Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The stream of water brushing against her calves had quite a bit of pressure. Each time the strong droplets splattered against her skin, a thrilling coolness spread all the way to the top of her head.
"The water here is nice, isn't it?"
Jae-gyu, who had been carrying a bunch of luggage, set it down in front of the Caravan. When he came to the water's edge and saw Bom, who was delighted just by dipping her feet in, he found himself even more delighted.
"Yes. Just dip your feet in before we unpack. Come on."
"Hold on. Let me just unpack the luggage I left behind."
"I said just dip your feet in! Aish!"
Bom bent down, scooped up some stream water with her hands, and began splashing it at Jae-gyu. Jae-gyu let out a string of exclamations—"Oof!", "Whoa!", "Aargh!"—then immediately growled and leaped into the water.
"Aargh!"
The moment Jae-gyu lunged, Bom shrieked and ran, dodging him. The shallow water splashed everywhere with every step she took. Her pants got wet, but Bom didn't mind.
"Catch me if you can!"
"If I catch you, I'll kiss you anywhere, you hear?"
"Aargh!"
The boisterous splashing of water and their laughter echoed through the valley. That's when it happened.
"Oh, no..."
Bom's slipper, having come off, was swept away by the current and vanished in an instant.
"..."
"..."
The two of them, dumbfounded, stood silently by the water's edge for a moment, then trudged out of the water.
All the photos they'd seen while browsing blogs showed calm water. Many people seemed to be wearing slippers, so they'd worn theirs too, but the current here was quite strong.
Bom, helped by Jae-gyu, sat on a rock. She stared blankly at her now-bare left foot.
"Wait right there. I'll definitely go get it."
"You don't have to..."
With a dash, Jae-gyu ran off in the direction the slipper had disappeared, even as Bom tried to stop him. While waiting, Bom took her time to look around the valley.
She liked that the water didn't smell fishy, perhaps because there were fragrant trees nearby. The fact that it was quiet and deserted was also a major plus.
Moreover, the water here was shallow. The depth where she and Jae-gyu had been playing tag earlier was barely 30cm, and even further in, it seemed to be just over 1m. It was natural to feel relieved by a depth where she couldn't possibly drown.
Jae-gyu had said he'd specifically sought out this place for Bom, who was afraid of water. When she first heard about it, she wondered what could be so different, but it definitely was.
"It would be even more fun if I knew how to swim..."
She also liked that despite being shallow, there were step-like drops in elevation, making the current quite strong. If she were good at swimming, she could play much more actively, and that was a slight regret.
Should I try learning to swim, like Jae-gyu suggested? As she was lost in thought, she heard the sound of footsteps on gravel in the distance.
"Bom!"
Jae-gyu came running, grinning widely, Bom's slipper in his hand.
She wondered how he'd found it, but Jae-gyu happily explained that it had been conveniently dangling from a tree branch, making it easy to spot.
"You're such a princess, losing your shoe like that. Give me your foot."
Jae-gyu knelt on one knee in front of the rock, like a prince. After shaking the water off the thoroughly soaked slipper, he took Bom's left foot and slid it in.
"...Thank you."
Although the scene was a bit too realistic, Bom felt reassured by Jae-gyu, who had retrieved her slipper. On the other hand, she was also worried. If her slippers kept coming off like this, their water play would be over.
"Don't worry about your shoes," he said, "I've got a plan."
She didn't know what his plan was, but somehow, she felt Jae-gyu could solve everything. Bom smiled, nodded, and headed towards the Caravan with Jae-gyu.
"It's a good thing it's still broad daylight. We can unpack and play in the water for a few more hours."
"I'll definitely take care of you today."
Take care of what? She didn't know what he meant, but Bom's expectations swelled. The Caravan Jae-gyu opened was large enough to comfortably accommodate three or four people.
"So this is what the inside of a Caravan looks like. It's my first time."
"It's my first time too."
There was a small bathroom and a sink, and with heating and air conditioning, it lacked nothing. What particularly caught Bom's eye was the bed.
"Everything looks brand new."
"It is brand new."
Clean white bedding lay on the family-sized bed. Jae-gyu took a towel from the cupboard, knelt in front of Bom, and wiped her wet calves and thighs.
"Give me your other foot too."
Jae-gyu held Bom's ankle, concentrating on wiping her instep and sole.
"How did you know about this place? It's so nice, but there's no one here."
After wiping away all the water, Jae-gyu casually wiped his own legs with the same towel and said,
"Ah, this is private property."
"Are you close with the owner?"
"This is my mountain and my valley."
She knew he owned a lot of land in Shinsu-eup, but this place was about thirty minutes away from there. It was hard to believe that this mountain and valley belonged to Jae-gyu.
He'd said he sold all the digital currency he received as boat fare over ten years ago to buy up land, but she never imagined he'd bought something like this.
"I have an uncle who manages it, so I haven't paid much attention to it, and I apologize for getting lost. I'm usually a human GPS, but I was a bit flustered earlier."
"Then this Caravan is yours too, Jae-gyu?"
The vehicle body and furnishings all looked new, and it didn't seem very old. Jae-gyu shook his head.
"No. Some guy leased this plot of land, and he just plopped this down without permission. I got a call from the mountain keeper and looked into it, and that bastard apparently gambled elsewhere and fled to the Philippines. He's not coming back now, that guy. Anyway, that damn gambling is the problem."
"So what happens to this place?"
"I could dispose of it, but after using it, it feels like a waste to get rid of it, doesn't it?"
"It is a waste."
She hadn't known that even valleys could be leased. Jae-gyu even mentioned that if you built a pension here and sold food like duck soup nearby, it would do incredibly well.
"But why don't you do that?"
"If you do something like that in the valley, it'll ruin the whole scenery here. Shall we get serious about playing in the water?"
"Because of my slipper..."
"I told you, that's no problem."
Reassured by his words that he had a definite solution, Bom relaxed. She pulled her backpack to the floor, unzipped it, and took out her swimsuit to change into.
"But aren't you going to change into your swimsuit, Jae-gyu?"
"I'll change after I do something. You can go ahead and change first."
Jae-gyu gathered a few things from the luggage he'd brought, and went outside, a watermelon tucked under his arm.
Meanwhile, Bom, having changed into her swimsuit, tied her hair up tightly and secured it with a clip. There happened to be a mirror in the bathroom, so she stood in front of it to check her outfit.
Do people even wear something like this in a valley...?
The plain, dove-gray One-Piece Dress swimsuit had a hem that wrapped around her thighs, so it didn't feel particularly revealing or provocative.
She worried if the swimsuit she'd finally chosen was okay, but since there was no one else around, she figured there was no need to worry too much.
Bom slipped on her slippers, still damp from their earlier water play, and stepped out of the Caravan.
The midday sun illuminated the valley scenery in even more vibrant colors. Bom spotted a tube lying on a rock and, surprised, approached Jae-gyu.
"When did you pack this tube?"
Jae-gyu was securing the watermelon under the shade of a tree.
"My girlfriend is afraid of water, so I prepared it."
Hearing him refer to her as his girlfriend so casually, it truly sank in that this was a real date.
"I even attached a nylon rope to the tube. I'll put you on it right away. Now."
After wedging the large, round watermelon between some rocks, the watermelon didn't float away, even in the strong current.
After confirming the watermelon was secure, Jae-gyu brushed himself off and stood up, then looked at Bom and froze.
"..."
His gaze slowly descended. From Bom's nape to her collarbone, his eyes eventually settled on her chest, pressed by the swimsuit.
"Ha..."
Jae-gyu, letting out a hot breath, let his gaze drop further. His eyes passed her flat stomach and fixed between her legs. Only then did Bom's eyes widen.
"Ugh, why are you looking at me like that? You're like a total pervert..."
Jae-gyu gently pulled Bom by the waist and embraced her. In an instant, where they touched, she felt Jae-gyu's stirring Penis.
"Just looking at you turns me into a pervert, My Bom-Bom♡."
His low, thick voice rumbled above her head. Even as Bom was aghast, Jae-gyu, lost in his own thoughts, continued to murmur.
"Right here, right now, I'd grab your butt, lift you up, and put you on me..."
"Aargh! No! Stop!"
Bom, who had been listening in stunned silence, hastily stretched out her arm and clapped her hand over Jae-gyu's mouth.
"I'm going into the water first."
"Ah, wait a second. The slipper reinforcement..."
Jae-gyu picked up the colorful nylon rope lying near the watermelon.
"What's that?"
"I cut the watermelon rope. Here, one foot at a time."
She had a bad feeling, but sure enough, Jae-gyu tightly bound Bom's slippers with the watermelon rope, securing them firmly, and then smiled to himself, looking proud.
"How's that?"
"...It's certainly secure."
Thinking to herself that it looked strange, Bom stepped into the stream first, and her face immediately brightened.
"Jae-gyu, this is super sturdy!"
"Solid, right?"
"Solid!"
Even when she went to where the current was strong, her slippers absolutely did not come off. Bom gestured for Jae-gyu to hurry and join her.
"Change your clothes first and come in!"
"I'll take them off now."
"Huh?"
Jae-gyu suddenly stripped off his top. Bom's eyes widened. She hadn't seen anyone shirtless in the valley travel photos she'd seen on blogs.
"Can you just strip like that in a valley?"
"Of course. It's mine."
Saying that, Jae-gyu suddenly pulled down his Hawaiian pants. Bom froze, staring intently at that spot. Her heart dropped, thinking he was about to completely strip his bottom half, but he was wearing a swimsuit underneath. However, that swimsuit was the problem.
"Ugh, what kind of swimsuit..."