Chapter 31
Three cans of beer, one bottle of rice wine, two servings of spicy whelk bibimbap, and one serving of beef tartare.
Sua had planned to have a quiet dinner, but there was so much food on the terrace table that it could feed a few more people.
Dressed comfortably, she sat at the table in front of the villa and began to eat.
Sua’s mouth felt dry. Perhaps it was because of the trip, but she found herself reaching for the beer, something she didn’t usually drink.
Gulp. She took a sip of the cold beer.
Every time Sua took a sip, Hyun-oh also took a sip of the rice wine.
Swoosh―
The sound of waves echoed, and the salty scent of the summer sea brushed against her nose.
Hyun-oh’s hair fluttered in the wind. Now an adult, sophistication and maturity adorned his face, but seeing him casually drinking beer in a white shirt reminded her of the past. A very old memory.
* * *
He was still a college student, and Sua was still in high school.
Sua’s family had a villa in Pyeongchang. It was a beautiful building built when her grandfather was alive, with a main building and an annex. Sometimes, Sua’s brother, Jiheon, would bring his friends to hang out there.
That summer was no exception.
Jiheon and a few friends came to the villa. What was different from other years was that Hyun-oh, who was a head taller than the others, was among them.
“Hi, Sua.”
He greeted her like that, now a grown man.
“How have you been?”
Hyun-oh greeted her affectionately, but Sua was still a child.
“Hi… I’ve been good.”
She could barely greet properly, this shy girl.
Or maybe it wasn’t just because she was young. While he had no feelings for her, Sua admired and liked him, so standing in front of him made her extremely shy.
Jiheon was mischievous and unreliable, while Hyun-oh was sincere and exemplary. How they were friends was a mystery. Perhaps it was because they hung out in a group.
“I miss him… What do you think he’s doing right now?”
She didn’t usually see him often. They only bumped into each other a few times a year by chance.
But now he was right in the next building. She couldn’t bring herself to go all the way to the annex. If she peeked in and Jiheon found out about her feelings for Hyun-oh, he would tease her forever.
“I’ll make sure everyone knows, including Hyun-oh and our parents. I’ll shout it out through a speaker so that the whole country knows.”
“Sigh… I want to go too.”
As she sat on the bench in front of the main building, tapping the ground with her foot, the villa caretaker approached.
“What are you doing, miss?”
“Oh, nothing, just studying and got bored.”
She couldn’t say she was hanging around because she missed Jiheon’s friend, so she said that, and the caretaker raised an eyebrow.
“If you’re not studying, why don’t you go play in the valley?”
The valley?
Five minutes’ walk from the villa, there was a valley. The clear water flowing through the valley was good for swimming, but Sua, who didn’t like water much, preferred to hike in the mountains.
“I don’t find it fun to go to the valley alone…”
I want to go to the annex, not the valley.
Then the caretaker shook his head.
“Master Jiheon and his friends are going to play in the valley. It’ll be fun if you join them.”
At that sound, Sua’s head perked up.
With Jiheon and his friends?
Then Hyun-oh would probably be there too.
Seeing Sua hesitating, the caretaker continued.
“You seem a bit down being alone. And there’s a handsome friend there. Go and have fun.”
As if he knew about Sua’s feelings for Hyun-oh, the caretaker said, making Sua’s cheeks flush.
“Oh, no.”
“Come on. Oh, wait a moment.”
Then the caretaker came back with a basket from the garden.
“These were ripe in the field, so I picked them. Plums.”
The basket was full of ripe fruits with droplets of water sparkling on them, tempting.
“Try them. If Master Jiheon says anything, I’ll say I recommended it.”
In the end, Sua couldn’t resist and pretended to reluctantly take the basket.
* * *
As they headed to the valley, they had been playing for who knows how long. Some guys were swimming in the valley in their swimsuits, holding bottles of alcohol. No one noticed Sua’s presence.
But Hyun-oh wasn’t there. His familiar silhouette was nowhere to be seen.
“Hyun-oh isn’t here…”
Maybe he was still at the annex. Maybe I should just go back. I came for nothing.
As she turned to head back down the path, she heard a familiar voice.
“Sua, did you come to hang out?”
Her heart skipped a beat. It was the voice of the man she had been waiting for.
“Uh… Yes.”
Suddenly, he appeared from the woods, dressed in swimwear like Jiheon’s friends.
It was the first time she had seen him without clothes. His body was well-defined, with firm muscles. Not knowing where to look because of the unexpected exposure, Sua’s eyes wandered in the air.
Lowering her head hurriedly, Sua murmured.
“Oh, yes. The caretaker gave me some plums.”
“Oh, really? I’ll take them.”
He reached out and took the basket. The weight in Sua’s hand instantly lightened.
“They’re quite heavy. Thanks for bringing them.”
“Uh… You’re welcome.”
Not knowing what to say, Sua hesitated for a while before simply nodding her head. Hyun-oh looked into the basket for a moment, then took one out and wiped it before taking a bite.
Crunch.
His teeth sank into the firm flesh of the plum. The ripe juice dribbled on his red lips. Seeing this, Sua’s cheeks involuntarily flushed.
“Do you want some? Have you eaten?”
“Uh, yes.”
She took the plum he offered and took a bite as well. He silently watched her as she ate, then spoke up.
“Sua, don’t go to the valley. Go back home.”
“Huh?”
“The guys are drinking… they’re not in a good state right now.”
He chuckled lightly.
“And don’t say anything you shouldn’t.”
“…Drinking?”
“Yeah.”
It was obvious what would happen if Jiheon, who wasn’t usually well-behaved, drank.
“You didn’t drink?”
She hadn’t seen him drink before, and his tone didn’t sound inebriated at all.
“No. I didn’t drink.”
“…Are you worried you’ll get sick?”
Curiosity suddenly sparked in Sua, but he raised an eyebrow. She hurriedly added another question.
“Just…I thought, maybe someone like you would get sick from drinking.”
“Me? I…I have my own way.”
He chuckled, then reached out.
What is he doing?
Sua was startled as he gently brushed the juice from her lips with his thumb. The delicate membrane quivered under his touch.
Before she could realize what was happening, he whispered.
“Does the plum taste good? Take another one.”
“Oh, no, I’m fine.”
“Really? Well then, we’ll take these with us and enjoy them later.”
With that, he smiled.
Even after he left for the valley, Sua remained motionless for a while.
The heat remained in the spot where Hyun-oh had touched her lips. Even though she hadn’t drunk any alcohol, his touch felt hot…
* * *
Back then, and even after that, Sua never saw Hyun-oh drink alcohol.
There were times when he came back from dinners, but she never saw him drink directly, and she never saw him drunk.
Seeing him drink beer in front of her was strange. As she stared at his face, he smiled.
“What are you thinking?”
“…I wasn’t thinking anything.”
She thought about how his finger had brushed her lips, moistened by the juice, but she couldn’t say that.
“Just… seeing you drink was new to me. It reminded me of the past suddenly.”
“The past?”
“When you came to our villa a long time ago. I used to worry about you drinking with Jiheon and his friends, and I thought you might get sick from drinking too.”
Every moment with Hyun-oh was special to Sua, but perhaps Hyun-oh wouldn’t remember. He wouldn’t keep such fleeting memories.
She regretted bringing it up. She tried to pass it off with an awkward smile, but contrary to her thoughts, Hyun-oh nodded.
“Oh, was it when you brought the plums?”
His words made her heart pound. Was he remembering? Or was it because she had just drunk beer without thinking?
“But you haven’t changed much. Even after drinking.”
He had almost finished a bottle of rice wine. But unlike Sua, who had blushed, his face was unchanged.
“Why, I’ve changed a lot.”
“How so?”
“I make mistakes, I’m a bit more honest.”
He said as he put down his glass. He looked at Sua intently.
“I’m a bit more instinctual.”
As he whispered the word “instinctual,” his gaze swept over Sua, burning with intensity. Somewhere along the line, the sun had set, and the flickering light in his eyes shone through the darkness.
“Instinctual…”
“Scared?”
Then he casually placed the glass he had been holding on the table. As he leaned in, the gap between them narrowed rapidly. His sweet scent deeply permeated her lungs.
Hyun-oh brushed the flushed skin of Sua’s cheeks with his hand. With his finger, he traced the plum juice that had dripped from Sua’s red lips.
“Ah.”
Just like in high school, her lips tingled sensitively. His touch stirred the delicate membrane.
But although some things were the same as in high school, some were quite different. While back then, she would just feel hot where he touched, now she had crossed that line long ago. Every time she touched him, a tingling sensation ran down Sua’s spine. She already knew the pleasure of touching him. Even a slight stimulation made her flush easily. Even if she tried to resist, her love for him easily overwhelmed her.
Seeing that Sua didn’t move away, he continued to gently brush her lips with his still moistened lips.
“To be honest…”
His lips, moistened by alcohol, moved leisurely and calmly. His tongue moved between his lips, creating a low and deep voice.
“I want to touch you.”
“…?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“…?”
“Even more than that.”
Hyun-oh’s peculiarly strange voice echoed in her ears.
