episode_0066

Seo Eisu was now a respectable earthling.

And at the same time, she was proud to have become somewhat accustomed to life as a woman.

So, while staying in a hotel room with Gil Hye-yeon.

“Eisu, did you forget to bring your swimsuit? I knew you wouldn’t, so I prepared one for you. How about it?”

Even when Gil Hye-yeon pulled out something resembling underwear, Seo Eisu could remain unfazed.

Being distracted by women’s underwear is something only inexperienced women would do.

Seo Eisu casually replied, “Yeah, it’s quite pretty. Is this also a gift?”

“Yeah. I’m glad you think so. Now, hurry up and change into it.”

“…Go out?”

However, despite being Seo Eisu, it was inevitable for her to feel bewildered by Gil Hye-yeon’s suggestion to go out wearing underwear.

‘Perhaps I misheard. The language of Earth is still unfamiliar to me.’

Still, just in case, Seo Eisu carefully examined Gil Hye-yeon.

“Come on, quickly.”

But no matter how much she looked, she didn’t seem to have misheard or misunderstood.

Seo Eisu was genuinely flustered.

Her confidence wavered.

She had a gut feeling that the piece of cloth she had identified as ‘underwear’ was something else entirely.

Seo Eisu cautiously asked, “G-Gil Hye-yeon. What is this?”

“Why? It’s a swimsuit.”

“A swimsuit…?”

“Yeah. If you’re going to the beach, you should wear a swimsuit!”

Another unfamiliar word…

But considering the flow of the conversation, she could guess that she was supposed to wear that swimsuit-like underwear and go to the beach.

A swimsuit seemed to be that kind of underwear.

‘Earthlings truly are incomprehensible!’

Seo Eisu never imagined that such a short word as ‘swimsuit’ could carry such a foreboding undertone.

Swimsuit.

It must surely be the most disgraceful and inappropriate thing in the world.

Seo Eisu said in a new tone, “Y-You know what, I don’t really feel like going to the beach. It’s just a big puddle of water, right? Gil Hye-yeon, you have fun. I’ll stay here and watch over the room.”

“What are you saying?”

“H-How can you ask me to wear such indecent clothes…?”

“Oh my?”

Seo Eisu pouted.

The swimsuit was clearly in a territory that Seo Eisu could not tolerate.

‘I expected her to dislike it.’

Gil Hye-yeon put on a perplexed smile.

Seo Eisu had never been so innocent and naive as to be considered a natural monument.

So, she thought that Seo Eisu might find the underwear, no, the bikini swimsuit she had prepared, repulsive.

But was it really necessary to stutter like this?

“Eisu. Still, it would be awkward to go into the water in everyday clothes, right? You were looking forward to playing in the water, weren’t you?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Seo Eisu hesitated, fiddling with her fingers.

But she seemed adamant about not saying she would wear the swimsuit.

‘Well, that’s possible.’

Gil Hye-yeon thought so.

Many women are reluctant to wear swimsuits like bikinis for various reasons, such as not being confident in their bodies or simply feeling embarrassed.

Seo Eisu must be in that category as well.

Gil Hye-yeon had never intended to force anything on Seo Eisu.

Just in case, she had even prepared insurance.

“It’s okay, Eisu. You can just wear this over the swimsuit.”

“Huh?”

What Gil Hye-yeon showed was a light pink sleeveless beach dress.

It had a cute design with a hood at the back.

It had a length that suited Seo Eisu’s atmosphere well.

The hem was short, and the material was thin, so it seemed like the swimsuit underneath might peek through.

So honestly, she didn’t completely love this dress either.

But still, it was manageable.

This much could be considered as barely acceptable by Seo Yisoo’s standards.

With a doubtful tone, Seo Yisoo asked, “Is it okay to just wear this and go into the water?”

“Yeah. Honestly, it’s rarer to see people just walking around in a swimsuit.”

“I see. That’s really fortunate. Hurry, hurry, give it to me. I’ll change quickly and come back.”

Seo Yisoo turned around with a flushed face and reached out her hand.

The swimsuit was terribly unflattering, but Seo Yisoo had high expectations for the sea itself.

Because if you want to play in the water, you have to wear a swimsuit.

She had felt disheartened, thinking she couldn’t go into the water, but now she felt really fortunate.

“Wait.”

But wasn’t Gil Hye-yeon pulling away from Seo Yisoo’s hand while pushing the one-piece swimsuit back?

Seo Yisoo’s unfortunate ordeal was far from over.

“Bareback?”

“B-Bareback?”

Gil Hye-yeon, becoming closer to Seo Yisoo, flashed a wicked smile for the first time.

“It was so hard to choose this. I almost went blind looking at my phone.”

“Yeah. I see. Thank you so much, Gil Hye-yeon. What should I do?”

At that question, Gil Hye-yeon’s smile deepened.

She said, “Thank you, unnie. Give it a try.”

“Uh?”

“It’s about time you started calling me unnie, right?”

“…”

“Do you not want to try playing in the water? It’ll be really fun, you know?”

Seo Yisoo was caught in a deep conflict.

Between the dignity of a dragon and experiencing water play for the first time in her life.

She hesitated back and forth between the two.

Every time her heart wavered, Seo Yisoo’s eyes darted back and forth.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What…?”

“Yeah. That’s right. Hurry. Hurry.”

The moment of choice arrived.

A moment of such extreme choice that would bring the agony of a decision.

Sometimes, fate puts people in such terrible dilemmas.

That was also a choice.

That day, at a sunny hotel in a foreign land.

In that cozy and comfortable space.

“T-Thank you… unnie.”

“Right!”

Seo Yisoo made a painful decision.

***

“I… I have been defiled.”

“What?”

“Selling my pride for a mere water play. I am truly a lowly being.”

“What are you talking about, saying that while having fun playing in the water.”

Lee Hyun-sung looked puzzled, wondering why she was acting like this again.

While having fun in the sea.

She had been making strange remarks since earlier.

“Just leave me alone for a bit. Why are earthlings so ruthless. I really can’t understand.”

She kept saying such things without a break.

If she did, she would at least show a slightly sulky expression.

“Haha. Lee Hyun-sung. Look here. There are so many fish!”

After a while, she would be immersed in snorkeling with excitement.

Lee Hyun-sung sighed in disbelief.

“Just do one thing, just one.”

“Hmm? I don’t understand what you’re saying. But more importantly, Lee Hyun-sung. Come here and take some pictures.”

While playing in the sea.

Seo Yisoo took many pictures.

Bright moments, shining and illuminating Seo Yisoo, piled up in the form of data on her phone.

Seo Yisoo held her precious phone tightly.

Perhaps she was imagining something enjoyable, as she kept giggling.

“She’ll want me to make them into pictures for her.”

“All of them?”

“Of course, why are you even asking.”

All the moments Seo Yisoo chose would be frozen in the form of pictures.

And those pictures would be placed in the album that Gil Hye-yeon had given her.

“The album is really amazing.”

Seo Yisoo thought that Earth’s civilization was truly amazing.

Being able to preserve those moments that only existed in memory in a visible form and being able to see them all at once.

It was truly an act of cherishing the happy moments forever.

After receiving the album as a gift from Gil Hye-yeon, Seo Yi-soo developed a habit of taking photos whenever something good happened.

“Thanks to you, the album is already filling up…. It’ll be okay,” Gil Hye-yeon said.

She promised to gift a new one once the album was filled.

Then, Seo Yi-soo would start again from the beginning.

Filling the empty album with moments.

Seo Yi-soo couldn’t help but feel truly happy.

“….”

At the same time, a faint feeling crept in, causing her to momentarily close her mouth.

It was the same bittersweet emotion she felt while wandering the streets with Lee Hyun-sung before coming to the beach.

The awkwardness of feeling pure happiness and guilt for enjoying it alone.

And the distant loneliness of not being able to share it with anyone….

Lee Hyun-sung chuckled.

“Seo Yi-soo?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

There was no need to show such emotions.

Seo Yi-soo relaxed her expression and focused on playing in the water again.

She played the water drum.

She swam in the sea wearing a life jacket.

She even climbed a high hill and dived.

Wearing goggles and equipment, she submerged into a world of blue and green.

Seo Yi-soo played happily like that.

As the sun began to set and the group started to head back to the accommodation.

When she came to her senses, Seo Yi-soo found herself alone.

Lee Hyun-sung, Bae Dong-geun, and even Gil Hye-yeon had all returned to the accommodation.

“….Hmm.”

Seo Yi-soo walked along the beach where there was no one familiar.

She was still wearing her dress.

Step by step, the feeling of her thighs brushing against the empty air was still somewhat unfamiliar.

But it couldn’t be helped.

There was no mana left to use transformation magic again, and she would have to continue living like this in the future.

Seo Yi-soo thought about that as she walked.

While walking, she took in the scenery of the sea.

Suddenly, on impulse, she took a picture of the crimson-hued sea at sunset, reaching the horizon with her phone.

Click-

As the moment turned into a photo.

“Seo Yi-soo? What are you doing out here alone instead of going in?” A familiar voice sounded.

It was Shin Ji-hoo.

“Shin Ji-hoo! Is everything finished?”

“Yeah. I came out to look for you for a moment.”

“I see. Thank you so much.”

Seo Yi-soo thanked Shin Ji-hoo as if it were a habit, while gazing at the sea with a faint smile.

“….”

And Shin Ji-hoo seemed to sense something in Seo Yi-soo’s demeanor.

“Seo Yi-soo.”

“Yeah?”

Shin Ji-hoo called out to Seo Yi-soo.

“Do you have something on your mind again?”

“Do I seem too obvious?”

Seo Yi-soo asked, scrunching up her neck.

“Have there been times when you weren’t obvious?”

And Shin Ji-hoo replied with a faint smile.

Gently smiling.

Shin Ji-hoo asked again.

“So, what’s wrong?”

“Just….”

Seo Yi-soo hesitated to reveal her current state of mind to someone else.

But she felt an urgent need for empathy.

And she thought she could talk about this with Shin Ji-hoo.

“Just. I wonder if it’s okay for me to be happy alone like this.”

“….”

“Shin Ji-hoo. Tell me. Is it okay for me to be happy alone like this?”

Seo Yi-soo asked, thinking of the abandoned members of her hometown world.

‘…Is an old memory coming back?’

She didn’t know the details.

But she had heard enough about Seo Yi-soo’s difficult childhood.

Shin Ji-hoo worried that Seo Yi-soo might be recalling too painful memories.

And he pondered what to say to her.

For a moment….

“People.”

Shin Ji-hoo said.

“People don’t need qualifications to be happy.”

“….”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to be happy on your own? You’re not intentionally being selfish. It’s okay, Seo Yisoo. Just be honest and happy.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“Okay. Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

Shin Jihoo’s words were always intriguing.

Even though they seemed like trivial words, when Yisoo listened, she found comfort and solace in them.

“Shin Jihoo.”

“Yes.”

Therefore, Yisoo felt grateful to Shin Jihoo, but at the same time, she felt a certain impulse.

Yisoo cast her gaze into the distance.

A couple, looking affectionate, were strolling along the beach in their swimsuits.

“Um, well, I mean…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

The impulse had already taken hold.

Dragons were not a race known for their self-restraint.

“After playing in the water, my dress got too wet.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“It’s just, that’s all.”

Swiftly, Yisoo removed the dress she had been wearing all day.

From within the pink dress, glimpses of a green swimsuit were revealed.

Yisoo glanced sideways and said, “If I stay like this, I might catch a cold.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. And… let’s walk together.”

“Sure.”

Yisoo said shyly, and Shin Jihoo replied nonchalantly.

The two walked along the beach, maintaining a comfortable distance between them.

“Not too close, not too far.”

“Shin Jihoo.”

“Yes.”

“I’m starting to miss acting.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes. Quickly, pick a play for me to act in.”

At that, Shin Jihoo chuckled.

“What if I choose a strange role for you?”

“It’s okay. Whatever it is, as long as you choose it, I’m fine with it.”

“Is that so?”

It was sincere.

Since gaining the ability to play virtual characters, the meaning of acting had changed for Yisoo.

Now, acting was not just a simple pleasure.

Depending on the role she played, the range and types of emotions Yisoo would learn would vary.

And, because humans are beings of the heart.

Yisoo’s progress in acting would also affect her humanity.

So, any role was fine with her.

If Shin Jihoo chose it, anything was okay.

“Shin Jihoo, Shin Jihoo.”

Yisoo playfully pushed Shin Jihoo’s head.

It seemed like she wanted to be petted.

“…”

Shin Jihoo hesitated for a moment before reaching out his hand.

He had to keep Yisoo shining.

That was his resolution.

But what if Yisoo got distracted by something trivial?

“Shin Jihoo, why are you just standing there?”

“I’m trying to do it now. Stop interrupting.”

However, he soon reached out his hand and patted Yisoo’s head.

‘In moments like this, comfort is needed.’

Yisoo seemed troubled.

She seemed to need comfort.

So, just patting her head in moments like this.

It was just a form of comfort.

Thinking that, he moved his hand.

“Hehe.”

Yisoo seemed to enjoy Shin Jihoo’s touch.

As he patted her head, she swayed her head, even perking up her ears.

The two of them enjoyed the exotic beach like that.

And…

That night.

“Yisoo!”

Shin Jihoo burst into Yisoo’s room.

“Y-Yisoo. You’re here.”

He seemed to have heard something tremendous.

With a pale face, Shin Jihoo asked, “You said you wanted to act, right?”

“Of course.”

“…Tomorrow, right away?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

It was the end of his reward vacation.

The mention of postponing it until tomorrow meant that he had to return to Korea.

It also meant the end of the vacation that Seo Yisoo had been looking forward to so eagerly and had actually enjoyed.

“….”

Seo Yisoo fell silent for a moment.

But it was only a brief moment.

“Yeah. Right away, tomorrow.”

Seo Yisoo answered so brightly, looking forward to the new emotions he would experience.