After getting off the phone with the Korean restaurant owner— Ms. Ji-Yeon Choi, Gun-Ho said to Mori Aikko, “Aikko, let’s go to Shinjuku Station!”
“Shinjuku? For what?”
“There is a hotel called Keio Plaza Hotel. They have a swimming pool.”
“But, I don’t have bathing suits.”
“I will buy you one. I don’t have it either. Let’s go!”
“Oppa, I prepared this Korean melon. Let’s have it first before leaving.”
Gun-Ho searched Keio Plaza Hotel’s phone number on the internet, and he entered its number to his smartphone to make a call. When someone picked up the phone, he quickly handed his smartphone to Mori Aikko and said, “Ask them if they have a room available for today!”
“Kushitsu wa arimasu ka (Do you have a room available)?”
“Arimasen (we don’t),” the hotel stall answered.
Mori Aikko said to Gun-Ho, “They don’t have any available room for today.”
Gun-Ho didn’t give up and said to Mori Aikko, “Ask them if they have a suite room available then.”
Aikko asked the hotel staff, “Sonogo, suito rumu wa arimasu ka (Then, do you have a suite room available)?”
“Arimasu (yes, we do.)”
Aikko said to Gun-Ho while covering the phone with her hand, “He said that a suite room is available.”
“Then, please make a reservation for that room for two days.”
Gun-Ho came to Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku with Mori Aikko. The suite room that Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko would be staying in, was on the VIP floor where it required using a key card to access the entire floor. After changing into the bathing suits that he purchased at a store on the way to the hotel, he picked up his sunglasses as well. He didn’t want to be seen with Mori Aikko to the Korean tourists who might recognize him.
“Do you know how to swim?” Gun-Ho asked Mori Aikko.
“No. I used to go to a swimming pool in Sapporo during summer when I was little, but I was never good at it.”
So was Gun-Ho. He had never taken swimming lessons before. He had been to swimming pools, but they were packed with people every time he went there. He knew how to dog paddle though. When he was little, he often played with his friends at Jag-Yagdo Island in Incheon city. He just played in the water without really doing any swimming.
Whether he knew how to swim or not, playing in a swimming pool was always fun, at least he didn’t feel hot anymore. Gun-Ho could see other high-rise buildings surrounding the hotel, and they overlooked the swimming pool. Gun-Ho looked at Mori Aikko. She indeed was not good at swimming at all. She floundered a bit in the water before getting out of the swimming pool. Even though the way that she tried to swim in the water was funny, the wet Mori Aikko was gorgeous. Her long wet hairs were sticking everywhere on her beautiful face and body. She truly looked sexy. Gun-Ho thought that she looked like a mermaid even though she didn’t swim well.
“Oh, kirei (pretty).”
The people in the swimming pool constantly complimented her beauty. Gun-Ho could hear some Koreans as well.
“Oh, my. Look at that Japanese girl. She is fantastic. Is she an actress?”
“Look at her body.”
Whenever he heard Korean tourists praising the beauty of the girl who Gun-Ho was with, Gun-Ho felt great. Gun-Ho tried not to speak Korean if possible when he was in Japan and when he was in the public place. When he talked with Mori Aikko, he spoke with a simple and brief Japanese word or sentence. While looking at the Korean tourists, Gun-Ho thought that they would be probably at least middle-class people in Korea.
Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko came back to their suite room on the 20th floor.
“Aikko, you go wash first.”
“You do it first, oppa.”
“I want you to use the shower booth first. So, I could enjoy the nice perfume that you would leave behind while I wash myself afterward.”
Aikko took a shower first. When she came out, she was wearing white Yukata that was provided by the hotel. She was smiling at Gun-Ho. Gun-Ho felt an urge to give her a kiss, but her fair skin and her beautiful smile made him think that he had to wash first to get close to her. He quickly went into the bathroom.
“I will be right back after taking a shower.”
Gun-Ho washed himself. He was feeling the cold water flowing from his head to toe. Gun-Ho didn’t forget to brush his teeth as well. He rubbed everywhere on his body with soap and rinsed them off. He felt like he got rid of all pollutants that were clinging to his body.
Gun-Ho picked up a new towel from the towel rack in the bathroom, and then he saw the towel that Mori Aikko just used. It was wet. He took her towel and smelled it.
“I will use this towel that Mori Aikko wiped her body.”
Gun-Ho came out of the bathroom. He was also wearing white Yukata.
“Aikko, I dried my body with the towel that you used.”
“Oh, why? It’s used, meaning it’s not clean.”
“It was still clean because you used it, Aikko.”
Mori Aikko smiled. Gun-Ho kissed Mori Aikko on her face. It seemed that she already applied cosmetics on her face. Gun-Ho could smell her cosmetic scent.
Gun-Ho walked toward the mini-refrigerator and took out two cold canned beers— Asahi— from it. He then drank it while looking out the window. Mori Aikko came next to Gun-Ho and took a sip of her beer while also looking out the window.
“A beer after taking a shower is always right. It’s very good.”
“I know. It gives a nice refreshing feeling.”
Gun-Ho felt happy. Young-Eun was like a friend and a partner of his life while Mori Aikko was like a flower to him. Two women had different meanings to him.
Gun-Ho couldn’t stand his urge to hold her any longer. He grabbed her arm and drew her close to him. He then put her on the bed.
After spending two full hours in the room, Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko finally came out of the room.
“It’s already after 9 pm, and we haven’t had our dinner yet. Aren’t you feeling hungry?”
“I’m starving.”
Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went outside the hotel building and started walking on the splendid street of Shinjuku. Everything looked shiny and bright, maybe because it was at night. Even though the commercial stores and department stores there closed the business for the day already, all restaurants and bars were still open, and their peak business hour actually just started.
Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko stopped by one of them on the street, and had sushi with a bottle of sake. When they came out of the restaurant, they continued to walk on the street.
“Oppa, are you leaving tomorrow?”
“No, I will stay one more day with you. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow. Let’s stay one more night here. The department stores closed now. I will buy you pretty dresses tomorrow.”
“Oppa, why don’t you stay longer with me?”
Mori Aikko was holding Gun-Ho’s arm for the whole time when they were walking on the street. Gun-Ho usually walked so fast. He was walking fast that night as he had always been. Mori Aikko had to walk at a rapid pace along with him; she was almost running to keep pace with Gun-Ho.
“Do you see the bar over there? Let’s have one more drink there. It says they will stay open until 5 tomorrow morning.”
“That one? Shirakiya?”
“Yeah, Shirakiya!”
Gun-Ho and Mori Aikko went into a bar with a business sign saying ‘Shirakiya.’ They then ordered two bottles of beer and skewered dishes.
