Eun-Ae flopped down on her beach towel, panting. She was utterly exhausted after two hours of playing in the water with the five boys, and exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to finally take a break. She buried her face into the soft fabric, enjoying the coolness of the shade, while the other boys stumbled up to their little beach camp and flopped down, one right after the other.

“I forgot how exhausting the beach can be,” Minho huffed as he covered himself in the sand in an attempt to cool himself off. Eun-Ae rolled onto her back and propped herself up on her elbows, glancing around while the boys recovered from their early morning jaunt in the waves. The afternoon was creeping closer, and the beach was becoming more populated as a result. Several collections of beach umbrellas and towels were parked along the shoreline, and the excited screams of children mingled with the sound of crashing waves. Eun-Ae could see people bobbing in the water and lounging on rafts, while a few sailboats trawled the waves in the distance.

“Man, I’m thirsty,” Taemin whined as he wriggled around uncomfortably in his towel.

“There’s a little shop up there,” Key remarked as he surveyed the beachfront, eyes narrowed as he inspected the small shack. He then boosted himself to his feet, shaking off sand; he sprinkled the grainy substance all over the other boys, much to their annoyance, and they would have become embroiled in a sand-flinging fight had Eun-Ae hastily reminded them that they were going to get drinks and didn’t want to get themselves covered in sand. While the rest of the pack rose to their feet and began making their way to the little shack, Key stepped in front of Eun-Ae and held out a hand for her. Shyly, she slid her fingers into his and allowed him to gently pull her to her feet. “Are you enjoying yourself, Eun-Ae?” he inquired as they trekked through the thick sand dunes to the shop.

“Oh, yes!” she nodded eagerly. “I’ve had a lot of fun already, but it’s also very relaxing. I haven’t been this relaxed in a long time!” she smiled and stretched her arms above her head. Eun-Ae was painfully aware that Key was gazing at her exposed middle, but when he noticed her awkward look, he coughed uncomfortably and looked away with red cheeks.

“Well, I’m glad,” he smiled down at her when he had recovered from his embarrassment. By the time they reached the shack, the four other boys were lounging in the shade nibbling at colorful shaved ice treats at a small picnic table beneath an awning attached to the shack. Upon closer inspection, Eun-Ae found the little structure to be quite cute; it was painted a bright purple, with little flags hung on the edge of the tin roof. Colorful dolphin and shark characters were painted on the sides, advertising the selection of drinks the little shop offered. A cheerful young man, tanned from many days on the beach front and sporting a -pair of dark sunglasses and swimsuit bottoms with palm tree designs, was the only one servicing the shop. Eun-Ae perused the menu for a moment before ordering herself a banana-flavored snow cone, but when she went to pull out her money, Key leaned over her shoulder and dropped a couple of bills on the counter.

“Hey! I can pay!” she protested and attempted to snatch the money off the counter. Key grabbed her wrist playfully and shook his head.

“Come on, Eun-Ae, you should know better than that now,” he teased as the store tender took the money in exchange for Eun-Ae cold beverage. She pouted and snatched the drink, spooning a bit of the icy fruit-flavored confection into .

“It’s not fair to you, though,” she mumbled through a mouthful of yellow ice. Key only laughed and ordered himself a drink before winking down at her. Resigned to the fact that it was an argument she was never going to win, she trudged over to the table and plopped down beside Taemin, who had his head on the table.

“Ungh… I gotta brain freeze,” he groaned miserably.

“I told you not to eat it so fast,” Onew sighed as he sipped patiently at his pink drink. “Well, if you aren’t going to eat it, I will,” he sighed and made to take the drink out of Taemin’s hands. Suddenly recovered, the boy snatched it back with a hiss. Eun-Ae giggled and happily ate the icy beverage, staring out at the rolling ocean waves in curiosity. Her gaze landed on some small craft bobbing close to the shore, hooked up to a small dock where an attendant strolled lazily back and forth checking their condition.

“Hey, what are those?” she exclaimed as she pointed at the small machines. Key squinted as he followed her finger, then grinned.

“Oh, cool, jet skis! Let’s ride!” he beamed and shoved the rest of his snow cone into his mouth. He instantly recoiled, clutching his head and falling off the picnic table as he rolled around, groaning. “Big mistake! Big mistake!” he whined while the other boys laughed. When the brain freeze finally subsided, he sat up and shook sand out of his hair, grinning stupidly. “Seriously, though, let’s go ride them!” Eun-Ae frowned uncomfortably.

“But, don’t they go super-fast? What if we fall off?” she fretted.

“Eun-Ae, I thought this was all about trying new things?” Jonghyun smirked as he tossed his empty cup into a nearby garbage can. “Are you scared?”

“No!” she refused instantly with puffed cheeks. She angrily took a last bite of her snow cone before throwing it away, standing up determinedly. “I’m not scared! I’ll ride one!”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! I’ll go see how much it costs to rent them!” Onew beamed before darting off to the small dock. Despite her declaration, Eun-Ae was extremely nervous; the thought of zipping around on the open sea while unknown, probably dangerous creatures lurked below. The thought made her shudder. While the boys eagerly began dashing toward the dock, Eun-Ae hung back, anxiously nibbling at her thumbnail.

“Eun-Ae, there’s no need to be scared,” Key chuckled softly, appearing by her side to sling an arm around her shoulders. She flushed, embarrassed that she had been caught stressing over something that probably wasn’t that scary at all. “Look, if it makes you feel better, you can ride with me, okay?” he smiled softly, than narrowed his eyes as he began staring intently at her face.

“Wh-what?” she cried as she shrunk under his intense stare. She gasped as he suddenly swiped a finger across her cheek, then popped it into his mouth.

“You had leftover snow cone on your cheek!” he laughed. “Saving it for later?” he teased. Eun-Ae blushed and hastily wiped the remnants of the ice from her face, mortified. Oh, how embarrassing! She thought miserably as they strolled side-by-side up to the dock. Key paid for the rentals, and the boys happily slipped into life jackets before eagerly hopping onto the small craft. While the attendant explained how to operate the jet skis, Eun-Ae checked and re-checked her life jacket, anxiously staring at the small craft. Next thing she knew, she was the only one left on the dock. “Come on, Eun-Ae,” Key called from in front of her. He was perched on the seat, sitting far back and patting the exposed section of the seat in front of him. She hesitated for a moment, and he held his hand out for her, smiling gently. “I promise, I won’t tip us over!” he reassured.

“Promise?” she asked meekly as she stepped to the edge of the dock. He smiled wider, and she reached out to take his hand, stepping tentatively onto the edge of the craft. It shook precariously, and she retreated with a gasp.

“Eun-Ae, we’re in shallow water,” he laughed. She blushed, ashamed of her own weakness, and stepped once more onto the edge of the craft. She grabbed onto the handle bars, quickly swinging her other leg over the seat and plopping down in front of him with a huff. The craft gently rocked side-to-side, and she stared nervously down into the water, watching the tiny minnows swim around below. A large fish then swooped in, chasing after the school of little fish and devouring a handful in one gulp. She swallowed anxiously, imagining herself as a minnow.

“I don’t want to do this anymore!” she squeaked and squeezed her eyes shut. Taemin came gliding up in his jet ski, frowning as he circled the terrified girl.

“Awe, Eun-Ae, it’s not that scary,” he beamed at her befrore taking off with an excited squeal. As he tried to turn, he pulled the craft too sharply and ended up rolling into the water. That certainly didn’t serve to alleviate the girl’s anxiety, even when he came popping up out of the water laughing to climb safely back onto the stalled vehicle.

“Eun-Ae,” she heard Key whisper softly into her ear. She was too busy fretted to notice that he had scooched up against her. She stiffened as he took her hands in hers and gently wrapped them around the handlebars, revving the engine. “Just do like I do,” he mused and pulled back on the accelerator. They began slowly moving, and he turned the bars to turn away from the dock. Every movement he made, Eun-Ae matched him, not seeing any other choice. All around them the boys were zipping around, jumping the waves and howling with adrenaline. As they approached the open sea, where the water grew steadily rougher, she felt her heart pounding. All of a sudden, Key jerked back on the accelerator, and they went dashing into the blue.

“Ack! Key!” she cried as her body slammed back against his. He just laughed, turning this way and that as they skimmed over the ocean surface. A spray of water streamed from both sides of the jet ski, covering Eun-Ae in fine particles of water. The wind rushed through her hair, and she felt Key’s hands tighten around her own as they sped up. She kept her eyes closed, terrified that they would hit the water at any moment.

“Eun-Ae! Look!” Key nudged her, and she hesitantly cracked an eye open. Alongside their left, slightly pointed fins were emerging from the water, and she felt her heart stop. However, upon closer inspection she realized that a pod of dolphins was swimming alongside their jet ski, skimming just at the surface. Eun-Ae cried out in delight as one of them leaped into the air in an impressive arc, jumping over the jet ski to land on the other side with a magnificent splash. She and Key were doused with water, and they laughed happily. The other boys zoomed over, weaving through the dolphins and watching in awe as they began jumping over one jet ski after another, chittering at them. In minutes, Eun-Ae had quite forgotten her fears, and was simply exhilarated.

“This is amazing!” she cried over the sound of the whirring engines. She pressed back against Key, enjoying the sensation of the wind in her hair and the waves running beneath them. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she cried out in joy as they raced over the ocean. She was more than disappointed when their time slot was finally up and they had to return the small craft to the rental dock. With a frown, she stepped onto the wood, swaying slightly as the sensation of the rolling waves lingered for a moment. As she stumbled back, Key hopped onto the dock and hastily grabbed her to steady her. “Ah, thanks,” she blushed sheepishly.

“Anytime,” he purred as he shrugged out of his life jacket. “I told you I wouldn’t let you fall in,” he mused as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, gazing down at her softly. He then dropped his hand and ran over to help a hopeless Onew, who had his life jacket stuck on his head. Eun-Ae smiled softly and ran her hand over her hair. It was if she could still feel Key’s sturdy chest behind her, keeping her safe and secure. Yeah, I know… You’ll always be there for me, she thought, watching him with a soft smile. That is, until the end.