Chapter 154: Savior (2)

The sea was finally visible after driving toward Gangneung for three hours straight. Everyone’s eyes sparkled as they looked at the vast blue horizon.

As Na Gyu-Rin looked out the window from the back seat, she said, “It feels so freeing just looking at the ocean.”

Kang Ra-Eun held in her laugh. Gyu-Rin had been very stressed lately due to her studies. Unlike the other students, she had been super focused on her studies right from the beginning of her university life. It was natural for her to feel free, since she had come to the beach after being stuck in a small library all day.

Han Gae-Ae felt the same way. She always felt anxious being on stage, but she was determined to have fun with friends at the beach just for today.

Before checking into the rental beach cottage, Ra-Eun first parked the car at the beach as her friends wanted to take a look at the beach for a bit.

‘Well, it’ll be a while until the other group arrives anyway.’

Unlike Ra-Eun, Kang Ra-Hyuk’s group had not even passed the toll gate yet. It was better to wait to have similar arrival times rather than one group arriving far too early, so Ra-Eun decided to wait for them here.

“Don’t go in the water. There isn’t anywhere we can change,” she advised the rest just in case as soon as they got out of the car.

“Don’t worry.”

Back when Ra-Eun was still a man, she had come with her friends to play at the beach. They had been in their energetic twenties at the time, so as soon as they saw the beach, they had sometimes forcibly thrown one person among their group into the water. However, Ra-Eun’s female friends were a lot more docile.

‘I guess I was worried over nothing.’

Not just that, Gyu-Rin, Ga-Ae and Seo Yi-Seo were not the mischievous type. Ro-Mi was, but she was currently stuck on the highway with Ra-Hyuk and Yi-Jun.

The beach was practically empty, so there wasn't anyone to recognize Ra-Eun and Ga-Ae. It was the perfect environment for celebrities. Because of this, Ra-Eun also decided to take off her shoes and immerse her feet in the water for a little bit.

“Ra-Eun!” Yi-Seo exclaimed.

Click!

Ra-Eun heard the sound of a camera shutter clicking as soon as she turned around.

“Everything looked perfect for a picture, so I tried taking one. I’ll send it to you,” Yi-Seo remarked.

“Thanks.”

Yi-Seo was amazing at taking pictures. More than eighty percent of the pictures that were uploaded on Ra-Eun’s social media account had been taken by Yi-Seo.

Ga-Ae checked the picture over Yi-Seo’s shoulder and was astonished.

“You’re such a good photographer, Yi-Seo.”

Even a popular celebrity had acknowledged Yi-Seo’s photography skills. It was far too much of a waste to let such talent rot when they had come all the way to the beach.

“How about we take a group selfie?” Ga-Ae suggested.

“Sounds good!”

The four women gathered in front of Yi-Seo’s smartphone.

Click, click!

Memories were bound to fade, but pictures remained forever. Hence the girls did their best to take as many pictures as possible. Twenty minutes passed and a car arrived from afar. Ra-Hyuk got out of the car and looked at his little sister in bafflement.

“How hard did you step on the gas for there to be a twenty-minute difference between us?” he asked.

They had departed at exactly the same time, but the time of arrival had been very different.

Ra-Eun refuted, “I didn’t speed. You’re just a worse driver than me.”

“No matter how anyone looks at it, I have more driving experience than you, so how can that even be?”

“But it is.”

In terms of experience after Ra-Eun’s return to the past, Ra-Hyuk was right. However, if experience before her return was to be added, she had far more experience than her older brother. Not knowing that, Ra-Hyuk couldn’t help but consider it a mystery.

After a short time enjoying the beach, they headed to the beach cottage that they had booked in advance. The owner of the cottage was ecstatic from getting to meet Ra-Eun and Ga-Ae.

“I-If it’s no trouble... Could I get an autograph? It’s the first time that celebrities have come to our cottage!”

“Yes, of course.”

The owner had been captivated by Ra-Eun and Ga-Ae’s kindness. He left after telling them to ask him if they needed anything. There was a reason that Ra-Eun and Yi-Seo had booked this particular cottage among many others.

Yi-Seo pointed at a road behind the cottage and explained, “The beach is straight down that road.”

“Oh, really?”

“What a nice place.”

The cottage was so close to the beach that they did not have to go to a separate shower room or bathroom after playing at the beach; they could just come back to the cottage and wash up there. This was why Ra-Eun and Yi-Seo had booked this cottage.

It was still early, but not to the point that they couldn’t go to the beach. Everyone had also packed their swimwear. Now that they had unpacked their things...

“All that’s left now is to play,” Ro-Mi expressed with a bright smile. “Should we change into our swimsuits and go to the beach?”

Everyone nodded simultaneously.

***

Ra-Hyuk got changed first and called for Yi-Jun.

“Let’s go first, Yi-Jun.”

“Okay. Take your time, noonas.”

The two men left the cottage. They could see people here and there, but not that many since it was still not peak season yet. They pinned the beach umbrella that they had borrowed from the cottage in the sand, laid out a mat under it and put their bags on it.

Yi-Jun’s eyes shifted to a certain group of women. They were walking across the beach while proudly showing off their bodies in bikinis. He suddenly imagined Ra-Eun in a swimsuit.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Ra-Eun noona in a swimsuit.’

Ra-Eun hated showing off her skin to an extreme degree, so she had never been in any swimsuit pictures that were fairly common in celebrity magazines. If Ra-Eun ever did a bikini photoshoot, that magazine would be instantly sold out. That was how rare it was to see Ra-Eun in a swimsuit, and Yi-Jun’s heart was already beating just from the thought that he could see that very scene.

‘I’m sure Ra-Eun noona would be far prettier than those ladies.’

There was not even any comparison. Yi-Jun had been unable to sleep properly for several days due to this moment. While he was off in his imagination, he heard the girls’ voices from behind.

“We’re here!” Ro-Mi exclaimed.

Yi-Jun turned around faster than the speed of light. He searched for Ra-Eun first.

“...”

Yi-Jun was lost for words. Unlike Ro-Mi and Ga-Ae wearing bikinis and Yi-Seo wearing a regular swimsuit, Ra-Eun was wearing a rashguard.

She asked the clearly disappointed Yi-Jun, “What? Is there something on my face?”

“N-No. I just... thought you looked great in that rashguard.”

“Really?”

She had no choice but to wear a bikini when she had gone with her friends to a water park, but not today. She had plenty of time to prepare for the trip, so she had bought several rashguards her size in case they would be playing in the water. She had absolutely no reason to feel embarrassed thanks to her impeccable preparation.

Although Ra-Eun was quite satisfied, the same couldn’t be said for a few others. Yi-Jun had not been the only disappointed one; Ro-Mi felt the same way.

“Why do you try so hard to hide that amazing body of yours?” she asked.

Ro-Mi loved looking at beautiful people, whether they be men or women. That was why she secretly had high hopes of seeing Ra-Eun in a bikini, but that hope had crumbled into bits.

Ra-Eun couldn’t care less about their disappointment.

“I like this more.”

Ra-Eun’s stubbornness was not easy to break. Knowing this, Ro-Mi and Yi-Jun had no choice but to simultaneously sigh.

***

Splash—!

Ra-Eun savored the cool water as she jumped into the ocean. She had loved swimming ever since she was young. She not only loved swimming at the swimming pool, but at the beach as well. Ra-Hyuk couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Ra-Eun enjoying the beach like a fish in water.

“She really looks like a little girl at times like this.”

Back when Ra-Eun had been around her second year of high school, Ra-Hyuk noticed that his little sister, who had felt like a child, suddenly felt more mature than him one day. She had made great achievements in stock trading, business and her entertainment career, but seeing her now, Ra-Hyuk strongly felt that she was still his little sister.

The miniboss Kim Chi-Yeol had been defeated through the recent case, so only the final boss Kim Han-Gyo remained. Ra-Eun decided to take her mind off of revenge for a short while and enjoy this moment.

Ga-Ae had brought a beach ball from somewhere and yelled at Ra-Eun who was playing in the water.

“Ra-Eun! How about we have a match with this?”

“Sure! You come too, Yi-Jun.”

Yi-Jun blinked repeatedly in confusion from suddenly being nominated.

“Me?” he asked.

“You said you’re good at volleyball, didn’t you? Let’s see how good you are.”

Yi-Jun had never once refused anything that Ra-Eun asked him to do. He dusted the sand off of his butt and walked toward her. They were in the same team, while Ro-Mi and Ga-Ae were on the opposing team.

“Time out!” Ro-Mi exclaimed in frustration at Ra-Eun and Yi-Jun. “We can’t have the two most athletic people here on the same team. We’ve gotta balance it out.”

It seemed appropriate to separate Ra-Eun and Yi-Jun from the same team. Ra-Eun did not have any complaints.

“Should we go with eeny meeny miny moe, then?”

“How about rock paper scissors?”

“Does the winner get to decide the teams?”

While they were setting the rules, they suddenly heard a commotion from a distance.

“Oh no, what should we do?!”

“Shouldn’t we call 911?”

Ra-Eun turned to where the commotion was. She could see two middle schoolers, who had gone past the safety line possibly out of curiosity, floundering. Ra-Eun reflexively dived into the water to save the two middle schoolers.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Noona!”

Yi-Jun hurried after her.