Our Private Yacht Cinema
The heavy door of the top-tier custom sedan, which perfectly blocks out all external noise and gazes, closes softly behind my back. As the thick soundproof partition between the driver's seat and the rear glides up with a smooth whir, the spacious, comfortable backseat instantly transforms into our own secret hideaway, completely cut off from the world.
No sooner does the car glide effortlessly onto the road than Seol-ah, who had been sitting demurely beside me, hops right onto my lap like she'd been waiting for this moment, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.
"Aww, seriously! Kang Jinwoo! I thought my heart was gonna explode back there!"
The icy queen who'd frozen that college girl solid right in the middle of campus is nowhere to be seen. Now straddling me face-to-face on my lap, rubbing her cheek against the nape of my neck, she's nothing but a lovesick puppy overflowing with cuteness.
"You were so cool back there, Jinwoo. Grabbing my hand and saying, 'In my eyes, there's no one but this woman.' I nearly collapsed right there screaming—I held it back with superhuman restraint, even in front of the execs. You know that, right?"
"How the hell did you show up at that exact timing like some ghost? What if I hadn't put up my iron wall?"
I tease her playfully, pulling her waist close as I ask. Seol-ah snaps her head up and lightly nips the tip of my nose with an ang.
"If you hadn't? I'd have yanked out every strand of that vixen—no, that annoying girl's hair, and locked you away forever in the deepest basement of my penthouse. Chained our wrists together with solid gold handcuffs and kept you by my side for life?"
I can't hold back and burst out laughing at her chilling words delivered with such an innocent, adorable smile—complete with a nasal whine.
"Jeez, scary enough that I can never look at another girl. Anyway, what's this 'reward'? Where are we even going? Didn't you push back all those important approvals and meetings this afternoon?"
"Yeah. I blew them all off. Even if the company splits in two or the building collapses, rewarding my Jinwoo comes first. Don't worry about it."
Seol-ah slides slightly off my lap, presses right up against my side, hooks her arm tightly through mine, and rests her head on my shoulder.
"Last weekend, you were lying on the sofa and said you wanted to do normal stuff like everyone else—munch popcorn at a movie theater, go on a real date."
"Yeah... but you hate crowded, noisy places. You can't stand anyone interrupting our alone time."
"True. I hate it when any gross stares get within ten meters of you. You saw it on campus earlier—how many flies are buzzing around you. So I prepared our own perfect movie theater, my way. No interruptions whatsoever."
A mysteriously confident, wickedly sweet smile spreads across Seol-ah's lips.
Before long, the car exits the highway, slows to a gentle stop, and the door opens.
"Here we are. Hop out, Jinwoo."
Stepping out, I'm so stunned by the surreal sight before me that I nearly gasp. A secluded private dock on the quiet seaside outskirts of the city, under strict control. And docked smack in the center is a colossal luxury mega-yacht, worlds apart from your standard Han River cruise boat.
Its pristine white hull gleams blindingly under the clear afternoon sun. Towering at least three stories with sleek, flowing lines, it looks like a massive seven-star hotel floating on the sea.
"Director! VVIP! Welcome aboard!"
From the dock entrance to the yacht's main deck, dozens of crew members in crisp white uniforms stand in perfect formation, bowing 90 degrees toward us. Their crisp greetings echo across the dock, piercing the sound of the waves.
"Seol-ah... what the hell is all this? You didn't charter this whole ship just to watch a movie, did you?"
Still struggling to process reality, I ask. Seol-ah takes my hand, leading me forward with the most serene expression.
"Charter? How could I let my Jinwoo ride something touched by strangers? I called a top European shipyard directly yesterday and bought a brand-new one, fresh off the line. Since we had a date today."
Impulse-buying a mega-yacht worth hundreds of billions just for one date—this insane capitalist scale. I press my forehead, swallowing a deep, hollow laugh.
But feeling her blind devotion—staying up all night thrilled over my offhand 'movie date' comment just to make me happy—makes a soft warmth swell helplessly in my chest.
The yacht's interior is even more overwhelming and extravagant than it looks from outside. Italian marble floors, a massive crystal chandelier glowing softly overhead. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls offer a panoramic view of the rippling blue sea.
But what captures my eyes isn't the opulence. Dead center in the lounge: opposite a gigantic, cinema-grade screen and a top-tier home theater system rivaling a concert hall, sits a massive, plush sofa of custom leather and velvet.
And on the intricately carved wooden table before it: my favorite sweet caramel popcorn, butter-grilled squid, and ice-cold soda in fancy glassware, all meticulously arranged.
"Your personal private sea cinema, Jinwoo. Like it?"
Seol-ah slips behind me, hugging my broad back softly as she whispers drowsily in my ear.
"No need for stuffy, smelly theaters. Here, we can watch whatever you want, just us, no prying eyes. Crank the speakers as loud as you like, roll around doing whatever—no one will know, out on the ocean."
Her breath lingers on my earlobe with a faint lip graze, carrying dizzying heat. I turn, pulling her waist into my arms.
Her subtle, luxurious perfume mixes with the sea air, numbing my senses.
"Seriously... Han Seol-ah, your scale is cosmic. Buying a yacht for one date?"
"You wanted normal, so I got popcorn and squid to keep it as normal as possible. I did good, right?"
Her sense of 'normal' flew to Andromeda ages ago, but those sparkling big eyes looking up, begging for praise, are irresistibly lovable.
"Yeah. You did amazing. Thanks, Seol-ah."
I kiss her pale forehead lightly. She beams like she owns the world, tugging my hand to the fluffy sofa.
The crew quietly retreats below the main deck. With a gentle hum, the yacht glides out to sea.
Perfect soundproofing keeps out the waves and engines. Only the soft romance movie soundtrack from the massive screen, the crunch of popcorn, and our lazy breaths fill the lavish space.
I sink deep into the wide sofa. Seol-ah kicks off her shoes, climbs up, and nestles into my chest, head on my pecs.
I pop a caramel kernel into her mouth. She chews happily, then licks my fingertip. A jolt shoots up my spine.
"Hey, seriously. We're supposed to watch the movie—why keep tormenting my hand and staring only at me? There's a hot actor on screen."
"Movie's boring. That lead guy isn't fit to kiss your feet, Jinwoo. No muscles. My man's the funniest, handsomest in the world."
Seol-ah ignores the screen entirely, tracing my facial contours with delicate fingers—from brows to nose to lips, her gaze lingering thickly.
"But Jinwoo... back at school, when that bold girl shoved that letter at you and confessed... I nearly lost it for real."
Her playful tone softens, carrying a faint, fragile tremor.
"In those few seconds, my mind raced with every worst-case. What if you like some young, bright, innocent girl more than me? What if I'm too clingy, suffocating you with my nagging, and you get sick of my money?"
"Seol-ah."
Tears glisten faintly at her eyes. The deepest wound from our ten-year gap. No amount of trillions could fill that core insecurity—I understand it perfectly.
To erase it forever, I hug her tighter. Her steady heartbeat pulses into my chest.
"How many times do I have to say it? The seat next to me—no, the VIP spot in my heart—is yours forever, Han Seol-ah."
I gently wipe her damp eyes with my thumb, whispering low and firm into her ear.
"It's not the billions in yachts or mall shares you gave me. Take it all back, dump me in the dirt again—I don't care. From age ten to now, you're always my most precious girl, the one I want to protect. No woman in the world will ever shake me."
My words fill her eyes with deep, fervent love.
"For real? You'll stay by my side forever? If you run, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth."
"Obviously. Even if you lock me in a golden prison for life, I'll happily rot there. Just feed me well."
"Prison? Call it the most perfect, beautiful castle to make you the happiest king in the world."
Seol-ah flashes a seductive, intense smile, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her body presses fully against mine as she straddles my lap again.
The movie's climax swells with orchestral grandeur. Outside the glass, the sun dips low, painting the sea in radiant crimson gold.
Backlit by the dazzling sunset, Seol-ah's soft, hot lips cover mine deeply. Caramel sweetness from the popcorn mingles with her rich scent, spinning an endless, breathless, ecstatic kiss.
Her fingers thread into my hair; I grip her slim waist, devouring every breath.
On the boundless ocean made for us alone, in this grand, glittering sanctuary. The merciless corporate tyrant, queen of my world, prepared this perfect, extravagant reward solely for me—sweeter and deeper than any capitalist indulgence, melting every sense in my body.
The flashy movie on screen had long been forgotten. Our romance races toward the hottest, most perfect happy ending—not in the film, but right here on this blood-red sea yacht.