“Everything ready to go?” She asked, giving him a quick peck on his temple.
“Almost,” He replied, taking a moment to hold her just a little bit longer before he went and packed up the last of his things. Suitcases in tow, they went downstairs to meet with the others who were already down stairs. Kitae spotted them as they came out of the elevator, jumping up to greet Claire with a huge hug, with FX and Seunghoon following on his heels.
“Thank you!” Kitae exclaimed as he charged up to her to give her a great big hug. Two more thumps followed as FX and Seunghoon did the same.
“Santa is glad you liked them,” She joked, trying to find some way to hug all of them at the same time but failing to get more than half of one arm free.
“You even got us all different things,” FX uttered in amazement.
“We loved it,” Seunghoon added gratefully.
“I’m glad,” She replied, staggering slightly as they released her. “Ready for a day at the beach, everyone?”
They all paused and glanced outside where snow covered the ground like icing on a gingerbread house.
“Don’t worry,” She laughed at their expressions. “Today you will all get to feel down right tropical.”
Trusting her, they all took their suitcases to the front desk and gave back their keys to the worker who was there. Backpacks with swimsuits and such packed on their backs, they headed into the cold and back to the same shuttle bus stop. On the way they grabbed a quick breakfast from a convenience store, hoping to put off any restaurant time for later in the day. This time they stayed on the bus past the amusement park and headed to the waterpark located behind it which was part of the same company. Seunghoon had heard of it but didn’t remember if he had ever been there before. If he had, he assured her, it would have been in the summer.
“Yes, I know it isn’t really something people usually consider as a winter thing, but…” She said as she stepped out of the bus and headed to the entrance. “The indoor stuff is still open and even a few things outside which they keep heated. So it will be a little like being back in Australia but without the sunblock…and sadly, the family.”
“It’s close enough,” FX assured her with an arm around her shoulders. Stepping inside the doors, they were met with warm humid air. Claire led them to the changing areas where the boys went into one and she went to the other side to shower and change before meeting up with them again. With everyone clean and soggy looking and their things stored safely in lockers, they headed to the indoor wave pool. The place was filled with families and children, which meant that people weren’t particularly paying attention to anyone else.
Claire watched happily as the boys waded into the warm water hanging off each other and laughing as they got in. She stayed a bit off to the side, enjoying the warm air and the hum of the crowds as they enjoyed the beach atmosphere. Kids in little life vests played and splashed with their parents and older kids skipped through the water where they could get waist deep and be away from their parents and younger siblings, taking that moment of freedom. The four boys had moved as far back as they could in the pool, enjoying the rise and fall of the waves toward the back of the pool.
“Are you here with family?” An older woman asked as she sidled up beside her.
“Friends, actually,” She replied with a bob of her head in respect to the older woman.
“If that’s so why are you sitting here all alone,” She scolded kindly. “You should be out there with them.”
“I’m having fun watching them have fun,” Claire admitted. “I think some of the more spa pools are more my sort.”
“You should just go and have your own fun,” The older woman pushed. “This is your holiday, too. They can come find you later. You’re too young to waste your time sitting on the side like an old woman like me.”
“I guess we’re all as old as we feel,” She joked back.
“Why are you here in Korea anyway, my dear,” Questioned the woman with an admiring grin. “You speak very well for a foreigner.”
“Thank you,” Claire tipped her head to the woman. “I teach English in Seoul.”
“Oh that’s good,” The woman nodded in approval. “You must be a very smart girl. You should find a nice boy while you are here and settle down. Smart girls make good babies.”
“Ah, haha, well,” She blushed, crossing her arms over her chest as if she might hide herself behind them. “I’m not sure…”
“You’re pretty too,” Assessed the older woman, with keen eyes. “Yes, you would make some very good babies.”
“Thank you,” Claire gave a forced smile, now rubbing her arms uncomfortably.
“Claire-nim, come swim with us,” Kitae thankfully came up beside her, interrupting the conversation with the well meaning woman.
“A little young for you, but he is cute,” She patted Claire’s arm before starting to wander off as Kitae guided her towards the back of the wave pool where the others had been left watching the interaction.
“What happened?” Cheol asked, seeing the bright blush still on her cheeks.
“Nothing really,” She replied, feeling a little silly that it had bothered her as much as it had. “Just an odd conversation.”
“We shouldn’t have left you alone anyway,” He apologized. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Not your fault,” She assured him. “And I’m fine, she was just a surprise and I am sure she meant well.”
“You sure?” FX asked from the other side of her, touching her arm gently.
“Yeah, of course,” She waved away their concern and tried to forget the awkward conversation. “It really was nothing.”
The boys let it drop and started playing in the waves again, this time keeping Claire nearby as they did. When their feet and hands started to feel a little pruny and the pool seemed to be getting even more full, they decided to take a break and grab a snack as they scoped out the other options in the large facility.
After having some early lunch burgers, they decided to try the bubble pool outside, just for curiosity sake. Their bodies steamed as they scurried through the cold air to the open outdoor pool. Moving as quickly as was safe, they all slipped into the hot bubbling water, leaving only their heads above the water.
“Not exactly like Australia, but sort of exhilarating,” Cheol joked as they bobbed around in the somewhat shallow water.
“I think if we stay long enough, our hair might freeze out here,” FX half joked as he spiked his hair into a sort of mohawk.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not quite cold enough for that,” Claire assured them, though she astutely kept her chin about level with the water.
“The water feels nice, but it’s so cold out here,” Kitae said in amazement, huddling against the back of Seunghoon.
“It feels kind of interesting,” Seunghoon decided. “The cold with the warm.”
After twenty minutes in the pool their scalps and ears had gotten chilled, even if everything else hadn’t and they decided to give the sauna a try to warm themselves up completely again. Cheol, Claire and FX decided to try the steam sauna while Kitae and Seunghoon wanted to try the dry sauna first. Both rooms were kept very warm, heating all of them back up in no time. The steam sauna felt tropical but not so humid that they got very sweaty before they came back out, warm and ready to try something else.
Kitae recommended the little alcove on the riverway that had small waterfalls running off at one side as the best place to cool off and enjoy some relaxation in the water. Claire and Cheol stood together under one of the waterfalls having fun with the sensation of the water beating down on their heads. Kitae and FX tried to float on their backs in the water, but without innertubes it was more of a struggle than it was worth, they decided. Seunghoon stood under another of the small waterfalls, arms spread as he laughed, deaf to the world around him.
Before they knew it, the park was closing and it was time to get back to the hotel to pick up their bags and head home. It was a bit of a c
older wait for the busses on their way home with damp heads at the beginning of their journey, but bundled up and huddled together, it wasn’t so bad. They arrived back at the dorms at 8 and were starving after the long day full of activity. They had been so busy, they hadn’t remembered to grab something after their lunch of burgers at the waterpark.
No one else was back at the dorms just yet, and they weren’t expected to return until the next afternoon. They ordered food while they unpacked, Claire mostly helping with the wet items left over from the waterpark adventure, hanging them on a drying rack for everyone while they unpacked the laundry, presents, and candy from the trip.
“Hey, can you help me for a sec?” She asked Cheol poking her head into his room after she finished hanging the wet clothes up.
“Of course,” He straightened up, pausing what he was doing.
“I need to know where the rest of these go,” She held up the bag she had tucked behind his door with the remaining stockings for the members who hadn’t joined them. Cheol looked at her holding up the bag and felt his heart swell. She really had done something for everyone without having said a word.
“Let’s see,” He gave her a smile as he came up beside her. They went from room to room, leaving the last of the stocking on the empty beds of the members and he couldn’t help noticing that each one had a different mix of things inside. He wasn’t sure why it surprised him that she had bothered to put that much effort in, but it did. Aside from some candy, ones he was sure she knew were among his favorites, she had also put in a bottle of his favorite cologne, his favorite lip balm, and a little silver heart pendant he could attach to his phone case. He wondered just what she had gotten for everyone else but decided to ask all the other members later rather than press it with her now. She beamed as they put the last of the stockings on the empty bunk beds, happy to have finished her elfin activities for the season.
Dinner arrived and they happily all dug into the shared dishes, piling a little from here and there on their plates. They all ate together in the living room while they watched the newest superhero movie which had just been released for home viewing. They all looked a bit disheveled as they cuddled together on the couch, their hair having dried messily under their hats on the bus ride home. Claire had let her hair down as soon as they got home to let it finish drying as she had kept it up in a braided bun all the way home to keep it out of the way. Now she had it draped along the back of the couch as she leaned her head against Cheol’s shoulder, with FX’s head laid in her lap.
Despite the excitement of the movie, she felt her eyelids getting heavy and closed her eyes just for a moment. Beside her, Cheol felt her go slightly limp as she fell asleep and turned his head to see her slack face resting on his shoulder. Giving her cheek a soft pat, he tilted her head into a more secure position and leaned his head to rest on hers to watch the rest of the movie. FX stirred slightly when he felt her limp hand slide off his shoulder, but happily settled back into her lap after Cheol gave him a quick look that said, it’s fine, just relax.
After the end of the movie, with everyone but Claire tired but awake, the boys cleaned up what was left over from dinner and took all the dishes into the kitchen to wash them. Working together, they got the food put away and the dishes clean in quick order.
“So, this trip,” Cheol began as he dried the plates alongside FX. “It was all Claire’s doing so it might not be something we should mention to the company, okay?”
“If she didn’t tell them where we were going, how did she get them to pay for the trip,” Seunghoon frowned as he put the already dried dishes back away in the cabinet.
“Uh, yeah,” Cheol cleared his throat uncomfortably. “She didn’t. I don’t think she wanted to mention it to all of you but she paid for everything herself. It was a Christmas present.”
“She paid herself?” Kitae looked and sounded bewildered.
“Yeah,” Cheol nodded, his whole body tense with discomfort at the thought himself. “I’m going to try and pay her back if she’ll let me but I don’t know...with the two days at the park, the hotel, the transportation for all of us, I’m not sure what it must have cost. Oh and the presents in the stockings, too.”
“How could she afford to do all that?” FX asked, his jaw on the floor.
“I don’t know, but that’s why I’m going to pay her back,” He swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Just make sure she knows how much you enjoyed the trip, okay?”
“Of course, bro,” Seunghoon assured him, with the others making sounds of agreement as well. “It was one of the best Christmases I’ve had. The waterpark was so much more fun than I would have thought.”
“We should get her something as a thank you,” Kitae suggested, though he wasn’t sure what that ought to be.
“Yeah, we should,” FX agreed.
“Oh, just wondering,” Cheol interjected as the memory crossed his mind. “Did you catch what it was that woman was saying to Claire by the pool?”
“Not really,” Kitae admitted. “I just caught her saying something about good babies when I came up and then she added something about me being too young. I don’t know.”
“Good babies…” Cheol repeated, trying to find a context where that made sense but not really finding one. He decided he’d try asking her again later, as this information at least, didn’t particularly help.
“You want to take her home and stay the night tonight, bro?” Seunghoon suggested awkwardly, thinking they probably deserved some time alone after all the fuss of the trip.
“Yes,” He laughed ruefully. “But I shouldn’t and I am sure she would say no if I asked.”
“Then why not just let her stay here for tonight,” FX shrugged. “Hyunwoo won’t be back until tomorrow anyway. Just move her into your room and let her sleep. She is clearly exhausted after spending two days looking after us.”
“You’re okay with that?” He glanced at all of the other members in turn, who shrugged or nodded in assent. “Thanks.”
He quickly got himself ready for bed despite the relatively early hour, taking a last shower and brushing his teeth. Now that he was properly prepared for bed, he could take care of Claire.
First, he decided, he needed to clear off the bed and make it ready to put her to bed. He debated waking her up to get her to brush her teeth but was sure that if he woke her up she would just insist on walking herself home even in her tired-to-the-bone state. They had spare toothbrushes she could use when she got up, whenever that was. Picking her up from the couch, he carried her into his room and laid her gently on the bed. He did his best to remove what clothes he could without waking her, sliding off her jeans and socks, along with the loose sweater she was wearing. Crawling into the bed beside her, he arranged her still damp hair so that it was draped over the edge of the bed above the pillow. He spooned behind her and pulled the covers up over both of them, burying his face in the back of her neck.
Chapter 12
Claire woke up as the morning light was streaming happily through the window of the bedroom, momentarily confused until she placed her surroundings. Oh no, she thought to herself, I can’t believe I fell asleep here last night. Her teeth felt scummy and she was still tired even after the hours and hours of sleep and it was hot. She couldn’t figure out why, but everything felt too warm. She rolled out of the bed, her limbs feeling leaden as she put her feet on the floor.
Wobbling on her feet as she stood up, she headed for the bathroom to at least rinse her mouth out. The room swam as she turned the corner into the bathroom. Cool tiles tingled the bottom of her feet as she propped herself against the sink, pausing before turning on the water and splashing some on her face. She rinsed out her mouth, gargling the water a little and wishing she had mouthwash and a toothbrush.
There was a pounding in her head that was only getting worse as she stood staring into the sink. Nausea rose up from her stomach to her throat as she dove for the toilet which, thankfully, was already nearby. She dry heaved into
the porcelain bowl, her stomach long since empty from her last meal. Black spots popped in her vision as she caught her breath, mouth watering as she waited to see if another wave would crest or if she was finally done.
I need to go home, she thought quietly seated half hugging the toilet to stay upright. Another wave of nausea rose up, curling her body as she heaved again. She let out a groan as she spit out what little bit of anything she had in her stomach, the taste making her shudder. Footsteps came down the hallway towards the bathroom, making her wish that she was home alone to throw up in peace. The last thing she wanted right now was someone seeing her looking this worn and pathetic.
“You okay in there?” Came Kitae’s voice softly from near the door.
“Yes, go away,” She managed to slur.
“Claire-nim?” He asked in surprise, having forgotten that she was still there. “Are you sick?”
“I’ll be fine, I just need a minute,” She insisted but her voice barely raised above a murmur.
The footsteps retreated only to come back a minute later with another pair of feet padding along beside them.
“Claire, is that you in there,” Cheol asked, tapping lightly on the door.
“I’m fine, go away,” She groaned, her voice barely audible from the other side of the door.
“You don’t sound okay,” He said as he poked his head in the door, finding her sprawled around the toilet, frankly looking half dead. “You don’t look okay, either.”
“I’m fine,” She breathed, rather unconvincingly. Cheol crouched down beside her, reaching out to touch her very pink cheek.
“애인[44] you’re burning up,” He said softly, a worried tone tingeing his voice.
“I have a fever?” She looked up at him with glassy, half closed eyes.
“Yeah,” He replied, pressing his palm to her forehead. “I think you need to lie back down, 애인[45].”
“No,” She shook her head, causing her to wobble, even sitting, and started to pull off her shirt. “Shower..I have’ta shower.”
The Tutor Page 22
