Chapter 27: I thought it was a no-no, but you really came

A briny, refreshing scent mixed with the wind, piercing my nostrils, and the cries of birds echoed from beyond the horizon.
More than the sound of the waves crashing before my eyes, these things made me realize I had arrived at the sea.

“Ah, please give me the receipt. I’ll transfer the amount written on it to your account, Mr. Dojin.”
“It’s alright.”
“It’s the young lady’s order. If you don’t comply, I’ll be in a very difficult situation, so even if it’s inconvenient, please cooperate with your generous understanding, Mr. Dojin.”

I handed Oh Cheongmyeong the receipt I received after purchasing groceries at a nearby discount mart. After getting out of the car, he had reverted to the humble and gentle ‘Attendant Oh Cheongmyeong’.

“Are we riding this? Really? We’re going on this?”

Meanwhile, Han Yeoreum, her mouth agape from drooling just moments before, kept repeating the same words. It was understandable.
A boat was docked before us. Not just any fishing boat typically used to reach islands, but a cruise-type yacht of a different dimension.

The sleek bow, reminiscent of a jet, the open lounge, and the comfortable chairs installed there, allowing one to simultaneously enjoy the sea and sky, came into view one by one.
The interior, glimpsed through the balcony on the lower deck, was so luxuriously decorated that it resembled a three-star hotel.

“I apologize. I wanted to escort you on a better boat, but this is the only one currently available.”
“There’s something better than this…?”

“Please board.”
“Just the two of us? I thought we were all going together.”

I said.

“According to the young lady, due to a sudden work matter at the company, the arrival of some individuals will be delayed. She instructed us to proceed with those who have arrived without waiting.”

Come to think of it, the letter from Dasom I saw this morning also mentioned she would be a little late due to work.
We followed Oh Cheongmyeong’s guidance and boarded. As expected, the interior of the yacht was so lavish that I hesitated to even step inside.

“Crazy, what kind of boat is better than a house…?”

The plastic bag Han Yeoreum was holding fell with a thud.

****

About 30 minutes after the yacht departed, a small pier and a lighthouse came into our view as we sat in the lounge, admiring the scenery outside.
I hadn’t realized it from afar, but now that we were here, it was quite a large island, contrary to Oh Cheongmyeong’s words.

Right in front of the pier, stairs leading to the forest and a lift for transporting goods were installed. To the right, a road stretched along the side of the island.

The refreshing trees, the crashing waves, and the sea breeze caressing our cheeks felt incredibly invigorating.

“It’s incredibly well-maintained. I thought you said it was an uninhabited island…”
“Yes, the company manages it periodically. Well, it’s purely a waste of money, though.”

There seemed to be a hidden meaning in Oh Cheongmyeong’s reply to Han Yeoreum, who was looking around the island.
He brushed back his bangs, which were fluttering in the wind, and spoke, his temples twitching.

“You’d be truly astounded if you heard the amount of money spent to supply electricity to this island. It’s fortunate that it can be used as a meaningful place like this today, at least.”

Oh Cheongmyeong, who had been gazing at the island with a twisted smile for a long time, soon returned to his usual expression and continued cheerfully.

“First, today’s schedule will take place on the back side of the island, so I’ll take you there.”

Oh Cheongmyeong said, pointing to an electric cart parked on the road. It was an electric cart one might see on a golf course, but much larger and more luxurious.

“We’ll depart now.”

The electric cart sped along the road that followed the island’s perimeter, making a cheerful sound.

“Excuse me, does this island have a name?”
“Yes, it’s tentatively called Cheongwado (靑蛙島).”
“Cheongwa? Blue frog?”

Han Yeoreum tilted her head.

“Haha, in Korean, it means Blue Frog Island. The previous chairman named it on the spot after looking around the island. It’s because many whimsical things happen on this island. The current chairman says that’s its charm, though…”
“Whimsical… Like what?”
“Well, you’ll find out in due time. Experiencing it yourself is part of the fun.”
“Hmm…”

Han Yeoreum rested her chin on her hand and let out a soft groan. She was probably trying to guess what that “whimsicalness” might be.

“Since we’re talking about the island, I’ll give you a brief tour of the facilities. In the forest rising on the left, there’s a small park perfect for walks and a villa for a good night’s sleep. On the back side of the island, where we’re heading now, there’s a beach and a campground where you can enjoy light swimming or a campfire…”

Listening to his explanation, I slowly admired the island, which was enveloped in a cool breeze.

…

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope you have a wonderful time.”

We decided to get off a little further from our destination, as Han Yeoreum had requested to see the sea.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Leaving the receding electric cart behind, we walked along the beach towards the campground, our meeting point.

“Strange smell. And it’s sticky.”

Han Yeoreum muttered quietly. The sensation of seawater seeping between her sandals and tickling the soles of her feet seemed unfamiliar.

“Actually, this is my first time. Coming to the beach.”
“Really.”
“It’s refreshing.”
“Yeah.”

I just gave appropriate responses, not adding much else.
Because I didn’t want to disturb her as she savored the moment with a faint smile.

“Ah, I think that’s it. The campground.”
“So it is.”

A few tents, a facility seemingly inspired by caravan designs, and a restroom were situated on a hill slightly away from the sandy beach.

“We should have gotten off a bit further away, it’s closer than I thought.”

Han Yeoreum wiggled her toes, looking disappointed.

“We can come out when we have free time. There’s still plenty of time left.”
“Yeah.”

Han Yeoreum’s steps, which had been light and cheerful as she led the way, suddenly stopped.

“Looks like someone arrived before us.”
“Really?”

She stood on her tiptoes and pointed to a shimmering silhouette in the distance. A silver silhouette, swaying as if dancing.

“…Hah, I didn’t think so, but you really came.”

****

…Han Yeoreum clutched her head, unable to bear the throbbing headache.

“Garyeon.”
“Shut up, you traitor… I heard everything from Minseo. You’re taking care of a runaway girl, right? Ha, I wondered what was going on when you suddenly quit the company, muttering strange things. In the end, it’s another woman problem. Amazing, really.”

The headache was partly due to the jarring, shrill voice of the woman who had started spewing insults like a machine gun as soon as they arrived, without even a proper greeting, but,

“Do you know the company is a mess because of you? I, we, were so worried, thinking we did something wrong, that we couldn’t even sleep properly. And during that time, you were fooling around with a young girl! Was that girl so precious to you? Enough to abandon the film club members you’ve been with for years? What on earth are you—”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m sorry, Garyeon. For quitting so suddenly. For saying things I shouldn’t have to you all. But I didn’t quit because of this girl.”

As they say, blood is thicker than water. Han Yeoreum didn’t like the woman’s unreasonable verbal abuse towards the man.
The black-haired woman who chased him home in broken high heels, Oh Minseo with her perverted tastes, and finally, Lee Dasom, who suddenly appeared and cried her eyes out.
Han Yeoreum was well aware of how crazy the women around Yu Dojin were. And how much he had suffered because of them.

That woman is obvious too. You can tell from the way she talks that she’s rotten to the core.
No, in the first place, if she didn’t like it, she shouldn’t have come, right?

“Lies… Hah, forget it. I never expected anything from you anyway. Just apologize to Seolha when she comes. Unni, she’s completely lost it because of you. Because you said such irresponsible things.”
“I know. But before that, I want to talk to you too.”
“What did you say?”

Besides, looking closely, that woman was the same one who had hit her nose at the shopping mall the other day. Though the woman herself didn’t seem to remember at all.

“You know, because of what happened in the past, I developed a trauma and was afraid to talk to people. Even though I knew you weren’t that kind of person, I didn’t even think about trusting you or resolving it, I just kept running away. So Garyeon—”
“Shut up!”

The silver-haired woman roughly pushed Yu Dojin away as he approached her.

“Don’t give me those empty sweet-talks. It just makes me feel worse. You should be thinking about how to apologize to unni instead, if you have a brain.”

…But what was really annoying was Yu Dojin’s appearance, not even getting angry despite hearing such unreasonable insults.

Sigh.

“Ouch, ow, ow~!”

Han Yeoreum let out a strange scream and sat down on the grass of the campground, clutching her right foot. The heat that had been blazing between the two instantly subsided at her desperate cry.

“What, what’s wrong?”
“Follow me.”

Han Yeoreum whispered softly to Yu Dojin, who had come to check on her.

“What?”
“Ouch, ow, ow, ow—! A shell got stuck in my foot, it hurts so much! I-I think I’m bleeding!”

Yu Garyeon, watching them, pointed her finger towards the caravan on the opposite side.

“…There’s a first-aid kit in that caravan. You should take her there before it’s too late.”
“Okay, let’s talk more later.”

After confirming that Yu Dojin had disappeared, Yu Garyeon turned her back and started rubbing her face. Her face, on which transparent tears hung like dewdrops.