Ugh!
Why did I forget this?
The year's end is marked by two special days.
December 31st marks the end of the old year and the start of the new.
People co together with family and friends, party, stay up until midnight, exchange New Year's greetings, and so even watch the sunrise or hear church bells on New Year's Eve.
The other special day is Christmas.
This is a day eagerly anticipated by well-behaved children and couples alike.
It was a day of religious significance.
It just felt like yet another holiday to because I was at an age where I had little to do with Christmas.
Rather, Christmas was more familiar to in a different sense.
A mysterious grandfather who only brings gifts to good children.
The existence of Santa Claus was a big part of my Christmas mories.
You may think it's childish now, but there was a ti when I was nervous about what kind of gift I would get.
This was why Speranza suddenly acted like that.
Children who want to receive gifts try to beco nicer children as Christmas approaches.
And the adults know it all, but pretend not to know it, and encourage the good behavior of the children.
I wondered how Speranza learned about Christmas, because I never ntioned Christmas or Santa Claus.
But I quickly dismissed that thought, focusing instead on making this special day a morable one for her.
To ensure her happiness, I determined that my first step was to find out what present she hoped to receive.
But how do I figure this out?
Im not aware of what kind of gift she wants.
While I was suffering alone, Yerin noticed sothing and narrowed her eyes.
"Hey, you didn't get it ready yet, right?"
FLINCH!
I shivered like a crippled thief.
I scratched my nose avoiding her eyes for no reason.
Yerin scolded with a pathetic expression on her face.
"Whew! What do you an you didnt prepare for it yet? It looks like Speranza is really looking forward to it.
"I'm ashad. It's been so long since I started thinking of Christmas as just another holiday, so I completely forgot to prepare."
"Then do you know what kind of gift she wants?"
I shook my head silently, while her gaze deepened with a sense of patheticness.
"Sihy, Yerin. Lunch is ready."
"Papa, Sister Yerin!"
We got up at the voice calling us from the kitchen.
Soon, we sat in front of the food my mother prepared carefully and raised the spoon.
"Thanks for the al, mom."
"Thank you for the food, Auntie."
"Yes, eat a lot. Yerin, Ill give so side dishes to you later."
"Hehe! Thank you."
My mother continued to eat with her cute granddaughter next to her.
Speranza also smiled at her grandmother, acting childishly.
anwhile, Yerin and I moved our eyes busily while chanically moving the spoon.
I exchanged glances constantly, but there was nothing I could do right now.
Contrary to my nervousness, the al ended without much progress in the situation.
When my mother stood up to clean up, Speranza stood up again this ti.
"Grandma, I'll help."
"Will you? My kind and pretty granddaughter."
"I'll help you, too."
"Yerin, you should be tired. Just take care of Akum and his little friend in the living room. Ive Speranza for help."
My mother pushed Yerin and out of the kitchen.
I couldn't leave the kitchen because I didn't know what gift to prepare yet.
Then my mother smiled lightly and whispered to .
"Is it because of Speranza's present?"
?!
"Open the dresser in my room."
.?
I was instantly pushed into the living room with a blank look on my face.
Yerin, who ca out of the living room together, asked nervously.
"What should we do now?"
"Wait a minute."
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Leaving Yerin's question behind, I sneaked into my mother's room.
A dressing table was seen on the side of the neatly arranged room.
I slowly approached and opened the dresser drawer.
I quickly found sothing that stood out between my mother's things in the drawer.
I picked it up quickly, convinced it was the thing my mother said.
Is this a letter?
A letter in a small, pretty envelope.
I opened my eyes wide while looking around at the letter that had nothing special.
What caught my eye was very short and familiar handwriting.
Dear Santa
As soon as I saw the handwriting, I was sure.
This must have been written by Speranza.
The letter she wrote to Santa Claus
I carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter.
In the letter, I could see the letters written with sincerity to the point where I felt that she had put her heart into it.
Hello, Santa.
I'm Speranza living in the Cardis estate. My ho is in a farm with many Yakums, in the middle of the mountain next to Elden village.
Speranza explained the location of Demon Farm in detail so that Santa Claus can visit.
There I live with Papa, Sister Lia, Boss Uncle, Teacher Andras, Brother Elaine, and Sister Lilia.
And I don't think they know Santa exists.
Everyone is nice, so please bring them a gift even if they didn't write you a letter.
Seeing Speranza worried that the farm mbers might not receive a gift, I had a warm smile around my mouth.
The present I want from Santa is
At the end of the letter, Speranza wrote down the gift she wanted.
As soon as I checked the part, my eyes glead with accomplishnt.
I put the letter back in the envelope and kept it deep in my pocket.
I left my mother's room with a more comfortable expression than before.
Yerin, who was sitting on the couch, talked to as soon as she saw .
"What did you do there?"
"I found out."
"Really? How did you find out?"
"I'll tell you later. I think I should go out right away."
There was still so ti until Christmas, so I was going to go out and buy the present Speranza wanted.
"Then I'll co with you."
"Is it okay? Don't you need to rest today? Dont you have to go to work again tomorrow?"
It's okay because tomorrow is not such a tough job. And I'm nervous for so reason, so I will go with you."
"As long as you don't mind
Yerin and I took our coat and went out right away.
The gift in the letter was a toy from Speranza's favorite ani.
Speranza was so into this ani that she has been binge-watching it several tis, and a new toy that includes both the ho model and the main characters in the background has been recently released.
Presumably, Speranza saw the toy in a TV comrcial.
I also rember seeing it in a few passing advertisents.
When I first found out that she wanted to receive this gift, I thought it would be very easy.
I thought I could get it easily at the mall or a nearby toy store with money.
But this was a very big illusion.
"What? It's sold out?"
"I'm sorry, sir. We don't have any left in stock at this mont."
"What? I heard it's a new product, have you already run out of stock?"
"It's a popular series among children, and it's Christmas soon, so it's out of stock much faster than usual."
"Oh, god."
I sighed at the detailed explanation of the saleswoman.
Of course, it was a mall, so I thought I could get things easily, but I felt like I was struck in the back of my head.
Yerin, who was next to , stepped up on behalf of , who was speechless for a while.
"Then when will the next stock co in?"
"Are you preparing it for a Christmas present?"
"Yes."
"We're not sure if we'll be able to have it in stock by Christmas. I'm sorry."
"Then how can we get it?"
"For now, visit another store. Or just look for a place where you can order on the internet?
The store clerk blurted out her words as if she was unsure herself.
After thanking the clerk for kindly guiding us, we forcibly moved our steps filled with regret.
And, we weren't the only ones feeling miserable.
Around the toy store, there were many adults stamping their feet because they couldn't get the gift they wanted.
I looked at them bitterly as if I felt a sense of kinship for no reason.
"Uh I should have prepared for Christmas sooner."
As I was reflecting on my mistake, Yerin pucked my arm!
BUM
"Ouch!"
"How long are you going to be down? We haven't looked around the other stores yet. Let's find another place quickly. There must be sothing left sowhere."
Yerin encouraged by brightening her expression on purpose as if she had forgotten her tiredness.
At the sa ti, I felt grateful and sorry for her, who followed on her precious holiday and actively tried to help.
"I'm sorry. You must be very tired from the tight guild work."
"It's okay because it's sothing I like to do."
"Still"
"If you're so sorry, how about giving Speranza to as a daughter?"
I smiled lightly at the playful answer.
Having regained our energy, we decided to quickly look around the toy stores around us.
I called the store directly, visited places where I couldn't reach, and checked if there was any stock left.
However, even though I contacted quite a few places and visited them in person, I couldn't get the toy Speranza wanted.
Yerin also searched online shopping sites in the middle, but most of them were out of stock or only accepting reservations.
"Uh. It's not easy. I didn't know it was so hard to get a toy."
I nodded in sympathy with Yerin's slightly grumbling words.
"We can't do it this way. Do you happen to have anywhere to contact?"
"Anywhere to contact?"
"Yes. Dont you have a lot of strange connections. What about Ryan? Yeah, theres Ryan, he's close with the governnt, and he knows a lot of high-ranking people, maybe he can help."
As she said, it was true that Ryan was close to a few people who were quite influential.
"But to contact him to get a Christmas present"
"Hell with that! What does it matter now? Speranza or your reputation?"
Of course, it's Speranza."
"What should you do then?"
I pulled out my smartphone like I was possessed.
(To be Continued on Mar 27(MON))
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