TGMND 121

Yoon Ji-gu had never liked the sea for a single moment in his life. Compared to swimming pools or valley streams, he found it unpleasant how his skin felt damp and sticky after swimming in the sea, and he didn’t like how sand stuck to his feet when he came out of the water. While he still felt the same way, for some reason today felt quite different.

“Hahaha!”

“…Ah, stop it!”

Somehow, it felt like he might start liking the sea from today. Lee Yeo-woon had finally buried him in the sand and was taking pictures of him from various angles.

Why is he laughing and making such a fuss, it’s really annoying. Yoon Ji-gu glared at him and deliberately put on a solemn expression. He couldn’t bring himself to hate Yeo-woon, who was giggling with tears in his eyes, finding something so amusing.

As Ji-gu’s lower half was transformed into a sandy “tail,” two young siblings nearby started mimicking it, plopping down beside him. This is more like an old man’s grave than a mermaid, the little boy muttered with a frown. When the child looked upset, Lee Yeo-woon started helping them become little fish.

Adult fish Yoon Ji-gu glared at them from under the shade and reminisced about old memories. Seeing Yeo-woon speaking casually to children he had never met before reminded him of how Yeo-woon had acted towards him without hesitation a year ago. Looking back, it was indeed a memory. Back then, he really thought Yeo-woon was a strange person, and truthfully, that thought hadn’t changed even now. Instead of being wary of strangers, he was so eager to talk to them that it only gave Yoon Ji-gu a headache.

After the unknown children left, Lee Yeo-woon sat next to the buried Yoon Ji-gu and showed him the photos he had taken so far. Even in the photos, Yoon Ji-gu’s bewildered expression was clearly visible. They played around for a while, and before long, Ji-gu must have dozed off. When he blinked his eyes open again, an hour had passed.

“Mmm…”

As Ji-gu shifted, the dry, crusted sand around him cracked and crumbled off in chunks. He kicked off the sand tail, breaking it completely, and turned to find Yeo-woon curled up nearby, napping with a damp towel draped over his shoulder like a shrimp. Ji-gu watched him for a while, then took out his phone and snapped a photo of Yeo-woon’s sleeping face.

Click.

Unfortunately, Yeo-woon’s eyes snapped open at that sound. He blinked his drowsy eyes and rolled over to raise his upper body.

“…What time is it now?”

“It’s not even 5 o’clock yet.”

“Ugh, cold…”

It was understandable to feel that way, being completely wet and having slept with a wet towel on top of that. The two quickly gathered their things and left the beach, taking a quick shower at the makeshift shower stalls.

“It feels gross.”

Yoon Ji-gu squatted on the ground, fiddling with his hair that was still stiff from being soaked in saltwater. He smacked his shoes on the ground to shake off any remaining sand.

Yeo-woon, saying he was already tired even though he had only swum, had his eyes half-closed throughout dinner. Actually, from Yoon Ji-gu’s perspective, there wasn’t much swimming involved, just barely floating and swaying unsteadily with the waves.

After devouring about 6 servings between the two of them, they each had an ice cream and slowly walked back to their lodging. The sky that had been deep blue when they were walking along the coastal road gradually darkened. Through the full-length windows that offered a clear view of the blue sea, they could see the sky turning yellow.

“…It’s beautiful.”

Ji-gu rarely thought of scenery as beautiful, but the sight of the sunlit waves shimmering looked like a masterpiece in a frame. He felt like he could sit there all day, just gazing outside. He wanted to share this view with Yeo-woon. And since it was evening, he wanted to naturally transition into that kind of activity, immersed in the sentimental atmosphere. However, the oblivious Lee Yeo-woon was too busy talking about sand still stuck in his clothes as he went out of the shower.

“Ji-gu, what are you doing there?”

“Just looking at some photos we took today…”

“Wow, you can really see the whole ocean from here.”

Yeo-woon’s hand rested comfortably on Ji-gu’s shoulder. His skin was warm from the recent bath, which felt nice. This was his chance. Yoon Ji-gu turned and tightly hugged Yeo-woon’s waist. Yeo-woon stroked Ji-gu’s hair and asked with a curious smile,

“What is it now?”

“Hyung, isn’t the sky beautiful?”

“Hm? You’re right.”

Now was the moment. Ji-gu, nestling his head against Yeo-woon’s waist, subtly tried to slip his hand under Yeo-woon’s shirt. But his attempt at setting the mood failed. Yeo-woon pushed him into the bathroom, saying he was dirty and needed to wash up quickly.

“…”

Ah, shit.

The moment Ji-gu got distracted by the word “dirty,” he found himself locked in the bathroom. Ji-gu gritted his teeth and quickly washed his entire body, but when he came out, Yeo-woon had already collapsed on the bed and was snoring away.

“…Hah.”

Ji-gu tossed the towel aside and walked to the bedside, looking down at Yeo-woon with cold eyes.

“Hyung, why are you sleeping?”

Naturally, there was no response from the sleeping person.

“Why are you already asleep?”

Does this hyung have any sense? Or is he pretending to sleep because he doesn’t want to do it with me? Ji-gu wanted to slip his hand under the half-raised white t-shirt. His hands were colder than most people’s, so Yeo-woon would flinch and curl up at his touch. It was frustrating that he couldn’t touch Yeo-woon when he was right there in front of him, not just in his imagination.

As Ji-gu thought about it, a secret desire began to stir. If Hyung was really asleep, couldn’t he secretly undress him and touch him all over without him knowing? It would be even better if he woke up. …Of course, Ji-gu didn’t actually have the courage to do it. It was always just talk.

Anyway, this time Ji-gu had prepared everything to show off all he had learned, even running various simulations. How could he just go to sleep? Yeo-woon must really think they were playing house like little kids.

“The sun hasn’t even set yet.”

Ji-gu grumbled quietly, waving his hand in front of Yeo-woon’s face to check if he was really asleep, and even lightly kissing his lips while calling his name. He even interlaced their fingers, but Yeo-woon just kept sleeping peacefully, breathing evenly.

He must have been very tired from driving all day and playing in the water. …There’s always tomorrow anyway. Yoon Ji-gu fiddled with his phone for a while, fidgeting next to Yeo-woon, before unknowingly falling asleep himself.

“…”

While Ji-gu was unaware, Yeo-woon’s eyelashes fluttered. After a long while, Yeo-woon finally opened one eye to confirm that Ji-gu was asleep. Very carefully, Yeo-woon raised himself up and gently pulled his hand out of Ji-gu’s tight grip.

“…I almost fell asleep for real.”

He didn’t know how hard it had been pretending to sleep all this time. Well, to be honest, he had been half-dozing off.

“Why does he make such a fuss over someone who’s sleeping?”

Yeo-woon let out a sigh of relief after confirming that Ji-gu’s eyes were completely closed. He pulled something out from inside the bag he had placed under the bed.

“…”

The ring in Yeo-woon’s hand gleamed silver in the sunset light. Yeo-woon gently lifted Ji-gu’s hand so that the back of it was visible. He carefully slipped the silver ring onto Ji-gu’s ring finger, and as if by magic, it fit perfectly. He had been worried it might not fit, but fortunately it did.

‘Honestly, if he’s not an idiot, he’ll notice as soon as he wakes up. …I wonder if he’ll cry again.’

Ji-gu’s phone was left on the bed with the screen still on.

“Wow, look at him, taking selfies so well.”

Yeo-woon was looking through the photos Ji-gu had taken when he paused at a picture of himself sleeping on the beach earlier. He couldn’t tell when this photo had been taken. While most of the photos he took of Ji-gu were of him looking shocked or surprised, all of Ji-gu’s photos of him were of him smiling.

‘Do I make this face when I look at Ji-gu?’

It was unexpected. It was completely different from how he saw himself in the mirror. Yeo-woon didn’t think he had been that excited earlier, but in the photo, he was smiling broadly like a carefree teenager, preparing to splash water on Ji-gu. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but his eyes looked particularly clear and almost crazed. Yeo-woon flopped back down on the bed and poked Ji-gu’s cheek with his finger.

“Wake up.”

“…”

“Wake up and be happy about getting the ring.”

“Mmm…”

His brow furrowed. Still half asleep, he swatted away Yeo-woon’s hand and wiggled deeper under the blanket, cocooning himself like a caterpillar.

“You miss your chance even when I give it to you.”

There were dozens of ways to wake Ji-gu up, but he didn’t want to. Yeo-woon gave up on waking him and lay down right next to Ji-gu. Even with the air conditioner running at its lowest temperature, it was so warm inside the blanket.

***

Boom, boom-boom!

The two who had been taking a late nap woke up simultaneously to the sound of fireworks exploding outside. “Huk, it’s war!” Ji-gu shouted as he woke up, startling Yeo-woon who woke up because of his shout. They blinked at each other as fireworks kept exploding beautifully in the sky.

“…”

“Want to go out?”

At Yeo-woon’s suggestion, Ji-gu with bed hair, nodded. Ji-gu barely smoothing down his unruly hair with a quick hand. The two left the resort. The outdoors, without air conditioning, was humid and hot. In the distance, they could hear loud music accompanied by guitars and drums. It seemed there was some kind of festival or event nearby. People were sitting along the road, watching the fireworks. On the beach, some held sparklers and took pictures.

Yeo-woon smiled faintly at Ji-gu, who still hadn’t noticed the ring on his own hand. It should be about time for him to notice.

“Hyung, there’s no one here.”

“Where?”

“Here, down here!”

Ji-gu waved his hand from below a large rock placed next to a pine tree. The place he had found was so secluded and out of sight from others that it was surprising how he had discovered it. Yeo-woon held Ji-gu’s hand with the ring on it and looked up at the sky. Orange, green, yellow… The fireworks painting the sky in various colors were of a very common shape that could be seen anywhere.

“Ji-gu, is there anything different?”

Yeo-woon asked, subtly fiddling with their intertwined hands. Ji-gu thought for a moment before giving the wrong answer.

“Did you cut your hair, hyung?”

“No?”

“Did you change clothes?”

“No.”

“Then… there’s nothing. You look the same as always, hyung.”

“Not me, you.”

“…Me?”

He thought for a moment and shook his head. He really hadn’t noticed anything. Even though it was his own hand, didn’t he feel any sense of difference?

“Wait a moment.”

Yeo-woon took out a ring he’d kept in his pocket, closed his hand around it, and placed his hand on Ji-gu’s outstretched palm. Ji-gu held out his palm with a puzzled look, and Yeo-woon laid the silver ring on his palm. As Yeo-woon withdrew his hand, Ji-gu inhaled sharply, feeling the faint warmth of the ring resting in his hand.

“Put mine on for me.”

“…What?”

Yoon Ji-gu, finally realizing there was a ring on his own hand too, asked with a dumb look on his face.

Boom!

Every time fireworks exploded in the sky, their faces were bathed in different colors. This time, it was red.

“When… when did you do this…?”

“Just felt like I was always on the receiving end with you.”

“From me? What could I have possibly given you?”

“Don’t feel burdened. I know someone in this line of work, and I wanted to give it to you today, so I had it made in a hurry. …Is it a bit plain?”

“…No. I really like it.”

“I’m glad.”

“…”

“What are you waiting for?”

Yeo-woon waved his left hand. Ji-gu, whose voice had been barely more than a whisper, finally pulled himself together and clasped the ring tightly between his fingers, as if he might crush it. Ji-gu nervously held Yeo-woon’s hand in his own and carefully slid the ring onto his finger. Why was he so nervous and scared? It was funny how Ji-gu’s hand holding his own and the fingers grasping the ring were trembling so much, making Yeo-woon chuckle involuntarily.

“What… what should I do for you? If you do all this, what am I supposed to do…?”

“You don’t have to try to return the favor. Consider it payment for your first time, or something.”

“…First time? Do we have to talk about that even on a day like this?”

Yoon Ji-gu’s voice which had been filled with emotion suddenly turned sharp. Yeo-woon laughed silently, his shoulders shaking, then tapped Ji-gu’s forehead with his hand as if to calm him.

“You silly.”

“Ah!”

“Actually, the person who made this ring is my friend’s older sister. Every time I went to their house since middle school, she used to make me promise that, when the time came, I’d only go to her to make the perfect couple rings.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about that person?”

“She actually gave me a hard time for not coming to her in ten years. I barely got out of there after a long talk.”

“You’re avoiding the question again.”

“So what I’m saying is, it’s my first time getting a proper couple ring there too, with you.”

Ji-gu, who needed every word spelled out for him to understand, finally relaxed his furrowed brow. There had never been a moment when Yeo-woon wasn’t serious about relationships, but he felt particularly certain about his relationship with Yoon Ji-gu. Whether it was because the honeymoon phase hadn’t worn off yet, or if it was truly a fated love that had come to the house next door, there was no way for a mere human like him to know.

Ji-gu, do you remember the day of our first kiss?

“The truth is, I knew you were deeply anxious. …But now, I feel such a solid sense of certainty that I almost can’t believe I ever felt that way.”

You cried in front of me, and I was just… really anxious and scared of you being like that. I wasn’t confident back then either. I couldn’t find a reason why it had to be you and why I had to be by your side.

“I’m sorry for thinking about it for so long. And…”

“…”

“Thank you for waiting for me, all these months.”

“…Ah, you’re making me cry.”

Ji-gu muttered, pretending to be calm, then turned his head abruptly and roughly wiped his eyes. Yoon Ji-gu was easy to irritate, easy to please, easy to embarrass, and equally easy to move.

Ji-gu’s face was tinged red by the loud fireworks exploding in the sky. This was better than couple rings given on special days like 100-day anniversaries or one-year anniversaries. Now, whenever Ji-gu saw the sea or fireworks beautifully adorning the sky, he would think of Yeo-woon. He would forever remember this moment every time he looked at the ring. Yeo-woon had sealed this memory into a pair of rings.