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Jihoon woke up just as they arrived at their destination.
Seeing the “Busan Station” sign, Jihoon burst with excitement, pointing it out as if it weren’t obvious.
“Look, Hyung! Busan!”
Without responding, Yeongdeok muttered to himself, “Like a colt set free in the fields.”
Jihoon didn’t stop there; he eagerly snapped photos of everything, even dragging Yeongdeok into the frame.
“Hyung, let’s drop off our luggage at the hotel and hit the beach!”
With a sparkling gaze, Jihoon grabbed Yeongdeok’s hand and began running, his enthusiasm utterly unstoppable.
“Hold on, Seo Jihoon. You don’t have to run—”
“Time’s wasting! Let’s go!”
Dragging both his suitcase and Yeongdeok behind him, Jihoon dashed ahead, leaving Yeongdeok no choice but to follow.
After a 40-minute taxi ride, they reached their beachfront hotel, offering an unobstructed view of the ocean.
As Yeongdeok admired the breathtaking scenery through the large windows, Jihoon, having unpacked, called him over.
“Hyung, come here!”
“What is it?”
Yeongdeok walked over to Jihoon and stopped.
When Jihoon gestured for him to come closer, Yeongdeok knelt, and Jihoon smeared sunscreen on the tip of his nose.
Startled, Yeongdeok stepped back a few paces.
“Hyung, put some on too. The sun’s blazing today.”
“Can’t you just be satisfied with watching from here?”
The beach was teeming with people, umbrellas scattered everywhere.
Looking at the crowd, Yeongdeok thought it wouldn’t be much different from watching from the hotel.
But Jihoon dismissed his reasoning outright.
“We didn’t come all this way to just stay in the hotel.”
“Hmm…”
“And the sea air smells amazing, doesn’t it?”
Packing random items into a portable bag, Jihoon pestered Yeongdeok until he relented with a nod.
Together, they left the hotel, Jihoon bouncing with energy.
ꔚ
When they reached the beach, it was just as packed as it looked from the hotel.
The heat was oppressive, and the sun made sweat pour down just from standing still.
As Yeongdeok trudged through the scorching sand, Jihoon raised a camera lens to him and took a picture.
“Hyung, you look good no matter where or how I take the shot. You should’ve been a celebrity.”
“A celebrity? Just imagining it feels exhausting.”
“Well, if you were one, there’d already be articles about your ‘character controversies.’”
Yeongdeok’s face twisted into a scowl at Jihoon’s cheeky remark.
Jihoon, finding it endearing, snapped another photo.
“You really take pictures of anything.”
“I want to capture every moment of you.”
Hearing that, Yeongdeok found himself wanting to capture every moment of Jihoon too.
He solemnly pulled out his phone, aimed the lens at Jihoon, and began taking pictures, despite having no experience.
The shutter clicked rapidly as he earnestly pressed the button.
“You’re taking photos of me too, hyung?”
“You always end up looking foolish in pictures, so try to strike a decent pose.”
“Unbelievable…”
Clicking his tongue, Jihoon began experimenting with poses, trying to look presentable.
But no matter what he did, he looked like a fool in Yeongdeok’s eyes.
As Yeongdeok continued snapping, Jihoon approached him.
“How do they look? Decent?”
Jihoon checked the photos Yeongdeok had taken, only to burst out laughing.
“Hyung, I just discovered something you’re terrible at. You’re awful at photography.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
“Not at all, but there isn’t a single decent one here.”
The photos were chaotic—a passerby blurred into one, another was shaky, and some had seagulls in focus instead of Jihoon.
It was a collection of comically bad shots.
“This won’t do. Wait here for a second.”
Leaving Yeongdeok behind, Jihoon approached a passerby, handed over his phone, and asked them to take a picture.
Returning, he put an arm around Yeongdeok’s shoulder and struck a peace sign.
“Let’s take one together.”
The passerby adjusted angles with a cheerful shout. “Ready? One, two…”
They took several photos, both horizontal and vertical.
After expressing his thanks, Jihoon checked the photos.
“They turned out great. Though your face looks like you’re being punished.”
In contrast to Jihoon’s lively expression, Yeongdeok’s face was blank, as if enduring a chore.
“Not happy with them?”
“Of course not. I feel honored to have a picture with you. I’ll treasure these forever.”
Jihoon’s sweet words earned a skeptical glance from Yeongdeok, who knew his expressions were far from photogenic.
Nonetheless, the two settled under a rented parasol with a mat spread out on the sand.
“I’m thinking of swimming a bit. Are you sure you don’t want to?”
“No.”
“Not even dipping your toes?”
“No.”
“Alright, then.”
Accepting defeat, Jihoon walked off toward the water alone.
Yeongdeok watched his retreating figure stand out amidst the crowd, then lay down on the mat.
Despite the heat, the occasional sea breeze and the salty scent of the ocean were pleasant.
Just as he was beginning to relax, Jihoon abruptly returned, bent down, and scooped him up.
Caught off guard, Yeongdeok didn’t even fix his crooked sunglasses.
“What are you doing?”
“You came all the way here; you should at least feel the water.”
This brat… Yeongdeok squirmed to escape, but Jihoon had already carried him to the waves and dunked him into the sea.
With a loud splash, water surged around them.
“How is it? Feels refreshing, right?”
“…”
“Hyung?”
When the drenched Yeongdeok stayed silent, his head bowed, Jihoon swallowed nervously, sensing danger.
He realized too late that Yeongdeok wasn’t someone who tolerated pranks lightly.
As Jihoon fidgeted with unease, Yeongdeok grabbed his clothes and pulled him into the water, forcing Jihoon to gulp down a mouthful of salty seawater.
“Ugh, salty!”
“You deserve to drink more of it.”
Yeongdeok retaliated by splashing water into Jihoon’s face, who, instead of getting annoyed, laughed cheerfully.
Eventually, realizing they were already soaked, Yeongdeok gave in and joined Jihoon in playing in the water.
“I still don’t get why people enjoy soaking in salty water.”
“Because it’s hot. That’s why.”
Jihoon’s reasoning was dubious since even the seawater was lukewarm.
Still, it was cooler than staying on the beach, so Yeongdeok begrudgingly accepted it.
Jihoon brushed back Yeongdeok’s damp bangs.
The wet strands stayed slicked back, revealing more of his face.
“Wow. I must’ve gotten used to seeing your dorky bangs because this looks so strange.”
“Did you just call my bangs dorky?”
“They are dorky. Or should I say goofy?”
“Maybe I should grow them out again.”
The short bangs had been a temporary style, a part of his revenge against PetitRolang.
As he pulled his bangs back into place, Yeongdeok replied.
“You’d look good with any hairstyle, hyung. Whatever makes you happy.”
“Even if it’s a buzzcut or dreadlocks?”
“…I might need to think about that.”
Imagining Yeongdeok with those hairstyles, Jihoon quickly retracted his comment.
Knowing him, Jihoon felt he might actually try it.
After splashing around for a while, the two returned to the beach.
Jihoon handed Yeongdeok a towel and changed into dry clothes.
Exhausted from the sun and sea, Yeongdeok felt a pleasant fatigue settle over him.
“Hyung, want some ice cream?”
After splashing around in the water, Jihoon, feeling refreshed, spotted an ice cream shop near the shower area and turned to Yeongdeok for his opinion.
“Not a bad idea,” Yeongdeok replied.
A few steps later, they arrived at the shop.
Yeongdeok carefully scanned the ice cream selection behind the chilled glass before making his choice.
“I’ll have… that one. Soda flavor,” Jihoon decided.
“Then I’ll go with vanilla,” Yeongdeok said.
They each purchased their chosen treats—a tube of soda-flavored ice cream for Jihoon and a vanilla cone for Yeongdeok—before heading back to the parasol.
Yeongdeok unwrapped his cone and gave the vanilla ice cream a tentative lick.
The sweet, creamy flavor melted on his tongue.
Translator: Please support the new Novel that I’m translating. The title is ‘Judging you as pitiful because you don’t know love!’
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love this back and forth theyre so cute
Thanks!
With that cliffhanger, I can imagine that vanilla ice cream on his tongue to swirl with Jihoon’s ahhhh