Chapter 14 - Oppa, How Do I Look?

“Oh!” When I made an uneasy face, Sia finally realized she was holding her chopsticks strangely and hurriedly put them down.

“Wh-what am I doing...? Oppa, I mean, this—”

Waving both hands, she insisted she hadn’t meant anything by it. I knew she hadn’t done it on purpose. More than anything, she looked cute with her face as red as a tomato.

Maybe I could tease her a little more.

“It’s okay. People do things like that when they’re flustered. But you weren’t really trying to stab me, were you?”

“No, no, no!”

If I kept teasing her, she might actually stab me. I told her not to worry about it and picked up a king crab leg that still had meat in it. Sia could get it out easily with magic, but having her boyfriend do it for her would feel different.

I carefully picked out every bit of meat, put it in a bowl, and handed it to her. Sia gave me a sweet smile of satisfaction, and we finished dinner in a warm, easy mood.

“Ah, that was good.” Sia patted her belly cutely.

“Sia, shall we head to our place and relax?”

“Yeah. I can’t wait. You’re excited too, right, Oppa?”

“Very. It looked great in the photos.”

We’d taken a few trips together since we started dating, but we’d never stayed at a private-pool villa. That probably made me even more excited.

It was close enough to walk. When we arrived, I said,

“Wow.”

“We picked a great place, didn’t we, Oppa?”

“Yeah. My Sia has a good eye.”

Dazzling lights lit up the dark night and the charming little gardens beneath them. A little higher up, the private pool where we’d be swimming shone brightly in the moonlight.

We checked in quickly and went up to our villa. The beautiful night view and the moonlit pool welcomed us.

Now that we were at a private-pool villa, all that was left was to swim. But the trip had been spontaneous, so naturally neither of us had a swimsuit. I was about to go down to the lobby to ask if we could rent some when Sia stopped me.

“I brought them.”

Her hands were empty, but she was a dragon. Maybe she’d stored them in a pocket dimension somewhere.

“Then I only need to rent one for myself.”

“No. I brought yours too, Oppa.”

“... Mine too?”

My Sia really had her heart set on swimming. When had she found time to get one for me? Had she even had time? It was a little puzzling, but I decided to let it go for now.

“Sia, if you wanted to swim, you could’ve told me earlier. I wouldn’t have minded at all.”

“Actually, I wanted to do it with just you. Somewhere with no one else around. Just the two of us.” Her cheeks gradually turned pink with shyness. “Where no one else can see us.”

So that was why she’d said she was fine when I suggested swimming, yet still picked a private-pool villa.

“Oh, right. Oppa, I need to take care of something. Wait here a minute, okay?”

“Sure. Will you be back soon?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll only be a minute.”

* * *

After confirming that Minjun had gone up to the villa, Sia hurried back out and used Teleport. The errand she needed to run was none other than buying swimsuits.

She hadn’t prepared any in the first place. She’d only recently returned to Earth; when would she have had the chance to buy one? There was just one reason she’d lied to Minjun and said she had them.

‘I’ll go buy them now.’

She wanted to choose the swimsuits herself.

Swimsuits. You might think of them as nothing more than clothes for swimming, but few things showed off a person’s masculine or feminine charms quite so well. Sia wanted to show off hers, and she wanted Minjun to show off his in a swimsuit she’d picked for him.

But the two of them swimming alone together in cheap, basic rental suits?

‘Maybe the old me wouldn’t have minded.’

The Sia of today couldn’t accept it. If she were going somewhere with family or friends, that would be one thing. Here, it would ruin the romantic mood.

Her grandfather had given her plenty of spending money, so she teleported to a department store in Seoul.

‘What sort of swimsuit would look best on my Oppa?’

And what should I wear to make him blush?

The shy Jeong Sia who had said only moments ago that she wanted to swim alone with him was nowhere to be found.

“Hee. I can’t wait. I’ll buy them quickly and get back to Oppa.”

She’d narrowed down a few possibilities on Minjun’s phone earlier, so the shopping probably wouldn’t take long. Her eyes curved into crescents.

* * *

While Sia was away on her errand, I went up to the villa and looked around inside.

“This is paradise.”

It seemed a shame to enjoy this fantastic view without her. “When will Sia be back?”

It didn’t sound like her errand would take long. Perhaps ten minutes had passed while I waited alone when I heard her voice beyond the door.

“Oppa, I’m back!”

The doorbell rang, and I opened the door at once. She was carrying a large shopping bag.

“What’s... that?”

“Snacks! I bought a few things in case we get hungry after swimming. Snacks, a few cans of beer, and our swimsuits are in here too.”

“So that was your errand. I could’ve gone with you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Sia began taking her purchases out of the bag: chips, soft drinks, alcohol, and finally—my swimsuit.

“Sia, where did you get this swimsuit, anyway?”

I’d let it pass earlier, but now that I thought about it, something was odd. Why would Sia carry around a man’s swimsuit?

“Actually, I just went to the department store and bought it.”

“That’s what you went out for? We could’ve just worn the swimsuits they rent out here.” It seemed like a lot of trouble to me.

“I didn’t want to wear a rental swimsuit today. So I bought one for each of us.”

I didn’t entirely understand, but I decided not to press her. If that was what Sia wanted.

“You bought all this... in that little time?”

“Yeah.”

Two swimsuits, plus snacks. I wondered if there had even been enough time, but physical distance was hardly an obstacle for someone who could use Teleport.

“Then I’ll go change over there.”

Still keeping her own swimsuit hidden, Sia took the shopping bag containing it and trotted into a room. Now she had me curious. I’d see what she’d picked once she came out. I went into another room to change.

“So this is Sia’s taste?”

We’d chosen clothes for each other a few times while shopping together, but never swimsuits. That made it feel strangely novel. Quietly anticipating the design, I took out the suit she’d picked.

‘That’s it?’

A simple pair of black swim trunks emerged. Maybe it was different abroad, but in Korea, didn’t men usually wear a rash guard too? I preferred wearing one when I swam, so the thought of going out in nothing but trunks made me a little uncomfortable.

Then again...

‘If Sia wanted me to wear one, she would’ve bought it as part of the set.’

If she’d bought only trunks, she probably wanted me to wear only trunks. I decided to wear what she’d chosen. It was a little embarrassing, but who else was here?

Once I’d changed, I went out to the pool and waited for her.

‘What kind of swimsuit did Sia choose for herself?’

The Sia I remembered was quite modest. She’d never liked revealing clothes, whether in everyday life or when we’d gone to a water park together. So she’d probably chosen a swimsuit that covered as much as possible. Maybe even a full-body suit like the ones competitive swimmers wore.

‘... But if that was what she wanted, she probably would’ve rented one here.’

I figured she wouldn’t pick anything flashy, so I couldn’t see why she’d needed to go all the way to a department store. Unless she had a particular design in mind.

Then—

“Oppa!”

Sia called to me, apparently finished changing. The moment I turned, I couldn’t help staring in surprise.

Where had the modest Sia I knew gone?

She was walking toward me in a black bikini, the kind you might easily see at a water park, waving her hand. It had no special embellishments. It was just a simple black bikini. But wasn’t there a saying that simple was best?

“How’s the water? It’s not too cold, is it?”

Without mentioning her swimsuit at all, Sia sat down lightly beside me. That drove me even crazier.

‘How is she so sexy?’

If she’d always worn swimsuits like that, it might not have hit me so hard. But I was seeing a side of her I’d never known—and of all days, I was seeing it today. I opened my eyes wide and couldn’t look away.

‘How am I supposed to resist this?’

When I kept staring at her without a word, Sia didn’t blush. She seemed to enjoy the attention, giving me a seductive smile. Her gaze settled on my bare chest.

‘Did she leave out the rash guard on purpose...?’

Maybe it was my imagination, but I felt as though I’d walked straight into her trap. She stared openly at my abs.

“Ah, I can’t take it anymore.”

She grabbed my shoulders and laid me down on the ground as if the poolside floor were a bed.

“Uh...?”

Starlight filled the sky. Beneath it, Sia looked down at me with a smoldering gaze. I felt her warm breath and her hands resting gently on my shoulders.

She wasn’t thinking of doing something here, was she? We hadn’t even gone swimming yet...?

My flustered expression finally made Sia burst out laughing.

“I’m teasing you, Oppa. Just teasing. Do you know how cute you look when you’re flustered?”

“You...”

Sia giggled and stuck out her tongue to taunt me. She’d got me.

“We still have to swim. We can’t wear ourselves out already. I know you want to, but hold on a little longer.”

Sia gave me a knowing smile, like an older woman taking the lead with a much younger man.

She was acting like a total noona.

* * *

Summer was nearly over, but we spent a night as hot as midsummer. After a delightful swim, we made love. Then we went back outside to enjoy the view again, each carrying a cup of instant noodles filled with hot water.

I hadn’t taken a bite yet, but I knew they’d taste good. We set the cups on a small table by the pool and waited for the noodles to soften.

“Noodles taste best after a hard day’s work.”

“Work? We didn’t do any work, Oppa.”

“Night work counts...”

“Aw, don’t embarrass me. What if someone hears you?”

We were making idle conversation as usual, but we both knew, without saying it, that our time together was almost up. Once it ended, no matter how badly we wanted to see each other, we’d only be able to spend three hours a week together. How long would it take before we could spend a long, unhurried day together like this again?

I picked up a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks as casually as I could.

“Oppa, let’s take a picture together before we eat.”

Perhaps she wanted to leave behind plenty of reminders of our time together before we had to part. I handed her my phone, and she took pictures excitedly. When she was done, she checked the time on it.

I didn’t ask how much time was left. I had a rough idea, and I didn’t want her to have to say it aloud. By unspoken agreement, neither of us mentioned it. Instead, we ate our noodles and took in the sight of each other’s faces.

When we finished, we checked the time. We had less than ten minutes left.

“Shall we wash up and lie down in bed for a little while?”

“Under the covers, with the air conditioner blasting,” Sia added.

“Ah, nothing beats that.”

We cleared away the empty noodle cups, washed up together, and lay down. I shook my head to fight the sleepiness washing over me.

“Sleepy, Oppa?”

“A little.”

In truth, I was very sleepy, but I couldn’t fall asleep now. If I was going to sleep, it would be after every last moment of our six hours had passed.

“Today was so much fun. Wasn’t it, Oppa?” Sia nestled against me.

“I was so happy I never want to forget it.”

“I won’t forget it either.”

“You’re a dragon. You said you couldn’t forget it even if you wanted to.”

“Hee, that’s true.”

Sia gave me a dazzling smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Sia.”

“I love you. I love you, I love you, Oppa. I love you so much I could die. I love you so much. Enough to give you everything I have...”

It was as if she wanted to say all the words of love she hadn’t been able to say before, while she still could. Or as if she were whispering in advance all the love she wouldn’t get to whisper to me during the coming week. She went on murmuring softly that she loved me.

“I love you too. I really do. So, Sia...” I took her hand. “I’ll do everything I can. Just wait for me a little longer.”

I didn’t know whether it would take years or decades, or whether, in the worst case, I couldn’t achieve it even if I devoted the rest of my life to it.

“When that day comes, let’s get married, just like you said. I’ll give you a proper proposal.”

Sia wrapped her arms gently around me. With that conversation—ordinary as it might have sounded, but anything but ordinary—my eyes slowly drifted shut.