I emerge from my dreams lazily the next morning. Both unable and unwilling to crawl from the fluffy cocoon around me, I snuggle deeper into bed and exhale deeply. My eyebrows furrow as I remember that I fell asleep on Hoseok's shoulder in the bus. Why am I in bed?
"Are you finally awake?" Eun Jung sighs. "It took you long enough, sleepyhead." I peel my eyes open and groan, pushing myself up into a sitting position only to flop back down on my bed. Sunlight pours from the open curtains, irritating my morning senses.
"C-can you please close the curtains?" I beg, my voice hoarse.
"Nope. It's time for you to rise and shine, sunshine."
My lips are so numb from sleep that I can barely move them. "What t-time is it?"
"9:30."
"Hmm, 9:30," I mumble, pouting my lips as I try to remember what we are doing today. "We went to Manukan Island yesterday, didn't we?"
She giggles. "That's today."
My eyes widen in panic, and I shoot up from the bed, adrenaline pouring through my veins. "Are you serious? W-what am I still doing in bed?"
"You were exhausted, Cherisse-ah. I didn't have the heart to wake you."
"The heart has nothing to do with it. We're going to be late!" I stumble from my bed and snatch up the first matching outfit from my suitcase that I see, which happens to be khaki shorts with a white t-shirt – I have learned my lesson about wearing black clothing in humid weather.
"Relax – the boys are still getting their makeup done."
"Still? But it's 9:30!"
"We're all a bit behind schedule – yesterday was a big day."
I pause only to narrow my eyes suspiciously at her. "Speaking of yesterday, how did I get from the bus to our hotel room?"
She winks slyly at me. "Hoseok-ssi carried you."
I take longer than necessary to pull on my white shirt to hide my flushed cheeks. "Did he?"
"He ordered you dinner, too, in case you woke up hungry, but it's probably cold now."
"I don't suppose I'll be getting breakfast this morning?"
"Like I said, I didn't have the heart to wake you."
"Eun Jung-ah," I groan, uncovering the beautiful meal that Hoseok ordered for me. It appears to be some sort of twist on shrimp scampi in a bed of linguine, and, even though the meal is quite cold, I shovel it into my mouth as quickly as possible.
"Mmm, mnn moo roon to da boys' ooms ernd–"
"I'm sorry – what?" Eun Jung interrupts in confusion.
I sigh and swallow my bite completely. "Can you run to boys' rooms and ask when we should expect to leave for Manukan Island?"
"Yes, just let me finish my makeup. I spent so much time on their makeup this morning that I lost a lot of time to do my own–"
"Eun Jung..."
"Yes, yes, I know, I'm going. Be careful not to choke on that linguini – I tried some, and it is easy to choke on."
I swallow the linguini abruptly and end up coughing. "Y-you what?" I demand after taking a few sips of water, but she has already disappeared down the hall.
As soon as I finish my food, I fish through my suitcase for my two remaining bottles of travel-size sunscreen and begin applying them generously to my exposed skin. A few moments later, a figure appears in the doorway, and I sigh irritably.
"Eun Jung, you should not make such a careless comment about choking on food. What if you had been in severe danger and I was asleep, so I couldn't help you?"
"Good point," a much deeper, more masculine voice replies. I startle and whirl around to see Hoseok grinning brightly at me. As always, his smile makes me relax a little but at the same time tense up out of pure anxiety.
"Oh, hi," is all I can manage to say as I think about what he did last night.
"Hi." He gestures to the empty bowl. "I see you found the food I ordered for you."
"Yeah, it was delicious."
"It wasn't too cold, was it?"
"No – it was all right. By the way, thank you for... what you did last night."
He waves his hand dismissively at me. "Anyone would have done that."
"Not Jimin."
He chuckles. "That's true – he wanted to wake you up."
I shake my head, knowing that Jimin would be exactly the person to suggest that, probably with a mischievous grin on his face. "He would." A thought comes to my mind, and I ask, "Have you all put on sunscreen? If not, I have a little bit left."
"Jin brought three large bottles of sunscreen – I don't know that we could wish for any more protection from the sun."
I laugh out loud and continue applying what is left of my sunscreen to my body, using the full-length mirror in front of me as a guide.
"You have a white streak of sunscreen on your nose."
"Hmm?" I glance up to meet my reflection's eyes and immediately see the white casing on my nose. "Oh, I see it."
"I can get it for you," he offers, stepping closer to me.
"Hobi, I have a mirror right here."
"Are you saying the mirror is more reliable than me?"
"...yes?"
He huffs playfully and cups my face, gently running his thumb over my nose to smooth the sunscreen into my skin. I am hyperaware of everywhere he is touching me, and I think he can see the anxiety in my eyes because he puts a bit of distance between us.
"I don't want you to be uncomfortable with me, Cherisse."
"No, Hoseok, it's okay," I blurt, my words tumbling across my tongue against my will. "It's... it's a good kind of uncomfortable."
He lets out a short sigh and focuses his attention on gently stroking my cheek rather than rubbing sunscreen into my nose. I automatically lean into his hand slightly, savoring the gentle feeling and his eyes brighten even more than I thought possible.
A solemn smile rises to his face. "We should do something about this, shouldn't we?"
I don't even think to refute his claim after everything we have been through. "Yes, we should."
He lightly presses his forehead against mine. Even that small gesture means so much to me – it feels like we are connected, as though we are two souls against the world, both protecting and loving each other for all it is worth. Footsteps begin to echo down the hallway through the open door, and he chuckles.
"We will do something about this, just not right now, because we are going to be late."
"Excuse me, Cherisse-ssi, but are you... oh, I see Hoseok-ssi already found you." Manager Sejin greets me with a wide smile. "Are you ready for the next photoshoot?"
"Almost," I say, situating my blue baseball cap on my head and pulling my ponytail through the opening in the back.
"Oh, you're wearing your hair in a ponytail!" Hoseok teasingly tugs my hair. "I didn't notice at first."
"I thought I would try something a little different. Do you like it?"
He beams. "I like it very much, Cherisse."
We head down to the marina, where a boat waits to take us to Manukan Island.
"The boat is really rocky," Jungkook explains to Yoongi excitedly. "Great, right?"
"Not if you have seasickness," Yoongi remarks, his face void of the joyful emotions from the day before.
"I don't have sea sickness."
Yoongi's voice drips with sarcasm. "Well, good for you, Jungkookie."
"Are you nervous about the boat ride, oppa?" I ask, walking alongside Yoongi.
"No, I'm not nervous," he scoffs.
"Yes, you are," Jungkook refutes. "Hyung, you just told me that–"
He scowls at the younger boy. "Fine, yes, I am nervous about the boat ride. I only have bad memories of boats."
"Think of it this way – if you are scared during the boat ride, chances are that I will be just as terrified right alongside you."
"That's true."
Even though I had a very deep sleep last night, I still feel the aftereffects of waking up so recently. The second I yawn, however, sandals slap on the ground behind me and someone scoops me up into their arms abruptly. The yawn stifles my scream, but I still flail in the air until I see who picked me up.
"Jimin!" I squeal, smacking his arm as best I can in this awkward position.
"You cannot be tired today! I must fulfill my role as an energizer and wake you up," he explains to justify his actions.
"This is a vacation – I'm supposed to be relaxed."
"A vacation for work purposes."
"Why are you the one saying that?"
"Because I have learned." His eyes flicker up from mine to something ahead of me, and just as quickly as he picked me up, he sets me back down on my feet again. "As much as I like you in my arms, it appears the plague of tiredness has spread to others." He takes off running and his call of, "Jin-hyung! Don't be tired!" followed by Jin's iconic scream as Jimin jumps onto his back.
"Whatever you do, don't appear to be tired," I say solemnly to Namjoon.
"Sometimes, I wonder if he is actually the maknae of the group."
We both frown at Jungkook as he shuffles past us, holding his camera bag over his head like a hat.
"Jungkook, what are you doing?" Namjoon asks, as utterly confused as I am.
"I didn't put sunscreen on my face," Jungkook explains, "so I am using this to block the sun."
Namjoon and I share one glance and burst out laughing.
"And then I remember that Jungkook is the maknae," he manages to choke out through his laughter.
"Why are you two behaving so strangely?" Jungkook asks, frowning at our behavior.
"You don't need protection from the sun, Jungkookie," I giggle. "Just skip sunscreen."
"But the concept is I Need U."
"No, you can be like Michol, the cartoon character," Namjoon says, making me double over in laughter and almost trip over my own feet.
"Jungkook, I think I'm the one who deserves to be stressed," Taehyung insists, holding an object over his head to shield his face in the same manner as Jungkook. Only–
"Taehyung, are you using a sunscreen bottle to shield your face?" I ask.
He frowns and lowers the bottle from his head to look over it. When he sees that the bottle is, indeed, filled with sunscreen, his eyes light up, and he runs up to Jin. "Hyung, can I use your phone?"
"What is it with you and Jungkook wanting to use my phone all the time?"
"I need to use it as a mirror so I can apply my sunscreen."
"Tae-hyung, can I use your sunscreen, too?" the youngest asks.
"Sure. And thank you, Jin-hyung!"
We board the boat, and this time, I sit behind the boys in the section with the rest of the staff. Thankfully, Eun Jung and Min Jee are part of that section, and we spend most of the ride chatting excitedly, although both stylists take it as an opportunity to discuss the members' hair and makeup needs.
"Sometimes, I feel like I get paid too much for what I do," Min Jee remarks thoughtfully. "Jungkook already uses the product I gave him after every shower and in the morning before styling, so all I need to do is comb through his hair for a few minutes."
"What product is that?" Eun Jung asks curiously.
"It's a sort of anti-frizz, smoothing product that my husband uses religiously on his hair."
"Hmm. Would it work for my hair?"
"Your hair is not frizzy, Eun Jung-ah!"
"Are you kidding me? Have you looked at my hair recently?"
"Do you have eyes? Millions of people pay every year to make their hair as smooth as yours."
"I highly doubt that. Jungkook's hair is unbelievably smooth, though – the product you are using on him is working miracles. It smells good, too."
"How would you know?"
"I spend all day close to his face while doing his makeup."
"That's right. What is that like, by the way?"
"I also get paid too much for what I do. All seven have flawless skin, so foundation blends in almost perfectly – they're so beautiful, too, that it's easy to get carried away with their makeup." She sighs wistfully. "Is it too much to ask for a day where I just experiment on them?"
"How much makeup do you put on them?"
"Only what they need – and it isn't much." She pouts slightly. "I should ask BigHit for that one day as a Christmas present."
"If you want, I can just ask the boys if they would be interested," I offer, smiling in amusement at their conversation.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot we have their best friend on our side," Min Jee chuckles.
"What?"
"Don't play like you don't know – you're so close to BTS that most of the world envies you."
"I j-just... I just want to help you out, Eun Jung."
"Thank you, Cherisse-ah," she says, smiling excitedly. "That would be amazing. Oh, my goodness, Min Jee-unnie, can you imagine Jimin with a blue eyeshadow palette? I would put navy blue on the outer corner of his eye and fill in his eyelid with a more turquoise-like shade, and then I would..."
I begin to tune the two out as we dock at the island, and the boys set out on their mission to achieve as many beautiful pictures as possible. I wander around Manukan Island, careful to stay out of the way of the photographers. The tiny grains of white sand feel comforting against the soles of my feet, and I wade far enough into the water that it laps at my ankles. The warmth of the ocean water envelops me in an unfamiliar sensation, but if I close my eyes and forget about the temperature, it is the same feeling I experienced every time my parents and I visited Durdle Door.
--Flashback--
"Daddy, why does the ocean look so big?" I asked, my brows furrowed in confusion as I squinted in an attempt to see the land that must be on the other side of the sea.
My father chuckled and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. His skin was calloused from his younger years of farming with his family, but it felt so familiar and comforting. "The English Channel is 35 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, sweetie. If I were to take you to the west side of England, it would seem infinitely bigger."
"Can we go to the west side, then?" I jumped up and down excitedly, tugging on the hem of his shirt.
"Not at the moment, dear. Just enjoy Durdle Door, will you?"
My face fell to a pout. "But we have been here so many times, Daddy."
He smiled somberly and turned me to look out at the marvelous structure that had become an iconic attraction on the Jurassic Coast of England. "You will cherish this memory someday, my love. Savor every moment of it."
"Like a dessert?" I giggled, quick to forget my exasperation.
"Just like a dessert. Savor this moment like a delicious apple tart – the ones I make for you."
"Mmm." I could almost taste the sweet pastry in my mouth. "Can you make more apple tarts when we get home?"
"Lucky for you, your mother has some packed for our lunch."
My eyes widened in utter excitement. "Do you mean it?"
He chuckled in amusement. "Of course, I mean it." When I dashed off towards Mother, he called after me, "You have to eat your vegetables first, though."
"But, Daddy!"
"I mean it. You want to grow big like me, don't you?"
"Not anymore. I just want an apple tart."
He laughed heartily and chased after me, making me squeal in mock fright.
--End of Flashback--
My eyes pop back open, and I am aware of a wet sensation on my skin. I lift my hand and hastily wipe the tears from my cheek. Back then, I did not know that I would cherish that small memory as much as I do now. I don't have regrets about my life before my parents passed away, but I do wish that I spent more time in the present rather than looking towards the future.
"Cherisse!"
I turn and see Jimin casually stretched out on a hammock, holding a camera out to capture my figure.
"Yes?" I say weakly, sniffling the congestion from my nose.
"Come here – we have to discuss Manukan Island."
I shuffle towards him, and he moves over so I can lay down in the hammock beside him. He puts his arm behind my head so that we both fit and then looks up towards the camera. The second he sees my reflection, he frowns.
"Have you been crying?"
"Yeah," I sigh, swiping at my tear-stained cheeks.
He swiftly stops the recording and turns all of his attention to me, lightly brushing his fingers over the back of my hand. "What happened?"
"I was just thinking about my parents. I wish I had savored the time I had with them. When I was a kid, I didn't understand that everything could be taken away from me in a split second, so I never thought to cherish what I had." The tears are returning full-force and trickling down my cheeks unceasingly. I give up on wiping them away.
"Is there a specific memory you were thinking about?"
I nod. "My parents took me to Durdle Door every few weekends, and I got bored of seeing the same thing over and over again. It has become one of my most treasured memories now, but my mind is getting a little foggy. I would have been able to remember the exact details if I had savored the moment. I was so worried about seeing the west side of England that I never thought about how beautiful the Jurassic Coast was."
"What was so important about Durdle Door?"
"My mum and dad were married there, so it was a special place for them, and they hoped it would carry the same meaningful quality in my heart."
"Doesn't it?"
"Yes, but not in the way it should."
He sighs and nuzzles his forehead against mine lovingly. That small gesture makes another flood of tears pour from my eyes, and I tuck myself closer to him, remembering my days where he was the only person who would comfort me in the way I needed.
"You can't change the past, Cherisse," he murmurs. "Right now, you're developing relationships very similar to what you had with your parents. If you don't think you lived in the present with your parents enough, change for the future. Focus on us – focus on me. I'm not going to lie and say I will always be here for you, but if you cherish these memories, I will always be in your heart."
A strangled sob wrenches from my throat, and he wraps his other arm around me, pulling me into a cocoon of his warmth and comfort.
"I love you so much, Cherisse-ah, and I hate seeing you sad."
"I love you, too, Jiminie. You're right – even if you haven't been physically with me, you've always been in my heart. It's just... I never realized why I missed you so much during those five years until now."
"Why? Because of my charm and good looks?" He pulls his sunglasses lower on his nose to wink playfully at me.
"No," I giggle quietly, my fingers toying with a thread on his shirt. "Because you are one of the few people who listen to what I have to say."
"Venting is the best way to cope with hardships."
"Exactly – you understand that."
His eyes form familiar crescents as he smiles and presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I'm glad I could help. Now, should we get back to filming?"
"Yes." I quickly reconsider just before he presses the 'record' button. "Wait, do I look like I've been crying?"
He wipes the few remaining tears from my cheeks and assures me, "No – you look as beautiful as ever."
Ignoring my flushed cheeks, he clicks the red button and begins filming the two of us rocking gently back and forth in the hammock. "Let's see – where are we right now, Cherisse?"
"Manukan Island," I reply, resting my head on his shoulder as he peers up at the camera through his sunglasses.
"What's it like here?"
"It's very warm, but there's a slightly cooler breeze from the sea. I can see a lot of greenery from here, and – oh, can you show the ocean? It is so beautiful!"
He turns the camera outwards so that it captures the stunning image of the sea tumbling inward on itself. The view is complete with beach chairs under the shade of orange umbrellas on the white-sand beach.
"Geez, isn't this fine? Look at this tall tree!" He pans the camera up the trunk of one of the palm trees that the hammock is securely knotted to and then flips the camera back to us. "The sea is great, I'm great, Cherisse is great, let's sleep." I giggle and snuggle closer into him, playfully closing my eyes.
"Hush, little baby," he sings lightly, using his body weight to rock the hammock back and forth. "Don't you cry." He stops abruptly and asks, "Wait, Cherisse, are you falling asleep?"
I pop my eyes back open. "No. If you remember, I had a very restful sleep last night."
He grins. "No thanks to me. I wanted to–"
"–wake me. Yes, I know."
The photo shoot on Manukan Island ends as the photographer wraps up with a few group photos of BTS on the beach. I bite my lip as my eyes scan the boys and linger a little too long on three in particular. My feelings are so complicated that I can't distinguish which kind of love I feel for the three of them. My heart is telling me that I want to pursue a romantic relationship with them, but my heart has told me plenty of things in the past that aren't true. All I want is clarification. Is that too much to ask for?
The next event we tackle for the day is extreme sports, although, thank God, I am not expected to take part in them. The word 'extreme' threw me off.
"No, it's not scary," Yoongi assures Hoseok. "It's not as scary as the rides in amusement parks.
"Rides are only scary for three seconds," Hoseok groans, looking exhausted from all the risks he is taking during this vacation.
"You know, if you fall from here, a real shark can come and bite you," Namjoon remarks suddenly.
"R-really?" I ask, my eyes immediately glued to him. He nods solemnly.
"Yah, don't talk about sharks – it's scary," Jin scolds him.
"Look at this," Taehyung says quietly, gazing down at a mysterious dark blob in the depths of the sea.
"Is that a shark?" I ask rapidly, my words tumbling over each other.
"It could be," Jimin says with wide eyes.
"Jiminie! Don't do that."
"Be careful, really," Namjoon says seriously. "I read the news about people who got bitten while riding banana boats. If a shark comes, pretend to be asleep, okay?"
"Shark? That's for bears," Jin refutes.
"Ah, then pretend to be dead," Namjoon corrects himself. "Don't pretend to be asleep."
I gnaw on my lower lip anxiously. "Namjoon oppa, you aren't helping the matter."
While we wait for the banana boat to come into view, I do a quick search on Manager Sejin's phone on what to do if a shark approaches you. As well as getting many helpful results, the websites cover every possible situation that could occur if the shark becomes angry; some of them are terrifying enough to haunt me long after we exit the water.
"What are you looking at?" Jimin asks, peering over my shoulder.
"Don't you dare play dead!" I say, swiveling to face him completely. "If a shark comes, the best thing to do is maintain eye contact with it, and if it attacks you, defend yourself with everything you have. You're not bleeding right?" My eyes scan his body thoroughly, searching for even the slightest mark that may begin to bleed. "Have you sustained any injuries I don't know about? Sharks are drawn to even the slightest hint of blood, and I swear, Jimin, if you get attacked by a shark because you had a small cut you didn't tell me about, I will never forgive myself–"
He presses his finger to my lips, silencing me effectively. "Cherisse, you worry too much. We're all going to be fine."
I deflate, and he lightly smooths back my hair. "I know – I just can't imagine anything happening to you. I mean, what would I do without you all? I can't lose the only people I have left."
He bites his lip and glances out at the sea for a split second before saying, "Don't you dare make me cry, idiot."
I smile softly and drop my head to his shoulder, letting all thoughts of a potential shark attack release from my brain. "Just don't go in the water if you're bleeding, okay?"
"My heart is bleeding now because of that sentimental speech you just made."
"You had better stay out of the water, then."
"Fat chance. I'm going to sit in the front seat of the banana boat, and nothing will stop me."
As it would turn out, Yoongi prohibits him from claiming the front seat, no matter how many times Jimin insists that Yoongi somehow cheated at the rock, paper, scissors game they use to decide their order on the banana boat. The seven gear up with life jackets, and their grins help me forget about the fears Namjoon instated in my heart. They board the banana boat with joy blatant on their faces, but when Hoseok tries to get on as well, I am the first to notice what happens.
"Hey, c-can someone grab Hoseok?" I ask, giggles threatening to push from my throat as his screeches echo in the air. While attempting to board the banana boat, he accidentally pushed it away from him and now hangs helplessly in the air, screaming like the devil itself is upon him. Once the staff members and Bangtan boys realize the current situation, they are unable to control their laughter, and I collapse to the floor of the boat as I laugh harder than I thought possible.
"I want to die!" Hoseok screeches. "I'm not doing this, guys. No, I swear, I'm not doing this!" His tone is flooding with desperation, but I'm laughing so hard I can barely breathe, much less lift myself off the floor to help him.
"Look at Cherisse!" Jimin gasps, doubled over in laughter himself.
Hoseok glances back at me and immediately, a smile rises to his face. I glance up at him, although his figure is blurred through the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
A few moments later, I let out a final chuckle and wipe the tears from my eyes. "Oh, my goodness, Hobi. That was the hardest I've ever laughed in my life."
"Guys, I really don't want to do this," he pleads. "What if we get attacked by a shark like Cherisse was talking about?"
"Hoseok, I was overreacting," I giggle, wrapping my arms around him as I try to gather my bearings. "I promise – you will be completely safe."
"Come on, hyung – we're going to have so much fun!" Jungkook insists from the third seat.
"Do you promise nothing will happen to me?" Hoseok asks me quietly, the humor from before dissolved in his dark brown eyes.
I smile and rest my hand on his cheek. "What was it you told me before we rode the Racing Coaster on my birthday?"
"I told you that, sometimes, letting life take control is the only way to live it," he admits, defeated.
I nod reassuringly. "Let life take control for a moment and have fun, okay? I promise you – nothing will happen, but I will be right here even if something does."
Those words are all it takes for him to board the banana boat, although he does not share the enthusiasm of the other members when the contraption slowly begins to move forward, propelled by the boat.
"Being a professional makeup artist in a salon was torture compared to this," Eun Jung remarks, still grinning. "I don't think I have ever loved my job more."
"Honestly, I don't know what I would do without these boys' antics," Min Jee jokes, glancing back at the boys as they whoop and holler in excitement whenever the banana boat hits a small wave.
All of a sudden, as the helmsman takes a bit of a sharper turn, the banana boat tips over, and all seven of them tumble into the water, making loud laughter erupt from the staff. It does nothing to dampen the boys' exhilaration as they swim towards the boat, talking so rapidly and excitedly that I can hardly distinguish what they are saying.
"It's so salty," Yoongi remarks as he climbs back aboard the boat. "I thought I was the only one thrown off, but everyone got thrown off."
"Cherisse-ah!" Hoseok screams, splashing through the water to reach the boat. "You promised me nothing would happen!"
"I was talking about a shark attack," I giggle. "You didn't swallow any water, did you?"
"What, is that going to attract sharks, too?"
"No, but the excessive sodium intake could potentially lead to a coma, organ failure, and death," Yoongi remarks casually.
Hoseok freezes in the water before screeching, "What?"
"I was going to say that in a bit friendlier manner," I say quietly to Yoongi.
"Like what – if you drink ocean water, you may experience a series of catastrophic failures throughout your organs due to a lack of blood, which could potentially lead to the shutting down of the body?"
"...that sounds worse."
He shrugs. "That's what happens."
After that exciting experience, Hoseok is relieved to learn that he will only be partaking in one more extreme sport, although he is not entirely thrilled to learn it is an event that involves heights.
"Noona, you will go with me, right?" Jungkook asks, his bunny-like grin on full-display in his sheer excitement.
"Of course! I've always wanted to go parasailing."
"Great! We're ready," he calls to the resort staff member who has been leading these two experiences. Once we are strapped into the contraption, I feel a familiar flutter of excitement in the pit of my stomach moments before we stretch backward and away from the boat. Jungkook's camera captures the entire ordeal.
"The rope is getting higher," he narrates, capturing the two of us in the frame, although my eyes are fixed on the view ahead.
"Oh, my goodness, Jungkook," I gasp. "Are you seeing this?" From this height, I can see the world at a distance, and it is positively stunning. The waves of the water appear to be moving incredibly slowly, and the sea itself is the most gorgeous shade of natural blue that I have ever seen. The islands surrounding the resort are bursting with enchanting greenery, and the sun shines brightly even in its reflection against the water.
"Wow," he murmurs. "I am just speechless at the beautiful scenery. Cherisse-noona, have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Not even close," I barely dare to whisper.
"I never knew the sea could be this large – I can't see the end of it."
A smile touches my lips as I watch Jungkook scan the amazing view stretched out before us with wide eyes and an awed smile. Perhaps the reason why I feel so close to him is that he reminds me of me when I was younger. Hardships broke me from my phase of innocence, but he still experiences little bits of that childlike curiosity and enthusiasm that I have lost. It's admirable to watch, and I want to protect those qualities in him with everything I have.
We get dipped in the water once when the helmsman slows the boat and the wind speed drops, but it is remarkably refreshing, and I don't mind my dripping clothes when we are pulled back into the boat.
"That's it," Jungkook remarks with a small pout to the camera.
"That was so fun!" I squeal, kicking my feet as I savor my last moments in the air.
"Wasn't it? If we get the chance to do this again next year, I'm not passing up the opportunity."
"Me neither."
We head back to our next and final photo shoot location – a suite room that offers a stunning vista. As the sun slowly begins to set and casts a magical orange glow across the sky and land beneath it, the photographer starts to snap photos of BTS as a group.
"Can we take a few with Cherisse?" Jin asks, smiling at me.
"Of course," the photographer agrees. They welcome me right in the center, and those closest to me wrap their arms around me. I give the camera my best smile – it is easy to do when I am surrounded by the people I love most in this world. As much as I never wanted to get close to anyone again, I haven't left myself much of a choice at this moment. Even if I lose the boys at some point in my life, I won't regret the beautiful time I spent with them for a moment. Even if they cause me more heartbreak, I will still love all the memories we have made together. While I would never admit this to Tammy, with Namjoon's arm wrapped around my waist, Jin's hand on my shoulder, and Jimin's cheek pressed against mine, I realize that I have fallen deeply in love with the Bangtan boys, and I never want to get back up.