Date 27: Sea World and San Diego

“Jagiyah,” Dara urged as Jiyong grumbled and rolled over to the other side, avoiding the call of the morning.



“We have to get going. You can sleep on the shuttle to the heliport!”



“Five more minutes, D,” he mumbled, his eyes heavy with fatigue, his body aching from the jet lag.



Why was it so easy for her to jet set around the world, perky as can be? Would he ever be able to adjust to this lifestyle and be as energetic as she was? He struggled to shake the sleep from his body as Dara tugged at his arm and helped him get dressed.



In a blur of commotion, they made it to the heliport on time, pleasantly surprised to learn that the two helicopters had been shunted to other engagements, leaving a jumbo seater helicopter in their stead, easily accommodating the 5 person party. The girls sat together, facing the boys as the helicopter lifted into the air for the short flight down to San Diego. Bundled for the morning chill, they huddled together to ward off the bite of the early morning sky. Before anyone could acclimate to the air swirling around them, they were already descending at the heliport in La Jolla, a nearby city, where another luxury vehicle awaited to transport them to their breakfast destination.



“My treat,” Minzy insisted at the protests of her unnies and oppas. “Bom unnie got the jet from Korea to the US, Dara unnie has taken care of the hotel and the helicopter ride to Sea World. The least I can do is pay for breakfast and the park tickets.”



The others soon gave up their arguments as they took in the resolved face of the maknae, standing before them with her arms crossed over her chest.



They walked up to the quaint restaurant appropriately named “The Cottage”. It was designed to look like a beach cottage, with a white picket fence bordering the outside tables which were covered with olive green beach umbrellas. Inside, the walls boasted a wonderful white paneling that continued the white picket fence feeling from outside. Booths lined the walls with a crisp beach themed design. The walls, painted a soft gray, housed various modern paintings in green, separated by tiny lamps protruding from the wall. The smell was heavenly and they couldn't wait to order. They huddled together trying to come up with a game plan on which items to tackle as a laid back blonde waitress approached them.



“Hello, welcome to the Cottage. What can I get for you guys,” she asked.



“We'll take two orders of your Classic French Toast, a Southern California omelette, a Tuscan omelette, a Mediterranean omelette, two orders of the Breakfast burritos, and two All American Breakfasts please,” Dara rolled out in her perfect English.



The waitress scribbled furiously before taking their drink orders of orange juice and coffee then walked away with an amused smile.



Dara turned towards the girls, who their lips in anticipation of their coming feast while Jiyong and Taeyang sat with their mouths hung slightly open at the obscene amount of food they had just ordered for the morning.



An army of waiters brought out the food served on classic white oval plates. The smell was intoxicating and they group fell into a hush from their rowdy conversations as they focused on their meal. There was silence as forks and knives scraped and scooped the mouthfuls of heaven, accompanied only by the occasional moan of delight. The french toast was light and fluffy, yet crispy in just the right places. Dara had a hard time controlling her impulse to shovel it all down in one enormous bite, offering tastes politely to her friends. Jiyong laughed at her attempt to share, knowing how difficult it must be.



Bom and Taeyang continued their playful cat and mouse game, stealing each other's food as they complained and bantered with each other. Minzy rolled her eyes at them as she focused on her breakfast burrito, finding herself stuffed beyond reason without having finished it.



“I can help you finish that,” Dara offered, earning a chuckle from Jiyong.



“Still hungry? You already helped me finish my omelette,” he teased.



“Jagi, you should know by now that my appetite is not easily satisfied with just one course.”



He nodded knowingly, leaning over to whisper just for her to hear, “Your appetite for food is like my appetite for you.”



She tensed, suddenly wanting privacy to further explore this conversation. Jiyong had finally shaken his fatigue from the morning, the omelette clearly giving him the fuel he needed.





* * *





“Everyone packed their swimsuits, right?” Dara confirmed as the group made their way past the gates of the Sea World.



“Yeah, but what's that all about; is there a swimming pool here or is there a water park attached?” Taeyang asked.



“No,” Dara chuckled. “You need to wear swimsuits under the wetsuits they provide you for the dolphin interaction program. I took the liberty of signing us up.”



Minzy and Bom squealed in delight as the they realized they would be up close and personal with the adorable dolphins.



Taeyang looked at Jiyong who simply shrugged and smiled, smacking his friend on the back as they headed towards the locker rooms.



They emerged on the other side dressed in a matching set of wetsuits, Dara and Bom with their hair tied in braids, Minzy with two little pigtails . Shortly after, they were joined by a petite man dressed in his own wetsuit, brown hair slicked back from his time in the water.



“Hi, welcome to the Dolphin Interaction Program. My name is Todd. I'll be walking you through some introductory material and basic commands you'll be using with our special friends today.”



Todd spent the next thirty minutes going over signals and emergency procedures. Finally, the gates to the side of the pool opened and they were joined by three playful dolphins.



“This here is Dotty,” Todd said, introducing a gentle dark grey dolphin with patches of blue grey along one side. “She's the eldest of her school and the most friendly to humans. Don't let her age fool you, she still packs a punch when swimming.”



The girls gathered around her, touching the dolphin and feeding her small fish and crushed ice. They cooed and sighed, happy to be having this experience of a lifetime.



The other two dolphins were also introduced, Skipper and Leela. They were younger and more playful, constantly breaking from the trainer to have a swim around the pool, only to come back and nudge for more treats.



“Either of you fellas strong swimmers?” Todd asked the boys.



They both nodded and were immediately briefed on the basics of riding the dolphin, a technique that preceded most tricks for the shows.



“Who wants to go first?” Todd asked.



Taeyang raised his hand excitedly, bouncing up and down in the pool, his eyes slits from his huge grin. He was given Skipper and before the trainer could signal go, the two were off around the pool, Taeyang yelling in glee, pumping his free hand into the air, the other holding firmly onto Skipper's dorsal fin.



Jiyong was next, and he tentatively placed his arm around Leela, who somehow sensed his nervousness and took off at a more gradual pace. Jiyong spluttered water as he adjusted to the bobbing motion of her swimming in the pool. Before long, however, he was hollering jubilantly right alongside Taeyang.



At the signal of their trainer, the two dolphins swam side by side, Taeyang and Jiyong high-fiving in greeting as they neared each other. The girls watched from the side of the pool, cheering Taeyang and Jiyong as they went round and round the pool several times. Finally at another signal, Taeyang and Jiyong were sent in a wave up the embankment of the pool, which was sloped to allow dolphins to land there temporarily for a pose. The boys slid up the embankment and landed in a jumble of limbs, laughing hysterically at their clumsy dismount.



Everyone thanked Todd profusely and, with the end of their session, chattered excitedly as they headed back to the locker rooms.



“That was phenomenal!” Taeyang shouted as they exited the locker areas, freshly showered and dressed once more in their street clothes.



There was nonstop conversation, the girls constantly fawning over how cute the dolphins had been, the boys raving about the thrill of being pulled around the water by the creatures.



Walking past the dolphin containment section they passed another program called Dolphin Encounter which offered guests a chance to feed and touch the dolphins with the guidance of the dolphin trainers. They saw Todd ushering in Dotty, Skipper, and Leela into this pool, and the girls rushed to greet their friends one last time.



Taeyang and Jiyong followed slowly behind as Jiyong asked his friend something he had been curious about since Disneyland.



“So, what's with you and Bom? I thought you were dating that one girl from the courthouse. What was her name again?”



“Mina. Nah...we're just friends. We thought there might be more but after a couple of dates, I tried to kiss her and we ended up cracking up. It's like we're related or something. It's just too weird.”



“Oh. I see,” Jiyong teased, a twinkle flashing in his eye.



“What's that supposed to mean, mang?”



“Nothin'. Just been noticing some harmless flirtation between you and Bom Park....”



Before Taeyang had a chance to respond, there was an uproar among the female patrons of the park, Dara, Bom, and Minzy leading the charge.



“That's so gross!” screamed Bom.



“It's so big and pink!” yelled Dara.



“How are they staying connected like that,” wondered Minzy.



Mothers were turning their children away and hurriedly rushing from the exhibit. Teenagers were whooping and hollering.



Jiyong wrapped his arms around Dara as they finally caught up with the girls, curious to know what all the fuss was about.



“What's going on, D?”



Dara blushed a deep crimson as she pointed to the water. Jiyong followed the direction of her finger to find two dolphins swimming in a disorderly fashion round and round the pool. As he took a closer look, he realized that they were mating, the male dolphin's member, large and pink protruding out of the female, its length too long to be accommodated by the cavern of the female.



“Is that Skipper and Leela?” Taeyang asked, laughing at the sight of the two young dolphins rolling around and around as they swam wide circles in the pool.



“That's kind of hot, D,” Jiyong whispered into Dara's ear, nipping it lightly before anyone else could see.



Dara's loins tightened deliciously at the vibration of his whisper against her ear, her spine shivering involuntarily. She turned to bury her face in his chest, suddenly embarrassed at being from watching dolphins mating. But it wasn't the dolphins. It was Jiyong. A simple whisper and she was putty in his hands. She desperately wanted to take him into a rest area and ride the living daylights out of him. But sensing the jealousy of her friends, she quickly composed herself and parted from her -god with a chaste kiss on the lips.



Catching the blush on Dara's cheeks, Bom teased, “Hey, let's get out of here before Dara jumps Jiyong in front of the entire crowd and really gives these moms something to complain about.”



Dara gave Bom a playful slap on the arm as they linked and walked away towards the next attraction.



They spent the next two hours exploring the various exhibits, getting lost in the shark encounter, finding an inner peace watching the turtles swim at turtle reef, and taking refuge from the sudden warmth of the day in the icy penguins exhibit.



“Where are Taeyang oppa and Bom unnie?” Minzy asked, finding Jiyong and Dara at the far end of the penguin exhibit.



“Weren't they with you?” Jiyong asked.



“They were in the beginning, but I was watching this cute little baby penguin and turned around to find them gone,” she pouted.



Dara and Jiyong exchanged knowing looks and led Minzy to the gift store section, assuring her that they would be fine.



“Oh God, they better not be like this on the jet back to Korea. I don't think I can handle 15 hours of the flirtatious banter!” Minzy vented in exasperation.



Dara giggled and Jiyong gave a sympathetic pat to Minzy's shoulder. Just then, Taeyang and Bom emerged to join them, Bom's hair a bit more disheveled than when they had entered.



Jiyong raised an eyebrow towards Taeyang.



“Blame the ing dolphins,” Taeyang replied with a sly grin, earning him a smack from Bom.



“I heard that,” she said, shaking her head.



“I wanted you to,” he countered.



“Get a room, you two!” Minzy complained. “You better stop before we get on the jet or I'm booking a commercial flight back to Seoul!”



Lunch was a smorgasbord of carnival food variety items as they spent the time munching on hot dogs and popcorn while casually perusing the carnival games at the Coco Loco arcade.



Feeling their pride challenged by the people manning the booths, Jiyong and Taeyang began a series of competitions to see who could outdo the other in terms of winning the various stuffed animals on display. At the skeeball toss, Jiyong won the largest polar bear which he quickly texted his sister, Chaerin, about.



“You need to take this back with you. Chaerin just saw the picture and she has to have it for her stuffed bear collection,” he told Taeyang.



Next there was a penguin race where you rolled a ball into various pockets to cause the penguin to slide across the racing platform. Taeyang dominated with his smooth and accurate rolls into the farthest pocket, causing his penguin to soar past the others and winning a giant killer shark which he presented to Bom. She blushed and formed a shy smile which was quickly replaced with a scowl as Taeyang made some silly joke about the uncanny similarities between her and the killer shark.



They went game after game until each of the girls had 3 animals each, Minzy particularly delighted with her adorably mid-sized penguin.



They ended their time at Sea World by watching the most popular show of the theme park, Shamu Rocks. Wisely avoiding the wet zones, they were able to enjoy the antics and amazing feats of the killer whales, while the other guests were soaked from the enormous waves of water that came from the pool as Shamu splashed the audience with powerful of his tail. They all watched in wonder as the whales flipped in the air with as much grace as the dolphins. Set to an amazing blend of rock and roll music, the show was a dazzling array of tricks.



“Why are we leaving so early, Dara?” Bom asked, looking longingly at a corn stall they were passing on their way towards the exit.



“I have one more surprise for us waiting at the beach,” Dara replied, getting off the phone with their driver.



“Ooh the beach?” Minzy sighed. “Let's go!”



They piled into their limo van and headed back towards La Jolla to a secluded beach with soft white sand. As the shuffled out of the vehicle, the scent of lobster filled the air. Following the scent, they came across the fire pit where a crew of cooks were putting the finishing touches on a beach-side bonfire and picnic.



“Thanks, Dillon!” Dara said, giving one of the workers a quick hug.



“No problem, Dara. Just make sure you keep your promise about us catering your next Etude event in San Diego next year.”



“You got it,” she smiled.



“What is all this, D?” Jiyong murmured, feeling suddenly famished as he took in the delicious smells coming from the fire pit.



“Have you ever heard of a clambake? I wanted to have you guys experience that. It's more common in the East Coast near Maryland, but this will do.”



She ushered her friends and Jiyong towards the blankets that were laid out on the sand. The cooks were just taking a huge container covered with aluminum foil off of the fire and as they unwrapped it, a blast of scrumptious odor hit the air. The container was packed to the brim with lobsters, potatoes, corn on the cobs, clams, and crabs legs which were generously laid out on plates and served to the hungry adventurers waiting on the picnic blankets. They feasted ravenously on the spread before them, looking up just as the sun was starting to touch the horizon.



“Jagi, look,” Dara motioned towards the sunset. The sky was lit up in a array of burning oranges and yellows streaking across the sky, reflected perfectly on the surface of the water.
 

“A Californian sunset, D?” Jiyong smiled as he placed a loving peck on Dara's cheek.



“It isn't Hawaii,” she sighed.



“It doesn't have to be. Every sunset with you is perfection. Don't you get it? It's not the location. It's the person you share it with. And right now. This is perfect. With our friends and you. It's perfect,” Jiyong murmured, looking deep into Dara's eyes.



There it was again...that mysterious look that made her heart flutter and sent butterflies to her stomach.



“Yah!” Bom yelled, interrupting their moment.



Taeyang ran, holding the last ear of corn, as a furious Bom made pursuit across the sand.



“THAT WAS MINE!” she roared, tackling a surprised Taeyang, the ear of corn still triumphantly held up in the air away from the sand.



“I'd say come and get it, but you've already tackled me. Take it! TAKE IT!” he laughed as she punched him repeatedly in anger.



“I told you she was worse than me,” Dara snorted as she propped Jiyong's mouth back closed from the dumbfounded expression he just had.



“You weren't kidding,” Jiyong laughed.







* * *





“Why aren't they coming with us, D?” Jiyong asked as he and Dara got off the limo van, their daybags in hand.



“Bom, Minzy, and Taeyang have a flight to catch back to Seoul,” she explained to him. “The van will take you back to the heliport where we touched down this morning. That helicopter is instructed to take you to LAX where your jet is, Bommie!”



“Thanks, Dara. We had a blast!”



“See you back in Korea, mang,” Taeyang shouted from the van, holding up a peace sign.



“You guys better remember to cool it on the jet! I mean it!” Minzy said, pinching her unnie on the arm.



The van pulled away as Dara led Jiyong towards the entrance of the airport where their flight was schedule to take off shortly.



"What about our bags?"



"Already there waiting for us."



“So where are we off to, D?”



“Vegas, baby,” she said, pulling him close.



“Ooh, sin city. Why, Miss Park, are we having thoughts of dolphins?”



"Dolphins? No....but definitely something ," she smiled mischievously as she pulled him in for a kiss.




"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?" he breathed as their lips parted.




"If you like it, we can take it home with us, Jagi," she whispered, pulling him by the collar.




Jiyong itched with anticipation as they headed towards their gate.

Author's note:

Don't know if you noticed a change in the pattern of these dates.  Real life came into play in this book, making for unexpected trades between Chele and I.  You'll notice that she comes back for Date 29. Hope you're enjoying the ride :)