The slight gust of wind carried with it the smell of the ocean's salty spray. Jackson's hair flew off of his forehead as he darted around the puddles that had yet to dry up from the afternoon's drizzle.

Jackson picked up speed as they neared the wooden bridge that curved over the stream that separated mainland from the sea. He lunged forward with a newfound jolt of energy just as the bike's front wheel touched upon the bridge's raised surface. BamBam bent forward and tightened his grip around Jackson's shoulders as Jackson—in his haste to outgun the incoming car—nearly toppled over into the railing. Having lost its balance, the bike lolled around for some time until Jackson realigned the wheels.

BamBam breathed a sigh of relief. He had no reason to doubt that the rest of the ride would be safe considering the long, gray street ahead of them was devoid of both people and cars.

"We should try that again," Jackson said. BamBam's mouth fell wide open and before he could utter a single syllable, Jackson was already kicking up speed. BamBam swallowed. He thought about leaning forward and resting his chin against the top of Jackson's head but decided against it after a second thought blossomed within his mind. If he couldn't do that back home with his friends than he wasn't about to do it here, in a foreign country, with someone he had no prior relationship with.

Jackson slammed his palm on the bike's bell repeatedly as they rode through a clustered line of seagulls. The seagulls screeched and the bell jangled and Jackson yowled and howled. Intermixed, the harsh, jagged sounds did little in terms of subduing the wave of nausea climbing up through BamBam's stomach and yet, through it all, he smiled the kind of smile anyone would have been left enamored with.

Life could be good if he let himself relax.

As they neared the stranger's home, BamBam decided to ask what he had meant to ask since seeing the item in question. "Why do you have a wicker basket?"

Jackson began to turn his head around when BamBam's soft, timid "No" stopped him short of completing the action. He rolled his eyes. "I won't crash, you know. And as for your question, if you're expecting me to remove my basket because of some preconceived notion about what it means for a guy to have one than I'll have to say only my parents can tell me what to do."

BamBam shook his head as he disembarked from the pegs. "N-no. I was just-"

Jackson grinned. BamBam relaxed. "I know what you meant. I was just teasing. While a comment like that would have shut up any of the bullies back home, I knew it wouldn't have worked on you." He finished propping his bike up against the sapling out front before beckoning BamBam forward with two fingers. "Come on." He turned and whispered to himself. "Let's get down to business."

Meanwhile, inside Youngjae's home, Yezi was still fuming over the conversation that had occurred between her and Jackson. The first thing she had done upon stepping foot in Youngjae's home was complain about how much she hated what he had done.

"I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!" she repeated like a mantra.

"Yezi, you can't fall in love with someone you've just met," Youngjae had said in response.

"You would kn-" She clamped down on her tongue before she could complete the sentence. Turning to face Jaebum who sat on the loveseat, she clucked her tongue. "How is it going with you and Jaebum anyways?"

Knowing not to expect a response from Youngjae—who was busy preparing a number of triangular sandwiches in the kitchen—she leaned in and asked Jaebum if he had any success so far in their relationship.

Jaebum stopped fidgeting with the Rubik's cube. He pulled it down into his lap. "Have you noticed something different about Youngjae?"

Yezi's eyebrows pulled in over her eyes. She shook her head.

"He dyed his hair," Jaebum whispered.

Yezi's mouth fell open. She gawked at Jaebum for a split second before turning her head to face the kitchen's entryway. Her features softened. "I hadn't noticed..." Something warm brushed up against her hand. She turned to see Jaebum offering her a wicked grin. "He might have dyed it for me."

Her heart hammered against her chest. Before she could melt under Jaebum's gaze, she averted her eyes and burst into laughter.

"Oh, Youngjae," she singsonged, cringing internally when she heard her voice crack on the last syllable.

"What?" Youngjae called out.

Jaebum grabbed onto the cuff of her dress shirt before she could walk off. "Wouldn't it be embarrassing for him?"

Yezi plopped back down onto the couch and kicked her feet out. The hair that cascaded over her shoulders shined with the natural youthfulness that embraced each strand. "You're right. Let's keep it between ourselves."

Jaebum stuck his hand out with the index finger curved inward and the thumb jutting out. Yezi reached out with the same gesture. Together, they formed a heart.

At that point, a pair of eyes was peering into the living room from the window next to the bookshelf. Jackson's eyebrows shot up over his face while BamBam continued to pace back and forth around the flowers that encircled a weathered turtle statue.

Youngjae stepped out into the hallway. Upon seeing Jaebum and Yezi hunched over and giggling about something he had no particular interest in knowing anything about, rolled his eyes. Jackson ducked before Youngjae's eyesight could realign.

"Jackson, this feels wrong. What are we even here for?" BamBam asked.

Jackson scurried over to the right before jumping up. He gripped BamBam by the shoulders. "Whatever happens here today, promise me you won't stop being my friend."

BamBam's thin eyebrows furrowed. "That doesn't sound right. What do you mean?"

"Here, let me show