Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Uparupa Learned That Seawater Is Salty!
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I changed into my swimsuit and headed out to the beach.
No one was in sight except for me.
I must have been the first one out.
While looking around the beach in advance,
I spotted a pile of stuff at the edge of my vision.
Upon closer inspection, it was all set up already on the sand: parasols, sunbeds, mats, and various other items.
The manager from earlier must have prepared it for us.
That's why Ra-hee Big Sister said not to worry about the parasol or other setup.
They really took care of every little detail.
Shwaaah—
As I silently thanked the hardworking manager in my mind,
my eyes were drawn to the waves relentlessly crashing right up to my feet.
Alright, should I just dip my toes in for a second?
I'd planned to wait for the others,
but just barely dipping my toes in shouldn't be a problem.
Splash—
"Whoa...!"
Already captivated by the breaking waves, I approached
and carefully dipped my foot in, letting out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
Not too cold, just perfectly refreshing.
No matter how harshly the summer sun beats down,
if you're immersed in water this cool, you might even forget it's summer.
I think I finally get why people flock to the beach so much in the summer.
I caught a glimpse of that feeling.
"Ah...!"
As I savored the cool seawater and strolled along the wet sand,
a sudden common-sense realization made me exclaim.
Right, come to think of it, seawater has salt in it, so it's supposed to be salty?
It's a basic truth of nature, nothing new,
but curiosity got the better of me, and I bent down to scoop up a bit with my hand and bring it to my lips.
Slurp—
"Eugh...!"
The intense salty taste filling my mouth made me grimace instantly.
Ptooey, ptooey. What an idiot.
Of course it's salty, so why did I have to taste it?
I just ruined the flavor in my mouth for nothing.
"...Da-jeong, what are you doing?"
"Eek?!"
I was trying to rationalize that at least no one saw me,
when a familiar voice suddenly came from the side, making my body jolt reflexively.
I felt embarrassed thinking they'd caught my foolish act.
"N-No! I didn't taste the seawater just to see if it's really salty...!"
Without even looking at who I assumed was Ji-ah Big Sister,
I turned my head the other way and frantically denied it while waving my hands.
"Seawater...? Oh, well, yeah. I guess it could be curious if it's your first time at the beach. I did it when I was little too."
"Ugh, that was when you were a kid... Huh?"
She tried to comfort me, but it wasn't comforting at all.
If anything, it proved I was acting like a child.
With a slight pout, I turned my head back.
"...Huh? Da-jeong, what's wrong?"
Maybe because she's weak to heat like me, Ji-ah Big Sister was already lightly sweating.
She tilted her head at me, and I noticed she was wearing a pure white bikini that suited her innocent vibe perfectly.
What can I say? I thought it'd look sexy with so much skin showing,
but my first impression was just that it was pretty.
Above all, the color and atmosphere matched her so well that I couldn't help but admire it.
"Wow...! Big Sister, you look so pretty!"
"R-Really? Thanks. I've been worried because I've gained a bit of weight lately..."
"Weight?"
Did I hear that wrong?
From what I could see, there wasn't any excess fat on her body at all.
Ji-ah Big Sister has a great figure that even Ra-hee Big Sister sometimes envies.
She's even grumbled, 'Why doesn't Big Sister gain weight even eating bread every day?'
And that was Ra-hee Big Sister saying it.
Just from that, I think Ji-ah Big Sister's body worries are basically unfounded.
Of course, she might have her own concerns,
but the other members would probably give her an earful if they heard. Yeah.
"More importantly, your swimsuit is pretty too, Da-jeong. I saw it back then, but it really suits you."
"Th-Thanks, but I'm still not used to it. It's embarrassing..."
"That's normal at first. It shows a lot of skin, after all. You'll get used to it over time."
Ji-ah Big Sister stroked my flushed cheek as she spoke.
All the big sisters always give good advice,
but hers in particular carries this special sense of trust and weight.
Just hearing her tone makes it clear she's the eldest sister.
Thanks to that, I nodded with a slightly lighter heart,
able to wait for the rest of the members.
"Kyaa-hoo! The sea!"
"Umi-da!"
Right then, as I was staring intently at the villa entrance,
Chae-yoon Big Sister and Yuna came running out side by side, arms spread wide as they dashed onto the beach.
And as expected of Yuna in the process.
That was definitely her imitating an anime scene.
I wanted to do it too, but I was too embarrassed.
"Everyone, make sure to apply sunscreen before going in!"
"We applied it on each other already!"
"That's right!"
Meanwhile, So-eun Big Sister, watching the scene from the villa entrance
like a teacher on a school trip reminding the kids of precautions,
got a proud declaration from the two that they were all set as they approached us.
"What are you two doing standing there? Picking up shells?"
Chae-yoon Big Sister was wearing what she called a sports bra, I think?
A swimsuit top like that paired with hot pants below.
It matched her active personality perfectly, so I immediately thought it was so her.
"No, just dipping our toes. Where's President and Ra-hee?"
"Ra-hee Big Sister's swimsuit is a bit small, apparently. President's helping her."
"...Wasn't that swimsuit new from the other day?"
"Must've grown since then or something."
Something weird came up in the conversation midway,
but I didn't hear anything.
I'm just enjoying the coolness of the sea right now.
Tap tap—
As I tried to distract myself,
I felt something tapping my shoulder.
Turning my head, I saw Yuna's face sparkling in the sunlight.
"Da-jeong, Da-jeong. Did you apply sunscreen?"
"Huh? S-Sunscreen? No, I didn't..."
Sunscreen—that stuff makes your skin all white, right?
For someone like me who rarely wears makeup, it's a bit distant,
so I didn't bring any, naturally.
I shook my head honestly, and Yuna's smiling lips turned into a frown.
"Knew it. Here, I'll put it on for you. Let's go over there. On a day like this without sunscreen, you'll turn into a grilled Uparupa."
"Gasp...!"
Th-That bad?
I don't go out much from home, so I didn't know.
Sunlight is that dangerous, huh.
"Big Sisters, I'm gonna put sunscreen on Da-jeong and come back."
"Okay, go ahead."
After notifying Ji-ah Big Sister and Chae-yoon Big Sister,
Yuna grabbed my hand and headed to where the mat and parasol waited.
Gazing at her profile, I found myself speaking up.
"Yuna, that swimsuit really suits you. So pretty."
"Hehe, right? I bought it as soon as I tried it on because it felt like mine. Especially love that the ribbon for my hair is a matching set."
"Oh, it was a set."
I thought the swimsuit and ribbon designs were similar,
so Yuna must've bought the ribbon separately for coordination.
Women's swimsuits have such intricate details.
Designers who think of stuff like that are amazing.
Squiiiirt—
"Da-jeong, I'll do your back, so you do the front yourself?"
"Yeah."
While inwardly admiring, I applied the sunscreen Yuna squeezed out onto my body.
Ugh, the texture feels weird.
What is it, kinda sticky?
It's different from the lotion Ra-hee Big Sister gave me as a gift to try once.
"Sob, so sad..."
"S-Sad? Why all of a sudden?"
I was diligently applying the sunscreen as per Yuna's advice,
when Yuna suddenly hung her head and said she was sad, startling me.
Did something bad happen?
"Standing next to you makes me feel inferior about my skin."
"Inferior...?"
"Because your skin is so good. How is it possible to be this pale? You can't even tell you applied sunscreen."
"I-I don't think it's that much..."
It didn't take long to realize her worry was pointless.
But Yuna looked genuinely heartbroken, still head down as she rubbed sunscreen on my back...
"Argh, I'm so annoyed, I can't take it! Revenge!"
"Y-Yuna? Why are your hands at my armpits... Kyahaha?!"
Her eyes suddenly gleamed, and she slyly slid the hands on my back forward,
thrusting them into my armpits to tickle me.
Caught off guard by the surprise attack, I was defenseless.
S-Someone save me!
I-I'm super weak to tickling!
Mayday! Mayday!
"You admitted your crime yourself!"
"N-No fair...! Kyaha! I-I didn't do anything wrong..."
"Exactly, who told you to deceive me! What?! 'I don't think it's that much?!'"
"S-Sorry Yuna! My bad, so stop... Kyahahaha!"
I'm dying, dying!
I might die laughing!
Cause of death won't be suffocation or starvation— it'll be LOL death!
I thrashed to escape Yuna,
but with my lacking strength, there was no chance.
In the end, our tangled bodies rolled wildly across the wide mat.
"...What are you two doing?"
Suddenly, a shadow fell over my vision,
and President appeared with her signature blank expression, asking us.
Ugh, President.
Please save me.