NOVEL WEB Chapter 237
I thought I had diluted the embarrassment of showing my swimsuit to others to some extent, but exposing my bare skin outdoors was still more shameful than I had expected.
What should I say? I felt like I had no safety mechanism regarding my body at all. So now, I was hugging my knees, awkwardly covering myself with my hands. Even though Hwa-won was next to me, it felt even more embarrassing.
I was the one who intended to show it off, yet here I was, such a bothersome girl.
“Look at them, having fun.”
Hwa-won said while watching the kids enjoying the beach from a distance. Both boys and girls were playing together, and it certainly looked that way. Seo Yeon-seo appeared more energetic than I expected, while Eun-a seemed to be gasping for breath.
Could that really be that fun? Eun-a and Mira were probably just given some free time during their studies, and the other kids were at an age where even the sight of leaves swirling in the wind could entertain them, so it wasn’t particularly strange, but it was an emotion I couldn’t relate to as an indoor person like myself.
“Right. I don’t really get it, though.”
“Just looking at you, it seems like you should be having the most fun.”
“Don’t tease me.”
Humans are animals of adaptation, or so someone said. At first, my face burned and my heart raced, but after a while, being close to Hwa-won made it a bit more bearable.
We were sitting on a mat under a parasol at the corner of the beach. Of course, we weren’t sticking to each other since we were both bare-skinned, but we weren’t too far apart either.
“Don’t you want to play?”
“Come on. What am I going to do playing with those little kids?”
“They’re not that bad.”
“They look the same to me.”
“Hey, old man.”
“Hey, old lady.”
“Want to die?!”
“Girls always hate being called that.”
“I-I don’t look like an old lady, do I?”
No matter how much I wanted to look mature, there should be limits. I wasn’t a young lady, and being called an old lady was too much.
“How about you? Can’t you go play?”
“I prefer just relaxing like this.”
“It’s a waste to come here just to laze around.”
“What about you?”
“I didn’t come here to play, did I?”
“If you didn’t come to play, then what?”
“I came to look after the kids.”
I lightly flicked my fist at Hwa-won. There was no strength behind it. I merely brushed against Hwa-won’s body. The beachwear barely made contact with bare skin.
“You’re even more childish than I am.”
Yeah, thinking about it, it was Hwa-won who was being immature, not me. How many times had I listened to his complaints? I had put up with his whining every time we drank.
“Huh? No, that’s not right. Think about it reasonably.”
“You were just whining about your dad last year in front of me.”
“Weren’t you whining too? The times you’ve cried in front of me…”
“I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!”
I have no such memory. If I don’t remember it, it didn’t happen.
“You’re a kid.”
“No, I’m not!”
“Child.”
“You’re a player.”
“Elementary school student.”
“Some guy.”
“Hey, come on, I’m not some guy.”
Hmm… This could be a divisive opinion. Hwa-won could definitely be like that if he was broke, but he hadn’t really experienced that much, so it meant he had some money. Besides, he got allowances from his dad.
“Then… a bad son wasting dad’s money.”
“It’s fine to be like that with him.”
This was something to deny.
“That’s not wrong.”
“Earlier, you called me older brother…”
Ahhhhh, don’t bring that up! We shouldn’t be talking about that! If you were going to mention it, at least a few months should pass, right?! By then, I’d be able to accept it with a smile!!
“I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you.”
“Are you really a kid?”
“Have you ever seen such a mature child?”
“…Where do you see it?”
Hwa-won made a serious expression. I’m a bit hurt by this.
“Your heart.”
Anyway, even if I look like a child, my mind is still perfectly adult. My body might be small, but my mind is mature! Well, that’s how it is. Actually, they say even the brain changes, so that’s not entirely true. My mind is the same, the same. Anyway, that’s it.
Even if I’ve changed, the important thing is, I’m still me.
“Was that a joke? I liked it. I’ll give you a hundred points.”
Of course, Hwa-won wouldn’t understand my thoughts and just kept teasing me.
“I don’t get why girls like you.”
“Good-looking, rich, tall, good body, nice personality.”
“The last one is definitely a lie.”
“And I’m good at nighttime activities.”
“Pfff!!”
Seriously, why is that coming up here?
“Why are you laughing?”
“Don’t spring that on me suddenly! That really just makes you seem more immature! Are you an elementary school student?”
“Are you the one blushing over this?”
“I didn’t blush!!”
“Want me to take a picture and show you?”
“Get lost!”
Even saying that, I didn’t really want Hwa-won to go away. Knowing that he understood that, he was watching me with a relaxed expression, which only made me more irritated, and I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“If you aren’t going, then I have to.”
I walked as slowly as I could to create some space. If I went a little further, the trees would block us from seeing each other.
…Not going to chase me?
I hid behind a large tree and stuck my head out. Hwa-won was still there, not even looking this way. He was even comfortably lying down. Seriously, that makes me angry. But my pride wouldn’t let me go back.
Should I go back to the villa and get something to drink? There should be some drinks over there, right? Hmm… Well, what can I do? If they don’t come here, I have to go there. Should I take some drinks… and snacks too?
Upon arriving at the villa, I found Eun-a and Kang Si-on sprawled out at the terrace table. They probably came over while we were bickering.
But while Eun-a is a bit lacking in stamina, it’s surprising to see Kang Si-on, a boy and an idol trainee, here.
“What are you doing here?”
“…Just resting. Can’t you see?”
Eun-a seemed a bit grumpy since I had hit her quite hard earlier. No, actually, it didn’t seem like she was grumpy because I hit her; she just appeared tired. Up until a moment ago, she had been bothering me and trying to take pictures with her phone, and I had to block her by saying I would tell Professor Seo.
“Uh, I’m just… a bit worn out.”
“Surprising. I thought as a trainee, you would have good stamina since you practice dancing and all.”
“No, mentally. Si-woo is flirting with Yeon-seo, and Kang-hyeon keeps hitting on that Mira-noona, and Mira-noona seems to like it. Watching that tires me out.”
“Totally disgusting.”
Ah, so this was a kind of solo meeting. It seems she fled because she was tired of the lovey-dovey actions of the couples or those who were about to become couples. Eun-a was perpetually single, and Kang Si-on couldn’t date since he was an idol trainee. Han Si-woo was openly dating, but that was just because he was the CEO’s son, so he got passed over.
“Eun-a, you should get a boyfriend in college or something.”
“There are only idiots at college…”
“True. I was kind of dumb when I was in college too.”
“I just want to date an older girl…”
“Ew, no thanks.”
Am I crazy?
“That’s harsh…”
Well, Eun-a wasn’t being serious either. She wasn’t actually disappointed; she was just over-exaggerating for effect.
Anyway, I ended up leaving Kang Si-on out of the conversation again.
“Since you two are together, why don’t you play together?”
“I’m into older guys…”
I’m not really curious about that, Eun-a…
“Still, he’s handsome enough. Just think of it as investing in future value.”
“I’m listening, you know…”
Ah, is this what it’s like to prattle on without the person even thinking about it? But I wasn’t seriously telling them to date; I just meant they should do something while they were together.
“It’s not like just talking means you start dating, so find some common interests and chat about them. Si-on, you did well when you were talking about that what was it? Bots? You talked about it well.”
“No… that, that’s a bit… too embarrassing, I guess.”
“Ah… that, the anime with girls in a band.”
“Ah, you know it?!”
This was not surprising. Eun-a had read countless translated foreign novels, but she didn’t seem into subculture. However, since she liked adult literature, she must have been interested in web novels and, being active in communities, it was unusual not to know at least that much.
“Have you seen it? I really love that one…!”
“But that one doesn’t have a second season.”
“…It will come out.”
Bamboo? She’s using hard words. Is this a Buddhist term? Should I take it to mean someone ordinary, not the perpetrator?
“It seems we have more in common than I thought. I’m leaving, so you two enjoy yourselves.”
“This seems quite the opposite…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about anyway.”
Leaving such words behind, I went into the villa. I grabbed two bags of snacks and two cans of drinks, and as I was about to head back outside,
“Why are you taking so long?”
Hwa-won was waiting for me outside. And I could also see Eun-a peeking at me from the terrace.
Though I was planning to return anyway, thinking about earlier, I just said it in a huffy manner.
“I said I was going.”
“Then what about those snacks and cans?”
“I-I brought them for myself!”
“Are you a pig?”
“I’m not a pig!!”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll just be alone then.”
After saying that, Hwa-won turned away without any regrets. Wait, that’s not how it should be. I couldn’t tell him to stop for my pride, so I slowed my steps and followed behind him. When I looked back, I saw Eun-a giving me a thumbs up. Just know that you’ll get another hit later.
I discreetly followed Hwa-won, but realistically, I didn’t think Hwa-won wouldn’t notice me. He’d probably pretend not to see me and then call me over, right? Or maybe he’d surprise me. But as I followed along, Hwa-won suddenly turned around in an instant.
“Aren’t you supposed to be alone?”
“When did I ever say that?”
“You said you were going, and you’re going to eat those snacks alone.”
…This wasn’t in the script.
“I only said I was going, not that I would be alone.”
I thought that was a childish remark, but it was the only thing that came to mind at that moment. If Hwa-won were to insist, I’d be the one losing out here.
“Fine, fine. Just come here.”
Hwa-won gave a faint laugh and eventually said what I wanted to hear. I quickly stepped up to walk beside Hwa-won. I was moving three times faster than when I’d distanced myself from him earlier.
“If you ever say something about my being mature or whatever, know you’re dead.”
“Of course, I don’t want to hear you say that my personality is nice or whatever.”
I stuck my tongue out and retaliated against Hwa-won’s words. Of course, I didn’t genuinely think his personality was bad, but half of the people in the world would probably think that about him.
“You’re completely immature too.”
“By saying that, you’re also admitting you’re childish.”
“I’m an adult.”
Legally and mentally.
“Sure, sure, should I start calling you older sister from now on?”
“Yes, from now on, call me that. Seo-guk noona.”
“Not a chance.”
“Seriously.”
Today seemed like it would be a good day.