241 – The Day of the Nymphs and the Day of Bragging #1
“Bless you, Mulyeongchu!”
Inoi sneezed.
The sudden snowfall had made the weather sharply colder, and it seemed Inoi was feeling the chill.
“I’m so cold…! This Inoi wasn’t prepared mentally for winter…! Inoi detests the snow falling…!”
Inoi was still dressed in summer tracksuits, much the same as during summer. It had been so warm lately—even in autumn—that air conditioners were often needed.
So, Inoi was still wearing summer gear. But with the abrupt snowfall, the temperature difference felt immense.
“Kyeeek…! This Morales, a spring nymph born in spring…! In such cold weather, even Morales would go into hibernation…! I might turn into a frozen Morales…!”
“This body, Tyrenol the nymph of poisons, is a winter nymph…! The heavy snowfall is delightful…! It heightens my mood immensely…!”
“This Barbar is an imp of campfires…! A little snow won’t faze me…! That’s because Barbar’s heart burns with blazing fire…!”
“That Illinois is very cold indeed…! So cold…! We should go inside and turn on the heater…! Everyone, let’s head back inside…!”
“Alright, kids, let’s go inside for now.”
I herded the nymphs into the house as if they were sheep. Afterward, my little father, who had been silently gazing at the sky, sighed.
“Snowfall on Chuseok, who would’ve thought? These days, anything can happen. Was it because of climate change? Jido, what do you think?”
Jido was a top student at Seoul National University.
Of course, all Jido could do was shake his head and say, “I don’t know…”
Anyway.
We all went inside and watched the snow fall heavily. The snow began to pile up, and according to the news, traffic was delayed due to the unexpected snowfall.
Father spoke up.
“At this rate, we won’t be able to visit the ancestral graves this Chuseok, will we?”
Father made the decision, and we all nodded in agreement.
Tsukki looked slightly disappointed.
“I wanted to see the traditional culture of Korea.”
# # #
The snow piled up to between the knees and ankles.
The nymphs, who had initially been caught off guard by the sudden snow, quickly adapted, dressed warmly, and began running around outside.
“Hohoho, this Tyrenol is a nymph who feels energized in winter…! Come if you dare…! ‘Nymph Beginner, Spin the Snowflakes Around’…!”
Tyrenol, the nymph of poisons, appeared to be in excellent spirits as they tossed the snow around with their hands. Illinois, watching this, said:
“Nymphs have the characteristic of feeling euphoric during the season of their birth…! Conversely, except for winter nymphs, their mood dips in the winter…!”
I see.
That’s an interesting characteristic.
-Kkungkkung!
Our squirrel beast, Kkungkkungi, leapt around on the snow-covered yard. Each time it jumped, it would sink deeply into the snow with a “plop…”
And after another leap, it would plunge back down again.
-Grrr!
Eventually, Kkungkkungi shook off the wet fur from the snow in irritation, water splashing everywhere. I had to dry Kkungkkungi with a hairdryer.
Our little mother voiced her concern:
“Somehow, I’m worried about the dried persimmons we left out in the yard… Lately, I’ve developed an interest in drying different kinds of food.”
Dried persimmons, huh?
They must be delicious.
Inoi was also impressed:
“I’ve heard that dried persimmons can stop a baby’s crying…! I’ve only heard of them, but I’ve never tasted them…! I’m quite looking forward to it…!”
Is that so?
Come to think of it, Inoi had never had the chance to try dried persimmons.
Our little father, who had been nearby, received a call on his phone and looked uncomfortable.
“An undergrad just called. The samples we left outside in the lab all froze and shattered, causing quite the chaos. Sigh, it seems I’ll have to go check it out sooner rather than later…”
What happened?!
It was supposed to be a rare family gathering for Chuseok, but the sudden snowfall and the freezing cold meant everyone had to disperse.
As I watched the snowflakes that disrupted the closeness of the family, I realized firsthand the dangers of climate change.
“Boss, we’ll go ahead and leave! Everyone, take care! Sorry about this, but we’ll leave first! Little Mom will send some delicious dried persimmons later…!”
Our little mother and father got into Jido’s luxury electric vehicle.
Jido and our cousin Narae also opened the windows of their car and waved at everyone.
“Bro, let’s grab a meal sometime before my wedding next year. I’ll introduce Galadriel to you.”
“Sis…! Come to my band’s concert next time…! You’ll see that I’m not just slacking off…!”
Swish-swish-swish—.
Jido’s car drove out of Primal Village.
Though the entrance and exit to the village were snowed in, Seo Ye-rim exhaled warm breath, and the snow melted.
Once the people left in a cluster, the well house became quite quiet.
“Ah! Inoi! Hello! Illinois, Tyrenol, and the tailed nymphs are all welcome too!”
Bzzz-bzzz—.
At that moment, someone waved as they entered the yard.
It was Coris, the water nymph.
“Ah! Hello! Coris sister has arrived!”
The arrival of Coris, the water nymph, meant…
Swish!
Looking around, I saw Lee Jin-A unloading luggage from a truck.
“Jin-A, what are you doing here?”
“Ah, Mom told me to bring this over. Also, Coris wouldn’t stop chattering about some ‘Nymph’s Day’ thing…”
Lee Jin-A absentmindedly rubbed her ears with her pinky finger and handed me a large bundle.
What could it be?
There seemed to be a Styrofoam box inside the bundle.
“Crabs. My mom said to bring them over.”
Crabs.
She meant enormous snow crabs.
“This holiday is special because we’re all together. My mom and dad had been living apart for several years, you know? So I think they wanted to thank you.”
Lee Jin-A’s father, Mr. Lee Byul-Nam, and mother, Princess Lady, had lived apart for close to 10 years.
Princess Lady, trapped in a fissure, was freed by us this year after numerous trials and challenges. Therefore, this year, we’d be celebrating a more bountiful holiday than the previous one.
“Haildo, are your cousins all gone? There were so many crabs, it would’ve been nice to eat them all together.”
“They all left because of the sudden snow.”
“True. If they waited any longer, they’d be stuck in the traffic jam for sure.”
Swish-swish.
As I watched Jin-A scratching the back of her head, I felt the yard becoming lively again.
Mainly due to the chatter of the nymphs.
“This Coris is a spring nymph born in spring, but as a water nymph, she can endure the cold weather just fine…”
Coris gathered snow with her bare hands. The snowball grew larger, eventually reaching the size of a watermelon.
Swish.
Coris placed the snowball down and made another one, this time slightly smaller, about the size of a melon.
Pop.
Coris stacked the two snowballs.
Seeing this, Inoi, with hands cupping her cheeks, was utterly amazed.
“Coris, what exactly did you just do? Creating snowballs and stacking them together…! This Inoi doesn’t understand the purpose of this ritual!”
“This is called a snowman…! While trapped in a cold winter fissure, Coris would often pass the time by making various snowmen…!”
“Indeed, quite extraordinary…! This Inoi wishes to try making a snowman as well! This body usually hibernates during winter, so I’ve never made a snowman before!”
Inoi, deeply inspired, used thick gloves to gather the snow.
I was surprised that Inoi didn’t know what a snowman was. I had met Inoi around Christmas last year.
Inoi had been shivering in the cold at that time and hadn’t had the leisure to make a snowman.
Swish.
Before long, Inoi had completed a rather lopsided snowman.
“This Inoi has also made a snowman…! The secret of life creation lies in this Inoi’s hands…! This Inoi will name this snowman ‘Snowinnoi’…!”
Snowinnoi.
A very peculiar name.
Still, the other nymphs were impressed.
“Om-mol-li…! Snowinnoi…! Truly a splendid naming sense…! This Illinois has never seen such a well-named snowman…!”
“Indeed a magnificent nymph, Inoi…! Though I’ve made many snowmen, I’ve never thought of naming them…!”
“This Barbar thinks we should also give Snowinnoi a tail…!”
Inoi’s confidence swelled after receiving praise for their first attempt at making a snowman, and their ego reached the skies.
“Without a doubt, no summer nymph could create such a splendid snowman! This Inoi shall stay awake this winter and create countless snowmen…!”
Chatter-chatter.
Indeed, when nymphs gather, they’re terribly noisy.
Witnessing this, Tsukki laughed heartily, her voice ringing like a carefree warrior.
“Haildo, is your house always this noisy?”
“Not always, but it’s usually like this.”
Although the holiday spirit was dampened by the unexpected snowfall, it felt as though these moments could be cherished in their own right.
Afterward, we all gathered in the living room, boiled the large crabs, and ate them together. The salty taste was delightful.
