A Tiny Return to Childhood
I'd decided to slip back into childhood, just a little.
"Oh… I've never been to an aquarium before."
"Me neither."
We'd meant to go to an amusement park. We'd been before, even.
The first time was when I was in elementary school, the second in middle school.
And neither left me with particularly fond memories.
Elementary school: I was too short for the roller coaster. And right as everything was wrapping up, it started raining, soaking us through, and I caught a cold over the weekend.
Having never really gotten a proper taste of what an amusement park could be, I went again as a middle schooler—and it rained from morning on.
The free disposable rain ponchos they handed out kept the water off, sure, but it was summer, and bare skin against plastic felt cold and clammy. Every time I moved, the thing stuck to me like wads of chewed gum. It was so miserable I just bought an umbrella from a shop instead.
We rode the safari bus. Then rode it again. Then once more. And for lunch we sat on a nearby bench watching people walk by. That was it.
But today was different. We'd changed course from the start and come to the aquarium instead.
Energy conservation. This was energy conservation.
"Whoa…"
That was the plan going in—but honestly, I was stunned.
I'd arrived with zero expectations, figuring we'd take a quick look around and then start debating whether to head to a motel or a hotel. That halfhearted resolve began to scatter the moment we stepped through the entrance.
And now, not long after walking in—
"Wow, how is it shaped like that?"
"Its face looks so weird. In a cool way."
We were enjoying ourselves so much the admission fee already felt worth it. It was incredibly pretty. Incredibly fun.
There weren't many people, surprisingly, so there was no need to hurry our steps, no jostling through crowds. We strolled at an easy pace.
"Why is this so fun?"
"Right? We're just looking at fish, and it's fun."
Oppa was peering past the glass with glittering eyes, too. We hadn't even hit the halfway point, and I was already buzzing with excitement.
"Whoa, whoa. What is this? It's so cute~"
A tiny, adorable fish in a small tank—so small it was almost unreal. You could boil it into a spicy fish stew and your stomach wouldn't even notice.
"Wow! Oppa, it's a dolphin!"
"It says… beluga?"
"Ahem. Same difference."
The tank was enormous, almost majestic. Even with Oppa—who was pretty tall—standing in front of it, the scale was hard to grasp. It was overwhelming. Before I knew it, he was posing with a peace sign, and I snapped a picture of him.
"It's really beautiful…"
"Yeah…"
Would we be able to come back someday? Of course we would. Oppa and I would still be together by then.
"Let's take one together."
"I'll hold it."
With both hands free, I looped my arms around Oppa's shoulders.
"I love you."
Click.
The photo came out blurry.
"Ah. Sorry. I must've bumped it."
"…No. I got flustered… my hands were shaking."
"Th—ahem. Got it."
His pale skin flushed red, then blue under the light.
The soft glow of the tank washed gently over the glass.
Above us, fish glided as if soaring free, looking impossibly unbound.
Countless fish whose names I didn't know filled a single tank. The small ones of the same kind clustered together as they swam; the big ones drifted by at their leisure.
"So pretty…"
I tapped the glass without thinking, and the tight little school scattered, then pulled back together again.
"Whoa…"
"There's otters, too. Want to go see?"
"There are otters? Let's go. Where?"
"Sooo cuuute…!!"
"Wow, it's a living bag…"
"…?"
"A penguin's belly looks insanely soft. I want to lay one down and use it like a pillow."
"…You're softer than that, Jihye."
"Hweh?"
I was thoroughly, completely enjoying the aquarium.
"Souvenirs, huh…?"
I had no idea why an aquarium would sell puppy plushies, but whatever—it was an aquarium, so there were bel… bel-whatevers, too.
"Want me to get you one?"
"Come on. What would I do with a stuffed animal?"
"Because it's cute…?"
Was he calling me cute, or the plushie?
"You're my stuffed animal, Oppa. Just yesterday you… came over on your own, you know."
"…Right."
"If you want a plushie stealing your spot, go ahead and buy it."
"Uhh… no. How old do you think I am."
Apparently my arms had been treating him pretty well. My mood was rocketing through the ceiling.
"Hehe. Come on. I want to go look at the fish again."
Earlier we'd dropped the leisurely pace to rush around taking pictures, and now I wanted to really take it slow—no camera this time.
"Hm?"
"Hold my hand. I want to look around properly and comfortably this time."
His startled hand found its way back and laced its fingers through mine.
"Okay. There was a spot I wanted to see again, too."
"Ahem. Hang on a second. I'm going to run to the restroom real quick."
"Ah. Got it."
We'd just left the gift shop and were roughly checking the map to head back when the urge hit me out of nowhere.
Oppa nodded like he understood, and I went straight into the restroom.
"…Ah."
I almost walked into the men's room, but spun right back around. Habit. Everyone knows the left-hand door is almost always the men's—it's basically a national rule.
I only figured it out when I saw the urinals. Not like I used those anymore.
"Haa…"
If you had to name a downside to stockings, it was how annoying they made bathroom trips.
Pretty, yes—but the drawbacks were crystal clear. If I wore anything other than pantyhose… a draft would sneak in and my thighs would get cold.
And since I was sitting on the toilet, my butt was a little chilly, too. Unnie had been right—carrying your own tissues was the way to go. The stuff here looked pretty low-quality.
"Ah…"
And when you pull them back up and something gets caught, nothing is more annoying, irritating, or downright spite-inducing. In my case, a strand of hair had gotten stuck.
You could feel it—and maybe even see it. These were 200 denier, so it probably wouldn't show, but the ones you wear in spring or fall… ugh.
"Ugh…"
And this was genuinely my first time in a women's restroom. There were women in here. I was a woman too, but… I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong.
I washed my hands and dried them with a handkerchief.
I'd watched makeup tutorials enough to understand the idea, but the makeup I did wasn't the pretty, polished kind—it was more like setting a person on fire. Maybe it was closer to that black-and-white rock look that was big in the 2000s.
Okay, that was an exaggeration. I stuck to the easy stuff, in moderation.
I'd only been a woman for about two months. Had it already been two months?
"…?"
I was staring holes through the mirror, concentrating as hard as I did when I cooked, touching up my makeup, when a soft rustle of presence made me turn without thinking.
"Ah… I'm sorry."
"…?"
And there was a woman who started with an apology. Why was she apologizing?
I looked at her with a questioning face, waiting, and she spoke again.
"Ah. I was staring too hard and thought you'd noticed…"
"Ah. Ah… yeah."
Apologizing for staring. Was there some kind of order of operations for doing your makeup in a public restroom?
"Do you happen to have Instagram?"
"Uh… just with friends…?"
"You're so pretty, I was wondering if you'd tell me…"
Had I ever used a line like that when I was a guy?
Wow, you're so handsome—do you have Instagram?
Yeah, no. That would be deeply awkward. From the receiving end, a guy would probably wonder if the other guy was hitting on him.
"…I'll give it to you."
"Wow. Thank you so much!"
It wasn't anything worth thanking me over.
"…Is that your boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"He's incredibly handsome… is he an actor, by any chance…?"
The woman looked at the photo, then back at me.
"No. Just an office worker."
"Did you two come together today… too…?"
"Yep, yep. We're on vacation."
"Anyway… thank you."
"Oh, please. It's nothing."
I finished fixing my makeup and left the restroom. Another brand-new experience under my belt.
"Ohoho."
That neat, handsome face and tall frame, visible even from a distance. I spotted Oppa right away and started walking toward him.
"You're so handsome—would a number be possible…?"
"Ah… I…"
"Could I get one too…!"
"Ah…"
As I quietly approached, Oppa was being asked for his number. Not by one person—by three.
"Oppa~"
I called out in the brightest, freshest voice I had, and his face was the picture of pure distress.
"Y-yeah, Jihye."
"Let's go already. It's a little past lunch, so we have to hurry if we want to see everything~"
"Ah, okay."
I laced my fingers through his and turned us the other way.
Thump, thump.
"Jihye?"
About halfway through a dimly lit themed section, I herded him into a corner.
"Oppa."
"Ji-Jihye…?"
Thud.
I planted my hand against the wall, boxing him in. He flinched and shrank back, and I pressed in closer.
"Who am I?"
I looked up at him as I asked.
"…Jihye?"
"Oppa. Who's my boyfriend?"
"…Me."
"Then who's your girlfriend?"
"Jihye…"
If you're going to turn someone down, do it properly. What was I supposed to do with him standing there looking dazed?
"I'm your girlfriend and you're my boyfriend, so why can't you properly turn down people asking for your number?"
"Ah… well…"
"Would you rather have three or four girlfriends?"
"No… are you mad?"
"I'm not mad. I'm just asking questions right now."
I wasn't mad. I just wanted to ask.
"Uh… sorry. I should've turned them down properly. I'm sorry, Jihye."
"Fine, then. You'll make sure to keep that promise?"
Mwah.
I glanced around to make sure no one was there, then kissed him on the spot. Nobody was taking Oppa from me.
"I'm yours, Oppa. And you're mine. You know that, right?"
"Yeah. I know."
"Now let's go!"
I soothed him with a bright, sunny voice.
Fingers still laced, we went back to look at everything we'd wanted to see again.
Two in the afternoon—a little early to call it lunch.
"Should we eat here?"
Spring had arrived early, so it wasn't particularly cold. It was amazing how much the temperature could jump in just a week.
"Yeah, this works."
There was no wind, and it was a touch chilly, sure—but we couldn't exactly grab convenience-store food for a date.
"Ahh~"
I'd picked a lunchbox with excellent heat retention. A big container with a smaller one nested inside—insulation on top of insulation.
They called it double-walled, and double means two, so… quadruple?
"Oof, hah. Still hot."
It had held from morning all the way past lunch. Definitely worth the money.
"Good thing I bought it. This is nice."
Truth was, I went a little crazy for kitchenware. Not impulse buys, though… I always checked the reviews first.
Even then you had to weed out the planted ad comments, and what was left were the brands every housewife already knew.
Expensive, sure… but if you figured you'd use them basically forever, they almost felt cheap.
The coffee grinder had been useless, though… and the hand grinder that was supposed to work without a blender barely ground anything. Also useless.
Failure is the mother of success. This much was fine…
"I never thought I'd get to eat a warm pork cutlet outside. Thank you."
Yeah. It had worked, so I didn't regret a thing. Not when he smiled at me like that.
"Mm… then I think I'm cold right now…"
He caught my meaning immediately and draped his coat over me. But that wasn't it.
"Then you'll be cold, Oppa. What I need is some warm body heat…?"
"Ahem. There are people…"
"Who's going to complain about a guy hugging his girlfriend a little?"
"Well then…"
He glanced around, then pulled me into his arms.
"Are you a puppy?"
"Want me to lick you, then?"
"I'd be fine with that."
"…I can never win with you."
Soaked in Oppa's scent, I finished our lunch.