Chapter 46

I clapped my hands and said to Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a.

“Let’s stop here, kids. If we do more, your skin might get damaged.”

“Okay…”

At that moment, Ha-yeon suddenly stood up and approached me with a bottle of suntan oil.

“Mom, it’s your turn now! I’ll apply it for you!”

Yoo-in-a also followed, waving her hands excitedly.

“Auntie! Me too, I want to apply it too!”

I was slightly taken aback by the kids’ enthusiasm but nodded. They had never applied suntan oil before, so it made sense they wanted to try. It must feel different doing something they’ve only seen on TV.

“Alright, both of you can apply it. But don’t rub too hard, okay?”

Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a squeezed the oil onto their hands and approached my back. They bickered over who would go first but eventually started carefully rubbing the oil on me.

The small hands tickled at first, but soon the warmth spread through my body.

The kids playfully competed, shouting, “I’m doing a better job!”

Then, Ha-yeon boldly untied the strap of my bikini.

“Huh…?”

I didn’t immediately understand what had happened, but I soon realized Ha-yeon had undone the strap.

“Ha… Ha-yeon! What are you doing?!”

“Huh? On TV, they do this. The bikini strap gets in the way of applying oil.”

“Ugh…”

I tried to sit up, but the strap was already undone. If I sat up now, I’d be exposing myself in front of everyone. I had no choice but to stay still until they finished applying the oil.

“Ha-yeon, Yoo-in-a, hurry up and finish…”

“Okay!”

“Yes, Auntie!”

Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a continued applying the oil. I became their canvas. Yoo-in-a’s hands felt like she was just applying oil, but Ha-yeon’s hands felt different, like she was kneading my skin.

I decided it was because my skin was soft.

The kids diligently applied the oil. Despite their small hands, they finished quickly since both were working at the same time.

“I want to apply more…”

“Can we do the front too, Auntie?”

“Let’s stop here for today…”

Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a looked at me with disappointed faces. I couldn’t fulfill their request.

Anyway, it was time to retie my bikini strap. I did my best to tie it while lying down. Thankfully, my flexibility allowed me to succeed.

—

Time passed, and the intense afternoon sun began to soften. The beach was still lively, with laughter and waves harmonizing.

I wiped my sweat with a towel and said to the kids.

“Kids, we’ve played enough in the water. Let’s eat something!”

After a light breakfast of bread and milk, we hadn’t eaten properly, and my stomach was signaling hunger. The kids also rubbed their stomachs, clearly hungry. We had only had drinks and snacks from the bag, and it felt like we were on the verge of malnutrition.

“I’m hungry, Auntie…”

“Me too, Mom…”

The kids’ faces showed their hunger. It had been almost six hours since they last ate. For adults, that might be nothing, but for kids, it felt like an eternity.

“Alright, what should we eat?”

I started searching for nearby restaurants on my phone. There were plenty of food stalls at the beach resort. I found a suitable place.

“How about spicy stir-fried octopus?! There’s a really good octopus place nearby!”

The mention of spicy, chewy octopus made the kids’ eyes light up.

“I want octopus!”

“Me too!”

Their reactions made me laugh. It seemed like a good choice.

“Alright, let’s go to the octopus place!”

Of course, we didn’t forget to change out of our swimsuits before heading to the restaurant. It would’ve been awkward to go in swimwear. Besides, we were done with swimming for the day. After eating, it would be around 4-5 PM, and people would start leaving the beach.

We had already packed up our things under the parasol. All that was left was to change.

“Okay!”

“Yep!”

Holding Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a’s hands, we headed to the changing room.

—

“This looks delicious…!”

We arrived at the restaurant and found a table. In the center was a hot plate for stir-fried octopus. The pot of octopus was placed on it, ready to be heated.

“Mom, here!”

Ha-yeon started handing out spoons and chopsticks. Her small hands skillfully distributing the utensils was adorable, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“I could’ve done that…”

“No!”

Ha-yeon’s firm voice was followed by Yoo-in-a pouring water into cups. Her small hands trembled slightly, but her determined expression was clear. Seeing the kids so serious about helping was both amusing and touching.

“We’ll do it!”

The large pot of octopus was placed on the hot plate, and soon the sizzling sound filled the air. The rich aroma of red pepper paste and sweet seasoning enveloped us.

Having Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a with me made ordering a hearty meal worth it. After a day of swimming and playing, we were all very hungry.

“Let’s eat, kids!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a picked up their chopsticks and carefully grabbed a piece of octopus. Ha-yeon immediately put it in her mouth and winced.

“Ah! It’s spicy!”

Despite that, she smiled, clearly enjoying the spicy flavor.

I also started eating the octopus. The chewy, spicy taste filled my mouth, and I smiled happily.

We also had a bowl of rice. Placing a piece of octopus on the soft, white rice and eating it was heavenly. Of course, we shared one bowl of rice among the three of us.

“We made the right choice coming here, right?”

“Yeah!”

After eating the octopus, we wanted to play at the beach again, but we couldn’t. It was time to go home. Since we planned a day trip, we had to stick to the schedule. If we got sidetracked, we’d miss the train.

“It’s delicious!”

“Super spicy and sweet!”

Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a were enthusiastically eating the octopus. I watched them fondly. Bringing the kids out was definitely the right choice. Staying cooped up at home might help them grow physically, but they needed to explore to grow mentally.

I filled my stomach with the octopus stir-fry. Watching the kids with smiles on their faces, I hoped this trip would become another precious memory for Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a.