“No, let’s go to the lookout point first. I saw on the map there are coffee shops and an observatory up there. Let’s read it there.”

Unlike in the movies, walking along the winter beach is not very romantic. It’s too cold, and my shoulders are shivering. Jihyun takes my hand and guides our hands into his pocket. His persimmon-colored jacket is soft and smooth. I suddenly feel a small, malleable object in his pocket.

“Eek, what’s that?” I jerk my hand out of his pocket, and Jihyun pulls out a plastic orange goldfish.

“Huh? You bought a fish?”

“The supermarket had it. I thought it was cute. I promise: I will always be at your side until this fish comes to life and swims.” Jihyun acts like a little boy confessing his love and turns bright red. I didn’t see this coming.

“What’s going on over here?” Eunyong snatches the fish out of my hand and tosses it up and down, throwing it higher than her head. “What’s this? A plastic goldfish? I guess that’s cool. Wish you bought us some fish-waffles instead.”

Jihyun jumps up and down to take the fish back from Eunyong. “You give that back, and I’ll get the fish-waffles or whatever you’re talking about. Do they sell it in the bakery?”

“You’re too rich to know anything about street food, hm? I’m sure you can’t even tell fish-waffles from flower-waffles.” Eunyong sticks her tongue out and runs off with the toy in her hand. Jihyun pursues her.

Why does he like me? Does he think we live in some kind of fantasy land where plastic fish swim in the pond, and toy soldiers shake hands with elephants, and he is a prince on a white horse rescuing the damsel in distress? The seagulls flock in distance, and the sea is calm. I’m like an injured fish that needs to spend a night in his safe aquarium. Tonight would be that night.

Crossword Puzzle

Crossword Puzzle

We arrive at the lookout point with the observatory. Instead of looking out to appreciate the landscape in awe (or confusion), Eunyong looks up into the wide-open sky. The sky is empty, and I suddenly feel like it matches my prospects. Sol puts a coin into the binocular stand’s coin slot and presses her eyes against the viewfinder. All there is to see is the ocean and the clouds. Sol always seems to be interested in the things that one can’t see with the naked eye, she wants to see more, to look under the surface.