Summer had finally arrived. As Jisoo took a sip from her iced glass of water, she recalled those summer days in her youth. They were filled with some of her best memories of life. In high school, her and a group of her friends spent many hot sunny days at the beach, relaxing and having picnics every so often. The summer festival and fireworks were also the immensely fun events she loved about summer. She remembered the desperate desire for a boyfriend just for those experiences. Looking back at it now, Jisoo wondered when a romance-filled summer would ever come her way.

When a trickle of sweat travelled down the back of her neck, she bit back the urge to growl. For a moment there, as she stared out the glass window and enjoyed the scenery, she momentarily forgot how excruciatingly hot it was in the office. It was like sitting in an oven. The air conditioner was malfunctioning while the hundreds of computers lying around continued to spew out heat. It didn't help that at that particular moment in time, the sun was brightly glaring on their side of the office.

Just as she picked up an empty folder to fan herself, Sehun abruptly stood from his desk. "I'm done. I can't work like this."

She turned, looked up, and embarrassingly did a double take. His usually buttoned up collared shirt was carelessly open at his throat down to his collar bone. Her pulse bumped involuntarily. It had never crossed her mind that he was attractive in any way, so seeing him now looking so shamelessly y burned her cheeks. At the realization of where her thoughts were going, Jisoo turned away immediately and pressed the cold glass of water to her cheeks. What am I thinking? This is insane!

Trying to come off unaffected by that little sequence, she asked, "Why are you so worked up? Are you actually planning to go home now?"

He stared down at her with disbelief, then caught the ice water on her desk. He reached over and downed it in one go. She stared at him, speechless. When he passed her the glass, he said, "Don't tell me you can actually work productively in this heat. I'm not going home. I'm getting ice cream."

Immediately, Jisoo lost all inspiration to argue. When it came to ice cream, she often let go of her pride without a second thought. "Wait!" She called when he walked past her.

Annoyed with the distraction, he turned back around. "What?"

"Ice cream? You're going to get ice cream right now?" Unaware that he was staring at her with such scrutiny, she walked towards him, deliberately clasping her hands together so as not to grab his arm in excitement. "Can you…buy me one?"

"Get real." Astonished at this newfound side of Jisoo, a mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face. "So…ice cream must be your weakness, huh? That is good to know." He then turned his back on her and continued walking, but just as he neared the elevator, she took his arm and pulled forcefully. He threw her an exasperated look. "What the hell?"

"If you're not going to buy me one, I'm coming to get one myself."

He pried off her fingers and pushed her back a step. "Do whatever you want."

At a nearby ice cream vendor, Sehun ordered mint chocolate chip ice cream, followed by Jisoo, who ordered a little more than necessary. On top of her sugar cone were three scoops of mango, strawberry, and vanilla-flavored ice cream. Sehun sent her a look of disapproval as she worriedly grabbed a handful of tissues from the ice cream man. As big a fan of ice cream he was, this was too much. How was she going to finish that by the time they got back to the office?

"I'm in heaven!" She cried out happily, biting gently at the top scoop. "That's the first smart idea you've had since I met you, getting ice cream."

He absently wiped at the sweat on the side of his face. "You're so slow. How did it take you this long to figure out that I'm a damn genius?"

She snorted. "Please. You're the farthest thing to a genius. Half the time we're at work, you look like you're still figuring out what it is that you actually do."

"So you're telling me right now that you spend half of every day watching me. I mean, how else would you know what I look like half the time at work? You're actually attracted to me, aren't you?" He caught the open-mouthed stare of disbelief she sent his way and pushed back his laughter. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that Kim Jisoo stops thinking about Suho for even one minute and actually considers someone who's better in every possible way. Who knew you actually had some sense in you?"

Finally finding her words, Jisoo threw an unbelievably strong punch at his shoulder. "Shut up! Stop talking!"

This was why he loved riling her up. Her reactions were unique and droll and never failed to make him laugh. "It's because I'm right that you're mad."

"No! You're completely wrong! Ugh, Sehun, I hate you!" Embarrassed and frustrated, Jisoo gave him a shove. "How did you end up sitting by my desk anyway? Every day is so unbearable because of you. I can't stand you, I hate your jokes, you're not funny in any way, and I really, really hate the fact that you make a fool of me any moment you can! You can go die for all I care."

The sudden coldness that came over his features made her stop. There was no trace of that relaxed smile that was there mere seconds ago. That easy-going, nonchalant attitude he always exuded even when she threw fits at him was gone. He grabbed her arm.

"So if I died right now, you wouldn't give a ." It bothered him how people could easily throw words like that into normal conversation. Dying wasn't a joke. Rarely did Sehun ever feel angry or let out his anger, but moments like that pushed him to the limit. When she stared back at him with question in her eyes, he released her arm. "Don't yell out words like that unless you really mean it, Jisoo."

Deeply frowning, she instinctively rubbed on her arm. He had grabbed her so forcefully. Unable to understand, she replied, "I'm really fed up with you, Sehun. That's what I meant by it." Jisoo looked down at her tower of ice cream and suddenly felt miserable.

He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah I know. I'm evil, right? The most arrogant bastard you've ever met," he concluded. "I'm actually surprised you're still talking to me right now. How about we just stop with the courtesy then? You probably hate me more than you've ever hated anybody. From now on, I'll get out of your way." With a cool stare, he turned and walked away.

Jisoo took a deep breath as she watched him disappear into the crowd. Shouldn't that have made her happy? The idea of Sehun no longer bothering her at work was supposed to be a moment of victory. But now as she stood on the sidewalk, with her ice cream slowly dripping against the hot sun, she could still picture that indifferent look in his eyes. A disconcerting feeling settled in her heart. She knew Sehun for almost two years now, but…I don't really know him, do I? It was the first time she wondered if something bad had happened in his past. What else could explain the way that happy-go-lucky person changed so quickly to become almost heartless?

...

Usually, every argument they had, big or small, would always be forgotten the next day. It had been three days since the incident and neither had spoken to the other since. For her, it was purely pride. She knew she'd said words that were harsher than necessary, but admitting it out loud was another story. The unkind words they'd thrown at each other that day still rang in her ears. Of course, why it bothered her that Sehun had kept his promise and stayed away, she couldn't explain. For a long time, she disliked the person she had to work beside. Even at this point, as Jisoo stared lifelessly at her computer, the thought of him still irked her. But why did something tug strongly at her at the thought of him completely and blatantly ignoring her existence?

She let out a sigh. It was true that Sehun annoyed her to pieces and yes, she knew jokes were just that – meaningless and for the fun of it. But some of those jokes really stung. Maybe it was her extra-sensitivity, she mulled. But work wasn't work if he just shut up entirely! Going to work and doing the everyday routine wasn't the same when he didn't say anything to her, not even to just give her a small shove or say something sarcastic. She frowned. All these times, she realized then, Sehun's presence had become so fixed in her life at work. Suddenly afraid of losing something precious, though she couldn't pinpoint what exactly, she turned.

Timidly, she walked over and pushed the bottom of his chair with her foot.

Feeling the gentle push, Sehun looked up and met Jisoo's tentative gaze.

Sehun, meanwhile, had spent the last three days wondering what was going to happen between them now. Work had become duller than usual when they didn't interact. It wasn't fun anymore. The last three days had essentially been awful, to say the least. It made him realize that there was no one else in his life worth annoying. Every other co-worker didn't mean anything special. But that didn't mean Jisoo was special; he was quick to argue with himself. She was just different. The constant noise that came out of her cubicle had disappeared during that time. It was uncanny. His own reaction to it should have been one of relief; instead, he felt more bothered than he liked to admit.

As he continued to stare at her, she let out a breath then said, "It's been three days already…" Jisoo's gaze fell. "I really was out of line. I'm…" She let out another sigh of defeat. "I'm sorry."

Surprised that the apology had actually come out of her first, he could only stare. He never thought she would own up to her mistake or even back down first. Feeling a little admiration for her, he then said, "Me too. Sorry."

Jisoo looked back up at him and caught the lopsided grin he sent her way. Relief waved over her immediately, but now she was left with strange emotions. When and how had she begun to enjoy those petty arguments they shared? Still finding it odd, she could only turn back around. Just as she picked up her pen, a smile appeared on her face. He must have missed their spats too, she considered.

...

At the monthly meeting, Suho discussed the yearly holiday trip entirely paid for by the company. The point of the vacation was primarily for motivational purposes, but also to give employees a break to enjoy the start of summer. The chosen location was Hamdeok Beach, which was in Jeju Island. The beach resort had already been booked and rented by the company for the upcoming three-day weekend. Several departments were invited, including that of Sehun and Jisoo.

In a daze, Jisoo sat back against her seat and imagined what it would be like. The beach was, in her opinion, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world, regardless what beach it was. There was something serene and extraordinary about watching the sea. Just imagining it all right now, the hot sun, the soft sand, the nice breeze, the smell of the ocean, made her wan