Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 49: Elementary School Debut Ceremony (2)

Stationery Shop.

To us, it's the nostalgic place remembered as Minho Stationery Shop.

Every school had one at its main gate. As if it were mandated by law.

To children who were always short on pocket money, it offered snacks and toys at an unbelievable average price of 100 won, and the range of items it carried rivaled that of a department store.

Of course, true to the era of savagery, hygiene and safety were somewhat neglected, but it didn’t matter to the ones who survived(?).

And after 20 or 30 years had passed, Minho Stationery Shop, once again in front of me, looked quite different from my childhood memories.

"Don’t they have mini cars?"

"They cost 2,000 won these days."

The mini car track on the worn wooden bench, the arcade machine spilling out mutant marbles, even the grilled dried filefish machine that looked like it had never been cleaned.

Most of those nostalgic items had long disappeared from this place.

All that remained was the opportunity to pass on those legends.

"Son, there used to be a mini car track here in this shop. My mini car was the fastest and I even went on expeditions to neighboring neighborhoods."

"Yeeun, do you know about dressing up dolls? So, that’s when…"

Everyone began explaining their glorious pasts, but did it ever reach the ears of the children?

The children paid no attention to the adults and were too busy browsing the items on display at the stationery shop.

It was the same place, a stationery shop in front of the school, but the scenery was different.

"Ria, you go and take a look too. If there’s anything you want, pick it out."

"Can I really?"

"Mister is going to buy a lot too."

My hands were already full of snacks.

With so many people around, it was a competition, so there was no time to hesitate. And Sanyi was someone who couldn’t resist snacks at home.

As I scanned the shop like a hawk searching for prey, something else caught my eye.

It was jackstones.

The jackstones, housed in a pink jewel box, were one of the few toys in this shop that had a connection to my childhood.

Although it was a forbidden game for boys and playing it would get you teased, there was one exception—on rainy days.

Since most boys' games were played outdoors, rain would force them to stop, leaving them with nothing to do.

Now that I think about it, there were other games like slap-match or shuttlecock kicking, but perhaps jackstones were quietly allowed because the boys secretly wanted to play them too.

"What’s that?"

"It’s a game called jackstones. Looks fun, right?"

"I’m not sure…"

Oh, I hadn’t explained how to play it.

"Let’s buy it and head out first. Did you pick everything?"

"Yes!"

After paying the shop owner, who beamed with a rare smile at the sudden influx of customers, we settled down in one corner of the schoolyard.

There was a mat in the trunk, but I didn’t bother taking it out. Back then, sitting and playing on the dirt ground was the default.

"Watch closely how Mister does it. First, you scatter them like this, then toss one up and catch the rest. If you drop or touch any in the process, it’s the next person’s turn. Got it? Easy, right?"

"I think I can do it!"

-clatter. clack. clack.

I meant to show it just once so I could explain again later, but Ria’s hands moved without a hitch.

"I caught them all without dropping any!"

"You’re better than Mister."

"Heh heh."

And just like that, we spent a joyful time with a tiny set of jackstones, like any other father and daughter would.

Unaware that the cars which had once filled the schoolyard had all driven away.

At the same time, the sedan carrying Ria’s only friend, Saerin, was waiting its turn in the long line stretching from the schoolyard to the road.

"Ma’am, it seems we’ll be delayed a bit. Will that be alright?"

-nod.

To the chauffeur’s cautious question, she gave a nonchalant nod.

The car’s release price was over 400 million won.

The seats were plush, and it was so quiet you couldn’t even tell the engine was running. So, a slight delay in travel time didn’t really bother her.

No, in fact, it was for the better. No matter where she looked, there wasn’t a car more expensive than hers in sight.

"Chief Son, it’s stuffy. Open all the windows."

"Yes, understood."

Two intentions were hidden behind the fully opened windows.

One was to subtly display that she, Saerin’s Mom, not only drove an expensive foreign car but also had a chauffeur in a suit.

It was a natural form of showing off, worth enduring the exhaust fumes from the cars jammed around them.

And just then, as she slowly moved in the car and checked the surrounding gazes out of the corner of her eye, a father and daughter engrossed in something at the edge of the schoolyard caught her attention.

‘Huh? Isn’t that the kid who was sticking by Saerin earlier?’

No doubt about it.

Frustratingly, even from this distance, her pretty face was still crystal clear. And her parents, sitting next to her, were just as good-looking.

‘They say you can’t hide good genes, and it must be true. But where’s the mom?’

Then, a ringtone loudly rang from her bag.

-beep beep beep beep.

(Saerin’s Mom, do you see her on the right side of the schoolyard? That girl from earlier. Minji’s Mom said she saw them arrive together from the start of the entrance ceremony. It was just the two of them! If the dad came instead of the mom on a weekday ceremony, it’s obvious, isn’t it?)

"There’s no mom."

(You think that’s all? She’s a foreigner. Probably ran back to her own country!)

The puzzle that had been irritating her suddenly clicked into place.

It wasn’t just a different level—they were a family she shouldn’t get involved with at all.

And seeing them sprawled on the ground like that, she grew anxious Saerin might pick up the habit.

(Saerin’s Mom, what will you do? Saerin’s Mom?)

"I’ll call you back."

(Okay. If you need anything, we’ll help as much as we can! Bye for now!)

She ended the call, now more troubled.

Even though the mystery was solved, class assignments were already finalized, and there was nothing she could do.

If she tried bringing up various reasons to the board, it might work, but that would mean she was using her influence.

Even reasonable requests can be taken differently depending on who makes them.

In the end, she had to choose a second-best option.

"Daughter, there’s a girl named Yeeun in your class, right?"

"I don’t know."

"There is. From tomorrow, be friends with her. She’s good at studying and lives in Gold Village, so her house is close. I’ll call Yeeun’s Mom and talk to her. If it’s okay tomorrow, bring her home. Got it?"

"’Kay."

She snatched the phone from her daughter, who responded half-heartedly.

"I told you I’d make the call. Are you going to disobey?"

"Okay, okay, I got it."

Only after reluctantly answering did Saerin manage to get her phone back from her mother.

The next morning.

"Hi, Saerin!"

"……."

Ria, spotting Saerin in the hallway, ran up and greeted her, but Saerin pretended not to hear.

Heart to heart.

Her mother’s concern had been something she was already wrestling with.

It was the existence of Ria, who approached without formality.

Though her mother couldn’t bring herself to say “don’t play with that girl,” Saerin felt the same way and had come up with her own drastic measure.

However, Ria wasn’t such an easy opponent.

"Hi!"

"Yeah."

Ria dashed right in front of Saerin again and greeted her loudly.

Her voice was so loud that it drew the attention of nearby students—no longer something Saerin could ignore.

Raising the white flag, Saerin answered curtly with a blunt tone.

"It was a shame we went home so early yesterday, right? Did you finish your picture diary? I used crayons and colored pencils! Markers don’t work well because they smudge with crayons."

"Yeah."

Even after sitting down, Ria’s chattering didn’t stop.

‘Yeeun said she’d come greet me first. I’ll just answer half-heartedly, then go hang out with Yeeun.’

But things didn’t go the way Saerin expected.

"Mine didn’t come out well either! So my mom cut off the front part with a knife. Then it worked great!"

"Really?"

"Look."

"Wow, it really does work well!"

"I should’ve done that too!"

Ria’s open and friendly conversation began to suck in the shy new students like a black hole.

Before they knew it, Ria was surrounded by classmates.

Even Saerin, who had been sitting next to her, unwillingly got swept into the group.

It was like being caught in the powerful current of a great river—impossible to resist.

If she tried to move away, someone else would definitely take her seat.

With no friends from the same English kindergarten in her class, if she got pushed out of the mainstream, it would be hard to make new friends again.

Even finding Yeeun would be tricky.

The bare minimum number of girls for a bathroom trip was four.

That meant four girls paired up to form the smallest unit of a group.

But in this current atmosphere, it seemed unlikely she could find the other two.

‘Hmph, what’s so great about a girl like her!’

She had seen her playing on the filthy dirt ground.

Her bag and clothes were nothing like the ones she had carefully chosen at a department store.

And Ria didn’t have a mom.

She had clearly heard it during a phone call her mom had with another housemaid on the day of the entrance ceremony.

She was someone not to be friends with.

Saerin’s mind raced quickly.

"A girl from the next class said that on the first day, they don’t have lessons and go home early."

"Really?"

‘Perfect. Now’s my chance.’

"So I asked my mom to come early. Ria, is your mom coming to pick you up today?"

"No! I don’t have a mom! Mister will come pick me up."

"Huh?"

At Ria’s innocent reply, the air around them froze.

Of course, it wasn’t a question she asked with good intentions.

Not only had Ria stolen the attention that should have been hers, but she also acted like a close friend and even became her desk mate—so Saerin had asked out of jealousy.

But what Saerin had wanted to see was Ria getting flustered and lying.

She didn’t have a bad enough personality to blurt out that Ria didn’t have a mom.

Saerin’s panicked eyes darted around with nowhere to settle.

Then, as Saerin faced the guilt rising in her chest, Ria delivered the final blow.

"If I had a mom, she would’ve come to pick me up! I read in a picture book that moms love their children very much. Saerin, you’re lucky to have a mom like that, right?"

"Y-yeah… I guess…"

"Saerin, what’s wrong? Are you crying?"

"Hmph… I’m sorry… Huuuuuh."

"Waaaah."

Children’s emotions spread easily.

Saerin’s guilt, from her moment of jealousy that tried to hurt Ria, exploded.

"Okay, everyone, it’s almost time for class. Take your seats. Hey, kids over there, why are you crying? What happened?"

"Teacher! Waaaaaah!"

The flustered teacher tried to calm the children, but the more comforted they were, the more sorrowfully they cried—that’s how kids were.

And so, the first lesson of Class 1-1 at Geumhyo Elementary School began in a sea of tears.

Even after class started, Saerin held tightly onto Ria’s hand and couldn’t let go for a long time.

Ria’s first friend had been a little selfish and calculating, but she wasn’t a bad kid at heart.

And when class ended, the friend who got into the foreign car worth over 400 million won with Saerin was not Yeeun—but Ria.