18th☀

Sarang

I tossed and turned and finally opened my eyes slightly. The room was already bright when I did open my eyes. I stretched and looked around, noticing Mijoo wasn't in her bed. I sat up on my bed and yawned, wondering where on earth was she. 

The bathroom door suddenly clicked open and that was when Mijoo entered the bedroom, her hair still slightly dripping wet. She gave me a smile and asked, "Are you awake yet, Cheon Sarang?"

"Huh? Yes, I am," I answered, yawning again. "What time is it?"

"It's..." Mijoo sat on her bed, grabbing her phone to check the time. "...a little after eight in the morning."

"Wow, I actually woke up early," I said, getting out of bed. Looking at Mijoo, I asked her, "What are the plans for today?"

"The beach," Mijoo answered, putting her phone back on the bedside table. "After we go to the beach, we're going to follow Seungkwan to a nearby supermarket and help him buy ingredients. There are other stores nearby it, but it's not as great as Seoul's malls, just putting that out there."

I went to the closet in front of my bed and opened it, grabbing a clean pair of clothes. "It's fine. While in Jeju, it's best to enjoy the natural world!"

Mijoo lightly giggled before she said, "That's true. Go and change. We're going to the beach soon, after breakfast."

"Nae," I cutely answered before I disappeared in the bathroom. 

☀

When I came out of the bathroom, Mijoo wasn't in the room anymore. I looked around and found the door of our room left slightly opened, which only meant that Mijoo had already left the room to probably go downstairs for breakfast. Knowing Mijoo, she'd probably search the kitchen for a few snacks before breakfast. 

I placed my used towel into the hamper located near the door of the bathroom and combed my slightly wet hair before I went downstairs as well. I closed the wooden door and walked down the hallway, making a left turn and walked down the stairs. 

Downstairs, I could see the others playing around in the small living room. There was a small TV in the living room but it was only playing the news, so no one paid close attention to what they were saying. 

Mijoo was found in the kitchen munching on a few cookies she probably found. She was alone in the kitchen and I was just about to accompany her when Wonwoo popped into the scene, standing next to her and probably making fun of her because she was eating. 

That resulted to a slap on the back of his head from Mijoo, as well as a glare. She ignored him and continued eating her cookie. Wonwoo didn't stop teasing, however and Mijoo ended up smiling in return. 

Why were these two so cute?

I stood by the stairs, staring at the two as if I was watching a drama. They were just the sweetest thing ever and I wouldn't mind just standing here the entire day. Watching them was way better than watching the news playing on the TV. 

I heard footfalls coming from upstairs and the stairs suddenly felt shaky. I looked up and saw Hansol walking down. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt which resembled a basketball jersey and shorts that were slightly above his knees. His hair was still slightly wet as well, making him look a hundred times more attractive. 

What a sight early in the morning. 

Oh, great. There goes my heart and my cheeks again. 

His head moved up—from probably staring at the stairs—and saw me. When he did, he smiled and walked down a few steps until we were on the same step. "Good morning."

"Good morning," I stuttered, making myself aware of how close we were standing. The gap between us was very small and if I moved closer, we would be sticking to each other. 

"Aren't you going to go downstairs?" he asked, nodding his head to the end of the stairs. 

"I think I've got something better to do," I replied, glancing back to Wonwoo and Mijoo. 

Vernon followed my eyes and finally saw what I was talking about. Grinning, he asked, "Trying to play cupid over here?"

"Not exactly," I answered, my back finally facing him. I didn't know how long I could have gone staring at him with our close space. "I'm just watching a cute scene from a drama early in the morning."

Hansol stepped down and stood next to me, only a level lower. Our shoulders were touching each other and it made my heart beat louder than a drum. "Hmm, they are cute. Now I don't know who to ship Mijoo with."

"See?" I said, not wanting to glance at him. We were standing so close to each other and it made me believe I might make a fool out of myself. My insides were warming up and I wasn't sure how long my legs could stay without turning into jelly. 

"Is everyone awake?" It was Mrs. Boo who entered the building, wearing a very comfy looking dress that reached below her knees. It wasn't those type of formal dresses you would wear to a party. It was more like a beach dress. 

"Good morning!" The ever-so-loud Seungkwan appeared from behind Mrs. Boo and looked around. 

"Good morning, Aunt. I can see you're noisy even early in the morning, Seungkwan," Mijoo said, stepping out of the kitchen with Wonwoo trailing behind her. 

That was my cue to finally walk down the stairs and meet up with everyone near the front door of this building. Hansol followed and was probably standing behind me, making me feel a little shaky and nervous once again. 

"Good. I'll start making breakfast now. You kids find something fun to do in the mean time," Mrs. Boo said, smiling sweetly at everyone before she entered the kitchen. 

"Aren't you going with Aunt?" Mijoo asked when she noticed Seungkwan still standing there. 

"Who? Me?" Seungkwan asked in return, smiling innocently at her. "I decided to stay. What better way than to spend my time with my favourite cousin, am I right?"

Seungkwan attempted to give Mijoo a hug, only to have a smack on his head from Mijoo in return. "Don't put up an act in front of my friends, Boo Seungkwan. I know I'm not your favourite cousin. Your favourite is Gyejong."

Seungkwan smile stretched wider. "Ah, yes. Of course. Our little eight-year-old cousin is cuter than you, how can she not be my favourite?"

Mijoo smacked the back of his head again. "Geez."

I couldn't help but giggle. Sometimes I just want to be adopted by Mijoo's family just so I can have a fun family tree like hers. Everyday seemed like a fun day at the Kwon's household. 

The others started moving around until they settled in different places in the living room. Mijoo took a seat on the couch located in front of the TV and Wonwoo tagged along, sitting next to her. Mijoo had her legs placed on the coffee table in front of her and was leaning slightly to the left, where Wonwoo was sitting. It made it look like they were a couple enjoying the TV together. 

I felt like screaming. Mijoo was leaning on Wonwoo's arm while Wonwoo was sitting straight as his eyes were fixed on the TV. Although, I knew that was not the case. He was obviously too flustered to move or look at anything else. Who wouldn't? His crush was leaning on him at this very moment. 

I was sitting on a stool that was located right next to the wall, where I could easily look at Mijoo and Wonwoo. Yejun was sitting nearby, but he was slowly drifting into a nap to notice Mijoo and Wonwoo in front of him. 

I had to do my best not to grin or squeal or anything of the sort while I continued to stare at the two of them. It was just your typical couple scene, yet those two weren't even a couple! They were just best friends! 

I really wished Wonwoo would confess to her. Sooner or later, he won't be able to keep his feelings hidden for too long. I could feel it. Especially when Mijoo was doing all these skinships, I knew he was having it hard. 

"Another drama moment?" a voice suddenly asked, taking a seat beside me. 

Hansol wasn't as close with the others, so it was understandable if he stuck around me more. Smiling, I replied, "Yes. Look at those two. How can they not be a ship, right?"

"Is it normal for a girl to do that to a guy?" Hansol sounded so surprised when he saw Mijoo leaning against Wonwoo. 

"That's what I'm wondering," I said in response. "How would you feel if your crush was leaning against you like that? You would feel like your heart could explode, right?"

"Yeah," Hansol answered. "I can see Wonwoo's face. He's not okay." Hansol laughed seconds after. "Seriously, though. Skinship shows a good sign of falling in love. Right? Right?"

"I guess?" I mean, who knows? I fell for Hansol because he patted my head out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting anything; I was clearly caught off-guard. But I think that was how everyone starts it. At the least expected time. "Mijoo gives skinship to her friends a lot. She likes to hug them. Oh, and leaning. Definitely lots of leaning."

"I now see why her best friend likes her," Hansol said, eyes fixed on the two of them.

I started realizing a few things. Why was it that Hansol and I, we were always watching someone else fall in love? We were always watching someone else have their moment with the person they liked, but never did we experienced our own. 

Or maybe we were. Maybe the story was writing on its own without us knowing. Isn't that how every love story goes? It writes on its own and before you know it, you're already in love. 

☀

"Ah, the beach!" Mijoo loudly shouted as we stepped down from the wooden stairs and down to the sandy beach. Mijoo usually wasn't very loud, unless she chose to be. 

I giggled, following behind her as the soles of my flip flops finally reached the sands. There were a lot of people in the beach enjoying their time and a few bikini squads, which led to Myeong walking away from our group just to talk to them. 

Unbelievable. 

Hansol was by my side, just as usual. I kind of got used to it. You know, after the feelings and everything. This was great, really. 

Meanwhile, Wonwoo, Mijoo and Yejun were all walking in front, and from Yejun's facial expression and eye contact with Wonwoo, there was obviously one thing they were planning behind Mijoo's back. 

Seconds later, Mijoo's high pitch screams were heard as well as something splashing into the waters. Yejun and Wonwoo laughed heartily, giving each other high fives before they decided to run farther away. 

Yeah, because it'd be better to do that before they experience the wrath of Mijoo. 

"Look like something fun is going to happen, " said Hansol, grinning at the trio.

I couldn't help but grin back as I pointed at Mijoo in the waters. "She's going to chase them and probably make sure they're sorry."

"Should we watch? I don't know whether it'd be a good idea to interrupt the love triangle," Hansol teased, laughing afterwards.

"What do you want to do?" I asked instead. The others seemed to be enjoying their own time and Hansol and I were found standing idly near the wooden, white stairs that led us to the beach from Mrs. Boo's pension buildings. 

"Hmm..." Hansol scanned around the beach before he lifted up his donut floaty. "Want to play in the waters?"

"I'm hoping you won't push me into the waters, too?" I joked lightly. 

"I won't. I heard from Mijoo you can't swim in the deep end. I'll keep you safe, don't worry," he said, his voice sincere. 

I was caught staring into his eyes for quite some time, mesmerized by those brown orbs. They were shinning, or did I imagine that? They were shinning. They really were. It was adorable. 

Hansol was the one who broke off the silence by clearing his throat. He took my hand—which freaked me out badly, but I contained it—and started pulling me to the water. Once the water touched my feet, he smiled. "Great, isn't it?"

"It's cold," I said, with a mouthful of stutters. I hope I wasn't being obvious or anything. 

"Of course," Hansol said, laughing shortly after. He pulled me closer in, the water now reaching my ankles. "Tell me when you need a floaty and a lifeguard, okay? I'll be the one to save you if anything happens."

"In that case, let's not stay close to the waters. Oh, I have an idea. How about we build sandcastles?" I suggested, looking out at the deadly-looking sea. When I looked around, I noticed that Mijoo was staying far away from the waters too. They were currently burying Yejun in the sand. 

"Sandcastles?" Hansol sounded surprised, a grin forming on his pretty lips. 

"Childish, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else," I said to him.

"I didn't say it was childish. I love building sandcastles," Hansol said, bringing me out of the waters. 

"Really?" I always loved hearing his stories. Not to mention his interests and just anything that will make me know him a little better. 

He sat down on the sand and smiled. "Yeah. It's fun."

"It sure is," I answered back, scribbling on the sand with my finger. "Although, I can't make a good sandcastle. The walls always fall down, for some odd reason. Either there's not enough water or there's too much water. It was always either of them."

"I'll teach you how to build one, don't worry," Hansol assured, taking a bucket from the kids sandcastle kit he brought, for some odd reason. From what I heard, they were Seungkwan's old toys. 

"So... what should I do?" I asked while watching Hansol dig out some sand to fill the bucket. 

Hansol looked up and met my eyes before he smiled and handed me another bucket. "Here, fill this up with water."

"Alright," I answered, taking the bucket and walking over to where the waves were crashing onto the waves softly. I gathered a bucket of water and looked ahead of the sea, noticing that it was endless. 

The noise coming from different people who were also in the beach seemed to have quiet down and all I could hear was the waves crashing softly onto the sand, touching my feet. The view ahead of me reminded me of tomorrow, and how tomorrow was always a hope for today. 

Because even if you had the entire world hating on you today, you'll never know what your life would be like tomorrow. So just because today wasn't great, that does not mean tomorrow will be just the same. After all, anything can change in just twenty-four hours. 

After my relaxation and deep thoughts session, I went back to Hansol with my bucket of water and handed it to him. He looked up and our eyes locked once again. This time, it was longer than I imagined it'd be. 

I finally smiled back before I said, "Today is such a beautiful day."

"Is that so?" Hansol asked in return, taking the bucket of water from my hands. Our hands lightly brushed against each other, making me feel shaky all of a sudden. 

Hansol didn't look affected by the way it did. So I was the only one feeling this way?

It didn't matter so much, though. Because love was just that fun. It was mysterious, and you can't always expect something good from it because if that was all you received, wouldn't you get tired of it eventually? 

Love has its ups and downs, but at the end of it all, you realize that as long as it's that person, you'll be happy. And that was why I was glad it was Hansol who made me realize all of these things. 

Mijoo

"Should I go find a few shells just to make you look prettier?" Mijoo teasingly asked, looking at Yejun, who was buried entirely in the sand—with the exception of his head. 

"Maybe we could give him seashells as some type of bra? Like The Little Mermaid," Wonwoo suggested, grinning at Yejun. 

"I like the idea." Mijoo stood up from sitting on the ground to look around. "Wonwoo, you stay here and make sure Yejun oppa doesn't escape from this sandy dungeon. I'll go look for seashells."

"Okay, but don't get hurt while searching for shells," Wonwoo worriedly said. 

"Stay away from the deep end," Yejun chimed in. 

Before Mijoo left, she looked at the two of them before shaking her head. "What's with you guys and repeating the same warning over and over? I know. Okay? I can't swim and I'm slightly scared of the ocean but you don't have to repeat it. I'm well aware."

"Just being good friends," Yejun said in return, grinning. 

Mijoo rolled her eyes playfully. "Will be searching for seashells now. Bye."

"Stay safe!" the two boys shouted once again, right before Mijoo would out of earshot. 

Mijoo wandered quite far around the beach just to collect seashells. She wanted to find the bigger ones, not the small, slightly broken down ones. So she went farther from where the group were. 

Her eyes were stuck on the ground, minding a few feet she could slightly see and avoided collision with any strangers. That would be awkward, for sure. But she couldn't avoid one. 

"Ouch," Mijoo muttered, finally looking up. Although, his face wasn't what she expected. She'd opted for a stranger, if she could. Definitely not him. 

"Mijoo," he called. 

"No, shut up. I don't want to hear from you. Not now, not ever again." Mijoo held a hand in front of his face. 

"You can't always ignore me," he knowingly told her. "We have a family dinner tomorrow night, as well."

"Wait, what?" This had caught her attention. "Your mom and dad are here too?" 

"Yes, so you can't ignore me or it will be obvious. Your mom and dad might not be here, but you know how close your dad is to my dad. He'll tell your dad if something was... different. You understand me?" he was trying to say. 

Mijoo winced at the thought. If her dad found out about their current relationship and if her mom also heard about it, she'd receive nothing but an earful. And she didn't want that for sure. 

"So what's the plan?" he asked. 

Mijoo snapped back to him, eyeing him before she replied, "Guess we'll have to play pretend."

"What?" It was obvious that it wasn't the answer he was expecting to hear. 

Mijoo crossed her hands over her chest. "You know what I'm like, Kwon Soonyoung. You knew that, but you did it anyway. I work like this—I'm usually very close with people I'm comfortable with and I'll protect them until my death. I'll love them and cherish them forever. Until something happens. Then I'll hold a grudge. Then I'll turn into someone you won't recognize because I'll ignore you and won't acknowledge your presence you'll feel suffocated because you know how close we used to be that it's scary."

Soonyoung grimaced before he sighed and nodded understandably. "I know, it was a mistake. I'm so sorry, Mijoo."

"I'm not exactly forgive-and-forget material. I hold a grudge, even against my will. It's a trait I cannot change, Kwon Soonyoung. You should have been careful. I can forgive, but I can never forget. Now, leave me alone."

"Wait, what about tomorrow?"

Mijoo stopped in her tracks. And without turning around to face him, she answered, "We'll have a few small talk for show. Then, my attention would mostly be with Seungkwan. That is the plan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I actually have friends to attend to. I don't need to be spending my time on someone who was the cause of my downhill."

With that, Mijoo walked away from Soonyoung. 

~Author's Notes~ 

I'm so sorry that it took FOREVER for me to update :( Like I said, I'm busy with school and am slightly distracted with a draft story of mine. I'm working hard to finish and complete it right before I can publish it but I have to remember that I still have this story to work on <33 (oh, and Space Between Us)

Thank you so much for 2.8K views and 217 votes :) I'm really glad you guys are enjoying the story <3

I'll keep it short now. See you in the next update :)