Jeju Island Vacation 1
Lately, I'd been thinking that maybe someone else had been dropped here just like me, for a brief moment of leisure. Someone with exceptional skills could deliberately climb to a position where they could manipulate the country at will, but since they haven't gone that far, they might just know the basics. Or perhaps, like me, they came here for a break as part of someone's prank and are playing a few light tricks. You might tilt your head at the idea of someone pulling a prank by summoning demons, but there's always some lunatic out there for that sort of thing.
But none of that mattered to me right now. What was important was the vacation looming right in front of me.
"Wanna go on a trip somewhere before the vacation rush?"
"Why before vacation season, of all times?"
"'Cause it's not crowded then, so it's nice and relaxed."
"Hmm... August, right? I've got plans to go on vacation with my family then, so taking time off before that would make my days off awkward. That okay?"
"Two straight weeks off is a bit much anyway... If the timing doesn't work, what can you do."
Hyeon-a had to help her brother with his work too, so coordinating schedules with him made sense. The section chief handling those adultery investigations needed her skills more anyway.
"Sounds like you have vacation plans then, boss?"
"Yeah, going to Jeju Island with the family. Mom and Dad think it's better to go quick before it gets packed."
"Ah, got it. Have a safe trip."
I'd hoped to align our vacation dates and close the office, but no dice. Not a big deal, but still, vibes are a thing.
"Alright, then starting next week, I gotta prep for my vacation, so keep the place locked down tight."
"Got it."
It was a rare family vacation, and somehow I ended up handling all the prep since I had the most free time. Jeju Island was locked in, and when I asked my siblings what kind of vacation they wanted, they just hoped for a normal one. Hanging out at a villa with a pool, grilling meat in the yard, and sightseeing if they got bored.
"Where do you wanna go, Mom?"
-Anywhere's fine by me.
"Don't say that and regret it later."
-When have you ever seen me complain? Anywhere you kids want is perfect.
"...Okay. What about you, Dad?"
-Your dad's the same.
"Got it."
Stuff like horse riding felt too active for a vacation. With the family trip, I'd probably end up driving the whole time, and sitting for hours while climbing up and down mountains sounded annoying. A pension tucked away somewhere, rented out entirely, would be way more relaxing. There were plenty around Jeju since so many people had their own vacation homes, so I'd check those out. I booked the flights and a car, and that was it.
And then the day of the flight.
"Unnie!"
"Aigoo, my little maknae!"
As my parents' appearances grew younger, almost reclaiming their old looks thanks to the potions, an unexpected side effect emerged: the birth of our baby sister, whom no one had planned for. With a little help from me, she ended up adorably cute and pretty, and she was growing up showered in love from the whole family and relatives. My brother right below me was prepping for his college entrance exams and refused to come, saying he had to study. He was hitting the academies hard, determined to beat my seemingly unimpressive grades. Did my old self look like a total slacker by comparison?
"She said we'd go on vacation together, so why didn't he come?"
"The mock exam results came out, and he was bawling that he couldn't even get into a top-finger university, let alone Korea University."
"He's inheriting Dad's company anyway, what's the big deal?"
"That's exactly why he needs a good school to build connections. Having my guy right there next to me in the company is huge."
"Dad's the root of it all."
Dad settled comfortably into the seat next to me on the plane, looking thrilled to ditch the gloomy son and head out with his pretty, cute daughters. It wasn't that they had a bad relationship; Dad was just the best at reining in a loosening mindset. No wonder he kept scouting and grooming new talent as an entertainment exec.
"Once exams are done, he'll party every day till enlistment. Timing's everything."
"Sure, sure. What if he goes astray like me?"
"Won't happen. You've got talent, but I reeled him in young with the right hooks. Once he tries some part-time gig and sees how hard earning money alone is, he'll come around perfectly. Heh."
Dad seemed to think he'd masterminded a century-long plan to keep his son locked down. If the kid grew up well, great—no plans to pull him out of that swamp, not even a fingernail's worth. I leaned back in my seat.
"As long as he doesn't come crawling back later demanding the company."
"Even if he begs now, no dice."
He brushed it off indifferently and adjusted his sunglasses to hide his eyes. Since the whole point was to savor a long-overdue vacation, he was already geared up for a nap.
"Wake me when the landing announcement hits."
"Sure."
The flight was about an hour and a half, and we landed smoothly. We grabbed the rental car and headed straight to the pension.
"I'm heading into town to grab dinner stuff. Anything you wanna eat?"
"Unnie, meat!"
"Of course."
My little sister, hooked on tender, fatty meat, jumped up and down with both hands raised. It was a treat for her since she usually stuck to veggies for health reasons, and she was thrilled enough to leap into my arms at the waist. After all those wild greens like shepherd's purse, wild chives, and dropwort, sneaking her meat made me the loving, close big sis.
"Jina, go with your sister and load up on whatever you wanna eat."
"For real? Unnie, let's go!"
Our super-youthful parents wanted some alone time, handing even the little one off to me with vague instructions to buy food. Mom shoved us into the car, saying to grab pizza in town—Jina's favorite—for lunch.
"Just be back before dinner. Actually, even if you're late, no biggie. Take your time. Got it?"
They clearly wanted to make the week count, whispering in my ear so the excited Jina wouldn't hear. Spending the day goofing off with my cute sister sounded good to me too.
"Mom, go easy with your age in mind. You're over forty already..."
"Don't talk about age. My friends are still on TV all the time."
I poked the forbidden topic for women, and she jabbed my side. Another kid might be nice, but pregnancy past forty takes a toll on body and mind. No wonder they say have 'em young. Not my place to meddle in their relationship anyway.
"Unnie! Hurry!"
"Alright."
At my sister's urging from the spacious passenger seat, I got moving. Town was an hour away, but we should take it slow.
"Jina, where first? Pick something on the map."
"Yeah... Here first."
The aquarium was already plugged into the nav. Wrong direction for town, but she wanted it.
"Let's go."
We toured the massive aquarium for two hours, then hit the market and mart in town. By deliberately wearing her out, she was dead asleep in the passenger seat by sunset, oblivious to the world. Parents had texted they'd head back soon, so they'd handle cleanup. Not peak season yet, so I planned to cruise the empty national road leisurely—until I spotted an old lady up ahead waving right at me.
I considered blowing past, but some nagging unease made me pull over to the shoulder. Normally, I'd just call the cops and be done.
"Where you headed?"
"Yeah, to the village across the way. Mind giving a lift?"
"Sure. Hop in the back."
For a wrinkled, white-haired granny, not a trace of Jeju dialect. Her funeral-appropriate clothes were prim and spotless—no rustling as she climbed in.
"Coming back from a market run or something?"
"Yeah. Family vacation after ages. I'm grabbing groceries."
"Aigoo, such a fine young lady. My kids hardly visit—makes me sad. Gotta give 'em hell later."
"Go easy on 'em. Kids fear the elders most usually."
"If they feared me, they'd have come ages ago."
I kept my eyes glued forward, avoiding the rearview. Cruising at steady speed on this deserted road, it didn't even feel like we were moving.
"Others just zipped by without stopping—had me worried. Thanks a ton."
"Should've taken a taxi."
"Cabbies won't pick up roadside these days. Weird rumors going around."
"Rumors?"
"Yeah, folks picking up randoms and seeing ghosts or whatever. Drop 'em at the address, turns out it's a funeral."
"Ah."
A quick glance in the rearview: a tiger, body shrunk to fit the back seat, was purring blissfully under the granny's strokes.
Hmm... Looked like getting back to the pension quick was off the table. Bad vibes all around.
