The Match Isn't Over Yet.
We unpacked our luggage at the hotel.
"A three-person room is fine, right?"
"I like it."
Min-ah showed no reaction at all to the idea of sharing one room with the three of us.
"Finally sleeping with Dad! Yahoo!"
No, she actually seemed thrilled by it.
It was exactly as planned.
By sharing one room and chatting about all sorts of things, Eun-hyeok and Arin were executing their strategy to get closer to each other.
On top of that, it was wonderful to be able to sleep like a real family.
The room was spacious enough for three adults to use comfortably.
One queen bed.
One double bed.
Arin and I would probably end up on the queen bed...
I would have to sleep with Min-ah.
Looking at the time, it was already past eleven in the morning.
The reason we had come here.
"Let's go eat garibbi!"
Arin exclaimed cheerfully.
I smiled back at her.
"I'm all ready."
"I'm a bit warm, so I'll change my clothes and go out."
I took Arin's hand.
She flinched.
Her body reacted with surprise.
It was only natural.
Since yesterday, I had been initiating more contact with her.
I decided to become more honest with myself.
By hiding my own desires, I had been feeling myself twist inside.
And Min-ah.
To prevent any possible misunderstandings.
I needed to firmly imprint on my daughter that I wanted this situation.
To achieve that, I had to act in a way that my daughter could understand my thoughts and what I desired.
I would observe her reactions and decide what to do next.
If she thought I wasn't listening to her, Min-ah would stop speaking.
The problem would remain unresolved and fester.
Having a family.
That was my dream.
It wasn't about the family itself having meaning.
It was for the benefits the family would bring to me... to Arin... and to the daughter.
To love each other and become happy.
For that, it had to be realized without avoidance.
The family.
Min-ah showed no reaction to my actions.
I had worried there might be some flinch or rejection, but it was fortunate there wasn't.
"It seems it's taking longer than expected."
"No. It's quick, so go ahead and go down first."
"Then we'll head to the lobby."
"Okay!"
Eun-hyeok and Arin left the room holding hands.
"Um... um... Skinship like this in front of the daughter is a bit too early, isn't it?"
Arin blushed as we left the room.
When it was just the two of us, Arin was so bold, but in front of my daughter she was being cautious.
It was probably due to the burden of having to convince the daughter to continue with us.
"It's fine. It was something that had to be done sooner or later."
"Still..."
"While eating garibbi this time, how about having a drink with Min-ah?"
"Eh... yes?"
Arin's surprised expression.
It was due to my plan being more drastic than expected.
"In the end, we learned each other's hearts because of alcohol, right?"
"Y-yes."
"We need to know what thoughts Min-ah has... so we can decide how to act, right?"
"Um......"
"Maybe it won't be as easy as it seems with us."
"That would be nice."
Arin hugged my arm.
The soft, light love clung to my arm like fruit.
"It'll be okay."
We went down to the lobby that way.
****
"Dad might be a bit late. Go ahead and go."
"Eh...?"
It seemed the daughter was taking longer than expected.
I switched my phone to speaker.
To ask Arin, who knew the area well, for help.
"Arin, how far is the garibbi restaurant from here?"
"No. It's about ten minutes by walking to the northern beach path by the sea."
"Perfect. Then go ahead and eat while it's fresh. I'll come right away."
"Need any help?"
"No. Thanks for worrying."
"Then see you later. Should I come carefully?"
"Okay!"
I hung up.
"Why is she taking so long?"
"Senior doesn't know anything about women."
"Huh?"
Arin, who didn't understand, chuckled to herself as if she knew something.
"What? Is there something between my daughter and you?"
"No. It's not that."
Arin leaned more into my arm.
The soft fat of her breast beneath the thin fabric brushed against my arm, a gentle touch.
"Min-ah is a woman too, and I'm a woman too..."
Her smile.
It was the smile when she got a problem right in a test.
"Probably Senior... might be in for a surprise."
Arin sent a meaningful smile.
I didn't understand the meaning of her smile.
It seemed I was just being carried away.
"Well, let's go. Let's grill the garibbi and have a drink of soju."
"Uh... okay."
Arin's panicked expression.
"Unlike last time, I won't blow up and cut the film, so don't worry."
"By saying that, one less thing to worry about."
"Will Min-ah pour the soju?"
"If she's like me, it should be fine..."
Suddenly, I stopped talking.
Unpleasant memories flooded my brain deeply.
Ex-wife.
Paternity test.
Those things that I didn't want to think about, and even saying them gave me chills.
"Senior...? Are you okay?"
Arin looked at me worriedly as my face darkened.
"Eh... I'm fine."
"Why?"
"No... no...... Let's go out quickly. I want to get some fresh air."
"...Yes."
Yeah.
Getting fresh air would make it okay.
It always did.
We left the lobby without a word.
****
Arin was really thorough.
Choosing such a good place without ever having been here before.
The hotel was good too.
The garibbi restaurant was excellent.
Right next to the beach, with a barbecue pit.
There, we lit a fire with good charcoal, placed the grill, and put live garibbi on it.
Two won per kilogram.
It was really cheap.
The generous tip from the plump garibbi, palm-sized, was nice too.
Garibbi was the best shellfish to grill.
Sweet and chewy, and the unique umami from the intestines remained.
It didn't taste like other shellfish.
Grilled over charcoal and dipped in super hot sauce had no equal in taste.
Sizzle.
The garibbi was cooking.
The scent of the burning charcoal mixed with the sea breeze created a mysterious feeling.
"Senior, drink."
Arin held the soju bottle with both hands and offered it to me.
It was to receive the alcohol.
Since neither of us drank much, it was fine.
Clink.
Soju filled the transparent glass.
"Look at this."
"What?"
I brought the soju glass to the sea.
The stronger the sunlight and colder, the bluer the sea appeared.
The blue sea swirled in the soju glass.
Like a small beach made inside a bottle.
"Beautiful."
"Right?"
"Senior is really amazing."
"What?"
"What should I say......"
Arin hesitated a bit.
"It might be uncomfortable for you to hear......"
"Arin is telling me, what could be uncomfortable?"
Arin's face blushed.
"Poetic."
"Huh?"
"Like an artistic author."
Arin looked at the swirling sea in her glass.
With eyes moistened by the breeze.
"You're flattering me too much?"
"No. It's real."
Chiiik.
The liquid spurted as the garibbi opened its tightly closed mouth.
The steam from the liquid touching the charcoal gave the garibbi a delicious aroma.
"Drink."
Arin brought the glass with soju to the one I was holding and clinked it.
"It's an honor to have such a wonderful man like you liking me."
I smiled silently and gulped down the soju glass I was holding.
Arin did the same.
"The soju is all gone."
"This is a bit dangerous."
"Since Senior is strong with alcohol, I won't worry."
Arin picked one well-cooked garibbi with chopsticks and dipped it thoroughly in super hot sauce.
"It looks really delicious."
And she fed it to my mouth.
Slurp.
The sweet garibbi broth and the chewy texture from being freshly caught combined with the super hot sauce to create a fantastic taste.
"How is it? Did I pick well?"
"Best."
I gave a thumbs up, and Arin showed a happy smile.
"Haha, really good. Really......"
Chiiik.
The garibbi was cooking.
So, Arin and I were emptying one bottle of soju.
The daughter was taking longer than expected.
"Min-ah is late."
"Maybe she couldn't find the place?"
"Yeah. Because I didn't tell her exactly how to come......"
Suddenly, worry crept in.
Leaving the daughter alone still worried me.
I was definitely a doting father.
"I'll go around the area nearby."
"I'll come too."
"No. Arin is grilling the garibbi deliciously. I'll eat it right when I come."
"Got it, Senior."
I got up from my seat and went out towards the hotel path.
Since there might be some confusing parts, I decided to go there.
"I'm not the type to get lost......"
"Eh...? Dad!"
Min-ah's voice.
When I saw her, I froze instantly.
Min-ah was wearing a white off-shoulder one-piece dress.
It was an extremely revealing outfit with her chest fully exposed.
"Sorry Dad. This... it wouldn't stay fixed... I didn't know how and suffered."
Min-ah was using both hands to cover her chest and fiddling with it.
I instantly turned my head away.
"Eh... eh....."
I covered my mouth.
I wanted to criticize her outfit.
But if I did, there was a risk of ruining the family trip.
I didn't understand why Min-ah suddenly came wearing such clothes.
Why... why exactly.
To me, who was panicking, Min-ah crossed her arms.
The bare skin of the daughter.
Her breast fat was softly transmitted to my arm.
"Let's go Dad. I'll wait for unnie."
"Eh... yeah......"
I was pulled by Min-ah and started heading back to the garibbi restaurant.
What to do?
What to do?
The situation was very awkward.
This atmosphere... it looked like the girls were competing with each other!