Chuseok
Chuseok, the biggest holiday in Korea, had arrived.
The origin of Chuseok is something about being an important turning point in farming before the harvest… anyway, after offering ancestral rites, the farming season would be over, the weather would be nice, so it naturally became a holiday to relax and enjoy.
Since the whole family gathered together, people started pouring into the house from the very first day of the holiday.
"What's all this? You brought way too much~"
"I just brought some side dishes. Oh my, is that Soo-hyun? You've gotten even prettier since the last time I saw you~"
"Haha, thank you."
"What? Is that Soo-hyun? Wow—since becoming an adult, you're glowing, absolutely radiant."
"Thank you."
With adults flooding in, I was getting dizzy.
On top of that, every time someone came in, they'd throw a compliment at me, so I was constantly bowing my head and giving thanks until my neck was sore.
Then, they'd say I was polite and hand me pocket money, and I'd have to thank them again. Repeating that cycle of suffering, the living room became jam-packed with adults.
Naturally, the kids and I ended up gathering in my room, where I had hastily shoved away my merch and stuff.
"Hmm…."
First, there were the Kim siblings, relatives of Manager Kim—middle and high schoolers.
Kim Namseok (17), Kim Yuna (15).
Then there were the Jang sisters, relatives of Madam Jang—little kids.
Jang Yul (3), Jang Woori (8).
From kindergarten to middle and high school, we had the full set.
And with me, the adult, it kind of felt like a complete gift set.
"Alright, kids, the adults said they have some things to talk about in the living room, so we'll have to entertain ourselves."
Well, with toddlers around, it wasn't like we could gamble illegally or anything. I was put in charge, but now the question was—what do I do with them?
"Wow, unni, are you a princess?"
"Yes, yes, unni is a princess."
Actually, maybe it wouldn't be that hard.
The Jang sisters (3 and 8) were at the perfect age to like pretty things.
They were already mesmerized, staring at me blankly.
Meanwhile, the teenage siblings were busy fiddling awkwardly with their phones.
Wait a sec. Does that mean I don't actually have to do anything?
But their appearances didn't sit quite right with me.
Were they delinquents? Both had the kind of good looks you'd expect from Manager Kim's relatives, clearly above average. But Namseok (17) had brown-dyed hair, and Yuna (15) had gone blonde.
On top of that, Namseok (17) had an earring.
Hmm…
Not really my place to interfere.
Besides, aren't middle and high schoolers these days kind of scary?
As far as I remembered from my time as a guy, they were pretty normal kids. Was this some kind of butterfly effect?
Could they really have changed this much just because they no longer had older cousins or brothers to hang out with during the holidays?
Or maybe it was just my prejudice.
Maybe they were just kids who liked dressing up.
Take Roa for example—looks rough on the outside, but on stream, she comes across so pure and innocent.
As I quietly observed, Yuna (15) suddenly looked up from her phone, caught my gaze, and flinched.
"W-why?"
"Which school did you say you went to?"
What's with her? Why so nervous?
In female Soo-hyun's memories, I didn't have much about younger cousins.
I'd always holed myself up in my room during holidays.
So I was relying on my memories as a guy, but the difference was huge.
"Uh… Dajang Middle School…."
Dajang Middle? So no difference from my time as a guy.
The Kim siblings were relatives but lived nearby, so I knew they'd gone to the same middle school as me.
So where did Namseok (17), now in high school, go?
"What about you, Namseok?"
Only then did Namseok (17) finally lift his eyes from his phone to look at me.
Though he couldn't quite meet my gaze.
Well, to a first-year high school kid, someone like me must feel a bit out of reach.
"I go to Dajang High…."
"Oh, so you're my junior."
So he went to the same school I graduated from.
It's been two years since I graduated—had anything changed in that time?
"Which teachers are still around?"
Maybe this would be a good way to start a conversation.
Talking about teachers is the safest bet with juniors.
"But um, are you… famous?"
"Huh? Me? Famous?"
"Yeah, since middle school."
Me? Famous? Well, I guess this town isn't exactly huge.
And with a face like Kim Soo-hyun's, I suppose I would've been well-known since student days.
"Really? The teachers all know?"
"Yes, and even the upperclassmen know you."
"Upperclassmen? Who?"
"The third-years."
Third-years? That would mean the kids who were first-years when I was in third-year.
"Why would they know me?"
"They just… do?"
"Really??"
Maybe they'd heard about me from my classmates back then?
But honestly, no matter how much I tried to recall, female Soo-hyun's school life was nothing remarkable.
Sleepy, so I slept. Listened when I felt like it. Crammed during exam periods.
Didn't even bother dating, just hung out with same-gender friends. A clean, ordinary student.
"I didn't do anything, though?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's not like I went around messing about. What did they even say?"
"No, nothing like that. It's just… they were always really nice to me."
"To you?"
"Yeah. Even since middle school, the older kids would come by and treat me really well."
Uh… is that a good thing?
No, no.
Why would they have turned out so different compared to when I was a guy?
The only difference is me.
"Uh, so why did you dye your hair and get piercings?"
I decided to ask just in case. Could it really be because of me?
"Huh? Oh, the older boys said it would look good and recommended it."
Hmm….
"What about you, Yuna?"
"Me? The older girls said so."
Oh, damn.
So it was because of me.
"Alright."
This was a knot I tied.
So it was up to me to untie it.
Good thing I'd withdrawn some cash earlier.
I pulled out my thick wallet, already stuffed in my pocket, and took out ten 50,000-won bills, splitting them between the two.
"Huh?"
"What's this?"
Well, this probably wouldn't solve everything right away, but for now, it should be enough.
They seemed like good kids at heart, anyway.
"Okay, after Chuseok, the first thing you're going to do is dye your hair back to black and take out the piercing."
Thankfully, Yuna (15) was still young enough that she hadn't gotten a piercing.
As for Namseok (17)… well, it actually suited him in a way, but he could stop from now on.
"Huh?"
"What, not enough money?"
"N-no, that's not it."
They looked super flustered at me suddenly handing them money.
But honestly, I was even more flustered than them.
Back when I was a guy, they were good kids, but now they'd turned into rebellious teens….
"Alright, if I say undo it, then undo it."
Not that those older boys and girls were necessarily bad.
Of course, even though those older kids had their own reasons for sticking around, wasn't it still an act of goodwill? After all, even now, my younger cousins were clearly influenced by them and following their lead.
But this was going too far.
Kids shouldn't be going astray like that.
"This noona doesn't have anything special, so you shouldn't be basking in any kind of 'halo effect,' got it?"
Besides, I had absolutely zero intention of doing anything for them.
Why should I? I don't even answer texts from classmates—these two are juniors by two years.
While I was at it, I pulled two more 50,000-won bills from my wallet and handed them to Kim Namseok (17).
"Huh? You're giving me more?"
"Here. If I happen to step out later, you'll need to look after the kids properly."
Seventeen is the perfect age for a high school boy to get some experience under his belt, right?
Sure enough, Jang Yul (3) and Jang Woori (8) seemed to be getting bored of just watching and had started clinging to me.
If my stamina couldn't keep up later, then Namseok (17) would earn that money by stepping in.
"Well, alright…."
"Good. For now, this noona will play with them, so you two can just keep staring at your phones like earlier."
I smiled slightly to put them at ease, but instead of relaxing, the siblings—Namseok (17) and Yuna (15)—suddenly shoved their phones away and hurried over to me.
"N-no! We'll play with them. We did it last Chuseok, too."
"Wow, if you'd really do that, I'd be so grateful."
"No, it's fine. Please just rest, unni."
I hadn't pressured them or anything, yet here they were volunteering to watch the little ones.
So maybe I'd been wrong to assume they were rebellious kids. Maybe they were actually good kids after all.
But if the middle and high schooler siblings each took charge of one of the younger sisters, then what was I supposed to do?
Well, that left me with nothing to do.
Like an unemployed loafer, maybe I should just flop down comfortably on the bed?
It wasn't that I was breaking my promise to Madam Jang and shirking my duty.
I'd simply subcontracted appropriately.
And besides, they'd volunteered for the job themselves.
Yes, this was a virtuous cycle.
Now I understood why big corporations outsourced work.
The big company gets to relax.
The subcontractors earn money.
Occasionally, little Yul (3), who still couldn't fully control herself, would charge at me on the bed, but I could gently catch her without trouble.
And honestly, wasn't she adorable?
Her cheeks were so chubby and fun to squish.
"Unni, what country's princess are you?"
On top of that, she was so bright for her age, speaking clearly.
At three years old, isn't it usually just "Mommy" and "Daddy"?
"This unni is a princess from the sky."
"The sky?"
"Yes. Up there, I rule over tens of thousands of people."
"Woooow…."
It was just something I blurted out, but her sparkling eyes made me feel almost pressured.
Well, it wasn't exactly wrong.
Actually, if anything, it was underselling it.
Did she know how many subscribers I had on YouTube?
"I—I want to be a princess like unni too!"
"Hmm, but Yul's still too little."
"I can't?"
The moment I said no, she looked like she was about to cry.
God, she was too cute.
After dealing with the thorny, selfish members of the Mirodan, seeing the pure innocence of a child made my heart feel purified.
"It's not that you can't. You just have to wait a little."
"How long?"
"Hmm… what if you sleep a hundred nights starting now?"
That seemed about right. From what I remembered, kids didn't really grasp numbers much beyond that anyway.
"A hundred nights?"
"But after that, you'll become a princess."
"Really?"
"Of course~ really."
Well, maybe she wouldn't become a princess, but by then I wouldn't be around anyway.
Sorry, Uncle and Aunt. If she suddenly bursts into tears demanding to be a princess, please comfort her well.
"Okay, then how about you go back and play with oppa now? Oppa is a knight~"
"Yeah!"
And just like that, with a harmless little lie, I protected a child's innocence and handed Yul (3) back to her designated caretaker, Kim Namseok (17).
Wow, taking care of kids was a piece of cake.
Madam Jang needed to reflect on herself for accusing me of trying to run away from it.
Skillfully entertaining the children like that, I eventually noticed it was around dinnertime, so I stepped out into the living room.
And sure enough, the table was already mostly set.
So that was the fuss I heard—it was almost ready.
"Daughter, you're here? The kids are playing well?"
"Taking care of kids is easy. But dinner's all ready, huh? You should've called me."
"No need. The adults had things to talk about, and since you were keeping them busy so well, we didn't bother."
Well, fair enough. I had been doing a great job.
"So, are we about to eat, then?"
"Yes, call the kids out too."
Finally, today's work was just about done.
There'd be more tomorrow, but it didn't seem like anything difficult.
Maybe I should slip Namseok (17) a hundred thousand won and send him and the kids to a PC bang or the playground.
With the little ones around, the playground would be better.
So I went back to the room.
"Alright kids, it's dinner—huh?"
But then.
"Wow! This is so soft!"
Why was that open?
What I saw was my soundproof booth, wide open—
And inside, Jang Woori (8) was happily sitting in the chair.
I'd only been gone for less than a minute!
And in that time, she'd managed to slip past control, open the booth door, and get inside?
"Whoa… the graphics card is insane."
Meanwhile, Namseok (17) was gawking at my PC.
Well, fair enough. That was the kind of thing kids his age were into.
The computer was fine. But….
"There are two monitors… is that a webcam? And a mic too."
Crap. This kid knew too much. I wished he'd just stop right there.
Don't think any further… Even if you're my cousin, there are lines…
"Noona, do you… stream?"
Ah, shit.
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