“Ugh, it’s colder than I thought today.”
That wasn’t words directed at Siwoo. It was words directed at the people surrounding them. Words that contained the meaning that they were close and were just putting their arms around each other’s shoulders because it was cold.
Siwoo raised his head diagonally to look at Evan’s face. At the same time as thinking he should love him to his heart’s content, that he shouldn’t leave even a bit of regret, an endless impulse to run away arose.
“Kim Siwoo, don’t think useless thoughts. It’s not something you started, it’s something I started. Just try running away. I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”
“What am I thinking about?”
The noisy clamor completely covered their whispering voices.
“Evan Lewis. He’s really so cool and handsome. You were thinking that.”
The atmosphere that seemed like it would lead to a serious conversation changed lightly in an instant. Siwoo let out a laugh at Evan’s behavior that changed the atmosphere right away, finding it absurd.
“Why, is it wrong?”
“Yeah. It’s wrong.”
“What? You mean you don’t think that way?”
Since Evan naturally opened the passenger door, Siwoo stood in front of him.
“I love you. That’s what I was thinking.”
Siwoo, who pulled Evan’s hoodie, whispered very softly near Evan’s ear as he drew closer. Then he patted the shoulders of him who had stopped moving as if he had heard properly with both hands.
“Don’t carelessly jump to conclusions when you don’t know, Evan Lewis.”
Siwoo, who grinned toward him still standing still, quickly got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt.
“Wow, Kim Siwoo. Really, if this wasn’t filming today……”
Evan, who had been frozen like a statue, ran his hand through his hair and grumbled as he headed to the driver’s seat.
You’re not the only one who feels regretful. I feel regretful too.
Siwoo’s hidden feelings weren’t conveyed to Evan.
* * *
The campground wasn’t far from the cafe they had just stopped by. Siwoo looked at the map for only a moment before Evan skillfully found and entered the campground without particularly asking him.
“What. Did you know the way here?”
“I have a good brain.”
At that tone as if memorizing the map was nothing, Siwoo made a groaning sound instead of answering. That’s why he let him sleep. He remembered Evan carefully looking at the map before they first departed for the campground.
“Did the other team arrive?”
Getting out of the car, Siwoo was asking the staff a question when he looked in that direction at the unsettled atmosphere.
“Kim Siwoo!!!!!!!! Evan!!!!!!!!!!”
Chan, who had wandered and wandered again and had just arrived and was looking around the campground, also quickly called them at the news that Evan and Siwoo had arrived.
“Yes! Coffee is here. Ddungcarons are here too.”
Gathering the things he bought for the members and staff before leaving the cafe, Siwoo answered in a loud voice so they could hear.
If it were typical ‘Ocean Story’ filming, they would divide into teams or do various games based on individual competitions. But today’s theme was rest.
Since the concept was time to rest during a busy schedule, there was no competition or game they had to do.
Normally, shopping and setting up tents would have been the members’ responsibility, but today everything was perfectly prepared.
Ocean, standing in a row in a space set up with camping equipment from the same affiliated company as the sportswear they were modeling, was excited without exception.
It was because they had heard the basic explanation that from now on, all they had to do was make and eat delicious food, rest on their own, and leave this place around noon tomorrow.
“Hello, we are Ocean.”
As the light came on the camera that had finished filming preparations, everyone greeted in bright voices following the gesture of the PD sitting in the center.
“Today we visited a campground. What do we have to do?”
Chan, who was in charge of hosting in the middle, spoke toward the PD, and when he handed over an envelope, he walked forward to receive the envelope and returned to his place.
“In the race to find the campground a little while ago, the team with me, Yechan, and Sangjun won. You said there’s a special reward for the winning team. Tell us about that first.”
While opening the envelope with his hands, Chan naturally proceeded.
“Even though rest is the theme, there’s a basic rule for ‘Ocean Story,’ right? This episode can’t leave out the penalty either. Special reward. As a very big reward, the three who arrived first are exempt from the penalty.”
At the PD’s grinning words, Evan and Siwoo’s footsteps naturally headed forward.
It was an answer even Evan hadn’t anticipated. If he had known, cafe or whatever, he would have just come straight here and somehow gotten the penalty exemption.
“Wow! How is that fair?”
“That’s why I told you several times that it would be good to arrive first.”
“Then we shouldn’t have done the live earlier!”
Before Siwoo could say anything, Evan stepped forward and complained.
“Thanks to you, the Nimos enjoyed it. Anyway, Evan and Siwoo, come back to your places. What you have to do from now on is simple. You just need to use the prepared ingredients to make and eat delicious food.”
Opening the envelope and checking what was written on the paper inside, Chan passed that paper to the other members.
“Let’s hurry and eat and rest. Yechan, want to start a fire with me?”
“I’m going to see what’s there. Since we can just grill the meat, should I see if there’s anything for hot soup?”
Your misfortune is my happiness. While Evan and Siwoo were protesting, the three who received the penalty exemption moved diligently to prepare the meal.
“But you didn’t tell us what the penalty is. And you said there’s no game or anything today, so how do you pick one between me and Evan?”
“Eat first. If you do, you’ll naturally be picked.”
At the PD’s words subtly beating around the bush and changing the atmosphere, Siwoo pouted his lips and turned around. Since it was filming meant for resting, his words were right. He should hurry and eat and rest.
“Siwoo-ya, want to watch a movie later?”
If they were going to start a fire and grill meat, it seemed good to grill sweet potatoes and potatoes together to eat.
Rummaging through the ingredient box, Siwoo looked at Sangjun.
“A movie? Not looking at the stars?”
He remembered them saying they could see many more stars than in the city because the campground was in the middle of the mountain.
“Stargazing is just for a moment. How can we stay outside long when the weather is cold? They say we can watch movies inside the tent here. There’s a beam projector too. Did you go inside the tent?”
“No.”
Finding potatoes and sweet potatoes in the ingredient box, Siwoo looked around for cooking foil.
“Inside is really spacious and nice. There are two camping beds for two people and it’s decorated prettily like you’d see in movies. It’s really on a different level from the camping I did as a kid.”
“How do we sleep?”
Siwoo received the cooking foil that Chan handed over while passing by him and meticulously wrapped the potatoes and sweet potatoes.
“They say some people sleep in the tent, and some people sleep in the lodging next to it. That’ll also be decided by a game or something later.”
Meal preparation proceeded smoothly. Though his mouth was short, since Chan, who cooked well, was there, there was nothing for Siwoo to be busy with.
“The sun went down and it’s cold. Put on more clothes and come out.”
Coming into the lodging as Chan told him to wash the vegetables and putting instant rice in the microwave, Siwoo raised his head at Evan’s words.
“Is it very cold?”
“It’s quite chilly. Wear padding, not a vest.”
“Got it. But are you looking for something?”
At Evan’s behavior of coming inside and looking around, Siwoo also looked around.
“Yeah. No.”
Are you saying you’re looking for something, or not?
Siwoo, who had vigorously shaken off the water from the wrapping vegetables, transferred them to a plate. Then he smiled slightly alone at a thought that suddenly occurred. It was a not-so-distant past event when Evan had cupped his cheeks when he shed tears while cutting onions, and when he hit the back of his hand as he picked up spaghetti noodles to eat.
“The onions, did Chan hyung cut them? Should I have brought them and cut them?”
“Chan hyung was cutting onions and tearing up, so Yechan thought he was crying and made a fuss. The footage definitely came out well.”
Just then, when the instant rice finished heating and the microwave stopped with a clear sound, Evan went in front of it and carefully took out the hot instant rice.
“Ah……! Onions really sting the eyes.”
Those onions back then, no matter how I think about it, were spicier than Korean ones. I’ve cut lots of onions until now, but I don’t think there was anything spicier than that. A faint smile appeared on Siwoo’s lips.
“Cheongyang peppers would be spicier, right?”
Siwoo’s footsteps stopped as he was passing by Evan’s side holding a plate with wrapping vegetables. And when he slowly turned his head, Evan was neatly transferring instant rice to a tray. It was Siwoo who shed tears because of onions, but it was Evan who shed tears because of Cheongyang peppers.
“Why? Should I carry that out too?”
Even in the moment when Evan carried the plate he was holding, Siwoo couldn’t easily answer. Cheongyang peppers are spicier than onions. That’s basic common sense. But those things were his own memories and the past that had passed.
“Hurry and go put on clothes and come back. The meat is almost done grilling too.”
Instead of Siwoo who couldn’t say anything, Evan continued speaking, and he soon went outside.
“I’m going crazy.”
Left alone, Siwoo roughly swept back his hair. Then he deliberately made footsteps as he headed to the room where his bag was. It’s a delusion. It’s just a coincidence. It’s words that can be easily said. Let’s not give it unnecessary meaning. Infinite regression. That was absolutely not an easy thing.
Yes, at first he thought there might be someone who got lost in the gap of time like himself. He thought all his memories were perfect, and he even approached those he met again without hesitation. And there was only one thing he learned.
That he was alone. Memories and recollections were all his share to bear alone. Right now there were no problems in his relationship with Evan. No, rather, it could be said to be extremely good. But there was no reason to overlay even the passed time and make things complicated.
A long sigh flowed from Siwoo’s mouth as he grabbed and put on the padding with his name written on it that was in one corner of the room. When Sangjun’s voice telling him to hurry out and eat was heard from outside, he hastened his steps.
“It’s a shame there’s no fish cake. Kimchi stew is good too, but in this kind of weather, hot fish cake soup is really good.”
“Huh? Evan hyung, you can’t cook. What fish cake soup? Are you going to ask Chan hyung to make it again?”
“No. I know how to make fish cake soup. I learned.”
“Is this hyung really sure he lived in England? What did he learn that he learned fish cake soup?”
“I’m telling you. But I know exactly what goes in it. I don’t know the broth secret though.”
Standing side by side in front of the grill, transferring the grilled meat to a plate, Siwoo’s footsteps stopped once again in front of the ordinary conversation between Evan and Yechan.
