To Be or Not To Be A Family - Chapter 93

Ashma kept looking outside the car and taking in the beauty of Cherry blossoms. She could not contain her smile. Yong-Sun kept glancing at her and enjoying her smile. He could not believe that his crush was having the time of her life with him.

On the way, they stopped for dumplings. Ashma ate stomach full of dumplings. Yong-Sun loved the way she kept stuffing her face with food. After she was finished eating, they continued on their journey. He took her first to the Folk Village.

The old houses were well preserved. He took her to the fishing village as she loved the water. They spent an hour holding hands in the village. She tried a few fish dishes that the locals prepared for her.

They then moved towards Mount Hallasan. The car took a turn and they reached their destination.

“Where are we now?” inquired Ashma.

“Mount Hallasan,” replied Yong-Sun.

“Okay.”

“Welcome to the centre of Jeju Island. This is a volcano,” guided Yong-Sun.

“Volcano?” Ashma was looking at the scenic beauty before her but as soon as he said Volcano, she looked at him.

“Don’t worry, it’s dormant. UNESCO declared it a World Natural Heritage Site,” announced Yong-Sun.

“Wow!”

“This is also the highest mountain in Korea,” informed Yong-Sun.

“Are we climbing it?”

“No, I just wanted to show you the highest mountain. If we start climbing we will need all day and I want to show you many things,” educated Yong-Sun.

“Yes, boss,” Ashma saluted him.

“Ha-ha, come here.” He brought her closer and kissed her on her forehead.

They spent a few hours at the foot of the mountain taking breathtaking pictures of scenic trails. There were numerous species of flowers and animals all over the trail. As both enjoyed nature the roaming on the paths was happy for them.

The morning turned into afternoon, and the afternoon was slowly flying away. On the way, they visited Jeongbang Waterfall.

“What is this?” asked Ashma.

“This is the most famous waterfall, Jeongbang Waterfall,” replied Yong-Sun.

“Wow this place is so rocky,” exclaimed Ashma.

“Yes it is, come on!” Yong-Sun grabbed her hand and pulled her hand towards him.

“What is that written on the wall?” There was writing on the waterfall wall.

“It says ‘Seobulgwacha’,” replied Yong-Sun.

“What is that?” asked Ashma.

“It means that a servant of the Chinese emperor Jin passed by this place,” answered Yong-Sun.

“A servant of an emperor is so famous that a place is named after him?” Ashma was surprised.

“Yes,” replied Yong-Sun, casually. “Let’s go.”

“Wait for a few more minutes,” protested Ashma.

“I know you love water, but there are two more places I want you to see,” contrasted Yong-Sun.

“Okay, fine.”

He grabbed her hand and they hiked back to the car. He brought some snacks for her to munch in the car. She opened a packet of chips. First chip she presented to Yong-Sun. He looked at her and bite on the chips in her hand. A small particle of the chip was on his lips. Ashma removed it with her forefinger softly. He grabbed her palm and kissed her hand. She blushed again. The whole way she kept feeding him and cleaning his face.

He could not stop smiling at her care. The angry girl was now gone, a sweet, kind girl replaced her.

The car moved towards their next destination. Yong-Sun parked his car and they moved towards a beautiful cave.

“A cave?” exclaimed Ashma.

“Yes, this is Manjanggul cave, another UNESCO World Heritage Site,” said Yong-Sun.

“Why are these caves famous?” asked Ashma.

“Um… this is one of the finest and longest lava tunnels in the world,” said Yong-Sun.

“In the world?” Ashma was surprised.

“Yes, in the world.”

“It is said that they formed more than 2.5 million years ago,” informed Yong-Sun.

“Wow! I have a great guide with me,” said Ashma.

“You will not get a superb guide than me,” exclaimed Yong-Sun with happiness.

“Ha-ha, I can tell.”

“Let’s go inside,” Yong-Sun pulled her with him. Suddenly he halted in his path, “Wait! Do you fear bats?”

“Bats?”

“There are bats in the cave,” said Yong-Sun.

“Okay?” said Ashma, sceptically.

“Will that be okay?” asked Yong-Sun.

“Is the cave worth it?” inquired Ashma.

“Yes.”

“Then it’s fine, let’s go.” She took his arm and pushed him inside.

The whole cave was lighted with soft lights. Beautiful formations were illuminated by them. It looked something like from magical Disney movies. The whole caves had an ashy smell to them. She could hear occasional flaps of bats’ wings. The moment she entered the cave, the mercury dropped. She held him tightly to get warm.

He understood what was troubling her. Instantaneously, he removed his hand, took off his jacket and covered her with it.

“No, no, it’s cold,” protested Ashma and tried giving him his jacket back.

“That’s why I gave it to you,” said Yong-Sun.

“What about you?” asked Ashma.

“I am wearing full sleeves shirt,” said Yong-Sun.

“But still…”

“Keep… wearing… it,” emphasised Yong-Sun.

“Why didn’t you tell me to bring a sweater, I would have brought it,” scolded Ashma.

“Then how could I have shown chivalry,” teased Yong-Sun.

“If something happens to you, your mother would kill me,” pointed out Ashma.

“And if something happens to you EVERYONE will kill me,” counterpointed Yong-Sun.

“Hm… That’s true,” replied Ashma.

“Ha-ha.”

She inserted her hands in the arms of the jacket and wore it properly. They moved inside the cave. The purple, pink, yellow lights made the cave appear as if they were in a fairyland.

Suddenly a bat flew over Ashma’s head. She grabbed Yong-Sun’s hand with a jerk.

“You know martial arts and are afraid of a tiny bat,” mocked Yong-Sun.

“I was startled not afraid,” protested Ashma.

“Yeah, right,” teased Yong-Sun.

“Shut up!”

Yong-Sun could not help but laugh at her. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Slowly he moved her away from his embrace but did not let her go. He lowered her mask as well as his. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her neck and inserted his hand in her silky hair. He brought her head closer to his and rubbed his lips softly against hers.

Ashma closed her eyes. Goosebumps ran over her body. Yong-Sun moved another hand on her waist, under his jacket and pulled her even closer. He grabbed her lower lip between his lips and sucked it. Ashma let out a loud gasp. He moved his tongue in her mouth and explored it at every nook and corner.

The feeling of her waist and her hair on his hand was overwhelming. Her mouth on his, their saliva swirling around in their mouth was astonishing. The purple light on her face, mixed with her pink dress made her look like a princess. He wanted to keep kissing her all his life. Suddenly the chilly air inside the cave turned warm.

The feeling of her near him was making him feel waves of emotions. He knew their trip was coming to end but he wanted it to keep going. He didn’t want the day to end. He wanted her in his arms, kissing her till eternity.

When he saw a large family coming their way, he stopped kissing her and made her wear her mask again.

The abrupt stopping of the kiss frustrated her. “What?” she shouted.

He signalled at the people, “I don’t want people to recognise you.”

“Oh right,” She saw the people coming their way.

“Don’t worry I will kiss you again,” teased Yong-Sun.

“Shut up!” she scolded, teasingly.

“Why do you keep saying, shut up?” taunted Yong-Sun.

“Shut up!”

“Ha-ha,” laughed Yong-Sun. “let’s go to our last destination. You will love it.”

“I loved every place we visited today,” exclaimed Ashma.

“You will love this the most,” informed Yong-Sun.

“A beach!” shouted Ashma.

“Yes, a beach,” replied Yong-Sun.

“Let’s go,” screamed Ashma, excited.

“Excited?”

“Very,” replied Ashma.

He made sure her seat belt was in position. He drove the car to their last destination, Jungmun Saekdal Beach. After driving for a long time, they reached the beach.

“What is the name of this beach?” asked Ashma.

“Why do you ask?” asked Yong-Sun.

“I collect beaches,” answered Ashma.

“Oh right, this is Jungmun Saekdal Beach or Jeju Beach. If you want here is a cave too,” said Yong-Sun.

“No, enough caves for a day,” replied Ashma.

“Oh,” exclaimed Yong-Sun.

“What?” inquired Ashma.

“I thought we might kiss again,” teased Yong-Sun.

“Why? Afraid of kissing me in open?” teased Ashma, back.

“I can kiss you in front of the world. See there’s a filming crew, want me to kiss you in front of them?” mocked Yong-Sun.

“Nooo…” shouted Ashma.

“Ha-ha,” he ruffled her hair with love.

“Oh my god!” shouted Ashma.

“What? What?” Yong-Sun was concerned.

“I got the idea,” shouted Ashma.

“About what?”

“What to do next for my show and apologise to Mr Park. Oh, thank you so much for bringing me here,” she was too excited to control her excitement. She kissed his cheeks over their mask

“Kiss me nicely,” he [ointed towards his lips.

“I am not taking my mask off in front of a filming crew,” shouted Ashma.

“Right! It will be a new scandal,” teased Yong-Sun.

“Your harabuhji will kill me,” teased Ashma.

“What? Why?” asked Yong-Sun.

“You are his favourite and I am not. How do you think he will react?” Yong-Sun knew how would he react as he already reacted. He told him to stay away.

“He will come around,” said Yong-Sun, sad.

“Will he? I doubt that.”

“Leave him, what is the idea?” Yong-Sun changed the topic.

“To make his brand, international,” said Ashma.

“How?” asked Yong-Sun.

“You wanted to collaborate with me?” questioned Ashma.

“What? Are you saying what I think you are saying?” asked Yong-Sun, puzzled.

“Let’s collaborate,” said Ashma.

“Oh my god!” shouted Yong-Sun at the top of his lungs.

“Shh… shh… keep your voice low,” silenced Ashma.

“But how would you include keunahppa’s work?” asked Yong-Sun.

“London fashion week is coming. I can infuse Indian and Korean tradition and models will walk with Mr Park’s handicrafts,” Ashma gave him the jest of her idea.

“That’s awesome!” exclaimed Yong-Sun.

“I will need my team here,” said Ashma thinking.

“He will surely be happy.”

“Yeah. That’s the plan. I taunted him about his brand, this way I can help his business and brand in one single swoop,” informed Ashma.

“It’s a beautiful idea, but the more important thing is you will collaborate with me,” said Yong-Sun, happily.

“Should we hire BTS for your collection?” teased Ashma.

“You know BTS?”

“The whole world knows BTS.”

“You are full of surprises, but you hate idols and influencers,” said Yong-Sun.

“I gave a chance to an influencer, this is high time I give chance to idols. Salt apologised to me after all,” educated Ashma.

“So true!”

“Let’s sit for some time here and then we can go home,” said Ashma

“As you wish,” said Yong-Sun. He added, “my love,” under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing, let’s sit,” lied Yong-Sun.

They sat for hours. Yong-Sun took her to a beautiful restaurant after that. They had dinner and they went to the hanger.. They took the same flight and were back in Seoul before nightfall.