Family (KSJ)

Chapter 21

In the end you never really talked about Ben playing baseball again. While his medical tests continued to show good progress it was clear he didn't have the energy for such a big commitment. As he was more active spending time with Jin, his Korean tutor, and keeping up with his academic work he struggled to maintain his energy throughout the day. One nap sometimes became two, and while the doctor assured you that Ben continued to recover well he also encouraged you to allow as much rest as the boy needed.

Even if you didn't discuss baseball specifically, the damage from the conversation didn't go away. You didn't really want to discuss it further, knowing at the core Jin was right. It just felt too painful to really talk about.

You and Jin remained friendly but it was clear both of you had pulled back from the other, maybe giving space for the inevitable end. You still went along on activities with Ben and Jin when you were invited and were currently packing for a long weekend on Jeju island. It was rare for Jin to have four days off in a row so he wanted to make the best of it.

Jin had organized for you to take a private flight to the island, not wanting to be bothered with the hassle of flying commercial and feeling the need to protect Ben from any crazy fans. He'd rented a villa on the beach with a private swimming pool. It was a bit late in the season for swimming but the pool was heated and you could still enjoy the sand even if swimming in the ocean was likely out of the question.

Not surprisingly the beachfront villa was luxurious. It had a huge kitchen that was already fully stocked, floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean, large decks, a beautiful clear swimming pool, and plenty of wide open spaces. After a quick tour of the place, including deciding who would have each of the three bedrooms, you took to unpacking Ben's things and then your own. By the time you made it downstairs Jin was offering Ben a small snack while they talked about all the things they wanted to do during their mini-break. Ben was busy describing a large sandcastle he wanted to build while Jin leaned forward, elbows on the counter encouraging him with a wide smile.

"Y/N, would you like a snack?" Jin offered, politely pointing to a small plate of fruit on the counter.

You grabbed a few bits of the sweet and juicy fruits while enjoying listening to the boys chatter about their plans.

Ben could hardly be held back from sprinting out the door as soon as he finished his snack. After forcing him to come back to wash his hands and ensuring he was covered with sunscreen, you headed down toward the private sandy beach, arms full of buckets and beach blankets. Jin followed close behind carrying an umbrella along with a cooler full of water. Ben's hands were fully occupied with a collection of small dinosaurs that would guard the eventual castle.

While you and Jin set up the large umbrella and laid out the blankets Ben found the perfect spot to build the castle. You looked forward to relaxing as Jin ambled down the beach to join Ben nearer to the water. Settling in, you had pulled out a book to read while relaxing on the blanket.

Within a few minutes laughter from both the boys was making its way up to where you were and you couldn't help but watch them play and build together. Ben looked happier than you'd seen in a long time which both eased your mind and brought you a stab of reality.

"Y/N, come here!" Jin motioned to you, inviting you to come and check out their work.

"Y/N! Look what Appa and I made! It's a dinosaur castle!" Ben was jumping up and down in excitement, frantically motioning for you to move faster.

"I love it," you admired and then asked Ben to show you his favorite parts as he excitedly showed you everything that they had built.

"Y/N, are you cold?" Jin asked, noting the goose bumps on your arms. It was much windier down by the water's edge. Before you could respond he was taking off his light blue hoodie and handing it to you, insisting he was warm from carrying all of the water.