Chapter 47

The finishing touch to the stir-fried octopus was the sizzling fried rice on the iron plate. Mixing the leftover sauce with fluffy rice, seaweed, and sesame oil, the moment it was fried on the hot plate, the savory aroma tickled my nose once again. The children, with eyes full of anticipation, tightly gripped their spoons as they stared at the hot plate. It was as if they were determined to devour the fried rice the moment it was ready. Watching them, I worked hard to prepare the fried rice.

“Mom, can we eat soon?”

Ha-yeon asked impatiently. As the rice began to slightly stick to the plate, Yoo-in-a’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, “Auntie… I want to eat now…!”

I couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the children. It was my fault for making them so hungry. Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a hadn’t had a proper meal since arriving at the beach. Playing was important, but eating was just as crucial. Finally, as the dish was nearly done, I looked at Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a and said, “It’s ready! Let’s eat!”

The children cheered as they took a bite of the hot rice. The crispy texture of the slightly burnt rice and the harmony of the seasoning were perfect. We even scraped off the rice stuck to the iron plate with our spoons, filling our stomachs completely. After finishing the meal, we patted our full bellies and said, “Ah, that was really delicious!”

Yoo-in-a agreed with Ha-yeon, saying, “I want to come back and eat this again!”

I smiled contentedly at the satisfied expressions on the children’s faces. While tourist spot restaurants often have mediocre food, this place was different. There was a reason it was popular. The seasoning was good, and the portions were generous. Though, being a tourist spot, it was a bit more expensive than other octopus restaurants. Still, considering it was a tourist area, the prices were reasonable. After all, if you go to a valley, a single chicken soup could cost 40,000 to 50,000 won.

It was a rip-off. And people who went to the valley had no choice but to reluctantly pay for the expensive chicken soup since there were no other restaurants around.

“Alright, let’s head home. If we miss the train, Yoo-in-a’s dad will worry.”

At my words, Yoo-in-a pouted slightly, looking disappointed. “I want to stay longer…”

But Ha-yeon, sitting beside her, grabbed Yoo-in-a’s shoulder and said, “Yoo-in-a, we have to go see your dad!”

“Okay…”

Even though they played together almost every day, Yoo-in-a still wanted to play more. Kids never stop wanting to play. So, we hurried to the train station to catch the train on time.

“Let’s go!”

—

Ha-yeon, Yoo-in-a, and Ha-yul, who had successfully boarded the train, chatted about the day’s events. There was a lot to talk about since playing at the beach had been so much fun. Even after chatting for a while, it still took some time for the train to arrive. The beach resort in the countryside was better than the ones in Seoul.

“By the way, Yoo-in-a, this photo is of you…”

The two chattered nonstop. They flipped through the photos Ha-yul had taken, laughing out loud and playfully teasing each other, saying, “This photo is weird!” The photos captured the waves splashing, kids playing on the sand beach, and the sky tinged with red as the sun set. These were the photos Ha-yul had taken after eating the stir-fried octopus, with the beach as the backdrop.

In the photo, Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a stood together, making a “V” sign with the sunset behind them.

As they chatted, a quietness fell over them. Yoo-in-a glanced around and whispered to Ha-yeon, “Ha-yeon, Auntie is sleeping!”

Ha-yul, seemingly tired, had leaned her head against the train seat and was sound asleep. She was so deeply asleep that no one could wake her. Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a, with mischievous glints in their eyes, looked at each other. They had the idea of taking over the seat while their mom slept.

“Let’s take a photo of this, Ha-yeon!”

“Great idea, Yoo-in-a!”

The two were on the same wavelength for once. Ha-yeon took out the phone her mom had bought and snapped a photo of Ha-yul sleeping. It was easy to take a photo of their mom sleeping, but capturing her sleeping outside was rare. And for Yoo-in-a, it was almost the first time she had seen Ha-yul sleeping.

Every time Yoo-in-a visited Ha-yeon’s house, her aunt would greet her with a bright smile, but seeing her sleep like this was a first. The vulnerable sight tugged at Yoo-in-a’s heartstrings, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a continued to watch Ha-yul sleep.

“Should we wake Auntie?”

Yoo-in-a asked worriedly. Ha-yeon shook her head and said, “We’ll get off at the last stop, so it’s fine. Mom looks tired, so let’s not wake her.”

So, Ha-yeon and Yoo-in-a quietly watched their mom, sitting side by side and whispering as they enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere inside the train. Outside the window, the dark scenery passed by. It felt satisfying to have spent the day so well.

—

“Ugh, my head…”

Ishia pressed her temples with both hands. Her ears were ringing, and her vision was blurry. The recurring headaches were slowly eating away at her motivation. She had visited the university hospital several times, but they always said there was nothing particularly wrong. Strangely, she remembered how her headache had mysteriously disappeared when she drank the coffee her manager had brought her that day. Being a celebrity might seem like a great job, but with her packed schedule lately, she barely had any time to rest.

As a popular celebrity, she had to make the most of her fame, but even though she was grateful for her busy schedule, it was still overwhelming. Honestly, Ishia wished she could drop everything and go on a month-long vacation to some island.

She wanted to lie on a sunbed on a quiet, deserted island and just sunbathe. In short, she wanted to throw off all the burdens and constraints of this world and set off to find her own happiness.

But Ishia shook her head and pulled herself together. Life as a celebrity was always busy and intense. She had to keep up with her schedule without losing her smile and never let her fans see her fatigue. She couldn’t show any weakness.

“Oppa?”

But when Ishia called for her manager, he was nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, he had mentioned earlier that he would be late. He said it would take at least 30 minutes, so she had to stay here for a while. Ishia looked around.

Her eyes landed on the café where she had drunk that magical coffee before. Ishia, glancing around, grabbed her disguise tools. It wasn’t much—just a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. These three magical tools made most people fail to recognize her. Of course, the downside was that she looked suspicious.

Wearing a mask and hat in the middle of summer was uncomfortable, but there was no other choice. If she went out without a disguise, she would be surrounded by fans in no time. Even now, not far from the café, there was a life-sized cutout of herself from a recent advertisement.

Ishia got out of the car and walked to the café. Inside, it was bustling with people. Fortunately, it wasn’t lunchtime, so there were no office workers. If it had been lunchtime, it would have taken a while just to buy a coffee.

As Ishia opened the café door, a clear bell rang. But with so many people inside, no one paid attention to her arrival. Ishia naturally joined the line.

Her gaze shifted to the counter, where the staff were busy working. Then, Ishia’s eyes widened slightly. The woman at the counter was quite pretty, but what caught Ishia’s attention was another girl. She looked like a high school student, but she was incredibly charming and beautiful as she made coffee. Honestly, she seemed even prettier than Ishia herself.

“Here’s your Americano.”

Her voice was also lovely. Ishia felt her heart strangely flutter. She couldn’t take her eyes off the girl.