After a quick tour, we headed to a place where penguins were waiting for us.
The little guys waddling around on the ice were irresistibly cute, and my sister couldn’t help but gawk at them through the glass, mouth agape.
Wow, I’ve never seen her so engrossed in something before. She must really love penguins.
“Mom! Penguins! Penguins!”
“Looks like the penguins want to be friends with Jiyu!”
“Yeah! I want to be friends with the penguins too!”
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but chuckle listening to the conversation between a young girl about 7-8 years old and her mom as they stared intently through the glass.
Of course, it was cute, but it felt like my sister was just like that little girl at the moment.
Wham!
Then, one of the penguins popped out of the water and jumped high into the air, diving back in, performing a synchronized diving act.
Everyone watching, regardless of age or gender, gasped in awe, and of course, Older Sister Seo-ha was no exception.
“Uju! Did you see that? The jumping and splashing!”
“Yeah, I saw. That was almost like flying fish level, right?”
“Right, how can it move so easily?”
“Maybe it’s those wings?”
Not having much biological knowledge about penguins, I pointed out the most obvious evidence, and she nodded in agreement like it made sense.
“Sounds right? Oh, and I read somewhere that those wings are also used for slapping!”
“Slapping?”
“Yeah, like they gently slap their buddies.”
“Hehe, cute!”
“Right? They’re so adorable!”
When I said “adorable,” I meant how she imitated a penguin while gently slapping my arm with her weak little hands, but I couldn’t find a reason to add anything more, so I just let it slide.
Anyway, I’ve never seen Older Sister Seo-ha this excited before. Well, she’s been excited before, but… how should I put it? It feels like she’s returned to her childhood.
She seems fascinated by everything, like a kid in a candy store.
“Sis, is this your first time at an aquarium?”
I cautiously threw out the question, and she lightly shook her head.
Given how busy she’s been with studying since she was little, I thought it was possible, but apparently not.
“Hmm, I’ve been before. But it was ages ago.”
“When was that?”
“When I was… 9? 10 years old.”
“That was really long ago.”
I wondered how long ago it was that it was hard for her to even remember.
She visited the aquarium around the same age as that little girl we just saw, and since then she hadn’t come back once, which made me feel a bit bitter.
She loves it this much. I wish she had come here a little more often, even if just with the family or even by herself when I wasn’t around.
“So I was really happy today. It’s nice to know that Uju understands what I want to do.”
“You were just lucky. If I had known you’d enjoy it this much, I would’ve brought you sooner.”
“It’s okay. It’s more fun to come once in a while, right?”
Hmm, that’s true. If you went to the aquarium every day, the wonder and joy would probably fade away until it became boring.
Still, isn’t 20 years since the last visit a bit too long?
As I was lost in thought, hoping to go out and explore more places with Older Sister Seo-ha, we heard a voice.
“Anyone wishing to participate in the special attraction, please come this way!”
The trainer, who had been outside the glass earlier, opened the side door and began looking for participants.
“Oh, Sis! They’re calling us! It’s time to feed the penguins!”
“Really!? Let’s go!”
When I tapped her shoulder, urging her to hurry, she immediately spun around and grabbed my hand, rushing ahead.
Honestly, there was no need to rush. The penguins wouldn’t run away. Just how much was she looking forward to this?
“Okay, you can come in this way. Do be careful as the floor may be a bit slippery.”
Once exactly six of us, including us, had gathered, we followed the trainer through the door.
Inside was just like the scene we’d seen through the glass earlier, only more vivid.
Wow, it sure is cold inside. Well, it’s an area where penguins live, so that makes sense.
“After you put on these gloves, you’ll be giving a fish from the bucket to each penguin.”
Ah, so that’s why there were three pairs—one penguin per pair. It looks like each group feeds one penguin each.
“Can you handle the fish, Sis?”
“Yeah, it’s a dead one, so it’s fine.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As per the trainer’s instructions, we put on gloves and approached the penguin right in front of us. It must have been meal time because it was watching us, waiting eagerly for food.
Seeing it up close made it even cuter.
“Do you want to give it a try first, Sis?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe, then…”
Clearly excited about being the one to feed it, she cheerfully pulled a fish from the bucket and held it out.
Following the trainer’s words, she didn’t grasp it too deeply but held just enough for the penguin’s beak to snag the head of the fish.
Nom!
The penguin dove its head forward in an instant, snagging the fish’s head and gulping it down whole.
Seeing that happen right in front of her, my sister looked up at me in amazement, crouched down.
“Wow! Uju, it ate it! I can’t believe that big one went in its mouth!”
“Big beaks are nothing to mess with, huh? How can it swallow that whole?”
That fish was pretty sizable. It’s impressive how it can just gulp it down without chewing.
“Now that you’ve fed it, everyone please extend your hands. Not palm up, but showing the back of your hands.”
“Huh? Like this…?”
Following the trainer’s lead, when my sister showed the back of her hand, suddenly…
Swish. Swish.
“Whoa, whoa! U- Uju…! Look at this!”
“It looks like it’s showing off because it got fed.”
The penguin came closer and started rubbing its beak against the back of my sister’s hand, making her eyes go wide as if they were about to pop out.
Wow, what a well-behaved little guy. Usually, if a cat is affectionate, we call it a “cat-like,” but what would we call this—a “dog penguin”?
Hmm, that sounds kind of weird, so let’s skip that.
“Uju, you try it too. It’s so much fun.”
“Should I?”
Since she was so engrossed, I got her to handle all the feeding, but she offered me the last fish, looking a bit guilty about enjoying it solo, so I bent down to take it.
I held out the last fish and like before, it quickly snatched it and swallowed it whole.
“It’s definitely cute. It feels like giving treats to Woo-yu.”
“Yeah, it kind of reminded me of Woo-yu.”
My sister had taken on the role of the treat giver lately, so her fervent nodding in agreement was adorably cute.
“Okay, everyone. You’ll soon be heading out, so please say your goodbyes to the penguins.”
As the experience came to an end, we were about to get up and leave.
Waddle. Waddle.
Suddenly, a penguin we’d gotten friendly with approached me, waddling slowly.
Swish. Swish.
Just like it had done with my sister, it rubbed its face against my leg, showing affection.
“Hey, Sis, look at this! It’s so cute!”
It was so adorable it made me smile ear to ear, and I pointed out the penguin to my sister.
“Uh, yeah. It is cute. But we have to start going now…”
“Hehe! It’s tickling me! Such a cute little guy.”
My sister nodded with a slightly reluctant expression, but I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the little guy rubbing against my leg.
Ah, if only we had a bit more time, I’d want to play around with it a bit more. But suddenly…
Squeeze.
“…Sis?”
I turned my head to see my sister, looking pouty, pressing her thumb hard against my back.
Wondering if I had offended her, I blinked and saw her pouting and softly opening her mouth.
“Am I… cuter than it?”
“Huh?”
“Am I… cuter than the penguin?”
“Uh-oh.”
It dawned on me what my sister was feeling insecure about, and I couldn’t help but force a smile.
I never thought my girlfriend would feel jealous of a penguin.
Honestly, a part of me thought about being mischievous and nodding in agreement just to see her reaction, but looking at her blushing cheeks and fiddling hands made me lose that urge instantly.
Even though I knew she wouldn’t think that way, it felt a bit unfair to tease her.
“Not at all! You’re cuter to me than Woo-yu!”
“Oh, that’s a relief…”
Finally seeing her expression soften as she turned away, I couldn’t help but grin.
She usually prefers to be called pretty rather than cute, but when it comes to moments like this, the competitive spirit seems to kick in.
Honestly, I can never figure out my beloved wife’s feelings.
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