There is a saying, "It gets ingrained" (ini bakhinda). I suppose it’s the same as saying one becomes addicted.

Perhaps because I play so much golf, a callus has jutted out on my big toe. It looks unsightly, so I tried to cut it off, but it wouldn't be cut. It has become ingrained.

Since I don't wear socks often in Laos, it bothers me. I even hit the ball barefoot at the golf practice range. I guess I’m the only one who cares. My personality is detail-oriented, so I suppose I pay attention to things like that. I just try to let it go, thinking, "Who is going to look at my toes anyway?" Everyone has calluses, so I just accept it.

A junior of mine showed me a cigarette, calling it "the Lee Jung-jae cigarette," and handed me one as if it were a precious treasure he was sparing. It was black with a silver tip, and there was a silver rim in the middle as well. Half of the cigarette was just the filter. I actually liked the case more—a reusable tin case.

I know who Lee Jung-jae is, but I couldn't understand why my junior thought the cigarette he smokes was such a big deal. He emphasized that it costs $70 a pack. In that moment, I was caught up in a conversation about daily life in Korea with the junior's friend, so I let the cigarette burn down without really smoking it. The junior looked at me with a pitiful expression.

I think I was able to do that because the taste of the cigarette wasn't anything new. Also, it kept going out in the middle. They say that happens when they don't add the chemicals that keep it burning well, but smokers get annoyed when a cigarette goes out halfway through. It means we are already addicted to those chemicals. A friend told me they mix in finely shredded paper rather than chemicals. Who knows whose words to believe~~ Haha.

Anyway, all sorts of people come to our house. A friend who distributes cigarettes came by and sold cigarettes here and there. My wife is very good at helping others when they are in need. She helps so much that I tell her she is too nosy (has too much ojirap). It seems that when you treat people too well, they tend to disregard you. But that’s that...

This friend left me a pack, telling me to try the "Lee Jung-jae cigarette." My wife didn't even know about it—she has no interest in the Lee Jung-jae cigarette or anything like that. I thought, "Great," and smoked it.

As expected, "what you see isn't what you get." Having smoked for over 50 years, I could be called a master; there is no way I wouldn't know the quality of the tobacco and the technology of the filter. It turned out to be Armenian. It’s a fairly large company, and they said they used cutting-edge technology to make the filter. They said it was made long so the smoke cools down before entering the mouth.

Can over 50 years of smoking knowledge change in a single puff? No matter how many cigarette brands there are, one is bound to have a taste that suits them. Tobacco companies know this, so they create countless flavors. They say it's new and tell you to try it, so you try it... smokers are generous with their cigarettes~~ Haha.

Because I grew up in the U.S., I started with Marlboro Reds. I didn't know anything, but since I was young, I liked strong cigarettes. Then I switched to Marlboro Lights, and in between, I smoked countless brands. In Korea, I smoked Korean brands; in Laos, I only smoked Esse for a while, but now a Lao brand fits my taste, so I smoke JN Sikau. It adequately satisfies my ingrained taste for tobacco.

I forgot the point of the text I am writing now, but ah... Ah! Packaging.

Packaging is, quite literally, packing something up. It is no different from hiding something. However, if the packaging is stylish, expectations rise, and we believe it to be something good. We are being gaslighted. Ordinary people don't even realize they are being gaslighted by life itself. It’s what politicians do best.

Just like this expensive Lee Jung-jae cigarette, there are countless things in life where the packaging looks expensive, but the actual content is nothing special. I hope you won't be fooled by the packaging and will pay attention to the content.