Chapter 46

Chapter 46

 

—–CROW—– 

 

The weekend before winter break arrived. The short-lived freshness of autumn had vanished, replaced by a biting winter wind.

 

Even though it wasn’t as cold as Ulleungdo, winter in the city was still chilly.

 

‘Well, it’s just refreshing to me.’

 

Back on the island, winter was the season for mussels and oysters, so I’d often plunged into the icy sea, ignoring the cold.

 

Winter on a remote island was nothing like the mainland.  The wind was fierce, the snow heavy, and thick fog often rolled in, cutting us off from the rest of the world.

 

Compared to those days, this cold was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

 

…I still wore a coat when I went out, though, to blend in.

 

Anyway, I was in Hongdae today.

 

People usually associated Hongdae with universities, bars, and entertainment, but it was actually a gathering place for all sorts of people.

 

There were buskers, spectators, young college students, office workers…

 

It was a melting pot of ages and professions, so there were also clothing stores, cosmetics shops, and other businesses besides bars and restaurants.

 

“Hmm~ hmm~♪”

 

I hummed a cheerful tune, my steps light and bouncy.

 

Han Yuna, the super pretty middle school girl, walking alone through the crowded streets of Hongdae!

 

…Honestly, when I looked at my body these days, I wondered if it was really the body of a middle schooler.  My waist was tiny, but my boobs and butt were huge and perky, rivaling those of a 20-something model or celebrity.

 

My face still had some baby fat, and I looked my age, but…my body, except for my height, felt fully grown.

 

‘I need to buy cosmetics for Mom… Oh, should I visit Yuri and Jeong-woo while I’m there? I wonder how they’re doing.’

 

Whenever I’d visited last summer and winter, Jeong-woo was away at national Taekwondo competitions, and Yuri was busy with something, so I hadn’t been able to see them.

 

They were both working hard, unlike me.

 

Especially Jeong-woo…hmm, that was unexpected.

 

When I first met him, he was a scaredy-cat who peed his pants and couldn’t even look me in the eye.  Now he was competing in national Taekwondo competitions.

 

‘I wonder how many hits he could take from me now?’

 

Even Deok-woo, that creepy, chuunibyou lolicon who never exercised, managed to get up after I threw him.  Jeong-woo, trained for national competitions, would make a good punching bag.

 

Well, I’d see them if I could.  I also needed to buy them clothes, as planned.

 

I’d already asked their parents for their sizes before coming to Hongdae, so all I had to do was pick out something nice.

 

Buying clothes wasn’t that hard.  You didn’t need to have great taste or fashion sense.

 

If you were unsure, you could just buy the entire outfit on the mannequin.

 

Huh?  Wouldn’t that be expensive?  What middle schooler has that kind of money?!

 

Tsk, tsk. Well, I was a bourgeois middle schooler who’d invested 100 million won of my 120 million won earnings in stocks and had 20 million left in my account.

 

I wasn’t some poor teenager who’d tremble at the thought of buying a few clothes!

 

‘Well, it’s best to save money, but when else would I spend it?’

 

Spending generously when necessary and being frugal otherwise was the smart way to manage finances in this harsh capitalist society.

 

So, I strolled through the bustling streets, planning to browse any store with nice-looking clothes on display and buy whatever caught my eye…

 

“Excuse me, are you…”

 

“I’m a middle schooler.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

 

“You’re very pretty. Would you like to grab a coffee…”

 

“I’m 15.”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

Why were random guys approaching me hesitantly or hitting on me with unwarranted confidence? I couldn’t shop in peace.

 

Ugh, I should have called one of the four weirdos.

 

Did they think I was a tasty snack, ready to be devoured, just because I was alone?

 

My heart pounded in my chest like an angry gorilla stomping its feet, making my head throb.

 

If just one more guy bothered me, I’d teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget, without any need for police intervention.

 

Reason desperately reminded me that physically assaulting someone in public would be bad, so I ducked into a nearby store, bought a mask and sunglasses, covered my face, and continued shopping.

 

My shopping wasn’t like other girls’, with their endless “How about this?  How about that? Oh, that’s nice too! I should check that out~ Hehe.”  I didn’t have time for that endless cycle of indecision.

 

Even though I had the body of a sexy, bombshell middle school girl, my mind was filled with the spirit of a gorani and a Korean tough guy.  I shopped quickly and decisively.

 

I’d browse briefly, pick out what I liked, and buy it without hesitation.  That was my efficient, no-nonsense shopping style.  So why was I still in Hongdae when I’d finished shopping ages ago?

 

‘It’s a waste to leave now.’

 

I’d come to this bustling area for the first time; it felt like a waste to just go home after shopping.

 

I still had plenty of energy, and the sun hadn’t even set yet. I wanted to have some fun.

 

But what was there for a teenage girl to do besides PC bangs, karaoke, cafes, or window shopping?

 

I wasn’t into window shopping, and I’d already bought all the gifts I needed.

 

Karaoke and cafes were a bit awkward alone.

 

And PC bangs…

 

‘I could do that at home.’

 

Since I was here, I wanted to do something special, something new.

 

As I looked around for something interesting, something caught my eye.

 

A punching machine.

 

Nothing special.

 

It wasn’t like the 100-won arcade machines I used to play in elementary school.  It was a full-body machine, but it wasn’t rare.

 

There was one at the arcade in my neighborhood.

 

But I’d always held back from using it, afraid I’d break it and have to pay for it.  I could only look at it longingly.

 

Yes, it was just an ordinary punching machine.

 

But the crowd gathered around it…and the sign they were holding, like it was some kind of special event, caught my attention.

 

* 1 million won cash prize for breaking the high score.

 

…

 

I had to do it.

 

Breaking the high score would be nice, but more importantly, how could I, with my energetic personality, pass up something that looked so fun?

 

It looked like a blast.  A chance to show off in front of a crowd?  Of course, I had to do it.

 

A grin spread across my face under my mask.  Clutching my shopping bags, I pushed my way through the crowd.

 

A bulky guy punched the machine with a loud *BAM!*, setting a new high score of 988.

 

“Wow!!! 988 points!! 988 points! Isn’t that a new high score?! Wow, your form was amazing!”

 

The emcee, excitedly clapping and showering the muscular guy with praise, made him shrug.

 

The way he twisted his hips and shoulders as he punched showed he had some training.

 

If an ordinary person had taken that punch, their ancestors would have been waiting for them at the River Styx.

 

‘Hmm, is that all?’

 

That was the high score?  No way.

 

The punching machine at my local arcade never went past 999.

 

And considering that the high score there was set by the owner of my gym…988 was high, but not unbeatable.

 

“So, are there any other challengers?! If no one steps up in the next 10 seconds, we’ll give our nuclear-fisted champion 1 million won right here, right now!!”

 

The muscular guy smirked, his shoulders puffed up, looking like he’d already won.

 

But did he know?

 

Life never went as planned.

 

“I’ll give it a try.”

 

The invasive species had arrived to end this fight. You would have won if I hadn’t shown up, you insignificant mortal.

 

—–CROW—– 

 

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