Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: First Night on Jeju Island
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The first night on Jeju Island was passing by.
Daeun had washed up with warm water and, exhausted, had fallen fast asleep right away.
I had been staring at her cute sleeping face for a long time, her breathing soft and steady.
That's when someone knocked on my door.
Knock knock.
"Are you asleep?"
I hurried to open the door at the voice from outside. And there stood two people, whom I greeted warmly.
"Come on in."
"Mind if we come in for a bit?"
"Come on, what kind of talk is that? Get in here."
At Jungeun's words, Erina smiled and nodded.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Jeez, anyone would think it was their room.
The two of them pushed their way in like that, glanced at Daeun sleeping in the bedroom, and set the bag they'd brought on the table in the center.
Rustle.
"Wow, this room is huge. Twice the size of mine."
"Oh, right. So, did you manage to get a room?"
"You see the booze we're carrying? Of course I did."
We'd stuffed ourselves silly at dinner, so we quickly cleared the table.
That's how the conversation naturally turned to Jungeun's room situation.
Strictly speaking, we were supposed to stay at a guesthouse, but since we'd all come to have fun together, Director Go had offered to get us whatever rooms were left at the hotel.
But pricey as the hotel was, its reputation meant there wasn't a single vacancy.
So we'd planned to switch if something opened up midway, and apparently, while I was bathing Daeun, a room had become available.
"So, did Daeun sleep well?"
"Yeah, she did. She seemed pretty tired. Conked out right after her bath."
"Probably because she had to wake up early for the flight today."
From Daeun's perspective, today's schedule must have been exhausting.
Early morning departure, then the flight, and fishing on top of that.
At Erina's words, Jungeun grinned as he opened the bag on the desk.
"Well, whatever. Let's crack open a can each and get started. Keeping booze waiting is bad manners."
"Sounds good."
"Sure."
Click!
I'd invited them over this late at night because it felt like a shame to spend Jeju's beautiful evening like this.
I couldn't leave sleeping Daeun to go elsewhere, so inviting them for a quiet drink in the spacious room seemed perfect.
And so...
Gulp! Gulp!
"Ahh, that's refreshing."
"Wow, I haven't had a drink in ages because of my schedule. This hits the spot."
"Tasty."
As the cold beer slid down my throat, it was like stepping into an ice cave—my whole body cooled right through.
And with it, the stuffiness in my chest eased away.
"Shh, you'll wake Daeun."
Jungeun glanced toward the bedroom where Daeun slept, just in case.
I chuckled at his caution.
"It's fine. She won't wake from this."
"It seems kinda loud."
"I've taken calls a few times after putting her to bed, and she sleeps right through it."
Well, I hadn't exactly shouted, but kids slept more soundly than we realized.
Then Erina asked,
"By the way, what did Director Go and Painter Oh say about tomorrow? Seemed like they'd be doing their own thing, separate from us."
"Oh, I asked just in case, and yeah, they said they'd go off on their own. Something about taking a boat to Udo for fishing."
At Jungeun's words, I asked in surprise.
"They're going fishing again?"
"Yeah, that's what they said. What we did today barely counts as fishing."
True enough. Would a couple of lifetime anglers be satisfied with just two hours?
If we hadn't been there, they might've fished all night.
Still, it didn't feel bad.
"Spending a day on their own time isn't a bad idea."
Then Jungeun took a sip of his beer and asked,
"So what about you?"
"Me?"
I hadn't really thought about it specifically. I'd just heard about their fishing plans.
"No plans yet, but spending a day moving solo doesn't sound bad. What about you, Erina?"
"I actually have a place I want to check out. Since it's a hotel vacation anyway, taking it slow sounds good."
Erina was set.
That left just Jungeun.
He'd come to Jeju purely because of Daeun.
I figured he'd want to tag along, but then...
"Cool, then. Let's each do our own thing tomorrow."
Jungeun suggested splitting up first.
I widened my eyes and asked,
"You're not gonna say 'let's go together'?"
Maybe he was being considerate, but it didn't seem like that.
Jungeun's face hardened as he downed the rest of his beer in one go.
"Haha, I've got work tomorrow."
"What? Work?"
"Yeah. I told them if they didn't let me take the day off, I'd quit. So they said fine, go do your job. It's not a long thing, but I've got a few hours tied up. Sigh."
His sigh carried a mix of emotions.
"But work's work. Gotta do it. I've got people counting on my articles—gotta do it for them."
A far cry from reporters who chased sensationalism for their own gain.
At Jungeun's story, Erina said admiringly,
"It'd be great if all reporters were like you, Jungeun."
"Yeah."
"Then the world might be a bit more livable."
A hint of bitterness crossed Erina's face. Probably tied to her current situation.
"There are all kinds of people in the world, but I feel sorry for it anyway."
But Jungeun apologized to her quite calmly.
"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that at all. I just—"
"I know what you mean. That's why I feel even more sorry. It's not easy getting an apology from reporters hiding behind their bylines. You deserve to hear one at least like this. How's it feel, getting an apology from a reporter?"
With that, Jungeun opened a fresh beer without looking up.
Click.
*Jeez, he hogs all the cool moments.*
Would even Jungeun want to apologize?
No one wants to hear this just because they're in the same profession.
But Jungeun took the looks and treatment in stride.
He knew better than anyone what being a reporter entailed.
Gulp.
Jungeun took a sip of the new beer and said,
"You don't have to answer. I knew what I was getting into from the start, and I didn't choose this job to change reporters' images anyway."
"Then why did you become a reporter?"
At her question, Jungeun pointed at me with his finger.
"Because of this guy."
"Huh?"
"I started because of him. Purely."
Because of me?
Come to think of it, I'd never heard why Jungeun became a reporter.
"You became a reporter because of Painter Lee?"
"Yeah, Kanghyeok probably doesn't even know. I've never told him."
"Why?"
I was genuinely curious, but his answer was surprisingly simple.
"You never asked."
"Oh, right. No question, no answer."
Tch.
I grimaced and pressed,
"Quit messing around. Why do you say you became a reporter because of me?"
I was curious about the reason.
What on earth made him start?
Then Jungeun grinned and asked,
"Do you remember what you said at my graduation?"
"Your graduation?"
Jungeun and I had done our military service around the same time and returned to school and graduated together.
We'd shared almost every event and schedule.
Which meant I'd been at his graduation too.
The problem was...
"Wasn't that the day I was sick at home?"
"Yeah, Hyorin and I took care of you instead."
"Oh yeah, I remember you saying you couldn't attend graduation because of me."
Nod.
"Yeah. Not sure if you remember our talk then, but I asked you: how long can we stay friends like this?"
Jungeun, Hyorin, and I had been inseparable in college.
We always joked about sticking together for life.
"But hearing that made me uneasy. Once we graduated, it felt like I couldn't be friends with you two anymore."
"Hey, what're you talking about?"
"Anyone else would've felt the same. You and Hyorin were geniuses even the professors raved about back then."
I hadn't realized Jungeun thought that way.
"Caught between two geniuses as a mere mortal—get the vibe?"
Jungeun fiddled with the dewy beer can and continued.
"For the record, it wasn't inferiority. That's not my style, and no one wanted you two to succeed more than me."
"Then?"
"I was just scared. Felt like I couldn't keep being friends forever."
"Why think that?"
He smirked at my question.
"I had no confidence I could make a living off painting, no matter what. So I thought, what can I do to stay friends with you till the end...?"
"Reporter."
Heh.
"Yeah, not just any reporter—an art reporter."
Jungeun looked up at Erina.
"That's why I became one. Seeing my friend succeed was the happiest thing in the world for me, and reporter was the only job I could do with joy."
"They say having even one friend like this means a successful life..."
Then Erina beamed at me and said,
"You're a success."
If Hyorin had heard the reason I'd never known for Jungeun becoming a reporter, she'd have said something like this.
"Thanks for being my friend."
Jungeun smiled and said,
"Me too."
And so the first night on Jeju passed quietly.
The next morning.
As we'd discussed, Director Go and Painter Oh left early for fishing.
Jungeun looked worn from last night's drinks but managed to get up and start work, thank goodness. Erina, the last one, rested a bit more before heading to the café she'd wanted to visit.
"Daddy, so it's just us then?"
I'd talked over drinks last night, but this schedule change might be sudden for Daeun.
"Did you want to go with someone else?"
When I asked smiling, she shook her head vigorously.
"Daeun likes going just with Daddy! But where are we going?"
At Daeun's anything-goes attitude, I smiled and said,
"There's a place we can only go together."
"Yeah, just Daddy and Daeun!"
"Yeah, just us two. You'll like it when you hear where."
"Where? Where we going?"
Stroking her head, I told her,
"It's a place full of Mommy and Daddy's memories."
Her face lit up brighter by the second, and soon she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Daeun wants to go!"