"you said there is a beach nearby earlier, right?" wonwoo asked his father, desperate to take a walk as he couldn't bare being in the tiny wooden house any longer.
"are you sure you are the same wonwoo from yesterday? because the one i knew would never take a walk on his own decision." his father joked, playfully fist bumping him against his shoulder what only raised wonwoo's irritation level more. fortunately, his father caught on to him soon enough, giving him further instructions, "when you walk outside the front door you follow the path to the left, there will be around three more houses before you find the little path that leads you directly to the beach."
wonwoo nodded, thanking his father and without further hesitation he got outside, closing the door made of wood behind him, releasing a relieved sigh as he started on his walk.
The rustling of the leaves and the peacefully chirping birds filled he atmosphere, sometimes even some silent chattering coming from afar. wonwoo was finally able to catch his breath after feeling like he was suffocated in the tiny space he had to share with the chaos of his parents mixed with the obnoxious loud presence of his little sister. who he still loved dearly, if she managed to be quiet for more than a second.
he followed the exact path his father told him about and ended up finding the smaller path that should lead him directly to the beach. however, wonwoo wondered how on earth there could be a beach right next to an environment like this.
but despite the fact that it seemed nearly impossible to him, the weather had been extremely nice all day, not to mention that the temperatures went up drastically, allowing it to be a beautiful day at the beach.
wonwoo's sense of curiosity took over and he pushed a way through the overgrown leaves hanging low, questioning if this indeed was the same path his father talked about. normally he would have been engulfed by a breathtaking romance, and he regretted not having brought one with him to read if he eventually ended up on the beach.
but his regret faded when he pushed his way through the last pair of branches, his breath hitching in the back of his throat at the view he saw in front of him.
waves coming from the navy blue ocean, that sparkled in the sun, peacefully crashed onto the shore. white sand that spread out for kilometers allured wonwoo to take of his shoes and allow his bare feet to sink away in the soft grainy substance. groups of people occupied the beach, teens playing football, parents playing tennis with their kids.
a volleyball net close to the sea that contained a group of enthusiastic players, fighting for victory. people laying on towels, sunbathing in the warm sun, getting a natural tan. and of course, the laughter of children who swum in the clear water of the sea.
is this.. paradise?
wonwoo questioned himself, kneeling so he could take off his shoes. all his regrets faded away with the warm summer breeze that messed up his jet black curly hair a little, his mood suddenly filled with delight.
somi is going to be so happy when she sees this.
the thought of the toddler, squealing in excitement upon seeing one of the most beautiful places in the world they had ever seen made the corners of wonwoo's lips curl up in a small smile. she would be so happy..
wonwoo pushed his round specs a little higher up his nose as he started strolling over the beach, in between the mass of towels, getting a little closer to the coast line to enjoy the sensation of the cold water hitting against his ankles.
the overflow of the wood into the beach was too perfect to be true and wonwoo wondered how his parents ever stumbled onto a location like this. he never even imagined a place this heaven-like to be exsisting only two hours away from where he lived.
as he was staring over the sparkling water, he nearly stumbled over a toddler who was busy working on a sandcastle. with little shovels and buckets he placed towers of wetted sand on top of each other, keeping the magical building standing strong.
just when wonwoo was about to apologize to the little boy he interrupted by accidentally nearly stepping on him, he gazed up, smiling widely when he saw the awkward presence behind him.
wonwoo, on the other hand, couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable. ever since he was little he had found it hard to communicate with strangers, even when it came to a five year old little boy, who seemed to be proud about the castle he was building.
"hi!"the toddler spoke with glee, keeping his eyes fixated on wonwoo's appearance.
"i'm sorry for bumping into you kid." wonwoo figured apologizing was his best option, seeing he could've made the kid cry by stepping on him.
"that's okay!" the little guy spoke, smiling at wonwoo ever so brightly, "i'm sure you were just jealous about the castle i'm building! my mommy always tells me i build the best sand castles in the world!"
wonwoo's uncomfortableness faded away as he kneeled next to the proud little boy, admiring the piece of art he was working on. "you're mother is definitely right, you're good at this!" he admitted, admiring the details the toddler was able to make.
"what's your name." of course, wonwoo thought to himself. kids were even more curious than grown ups. but he didn't see the harm in telling the kid his name.
"i'm wonwoo. you are?"
"hi wonwoo, i'm euki. nice to meet you." the kid chirped, his attention suddenly fixated on wonwoo, forgetting about the sandcastle for a minute.
"likewise little man. you should continue with your sand castle euki." the toddler nodded, his gaze his eyes held suddenly turning a little sad.
"i see you again, right?" he asked, hoping for wonwoo to say yes.
"i'm here for two more weeks, so i'm sure we'll meet again." wonwoo got up from his knees, wiping the sand off his pants and taking the oppurtunity to ruffle through the boys hair, "i have a little sister named somi, i'm sure you'll love her. shall i bring her with me tomorrow?"
"yes! i love to make new friends!" he said in a high pitched voice, excited to meet someone new from his own age, "i'll be here all day tomorrow!"
"see you tomorrow little guy. good luck on your sand castle!" wonwoo gave him a warm hearted smile, continuing his stroll over the beach.
"bye wonwoo!" he heard the child chirping one last time, making his lips curl up.
everything seemed so perfect, the salty fresh scent of the ocean, the warm sand in between his toes, the heated summer breeze playing with his hair.
nothing could ruin his mood at this point.
or at least, that's what he thought.
because about a minute later, a ball hit the back of his head, making his specs fly off his nose right into the sand. "for gods sake." wonwoo hissed, his hatred feelings towards children returning again as he leaned forward to pick up his glasses, dusting the sand off the specs.
however, to his surprise the voice that followed could never be the one of a child. it was too deep for that. more like the category of his own age.
"i'm so sorry! have i hurt you?"
