Vol. 2 Chapter 36  

It rained. It was humid, which was unsuited for a travel day. Due to the wrong timing, it overlapped with the typhoon season. The place we were supposed to meet was the terminal. The terminal was crowded as usual with people leaving for somewhere. After getting off the taxi and sharing an umbrella with Dae-han, I met an unexpected person.

“Why are you here?”

“Isn’t it hot? Why are you stuck like this?”

It was Jung Ji-pil. Jung Ji-pil, who was constantly flapping his fan, wrinkled his brows as he looked alternately at Lim Dae-han and me. Then, without us asking, he said that Lee Deok and Park Yeo-sun were going to a convenience store to buy cigarettes.

“Are you taking the bus? You didn’t say anything, and Lim Dae-han was the one who told me to come.”

I was surprised that Lim Dae-han didn’t consult with me, but I figured there had to be a reason. The two who soon appeared lightly raised their hands. Nobody seemed to come anymore. In the end, it was me, Dae-han, Ji-pil, Lee Deok, and Park Yeo-sun, who were going on a trip together. There were five people like this.

“What about grocery shopping?”

“I already loaded it in the car. Let’s go because I parked on the side of the road.”

We talked naturally. To be honest, Jung Ji-pil and I didn’t know much. Lim Dae-han led me naturally. He clutched the bag strap behind him with both hands. Jung Ji-pil spoke quietly from the side.

.

“How did you get involved?”

“Um, I just wanted to hang out with friends, so I wanted to go…”

“I guess Dae-han invited me because he thought you’d be bored.”

“…” “Goosebumps.”

Jung Ji-pil rubbed both his forearms. So what’s wrong with that. He came to play for free as well and even laughed. I looked at Lim Dae-han’s back who was a couple of steps ahead and followed his steps.

***

The pension right on the beach was even better than I had anticipated. The typhoon didn’t affect me so far, so it was a pretty good day. The sound of cicada and the crashing of waves also contributed to the atmosphere.

The two houses were connected, and there were two additional smaller one-room pensions on both sides. Despite the fact that it was the end of the vacation season, we were the only ones who stayed because of the weather. Lee Deok told us that if we went inside and went out to the terrace, there was a beach where only people who used a separate pension could play.

We stepped out of the big car that included a separate driver and opened the trunk immediately. There was some soju in it. While Jung Ji-pil chatted next to me, I wondered if they bought a beer or not. Lim Dae-han reached for the carton of soju with no hesitation. So the luggage has been reduced by more than half. I was also carrying a bag full of meat and beverage bottles, but Lim Dae-han quickly returned and took it away. I eventually reached the front door of the pension with my bare hands.

Even if the other guys didn’t say anything, Jung Ji-pil was different.

“Why, why doesn’t Ki Young-hyun carry anything?”

“…”

“Why is Ki Young-hyun not bringing anything?”

He grumbled even when he came inside, but the unfortunate thing was that no one cared about him.

The accommodation was very spacious as it was the size of two pensions combined. But that didn’t make the living room any bigger because it was surrounded by a wall and a door. I stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. From the front, a wide blue sea stretched out through the glass. Because of the typhoon, the weather was a little cloudy, but it was still nice.

“First of all, oh, I should play to relax my body.”

Jung Ji-pil relaxed as soon as he arrived. There was a strong urge to dive into the sea at any moment, but I was afraid because of the typhoon. I also quickly unpacked my luggage and followed Jung Ji-pil. I wasn’t a big fan of water, but something about the sea made my heart flutter. I was just going to dip my feet in the water and play. I put on my slippers and went out to the terrace leading to the sea.

It was very peaceful. Lee Deok and Park Yeo-sun smoked cigarettes on the terrace, while Jung Ji-pil soaked his feet alone and played with the water. Dae-han and I were strolling along the wide beach. The waves dug sand grains between my toes and pushed them out as if they were going to drag them.

Since the beach can only be accessed through pensions, there were no people even at the end of the holiday season. The seawater on my ankle tickled my feet. I took a slow step, clutching my thigh to keep my pants, which were rolled up to my calves, from falling down. Lim Dae-han, who crept up behind me, quickly caught up with me. He then naturally rested his arm on my shoulder.

“What is it?”

It was hot, but not too hot because of the sea breeze. Lim Dae-han walked softly, looking straight ahead without saying anything.

“There.”

Lim Dae-han’s fingertips headed towards the edge of the beach. There was a pavilion built for convenience next to a house-sized rock. It resembled a hanok more than the one in our apartment.

“Let’s take a break there” His suggesting tone was strange. I looked up at Lim Dae-han with a suspicious expression on my face. He seemed to have been bothered as well. Lim Dae-han made an odd expression and moved his arm over his shoulder, pressing down on the top of my head.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m not tall…”

I replied bluntly, but he didn’t even pretend to listen. At this rate, I was about to drive even a tooth on the top of my head. I shook my body and got away from Lim Dae-han. I took a step back and slowly made eye contact with him.

“Let’s go over there and kiss.”

Lim Dae-han smiled with satisfaction. I approached the pavilion with the sound of the waves playing in the background. As I dug into the slippers, not a single grain of sand was felt on the soles of my feet. Lim Dae-han, who moved faster than me and approached the pavilion first, was sitting on a chair. I raised my head before entering the pavilion. From the pension where the other guys were playing, it was difficult to see this location. “Oh, please don’t!” Jung Ji-pil’s voice was the only one that could be heard.

“Come here.”

Lim Dae-han grabbed my wrist and made me sit next to him. My feet were dirty because I walked on the beach. I slightly turned to Lim Dae-han’s side. He was looking He was looking at the distant horizon.

Lim Daehan had a handsome face. It was a handsome face with a clear outline. In particular, the eyebrow bones stood out and harmonized well with the straight nose bridge. The eyes were not as large or as fancy as those of a celebrity, but they complemented his face.

I put my hand up and tapped Lim Dae-han’s cheek. Then, Lim Dae-han, who was looking to the sea, shook his shoulder and looked back at me.

“…”

“…”

“What.”

He asked in a low-pitched voice. I pursed my lips and shook my head. Lim Dae-han looked at me and said.

“Next time…”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go on a trip together.”

I looked at the back of Lim Dae-han’s hand, which was placed on his lap. Lim Dae-han’s hands were honestly not pretty. The skeleton was thick, and the veins on the back of the hand protruded slightly. Even in the middle of summer, it was a hand I wanted to hold. I was perplexed as to why it was this way. They said that humans were more affectionate to puppies that were a little scruffy and ugly than puppies that look very pretty. Perhaps Lim Dae-han’s hands were also like that.

I put my hand on the back of Lim Dae-han’s hand. My hands were small and pale in comparison to his. I used to be a little shy when I was younger. It was because adults mocked my hands for what it was. But it wasn’t so bad anymore. Lim Dae-han seemed to like my hands as well. Soon, Lim Dae-han’s posture changed and he interlaced his hands and mine. Lim Dae-han squeezed my hand and strengthened the knuckles of my fingers as I wiggled my fingers and joked around.

I got up first after fiddling with Lim Dae-han and playing with his fingers for a while. When I arrived at the pavilion, I decided to kiss him, but only because he didn’t even make the gesture.

“Aren’t we gonna kiss?”

I turned to Lim Dae-han and asked. Lim Dae-han softly smiled and placed his hand on my waist, pulling it towards him. Anyway, Lim Dae-han. Pretending to be good, but I have to do it first, and he will come after. I put both of my hands on Lim Dae-han’s cheeks and slowly lowered my waist.

***