As True as a Dream Chapter 103

Thankfully, this time, Yi Ho didn’t pull her down.

 

Hae-Joo scrambled to her feet, clutching at the quilt as it tried to slip away in vain.

 

She could see her clothes strewn across the floor.

 

At the same time, her face flushed red from the dull pain between her legs.

 

“Sister, I have to go to the factory! Come on out!”

 

“Uh, uh! Okay, I’ll be right there!”

 

Hae-Joo woke up to Eun-sil urging her once again, and she grabbed the quilt that had once covered her and got up.

 

But as the quilt was pulled away, Yi Ho’s body, almost as white as hers, peeked out from beneath it.

 

Averting her eyes, Hae-Joo was horrified and quickly untied the quilt to cover his body.

 

But in doing so, she would have to give up her own blanket.

 

The problem was that she was also naked.

 

Hae-Joo stood there in a daze, unable to do anything.

 

Yi Ho, who was watching her with amusement, stood up and sat down.

 

When the quilt was pulled down, Hae-Joo, who was afraid she would see his lower half, immediately turned her head away and clutched the quilt tightly.

 

 “I won’t look, boss, get dressed!”

 

Without even turning her head toward Yi Ho, Hae-Joo hugged the quilt, grabbed her clothes from the drawer, and frantically ran upstairs to the attic.

 

No matter how much she shuffled, she didn’t dare to put on her underwear in front of him.

 

Hae-Joo hurried downstairs in a cold sweat, embarrassed and dressed.

 

Luckily, Yi Ho had just finished putting on his pants and shirt.

 

Hae-Joo’s cheeks flushed once again at the sight of his tight, toned abs peeking out.

 

“Ugh, Eun-sil doesn’t know you’re here, so please be quiet.”

 

“Why would it be weird for her to see me here, even though I’m your boss?”

 

“Well, Eun-sil is still young… and it’s early in the morning, so it’s easy for her to fantasize about something weird….”

 

“Is what we did a weird fantasy?”

 

“No, I mean….”

 

Eun-sil is only seventeen years old, she’s still too young!

 

Hae-Joo, who was screaming inwardly at Yi Ho’s casual question, curled her lips at the mischievousness that appeared on his face.

 

She furrowed her brow, put her index finger to her lips, and went to the door, leaving only a small crack, like someone worried about a breeze coming in, and slammed the door behind her.

 

Yi Ho swallowed hard as he watched her go.

 

This was just like the pillar he’d been hiding behind.

 

“What are you doing out here?”

 

“I’m sorry, I overslept and my room is a mess from working yesterday…”

 

“Ugh, clean up your room, and here’s some seaweed soup, mom wants you to eat it.”

 

The corner of Yi Ho’s mouth twitched up as he buttoned his shirt inside the room.

 

He could hear the conversation going on outside the door.

 

“Happy birthday, sis. Here’s a gift from me!”

 

“What’s this? I thought you can’t buy this?”

 

“You’re lying with spit in your mouth! Look, it’s a gift, and you’ve just torn your mouth open… What kind of ring is this? Did your boss give it to you for your birthday? Huh? It looks pretty nice.”

 

“It’s… pretty, isn’t it?”

 

“Yeah. It’s so pretty. It looks so good on you sister. No wonder my gift won’t see the light of day.”

 

“What are you talking about, your gift is your gift!”

 

After a few more words with Eun-sil, who was still fussing over the ring he had placed on Hae-Joo’s finger, Hae-Joo soon returned from closing the door.

 

In her hands, she carried a deep square barrel and a paper bag.

 

Smiling brightly, Hae-Joo walked in, but when she made eye contact with him, she froze, then blushed again in an instant.

 

The way she squinted at the futon suggested she was remembering last night’s events.

 

Yi Ho lowered his eyes.

 

His skin is so thin on this side.

 

“What was that?”

 

He asked, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen, and Hae-Joo raised an eyebrow, then somehow lifted her chin and smirked.

 

“Seaweed soup and my birthday present, please have a bowl. Eun-sil’s mother makes it so good.”

 

Standing in the kitchen and pulling out two brass bowls, Hae-Joo scooped out some seaweed soup and brought it to Yi Ho.

 

She gulped down the rest of the bowl as if she were drinking water herself.

 

“You’re eating this without rice?”

 

“I didn’t cook any rice. Mmm, it’s delicious!”

 

Seeing that satisfied look in her eyes, Yi Ho’s appetite seemed to grow unnecessarily, so he lifted the brass bowl to his mouth and took a small sip.

 

It was just ordinary seaweed soup in his mouth, but in Hae-Joo’s mouth, it was the most delicious seaweed soup in the world.

 

She read his confused expression and explained with a smile.

 

“Her mom is not feeling well, but she still got up early and painstakingly boiled this soup for me. That’s why I love it so much.”

 

“You love it.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Hae-Joo chuckled, then poured another bowl of seaweed soup and drank it.

 

The soup was not too salty and thick, so it was perfect for barely eating.

 

When she finished another bowl and opened her eyes, Yi Ho turned to her.

 

“Is there anything you want to do today?”

 

“Something I want to do?”

 

“Yes. It’s your birthday.”

 

Hae-Joo squinted her eyes and looked at Yi Ho, who looked more animated than usual, and pondered.

 

She had eaten with him many times and even gone to the Gongju village with him, but it was all with a purpose.

 

Suddenly, Hae-Joo’s mind flashed back to when Mr. Chang of the Iori Automobile Association had asked her to go to the park when he tried to seduce her.

 

She also remembered that when she drove a taxi on weekends, she would often see young men and women walking side by side in the park.

 

She also realized that even though she had only been with him for a short time, she had never had a romantic outdoor activity.

 

“…de…it….”

 

“A date?”

 

Hae-Joo said the word to herself, and Yi Ho repeated it.

 

“It’s when lovers spend time outdoors together, which is what they call a date in the West.”

 

For once, it would be nice to spend some time alone together without thinking about the Guishan Dao.

 

Hae-Joo stroked the ring on her left hand with her right and nodded.

 

“We should go on a date.”

 

***

 

The place Hae-Joo chose for her date with Yi Ho was Wolmido Amusement Park.

 

There are a few places that people in Gyeongseong usually think of when they think of “going out”,and this was one of them.

 

In addition to Wolmido Beach, there are also Changgyeongwon and Jangchungdan Park, which was converted from an ancient palace to a zoo, but Hae-Joo chose Wolmido Beach.

 

She drove her car, which she told him to sharpen, and drove straight to Incheon.

 

After passing the stone bridge connecting Bukseonggot and Wolmido, the car stopped and Yi Ho looked out the window at the endless beach and an amusement park in the distance.

 

“…Did you want to visit the beach or the amusement park?”

 

Yi Ho, who had been asking where Hae-Joo was going the whole way, but had only been told to wait and see and hadn’t said a word, raised her eyebrows in amusement.

 

“Uh, no. I just wanted to come to Wolmido.”

 

“Why Wolmido?”

 

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Hae-Joo’s mouth at Yi Ho’s casual question.

 

“My father said it’s his hometown.”

 

“A picnic? You want to go on a picnic?”

 

“Dad, Princess, the kids in the city have family picnics every weekend. Why don’t we ever go on one of those?”

 

“Well… is that because the picnic is far away?”

 

“What’s far? Where are we going?”

 

“You’re still too small to go far.”

 

“Dad, in case you’ve forgotten, I walked all the way from Gyeongseong to the military base with my mom.”

 

“There’s a place I want to take you to when you’re a little older. My hometown.”

 

“Where is your father’s hometown?”

 

“Pogu Village, near Wolmido in Incheon. I was born and raised there. How sparkling the sea is there… It’s perfect for you and me!”

 

Hae-joo’s voice echoed in her head as he chuckled and promised to take her to his hometown one day.

 

When the two were younger, Wolmido would not have been as luxurious as it is today.

 

Declared a “scenic area” in 1918, Wolmido became an amusement park where people could enjoy cherry blossom viewing in spring, sea bathing in summer, and health bathing in winter.

 

Wolmido also had a communal bathhouse heated by seawater called Jotang, an outdoor pool, and a fairy called Yonggunggak, which was said to float in the sea at high tide.

 

A three-story wooden building called the Bin Hotel was also under construction, and there was a zoo and botanical garden.

 

However, due to the high cost of the hotel, some people said that they would like to go to Wolmido for just one day and enjoy the luxury.