Beyond Monday To Sunday

WEDNESDAY

When Joy came out of the bedroom the next morning, Sungjae was nowhere to be found.  Seeing his pillow and blanket already neatly arranged, she assumed he has already been up for a while and is probably looking for a nice fishing spot around the island again.  Joy made a cup of coffee and brought it with her out to the deck.  Standing by the railings, Joy sipped her coffee as she looked out to the ocean.  That's when she saw Sungjae.  Wearing only board shorts, he came out of the water like some Greek god.  Although he was at some distance from her, Joy could easily tell that he was perfectly built.  Chiseled chest, toned abs with six-pack, muscled arms.

Soooo! Mr. Yook Sungjae. THAT'S what you've been hiding under all those over-sized shirts, huh. Isn't it enough that you're already too handsome? Do you really need to have a hot body as well, oppa? Joy mused to herself.  As if hypnotized, Joy continued to watch Sungjae as he picked up his discarded shirt, then turned to look out to the sea, his back to her.  Woah! Even his back is perfect, Joy thought when she saw Sungjae's back muscles ripple as he put on his shirt.  Realizing she had been staring at him, Joy felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment.  Sitting in one of the loungers, Joy briskly fanned herself, feeling hot.  "Park Sooyoung, you pervert! Be glad he didn't see you gawking at him!" she scolded herself.  "He didn't see me, right? No! I'm sure he didn't. Otherwise, he would be hurrying to put his shirt on. So, yeah! He didn't see me," Joy said, talking to and trying to convince herself.

In truth, Sungjae saw Joy standing by the deck railings as soon as he came out of the water.  He was debating whether to hurriedly dress up or go back and stay in the water until she goes inside.  But the water was cold, and he'd look stupid if he scamper to put his shirt on.  Berating himself for taking his shirt off, Sungjae decided to pretend not to see her.  "Act natural, Yook. She'll be embarrassed, too, if she knows you saw her staring," he advised himself.  "Aish! How can you be such an idiot, Yook?! Don't forget that you're not alone here," he scolded himself as he picked up his shirt.  "This is the third time she saw you shirtless. She might think you're showing off," he added as he turned his back to her, donning on his shirt as calm and casual as he can.  Sungjae knows his body is toned and fit since he work out regularly.  Although he is confident that he looks good, he still feels uncomfortable showing his body to others.  Even his hyungdeul rarely sees him shirtless.  Taking a few calming breaths, Sungjae headed back to the cottage.

"Good morning!" Sungjae greeted Joy cheerfully.

"Good morning!" Joy greeted him back.  "You already went for a swim?" she asked him, acting like she didn't know.

"Yeah!" Sungjae replied, sitting on the other lounger.  "The water's great. You should try it," he suggested to her, trying to act normal.

"I wish I could," Joy said regrettably.

"You don't know how to swim?" Sungjae asked her.

"I can float, but I'm not a good swimmer. I didn't take lessons," Joy told him.

"I can teach you if you want," Sungjae offered.  What the hell, Yook? Are you going to strip in front of her again? Sungjae chided himself for speaking without thinking, part of him praying that she would decline.

"Really?" Joy said with interest.

"Sure. Appa made me learn proper swimming when I started to go fishing with him. He said, in case I fell over, I'd know how to save myself," Sungjae said.  You can't back out now if she say yes, he thought.

Joy stood up.  "Are we going now?" she asked him excitedly.

"Later. We'll go later," Sungjae said, chuckling at her cuteness.  "I found a great spot for fishing, so I'm going in a while," he informed her.