Summer Sea
As I stepped outside to grill the meat, my eyes caught the red sunset sinking over the distant sea. The deep blue ocean waves crashing along the coastline drew an involuntary gasp of admiration from me. The early evening summer seascape was breathtakingly beautiful.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Yu Seoyeon murmured, resting her head on my shoulder.
I let out a soft chuckle and gently stroked her hair. She beamed happily and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.
Is this what happiness feels like? If this was happiness, I hoped it would never end.
I stood there with her, gazing at the horizon until the sun fully set, then started grilling the meat I'd taken from the fridge. Since it was just for the two of us, I didn't make much. We fed each other bite by bite—me a mouthful, her a mouthful—and finished a leisurely dinner.
Afterward, we left the villa to walk along the night beach.
Who knew a place like this existed.
Below the villa was a private beach, letting us stroll the sands as if we'd rented out the whole place.
"Feels good, right?" The crashing waves had her in high spirits, and she flashed a rare, bright smile as she asked.
I grinned back just as widely. "Yeah."
"Walking like this with you makes it even better," she said, hugging my arm tight. Her breasts pressed against me, sending a pleasant sensation through my arm. The salty sea air mixed with her shampoo scent, teasing my senses sweetly.
"Me too." As I leaned down to kiss her lips, a sudden BANG! echoed.
"What was that?" She jumped, eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
I whipped around, startled too. Then, far out in the sea's center, I spotted a massive black shape writhing.
What the hell is that?
Even from this distance, it looked enormous—at least ten meters long, if not more.
"Y-you see that?" She tugged my arm, pointing at the black form.
"Y-yeah... You see it too, noona?"
"Y-yeah..."
BOOM! Another explosion-like roar rang out as she answered. A water spout shot up far away—the thing was slamming the surface.
Why?
Then I saw it: a colossal wave racing toward us from the horizon.
"Noona!"
"Wh-what? Oh!"
I grabbed her hand and bolted backward. She froze for a split second before spotting the wave and letting out a scream.
Aaahhh!!
A warning siren blared right after.
What the fuck is going on? Is this because of the Manager App...?
I itched to check my smartphone, but with Seoyeon right there, pulling it out now would be insanely risky.
WHOOSH!! The wave's roar grew closer.
"Yuhyun!" Her face was pale as she screamed my name.
I yanked her into my arms. "Mmph...!!"
The wave engulfed us in an instant.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
My head spun wildly; I felt like puking. Debris in the water pelted my head and body relentlessly—I was sure I was about to die. No, I would die like this.
...Fuck!
I couldn't hold out anymore. Still clutching her tight, I summoned the Ring of Protection underwater. I wasn't sure if it'd work, but I felt it slip onto my finger.
Barrier!
Bubbles burst from my mouth before words could form, but the shield activated as willed. The seawater surged off me, leaving droplets hanging around like a curtain.
"Hah!"
I gulped air and checked Seoyeon in my arms. "Noona? Noona!"
She hung limp, unresponsive. Panic hit hard. Was she hurt? Worse...?
I pressed my ear to her chest. Faint but steady—thump-thump.
Just passed out? Thank God. In every sense.
"Gotta get out of here." Panting, I scooped her up and dashed out of the water. The barrier lasted only a minute, so no time to waste. Luckily, it blocked the current completely, letting me escape in under a minute.
Insane.
Safely out, I laid her down and scanned around.
...This can't be real.
Everything was flooded. Gyeongpo Beach looked disastrous—screams, debris and bodies floating everywhere. At least some uninjured folks were tossing life vests and tubes, rescuing people. Small mercy.
"What the hell caused this?"
Calming my racing heart, I pulled out my soaked smartphone and launched the Manager App. A notification popped up immediately.
Otherworld Quest: Kraken's Assault
📍 The Kraken is targeting your Vital Energy.
🎁 Defeat the Kraken or escape it.
💎 Reward: Monster Hunter update
"...What the...?"
The sudden quest left me speechless.
BOOM!
"Not the time." I snapped to, scooped up Seoyeon, and sprinted toward the woods. Had to reach somewhere the waves couldn't touch.
Finally safe, a new notification appeared.
As the completion flashed, I watched the monstrous Kraken that had churned those waves dive back underwater.
I stared blankly for a while, pocketed my phone, and headed down the hill. In the distance, people were rescuing wave victims.
The earthquake tsunami at Gyeongpo Beach plunged Korea into shock—the largest in national history.
But it struck without warning during peak beach season, so deaths were inevitable.
Yuhyun and Seoyeon weren't the only ones who saw it pre-tsunami. Plenty of beachgoers witnessed the thing post-explosion and filmed it. Experts dismissed it as fakes or light refraction, even blaming North Korea.
Wild theories flew online, but public outrage targeted the government hardest. Their slow response undeniably worsened the death toll.
Meanwhile, Lee Eunha was freaking out upon hearing the news—Yuhyun had mentioned going to the beach with friends.
No way...
She called him quick. After a few rings: Eunha, what's up?
"Oppa, you see the news?"
[News?]
"Yeah, total chaos at Gyeongpo Beach... You're okay, right?"
[......]
He went silent, then: ...Yeah, we're fine. Don't worry.
He lied on purpose—not wanting to worry her. Relieved, she teased him to have fun and hung up.
Yeah, no way Oppa was at Gyeongpo. She sighed in relief.
But Yuhyun was dead serious.
This is my fault.
Worried about Seoyeon, he'd taken her to the hospital and was waiting for results. He watched injured victims flood in—big hurts, small ones.
The chaotic hospital weighed heavy.
...Me. Me. If only I'd...
Back then, he couldn't do shit but run desperately. Actually, fleeing minimized damage—fighting the Kraken would've dragged it out, piling bodies.
What do I do now?
He stared at his smartphone, lost in thought.