“Um… who is it?”
Seo Eun-a, who looked slightly disheveled, stood up from the sofa and straightened her appearance. In fact, since there was already a visitor, she could have asked me to leave, but it seemed that she unconsciously thought it would be fine since they were both high school girls of the same age.
However, perhaps because Seo Eun-a was showing that disheveled appearance, she slightly frowned. Well, it was also the first time someone else was visiting while she was there.
On the other hand, Im Mi-ra’s expression was as expressionless as usual. Mi-ra usually came in the morning, so like Eun-a, it was her first time encountering someone else.
Since both of them did not know each other, it was a situation where I had to introduce them, but due to my catastrophic social skills, it was also my first time being put in such a position, which was a bit embarrassing.
“Oh, this is Im Mi-ra, she lives nearby. She came by occasionally since she helped me out last time. This is Seo Eun-a, the daughter of my university professor.”
“Oh, I didn’t know we had a guest. I’m sorry for dropping by suddenly. I’m Mi-ra.”
“… It’s okay. I’m not the homeowner. I’m Eun-a.”
Since it was their first meeting, they naturally didn’t know each other’s age. It wasn’t particularly strange for them to greet each other formally, but a strange atmosphere seemed to be brewing between them.
“Since you’re both the same age, can’t you talk comfortably?”
“Then… shall we do that?”
“Well… I suppose so.”
The one speaking was Mi-ra above and Eun-a below. Sure enough, Eun-a looked a bit uncomfortable, but she often appeared that way, making it hard to notice. Mi-ra took off her long padding, hat, earmuffs, and scarf that she had worn before and placed them on one side of the sofa. For reference, Eun-a’s outerwear was right beside it.
“You came late today?”
“I had some business at school, so I came after lunch.”
“Late? When do you usually come?”
“She usually comes in the morning.”
“… Hmm. Does she come without telling you beforehand?”
“It just happens that way…”
It was a common-sense question. It wasn’t an era where contacting each other was difficult, and everyone had mobile phones, so there was no reason not to communicate.
However, since Mi-ra and I hadn’t exchanged contact information, it wasn’t possible. Neither of us had brought up the topic of exchanging contacts in the first place.
This was because we thought our relationship wouldn’t last long, and Mi-ra regarded this place as a sort of fleeting dream.
To use Mi-ra’s words, this place was Oz, Neverland, and a strange land. Therefore, she mentioned that she didn’t want to create a connection with reality.
She only called the police once, so she felt that was enough as a reward. Mi-ra understood best that the time we could spend like this wouldn’t be too long.
However, I couldn’t discuss this kind of talk with Eun-a, so I just mumbled accordingly.
Eun-a had sometimes come to talk to me about novels and requested evaluations at times. But most of the time, she just lazed around. Her main pattern was to lounge on the sofa and roll around before going home.
In contrast, while Mi-ra sat on the sofa, she had never lain down. She would bring books to read and show them to me. Most were classic fairy tales, and at those times, she would sit at the table and talk to me about the stories.
Since Mi-ra was laying on the sofa, Eun-a naturally sat down at the table.
Suddenly, I realized that this situation was very awkward.
It was a situation that had arisen due to my poor judgment, but usually, when there’s a guest, and a stranger appears or when another unknown guest arrives, it is normal to vacate the spot, but neither showed any signs of doing so.
I wondered if I was the only one feeling awkward, as Mi-ra casually pulled out a book from her bag.
“This is ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.’”
The Wizard of Oz. If there was Alice in Wonderland in England, there was The Wizard of Oz in America. It was one of the most beloved fairy tale series in America. The fairy tales here refer to fairy tale literature, not just simple picture books for children.
This story, similar to Sherlock Holmes, had its author finish the story and refused to continue the series, but under the pressure of readers, the novels eventually continued up to 14 volumes, and even after the author’s death, the successor was officially designated, extending the series to 40 volumes.
I also knew about The Wizard of Oz and had read it. However, that was just a condensed version commonly found in Korea, so I didn’t know the details well.
“This is volume 2. Usually, condensed editions contain only the stories from volume 1, so you probably don’t know the contents of volume 2 well.”
“I know that a character called Princess Ozma appears.”
“Yes, she is the most important character in volume 2. And she is also a representative character of the TS genre.”
“TS genre?”
“She was born as a princess of Oz but was hidden in her childhood and transformed into a boy by magic, growing up as a man. At that time, her name was Tip. In this volume 2, after various adventures, she eventually returns to her original form and becomes Princess Ozma. Though she is bewildered to suddenly become a woman after living her whole life as a man.”
“… That’s interesting.”
“The story of changing genders appears in myths as well. There’s Tiresias in Greek mythology, and although a bit ambiguous, there’s also Loki in Norse mythology. Still, it is known that The Wizard of Oz was the first to adopt such a subject in a novel format. There might be others I don’t know about.”
I had read a few novels in the TS genre, and honestly, I didn’t have a strong aversion to them. They weren’t my favorites, but I still found them somewhat entertaining.
I didn’t particularly mind that she brought this kind of novel, but it seemed somewhat playful to have chosen this particular story. I stopped there, but the problem was that there was another person listening to that story.
“You have a bad personality.”
“… Me?”
Seo Eun-a said this to Mi-ra. Both Mi-ra and I turned to look at Eun-a, but she wasn’t even looking at us.
“Isn’t the choice of subject a little playful?”
“… Did it seem like that?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine with it.”
“If you’re okay with it?”
“Usually, people would say something like that, right?”
Eun-a’s easy-going sarcasm oddly reminded me of Professor Seo. That man also had a habit of twisting words when he was angry. No, what a strange thought for the situation.
“Here you are, a senior in high school, reading The Wizard of Oz… you’re not a kid anymore.”
I had no idea what she was dissatisfied with, but Eun-a was clearly picking a fight with Mi-ra. I found it hard to guess the reason. Before I could intervene, Mi-ra responded.
“Isn’t it you, who’s picking a fight for no reason?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It just looks a bit annoying to come over without an appointment and sit down without a clue.”
“Did you not remember that I just said it was fine? I’m not the homeowner.”
“You don’t know what ‘scripted politeness’ is, do you? I guess you didn’t think it was just a courtesy.”
“Hey, you two. Could you calm down? Why are you suddenly fighting?”
“She’s talking nonsense!”
“Did you swallow a rag?”
The argument escalated, and I felt distinctly awkward. Suddenly, what came to mind was Jae-Ah’s colorful expression about her sister.
“A person who’s rude to everyone fairly.”
“A person one level above a feminist.”
Such… talk, huh.
“Um, I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry about it. You should calm down too. She’s… um… a bit sensitive, I guess.”
“… Your brother says I’m sensitive?”
I didn’t mean to use that kind of expression as a weapon. It was a near slip of the tongue, but Eun-a seemed to be more interested in that aspect than anything else.
“… You call him ‘oppa?’”
Eun-a muttered in confusion about the address.
“You call ‘oppa’ ‘you?’ Which side is more impolite?”
And just like that, Mi-ra seized the opportunity to counterattack.
Ah, I was tired.
Right, women… I used to dislike this aspect too. The unnecessary pride, sharp demeanor, and the way they contend as if they’re territory marking.
If it were before, I would have looked at them with a disgusted expression and would have fled the scene. Usually, I could see these dynamics in girls arguing with me or fighting over Hwa-won in a love triangle.
In the former case, it would suffice to throw out a retort. In the latter case, I would just run away.
But these girls had helped me in various ways, and this was my house, so I couldn’t run away. They weren’t opponents I could mock and ridicule as before.
I didn’t even know if I could do that anymore. In the end, it was only me who could stop this farce.
“Enough!!!”
I shouted loudly. I tried to sound imposing, but the voice that came out was surprisingly shrill. The two, who had been continuing their verbal fight, turned to me.
“… This is my house. Stop it, both of you.”
It seemed they understood the situation at least that much. They both fell silent.
“Eh?”
When I grabbed Mi-ra’s wrist, she questioned me with a bewildered voice. I dragged her to sit next to the still-sulky Eun-a on the sofa.
“… What are you doing right now?”
Seo Eun-a asked with a voice full of questions.
“Sit properly.”
Was she at least aware of being an elder? Fortunately, Eun-a corrected her posture and sat straight.
“Stop being silly and talk properly. First, Eun-a, why are you angry?”
“… Isn’t it common sense that if there’s a guest, they should leave when they show up unannounced?”
Ah, was this the root cause? I exhaled deeply and spoke.
“That’s my fault, not hers. I’m sorry. I’ll apologize. I wasn’t paying attention. If you’re going to get angry, it should be directed at me, not Mi-ra.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“And I understand that Mi-ra got upset because of what you said first. But you were too heated. And while I did say I didn’t mind, it’s true that if it were someone else, choosing that kind of book could be considered rude. Your point wasn’t entirely wrong, Eun-a.”
“… I’m sorry.”
“The fight between you two is my fault, so I hope you don’t blame each other unnecessarily. I won’t go so far as to say you should reconcile, but for now, this is my house, and if you want to stay here, this kind of situation isn’t acceptable.”
Hearing that, they briefly looked at each other’s faces. And without anyone saying anything, they sighed and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I was narrow-minded.”
“… I see. My choice of subject was playful.”
It was surprisingly unexpected to see them acknowledge each other’s mistakes so readily. Even though they were together now, it could very well be a temporary situation, and it wouldn’t have been strange for both to be stubborn since they might not meet each other again.
Anyway, I was glad it ended well. Although both probably hadn’t entirely let go of their grievances, it seemed an acceptable conclusion for now. I felt like I was playing an unexpected role as a mediator.
“I’m glad you both made up. If you haven’t had lunch yet, let’s eat something together.”
Both Mi-ra and Eun-a nodded along. And then Eun-a added a line.
“You seem like a mom somehow.”
“Take a smack.”
I gave a light punch to Eun-a’s head. She didn’t seem to be hurt much.
