My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty - Chapter 152



151. A Family Trip to the Sea! (2)

Though a sudden decision, this trip to the sea, our three, moved with a practiced efficiency, as if promised beforehand, and began to prepare.

Not a stay-over, but a day trip it was, so no need to overdo it. Just the basics: sunscreen for the beach, mosquito repellent, hats, sunglasses, swimsuits, a picnic mat, and an umbrella in case, then changing into our going-out clothes, and preparations were complete.

Grabbing my car keys and wallet, I turned to look at Aki and Yura before heading out.

“You two got everything, yeah?”

“I got all my stuff.”

“I got everything too!”

“Really? And what’d Yura bring?”

“Umm…. This!”

Yura held out the rabbit-shaped necklace around her neck for me to see.

On the front, her name and emergency contact info, and on the back, her blood type, address, birthday, and such, all etched on it. A lost-child necklace, I’d had it custom-made for Yura’s third birthday, and she seemed to take my words of wearing it whenever we go out quite seriously.

Pleased with Yura, I bent down slightly and ruffled her hair.

“Good girl, our Yura. You must never forget your necklace, understood?”

“Yes. I’ll never forget it!”

“…Aki. Who does our Yura take after, being so clever?”

“Hmph. Who else? Me, of course.”

Akari, as if to show it off, gently touches Yura’s pink bobbed hair with her fingers.

I wanted to say she looked more like me, but honestly, the visible evidence was just too overwhelming, so I instead rose to my feet. Well, we’ve played enough, time to slowly get going.

“Put your shoes on. Let’s head out soon.”

“We’re stopping at the gas station first, right?”

“Of course. We’re going to Incheon, so filling up the tank at the gas station will be more than enough for the round trip.”

“Uh-huh. Yura, can you put your shoes on by yourself?”

“Yesh, I can!”

“Heh…. So cute….”

* * *

After stopping at the gas station and filling up the tank, I started the car.

Our destination was a beach in Eulwang-dong, Incheon. If we had more time, we could’ve gone to the famous Haeundae Beach in Busan, far away. But this trip was decided as quickly as one fries beans in a flash of lightning, so we had no choice but to choose a nearby location.

Still, whatever. When I asked in the group chat, a friend who had been there said the sea was clear, no less than Busan’s Haeundae Beach, and that it was a honey spot only known to those in the know. Compared to Busan’s beaches, it’s not crowded, so it’s perfect for families to enjoy, they said.

“Dear husband, did you know?”

“Huh? Know what?”

As soon as we entered the highway, Akari spoke to me.

Glancing at the back seat through the rearview mirror, I could see Akari looking something up on her phone.

“Wangsan Beach is said to be the first of the Yongyu Palgyeong, um… Ah, a beach boasting the Wangsan Sunset. But what is Yongyu Palgyeong…?”

“Palgyeong is that, right? The eight representative scenic spots of the region. And Yongyu is… Ah, isn’t that Yongyu Island’s Yongyu?”

“Is there an island called Yongyu Island in Incheon?”

“There used to be. Not anymore now.”

“Huh? Why? What made it disappear…?!”

Akari asked me, startled.

Judging by her expression, it seems she’s thinking, ‘Did something serious happen…?’, but knowing that’s not the case, I chuckled.

“First of all, it’s not for the reason you’re thinking, Akari.”

“Then what’s the reason…?”

“You know Incheon International Airport, right? The place we departed from when we went to Japan and France together.”

“Mommy, have you been to France too?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. I went. I went with Daddy before Yura was born, so it’s been about three years now?”

“How’s France? Is it fun?”

“Hmm…. Well, it was fun, wasn’t it? There were a lot of things to see and do, and a lot of things to eat.”

“Aha, is that so….”

“Why, Yura, do you want to go to France too?”

Aki gently smoothed Yura’s bangs as she asked.

“Yes. A friend who went to France said it was so much fun. I want to go later with Mom and Dad, together.”

‘Hmm, France, huh….’

He’d only been to France once, with Aki for their honeymoon. It was a country famous for tourism, so there were so many things to enjoy that he lost track of time while staying there.

It was a city-state with a different feel than Seoul, and the view from the Arc de Triomphe was still etched in his memory, so if he had the chance, he wanted to show that scenery to Yura and share the feelings he felt. He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead and opened his mouth.

“How about we all go to France sometime?”

“Huh…? Really?”

“Of course, really. Yura wants to go, right?”

“Wow, France…! Daddy, I love you!”

Yura smiled brightly. Seeing her in the rearview mirror, he smiled too.

To think she would be so happy with just a word about going on a trip. Even though Yura is mature, she’s still a child at heart. Thinking about it, there was a time when he was that pure too. Well, trips are still good now, though.

“Honey, so what was the reason?”

“Sorry. Where did I leave off?”

“You were talking about Incheon International Airport.”

“Okay, from there…. Um, right. You know Incheon International Airport, right?”

“Yes, I know! Where you get on airplanes!”

He asked Aki the question, but Yura answered. He and Aki smiled at the same time.

“Did you know that Incheon International Airport used to be the sea?”

“The airport used to be the sea?”

“Yeah. It used to be the sea. They reclaimed the sea, I mean, they filled the sea with things like dirt to make land, and then they built the airport on top of it. That airport is Incheon International Airport.”

“Ah~ so that’s why you said it disappeared. Because it was merged into one island because of the reclamation project?”

“Right? That’s right.”

They reclaimed the land between Yongyu Island and Yeongjong Island, combined a few islands that were in between, and then built Incheon International Airport on top of the resulting large island.

After explaining that much, Aki nodded with a look that said she completely understood.

“So, to summarize, Yongyu Palgyeong is the Palgyeong centered on Yongyu Island before it was reclaimed… That right? And the Palgyeong are the eight scenic views of a place called Yongyu?”

“Wow…. That’s right. Perfect. Aki is so smart, huh? You could be a history teacher now.”

“Heung, what are you saying… You’re exaggerating again….”

Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw Aki shrugging her shoulders. Even though she says she doesn’t like it with her mouth, her body is honest. No one in the world dislikes praise.

“But, where exactly *are* the Yongyu Palgyeong?”

“The first is Wangsan Sunset, as I just said. The rest… hmm, I’m not too sure myself.”

“There are things my husband *doesn’t* know?”

Our eyes met through the rearview mirror.

Not being sarcastic, Aki was asking me with genuine curiosity. Did she think of me as some kind of walking encyclopedia?

“I might know the world’s three great waterfalls, but not the Yongyu Palgyeong…?”

“What are the world’s three great waterfalls?”

“Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls, and Iguazu Falls.”

“Oh. My husband is so clever…!”

‘…Actually, I saw it on *Infinite Challenge*.’

Aki, unaware of the truth, exclaimed with wonder like a child. I’d have to take this secret to my grave. Can’t let the weight of being the head of the household fall away.

“Shall we look up what the Yongyu Palgyeong are?”

“Yes, please do. So we can tell Yura too.”

“Let’s see… Ah, here it is. Wangsan Sunset, Bipojanggun Rock, Seonnyeo Rock, Myeongsasimni Beach, Oseong Maple Leaves, Jamjin Fishing Lights, Mui Island Sea Fog, Palmi Returning Sails… These are all the Yongyu Palgyeong.”

“I only know Seonnyeo Rock.”

“Heh. Me too. I remember learning about Seonnyeo Rock in literature class, but not the others.”

“Are they all nearby? Should we go sometime if we have the time?”

“Hmm… the closest one is probably at least an hour away. And if you factor in time spent playing in the sea, just going to see them might be a little tiring, no?”

“Then we should go another time. Let’s just go to the beach today.”

Two nights and three days, maybe, but a day trip would be too much. Aki seemed to know that, as she didn’t object.

“Okay. Let’s do that… Ah, I’m bored on the way, shall we play some music?”

“Music sounds good. Anything you want to listen to?”

“Me! Me!”

Yura raised her hand high.

“Alright. What would you like to hear, Yura?”

“AK-47!”

“……Huh?”

I must have misheard.

From noble mtl dot com

Doubting my own ears, I looked at Yura’s face in the rearview mirror. Is her pronunciation off because she’s still young…?

“Yura, what did you say?”

“AK-47!”

Yura enunciated each syllable.

“…”

I was struck speechless, glancing over at Aki.

Aki, seemingly clueless about this “AK-47” song Yura mentioned, met my gaze with a bewildered expression.

“Honey, isn’t AK-47 a gun? There’s a song with that title too?”

“Uh-huh. You’re right. It is a gun, and there’s a song with that title too, but…”

How should I put this? To be blunt, the AK-47 song isn’t exactly recommended listening for children. It’s got a strong black comedy vibe, so listening to it when you’re older is one thing, but for growing kids… Especially a four-year-old whose sense of self is still developing…

No. Scratch that. It’s a *bad* idea.

“Yura, where did you hear about this song?”

“My friend told me!”

“Did that friend… did they play it for you…?”

“Nope. I didn’t hear it, they just told me to listen to it later!”

“…”

I had to find out who this ‘friend’ was later, *for sure.*

“…Hmm, well that song’s a no-go, you know? Looks like it’s not available.”

“Aww…. Is that so? Then, can we listen to Baby Shark!”

“You’ve listened to that one *so* many times. You still want to hear it?”

“Yes!”

“Okay. Fine.”

Since operating while driving is dangerous, I used voice recognition to launch the YouTube app on my phone. I searched for the “Baby Shark” song and hit play. My phone was paired with the car, so the signature, upbeat music started blaring from the car’s speakers.

The moment the words ‘Baby Shark’ were uttered, Yura reacted, her shoulders starting to groove.

“Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo~ Cute doo doo doo doo doo doo~!”

—In the sea, doo doo doo doo doo doo~ Baby shark!

“Mommy shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo~ Pretty doo doo doo doo doo doo~”

—In the sea, doo doo doo doo doo doo~

“Mommy shark!”

“Heuheu…”

“…Pfft.”

I couldn’t suppress the grin that crept onto my face.

It was a song we’d heard together, oh, a hundred times already. But listening to Yura sing along, a smile crept onto my face without me even realizing. It was both adorable and funny, and it made me wonder just how much she actually liked this song.

“Mommy, Mommy, sing with me! Daddy Shark, doo roo doo roo~”

“So strong, doo roo doo roo~ In the ocean, doo roo doo roo~”

“Daddy Shark~!”

*…Dear, darling, you sing too!*

I glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror to see the mother-daughter duet, and Aki’s eyes met mine, speaking volumes.

*Eh? Me too?*

*Yes, sing along! Yura will be so sad if you don’t!*

*Um, okay…*

Well, there was no arguing with that. Looks like I had no choice but to join in.

“We are~ doo roo doo roo~”

“Of the sea~ doo roo~ doo roo~”

“The hunters~ doo roo doo roo~”

“Shark Family!”

“…Heh. Darling, how come you sing this so well?”

“I was afraid a day like this would come, so I secretly practiced, you see.”

“Really? You really practiced?”

“Daddy, again! Play it one more time!”

“Okay, one more go!”

─Baby Shark~ doo roo doo roo~!

“Cute, doo roo doo roo~!”

“In the ocean, doo roo doo roo~”

“Baby Shark!”

“Heheh. Honestly, why do you sing it so perfectly…!”