Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Lake's Heart (1)
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The third day of the trip dawned bright.
We'd been incredibly lucky—August skies clear throughout the entire vacation. Not a drop of rain, and scarcely a cloud in sight.
It felt like even the heavens were blessing this rare trip to the East Sea.
Especially today’s destination, which suited the pristine sky perfectly.
Gyeongpo Lake.
The clear blue sky reflected flawlessly on the lake’s serene surface. Yoon-seul was right there, and the sun’s round shape faintly shimmered on the water.
A vast, expansive lake stretched out before us.
One of Gangneung’s hot spots, but not nearly as crowded as the beaches. The natural scenery—forests and meadows—blended seamlessly, putting the mind at ease just by being nearby.
“Umu umu... This is so good. Oppa too, try some.”
“Yeah? Feed me once. Ahh—”
“Eeng, but Oppa can’t without Yoon-seul.”
The subtle soft tofu aroma spreading in my mouth, the cool temperature, and the smooth texture.
Above all, the sweetness wasn’t overpowering, letting the texture and flavor shine through beautifully.
Delicious!
We were lounging at a café with a perfect view of Gyeongpo Lake, taking it easy.
A regular café wouldn’t have drawn us in, but this place offered gelato infused with soft tofu.
Not just plain soft tofu, but mixed with matcha or vanilla for a variety of flavors.
With four of us, we ordered all four kinds and were tasting them one by one.
Even in summer, the humidity wasn’t bad, keeping the discomfort low. Eating soft tofu gelato under an outdoor parasol made the vacation vibe hit harder than ever.
- Son, feed Mommy a bite too.
- Yeah, ahh—
- Ahh...
Starting with me, feeding each other caught on like a trend.
Yu-min-i and Teacher Mi-jeong fed each other too, building some mother-son bonding.
Now Yoon-seul opened her mouth wide with an “ahh” and pointed with her finger.
“Airplane incoming.”
I decided to play along childish-style for once.
I scooped a big dollop of my ordered gelato and swirled it around in the air like a plane.
Yoon-seul’s bright eyes followed the little plastic spoon I was piloting.
“Oppa, hurry! Yoon-seul’s jaw’s gonna drop.”
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
As it looped toward Yoon-seul’s face.
Poke.
“Ahh! The plane crash-landed!”
“Eek, plane’s going down.”
Instead of her mouth, I lightly poked her nose. Even with her Oppa’s prank, Yoon-seul played along perfectly, letting out a dramatic wail.
How good is this 5-year-old?
“Rescue call! Rescue call! If it doesn’t get into Yoon-seul’s mouth right now, it’ll melt from the sun’s heat!”
“Waaah, no melting!”
Yoon-seul frantically shoved the spoon into her mouth and chomped down.
Munch munch...
Gulp—
“Mm! Yoon-seul ate it before it melted all up. Satisfied now?”
“Probably.”
Was it just my imagination, or had my little sister gotten a bit savage since yesterday?
After polishing off the gelato bowls, we headed to the bike rental. Circling the lake by bike is one of those must-do things in Gangneung.
It’s fun seeing the lake from all angles.
We reached the rental spot, but a dilemma arose.
Which bike to rent?
The adults—Teacher and me—had different preferences from the kids.
“Listen to Yoon-seul’s idea.”
“Yeah, Yoon-seul-ssi, speak up.”
“Yoon-seul, Yu-mi-ni, Oppa, Seon-saen-nim. We’re four people.”
“Right. Good job counting.”
“So we can ride that one! Last time Yoon-seul counted to one thousand two hundred with just fingers... Ah! No, listen to all of Yoon-seul’s words!”
“Go on.”
“Mm... So Yoon-seul thinks we should rent that bike.”
Yoon-seul pointed to a four-person bike.
But not just any four-person bike—it was built for four adults.
Meaning four pedal seats.
The one Teacher and I had eyed was also four-person, but only two pedal seats.
The front had two child seats for kids to sit back and enjoy the view.
VIP seats, basically.
But our fiercely independent 5-year-old wouldn’t settle for comfort.
She insisted on pedaling herself and sharing the hardship.
Was my sister the reincarnation of Jesus, one of the four great adults or something?
“Alright, miss. If my little sister insists that much, Oppa won’t stand in your way.”
“Hehe... So we’re doing what Yoon-seul says!”
Yoon-seul puffed out her belly excitedly.
“No, hold up.”
“Hm?”
“First, something to check.”
“What?”
“Yoon-seul, try sitting on that bike seat yourself.”
“Got it.”
Hop—
Hop—
Yoon-seul reached the four-person bike.
But a fatal flaw emerged.
At 105cm, a 5-year-old couldn’t climb onto the saddle alone!
“O-Oppa, lift Yoon-seul up there. Then Yoon-seul can pedal like this and make the bike go.”
“Sure, give it a try.”
I hoisted her up onto the saddle.
And the inevitable happened, as adults foresaw.
“Uuu... Can’t reach!”
Yoon-seul’s short legs couldn’t touch the pedals. They swung in the air.
Swing swing—
Swing swing...
Droop...
Her skinny legs dangled limply.
Yoon-seul’s shoulders slumped too.
“Yoon-seul’s still a baby...”
Her subordinate approached the deflated 5-year-old to cheer her up.
- You look like a grown-up to me. Hang in there, Yoon-seul.
“Yu-mi-ni... Thanks.”
With the 5-year-old’s defeat, the minor squabble ended. We rented the four-person bike with just two pedal seats.
But Yoon-seul’s face lit up the moment she sat in the front seat.
As the bike started, the gentle lake breeze caressed her face, probably soothing her.
“Fuu... Breeze feels good.”
Yoon-seul leaned calmly against the backrest, gazing at the lake. Her back view resembled a baby bear after a meal.
Teacher and I pedaled leisurely, admiring the kids’ adorable backs.
My lunch was already threatening to come back up.
- Want Teacher to tell you something fun?
“What?”
- How this lake was formed.
“Ooh... Didn’t expect useful info from you.”
- I’m a current teacher, you know.
“But your subject’s PE.”
- PE teachers can know stuff like this too, punk. Think you just need to be good at sports to teach?
“No, I didn’t say that. Lake formation’s complicated, so it’s surprising.”
- Ahem, yeah. Truth is, I read the info sign inside the café earlier.
Boldly claiming it as her knowledge, when the source was right there.
“Yoon-seul’s curious, Seon-saen-nim.”
- Really? Our Yoon-seul’s curious! Teacher’s gotta tell you then.
Our house kid asked in her cute voice, and Teacher’s lips curved into a grin.
Her love for cuteness never faded.
- Long ago, this lake was part of the sea.
“Sounds familiar. The sea used to reach this far, right?”
- Correct. After the Ice Age ended. Thick ice covered this area, then melted completely. Sea levels rose naturally.
“So the sea flooded up to here?”
- Yeah. But west is the Daegwallyeong Mountains, higher elevation, so it didn’t spread too far.
Intriguing story.
Not exactly kid-friendly for the babies up front, though.
“Mm... Mm... That’s weird then.”
- Yoon-seul, what’s weird?
“Mm... Seon-saen-nim, look. Then why isn’t this lake connected to the sea? Now sea and lake are separate. Did they have a falling out?”
Sharp observation.
If glacier melt raised sea levels, flooding here to form Gyeongpo Lake...
Why are lake and sea now separate, divorced?
In Yoon-seul’s words, they “had a falling out.”
- How to explain... Remember the beach we went to the other day? That side’s rising like a mountain.
“Bulging out?”
- Exactly. It bulged up like a mountain, splitting sea from lake. So the lake was originally sea.
That raised one question.
Gyeongpo Lake.
This massive lake’s name.
Nearby beach shares “Gyeongpo”—Gyeongpo Pavilion.
Based on Teacher’s history, the naming makes perfect sense.
The ground near the beach uplifted, separating two vast waters named Gyeongpo.
Maybe over-empathizing, but it felt like a sad movie. Just a common geological event.
Still, learning the backstory of this space before us felt mystical.
“Mm... Mm...”
Yoon-seul seemed to feel something too, staring blankly at the lake from the front seat, lost in thought.
We pedaled on, chatting idly.
After circling halfway, breaths heavy, we stopped the bike.
A bench nearby—perfect for a break.
Lake at our backs, cool breeze blowing, clean wooden chairs and table well-maintained.
Thanks to vacation season.
I slumped into the chair.
Sun blazing, cool wind on my back—pure bliss. Like AC with blankets.
More like my body slumped on its own.
“Uuung, Oppa.”
Yoon-seul, beside me, suddenly burrowed into my lap. She laid her head on my knee.
Her eyes met mine as I leaned on the table edge.
“What brings you snuggling into Oppa’s lap?”
“Yoon-seul feels weird.”
“Huh? Why? Tummy ache?”
“Nn, no.”
I peered closely at her face.
No signs of pain or fatigue.
She pursed and unpursed her lips.
Rubbing her face gently against my thigh repeatedly.
In these cases, usually...
“Yoon-seul’s sad right now?”
“Oppa knows Yoon-seul’s heart...”
Spot on.
“Why’s our Yoon-seul sad?”
“‘Cause the lake’s pitiful.”
“The lake’s pitiful?”
“Yeah... It got separated from the sea.”
Impressive empathy for her age.
But her follow-up words weren’t something to brush off lightly.
“If Yoon-seul separated from Oppa, Yoon-seul would be so sad and hurt. So the lake must hurt too.”