'I didn't know Soup had a swimsuit outfit.'
I stood at a distance, transfixed as I stared at Lee Yoo-ri. It was strange how captivating it was to see her in that simple swimsuit.
Of course, I hadn't expected her to come here with me today and be the only one not wearing a swimsuit.
But, I don't know, there's something about seeing something you've only imagined become reality that doubles the impact.
Velvets knew how to sell their characters, and the operators made sure to create and sell swimsuit outfits for every character except the males.
Just one person.
Soup. Because, well, her family didn't have much money.
In the game, her friends begged and pleaded with her to come to the beach with them, but she hesitated to buy a swimsuit. So, Soup showed up at the beach awkwardly wearing her training clothes while everyone else was in swimsuits.
When her friends asked why she wasn't wearing a swimsuit, she would smile awkwardly and reply:
"Well, I'm a bit shy. I find this the most comfortable. Plus, I can't swim… But it's okay, I can still do some training on the sand."
"Oh, so you don't like the sea? We shouldn't have brought you then. Sorry about that."
"No, I don't dislike the sea. I just like looking at it from a distance. Thanks for bringing me here."
And as she stood there on the vast beach, watching her friends laugh and play in the water, she would force a smile and whisper:
"Wow, it's my first time seeing the sea, and it's so vast and beautiful…"
This scene tugged at the heartstrings of countless players, and of course, I was one of them.
I had opened my wallet and bought the swimsuit for her character.
But now, here she was, wearing a swimsuit.
Why did it feel so different?
Oh right, it was because of that incident where her house got robbed.
In the game, at this point, Soup would have been stressed about her family's financial situation.
Right at the start of summer vacation, Hyeji, that piece of trash, robbed Lee Yoo-ri's house, and her family would have been struggling to find a new place to live.
Even if Soup had earned a decent amount of money through her hunter activities, buying a swimsuit would have been out of the question.
Lee Yoo-ri would never have done that.
"Thank goodness…"
Currently, Lee Yoo-ri's family was living on one of the floors of my house, making it their own cozy space.
Whenever I passed by and exchanged greetings with them, their faces were always bright and cheerful, without a care in the world.
I was truly grateful that Soup was the first person I met in this world, and that I could be someone she could rely on.
With a slight smile, I walked towards the gathered party members.
.
.
.
"What are you guys up to?"
Everyone fell silent as they watched Jin Yuha approach.
"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
Jin Yuha asked, looking at Shin Se-hee.
"Uh, well, um… that is… we were, um…"
Shin Se-hee forgot the excuse she had originally planned and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"You want to split up into pairs?"
"Y-Yes, that's it! That's what we were talking about!"
Shin Se-hee eagerly nodded in agreement with Jin Yuha's half-baked explanation.
"Hmm, I was actually hoping we could all stick together… But I guess if that's what you all want, there's not much I can do."
Jin Yuha nodded casually.
"Thanks for understanding."
"So, who's going to be my partner for today?"
As Jin Yuha asked, Lee Yoo-ri grabbed Shin Se-hee's shoulder with a desperate look on her face.
In a soft voice, she whispered:
"Th-The, Shin Se-hee. If, if it's not too late, can we, can we switch the order…?"
Shin Se-hee, with a smile on her face, murmured:
"Have a bit of courage, you're a woman.".
.
.
The first person to partner up with Jin Yuha was Lee Yoo-ri.
Currently, she was in a state of delightful confusion, her body reacting in a way she couldn't control.
Gulping, she thought to herself:
'Wow, I didn't realize he was so bold… I thought he was more reserved than this.'
Wearing only the bottom half of a swimsuit and nothing on top was a bold choice.
It was a complete exposure of his upper body.
And he didn't seem to mind it at all.
Of course, it wasn't an unusual or inappropriate outfit.
In fact, it was quite common and appropriate for a beach setting.
However, this daring outfit was usually worn by models with perfect bodies, celebrities with high self-esteem, or people who enjoyed showing off their bodies.
Most men would at least wear a top or a shirt when swimming, even if it was just a simple tank top.
Jin Yuha, who usually shied away from extreme exposure and always wore his cadet uniform, training clothes, or plain black casual wear, surprised Lee Yoo-ri with his bold choice.
Lee Yoo-ri's eyes darted around, unsure of what to do.
It was like her childhood friend had suddenly transformed his image over the summer break.
Glancing sideways, Lee Yoo-ri stole a glance at Jin Yuha's body before quickly looking away and fixing her gaze forward again.
'This is insane…'
Lee Yoo-ri's face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.
Firm, well-toned chest muscles.
Perfectly sculpted abs.
Flawless, spotless, pale skin.
Jin Yuha's body, honed through hellish training, was free of any excess fat and was the epitome of perfection.
When combined with his already sultry looks, the result was an incredible synergy.
Even now, she could feel the glances from people around them, unable to look away!
'Is it possible for a single piece of cloth to be this sexy…?'
Jin Yuha, with his heightened senses, frowned, feeling uncomfortable under the gazes of others.
"Hmm, I tried to change up my look today so people wouldn't recognize me, but why are they staring so much? Do they know it's me?"
Jin Yuha innocently voiced his thoughts, seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on others.
In reality, Jin Yuha had pushed up his usual bangs, revealing his forehead, and with the help of Sophia, he had even applied waterproof makeup.
However, no matter what he did, his natural beauty was undeniable.
Even if people didn't recognize him as Jin Yuha, his stunning features would still turn heads.
'If you walked around like this, I'd stare at you too! I would!'
Lee Yoo-ri's mouth hung open in disbelief.
Was this boy truly unaware of how gorgeous he was?
Fortunately, Lee Yoo-ri stood by his side, deterring any unwanted attention, but the envious and covetous glances from others were unavoidable.
'Stop staring!'
As Lee Yoo-ri was shooting warning glares at the onlookers, Jin Yuha spoke up.
"Soup, doesn't this remind you of old times?"
Lee Yoo-ri, who had been busy warding off the surrounding women with her intense gaze, turned to him and replied.
"Yeah, old times?"
"Yeah, when we first came to the Velvet Academy together. Remember?"
"Oh, back then…"
Indeed, when they had first entered the Velvet Academy together, they had also attracted a lot of attention from those around them.
"Heh, even back then, all eyes were on us. I remember apologizing to you, and you told me not to worry about it."
"Me?!"
"Yeah, you said that you expected this to happen from the start, so you stuck to me like glue. Like a cicada."
"I never did that!!"
"And didn't you say you'd protect me? That you were my tank?"
'Did I really say something so embarrassing to him? Especially when we weren't even that close back then?!'
However, it was hard to deny it, as she had indeed felt that way. And even now, her feelings remained unchanged.
Lee Yoo-ri's face turned a shade redder, now it couldn't possibly get any redder.
"Actually, I was just kidding."
"Huh?"
"Back then, I was the one chasing after you. I asked you to be my tank, and you even rejected me once."
"Y-You!!!"
Jin Yuha wore a mischievous smile.
"This time, I want to say the same thing to you. Don't worry about the people around us."
As he spoke, Jin Yuha reached out and took her hand, pulling her closer.
"Huh?"
"We've come all this way to the beach, are we just going to look at other people?"
The gazes of those around them intensified, but Jin Yuha paid them no mind as he turned towards the sea.
"Look, this is the sea."
Jin Yuha grabbed Lee Yoo-ri's shoulder from behind and turned her towards the ocean.
Lee Yoo-ri's pupils now reflected the vast blue expanse before them.
"Wow… It's huge."
The best word she could come up with to describe the scene was 'huge'. She cursed her limited vocabulary, but honestly, no other words could do justice to the sight.
The relentless waves rushed forward, only to retreat again, leaving a trail of foam in their wake.
The horizon stretched endlessly, with no sign of where the sea met the sky.
Lee Yoo-ri stood there, her mouth slowly falling open in awe.
"Pretty amazing, huh?"
"Yeah… It's amazing. I've never seen so much water before."
Indeed, everything about this place was like a fantasy.
As they stood there, taking in the breathtaking view, Jin Yuha suddenly spoke up.
"Lee Yoo-ri, thank you."
"Huh? For what?"
"For everything."
"…"
'Honestly, I'm the one who should be saying that.'
From their first meeting, when he had followed her into a dungeon and saved her life, to their time at the Academy, their connection had continued to grow.
Before she knew it, she had become the main tank of the Utopia Party.
All of this was thanks to Jin Yuha.
What would have happened if he hadn't been there?
She would probably still be working part-time jobs, struggling to make ends meet, and never knowing that such beautiful places existed in the world.
Lee Yoo-ri turned to face Jin Yuha, locking eyes with him.
"I'm the one who's more thankful."
"Huh? For what?"
Jin Yuha cheekily repeated the same words she had just said, as if he hadn't been the one to say them first.
"For everything from the beginning."
"Hmm…"
Jin Yuha nodded deeply, acknowledging her words.
"The first time? Are you talking about that time? When you doubted I was a male trainee, and then you were so surprised when I got close to your face that you almost dropped your phone?"
"...!"
Lee Yoo-ri's face turned bright red at Jin Yuha's teasing words.
"No, not that!!! Something else!"
This time, Jin Yuha's expression turned serious, and his voice took on a strict and solemn tone.
"Or is it this? Everyone──Retreat──!!!"
"..."
Shaking─
Lee Yoo-ri glared at Jin Yuha, pouting her lips.
'This guy always has to ruin the moment when I'm trying to be sincere!'
Just then─
Thud.
Jin Yuha quickly extended his leg, lightly touching Lee Yoo-ri's ankle, and pushed her shoulder.
"Kkiuhhak!?"
Lee Yoo-ri's eyes widened in surprise as her body lifted into the air.
Splat─!
Lee Yoo-ri, who had been tripped by Jin Yuha, fell face-first into the water.
"Ack!!! It's salty!!!!"
Ptui! Ptui ptui!!!!
She sat up, spitting out the seawater that had gotten into her mouth.
She had heard that seawater was salty, but she hadn't expected it to be this salty!
"Hey! Jin Yuha!!"
She glared at him with a menacing smile, to which he responded with a smug shrug, as if to say he had done nothing wrong.
"We went to the trouble of putting on swimsuits, are we just going to look at the sea and call it a day?"
Swosh!
Lee Yoo-ri bit her lower lip and splashed water at Jin Yuha.
Splash!
Jin Yuha performed a somersault in the air, diving behind Lee Yoo-ri to avoid the water attack.
As a result, Lee Yoo-ri was drenched once again.
"You're dead. Stand still. Jin Yuha."
"Ha, a weakling like you who can't even swim thinks she can take me on?"
As Lee Yoo-ri started playing in the water with Jin Yuha, a smile spread across her face.
It was a smile of relief, as if she had shed all her usual burdens.
.
.
.
After playing in the water with Lee Yoo-ri for a while, I submerged and grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall into the water.
Splash─!
"Kkuaak!! Eoppttoe! It's salty!!!"
Beep – Beep beep –
Just then, an alarm went off on Lee Yoo-ri's wristwatch.
"Wait, just a moment! Jin Yuha, wait!"
Lee Yoo-ri frowned at the sound of the alarm and raised her hand to stop me.
"Phew! Huh? An alarm? What's that about?"
I poked my head out of the water, puzzled.
"Uh, well… I, I need to use the bathroom."
Lee Yoo-ri stammered out an excuse.
"...Do you set an alarm even for going to the bathroom?"
At my question, Lee Yoo-ri reluctantly nodded.
"Yeah, I do."
"That's interesting. Well, go ahead. I'll wait here."
"U, uung! I'll be right back!"
Chop chop─
Lee Yoo-ri hurried out of the water as if she really needed to go.
'Hmm…'
I found it a bit suspicious, but I figured she might have her reasons, so I decided to wait outside the water.
"Phew – It's been a while since I played in the water, it's fun…"
Just then, a group of women approached me.
They were the same women who had been sneaking glances at us since earlier.
"Hey, are you here alone?"
"We've been watching you from a distance. Do you have time to hang out with us? We'll treat you well."
"I like you, so how about having a drink with us? We'll make sure you have fun."
'What the hell do you want, you bitches? You've been watching me hang out with Soup. Obviously, I'm not alone.'
I furrowed my brows, giving them a sharp look.
There was no need to be overly aggressive with civilians, so I politely but firmly turned them down.
"Oh, I'm actually with someone."
"Oh, that plain-looking girl? Eh, what's she doing here? Just hang out with us for a bit, then go play with someone else."
"Yeah, why don't you join us too?"
"She seemed really shy, but we're way better than someone like her, right?"
'Hmph, you can't even compare to Soup's charm…'
"Wow, do you work out? Your body is amazing!"
Now, these women were touching my body and getting too close for comfort.
I was getting really annoyed.
"Hey, you bitches. Take your hands off him."
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind.
There stood Kang Do-hee, her red hair matching her red bikini with a scowling expression.
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