READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 254
Find a design you like, measure the size.
Try it on in the fitting room, check if it’s uncomfortable to move in, and see if it looks good.
Repeating this over ten times, the clothes that pass the women’s picky standards.
The chosen swimsuits are neatly packed in the department store’s stiff shopping bags, ready to be handed over to us.
“Then, are we buying these?”
“Yes.”
After answering, I glanced over at where Uncle and Juwon were sitting.
Juwon, exhausted from watching the women shop, slumped against the wall where he had been sitting.
Trying on more clothes here would be like killing the two guys sitting over there.
Watching the two dying men, I finished the transaction with a pitiful expression.
Holding the shopping bag handles on my arm, I tried to lift the mood by pulling Juwon up.
“Let’s go!”
“Ugh…”
But the lack of energy was evident in his tone.
Seeing him nod weakly,
Uncle also got up, but he seemed just as tired, though he didn’t say anything.
Feeling a bit guilty, I held Juwon’s hand and asked Ji-eun,
“Should we buy lunch? Juwon, what do you want to eat?”
I deliberately asked Juwon, who must have had a harder time than the adults, if he wanted anything specific.
If I left it to the adults, they’d just say “anything.”
“Has it gotten that late?”
When I brought up lunch, Uncle was startled and checked his watch.
Unlike us, who immediately reach for our smartphones, he seemed a bit old-fashioned.
Since I had brought up lunch without checking the time, I pulled out my smartphone to check.
It was 12:21 PM.
Somehow, it was already lunchtime.
These days, checking the time on a smartphone feels more natural than looking at a watch.
Thinking about it, in the past, every room had a clock, but now we use smartphones like watches.
“Chicken!”
While briefly thinking about watches and smartphones, Juwon’s loud shout reached my ears.
He seemed to have forgotten the boredom of water guns and women’s clothes shopping.
At the mention of food, his eyes lit up, and he was jumping around while holding my hand.
Kids are so simple.
Looking at Ji-eun, I asked, “Does Juwon have a favorite chicken?”
Chicken comes in all sorts of varieties.
There’s oven-baked, olive something, and powdered chicken. Not all chicken is the same.
I wondered if he had a specific preference, like some adults who only eat certain types.
“Any chicken is fine.”
Contrary to my expectation of a specific brand, he just said any chicken would do.
Maybe because he’s still in kindergarten, he doesn’t have a favorite brand yet.
Some people even distinguish between breast and thigh meat ratios in certain brands.
Anyway, with Juwon’s lunch menu decided, we headed home instead of eating at the mall’s restaurants.
Among the cars filling the underground parking lot, we stopped at Ji-eun’s familiar car.
The car beeped, and the lock clicked open.
Carefully opening the back door to avoid scratching nearby cars, we placed the shopping bags inside.
Our mall visit ended there.
We went back to Ji-eun’s house, ordered fried, soy sauce, and seasoned chicken according to our tastes, and wrapped up the day.
“Something feels off about going out to play while everyone else is heading to school.”
Early morning on a Wednesday.
While others are preparing for or already heading to school.
Feeling awkward about going out to play during this time, Siyeon, with her small bag, spoke up.
“Ah, going out to play…”
Someone might misunderstand.
With a playful tone, I teased her.
“It’s a field trip! Not just playing.”
Though it’s essentially the same, saying it like that removes the educational pretext.
What kind of field trip involves packing swimsuits?
Anyway, after getting ready, we stood at the front door.
The two mascots, responsible for Junie’s care, also got up to see us off as we left the house.
“Have a safe trip…”
Gomteng reluctantly bid us farewell.
His voice, sounding like it was drowning, carried a consistent annoyance.
I couldn’t help but comment.
“Look at that sour face.”
Seemingly upset about not being included in the trip, his furrowed brows were filled with emotions.
Feeling bad, I threw the check card linked to my account onto the living room floor.
“There’s a parent’s phone in the drawer, right? Register it on the delivery app, and you can spend up to 50,000 won a day.”
A 50,000 won daily limit for delivery food.
A rare chance for them to order food without considering human preferences.
“What.”
A single surprised word.
Gomteng’s head turned toward the card on the floor.
His wavering eyes clearly showed his desire for food.
Seeming to like the idea, I casually asked, “Your answer?”
“Magical Girl Sun, with deep gratitude for your generous allowance, I sincerely wish you a safe and enjoyable trip…”
As soon as he grabbed the card, Gomteng’s attitude changed so quickly it was hard to believe he had been sulking.
This guy is simple too.
“Alright, we’re off-”
“Yes! Leave it to us!”
“Have a good trip-”
With money involved, he stood tall and confidently assured us.
Even the usually quiet Sea Snake seemed pleased, sending us off in a higher-pitched voice than usual.
Though it was summer, it was still early.
Feeling the cooler air, we waited for Ji-eun’s car to arrive.
Standing in the middle of the road among students heading to school, it felt strange to be going out to play during school hours.
This must be how it feels to skip school on a weekday.
“Ah, here it comes.”
A car started coming up from the underground parking lot with a clattering noise.
The short beep of the parking lot exit alarm sounded.
Ji-eun’s car naturally stopped in front of us.
Without a word, we each opened the back doors and got in.
As soon as we got in, I saw Juwon rubbing his half-open eyes and yawning.
Instead of greetings, the first conversation of the day was directed at Ji-eun in the passenger seat.
“So, where are we going?”
“Just sit tight, I’ll take you there.”
Right, we didn’t know our destination.
Even when asked, she just told us to sit still.
Couldn’t she at least tell us which beach we were going to?
Something felt off.
A joke popped into my head, and I blurted it out without filtering.
“We’re not being sold to a shrimp boat, are we?”
“Kekekeke.”
“Ugh.”
Unexpectedly, Uncle burst out laughing.
Seemingly annoyed by the small commotion, Juwon in the backseat whined.
He must not have slept much from waking up early.
Taking off Juwon’s shoes, I skillfully guided him to lie down so he could play freely later.
In an instant, my thigh became Juwon’s pillow.
Meanwhile, Siyeon’s thigh became a footrest.
Seeing Juwon like this, Uncle glanced through the rearview mirror and chuckled.
“Wow, Juwon, you’re living the high life with your sisters as your bed.”
“Eh, Uncle, you’ll treat us to something delicious instead, right?”
“Huhuhu.”
At Uncle’s words, I sighed jokingly, hinting at expecting lunch, which made Siyeon burst out laughing.
Not expecting such a comeback, Uncle pretended to be flustered and leaned back slightly.
“Eh, is that how it works?”
“Huhu, this is a paid service.”
Exchanging jokes like this, we melted away the nearly two-hour drive.
By the time the relentless sun started heating the ground, we arrived at our destination: the beach.
The refreshing sound of waves reached our ears.
Seeing the ocean after so long, I couldn’t help but feel excited, even though I had no particular thoughts.