My Girlfriend Is a Fan of Me

Before long, we arrived at the villa, unpacked our luggage, and decided to take a short break.

It took such a long time to get here that it felt awkward to jump into the water right away, plus it was around dinner time anyway.

“Uggh…!”

“Are you really tired?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Just a bit sluggish, so I’m stretching out a little.”

After finishing our tasks, I finally sat back and relaxed on the sofa, stretching as my wife approached with a worried tone. It had been a long five-hour drive, so she seemed genuinely concerned.

So I decided to exaggerate a bit, showing off my muscles and pretending I was bursting with energy, and finally, a smile spread across her face as she came closer behind me.

“Then let me massage your shoulders.”

“Wow, great service!”

“Well, I don’t want to hear that from someone who drove alone for five hours.”

Phew.

In the end, my wife was grumbling as if to scold me for driving all the way by myself, but that didn’t last long. Soon, she gently opened her hands and started to massage my shoulders.

We had done this a few times in the early days of our marriage, but honestly, back then, her strength wasn’t that impressive, so it didn’t feel all that refreshing. Still, I was just happy that my wife was massaging me, so I kept quiet and accepted it.

However, these days, with raising the kids and doing household chores, it seemed her strength had naturally increased, and her massage skills were quite good. The pressure was just right, making my muscles feel relaxed without being too strong, leaving me feeling drowsy.

“How is it? Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect! I’d want to have this every day.”

“Well, should I do it every day then?”

“That would feel too unfair to you.”

“It’s not hard for me at all, so what’s the matter?”

It’s not easy, though. I remember having massaged my parents a few times when I was younger, so I knew how much effort it takes. Even on warm days, just one massage would leave me sweating.

So, I thought it would be too selfish to ask for it daily and said I’d just request it occasionally. My wife pouted her lips in response. I wonder why she’s so eager to do something for me?

“Mom! When are we eating?”

While I was enjoying my wife’s pampering, Joo-ha, who had dashed out to explore the villa with Gyuri and Yoo-chan, came running in, full of excitement.

Since we had only stopped at a rest area on the way, I guessed she was hungry.

“Yeah, we’ll eat soon. Just finishing Dad’s massage.”

“Massage? Is Dad hurt?”

“Not really, but he was driving for so long, so I think his muscles are tense.”

“Ugh…. Dad, you can’t be hurt…. Then Joo-ha will help!”

After my wife explained the situation, for a moment, Joo-ha looked a little down, but suddenly, she rolled up her sleeves and came running to put her hands on my shoulders.

Oh, is our princess going to give me a massage too? Wow, today is my lucky day. It’s like a flower from both hands.

Rub Rub.

“Dad, does it feel good?”

As my little one massaged away, she seemed to wonder if it was working at all. She leaned her head over and asked for my feedback.

Honestly, it’s not that refreshing. How much can a daughter just starting elementary school really loosen up a stiff shoulder from too much desk work?

However, her sweet gesture made me feel lighter.

“Yeah, it feels great because you’re doing it, Joo-ha!”

“Hehe, then I’ll try harder!”

“Thanks, sweetie.”

After about ten minutes of massages from both my wife and Joo-ha, I felt my shoulders had definitely eased up a bit. Whether it was the placebo effect or not, the important thing is, I felt lighter.

“What should we eat for dinner? Is there something you want?”

“I’m good. Let’s go with what you and the kids want.”

“Then I’ll just make some simple omurice. I can’t keep the kids waiting too long.”

Omurice? Sounds good. It’s actually a regular in our house.

Why, you ask? It’s all for the kids, especially since Joo-ha loves it, and the twins are crazy about omurice too. At one point, when I asked them their favorite food, they both shouted ‘omurice!’ in unison.

Hearing that, my wife had a funny moment of despair, thinking, “After all this effort in the kitchen, they end up loving omurice….”

“Do you want me to help?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Just keep an eye on the kids.”

“Got it. But I only see Joo-ha. Where are the other two?”

“Maybe they went upstairs?”

Is that it? I better check to make sure they haven’t gotten lost.

“Joo-ha, have you seen Gyuri and Yoo-chan?”

“Gyuri said she wanted to find shells, so she went with Yoo-chan.”

“Really? I told them not to go into the water, right?”

“Yep!”

That’s a relief, but just in case, I’d better step outside and check. You never know when the tide might come in.

It felt relatively cool as we stepped outside, being right by the beach in the evening, so I wrapped a jacket around Joo-ha and we headed out of the villa.

Luckily, I found the kids sitting on the sandy beach right in front of the building.

“Gyuri, Yoo-chan. You should tell Dad when you go out.”

When I approached and gently scolded the ones who slipped out unnoticed, Yoo-chan seemed a little dazed as if he didn’t expect to be scolded. In contrast, Gyuri defiantly declared,

“I told my sister!”

How boldly she claimed to have told her older sister and not us, pushing her luck.

Well, in her perspective, it could be considered innocent rather than brazen since Joo-ha probably looks like an adult to her.

“You should tell Dad or Mom, not just your sister. Can we not do this again next time?”

“Okay! I’ll say it next time!”

Nodding innocently, she went back to digging in the sand. Fortunately, the kids are good listeners, so I’ll trust that next time it’ll be smooth sailing.

“So, did you find any shells?”

“Nope…. The teacher said there are lots of conchs and shells at the beach….”

“Hmm.”

Come to think of it, the last time we were here, we didn’t really see any shells or conchs that would typically be found on a beach.

They said it’s a private beach, but do they really manage even the sand? I wonder if I might get pricked or cut while wandering barefoot.

If that’s the case, that’s quite impressive, so I decided to help Gyuri out by looking for shells or conchs together.

Surprisingly, we found something soon. Well, I didn’t, but someone on the other side did.

“Oh? Gyuri, there’s a conch here!”

“Really!?”

Yoo-chan, showing his older brother instincts, had finally found a conch while digging energetically in place of his tired sister.

It looked quite pretty too, not one of those broken shells but shiny and elegant like a high-quality specimen.

“Wow! It’s beautiful! Thank you, big brother!”

With sheer delight, Gyuri hugged Yoo-chan tightly, finally holding the conch in her hands. Then, as if to reflect the softly rising moonlight, she held it up high and turned it this way and that.

“Looks like our Gyuri has something to brag about to her teacher later!”

“Ehehe…. Yeah!”

With satisfaction from our little treasure hunt in hand, we returned to the villa.

As we headed to the living room, I saw my wife carrying dishes on a tray, which must have just been completed. The delicious aroma wafting through the air made my mouth water.

“Mom! Big brother found a conch? Is it pretty!”

“Let’s see? Oh my, it’s truly beautiful. You can write about your shell-finding adventure in your diary with Mom later, right?”

“Yep!”

After showing off the shell to her mom, Gyuri approached the dining table with a bright smile. She seemed to notice the omurice on the table only then, her eyes widening in excitement once more.

“Mom! Is tonight’s dinner omurice?”

“Yes, it is. I added plenty of your favorite ketchup too!”

“Wow!”

By the way, when we eat with the kids, we always include ketchup in our fried rice. It seems they love the sweet yet tangy flavor combination.

I wondered if it would taste good the first time I tried it, but surprisingly, it was pretty good.

“My son found a conch for his sister, huh? Good job.”

“Ahem.”

Finally, my wife set down the last bowl, sat next to me, and praised Yoo-chan.

Even though Yoo-chan is more mature than most kids his age, he is still just a child, and the way he puffed up his chest proudly was quite adorable.

“Well then, itadakimasu!”

“Itadakimasu!”

“Yes, everyone must be hungry, so let’s eat a lot!”

As I watched the scene with a warm smile, Joo-ha suddenly lifted her spoon high and shouted as if she couldn’t wait.

Being the type to show manners in odd moments, I guess she was waiting for me to raise my spoon first. I don’t really care about such things, but I felt a bit proud to be respected by my little princess.

“Whee, hehe….”

Meanwhile, Gyuri was preoccupied with her beloved conch, busily fiddling with it, and just as I was preparing to suggest we eat first before playing with the conch, my wife spoke up as if she had a plan.

“Gyuri, do you want to hear something interesting about conchs?”

“Interesting?”

“Yeah, if you put your ear to a conch, you can hear the sound of the waves. Want to try it?”

“Really!?”

When my wife mentioned the popular myth about conchs, Gyuri’s eyes sparkled as she placed her ear against the conch shell and concentrated quietly.

“Wow! I can hear the sound of the waves!”

“How is it? Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yes!”

I know that depending on the conch, sometimes you can hear it and sometimes you can’t, but it seemed Gyuri picked a lucky one as she giggled and kept listening, bouncing with excitement.

My wife, watching her with an amused expression, suddenly turned serious and continued.

“But if you keep making noise with a conch, it gets tired. So if a person keeps holding it, it won’t make a sound anymore?”

“Whoa…! Is that really true!?”

“Absolutely. So, if you want to keep listening to the sound of the waves, what should Gyuri do?”

“Let it rest! I’m sorry, conch!”

Hearing my wife’s words, Gyuri jumped back in surprise, putting the conch down.

In response, my wife praised her, patting her head, and handed her a spoon.

“Exactly. Now let’s eat our delicious omurice while we wait!”

“Yep!”

Wow, I can’t believe she brought up the wave story on purpose! She must have figured that if I forbid Gyuri to touch it, she’d look so sad.

At one moment, I felt a thrill at her clever plan and realized again how amazing my wife’s philosophy of education was.

“Shh.”

Noticing my gaze, my wife winked at me while subtly gesturing with her finger, asking me to play along while pretending not to notice.

“Mom! I want more!”

“Yes, should I give you more? Mom made plenty, just in case.”

“Wow! Mom is the best!”

Then, seemingly unaffected by anything else, Joo-ha, who finished her omurice first, picked up her empty plate and gracefully headed to the kitchen, her back was unbelievably beautiful.

In that moment, I thought to myself that I indeed made a great choice in marrying.

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