Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: How a Shark Became 105cm (3)
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Teacher Mi-jeong explains the basics of diving step by step.
Hold your breath only as long as you can.
Don't open your eyes in the ocean—it stings.
Think of yourself as a tissue and let your body go limp.
But Yu-min-i had no trouble dipping his face in the water, yet he kept failing to float his body.
Whether because of the rough waves or just plain fear, he'd flail his legs and end up planting his feet on the ground.
- Mom... Hiiing...
In the end, Yu-min-i's face crumpled up in tears.
Yoon-seul approached and patted his head, probably feeling sorry for him.
It looked just like a baby shark stroking an orca's head with its pectoral fin—adorable—but the two involved were dead serious in their own way.
When Yu-min-i made that face, Teacher Mi-jeong knelt down with a gentle smile, meeting her son's eyes at his level.
- It's okay, sweetie. Everyone fails a lot at first. Even Mom failed for over an hour when I was practicing swimming.
- Uuung... Really?
- Of course! No one starts out good at it. So how about Mom and I go grab some watermelon and rest, then come back to practice?
- Watermelon...! Okay, *sniff*.
Yu-min-i sniffled, pursing his lips tight.
He seemed to be trying hard not to cry.
The baby shark was trying to cheer up the orca.
"I'll help you later too, Yoon-seul. Today's goal is swimming with Yoon-seul and Yu-min-i."
Yu-min-i gave a small "Ung..." and nodded.
He walked toward the beach holding Mom's hand on one side and Yoon-seul's on the other.
The four of us sat side by side on the mat we'd set up earlier. Even from afar, it was easy to spot our spot—thanks to Teacher Mi-jeong's training clothes tossed around like shed snakeskin.
I'd been startled when we first laid it out.
We'd just spread the mat and dropped our stuff when
- Okay, time to change!
She unzipped her training top all the way down.
What was I seeing right now?
I doubted my eyes until I realized she had a swimsuit underneath, then breathed a sigh of relief.
So that was it—the training clothes she'd stripped off back then, left unfolded on the mat.
I'd meant to tidy up and fold them before cutting the watermelon, but Yu-min-i beat me to it.
He picked them up and folded them neatly.
Creases and all, perfectly.
- Thanks, sweetie.
- Yeah!
Teacher Mi-jeong pulled the watermelon from the cooler she'd brought and thanked him; Yu-min-i nodded naturally.
The mother-son duo had a special bond, it seemed.
"Oppa, Oppa."
"Yeah?"
"Yoon-seul fold Oppa's clothes."
"I've already folded them and put them in the bag, miss."
"Hiiing, too bad."
Yoon-seul must have been jealous of their special relationship.
The watermelon Teacher Mi-jeong brought out was cold—beyond refreshing.
Chunks roughly cut into squares tumbled around in a plastic container.
I grabbed the container, and the temperature difference from outside made me jump.
- Cold, right? Good thing I brought the cooler. Hurry up and praise your teacher.
"Impressive. You're the best."
It had been a hassle lugging it from the car trunk, but it looked tasty enough not to regret it.
I grabbed the plastic forks we'd packed and speared a piece, ready to eat.
"Delicious! Agh... Oof!"
"...You should eat slower."
Yoon-seul crunched into the watermelon and paid the price big time. Her teeth ached, and she shivered all over.
Her shark teeth seemed a bit weak for a shark.
With it being almost as cold as ice cream, it wasn't surprising.
After that harsh lesson, she tapped her lips to gauge the chill, then nibbled tiny bits.
Nibble nibble...
She liked the taste so much she wiggled her butt while sitting.
But that shark swimsuit was next-level genius.
Everything she did looked cute.
Wiggling her butt made the fin on her back flap side to side too, doubling the cuteness.
What Teacher Mi-jeong deserved praise from all humanity for wasn't the watermelon—it was gifting this to our little sister.
"Nibble nibble... Hm?"
Yoon-seul was nibbling away when she tilted her head. Something caught in her front teeth, probably.
She set down the fork in her hand and moved her finger to her teeth.
"Oppa, seed came out."
"Watermelon seed? Spit it here."
I held out the black bag I'd prepared, but
"Okay."
She spat the watermelon seed right onto my cheek instead.
Then she snorted.
"Hee hee! Oppa has a dot on his face now. Yoon-seul made it."
"Oh really? Wanna play like that, little sis?"
My sister and I started sticking every seed that came out while eating onto each other's faces.
The watermelon sugar and lingering salt on our skin made the seeds sticky, so they clung well.
Before long, our faces were plastered with seeds. From afar, we might look like we were doing a mud pack.
- You two siblings play well together.
"Oppa and Yoon-seul play good together!"
- Come here, let me take a picture.
I sat Yoon-seul in the shark swimsuit on my lap and snapped a photo.
The seeds covered our faces, but you could still tell who we were. Cute shot.
- Mom, us too.
- Shall we?
The orca and PE teacher mom-son pair stuck a few seeds on their faces for a commemorative photo too.
Finally, all four of us gathered for one more.
It was a harmonious photo, but people around glanced over, making it a bit embarrassing.
Being with kids made antics like this feel less awkward, at least.
Refreshed from the watermelon, our group lay side by side on the mat, soaking in the summer weather until our stomachs were full, then headed back to the sea.
Yu-min-i was determined to succeed this time, his resolve looking firm.
- Oh! See, sweetie? You'll get it with practice.
- Yeah! I'm diving!
He'd failed before, but following Teacher Mi-jeong's careful guidance again, he floated his body successfully.
"Yu-min-i, this time let's race with Yoon-seul."
- Okay, sure.
The shark and orca held hands and dipped their faces in the sea.
Then they lifted their legs, bobbing up to float on the surface.
They looked like friendly sea creatures swimming side by side.
I loved watching it too, but Teacher Mi-jeong was breathing hard,
- Haa... Too cute, way too cute! I can't take it. Hold on. Just wait a sec. I'll grab my phone!!
She couldn't hide her excitement.
She fetched her phone and insisted on capturing the moment, asking the shark and orca to dive again.
The two kiddos shook their heads like they had no choice, then dove once more to satisfy her.
I asked her to send me the photo of the two predators diving side by side—it turned out so well I set it as my phone wallpaper.
And the lock screen? The one of all four of us with seeds on our faces.
And so, the first day at the resort passed successfully.
Only, on the way back to the lodging, Yoon-seul voiced one regret.
"Uuu... Oppa, Yoon-seul failed."
"Failed what? We had a blast."
"Fun, yeah. But Yoon-seul wanted to catch fish with Oppa."
"Disappointed you didn't catch any fish?"
"Ung... Yeah. Yoon-seul looked hard. Couldn't. Dove lots..."
Being a predator shark wasn't just skin-deep—inside too.
She couldn't hide her hunting instincts at all.
**
As soon as we got back from the beach, we showered clean.
The swimsuits were all in the resort laundry, drying, and it was dinnertime.
- The kids still asleep?
"They wouldn't wake even if you carried them."
- Wow... Guess we have no choice. Just us then.
Worn out from hours at the beach, our little ones were out cold, collapsing into bed right after washing up.
Waking them for dinner felt iffy.
Meanwhile, Teacher Mi-jeong had driven to a nearby market and brought back their famous dakgangjeong.
The key part: with beer.
- It's been a while since teacher and student can cozy up with some beer time.
"A while? Isn't this the first time?"
Teacher Mi-jeong smiled awkwardly and tore into the flimsy dakgangjeong box haphazardly.
The lid ended up half mangled.
Who cared.
*Pop! Fizz...*
The beer can opened with a cheerful sound.
Foam bubbled up.
- Cheers.
"Cheers."
I wet my throat with beer.
It swept coolly down my esophagus.
The day's fatigue melted away.
Sipping it during downtime after fun at a travel spot made the flavor—and my mind—feel refreshed.
- So, disciple, what's your tolerance like?
"Never been drunk."
- Heh... Young man's bravado. I don't hate it.
"No, not bravado—I just don't drink often enough to get wasted."
- Ah, oh... Got it.
Teacher Mi-jeong rolled her eyes, then chugged her beer again.
- Then let's drink till we drop tonight!
"What if you wake the kids? And we have to get around tomorrow too."
"You're young—what's with all the nitpicking! You're like my ex-husband."
Black humor, I guess.
She tossed it out lightly like a joke, but I couldn't laugh.
- Sorry. Just brush it off.
"Sure. Anyway, let's drink in moderation. You have to drive tomorrow—drunk would be dangerous."
"True. Not just us riding. Kids too. Just a joke."
"Speaking of, how much can you handle, Teacher?"
"Hmm. If I had to say, even a 500ml beer like this is tough."
She was a total lightweight.
I knew judging tolerance wasn't great, but struggling with one beer can seemed pretty extreme.
And yet.
"...So why'd you buy eight cans then?"
"Didn't know how much you'd drink..."
"You thought I'd chug seven and a half tonight?"
"Save some for later."
"Later?"
"Yeah! Tonight, tomorrow night, and the night before checkout."
She'd bought the beer and dakgangjeong out of her own pocket, so no complaints, but her personality was as bold as ever.
- We're traveling together—be my drinking buddy. You get the struggles of a single mom?
....
Why does she already seem tipsy?