Right after that statement, the press conference room turned into chaos.
A magical girl dropping expletives right in front of the reporters—an unprecedented incident.
I fled the conference hall as if escaping a barrage of questions and took a breather in the waiting room with the ministers and uncles.
Well, I had said everything I needed to.
I thought about smashing the podium, but since I hadn’t caused any physical damage, I managed to hold back.
“Alright, here like this.”
“Wow!”
So there I sat in the waiting room.
Watching two burly uncles teaching Siyeon how to play cat’s cradle, it felt like the barrage of questions I had just faced was a lie.
“Damn those scummy reporters… ugh.”
Leaving the people who were having fun alone, I picked up a bottle of water.
After replenishing my proud speaking mouth that had been moving nonstop, I let out a short burp-like sigh.
Even though malicious articles would surely pour out from the reporters who had just been insulted in my face, at least I felt calmer inside, so I didn’t care.
They’re not going to step in for the magical girl, either.
Anyway, the press conference ended abruptly with a small commotion.
The minister slowly approached me in the waiting room, gently tapping my shoulder in encouragement and smiling widely.
“Results are a bit disappointing, but you did well, Sun.”
“Hmm, just with words?”
I rubbed my thumb and index finger together, giving him a displeased look.
There’s an old saying: “Don’t spit in the face of a smiling person.”
It means you cannot treat someone who approaches you with kindness like a lowlife.
But in relationships tied to money and labor, sometimes being a lowlife is necessary.
The seasoned aunty in the political arena had already caught on to that hidden meaning.
“So, what do you want?”
“Treat me to a meal as a way of telling me to keep up the hard work. With premium beef, please.”
Since they forced me to come all the way to Seoul on this precious weekend, I thought it was fair to get at least one meal out of it.
I requested expensive beef, which is something I wouldn’t often buy with my own money even if I had it.
The minister nodded willingly, thinking, “How much can kids eat?”
“Sure, that much should be fine…”
“And include the two uncles on the weekend business trip.”
When I added two more fingers from my clenched fist, the minister’s expression darkened instantly.
Having already answered ‘I understand,’ she couldn’t come up with a pathetic excuse of ‘I thought you wouldn’t eat that much’ to refuse.
The eyes of the two public official uncles teaching Siyeon cat’s cradle also widened at my consideration.
“Oh, your granddaughters are really lovely!”
“Yeah, um…”
At the innocent question from the staff about the meat, the minister’s face began to turn into one that resembled a bug getting squished.
It was clear from a glance that this upscale barbecue place was quite different from ordinary ones.
With the unexpected addition of two adult men, of course, much more money would disappear than I would have assumed with just one adult woman and two elementary school kids.
Anyway, the two public official uncles were quite something…
“Add the flower sirloin here.”
‘Not even a hint of awareness!’
Even with an irritated superior in front of him, he ordered without hesitation as if he were at a buffet.
Maybe it was because they were selfish guys in their 30s and 40s.
Or perhaps they were venting their weekend trip frustrations through a meaty meal.
Regardless, the uncles insisted on grilling meat and handing it over to Siyeon and me as fast as they could.
I dipped the well-grilled beef lightly in a sesame oil sauce mixed with salt and pepper.
As I felt the tender meat melting away even under a child’s teeth, I closed my eyes tightly.
‘The sirloin melts in the mouth.’
What would have normally been a meal under a hundred thousand won now instantly became three digits, vanishing from someone’s account.
The outcome of two adult men joining the meal was undoubtedly tragic for one.
One person’s misfortune led to four people’s happiness.
The greatest happiness for the greatest number—wasn’t that sufficient?
Even though we came all the way to Seoul, with two girls lingering in an unfamiliar area, we were bound to have nothing to do.
After the press conference and a satisfying lunch, we quickly drove back home.
“Thanks to you, the uncles had a good meal. See you next time.”
The pleasant voices of the uncles, their faces glowing from the food, as they stuffed themselves with the rich flavor of beef.
I waved goodbye, feeling good too, and bowed my upper body.
“Goodbye!”
“Goodbye!”
“Ugh, I’m full.”
As soon as the two left, I groaned while clutching my stomach and letting out an uncomfortable breath.
A belly stuffed full of just meat without even ordering a bowl of rice—that’d obviously make me feel uneasy, right?
I thought so as I brushed my mouth, which still smelled of meat, with toothpaste and a toothbrush.
As the vigorous brushing passed through my teeth, I felt a strange sensation.
‘…Huh?’
Looking in the bathroom mirror, I touched the teeth that felt strange.
Wobble, wobble.
There was a looseness starting from the front teeth.
It seemed the time for my previously ignored baby teeth to come out had arrived.
Once I started noticing it, my tongue couldn’t stop touching that spot.
It wasn’t excessively loose yet, so pulling it out right away would only bring pain.
I had experienced this pain before, but I didn’t want to bring it on purpose.
Covering the lingering scent of meat with toothpaste, I immediately called out to Siyeon, who was sitting in front of the computer.
“Siyeon, brush your teeth.”
“Just a sec—”
Siyeon shouted out because she seemed to be in a crucial part of an animation.
A loud explosion sound suddenly played from the speaker, followed by the screams of what seemed to be a monster gurgling.
And then the self-praising voice of youth, emphasizing love and friendship.
In reality, love and friendship won’t feed you.
Once the important part was over, Siyeon paused the video and headed to the bathroom.
As soon as she came back from the bathroom, I called her over to come closer.
“Siyeon, say ‘ah’ for me.”
“Aah—”
I gently slid my finger into her slightly open mouth and touched her teeth one by one.
The front tooth, which was shaking much more than the others, looked ready to fall off at the slightest tug with a string.
I couldn’t help but think that Siyeon was going to lose her front tooth before I would.
“Do we need to go to the dentist…?”
“D-dentist?”
Her voice was tinged with fear as she muttered with her mouth open.
That was a big mistake.
In an instant, Siyeon pulled her head back and slammed her mouth shut, hiding under the blanket like a frightened hamster.
For kids, the dentist is a symbol of terror.
Even if they’ve never been to see one, they somehow know the horrifying sound of the drill for plaque removal.
Even though it had nothing to do with reality.
‘…Where’s the nearest dentist around here…?’
Putting Siyeon’s fright aside for now, the time to extract the tooth was approaching, so I searched for a dentist on my smartphone.
Of course, I could pull it out at home, but for long-term health, it’s better to go to a proper clinic.
Sometimes you can’t just do what you want; you need to recognize such things.
However, if I just tried to drag her there, I could leave a bad impression.
I decided to persuade her by giving her an escape hole from the greater fear.
“Siyeon, if you don’t go now, they might really drill your teeth later?”
“!”
Whether she goes now or later, the result is still the same: a tooth extraction.
The terrifying sound of drilling is for cavity treatments or plaque cleaning.
Regardless, a drilling mishap wouldn’t actually happen, but it felt like I was giving her ‘the choice before the drilling begins.’
Small fears dominate greater fears.
Historically, this has proven to be true.
“…Then, I’ll go.”
With a small voice, Siyeon peeked out from under the blanket, her face filled with sadness.
“Then let’s go on Monday.”
Even thinking of heading there quickly, Saturday appointments are often short.
Drive to Seoul for a press conference, enjoy a satisfying lunch, and drive back home again.
That brief schedule, summarized in a single line of my diary, ended up taking much more time than expected on Saturday.
Moreover, since most clinics don’t operate on Sundays, naturally, the schedule pushed into the weekdays beyond the weekend.
Thus arrived, fateful Monday.
Together with a terrified Siyeon, we reached the dentist.
“We’re here to get a tooth pulled.”
“Didn’t your parents come?”
“Yeah, they gave me the card.”
While I sat in the waiting room, having grown accustomed to such lies.
Far inside, I could see someone sitting in a chair typical for dentists.
The nurse, wearing a cap and mask, was handling the very tools that produce the most frightening sounds for Siyeon right now.
As the sound of teeth clashing with metal surfaced, Siyeon’s face turned pale.
“It’s alright; we’re not doing that.”
I gently patted Siyeon’s shoulder to ease her anxiety.
“Really…?”
Siyeon looked at me with eyes ready to cry.
I had never lied to Siyeon before, but this place made even me suspicious.
“Yeah, really really, I swear on my little finger.”
“Okay… promise.”
Our tiny pinkies intertwined in a knot.
After a little while, it was our turn for the appointment.
Siyeon’s tooth was on the verge of falling out, so that was understandable…
“Ahh!”
“Oh dear…! I’m sorry, it isn’t coming out in one go.”
A strong jab on her gums followed by the doctor’s brief apology.
But my tooth, which had been totally fine, took longer to pull out and caused me significant pain.
I should have postponed my own appointment until my tooth wiggled a little more.
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