Page 63

He jogs back. His feet are caked in sand now and all I can think is that it’s going to track everywhere.

When he grabs my hand, I reluctantly let him lead me to the very edge of the water. It would be too hard to resist him and keep hold of my ice cream at the same time. The tide is just coming in and it splashes against my calves. I let out an involuntary yelp of distress and yank my arm free to skitter back.

“Oh, come on, jagi-yah.” Minseok laughs and I’m glad for the wind blowing my hair in my face. It hides the fact that I’m still so flustered whenever he calls me that. He’s waded back into the water, almost knee deep. Though he’s rolled up his pants, they’re still getting soaked.

“I can’t go any deeper. I can’t swim,” I say.

He looks skeptical. “That can’t be true. What kid from Southern California can’t swim?”

“This one,” I insist. And it’s true. My mom enrolled me in classes, but after I freaked out during the first lesson, she never brought me back. And I just never learned how.

Minseok gets a gleam in his eyes, one that tells me nothing good can come from what he’s about to do. I start to back away, but it’s too slow. He races forward, swooping his hands through the water to splash it on me. I let out an unladylike scream and temporarily forget I’m holding an ice-cream cone as I lift my hands to shield. The top scoop of vanilla plops right into my chest.

“Oops.” There’s laughter in Minseok’s voice. I see it in his eyes, and he folds his lips together to hide a smile. “You okay?”

I close my eyes and take a deep, calming breath. It wouldn’t do to lose my composure. I’ve learned by now that Minseok doesn’t care when I’m shouting mad. My revenge will have to take a different form.

“Hyeri?” Minseok says my name hesitantly.

I open my eyes and force a nonchalant smile even as I feel cold ice cream drip into my bra. “I’m okay.”

Minseok narrows his eyes in suspicion. “Really?”

I let out a light laugh even as I calculate my retribution. “Yes, I said it’s fine.” I’m proud of how smooth and low my voice is. Guess I really have gotten better at acting.

I calmly lift my left hand to wipe at the ice cream. I’m still gripping the cone in the right.

He inches closer and I force myself to keep still, like a black widow spider waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Do you need a towel?” Now he does walk the rest of the way to me.

“I don’t know, is it bad?” I ask innocently.

He leans closer to study my dress and that’s when I strike. I smash what’s left of my ice-cream cone into his face. He lets out a gasp of surprise before lurching back a step. With timing even I couldn’t have calculated, the tide comes in and takes him out. He falls backward with a satisfying splash.

I let out a laugh that turns into a crow of victory, pumping my arms in the air like a triumphant Olympic athlete. Minseok is half soaked as he sprawls out on the sand, ice cream dripping from his shocked face.

“Wow, I wish I had my phone. This is something I want to remember forever.” I glance at the cameraman closest to me and notice him trying to hide a smile. “Do you think I can get a copy of the raw footage?”

Now he does grin, saying, “I’ll see what I can do.”

I shoot him a thumbs-up.

“Hyeri,” Minseok says, his voice low and dangerous.

Suddenly, I realize that there is the very real chance Minseok will want to retaliate.

I back up, the cameraman following along with me. I turn to him and whisper, “Be ready to run.”

He nods with a conspiratorial smile.

“Listen, jagi-ya,” I say in my most charming version of aegyo. “You got me first. This was just a small bit of revenge. We can end it here, right?”

I’m still backing up, the sand too loose around my feet. I know that I won’t be able to escape if he comes for me.

“Nope, this is not on the same level,” Minseok says, scooping up water to wash the ice cream from his face before angrily flicking it from his fingers.

“Oh n—” My words turn into a scream as Minseok lunges at me.