Lovers On The Waves, Surfing With Love

Water, Sunshine, and Wakeboard.

On their way to the deck, Keumdae-ri, Ga-pyeong-gun, Kyonggi, was surrounded by waters and covered with sunshine on Friday afternoon, last Friday.

The paradise of water leisure and sports is opened along the state route 45, Yangsu-Songchon-Sambong-Keumnamri, and route 46 and local streets. Placards of `Welcome Beginners` displayed up along the streets.

Two Kims, Kim Su-Kyeong (31) and Kim Hyeon-Ja(30), had already arrived there. They are about to soon marry but do not currently have jobs. However, they are not hopeless sluggards. Su-Kyeong used to be a self-employed herb doctor and Hyeon-Ja, who studied fine arts at college, was a fashion model.

Wakeboard is to be blamed for their joblessness, as well as of their engagement.

``I had been stuck in the hospital from dawn to midnight. All of sudden, I realized that my youth would never return. To learn how to wakeboard, I closed my hospital last year. I have been absorbed in practicing wakeboard in Thailand and the US since then,`` Su-kyeong said.

Thanks to the wakeboard, Hyeon-Ja also changed her course about 4 years ago when she started to learn wakeboard for exercise. She met Su-Kyeong at a wakeboard lovers association on internet.

Lovers on the waves

Roaring motor boat stretched the rope tight and Su-Kyeong flew up from the barge and softly touched on the surface of the water. ``Honey, show me what you got`` Hyeon-Ja shouted on the motor boat. Su-Kyeong replied with big smiles. Su-Kyeong’s wakeboard started dancing around over the waves. When the boat reached a speed high, Su-Kyeong showed off his wonderful performances with spins and flips.

However, in a blink of an eye, Su-Kyeong slammed on the surface of the water. He was trying a difficult flip, twisting his body 45 degree. Hyeon-Ja grumbled, ``He did not warm up enough.``

When the boat returned to the barge, Hyeon-Ja took her turn. Her surfing was smoother than the dynamic performance of Su-Kyeong. Hyeon-Ja’s flips were as good as Su-Kyeong’s.

A Panacea for the moderns.

The former herb doctor expressed his admiration of wakeboard. ``Lots of people are suffering waist pains. It’s because they spend so much time sitting on the chair and do not walk enough. In most cases, the waist pain is caused by the weakness of waist and legs, which eventually debilitate the function of kidney and bladder. Wakeboard helps to strengthen the functions of legs and bladders,`` he said.

Hyeon-Ja added, ``This is just the exercise to lose weight. And it helps your hips up!``

Bae Keuk-In bae2150@donga.com