01

The cracking of the waves at the shore managed to wake Hei out of her slumber. She grabbed at the rocks to help herself up with many winces escaping her lips when the roughness grazed her palms.

  “My head’s gonna explode.” She groaned as she rubbed her temple throbbing with pain. “Where am I?”

The sight was familiar. The bottom of a small cliff by the sea where she remembered she spent her last night chugging bitter beer with a bunch of people during a game of truth or dare. No, that was at the giant tent decorated with lotus-shaped lanterns. Hei narrowed her eyes in thought to remember the hazy memories of drinking, arguing with someone, kicking the ice bucket, stomping her way to nowhere in particular, and finally….passing out at this spot.

  “A fight? About what?” she yawned as she took in the atmosphere around her.

It was some time after dawn as the sun was still hanging loosely by the horizon. Some local fishermen were heading off in their boats and a group of older women walked to the shore carrying metal netted baskets. With her brain still stinging with lingering pain, the only sound she could focus on was the waves hitting back and forth and a camera’s snaps. Hei narrowed her eyes again and turned to her right where she saw a boy taking pictures of the vast view.

Satisfied with his shot, he dropped the camera from his face to inspect another angle. Fluffy white hair that was being swept in all directions by the sea breeze and thick black spectacles sitting comfortably on his nose, covering up half the top of his face. He took out a notebook and scribbled something down, seemingly unaware of her presence.

He’s….adorable. Hei realized she had been staring at him for so long that she hit her cheek to get her senses back. She was never really attracted to someone so quickly…and seldom to someone who looked that nerdy. But she found it impossible in her to look away from him. Or she just desperately wanted to comb her fingers through his mess of hair…she couldn’t really figure out.

  “Hey!” she yelled out even though he was standing only a few steps away.

It startled him. He quickly shoved the notebook and camera under his backpack and stared at her with bulged eyes that seemed they would pop out of his sockets any moment. He looked around and behind her frantically and then covered his face between his hands.

  “So…wait! Where you going?!“

The boy turned around and walked away, still concealing his face. Hei wanted to follow but getting up quickly caused her head to spin and she tripped the second she took a step. She sighed and gently massaged her knee that got scraped in this process. All she could do was watch him vanish off into the distance like he got caught and had to flee.

  “We could’ve talked for a while or something…maybe grabbed some coffee...”

+++

  “Oh come on. You must know somebody like that!” Hei whined.

Kyungsoo pushed the strands of her hair behind her ear after he had finished applying a bandage to her wound. She used her other leg to kick the chair next to theirs when Sehun snorted at her and the sandwich he held dropped out of his hands. With a glare and a light punch to her thigh, he bent down to pick it back up.

  “Someone in photography club? Maybe?”

  “I’ve never seen anybody with really huge glasses,” Kyungsoo said those descriptions by making inverted commas with his fingers and mocked Hei. He pulled her to sit on his lap, quickly wrapping his arms around her waist but withdrawing when the spikes on her leather jacket poked his skin. “Are you sure that wasn’t just hangover delusion?”

  “Or maybe it was one of the locals? Or another tourist?” Sehun suggested as he chunked down his egg-mayo sandwich which is the only thing he’s been consuming since they arrived at Jeju during the annual trip.

  “Way to go. Sabotaging my romance before it even began.” Hei sighed and pouted at Kyungsoo once again. “He was way too cute. I can’t get him out of my head.”

  “We can see.” He rolled his eyes and raised his hand for a waiter to place another order. As quickly as he did so, Hei caught his wrist and pushed it back down.

  “Oh my God…that’s him.” She whispered the last word and Kyungsoo followed where her eyes were set on. He started with an airy chuckle that turned into a noisy laugh.

  “THAT GUY?” he almost yelled, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious!”

Sehun also turned around and ended up snorting once again which caused his bite to get stuck in his throat and choke him.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. That’s him. I remember his face very well. Even though he looks…different.” She explained while handing Sehun a cup of water that he gulped in seconds which caused him a fit of cough next.

  “Hei…that guy you saw earlier this morning is in no shape or form…Byun Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo paused dramatically.

Hei stared at him and then back at the guy whose name she just learned. Baekhyun. she repeated in her mind as she noticed the clique he was standing next to and the girl side hugging him who was laughing way too forcefully at his jokes. Hei recognized her instantly; she had once pulled her by the hair when this Jiyoung tried to block her way to the girls' washroom.

An unsettling feeling developed in the bottom of her abdomen.