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It was a bit warm when I woke up this morning.

The weather really felt like summer, but considering there was air conditioning inside the hotel, it seemed a bit off to say it was hot; it was probably because of the kids sleeping right next to me.

As I got up from my spot, I tried hard not to wake them up. The biggest obstacle was Jua, who had climbed onto my body and was sprawled out on top of me.

How did I manage to sleep through it when she climbed on last night?

If anything, it was fortunate that all four of us were properly dressed.

That’s right.

We didn’t yesterday.

“Hmm.”

I had thought that during our four-night, five-day stay, I would try all sorts of things, but for some reason, yesterday I just didn’t feel like doing anything.

Maybe it was because I had done more than enough with the three of them before that.

So…

“Sometimes, you need just a normal day to hang out, right?”

I muttered to myself in understanding, and I started to move my body a bit.

“Ugh…”

Ha-yoon clung onto my arm, but I somehow managed to wiggle my way out.

My pajamas were soaked with sweat.

When I stood up, the aftermath of yesterday was right in front of me.

Fortunately, I hadn’t spilled any alcohol, but empty cans were already rolling around on the hotel floor. Several cans of chuhai, some beers, and two bottles of soju… No way, how did we even manage to get soju overseas? If I traced back my memory, I think Ji-hye had brought it.

On top of that, we had completely finished off a bottle of whiskey. If I recalled correctly, I was the one who drank the most among the four.

And there were several bags of snacks that hadn’t been fully devoured. A pizza with just a couple of slices left, while another pizza was completely gone.

“…Ugh.”

Seeing that, I belatedly felt a pang of a hangover.

Thinking I should eat something that would help with the hangover, I wobbled towards the shower.

*

The last day of a trip is just as busy as the day you arrive.

I picked up our scattered luggage from around the hotel and put them into the suitcase, then carefully looked around to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything before I came out of the room dragging the huge suitcase.

Having four of those suitcases made it a bit awkward to fit into an elevator. We weren’t the only ones in there.

Even when the checkout time of 11 o’clock came, the kids were still rubbing their eyes and yawning continuously. Among us, I, being the most awake, handed over the keys at the hotel lobby.

The hotel staff, chosen for their professionalism, didn’t show much reaction as they looked at us, but a few other tourists who recognized us whispered something among themselves.

…It seemed like they were talking about the various skinship escapades we had at the swimming pool over the past four nights and five days.

I felt a bit guilty about my part in not being able to hold back, so I decided to just pass by and ignore it.

“What do you want to have for lunch?”

“What for lunch?”

Ji-eun tilted her head at my question.

“It’s already eleven. It’s well past breakfast time.”

Fortunately, we still had a bit of time before heading to the airport.

“Hmm… something refreshing… something that helps with hangovers…”

I wasn’t sure if they had any ‘hangover food’ here according to Korean standards, but whatever.

I chuckled and ruffled Ji-eun’s hair.

“Eww.”

She gave me a dazed look through her messy bob. It wasn’t particularly ghost-like. Well, when we left, I only washed and dried a bit, so I didn’t really have time to fuss over my hairstyle either.

How about we grab a cold soda? I thought as I moved with the three of them.

*

No matter how hard we searched, we couldn’t find any Korean-style hangover soup, so we decided to go into an Italian restaurant among the many restaurants by the beach.

Even though we had pizza as a snack last night, since we were entering a pasta place, there was no real problem.

“…Phew.”

Jua gulped down the cold soda that was served before the meal and let out a long sigh.

Even though there were people all around us, not every restaurant in the area was packed. The ones coming here were mostly heroes with their families and friends, so while there were enough customers to keep the restaurants running, it wasn’t so busy that we’d have to wait forever.

Surrounded by that noisy atmosphere, we sat in silence for a while, sipping on soda.

“Thinking about it,”

Jua was the first to speak.

“Sometimes, just chatting casually without doing anything specific seems nice.”

Ha-yoon made a muffled sound. It seemed like an expression of agreement. Maybe her voice didn’t come out right, and after taking another sip of soda, she finally said, “Yeah, yesterday was fun.”

Honestly, even though we talked so much yesterday, I barely remembered anything. I only recalled laughing a ton. Ah… ah… oh, right. The dad jokes. I suddenly got into dad jokes, searching for things on my smartphone and reciting them in front of the kids. They all laughed until their bellies hurt.

Why was that?

I couldn’t even remember why I started with something like “What do you call someone who stands in the rain? A secretary.”, nor could I recall why that was so funny.

It was just, well, you know.

I liked that moment.

Isn’t there a feeling like that? When you get together with friends and just talk about anything, maybe gossip about your boss, complain about the noise from the upstairs neighbors, ask how each other’s been doing, and at the end of it, even though not much sticks in your head, there’s a feeling of refreshing release.

Even though after that conversation, nothing really remains in your mind, it somehow feels like you’ve poured it all out.

“…”

Well, we’re still university students living in the same place, so we didn’t have any noise complaints or bosses to vent about.

“…Oh, right.”

Ji-hye, who had been quiet, finally said something.

“We took some pictures yesterday.”

All three of us turned our heads toward Ji-hye simultaneously.

“Not with a phone, but with a camera.”

I knew Ji-hye had brought an instant film camera because she wanted to take something sentimental.

Ah, come to think of it, there was some radiant memory from yesterday. Was that the sound of Ji-hye taking the instant photos?

“…Um, so, do we have our drunk selves in those pictures?”

“Yeah, probably? I’ll show you once we get home. It’s a hassle to take it out of my bag right now…”

Ji-hye said with a yawn. Sure, good idea. Pulling it out here would be a hassle and who knows, it might catch some other people’s eyes.

Let’s decide later about whether to lock it in a safe back home or not.

Another silence.

But it was no longer an awkward silence. It wasn’t the kind of silence where we were holding back things we wanted to say; it was just the kind of silence where it felt completely fine to be together without really having anything to say, truly a silence where we just didn’t know what to say.

It was a comfortable quietness, one that wouldn’t feel strange no matter when someone chose to break it.

“…”

And in that atmosphere, I felt a slight sense of sentimentality.

Thinking about it, how long had I kept my distance from Ha-yoon and Jua? How much jealousy and envy had I harbored?

Especially with Ha-yoon, while enjoying the time together, I had also constantly wanted to outdo her.

Now, those feelings don’t arise anymore.

Because I realized that relationships are sometimes about winning, sometimes about losing—more than anything, it’s about not having to nitpick every little thing.

There are times when winning doesn’t feel good. There are times when losing can be enjoyable too.

In situations where neither winning nor losing happens, one can still feel a flutter of embarrassment, and a bond can remain strong even without any particular events between us.

I learned that fact a bit late.

I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly.

“…So when we go home.”

As I opened my mouth, all three of their eyes focused on me simultaneously.

“Let’s really pick out dresses. I’ll choose all three of yours.”

At my sudden declaration, their faces turned red.

“Rings too, um, I’ve thought about it, and I think it’d be better if the designs were all the same—”

“Hey, wait a second, Ji-eun.”

As I continued talking on my own, Ha-yoon interrupted me in a fluster.

“Yeah?”

“So, what I mean is…”

“Why’re you so surprised? It’s you all who chose your dresses.”

As I said that, their faces turned even redder.

Well, that’s that.

After all, I should get married, right?

Gotta take responsibility.

The kids fell silent again.

This time, it wasn’t necessarily an awkward or uncomfortable silence.

It was just… what should I say.

A silence filled with embarrassment, a tingling kind of silence.

Well, when people enter into a relationship, there’s really no need to always keep a upper hand over others.

But still.

It might be hard to deny that winning is often a bit more enjoyable.

 

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