Jjimjilbang
Jjimjilbang
I finished the last exam of the lecture and stepped outside to stretch.
Lately, I'd been posting videos more often, studying, and taking care of the dog and cat, so my days had been busy.
For about three months, it'd be fine to ease up on studying, so things were finally starting to relax.
Jeong Hwan-yi and Lee Min-ho, who came out a bit later than me, also stepped outside and stretched.
Those two guys didn't seem like they studied that hard every time, but they always got amazing grades.
They wouldn't teach me any secret tricks for acing exams or anything — they just said there was no other way than studying.
Man, guys who are good at studying are always like that...
"Now that today's exam is over... should we go play somewhere?"
"Where? Last year we went to the ski resort."
"Not that, just some place where we can have fun for the day."
A place where we could just have fun for a day, huh...
Was there even a place like that if it was just us guys going?
I couldn't think of anything, so I jabbed Jeong Hwan-yi in the shoulder.
As if I'd written it in letters on my forehead, Jeong Hwan-yi looked at me with a 'what' expression, and I spoke to him.
"Got any ideas?"
"Hmm... well..."
"Shouldn't the planner be submitting proposals for something like this?"
If Jeong Hwan-yi couldn't think of anything either, then the only one left was Lee Min-ho.
After all, he was the one who suggested it in the first place.
"So, where do you want to go."
"How about a jjimjilbang?"
"A jjimjilbang...?"
Lee Min-ho chose that of all places — a spot where privacy wasn't guaranteed and criminal exposure was easy to come by.
For a moment I was so dumbfounded that I smacked my forehead.
"And this guy calls himself a million-subscriber Qtuber..."
"Hehe, you saw that?"
"Isn't it about time you started being a little conscious of people's eyes when you go around?"
"And don't worry about privacy. It's a jjimjilbang run completely on a member-recommendation system in a community my mom's acquaintance runs."
"So those kinds of places really do exist."
"Yeah, so there aren't any regular people there. Mostly celebrities or big corporate presidents and chairpeople come."
If that was true, then even if A-ra and I went, we'd be able to relax comfortably.
The sauna in our apartment was too hot and wet, so A-ra was starting to get sick of it too.
She said it felt so muggy that she didn't really feel like the sweat was coming out.
Said it just felt like the moisture floating in the air was sticking to her, and she didn't like it.
"Huh? You planning on bringing Miss A-ra too?"
"Of course. You think I'd go by myself?"
My wife had been spending longer hours at home during her break period after finishing her comeback concert.
Lately, she'd been putting her energy into raising Tiny.
"Hm... Then I guess I'd have to bring Ji-ye too..."
"Ji-ye?"
"Ji-ye really loves Miss A-ra too. Ever since I was little, instead of nursery rhymes, I played her Miss A-ra's single albums."
"...You're bragging, you idiot."
I had no idea what he was doing raising his precious late-born little sister that way.
Was this the chaebol family's child-rearing method?
"Hmm... Now that I think about it, if we're going somewhere to play, Minji said she wanted me to include her too."
"Your little sister? She's welcome with us."
"She's polite, and she's pretty."
"She probably won't like it if you call her pretty. You should say she's good-looking."
Women with that kind of face were objectively pretty, but they didn't really like being called pretty.
So they liked being called womanly or good-looking more.
"So should I bring her?"
"Sure, sure. But we can't bring the dog and cat, got it?"
"Do I look like some guy without even that much common sense?"
Just what did he take me for.
If we left the dog and cat at home, they got along well, so it was fine.
Thinking back to last time when we left Lil' One behind and went to play in Ganghwado and almost got resented for it...
Now that we had Pipsqueak at home, and Tiny too, it'd be fine.
"Alright then, let's just grab a coffee and split up today."
"You're going tomorrow?"
"They're not open 24 hours on weekdays. Only open on weekends."
"Got it."
I nodded lightly, and we each headed to our cars.
I had to go home and tell A-ra... and I had to let Minji know, too.
***
- For real!? You're taking me!?
"That's what I said."
Minji said she'd also finished her semester and could rest easy for a while.
Maybe because she was only a first-year pre-med, she seemed to have time to spare.
They say it gets seriously tough once you get into the main medical courses later...
I figured she'd need to have fun now, so she'd somehow manage to endure it.
"You're coming?"
- O-of course! What should I pack!?
"Just bring some underwear."
There'd be clothes to wear at the jjimjilbang, so I didn't need anything major.
And anyway, since I was going to cover all the costs for her, she didn't need to bring money either.
- I don't need anything else?
"Why, you planning on bringing autograph paper and markers like last time?"
- Ugh... Oppa, why are you being mean to me?
"I'm just kidding, just kidding. Don't be late and come to oppa's front door."
- Okay!
And then she hung up abruptly.
My little sister... sigh.....
Letting out a sigh, I came out to the living room.
I reached for the remote, figuring I'd sit on the sofa and watch some TV.
Anyway, I wondered what our son and daughters were up to.
Earlier, before I took the call in my room, they'd been eating.
"Guys~"
The little ones, who would've come running at the sound of my voice if they were nearby, were nowhere to be seen.
Maybe they were out on the Terrace with A-ra?
The Terrace was incredibly spacious, so the puppies liked it, and A-ra liked it for observing the stars in the night sky...
It seemed like A-ra had really bought a great house.
"Puhup...."
I went out onto the Terrace and walked up the stairs to find A-ra busily looking at stars through an astronomical Mang telescope.
Lil' One and Pipsqueak were sitting next to her, keeping her company.
And then Tiny was......
Wasn't that little one sitting perched right on top of Lil' One?
Lil' One just letting that happen was a funny guy, and Tiny sitting up there was a funny guy too.
Just what kind of kids were these?
"Noona."
"Oh, Seong-hwan-a, look at this."
A-ra pulled me over next to her and urged me to put my eye to the astronomical Mang telescope.
I didn't dislike stargazing either, so I slowly pressed my eye to it.
"The moon is incredibly pretty tonight, isn't it?"
"Wow... you can even see all the craters."
A crater could simply be defined as an impact crater.
You could say they were holes created by various meteorites colliding with the moon.
What people called lunar maria were sometimes just giant craters.
I spent a long while looking at the moon.
Part of it was because the moon was beautiful, but it was also because A-ra, who was a little excited and wanted me to see this pretty moon together with her, was so adorable.
"Noona."
"Huh? Are you done?"
"Partly, and look over there."
Lil' One, who'd gone from sitting quietly to now fast asleep, letting out gentle breathing sounds.
And on top of her, the baby cat Tiny was taking a huge yawn.
"They're cute."
"Right? They're incredibly cute."
A-ra scooped Tiny up and hugged her in her arms.
Seeing her dote on Tiny just like her own daughter automatically filled me with contentment.
I wondered what a wonderful mother she'd be if we really had a child later.
I smiled, thinking those kinds of thoughts.
*
"Oh, that jjimjilbang?"
"You've been there?"
"No, I haven't been there, I've just heard about it."
It figured. A-ra seemed to have heard of it too.
I wondered if she might not know about it because it was a closed community, but of course, A-ra, who was overflowing with curiosity about that sort of thing, knew it all.
"We're going there tomorrow?"
"Yeah, so I was hoping you'd come with us, noona."
I threw it out there gently, like I was acting a little clingy for the first time in a while.
Sure enough, A-ra, who thought of me as cute, couldn't resist, and a broad smile started spreading across her face.
She was already won over.
"Is that okay? Isn't it you going to hang out with your friends?"
"No? Lee Min-ho's little sister is coming, and Minji's planning on coming along too."
"I see... Alright, then noona will come along too."
With this, the preparations were complete.
***
"Woof! Woof woof! Woof!"
"Lil' One, you have to guard the house well, got it?"
"Woof!"
Lil' One threw himself into my arms and licked my cheek for a long time before slowly pulling away.
Should I say it felt like he instinctively knew we'd be back tomorrow?
Of course, Pipsqueak, as if she knew nothing, was just sniffing her older sister Lil' One's rear.
So Lil' One slowly started Grooming her.
A-ra was already holding Tiny and soothing her.
It seemed she felt a little hesitant about leaving a kitten who was only about a month old behind.
"It's okay, it's okay. She gets along so well with Lil' One, doesn't she?"
"That's true, but... sometimes Tiny throws a Nyang-nyang Punch at Lil' One..."
"Oh..."
So that meant even when Tiny threw a Nyang-nyang Punch, Lil' One just stayed still?
Was she not a dog but some kind of reincarnation of the Buddha?
Anyway, I'd set out enough food and water for them until tomorrow morning.
I'd also changed the pads the kids used for the bathroom to clean ones... and I'd have to turn the heater on just a little, just in case they got cold.
"And leave the door slightly open."
Because if the door was closed, it might feel too stifling for them.
I left the door open so the air could circulate properly.
"Seong-hwan-a, is it okay if noona takes her own car?"
"You're planning on taking the Chiron?"
"Yeah, noona will give Minji a ride."
"Okay."
Since she'd mostly been home lately and didn't have a reason to take a car out, she must have been itching to drive it.
I could only nod my head today and tell her to just take the car.
Minji was going to lose her mind today...
Getting a ride in her idol's Bugatti Chiron...