Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Beastly Girl, No Exceptions
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January, as winter truly sets in.
Han Yuna's new year—now seven years old and a full-fledged seven-year resident of Tonggumi.
Our family lives in a modern standalone house with a big yard and a roaring boiler, so we're not exactly struggling like some of the elders. But Ulleungdo winters are downright terrifying.
In winter, the only vehicles around are the office car checking on the elders' well-being, trucks from factories hauling goods, and the occasional bus parked down by the beach road at the base of that hill...
That doesn't mean we hole up at home like we're hibernating, waiting for spring.
No matter how cold it gets or how heavily the snow falls, the villagers still clear the roads enough for cars to pass. There are always days filled with "Heave-ho!" chants, laughter, and jokes like, "No one's frozen to death today!"
"Kiyaaahooo~!!"
"Puuuiiik!!"
Just like right now.
When Tonggumi's youngest pig and I charge down the hill at full speed with snow shovels strapped to our bodies, who cares about the cold? Everything else just melts away!
"Whoa. That can't be human."
"Hey, old timer. Pigs weren't supposed to run like that, were they?"
"Beats me. I'd have to see a live one to know."
The elders watch Ulleungdo's first-ever wild boar and a seven-year-old kid sweep away the snow with beastly vigor. They look dumbfounded but gaze on with the same pride they have for local landmarks.
At a glance, it seems like they've handed everything over to a kid and an animal pup and switched to spectator mode... And yeah, they totally have.
But what can you do?
These folks in their seventies and eighties aren't the young bucks they used to be. They can't shovel snow like pros and haul those pretty flakes falling from the sky without risking it.
If they push too hard and slip, they could snap a limb or two—or if they're really unlucky, that's it for them.
And this isn't some flat road; it's a steep incline where even fit young guys can end up with a busted back if they slide.
So instead of stepping up and risking a trip to the Jordan River, they quietly step aside, watch the snow clearing, and come out to sprinkle calcium chloride.
Shouldn't we be grateful they dragged their creaky bodies out here with us?
"??? Already done?"
"Yep! Take a look! It's super clean now, right?!"
"...Way faster than the office boys."
In just thirty minutes from the top of the hill, we'd cleared most of the snow buildup and made it back down. Supermarket Grandpa lets out a wry chuckle at the now-pristine road.
Then he pulls out a sweet red bean hotteok bun from inside and hands it to me, while giving our little wild boar a carrot and a cucumber... Whoa! Is this what they call a snack break?!
"There's warm chocolate milk inside too, so come on in and warm up. Whew, this snow clearing's gonna wrap up in no time."
"Wow~ Okay!"
Chocolate milk!
Cold chocolate milk from the fridge is great, but warm chocolate milk? It's like hot cocoa, pure bliss on a freezing day like this.
What? You've never tried heating it up? Give it a shot sometime.
One taste, and you might never look at cold chocolate milk again!
Stepping into the supermarket... Huh?
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Yuna. Well... I couldn't just sit by while the neighbors were out there working so hard. Thought I'd make some tasty snacks for the elders."
Yeah, that makes sense... But does that explain why you're inside Supermarket Grandpa's house?
"Whew, this girl's mom sure knows her way around a kitchen. Oh, Yuna, come on in. Your mom's red bean porridge... Heavens, it's so good the old geezers might faint!"
Whoa! Red bean porridge!
Forget the hotteok and chocolate milk! I kick off my shoes and dash into the kitchen... Wow. That pot is huge!! Is that even a pot?
That's why he told us to come to his house.
We don't have anything like that at home.
No need for army mess hall gear in a house with just three people.
Supermarket Grandma ladles me a big bowl of red bean porridge.
People might think red bean porridge means sweet red bean soup, but it's subtly different.
Sweet red bean soup is ground to a smooth paste, loaded with sugar or honey for a sugary treat.
But winter solstice red bean porridge?
It's lightly strained for a bit of texture, letting the beans' natural bitterness, earthiness, and clean flavor shine. It's meant to be savory.
It's a healthy food seasoned with salt!
No need for a spoon here.
I lift the bowl and slurp it down like soup... Hehe. So savory! That's Mom's cooking, alright.
"Yuna! Not in front of Grandma like that!"
"Aw~ It's so nice watching her eat her fill. Kids need to eat plenty when they're little to grow big and strong~ So, how is it, Yuna?"
"Delicious!!"
No wonder Grandma said it'd blow the grandpas away!
The old guys shivering outside sprinkling Dad's calcium chloride will lose their minds with one bowl.
"See? Whew, you can stick your chest out now. Even your pretty daughter loves it. No need to worry~"
"S-Still, kids' tastes and elders' might be different..."
"Again with the worrying. These old coots would gobble down dog poop if a young mom like you made it for them."
"...Really?"
Really... eat dog poop?
Nah, has to be a joke. Grandpas are people too—no way they'd eat animal dung.
"Huh? You don't know, Yuna? That grandpa~ up on the hill? Thirty years ago, he got drunk and ate dog poop~"
"??"
Why is that real?
Cultivator Grandpa... ate poop when he was young?
Talking poop while eating bean porridge killed my appetite.
Ugh, gross. I was gonna go for seconds, but now I'm done.
I cautiously ask Cultivator Grandpa, who's slurping his porridge—just in case—and everyone bursts out laughing. Guess it was true.
Ugh, he's not Cultivator Grandpa anymore.
He's Poopy Grandpa now...
Even roe deer don't eat poop, Grandpa.
Time passes, the island's winter fades, and spring arrives—new sprouts piercing the cold, barren earth, life stirring once more.
The wind still bites, so you need a coat to go out, but the snow has mostly melted, and the whale-like waves have calmed. Early spring.
"Whoa, tons of people!"
"Haha, come to think of it, this is your first time in Dodong, huh, Yuna?"
Today, we took Dad's car all the way to Dodong.
Born as Han Yuna, it's my first glimpse of another neighborhood. My eyes sparkle as I look around, and Dad grins brightly at the sight.
"Look at you—my daughter's a proper country kid now."
"?"
?? He wasn't laughing because it's cute—he's mocking me like a hick? What's that about?
Dad's mindset stumps me sometimes.
It's like he's saying I inherited my crazy streak from him, dropping these fourth-dimensional thoughts that baffle me and Mom.
Wait, fourth-dimensional? Nah.
He just blurts out whatever pops into his head, blunt and unfiltered.
"Still, my girl shouldn't be treated like a country bumpkin. Coming to the 'city' to play around like this is good, right?"
"...No rocks to climb here."
"Not a bumpkin—a beast, then."
See? Calling his daughter a beastly girl.
But I like this easygoing dad.
Sure, it bugs me a bit that he married a busty beauty like Mom and probably has hot nights every day, but man-to-man, it's comfy chatting openly.
Huh? I'm a girl, you say? Hmph. My heart's still all man!
"So, Dad, what now?"
Whatever—man or not, spill why you dragged me here, old man.
I tug his sleeve with my little hand and look up. He's stroking his chin, pondering... Huh? Pondering? Wait—did he bring me out with no plan?
"How about we smash some games first, then figure it out?"
"Games?"
Is there an arcade or something?
Makes sense. Back in this era, "games" meant those little machines at corner stores.
I'd played plenty—put in a 100-won coin for fighting games, Bubble Bobble, Metal Slug, stuff like that.
Now I'm kinda excited.
Hey, I'm a seven-year-old who loves play. Rock climbing, fishing, hiking—physical stuff's great, but sitting with a joystick and buttons was fun too.
Holding Dad's hand, we cross the main road and arrive...
"Daughter!! Daughter!! That guy's got a knife! Grab a knife too and show 'em fancy filleting..."
Bang!!
"...Daughter?"
"Yup~ Life's all about real combat~ Winning's what counts~"
Crunch crunch.
"Whoa, that's my girl. Toss romance to the dogs—if it's disadvantageous, shove a bullet in the enemy's gut while they want a knife duel. That's my daughter."
"Yep~ Yep~ Whose kid is she~? Oh, let's rush A site this time. Dad, I'll watch for you."
"Kya. I can hear the sniper's keyboard smashing from here. Dad'll charge in and lop off the enemy team's necks with the basic knife."
A PC bang.
Dad and daughter bonding, munching on the dried squid legs they sell there—crunch crunch—while dominating Korea's FPS king game.