#13: not so secret admirer

“I think you have an admirer,” are the words Jongin is greeted with when Sehee joins him at the beach. She has been playing in the water while he has lazed around for a while. To tan, he explained to her, but she knew it was a lie. Who was trying to tan while laying under a huge sunshade? She has shook her head and laughed, stalking off all alone because stubborn as she was, she still wanted to go into the water.

Jongin has been keeping an eye on her for the whole time, watching from behind his sun glasses. Sehee has been swimming, smartly staying away from teenage groups and mingling with families instead. It made him smile to see her play with kids, but at some point she had to part with them for the parents wanted to go back to the hotel or something of that sort so she trotted back to their seats.

“An admirer?” Jongin repeats a bit skeptically, looking around but not seeing anyone in particular looking his way. He tried not to think of what it meant if Sehee spotted a girl interested in him. Was she paying attention to him and their surroundings? Did she feel threatened? But most probably, if anything, she would just see her spot as his best friend threatened.

“Stupid,” she laughed. “She’s looking away because I came back. Probably thinks I’m your girlfriend, but I’m not.” Jongin doesn’t feel too good when Sehee says that, not only because she’s making clear what they are, but also because he can foresee Sehee doing something absolutely unnecessary and possibly embarrassing.

And his gut feelings are right. Sehee is standing up and marching over to a girl who sits a bit further away from her group of friends, not all too happy to sit there. Even from his spot twenty meters away Jongin can sense her stiffen, unsure of Sehee’s motives. She might be fearing a jealous girlfriend bullying her for staring at her boyfriend, but that thought is ridiculous if thought about Sehee. She is too nice to do something like that, and she is not necessarily clingy. Otherwise she would be texting Minseok nonstop now, right?

After what seems like an excruciatingly long time Sehee comes back, a bright grin on her face.

“Her name is Soojung,” she says. “I invited her over for barbecue later tonight. Your parents won’t be angry, right?”

“Of course not,” Jongin says, glancing over to Soojung who seems to be bombarded by her friends right now, all curious because Sehee has been approaching her. At least that is what Jongin guesses.

“It will be fun,” Sehee promises and pulls a startled Jongin up, her dainty fingers wrapped around his wrists. She is beaming for whatever reason, maybe happy because she thinks she’s helping her best friend out. Her best friend who hasn’t been dating anyone after Jinri. But does he really want a summer fling? He doesn’t.

“But for now let’s swim a few rounds,” Sehee says, and this time Jongin gives in. He follows her into the water where they swim and splash water around, the whole dating and inviting a stranger for dinner quickly forgotten when laughter and warmth fills him instead.





It all comes back to him later. When he steps out of the changing cubicle he can see Sehee chattering with the girl. Like a gentleman, he has let Sehee go first, rinsing off the sea water and sand as he waited outside patiently, watchful of anyone who might do her any harm, although it is a ridiculous thought since those cubicles can be locked from the inside.

“Hi,” Jongin greets the other girl who suddenly goes quiet, her body moving away from him to inch closer to Sehee.

“Jongin, this is Soojung,” Sehee introduces them, cheerful as always. “Soojung, this is Jongin.”

They nod at each other, a bit awkward, but the ice breaks soon as they walk back to the Kim’s cottage, talking and laughing. Apparently, it is Soojung’s last summer vacation with her friends before she will move to Seoul; her father has gotten a promotion and that is why he is already working at the main branch in the capital city, his family only moving up after the school year is over as a breach in the middle of the year would be difficult for the kids, Soojung and her sister.

“Soojung’s gonna start at our high school,” Sehee says. “So we might be put toget