Why, Gods, did you have to make today so hot?

Ki-jung wiped away the sweat on his forehead, as he accompanied his older sister Young-ja home from school, satchels slung over both of their shoulders. The sun was still bright enough that their shadows stretched quite some distance away from their bodies and merged with those of other pedestrians on the street.

While continuing to feel Young-ja's palm against his own, he fixated on one particular shadow carrying a basket, then shifted his eyes upward to learn that the person was a stern-looking woman probably on her way to pick up a child.

The woman paid him and his sister no heed while leaving his scope of vision. His attention turned back to the hot weather and what he could do to cool himself down later.

Bathing was an obligation that continued to fill him with dread, mainly due to how relentless their mother could be when scrubbing his skin or pouring water upon his head.

It was a shame that she still didn't trust him enough to bathe alone when both of his siblings could do so without hassle.

He guessed that this was the problem with being the youngest child in the family. It didn't matter how old he was or how responsible he proved himself to be; they would always see him as a baby when all was said and done.

It was a prospect that only made him more disappointed when Young-ja grabbed his wrist and urged him to hurry before they both missed the tram.

He obliged and broke into a run just as she did, despite his already sore feet. They rushed on to the road, narrowly dodging a man upon a bicycle and maneuvered their way around other would-be passengers until they arrived at the stop where the already packed tram awaited.

Young-ja jumped on first and then extended her hand to help him climb in. He took it, and as he did so, the other passengers shrunk back to allow them a little more space.

The tram doors slammed shut immediately afterward, leaving the two of them with no choice but to cling to each other so they wouldn't be jostled apart by those around them.

Just like the previous afternoon, the open windows that lined the tram did nothing to expel the lingering smell of sweat and grime, and Ki-jung reached up to block his nose while keeping his focus solely on the floor.

Whether Young-ja felt a similar level of discomfort hardly mattered to him. He just wanted this trip to be over soon, and to his relief, a blessing eventually came in the form of Young-ja expressing her desire to get off a stop early.

He followed her back outside as soon as the doors opened once more, and this time, she started running without warning. As a result, he struggled to catch up, and in no time, she'd disappeared and left him to trudge home alone.

"Some big sister you are!" he shouted so that everyone around him would hear. "Wait until I tell Ma!"

He stomped his foot and blew a raspberry to further express his annoyance before the ring of a bell caught his attention. He spun around and, much to his pleasant surprise, recognized the smiling man pushing a bicycle with a wooden crate mounted at the back.

The man gave him a friendly wave, and sure enough, Ki-jung lost all composure as he realized that what was inside the crate would be the remedy to his hot and sweaty state.

"Ice cream!" he squealed, jumping up and clapping his hands together in excitement.