[(Congratulations) 20XX Year 39th Graduation Ceremony]
Looking at the banner hanging at the school gate, I realized I was really graduating.
Today, the day of graduation, the hyungs went to the ski resort. Anyway, our brothers had an implicit rule of not attending each other’s graduation ceremonies, so I didn’t expect hyung to come in the first place.
“Daeyoung, stand close with your friends.”
“Mom. Stop taking pictures.”
“I said stand close.”
I stood shoulder to shoulder with my classmates and smiled for each other’s cameras and phones.
Anyway, even if we take pictures like this, we won’t ever look at them. Unless later there’s an issue like ‘Huh? There’s a celebrity among our alumni?’, the graduation album will also be carefully stored away in some box.
While taking pictures with friends, Jinhee came next to me. And naturally, Chunseok stood next to her. For Chunseok’s sake, I turned my upper body slightly and took pictures with my back to Jinhee. Like friends who fought and haven’t made up.
Seeing that, Mom scolded me saying that’s why I don’t have a girlfriend. But I did it to protect someone else’s love. Seeing things like that, I guess the reason I’m so clueless is because I take after Mom.
I saw kids leaving the classroom one by one. So everyone’s parting ways like this…… I waved to the kids visible outside the window and looked at the emptied playground.
“Hey, what are you looking at so intently? Was there someone you had a crush on?”
Dongwoo sat next to me as I sat on the windowsill and looked outside together. Among the group leaving, I could see Dongmi too. When I pointed that way and asked why he wasn’t going with her, Dongwoo answered as if it were obvious.
“Don’t you hate it when your hyung comes to your graduation?”
“Yeah.”
“I also hate being together with her.”
“Ah.”
Well, Dongmi was also giggling happily with girls her own age.
“Daeyoung, are you going straight home?”
“Um…… probably?”
“Then let’s go to my house. We’re short on hands.”
“Jumping into making a living from graduation day. Now truly embarking on the path of adulthood─”
“Stop talking nonsense, you said your allowance gets cut off after graduation. Take this chance to earn some pocket money. And someone came forward to buy the Vulcanus egg!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We agreed to do a direct transaction next Saturday.”
“Next week? I can’t do it then.”
“Why?”
“Going on a family trip.”
“I can do it for you.”
“Ooh~ As expected, you’re reliable. My friend Gye Dongwoo.”
“Hey. Drop the last name.”
“Ah, sorry.”
After apologizing halfheartedly, I lifted my butt from where I was perched on the windowsill.
“But why do you always go on family trips at this time? It’s not even summer vacation?”
“It’s a family trip in name only, the kids just tag along on the parents’ trip. My dad and Gangjin hyung’s dad are busy in summer or fall.”
“Ah…… Then all the hyungs are going together too?”
Last year Seongheon hyung skipped it for personal business, and the year before my hyung skipped it, but generally everyone participated.
“Probably?”
“Isn’t it boring to follow along on your parents’ trip?”
“Do I go for fun? I go because there’s a lot that falls to me like bean powder.”
I rubbed my thumb and index finger as if counting money while recalling the past with greedy eyes.
I don’t particularly want to go either, but the reason I still go is because the prizes for singing contests and treasure hunts at family trips are quite substantial.
Unlike my dad who gives cultural gift certificates as prizes, Gangjin hyung’s father put up a 1 million won department store gift certificate, and Seongheon hyung’s father put up expensive liquor worth several million won as prizes.
I won the 1 million won department store gift certificate in a treasure hunt, but Mom confiscated it saying a student doesn’t need such a large gift certificate. So what I actually got was the bribe Dad gave me later, a 10,000 won cultural gift certificate.
But now the situation was different. I’m an adult, and if expensive liquor comes up this time, I’ll rightfully claim it and sell it on the secondhand market.
“Now I need to secure my livelihood too. So that my unemployed life can be more prosperous, I need to desperately accumulate wealth.”
While talking with Dongwoo like that, Mom came over and said let’s go. Since I had nothing particular to do at home, I looked at Dongwoo.
“Mom! I’m going to help out with Dongwoo’s work and then come home. Take the diploma and go home first.”
“Then don’t be a bother and do well. Eat something delicious with Dongwoo too.”
While saying that, she handed me 30,000 won. She gave me 30,000 won when I graduated elementary and middle school too…… Our household prices had been frozen for several years.
I saw Mom off to outside the classroom, and headed to the truck where the ajussi was with Dongwoo. Since I was a guest after all, Dongwoo sat in the middle with no backrest.
“Daeyoung, oh my, you’re going to help move the oak trees?”
“Huh?! Trees?”
“That’s right, Dad.”
Dongwoo said they were short on hands, but he didn’t say anything about moving trees?
It seemed like I’d suffer terribly, so I grabbed the handle to get out of the truck, but vroom─ the car started. Before, I moved oak trees and they were so heavy I was bedridden for two days.
Since I’m a free person who doesn’t have to go to school from tomorrow, there wouldn’t be much damage even if I’m bedridden, but how could I head to such harsh work right after putting a period on my student status?
“Oh my, Daeyoung. How admirable. When we finish work, I’ll buy you meat and give you plenty of wages.”
“Ajussi, there’s some misunderstanding─”
“Dad, Daeyoung says he’ll work hard.”
They said when you start working in society, be careful of people who suddenly approach you kindly, and the first one turned out to be Gye Dongwoo. He’s probably moving the oak trees that came out while removing brush around the mountain in fall to deliver them to a place that sells charcoal.
Dongwoo whispered “I’ll sell the Vulcanus egg well for you” and covered my mouth. Right, if Dongwoo and ajussi do it alone it’ll take a long time, so I thought it would be better for me to help out, and gave up on escaping.
First, I went home with Dongwoo and changed into comfortable clothes, then headed to the back mountain.
“Dongwoo, why are there so many holes in your and my pants?”
“That’s because I fell.”
“Ah.”
Passing the terraced rice fields and climbing up the mountain path for a while, I could see where trees had been cut down.
“Didn’t we also diligently cut trees in Earth? It looks like that.”
“Right?”
Like a scene from the game, there were quite a few with only tree stumps remaining. And as soon as I saw the oak trees piled up next to them, I calculated a second escape angle.
“W-we have to move all of this?”
When I looked shocked at the trees piled up like firewood, Dongwoo and ajussi simultaneously answered “Yes” firmly.
“You and Daeyoung just carry the small ones, I’ll carry the thick ones to use as shiitake mushroom logs.”
The thick ones looked to be easily 20-30 kilograms, and even the thin ones were long so they approached 10 kilograms. It was the moment I understood why there were holes all over the pants Dongwoo gave me. He must have rolled several times carrying these.
“Now. You guys carry from the top, and take them down to the cultivator below.”
Ajussi said “down below” as if it were very close, but in reality, the cultivator was way~~~~o~~~~~ver there past the field, almost at the bottom of the mountain. I thought I’d probably roll at least 5 times each trip.
“Daeyoung, try lifting that.”
“This?”
I hoisted the smallest log onto my shoulder, but maybe because I couldn’t grasp the center well, my body swayed back and forth.
“Uwaaa!”
“I got it! Get your balance!”
Barely, Dongwoo grabbed the part sticking out in the back and I could get my balance.
Seeing us two like that, ajussi clicked his tongue silently. Though ajussi was similar in height to us, maybe because he had a sturdy build, he shouldered something three times the size of the log I was carrying and vigorously went down.
“Wow, he’s cool.”
“I need to pass the civil service exam quickly. Otherwise I’ll have to do this every year.”
“Then I’ll pray for your success.”
Rather than it being very heavy, I couldn’t grasp the center because it was long, so I quickly corrected my posture and slowly descended the mountain. There was no grass only where ajussi had stepped. When I carefully looked at the ground and had descended about halfway, I could see ajussi coming back up.
“Daeyoung’s doing well~”
“Y-you too, ajussi.”
I barely answered and we passed each other. If I got distracted even for a moment, I could trip on a rock and roll. Since they weren’t my pants, I didn’t care if one more hole got added, but I didn’t like pain so I snapped to attention.
Dongwoo had done this several times so maybe he had the knack for it, he quickly caught up with me. The two of us exchanged conversation back and forth as we went to the cultivator.
We were loading the trees there when I could already see ajussi coming down carrying another log. I tried to catch my breath for a moment, but ajussi was working so hard that after sitting for a bit, I got right back up.
Climbing the mountain, carrying wood down, climbing again, going down again. After repeating that about 5 times, I became so exhausted I could forget my own name.
“D-Daeyoung, haa, haa.”
“Whyy, ha, haa.”
“Let’s, haa, definitely ask for beef for dinner.”
“Your dad, earlier, pork belly…… haa.”
“No, beef, haa, haa…… beef. You say you can’t eat anything but beef too. Say you get hives from pork.”
“Haa, who would, believe that.”
We exchanged conversation that was half air, half sound, and later even that stopped completely.
I didn’t lose hope seeing the logs piled up like castle walls gradually decrease. Even though it was cold winter, sweat dripped profusely, and my warmed breath leaked out like a steamer at a dumpling shop.
After ajussi finished moving all the shiitake mushroom logs, he started moving two small logs at a time. Then the wood really started to noticeably decrease.
