Chapter 28: The Summer Memory

The total area of the sandy beach is 82,000㎡, with a length of 1.4km and a width ranging from 25m to 110m.

This is Gwangalli Beach.

At this beach lined with hundreds of restaurants and sashimi houses, our family was thoroughly enjoying our summer vacation.

“Oppa! Oppa!”

As I sat on the sand, watching couples, friends, and families laughing and enjoying themselves together, Dahye’s voice suddenly called out.

I turned my gaze away from the people and looked toward Dahye.

“If you were going to bring the tube, why didn’t you just tell me?”

Struggling to drag a tube as big as she was, she looked just like a squirrel with a mouthful of acorns trying to squeeze through a narrow hole.

I stood up, a small smile tugging at my lips, and took the tube from Dahye’s hands.

She must have found it heavy; sweat beaded on her smiling face.

“It’s fine, I’m strong!”

She bent her skinny arm into an ‘ㄴ’ shape, proudly flexing a bicep she didn’t even have.

They say younger siblings learn from the eldest.

Watching her imitate me exactly was adorable and endearing.

“That’s enough, okay. Let’s go. I’ll push the tube for you. Let’s head to the sea.”

I held the tube with one hand and used the other to shield Dahye’s face from the blazing sunlight.

Her eyes, which had been squinting, now brightened with a wide smile.

“No dropping me in the water or playing pranks, okay!”

Carefully climbing onto the tube, Dahye wore a frightened expression, emphasizing over and over that I absolutely must not play any tricks or dump her off.

“Do I look like that kind of oppa? That would be disappointing, you know?”

Pretending to be disappointed, I tilted the tube just a little to the right.

“Eek! Oppa, I’m sorry!”

Startled, Dahye shrank back and gripped the handles tightly.

Watching her flailing, desperate not to fall in the water, I felt a mix of sympathy and amusement.

Why is it that moments like this only make me want to tease her more?

“Hehe, if you don’t listen to me one more time, be prepared, okay?”

“So unfair. That’s not how you should act.”

“Oh? So you want to experience it again?”

“When did I say that!”

“That’s what it sounded like to my oppa ears.”

“I’m not playing with you anymore!”

“Really? Then until you do……”

With a mischievous glint in my eyes, I met her gaze and tightened my arm just a bit...

“I’m sorry! I’ll play! I’ll play! Oppa, you’re mean!!”

She pleaded, her lips sticking out, voice growing louder.

At her reaction, I burst out laughing.

“Haha, alright. Oppa’s sorry.”

I gently patted my sister’s head, apologizing for my mischief.

I did feel sorry for Dahye, but this was a prank I’d always wanted to try at least once.

This was a precious time for me.

I wished this moment could last forever.

Dahye, let’s always have fun together, every day.

On the first evening at Gwangalli Beach,

We had a barbecue party at the private lodging’s barbecue area.

Dad lit the charcoal with a torch and placed the grill on top.

“Dahye, watch carefully. Put onion, garlic, green onion, and squid on aluminum foil, season lightly with salt, wrap it all up, then put it on the charcoal for a while. That’s how you make really delicious grilled squid.”

He carefully cleaned and seasoned the fresh squid we’d bought at the market, then placed it on the grill.

I glanced at Dahye, who was sitting beside me.

“I don’t like garlic.”

Dahye’s voice came out with a note of complaint.

“I’ll slice up the squid for you without the garlic.”

I understood.

Dahye’s just an elementary school student right now.

It’s the age when you hate garlic.

I, too, hated garlic and green onion when I was her age.

Now, I love them so much I can’t get enough.

“Wow, my son could get married right now at this rate! Where did you learn all this?”

Dad, who was mixing soybean paste, red pepper paste, and minced garlic to make ssamjang, exclaimed in admiration.

He doesn’t know that the way I eat was something he himself taught me not too far in the future.

It was gratifying to be able to show off what I’d learned right here.

“I was reading a book and thought it would taste good if I tried it like this. So I gave it a go, and it’s pretty nice.”

“Haha, as expected. Writers are different.”

Dad laughed heartily, clapping my shoulder with a proud look in his eyes.

So much had really changed because of me.

They say a person’s nature doesn’t change easily, but I learned that with the right catalyst, people will try to change themselves.

“I’ll take care of the meat, so Dad and Mom, you just be the taste-testers.”

With crescent-moon eyes, I sat Dad down and picked up the tongs.

“Taste testers? Haha. I like the sound of that. Let’s see how well my son grills the meat.”

And Dad.

“Should I look forward to it?”

Mom sat down, looking very satisfied, and watched as I started grilling.

“What about me, oppa?”

Just then, Dahye tugged on my sleeve and pointed to herself with her index finger.

Her eyes sparkled brightly.

“Hmm, you… Sit over there and watch your oppa’s amazing grilling skills.”

“What’s that supposed to mean! No way!”

“Ahem! I’ve given you a very important role, you know.”

“Whatever!”

“If you wait over there, I’ll pick out the very best pieces and give them to you. No garlic, green onion, or onion.”

“Hmmm…”

“Should I give you the worst piece? Or maybe some garlic too?”

“Threatening me with food, so unfair!”

Grumbling that she didn’t want anything bad, Dahye went and sat in the VIP seat I assigned and watched me grill, admiring my “amazing skills.”

Haha.

Hehe.

Maybe our sibling act was funny, because Mom and Dad became the audience, mouths wide with laughter. Even on a hot evening, my parents’ laughter felt so cool and refreshing.

“Alright! All done. Let’s start with the squid.”

A little over ten minutes passed.

When I opened the foil, perfectly cooked white squid appeared inside.

I cut it up with scissors, plated it, and set it on the table.

“Wow, looks delicious.”

Dahye was the first to react.

“You watched oppa’s cool moves, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then, as promised, this plate with only the very best pieces is for you, Dahye. Enjoy.”

“Okay.”

“What do you say before you eat?”

“Thank you for the food.”

“Good girl, that’s right.”

Dahye answered confidently and picked up her chopsticks.

The smile never left her face.

“Mom, Dad, you should enjoy too.”

I turned my attention from Dahye to my parents.

“Alright, I’ll eat well.”

“Let’s see if Mom’s son’s cooking is good.”

Mom and

“Oh, I should have Seunghyun prepare breakfast from now on!”

Dad looked extremely pleased.

With faces full of satisfaction, my parents spent the first day of vacation savoring my grilled squid and pork belly with a drink.

‘Coming to Gwangalli was really the right choice.’

I watched Dad, Mom, and Dahye all eating with happy faces and smiled in contentment.

I sincerely wished this happiness could last forever.

***

Gwangalli Beach, located in Busan.

Just like its name, using the characters for ‘broad’ and ‘peaceful’, I walked hand-in-hand with my sister along the wide and tranquil shore.

Listening to the sound of the rolling waves, I created another memory with my sister.

My precious and beloved sister, who could never be replaced.

Her emotions and sensitivities might be different from mine, but just being together with her made me completely happy.

“Dahye, how do you like Gwangalli so far?”

I turned away from the sea and looked at Dahye.

Her face was tanned dark by the sun.

“I like it. What about you, oppa?”

“Hehe. I like it too. It’s even better because I’m here with my little sister. Dahye, go stand over there.”

Smiling, I pulled out the camera I’d prepared for today from my bag.

“Don’t be shy.”

At this age, Dahye was especially bashful.

The moment she stood in front of a camera, her expression would freeze.

I crouched down to her eye level and spoke softly.

“You never know, Dahye. If you take a good photo, maybe a talent agency will call you.”

That triggered another memory.

Back when the word ‘ulzzang’ was popular and websites like ‘Cindy’s Modeling’ became trendy, people started submitting photos to be models.

Lots of people posted pictures of themselves, chasing their dreams, and my sister was one of them.

She didn’t get picked, of course.

Now she’s shy about photos, but once she got to middle school, she took pictures all the time with her friends.

Her diary and albums were stuffed full of photos, and thinking back to those days always makes me laugh.

In my previous life, I used to tease her—“Heh, you? A model?”—but this time around, I want her to try anything she wants.

If she wants to be a model, I’ll give her my full support.

I want to be her sky, and I want Dahye to become a shining star in my world.

“Alrighty.”

In the end, Dahye stood shyly where I pointed, striking an awkward pose.

‘Hehe, that’s a memory in itself.’

People always say they want ‘natural’ photos, but I disagree.

Awkwardness is also a natural part of a person.

In my previous life, I had plenty of experience as my girl friends’ ‘human tripod,’ so I put that to use photographing Dahye.

Feet close to the ground, face tilted toward the sky.

I took shots to make her legs look longer, and tried framing with the horizon line as a reference.

After a few snaps, Dahye gradually got used to it and began striking a variety of poses.

Her long dress fluttered in the wind, highlighting her graceful lines.

“This is the one.”

I didn’t hold back, pressing the shutter repeatedly.

My plan was to take dozens of shots, hoping at least one would turn out well.

“Oppa, aren’t you taking too many of me? You need to take some with you in them too.”

After more than twenty shots, Dahye spoke up hesitantly.

“Should we? Let’s take one together.”

One of my biggest regrets in my previous life was that I had so few photos with Dahye.

After we became adults, all we had left was a single family photo and a few travel shots.

This time, I want to leave as many moments as possible captured with my sister.

“Don’t you want one of just you, oppa?”

“I’m fine as long as I’m with Dahye. I only want photos when you’re beside me.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“It does. See, I’m right here.”

“Hmph.”

“So you don’t want to take pictures with oppa?”

“Hmm, oppa, you’re such a kid.”

“I still am a kid. I’m just a middle schooler.”

“Hmmm…”

“Hehe, you’ll take it with me, right?”

Even when she pouts and frowns, she looks adorable and pretty.

“If I don’t, you’ll just pester me until I do.”

She’s my sister, who knows me inside and out now.

Finally, all the ‘training’ I’d done until now was showing results.

“Mom, can you take our picture?”

At that moment, Mom, who had been walking along the beach with Dad, came closer.

I handed her the camera and asked her to take a photo, then posed with Dahye.

“How are my kids both so pretty and handsome?”

Mom beamed as she pressed the shutter.

Switching poses with Dahye, I gently rested my hand on her shoulder.

In my previous life, apart from family photos, I’d hardly ever done such embarrassing things.

But this time, I didn’t want to regret not hugging my sister again.

【I took it, I took it. I took lots and lots.】

A memory suddenly surfaced.

That day in Boryeong when Mom asked Dahye to take a picture of her during a walk.

When Mom asked her to take more, Dahye replied in her most adorable voice, just like that.

The memory brought a smile to my lips.

“Great expression. Ready? One, two, three. Click.”

Mom counted down and captured us on film.

That photo shoot with my sister, destined to become one of our precious memories, lasted until evening.

A three-day, two-night trip to Busan. The last night became a memory that would be etched deeply, never to be forgotten.