HWAMB — Chapter 49

“…Huh.”

Like a raccoon staring at cotton candy dissolving in water, I blinked at his pocket in dismay. Hyun-woo also looked startled at my reaction.

Wait—what?

“Hold on, hold on, hold on.”

Was it not mine? Had I imagined everything, drinking in my own delusions too fast?

I was too flustered to think clearly.

Seeing my crushed and embarrassed expression, Hyun-woo rushed to explain.

“No, no! I didn’t mean to give it and take it back… It’s just—it’s a ring gauge! For measuring size!”

“…That’s a lie. No way a ring gauge would look that pretty…”

“It’s true!”

Like I’d never seen one before?

I knew what they looked like—chunky silver rings with numbers etched on them for the size.

But the one Hyun-woo had put on me looked like a real piece of jewelry, with clean lines and design.

Hyun-woo held my shoulders and carefully reasoned with me.

“Eun-jae, think calmly. Why would I give you a ring only to take it back? And I’ve never lied to you, right? Have I?”

“…Mm.”

“Hey! Why are you hesitating!”

“W-well… yeah, I guess.”

Maybe he was just saying that to spare me embarrassment. Maybe the ring was meant for someone else—like his omega father, for example.

But then again, Hyun-woo had a point. The situation did seem odd.

I tried to organize my thoughts slowly.

“So that really was a ring gauge…?”

“Yes. It doesn’t look like one, but it is.”

“Then… is the ring for me?”

“To be exact, that wasn’t yours.”

Hyun-woo sighed and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen, then showed me a picture.

“This is yours.”

I stared blankly at the ring in the photo.

With soft curves, two lines met and overlapped in the center. The design was exactly the same as the one he had just tried on me.

Hyun-woo explained that the one in the picture was the real thing, while the one I’d worn was just a sample made for exact measurement.

In other words, it was a mock-up.

He had a replica made just to measure my size?

No wonder it was so pretty. I was so stunned by the scale of it that I could only open and close my mouth. Hyun-woo asked,

“…Do you like it?”

“…What?”

“The ring.”

Of course I liked it. I just worried it might be too expensive.

When I slowly nodded, Hyun-woo relaxed and answered the unspoken thought he must have already read on my face.

“It’s not expensive. I picked something perfect for us, so don’t worry.”

“…Thanks.”

I remembered when Hyun-woo once tried to buy me a pricey watch for my birthday back in middle school.

I had refused, and he’d asked if it was because I felt pressured.

I had half-joked that if people knew I was wearing something that expensive, kidnappers might target me or cut off my hand.

Hyun-woo had nodded thoughtfully, saying, “Yeah, I guess that could happen.”

But really, my biggest reason was that if I couldn’t even wear it freely without fear of losing it, it was better not to have it at all.

Of course, I knew if I had said that aloud, he would’ve just replied, “Then I’ll buy you another one.” That’s why I kept it to myself.

“But… is it okay telling me all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… you were planning it as a surprise gift, weren’t you?”

“You already saw the case earlier.”

Right, I had.

And I’d also glimpsed that so-called “ring gauge.”

“True… but you brushed it off so smoothly, I thought I’d just play along like I believed you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re too cute.”

Hyun-woo chuckled and brushed his lips gently against my forehead.

Then, whispering at my ear, he said, “It’ll fit your hand perfectly,” while playfully fiddling with my fingers.

* * *

The blazing sun made me squint, and I pulled my sunglasses back down over my forehead.

This place was truly quiet and secluded. Not a single car passed by outside, as if I had been dropped onto a deserted island.

With no bothersome noise, it was the perfect retreat.

‘This is amazing…’

Sitting on the pool float, I gazed up at the sky in peace, not chased by anything.

It was the kind of leisure I wanted to enjoy even after becoming an adult.

I stretched out both legs comfortably, letting my body drift on the gentle flow of water.

I hadn’t expected there to be a pool on the top floor of the villa. The wide-open view gave me a refreshing look at the scenery outside. No wonder Hyun-woo had packed a tube in the trunk.

“What a thoughtful guy.”

I tapped the beak of the hot-pink flamingo float. If this had been a crowded pool or the sea, it would have stood out more than anyone.

It was eye-catching in every sense.

Today, the flamingo’s sturdy beak and air-filled round body looked even more dignified.

That’s when a tall, lean figure walked toward me.

It was Hyun-woo.

Wearing only a swimsuit, he strode over and slipped naturally into the water.

I sipped lemonade through a straw, side-eyeing him.

His muscles seemed to grow firmer by the day. Without realizing it, I glanced down at my own chest and stomach.

‘Soft…’

Making my judgment, I zipped my swim cardigan all the way up.

Hyun-woo stifled a laugh at the sight.

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Want to learn swimming with me once your leg heals? For exercise.”

I grumbled, but Hyun-woo’s smooth laugh followed.

It was a tempting offer. Even for senior year of high school, stamina was everything.

Maybe I could finally shed this soft, untrained body, even if I couldn’t be as toned as Hyun-woo.

“Sure, why not.”

Pretending to give in, I answered. Hyun-woo dragged over another flamingo float and climbed onto it. Soon, his float was pressed right against mine, as if we had never been apart.

“Where are the hyungs?”

“Market. And going for a drive too.”

“Really?”

A drive, huh. Maybe their relationship wasn’t so bad after all.

‘Since Hyun-seo hyung’s an omega, and my brother’s an alpha…’

Still, no matter how I imagined it, I couldn’t picture them laughing warmly together.

Even here on vacation, my brother treated Hyun-seo with the coldness of a winter gale.

“So Hyun-seo hyung said that? About going for a drive?”

“Yeah.”

Of course—it wasn’t something my brother would have said.

Don’t overthink it. Not that it would happen, but even if the two of them ended up dating, it wouldn’t really matter…

‘Would it?’

I had to admit it nagged at me a little.

Chewing the ice from my cup, I pushed the thought aside.

I drifted lazily, like a jellyfish, doing absolutely nothing.

I had thought doing nothing would make me restless, but it was the best feeling.

Not something I could do every day, of course, but once in a while, it wasn’t bad at all.

“Hyun-woo…”

“Yeah?”

I called to him in a languid voice.

“Summer break is almost over…”

“Ah, true.”

He nodded, realizing, though as always he didn’t look too affected.

“There’s only one reason I like vacation as a high schooler.”

“What’s that?”

“No vacation homework.”

“Hm…”

“And no writing thirty days’ worth of journals and book reports all at once.”

“Right. No need to fake the weather either.”

He chuckled as he remembered.

I thought back too. Most assignments I managed somehow, but keeping a daily journal had always been impossible, so Hyun-woo and I used to cram them all in together.

“My brother said when he was young, he had to look up the weather in the newspaper. At least we had search engines. What a world.”

“…You sound like an old man.”

Hyun-woo laughed and asked for a sip of my lemonade. Before I could stop him, he had already taken it and drunk through the straw.

He blinked, stiffly looking at me.

“Oh… I already drank it, huh?”

I swallowed hard, embarrassed.

Hyun-woo noticed my expression and asked nervously,

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“Ah… no, not wrong exactly…”

You just kissed me indirectly.

It was too awkward to say out loud.

Sure, before we used to share straws without thinking.

But now…

‘You should notice!’

Hyun-woo still hadn’t caught on, just staring at me with a puzzled look, like he was trying to read my mind.

See? I’m the only one overthinking again.

Which only made it harder to say anything.

“…”

“…”

A long silence passed. Then Hyun-woo’s face lit with realization.

“Ah… I get it.”

With a grin, he stood from the flamingo float and stepped out of the pool.

After drying off quickly, he opened the glass door and disappeared inside.

Soon, he returned. The glass he carried was filled to the brim with fresh lemonade.

This time, upgraded.

“Ta-da.”

Floating in the glass was a round slice of lemon. It looked hastily cut, a little uneven.

But Hyun-woo beamed proudly, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“You got mad because I drank it all, right? Sorry. I made a bigger, better one this time. So don’t be mad.”

He pressed the glass into my hands, telling me to drink as much as I wanted.

I just stared at him, speechless.

‘Damn it… this clueless idiot.’

He noticed the strangest things instantly, but when it came to this, he was completely off.

Pouting, I downed the entire drink in one go.

“Anything else you want to do?”

“Huh?”

“Today’s our last day. Since we’re here, you should do everything you want. We don’t leave until tomorrow afternoon, so we still have time.”

“Right…”

I thought for a moment. Five days had already gone by in a flash.

I felt reluctant to part with this hot-pink flamingo.

We had played like seals in the water (even if all I did was float and splash my hands around), eaten plenty of grilled clams, and even visited a famous botanical garden nearby.

Fishing had been fun too. I still didn’t know the technique, but catching something each time was thrilling.

‘We really did make the most of this trip.’

I remembered how every time my brother cast his fishing rod, a fish bit right away.

No wonder—he had always been good at it when he used to go with our father. More than skill, he just seemed blessed with fishing luck.

Even when Hyun-seo cast his line, he only managed to pull up two crabs, without a single fish.

That night, we had a feast of sashimi, spicy fish stew, and steamed crab.

“Ah, I just thought of something I want to do.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Climbing out of the pool, I grabbed a towel and rubbed Hyun-woo’s wet hair dry.

After changing clothes, he followed behind as I hurried ahead.

* * *

“Really simple.”

“Shut up. This is how I always wrap up a trip.”

Holding a small sparkler, I giggled softly, and Hyun-woo laughed along. It looked like a tiny star was clinging to the stick.

I watched it for a long time, until the dazzling sparks burned out.

I was glad we had gone to buy them after swimming earlier today. We had also stopped by a few of the little workshops in the area.

Seeing how many glass studios there were, I understood why Hyun-seo hyung had chosen to keep a villa around here.

Time passed quickly as we wandered from place to place, looking around. By the time we realized, it was already dark. After grabbing a simple dinner nearby and returning to the villa, my brother and Hyun-seo hyung were already back.

Normally, my brother would have fussed, full of worry, asking how far we had gone. But maybe because I’d been with Hyun-woo, he said nothing today.

And now, I was crouched in the villa’s yard with Hyun-woo, enjoying sparklers together.

The fire that bloomed as the stem burned down was so beautiful.

“In the past, I liked setting off fireworks at the beach more. But these days, I think I like this better. You can see it up close.”

“Me too.”

“You too?”

“Isn’t it the same for everyone when they’re kids? Big and flashy things are the best.”

True enough. Back then, bigger was always better.

The flames that had been glowing brightly slowly dwindled. When the sparkler fizzled out into powder, I tossed it into the trash and picked up another one.

But instead of lighting it, I just fidgeted with it for a while. Silence stretched between us.

The sound of insects singing filled the air around us.

After hesitating for a long time without saying anything, I finally spoke quietly to Hyun-woo.

“…There’s something I’m supposed to get from you right now.”