TW: slight violence
A yellow sharpie rolled off the table.
"I'll get it," Daniel chirped, reaching into the sand to pick it up. "Here you go, hyung."
Yeonjun accepted the marker, grinning from ear to ear as he turned towards the camera. "See? Isn't our little maknae so nice?"
He tossed the sharpie aside to pinch Daniel's cheeks. "He is such a cutie pie."
Daniel giggled. "Stop it, Yeonjun hyung, you're embarrassing me."
"Alrighty." Heeseung set his markers down. "I think our time's up."
He displayed his drawing of the beach to the camera. "This is mine."
"Well," Ni-ki sighed. "He's no Picasso."
Sunoo rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised you even know who that is. Last year, we were buying ice cream, and he tried to order 'Picasso' instead of 'pistachio.'"
Ni-ki stared at the camera sheepishly. "He's lying, everybody; don't listen to him."
"I'm not," Sunoo shrugged. "Anyways, I have a dolphin in my drawing, and-"
Heeseung nearly fell asleep listening to each member showcase their artwork. It took far too long, and personally, he felt every boy was far too cocky about their mediocre abilities. He bent the corner of his paper out of boredom, longing for the day to move by faster.
They had spent the morning at dance practice-which was not fun with a hangover-and then the first half of the afternoon, visiting Busan's scenic locations for photoshoots and filming. Finally, this Vlive on the beach would end their idol work for the day, leaving them with just fifteen minutes to hustle over to Jihun's beach house, where they'd prepare for Mei's confrontation.
Heeseung flattened his creased drawing, realizing he shouldn't ruin it before it left his hands. Their artwork was part of a raffle, and thirteen lucky fans who purchased their debut album would receive a very average drawing of the beach.
"I love seashells, so I drew a couple in the sand over here-"
"Oh, Sunghoon!" Heeseung perked up, listening intently to the speaker.
Everyone, including the staff from behind the camera, stared at him.
Sunghoon leaned forward, smiling. "Did you want to say something, Heeseung hyung?"
"Uh... just that... there was a bug near your chair?" Heeseung grinned nervously, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts. "A bee, I think."
"I'll keep an eye out for it," Sunghoon nodded. "Thanks, hyung."
He continued with the presentation of his drawing, barely hiding a smirk. As soon as the last person finished, Soobin stood up.
"Thank you for watching!" He waved at the camera with both hands. "We love you!"
The rest of the boys cheered, copying his actions.
"Bye-bye!"
"Can't wait to see you in person!"
"Fuck Covid-19!"
Heeseung slapped a hand over Beomgyu's mouth. "So sorry for his language."
Jay nudged Daniel forward, encouraging him to give the last word. "Any final thoughts?"
"Yes." Daniel crouched in front of the camera, preparing to turn it off. "Goodbye, everybody. Please wait for us."
He covered the lens with one hand as the staff ended the Vlive. "Is it still recording?"
The leader of the camera crew shook his head. "No, it's over."
Yeonjun took off, escaping towards an empty lifeguard tower.
Daniel chased after him. "Call me 'cutie-pie' one more time, I dare you!"
Sunoo laughed, clapping his hands together. "I don't think Yeonjun hyung's coming home tonight."
"Or ever," Kai snorted, watching Daniel play a game of 'which way is Yeonjun going to run around the lifeguard tower?'
Jungwon gently bumped Heeseung's shoulder. "Hyung, you have to be more careful on camera."
"I know. That was my bad; I'm sorry."
"You excited for your date tonight?"
"Terrified, actually."
Jungwon giggled. "Well, good luck anyway."
***
"Okay. Let's go over the plan one more time." Jihun erased his whiteboard, flipping it to face the thirteen boys sitting crisscrossed in front of him on the kitchen floor of the beach house.
"I-" He drew a stick figure. "-will pick up Mei from the hotel and bring her here at exactly six o'clock."
"You guys-" He added twelve dots. "-are waiting in plain sight, keeping her distracted."
"While Yeonjun-" He scribbled a smiley face. "-is hiding under the deck with Beomgyu's 'not stolen' handcuffs, ready to lock her up."
Beomgyu pressed his hands together in the shape of a gun. "And when the time's right... Bam!"
"No," Heeseung sighed, lowering the boy's arms. "Taehyun, control your... thing."
Jungwon raised his hand. "I'm confused. We're going to handcuff her, and then what?"
"There are only three steps you need to remember," Beomgyu grinned, setting aside his bag of goldfish. "Accusation. Interrogation. Strangulation."
Heeseung's mouth fell open. "Taehy-"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm on it." Taehyun blindly stuffed a cheese stick into Beomgyu's mouth while thumbing through a pink notebook. "Nice notes, Sunoo."
"Thanks!"
Jihun cleared his throat. "Right, so after we get her in the handcuffs, you guys can do all your questioning and whatnot, and then we turn her in to the police with your evidence."
"How are you getting Mei to come here?" Jake queried.
"I asked if she wanted to catch up over dinner," Jihun snorted. "Even though we only talked, like, twice at that party. Eleven years ago."
Sunoo frowned. "You asked her on a date?"
"What? No. Wait, do you think she thinks it's a-"
"Ah, forget it. You're hopeless."
"Hey, um, speaking of food." Daniel licked his lips. "Can we have a celebratory dinner afterward? I'm craving burgers."
"Sure," Jihun laughed. "I can-"
"Cocktails." Beomgyu stood up. "If we're having a celebratory dinner, we need celebratory cocktails."
"Yeah, yeah, do whatever you want." Heeseung waved him off. "Kai, you have the tracker, right?"
"Yep. I still can't believe we made it through airport security with that and Beomgyu hyung's handcuffs."
"Hey," Jake laughed. "Kun sunbaenim said the tracker was 'high tech.' Don't ever doubt his abilities again."
"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one carrying it past the metal detectors!"
"Heeseung!" Beomgyu called. "I'm taking Jungwon, Ni-ki, and Daniel with me to the grocery store."
"You better bring back all three. Oh, and can you pick up something for me on your way back?"
***
Heeseung sat alone at the kitchen table, staring out the patio door at his members horsing around in the sand. It was a relatively cloudy day, and the ocean was far too cold to enter. Despite that, several boys tested fate by chasing after the receding waves. He sighed, checking his watch. They still had a good twenty minutes until Mei and Jihun would arrive.
"We're back!" Beomgyu sang, twirling through the otherwise empty house with multiple grocery bags hanging off each arm.
"And we got your flowers, hyung." Daniel trotted over to Heeseung with a batch of pink orchids in his hands.
"It was a good choice." Jungwon glanced around, ensuring they had no eavesdroppers. "Sunghoon's going to love them."
"Thanks, guys," Heeseung smiled. He hid the flowers in his backpack, taking care not to crush them before putting a hand on Ni-ki's shoulder. "Come on, let's go outside. The others are playing tag with the ocean."
"Wait, someone help me carry the grocery bags. Soobin hyung wants to check them because he's mean and doesn't trust me."
"I don't trust you either," Jungwon snorted, sliding a couple bags off Beomgyu's crowded arms.
They made their way out the patio door, down the deck stairs, and towards the water.
"Oh shit, they're back!" Yeonjun yelled, gathering the boys on the beach.
"Yes," Ni-ki agreed. "We are back."
Kai grimaced. "No, not you guys. Behind you."
Heeseung spun around. "Oh fuck. They're early."
Mei and Jihun appeared through the patio door.
"Who has the handcuffs?" Jay breathed, never taking his eyes off their target.
Soobin tossed them to Yeonjun. "Not me."
He kicked a small cardboard box that looked like it had been floating in the ocean, was washed ashore, and then dried out in the sand towards a pile of trash. "God, all people do is litter. We've been out here for barely an hour, and look at everything we've already collected."
Heeseung glanced at the pile, nodding. "I agree, hyung, but we've got bigger problems right now."
"Oh, hey guys!" Mei waved at them from the deck stairs. "Whatcha doing here?"
"I, uh, invited them over to play beach volleyball," Jihun lied as they joined the boys by the water. He quickly slipped away from Mei, putting an arm around Heeseung's shoulders. "I don't know what happened; I swear to god that woman can teleport. One second we were at the hotel, and the next thing I know, she's in the driver's seat of my car, pulling into the driveway."
"Why was she driving your car?" Heeseung laughed.
"She's a smooth talker." Jihun reached into his pocket for his phone. "And I think she was a witch in her past life."
It happened so fast.
Heeseung blinked, and Mei had a gun pointed at Jihun's chest. They stood in a wordless standoff as the boys processed her stance, her weapon, and where it aimed. Jihun raised his hands, slowly side-stepping away from Heeseung.
"Ji hyung, wait-"
"Stay back, Heeseung." Jihun's voice shook with fear, but he remained resolute. "All of you, stay back."
"Beomgyu, no!"
Heeseung watched Taehyun's eyes widen in horror as the older boy slipped out of his grasp and planted himself in front of Jihun.
"Mei, don't do this," Beomgyu whispered, clutching a forgotten grocery bag to his chest. "We can figure something out."
"Hee- Heeseung! Stop!"
Heeseung ignored Sunghoon.
He ignored the pounding in his chest.
And he ignored the little voice in his brain telling him to turn back as he made his way in front of Beomgyu.
"Mei... put the gun down."
"Move, Heeseung. The man behind you and Beomgyu is not your friend."
"Lower the gun first."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"Well, then I'm not going anywhere."
Mei's eyes remained trained on Jihun as she tucked the gun back into her holster. Heeseung upheld his end of the deal by gently guiding Beomgyu away by the wrist. They stepped into the ocean together, not wanting to stray too far from Jihun.
It seemed to happen in slow motion.
The bright white flash.
Mei, whipping out her gun.
A terrifying bang.
And then darkness.
***
Heeseung always thought the worst sound in the world was nails on a chalkboard. After hearing Ni-ki play, he decided a terribly out-of-tune guitar took a close second place. Laying here, however, in the wet sand of Busan's most stunning beach, he realized he was wrong.
Reddish water continuously brushed past him, soaking his clothes and leaving a salty taste in his mouth. An achy pain shot through his body as he lifted his head, just enough to catch a glimpse of the scarlet-stained shoreline. It diluted quickly, washed away by waves until only a faint darkened boundary remained.
Sunghoon was at his side in an instant, rolling him over and ripping off his flannel to check for bleeding. His lips were moving, but Heeseung couldn't hear him over the shrill ringing in his ears. Muddy sand flew into his eyes, and he coughed, grabbing Sunghoon's sleeve to stop him.
"Not mine," he rasped. "It's not mine."
Sunghoon froze in relief, panting heavily as another icy swell of water crested over them. Heeseung's senses returned just enough for him to make out the word 'fuck.'
And then he knew.
The worst sound in the world wasn't nails on a chalkboard or an untuned instrument. It was the cry of a left-behind lover.
"Beomgyu!" Taehyun shrieked. "Beomgyu!"
He splashed into the water, falling to his knees beside the unconscious boy. "Get up, you stupid- Get up!"
Soobin slowly turned towards Mei, his eyes brimming with furious tears. "You... shot him?"
Mei dropped her gun, putting her hands up. "I- I swear I didn't."
"You did." Soobin knelt on the beach, staring blankly into the distance.
Heeseung didn't have time to worry about him. He scrambled off the ground, sprinting to stop Yeonjun from committing murder. "Hyung, no!"
He tackled the older boy into the sand.
"Get off!" Yeonjun spat, fighting Heeseung's grip on his wrists. "I'll kill her! I'll fucking kill her!"
"Go!" Kai took over holding Yeonjun. "I have him!"
Heeseung nodded before taking off towards Beomgyu. Taehyun had managed to drag him out of the shallow water and was now desperately trying to locate the wound. His eyes were wide with panic as Heeseung joined him, kneeling on the opposite side of Beomgyu's limp body.
"Where's it coming from?"
"I don't know!" Taehyun sobbed, his hands shaky and covered with blood. "I can't- I can't-"
"Get him out of here." Soobin dropped beside Heeseung, immediately getting to work.
Heeseung ran to the other side of Beomgyu, grabbing Taehyun by the underarms and pulling him away.
"Give him space," he whispered softly. "Come on, let's wash off the blood."
He led Taheyun into the ocean, tossing aside a small raggedy cardboard box that floated in his way.
"Ah," Taehyun hissed, taking a step towards dryland. "Something stung me."
Heeseung frowned, peering closely at the boy's leg. Blood was gushing from a rather large gash above his ankle. Upon further inspection, he realized there were broken pieces of glass floating everywhere around them.
"Shit." He seized Taehyun's hand, hauling him back to shore. "There's glass all over the place. Everybody, stay out of the water!"
Jay jogged over to them, whipping off his overshirt to stem Taehyun's bleeding.
"Something's not right," he reported. "Beomgyu's only got a few cuts like Taehyun's. No sign of a gunshot wound."
Sunghoon crouched beside him. "Heeseung, you're bleeding too."
"Huh? Agh!" He cried out in pain as Sunghoon pressed a cloth to the back of his shoulder.
"What's going on?" Taehyun gritted, clutching his flexed knee as Jay applied pressure to his injury. "Where's Mei?"
Heeseung craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the scene around them. "They have her handcuffed behind her back and through the handrail of the deck stairs. She's not going anywhere."
"Taehyun ah!" Soobin called.
The boy ditched their gathering without a second thought. Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon followed him, cautiously approaching Beomgyu's curled-up figure.
"Gyu?" Taehyun whispered, brushing aside the boy's bangs.
Beomgyu moaned, clawing at his left ear.
Taehyun inhaled sharply at the movement. He turned Beomgyu's head away from the wet sand with gentle hands. "Hey."
"Grenadine."
"What?" He hovered his ear over Beomgyu's lips.
"The water," Beomgyu mumbled. "Not all blood. It's- It's grenadine too."
Taehyun looked up, confused. "What's grenadine?"
Jay made an inhuman sound. "Oh my god. Oh my god."
He started laughing, relieved. "It's a fucking red syrup used to make cocktails."
Sunghoon picked up a damp, shredded grocery bag. "You bought?"
Beomgyu made a weak thumbs-up, his eyes squeezed shut from pain as Soobin held a sweater to his bleeding cuts.
Taehyun suddenly stood up, shaking his head hesitantly. "I-"
He backed away from Beomgyu, staring at the boy as if a million thoughts were racing through his mind.
"Hey, it's okay." Sunoo wrapped his arms around Taehyun. "He's okay."
"Heeseung, help me up." Beomgyu held his hand out.
"You're a fucking asshole," Heeseung sighed, pulling him to his feet. "Why'd you have to lay there all dramatic?"
"Guys! A little help?!" Kai desperately clung to Yeonjun's left arm as the boy dragged himself towards Mei, vengeance in his eyes.
Jake, Jihun, and Ni-ki lost their grip on Yeonjun's other limbs, and Heeseung watched them get flung to the sand like rag dolls.
"Ayyo Yeonjun!" Beomgyu grinned, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm alive!"
Yeonjun froze. "You're a piece of shit, Choi Beomgyu."
He dropped to his knees, exhausted.
Heeseung refocused his attention on Mei. "Where's her gun?"
"Yeah... about that." Jay hesitantly picked it up. "The safety is still on. She didn't shoot it."
Mei rolled her eyes, hands still cuffed behind her back and through the deck stairs handrail. "I said that already but no one listened."
"Why would we have believed you?" Ni-ki stepped behind Yeonjun for protection. "You're a sasaeng!"
Mei frowned. "You think I'm the sasaeng?"
"You pointed a gun at us," Heeseung snorted.
"I've pointed guns at hundreds of people."
"That's not-" Jake shuddered. "That's not normal."
"Hang on." Soobin scanned the beach. "If she didn't shoot her gun, then what was that noise? And why are half of us covered with glass from Beomgyu's broken grenadine bottles?"
"Hyung, look." Daniel picked up a small soggy cardboard box, examining it closely. "Firework."
"Oh!" Jake grinned, taking the box from Daniel. "We learned this in chemistry class. Fireworks that get wet and then dry out can spontaneously explode."
Kai stared at him. "I don't remember learning that."
"Maybe because you're always on your phone during class?"
"Hey, I'm composing songs on GarageBand. All of you would be jobless without me."
Jake looked down, smiling. "Yeah, that's-"
"Can you two stop flirting?" Jay ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated.
"We're not," Kai laughed.
"Wait, so a stray firework took out Heeseung hyung and Beomgyu hyung?" Ni-ki covered his mouth, snickering. "That's kind of embarrassing."
Heeseung scowled. "It didn't take me out."
Jungwon desperately tried to keep a straight face. "Right."
He imitated Heeseung falling backward into the water.
Mei let him finish his act before speaking. "Hey guys, this is real cute and all, but can we stop straying off-topic? The sun's going to set before-"
"So." Ni-ki glanced at Sunoo. "You think we should eat dinner before or after calling the cops?"
"Haha, very funny." Mei switched her gaze to Heeseung. "I swear I have an explanation for all of this just... let me talk."
Heeseung nodded. "You have one minute."
"I'm a detective and-"
"Welp, she's lying." Ni-ki kicked the sand. "That's like, sasaeng code for stalker."
"Yah!" Mei flipped her hair out of her face. "I'm not-"
Sunghoon casually picked at his nails. "Whatever she is, she's gonna have to prove it."
"I'll prove it when all of you shut up," Mei grumbled.
"Hey, you." Beomgyu pointed at her. "Be nice. You're lucky we didn't make you walk the plank after you killed me."
"There are so many things wrong with that sentence, I-"
"Stop changing the subject." Sunoo crossed his arms. "Name one reason why we should believe you."
"I have my badge and ID in my bag."
"Where's your bag?" Jungwon questioned.
"In Jihun's car."
Ni-ki shook his head pitifully. "Excuses, excuses."
Mei nearly growled. "It takes one brain cell to walk into the house, get the car keys, and open the damn-"
"Jake, go get it," Heeseung interrupted. "Mei, you got any other proof?"
They locked eyes.
"I have Daniel's jacket; it's sitting on my desk back at the hotel."
"The one the sasaeng dry-cleaned?!"
"You- the one you gave to the police!"
"Oh, right." Heeseung bobbed his head, trying to fill the awkward silence as they waited for Jake to return.
"So, should we call the police?" Daniel asked.
"Where did that even come fro- You know what? Yeah, do that. My coworkers will-"
"Nah, let's call her dad," Beomgyu grinned. "The CEO."
Mei froze. "How do you know that?"
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"Beomgyu," Heeseung snorted. "Tone down the backtalk. I want to hear what she has to say."
"Thank you, Heeseung." Mei took a calming breath.
"I'm a detective; I work for the Seoul Police Department. I'm one of six investigators assigned to the BigHit-Be:Lift case, and yes, I got in because your CEO is my dad. I'm supposed to monitor your group and BTS, as well as provide information for the case. The only reason I brought the gun out today was because I thought Jihun was going to hurt one of you."
Jihun shook his head in disbelief. "I was reaching into my pocket for my phone, not a weapon!"
"Well, I didn't shoot you, did I?"
Beomgyu squinted at Mei. "Why haven't you guys made any progress with the investigation? It's been weeks!"
"We're trying, but someone keeps blocking all of our leads."
"You're the police; just arrest them!"
"It's not that simple! Listen. Things are way bigger than you think they are. It isn't just a sasaeng case anymore; it is an industry level-"
"Blah, blah, blah." Yeonjun crossed his arms. "Sounds like a load of horse crap."
Mei pursed her lips, fuming. "Jihun, what are you doing running around with a bunch of kids?"
"These are my kids," Jihun smiled. "I was their old-"
"Manager, I know. I know because I'm a detective. Now stop being ridiculous and let me go!"
Heeseung glanced at the beach house. "Taehyun, help Jake. God only knows what he's doing in there."
"Hey," Kai frowned, patting his pocket. "What about the tracker?"
"Ah, right." Heeseung clasped his hands together, tilting his head at Mei. "Why'd you put a tracker in my phone?"
"Because keeping a record of twenty people without help is impossible."
"Where'd you get the tracker?" Sunoo questioned.
"My boss. The government. Whatever the hell you want to call it."
Kai opened his mouth, looking around for Jake. "Kun sunbaenim said it was illegal for ordinary people to own. He said tech like this was 'heavily monitored' by the government."
"But if she works for the government... oh shit." Heeseung laughed nervously. "We may have made a teensy mistake, noona."
"Congratulations for figuring that out," Mei nodded. "I'd clap if I could."
"We're back!" Jake announced, holding up Mei's bag.
Sunoo rolled his eyes. "What took you so long?"
"I got-" Jake made finger guns. "-locked in the garage."
"He's the smartest idiot I've ever met," Taehyun marveled. "He used fucking physics to open the door."
Beomgyu pouted behind Heeseung. "You just had to send Taehyun."
"Why?" Heeseung snorted. "You jealous?"
Jihun's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, Jake, you did what?"
"Don't worry," Taehyun quickly reassured. "We screwed the hinges back on the wall. Everything's good as new."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Jihun muttered. "Guys, remember it's not my house."
"It's not your house?!" Mei stared at him, mouth agape.
"No, I mean, it's not like just mine. It's my family's."
"Oh, thank god." Mei hung her head in relief. "I thought I was going to have to explain to my boss why we were all trespassing on private property."
Yeonjun scowled. "What do you think we are, a gang of hooligans?"
"Yes."
"That's fair."
They watched Jake fumbled his way through Mei's purse.
"Yeah, she's legit," he confirmed, pulling out her badge and ID. "Wow. So shiny."
"Jake, put that back." Heeseung rubbed his hands anxiously. "And Jungwon, you can let her go now."
"Uh, hyung." Jungwon dug his feet into the sand. "We don't have a key for those handcuffs."
Mei laughed, dumbfounded. "You boys would've been dead by now if I were actually the sasaeng."
She removed her hands from behind her back, tossing the handcuffs to Jihun. "Every cop carries extra keys on them. You should've checked my pockets as soon as you got these on."
Jihun mimicked her. "You should've checked my pockets as soon as you got these on."
Mei rolled her eyes. "I see you're still as immature as when we last met."
"And I see you're still as bossy."
"At least I don't spend my free time hanging out with-"
"Okay!" Heeseung interrupted. "Shall we go inside? I'm soaking wet, freezing, and my shoulder is killing me!"
"How do you think I feel?" Beomgyu grumbled. "My boyfriend's a cheater, I'm bleeding from eight different places on my body, and I can't freaking hear anything from my left ear!"
"What?" Mei turned to him, concerned.
Taehyun's face filled with worry. "Gyu, what do you mean you can't hear anything from your ear?"
"Uh- I don't know. The firework exploded next to it, so that's normal? It'll come back. It always comes back."
Mei glanced at Jihun. "Get the car."
She grabbed Beomgyu's hand, towing him up the deck stairs and into the house.
Heeseung ran after them. "Mei, what's wrong?"
"He might have a ruptured eardrum, which isn't that bad except for all of you laying in that disgusting ocean water for god knows how long could potentially create a-"
She took a deep breath, noting Heeseung's lost expression. "The eardrum is a barrier between the brain and bacteria from the outside world. If it breaks, ruptures, or tears in any way, you're susceptible to life-threatening infections."
"So Beomgyu is going to die?"
"No, unfortunately, we're taking him to the doctor to get evaluated. At worst, they'll give him antibiotics to take home."
Heeseung let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. No extra paperwork for us, right?"
Mei smiled. "Yeah."
"Guys." Beomgyu crossed his arms. "I'm standing right here."
***
"Sunghoon..." Heeseung held out a batch of pink orchids. "Will you go out with me?"
Someone made a gagging sound.
"Kai, go away," Heeseung sighed, turning to face the younger boy. "I'm trying to practice."
"Hey, that wasn't me." Kai innocently held his hands up, lips curling into a smirk. "This time."
Jay took a deep breath, wiping tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry; it was me. You look and sound ridiculous right now."
Heeseung glanced down, frowning at his outfit. "I knew it. You don't like it."
"No, it's-" Jay hesitated, staring up at Heeseung's leopard print beanie. "An interesting...?"
"It's a choice," Sunoo nodded. "It's definitely a choice."
Heeseung closed his eyes, laughing into his hands. "Well fuck. Help me."
"You keep practicing with Sunoo; I'll pick out some better clothes." Jay grabbed Kai's wrist. "You're the same height as Heeseung hyung. Let's go."
"Thanks, guys," Heeseung grinned after them. "Alright."
He faced Sunoo, whipping out the orchids again. "Sunghoon, will you go out with me?"
Sunoo buffered for a moment before reaching up and yanking off Heeseung's beanie.
"That's better," he smiled, casually tossing it aside.
***
Heeseung set his phone on 'do not disturb' before slipping it into his pocket. He glanced up nervously at the boy walking towards him.
"Hey," Sunghoon smiled, gracefully accepting his outstretched hand.
"Hi."
"So, uh." He nodded awkwardly. "What's up?"
Heeseung winced. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to start."
"I believe in you!" Sunghoon cheered quietly. "You got this!"
Heeseung laughed, embarrassed. "Oh god, this is not going well. Okay, Sunghoon. You're my first thought when I wake up. You're all I think about at work. Every day I look forward to seeing you?"
"Keep going; you're doing great," Sunghoon whispered, amused.
Heeseung stared at the ground anxiously. "I appreciate you, and I want to say thank you for being my everything."
Sunghoon pursed his lips, holding back a smile. "Have you been reading Soobin hyung's romance novels?"
"No. Okay, maybe the last part was from a back cover but, other than that, it was all me. And Sunoo. That doesn't matter though, because Sunghoon, I really, really, really like you and-"
"You've told me 'I love you' a hundred times, but now you're using 'like?'" Sunghoon laughed.
"I love you and-" Heeseung brought out his pink orchids. "I want to take you on a date, so will you go out with me?"
Sunghoon happily accepted the flowers. "Yes. Of course."
Heeseung grinned. "Okay, perfect."
He grabbed Sunghoon's hand, dragging him towards a picnic blanket. "Hurry, I don't know when we'll be interrupted, so-"
"Heeseung." Sunghoon set his orchids down gently. "You've forgotten something."
"I've forgotten...?" Heeseung's eyes widened. "Oh, right, uh, sorry. I'm nervous."
He towed Sunghoon back to their previous spot on the beach. "So... do you want to start the kiss, or should I? Because I don't really know what I'm doing and I haven't really thought about-"
"Heeseung," Sunghoon smiled, taking his hands. "It's okay. Take a deep breath."
"We're going to be inter-"
"Whatever happens, happens. I can wait for you."
"You shouldn't have to."
Sunghoon pulled him into a hug. "I want to wait for you."
Heeseung let himself relax in the other's embrace, trying not to break down. "I'm sorry, this was a disaster."
"Stop being sorry." Sunghoon tucked his chin in the crook of Heeseung's neck. "Everything was perfect. You're perfect. And you look very handsome today, by the way."
Heeseung laughed, wiping his face before taking a step back to admire the other. "You look freaking amazing."
Everything stilled as if the world was allowing them a moment of deserved peace.
Heeseung moved closer, cupping Sunghoon's cheek with one hand. "So, is this special enough for you?"
"I'd be okay with a ratty old closet at this point." Sunghoon grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.
Gentle waves lapped at their feet as Heeseung's world exploded around him. His hands found their way to Sunghoon's hips, and they held on tight, determined to never let go. He felt Sunghoon's lips twitch into a smile.
"What?" He murmured into their kiss. "Actually, don't answer, let me guess. You're allowed to smile while kissing your boyfriend."
"Yes, but also no. It's because I can feel your heart beating like crazy."
"Really?" Heeseung pulled back, blushing as he touched his chest. "Just like Ni-ki said earlier: that's kind of embarrassing."
Something brushed past his ankle, and he looked down.
Sunghoon followed his gaze, giggling. "Oh no. High tide."
They rolled up their pants to mid-calf before wandering into the ocean to fetch their washed-away beach toys.
"So was building a sandcastle on our list of plans for tonight?" Sunghoon asked, tossing a plastic sand shovel onto their picnic blanket.
"Yes." Heeseung moved their gear away from the water. "You wanna do that before or after we play catch and eat dinner?"
"Honestly... I kinda wanna make out a little longer first."
"Okay, I'm-"
Heeseung fell backward as Sunghoon pressed their lips together. He kept an arm around the younger boy's waist, blindly patting the sand with his free hand in a weak attempt to find the blanket without disconnecting. For the second time that night, his body and mind were on fire. Everything belonged to Sunghoon, every thought, every word, every choice. He'd give it all away just to stay in this moment forever.
Unfortunately, forever couldn't last. Heeseung knew that. Still, he felt disappointed as the lightest pifft of a tangerine plopping onto sand paused their activities.
Sunghoon looked up. "Did you...?"
Heeseung stared at the orange sphere, recognizing the peel pattern. There was only one person in the world who'd bother taking the time to create a spiral from the skin of such a fruit.
"Yang Jungwon!" He shouted. "You better run!"
The scuffle of feet and a meek apology sounding from the roof verified his accusation.
Sunghoon's cheeks flushed pink as he crawled off Heeseung. "How many others do you think are watching?"
"I don't know, but I'm hungry. You wanna eat dinner?" Heeseung unpacked their picnic basket. "There's strawberries and sandwiches."
"No ramen? Who are you, and what did you do with the real Heeseung?"
"The real Heeseung's been locked away, deep inside this body. Three kisses from his true love are needed to wake him."
Sunghoon giggled, leaning forward to peck the older boy's lips three times. "Is he awake now?"
Heeseung flopped backward dramatically. "Sunghoon?"
He flitted his eyes open, sitting up. "Sunghoon, you saved me!"
"You're such a nerd."
"Acting as if you didn't play along. Here, have a strawberry."
***
Heeseung took a seat behind Sunghoon, hanging his arms over the younger boy's shoulders. He sighed contently, pressing his cheek against the other's back as they gently swayed from side to side.
"This was the best night of my life," Sunghoon smiled, staring at their completed sandcastle.
"You know, most people say that after something else."
"Don't you think you're getting a little too confident?"
Heeseung silently laughed into Sunghoon's neck. "God, I love you."
He smirked, feeling the boy's face heat up. "You're getting flustered again?"
"Oh, give it a rest," Sunghoon grumbled. "It's been days since the photoshoot."
"Mm. Well, hasn't anyone ever told you?" Heeseung leaned into his ear. "You shouldn't start something you can't finish."
Sunghoon suddenly turned around, pushing Heeseung to the ground as he settled himself on the older boy's hips.
"You," he whispered. "Are unbelievable."
Heeseung watched him stand up and start walking to the beach house, unsure if he was supposed to follow.
Sunghoon looked back. "Well? You coming?"
"Oh, fuck yes." Heeseung scrambled to pick up their gear, jogging to the boy with towels and toys tucked messily under one arm.
They intertwined fingers, smiling at each other.
"Oh, hey guys." Jay slid open the patio door, skipping down the deck stairs to meet them. "How was your date?"
"Good, how was yours?" Sunghoon glanced at Jay's occupied hands. "Uh, why do you have a lighter and Jungwon's jacket?"
"And where are you going this late?" Heeseung questioned.
"Don't worry, I'm not going far," Jay nodded. "Just down to the water."
He tried to walk past them.
Heeseung grabbed his arm, dropping all of their gear. "Jay, are you okay?"
The boy didn't respond.
Sunghoon squeezed Heeseung's hand nervously. "Jay... where's Jungwon?"