You're Giving Me Alcohol?
My body, heated up from that deep, intense kiss, cooled off in an instant from the chill of the seawater and the icy north wind blowing off Yeoreum noona. I was so flustered I nearly hiccuped. Why was Yeoreum noona here, of all places, when she'd been leisurely sunbathing just moments ago?
"Some crazy guy kept hitting on me, so I got pissed and came out... and look at you two, setting up your honeymoon suite right here?"
"Noona, that's—"
"Shut up."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't do that to Gyeol. I was the one who suggested it."
Harang noona stepped in front of me, blocking Yeoreum noona's cold glare. Relief washed over me at that cool, confident back of hers. Hiding behind my girlfriend might've seemed a little pathetic, but against Yeoreum noona? I didn't stand a chance. The real issue was that Harang noona didn't have much ground to stand on either.
"You said you'd do anything I asked? You've never kept a single promise."
"...Sorry."
"I knew you two were sneaking around with skinship. I even knew about the kissing."
"..."
"If you're gonna break a promise, at least don't let me catch you. You were supposed to make sure I didn't feel left out, right? Got anything to say for yourself?"
"...No."
"Admit you broke the promise?"
"I admit it."
"Good."
After just a few exchanges, Yeoreum noona surprisingly backed off without much fuss. Maybe she was holding back to keep the vacation vibe going? But that thought didn't last long. She brushed past Harang noona and came straight at me.
Grab.
And hooked her arm through mine—not as intimately as Harang noona had, just a casual hold.
"From now on, no going anywhere just the two of you. I'm tagging along everywhere. And until we get home, no handholding either."
"That's—!"
"You wanna leave me out again and do this?"
"..."
Harang noona started to protest the ban on even holding hands, but she shut her mouth at those words. She had nothing to say. We'd come here as a trio, after all, and we'd promised to do whatever she wanted for her birthday celebration—then broke it.
Splash, splash!
With Harang noona trailing silently behind, Yeoreum noona linked arms with me and headed back to the beach. I snuck a glance at her face. The stern expression was gone; her lips twitched as she fought back a grin.
In that moment, I knew. She was just messing with Harang noona, putting on a show to tease her.
"...Noona, you're not really mad, right?"
"Quiet."
"I mean, we messed up, but Harang noona feels so bad..."
"Shut it."
Was this what friends did? Leaving poor, pitiful Harang noona—who was hanging her head with no excuses to make—out in the cold just for laughs.
"...That's too much."
But damn, it was kinda cute. The way she sulked, mumbling complaints under her breath even as she wilted.
I wanted to rush over and comfort her right then, but I couldn't. Not because I wanted to watch her cuteness longer—no way—but because Yeoreum noona had me pinned and speechless!
Thankfully, noona didn't seem that mad, and the fun atmosphere wasn't ruined. I let out a quiet sigh of relief and smiled faintly.
But then.
"And."
"Huh?"
Squeeze!
"Gaaah...!"
"I was pissed, for real."
"S-sorry...!! Agh!"
"I told you not to!"
"You were mad...!"
---
From the moment Yeoreum noona barged in, Harang noona and I never got a moment alone again. I felt bad for kinda ditching her since we'd come together, and she kept me glued to her side to fend off all the guys hitting on her. Thanks to that, Yeoreum noona was always wedged between us. Not only did she refuse to leave us alone, she wouldn't even let us hold hands—clearly not ready to forgive yet.
"If you wanna hold hands, hold mine."
"..."
"..."
"Any complaints?"
"No..."
"No..."
With her glaring like that, how could we argue when we were already guilty?
It sucked not touching Harang noona, but the fun wasn't ruined. Just like always—except for that busy year last time.
"Castle or tunnel?"
"Castle. You build the walls. Harang noona and I will make the house."
"Got it. Hmm... gotta put it up front for the thrill, right? Like this?"
"Gyeol. A bit farther."
"Any farther and it'll be too intense for me... whatever, let's try."
It was kinda childish for two college girls and one high school guy, but building walls and houses to withstand the waves was our annual beach ritual—pure, simple fun.
I snuck a hand toward Harang noona's while piling sand...
"Keep it up if you want your wrist chopped off."
No dice; surveillance was too tight.
And other stuff too.
"Hot... heavy..."
"Cute."
"Cute my ass. Want me to step on you?"
"Wait, not the face!"
They buried me in sand for a sand sauna.
"Whoa, this color's gorgeous. Worth the wait."
"Don't eat it!!!"
"Ah, okay. Pics first."
"Hold the cup sideways so it's visible. Harang, you on the left."
"Okay."
Click!
"Done. Dig in."
"Gyeol. Ah—"
"..."
"..."
"...This too?"
"Sigh... Kang Gyeol. Eat."
"Ah~ ...Mmm. Green tea's not bad."
"Want some?"
"Here. Ah."
"Annoying."
We snapped pro photos at a famous gelato spot before sharing, savoring calm, wholesome joy—no thrills, just peace.
Then we lounged on the beach a bit more, packed up, and headed to the hotel. We hadn't exhausted ourselves, but this was perfect for our beach trip: sunbathing, a little swimming, sand play, snacking by the shore. Healing vibes. We'd done everything we wanted. Now, crash at the comfy hotel for the finishing touch.
"Checking in."
"Yes. Let me confirm... One of your companions is a minor. If you're family, may I see a family registry?"
"Here."
We booked two rooms late afternoon: one for me and Yeoreum noona, one for Harang noona. As a minor, I couldn't share with just Harang noona—or alone. We'd dealt with this on past trips. Back then, noona wasn't an adult either, so parents got involved and it was messier. Sucks splitting up after coming together, but we could hang till bedtime and just sleep separately. No biggie.
"You shower first and wait. We'll call when we're done."
"Got it."
"I'll be quick."
"Nah, take your time."
For relaxed showers, I went to Harang noona's room, they to the double. We'd regroup after.
The single room looked nice—not cheap. I checked it out, then hit the bathroom. Done in under 30 minutes. No reason for a solo guy to take long.
Flop.
Fresh and comfy, I sank into the plush bed. The bedding swallowed me whole. A pleasant languor hit as I lay there, no urge to scroll my phone. I reflected on the past few months.
Just months ago, life was routine. Sure, having a hot noona friend was special, but I figured it was just long-time familiarity. Wrong. The pretty noona I'd assumed saw me as a little bro actually liked me—and I'd revived feelings I'd given up on as hopeless. Like some outdated rom-com manga, I was living that luck.
Still couldn't believe it. Even now, with the feel of hugging her and the kiss's aftertaste so vivid. Two months in, and reality sometimes felt unreal. But it wasn't a comic. Harang noona existed, craving me fiercely every day. The mature one who turned out way cuter than expected.
My girlfriend.
Knock, knock.
"Gyeol? You done showering?"
Spring up!
Harang noona's voice jolted me upright.
"Yeah! All done! Oh, forgot to take my phone out of my pants."
Deep thoughts ate up time. Enough for her to finish and come check.
Click.
I opened the door, scanned the hall—no Yeoreum noona—grabbed Harang noona's arm, pulled her in.
Squeeze.
And hugged her tight. Not a kiss or anything naughty—just a strong embrace.
She could've questioned the suddenness, but she accepted it naturally, wordlessly. Her breath tickled my ear; she was tall enough. This was reality. The best, happiest kind.
We held it a bit, then I let go. No words—just a bright smile as I gazed at her. Her face lit up with a fresh grin too. Random hug, random smile, but she seemed to get the fuzzy warmth flooding my heart. The kind too uncool to explain.
"Sorry. Must've missed it on vibrate. You called?"
"Yeah. No answer, so I came. Yeoreum's waiting—let's go."
"Picking dinner?"
"Anything you want?"
"Whatever you noonas want... but Yeoreum noona'd hit me. Too crowded outside... Grab chicken and eat here?"
"If that's what you want."
Card key out, hand in hand with Harang noona toward their room. Chatting casually, like nothing happened.
Skinship'd be tough once we got there. Tomorrow, though. Squeezing her hand tighter, almost at the door—
Harang noona stopped.
"Gyeol."
"Yeah. Quick kiss before we go in?"
"Later."
"Later? When's that gonna—"
"Yeoreum wants to make you drink."
"...Whoaaa~"
What?