Chapter 91
***
Lee Seungho is always like that.
As if he knows something. He always appears at unexpected moments.
Whenever my mood is shaken, he somehow notices.
Before I know it, he is quietly standing beside me.
“···.”
Clomp, clomp—
Isol followed behind him as he walked ahead.
They arrived at the tent.
The others were nowhere to be seen. It looked like they had gone back to play in the water.
“You worked hard doing the dishes. Come sit here. I’ll fix your hair for you.”
He tapped the chair set up in front of the tent.
“U-uh, okay.”
Isol sat down hesitantly.
“Ah, so this is how you secured it?”
Lee Seungho searched for the pins holding the wig in place through the strands that had slipped down.
He pulled them out one by one, then completely removed the mesh covering her head as well.
His hands moved very quickly.
Swish—
Long hair cascaded down along her neck.
“!”
Startled, Isol pulled her waist forward and pressed down on the crown of her head with both hands.
‘Do I smell?!’
More than anything else, she worried that she might smell of sweat.
Fwoosh—
Just then, a cool breeze blew upward from below.
“Hnn···.”
A pleasant coolness made a voice slip from her lips without her realizing it.
Her expression softened completely.
When she raised her head, a handheld fan was gently stirring her hair.
“What?”
A faint laugh came from behind her.
“Honestly, it’s hot, right?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Really?”
“···.”
“To be honest.”
“···.”
She gave a small nod.
Too embarrassed to say it aloud, she only moved her head.
“Do you have a comb or something?”
Once the heat had left her sweat-dampened hair, Lee Seungho went looking for one.
Was he planning to comb her hair for her?
“It should··· probably be in the pouch inside my bag.”
Her voice trembled slightly with faint anticipation.
‘Was there a comb in the pouch?’
Even so, Isol wasn’t certain.
After learning how to apply makeup, she had started carrying one because it was necessary, but···
Honestly, she didn’t remember exactly what was inside. She just put random things in there and carried it around.
“Ah, here it is.”
Lee Seungho found the comb.
Fortunately, it had been inside.
“Eek.”
Tap.
His fingertips touched the back of her neck, startling her a little.
Swish, swish—
He moved the comb with fairly practiced hands.
He brushed downward gently so her hair wouldn’t snag.
···Was he used to this?
“Back in elementary school, I sometimes did this when our parents weren’t home. They were both busy.”
“For Seungah?”
“Yeah. Once she got older, she did it herself, but she used to find things like this annoying.”
“Hmm.”
That was why he was so good at it. Isol nodded.
She felt a little envious of Lee Seungah.
If it were me, I would have asked him to do it every day.
Brushing her hair was an incredibly bothersome task.
Drying it in particular was annoying. It took such a long time.
“All done.”
“Thanks.”
Thanks to him, she felt fresh and dry.
“What about the wig?”
She was about to put the wig back on, but she couldn’t see where it had gone.
“It’s hot. You’re going to put it back on?”
Lee Seungho’s expression became slightly awkward.
“···.”
Of course she was putting it on because she thought he would like it.
She wanted to show him a different kind of charm.
Ji Nuri had short hair too, after all.
She had wondered whether she might gain the same kind of appeal as her.
That was why she had tried it once.
What if···
“···Doesn’t it suit me?”
Isol turned her head anxiously.
“No, it’s not that it doesn’t suit you.”
“···Be completely honest.”
Even as she asked, she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.
“Honestly?”
“Yeah. It’s okay, so tell me honestly.”
He moved the handheld fan. Her hair swayed softly in the breeze.
“No, you’re a model, after all.”
“Yeah.”
“Short hair suits you too.”
“Mm-hm.”
Isol slowly nodded. Lee Seungho spoke as though it were obvious.
I see.
Then—
“But still, I think you look best like this.”
“···.”
Isol didn’t react to those words.
She tried not to react.
“···Really?”
She simply let out a short reply. Her tone was ordinary.
Isol felt relieved by the situation.
Of course she did.
Because they were facing in the same direction.
At least she could hide the way the corners of her mouth were twitching right now.
“Shall we go too?”
He turned off the power. The fan, which had been spinning around and around, gradually came to a stop.
“···.”
Isol lightly grasped the handle of the handheld fan.
She relaxed her waist and sank back into the chair.
Fwoosh—
She turned the handheld fan back on. The breeze began blowing again.
“···Let’s stay a little longer.”
It was a slight act of force.
“···.”
He stared at her blankly for a moment, then—
“···Okay.”
He gave a small nod.
Fwoooosh——
The faintly blowing breeze created an incredibly pleasant atmosphere.
“···.”
As she leisurely enjoyed the sensation, Isol’s eyes slowly closed.
* * *
— “Sss···.”
Isol’s Minimi breathed out softly.
‘She really fell asleep.’
Of course. Isol didn’t have very good stamina.
Whether mentally or physically, she had been busy moving around in one way or another, so it was only natural that she was tired.
I turned off the fan and rose from my seat.
“Nngh.”
I twisted my body this way and that.
Staying in the same position for so long had left me stiff.
“···.”
I checked Isol’s Minimi again.
“Sss—”
— “Sss— sss—”
It breathed out softly along with Isol.
The noise that had been wavering until just now had grown quiet.
‘She’s back to normal.’
She had seemed stressed in various ways until just now.
Now it seemed her mood had improved.
“···.”
I knew what Isol was thinking.
I also knew what she wanted to do.
‘···Because I can see how hard she’s trying.’
Whenever I looked at Isol like that,
somehow, I felt as though I had to do something for her.
‘···It’s been a while since I combed someone’s hair.’
From the perspective of the opposite sex, how long had it been since I had approached someone this directly?
“Phew···.”
A quiet breath escaped me.
“···.”
I carefully draped my outer garment over the sleeping Isol, then walked outside.
* * *
“Hmm···.”
After we had been playing in the water for quite some time,
Shin Ayoung gazed quietly toward the tent through her narrowed eyes.
She caught a glimpse of Lee Seungho and Isol.
‘Why is it taking so long?’
The dishes should have been finished ages ago. What on earth were the two of them doing over there?
It was bothering her immensely.
‘Should I pretend to get some water and take a quick look?’
She seriously began considering it.
“Ssh···.”
Shin Ayoung moved her lips.
She had made a plan, but
she found herself hesitating more and more.
‘···She was scary.’
It was because Isol’s expression came to mind.
“···.”
The corners of her eyes trembled faintly.
The way she had smiled and looked at her while saying she would apply sunscreen for her···
It had been rather intimidating.
‘I have interrupted Sol a few times, but···’
Back then, she hadn’t intended to, so it had happened naturally.
This time, the situation was a little different.
“Ayoung! Pass, pass!”
She heard Ji Nuri calling her.
“Yeah.”
Shin Ayoung smiled lightly and threw the beach ball.
They were playing water volleyball.
Pang—!
The ball she struck hard flew far away.
‘Hmm···.’
To be honest, it wasn’t all that fun.
Rather than playing with the beach ball, she wanted to chat leisurely with Lee Seungho too.
“Eek!”
Park Minji fell backward into the water while trying to catch the ball.
“Pfft—”
Seeing that, Ji Nuri burst out laughing.
“···.”
That was why she kept playing.
‘Damn··· She’s having so much fun. How can I say I’m going to take a short break?’
Shin Ayoung’s tendency to worry about other people’s eyes remained unchanged. If only people could change so easily.
Even though she did tend to feel more comfortable when she was with Lee Seungho, it wasn’t as though she stopped caring about other people’s gazes.
By now, acting had become a habit.
“···.”
Even in the midst of it all, Shin Ayoung kept glancing toward the tent where the two were.
‘It would be a little much to interfere openly.’
That part weighed on her conscience.
If she had really made up her mind to interfere, she wouldn’t have been standing around like this in the first place.
She was exercising restraint in her own way.
So, while pretending to help,
she was interfering as naturally as she could.
“Oh, he’s back.”
When she turned her head at Ji Nuri’s words,
she saw Lee Seungho slowly walking toward the water.
“Seungho, do you want to play too?”
Ji Nuri lifted the ball above her head.
“What were you playing?”
“Volleyball.”
“Is it a team game?”
“No, individual. ···Oh, but where’s Sol?”
Ji Nuri looked around.
‘She really is gone.’
As Ji Nuri had said, Isol was nowhere to be seen.
“She fell asleep for a little while.”
“Huh? She fell asleep?”
“Yeah. I think playing wore her out.”
“Really?”
Shin Ayoung quietly watched the exchange and felt relieved inside.
Apparently, nothing had happened.
“Here, you serve.”
Ji Nuri tossed the ball to him.
“Yeah.”
Lee Seungho caught it easily, bounced it a few times, and walked into the water.
He had joined the water volleyball game.
‘Oh.’
Shin Ayoung rubbed the corner of her mouth with a peculiar expression.
Why was she like this?
Suddenly, water volleyball had started to become fun.
······.
After playing like that for quite some time, evening had arrived before they knew it.
Since they had to leave before sunset, Shin Ayoung hurried to pack her things.
If they missed the bus, that would cause even more trouble.
‘Phone, swimsuit, change of clothes, wallet, fan, hat···.’
All right. She had packed everything without leaving anything behind.
Shin Ayoung zipped up her bag. That finished her preparations to leave.
Over there, she saw Lee Seungho hurrying Ji Nuri along as she packed her things.
“You packed everything properly, right?”
“How many times are you going to ask? I packed it all.”
“···You have a history.”
“Ah, no. Last time, I really thought I had packed everything.”
Ji Nuri protested as though she had been wronged.
‘···Last time?’
Shin Ayoung subtly turned her head.
A word she couldn’t casually ignore for once had reached her ears faintly.
She edged closer to them.
“···Did you two meet during vacation?”
Shin Ayoung asked Ji Nuri with a cheerful grin.
Ji Nuri had always said she was bored and clung to her every day, after all.
Strange.
“We went on a trip and happened to run into each other.”
“Th-that so?”
“I’m telling you, our country is really small.”
Ji Nuri laughed it off lightly as though it were nothing.
“···.”
No wonder Isol was wary of her.
She really was someone who could never be taken lightly.
“Yaaawn~”
Isol passed by with a long, drawn-out yawn.
“···?”
Shin Ayoung tilted her head.
Isol must have heard it too.
Unexpectedly, she didn’t seem bothered at all. She merely blinked slowly.
The person who should have been the most surprised was perfectly fine. That was stranger, if anything.
Had she already known?
“Oh, right.”
Isol stopped walking.
She spun around.
“Seungho—”
With a drawn-out pronunciation, she toddled over to his side.
“What? Did you forget something?”
“Mmm. That’s not it.”
Isol shook her head from side to side.
“···My mom wants to see your face, Seungho.”
······Huh?
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(!Sign!)
(There’s an AI illustration if you scroll down!)
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(Napping Sol)
Happy New Year!