“Gosh, where could they be?” Taemin pouted as he sat in the backseat of the Humvee, taking a break from admiring his conch shell to peer into the throng of people bustling and hustling through the streets. “It’s been almost an hour! Our appointment is in thirty minutes; if they don’t hurry, we’ll miss it!” he whined, slinking down into the seat miserably. Half-listening, Eun-Ae was leaning against the outside of the Humvee, enjoying the feeling of the hot metal on her skin and turning the limpet shell over and over again in her hands, marveling at the peculiar magic the unassuming shell radiated. “Eun-Ae? Are you listening?” Taemin moped.

“Yes, I am. They’ll be here soon. Don’t worry,” she responded, looking up from her newfound treasure to turn around and leaned into the opened window of the Humvee. She propped her arms up on it, leaning through the window. “We still have plenty of time,” she reassured again as he gave her a doubtful look. As the worried boy gave her a half-smile, Eun-Ae gasped as she felt fingers gently brush over the nape of her neck. As she glanced down, she was surprised to find a silver chain strung across her neck, with a piece of bright blue coral dangling from it.

“Like it?” purred a familiar voice in her ear, and Eun-Ae went bright red as Key’s lips touched the tip of her ear. She whipped around, simultaneously flattered and embarrassed. “Sorry, did I scare you?” he mused, quite aware that he had given her a fright- and quite enjoying her reaction. The other three boys were in the background sniggering, and Eun-Ae was highly certain the lot of them had conspired to achieve such an end. As he gazed at her, hands in pockets and a smug smile on his lips, Eun-Ae snorted and anxiously tucked her hair behind her ears.

“You startled me. You can’t just walk up behind a woman and do things like that,” she muttered, picking up the piece of coral to bring it to her face and inspect it. It was a pretty thing, with hues of blue mixing together across the rugged surface. She had no idea how much the little trinket had cost, and she felt bad receiving such a present when Key was already spending so much money on her for their daily outings. “You didn’t have to,” she began hesitantly, but he waved his hand dismissively before she could finish.

“I know I didn’t. I thought you would like it, so I got it,” he explained simply before glancing down in her hand, which was clutching the limpet shell. “What’s that?” he inquired, and she held it out for him to see. Though he likely found it equally as unimpressive as Taemin, he only nodded in approval and smiled at her. “Here, I have an idea.” Next thing she knew, his hands were brushing over her neck again, and all she could do was stand there with pink cheeks and a pout as he fiddled with the necklace. A heavy weight dropped onto her chest, and when she glanced down she found that the limpet shell was hanging right beside the piece of coral, accenting it nicely. “There, that way you don’t lose it,” he smiled down at her. He just wanted an excuse to touch me again, didn’t he? she thought, suspicious about the satisfied smirk he was giving her. Before she could say anything else, however, their tour guide came bouncing around the side of the Humvee.

“So glad you could all find your way back! Let us head to the docks, shall we?” he tittered and climbed in the driver’s seat. They all piled into the vehicle, chatting about their adventures in the marketplace as they s their way through the crowded streets toward the beachfront. The buzz of conversation and haggling was soon replaced by the melody of chiming bells and blowing horns and crashing waves as they neared the docks, and on the salty breeze Eun-Ae could hear fishermen barking orders back and forth to each other. As they rolled along the street parallel to the harbor, Eun-Ae gazed at the miraculously array of boats: tall charter boats stuffed with fishing lines, mid-sized boats equipped with giant nets, small leisure craft with elegant sails, and tiny speed boats designed for racing. The strange hodge-podge of oceanic craft blended together into one impressive scene, fit with people scurrying back and forth across the wooden docks and cleaning their morning haul while the second shift was preparing to leave for the afternoon fishing session. Eun-Ae was so busy staring that she hadn’t noticed the car had stopped until the tour guide jovially announced, “Here we are! The island’s best attraction!”

The idols and Eun-Ae piled out of the car to follow the tour guide down the end of the spray-soaked dock, gaggling at the sights until they reached the very last row. A very modest boat was docked there, a mid-size speedboat named The Flying Marlin. As the tour guide conversed with the captain, Eun-Ae wandered over to the edge of the dock to peer down into the water. She was delighted to find that it was indeed crystal clear, and she could see straight to the bottom despite it being at least five feet deep. Crabs scuttled across the sandy surface, mingling with modest brown and black fish swimming calmly underneath the gentle waves. A hermit crab trucked over the sand dunes, occasionally retreating into its shell when a fish swam too close.

“Eun-Ae! We’re leaving!” Onew called from inside the boat.

“Wah! I’m coming!” she cried as she jerked away from the wonderful scene, scurrying across the dock to climb into the boat. She plopped down beside Key, and no sooner than her behind met the cushioned seat, they were speeding away into the waves. “I was looking at the fish,” she blushed in embarrassment as they regarded the spacey girl.

“Ah, yes. You’re about to see much prettier fish, though,” the tour guide chortled. After about a fifteen-minute ride, the captain cut the engine and lowered the anchor. Curious, Eun-Ae peered over the side of the boat and was assaulted with a barrage of color. No more than ten feet below them was sprawled the island’s massive coral reef, abloom with a thousand different species of life. Corals stretched their leafless branches toward the surface, blazing red and blue and green and yellow, and everything in-between. Anemones swayed in the current, with little clownfish bobbing in and out of the tentacles. Other fish swam in groups, flitting over the coral surface as a singular unit. A few crabs stalked the rocks, snapping at anything that swam too close; Eun-Ae even spotted an octopus peering out of its den, tentacles waving.

“Oh, my!” she breathed in amazement. It was much more beautiful than she had imagined.

“Want to take a closer look?” the captain asked her, holding out snorkeling equipment. Nodding delightedly, Eun-Ae quickly stood to remove her clothes and reveal the swimsuit underneath, too ecstatic to worry about being embarrassed. As she fixed the mask onto her face, she sat down on the edge of the boat while the captain lowered a metal ladder into the water. “Stay close, now. It’s not uncommon for snorkelers and divers to get lost,” the captain warned. Nodding in understanding, Eun-Ae made sure the mask was on her face securely before slipping down into the water.

It was delightfully warm, and as Eun-Ae swam across the surface it felt like the scene had become so much richer. She paddled slowly away from the boat, vaguely aware of the other boys diving into the water after her. Unperturbed, the fish swam underneath her, occasionally coming close enough for her to touch; as she hovered, they came to investigate, curiously nibbling at her toes and bobbing in front of her face. She couldn’t help but giggle as one tickled her side, and they darted away only to come meandering back a few moments later. Surrounded by the colorful fishes, she felt completely at ease. It was then that Key entered her line of vision, waving excitedly and pointing down below him. She followed his gestures to see a massive sea turtle swimming over the reef, gliding through the water effortlessly. With a final wave, Key removed the mask from his face and dove down after it.

Unable to cry out, Eun-Ae glanced back at the boat; however, the captain must not have seen, as there was no sound of alarm. Anxious as she watched Key swim up beside the gigantic animal, she silently struggled for a moment before taking a deep breath, removing the mask, and diving deeper into the water. She swam down to the other side of the animal, nervous to be swimming alongside such a large creature; however, it seemed quite docile, as Key placed a hand on its shell and allowed it to pull him along. He gave Eun-Ae a stupid smile and gestured for her to follow suit, and she hesitantly did so, laying a hand on the turtle’s broad shell. It felt oddly smooth yet rough at the same time, like molded glass. Unperturbed, it continued gliding along before dipping down towards an opening in a rock face. It was then that Key and Eun-Ae released their grip, treading water above the yawning hole in the rock. Key pointed up to the surface before kicking towards the shimmering water above, and Eun-Ae hurried after him. They broke the surface, breathless and giddy.

“How cool was that?” he grinned at her, black hair sticking to his forehead.

“It was really surreal,” she admitted, not even having the spirit to scold him for his recklessness. He seemed so delighted, bobbing around and continuously glancing down at were the turtle had disappeared.

“I bet that’s a cave down there. We should go look,” he told her. Balking, Eun-Ae looked unsurely down at the opening.

“I don’t know. What if there is no air? We may get trapped…” she worried.

“We won’t get trapped,” he reassured her confidently. “Come on, I bet it’s really cool in there! Just a peek?” he begged, and Eun-Ae was unable to resist the excited boy’s puppy-dog eyes. Nodding in relent, he grinned before in a breath and diving back underneath the surface. Rolling her eyes at her own weakness, Eun-Ae followed suit and joined him in front of the rock face. He could tell she was still nervous, staring apprehensively into the yawning black hole, and he gave her a thumbs-up before reaching for her hand and grabbing it tightly. Then, turning serious, he dove down and swam into the mouth of the cave. Squeezing her eyes shut, Eun-Ae placed her trust in him and allowed him to pull her into the blackness. The warm water became quickly cold, and they were just surrounded by the dark, and all Eun-Ae could sense was his strong hand gripping her own tightly.