Day 8

Another hot day came along with temperatures up to 45 degrees. The scorching sun sprinkled her delicate golden glitter upon the gentle ripples of the water and the air was thick and hot.

Sea gulls circled the tides and the sound of the crashing waterfall echoed through the balmy beach atmosphere. I rose from my hammock and slowly brought my feet over the edge, having a long much-needed stretch.

Bringing my arms back down to my sides, there was a shuffle through the bushes before the female Labrador pounced out of them. Seconds later, she was followed by the island boy who’s eyes were lit with excitement.

“Youngjae!”

Before I had the chance to recover from my sleep, Daehyun grabbed a strong hold of my arm and tugged me right out of my shelter.

“Come!” he said, dragging me through the thick bundles of Alocasia and Oleanders.

“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to keep up with his brisk movements.

I tripped and clambered helplessly, silently cursing at my miniscule calves for not being as thick and muscular as Daehyun’s.

We arrived on the shores of the beach and all I could do was dig my heels into the sand and halt myself from going any further. I wasn’t ready to be engulfed by the ocean, not just yet.

I used my free hand to grab onto Daehyun’s hand and pry him off, but his grip was firm so I ended up mewling helplessly when my feet were splashing into the waters.

“Daehyun, I can’t—”

The said boy turned around and caught a hold of my other hand.

“Trust me,” he said, leading me deeper into the water with both of my hands in each of his.

I breathed deeply and looked down as my legs were gradually being swallowed up by the waves. I held my breath from the salty stench and closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of water gliding inch by inch up my thighs.

Daehyun pulled me further through the waters until it was eventually wrapped around my waist, hugging me tight.

“Stay still, Youngjae.” Daehyun reminded, removing a hand away from mine.

He raised his fore finger and thumb to his mouth before letting out a high-pitched whistle. Feeling my knees becoming weak, I held onto Daehyun’s arm and waited until I spotted two blue fins appear on the surface of the water.

Daehyun whistled again until a few more fins appeared and a couple of splashing tails. The feeling of elation began to devour me as I witnessed the joyous heads of laughing dolphins bobbing up and down along the waves.

I was incredibly fascinated that this mysterious boy was able to call out to dolphins that my heart pounded in pure glee against my chest.

Daehyun hollered and the dolphins replied, leaping into the air and diving back down into the water whilst flipping their tails.

Daehyun’s hand left mine and before I knew it, the island boy was being surrounded by a group of excited dolphins, playing and splashing him with water.

I stared at it all in a haze, loving the sight before me as the handsome male laughed and played with the friendly sea creatures.

He rubbed their snouts and ran his palms over their fins, greeting them in a harmless manner whilst I stood some metres away, astounded.

“Come closer Youngjae, they don’t bite” chuckled Daehyun, leaving a kiss on one of the dolphins.

I paddled my way closer and froze when I felt the slimy skin of the dolphin brush against me. I giggled and found myself becoming the new centre of attention as the sea creatures swam in circles around my petit frame.

Daehyun grinned proudly, watching me as I interacted with the beautiful mammals. I had suddenly become careless whether I was neck-deep into the sea.

The dolphins laughed and sprayed water from their blowholes, causing the hair on my forehead to stick messily across it.

Just as I was the snout of a dolphin, Daehyun swam over and helped me up onto two separate fins. Then with a push, the dolphins took off with me holding on in the middle.

I gasped and hollered for joy as I travelled above the surface of the water whilst the mammals swam underneath, pulling me along with them at an overwhelming speed.

I've only ever watched this happen in movies, but I'd never expected myself to ever be doing something like this in real life. The dolphins dipped above and below the water whilst I glided atop, feeling as though I were flying.

I looked over my shoulder to see Daehyun in the distance, fooling around with the rest and diving under the blue. I turned my attention back ahead and closed my eyes, absorbing the cool wind as it kissed my skin and seduced my nerves.   

This moment was so precious that my spirit felt enlightened in so many angles. Opening my eyes, I saw a vast stretch of ocean heading out towards nothing but sky. 

All there was, was the breeze of salty air and the swash of waves carrying me along. 

I closed my eyes and opened my ears, remembering the exact words Daehyun whispered to me the other night. 

"...you might be able to still hear him breathing..."

~

After a day of playing with the dolphins, Daehyun prepared us a meal of steamed salmon by the cove. He skilfully gutted the fish and wrapped it up in a leaf before tying it up and placing it above the firewood. 

I ruffled my wet hair and leaned back onto my elbows, watching as the soft crack of sparks flickered and kindled amongst the twigs and rocks.

Daehyun watched me for a short while, observing my effortless movements and behaviour. 

"That was...incredible." I murmured, breaking the silence. 

Daehyun smiled and gave a little nod, "I know." 

I rolled onto my stomach and propped my face up on both elbows, staring directly at the tanned male. "How did you learn to do that?" 

He simply shrugged and stated, "They're friendly creatures. They're always willing to play whenever you call them. Next time, I'll make sure to prepare some shrimps so that you could feed them." 

I grinned and curled my fingers into the sand before saying a soft, "I'd love that." 

Daehyun returned the smile and watched me with hazy eyes. I wondered what had been going through his mind but I quietly sat there, returning the intense stare. He must've been inwardly cringing at the state of my hair or the different shades of pink along my cheeks because of the intense heat. 

I wasn't so used to people staring at me. 

Back home I would never leave the house without my BB cream or my precious eyeliner. Those things were a must because I was completely unconfident in my own skin. 

Now here I was, my skin and bare in front of the most perfect human being I've probably ever seen in my entire life. Daehyun hardly looked Korean...he looked foreign, like he comes from some European country. 

Everyone in my classes had flawless faces that held a slight glow and large round eyes- unlike mine. I had always been the ugly duckling with chubby cheeks and uneven skin. I always stood too far from the crowd. 

Even being on this island, I just had to come across a boy with incredible facial features without the need for any artificial products.

 Feeling a bit agitated of my overall appearance, I broke the stare and looked towards the orange flames of the fire and concentrated on the fierce growling of my stomach. 

"What are you so scared of, Youngjae?"

"Huh?"

I blinked up at the smiling blonde and rolled my tongue over the dryness of my lower lip. 

"You looked away as though you're scared of something...are you scared of me?" 

"no..." I said, pressing my lips together in a line. 

Daehyun crawled towards me and I felt my blood turn cold when he reached out. His soft fingers tickled at my forehead and gently, he pushed some of my wet hair to the side, allowing his touch to linger there for a while. 

Becoming awkward, I flinched away from him and chuckled, shaking my hair back to the way it had been, making Daehyun frown. 

"Don't do that..." I whined, preferring my hair covering half of my face. 

"I want to see you clearer..." 

Daehyun ran his fingers through my fringe and pushed it back, revealing my face once again. 

"Yah, don't do that! I'm ugly-" I blurt, flicking my hair back again. Daehyun moved away from me and began to remove the fish from the fire. The smile on his face was honest and simple, leaving me there to wonder what his problem was. 

Why was he so concerned about my hair? 

"You're not ugly Youngjae. In fact...you're quite beautiful." 

Everything suddenly became a blur. Did he just call me beautiful? Daehyun was a masterpiece compared to me, I became hugely concerned as to why he would think such a thing.

Ignoring the rather distinct compliment, I laughed and took a steaming chunk of the fish before swallowing it down in a content silence under the soft glow of the evening moonlight. 

~*~