“20, 21, 22… Two people are missing here!” The teacher in charge, who was also the council’s adviser announced after counting the heads in the bus seats.

                Jongup stood up to have a look around. “They should be Zelo and Daehyun hyung,” He told the quite young man who was standing at the front.

                “Right. Call them.” Mr. Song ordered.

                Jongup was about to take out his phone when those two suddenly came running up onto the bus. Daehyun stopped by the teacher with Zelo behind him. Both of them were out of breath because of running to the school yard from the dorm.

                “Sorry, we’re late!” Daehyun apologized to the other students.

                “Why are you late?”  Mr. Song asked.

                “It’s my fault,” Junhong chimed in. “I was so tired last night and fell asleep when I didn’t finish packing yet. So I have to rush it this morning. I’m sorry.”

                The members started to murmur among each other but then one of them shouted “It’s fine, dude!”

                Mr. Song sighed. “Don’t do it again next time. Go find your seats,” He said before going to his previous spot beside the other teacher in charge, Mr. Park.

                There were more than 30 seats in the bus and just 24 of them. So there were many empty seats left. Daehyun walked further into the bus. He saw Yongguk sitting with Youngjae. Both of them smiled at him as he passed by. Jongup was sitting with Himchan, of course. Some of them were alone in those double seats. But since he was going to sit with Zelo, he chose an unclaimed row at the middle of the bus.

                Daehyun went to sit by the window and waited for his roommate to get here next to him. He craned his neck a bit to see Zelo who was walking incredibly slowly. The younger wasn’t even looking at him and just passed his seat to the back of the bus. His eyes followed Zelo until the boy got an empty row like him too. And so his roommate sat there alone.

                Daehyun turned back to the front with a frown. Did Zelo not see him here? He tapped his chin, thinking deeper. Or did he do something that hurt his roommate? His mind traveled back to this morning. He was telling Zelo to hurry up or they’re going to be left out.

               His eyes widened, suddenly realized that Zelo hadn’t said a word to him this morning. So he thought back about last night. They were looking at some pictures and…

                Daehyun’s cheeks heated up. Of course! They actually kissed! How could he forget about that?! Zelo avoided him since last night, when he ran to the bathroom. Everything was hazy for him after the kiss so he lied down on the bed. Maybe he fell asleep right away.

                His body sunk into the seat, as if he could hide himself from Zelo now. He looked out of the window as the bus started to leave the school. He tried to enjoy the scenery of the city outside, the tall buildings and the many people but his mind couldn’t stop thinking about Zelo.

                He wondered why did Zelo kiss him. Did the boy like him? Since when? And what about him? What did he actually feel about it? Daehyun wasn’t sure but he wouldn’t say he didn’t like it. But the person he liked was Yongguk wasn’t it?

                Daehyun shook his head when the thought was getting jumbled up. He pulled his hoodie down to cover his face and went to sleep.

(｡◕‿◕｡)

                Nearly four hours later, the bus arrived at a hotel in Sokcho. They didn’t need to worry about the price since their high-class school would cover for half of it. The hotel was located near the famous beach, which was the main place they wanted to go.

                Daehyun woke up from his nice sleep before going out of the bus. With his bag on his back, he just followed where the other students headed to until they reached the hotel lobby. He was getting confused when the members were calling out their friends and gathered in one place. But he just continued to stand there like a lost puppy.

                “Daehyun!”

                He turned around to the guy shouting his name. Youngjae beckoned him to come closer. Yongguk came into view standing next to Youngjae.

                “Do you want to room with us?” Youngjae asked. “We need four more persons.”

                Daehyun shrugged. “Sure,” He agreed without looking at Yongguk.

                Right after that, Himchan came out of nowhere. “Hey, you have enough people yet?” He asked Youngjae. “We need three more.”

                “That’s great ‘cause there are only three of us,” Youngjae gestured to Daehyun and Yongguk.

                “Nice. Come with me,” Himchan moved through the crowd of students with the other three tailed behind him. He went to Jongup and Zelo who were waiting at the counter.

                Daehyun suddenly felt an awkward atmosphere when Zelo was around. The younger ignored him again and he didn’t like it. He couldn’t enjoy this trip if he’s having a problem with a friend. He needed to solve it quick.

                Himchan informed their advisers that he had gathered enough number of people for one room. So Mr. Park told him to write the names of the six of them before giving him a card key. Himchan then returned to his group.

                “Our room number is 2601. And I’ll let Daehyun hold this key,” He handed it out to the said boy.

                “Why me?” Daehyun asked, a bit reluctant.

                “Because you’re good in keeping things,” Himchan stated which indeed the truth. “So Mr. Song said we can go to our room first… or go straight to the beach! He shouted excitedly and pulled Jongup to run out of the hotel.

                “Let’s just go to the beach then!” Youngjae exclaimed before dragging Yongguk along.

                Now Daehyun was left alone with Zelo. He glanced through his glasses at the taller boy who was purposely looking around to avoid his gaze.

                “I’m going to the room to change,” Daehyun said because he wasn’t comfortable changing in public places.

                Zelo nodded, looking down at the floor. “I’m… going to the beach…” He mumbled, draping his backpack strap onto his shoulder and started to walk away.

                Daehyun’s mouth opened to say something but he just closed it back as he watched Zelo leaving him. He had a thought that now was not the right time to have a talk with the other. He would go to the room first and talk to him later.

                So after Daehyun had finally put on his shorts and sleeves shirt, he went straight to the beach. There were a lot of people but it’s easy to find his trip group. They were lingering in one place, playing games, swimming and sunbathing. He joined them to look around for Zelo.

                Daehyun saw his roommate but he wasn’t together with the other students. He was sitting alone in the middle of the beach, gazing at the blue sea. He had changed into a sleeveless white shirt and a blue board shorts. His knees were pulled up as he spread his legs, his elbows rested against them while he drew something on the sand using his forefinger.

                Without a doubt, Daehyun decided to approach the boy, flopping down next to him. He too pulled his knees up but to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Zelo had a glimpse of his company, causing him to get paler that he usually was.

                “So…What was it about last night?” Daehyun asked directly to the younger.

                Zelo kept his eyes on Daehyun’s as the other boy was staring at him, hoping to get an appropriate answer. He sighed, turning his head towards the sea before he slightly shook it. “I don’t know…”

                Daehyun huffed. That’s not what he wanted to hear from Zelo. His eyes also averted to the sea, thinking on the next words he should be saying.

                “I’m sorry,” Zelo continued. His gaze shifted down while he was still shaking his head. “I know you like Yongguk. I’m just...don’t know,” He shrugged his shoulders before turning to the older boy. Daehyun looked at him after noticing his stare.

                “I’m sorry,” Zelo muttered.

                Daehyun furrowed his brows. “Why are you sorry?

                Zelo shut his eyes and blew out a puff of air. He opened them back to stare at Daehyun again. “Look, let’s just forget it,” He suggested out of the blue and stood up from his spot.

                Daehyun’s frown deepened looking up at the tall boy. He really couldn’t understand what the other was saying. Why was Yongguk’s name mentioned in their conversation? What did it have to do with him liking Yongguk? Why was Zelo sorry about kissing him? Was it a mistake that he did?

                “We’re just normal roommates, nothing happened between us,” Zelo declared to Daehyun and nodded to himself while the latter was still confused about the whole thing.

                “Ay, Zelo!!” A voice called from a distance.

                Both Zelo and Daehyun whipped their heads towards it. It was Yongguk, holding a ball, with a bunch of other students behind him.

                “Let’s play some volleyball!” Yongguk shouted and when nobody else was aware of it, Zelo was sure that he saw a smirk on the guy’s annoying face.

                “Yeah! Come on!!” The other players were also calling out on him.

                Zelo rolled his eyes. If it’s not because of them, he would gladly reject Yongguk’s offer. He began to walk away from his previous spot to go to the volleyball court. Daehyun suddenly felt a bit sad. Why wasn’t he called upon too? Nonetheless, he still got up to stand at the side as a supporter.

                It was not a surprise when Yongguk asked Zelo to go two on two against him. The older had an evil grin on his face saying that he would beat him in the match but Zelo just scoffed at his childishness. Yongguk had Youngjae partnered up with him on the other side. Zelo didn’t really care who would be on his side but he chose Jongup when he’s given a chance to pick his teammate.

               Himchan came to stand beside Daehyun, excitedly waiting for the game to start. “This is going to be fun!!” He exclaimed at the sophomore. Daehyun flinched at his extra loud voice.

                “Jongup!! Do your best!!!” Himchan cheered for his boyfriend and once again Daehyun’s ears buzzed at the high-pitched scream.

                The match began. Yongguk was the first to serve. He used all his might to hit the ball to the opponent. However, Zelo received it without much effort. He casually sent the ball back to the other side but Youngjae was struggling to save it. Yongguk managed to take over but failed miserably when Zelo blocked the ball.

                The crowd cheered for Zelo’s team first point. Zelo high fived with Jongup before flashing a sly smile at Yongguk. The president gritted his teeth in irritation.

                The game continued. Yongguk became more aggressive than before. He scored some points but they’re still not enough to pass Zelo whose team was leading the match. That boy really used his tall height as an advantage in this game. And so Yongguk thought he could show him some bad disadvantage.

                It was his turn to serve again. He twisted the ball in his hands, glaring at Zelo who was standing in the middle to receive the ball. A devilish smirk unconsciously appeared on his face again. By the time Zelo could notice it, it was already too late.

                Yongguk made his serve, tossing the ball up high, jumping from the ground and hit it with an extraordinary force. With the speed of a missile being released from a fighter jet, the ball smacked Zelo right on his face.

                “Oh my god!!!” Daehyun cried out seeing his roommate plummeted to the ground. The audience too let out a loud gasp at the incident including Himchan and the other two players.

                Zelo was sprawled on the beach sand. His head was spinning and his sight was blurring that he had to close his eyes in grimace. Daehyun quickly ran to check on him, followed by the other people coming to surround them. Yongguk watched his victim in satisfaction but his teammate wasn’t like him.

                “Why did you do that?” Youngjae scowled at Yongguk before going to the other side. He looked down to Zelo as he stood by Himchan and Jongup.

                Zelo could feel he was shaded from the sun by all the people around him. Other than that, there were two warm hands cupping his face.

                “Zelo! Are you okay?!”

                Zelo opened his eyes and saw Daehyun looking worriedly at him. “I think I am now,” He muttered, suddenly feeling the pain faded away once he took a sight of the beauty above him.

                “Is there any blood?” He asked, not daring to touch his numb face since he’s afraid it would cause more damage and lowered the level of his handsomeness.

                “No but your nose is red.”

                “Well, thank God.”

(｡◕‿◕｡)

                “Good thing your nose isn’t broken,” Mr. Song spoke up. He was in Zelo’s room with the other teacher in charge to check on the boy. Daehyun was sitting with him on the sofa while Zelo was being treated by Mr. Park on the bed.

                “There you go,” Mr. Park had done putting a band aid on Zelo’s nose after discovering a small scratch on it. “Please be more careful net time.”

                “I will,” Zelo nodded.

                The two teachers were ready to leave the room after finishing their job. Daehyun got up to send them to the door. Zelo smiled while thanking the teachers before letting his body sunk into the bed.

                Daehyun returned to sit at the edge of the soft mattress beside Zelo. He took a look at the younger boy who was blankly staring at the ceiling with his arms folded underneath his head. Daehyun didn’t know what to do. If it’s not because of their previous conversation, he wouldn’t be so awkward to be left alone with his roommate. So Daehyun just studied his hands, getting rid of the dirt they got at the beach. Then he scrutinized his nails in case he had broken them somewhere.

                The eerie silence somehow had caused Zelo to shift his view to the other boy in the room. Daehyun was so worried about him just now that he quickly called the teachers to check on him even though it was only a scratch. There’s not even blood on it. His lips involuntarily carved a thin smile at Daehyun’s over caring trait.

                A groan snapped Daehyun out of his own world. He turned his head to see Zelo already sitting up beside him. The younger stretched up his limbs with more groans before getting off the bed.

                “This is so boring,” Zelo said in a sigh. “I’m going out,” He walked towards the door.

                Daehyun pursed his lips as he didn’t expect for Zelo to do that. “But you should rest until you don’t feel dizzy anymore.”

                Zelo turned around, his brows rising. “Why should I go on a trip if all I do is just staying in the room?”

                Daehyun thought Zelo had a good point. As much as he’s worried with Zelo’s condition and wanted to be with the boy for a little bit longer, he couldn’t say anything to stop Zelo from going out. So he kept his mouth shut and fixed his glasses before slowly bringing down his gaze to continue playing with his hands. The sound of the door being opened was heard and Daehyun waited for the tall boy to say goodbye but that’s not what he really got.

                “Are you coming?”

                Daehyun jerked his head up. Zelo was giving a questioning look at him. He stared at the other pair of eyes, trying to comprehend what they really wanted him to say as an answer. Maybe Zelo didn’t really mean to ask him out together. But then there’s nothing to lose if they went out together.

                A moment later, Daehyun finally moved his off the bed to go to the door. Zelo closed it after him and they left the room before taking an elevator to go down.

                 “I heard there’s hot tub in here,” Zelo stated.

                 Daehyun wanted to say something in respond. He had a thought about it but by the time he got an idea, quite a time had already passed. They reached the ground floor. He grumbled quietly, deciding to keep quiet for now.

                 Zelo stepped out of the elevator with Daehyun stumbling behind him. They went to the back of the hotel and found the changing room for the hot tub. There weren’t much people in there, maybe still enjoying their time at the beach while the sun’s still out.

                 Daehyun chose a locker next to Zelo but he couldn’t bring himself to take off his shirt in front of the younger. On the other hand, Zelo had finished changing and only had his shorts on and a small towel hanging around his neck.

                 Of course, Daehyun didn’t miss the sight of Zelo’s upper body. It was so well built that he couldn’t prevent himself from blushing at that.

                 “I’ll be going first,” Zelo said before going out of the changing room.

                 Daehyun released a long sigh. It was only a hot spring. He’s just going to have a bath with not only Zelo in there. So he gathered his courage to pull out his shirt and took a small towel from the rack.

                 As he arrived at the large hot tub, he had a hard time on spotting Zelo without his glasses on. After a while of squinting and surveying, he finally found Zelo relaxing in a corner. Slowly, he made his way there before sitting down to let his legs being immersed in the warm water.

                 Zelo realized his presence and looked up at him. “Come on in. It’s nice,” He smiled.

                 Daehyun swore his heart wasn’t getting warm because of that but it’s because of the hot tub instead. One thing he’s sure of was that he missed that smile. It felt so long since he last saw it. He listened to Zelo anyway, getting his body into the steaming water next to the taller boy.

                 This time, Daehyun was determined to start a normal conversation with his roommate. He leaned his back against the wall of the hot tub just like Zelo did.

                “Can I ask you something?” He started.

                Zelo took some time to answer, afraid if the other would bring up the topic about last night again. “Uh…sure.”

                “What’s the family meeting your parents want you to go?” Daehyun tilted his head inquisitively.

                “Oh…” Zelo loosened up his tight expression. “It’s just for business. There’s no big deal,” He replied nonchalantly.

                “Do they know you’re here?”

                Zelo snorted. “They know everything about me. It’s like I’m being spied or something. Maybe there’s a tracking device stored in my brain.”

               Daehyun chuckled. “You’re not so close with your parents?”

               “Well, you can say that,” Zelo admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

               “Me neither.”

               Zelo stared at Daehyun. His eyes slowly widened after coming into a conclusion by himself. “Don’t tell me you’re an heir to a big company too.”

               Daehyun laughed. “What? No. I’m telling you I have three older siblings and three younger siblings,” He explained while gesturing his fingers.

               Zelo was seriously amazed by the fact. “Wow. You’re literally the middle child.”

               “That’s why I’m a lot closer to my grandma.”

               Zelo suddenly remembered about the hoodie with cat ears that Daehyun owned. He remembered how cute Daehyun looked wearing it.

               “You must be a spoiled brat then,” He teased, hand unconsciously reached out to pinch Daehyun’s cheek.

               Daehyun flinched away, splashing the warm water and sticking out his tongue at Zelo in return. “Are you talking about yourself?”

(｡◕‿◕｡)

                When Daehyun and Zelo went back to their hotel room, it was already late at night. They certainly didn’t spend the whole time at the hot tub. They had gone out to take a walk around the place, having dinner and took some pictures together. They had surprisingly returned to their normal situation as close roommates, completely forgetting about their accidental kiss for the time being.

                A glowering Yongguk was the first thing to greet them after arriving at their shared hotel room. All four of their roommates were waiting outside, each of them were looking so worn out.

                “Where have you been to? We’re waiting for ages,” Youngjae whined.

                Something clicked in Daehyun’s mind. He suddenly remembered that he’s the only one with the room key. “Oh! I’m sorry!” He took out the key card to open the door. Youngjae wobbled into the room.

                “You better get rid of your phone if you don’t know how to use it,” Himchan remarked before pulling Jongup along as he stepped into the room.

                Daehyun hastily took out his phone from his pocket and gasped at the number of missed calls. Maybe he wasn’t aware of it vibrating in his shorts while having fun with Zelo. He ran into the room to get the others to once again say his apology.

                Now there were just Yongguk and Zelo left outside. Their eyes were shooting daggers like they could kill each other with it. Yongguk didn’t bother in asking him where he and Daehyun had gone to. Maybe because he knew it’s none of his business.

                But still, Zelo could clearly see jealousy showing in Yongguk’s face. He gestured for the older boy to get into the room. Yongguk gave him one last glare before going in. Zelo rolled his eyes and followed after his senior.

                Bedtime came after all of them had taken a shower. Yongguk said that three of them need to sleep on a mattress on the floor while the other three will sleep on the queen sized bed. What they’re sure of was for Himchan and Jongup to sleep together. They both chose to sleep on the extra mattress.

                Then Youngjae insisted on sleeping with Yongguk. So they had to sleep together on the bed. And that left Daehyun and Zelo with one spot each on the bed and the floor. In this situation, obviously Yongguk would never agree to share a bed with Zelo. So the junior had to sleep with Jongup and Himchan while Daehyun with the other two.

                A moment later, all of them settled in their sleeping arrangements. Yongguk was sleeping in the middle between Youngjae and Daehyun. Zelo was lying beside Daehyun but down on the floor instead with Jongup next to him and Himchan at the end.

                The clock was ticking but Zelo couldn’t really sleep. He’s confirmed that Jongup and Himchan had fallen asleep based on their snores as they’re cuddled up with each other. For the guys on the bed, he didn’t really know but they’re not making any sound at all.

                Just then, Zelo heard some shuffling from the bed. He looked up to see Daehyun gazing down at him, now without his glasses on. It seemed like Daehyun rolled his body to the edge of the bed while he also couldn’t bring himself to sleep.

                “Why don’t you sleep yet?” Zelo whispered in the dark.

                “It’s uncomfortable,” Daehyun whispered back. “Yongguk hyung was leaning towards me more and more.”

                “You have to kick him back,” Zelo grinned.

                Daehyun pouted, not sure if he could really do that to the bigger body of Yongguk. “Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” He returned the same question to Zelo.

                “I don’t know…” Zelo mumbled.

                They continued to stay like that, just gazing at each other even though they couldn’t see their faces clearly with the absence of light.

                “You want to get down here?” Zelo suddenly suggested. “There’s more room to spare when those two were glued to each other,” He said referring to Jongup and Himchan.

                Daehyun widened his eyes. “B-but it will be crammed…” He rejected since the idea of sleeping with Zelo was giving him inappropriate thoughts. They would be so close with each other if he went down there. His face was already blushing at the thought.

                “You’ll fall down here too if Yongguk hyung keep pushing you like that…” Zelo consoled though in his mind, he wasn’t really confident in his choice to invite Daehyun down. “Come on. It’ll feel like the night when we watched the sad movie together.”

                Quite a silent moment passed until Daehyun finally made up his mind. It’s only sleeping beside each other and Zelo could be true. He should see if Zelo’s spot was more comfortable than his. Daehyun quietly slipped off the cover on the bed before sliding into one on the mattress next to Zelo.

                Zelo shifted closer to Jongup and turned his body so that he’s lying on his side facing the older boy, giving more room for Daehyun to lie down. Daehyun lied on his back, his head was resting on the same pillow as Zelo. He felt warmer down here, maybe because Zelo was lying there before or because their bodies were a little too close to each other. His arm was slightly touching Zelo’s torso.

                “You can take my spot up there if you want to,” Daehyun spoke up without looking at the younger boy.

                “And get my body be squished by Yongguk hyung?” Zelo scoffed. “No way.”

                “Is it okay for you to be like this?”

                “More than okay. Now go to sleep.”

                Both of them were quiet after that. But actually, Daehyun was trying to calm his pounding heart. He didn’t know what’s wrong with him but he didn’t really dislike it. He listened to Zelo’s breath. He thought it had even out as Zelo had finally fallen asleep.

                 Slowly, Daehyun turned his body to lie on his side. His face was now only inches away from Zelo’s. Even without his glasses, he could see how cute the younger was when he’s sleeping. Daehyun’s lips curled into smile. Sleep eventually came to him and he unconsciously snuggled closer to the broader chest, his head tucked under the boy’s chin.

                 Zelo’s lips also tugged into a smile at Daehyun’s cute act.

(｡◕‿◕｡)ﾉ

Extra long chap! (/^▽^)/

Reminds me of BAP's vacay in Japan. But Bangdae happened instead of Daelo. And I'm still very happy about it o(≧∇≦o)

Thank you upvoters, subbies, readers and commenters!!! Saranghae!!! ♥♥♥