Chapter 8

Drawing isn’t hard.

You draw lines, create shapes, and add color—done.

If you understand the basic principles of points, lines, and planes, anyone can draw something simple.

With talent and effort, you can create something truly exceptional.

Most people, in their own way, draw too—in their minds.

They dream, they envision goals, and they strive forward. That’s life.

But turning those mental pictures into reality is difficult. Drawing on paper? That’s the easy part.

Which brings me to this:

“Let’s go to the sea. Please?”

This kid’s current dream is going to the sea. But I don’t want to. It sounds exhausting.

It’s like when people can’t be bothered to walk a few steps to their computer.

So I told her what I thought: I could just draw it for her instead.

“Can’t I just draw it for you?”

“No, I want to see a shark.”

Apparently, Ha-Soo-Yul had decided she wanted to go to the sea after seeing the shark I had drawn for her before.

You’re not going to see a shark, though…

Even if we did, it wouldn’t be the massive ones from photos or movies.

We could go to an aquarium, but no—she insisted on the sea.

“Why the sea? There’s an aquarium, you know.”

“Because it’s pretty.”

Apparently, her mom had already given permission. If I wanted to go, we could plan it with my parents.

What are we even going to do there? Play in the water?

Sigh. Fine. Let’s go.

It could be a nice memory. Even if I tried to refuse, Mom and Dad would probably drag me there with a bunch of reasons anyway.

“Okay, I’ll talk to Mom when she gets home.”

“Yay!”

Seeing her happy smile made all my reluctance vanish.

If she’s happy, that’s all that matters. Kids should be happy. They’ll deal with the harshness of society later.

“Can we come too?”

Suddenly, Lee Do-Yoon popped up, with Baek Yoo-Seol by his side.

I guess they overheard us.@@novelbin@@

As expected of the male lead, Lee Do-Yoon had this magnetic friendliness. He’d been here for months now, and his charm had already won over most of our class.

Still, not many kids approached him because of Baek Yoo-Seol’s intimidating presence.

Whenever Lee Do-Yoon went somewhere, Baek Yoo-Seol followed reluctantly.

Back to the matter at hand.

“If your parents allow it, I’ll bring it up to mine.”

It seemed both Lee Do-Yoon and Baek Yoo-Seol wanted to join us at the sea.

Over time, we’d gotten closer to them, and the initial awkwardness had faded. Even Baek Yoo-Seol no longer felt the need to be wary of us—specifically Ha-Soo-Yul.

Our parents had also gotten acquainted through us. Occasionally, the four families would gather, making for fun group hangouts.

“Okay! I’ll ask my dad. Yoo-Seol, you ask too.”

Lee Do-Yoon enthusiastically nodded, turning to encourage Baek Yoo-Seol, who gave a small nod in response.

When is she going to start talking properly?

She could talk, but her answers were always short, which was frustrating at times.

As the conversation wrapped up, Ha-Soo-Yul turned to me.

“Eun-ah, can I come to your house today?”

She didn’t even need permission anymore; she basically treated our house like her second home. Still, she always asked out of courtesy.

“Coming to see Ha-Yoon?”

“Yeah, I want to see her.”

“Sure, why not.”

She adored my little sister, Ha-Yoon. Whenever she came over, she spent most of her time doting on her.

Not that she lets go of my arm either.

Still, I didn’t mind. My parents welcomed her with open arms every time.

“What should we have for dinner?”

That was always the question.

“Chicken!”

“Good choice.”

Chicken always wins. Honestly, if humanity hadn’t invented fried chicken, life would be so much bleaker.

That’s how another ordinary day passed, and soon the day of our trip to the sea was upon us.

The next day was filled with preparations.

“Ha-Yoon, want ice cream with your big brother?”

“Yes! I want some!”

I spent time playing with my sister and helped my parents shop for supplies.

Not just us—our friends’ families were also getting ready for the trip.

When we all met up at the apartment complex, the greetings began.

“Hello!”

“……”

“Hi, Eun-ah, Ha-Yoon. Hello!”

“Hi.”

“Hi, unnie!”

We took turns saying hello, with our families exchanging pleasantries. Then, Dad and I headed to a convenience store to pick up snacks before departing.

“Want to try this?”

“What is it? Ugh, no thanks.”

Dad held up a mint-green bag, grinning as I recoiled.

“This stuff’s actually good. If you try it, you’ll like it too.”

“Does toothpaste taste good to you? I’ll pass.”

Waving him off, I watched him chuckle as he tossed other snacks—ice cream, bread, and chips—into the basket.

With our haul secured, we returned to find the cars ready to go.

Since one car couldn’t fit everyone, we split into two. My family’s car would have me, Mom, Dad, and Ha-Yoon, along with Ha-Soo-Yul.

The others piled into Mrs. Yoo’s minivan.

“Yoo-Sul, you should ride with your mom.”

Mrs. Yoo pleaded with Ha-Soo-Yul, but—

“I want to go with Eun-ah and Ha-Yoon.”

And so, with a defeated sigh, Mrs. Yoo trudged back to her driver’s seat.

“This is why you raise kids, huh…” she muttered under her breath.

Shrugging it off, I climbed into the car with Ha-Yoon.

“Eun-ah, switch seats with me?”

“No.”

“Unnie brought your favorite Pepero…”

“Deal!”

“…What are you two even doing?”

With snacks as bribes, Ha-Soo-Yul ended up in the middle seat, resting her head on my shoulder as usual.

“You’re heavy.”

“Do you hate me?”

“No, just… do whatever you want.”

Her playful guilt trip left me with no choice.

She soon lifted her head to munch on snacks, passing me one as well.

“Don’t forget your seatbelts!”

Mom came around to check on us, fastening Ha-Yoon into her car seat. As for me and Ha-Soo-Yul, we were old enough to avoid car seats, though I didn’t miss them one bit.

With everything ready, Mom and Dad climbed into the front.

“I’ll drive first,” Dad announced.

“Good,” I muttered, remembering Mom’s terrifying driving skills.

And so, we set off, with our car leading and Mrs. Yoo’s minivan following.

“What are my little ones planning to do at the beach?” Mom asked, turning to look at us.

“See sharks!”

“Play in the water!”

As for me…

“Uh…”

What was I going to do? Playing in the water gets boring after an hour.

“Oh, I know.”

“Dad, can you save me some empty water bottles later?”

“Sure, but why?”

“I thought I’d draw something in the sand with them.”

Dad looked intrigued through the rearview mirror.

“Interesting idea. Can’t wait to see it!”

The others perked up at the mention of drawing, while Ha-Yoon tugged at my arm.

“Play with me too!”

“Of course, I will.”

The drive was long, so I rested my head against the window and gazed at the clear blue sky.

The kids would have a blast, the adults would get exhausted, and I… well, I’d be somewhere in between.

Thunk.

That familiar weight on my shoulder.

Without even looking, I knew it was Ha-Soo-Yul again.

This time, though—

“Zzz…”

She’s asleep?

Her head rested softly, eyes closed, breathing peacefully.

I debated waking her to offer a neck pillow but stopped when she muttered:

“…Eun-ah…”

Sigh.

Even I, dense as I could be, couldn’t ignore what was obvious by now.

“Sleep well,” I whispered, brushing stray hair from her face.

Mom shot me a thumbs-up, Dad chuckled, and Ha-Yoon—

“Zzz…”

She was asleep too.

Before long, the soft rhythm of breathing filled the car.

And with the lull of the road, I soon drifted off as well.

***

When I opened my eyes after falling asleep…

“Woah.”

What is this?

By the time I gathered my thoughts, I realized I was already standing on the beach.

The blazing sun was heating up the sand beneath my feet.

I didn’t even know when we arrived at the changing rooms, but one thing was certain:

“Ah. My shoulder is killing me.”

I should’ve just woken her up.