Chapter 122 is about the sand. It's over 300 words longer than usual, for those who have read it...
"Kwon Ji-yong?"
An Rufeng repeated his name, and for some reason, it came out very smoothly.
She extended her hand to him. "Kwon Ji-yong, it's nice to meet you."
Kwon Ji-yong unconsciously reached out his hand as well: "It's...it's nice to meet you."
Halfway through his outstretched hand, Kwon Ji-yong paused, looking at his sand-covered hand, unsure whether to retract it or continue.
While he was hesitating, the other person's soft hand had already grasped his hand and shaken it.
An Rufeng squatted down like him, pointed to the sand pile, looked up at Quan Zhilong, and said, "Can I try it with you?"
Seeing that he was just a hair's breadth away from collapsing each time, Anru Feng couldn't help but want to try it herself.
Seeing the unfamiliar look in her eyes, Kwon Ji-yong realized she probably didn't know GD. He nodded and said, "Okay."
With his permission, Anrufeng began to build a sand pile.
Kwon Ji-yong didn't do anything; he just watched her pile it up.
She built a sandcastle just like Kwon Ji-yong's.
As An Rufeng watched Quan Zhilong almost succeed each time, she wondered how she would have done the final step if she were in his shoes.
At that time, she felt that her method was worth a try.
Unfortunately, while the idea is wonderful, only by actually putting it into practice can one truly appreciate the key points and difficulties involved.
An Rufeng tried several times, but like Kwon Ji-yong, she failed each time.
She couldn't help but frown.
Kwon Ji-yong, who had been watching quietly, noticed her increasingly furrowed brows, paused, and then said, "It's the sand that's bad."
Upon hearing this, An Rufeng laughed out loud: "Yes, it's the sand that's bad."
The sandcastle building failed, and Anjou Feng and Quan Zhilong ended this frustrating game.
The two washed their hands at the beach, and An Rufeng took out a wet wipe and gave one to Quan Zhilong.
These were the last two tissues. The used tissues were stuffed into the packaging bag, and Kwon Ji-yong took the trash.
This is the end of the beach; they need to go from one end to the other to get onto the road.
Anru Feng and Quan Zhilong walked side by side along the waterline, and were silent for a moment, with only the sound of their footsteps and the waves in the background.
An Rufeng looked towards the horizon, while Quan Zhilong kicked a bent tree branch that had been washed ashore.
Kwon Ji-yong took a light breath and broke the silence first: "Ru Feng..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Kwon Ji-yong was startled by the smooth and intimate tone that came out of his mouth.
Why are you so familiar with me? This is too presumptuous. Kwon Ji-yong quickly corrected himself, "Ru Feng-xi..."
Oh dear, what's going on? We're not that close.
A gust of wind swept by forcefully, carrying away his words. An Rufeng didn't hear him clearly, turned her head to look at Quan Zhilong, and hummed, her hair brushing against the other side of her face: "What did you just say? The wind is too strong..."
An Rufeng didn't hear him, which slightly eased Kwon Ji-yong's awkwardness. He raised his voice a little and finally said the proper address: "An Rufeng-xi." He breathed a sigh of relief, and the rest of the conversation flowed more smoothly, "Are you here for tourism in Jeju Island? Are you Chinese?"
Anru Feng nodded upon hearing this and asked with a smile, "How did you guess I'm Chinese?"
"Ah, your English and demeanor don't seem like that of a Japanese person," Kwon Ji-yong said with a smile.
If he's not Japanese and has an Asian face, then he's most likely Chinese.
An Rufeng smiled and said, "You have a good eye; you didn't mistake me for a Japanese person."
Kwon Ji-yong seemed to have heard that Chinese people don't like being called Japanese, otherwise they will get angry. He smiled and said, "Luckily, I have a good eye."
Upon hearing this, An Rufeng smiled slightly and asked, "Are you Korean?"
"How did you guess that?" Kwon Ji-yong asked in return.
"You don't look Japanese either."
After An Rufeng finished speaking, she laughed first, and Quan Zhilong laughed as well.
After laughing, the two continued walking and fell silent again, but the atmosphere was no longer as awkward as it had been at the beginning.
The distant sound of crashing waves grew louder as the sun sank lower and the clouds were tinged with orange and crimson hues.
Anru Feng and Quan Zhilong walked slowly from one end of the beach to the other, sometimes silent, sometimes exchanging a few words.
Even Quan Zhilong himself didn't realize that he had unconsciously adjusted his stride and speed to match An Rufeng's pace and rhythm, and the two of them gradually walked side by side.
A particularly playful sea breeze gently swirled up, ruffling Anjou's hair. A few strands of hair, shimmering with a silky sheen, brushed directly against Quan Zhilong's cheeks and neck.
A soft, velvety touch brushed against him, and Kwon Ji-yong felt as if he had been kissed by a butterfly wing. It was fleeting, but the lingering itch felt like it was spreading continuously.
A faint fragrance lingered around Quan Zhilong's nose, not strong, but like an invisible thread tightly binding him.
For some reason, Kwon Ji-yong felt inexplicably at ease smelling this scent.
His gaze was drawn from the distant horizon to her long hair.
He saw a few strands of hair floating and entwining in the air before his eyes, taking on a translucent golden luster in the setting sun.
He saw her eyes slightly squinted in the wind and her lips gently pursed; her profile looked particularly vivid amidst the fluttering strands of hair.
A stronger sea breeze blew in, and her long hair, freed from its restraints, fluttered down her cheeks and the back of her neck as if being released.
She brushed her hair aside with her hand, pursed her lips, and seemed a little impatient with her hair that was constantly being blown around by the sea breeze.
Seeing her expression, Kwon Ji-yong almost instinctively raised his hand, wanting to help her tidy her hair.
Just milliseconds before his fingertips touched her, Kwon Ji-yong snapped back to reality and realized what he was about to do, and was startled.
Ugh, what's wrong with me today? Why am I being so reckless?
Kwon Ji-yong quickly cut his losses, his outstretched hand abruptly turning in mid-air as he pretended to touch the back of his neck.
He looked back into the distance, not touching or brushing aside her flowing hair, letting it fly freely.
Kwon Ji-yong got distracted and lost his footing, causing the two walking side by side to bump arms.
Their arms bumped into each other, and only then did An Rufeng belatedly realize that she was very close to Quan Zhilong.
An Rufeng was a little puzzled. She was always very sensitive to the distance between herself and others, so how come she didn't notice when she was so close to the other person this time?
Just then, An Rufeng caught a glimpse of her unruly hair fluttering around the outline of his jawline out of the corner of her eye. Seeing this, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
An Rufeng quickly brushed back the few strands of hair that had caused the trouble, and subtly distanced herself from him to avoid disturbing him with her hair.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he seemed to be looking at the distant horizon, his attention not on her.
She paused, then couldn't help but turn her head slightly to look at him, only to meet his amber eyes as he turned to look at her.
Their eyes met, and Kwon Ji-yong slowly lowered his eyelids, while An Joo-pung slowly turned her face toward the sea.
After a long silence, the two began to speak again.
An Rufeng noticed that as she walked, she unconsciously closed the distance between herself and Quan Zhilong and walked side by side. She had no choice but to consciously and gradually distance herself again.
The two continued walking forward, their footprints being erased one by one.
Their shadows were stretched long on the beach by the setting sun, sometimes separating, sometimes intersecting, repeating endlessly, like trees standing side by side, or like vines intertwined.
The two chatted from time to time, their topics jumping around, from the seashells under their feet to food, and then to whether there was any scenery in familiar places. The topics were like bubbles in the waves, constantly being created, bursting, and being reborn.
The sun sank even lower, and the golden light became even thicker, completely melting their outlines into the halo and blurring all boundaries.
The end of the beach is getting closer and closer; we'll soon reach the steps leading to the highway.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at the sunset between the sea and the sky. A beautiful day was about to end, and a sudden, inexplicable feeling of soreness welled up in his heart.
"The sun is about to set," he said, a hint of regret and reluctance in his voice.
“Yes.” An Rufeng suddenly felt a little melancholy.
The two got onto the highway; it was getting late, and she should head back to her hotel.
Just then, An Rufeng saw a car approaching from afar on the highway. Judging from the license plate, it should be the hotel car driven by Brother Li coming to pick him up.
An Rufeng smiled and said goodbye to Quan Zhilong: "I should go back now, goodbye."
Kwon Ji-yong subconsciously clenched the tissue box in his hand, making a slight cracking sound.
He should say goodbye, but his throat tightened, as if something was choking him, and the word "goodbye" just wouldn't come out.
He... seemed unwilling to say goodbye to her.
But he seemed to have no reason to keep her.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at An Yeo-feng and finally said, his voice hoarse and strained, "Goodbye..."
An Rufeng nodded slightly to him, then turned and left.
The moment An Rufeng turned to leave, Quan Zhilong's previously steady breathing suddenly stopped, as if he had been punched in the face, and he felt a suffocating sensation in his chest.
Staring blankly at An Rufeng's retreating figure, Quan Zhilong felt a sudden surge of panic, as if he were about to lose something forever.
Kwon Ji-yong unconsciously took a step forward and blurted out "wait" almost without thinking.
Anru Feng stopped in her tracks.
Kwon Ji-yong also paused.
"I..." Quan Zhilong's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked at An Rufeng, who had turned around and was looking at him, waiting for him to speak. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
He didn't know why he called out to her; before he could even react, his body had already acted before his thoughts could even process it.
An Rufeng's eyes were clear and bright, like a deep pool where stars had fallen, reflecting his silent expression at this moment.
I caught a glimpse of the coffee shop out of the corner of my eye.
"Ru..." Kwon Ji-yong cleared his throat, rubbing his fingertip against the tissue packaging, "Ru Feng-xi, would you like to grab a coffee together?"
Upon hearing this, An Rufeng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay."
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Author's Note: [Pity] This world's main story probably won't be very long. I like endings that leave room for interpretation and lingering thoughts, like this chapter, which was originally one of my main story endings [Laughing and crying with facepalm]. Later, I got some more inspiration and wrote more, and the final main story ending is similar. However, the side stories will add some details in a jumpy manner [Pity][Pity]
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