She was no different from a beast

Chapter 6

—–CROW—– 

January, the heart of winter.

It was the start of a new year for Han Yuna, now seven years old and a seven-year resident of Tonggumi.

Our family, living in a modern detached house with ample heating and a large yard, unlike other elderly residents, wasn’t particularly affected, but winter in Ulleungdo was formidable.

During winter, the only vehicles on the roads were the community center car checking on the elderly, trucks transporting goods from factories, and the occasional bus stopping at the beach road below the hill…

However, that didn’t mean we hibernated indoors, waiting for spring.

Even though it was a cold and snowy winter, the villagers worked together to clear the snow, at least enough for cars to pass, and there were days filled with laughter, celebrating another day survived.

“Weeheehoo!”

“Oink!!”

Just like now.

Our Tonggumi’s youngest, the boar, and I, equipped with snow shovels, sprinted down the hill, forgetting all about the cold!

“Oh my. Is that even possible?”

“Old man. Can pigs run that fast?”

“I don’t know. I’d have to see a live pig running to know.”

The elderly watched in amusement and pride, as if watching a local spectacle, as Tonggumi’s first wild boar and a seven-year-old child cleared the snow together with beast-like momentum.

At first glance, it seemed like they were leaving all the work to a child and an animal, entering spectator mode… and they were indeed in spectator mode.

But what else could they do?

The 70-80-year-old elders could no longer shovel like young people and carry the pretty, falling trash from the sky.  Their bodies weren’t what they used to be.

If they tried to help and slipped, they could break a few limbs, or worse, die.

Moreover, it wasn’t a flat road but a steep, sloped one.  Even young people could injure their backs if they slipped.

So, instead of risking a trip to the afterlife, they stepped aside and watched the snow clearing, occasionally sprinkling calcium chloride.

Shouldn’t we be thankful that they even came out like this, with their frail bodies?

“??? You’re back already?”

“Yes! Look! Isn’t it much cleaner?!”

“…She’s much faster than the young men from the community center.”

I cleared most of the accumulated snow from the hill in 30 minutes and came back down. Grandpa with the supermarket chuckled, looking at the relatively clean road.

Then he brought out a sweet red bean *hoppang* from inside and put it in my hand, and gave carrots and cucumbers to our youngest, the boar… Wow! Is this a snack break?!

“There’s warm chocolate milk inside too, so come in and warm up.  Sigh. This snow clearing will be over quickly.”

“Wow~ Okay!”

Chocolate milk!

Cold chocolate milk from the refrigerator is good, but warm chocolate milk is like hot chocolate, perfect for a cold day like this.

What? You’ve never had warm chocolate milk? Then you should try it.

Once you do, you might never look at cold chocolate milk again!

I went inside the supermarket… huh?

“Mom? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Yuna. Well… hmm. I couldn’t just stand by while the neighbors were working so hard. I thought I’d make them some delicious snacks.”

Uh. Hmm.  That’s possible, but… is that a good enough reason to be inside Grandpa’s house?

“Oh my. This child’s mother has such a good touch.  Oh, Yuna, come inside. Your mother’s *patjuk*… my goodness.  It’s so delicious the old men will faint after eating it!”

Wow!  *Patjuk*!

Who cares about *hoppang* and chocolate milk! I kicked off my shoes and rushed into the kitchen… wow.  Oh my.  The pot is huge!! Is it even right to call it a pot?

So this is why they told me to come inside Grandpa’s house.

We don’t have such a big pot at home.

A family of three doesn’t need a pot from a military kitchen.

Grandma with the supermarket gave me a full bowl of *patjuk*.

When you think of *patjuk*, you might think of sweet red bean porridge, but they’re quite different.

Sweet red bean porridge is made by grinding the beans until they’re completely smooth, adding sugar or honey, and enjoying the sweet taste as a snack.

Then what about *patjuk*?

It’s made by lightly straining the beans, focusing on the coarse texture, the natural bitterness, savory flavor, and plain taste of the beans.

Originally, *patjuk* is seasoned with salt and eaten as a healthy food!

I didn’t even need a spoon.

I lifted the bowl and slurped it down like I was drinking soup… Hehe.  Delicious! This is definitely Mom’s cooking.

“No, Yuna! You can’t eat like that in front of Grandma!!”

“Oh my~ It’s nice to see you eat so heartily. You have to eat a lot when you’re young to grow big and strong~ Yes. How does it taste, Yuna?”

“It’s delicious!!”

There was a reason Grandma said the grandpas would faint!

They’ll definitely go crazy after having a bowl after being outside, shivering while spreading the calcium chloride Dad brought from the community center.

“See? Sigh. I told you, you can be proud.  Even your pretty daughter says it’s delicious. What are you so worried about~?”

“B-But, the tastes of a child and the elderly can be different.”

“Now, now. Don’t worry.  Those old men would even eat dog shit if a young mother made it instead of this old woman.”

“…Really?”

They would really… eat dog shit?

Come on. That must be a joke.  Even the grandpas are human; they wouldn’t eat animal feces, would they?

“Huh? You don’t know, Yuna? That grandpa who lives up on the hill? He used to eat dog shit when he was drunk in his 30s~”

“??”

Why is this real?

Grandpa with the tractor… he used to eat poop when he was young?

Talking about poop while eating *patjuk* made my mouth water… in a bad way.

Ugh.  Crazy.  I was going to have another bowl, but talking about poop ruined my appetite.

I cautiously asked Grandpa with the tractor, who was eating *patjuk*, just in case, and everyone around him burst out laughing, so it must have been true.

Ew, he’s not Grandpa with the tractor anymore.

He’s Poop Grandpa…

Even water deer don’t eat poop, Grandpa.

Time passed, and winter on the remote island ended.  Spring arrived, bringing new life and vitality to the cold and desolate nature.

It was early spring, still chilly enough to require a coat outside, but the snow had mostly melted, and the fierce, whale-like waves had calmed down.

“Wow! So many people!”

“Haha. Come to think of it, this is your first time in Dodong, Yuna.”

Today, we came to Dodong in Dad’s car.

My eyes sparkled as I looked around at the scenery of a different village for the first time in my life as Han Yuna.  Dad chuckled, finding my appearance cute.

“Seeing you like this, you’re quite the country bumpkin, my daughter.”

“?”

?? He wasn’t laughing because I was cute, but because I looked like a country girl?  No, what the…

Sometimes, I can’t understand Dad’s way of thinking.

As if to say I inherited my eccentric traits from him, Dad often makes Mom and me flustered with his four-dimensional thinking.

Hmm.  Is it four-dimensional?

He just seems to speak his mind honestly and frankly, without hesitation.

“But my daughter can’t be treated like a country bumpkin. Isn’t it nice to come to the city and play like this?”

“…There are no rocks to climb here.”

“Was she a country bumpkin or an animal?”

See?  Calling his daughter an animal.

Still, I like that Dad is comfortable around me.

Sometimes, it’s a bit annoying that he’s married to a busty beauty like Mom and spends every night passionately, but there’s a comfort in being able to talk openly, man to man.

Huh?  You’re saying I’m a girl?  Oh, my heart is still that of a man!

“But Dad, what are we doing here now?”

Well, man or not, tell me why you brought me here, Father.

I tugged on Dad’s sleeve with my small hand and looked up at him.  He stroked his chin, lost in thought… huh?  Lost in thought? Wait a minute.  Did you come out without a plan?

“How about we destroy some games first and then think about it?”

“Games?”

Is there an arcade or something?

Well, in this era, games usually meant small arcade machines in stationery stores.

I’ve played a lot of fighting games, bubble games, and Metal Slug with 100-won coins.

Thinking about it, it might be fun.

Well, playing is the best thing for a 7-year-old.  Rock climbing, fishing, hiking, and other physical activities are good, but sitting down and playing games with a joystick and buttons is also fun.

Holding Dad’s hand, we walked down the main road and finally arrived at…

“Honey!! Honey!! That guy has a knife! Honey, quickly grab a knife and show off your dazzling knife skills…”

*Bang!!*

“…Honey?”

“Yep~ Life is a battlefield~ Winning is everything~”

*Munch, munch.*

“Wow. As expected of my daughter.  Throwing romance to the dogs and shooting the enemy in the gut when they challenge you to a duel because you’re at a disadvantage.  That’s my girl.”

“Of course~ Of course~ Whose daughter am I~? Oh, let’s rush A site this time, Dad. I’ll cover you.”

“Yeah! I can hear the sound of the sniper’s keyboard breaking from here.  Daddy will run over there and slice their throats with a knife.”

…a PC room.

Father and daughter were happily munching on dried squid legs sold at the PC room, enjoying Korea’s dominant FPS game.

—–CROW—–