After hearing about the typhoon, Eun Woo and Seol Hee sat on the wooden floor, gazing at the sky.

At first, the raindrops fell gently, soon turning into a heavy downpour. By dusk, water started pooling in a corner of the yard.

It didn’t seem like a passing shower.

“This is serious.”

Seol Hee, hugging her knees, looked at the rain and bowed her head. She picked up her phone to check the evening news.

[The 8th typhoon approaching this Saturday evening is expected to hit Jeju Island, possibly directly impacting it by Sunday. The central pressure of the typhoon is 1023 hPa, with a maximum wind speed of 25 m/s. Tourists visiting Jeju for vacations are expected to be stranded, and houses unprepared for heavy rain and strong winds should take immediate precautions.]

The announcer’s indifferent voice, accompanied by various footage, was enough to furrow Eun Woo’s brows, who was sitting a bit away from Seol Hee.

“This is bad. A typhoon while we’re here.”

“Exactly.”

They had planned to stop by the house, get ready, and go out for a meal, but now, the immediate concern wasn’t dinner. Seol Hee sighed, pushing back her wet hair.

“It seems the flight tomorrow won’t take off. It looks like the rain will get worse. Can we return to the hospital?”

They were scheduled to leave on Sunday afternoon, enabling them to return to work on Monday. They had only taken Saturday off.

Eun Woo checked his schedule on his phone.

“Fortunately, I don’t have any surgeries scheduled for Monday. No urgent appointments either. Still, it’s better to inform the chief in advance.”

“Right.”

Eun Woo called the chief, explaining he was in Jeju for a conference and might not be able to return on Monday due to the typhoon. The chief on the other end, surprisingly, laughed and encouraged him.

[Take it easy and enjoy your summer break. It’s been slow at the hospital since the rainy season set in. I’ll cover the consultations for a few days, don’t worry.]

“Thank you, chief.”

So far, so good. Eun Woo felt relieved, knowing his uncle was okay with it. But then the chief continued.

[Seol Hee is doing well, right? She must be nervous, attending her first conference.]

“Yes. Thankfully, the presentations she wanted to attend were today, so the typhoon tomorrow won’t affect her.”

[Ah, good. She must have enjoyed it. Didn’t get too excited being out with her boyfriend…]

Unnecessary comments floated through the speakerphone. Unwittingly, Seol Hee reached out and ended the call on Eun Woo’s phone.

“Uncle, really, why like this.”

No one, except for her friend In Kyung, knew about her relationship with Eun Woo, especially not her uncle, the chief, who definitely shouldn’t know.
Seol Hee worried about the teasing she’d face at the hospital and her mom calling to announce her new boyfriend. Even when her parents didn’t know she was with Dr. Ok, they liked him. Knowing about their relationship might lead them to plan a wedding.

Worried Eun Woo might misunderstand, Seol Hee hastily said, “I didn’t say that. Uncle just assumed.”

Eun Woo raised an eyebrow, creasing his neat face. “You can tell them. It’s not a secret.”

“…”

“If you want it to be a secret, that’s okay too.”

Surprised by his response, Seol Hee thought Eun Woo disliked such discussions due to his private nature at the hospital.

“I thought you wouldn’t like talking about it,” Seol Hee said.

“Me?” Eun Woo replied, smiling. “I’d like to announce I’m dating Yu Seol Hee if I could.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m afraid you might run away,” he said, seriously.

Was this a joke? Seol Hee wondered if this was Eun Woo’s way of joking.

As she pondered, Eun Woo stood up and said, “We have nothing at home. Let’s shop for tonight and tomorrow. I’ll go ahead.”

“I’ll come with you,” Seol Hee joined him.

Due to rain, they couldn’t go far and visited the nearest town supermarket. Eun Woo held a shopping basket.

“What should we buy?” he asked.

“Let’s get something simple,” Seol Hee suggested.

“Okay.”

The supermarket was large, with items not found in Seoul. It had fresh sashimi and ingredients for spicy fish stew.

“Do you want sashimi? You like it, right?”

“Yes,” Seol Hee replied.

They picked sashimi and ingredients for spicy fish stew. Eun Woo also added items Seol Hee glanced at, filling the basket quickly.

“Isn’t this too much?” Seol Hee asked.

“We’re buying for two days. Better more than less,” Eun Woo said.

Seol Hee was concerned about the quantity, but Eun Woo chuckled, “You don’t have to eat it all. I can.”

“Really?”

“Really.”
“I won’t force you to eat everything, Seol Hee. I can eat it,” Eun Woo said.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

As they were about to leave, Eun Woo noticed an unfamiliar type of shrimp in the seafood section. “These are rock shrimps. Have you seen them before?” he asked Seol Hee.

“No. I didn’t know about these shrimps.”

“Let’s buy some. We should enjoy what Jeju offers, after all.”

Eun Woo, without hesitation, added the shrimps to their basket.

“These are quite common in Jeju now. They have become quite popular.”