Stranger

“Argh.”

I slumped down on the table. I couldn’t solve the question. My head was throbbing because I was stuck on one question. I felt frustrated, maybe because the sunlight coming in through the windows was too warm. 

There was a loud noise from the TV, and I turned my head. Yeon Woojeong was drinking coffee and watching a movie. A man and a woman were quarreling on the beach. The main characters were fighting, but the background was the ocean, so it was somehow soothing.

“Why are they fighting?”

In response to my question, Yeon Woojeong lazily picked up the remote and paused the movie. There was no need to go that far, though.

“Erm, it’s a bit complicated.”

Even though he said it was complicated, Yeon Woojeong explained calmly. The failed first sexual intercourse on the first day of the honeymoon, the setting, and the clumsy characters. I nodded as I listened to the calm tone, which sounded like a commentary on the national language test. It was confusing, but I got the idea. It didn’t sound like a movie I would enjoy.

Even after his explanation, Yeon Woojeong didn’t take his eyes off me and smiled faintly.

“Is it hard?”

“No.”

It wasn’t hard. It would have been hard if I had to study for a longer period of time, but there were only three months left. Before I knew it, the cherry blossoms were gone, and it was completely warm. I was trying really hard not to drag this out until winter.

“Do you want to travel?”

Yeon Woojeong suddenly asked me a question I hadn’t thought of.

“Travel? Where?”

“Erm…”

The mere mention of traveling made my head spark with joy. Actually, I should have been more focused on my studies, but it was a bit frustrating to deal with the questions every day. Maybe it was because I haven’t been studying.

Yeon Woojeong’s gaze drifted to the paused TV screen. A wide sandy beach and ocean where the couple was.

“Jeju?”

He tilted his head, then snapped his fingers. I put down my pencil and sat down on the sofa, and he took his laptop from his room.

Yeon Woojeong showed me the pictures that came up when he searched for Jeju Island. Clear, freshly colored beach, yellow rape blossoms, promenade with sunrise and ocean views, palm trees, and tangerine trees.

“Ever been to Jeju Island?”

“No. How about you?”

“Same with me. I’ve never been to Jeju.”

That was unexpected. The thought of going to a place both of us had never been before made me excited. Yeon Woojeong set the remote aside and began searching in earnest.

“I think it would be nice to take Friday off work and go for a 3-day 2-night trip.”

“Friday is an elective class, so I can skip the day.”

Yeon Woojeong smirked at me and continued his search. We spent a lot of time exploring Jeju Island’s attractions and food, deciding to go here, not go here, and eat this and that. Just making the plan was exciting as if I had already stepped foot on Jeju Island.

He gradually refined the plan. He booked the flight and compared lodging. This would be the first trip I’d ever been involved in planning, so when Yeon Woojeong made suggestions, I would say yes or no from his side.

“How about swimming? Do you want to get in the sea?”

“No.”

“You don’t like to get wet?”

“It’s gross to think about washing up after getting wet. Do you want to get in?”

“Me neither. The beaches probably wouldn’t even be open now. Well, what about the pool?”

“It’s dirty and I hate it.”

“Shall we book a pool villa?”

“Pool villa?”

Yeon Woojeong showed me the pictures of the lodging he found. It was a two-story vacation house with a pool. The ocean was directly in front of it, and the stone walls surrounded the house quite high, so it was unlikely that anyone would be able to see inside. The exterior was nice, and the interior was tidy.

“It’s cool to play with ourselves here.”

“Yeah. I like it.”

“Now we need to buy swimwear.”

He minimized the window and switched on another. He landed on a homepage selling swimsuits in a variety of designs and colors and clicked on the picture in the top row.

“How about this one? It has a neutral color.”

I glanced at Yeon Woojeong, wondering if he was serious, but he looked so nonchalant. As he said, the color was black, but it was a palm-sized panty, too small to be swimwear.

“Don’t mess with me.”

“I’m not messing with you.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Why? I think it will look good on you.”

“How could I wear something like that?”

“What’s wrong? It’s just swimwear. There’ll be only two of us, anyway.”

“If I wear this… It will come out.”

Yeon Woojeong looked at me and burst into laughter. My ears felt hot. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, giggled, and then looked up.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have such a big thing.”

“Yours will stick out too if you wear this.”

“You can just put it in cleverly. What? You don’t have a trick for that yet?”

“Wear it if you like it.”

At my blunt words, Yeon Woojeong chuckled and pressed the back button. It was sorted by popularity, and I was shocked to see that kind of panty at the top.

“Then which one do you like?”

“The one like this.”

I grabbed Yeon Woojeong’s hand that was holding the mouse, scrolled down, and clicked on a pair of wide-legged shorts, and he immediately hit the back button.

“What is it?”

“This is uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t like it.”

He was so stubborn. Yeon Woojeong ignored me even though I looked at him disapprovingly and chose short, tight, square-panty-shaped swimwear. The design and color were simple. But to be honest, I wondered how it differed from underwear.

“Let’s buy two of these.”

One for you, one for me. Listening to his muttering, I calmed myself and nodded.

After that, we chose and bought many things for the trip. I couldn’t sleep because my heart was so full of excitement.