someone totally unexpected.
By the time I caught that much, my interest plummeted fast.
Not like I have a hobby of eavesdropping on other people’s phone calls.
So, I decided to zone out and slumped on the sofa.
The conversation had no real significance, but it kinda ended in a letdown.
“Brr-”
I buried my face in the cushion, making an aimless sound.
Maybe it was a sound laced with a bit of discontent.
“…Kana.”
“….”
“Kana?”
“…Yeah?”
While my face was buried, Da-eun poked my back lightly.
Did the call end?
No way could I have slept in that short time.
Who doesn’t realize they’ve just woken up?
“Is it over already?”
“No, it’s not that…”
When I lifted my face to ask, Da-eun looked at me with a troubled expression.
Or maybe she was being cautious?
“Someone wants to talk to you.”
“…To me?”
I blinked in surprise at the perfectly unexpected words.
…Who on earth?
An aunt or an uncle, maybe?
I was dying to ask, but the gesture urging me to just answer was too strong, so I took the phone.
“…Hello?”
The same greeting Da-eun had just used.
But even I could tell my voice was stiffer than Da-eun’s.
-…Hello? Did that ‘hello’ just come out?!
“…Ugh.”
That nearly blew my eardrums out.
As soon as I blurted the first word, a roar came charging at me, making me drop the phone a distance away.
By the way, that voice oddly felt familiar.
I couldn’t quite catch what they said from the yelling, but somehow it felt familiar. Does that mean I know this person?
“Who?”
-Who do you think?! Are you doing this on purpose?!
“Ah.”
Oh, it’s Edel.
Finally realizing the identity of the person who called Da-eun, I let out a short exclamation.
“Long time no see.”
-…
We had shared plans and spent a few days together, so I greeted her, but got no response at all.
After a long silence, Edel finally spoke up just as I was hesitating to hang up.
-So annoying…. Just die instead. So, why didn’t you pick up my call?
“Call? Was there one?”
-You just had one, like, seconds ago!
“Whoa, for real.”
The missed call number on my phone matched the current call.
“Sorry, I thought it was spam.”
-You’re really something…. If you got that many calls, you could check at least.
“I thought it was persistent. But how did you know my number?”
-As a god, shouldn’t I know that much?
“Hmm….”
It’s not exactly a wrong point.
…But watching someone so ‘great’ get mad over a missed call is not very convincing.
Pretty human in many ways.
-Well, I’m in a body that makes me a bit iffy on the ‘god’ label now.
“But if you don’t pick up, you can leave a text. There are messenger apps that work well these days.”
-What’s with that oddly old-fashioned tone?
“….”
-If you have something to say, isn’t it better to call? You can exchange opinions quickly. They say kids these days are scared of calls…. Guess that’s true.
Calling me old and then calling me a kid.
What am I supposed to do here?
“Just get to the point already.”
I cut off Edel’s rambling, not wanting to dance to the whims of a capricious deity.
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