NOVEL WEB Chapter 231
To get to the private beach we were heading to, it seemed we had to wait quite a long time in the car. Eun-a, Mira, Hwa-won, and I decided to go together in Hwa-won’s car, so we naturally gathered at my house early in the morning.
“What? Why did you get dressed first all by yourself?”
“Am I a kid? Should I wait for you to change my clothes?”
“Still, you look pretty.”
Eun-a, who stubbornly questioned why I was ready first, and Mira, who complimented me for looking pretty, showed a stark contrast between them.
“What’s with that look?”
“I just thought Professor Seo really taught you well.”
“That’s true.”
“You’re being sarcastic.”
“Do I care?”
That’s a backhanded comment, Eun-a…
Now, with just Hwa-won missing, we could leave at any moment, and the three of us chatted normally. Eun-a persistently probed about swimsuits, but I brushed it off and told her to see when we got there. Our conversation that started with couches somehow drifted further and eventually landed on home topics.
“When are you moving?”
“I have to look into it, but I’ve been really busy lately. I need to start checking soon.”
“Are you moving, unni?”
“Not yet.”
Feeling a bit sad, perhaps because I had grown attached to this house. I had laughed and cried here over the past ten months. Ten months is long enough to form attachments.
“Oh, Han-bom unni asked me to take some photos.”
“What photos?”
“Swimsuit photos of Seol unni~”
“If anyone finds out I took them, you’ll be seeing me at the police station.”
“Then just don’t get caught!”
Eun-a was still someone who wouldn’t listen to reason at all.
“But your outfit today is really pretty. Who styled you? Or did you do it yourself?”
“I learned it from the internet and tried it out. I’m glad you think it’s pretty. I didn’t do much.”
“You’ve become such a woman…”
“Well, I am a woman. I’ve come too far to deny it now.”
“That’s true.”
On the other hand, Mira always spoke so sweetly.
By the way, what I was wearing now was a white sleeveless dress with a thin checkered cardigan that looked like a cover-up. I still had on the straw hat I wore yesterday. Eun-a scrutinized me closely and then spoke.
“You look just like someone from an anime.”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“It feels like you’re going to steal the first love of many boys.”
“I don’t want that.”
“No, it’s definitely a compliment!”
“That’s not what I wanted to hear.”
“You’re so mean, really.”
The three of us girls were chatting when we suddenly heard a honking sound from outside. Looking through the window, Hwa-won had gotten out of the car and was waving at me. I smiled back at him, feeling glad.
“Hey, everyone, I’m here. Let’s go.”
We headed over to Hwa-won’s car together. The car we came in this time looked quite clean, like an expensive foreign vehicle.
“Couldn’t you have brought a cheaper car to the beach?”
“This is the cheapest one in my dad’s garage.”
“Bougie, die.”
Oh right, I needed to introduce the kids. Everyone had seen each other more than once, but it wasn’t a proper introduction.
“Today, he’s the driver, everyone. Say hi.”
“Hello, I’m Seo Eun-a. You saw me when I came to see my dad, right?”
“Oh, I remember. Sure.”
“I’m Im Mi-ra. Thank you for today.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to see you both being polite. I’m Gang Hwa-won. Call me whatever you like; ‘older brother’ is fine, ‘uncle’ works too. Thanks for getting along with Seol-guk all the time.”
“Am I your daughter or something?”
“Wanna try calling me dad?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Oh, considering ‘older brother’ was okay, ‘dad’ was just too much. Ah, I can’t date my dad… Yeah, I can’t date my older brother either, but that’s not just a word used in family contexts.
Ugh, I’m getting weird thoughts. My face slightly flushed due to Hwa-won’s nonsense, and I hurriedly got into the front passenger seat to hide my face.
“Everyone, buckle up.”
“Yes~”
I was relieved that Eun-a was quite good-natured. No matter how you look at it, Hwa-won and those two were still strangers. It’s more comfortable for them to have a decent relationship since they would be spending time together from now on. Just to a certain extent. Just that much.
“If you all are sleepy, take a nap.”
“I’m good.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Hmph.”
What a pouty attitude, really. I was glad that I felt better than when I only communicated through calls and texts. At least I wouldn’t get scared of these kinds of pranks anymore.
It seemed like I was worried about those communications where we never got to see each other after all.
The kids who had prepared early in the morning chatted until they soon dozed off, leaving just Hwa-won and me.
“Finally, it’s a bit quiet.”
“Was it noisy?”
“Not really.”
“Then that’s good.”
“Say something next to me too. Keep me from getting sleepy.”
“…Are you sleepy?”
Drowsy driving is a definite no-no.
“Not really, but it’s the passenger’s duty to chat with the driver.”
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped.”
We exchanged lively banter that made me laugh. It was more about the fact that I was talking to Hwa-won. By the way, isn’t there a talk about my outfit today? I dressed up prettily enough.
Curious about his reaction, I hesitated while flapping my cardigan, and Hwa-won randomly asked.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
“No, you idiot.”
“Oh wow, your vocabulary is now at an elementary school level.”
“Should I call you a ‘handsome idiot squid jellyfish’ then?”
“Just add ‘handsome’ in front.”
“Handsome idiot squid jellyfish.”
“If it’s handsome, it’s neither squid nor jellyfish, right?”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“Then I’ll call you handsome idiot.”
Really.
Even though our conversation was the same as usual, every moment felt precious like a jewel. But still… Hwa-won seemed to lack awareness. I mean, he’d been busy driving, so when would he have time to look at my outfit in detail? Let’s talk about it when we reach the rest stop.
We made jokes like usual and brought up various topics. I wanted to verify the truth of stories I heard from Hye-won, but it felt a little awkward with the kids sleeping in the back, so I decided to postpone that discussion.
We passed the first rest area and decided to take a short break at the second rest area after about three hours.
“Wake them up.”
“Hey, you two, wake up.”
“Ugh… have we arrived already?”
“Nope, it’s a rest stop. Let’s go to the bathroom and eat breakfast.”
“Okay, sure. Hey, Seo Eun-a, wake up.”
I took the two half-asleep girls to the bathroom. At this point, going to the women’s bathroom in public wasn’t a big issue, but in places with a lot of foot traffic, I still felt a bit uneasy. That’s why I took them along.
If I went in alone, someone might cause a scene based on my past. But if we stuck together, it would be difficult for them to do that.
I actually had a similar experience before. It wasn’t anything major; it was just solved when the girl disappeared and I went in after her.
“Whoa… takoyaki, jelly potatoes, hot bars, walnut snacks….”
“Buy them later. We need to eat first.”
Amid all this, Eun-a’s state of still not fully awake and muttering about food was surprising in many ways. I guess she wasn’t a morning person as I thought. She seemed fine when she was at my house earlier.
Hwa-won ordered his usual—the pork cutlet and udon—and I picked udon again just like before, but this time with fish cake skewers in it.
“I’ll have the pork cutlet too.”
“I’ll get ramen….”
Eun-a only became herself again when the food was brought in and she took her first bite. It was amusing to see her become lively all of a sudden over something as simple as ramen.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m stealing your pork cutlet.”
“I must have raised a brat.”
“Shut up; you stuffed your face last time so you wouldn’t waste food. At least say thanks.”
“You’re a bad influence.”
Taking a couple of pieces from Hwa-won’s pork cutlet, I began eating the udon after removing all the fish cakes. As usual, it tasted like typical rest stop food.
Everyone was eating normally. Eun-a was making a case to steal Mira’s pork cutlet, and Mira, not being much of an overeater, easily gave in. Hwa-won was eating his pork cutlet and udon at an almost inhaling pace.
“Is it really that good?”
“Just eating it, I guess.”
“You seem to be eating super fast.”
“You used to eat at this speed back in the day.”
“Really? That’s a lie.”
“Now you’ve got amnesia too? But you’ve gained some appetite, haven’t you?”
“Are you calling me a pig?”
“Don’t over-interpret it, idiot.”
By the way, while I was pretty fast when I was male, to be honest, it wasn’t this fast. Eventually, the first empty plate was Hwa-won’s, who had the largest portion.
“Ah, if I nap after this, that would be bliss.”
“Are you still trying to quit smoking?”
“Sometimes I can’t help but sneak a smoke.”
“That’s due to your weak will.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who quit smoking in name only.”
“Wanna switch?”
“I think I’ll keep quitting.”
Hmm, it feels like I’m getting some curious glances from the side. Eun-a and Mira were intensely finishing their food while staring at us, so it was quite natural.
“You two are really close.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Mira gave a somewhat pleasant compliment, and although there was a hint of surprise, nothing particularly strange was felt. Maybe they were just surprised that we were too friendly?
Oh right, the outfit.
In the end, Hwa-won still hadn’t mentioned my outfit first. I guess I have no choice but to bring it up myself….
“Hey, Gang Hwa-won.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
Well, it feels a bit embarrassing to say it out loud. No, was it something to be embarrassed about?
…Maybe. But I still wanted to hear it. I wanted to know what Hwa-won thought of me.
“…How do I look today?”