“Get married!?”
“Whoa!”
I unintentionally shouted about Ji-eun’s unexpected schedule yesterday, causing her to jump in surprise, her shoulders shaking.
Ji-eun looked bewildered at my dumbfounded expression.
With a face that seemed to ask why I was suddenly yelling, she retorted back at me.
“Uh, didn’t you know?”
“I had no idea at all…”
“Remember when we had that meeting and the topic of retirement came up… she said she found someone precious.”
When she asked if I didn’t know, I stiffened my expression, completely unaware of it, and Ji-eun brought up that meeting when she first hinted at it.
As Ji-eun raised her index finger to explain, I recalled that day and let out a short sigh.
“Ah.”
She had mentioned someone precious, which was the first time she hinted at it during that meeting.
The atmosphere had turned icy as I couldn’t tell if the hot chocolate and bread were going in my mouth or my nose that day.
It turned out that ‘someone precious’ back then wasn’t the husband she has now but was still her boyfriend.
She had announced her retirement in that state and had been in a relationship for several years, and now it has culminated in this year’s wedding after the meeting with the families.
Even though the marriage wasn’t confirmed back then, I was once again astounded by the gamble Ji-eun took back then in deciding to retire.
Anyway, I’m glad things turned out well.
Meeting families means marriage, marriage means a wedding, and a wedding means a buffet.
I suddenly recalled the existence of a buffet that I hadn’t been to in a while and asked Ji-eun.
“When is the ceremony?”
“We plan to hold it in April, do you guys want to come?”
“Of course, if you invite us, we’ll go.”
Outside of school, the schedule of an elementary school student was completely empty.
There was absolutely no reason to refuse Ji-eun’s invitation, so excitement began to swell at the thought of enjoying a buffet around April.
Speaking of buffets…
“By the way, are we doing that for this holiday too?”
“I think so, are you going again?”
By ‘that,’ she meant the Magical Girl exchange day we established in the first grade.
What seemed like a plan that might last only a year or two had been renewed every year and continued on, and I wondered if we would participate again this year.
Siyeon and I almost always participated during the major holidays like Chuseok or Seollal.
So Ji-eun was asking if we were going this time, and I nodded in response.
“It’s still a chance to meet people…”
Finishing her sentence ambiguously, she glanced at Siyeon, who was sitting in front of the computer.
Honestly, we were plenty tired of holiday food since last Chuseok.
I had once skipped it just once because I needed to save money…
‘The look on Siyeon’s face then…’
Thinking back, a sense of guilt washed over me regarding Chuseok two years ago.
Being unable to meet anyone during the long holiday was already a situation that could lead to depression, but the atmosphere surrounding it was even worse.
The parking lot of our shabby apartment was filled with cars.
The moment the windows were opened, the smell of holiday food wafted in.
Everyone was enjoying the holiday atmosphere, making noise from one house to the next, while we sat in silence, eating only delivery food.
That’s when I truly felt it.
This isn’t good for kids’ emotions.
So since then, I’ve been consistently participating every holiday without fail.
“Well then, I’ll put you down as a participant.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re both eleven now, right?”
Since becoming an adult, it had been easier to remember my age based on the year I was born.
Even though I had returned to childhood, that habit hadn’t yet left me, so I estimated my age while contrasting it with the year.
At this age, I should have been counting my age by numbers.
It seems habits engraved in the mind are tough to shake off.
“Uh, yeah… probably.”
Mumbling, I spat out a suitable answer.
“Every time I see you, I can’t believe you two are the same age.”
With that thought, Ji-eun lowered her gaze to her smartphone.
Watching Ji-eun quickly type something on her phone, the conversation returned to the topic of the holidays.
“Aren’t you busy with the preparations for the ceremony? Can you just sit around here?”
“I still have to work…”
While she swayed her legs up and down in a prone position, she looked at me with a cold expression, insisting she still needed to work.
‘Work? What kind of work? Oh…’
I tilted my head at the situation where Ji-eun came over to do housework.
Realizing that this was work, I let out a quiet sigh.
Right, this was indeed work.
I momentarily forgot because she seemed so comfortable, like she had come over to hang out.
Without needing to ask, it appeared that she was steadily preparing, trailing off with a concluding thought.
“After I finish fixing your dinner, I’ll head back early to continue our chat.”
“Looks like you’re already living together.”
“Of course, it’s been years of dating.”
During our conversation, the washing machine emitted a sound to indicate the end of a spin cycle.
The moment I heard it, Ji-eun hopped up from her seat and walked to the washing machine, casually pulling out the laundry and shaking it out before hanging it on the drying rack indoors.
Seeing the malicious community’s claims that women nowadays can’t do housework, it seems that’s not the case for Ji-eun at all.
She cleans the floor with a vacuum once a day.
Whenever the laundry piled up enough, it went straight into the washing machine.
That doesn’t mean she can’t cook either; she had mastered various stir-fried and deep-fried dishes.
If she gets married, will she be momentarily distanced from this pleasant life…
Thinking that way made me feel a bit regretful.
Now that people around me are getting married, I find myself curious about various things.
I even asked about future plans, not wanting to leave the conversation dull while she hung up the laundry.
To be honest, my curiosity was genuine.
“Where are you going for your honeymoon?”
“A hot spring tour in Japan.”
“O….”
When I asked about the honeymoon plans, Ji-eun paused her laundry, making a V sign with her thumb and index finger towards me.
Hot springs, huh.
I’ve only heard about them, as I’ve never had the experience of going abroad.
Do the magical girls who live in Japan really fight like in the anime?
No, wait, we’re talking about travel, not magical girls.
“Japan!?”
Siyeon suddenly reacted to the mention of Japan during our conversation.
She lit up with excitement, having developed an interest in the Japanese anime whose original stories she loved.
It seemed she had stumbled upon a wiki while searching for her favorite anime.
“Should I get some magical girl merchandise for you when I go?”
“Yes! Yes!”
Before I knew it, Siyeon jumped up, bouncing with excitement after getting off her computer chair.
Oh no, don’t bounce too much or you’ll disturb the downstairs neighbors.
Gifts from a trip to Japan…
I had received them from time to time from those around me.
Seeing how delighted Ji-eun looked, she turned the question back to me.
“Mari, is there anything you would think of when you hear Japan? What should I get you?”
“Doraemon, Shikishi Koiibito, Roiboy Chocolate.”
Wanting to seize the chance, I immediately snatched Ji-eun’s bait.
Out popped the delights of the Japanese trip.
“Wait… how do you know all that?”
Without any hesitation or contemplation, when she presented me with the three snacks and chocolates, Ji-eun stammered in surprise.
It was Ji-eun who said she would get it for me, so please don’t blame me.
Puzzled, she tilted her head but continued the conversation.
Especially since she was going on a trip, Ji-eun stretched and seemed liberated once the laundry was all hung.
“When April comes, diet’s over! I’m going to eat to my heart’s content.”
Ji-eun’s mumble about eating to her heart’s content was unlike her recent focus on dieting.
That’s when I realized the reason she had been obsessively dieting lately.
“Oh, so you’re dieting… for the wedding?”
“Exactly, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime wedding. I have to look neat and tidy in those photos.”
Because of the efforts to look good at the meeting and for the photos at the wedding.
The thought of a once-in-a-lifetime wedding made my silly mouth almost blurt out that there could be a second or third one.
Realizing that her dieting was for photography, I still had a small doubt lingering in my mind.
‘Wouldn’t it just be enough to edit the photos…?’
Having lost weight without trusting modern technology, Ji-eun seemed unaware.
Not exaggerating, modern editing technology could completely change a person’s face and body shape.
Of course, at that point, they wouldn’t even look like the same person.
While contemplating modern technology, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Will she send someone else after getting married?’
I quickly transformed that thought into a question for Ji-eun.
“If you get married, you won’t be coming here anymore?”
“Who knows? I’ll have to think about that then; it’s tough just making ends meet on a dual income.”
Contrary to my expectation that she wouldn’t come after getting married, her response was lukewarm, suggesting she might still care for us after marriage.
Even if she handles both home and work well as a stay-at-home wife.
But more importantly, how should I address her after she gets married?
“Um… Aunty?!”
“Just call me unnie!”
As soon as that title slipped out, Ji-eun’s thumb and index finger pinched both my cheeks.
When I stumbled over the last part, her fingers had startled me, making my voice spike.
While my cheeks were caught, I barely managed to mumble, once again questioning myself.
‘What even serves as a standard for when it’s okay to call someone Aunty?’
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