Ogne forma sustanzial, che setta

è da matera ed è con lei unita,

specifica vertute ha in sé colletta,

la qual sanza operar non è sentita,

né si dimostra mai che per effetto,

come per verdi fronde in pianta vita.

[Dante - Purgatorio XVIII]

“God, I hate this situation” was the first thing Yoohyeon said right through the front door of her apartment.

“It’s not my fault your stuck with me, miss Kim” points out Handong while taking a seat on the nearest chair.

It was almost evening and a faintly orange glow was coming through the window facing the small living room. Lessons ended quite a while ago, but Yoohyeon couldn’t get home sooner because she had to stay in detention for being late. Once again.

“I already told you. Don’t call me Miss Kim just because you're my tutor. We’re just a year apart” huffed the younger girl while taking a seat on a chair herself. ‘Why must Handong be so strict all the time?’

“Miss Yoohyeon, I’m still in charge of your education. And seeing as you can’t even be bothered of going to lessons on time, I still have a lot of work to do” replied Handong.

You see, Handong was a Chinese student who got hired by the Kim family to help their daughter with school. It was not that Yoohyeon wasn't intelligent, on the contrary. She was too good for her own good: falling asleep during tests because she could pass them in a couple of minutes, but never actually waking up before the end; arriving late to classes because she already knew what they were doing; never doing homework and instead reading manga and playing on her computer. That is why her family hired the best student of the school to be her tutor, letting them live in the same apartment.

It’s been a week since they’ve started living together and for Yoohyeon, everyday had been a nightmare. Not only did Handong force her to wake up early to arrive at school on time, but she also tried to get her to study every afternoon. And that was unacceptable.

“Listen, I know that you want to be the best one in school. I’m not gonna take your spot, you can relax” whined Yoohyeon stretching a bit her legs before taking off her shoes.

“Miss Yoohyeon, it’s not about who’s best. It’s about my commitment with your parents. So please, let’s study now” replied Handong calmly like always. “You wouldn’t want to have the Sloth branded on you, I hope”

“First, please stop with the Miss thing. I’m younger than you and we’re still in high school. Why do you always have to be so damn formal?” complained once again the flamingo haired girl. “Second, I guess a donkey brand wouldn’t be so bad, don’t you think? I would be so cool with one!”

“Yoohyeon, how can you be so irresponsible? You know that the Sloth is the worst Sin one could get, right?” exclaimed a shocked Handong. “No one would hire you if they ever saw it!”

“Whatever! I’ll just get into e-sports and gain money that way. And Sins are so rare, I’m not that lazy to actually get one myself. Don’t worry”

You might think, what is a Sin and why would a Sloth be so bad to one’s career. Well, you see, since the beginning of time, people always had some vices, but some of them are worse than others: these are called The Seven Deadly Sins. No one knew how this came to be, but people started getting branded with their corresponding Sin if they did nothing to fight against this malicious part of their personality. And in Korea, the Sloth is the worst Sin one could get. ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’ said Matthew – and the South Korean economy strictly followed this view towards this vice. If you’re branded with the Sloth, your future is doomed.

“Still, I'm getting paid by your parents to help you get good grades. Let's go study right now or I'll throw the router out of the window” said Handong menacingly, seeing as the other girl was already walking towards
her room to play some online games.

“I'd just go to sleep or use my phone. You know you can't beat me at this game DongDong” she sing-songed while actually getting her books out to try and study a bit “I'm doing this because I want to, not because you're making me okay?”

After a couple hours of ‘studying’ while browsing the Internet, Yoohyeon got up to make some noodles to eat on the couch in front of the TV. At the sight of what the young girl was making for dinner, Handong sighed and got up to make a real meal.

“I don't even know how your parents let you live on your own when you can't even care for your health. Move, I'm making dinner. Once again” she said while scooting Yoohyeon to the side and wearing an apron.

“This side of you is the one I like, Donggie. You'll make a wonderful wife” exclaimed Yoohyeon while going for the remote control. Had she turned just a second later, she would have seen a faint hue of red on the other girl's cheeks.

‘God, if only you weren't such a mess. Why do I even get flustered like this? Ugh’ thought the cooking girl.

The rest of the evening went by pretty uneventful, watching the TV in almost complete silence, with just a little bit of banter going on between the two. It was soon 10pm and Handong, being the responsible one, told Yoohyeon that it was time to head to bed.

“Yeah, don't worry. I'll go sleep in just a minute. You go on ahead” she waved bored while staring at the big screen.

“I won't wake you up tomorrow, I have to be early for club activities like today too. If you don't make it to class on time, you'll have to make it up to me for being so considerate of you, Miss Kim” stated Handong
while bidding goodnight to the younger one.

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Sleep tight Dong” replied Yoohyeon barely moving her sight from the TV show that was currently on.

‘It's time for an all-nighter I guess. What could go wrong? She's a good person, won't make me do anything too bad’ thought the flamingo haired girl while slouching completely on the couch.