Chapter 40: Sokcho Shores: A Day of Sun, Sea, and Slurps

Again, Sokcho.

After the great misconception of the monsters, the morning dawned bright. The room next to where Siyeon had been sleeping. Mari was fast asleep, breathing with a soft rasp.

The one who entered the room was none other than Siyeon.

Gently, gently.

Siyeon, who could hardly wake up without someone else rousing her, was shaking the still-sleeping Mari under the covers.

Considering how things usually go in the mornings, their roles had completely reversed.

“Mari, wake uuuup….”

“Ungrr….”

Hearing Siyeon’s pitiful voice, Mari barely managed to pull her consciousness together.

With a strange groan, she slowly sat up.

There’s no way Siyeon had woken up before the alarm… Mari thought as she fumbled around for her smartphone.

Even with her eyes closed, she groped around to find the phone that had somehow rolled away from the bedside.

Squinting with one eye shut tight, she grabbed the phone and glanced at it with just the other barely open.

“Did the alarm not go off…?”

Pressing the power button, the smartphone’s light seemed especially bright as it illuminated her face.

That light, which didn’t usually seem so bright, felt overwhelmingly intense in the morning.

She squinted her other eye as she looked at the screen.

It was 6:48 AM. The alarm was set for 7.

Siyeon had actually woken up ridiculously early.

…Did she really want to go that badly?

Still half-asleep, Mari peered over at Siyeon through her squinted eyes.

Far from looking sleepy, Siyeon looked as alert as if she’d been up for hours.

Kids are really so selfish.

They can wake themselves up when it’s a day they’re excited about.

If only she could do that on school days too.

“Mari, since you’re up, let’s go to the sea!”

“It’s going to be too cold if we go now… Let’s eat breakfast first, breakfast.”

Siyeon was pulling on her arm, eager to head straight to the beach.

Still groggy and swaying back and forth, Mari managed to suggest breakfast first.

Even though it was summer, the early morning air was chilly.

If they went out now and caught a cold, it would be a hassle later.

“Ugh.”

Siyeon pouted slightly, puffing out her cheeks in disappointment.

Her expression was so cute it made Mari feel wide awake, but what couldn’t be done, couldn’t be done.

She poked Siyeon’s puffed-up cheek, deflating it.

“Pooof.”

As soon as Mari poked her cheek, a little puff of air escaped with a silly sound.

It was clear how much Siyeon had been looking forward to the beach.

Well, we did come all the way to Sokcho.

While we’re here, I’ll have to make sure Siyeon gets to have as much fun as possible.

“Let’s just eat a small breakfast.”

“Okay!”

Even if they ate just a little, given Siyeon’s size, it wasn’t like she could eat a lot anyway.

Opening the fridge, Mari saw an assortment of drinks, as well as ready-made meals that could be heated up in the microwave.

She grabbed a vacuum-sealed pack of carbonara spaghetti and started reading the instructions.

These days, even refrigerated food is so well-made that there’s no need to poke holes; you just pop it in the microwave, and that’s it.

Beep beep, accompanied by the orange glow inside the microwave.

The vacuum-sealed pack swelled up like a jellyfish, trembling as if it was about to burst.

Beep beep beep.

With three flat beeps, the vacuum pack, which had been swollen inside the microwave, shrank instantly.

Using my thumbs and index fingers to grasp the hot plastic container, I quickly brought it to the table.

The corner of the plastic container, which I wasn’t holding, started to tilt down as if collapsing.

“Ouch, hot!”

I endured the unexpected heat on my fingertips and brought it to the table.

Once I set it down, I suddenly felt the heat of the object, which I hadn’t noticed during the transformation, and brought my fingers to my earlobe to cool them.

Next, I grabbed two forks from the utensil holder, sat down, and handed one to Siyeon.

As soon as I tore open the vacuum-sealed pack, white steam rose up.

An alarm went off on my smartphone, signaling 7:00.

I turned off the alarm in less than three seconds and took a forkful of spaghetti that resembled udon noodles to my mouth.

“It’s tasty.”

Siyeon and I both munched on the thick spaghetti-like noodles.

It really wasn’t much, but it was enough for children.

After slowly finishing our meal, we prepared to head outside once the sun began to heat the ground.

Only then did we head out of the villa, as Siyeon had wished, to see the sea.

“Wow.”

“It’s the sea!!”

Unlike the night sea we saw after fighting monsters, this beach was sunny and crowded.

Siyeon, full of excitement, quickly changed into her swimsuit in a nearby changing room and began bouncing around on the sandy beach.

Her little girl’s swimsuit, covering her chest, felt awkward on me.

It felt like unnecessary pressure was weighing down on my upper body.

I missed the swimsuits that only covered the lower body, a simpler time.

Even though it annoyed me, I paid for the rental of a parasol to secure some shade and put down our things in the wide shadow that seemed too large for just us.

I needed to go out to the sea with Siyeon, but we couldn’t leave our belongings unattended.

That glorious task fell to our mascots.

After all, it was a noisy, crowded beach during vacation season, with all sorts of voices blending together.

Even if someone saw me talking to the mascots, they’d probably just think, “Oh, she’s just a kid talking to her stuffed toys.”

“Think of this wallet as your lifeline and hold on to it tight… If anyone besides me or Siyeon touches it, scream as if the world is ending, got it?”

The mascots didn’t respond, but the subtle nod of the bear seemed to signal understanding.

“Okay.”

In my swimsuit, I grabbed the floppy tube and headed to the spot where they inflated it.

They wanted 3,000 won just to pump air into it.

“Unbelievable.”

I cursed under my breath, imagining the 6,000 won I’d soon part with after a few pumps.

Is this what the “creative economy” is all about? Charging 3,000 won for a few pumps of air?

“Earning money must be easy for you. Some people are out there fighting in the middle of the night, flying through the sky to make a living. After being thoroughly drained of cash in the name of vacations and entertainment, we found ourselves back on the beach with Siyeon’s bright smile leading the way.

‘You know to hold onto the tube tightly, right?’

‘Yeah!’

‘And splash the water slowly.’

With the tube’s handle tucked under her waist, we stood at the point where the waves met the sand. Seawater splashed up to our chests.

From an outsider’s perspective, it was a heartwarming yet somewhat odd scene—one kid giving another kid advice.

Despite the hot weather, the seawater was cold. But maybe that’s what made it perfect?

‘This is nice.’

It felt like stepping out of a sauna and plunging right into a cold bath. Even though it was a cheap kind of thrill, it had been so long since I had immersed myself in seawater.

Come to think of it, I’d only been to the beach a few times in my past life, and those were when I was a kid with my family.

‘Kya! Haha!’

Siyeon followed me into the sea, laughing brightly as she happily splashed around with her tube.

Looking at her, I realized that, like me back then, she probably didn’t know why it was so fun. She was just enjoying being out at the beach. The same feelings I had in the past, Siyeon was feeling now.

‘Do you like being at the beach?’

‘Yeah!’

I asked casually, and she answered with a loud, joyful response.

Well, as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.

I held onto the tube handle and floated lazily, letting the hot sunlight warm my upper body while the cool seawater refreshed my lower body. The balance of heat and cold was perfect—everything was just right.

Except for one thing: my long hair, which was now soaked with seawater.

‘Baaahhh!!!’

As I drifted near Siyeon like a jellyfish, I heard a strange sound from the direction of the sand.

‘What the…?’

I looked up, and the noise was coming from our parasol, where we had left our stuff.

The sound was so loud that a chubby, balding man, who had been snooping around our belongings, jumped in surprise and quickly ran off.

He scurried away, awkwardly drawing the attention of everyone around him.

Based on that noise and the man’s suspicious actions, anyone would think he was a thief trying to steal something.

That unexpected intruder, hoping to take advantage of the bustling holiday crowd, was sent packing thanks to the heroic efforts of our trusty bear-shaped alarm.

I clapped my hands, praising the bear for doing a great job.

‘Well done.’

And so, two hours passed in what felt like no time at all. Siyeon, with her boundless energy, poured it all into playing in the sea. Soon, though, her stomach started growling, a fitting reminder given her small appetite.

‘I’m hungry….’”

Responding to Siyeon’s complaint about being hungry, we slowly trudged back under the parasol, carrying our inner tubes. We placed them down in a suitable spot. With a triumphant look on his face, Bear raised his thumb in a fist.

 

When you’re at the beach and feeling a bit peckish, nothing beats that one thing. I retrieved the wallet Bear had been clutching like his lifeline and bought two small cups of instant noodles from a street vendor set up right at the beach.

 

The vendor, who also poured hot water for us right there, placed the seasoning and water into the containers, stacked the two cups on top of each other, and balanced wooden chopsticks on top.

 

I carefully supported the towering noodle cups with my chin, making sure they wouldn’t topple over, and successfully returned under the parasol.

“Let’s eat some noodles!”

After soaking your body in the water for a long time, a single cup of noodles like this… It creates memories you can never forget. I decided to share this special taste with Siyeon.

As I pulled the folded plastic lid back with my fingers, it popped open with a little “plop,” revealing the bright red broth and steaming hot noodles inside.

 

Slurp, slurp.

 

The noodles disappeared down my throat in no time, leaving me amazed. Why is it that noodles eaten after a swim taste so special?

 

**Author’s Note (Afterword):**

Why on earth did it taste so good?

 

Next Episode >

 


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Turtle
Turtle
2 months ago

thanks for the chapter

Dawnless
Dawnless
2 months ago

Thanks for the chapter