The TS Memoir of a Misogynistic Novelist

I want to tell many stories. I want to convey a lot. I want to play a lot and talk a lot. It was a day spent with such feelings.

Mira and Eun-a, who naturally thought they wouldn’t leave me alone, surprisingly didn’t interfere with me and Hwa-won at all, and Ji Kang-hyeon was the same. On the contrary, I thought that the other kids wouldn’t come to me since they weren’t well acquainted, but there were some who did.

To be exact, two. In the middle, Kang Si-on and Seo Yeon-seo stopped by once each.

Kang Si-on made some trivial conversation and suggested that we hang out together. I considered whether Hwa-won might want to do the same, glanced at Hwa-won’s face for a moment, but he looked uninterested, so I just declined.

Seo Yeon-seo was looking at us from a distance while we were taking a break, so I called her over. We shared trivial conversations as well, but she had this strangely smug expression, like “I know too!” so I sent her away. In addition, even though I did give a warning, I was worried that she might accidentally bring up the topic of Se-ne.

“It’s already 6 o’clock?”

“Time flies.”

“Let’s walk a bit before the sun sets.”

“What are we walking for?”

“I just said we should walk with our feet in the sea.”

For that reason, this time, I properly wore my rubber slippers. They were wide open, so I could get splashed by seawater without worrying about getting hurt. It was perfect. Hwa-won felt the same way.

“How far are we going?”

“Um… shall we go all the way to the end over there?”

Originally, the plan was to walk only along this beach, but I felt that would make our walking time end quickly. So I spontaneously changed the plan and decided that we would walk together to the place we visited earlier.

“By now, there should be fewer people. They have lights installed there, and it’s pretty.”

“I’m okay, but are you okay?”

It was a bit far, but I wasn’t in bad shape. Neither was Eun-a. We had already crossed this place once earlier. I didn’t tell Hwa-won, though.

“Getting tired from this distance is something Eun-a would do.”

“No, I’m asking if you can come out in that outfit in front of others.”

…Ah, that’s what it meant. Certainly, going out in this outfit would draw people’s attention. It wouldn’t matter once it was completely dark, but the sun was still up for now.

But we couldn’t wait until the sun went down to go. When we walked by the beach last time, it was fine since we walked on the path, but here, the water would come in at night, so it would be dangerous. It wasn’t a tidal flat, but it would likely be similar.

…Still, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Even if I postponed it until tomorrow, nothing would change. Wouldn’t it be better to go now while there were at least a few less people? Of course, I was embarrassed to show this outfit to others, but still… I thought it would be alright as long as I was with Hwa-won.

“Then I’ll tuck my hair into the hat.”

The method I chose out of necessity was to hide my hair. Should I have cut it a bit? I thought Hwa-won would prefer it uncut, so I had been keeping my hair a bit longer lately, which meant it was quite long now. It would be hard to fit it under the hat.

“If I tie it up and tuck it into the hat, it won’t be noticeable.”

I took a hair tie out from the bag I bought with Hye-won. I didn’t use it often, but I was glad I had it in my bag, just in case. I still wasn’t used to tying my hair, but it was quite uncomfortable to have it down, so I somehow managed to tie it up, even if poorly. Usually, it was a ponytail, but since I wasn’t skilled, I didn’t know if it would be tied high or low.

While I was struggling to tie my hair in a clumsy manner, Hwa-won said, unable to stand it any longer.

“Do you want me to tie it for you?”

“Uh, huh? Can you do that?”

“Of course. I know how to do it better than you.”

“That’s good to know.”

“So should I tie it for you?”

“…Yeah.”

In the end, I obediently took the hair tie off my hair and handed it to Hwa-won, then sat down in front of her, showing my back. Um… being in this position was actually a bit embarrassing. Hwa-won’s hands touching my hair felt somewhat pleasant, though. Staying like this for a while didn’t seem bad.

“All done.”

“Uh, huh? You’re done already?”

…That was fast. And the way she tied it felt comfortable and looked very neat. I didn’t have a mirror, so I didn’t know how it looked.

Even though I knew it was tied well, I still asked foolishly.

“Is it really tied properly?”

“Of course. Don’t you have a mirror?”

Ah, do girls usually carry compact mirrors in their bags? I didn’t have one… With a sigh, Hwa-won showed me myself using her smartphone’s selfie mode. It was undeniably perfectly tied.

…How cowardly.

“Looks good.”

While complimenting Hwa-won’s skills, I couldn’t help but pout. Anyway, now it was all done. I somehow managed to shove my hair into the hat, and although some strands poked out, they were hidden enough that they wouldn’t be noticed unless looked at closely.

“Oops.”

Hwa-won made a silly sound as she stood up and stretched. Then we stood together and approached the beach. By now, the kids who had been lying under the other parasol and resting found us and shouted.

“Where are you going?!”

Hmm, I thought they were all worn out, but it seemed Ji Kang-hyeon was still lively. I called back loudly.

“I’m going for a walk!”

“Bring back some ice cream!!”

…They were just saying that, right? Well, there’s nothing stopping me from bringing some back. There shouldn’t be any ice cream at the lodge, so I guess I could find a convenience store or a mart on the way back. I didn’t feel the need to answer and just waved my hand.

Walking together along the beach was undoubtedly enjoyable.

“You have it hard too.”

“What do you mean?”

“That guy, he seems to be living recklessly. I heard he’s aiming for that girl, Mira? Watching that must be annoying. Aren’t you just holding back because he’s the boss’s son?”

“It’s not that serious. He does seem to be a thoughtless person, but the boss is a good person.”

I smiled and reassured Hwa-won, saying it was okay.

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m glad the girls seem to be nice.”

“They’re both nice. Eun-a is a bit of a pervert, and Mira seems to be getting a bit influenced lately, which worries me.”

“Dressing in strange outfits? That was kind of funny.”

“It wasn’t too weird since I wore it.”

I acted foolishly, trying to show off in response to Hwa-won’s remark.

“Life’s long, and it’s a sight to see you saying such things.”

“People change, you know.”

“True. From white sweet potato to pink sweet potato…”

“Hey!!”

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

I got angry at Hwa-won’s teasing.

“What do you think? How have I changed?”

“Appearance? Or mentality?”

“Either one.”

“As for appearance… well, I can’t really say anything. As for mentality… if the body changes, it’s natural to adapt. That’s more comfortable, isn’t it?”

“I don’t really feel comfortable.”

“Then should we go back?”

“Still, I don’t want to go back.”

“You’ve grown a lot.”

We also discussed serious topics with Hwa-won.

“Did you buy that bag with Hye-won too?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Good. At least carry something like that. You’re not an elementary school boy; you shouldn’t just carry a smartphone and a wallet around all the time.”

“You’re no different.”

“I’m a guy. And I carry my car keys too.”

“Look who’s talking. I’m a girl.”

Pouting childishly at Hwa-won’s words, I said,

“…There really isn’t much time left now.”

“Until publication?”

“Maybe… It’ll probably be difficult for it to do well. But no matter what, I can’t help being hopeful. I’m worried too.”

“It’ll be fine.”

Worrying about Hwa-won’s future, I asked,

“How about you? Are you writing a new book? If you’re serializing it online for free, you have to publish something else to make a living.”

“…Ah, right? Honestly, I’ve been enjoying myself lately and completely forgot about it.”

“Looks like you’ve forgotten the duty of a writer.”

“Don’t act like a writer when you’re not even one yet.”

Hwa-won worried about my future too.

“Since you’ve finished writing the book, what are you doing these days?”

“I’m just working as my father tells me to.”

“What kind of work?”

“Just… well, it’s more learning than working. The only thing I do that counts as work is showing my face and greeting people in place of my father.”

“Will you quit if you succeed?”

“Probably not. There’s responsibility that comes with freedom.”

“…But if you succeed, you won’t have to do arranged marriages, right?”

“Given the times, it’s not like it’s that forced. Even if I fail, if that girl says she doesn’t like it, her father would probably cancel the engagement and everything right away.”

“Then go and do something mean to that girl.”

I showed a hint of jealousy toward Hwa-won, pretending not to care.

“Why would I do that?”

“I want to see you for a long time. I can’t go to America, can I?”

Pretending it was nothing, I confessed my feelings in a somewhat firm tone.

“…Okay, I’ll try my best.”

Perhaps, I received a hopeful response.

Standing by the seaside, it was no different than before, but just being with Hwa-won made the time feel so rich, abundant, and fulfilling. It was like magic. The cold night sea no longer felt cold. The touch of the seawater felt refreshingly pleasant.

“Did you enjoy today?”

“Well, I guess it was enjoyable.”

“Being with me?”

“That’s a bit self-conscious.”

Before we knew it, we had reached the end of the beach I had come to earlier. Technically, the sea continued further, but going any farther from here was dangerous. So now, there was only the return journey left. It felt like we had only done half, but why did it seem like only half was left?

Time flowed, as it always does, cruelly.

I wished this time would last forever.

I hoped no definite outcomes would be decided.

I wished to end it happily like this.

“…Shall we head back?”

But it seemed the world wasn’t that easy.

“Yeah.”

To stretch out the time on the way back, I suggested.

“Let’s buy ice cream and then go back.”

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