That Sunday, Sehun picked Sumin from her house. Instead of taking the train, Sehun drove them to a ferry terminal in Incheon. He passed her a ferry ticket to Muuido Island and told her he will meet her when they are across on the island. Sumin took the ferry and waited. She only brought her sketch pad along as she wasn’t in the mood to do any major drawings. She didn’t prepare any snacks as Sehun told her not to.

It was such a quick ferry ride that within minutes, she had to disembark from the ferry. After disembarked, Sumin walked away from the rest of the crowd. She trusted Sehun to find her or if he can’t find her, he can always call. She made her way along the shoreline, kicking at pebbles along the way as she enjoyed the soft sands on beach, the sound of breaking waves and the cool breeze. She was lost in thoughts. After about 10 minutes, she realized Sehun has yet to appear and started to get worried. She looked to the sides and then turned around. Sehun was 10 steps behind her, following her trail silently, staring at her.

Putting her hands on her hips, she called out to him, “what are you doing back there?” From afar, Sumin saw his face broke into a smile, an enchanting smile that made her heart raced. His smile lingered until he reached her. “You seem lost in thoughts and I don’t want to interrupt. But I’ve started to wonder whether you’ve forgotten me,” he said softly, searching her eyes as he extended his hand to tuck the hair that was covering part of her face due to the wind. Her gaze had softened at that gesture and she could feel the warmth rising to her face, so she turned back and continued walking. Sehun joined her at the side.

“Why did you choose this place? Have you been here before?” she asked. “Yeah,” he replied quietly. Sumin waited for him to elaborate but he kept quiet. She turned to look at him, “And..” she probed. “Huh? What?” he asked. Sehun himself seems to be lost in his own thoughts. “I asked why did you choose this place,” Sumin reminded him. “Ahh.. when we were kids, my parents brought me and my brother a few times to the island. I am a bit familiar with it. Its been a while since I’ve been here and I wanted to check out the place again,” he finally elaborated. “Come, lets catch the bus” he suddenly said as he grabbed Sumin’s wrist and ran to the bus stop, where a bus was just coming in. They managed to catch the bus and they sat at the back, Sehun in his disguise of cap, sunglasses and covered hoodie. Even then, they did not talk to each other.

After 15 minutes, Sehun stood up and Sumin followed and they got down the bus. They were the only two people that got off that stop. Sumin looked around and saw a bridge that connect to another island. Sehun explained that on the other side of the bridge is So Muuido, a fishing village. He talked about how his father would bring him and his brother to the fishing village, to see the fishermen bring in their haul. “I hope the shop selling delicious fish stew is still around,” he remarked.

They walked to the shoreline to watch the fishermen working. It was buzzing with chatters and shouts. Sehun explained some of the activities that were going on and surprisingly seems knowledgeable about the different type of fish. They found the fish stew shop, operated by a very old halmeoni. They were the only two young ones in her small shop. Sumin was curious about the place and looked around. Sehun insisted they sat on a specific table at the corner although Sumin preferred a seat near the door.  There was only one dish sold, hence it was an easy order.

While waiting for their food, he pointed to a picture on the wall next to their table. Sumin stared closely at the photo. It was a picture of a group of fishermen but amongst them were a man and his two small sons. “Is that you?” she asked surprised. “Sshhhh” Sehun lowered his head and asked her to keep it down. Sumin giggled and stared at the cute boy in the picture.

“Ah ha, you must have broken many hearts even when you were young,” she continued to giggle. Sehun looked very handsome even at a very young age. “Thank you,” he mouthed. “You, you probably have rejected many confessions and thumbed your noses at the boys,” he returned the compliment. Sumin giggled. “I had only two confessions during elementary school. I cried both times and no one confessed to me after that,” Sumin tried very hard to control her laughter. Sehun laughed out loud and then trying so hard to contain it. After calming himself, he asked, “Why did you cry?” “I didn’t know how to react, and I didn’t want the confessions, so I just cry,” she said, embarrassed. “You must have been so adorable,” he said softly, his eyes were shining as he smiled sweetly at her. Sumin blushed and it was fortunate that the Halmeoni came with the stew. They enjoyed the stew as Sehun entertained her with stories of his time on the island.

“Shall we take the ATV and discover the main islan