Beef Cravings on a Day Off
Turning on my computer is the start of everything for me. Waking up over an hour ago without having switched it on yet feels deeply unnatural. I’ve been sitting in my chair for a long time, lost in thought.
“Hmm… what should I do?”
With so much free time on my hands, I have no idea how to fill it. It’s my day off, yet I’ve got nothing planned. I thought I’d figure something out yesterday, but I never wrote it down. That’s why taking notes is so important. What to do? Hmm… hmm.
Maybe I should head home for once? I could collect some allowance while I’m there. It’s been a while since I last got any. Mom stopped sending it quietly at some point. Did she think I wouldn’t notice? Maybe I should go collect it. As her daughter, I’ll activate my filial piety and take just the principal—no interest. I really must have nothing better to do if I’m thinking this far.
“What should I do?”
I opened my phone. Since I’m bored, maybe I should call someone? But who? It’s only ten in the morning—there’s no one I can reasonably bother. I closed the phone again and spun my chair in circles. Still nothing came to mind, so I turned on YouTube. I don’t usually watch much YouTube, but Shorts… those things are genuinely addictive. Once you start, an hour or two vanishes instantly. There’s plenty of interesting information and funny clips too. The only downside is that after watching one piece of info, you’ll see three or four more Shorts repeating the exact same content. If only there was a way to fix that.
I was scrolling through Shorts and wasting time when a clip of grilled meat popped up. I really want to eat that. It looks so delicious. Yeah, today’s the day for beef. I’ve got money!!
“Time to eat.”
Lunchtime. I should eat out today. A proper, filling meal always gives me energy. Right. I’m definitely going to eat well. I called Pyeongjipja. She’s close enough that I can meet her whenever I want.
“Hello…?”
“Pyeong-nim. Did you sleep well?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Have you had lunch? I haven’t eaten yet. Let’s eat together!! No Dutch pay. It’s my treat!! You can eat as much as you want!!”
“Where?”
“Beef!!”
“Huh?”
Exactly what I said. Why do people never fully believe me when I speak? Even my parents ask two or three times. “Let’s go eat beef.” “Is there a special occasion?” “Uh… it showed up in my Shorts.” “Shorts?” “Yeah. I saw a clip of someone grilling beef and it looked so good!! It’s… it’s free!! Mwahahaha.”
I’m earning money now too!! This is the kind of thing I never even considered before… but I’m going to do it. Yeah, I’m the boss. The boss has to treat the employees to a meal!! I’m such a cool boss.
“I didn’t make a reservation. Let’s just walk around and find a place.”
“Uh… just the two of us?”
“Yep!! It’ll be super fun, right? I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Okay…”
“Then I’ll text you!! See you at the capital!!”
That was my little wordplay for Seoul. Hehe. I even threw in some linguistic humor. My phone call quality was exceptionally high today.
“Understood… what time?”
“It takes a while to get ready to go out, right!! Around two or three?”
Even for me, drying my hair takes over twenty minutes. Since I hate the hassle, I wash it early and skip the dryer, just towel-dry and let it air-dry naturally. As long as it’s dry before bed, it’s fine. Plus Pyeongjipja will probably do her makeup… so she’ll need plenty of time. Though honestly, going bare-faced should be fine… but I guess there’s this whole thing about your face not feeling like your own without makeup.
“Got it. I’ll see you later!!”
I hung up, quickly washed my hair, and dried it thoroughly with the hair dryer. After that, I threw on some jeans and a black T-shirt and started cleaning my room.
“I’ll do it today…!!”
When else would I clean the house? I have to take care of it while I have the chance. I vacuumed the whole room, then scrubbed the floor with a cleaning cloth. Next, I wiped down the desk. I gathered up all the trash and stepped outside.
A cool breeze was blowing. Holding the trash bag, I suddenly thought, “Should I just go home?” If I went home, Mom would clean everything for me. For a moment, that unfilial thought crossed my mind. Don’t call me unfilial. I’m just focusing on streaming. You know, concentrating and all that. Ah!! No, that’s not it. I’m living at home and using the office. I stream from the office. Ehehe. That’s actually pretty funny. Like leaving the house in a suit. “Mom, I’m off to work.” Ehehe. So funny. Mom would probably say, “Seon-a, fix your tie properly.” Oh!! You thought she’d say that? These days ties are the snap-on kind!! I’d say something like that and surprise her. Then I’d head off to the office with a bouncy step. That would actually look pretty cool. The office… it’s fine. I mean, I’d just share it with Pyeongjipja, right? But going back home has its flaws… how would I survive the nagging!! Still, I really want to try saying “I’m off to work.” Ehehe. Like opening the front door just like this. “I’m home from work.” Ehehe. So funny. I covered my mouth and laughed. Mom would ask, “How was work today?” and I’d reply, “It was exhausting!!” Then she’d ask, “What was exhausting?” “There were so many people on the commute, I was out of breath.” She’d go, “Did you take a taxi? You didn’t take the subway again, did you?” “I rode a shared bike!! Hahaha. The weather was nice so I felt like cycling.” If I said that, Mom would go, “Aigoo, no wonder you’re tired. Take a taxi next time.” Kek. I haven’t had such an entertaining daydream in a long time.
3 PM. Chae Ji-hyeon arrived at the meeting spot. On her way out, she had even made a reservation at a restaurant. She hadn’t planned to originally, but after talking with Seon-a on the phone, she decided it was necessary.
“Hello. Pyeong-nim, where are you? I’ve arrived.”
“I’m near the coffee shop you sent me.”
“Ah…!! Oh, I see you. Found you. I’ll come over. Can you see me? I’m waving right now!!”
“Ah, yeah. I see you.”
“Then wave back!!”
Chae Ji-hyeon kept her arm close to her chest and waved timidly. Seon-a, on the other hand, stretched both arms high and waved energetically. Chae Ji-hyeon felt embarrassed on her behalf.
“No, do it like me!! Look at me!!”
“Ahaha… just come over quickly.”
“Yep!! I’m coming.”
Chae Ji-hyeon waited for Seon-a at the crosswalk. The moment the light turned green, Seon-a came running over.
“I’m here!! Pyeong-nim. Hah… hah… I’m tired… just give me a second. Let me catch my breath…”
“You should’ve taken your time.”
“I ran because I was excited. Ehehe.”
“Mm… good job.”
Seeing Seon-a’s smile, Chae Ji-hyeon simply accepted it.
“Then let’s go!! Where to? Should we look around? We. Find. A good restaurant. Yeah. Good. Hah. I’m tired.”
“I already made a reservation.”
“Ah!! That’s better. I was actually planning to wander around without a reservation and find somewhere by chance… but seeing that it’s already three, I’m glad you did.”
Seon-a’s original plan had been to go on a restaurant-hunting adventure, searching for any place that served lunch without a reservation. Still, if a reservation had been made, they should go there. She changed her mind.
“Oh, no. Let’s hurry. Where is it? Which way? Left? Right?”
“We need to go straight.”
“Huh…? Then you could’ve just come here, right?”
“You said you were coming… so I waited.”
“Uh… uh…?”
Seon-a stared straight at Chae Ji-hyeon.