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This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Chapter 16 – When the Sand Gives Way Under Your Feet
The day had been an intense and picturesque journey.
Zayra's father, a proud host, had prepared an impossible but unforgettable tour:
the Orchidarium, Güembé Biocenter, and the final jewel: The Noel Kempff Mercado Park Waterfalls,
followed by a sunset walk through the Sand dunes.
Zayra's younger siblings weren't there.
They had left early with their father to take care of urgent things on the family land.
Ryu's father and his older sister, Seo-Young, had to travel to Santa Cruz for a last-minute business meeting.
So, the group that arrived at the waterfalls was small but lively.
***
The sun was beating down.
The humidity of the jungle wrapped their bodies like a second skin, and the temperature was nearing 35 degrees.
In that sticky heat, the water was a much-needed relief.
Zayra dove into the water with enthusiasm, enjoying the coolness that enveloped her and the freedom of the moment.
The water cascaded down her back as if she herself were part of the tropical landscape.
Camila, also in a bikini, laughed beside her.
Both of them played, splashing, dunking, and yelling, with the easygoing nature of girls on vacation.
From the shore, Ryu couldn't take his eyes off Zayra.
He had seen her before in sportswear, yes, but this was different.
There was skin. Curves. Sun. Water. Movement.
He felt an unexpected heat that didn't come from the sun.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to ignore her, but he couldn't and opened them again.
For an instant, his fingers tensed without him even noticing,
while his mind struggled to calm something he didn't understand.
His gaze settled on her. She was free, so beautiful, so real.
He closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm something he didn't understand.
Suddenly, he remembered the commercial he saw on the plane from Washington to Santa Cruz.
A Latina woman dove into a waterfall, shouting,
"Live it like a Latina!"
At the time, he had found it vulgar.
But now, seeing Zayra so natural, happy, and powerful, it no longer seemed that way.
Maybe it wasn't vulgarity... it was freedom, and she embodied it.
The heat increased. Sweat ran down his temple.
Ryu frowned and, without giving it much thought, took off his shirt.
He couldn't stand the heat anymore.
Zayra turned her head and saw him. Her gaze stopped.
He didn't even notice, he just sat down in the shade.
His firm, controlled posture showed discipline and confidence, beyond just physical strength.
Zayra said nothing. But her cheeks tinged slightly red.
"Aha," Camila whispered, amused, so no one else could hear her.
"I saw you, sister."
Zayra immediately looked away and blushed even more.
She pretended to focus on a leaf floating in the water, not saying a word.
Ryu, oblivious to it all, with his sunglasses on, looked at the landscape.
Beside him, Min-Jun approached stealthily and whispered to Ryu in a low voice:
"Do you realize? Both of them are so beautiful... one is already married, and the other is your fiancée."
"What great luck for me."
Ryu just rolled his eyes.
***
But someone else heard.
The young men's mother raised a severe eyebrow and said, in a firm but controlled tone.
"Min-Jun… being in Bolivia doesn't mean you should forget who you are."
"Yes, Umma," he replied, lowering his head.
From a rock, Siraya watched everything.
Her eyes went from her daughter to Ryu, from Ryu to her daughter.
Seeing how he looked at her daughter, she smiled with satisfaction.
"He's already fallen. He's completely hypnotized by my daughter," she murmured to herself, very certain and happy.
Ryu tried to look away.
"How ridiculous," he said in Korean, as if scolding himself.
He blinked faster, adjusting his posture as if to distract himself,
but his gaze kept following her with little glimmers of interest.
Later, in the Sand dunes. the group walked under the orange light of the sunset.
The girls wore shorts and t-shirts; both had taken off their sandals to feel the sand on their feet.
And then the inevitable happened.
"Zay!" Camila shouted.
Zayra stepped wrong. A hole covered with loose sand. A crunch. Immediate pain.
Her ankle twisted. And she fell to her knees with a groan.
"Oh, damn it…!"
***
Camila and Siraya went to help her.
Her ankle was swelling rapidly, and she couldn't walk.
"Who's going to carry her?" Camila asked, worried.
Her father and brothers weren't there.
Min-Jun stepped forward. "I can..." he whispered.
Ryu raised his hand, palm open, with that gesture that said, 'don't even think about it.'
Min-Jun frowned and muttered, "Always the first in everything..."
He was going to take care of Zayra, period.
His mother saw him. "Min-Jun, back. Let Ryu do it."
"But, Umma..."
"I said what I said."
For a second, Ryu's mouth curved into a tiny, almost imperceptible smile that quickly vanished,
replaced by his usual serious expression.
He approached without a word.
Zayra frowned.
"It's not necessary. I can... drag myself."
He looked at her from above.
"Don't think I'm thrilled to carry you," he said in a low, typically cold voice.
Zayra lifted her chin.
"Relax. I'm not thrilled to be carried like luggage, either."
"Then we agree."
He lifted her. With ease and precision. As he lifted her, Ryu stumbled with his own burst of surprise.
Zayra looked at him sideways, trying to maintain her composure while her cheeks reddened.
"Don't look at me," she whispered,
her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.
"Too late."
Camila burst out laughing.
"Oh, please, you're like children. Who's going to fall in love first?"
Ryu's mother raised an elegant eyebrow.
"This isn't love. It's duty."
But the way Zayra clung to him trying to ignore her feelings,
and how Ryu held her as if no one else could touch her, said something else.
And so, they went down the dune.
She was in the arms of the man who didn't want to carry her.
Ryu carried the weight he said he didn't want but had no intention of sharing with anyone else.
As they went down, for a brief instant, their eyes met.
Something like longing crossed his gaze before disappearing behind his usual coldness.
Before reaching the bottom of the hill, with sand stuck to her legs and her breath coming in short gasps,
Zayra closed her eyes for a moment and told herself,
"I can't let myself like him..."