Sunset Escape and Looming Regrets
So, what the hell are we gonna eat and live on now? …………… Yeah, Korea really is a small country.
We left Seoul, stopping at rest areas along the way for breaks, filling our stomachs with walnut pastries and butter potatoes from the stops, and after half a day on the road, the scenery outside the window shifted from skyscraper forests to highways, mountain ridges, and finally the horizon. In the end, we made it to the southern coast in just one day—practically a day trip.
The sea. And the sunset. With the whole world bathed in gold and crimson, the sunlight slanting down and shattering across the waves was quite the spectacle.
“Whoa, ajusshi!”
Yeom Hana, who’d been pressing her face against the passenger window, suddenly piped up.
“Pull over for a sec.”
Before I could even stop on the shoulder, she’d unbuckled her seatbelt. The moment the car came to a full halt, she flung the door open and bolted straight toward the beach.
“Walk slower! Sand’s gonna get in your sneakers.”
“It’s fine!”
I turned off the engine and got out too. A gust of sea breeze hit me, filling my nostrils with the salty ocean scent.
“……Hmm.”
Against the blazing red sunset, there was a girl with flame-orange hair whipping in the wind. Honestly, she looked a bit pitiful. Ripped jeans, dirt-caked sneakers, bruises still fading on her face. But Yeom Hana was drop-dead gorgeous to begin with, so even that somehow made for a picturesque scene.
I followed her down to the beach. She stopped near the water’s edge, staring entranced at the sun dipping beyond the horizon.
“Whoa…… this is insane. The sunset’s going down.”
“Yeah. Pretty cool, huh.”
“No, I was imitating Maxidi’s lines from that drama…… whatever.”
“Hm?”
Yeom Hana sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose.
“But I never realized from TV…… the sea smells like this.”
“Yeah? First time smelling the ocean—what’s your take?”
“Hmm, honestly? Fishy and salty. Not as fragrant or nice as I thought.”
She scrunched her nose and added, “Kinda like old seaweed soup.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. Makes sense—TV oceans are just sights and sounds.
Splash. A wave rolled in right on cue, white foam surging up to lap at Yeom Hana’s ankles. Her feet must’ve been freezing in the cold seawater, but she didn’t step back. She just kept gazing at the sea.
The view she’d never seen in her twenty years of life.
“Ajusshi, I’m really glad I met you.”
Out of nowhere, Yeom Hana confessed.
She turned to look at me. Backlit by the sun, her face was hard to make out, but her white teeth gleamed clearly.
“That’s…… sweet of you to say.”
I tried to play it cool.
Even though I ditched everything for it.
My job, my reputation, eighteen years of career, bonds with juniors I’d shared thick and thin with for over five years, promises with the girl I thought of as my daughter. I’d torn it all to shreds and run. And the payoff? Just this one goofy girl’s smile. Talk about a shitty deal.
But.
……Makes me feel bad for even regretting it.
One look at Yeom Hana’s smile, and that’s what hit me.
The sunset melted into the water, waves crashing rhythmically in my ears. A moment of peace washed over us. Just the sound of waves and wind, and our little world of two.
But even in that calm, I couldn’t fully relax. My pocket phone weighed heavy on my mind.
I’d set it to Do Not Disturb, so no notifications. But thinking of the dozens, hundreds of piled-up messages and missed calls……
The back of my neck prickled.
I squeezed my eyes shut and forced my mind blank. Don’t think about it now. Won’t change a damn thing.
“Ajusshi.”
“What.”
“Your feet are wet.”
I looked down—yep, the waves had soaked right through to my sneaker soles.
“……Yeah.”
“We’re both soaked now? Usually it’s just me getting wet at night.”
“Hey.”
Lowbrow jokes even in a romantic spot like this.
Yeom Hana sidled up beside me. Our shadows stretched long across the sand. As the sun dipped lower, they grew longer still.
The sea churned on, the breeze salty, the sand underfoot damp. For a moment, it felt like we’d reached the end of the world.
…………
Time was getting late, and we needed a place to crash. We settled on a minbak tucked in the corner of a seaside village.
The room was cleaner than expected. But the wallpaper? Kinda tacky. Pink floral patterns crammed everywhere—design you don’t see anymore. Probably twenty years old. The linoleum floor was yellowed and sticky underfoot, cheap and worn. Far from a fancy hotel or pension.
But hey, cheap as hell.
We unpacked. My one suitcase, and Yeom Hana’s electric guitar case—practically her clone. That was our entire worldly possessions. Pathetic, sparse stuff piled in the corner.
Through the window, the night sea stretched out. Same ocean, totally different vibe. Not the sunset-glow afternoon sea, but endless black. Honestly, it kinda mirrored our future…… Nah, too pessimistic?
……Gotta check it once.
That nagging thing I’d been ignoring. I pulled out my phone from my pocket.
Screen lit up, and the notification counts jumped out: Missed calls 69. KakaoTalk messages 99+.
“……Ugh.”
The numbers alone made my head throb. But worse were those message previews peeking in the app.
My heart rate spiked instantly. Should I read them? No—marking as read would unleash a flood. And once I started, my resolve would waver.
To stop my fingers from tapping the chat, I clenched my fist tight. Closed the app, swiped away all notifications, powered off, and set it on the table.
Eyes off reality for now. Kinda cowardly.
“How long we staying here?”
I turned at Yeom Hana’s voice. She’d propped her guitar case against the wall and was scanning the room.
I forced some cheer into my tone. “Told ya. We’re traveling. Stay till you’re bored, then hit the next town.”
“Ooh, so we could even do Jeju?”
“Nothing stopping us.”
Yeom Hana’s eyes sparkled like a kid’s. But the grin faded quick. She got serious.
“Ajusshi.”
“Yeah.”
“You sure we can tough it out?”
Her hand absently rubbed her belly. The spot not yet showing, but definitely growing a life.
“If money’s tight, should we job hunt first? I can work too.”
“Hey, this ajusshi ain’t broke yet. Don’t worry.”
Big talk, but reality’s messier. Han Kang got cleaned out in the divorce—nearly everything taken by the ex and her adulterer. Unfair, but self-inflicted.
After that, I scraped like hell. Spent zilch on myself except for the kid. Combat agents at the Special Security Management Bureau pull hazard pay—salary adds up.
I opened the bank app to check the balance. Decent number on screen.
Not huge, though. Buy a house, car, blow it lavishly? Gone quick.
Nine figures. Sounds big, but for Han Kang solo bumming forever? Tight. Factor in Yeom Hana, family, kid…… Normal spending? Seven years. Frugal? Ten till broke.
“Won’t starve on a few months’ travel.”
“For real?”
She eyed my face, eyes widening, still skeptical.
“Yeah. No sucking thumbs for a bit. But once we settle, gotta work.”
“Knew it. I’ll work too. After the baby, get my body back—”
“Hey. Who watches the kid?”
I cut her off flat. “No dual income with a newborn. You just raise the kid.”
Cold hard facts. No parents, no siblings, no relatives for babysitting. Daycare costs cash, which needs work to earn. Work needs childcare. Korea’s great for raising kids, huh.
“Rest a few days first. Then……”
I trailed off. No set plan, nothing to say.
So we talked our first real cohabitation life. Seemed light, weighed heavy. Planned to save it till the travel romance fizzled, but she brought it up.
She’s anxious too, huh.
Makes sense. Her only lean? This forty-five-year-old ajusshi, now jobless bum.
We both clammed up.
“Soon as we can, hit an OB-GYN.”
“Yeah.”
Yeom Hana nodded easy. Then, like a sudden thought:
“Ajusshi.”
“What.”
“Boy or girl—which you prefer?”
“Dunno…… I think—”
Answer caught in my throat. Daughter. Flashed another face. Blue twintails, eyes like murky salt lakes. Wrists scarred barcode-thick, and—
[Dad please just kill me]
Throat clogged tight.
“……Healthy’s all that matters.”
Beat late. Yeom Hana grinned.
“Lame. Be honest then.”
She wouldn’t know why the delay. Doesn’t need to.
Chat died. She rubbed her belly, staring out the window.
Sea that great? Stares at it when bored.
Under the minbak’s tacky floral wallpaper, the ajusshi and girl spent their first night.
Whatever, tomorrow I’d contact Lee Jin-ah and Han Sol. Tell ’em our ties end here—no more searching. Cut clean, real fresh start.