CHAPTER 26 – Gangneung (Part 2)

Dojun’s car smoothly stopped at the entrance of the apartment. As she sat in the passenger seat and closed the door, Seoyeon looked ahead for a moment. It felt a bit awkward, maybe because it had been a few days. But she still had to greet him. Taking a light breath, she turned to him and greeted him.

“How have you been? Congratulations on the B&B Mapo Branch opening, CEO.”

Seeing Seoyeon like that, Dojun smiled slightly askew and said,

“You do everything well, Ms. Seoyeon.”

He paused for a moment, then approached closer and said,

“You’re the best at calling me ‘CEO’.”

Before Seoyeon could respond, her chin was grabbed, and her lips were pulled into a kiss. Despite the thought that there might be passersby on the street during this holiday afternoon, her chest was pushed back as a tongue gently parted her lips.

Receiving the soft, swirling tongue, Seoyeon’s vision became blurred. As the tongue traced the tender flesh inside and wrapped around it, an inevitable tightness in her lower abdomen arose. 

After a moment of parted lips, Seoyeon exhaled a trembling breath and said to Dojun.

“People can see us outside.”

“They can’t see.”

Right, the car had heavily tinted windows. Just as she thought, Dojun’s lips gently captured hers again. Seoyeon, her eyes growing hot, let out a muffled sound and clutched Dojun’s shirt as he finally pulled away from the kiss.

“Feel better now?”

Seoyeon’s face flushed at his smile. She wanted to argue, but Dojun’s words were right, so she couldn’t think of any rebuttals.

“Tell me if there’s anywhere you want to go.”

Dojun said as he started the engine. Seoyeon kept her mouth shut and looked out the window.

“Did I upset you…?”

“No, I’m just thinking.”

Seeing Seoyeon cut off her words, Dojun smiled. 

Scenery flashed by outside the window. The scenery outside the window was quickly passing by. The usually busy roads were almost empty, allowing them to drive at a decent speed. Despite the quieter-than-usual city scenery, she still wanted to see something other than this cityscape.

Where would be good?

Seoyeon simply gazed at the distant scenery. Dojun didn’t rush her, either. As she nestled into the seat and watched the passing landscapes, they eventually reached the Olympic Highway and continued down the road. After passing a few green road signs, Seoyeon murmured,

“The sea.”

Dojun glanced briefly at Seoyeon.

“You want to see the sea?”

“Yes.”

If only they could drive all the way to the sea. She wanted to see the vast horizon of the sea, the waves crashing vigorously in the winter. Dojun reached for the navigation on the dashboard and said,

“Let’s just get some sleep.”

“We can sleep when we get there.”

Seoyeon’s nonchalant reply made Dojun laugh. The car picked up speed along the straight road.

When they passed the North Gangneung toll gate, Seoyeon felt hungry. She had only had a cup of coffee and went to Yangpyeong early in the morning, and didn’t eat anything in Yangpyeong, so her stomach was empty.

“I’ll buy lunch.”

Dojun nodded at Seoyeon’s words. Seoyeon opened her phone and searched for famous restaurants in Gangneung.

“The cockle bibimbap is famous, and they have jangkalchuksu and steamed fish, too. Ah, the soft tofu! What do you think about the Chondong soft tofu set meal?”

Dojun looked at Seoyeon, who was speaking with a slightly excited voice. Perhaps because it was far from Seoul, or perhaps because she was heading towards the sea she wanted to see, her voice was brighter than usual.

“Let’s have the soft tofu.”

“There’s a famous place here. It must be delicious. It looks delicious in the pictures.”

Seoyeon said with an excited face. Her eyes squinted into crescent moons, curving out as she smiled. With a smile that was hard to look away from, Dojun’s gaze intensified. His neck tingled with nerves as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Seoyeon continued, 

“We should re-enter the address in the GPS. Should I use my phone?”

When Dojun didn’t say anything, Seoyeon looked at him with a playful tilt of her head. He couldn’t answer. He hadn’t properly heard what she said because of her gentle, soothing voice.

“What did you say?”

“The GPS. Should I use my phone? I’m not sure how to operate this car.”

Seoyeon said, looking at the dashboard’s navigation. As their eyes met, she smiled softly. Her gentle smile was familiar. Whether at the Yeonwoo Mansion, at the hotel, or at his house, it was the same familiar smile, but he was finding it hard to look away today.

“Is it okay if we go to the hotel first? We can just order room service for the meal.”

Dojun was suppressing the urge to stop the car by the roadside and hold Seoyeon right then.

“Then, what about the soft tofu…”

At Seoyeon’s disappointed expression, Dojun involuntarily let out a soft chuckle.

“You made such a big deal about not liking the eel, but now it’s just the soft tofu?”

“It’s not that I dislike the eel. ‘Just’ the soft tofu? That sounds a bit belittling.”

She must really be craving it. 

This was the first time he had seen Seoyeon get so excited about food. Maybe she really was very hungry. When he thought that, they approached a traffic light. Slowing down, Dojun pressed the search button on the navigation system.

“Tell me the name of the place.”

The soft tofu was delicious. The pure white tofu was savory and mild, and the fried tofu cooked in sesame oil, served with spicy kimchi, was also a specialty. After finishing the meal, Seoyeon smiled contentedly, feeling her stomach pleasantly warmed.

They bought rich, sweet lattes at a nearby cafe and got back in Dojun’s car. The Gyeongpoho Lake was visible in the distance, and the scent of the sea seemed to be wafting from beyond.

The low buildings, the clean nature – the scenery was refreshing Seoyeon’s mind as well. She gazed out the window with a peaceful heart.

The car soon climbed up the winding road. It was a famous hotel in Gangneung, known for its spectacular sea view from the rooms.

They parked underground and took the elevator. It felt a bit strange to be entering the hotel with Dojun for the first time.

When she quietly entered Dojun’s house, it felt like stepping into a space shrouded in darkness, but when they entered the bright lobby of the hotel, it felt like stepping into a space bathed in bright light. They looked like a normal couple who had come for a holiday trip.

“It’s waiting for you.”

Dojun said, looking at the scattered, comfortable sofas. Seoyeon nodded. As soon as they entered the lobby, the vast view of the blue sea came into sight. She could see a long wooden table and lamps that resembled the wings of a bird.

There was a door leading to an open space that seemed to be connected to the sea. Glancing at Dojun standing at the front desk, Seoyeon walked forward. As she pushed the glass door and stepped outside, a wide, open space unfolded, and the blue sea appeared so close, as if within reach.

Shallow water spread over the large tile floor rippled and scattered with the wind. Standing in the space where the sea and wind met, Seoyeon narrowed her eyes and gazed at the endless horizon.

“Do you like it now that you’ve come to see it?”

Seoyeon turned around to find Dojun approaching. She smiled and answered.

“Yes, I like it. How about you, CEO?”

“The sea is still the sea.”

Typical Dojun response.

Seoyeon thought, smiling faintly as she looked at the sea.

They stood side by side on the transparent glass railing. The wind fluttered and blew Seoyeon’s hair.

Looking at the endless sea, she felt both a sense of liberation and a lump in her throat. Just standing and watching was so pleasant, and Seoyeon turned to Dojun and said,

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Dojun didn’t answer, just stared at her. Seoyeon turned her gaze back to the sea, smiling.

Though Seoyeon had turned away, Dojun continued watching her, her hair blowing in the wind. When Seoyeon turned back, looking at him curiously, he casually diverted his gaze and said,

“Shall we go down for a bit?”

“Can we go down there?”

“According to the staff, we can. There’s a staircase around the bench over there.”

Dojun took the first steps. Spotting the stairs leading to the beach, he gestured for Seoyeon to follow.

Seoyeon carefully descended the metal stairs. The wind was blowing, making her long skirt flutter, and the slope was fairly steep.

After reaching the bottom, a narrow two-lane road appeared. Crossing the road and stepping over a small curb, the white sandy beach with the crashing waves came into view.

“Wow.”

Seoyeon approached the sea, captivated. The wind was strong, and the waves were high. The distant waves suddenly grew taller and crashed down, foaming white.

“If you get too close, you might get wet.”

Dojun, who was following behind, said. Watching the waves crash and spread foam over the sandy beach, Seoyeon said,

“I won’t go that close.”

Feeling confident in the safe distance, Seoyeon held her skirt with her hands and continued watching the sea. But suddenly, a wave rushed up to her feet.

“Ah, ah!”

Seoyeon laughed as she stumbled backward. Another wave came, this time a little smaller. It didn’t come close, and when it receded, Seoyeon moved a little further forward.

Seoyeon chased the receding waves, laughing mischievously, as if playing a game, stepping back and forth as the waves came and went.

“You’ll-“

Just as Dojun was about to warn her, a strong wave surged in, and Seoyeon let out a squeal, bursting into laughter. Retreating backward to avoid the waves, she smiled brightly and turned to Dojun.

“That was a close call, wasn’t it?”

Dazed for a moment by her wide smile, Dojun couldn’t look away from her, nor could answer. Apparently not needing an answer, Seoyeon eagerly moved forward again. This time, the waves came rushing in without pause.

“Ah, ah, ah!”

Seoyeon took a step backward, but the wave was coming faster than she could move. Dojun quickly grabbed her around the waist as she jumped back, laughing, and the wave surged out and soaked his feet.

“Haha!”

Suspended in the air, Seoyeon laughed loudly. Her long hair cascaded down towards Dojun, the sunlight shining brightly through the strands. Embracing Dojun’s neck, Seoyeon said,

“I’m sorry, it’s because of me.”

Squinting against the glare, Dojun pulled Seoyeon’s head closer to him. Their salt-tinged lips met.

The wind blew, and the waves crashed on the shore.