The last beach in Seo-jun’s memory was Seolli Beach.

It was also the place where he had once come with his now-faint-faced best friends, as if looking at them through a fogged-up camera lens.

‘I wonder if they’re doing well.’

Since returning, he hadn’t even thought about looking them up.

Well… that probably meant he had been too busy living a satisfying life.

“...But is Seo-woo doing this too?”

At that moment.

The woman who had introduced herself as Kim I-seul had an awkward expression.

“We included a child in the reservation. Didn’t you check?”

“Ah… I think my mom must have checked. This snorkeling experience, you see that island over there?”

Kim I-seul pointed to a small island.

“That’s where it takes place. To get there, you’ll ride that banana boat. But if the waves are too rough on the way, even adults can struggle.”

“If that’s all, it’s fine.”

It was Park Yeon.

“Pardon?”

“I’ll hold him while we ride.”

“That would be even more dangerous…”

“It’s really fine.”

A back-and-forth argument of ‘it’s fine’ versus ‘it’s dangerous’ repeated several times. The one who finally conceded was Kim I-seul.

‘I guess I’ll just have to go as slowly as possible.’

With that thought, Kim I-seul got onto the jet ski connected to the banana boat.

“We’re setting off.”

Bwoooong—!

The jet ski roared as it moved forward, pulling the banana boat along with it.

Splaaash!

Each time a wave hit, the boat swayed as if it would flip over. Alarmed, Kim I-seul turned around to check—

‘What the…’

Everyone looked completely calm.

Even the child, Seo-woo, who had called that man his "big uncle," was leisurely looking around without even holding onto the handles.

The most impressive was Park Yeon. Even while holding a child in one arm, he didn’t budge an inch.

In response, Kim I-seul sped up a little more. Thanks to that, they reached the island quickly.

The snorkeling session began after Kim I-seul’s brief explanation.

The waters of the southern sea were incredibly clear, resembling the emerald-green oceans of Southeast Asia.

Seo-jun gazed absentmindedly at the sparkling water.

“Aren’t you going in?”

Noticing his hesitation, Kim I-seul approached and asked.

“The water is so clear.”

“Right?”

“I just want to look at it a bit longer before going in.”

As Kim I-seul nodded and stepped back, Seo-jun continued staring at the sea.

Memories that had been sleeping beneath the surface started resurfacing.

Snorkeling with his friends.

Now that he thought about it, there had been an incident.

‘There was a jellyfish.’

That was the first time he had ever seen one.

It had been enormous… One of his friends had even gotten stung.

They had quickly treated it with saline water, but he recalled that the sting had still left a wound.

Seo-jun chuckled softly at the memory before shifting his gaze back to the ocean.

“Blub-blub!”

“Seo-woo, are you okay?”

“Yeah!”

“There are a lot of fish down there, right?”

“Tons!”

Hearing Seo-woo’s cheerful laughter, Seo-jun found himself laughing too.

His old friends weren’t here, but memories could always be made anew.

With that thought, Seo-jun stepped into the water.

‘This is my last chance.’

Kim I-seul was getting anxious.

Throughout the entire snorkeling session, she hadn’t been able to speak to Park Yeon even once.

He was, in a good way, a pure person.

At first, he had grumbled.

“I don’t understand why I need all this. I could just go in without it.”

But once he put on the gear and entered the water, he had the time of his life.

“Kuhuhu. I can see fish, I can see rocks, I can see shells—I can see everything!”

Because of that, she hadn’t had a single chance to talk to him, but now that the experience was over, she had to find some way to start a conversation.

Just in time, after returning the snorkeling equipment, Park Yeon’s family had gone back to the beach for more fun.

Only Park Yeon remained behind, struggling to take off his life vest.

“I’ll do it for you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“How long did you say you’d be staying?”

“Two nights and three days.”

“Where are you staying?”

“There.”

When Park Yeon pointed to his lodging, Kim I-seul was taken aback.

It was the pension her mother ran.

Kim I-seul didn’t believe in fate.

But… perhaps fate did exist, at least for certain people?

There were more than a dozen pensions in the area. Yet of all places, he had chosen to stay at hers?

This had to be fate, or so she thought.

‘Still, I should at least ask for his number.’

She could always use managing the pension as an excuse to contact him.

“What a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?”

“My mother runs that place.”

“Ah, is that so? Then I-seul Pension’s I-seul must be…”

“Yes, it’s my name.”

“Hooh. Just as you said, what an incredible coincidence. How surprising.”

“So, about that, Yeon…”

“Hmm?”

Park Yeon tilted his head with an innocent expression.

That made Kim I-seul hesitate.

How should she ask for his number?

This was the first time she’d been in such a situation, so she had no idea what to do. After much deliberation, she finally came up with a suitable excuse.

“Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”

“My phone?”

“Yes. I left mine at home, but I need to urgently call my mom.”

“That’s no trouble. Hey, Park Doo-shik!”

Doo-shik, who had been sitting on the beach, turned his head.

“What, you barefooted warrior who takes off his shoes before getting in a car?”

“Bring me my phone!”

“If you need it, come get it yourself!”

“Hey!”

“Hey, my ass. Just come get it.”

Park Yeon let out an awkward laugh.

“He’s a bit rude.”

“…I see.”

“Hold on.”

Before long, Park Yeon brought back his phone and handed it over. Kim I-seul’s heart pounded wildly.

Suppressing her nerves, she quickly dialed her own number.

Brrrrr!

The phone on the table vibrated, and she put on a deliberately surprised expression.

“Huh? Why is it here? I was sure I left it at home…”

Anyone could see it was an unconvincing act. And that was exactly what Kim I-seul intended.

‘Even someone as clueless as Park Yeon should realize by now, right?’

With that thought, she returned the phone.

“I’ll just use mine. Thanks for lending it to me.”

“Glad it was useful. See you later, then.”

“Huh? Later?”

“Didn’t you say you live at I-seul Pension?”

“Ah…”

“We’ll probably be grilling some meat later, so come by and grab a few pieces if you’d like. That demon king over there might look like that, but he’s actually quite skilled at cooking.”

Kim I-seul smiled to herself.

So Park Yeon had definitely caught on. Otherwise, why would he invite her to dinner?

“Then I’ll see you later!”

“Let’s do that.”

Leaving behind a blushing and flustered Kim I-seul, Park Yeon ran toward the sea.

Seo-jun immediately called him out.

“Why are you so late? Seo-woo’s been waiting for you.”

“Seo-woo?”

“Yeah.”

“Ooooh… Has Seo-woo finally come to need me? Kukuku. Ah, but Demon King, earlier you said we had too much meat, right?”

“Yeah, so I was just going to store it in a subspace and take it back later.”

“Kukuku. Don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of it.”

“Wow! A pretty noona!”

Seo-woo, who had been staring endlessly at the meat, suddenly shouted, making four heads snap around.

Their gazes landed on Kim I-seul, standing hesitantly in a dress.

“I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to join since you’re all eating as a family.”

“Thanks to you, we had a great time snorkeling, so don’t worry about it. I never would’ve guessed your mother runs this place.”

“I didn’t expect Yeon-jun’s family to be staying here either.”

“But… what’s that you’re holding?”

“Ah! It’s infused liquor. I felt it’d be a bit rude to come empty-handed.”

“You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Seo-jun, who was grilling the meat, sparkled with interest.

Plum wine.

With infused liquor, proper sealing was everything.

The bottle Kim I-seul had brought was not only tightly sealed but also wrapped in cloth, yet the subtle aroma unmistakably revealed it as plum wine.

Gulp.

There was no better side dish thief than well-aged plum wine. Especially its tangy, slightly bitter taste—that was the true charm of plum wine.

Meanwhile, Kim I-seul took a seat beside Park Yeon, who happened to have an empty spot next to him.

Soon, dinner began.

It was a satisfying meal. The combination of charcoal-grilled Krekseg pork belly and plum wine was simply divine.

“Yaaawn… Dad, I’m sleepy.”

As they enjoyed their food and drinks in a warm atmosphere, the clock hands had already crept past nine.

For young Seo-woo, who had spent the entire day splashing around in the water, it was time for bed.

Yeon-jun got up and took Seo-woo back to their lodging. Seo-jun followed soon after.

“M— No, Seo-jun hyung, where are you going?”

“We’re out of alcohol, so I’m going to buy some.”

“Ah! I’ll go instead!”

“No, I’ll go alone. I could use a walk.”

“No way! How could I just sit here comfortably? At the very least, let me carry the bags.”

When even Doo-shik stood up to follow Seo-jun, the only ones left at the table were Park Yeon and Kim I-seul.

“The pork belly was really delicious.”

“Indeed. The pickled radish never gets old.”

“Huh?”

“It was a pun on ‘never gets old’ (도무지) and pickled radish (단무지).”

Park Yeon chuckled at his own joke. He could feel his sense of humor improving.

“How old did you say you were again, Park Yeon? I think I heard it earlier, but I can’t remember.”

“Thirty.”

“What?”

“Surprised?”

“Yes… You don’t look it at all.”

“I do have a youthful face. If my surname were Han, I’d be Han-dongan (forever young).”

Chuckles.

Kim I-seul barely registered his dad joke.

‘A four-year age gap.’

It was said that couples with a four-year gap didn’t even need to check their compatibility. That meant… destiny!

“I’m so full.”

“Are you?”

“Aren’t you, Park Yeon?”

“I am.”

“Then why don’t we take a walk to help with digestion?”

“A walk?”

“Yes.”

“Well, alright.”

By now, he must have definitely caught on.

Thanks to that, the walk went smoothly.

The two strolled, chatting about various topics, and the atmosphere wasn’t bad at all.

As they walked, Kim I-seul casually brought it up.

“I feel like we really have good conversations, Park Yeon.”

“I think so too. You’re the first woman I’ve ever talked to this effortlessly.”

“Really? I’m the first?”

Park Yeon nodded.

Until now, he had never met anyone he could talk to so freely about movies.

Even Hwang Tae-su couldn’t hold a proper conversation when it came to films.

But this woman was different.

No matter what movie he brought up, she answered smoothly, without hesitation. She even knew the names of directors he wasn’t familiar with.

…Of course, Kim I-seul had no idea what was going on in Park Yeon’s head as she slyly suggested,

“Then, why don’t we be friends?”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. Friends.”

At those words, something Seo-jun had said before suddenly flashed through Park Yeon’s mind.

- “Anyway, if you’re bored, go out and make some friends.”