It rained. It was humid, which was unsuited for a travel day. Due to the wrong timing, it overlapped with the typhoon season. The place we were supposed to meet was the terminal. The terminal was crowded as usual with people leaving for somewhere. After getting off the taxi and sharing an umbrella with Tay, I met an unexpected person.
“Why are you here?”
“Isn’t it hot? Why are you stuck like this?”
It was Book. Book, who was constantly flapping his fan, wrinkled his brows as he looked alternately at Tay and me. Then, without us asking, he said that Nate and Mond were going to a convenience store to buy cigarettes.
“Are you taking the bus? You didn’t say anything, and Tay was the one who told me to come.”
I was surprised that Tay didn’t consult with me, but I figured there had to be a reason. The two who soon appeared lightly raised their hands. Nobody seemed to come anymore. In the end, it was me, Tay, Book, Nate, and Mond, who was going on a trip together. There were five people like this.
“What about grocery shopping?”
“I already loaded it in the car. Let’s go because I parked on the side of the road.”
We talked naturally. To be honest, Book and I didn’t know much. Tay led me naturally. He clutched the bag strap behind him with both hands. Book spoke quietly from the side. “How did you get involved?”
“Um, I just wanted to hang out with friends, so I wanted to go…”
“I guess Tay invited me because he thought you’d be bored.”
“…”
“Goosebumps.”
Book rubbed both his forearms. So what’s wrong with that? He came to play for free as well and even laughed. I looked at Tay's back who was a couple of steps ahead and followed his steps.
~
The pension right on the beach was even better than I had anticipated. The typhoon didn’t affect me so far, so it was a pretty good day. The sound of cicadas and the crashing of waves also contributed to the atmosphere.
The two houses were connected, and there were two additional smaller one-room pensions on both sides. Even though it was the end of the vacation season, we were the only ones who stayed because of the weather. Nate told us that if we went inside and went out to the terrace, there was a beach where only people who used a separate pension could play.
We stepped out of the big car that included a separate driver and opened the trunk immediately. There was some soju in it. While Book chatted next to me, I wondered if they bought a beer or not. Tay reached for the carton of soju with no hesitation. So the luggage has been reduced by more than half. I was also carrying a bag full of meat and beverage bottles, but Tay quickly returned and took it away. I eventually reached the front door of the pension with my bare hands.
Even if the other guys didn’t say anything, Book was different.
“Why, why doesn’t Newwiee carry anything?”
“…”
“Why is Neww not bringing anything?”
He grumbled even when he came inside, but the unfortunate thing was that no one cared about him.
The accommodation was very spacious as it was the size of two pensions combined. But that didn’t make the living room any bigger because it was surrounded by a wall and a door. I stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. From the front, a wide blue sea stretched out through the glass. Because of the typhoon, the weather was a little cloudy, but it was still nice.
