Busan Fishing (2)
Busan Fishing (2)
- Seong-hwan-a, sorry. The fishery center is way too busy right now, so I don't think I can make it.
The day before they were supposed to go to Busan.
First, a call came from Jeong-hwan.
A massive shipment of delicious king crab had apparently come in from the Siberia area, so the place was packed with customers.
Well... it couldn't be helped.
- Sorry. Ji-ye's got a bit of a cold today... so I don't think we can go.
Next, a call came from Lee Min-ho.
Ji-ye was sick.
He thought about stopping by their place for a bit, but Min-ho told him not to come, saying he'd just catch it and there would be a huge fuss.
He only left a single remark—to take good care of the others and come back after having a fun time...
He was a little worried, but...
Still, wasn't this a vacation timed to A-ra's leave? They had to go.
- Oppa, I suddenly got called out for a social work field placement. I really don't think I can go. And Hojun said something came up with a supplier for his startup, so he can't make it either.
Something was definitely suspicious.
Could something like this really happen?
On the very day of the trip, five people in the group suddenly had things come up and couldn't make it.
He ended the call with Minji, set his phone down, and let out a sigh.
It seemed they were trying to be considerate of him and A-ra.
"Seong-hwan-a... can we not go on the trip?"
"No, since things turned out this way, let's just drive down, just the two of us, and come back."
He'd heard they couldn't bring their little daughters and son on the KTX, so they had been thinking they'd have to leave them behind anyway.
Right, it actually worked out for the better!
Since they were going on a trip anyway, he could just spend some cozy time alone with A-ra.
*
"Phew..."
"What did he say?"
"He heaved a big sigh and said okay."
The five people, whose relationships had recently become much closer, were sitting together around one table.
There were Yoo Seong-hwan's friends Lee Min-ho and Kang Jeong-hwan, Lee Min-ho's younger sister Lee Ji-ye, and the younger ones, Hojun and Minji.
In truth, until just this morning, all five of them had been very excited at the prospect of going to Busan together.
But then, a single thought suddenly popped into their heads,
and now, with the exception of Seong-hwan and A-ra, they were all gathered here, talking it over.
"Since A-ra unnie probably has a hard time getting vacation days anyway, wouldn't it be a little awkward if we tagged along?"
"Yeah, it would be one thing if Seong-hwan were by himself..."
They were doing this to give the couple, who rarely had time to go anywhere together, a quiet moment alone.
Actually, since the couple had suggested going together themselves, they did wonder if this was okay.
But they figured if they joined, they'd have to take the KTX instead of driving, which would cause all sorts of other problems.
In the end, they decided they would only attract unwanted attention if they went, so they'd send the two of them off to Busan to get some real rest
while they themselves found a decent spot to go have fun.
"We should at least go fishing ourselves."
"So how about going to the west coast?"
"The west coast? Or maybe we should try Incheon?"
Everyone started agreeing with the idea of just going fishing somewhere nearby and easily accessible.
In the middle of all this, Minji saw Ji-ye puffing her cheeks out in a big sulk, looking incredibly cute,
and went over to crouch down in front of her.
"Ji-ye, did you really want to go on a trip with Seong-hwan oppa?"
"Yes..."
Ji-ye nodded, her cheeks still puffed up.
Minji gently stroked Ji-ye's hair.
"Seong-hwan oppa and A-ra unnie have been so busy they couldn't go on trips very often. Let's hold back this time, okay?"
"Okay..."
Ji-ye nodded, her lower lip still poking out until the very end.
She was only five years old, and yet she was this understanding.
"Well, should we start getting a move on then?"
"What if we go down to the underground parking and bump right into them?"
The place where they were all gathered was Minji and Hojun's house.
Considering that A-ra and Seong-hwan lived right in the penthouse of that same apartment building, they could just call later and slip out once the couple had set off toward Busan.
"So what do we do until then?"
"We think about where to go and book some lodging, you idiot."
"Ah, there is more to do than I thought."
Up until now, Seong-hwan had handled everything, so Lee Min-ho had always just traveled comfortably.
He hadn't fully grasped the annoyances of trip planning.
Lee Min-ho scratched his head and grinned, and Jeong-hwan sighed at the sight of him.
Without Seong-hwan around, Jeong-hwan could really feel the massive void he left behind.
***
"They'll feel cramped if we lock them in the cage."
"But the cage is big and spacious, wouldn't it be okay?"
"Hmm..."
One whole side of the car was now taken up by the large cage.
It looked big enough to fit ten small Pomeranians, so it was more than sufficient for two dogs and one cat.
But going from Seoul all the way to Busan would take quite a bit of time, so leaving them in the cage felt a bit wrong.
Letting them just sit in the back seat didn't seem like a bad idea either...
"Or, how about we fold down the back seats to make it flat and leave the cage door open? Wouldn't that work?"
"Oh, that's a good idea."
They could strap the cage down with a belt and leave it so the animals could go in and out freely, which would make things feel less stuffy.
That seemed like the right call.
"Seong-hwan-a! We have to pack the small carriers!"
"Ah, I almost forgot them."
Distracted by other things, he had nearly left behind the three small carriers they would need when checking into the hotel later.
Stowed beneath the car seat alongside A-ra's fishing bag, they fit perfectly.
"Finally, lay down a slightly thick blanket..."
As the blanket fluttered open, the dogs immediately climbed onto it, circling and settling down.
The cat, Tiny, just let out a huge yawn before stepping back into the cage.
It seemed he really did prefer a cozy, enclosed space.
"Noona! Let's head out now!"
"What should we do later? Do you want to hit the Busan Aquarium first before going to the hotel?"
"First, let's stop at a highway rest area before we get to Busan and buy some algamja."
They could never get that exact same flavor at home.
How did they make it?
Getting into the car, A-ra buckled her seatbelt and was beaming from ear to ear.
Trips with the others were nice, but she seemed to really love it being just the two of them too.
"Seong-hwan-a, want me to tell you why the rest stop algamja tastes so good?"
"You know, Noona?"
"Yep. You just dump in a ton of Miwon and sugar. Enough to coat it completely."
Well, of course that would be delicious—there's no way it couldn't be.
And there was no way I wouldn't already know something like that.
The flavor was more primal than just sugar or msg.
They probably weren't even using high-quality butter... and yet, it was truly mysterious.
*
"Brrr... it's cold!"
They entered the very first rest stop they saw after getting onto the Gyeongbu Expressway and were spending some time there.
They also needed to feed Lil' One and Pipsqueak...
For reference, Tiny had already been crunching away happily at the pellets left in his bowl inside the cage, so there was no need to prepare a separate meal for him.
So this was what they meant when they said a cat wouldn't starve to death anywhere.
"Our Lil' One's got a full belly now, right?"
"Meow."
"Alright, alright. Instead, come play with Daddy."
He gently lifted Tiny up and hugged him to his chest.
A-ra, who had gotten back into the car shortly after, stroked Tiny's head and then stabbed a fork deeply into the butter potato she was holding.
The car interior was already warm, but the potato was so hot that wispy plumes of steam were rising from it.
"Ah~"
"Ah—"
He opened his mouth wide, and A-ra popped the hot algamja inside.
He'd nearly burned the roof of his mouth, but the milk A-ra had pushed over to him along with it kept his mouth from getting burned.
"Good, right?"
"Mm."
But delicious was still delicious, so he nodded his head.
This sweet and salty potato that tasted so good...
The saltiness and butter flavor had soaked all the way through to the core.
"I'll go out and buy a few things too."
"Okay, hand Tiny over."
"No, I'll just hold him for a minute and go out. He looked a little stuffy."
If he covered him with a thick coat, he probably wouldn't be cold.
Weren't cats supposed to be resistant to the cold because of all their fur?
Although, being a baby, it probably didn't quite apply to him yet.
"Hoo..."
He closed the car door, stepped outside, and let out a deep sigh.
With the car heater on, the air inside had gotten a bit stuffy, but it cleared up instantly out here, making him feel alive again.
"Little guy, is it refreshing?"
"Mew, meew."
The sky was packed full of dark clouds; it looked like it was about to rain.
Tiny burrowed right into the warmth of his chest.
Tiny would do that even when they were playing out on the terrace—if it looked like rain, he'd slip right back inside.
It was probably going to rain.
"Well... we're just going to spend today inside the hotel without fishing anyway."
He'd be tired from the drive, so fishing on top of that would be rough.
Or maybe A-ra would go out alone for some night fishing.
"But night fishing is dangerous too..."
If she happened to slip and fall...
For an idol like A-ra, any injury was a massive deal.
It really would be best to go with her during the daytime and keep her from going out at night.
Yeah, that would be good.
With that thought, he trudged along, arriving at the food stand.
He ordered roasted corn, a tornado sausage... and another serving of that delicious algamja, and then cradled Tiny in his arms once more.
"That cat is really cute."
"Thank you. He's still a baby, so."
"Ah, our son's been going crazy wanting a cat."
There were friendly, chatty gentlemen at the rest stop.
The moment the subject of cats came up, the place instantly became lively.