As promised, they decided to go to the beach the next morning.

Gary came over to fetch Jihyo, despite it being out of the way, because, as he said it, ‘it was the job of a boyfriend’. Jihyo blushed, but didn’t counter the argument. She wanted to let herself enjoy dating, even if it was just a pretence.

They arrived at the beach at 8 am. Gary made them sandwiches for breakfast.

“What are you? A vegetarian?” Jihyo frowned as she looked at the sandwich. It was almost all vegetables. Wholemeal bread, with 7 different types of vegetables and a miserable amount of chicken.

“It’s for our own good,” Gary said, trying to make it look like he enjoyed the sandwich. Honestly, it was hard, because he was never a fan of vegetables. When he first heard that he had a brain tumour, he had contemplated suicide, but now that he met her, he discovered his purpose of living. Even if they could never have a ‘happily-ever-after’ ending, he wanted them to stay happy together for as long as possible. And for that, both of them have to try all kinds of thing to extend their life, even if it was just by a day.

Jihyo stuck out her tongue, but ate her veg-sandwich all the same. After breakfast, they started to build a sandman. It was hard work, because sand didn’t stick together as well as snow- they had to get the precise proportion of water and sand in order for it to stick properly.

They rolled the body of the sandman, but it kept crumbling. The sun continue to shine brighter and brighter, and they could feel their skin starting to burn. After multiple tries, they finally made a ball big enough for the body of the sandman.

Jihyo looked up to see Gary’s face glistening with sweat. She reached up to wipe it for him. He looked shocked, but she giggled and said, “This is the job of a girlfriend.”

They finished building their sandman at around 9.30 am. Gary took a photo of Jihyo and her sandman, and then they shared another photo together. They decided to build a friend for the sandman, and a few more castles. After they were finally done, they decided to play for a little while in the sea. Gary recorded them (mainly Jihyo) playing in the water.

He chuckled as he watched his angel splashing through the waters.

“Oppa, come and piggy-back me,” Jihyo giggled, a few meters ahead of him.

Gary laughed and nodded. He waddled towards her, but all of a sudden, his vision blurred. He was stunned. He instinctively reached out to hold onto something, but there was nothing to support him. He blinked a few times vigorously and his vision came back. He sighed in relief, but by then, Jihyo was already coming towards him.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice subtly tense.

“I… I stepped on a pebble,” he lied. “I’m okay, it’s not that painful anymore. Come on up,” he reassured her, gesturing for her to get onto his back.

“Really? Your feet is fine?”

Gary nodded again, and Jihyo climbed onto his back. Gary passed her their camera for her to record, while he dashed through and fro.

He managed to lie his way out, but it was yet another reminder that they are not a normal couple. A sudden wave of anger and