Chapter 71: Honeymoon

Ugh! My body feels stiff after driving such a long distance for the first time in a while.

Huuuugh…! It seems like I always fall asleep without realizing it whenever Sihyun drives.

Hahaha. Luna, did you sleep well?

Yes! Hehe.

Sihyun got out of the car and stretched.

After a long four-hour drive, Sihyun and Luna arrived at their destination.

The place they arrived at after a long drive was Gangwon-do, adjacent to the East Sea.

“But Sihyun, where is this place?”

“Ah, this place is called Gamjaguk, which belongs to the Republic of Korea. In English, it’s The Potato Country.”

“Ga, Gamjaguk…? Is it a country made of potatoes?”

Luna asked again, her golden eyes sparkling. It seemed she was taking Sihyun’s words literally.

‘Luna, really… if you look at me with eyes like that, how can I stay still?’

Sihyun wanted to play more pranks on Luna, who so purely believed his lies.

“Hmm, here, the currency is potatoes. You have to buy everything with potatoes, and the change you get back is small baby potatoes.”

“Wow, really? So I can buy anything with the baked potatoes we bought at the rest stop earlier?”

Luna quickly went into the car and brought out the baked potatoes they had been sharing.

“Hahaha, of course! Why don’t you go into that convenience store over there and buy some snacks you want, Luna? You have three baked potatoes, so you’ll be able to buy a lot.”

“Waaah~~ Really? Then I’ll be back, Sihyun!”

–Tododododo!!

Luna immediately dashed toward the convenience store like an arrow. The girl believed Sihyun’s words 100%.

‘Haa… a beautiful girl who purely believes my words… this is truly the best…!!’

Sihyun watched Luna, who was excitedly picking out various snacks, with a satisfied smile.

“Ah~~ Seriously, when she looks at me with such pure eyes, I can’t help but play pranks, can I? Hahaha!”

Sihyun planned to tell Luna it was a joke and pay when she hesitated because the cashier wouldn’t accept the potatoes.

However, 10 minutes later.

–Tododododo!!

“Hehet, Sihyun, look at this! The convenience store uncle said I could take this much!”

Thump!

Luna struggled to carry out five large plastic bags, packed full of snacks without any empty space.

“Lu, Luna…?!

“Sihyun! Potato Country seems like a really fun country! I wish I had bought more baked potatoes at the rest stop earlier. Right?”

“Uhh…?!?!?! Uh, uhh, right, right…”

“But it’s a little strange. The uncle took three baked potatoes, and instead of baby potatoes for change, he gave me this.”

Luna unfolded two crumpled 50,000 won bills in one hand and showed them.

It was a situation where three baked potatoes had been exchanged for five bags of snacks and 100,000 won.

‘Is this the miracle of the five loaves and two fish I’ve only heard about?’

Luna declared, “With but three baked potatoes, all were satisfied, and 100,000 won remained.”

Sihyun pondered what on earth had happened in the last 10 minutes.

‘What? Did Gangwon-do actually turn into Potato Country without me knowing?’

Could a ‘Potato Urban Legend’ have emerged?

Otherwise, it was inexplicable.

[??? : Kekeke! From now on, a rule has been established here that everything must be traded with potatoes! If you violate this rule, I will turn you into a potato!]

‘No, no matter what, there’s no way such an urban legend exists!’

Sihyun looked at the convenience store counter, wondering if the part-timer had made some mistake.

Then, the convenience store clerk nodded once at Sihyun and gave a thumbs-up, as if he had been waiting.

(⎚_⎚)

The moment he saw that, Sihyun immediately understood the whole situation within a few seconds.

“Ah, understanding complete.”

“Omnyomnyom… Sihyun, what did you say?”

“Ah, nothing. Hahaha.”

Luna was tearing open a chocolate bread she took from a plastic bag and munching on it.

Sihyun turned his head and carefully observed the girl, who was daintily chewing.

A sailor uniform that boasted a perfect fit on her body.

Silver hair and golden eyes that shone even brighter under the sparkling sunlight.

A girlishness that hadn’t quite matured yet, but still a voluminous body line.

‘I had forgotten for a moment… Luna’s incredible destructive power!’

Though he sometimes forgot because she was always by his side, Luna was a girl whose beauty far surpassed the universal standards of beauty people generally held.

When such a girl presented baked potatoes with sparkling eyes, the convenience store clerk would have surely rung up the snacks, even if they were mere stones instead of potatoes.

“Ha… Hahaha… So this is the life of a truly beautiful girl. I guess we won’t have to worry about snacks during our trip.”

Sihyun also gave the convenience store clerk a thumbs-up, then calmly left the place.

‘Ah, I fully understand your feelings. Although you might have lost your paycheck, your day, having obtained a beautiful girl’s baked potatoes, must be a happy one…!’

Sihyun imagined what would happen if he gave Luna some potatoes and told her to buy the latest model foreign car.

But he soon shook his head and stopped imagining.

Because the outcome was too obvious.

‘I think 10 baked potatoes would be enough to buy a foreign car…!’

Sihyun firmly decided that he should never joke with Luna about currency again.

****

–Swaaaah.

“Wow~ So this is the ocean! I’ve never seen it before because it’s so far from Seleneum; it’s like a blue sparkling jewel dissolved in water.”

“We just stopped by before heading to the accommodation. It’s pretty, isn’t it, Luna?”

“Yes! It’s incredibly pretty!”

Sihyun was taking Luna for a short walk by the sea.

Luna’s figure, running on the sandy beach with her silver hair swaying.

‘I can’t resist this.’

“Hehet, Sihyun! The sunlight is warm and the wind is cool, so I feel so good!”

“Luna! Don’t go too far!”

“Kh-hit, okay Sihyun!”

Watching Luna run far away, Sihyun was reminded of how much cleaner the ocean had become.

“Just a few years ago, the beaches were quite dirty, but now they’ve truly become clear.”

After the urban legends emerged, many people truly died. And ironically, because of that, nature became truly clean.

The sandy beach had no trash, and the sea shone blue.

‘Should I like this or dislike it…? One thing’s for sure, Earth must be happier now than before. Haha.’

The moment Sihyun smelled the salty, fishy scent carried by the incoming sea breeze, a memory surfaced.

It was an unforgettable memory that every physically healthy South Korean man possessed: military service.

“My tear-soaked military life is vividly coming back to me… I had sworn I wouldn’t even pee in the direction of Gangwon-do, but who knew I’d come back here.”

Sihyun closed his eyes for a moment and recalled his military service memories from his early twenties.

The memory of almost going to disciplinary training because he left his combat cap at home on the day he was returning from leave.

The memory of being targeted by the crazy Sergeant Kim and receiving disciplinary training all night.

The memory of never having a girlfriend visit him, unlike everyone else.

‘Ah, Gaeun and my mom visited often, so I did have a lot of visitors. It was a shame it wasn’t a girlfriend, though.’

The memory of struggling for a while because his seniors asked him to introduce Gaeun when she visited.

Since the more he thought about it, the more only irritating memories came to mind, Sihyun decided to stop thinking.

“Indeed… I wouldn’t go back to the military even for a hundred million.”

The reason Sihyun, who had sworn he wouldn’t even look at Gangwon-do after his discharge, specifically brought Luna here for a trip was because of a special festival.

“Sihyun, what does that say over there?”

“Ah, a festival is being held here this time. A festival where you can see a very beautiful moon.”

[Moon-Viewing Night Festival Opening! Welcome to Gangwon-do!]

The Moon-Viewing Festival in Gangwon-do, universally acknowledged as the place where the moon rises most beautifully in South Korea.

Of course, each region has its own moon-viewing festivals and famous spots, but after the urban legends appeared, Gangwon-do became the universally recognized top-tier moon-viewing spot.

“Gangwon-do is where the ‘Moon-Viewing Rabbit’ urban legend was debunked in the past. Perhaps due to its influence, the moon here rises incredibly bright and large every night. When it’s a full moon, it’s even more so.”

“Really? Do rabbits like our Lulu really live on the moon?”

The doll Sihyun had painstakingly won for a whopping 100,000 won, saying it resembled Luna.

Luna held Lulu particularly dear, as Lulu had driven away greed in her dream.

–Swish.

Finding the girl’s appearance simply adorable, Sihyun unconsciously gently stroked Luna.

“That’s right. Today is the day a silver rabbit like Lulu came down for a moment to show Luna the beautiful moon.”

Urban legends that emerged while influencing folklore, fairy tales, or actual regions often retained their power even after being debunked.

Representative examples include Gangwon-do’s ‘Moon-Viewing Rabbit’ and Jeju-do’s ‘Frost Queen’.

That’s why the Moon-Viewing Festival was held in Gangwon-do every time, and the Snow Blossom Festival was held in Jeju-do.

While people feared the urban legends, they fully utilized the influence those legends left behind.

‘It feels like urban legends have somehow become a real part of this world.’

He was once again struck by how truly amazing human adaptability was.

“Luna, should we unpack at the accommodation, rest a bit, and then come down to see the festival?”

“Yes! Sounds good!”

“I’ve also prepared a pretty outfit that’s perfect for you today, Luna, so look forward to it! Hahaha.”

“N-no, if you make me wear something too revealing, it’ll be embarrassing, so p-please don’t…?”

Recently, starting from sailor uniforms to maid outfits, office wear, yukata, Gothic Lolita, and so on.

Since Sihyun had freely dressed the girl according to his desires, it was natural for Luna to be worried.

But Sihyun was also a man with common sense. He would never expose Luna’s skin in crowded places.

‘I want to show off Luna’s cute side, but I’d get jealous if other men saw her.’

“It’s not the kind of embarrassing outfit you’re thinking of, so don’t worry.”

“U-uhm…! I’ll trust you, Sihyun! Hehet.”

Sihyun took Luna’s hand and headed to the accommodation.

****

“Wow… Sihyun, are we the only ones using this place?”

“My appearance changes at night, so I can’t be with other people. And since it’s our honeymoon, of course we should be alone.”

“Hawwwooo… Somehow, I, I’m embarrassed…”

“?”

[Moon-Viewing Pool Villa]

The accommodation Sihyun had barely managed to book for Luna, having emptied his entire paycheck.

A place with a panoramic view of the sea outside and surrounded by green mountains behind.

The reason this accommodation was particularly expensive during the festival period was that, befitting its name, the moon could be seen beautifully through its large terrace window.

‘It’s a bit of a hit to my wallet… but for a cute princess, this much is nothing!’

Sihyun took Luna into the accommodation.

After unpacking and taking a short rest, it was already 6 PM.

“Now I can fully control the aura of pitch blackness, so if I just wear a half-mask over my eyes, a night date with Luna is totally possible.”

The Moon-Viewing Night Festival was a festival enjoyed by wearing hanbok, like cosplay.

Therefore, no one would find it strange even if props like masks were worn.

“It suits me better than I thought? I thought it might look a bit funny, but I guess I do have some fashion sense after all.”

Sihyun was wearing a hanbok that looked like a bodyguard’s uniform and held a wooden sword in one hand.

Today’s concept was a warrior protecting the Moonlight Princess. As he chose a role where wearing a mask wouldn’t be strange, this was the only thing that came to mind.

Wearing the bodyguard’s outfit, Sihyun deliberately set the mood and uttered a line.

“Princess, please forgive my poor imagination.”

“If you tell this humble concubine that you love her, I can forgive any transgression.”

“Huh?”

From behind Sihyun, who had been talking to himself, came the gentle voice of a girl.

It seemed Luna had also finished changing and came out.

“Luna, when did you finish changing——”

The moment Sihyun turned around without thinking.

“Were you waiting, My Lord? Hehet.”

An angel, bathed in bright moonlight, stood there.

The light pink fabric shyly embraced Luna’s jade-like skin.

Her silver hair, falling along her shoulders, shone beyond compare.

And her golden eyes, looking straight at him, were filled with love.

“Sihyun, how is it…? Am I, prettyyy…?”

*Twirls.*

Luna lifted her skirt slightly with both hands and spun once.

She merely twirled in place under the moonlight, but her appearance was nothing short of a goddess.

–Thump.

‘This… I can’t resist this.’

Sihyun approached Luna as his pounding heart commanded and kissed her cheek and then her neck.

*Mwah.*

“Hwaaaah…? Si, Sihyun…? W-what, suddenly…?”

“Luna, I don’t think I’ve ever properly told you, so I’ll say it now.”

“W-w-w-what are you sayingggg…?”

Sihyun gazed intently into Luna’s eyes, which were filled with embarrassment, and confessed his true feelings.

“Luna, I love you.”

…!!!

–Thump!

On a night when the silver moon shone with exceptional brilliance and beauty, Sihyun once again cast an unbreakable curse upon Luna’s heart.