The sound of crashing waves and seagulls calling slowly roused the boy from his slumber. A gentle breeze came through the opening of his window to kiss his bare shoulders and torso, and the salt of the sea filled his nostrils. Knowing his alarm would go off any moment now but not wanting to open his eyes just yet, he used his hand to aimlessly search for his cellphone. Finally finding it, he opened his eyes only enough to turn it on and check the time.

'Ah, it's 9:57,' he thought to himself. His alarm was set at 10 A.M., and not wanting to hear even a second of the obnoxious screech of his alarm, he swiped the alert to 'off'. Stretching a bit under the covers, he opened his eyes more, blinking and looking over through the window.

The morning sky was baby blue, and the clouds white and puffy. Judging from the breeze he felt a moment ago, he surmised the day's high temperature wouldn't exceed the mid-80s. It was a perfect day to go down to the beach and read a book, or catch a tan.

Not wanting to waste the morning any longer, Kyuhyun got out of bed to straighten his sheets and comforter before grabbing some breakfast in the kitchen. He found his mother reading a magazine at the bar as she munched on some fruit, and his father seated next to her, finishing off a mimosa and an omelet. They looked up and smiled warmly as he made his presence in the kitchen.

"Morning, hun. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did. It's been a while since I had such a restful night," Kyuhyun replied, rubbing his eyes.

"That's good, son. Your father and I will be heading out soon to meet with the Hwang family, but I can make you something to eat really quickly if you want," his mother suggested.

"Nah, don't trouble yourself. I'll make my own breakfast; you guys go on ahead and have a good time, though!" Kyuhyun replied before rummaging through the refrigerator. As he gathered the things for his food, his parents placed their dirty dishes in the dishwasher before heading to their room. Once they were out of earshot, Kyuhyun started singing a tune to pass the time.

"Oh, my little star, where could you be tonight? I'm searching, searching, searching for you, so please show me your light.."

As he hummed more of the song, he parents bid him goodbye, saying they'd likely be gone for most of the day and to call them if he needed anything.

Before long he was finished with his breakfast and went to get himself washed and ready to have some fun of his own. Before he hopped into the shower he heard his cellphone buzz from the side table adjacent to his bed. Looking at it, he saw that he had a text message from his friend Donghae.

Kyu! We just pulled up to the house! It's not the blue one from last year; it's the yellow one from two years ago. You still know where it is right?

Not wanting to keep his friend waiting, Kyuhyun sent a quick reply. Yep, it's the one with that weird bush in the back yard, lol. I'm getting ready so I will give y'all some time to unpack and stuff before I head over. Give me about 20.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kyuhyun hopped in the shower and made quick work of his bathing. Once he finished he hastily dried himself off and put on his swim trunks and sandals. His drawstring bag was already filled with the essentials: his keys, sunblock, wallet and earbuds. He threw it on, grabbed his phone and nearly forgot to lock the house as he excitedly ran out of it.

It took about eight minutes from his family's beach house to Donghae's, a little shorter than the ten minutes he remembered from previous years since he was practically speedwalking the entire way there. As he approached his family's two cars, he saw a few people bringing what seemed to be the last of their belongings inside. Alerting them that he was there, he offered to help carry things inside.

"Oh! Kyuhyun! It's good to see you!" beamed Donghae's mother. Accepting his offer of assistance, she handed him a large tote container out of the trunk of the minivan.

"Donghae is already inside. This is one of the last few things; we can get the rest. Please, come in and relax a bit. I'm sure Donghae is itching to see you too," she exclaimed.

"Great, Mrs. Lee. Oh, and my parents wanted me to send you their regards. They're out for the day but I'm sure we all can get together soon now that your family has arrived," Kyuhyun commented. He loved the extended dinners his and Donghae's family would have together on occassion. Endless platters and dishes of delicious food, the usual pestering of his best friend, and joyful company couldn't be beat by much.

As he followed his friend's mother into the house, his body suddenly did a light spasm. Kyuhyun momentarily stopped to think on it.

'It was nothing, right? Every time this happens something usually unwanted follows... I just got here the other day so what could happen? Maybe Donghae will give me a wet willy once I get inside... yeah, it has to be something like that. But I won't let him!' Kyuhyun thought.

Shrugging his sixth sense off, he cast it aside as ungrounded anxiety and gleefully made his way to see his friend. He figured he was overthinking things again, and reminded himself that this summer was going to be low-key, easy going and stress free.

He couldn't have been more wrong if he tried.