Chapter 10 – Busan Trip: Shattered Dreams and New Beginnings (1)

“Oh boy I wish I had some of Yonghwa’s mom’s food again,” Eun Jung whined while taking a bite out of the tasteless breakfast room service had brought them. Even though she was complaining, she was still eating as if she hadn’t eaten in her life.

“You guys are such fatties I don’t even know what to do with you,” Yonghwa laughed. The entire group laughed at their antics, but mostly because it wasn’t every day that they got together to eat like that. The trip had been just what they needed to get away from the crowded and busy streets of Seoul to get some desperately needed time to relax.

“Alright everyone, who is ready to go to the beach?” Joon asked after having gone to change into his swimming shorts. Everyone ignored his suggestions and continued eating. “Nobody? Come on now!”

“Can’t you see we’re all eating you idiot? Besides, we can’t go swimming if we’re all full,” Yonghwa pointed out. The way the group still continued to stuff their faces indicated they agreed with him. Joon zoomed over to the table and slapped the food out of anyone’s hands he could reach.

“No! We’re here to enjoy the beach. If you want to eat, do it on your own time. If you’re too full, we can just ride the boat I rented until the food goes down. I have to be at work at 2pm and it’s 11. I have to enjoy my stay as much as I can!” Joon asserted. The group of young men and women sighed deeply and stood up to get their bathing suits on.

“Joon is such an idiot,” Joon heard someone whisper as they rustled all their things together.

“I can still hear you guys!”

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Joon, Jang Woo, and Yonghwa came out of the beach house within probably five minutes of having gone to change. As always, the women of the group were taking far too long to change into whatever it is they were going to wear. The men didn’t seem to understand why it took so long to take off your clothes and put on a piece of clothing that barely covered anything.

“What is taking them so long!?” Joon complained. “I’m burning daylight here!”

“You need to calm down Joon,” Yonghwa suggested. Joon turned around and threw a weak punch over at Yonghwa. The startled young man dodged it with speed that Joon didn’t know he had. “Nice try Joon, but you haven’t seen what I became over these years.”

“Not bad. Not bad at all,” Joon chuckled with one of his trademark smirks.

“Look who finally decided to show up…” Jang Woo pointed out. Coming up the pier where their boat was parked were three small figures dressed in some very skin exposing clothing. Eun Jung was leading the way wearing a two piece, blue bikini with some black designs on it. She was a girl with an athletic and stunning body, but she looked a little bigger compared to the other girls. Not to say she’s fat, but the other girls had a different charm to them.

Next up was the ever so seductive Kim Hyuna. When she said she was going to go all out, she meant it. She was also wearing a two piece bikini, but there was a big difference between hers and Eun Jung’s even though they were both two piece bikinis. Eun Jung’s covered a modest amount while Hyuna’s did the exact opposite. Hers tried to cover as little as humanly possible. Her s were pretty much on the verge of being exposed and her bottoms were a little too revealing for normal standards.

Last but not least was shy Seohyun. She had chosen to go with a one piece that looked like something a younger girl would wear. It wasn’t ugly by any means, but it was a stark difference when compared to the two girls walking with her. The white bathing suit covered all of her torso, which wasn’t bad at all, she just wasn’t comfortable showing too much of her milky skin. At the bottom of the swimsuit was a small frilly skirt that covered anything that anyone might want a peek of at her lower regions.

“Wow…” the three men whispered in unison. No doubt they were trying their hardest to hide any signs of their current arousal that might be embarrassing. Yonghwa was the one most mesmerized with the sight of the three girls. All he could do was stand there frozen on the wooden dock and stare blankly. One would think he was staring at Hyuna and the way she ily flaunted her assets. Even Joon and Jang Woo wouldn’t deny they were sneaking a peek at the iest member of their group. Not Yonghwa though.

He found it cute the way that Seohyun hid behind Hyuna a little bit, as if she felt overshadowed by the fact that her two other friends had chosen more exposing beach wear. To him it didn’t matter how much of her body she exposed. Hyuna was definitely pleasing to the eyes, more so than he would like to admit. Even so, it was too much for him.

“Hyuna, can we go back and change?” Seohyun whispered to her best friend.

“Why what’s up?”

“I feel a little embarrassed. Look at the way Yonghwa and Jang Woo are staring at you guys. I’m sure Joon feels embarrassed that his girlfriend is dressed like a five year old in a swimsuit her mommy bought her,” Seohyun embarrassedly admitted. Hyuna gave Seohyun a reassuring squeeze as if telling her it was alright.

 In her mind, however, Hyuna didn’t want to go back and have Seohyun change because she wanted the spotlight all on her. Seohyun was hotter than she gave herself credit her and Hyuna knew this. If the shy girl went back and changed into something more revealing, it would mean Hyuna would shine less.

“You’re fine girl. Don’t worry about it,” Hyuna assured her in a tone that tried to hide the fact she was being underhanded. “Joon knows how you are and he loves you regardless. You don’t need to show your skin to have men appreciate you more.” Seohyun felt a little reassured with Hyuna’s talk even though she was being a complete hypocrite with the way she was using her body to try to get Yonghwa to fall for her.

“You’re right,” Seohyun said with a little more courage. Three girls walked over to the boys to get them to snap out of their individual trances. They nervously laughed when the women reached them and tried to make it seem like everything had been alright even though they were obviously staring.

“You boys want to drive the boat or are you going to sit there looking like idiots the entire day?” Eun Jung teased. The boys coughed and cleared their throats as they climbed onto the boat. Joon and Jang Woo both helped their girls get up in a more intimate way. Jang Woo had tried to carry Eun Jung on the boat bridal style and almost fell in the process. Joon had held Seohyun’s hips while giving her a push onto the white speedboat. Hyuna received help in the form of an outstretched hand from Yonghwa.

“You’re such a gentleman,” Hyuna mocked sarcastically. Her plan was to get him to fall for her but it didn’t seem to be working. At least she had the satisfaction of thinking Yonghwa had stared at her body, but unknown to her, he was staring at the girl behind her.

“Aw you make me blush,” he replied in an equally sarcastic response. Hyuna scoffed and sat on the side of the boat admiring Busan’s blue ocean. The speed of the boat pushed them through the salty sea breeze, making each one of the girls’ hair flow in the wind.

Once again Yonghwa found himself staring at Seohyun while she stood on the edge of the boat and allowed herself to enjoy what nature had to offer for her. His view was ruined once Joon came into the picture and gave her a back hug. Feeling jealousy surge inside him he turned his attention to something else.

After almost an hour being at sea, the group was about ready to go to park the boat and go enjoy the beach for the remaining time. Joon took the wheel from Jang Woo and began to steer them back to the shore. Yonghwa glanced over at Seohyun and noticed the way her white skin was now glowing a shade of pink. He supposed it was because her delicate skin wasn’t used to the sun, but there was something off.

“Hey girl are you alright?” Eun Jung asked her once she noticed the strange glow of her skin.

“Huh, oh yeah I’m fine,” she responded in a weary voice. She was feeling nauseous and like she was burning up but she attributed that to being in the sun as well as seasickness. Seohyun, being the caring girl she was, didn’t want to burden her friends while they took their much needed time to unwind.

“You don’t look too good. Are you sure you’re fine? Do you want me to ask Joon to speed up and have Yonghwa check you out?” Eun Jung offered. Seohyun’s eyes grew big and she shook her head violently. She couldn’t have Yonghwa be close to her while they were wearing what they were wearing. If anything that would only make her feel even hotter than she already was.

“Please, just enjoy the trip Eun Jung. I’m fine, really,” Seohyun insisted. Soon enough, they reached their destination and they began to head to the beach. Yonghwa and Hyuna were the first to disembark. Much to Hyuna’s delight, Yonghwa had struck a small conversation with her and it seemed like there was some progress in her plan. Jang Woo and Eun Jung slowly followed as Joon said he would take care of fixing up the boat.

Seohyun stumbled over to the edge of the boat nearest the pier and tried her hardest to get across. The heat and dizziness she was feeling suddenly hit her and her vision went black for a second. The four people already off the boat turned just in time to see her limp body go plummeting down towards the clear sea water.

“Seohyun!” the group screamed in unison while Yonghwa tore his attention away from Hyuna and jumped into the water without a second thought. Joon heard the commotion and quickly caught onto the situation, following right after Yonghwa’s footsteps. A third splash was heard when he jumped in to help Yonghwa pull the girl out of the water.

The remaining members of the group could only stand there in worry as they waited for their friends to come out of the water. After what seemed like hours of them being under the water, they finally saw a few bubbles rising to the surface. Eventually the men broke through the surface of the water carrying the unconscious girl.

“Jang Woo give us a hand here!” Joon yelled to the still stunned boy. Jang Woo broke out of his stupor and quickly jumped into action. He grabbed hold of Seohyun’s body and rolled her over onto the wooden dock. Joon and Yonghwa climbed up onto the pier as well and tried to get a grasp of the situation.

“Yonghwa what’s wrong with her?!” Joon questioned in desperation. “You have to help her.” Yonghwa sighed and wished he hadn’t told anyone he was trying to go to medical school. Everyone expected him to be some kind of genius doctor already even though his experience was limited. Even so, because he wanted to pursue that path, he knew how to keep calm regardless of the situation. He was freaking out that his best friend was injured, but he knew if he wouldn’t be able to help if he was too riled up.

“She’s warm, even after she was in the water for at least thirty seconds. Her breathing is really accelerated and her pulse is weak.” He quickly tried to put together something in his mind from things he had read here and there. He wished he was already a doctor so he could be of more use, but he quickly dispelled those thoughts and calmed down. “I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with her but if I had to guess it’s probably heat or maybe dehydration.”

“What do we do then? Tell me Yonghwa!” Joon frantically yelled. “Tell me!” Joon stood up and shook Yonghwa’s shoulders before pacing back and forth.

“Joon calm down! She’s going to be fine,” Yonghwa reassured him. “It doesn’t seem to be too bad. If we get her back into the room and turn up the air conditioning while getting her to drink a lot of water she should be fine.” Joon finally snapped out of his trance and nodded to Yonghwa. Jang Woo caught the hint and ran ahead to prepare everything for when Seohyun got into the beach house.

“Help me put her on my back,” Joon ordered. Yonghwa gathered the limp girl off of the ground and threw her over his friend’s shoulder. Soon enough the group was all speeding towards their room at top speed.

 Hyuna on the other hand was not happy that Seohyun had once again become the center of everyone’s attention. Because of Seohyun’s health, there were so many times where she had become the one to steal the show. Once again, Hyuna was deprived of her moment to shine by one of Seohyun’s sickness spells.

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“Is she going to be alright?” Joon asked while Yonghwa exited the room. Yonghwa’s face looked a lot less distressed than it had been a few minutes ago, giving Joon some form of relief.

“Looks like she’s going to be alright. She should be up in a few hours,” Yonghwa gave his diagnosis, even though he wasn’t an expert on anything yet.

“Thanks so much buddy!” Joon cried while bringing Yonghwa into a hug. Yonghwa hugged him back and felt guilty for some of the stuff that had happened between him and Seohyun as of late. He had told Eun Jung and Jang Woo he was going to tell Seohyun that he was in love with her. He was basically saying he was going to betray his best friend.

“Nah, I didn’t do anything,” Yonghwa replied with a guilty smile. “It was what anyone else would do.”

“It’s not nothing Yonghwa. I was freaking out because I didn’t want to lose her. I know what she went through as kid, I was there to see it. I don’t want her to be sick like that anymore. It hurts to think I could lose her,” Joon admitted. Those worse were like sharp darts to Yonghwa’s heart. Joon was admitting that he loved Seohyun with all his heart, making his betrayal even bigger.

“You won’t lose her Joon. She loves you just as much as you love her,” Yonghwa assured him. “Don’t worry about her; she’s going to fight anything to stay by your side.” Yonghwa knew he had to steer the conversation into another direction or else things could get out of hand.

“Thanks again Yonghwa. What else do we need to do to keep her safe?”

“Just keep her in a cool room and try to make her drink some water every now and then. You should sit here and watch her until she feels better,” Yonghwa suggested. Even though he wanted to take care of her and give her everything she wanted, he knew Joon was the person most appropriate for the task.

“No, you do it,” Joon commanded. “I screwed up by not watching her on that boat. I should have noticed that she was sick before this happened.”

“Dude, stop beating yourself up about it. It wasn’t your fault,” Yonghwa comforted.

“Sorry I’m asking, but you watch her please,” Seohyun’s upset boyfriend begged. “Please.”

Yonghwa was happy on the inside when Joon asked him to stay by her side, he wouldn’t deny. He didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be next to her, but at the same time, it wasn’t fair that Joon was beating himself up about it. “Alright I’ll stay. Go out and try to spend your remaining hours clearing your mind. Are you still going to work?”

“Yeah I have to even though I don’t think I’ll be too ready for it.” Joon began to walk towards the exit with a weary shuffle and let out a deep sigh. “My dad will kill me if I screw this deal up though since it will decide what goes on in the ports here at Busan.”

“Go out to the pool and swim to get your mind off of things. I’ll give you a holler if anything happens.” Joon nodded at Yonghwa’s instructions and took the door out towards the pool they had in the back of the small beach house. Yonghwa sighed at the situation and headed back to check up on the still sleeping girl. The noises of her breathing and the swell of her chest as she inhaled and exhaled gave him a much needed comfort. Like Joon, he was always worried that she would get sick while he wasn’t watching her.

“Seohyun, why do you have to do this to us you bad girl?” he mumbled to her sleeping form.

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“How is Seohyun?” Hyuna asked the lifeless man. Joon ignored her question and continued walking towards the pool in order to try to drown out his worries with a swim. “Hello? Earth to Joon?”

“Oh hey Hyuna… sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t see you.”

“How is she doing?” Hyuna asked in feigned interest. Even though she considered Seohyun a friend, sometimes, she wished she could just tell the weak girl off. She was a nice person, but that bugged her sometimes. The way she always got sick and ruined things also ticked her off.

“She’s going to be fine,” Joon answered. “I think I’m going to go back and watch her.” Hyuna’s temper flared once she realized Joon was turning around to go see the sick girl again. Yonghwa was already down there, the WooJung couple had ran off somewhere to get medicine, and now Joon was leaving her too. It infuriated her just how much attention Seohyun got when she didn’t even deserve it.

“No stay!” Hyuna begged while holding onto Joon’s muscular arm. Joon was surprised by her sudden outburst since they weren’t exactly the closest members of the group. That moment was probably the most physical interaction the two had ever had.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a confused voice.

“Seohyun…” Hyuna stumbled with her words. “…uh she wouldn’t want you to not have fun because of her sake. You know how she is. She would feel bad if she knew she was causing you to not enjoy your trip.” Joon admitted that what Hyuna was saying made sense. Seohyun was the kind of person that wouldn’t want everything to change just because of her.

“You’re right. She wouldn’t want that,” Joon agreed. Hyuna gave him a smile and squeezed his arm reassuringly. “Are you going to go for a swim?” Hyuna shook her head and led Joon over to one of the chairs so she could sunbathe a little.

“I’m going to work on my tan. Do you think you could rub the sunscreen on my back?” Hyuna shyly requested. Joon coughed a little and moved slightly away from her. It was a dangerous move on his part to do something like that. He was not going to lie to himself and say he didn’t want to do it. More than once had he thought that Hyuna was a very, very attractive woman. It made him feel guilty, but at the same time he was human.

“I think you should ask Eun Jung to help you with that,” Joon shyly replied. “It’s better if a girl does it for you.”

“Come on!” she whined. “It’s not a big deal. Seohyun is out cold, Yonghwa is taking care of her, and the loverbirds are probably going to get lost in Busan for a while.” Hyuna went over to sit on the pool chair and patted the seat as if telling him there was a spot for him. She threw the nervous man a tube of sunscreen and readied herself to be rubbed with the slippery substance.

“O-okay,” Joon hesitantly agreed. With a light click, the top of the sunscreen came off and he moved towards the girl lying on her stomach. “Are you sure you can’t do this later? You’ll have all day to do this you know.”

“Can you just get on with it please?” Joon sighed and placed his hands on Hyuna’s deliciously sun-kissed skin. It was a whole different sensation than when he brushed skin with Seohyun. His contact with Hyuna left a slight tingle in his fingertips. The strong pair of hands continued to massage the smaller set of shoulders gently, as if they begged for his attention. With Seohyun, he wanted to provide a protective feeling, but this wasn’t it at all. Hyuna’s skin was begging him to give her pleasure, not protection.

Joon soon found himself rubbing her harder than he was supposed to. It had turned into a massage instead of the simple task of putting sunscreen on the girl. It wasn’t helping his arousal when the girl let out a pleasured sigh as the hands roamed over her back. “Hyuna, is this enough?” Joon asked in a whisper.

“Let me undo my back strap,” she said while untying the knot that held her top together. Joon immediately snapped out of his confusion and tried to walk away.

“What are you doing woman?!”

“I have to get rid of this strap on my back or else I’ll get a gross tan line,” Hyuna pointed out in a voice that was more like a purr than anything else. Joon found himself intoxicated by her form of speech. “You’re not nervous are you?”

“N-n-no I’m not,” he defended. Hyuna could tell he was falling for her trap. It felt a little strange to be acting like that towards Joon, but she didn’t really mind. The man was attractive, had an amazing body, and to top it all off he was rich. What was there not to like? Besides, Yonghwa was currently tied up with Seohyun’s illness. She felt it was only fair if she had a little ‘fun’ with Joon.

“You act like you’ve never touched a girl like this in your life. Surely you’ve had plenty of occasions to do something like this with Seohyun since you’ve been dating for years now.” Hyuna knew that wasn’t the case and she would exploit that weakness to its greatest extent.

“I ha-haven’t,” he stuttered. “Seohyun is a little too pure for that kind of stuff.”

“She’s holding out on you?” Hyuna instigated. “You’re a man Lee Joon, and I know exactly what men need.” She was genuinely surprised that Joon hadn’t called her a or a and just run out on her. It only proved that she was getting exactly the response she wanted from him.

“Hyuna, what game are you playing right now?” The girl was still lying on her stomach facing away from him so he couldn’t see the victorious smirk plastered on her face. “Why are we even talking about this?” Hyuna stood up from her chair, holding her top onto her s so she wouldn’t expose herself to her ‘best friend’s’ man.

“I’m not playing any games. I’m just trying to find out a little more about you. Don’t you think I should know my best friend’s boyfriend?”  Hyuna purred once more. She pulled the entranced boy back over to the seat and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I know exactly the kind of man you are Lee Joon. Don’t think you can fool me.”

“What are you talking about?” he whispered back while swallowing hard. Hyuna heard the noise coming from his throat and allowed her smirk to grow even further at the situation.

Joon gave a light moan when she ran her hands along the edge of his chin all the way up to his ear and into his hair. “You have needs. I’ve seen the way you stare at me sometimes. You’re not happy with what my dear friend Seohyun is giving you.”

“You’re wr-wrong!” he yelped. “You’re going too far if you’re just trying to play a joke on me.”

“Your reaction is enough for me to think I’m right.” Joon finally met her gaze and found himself staring into two passion filled seas of desire in her eyes. “You didn’t pull away from me. You’re allowing me to do what I’m doing. You want it Joon, I can tell.”

“No, Hyuna, stop it please,” he begged her.

“You need a woman that can please you, a woman that can put out that fiery pit of passion bubbling inside of you. You need to release everything you have. Don’t lie to me Joon. Admit you would take any opportunity you could to get that pleasure you desperately strive for.”

Joon gulped hard one more time but this time it was because he felt guilty for what he was doing. Seohyun was too good for him to be doing this to her but he had to agree with what Hyuna was saying. He was a man and that meant he had instincts that drove him. The body he was given had to give into carnal pleasures or else it wouldn’t function properly. As much as he wanted to run into Seohyun’s room and watch her while she was sick, he also wanted to see just where Hyuna was taking him.

“Yo-you’re crazy you know that,” he breathed out. “You do realize I’m your best friend’s boyfriend right?”

Hyuna smirked once more and brought her face right next to his. slowly inched forward to meet his. Joon’s breathing sped up and he instinctively brought his face closer to hers. Both of the young adults could feel each other’s breath on their skin. Hyuna noticed the way Joon closed his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. The seductive girl pulled her head back and placed a finger on his lips as if shushing him.

“I should tell Seohyun about this,” Hyuna threatened. “I should tell her that her boyfriend is ready to cheat on her with her best friend.” Joon’s eyes opened up in a flash upon hearing her threating words.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Would I? Who knows?” Hyuna arrogantly teased. “I do know one thing; you would jump at any opportunity to have your way with me. Want to see if I feel the same way?” Joon had no idea what to say to the woman currently tying up her bikini top and turning to walk away from him.

“I can see why everyone at school thinks the way they think of you,” Joon insulted. He was angry at her, but also at himself. He had played into her game and she now had something to hold over his head. The worst part was that he knew Hyuna was right. Joon needed a woman, a real woman. Seohyun was someone he cared for but she wouldn’t give him what he needed until they got married which was a long way away.

“Call me whenever you need to talk to someone about that little problem in your pants,” she giggled. Joon quickly covered up the hardness in his swimming shorts and blushed madly. “Let me show you a little of what you could have in the future.”

Hyuna reached over to grab the tube of sunscreen while he just sat there in a daze. Just before leaving she took an opportunity to stare into his eyes to see just how crazy she had driven him. She felt Joon move towards her to give her a kiss but she gave him a poke on his chest and wagged her finger at him. “No no no. Joonie, you’re such a naughty little boy. I can’t believe you would try to kiss me while your girlfriend is sick in bed.”

The girl allowed him to sit on that chair stunned while she went back to the beach house. “What the hell did you just do Lee Joon?” he asked himself.

Author’s Note: Ooooooh things are starting to get a little steamy. Love square incoming? I think so. Let’s see where this turn of events takes our four protagonists. I'm sorry this chapter was a little boring compared to the other chapters before but it was honestly a filler chapter. I needed to introduce the situation between Joon and Hyuna somehow and I found this was the easiest way.

Next chapter is going to drop a huge bomb on everyone so I hope you all brace yourselves for it :).