The sea was quite different from what he had seen on TV or the internet.
The vast expanse of blue, the delicate grains of sand that felt like fine pearls, and the shadows of seagulls leisurely flying overhead—it was all like a beautiful painting, overwhelming Cha Han-gyeom’s vision. A strange sense of awe washed over him, a warmth he couldn’t quite understand.
For a moment, he stood silently, gazing at the sea, lost in thought. The car had quietly pulled into a nearly empty parking lot by the beach. Han-gyeom stepped out and headed straight for the sandy shore, followed by Seo Won, who had ordered the other bodyguards to wait.
Crunch, crunch.
The unfamiliar sensation and sound of sand under his feet made his heart race. Each step left a footprint, much like walking on snow, and the sound of waves grew louder, tickling his senses.
After a while, Han-gyeom looked up from the sandy shore he had been walking on and turned his gaze to the vast ocean under the sun.
‘The scent of the sea…
The smell of the waves, filled with sunlight, was fascinating. It carried a strong hint of salt, and a refreshing sensation different from the forest, seeping into his nostrils.
‘Just as Yeon-woo hyung described.’
Song Yeon-woo loved the sea. The orphanage where he and Song Jae-woo stayed was very close to the beach, and on windy days, the scent of the sea would fill the air. Occasionally, they would take walks along the shore with their teachers. Yeon-woo remembered every detail—the texture, the atmosphere, the unforgettable scent, and the strange sense of awe.
Those memories had become Cha Han-gyeom’s as well, as he listened intently like a child hearing a fairy tale.
Recalling Yeon-woo’s bright face as he talked about the sea, Han-gyeom turned and walked towards the waves. He stepped carefully on the wet sand at the water’s edge, feeling the gentle touch of the receding waves. The next wave brushed against the tip of his shoe.
Just as he was about to step further, Seo Won grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Are you trying to go in?”
Only then did Han-gyeom come to his senses. Even if it was his first time seeing the sea, he should have known better than to walk straight into the water. He had no change of clothes or shoes.
It was an uncharacteristic move for Cha Han-gyeom, who usually abhorred acting without a plan.
“I wasn’t planning to go in…” he murmured, gazing at the endless sea.
He simply wanted to stand in the middle of it, feeling a strange sense of calm wash over him, perhaps inspired by Song Yeon-woo’s stories or the novel tranquility of the sea itself. For a moment, he felt an urge to be swallowed by the vast blue expanse.
‘I’ve really lost it,’ he thought.
Was he becoming too immersed in his depression? Words he had always pushed away flooded his mind: escape, surrender, give up. He found himself whispering these words, as if trying to convince himself.
Just run away.
Give up.
It’ll be easier.
Han-gyeom knew he wasn’t as strong as he appeared. He felt hollow, like a rotten apple, weak and fragile. Even when he had resolved to kill Seo Won, he had hesitated, clutching his chest and gasping for breath, tempted to give up.
But his heart, beating steadily alongside Seo Won’s, seemed to urge him on, whispering tragically-
Kill me, one more time.
The irony was not lost on him. Seo Won, the cause of Song Yeon-woo’s death, had sacrificed others to save himself. Han-gyeom saw his own actions as a form of justice, a rightful revenge. He felt no guilt, only a cold determination to make Seo Won suffer as he had.
Yet, Seo Won seemed devoid of humanity, cold and hard despite carrying Yeon-woo’s heart. Han-gyeom struggled to reconcile this with the warmth Yeon-woo had brought to his life. At times, Seo Won appeared to him as a monstrous embodiment of desire.
But now…
“Watch your step,” Seo Won warned, pulling Han-gyeom back as a strong wave threatened to soak his shoes. The wave retreated, leaving a new line in the sand.
Crack.
The sound of ice freezing at his feet could be heard. The boundary line that had just been in the sand sparkled. It was a clear light, different from the shimmer of the sunlit sand.
The transparent ice that started at his feet gently swallowed the wave that was approaching Han-gyeom. The beautiful ice floor that formed on the surging sea maintained a consistent width, allowing the two to walk side by side.
Seo Won pulled Han-gyeom onto the path made of ice. Han-gyeom, helplessly dragged along, hesitated as he stepped onto the flat, solid ice.
Although the ice was clearly forming a path, he could see the water surging beneath it. The sand moving gently with the flow of the water was also vividly visible. This was both fascinating and strangely reassuring, making it hard to look away.
Seo Won grasped Han-gyeom’s hand as he stood still, his foot on the edge of the ice, gazing down at the seabed. Han-gyeom’s hand felt colder than his, perhaps from the sea breeze.
“I’ll make the path for you,” Seo Won said, taking off his outer jacket. He placed it gently on Han-gyeom’s shoulders.
“You can go further.”
As if in response to his words, the ice path extended a little further. The surging waves skirted around the frozen area, passing by.
Han-gyeom lightly grasped the jacket on his shoulders. He could feel Seo Won’s warmth, the faint scent of his cologne, his subtle aura, and his scent. It was as if he was embracing him.
Han-gyeom felt a pleasant sense of security and stretched out his foot. The ice was thin enough to see the waves clearly. It was so transparent that it was almost invisible, but Han-gyeom never worried that it might break. Seo Won’s presence beside him was reassuring enough.
Crack, crack.
With each step, he saw the ice path advancing in sync with his stride.
Inwardly, he thought he should stop Seo Won from wasting his ability on such a trivial thing, but not a single word left his mouth. The overwhelming silence seemed to block his mouth and pull his hand.
Before he knew it, he had walked quite a distance from the sandy shore. By then, he felt like he couldn’t think at all, and he didn’t want to.
‘Maybe this is why so many people love the sea.’
As Seo Won had said it was ‘cliché,’ many people wanted to visit the sea. While not everyone had the same reasons, perhaps some, like him, enjoyed clearing their minds and zoning out.
As he was thinking this, he heard a low laugh beside him. Turning his head, he saw Seo Won smiling happily.
“Why are you laughing?”
Under normal circumstances, he might have sounded quite harsh, but now he asked purely out of curiosity. The sea-blue eyes smiled again.
“Because I’m happy,” Seo Won replied, unusually expressing his feelings openly.
His large hand gently stroked Han-gyeom’s dazed face. The pale, delicate skin leaned into his touch without a hint of surprise.
Han-gyeom’s face, usually clouded with emotions and thoughts, now looked as innocent as a child’s—completely harmless. Seo Won found this expression of Han-gyeom’s incredibly endearing.
So much so that he wanted to say, “You’re beautiful.”
“I think I’ll come to love the sea too.”
