Ch.221221. Since We’re at the Beach

I came here. To the sea in front of Puerto Rico.

“Wow, Siwoo! Do you see that? The ocean is so beautiful!”

“Don’t just run off because it’s pretty. You know that, right?”

“Who said I’m going swimming? I just said it’s pretty! You really have no sense of romance.”

Hwa Nabi standing beside me complained, but I let it go in one ear and out the other. I had more important things to worry about right now.

I firmly planted the beach umbrella deep into the sand to secure it. Then I grabbed the pole and shook it slightly to check that it wouldn’t tilt, and brought two folding sunbeds to set up under the umbrella.

After that, I placed the ice box with drinks and the bag containing spare clothes.

“…Ah, done.”

Beach camping preparation complete. Well, it’s not like we’re staying overnight, but why not do things properly since we’re here?

So I asked the hotel for permission to borrow various items. Beach umbrella, sunbeds, ice box. The only personal items we brought were our clothes.

“Nabi, want to try lying down here?”

Now that everything’s set up, I should test if it works properly. When I suggested it, Hwa Nabi looked at me with a grin.

“Why, what are you planning to do once I lie down?”

“……”

What would I do? Just enjoy the beach view, of course. Seeing my expression, she chirped, “I’m joking, just joking. Why are you looking at me with such sad eyes?” while patting my waist.

I didn’t think it sounded like a joke at all. But pointing that out seemed pointless, so I just nodded. Hwa Nabi brushed past me and carefully lay down on the prepared sunbed.

“How is it? Comfortable?”

“Hmm… it’s perfect! My back feels good too. You should try it, Siwoo.”

“As long as you’re comfortable, that’s fine. I’ll lie down a bit later.”

Setting up the beach umbrella doesn’t mean we’re done. We still need to change into swimwear, and I need to contact my brother to let him know everything’s going well. There are still things to do.

“Then should we go to the changing room and get changed first?”

“Sure. You’re coming too, right?”

“Yeah. I need to put on my swimsuit too.”

I’ll make that call while I’m at it. Hwa Nabi nodded and picked up her bag. Then she headed straight for the temporary building. At the point where the women’s and men’s changing rooms split, she took my swimsuit, and I entered the men’s changing room.

Let’s see. There are exactly three locker rooms available. The reason there are so few is probably because this is a private beach.

More precisely, the owner of this part of the sea is the hotel owner, I think. In our country, private ownership of beaches isn’t recognized, but it’s different abroad. The owner bought all the sea near the hotel and divided the beach into two types. One is the general beach fully open to guests, and the other is the VIP-exclusive private beach where we are now.

I heard it’s only opened when special guests come, and normally it’s strictly controlled so that not even an ant can enter.

“…And here we are.”

Come to think of it, it’s quite remarkable. I wonder what my brother did to make us receive VIP treatment in this distant foreign land. Did he throw around a lot of money? Or could it be that the group’s business has expanded all the way to Puerto Rico?

“Hmm.”

This isn’t something I can figure out by pondering alone. Shaking off these thoughts, I quickly took off my clothes and stored them in the locker room, closed the door, and pulled out the key. There was a strap-like thing attached to the end of the key, probably designed so you could wear it around your wrist to avoid losing it.

I guess this is the same whether it’s a regular beach or a private beach. With the key around my wrist, I went outside with this newfound appreciation. She wasn’t visible yet.

Hwa Nabi would take longer than me since changing clothes is more complicated for her, right? In the meantime, I should make that call. I was about to send a message to my mother saying we arrived safely and were resting, when I paused.

Ah, it’s dawn in Korea right now. We’re on the opposite side of the world. When it’s day here, it’s night there, of course. I almost caused a major inconvenience by contacting her thoughtlessly.

“Can’t call mom, and I wonder if my brother went back to sleep?”

It’s been about an hour since I contacted him from the hotel, so it should be around 2 AM there. That means he’s probably asleep by now. I held my phone, contemplating, then decided against making contact.

It’s not urgent, so I can tell him later. I put my phone in a waterproof pouch and leaned against the changing room wall. After waiting for a moment, I heard bustling sounds from the women’s changing room. Hwa Nabi seemed to be coming out.

-Click.

The outer door of the women’s changing room opened. The person who appeared was, of course, my wife. But her outfit was a bit unusual. Instead of a swimsuit, she was wearing some kind of mesh cover t-shirt.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“No, I just came out too.”

I shrugged with my arms crossed, and Hwa Nabi approached with a slight smile. Wondering what she was up to, I watched quietly as she placed her hand on my abdomen and gently rubbed it.

“Doesn’t this feel like we’re meeting at a date spot?”

Her hand movements were suggestive, clearly not those of someone who came out just for a date. Feeling that strange sensations would arise if she continued touching me, I gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“People will misunderstand if you do this outside.”

“So what? There’s no one watching, and when else can I touch you outside like this?”

“There might not be people, but there are probably CCTVs? Touch me later, later.”

While there might not be cameras inside, it’s common for security CCTVs to be at changing room entrances. When I gestured upward while speaking, Hwa Nabi backed away with a disappointed snort. She seemed to realize we shouldn’t be doing this here.

“Fine, I got it. But I’m really going to touch you later.”

“Yes, touch all you want later.”

“Really? No backing out. No stopping me because it tickles! Got it?”

“Yes, I said I understand.”

Only after extracting the promise several times did she seem satisfied, nodding with a smile at the corners of her lips. I took her hand and moved toward the beach.

Crunch, as we walked on the soft sand, the open sea came into view. Blue waves, clear sky, and blazing sun. Golden sand sparkling in the light.

I didn’t notice when setting up the umbrella, but looking again, I could feel how beautiful this beach truly was. No wonder it’s a VIP-exclusive beach. It makes sense that they sometimes rent it out as a movie filming location.

“Wow… it’s really cool.”

Hwa Nabi, walking beside me, shared her impression.

Cool? Rather than cool, beautiful or pretty would be more fitting. When I glanced at her, she was looking at me with somewhat relaxed eyes for some reason.

“Siwoo.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Why are you so handsome?”

“…Huh?”

What a random thing to say. I hesitated, thinking she was talking about the beach being handsome, but then realized that wasn’t it.

Hwa Nabi’s gaze was fixed on me, not the beach. In other words, she had been complimenting me from the start, not the beach.

It’s awkward to accept this with gratitude, and it’s also a bit strange to act humble. After all, it’s the first time someone has looked at me so intently and called me handsome like this.

While I was internally debating how to respond, Hwa Nabi took a step closer. She placed her free right hand on my waist and playfully moved her fingers.

“I always knew you were handsome, you know? But seeing you like this in bright light, with everything exposed…”

“…And?”

“I just want to pounce on you.”

Hwa Nabi murmured in a voice too low for anyone else to hear, raising her eyes. The emotions in her eyes as she looked up at me were a strange trembling, excitement, and anticipation.

…I think I know where that anticipation comes from. Of course, Hwa Nabi was looking forward to this trip as much as I was.

Come to think of it, we’ve been extremely busy lately. Until yesterday morning, we were so busy with wedding preparations that we barely had time to breathe. During the day, we hardly had any skinship, and at night we’d fall asleep before doing anything.

In other words, both of us have a lot built up. The last time we freely did anything was at the end of June, so we’ve been repeating this routine for a week or two.

And two weeks for people in their prime… well, I don’t think I need to spell it out.

“…Calm down for now, it’s still daytime, you know?”

Still, everything has its order. Just as rice tastes better when it’s properly steamed, following the proper sequence makes the result sweeter.

If we rush back to the room on impulse, the meaning of coming on this trip would be diminished. Plus, this is a private beach. How many more chances will we have to be alone on a beach with no one around?

In the future, when we have children, it’s inevitable that our time alone will decrease, so enjoying what we can now minimizes our losses.

“We’re newlyweds. Do newlyweds care about whether it’s day or night?”

“We might not care about the time, but we should care about the place…”

This isn’t our hotel room but a beach, and doing that kind of thing would cause a scene. The acceptable range of skinship would be a risky kiss, or at most, touching.

When I said that, Hwa Nabi thought for a moment and then grinned. She seemed to have come up with some suspicious idea.

“Hmm, is that so? So touching is allowed? Then let’s…”

Hwa Nabi, who had stopped mid-sentence, rummaged through her shoulder bag. Then she pulled out some kind of cosmetic container and held it out to me.

“How about we apply sunscreen on each other first?”