“Win, are you seriously just bringing this much stuff?” Veronica asked as she once again checked the contents of the suitcases they were moving into the car.
Darwin nodded. As he placed a charger and a tablet into a special bag, he responded to his wife’s question.
“Yes. How much do you want to bring? We’re only going to be in Korea for four days.”
“But this outfit is only three pieces, you know. Is it enough?”
“Enough,” Darwin confidently replied. “We’re going to stop by my house in Korea. When it comes to clothes, there are plenty there. And if we still need more, we can just buy some. It’s really pointless to have a wealthy wife but not make use of it.”
“Damn!” Veronica exclaimed, then burst into laughter.
Making sure that nothing was missing or left behind, Veronica and Darwin then went downstairs to the first floor and started putting their suitcases into the car trunk. At exactly 9:30 PM, they decided to head to the airport.
Upon reaching their destination, as usual, Darwin immediately held Veronica’s hand. They walked together, joining their cousin who had already gathered in the departure lounge.
“How much longer until the flight takes off?” Darwin asked when he faced Kennedy.
“Not more than an hour. It won’t be long before they announce boarding,” Kennedy replied.
Just a few minutes after saying that, they were all finally allowed to proceed to the airplane. However, before leaving the departure lounge, Randy, who had been busy on the phone, hurriedly approached Luna and Veronica, and then handed something to them.
“This is for you,” he said.
“A gift? Why are you giving Veronica a gift? Whose birthday is it?” Darwin wondered. He suddenly felt uneasy after seeing Randy giving his wife a gift wrapped in decorative paper and glittery ribbon.
“You don’t have to wait for a birthday to give a gift, Win. It’s not just for Veronica and Luna. There’s a pair inside. The same for Veronica, there are two kinds. One for you, one for your wife.”
Darwin nodded. Instead of being satisfied, he protested again.
“But why does the one Luna’s holding have a bigger shape? You’re unfair. Playing favorites.”
Randy rolled his eyes in frustration.
“You’re so ungrateful. The gifts are adjusted accordingly. The one Luna is holding is meant for three people. One for Kennedy, one for Luna, and one for Kalvin. Fair, right? Everyone gets one.”
“What’s inside, anyway?” Luna asked curiously.
“You’ll find out later. Just open it when you get to the hotel.”
Luna and Veronica simply nodded. Since there was nothing more to discuss, they all decided to walk together toward the airplane. After waiting for a while, the plane they were on finally took off.
During the first hour, everything seemed to go smoothly. Darwin thought that the seven-hour flight to Korea wouldn’t have any issues. He was even getting ready to sleep since it was already late.
However, not long after, turbulence suddenly occurred. The initially mild bumps gradually grew stronger. Veronica, who had closed her eyes, became panicked. Sitting up, she reached for Darwin’s wrist and held it tightly.
“Win,” Veronica called, looking at her husband with anxiety.
“It’s okay,” Darwin tried to reassure her. He could see that Veronica was genuinely worried. “It’s just turbulence, Ve. Besides, it’ll be back to normal soon. It’s better if you continue sleeping so you won’t get tired.”
Veronica tried to calm herself. As the earlier jolts subsided, she slowly closed her eyes again. Darwin did the same. Feeling tired as well, he chose to join her in sleeping.
After more than seven hours of air travel, the plane they were on finally arrived at Incheon International Airport. Darwin and Veronica didn’t immediately disembark. They had to wait for about an hour for document checks and the transfer of luggage to the next plane. After this, Darwin, Veronica, and their cousins would be taking another flight to Jeju Island.
Fortunately, the flight from Seoul to Jeju only took about an hour. They all arrived at the Villa right at 11 AM local time.
It was Lotte Resort Jeju Art Villas, the place Kennedy had chosen for their two-day stay in Jeju. Upon arrival, they were shown to their respective rooms to rest for a while before enjoying lunch.
“Wow, the place is really nice,” Veronica praised as she and Darwin entered their assigned room.
Walking around, Veronica immediately went to the balcony. She gazed in awe at the mountain view right in front of her.
“Have you been to Korea before?” Darwin asked as he joined his wife on the balcony.
“No,” Veronica replied. “For Asia, I’ve been to Japan, Hong Kong, or Singapore more often.”
“Who did you usually travel with? Sean?”
Veronica scoffed. Her lips formed an annoyed pout. Why was her husband acting like he knew everything? And for the umpteenth time, accusing Sean of being her travel partner abroad.
“Just making baseless accusations. Didn’t I already tell you? I can’t even travel out of town with Sean. Let alone going abroad. In fact, the only guy I’ve ever traveled abroad with is you, Win.”
Darwin instinctively smiled. For some reason, Veronica’s confession warmed his heart immediately. He was proud to be the only man who had successfully accompanied Veronica on an international trip.
“In that case, we really need to tour Europe. You mentioned that you love traveling, right?”
Veronica nodded.
“Absolutely. I really enjoy it. I’ll find the right time for us to take a long trip so we can thoroughly explore.”
After finishing their conversation, both of them received a call from room service, prompting them to head to the restaurant for lunch. As Veronica was about to grab her bag, she remembered the gift Randy had given her, which she had placed on top of her suitcase.
Instead of getting ready to leave the room, she sat back down on the edge of the bed. Her hand reached out to carefully untie the ribbon and unwrap the gift.
“Why are you sitting again? We’ll be waiting for the others,” Darwin asked, looking puzzled.
“Just a moment. I’m really curious about what Randy gave us.”
“Oh, right,” Darwin said while tapping his forehead. “I’m curious too. He’s not the type to give gifts of any sort. Okay, go ahead and open it.”
Veronica nodded. Her hand was still busy removing the tape from the box. Once she managed to take it all off, she cautiously opened the box and revealed its contents.
“Oh my god. Randy gave me lingerie,” Veronica exclaimed in surprise as she proudly displayed the gift from Randy. Shortly after, her eyes caught another item inside the box, with Darwin’s name on the wrapping. “Looks like this small one is for you.”
“Try opening it all at once,” Darwin instructed.
Veronica complied. She then proceeded to open the small package labeled “Darwin Walters.”
As soon as the plastic was completely removed, Veronica’s eyes widened. Soon after, she burst into laughter as she handed over what she was holding to Darwin.
“Look, don’t forget to drink it. Your cousin is so kind, giving gifts of all kinds, even stamina-enhancing pills.”
While Veronica continued to laugh, Darwin, unable to contain his annoyance, immediately cursed. He strongly expressed his frustration at Randy’s crazy idea to give him a gift of stamina-enhancing pills.
“Damn it!