part 39

He recently heard that she got a job. 

But he never thought the person she was teaching would be the owner of a hotel. 

It was a bit strange. 

Mina never had such connections. 

Female golfers can easily get close to rich people, but she never used that advantage. 

She was always at the golf course, almost like she had a moral obsession. 

Her scores weren't that great either. 

But now she was connected to the owner of a golf resort, the peak of wealth. It felt weird. 

And the owner wasn't some old man with a big belly.

"Isn't the hotel owner an idol?" he asked.

"KROCK from The ZERO. Do you know him?"

Of course, he didn't. 

Dae-in only listened to music when he went to clubs with girls. 

But his interest was elsewhere.

"Aren't idols always traveling around the world? Do they have time for golf lessons?"

"Well, I don't know the details. Just guessing."

Guessing. 

When Dae-in heard that word, he lost interest quickly. 

He doesn't trust things he can't see. 

Dreams, ideals, values, love, girls like Mina Choi who don't sleep with him—those things don't matter to Dae-in.

Right now, he's interested in things he can have. 

Like the red apple in his own hand. 

Or the body of the woman in front of him who wants him so bad.

Dae-in spread his arms and hugged her. 

Then Dae-in whispered in her ear.

"You won't get any sleep tonight."

"Oh my! You are so mean~."

Dae-in picked her up and moved her to the bed, thinking. 

For some reason, he decided to investigate Mina's past.

The news that she found stability without him bothered Dae-in. 

It made him feel uneasy, even angry. 

Dae-in wanted to break her.

A smile played on his lips as he nibbled on her ear.

***

It was already aSaturday morning.

I woke up early and started my walk.

Living in Jeju had its inconveniences, but this was nice. 

No matter where I went, I could always find a trail. 

Walking aimlessly, looking at the endless scenery of Jeju, many problems seemed to solve themselves. 

Except for one problem—Seung-rok.

Ring!

Of course, at that moment, Seung-rok, the source of my problem, called. 

I didn't want to answer. 

He never called unless it was about work. 

Even when I called him, he rarely picked up because he was always busy. 

I didn't know why I was so reluctant to answer.

Was it fear or excitement?

I took a deep breath. 

The phone rang three times, which felt like forever. 

My heartbeat started to calm down.

Not completely, but fair enough. 

Finally, I answered the call.

"Yes." I tried to hide my emotions, but my voice cracked a bit at the end. I hated that.

"What do you want for dinner?" 

Seung-rok asked in his usual mundane tone, not noticing anything strange. 

The question caught me off guard.

"…I don't know?" 

I replied quickly, without thinking. 

I wondered why I had to decide the menu.

"Think about it," he said.

Without realizing it, I gave the answer men hate the most. 

"Whatever."

Seung-rok sounded clearly displeased. 

After a brief cough, he continued,

"Is there anything you can't eat?"

"Not really," I said, my words coming out short. 

There was no reason to be upset. 

It was just about deciding what to eat for dinner. 

My emotions were a rollercoaster, and I couldn't figure out why.

"I can't find a suitable place. I've never done this before," 

Seung-rok admitted, sounding a bit bland. 

Somehow, that melted my heart. 

I let out a small laugh. 

This man clearly hadn't been in a relationship game for a long time. 

He must have dated before, being a father and all.

After Hayeon was born and he became an idol, he probably wasn't as concerned with dating. 

Maybe that's what made him better than other idols who secretly date and deceive their fans.

I managed to hold back my laughter and spoke calmly, "Then just come to the beach. Wear a mask and sunglasses. We'll walk and find a place."

"Just go?" he asked.

Oh, right. 

He was a professional, but he was clueless about basic life skills.

He tried to do chores himself, but it was clear his manager usually handled most things.

"No, I mean we'll walk and go into a place that looks good."

"What if it's not a good place?"

"Then we'll just eat there. What's the big deal? It's an experience."

"Going without a plan, huh." 

Suddenly, Seung-rok fell silent. 

"It felt off talking on the phone, even though I was familiar with it.

Then he spoke again, "Interesting."

I couldn't hold back my laughter this time. 

I burst out laughing. 

As I laughed quietly, I thought, what a stupid man.

But why is he… so… 

His sudden comment made me laugh.

"Alright. Come to Hamdeok Beach," I said. 

After that, I adjusted my hat. 

I felt good. 

A hat? 

I touched my hat without thinking. 

It was a white golf cap, almost like a sun cap. 

Only then did I realize my outfit. 

I was fully dressed in golf clothes as usual. 

Normally, it was fine since I had nothing else to do but golf.

But today, I didn't want to meet Seung-rok dressed like this.

***

"Sigh…"

I wanted to stop sighing.

But looking at my wardrobe, I couldn't help it. 

All I had were golf clothes. 

Different colors.

But essentially the same. 

The only other thing was a suit my mom bought me.

Neither seemed right for tonight. 

Buying a new outfit now felt too much. 

Besides, I had no idea what to buy.

I had never worried about this before. 

The only dates I'd ever had were golf dates with my ex. 

We were both golfers, and I found it hard to get close to him, so we only met at the golf course. 

Always in golf clothes. 

I regretted not going on proper dates with him, even if he seemed super suspicious.

As I held a bright pink golf outfit, I heard a noise at the door.

"Teacher, what are you doing?"

It was Hayeon. 

Her face was full of mischief, sensing something fun was about to happen.

"Going out," I replied as plainly as possible. 

I didn't want to be teased.

"Going out? Where? I don't want you to go. Play with me!" 

Hayeon ran over and hugged me. 

It should have been annoying, but she was so cute. I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm having dinner with Seung-rok."

"Oh… with oppa?" 

Hayeon's eyes sparkled/

She started laughing slyly. 

How could such a small child have such a clown-like smile? 

She was like a character from Shakespeare. 

I had no idea how much she could understand.

"Why… Hayeon. Do you want to join us for dinner?"

"No, it's okay." 

Hayeon shook her head with a big smile. 

It was strange how an innocent child could look so suspicious.

"I like it when you're out. I take back what I said."

"Okay."

"I'm not that stupid."

What was she talking about? 

You little brat. 

I laughed and started putting my clothes back in the wardrobe. 

Hayeon spoke up again.

"Teacher, are you choosing your clothes?"

She had an amazing ability.

She couldn't see the seaweed stuck in her teeth, but she could read people's minds perfectly. 

Sometimes, her insight amazed me.

"…Are you good at it?" 

I asked, looking at her outfit. 

She had a unique Baroque style, even arranging her own dress. 

Just looking at her, I felt a bit of trust. 

Maybe… she could pick something good. 

I asked her as a last resort.

"Can you pick my clothes?"

***

Not long after, I regretted asking Hayeon for help.

"Let's go shopping!"

Hayeon quickly got into the car I was driving, and we headed to a boutique. 

It was too stylish for a place where a little kid would go. 

The prices of the clothes were jaw-dropping too.

"Hi, Unni!"

But Hayeon greeted the shop assistant like she was familiar with the place and walked right in. 

She started picking out clothes for me, moving around the shop with ease. 

When I asked the clerk, she said Hayeon was a regular customer. 

She even mentioned that Hayeon was a big spender who got her clothes altered here.

Of course, even if Hayeon was a genius, a six-year-old couldn't use a sewing machine. 

It made sense when I thought about her wearing children's clothes altered at the boutique.

Before I could even look around properly, Hayeon came back with a basket full of clothes that seemed as big as her.

But the clothes inside were anything but ordinary.

"You want me to wear this?"

The child nodded quietly. 

I peeked at the clothes Hayeon had bought. 

Tight shorts.

A dress so short I worried my underwear would show.

And even a bikini that looked more like a bra. 

They all seemed too revealing.

"...Oppa likes these kinds of things."

Hayeon nodded vigorously and quickly added. 

It seemed risky, but since we were in a private fitting room, it was okay to make such a mistake.

Soon, I started trying on all the clothes under Hayeon's direction.

"Hmm. This one doesn't seem right. Try this one, teacher!"

Hayeon picked out clothes more meticulously than any visual director in the world.

I had to change clothes several times. 

I felt like a doll in a child's play. 

And each time, the clothes got more and more risky.

Finally, the last outfit was the most embarrassing one. 

A torn short skirt, a yellow bikini, and a white shirt. 

The white shirt was so sheer it seemed like my skin would show through.

"You want me to wear this?"

"Yes! He'll like it!"

Seeing Hayeon's bright smile and nod, I realized I had made a mistake. 

These were clothes I could never wear.

But looking at the child's innocent face, I couldn't refuse.