On the second day of the school trip, after an intense kissing time—no, an intense shower time—it was talent show time.
Taking advantage of the noisy and chaotic moment, Gong Pyeonghwa lured the model student Shin Saebyeok away.
Saebyeok had thought they’d just take a walk around, never expecting they’d even catch a taxi, so he hesitated, but Gong Pyeonghwa dragged him along with bulldozer-like momentum.
“We shouldn’t be doing this……”
Unauthorized departure—for Saebyeok, who had never skipped class even once, this was an enormous deviation.
He seemed incredibly excited in the shower booth earlier, but still, still… was it that? Some kind of sexual activity that students shouldn’t be doing?
He had thought that day would come (?) someday, but he didn’t expect it to arrive so suddenly.
If he had to choose whether he liked it or not… well, he didn’t dislike it!
But he couldn’t help feeling anxious…
“No, when we went to POSCO earlier, we passed by the sea, and I really regretted just passing by.”
Gong Pyeonghwa pulled Saebyeok along. Leaving the motel district behind, they headed for the beach.
“It’s frustrating that we can’t have proper dates, but just looking at the sea should be fine, right?”
The wide-open sea felt more frightening than refreshing or pretty.
The pitch-black sea looked depressing, and the seawater looked more like ink than seawater.
It seemed like rain was lightly hitting the taxi window, and indeed, it was raining. Thanks to the drizzle that barely warranted an umbrella, the already humid sea felt even more humid.
Gyeongsang Province was supposed to not be that cold even in winter, but maybe they had picked the wrong dates for the school trip—it was autumn, yet it was raining and cold. Maybe it felt colder because they were by the sea.
“It’s Songdo Beach. They should include beaches in the trip itinerary, not just POSCO. Don’t you think?”
“……I guess so.”
Saebyeok, who had found the steel mill surprisingly interesting and fun, halfheartedly sympathized with Pyeonghwa’s sentiments while looking at the sea with little emotion.
The sea seemed the same everywhere, but for some reason, Pyeonghwa was excited.
“Sea sea sea sea. It’s the sea. Sea. Sea.”
Everyone already knows it’s the sea without you saying it so much.
After observing the excited Pyeonghwa for a while, thinking it would be memorable, Saebyeok also took out his phone next to him.
The inky sea filled his phone screen.
The dark seawater approaching from afar gradually faded, turning into a blue-green color as it hit the shore.
The blue-green seawater repeatedly spat out white foam.
Watching the waves blankly, it strangely began to feel special.
There were no seagulls, and because it was raining and cold, even human footsteps had ceased on the night beach, which only now caught his eye.
As the sea rustled, the waves made crashing sounds, and between the natural noises, Pyeonghwa’s voice could be heard.
Suddenly, Saebyeok couldn’t help but regret how slow technological advancement was.
He wanted to capture and keep forever this temperature and humidity felt on his skin, the sound of the sea, Pyeonghwa’s voice, and this emotion that couldn’t be expressed with essay exam vocabulary.
By tomorrow, or the day after, or next year, or in ten years, he would forget this sensation.
If this moment couldn’t be eternal, he wanted to at least capture a piece of it.
That’s how much Saebyeok liked the night sea, the rainy day, the cold windy weather, and Pyeonghwa who was excited like a child.
“These waves are fucking awesome.”
Pyeonghwa, more emotional than anyone, boasted an incredibly shallow vocabulary.
“I think the waves are whiter because the sea has high salinity.”
“What don’t you know? You’re so fucking smart. Really. Intelligence drips from every word you speak.”
Your shallowness is…, no. He was cute enough, so Saebyeok kept his mouth shut.
“Let’s take a walk since we’re here.”
“It’s raining, is that okay?”
“Can we even call this rain?”
“Whoa, such a manly man.”
Manly man Shin Saebyeok and Gong Pyeonghwa walked along the deserted beach.
The ground wasn’t muddy enough to make their feet sink in, but it also lacked the characteristic softness of a sandy beach.
It felt like walking on slightly dried ground after rain. They walked in the same direction on the soft sandy beach.
Briefly letting go of their tightly held hands, Pyeonghwa ran across the sandy beach. Saebyeok followed, as if trying to match his footsteps over the footprints Pyeonghwa had left.
As if it were some kind of game, he kept his head down and matched his pace to Pyeonghwa’s stride.
Shin Saebyeok’s steps aligned with the ones Gong Pyeonghwa had taken.
Saebyeok, who had been walking like that for a while with his eyes on the ground, suddenly stopped.
There were no more footprints to follow.
When he looked up, Pyeonghwa was standing with his hands in his coat pockets, chest spread wide, smiling.
“I’ve warmed up my body. Hurry and come into my arms before I cool down.”
Instead of asking if that was why he had run ahead, Saebyeok silently embraced Pyeonghwa. He could clearly hear the sound of a beating heart.
Whether it was the pheromones and body heat mixed with the cold wind that were welcome, or the smile more refreshing than the summer sun, Saebyeok laughed out loud for once.
With the salty, humid sea breeze blowing, his hair flew about wildly, and the weather was so cold that his nose and fingers were frozen stiff.
It was a state where no one would even jokingly call him handsome, yet his laughing mouth corners and crescent moon-like narrow eyes couldn’t have looked more attractive.
Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok laughed together, sharing body heat.
In the quiet night sea, the laughter of the two mixed with the waves and broke apart.
▶▶▶
“It’s not raining today, should we walk a bit?”
“Sure.”
It wasn’t raining, and it was warm for winter. Actually warmer than autumn ten years ago.
Still, Pyeonghwa held out his hand just like back then.
He interlaced his fingers with Saebyeok’s hand and put it in his coat pocket, rolling it around. Soon, their hands became very warm.
The sea was still pitch black.
Of course that was natural at night, but still, it was pitch black. They say mountains and rivers change in ten years, but apparently not the sea.
Not only the classmates they hadn’t seen in ten years, but the bookstore they used to visit frequently had turned into a coin karaoke, and the snack shop they thought would never go out of business had become a franchise.
He thought it would be hard to find any traces of the past, but there was something very close that hadn’t changed.
The night sea.
The person who came to the night sea with him.
The person walking the night sea with him.
The person who tries to feed him first whenever there’s something delicious, and immediately gives his body heat when he looks cold.
The person who wears a coat instead of a long padded jacket, whose hair is a bit shorter, and whose frame has grown larger, but otherwise hasn’t changed.
Someone who can still laugh like a boy.
“Wow, these waves are fucking awesome.”
My Pyeonghwa.
Saebyeok fell in love again.
As if knowing his feelings, the waves broke beautifully.
Pyeonghwa, confirming that Saebyeok’s hand was warm, pulled it out of his pocket.
Then he ran ahead, creating distance between himself and Saebyeok.
As if he had developed a taste for reenactment. Saebyeok decided to play along and, unlike ten years ago, walked on the sandy beach where footprints were clearly visible.
Although his feet weren’t sinking deeply, he could feel sand gradually getting into his shoes.
When only one step remained between Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok, Saebyeok, who had been looking down, raised his head.
Pyeonghwa, with a sly face, spread his chest wide.
“What are you doing? Not embracing your husband’s broad chest?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, I just killed that rhyme. Should we be a hip-hop couple?”
“Oh come on.”
Pyeonghwa giggled and embraced Saebyeok.
“This feels really good. I can clearly feel you coming to me.”
The inexperienced lovers who once had to gauge the timing for kisses had now become quite mature spouses who could understand without having to say anything.
Right now.
Their lips, which had been holding winter’s temperature, quickly warmed with each other’s body heat.
◀◀◀
“Ah, shit. Are you very cold? Should we go into a cafe? No, let’s go into a cafe. Your whole body is like ice. Oh my.”
Pyeonghwa rubbed his hands together with a fuss. He brought the inadequate friction heat to Saebyeok’s cheeks and made all kinds of exaggerated noises.
“It’s f—”
Before he could say it was fine, Pyeonghwa put his coat on Saebyeok, turning him into a human kimbap, and dragged him into a nearby cafe.
Having been dragged out in a hurry without bringing any money, Saebyeok just said they should go back soon, with the typical nervous words of a model student.
“Let’s warm up before going back. Oh my, your head is frozen.”
Pyeonghwa ordered two hot drinks and ice cream. Ice cream in the cold weather?
Since there weren’t many customers, the drinks came out quickly.
After firmly bringing cream latte, strawberry milk tea latte, and yogurt ice cream, Pyeonghwa eventually claimed to have made eye contact with the sweet potato cream waffle in the showcase and brought that too.
The sight of him meticulously drying each strand of Saebyeok’s hair with a napkin was extremely devoted and touching, but it also felt like a monkey picking lice, making it a bit embarrassing.
“You need to sleep at night, so just have one bite of this.”
Carefully scooping the top part of the cream latte with a spoon and bringing it to Saebyeok’s mouth, Pyeonghwa showed off with the caffeine.
He did eat it since it was offered, but ah… it was worth showing off? It’s delicious?
It was tastier than expected, making the strawberry milk tea latte seem a bit bland in comparison.
“Hah… I was really not going to let you have ice cream in this weather, but since they said it’s their signature, just have one bite.”
How fragile does he think people are? This time, he was showing off with ice cream.
“……”
And the ice cream was also worth showing off. This place is good?
Though not as much as Pyeonghwa made it out to be, it was indeed cold, so being in a warm place drinking something warm made his body feel comfortably relaxed, almost to the point of wanting to stretch out.
But unfortunately, the cafe was about to close, and the delinquent students Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok, who had left without permission, had to return to their accommodation, if only to complete their perfect crime.
▶▶▶
As adults, Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok didn’t have to go back to any accommodation.
They didn’t need to be anxious about not being able to catch a taxi, nor did they need to be mindful of adults.
“I told Butler Hwang. Let’s stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. I’ll drive tomorrow.”
“No need. I’m the one who took the wrong turn and ended up driving long distance. I should do it. You must be extremely tired? Want me to give you a massage?”
Gong Pyeonghwa and Saebyeok entered a nearby hotel. Stretching his body, which was indeed stiff from the unexpected long drive, Pyeonghwa kneaded Saebyeok’s shoulders firmly.
Saebyeok still often got tense, so his shoulders were frequently stiff.
Today too, perhaps from being nervous while riding the amusement park rides, his shoulders were rigid.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
