TL/Editor: looloo

    Status: ongoing

    Illustrations: posted in discord

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    Of course, she''d always asked my opinion when clothes shopping together, but today she was more blatant. It felt like buying lingerie before our first time all over again.

    She seemed intent on gauging my reactions and gaze.

    "It''s pretty, but... isn''t it a bit too sexy...?"

    What flustered me even more was that this was by far the sexiest thing Heena had ever chosen. It was a black bikini with multiple strings, the fabric coverage precariously minimal.

    Heena''s figure is stunning, so she''d look amazing in it, but I worried about the attention she''d draw from other men.

    It didn''t seem ideal from Sarang''s educational perspective either. Thankfully, Sarang seemed distracted looking around at the moment.

    Noticing my concern, Heena smiled and added:

    "I''ll wear that robe cardigan we had at the beach last year too. This is just for your eyes only."

    "Well in that case..."

    If only I could see it, there was no reason to refuse. Come to think of it, that robe cardigan was black too, so it would cover most of the swimsuit and skin when worn over it.

    We looked at a few more swimsuits after that, but ultimately decided on the first one she''d picked up. It was the prettiest to me too, not just the sexiest... Heena probably chose it knowing where my eyes had lingered.

    But that wasn''t all we bought. We hadn''t come just for Heena''s swimwear - we were also shopping for mine and Sarang''s. While browsing, we stumbled upon a family set of matching swimsuits.

    Heena was instantly drawn to it.

    "Honey, isn''t this adorable?"

    "It really is. Should we try it on Sarang?"

    It was a combination of white and black, with diagonal stripes. The men''s one was nothing special, but the women''s and children''s versions were short dress-types that looked incredibly cute.

    Anyone seeing us wearing it would instantly recognize us as a family. Heena, who adores matching couple items, was predictably captivated.

    Until last year, Sarang was too young and small to find sets including children''s sizes, but now she''s grown quite a bit.

    After briefly feeling the material, Heena immediately took Sarang to the fitting room.

    -Swoosh!

    A moment later, Sarang emerged wearing the swimsuit, looking adorable as expected. The thin fabric covering her shoulders like a pareo kept her well-covered, and with everything but her arms and legs covered, she wouldn''t have to worry about getting cold.

    "Doesn''t it suit her?"

    "Wow, it''s perfect for Sarang!"

    "Daddy! Sarang go to beach?"

    "Not the beach, we''re going to a swimming pool."

    "Swimming pool?"

    Sarang tilted her head at my words. The gesture was so cute it felt like cuteness overload. Well, it made sense. We''d never taken her to a public pool since they''re always so crowded. We''d been to the beach last year and the year before though.

    Anyway, seeing how well it suited Sarang, Heena tried it on too and seemed quite pleased. I didn''t need to try mine on - if it looked good on them, that was enough for me. As long as the waist fit, I didn''t really care.

    We ended up buying the swimsuit set without much deliberation. I wondered if Heena would show me the bikini in the hotel room but wear this swimsuit to the pool. She likes showing off that we''re a married couple and family to others.

    Thanks to finding what we liked quickly, shopping ended earlier than expected. Since we were going on a hotel vacation, there wasn''t much else to buy besides swimwear.

    "Sarang, want to stop by the cat cafe before we go?"

    "Meow! Wanna see kitties!"

    "I wonder if it''s still open?"

    "I asked last time and they said they''re open until 10. Oh, but you''re in a suit..."

    "It''s fine, I was planning to get this dry cleaned anyway. And fur won''t stick much unless I hug them."

    I adjusted the seat angle so Sarang could sleep comfortably, fastened her seatbelt, then got in the passenger seat.

    "How''s Sarang? Sleeping well?"

    "Sound asleep. Every time I see it, I think that seat was a great buy. The head support looks really comfortable."

    "Right? And it''s so safe too~"

    "It looks that way. We didn''t forget anything, did we?"

    "Who cares if we did! We can buy it when we get there! Alright, let''s go~"

    "Okay! Let''s hit the road!"

    -Vroom!

    With those words, Heena started the engine and the car began to move, finally kicking off our trip.

    We passed through our familiar neighborhood, navigated the slightly congested city streets filled with morning commuters, and quickly entered the highway.

    Normally, even getting this far should have been a challenge, but today the traffic flowed surprisingly well.

    As if blessing our trip. Of course, there''d inevitably be some congestion from here on out.

    Ignoring the expansive, refreshing scenery that came into view as we left Seoul, I gazed at Heena''s joyful face as she gripped the steering wheel.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "You look cool driving so well."

    "Oh stop~"

    Heena smiled shyly at my compliment. Maybe it was because a beautiful woman was at the wheel. True to her nature of excelling at most things, she drove with ease despite not doing it often, and it looked incredibly cool.

    Her shy reaction was cute too, making me want to say more, but I changed the subject to avoid distracting her while driving.

    "Is Gapyeong the closest rest stop? It''ll take about 30 more minutes from now, right?"

    "Probably, since traffic isn''t as bad as we thought."

    "Sarang should wake up by the time we get there?"

    "We''ll wake her if she doesn''t. You and Sarang both love rest stop food~"

    "Well, honestly, you have to eat that stuff..."

    It''d be a crime to visit a rest stop and not eat that food. Especially the udon - it''s seriously delicious.

    Plus, we left earlier than planned and skipped breakfast, so we needed to eat at the rest stop. As I was salivating over the various foods that came to mind, the highway congestion began as expected.

    A quick glance at the navigation showed it was orange. But the green stretching out behind it suggested it would clear up soon.

    In that brief moment the car stopped, Heena immediately turned her head and spoke.

    "Honey, I''m tired from driving~"

    "Want a massage?"

    "No, not that."

    -Tap tap

    She rejected the massage and tapped her lips with her finger. Seeing that beloved gesture I hadn''t seen in a while, I chuckled softly and leaned in.

    -Smooch!

    After a quick kiss, I pulled back, but Heena pouted, unsatisfied.

    "One isn''t enough to recharge me!"

    "Oh? We should always fully charge then."

    "That''s right~"

    -Smooch!

    Two kisses for a full charge. Talk about fuel efficiency!