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Episode 6
At that, sea let out a dry laugh.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already fallen for me?”
“Maybe I have.”
“When?”
As if lost in thought, he gazed into the air for a moment, then his eyes rolled playfully before fixing his gaze directly on her.
“Probably because you’re the first woman who ever abandoned me.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? Is it because I turned down your date request when we first met? That’s only because there are so many weirdos these days. Plus, I have to be more careful since we’re abroad.”
He chuckled at something, finding it amusing. ocean narrowed her eyes and asked,
“You really can read palms, right?”
“Of course that was a lie.”
“…What. You totally fooled me! I almost believed you for a second.”
“Don’t you think you’re too quick to believe people’s nonsense?”
River picked up a single card that the fortune teller had forgotten to pack.
Then, as if it were just a piece of used-up memo paper, he tore it in half. And then, as if sharing an important secret, he whispered.
“In medieval Europe, there was a certain kingdom. The astrologers of that kingdom were famous for making 100% accurate prophecies. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because the king would cut off their heads until he heard the prophecy he wanted.”
Even while telling such a chilling story, his expression remained calm.
“And that king would mobilize all means and methods until that prophecy was fulfilled.”
“……”
“So, it wasn’t a prophecy from the start, but rather a plan.”
ocean stared blankly at the scar on his neck.
It was a large scar, as if someone had cut it with a knife.
It seemed like there was a story behind it.
Although ocean was curious about his story, she didn’t want to pry into someone else’s wounds just to satisfy her own curiosity.
ocean asked indirectly.
“Speaking of which, is there a reason I should trust you?”
“There isn’t.”
ocean was momentarily taken aback by his honest answer.
River leaned towards her.
Then, with the corners of his eyes crinkling prettily, he smiled and said.
“Don’t trust anyone, ocean. No one except yourself.”
Stepping into the restroom for a moment, River adjusted his clothes while looking in the mirror.
Catching himself caring about his appearance, which was unlike him, he let out a faint, wry laugh.
‘She really did come. I threw out the invitation, but I wasn’t sure.’
He recalled the day, a few days ago, when he had coincidentally run into her.
On that day, River had parked his bike by the roadside, straddling it while smoking a cigarette.
Soon, through the white smoke, he saw her in the distance.
Yoo Hae-da.
She was a woman as unique as her name.
Although ocean would never have dreamed of it, he had actually been tailing her for several days.
‘So you really don’t recognize me, is that it?’
A bittersweet feeling mixed with a playful smile spreading across his lips.
Well, if that was the case, things were about to get interesting from now on. Maybe it was for the better.
He observed her from a distance.
While others were busy taking photos for Instagram in resort wear in front of a luxury beach club.
She was walking down the street bare-faced, wearing a t-shirt that read ‘I Love Bintang’.
‘Who wears a t-shirt like that? And even her bag, a fanny pack?’
Despite such quirky fashion, her beauty still shone through.
Interestingly, a bear-shaped key ring dangled from the fanny pack.
Looking closely, the clothes the bear wore were embroidered with ‘Penn’.
‘See. It is you.’
Every time she strode along with her long legs, the bear shook uncontrollably, which was quite a sight.
As she walked down the street, she looked around with curious eyes.
‘Those sparkling eyes too. Haven’t changed a bit.’
River’s gaze naturally followed where her eyes lingered. But to him, it was just a stall selling knack-knack souvenirs and overly spiced food, nothing particularly new.
Soon, the woman’s steps halted in front of a shabby food cart on the street.
It appeared to be a cart selling Scarps a Balinese-style meatball dish made and sold by locals.
It was clearly a street stall targeting locals, not tourists.
His eyes narrowed.
‘Eating food from a place like that is a surefire way to get Bali Belly.’
As she hesitated nearby, showing curiosity, the vendor smiled brightly and gestured.
Then, he picked up a meatball with his hand and put it into her mouth.
The woman chewed the meatball and gave a thumbs up.
Seeing this, River let out a low laugh.
‘She’s certainly expressive.’
Soon, the woman took money from her pocket and ordered Scarps and a can of cola.
Then, she squatted under the awning of a nearby shop and started eating.
She scooped up a hot meatball with a plastic spoon, blew on it to cool it, and put it in her mouth.
Sweat dripping from her forehead in this hot weather.
She ate with such relish that anyone seeing her might mistake that shabby cart for a Michelin-starred restaurant.
He stood there for a long time, watching her eat. He simply couldn’t tear himself away.
‘Still unique.’
At that moment, a raindrop falling from the sky trickled down his smooth cheek.
He instinctively looked up. Then, as if a hole had suddenly opened in the sky, a downpour began.
As the rain poured relentlessly, people started to scream.
But the street vendor, seemingly used to this situation, quickly covered his cart with plastic.
Then, he grabbed the handle and started pushing the cart.
Unfortunately, before he could go far, the cart got caught on a rock and tipped over.
“Oh no.”
The cart fell sideways from the impact, and the round meatballs popped out of the container and rolled onto the ground.
Some of the meatballs were even crushed miserably under the wheels of bikes speeding down the road. It was a mess.
Seeing this, Ocean abandoned her own food and quickly approached the man to help right the cart.
But the meatballs were already spilled.
The man, having lost a day’s worth of business, started picking up the meatballs rolling on the street with a forlorn expression.
The woman, helping him clean up, said something and then took a wad of cash from her fanny pack and handed it to him.
The man repeatedly refused, saying it was okay, but he couldn’t break the woman’s resolve.
In the end, the man scraped all the remaining scraps into a large bag.
After handing the cash to the man, she received the bag in return.
The bag was bulging, clearly too much for one person to eat alone.
To the man who repeatedly thanked her, she gestured as if to say it was nothing.
Then, she took out a crumpled plastic raincoat from her fanny pack, put it on, and started walking.
Even when her foot slipped into a hole on the road and splashed muddy water onto her, her steps were merely light.
ocean
River stood in the pouring rain, watching until she disappeared from sight. A languid smile bloomed on his lips.
“It’s been 11 years. Nice to see you again.”
