Hometown Sea (1)
After finishing our showers, we headed straight to the vending machine in the alley right in front of the house. The sweltering summer heat crashed over me, but with Aqua in my arms, I was invincible.
‘My own personal refrigerator……’
It was an addictive kind of coolness.
Standing in front of the machine, I set Aqua down for a moment and pulled out two banana milks.
“Here, banana milk.”
Aqua rounded her mouth cutely as she took the milk I handed her.
[Oh ho, is this the national drink?]
I poked a hole in the cap of my banana milk with my fingernail. Aqua tried to imitate me.
Poing.
But her squishy little finger couldn't pierce the plastic cap.
[Uhng?]
“Give it here. I’ll do it for you.”
Aqua was a supreme-grade spirit, after all. A mere plastic lid could be torn with just a tiny bit of spirit power. What actually worried me was her messing up the control and slicing the whole bottle in half.
[Thank you!]
I handed the punctured banana milk back to her and chugged my own. Aqua watched how much I drank, then took a sip just like me.
[Hm?]
She looked surprised for a second, then quickly tilted it back and downed the whole thing. Raising the rhombus-shaped bottle high toward the sky and cranking her head all the way back, she one-shot it in an instant.
[Delicious!]
Her eyes sparkled—she must have loved it that much. I offered her my half-finished one.
[Thank……!]
Her hand froze midway. She stared at it with conflicted eyes, then lowered her arm.
[I’m fine. You drink it.]
Her words said one thing, but her drooping hair told the real story.
“Don’t worry. I can just grab another one.”
[Another one?]
“Drink as much as you want. There’s plenty over there.”
I pointed at the vending machine. Aqua's eyes lit up.
[I can eat something this delicious as much as I want?]
“Yeah. As much as you want.”
[The human world is the best!]
Aqua snatched the banana milk I offered and chugged it straight down. Like that, she knocked back three in a row.
[I can’t drink any more!]
I piggybacked the now-yellow-tinged Aqua—banana milk overdose—and headed home.
“Was it good?”
Aqua kicked her legs happily from her perch on my shoulders and answered without a second's hesitation.
[The best!]
“Better than cola?”
[Hm……! That’s a tough question!]
She started pondering seriously, just like a kid hit with the classic “Mom or Dad?” dilemma. I chuckled softly and steered us to safer waters.
“How was the bath?”
The answer came instantly this time.
[I thought human baths took forever and were so inefficient compared to a spirit's bath. But that’s not true at all!]
Her voice brimmed with excitement.
[It was fun! Time spent with water is always so joyful!]
“Right? Water really is the best.”
[Words worthy of a water spirit user!]
Hee hee hee. Aqua laughed happily before asking,
[Do humans feel good when they go into water too?]
“Of course. We humans are born from water and grow up surrounded by it, after all.”
[Is that so?]
“Yep. The human body is about 70% water.”
[70%? Then we’re practically water spirits!]
Aqua covered her mouth and giggled.
[The human world is just packed with fun things!]
And as if I were the best of them all, she hugged my head tight. My cheeks ballooned up ridiculously high. I knew I looked like a total fool—scared someone might see—but I just couldn’t force the grin down.
Back in the main house, Mom and Dad were prepping breakfast.
“Out for your exercise?”
They knew my routine hadn’t changed in years. Dad shook his head in admiration as he read the paper.
“What a diligent kid.”
“You should join him for some exercise too.”
“Aigoo, that again?”
Mom and Dad traded their usual laid-back banter.
“Your back’s been hurting lately, right? Exercise is the best for that.”
“I’ll think about it if you join me.”
“I’m already doing yoga.”
“Men can’t do that.”
“Why not? Our teacher’s a guy.”
I could listen to that gentle chatter forever. But first, there was something more pressing.
“Ahem, ahem.”
I cleared my throat to draw their eyes.
“I, uh, have a friend I’d like to introduce you to.”
Their gazes naturally shifted to the door behind me, expecting someone to follow me in.
People without Spirit Affinity couldn’t see spirits.
I gently lifted Aqua from my shoulders and set her on the table. She drew up her spirit power. Spirits actively using their power manifest visibly, even to those without Spirit Affinity.
“Oh my!”
“Eek!”
Their eyes went wide at Aqua's sudden appearance. She bowed politely toward them.
[Hello! I’m Aqua, contracted with Hyunwoo!]
Mom jumped at the spirit popping up out of nowhere. Dad was startled too, but he caught on quick.
“A water spirit.”
[Nice to meet you!]
Dad stared in wonder. It must have been his first time seeing a real spirit. Then Mom grabbed my hand tight.
“You contracted a spirit?”
“Yeah. Yesterday……”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Just wonderful.”
She kept repeating it, stroking the back of my hand over and over. Her eyes looked a little misty.
I panicked and gripped her hand back.
“It’s good news—why the tears?”
[If you don’t cry happy tears, you’re not family of a water spirit user! It’s a very good thing!]
At Aqua's not-quite-comforting comfort, Mom finally smiled.
Mom and Dad chatted with Aqua over breakfast. The concept of spirits still felt awkward to them without Spirit Affinity, but I was sure they’d warm up soon.
‘Aqua seems to like them already.’
Spirits could sense people’s auras and naturally gravitated toward kind, warm souls. And without a doubt, my parents were the best kind.
“I’ll handle the dishes.”
As I gathered the plates and headed to the sink, Aqua followed. She slid down the table leg with a plop plop plop, looked up at me, and thrust both arms high—classic “pick me up” body language.
I smiled and scooped her up gently. She eyed the pile and asked,
[What’s this?]
“Doing the dishes. Washing the plates with water to get the food off.”
[With water?]
Aqua's tone shot up. She whipped around to face me with a big grin.
[Then leave it to me!]
With a flick of her finger, water surged from the sink and started scrubbing the dishes.
“Whoa.”
I watched the show, still holding her. The water streams followed her finger like a living dishwasher, twisting left and right, slamming against the plates to polish them spotless in seconds.
“Wow, a real water spirit!”
At my praise, Aqua's nose shot straight up.
[Leave stuff like this to me from now on!]
“Haha. Thanks to you, housework just got a lot easier.”
[This is my nest too now! Just say the word anytime you need help!]
I cradled her like a baby and gently stroked her back.
[Hee hee hee!]
She snuggled in happily. Mom and Dad watched us fondly over their coffee.
“Our boy’s ready to get married now.”
“Got the kid before the wife.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly but didn’t stop petting Aqua's back. A lovely smile bloomed on her face.
After brushing my teeth, there was a guest in the living room—not a guesthouse customer, but one of my parents’ friends.
“Hyunwoo? Top of your class this semester too?”
Park Uncle, his skin baked dark by the sun, greeted me with a hearty laugh.
“If only my boys took after you half as much, I’d have no regrets in life!”
“Haha, Uncle, you’re here?”
Park Uncle was Mom and Dad’s old friend. They were in the middle of chatting, with apples peeled and ready.
I sat beside them, and he shot me a sly look.
“So, you up for working at my place again this break?”
He ran a banana boat and surfing shop nearby—pretty big operation. “Banana” was shorthand for water leisure rides like banana boats or jet skis, the kind of summer gig every local kid scrambled for.
‘Good pay, unlimited water fun, and chances to hang with tourists.’
I’d worked there every summer since high school. Not for the girls, though.
‘There was that rumor—staying close to water raises your Spirit Affinity rank.’
Total baseless superstition from the early awakener days, but hey.
I shook my head with a smile.
“Nah, got other stuff this break.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Mm…… Well, can’t force you.”
He looked disappointed, then poked my side.
“I’ll bump your daily pay 10%.”
“Haha, it’s not about the money.”
“Then what? Tell me—I’ll make it work.”
“Plenty of other kids want the job, right?”
“Sure, but none like you.”
He crunched an apple slice, clearly miffed.
“The hard workers suck at hawking customers, the cute ones chase skirts over chores. Gotta trust someone with the cash, but one kid’s got zero interest and the other’s got a brain like a peanut.”
I couldn’t help laughing at his brutal roast of his own sons.
“Seriously, you’re one of a kind. Good-looking, fit, strong, diligent, doesn’t harass guests. Prime worker, prime. I could hand you the reins and take an overseas trip. That says it all.”
The sudden praise left me sheepish.
[Hee hee hee!]
Aqua, perched on my lap, giggled behind her hand—clearly delighted by the compliments. Mom and Dad looked pleased too. Dad couldn’t hold back his grin.
“Park, you sure you’re not overselling him?”
“Overselling? Kang, you’re damn lucky with this son. Where else you gonna find talent like that around here?”
Dad didn’t argue, just beamed. Feeling awkward, I changed the subject.
“Uncle, mind if we hop on a banana boat a bit later?”
“Banana boat? Wait, ‘other stuff’ was a date? Got a girl?”
“Haha, no. With Aqua.”
“Aqua?”
Aqua manifested right on cue from my lap.
[Hello!]
“Whoa?”
Park Uncle's eyes went round as saucers.