It turned out that seeing Beach Boy again wouldn’t go as Kyungsoo thought.Well, he didn’t actually have a very good idea of how things would turn out, since they weren’t exactly friends yet, but there was still a promise thrown out there.

Or was it?

Truth be told, Beach Boy didn’t really promise anything, since he said „Maybe I’ll tell you”. So that meant that there was an underlying intention of speaking again, but then again not really.

It confused Kyungsoo as much as any other thing that the boy ever said to him. Thinking about it, this feeling of bewilderment was the only thing he ever felt while talking to that blonde guy. What it was yet to be decided was if he liked this feeling or not. He sure liked a challenge, yes, but was this even worth it? He wasn’t sure if Beach Boy was serious or just joking aroung, and judging by his overall attitude, Kyungsoo leaned towards the latter.

That was what was going on in Kyungsoo’s mind the next day, as he found himself yet again watching Beach Boy surf. He was all alone again, which surprised Kyungsoo in a way, but at the same time not really. Maybe Beach Boy was indeed nothing more than a brat who wasn’t able to make friends since he was so cold and rude to everyone, not just to tourists. It would have been easier for Kyungsoo to just leave it at that, but the image of Beach Boy looking at the sea with sparkes in his eyes and passion drive his body, was somehow stirring something in Kyungsoo.

How could someone be so cold to people around him, but so open, warm and carefree when being around nature? What made Beach Boy hate people so much?

Being so focused on contemplating on those thoughts, he soon dozed off without the intention to, giving the blonde local the chance to yet again pop up out of nowhere with a sassy remark.

„It seemes like your self tanner didn’t work.”

Kyungsoo didn’t even need to open his eyes to know who spoke to him.

„How come you always pop up out of nowhere? And don’t you people say „Hi”around here to start a conversation?” Kyungsoo asked him without even opening his eyes.

„Who says I want to start a conversation?”

After this reply, Kyungsoo felt the need to just open his eyes and make this dude realise just how much nonsense his words made.

„Why do you talk to me then?”

„I just wanted to see how your tan turned out.” He stated. „I see it actually didn’t. Too bad.”

Kyungsoo contemplated if he should just be as rude as this guy and end the conversation here- and a small part of him wanted to. But then, after thinking things through, he decided against it and just chose a more safe reply.

„Yeah, I didn’t actually buy self-tanner, but a lotion that just sped up the tanning process so..” he explained while resting his weight on his elbows,  so that he would have a better look at Beach Boy. It didn’t help him though, because the blonde boy was positioned exactly in front of the sun, so that his actual features were in a blur, his form being the only thing Kyungsoo could truly decipher well enough, and it hit him quite strongly because he didn’t really pay that much attention to the boy’s body up until now, even though he was shirtless the first time they met. But now it was the only thing that he was actually able to see, and he couldn’t really complain.

It was undeniable that Beach Boy was in great shape, his form lean but muscular and strong, his legs long and his shoulders wide. He was indeed really attractive, better looking than all of Kyungsoo’s ex boyfriends.

 It made Kyungsoo all the more curious about how old he was.

„I think it’s better this way though. Maybe being pale suits you better than being tan.”  Beach Boy said, bringing Kyungsoo out of his daze.  That was all he said before making a small nod to Kyungsoo, gesturing that he was leaving.

It went on like this for the next week. Their interractions were almost always the same. Jongin would pop out of nowhere, all by himself, most of the time with his surf board. He would usually come to Kyungsoo before venturing into the sea, so he was usually dry and most of the times with a shirt on. However, there were times when he would come to the asian boy later than usual, aroud 6 or 7 PM, all wet and surrounded by a pleasant smell of salt water and sand, droplets of water falling from his hair.

He would never greet Kyungsoo properly, but say all sorts of weird stuff that could have been interpreted as mean, but Kyungsoo quickly came to the conclusion that they weren’t desired to be mean anymore. It was just the way Beach Boy was.  They didn’t exactly become friends, since they didn’t really speak about themselves, but just about random, irrelevant things.  Kyungsoo never got to find out why Beach Boy disliked tourists, since the subject didn’t pop up in any of their conversations, and Kyungsoo didn’t actually feel the need to ask so bluntly.

 It was obvious that they weren’t on the same position that they were in when they first met. Beach Boy wasn’t exacty nice to him, but he wasn’t rude either. He didn’t really laugh, the happiest expression he had shown Kyungsoo being a small chuckle.

Kyungsoo still felt a change in his demeanor though. At first, Beach Boy didn’t seem to want to sit down next to Kyungsoo, since he would always stand up in front of him in order to exchange a few sentences and then leave. Their encounters never lasted more than 5 minutes.

So it naturally surprised Kyungsoo when, one day, after the blonde guy finished with his surfing, instead of just sitting in front of Kyungsoo with his surf board next to him, he put it down and took a seat a few meters away from Kyungsoo.  He didn’t really sit that far away from the smaller, since he spashed some water on the boy’s arm when he ruffled his salt water soaked hair.

Another sign that made Kyungsoo want to believe that they were a little more than just strangers that dislike each other was that Beach Boy was, after all, always starting the conversation.

But he was always the one to end it.

It was random, and Kyungsoo never really knew what to expect from him. It was fun, since it made his days a little more interesting, but he somehow grew to want to know more about Beach Boy.

So he gathered the courage to ask him one of the questions that was on his mind for a few days now.

„What’s your actual name?”

Beach Boy chuckled softly, leaning back so that he rested his weight on his elbows. It was yet again one of those days in which he seemed to have a little more time to spend with Kyungsoo, so he was sitting comfortably next to him, not on the beach blanket, but on the sand.

„Tired of calling me Beach Boy?” he teased.

„Well aren’t you tired of calling me Asian Boy aswell?”

He didn’t get an answer from the beginning. The blonde boy seemed to consider his asnwer for a few minutes, looking at the horizon distantly.

„I have a Hawaiian name, which is Kai, but I also have a korean name since, you know, my father is korean, and that one is Jongin.”

„That’s nice. What does Kai mean?” Kyungsoo asked curiously, since he already knew about the korean name and its meaning.

„It means from the sea.”

„Oh, so maybe that’s why you like the sea and everything that comes along with it. It’s because it’s in your own name.”

Kyungsoo learned a lot about the boy these past few days, even though it wasn’t because the boy wanted to share them with him, but more because he was the one to read between the lines and try and decipher Beach Boy’s – actually no, Jongin’s – true self through his way of talking and behaving not only aroung him, but around everyone and everything.

It didn’t take him long to learn how much Jongin loved his town, and the nature around it. He may have seemed someone who doens’t really care about anything, but his eyes sparkled with a certain care and love whenever he spoke about them. His whole persona changed when he was in the sea, or when he was touching or talking about animals or vegetation- he was more fluid in his movements, more gentle and careful, and seemed to blend between them, almost as if he wasn’t just a human, but a part of something bigger. A small part of that wonderful, lush and rich nature that was around him.

He seemed to be part of the sea when he was surfing. Seemed to be a part of a turtle’s family when taking them back to the sea.

It was so endearing to watch-how his eyes would soften the tiniest bit, his tone mellowing and his shoulders relaxing. He would forget about his task of being sassy and sometimes sarcastic with Kyungsoo, and instead just focused on being one with everything else around him.

„So what’s your real name then?” he was brought back to reality. He looked to his right, only to find Jongin staring right back, all focused on him. It didn’t happen often, because Jongin was the type that wasn’t exactly looking into someone’s eyes when talking to them. He would usually keep his gaze directed towards the horizon, or on the way his hands would play with the sand, letting it slide through his fingers.

When Jongin’s gaze did happen to be on him, however, Kyungsoo found himself liking the feeling of having those soft brown eyes look at him in curiosity or maybe waiting. It left his tummy slightly warm, and made him realise just how undeniably attracted  he was towards the boy.

He didn’t stress too much on that thought anyway, since he didn’t have a plan on actually making a move in that direction. It was well, let’s say, something that made Kyungsoo’s days a tiny bit more interesting.

„Oh, sorry. Kyungsoo.”

Since Jongin wasn’t used to speaking korean, or even talking to koreans for that matter, he had a little trouble saying the smaller’s name corectly, his nose scrunching up in irritation whenever he would pronounce it wrongly, making Kyungsoo giggle in amusement.

„And how old are you?”  Kyungsoo asked after 5 minutes of Jongin saying his name.

„What’s gotten into you, you ask so many questions.” Jongin stated half amused, half curious.

„Well I don’t know, I figured since we are talking regularly and, you know, being kinda friends and all..-„

„Oh?”

„What?” he stopped in the middle of his sentence.

„We are friends?” Jongin smirked.

He ing smirked. And what a nice view that was.

„Well aren’t we?”

„I don’t know. Are we?” he teased.

„Jesus Jongin. Yes, we are.”Kyungsoo decided all by himself. „So aren’t you going to tell me your age?”

The blonde boy looked at him mischeviously, his eyes narrowing as if elaborating an evil plan in his head, a trace of a smirk still noticeable on his face.

„How old do you want me to be?” he asked teasingly, his head leaning on his right shoulder, his eyes never leaving Kyungsoo. Challenging.

What has gotten into him today?

„Why do you think I want you to be of a certain age?” he replied just as challenging.

„Oh, well since we are voicing all our curiosities today, I might as well do the same.” He started, turning his body towards Kyungsoo, his focus now only on him. „I know you keep watching me surf, and have been doing so ever since we first started talking. You almost never take your eyes off of me, and you somewhat think I don’t notice.” He smiled teasingly, his eyes daring Kyungsoo to deny it.

But the boy knew it would have been stupid to do so.

„And you think you’re going to make me deny that? Yeah, I’ve been watching you.” He admitted, since it would end this torture faster.

Jongin seemed a bit taken aback by the boy’s answer, and it made Kyungsoo’s heart swell with pride.

„I still don’t see the connection between this and me wanting you to be of a certain age.” He then added.

„You have a crush on me, and you want to make sure I’m not underage so that you’ll feel less guilty.” He chuckled, obviously joking though.

However, Kyungsoo knew that it might have been a small grain of truth in all that.

„With the way you’re behaving, it wouldn’t surprise me if you’re underage.” He got a slap on the shoulder in reply.

Things then evolved. Jongin became more and more open towards him, not only in regards of his words, but gestures and general way of acting around the boy.  He would sometimes act childishly, pouting and whining when the conversation didn’t take the turn he wanted to make it take, or when Kyungsoo simply wouldn’t make things go his way.

He was, in spite of his sometimes childish demeanor, a person with a lot of depth and strenghts, and that you could talk about various subjects with. He never argued about something, but instead accepted alternative ways of thinking, which impressed Kyungsoo.

He also found out that Jongin was 20 aswell, and that he lived here with his grandparents, because his parents had moved to Florida to make a better living and earn some more money for Jongin’s college tuition. Jongin admired them, but there was still a trace of sadness in his voice, since he was left here with his grandparents, that he wasn’t extremely fond of.

He wanted to pursuit a career in sports counseling, with him being an athlete himself, and had a clear view of what he wanted his future to look like.

However, Kyungsoo still didn’t come to understand Jongin’s hatred towards tourists, and never really asked either, though  he could have done so a few times. Jongin didn’t seem to remember his words back at the store, or simply chose to forget them.

Though it was obvious that he didn’t have anything against Kyungsoo anymore, the smaller was still curious.

He dind’t know he would soon find the asnwer on a night he would surely never forget.