To Me, Who Doesn’t Love You

Yeonseo looked at the umbrella I held out for a moment before nodding and stepping under it. Although the umbrella was quite large, we both had to walk close together to avoid getting our shoulders wet since neither of us was particularly small.“Move a bit closer this way.”Noticing Yeonseo’s shoulder getting soaked, I pulled him closer. It was rather cute how he didn’t resist and let himself be pulled in, looking like a drenched mouse. After walking together awkwardly under the umbrella, I led him to the driver’s seat and then circled the car to get into the passenger seat. The car felt new, and the passenger seat seemed unused, like no one had ever properly sat there.“Has anyone ever sat here?”I asked playfully, and his expression darkened slightly as he answered in a small voice.“Director Joo.”“Oh, someone from your company?”He nodded slowly and started the car.“That person has some nerve, sitting in the passenger seat of someone else’s car when even their spouse hasn’t.”Yeonseo coughed repeatedly as he shifted the gear from park to drive, clearly flustered by my comment. I wanted to tease him more since his reactions were so amusing, but I held back, knowing he’d try to restrain himself if I pointed it out. Hiding my mischievous intentions, I fastened my seatbelt.We drove for about two more hours and arrived in Gangneung, where there was hardly anyone around. As is typical before the peak tourist season, most places were closed due to the impending typhoon, so even the famous market with snack stalls was mostly shut down. There wasn’t much to see, not even the usual stalls.“That’s disappointing. They say this place is usually lined with street vendors selling snacks.”We decided to grab a bite at one of the few open restaurants, but the savory pancake I ordered wasn’t crispy and had a strange texture. After taking a bite and realizing it wasn’t good, I put it down, and Yeonseo apologized, noticing my dissatisfaction.“I’m sorry. I should have checked beforehand.”“No, it’s not your fault, Yeonseo. We can’t control the weather.”We weren’t here just for sightseeing, anyway. As the afternoon passed, the rain pouring down outside the awning grew heavier. With a storm surge warning in effect, we couldn’t visit the beach as planned, so we headed to the hotel.“You don’t think the hotel will be closed today too, do you?”I joked, half-seriously, but he shook his head.“I called earlier, and they confirmed they’re open.”It was a relief that the hotel was indeed open. The rooftop facilities, like the swimming pool and bar, were closed, but the indoor pool and spa were still operating.We entered the room, which had two beds side by side, and put down our belongings. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and thunder and lightning were intensifying, signaling that the typhoon was imminent.“Well, the storm is supposed to pass by late tonight, so tomorrow should be clearer.”With the weekend approaching, hopefully, some shops would open. After hanging up my outerwear and sitting on the white sheets, an awkward silence filled the room. With nothing to do outside and nothing to pass the time with inside, the atmosphere grew tense.I had somewhat expected this, wondering, “Did he really book a room with two beds?” Not only had he booked a room with two beds, but it seemed he planned to work, as I noticed a laptop case among his simple clothes and travel essentials.Do you really think I’ll let you just work? Feeling stubborn, I abruptly suggested,“The indoor pool is still open. They say they use hot spring water, and it’s really nice.”Though my suggestion was a clear invitation, he didn’t catch on. Glancing up from his phone, where he was likely checking his work schedule, he replied:“Go ahead. There’s nowhere else to go, so just don’t come back too late….”And that lit a fire in me.“You know I wasn’t suggesting that I go alone.”By now, he should be able to pick up on my hints. It was frustrating to no end. If I had to choose between him genuinely not understanding or pretending not to, I’d bet on the latter.After being discharged from the hospital and starting our awkward cohabitation, most of the things we did together were at my suggestion. Actually, 99.9% of the time, it was because I suggested it, and he had no choice but to go along with it. If I were really forcing him into doing things he didn’t want to do, I’d reflect and restrain myself. But once he was out and about, doing things with me, he’d follow along quite well. It’s just that this kind of situation made me even more frustrated.He clearly liked me and enjoyed doing things with me, yet he acted as if he had no right to make demands or to want to be together, keeping his distance as if he were a mere observer.Was I really that intimidating? Was he afraid I’d devour him or something? It was obvious that he was afraid of the person I was before I lost my memory. He probably feared that once I regained all my memories and reverted to my former self, I’d resent him for deceiving and exploiting someone who had lost their memory. This notion irritated me even more. It was as if the current me was a temporary existence that would disappear once the real “Lee Soo-han” awakened, as if I were some dormant other person inside me. It felt awful, like longing for a lover from a past life.“I don’t have a swimsuit…”Of course, I had anticipated that excuse and packed one separately. I quickly pulled out my swimsuit and the one I had bought for him from my bag.“Oh, I thought you might forget, so I bought an extra one while getting mine.”There, now there was no way out. I looked at him triumphantly.* * *A little while later, I was lying on a bed in the massage pool of the empty indoor swimming pool, enjoying the bubbling water pressure, and thinking, ‘He’s really impossible.’For a brief moment, I could somewhat understand why I might have disliked him before losing my memory. He never outright said he didn’t want to do something but tried to persuade me that it would be better if I went alone. This time, I played my trump card.‘Are you okay with me going alone? I mean, I’m fairly attractive, right? I’m a public figure. What if someone tries to hit on me?’If you don’t want to go, just say you don’t want to, that you don’t swim, that you’re uncomfortable. It infuriated me that he acted just as ambiguously in this matter as he did with his unclear feelings—neither confessing his obvious affection nor giving up on it. If you don’t like me, and if my behavior bothers you, just say so! But then again, I couldn’t muster the courage to ask him directly if he didn’t like me, which was pathetic in its own way. Even if I did ask, he’d probably say no.He didn’t respond to my half-joking question. For a moment, his face paled slightly, as if he’d imagined something, but it wasn’t much different from his usual pale complexion.‘Perhaps interacting with others might help your memories return…’That ridiculous comment only made me angrier. Was he saying I should go out and have an affair if it meant getting my memories back? Even if we weren’t truly in love, was that something a legal husband should say? Unable to voice my outrage, I let out a short, incredulous laugh, grabbed my pool bag, and left the room. Despite my earlier joke about someone hitting on me, I found myself alone at the pool.‘…….’Though I felt a bit awkward, the solitude allowed me to enjoy all the facilities, which was comfortable, if not particularly meaningful. As I lay on the massage bed, the steady water pressure hitting my body, I tried to clear my mind of the frustration that resurfaced every time I closed my eyes. The thought that maybe I was the only one feeling this way, that maybe I was the only one in love, haunted me. If he didn’t want me to like him, he shouldn’t have made me fall for him in the first place.As a sigh escaped my lips, I abruptly got up from the water.In the end, I didn’t stay long at the pool and left. Lying in the warm bubble pool, I felt like my insides were boiling. However, I wasn’t in good enough shape to do a dramatic freestyle across the pool in anger like a tragic male lead in a drama. I wasn’t that recovered yet. After calmly drying off and showering, I found that my anger hadn’t washed away but had intensified.‘Coming to this nice, luxurious hotel just to work?’I didn’t expect a romantic or erotic time like some newlywed couples. But seeing him constantly make excuses and wriggle out of things, even here, made me so frustrated that I didn’t want to see his face. After carefully drying my hair and dressing neatly, I stepped into the lobby, where it was still raining heavily outside.Where should I go to pass the time? I noticed that there was an indoor café on the same floor as the pool, so I headed there. I ordered any herbal tea without caffeine and stared blankly out the window. Beyond the beautifully decorated walkway, the dark blue sea was churning. The waves were so strong that the water seemed to be surging, and it had gotten dark enough that the boundary between the sea and the sky was unclear. Watching the heavy rain over the sea, time slowly passed.One minute became two, two became five, and then thirty minutes went by as the ice in the untouched glass melted, making clinking sounds. No matter how much the air conditioning was on, the indoor humidity was unavoidable due to the rain pouring down from the sky. Droplets formed on the surface of the glass and dripped onto the coaster. I didn’t get up until the ice had completely melted and the drink became lukewarm. It was almost a form of protest.I wasn’t actually planning to do anything weird, but I wanted him to feel what it would be like if I left and didn’t contact him for a long time. However, it seemed that I was the only one getting anxious. No messages, no texts, no notifications appeared on my phone screen, no matter how much I stared at it.‘Maybe the messenger app crashed or something…’I entertained absurd thoughts, checked the internet connection, searched for terms like “messenger error” and “communication error,” but unfortunately, the world was functioning perfectly fine. It was just that I hadn’t received any messages.‘…….’Doesn’t he even worry? He could at least ask when I’m coming back. Or maybe he was so uncomfortable being alone in a confined space with me that he was hoping I would go somewhere else. I sighed inwardly and looked back out the window.“Excuse me….”Someone called me from beside the table. What was this? I looked up and saw two young women, who looked like they had just started working, looking down at me.“Sorry, but are you here alone?”Their determined voices and awkward demeanor, along with slightly flushed cheeks, made it clear what was happening. If you had any sense, you’d understand.“Um….”As I hesitated to find a way to decline, I suddenly wondered if there was even a reason to refuse. My husband had practically given me permission to go out and interact with others. Adultery had already been decriminalized, and as long as the involved party turned a blind eye, it might be morally and ethically criticized but wasn’t a crime. Should I actually go so far as to pretend to cheat? My mind raced with frustration, but, unfortunately, reason won over impulse.“No, I’m here with my husband.”I smiled as I replied, and the woman looked surprised and apologized.“Oh, sorry. My apologies!”It wasn’t that big of a deal. I was sitting alone in a café without a wedding ring, so it wasn’t unreasonable for me to look like a guy traveling alone with a story. While I was well-known, I wasn’t so famous that everyone would recognize me. With a relatively attractive face and an empty left ring finger, I could easily seem like someone worth striking up a conversation with.Now that I think about it, where is my ring? I hadn’t found it while searching the room earlier. Maybe it was lost during the accident. Jewelry is easy to sell, so perhaps it got lost or taken somehow during the cleanup. Or maybe I took it off and misplaced it. Or maybe we never got rings in the first place.Ah, we probably did have a ring exchange ceremony at the wedding. Even if I rarely wore it, we would’ve had them for appearances. Whatever the case, without my memories, all I could do was speculate. I should ask him about it when I return to the room. This unexpected encounter slightly eased my anger, and I sighed deeply before standing up.It had been over an hour since I left the pool. It wasn’t like I had stormed out after just ten minutes; I had spent considerable time changing clothes and showering. So, it had been well over two hours since I left the room. The fact that there hadn’t been a single call or message asking where I was or when I was coming back was practically a deliberate lack of contact.“Maybe he’s thinking that letting me cool off like this will help me calm down,” I thought, imagining him anxiously waiting in the room. The thought made me feel a mix of pity and concern, so I ran my fingers through my hair and headed back to the room.As the elevator ascended from the 2nd to the 6th floor, my heart raced faster with each level. Was he really waiting for me? Or was he just mindlessly staring at his laptop, too busy to think about me? I felt my intelligence dropping as I brought the keycard to the door lock. The moment I pulled the door handle, a sense of foreboding struck me.“……”Sure enough, the cardholder was empty, and the room was dark. No one was inside.‘Where did he go?’I irritably closed the door and entered the room. I wondered if we had just missed each other while he was out looking for me. But when I checked my phone again, there were still no new notifications. No, that wasn’t the case. I mumbled to myself in a mocking tone and sighed deeply as I slumped onto the sofa.He wouldn’t have just gone home alone, so he would eventually return if I waited. As I rested my chin in my hand and aimlessly swung my legs, I felt too restless to sit still.‘I should go find him.’Just sitting and waiting wasn’t my style. Many people had said that the person they saw on TV and the real me seemed like completely different people, but when I got agitated like this, it was clear we were the same. My school records had been inconsistent, sometimes labeling me as a model student and other times as a troublemaker. Which one was the real me? I thought both were accurate. If someone provoked me, I became a troublemaker; otherwise, I just focused on my tasks. In other words, if he hadn’t been so annoying, maybe I wouldn’t have turned out to be such a wreck of a person…‘That might be going too far.’I scoffed and picked up the keycard from the cardholder before leaving the room. I decided to check the parking lot first. If the car was still there, then he hadn’t left. Just as I was about to take the elevator down to the basement, the doors opened on the 1st floor.– The doors are opening. First floor.As the elevator opened with a concise announcement, I saw a familiar back of a head standing by the window, where you could enjoy the ocean view while waiting to check in or out in the lobby’s mezzanine area.Why is he standing there? I quickly twisted my body and exited the elevator before the doors closed.“Sorry, I’m getting off.”Ignoring the stares of the people around me, I got off and confirmed if it was really him. He was wearing the same clothes he wore today, so it had to be him. What is he doing there? I quietly approached him, keeping my footsteps light. From an angle where I couldn’t be seen, I watched as he stared out the window, watching raindrops shatter into the waves in the dark. His face looked pitiful, like a dog waiting for its owner, and it made me feel strange.The fact that I was the one he was waiting for, yet at the same time not the one he was waiting for, irritated me. I wanted to shout, “Stop waiting and focus on me, the one in front of you!” My lips twitched as if they wanted to speak those shameless words.‘Of course not. Are you crazy?’If I’m just a temporary replacement for someone he loves, a version of me that will disappear once my memory returns, then clinging to him like this would be useless. All the kindness he’s showing me now is probably just for someone who looks like the person he likes, occupying their body for a short time.As my blood ran cold and I unknowingly clenched my fists, someone else approached him before I could. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it seemed like a scene similar to what happened earlier. A gentle-looking man, seemingly around his age, was talking to him.Even though I was only a half-formed presence in his life, I wasn’t willing to let someone else take him away. I suddenly approached and wrapped an arm around him.“……!”Yeonseo turned to me with a startled expression. Smiling calmly, I said, “He’s my husband. We got separated, so I was looking for him.”I knew it was a childish act, but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted everyone to know that he belonged to me at this moment, even if it was just a meaningless jealousy. Unfortunately, the person who recognized me gasped in surprise.“Oh my, it’s Lee Suhan. I’m sorry, I was just so surprised.”I smiled and replied, “Yes, it’s me, Lee Suhan. My husband and I came here for a quiet trip, so we’d appreciate some privacy. Do you have any other business with us?”I hugged Yeonseo tightly, showing off our relationship. The other person glanced between us, looking a bit surprised, then nodded.“Ah, no, sorry for the disturbance!”With that, the so-called competitor was easily dismissed, leaving me with a sense of regret. I could hear the distant whispers of other guests, making my ears tingle. “Wow, it’s really Lee Suhan. He’s even better-looking in person than on TV.” I didn’t want to hear any of it.I smiled at the embarrassed Yeonseo, took his wrist, and led him to the elevator. Fortunately, we were alone in the ascending elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I snapped at him.“So, I guess what you told me earlier was just the buildup. Going out, hunting or being hunted, you were planning to do whatever you wanted.”Feeling prickly, I couldn’t hold back the sharp words, and Yeonseo looked startled as he tried to explain.“No, it’s not like that…”I turned away, not wanting to hear more.“Whatever. You sly fox, always pretending to be so innocent.”Fearing that I would end up saying something that would hurt him, I clamped down on my words. To an outsider, it might look like I was too angry to speak, but that wasn’t entirely inaccurate. As I silently stared at the control panel, the elevator reached our floor with a chime.– The doors are opening. 18th floor.As soon as the doors opened, I stormed out, unlocked the room door, and entered, with Yeonseo following me without another word. Since I had already showered after leaving the pool, I didn’t need to freshen up. I acted as if I wasn’t even aware of his presence, heading to my side of the bed, quickly undressing, and changing into the indoor clothes I brought as pajamas. I slipped under the covers and plugged in my phone to charge, placing it face down so I couldn’t see the screen. It was my way of saying, “I’m going to sleep now, don’t bother me.”With a scoff, I pulled the blanket up over my shoulders, enveloping myself in silence. What was he doing? Was he just staring at me like he did when I was hospitalized? Watching that pretty but infuriating villain was only going to make me more upset. I needed to fall asleep quickly and stop thinking about anything. Just as I was gritting my teeth and trying to drift off…Ding dong.With the cheerful chime of the doorbell, Yeonseo hurriedly rushed to the door and shouted, “I ordered it!”What’s this? Room service? I sat up with a puzzled expression and looked toward the door. He was placing something on the inside table, holding a rather large tray.Did he order food in the middle of all this? It seemed unlikely that he would order something just for himself, as he was never a big eater despite being a good cook. He must have ordered it to appease me, thinking I was really angry. Does he think I’m a fool? Does he think my mood will improve just with food? I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What are you doing?”He hurriedly set up everything, including the utensils, wet wipes, and napkins, and then hesitated before speaking.“It’s mango bingsu.”“Why did you order that now?”I wasn’t asking because I was excited to know what delicious dish he ordered. Clicking my tongue in disbelief, I glared at him. He looked like a dejected puppy and answered, “It’s supposed to be the most famous item they sell here…”At that moment, I almost laughed in disbelief. So, he really does think I’m simple-minded enough to be cheered up with something tasty? I wanted to say something sarcastic, but seeing him tremble like a hamster thrown into a strange place, afraid of being disliked by me, made it hard to stay angry. If he wanted to annoy me, he shouldn’t be so cute. The moment I saw his pitiful face, my anger melted away, and I let out a sigh.Why does he keep making such pitiful expressions in front of me? He’s not the one to feel sorry for; it’s me. I had to feel like I was unrightfully harboring feelings for someone else’s partner, even though he clearly had feelings for me. But in the end, it was like he was the subordinate in our relationship, though it was actually the opposite.“It’s too much for one person, and it would be a waste to let it melt, so I’ll eat it.”Sigh. I swallowed a long sigh and scooped up a bite of the finely shaved ice mixed with mango and milk. As expected from a hotel’s signature dish, it was delicious. But that didn’t mean all my anger vanished. With him sitting there, barely eating, I ate the bingsu in silence until sleepiness overwhelmed me. I staggered back to bed and fell asleep almost instantly.Waking up in the middle of the night, I noticed the unfamiliar ceiling and remembered I wasn’t at home. I groggily checked the other bed and saw Yeonseo sleeping soundly. His face was peacefully calm, not even making a sound, which annoyed me. He had stirred up all my emotions and now slept so serenely. I felt like pinching his soft cheeks, but that would only wake him up. Swallowing a bitter smile, I closed my eyes again.* * *The next morning, the typhoon that had poured rain all night had left the Korean Peninsula and was now far into Russian waters. It had weakened so much that it was expected to dissipate soon. As I drew the curtains, a piercingly blue sky greeted me, as if the clouds had never been there.The temperature had dropped a bit due to the rain yesterday, but the sky was high and clear, and the wind was pleasantly cool, making it perfect weather for walking outside.For a change, I woke up Yeonseo, who had slept in, and we went downstairs to have breakfast at the buffet. Despite always preparing breakfast for me, he claimed he wasn’t a morning eater, and indeed, he barely nibbled on a croissant.Since our hotel checkout was the next day, we only needed to pack a few things and hung the “Do Not Disturb” sign before heading to the parking lot. Seeing the puddles here and there on the ground gave an idea of how much rain had poured down last night.“Looking at the sky, you wouldn’t even know a typhoon passed through.”The sky was a deep blue, seemingly endless, and connected to the sea, making my chest feel open and free. Unlike yesterday, the roads were fairly busy, likely because it was the weekend and the weather had cleared up. There seemed to be people at the stores and beaches. The school I mentioned visiting, though closed, appeared to host various events for tourists on weekends and during peak seasons, so it seemed wise to hurry before it got crowded.“By the way, Yeonseo, did you attend school in Korea?”If he went through elementary, middle, and high school in Korea, he would have taken a highway bus at least once, whether for a field trip or a class excursion. I lightly tapped my fingers on the car door handle as I asked, and Yeonseo replied with his usual expressionless face.“Yes. I studied abroad only in college.”“Oh… So you attended regular schools in Seoul or somewhere similar?”Curious about what prestigious school this seemingly evasive beauty with his adorable face attended, I asked on a whim. He responded somewhat uncomfortably.“I was homeschooled during elementary school. I commuted from our family home in Seoul starting in middle school.”It seemed he didn’t particularly like the topic and wanted to end it there, so I shrugged and didn’t press further.A short while later, we arrived at the school after about a 40-minute drive from the hotel. Luckily, the school gates were open. Thanks to our early start, there were no other tourists on the playground, and we had the place to ourselves. The playground, with its open view and expansive countryside feel, was much larger than those cramped ones or indoor gymnasiums in the city, where land was at a premium.“Wow, the facilities are nice.”It was a shame that students no longer used these facilities, as they were still in good condition despite showing signs of age. The playground equipment, though old, seemed well-maintained. There was a massive guardian tree on one side of the playground, thick enough that three kids holding hands couldn’t wrap around it, and beyond that, the sea was visible.It was a picturesque, romantic setting, but unfortunately, nothing particularly sparked any memories.Living in such a peaceful area might have made even a city troublemaker into a model student. With little to fight about except perhaps whose turn it was to use the swing, I thought as I silently wandered the playground. I eventually sat on one end of a seesaw under the shade of a tree. Yeonseo, who had been looking at the three-story school building from a distance, approached me and asked, “Do you remember anything?”I faced him with a glossy expression and replied, “No, nothing. Just that it’s a pretty and nice school.”Maybe we could go inside? It was probably locked, but I decided to try anyway. To my surprise, the door opened easily.“Oh.”It was dark inside without the lights on, but the sunlight streaming through the windows made it not too difficult to see. I wondered if it was okay to just enter like this, worrying for a moment if the police might come and question us. But as we moved further inside, we saw a setup with a guest book for visitors to sign, indicating that the school was open for tours.Relieved that we weren’t trespassing, I walked down the corridor with Yeonseo following a few steps behind. First-year Class 1, First-year Class 2… First-year Class 3… With only five classes per grade, the school felt small and quaint. I opened the door to the last room, First-year Class 5, and peeked inside.The old classroom, dusty and mostly wooden, welcomed me. I walked in, pulled out a chair, dusted it off, and sat down, feeling awkward due to my height being too large for a middle school desk. As Yeonseo, who had been watching from outside, silently entered the classroom, I playfully raised my hand and exclaimed, “Teacher, tell us about your first love.”Yeonseo’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit before he quickly realized it was a joke and turned his head away. Seeing his earlobes turn red, I sensed he wasn’t angry but rather embarrassed.“Oh, teacher, hurry up.”As I impatiently urged him in a teasing tone, he continued to avoid my gaze and mumbled, “Don’t say weird things.”“Why are you using formal language? I’m a student. I just transferred today.”Cough, cough, cough…Oh, come on. Can’t I be a student? He found it so amusing that a man in his mid-thirties would declare himself a student that he couldn’t stop laughing and ended up coughing. It seemed he choked while trying to stifle his laughter.“Wow, making me feel embarrassed for nothing. Not even telling me about your first love, and making fun of an older student.”I reverted to my usual tone as a man in his 30s and grumbled, which made Yeonseo struggle to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shaking. Finally, he managed to speak, still suppressing a giggle.“I’m sorry… haha…”“So, you’re really not going to tell me about your first love?”I tried to seize the opportunity to ask while he was apologizing, but he remained silent till the end. Boring, I thought, though he didn’t even blink at my childish complaint. We ended our tour of the school there and headed to a nearby beach. It was getting close to lunchtime, and the sun had been up long enough that the sand was hot enough to make walking barefoot uncomfortable.‘Good thing I wore sandals.’I walked to the water’s edge and threw my shoes onto the sand, not wanting to get them wet, before running into the water. The breeze was refreshing, but after walking under the blazing sun, my body felt overheated, and I needed to cool down my legs. I rolled up my pants to my thighs and was about to wade deeper when a sudden wave nearly knocked me off balance.At that moment, Yeonseo, who had been following me from a distance, turned pale and ran towards me.“Whoa, that was sudden… huh?”I had only staggered briefly, but seeing his face so full of urgency, I wondered if I had done something wrong.“What’s wrong? Did I do something bad?”It’s just a regular beach. It’s not like falling over would be a big deal, and there aren’t any man-eating sharks in the East Sea. Even the doctor said it was fine to enter the water as long as I didn’t overdo it. While I was momentarily frozen in surprise, he grabbed me in a tight hug. He then quickly pushed me away, looking flushed as if embarrassed. What was that about? Unlike me, he was wearing long pants, and seeing them soaked made me realize how hastily he had acted.“Why? Do I have some sort of allergy to seawater or something?”But he didn’t answer and just turned around, walking out of the water. Seriously, can we not have a conversation? Frustrated and a bit angry, I quickly followed him back to the shore. And then, with a loud splash, an unusually large wave came in, sweeping my sandals, which I had left on the sand, into the water.“Oh no.”As I exclaimed in shock, Yeonseo, who had been heading back to the shore, turned around.“Wait, my shoes!”I can’t lose those. I don’t have any socks to wear back, and I’m barefoot. I panicked and tried to grab them, but humans are powerless against the will of nature.“Oh…”I let out a foolish sound as I watched my sandals drift further away, hesitant to go in after them.“Damn it.”Before I realized it, an inappropriate word slipped out of my mouth. Yeonseo, who was returning from the water, alternated between looking at the sandals drifting away and me. I wore them often because they were sturdy and light. But now they’re floating away just like that. I stood there dumbfounded, watching the great voyage of the sandals, when Yeonseo, whose face had barely returned to its normal color, spoke.“There’s a convenience store over there. I’ll go see if they have any slippers.”“Oh, would you please?”Although it was close, I had to cross a main road to get to the convenience store. I didn’t want to walk on the asphalt with bare feet, although it was okay on the sandy beach. So, I had no choice but to stand there awkwardly on the beach, waiting for him to return.I thought I might feel a sense of familiarity if I came to the sea near the school. Unfortunately, the school was just a school, and the sea was just a sea, without any striking impressions. The island I often saw in my dreams was so far away that I had to squint my eyes to see anything similar, and the sea in front of the school was just a vast expanse with no reefs.‘I feel like I could be sure if I got closer…’It seemed that the area was privately owned, so I couldn’t enter without permission. Although no one was standing guard, the stairs leading to the area were well-maintained within a residential complex. I was curious, but I didn’t want to trespass into someone else’s front yard, nor was I that eager to confirm my curiosity, so I had done everything I could from here.How long did I wait? Having left my phone in the car so it wouldn’t fall into the sea, I was forced to look at the sea like someone doing a dopamine detox. It was such a relief to see Yeonseo finally running toward me from the convenience store, holding a pair of black slippers.“Oh, did they have slippers?”I greeted him with a big smile, shaking off the sand on my feet, and without a moment to catch his breath, he knelt before me. My clothes were already wet from the sea and covered in sand, but he seemed unconcerned about getting sand all over his clothes as he leaned over, which startled me a little.“Oh, you don’t have to go that far… I can wear them myself.”Feeling a bit apologetic, I tried to move my feet aside, but he unwrapped the plastic from the slippers, took one out, placed it next to me, and gently lifted my foot. What was he trying to do? It felt awkward and strange, but I complied with his movements without resisting. He placed my foot on his raised knee, cleaned off the remaining water and sand, and then put the slipper on. It was just a slipper, not some glass slipper, but he had chosen the perfect size without even asking. I blushed involuntarily.I was already certain that he liked me, but feeling the palpable affection through his gentle touch made me suddenly want to hide. He never looked up once while cleaning both feet and putting on the slippers. If he had looked up, he might have noticed that I had already surrendered to his small gesture of affection. But he never took his eyes off my feet and lightly gathered up the plastic waste before heading back to the parking lot.“… I’ll be waiting in the car. Come when you’re ready.”And seeing his slightly exposed earlobe turn red was unbearably cute. I felt like running up to him, hugging him, and ruffling his hair, but I thought that if I did something so reckless to my adorable younger husband, he might faint from the shock. So, I just pretended to pat the back of his head from a distance as I followed him step by step.* * *After returning to the car, we made a brief stop in the neighborhood where I used to live before heading back to the hotel. So much had changed, with new pensions and luxury homes being built, and some areas still under construction, that it was unrecognizable from the time I had lived there. It was quite different even from the latest road view photos.I wondered if I could see the beach or the island by going in between the houses. The whole area around what I presumed to be my old address was blocked off by high walls and fences, as if it was someone’s private property.‘The owner must be very wealthy and concerned about security or privacy.’The map confirmed that this large area was a single address. How much money did they make after moving from elementary school to middle school to live in a place like this? I couldn’t even imagine the maintenance costs of such a house. I’ve heard that the electricity bills for luxury homes run into millions a month. Still, I wondered if I should ask if I could briefly see the beach connected to the mansion, claiming to be a former resident. But when I rang the doorbell, there was no response from inside.Perhaps it’s a second house, and the owner doesn’t live here, or maybe they’re out. There could be many reasons. I quickly returned to the car, worried that lingering in front of someone else’s gate might make me seem suspicious. Meanwhile, Yeonseo, who had changed into the spare swimming trunks I had given him, kept glancing at his legs even while driving, as if they were bothering him.“What are you looking at? They’re white and pretty, even if you don’t look. And strong.”When I made a joke, he blushed again and cleared his throat awkwardly. Why does he get so flustered even when I compliment him? Honestly, my curiosity was piqued with a hint of ulterior motive, wondering what kind of amazing body he had to be so modest about it. I chose a design that wasn’t too revealing because I thought he’d faint if it were too short. It was intentionally picked to look like regular shorts, with material that dried quickly, so it was suitable for both everyday wear and swimming. I was glad I had brought it just in case we went into the sea.Though it wasn’t exactly what I had intended, I was quite satisfied that I managed to get him to wear it. However, it was obvious he was still self-conscious about the length, even though it wasn’t short at all and was actually quite long, just because it exposed his knees.“At least it’s a relief. You don’t have to drive in wet pants.”When he took off his jacket, the T-shirt underneath looked casual enough that it wasn’t awkward at all. With the clothing issue resolved, we decided to head to the market, where most of the shops and stalls had been closed yesterday due to the typhoon. It was more my insistence that led to this decision, and he reluctantly went along, but that didn’t matter.We stopped by street vendors, bought various snacks, and spent time jokingly asking passersby who recognized me to keep quiet. Before we knew it, evening had arrived.“It was fun, right? You seemed so reluctant to come at first.”I recalled the events at the market as I got out of the car and headed toward the hotel lobby.‘That was really something earlier.’The market vendors who recognized me thought I was there for a shoot and started bombarding Yeonseo with questions, asking what kind of celebrity he was. Was he a singer? Or maybe an actor? Was he one of those idols that young people like these days? They were practically interrogating him, pushing him to explain, until he clarified that he was just a regular person visiting as a tourist. Then they became curious about his relationship with me, probably thinking we were just relatives or business colleagues.‘He’s my husband. I got married last year.’That shifted the attention back to me.‘Oh, teacher, you must have done all those commercials and worked so hard to support such a handsome husband!’Technically, he’s the one supporting me now, but I didn’t correct them and just laughed.‘Right? How else could I get such a handsome younger guy? I have to do my best.’I responded with a joke that the elders would appreciate, and they all clapped and laughed.‘Oh, really, Suhan, you must treat your husband well. No matter how much money you have, where else can you find a man who can put up with that temperament? He’s a saint, a real saint!’‘I can’t stand it, Bora’s mom is at it again!’‘Did I say something wrong?’Thanks to the eloquence I showed on TV, it seemed I was being cast as a rascal, but I didn’t mind.‘Yes, I’m trying to do my best. Please wish us well.’The conversation ended, as always, with the same comments about how they were surprised at how different I was from my TV image and how I seemed much nicer in person.