Chapter 43: Ox Island

"Once we start living in Jeju Island more often, I will definitely come here frequently until I get tired of it."

"Alright, let's talk about that later. Now, we should go to the ferry."

Lee Shin-haeng pulled Hyo-ri, who was reluctant to leave, away from the Seongsan Spicy Black Pork Restaurant.

"How do we get to the ferry?" Hyo-ri asked as they walked to the roadside.

"It's not far from here. We'll take a shortcut, and it will only take about ten minutes," Lee Shin-haeng said, leading Hyo-ri towards the sea.

"Is this the right way?" Walking on a muddy path with no one around, Hyo-ri asked doubtfully.

"Just follow me. Do you think I would sell you or something?" Seeing her distrustful face, Lee Shin-haeng was speechless.

After walking for a while, Hyo-ri noticed a hotel by the sea, resembling a villa in the Aegean Sea, with a beautiful blue and white theme. When they reached the hotel's parking lot, she saw a field behind it with tire tracks, which made her feel they were on the right path.

"Wow~! There are two puppies! So cute~!" On the roadside of the parking lot, two white puppies were playing.

"These are local dogs from the island. They are very good at guarding the house," Lee Shin-haeng called to the puppies, "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Come here."

"Really, they came! Wow! So cute." Seeing the puppies approach, Hyo-ri said excitedly.

Although the puppies came closer, they didn't get too close to Hyo-ri and Lee Shin-haeng, maintaining a distance.

Hyo-ri called a few times, but seeing that the puppies didn't intend to come closer, she reluctantly followed Lee Shin-haeng and continued walking.

"Hey! There are haenyeo (diving women)! Look, in the sea."

After a few steps, Hyo-ri called out.

"We're lucky. I thought we wouldn't see any haenyeo if we didn't watch the performance."

"Those grandmothers are so amazing. I don't think I would be as agile as them at their age," Hyo-ri said, feeling touched.

"It's inevitable. Although being a haenyeo is a well-paying job, it's also very dangerous. Every year, some haenyeo lose their lives in the sea. So, they don't want their daughters to do this job. They prefer to work hard themselves and send their children to big cities. Well, let's not talk about this. We should hurry to catch the ferry, or we'll have to wait for the next one."

Noticing Hyo-ri's mood dropping, Lee Shin-haeng quickly pulled her towards the ferry terminal.

After walking for five minutes, they finally saw a large parking lot, and to the left of the parking lot was the ticket center.

Inside, Lee Shin-haeng asked the grandmother selling tickets and learned that the next ferry was at 12:30 PM. It was only 12:13 PM, so they needed to wait in the waiting room for a while. They bought round-trip tickets and received two boarding information cards, one for the outbound trip and one for the return trip, with both of their information written on the forms.

At 12:20 PM, the waiting room announced that the ferry had arrived. They took their tickets to the boarding gate, gave them to the staff, and boarded the ferry. This was a car ferry, with cars parked on the lower deck. Lee Shin-haeng took Hyo-ri to the second-floor lounge, which was warm and had underfloor heating. Everyone was comfortably lying or sitting and chatting. Lee Shin-haeng found an empty seat and they lay down together to rest.

"Just rest for a bit. We'll arrive soon, don't fall asleep," Lee Shin-haeng said when he saw Hyo-ri yawn.

"Ha~! But the floor is so warm, I really want to sleep."

The lounge was so comfortable that they didn't even notice the ferry had set sail. It wasn't until the announcement said they were about to arrive at Ox Island that they realized they had reached their destination so quickly.

Pulling the drowsy Hyo-ri up, they followed the crowd off the ferry.

Walking out of the ferry terminal, they saw many shops renting bicycles and electric scooters right in front of them. Many tourists were trying out the vehicles and waiting to rent them from the owners.

Lee Shin-haeng pulled Hyo-ri to the front of a shop and asked, "Do you want to take the island bus or rent a vehicle?"

"The island bus isn't as free. Let's rent a vehicle. I want a bicycle because I trust you, Oppa," Hyo-ri patted Lee Shin-haeng's shoulder and said with a mischievous smile.

"No way, the island is 16 kilometers around, and I have to carry you. I think I'll be exhausted before we even reach halfway," Lee Shin-haeng said with a face that said he wouldn't do it even if you killed him.

Hyo-ri tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that Lee Shin-haeng was firm, she reluctantly gave up.

Seeing that she finally gave up, Lee Shin-haeng sighed in relief, putting his heart back in place.

"Kitty, let's rent an electric scooter. We won't be blown by the wind, and it's so much better, right?" Lee Shin-haeng asked with a smile.

"Alright, alright," Hyo-ri reluctantly agreed to Lee Shin-haeng's suggestion.

Lee Shin-haeng went up to the shop and chose a four-wheeled two-seater electric scooter. After testing it and finding it fine, he completed the rental procedures with the owner and showed his driver's license, as renting such a vehicle requires an international or Korean driver's license to drive on the road.

The weather was nice, the air was fresh, but the wind was particularly strong.

"See, I was right. We're not being blown by the wind," Lee Shin-haeng said, looking for praise.

"Sure, sure, Oppa is the best," Hyo-ri responded half-heartedly.

The sea breeze was refreshing, making one feel as if all fatigue and worries were washed away. There were many hotels on the island, and if time permitted, staying for a day would be a great experience.

The first attraction they encountered, if it could be called an attraction, was a sea snail-shaped sculpture by the sea. Braving the wind, Lee Shin-haeng and Hyo-ri ran over to take a few photos. In the photos, we truly looked "disheveled in the wind," hahaha.

Getting back on the scooter, they continued their journey and came across a coffee shop. This shop appeared frequently in travel diaries and was quite popular.

"Let's go in and have a seat. Their flower ice cream is very famous."

Lee Shin-haeng drove the scooter to the shop's entrance.

Pushing the door open, they walked in, and the warm air inside was very cozy.

Looking around, there weren't many tourists inside. Lee Shin-haeng and the owner ordered a cup of coffee and a flower ice cream.

The owner quickly brought the items over. The flower ice cream was generous, filling the cup to the brim.

"Mmm~! The flower flavor is very rich but not at all greasy. It's so good, Oppa, try it," Hyo-ri scooped a spoonful and forcefully fed it to Lee Shin-haeng.

"Not bad, it's not too sweet."

This coffee shop had been featured in movies and TV dramas. In a corner of the shop, Hyo-ri found many instant photos left by tourists, as well as photos from Korean dramas and messages from actors. On another wall, there was a window with a beautiful sea view, making it a perfect place to sit and enjoy the scenery all day without getting bored.