“Good morning, world!” Soonyoung whispers loudly into his camera. “Soonyoung here. Hoonie’s still asleep. Look.” He focuses the camera onto a sleeping Jihoon, who’s cuddling his guitar; his leather notebook by his side, opened up to a page that’s been freshly scribbled on.

“I think he was writing songs last night.” Soonyoung chirps happily, turning the camera back onto himself. “I was gonna drag him down for the beach for a morning walk – hang on, let me check something.” Holding the camera away, Soonyoung pulls one of Jihoon’s long sleeves back, inspecting the skin covered underneath it. Jihoon’s sunburn had subsided, thanks to the aloe vera lotion Seungcheol had given to him.

“He’s still sleeping, so I’ll just go alone!” Soonyoung ruffles Jihoon’s hair, and even in his sleep, the younger knits his brows into a tiny frown.

The vlogger leaves the house through the back door, stepping onto the beach. He lets his toes sink into the golden sand, inhaling deeply, enjoying the refreshing morning breeze by the seaside. Walking towards the general direction of Jerry’s surf shop, he tries to get as close as possible to the water without getting himself wet. For once, he lets nature speak, the calming sound of the waves washing up against the shore; the caw of seagulls above looking for a bite to eat.

Though he’s a people person, Soonyoung loves these rare moments alone, when he connects with nature, surrounded by it. He’s amazed by how complex the world is: how land meets water; the vast ocean disappearing by the horizon, where it seems to be connected to the blue, blue sky, but in fact it extends to the other side of the world, meeting another land that has a different culture, a different language - all the things that Soonyoung’s keen to explore. He’s in love with so many different cultures of the world; people aligning themselves with nature, in some instances divided by geography – like the Sherpas in the Himalayas, living at the top of the world; the Hawaiians, surrounded by sand and surf all year long.

His trek around the world had exposed him to many people, and he’d logged those memories digitally, which somehow garnered him followers from his adventures; Jihoon included. He’d been grateful of the opportunity, and that his billionaire parents weren’t against the idea of their son backpacking around the world. He’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he absolutely despises the rigidness of social hierarchies that seemed to be the center of his parents’ world, so he’d grabbed the chance to escape it, hanging out with Jihoon’s normal, loving family when they were growing up; then travelling around the world when he was old enough.

But somehow, deep down, Soonyoung misses home. He doesn’t know where he’s headed to next, and he knows that he can’t keep travelling around for the rest of his life –

He needs stability; and the thought of that conjures Wonwoo’s serious face – the man who has goals, who knows what he’s doing with his life; the complete opposite of Soonyoung.

He quite misses Wonwoo, with his unique sense of humour, laughing at Soonyoung’s puns, especially the ones that aren’t that funny; even conjuring some of his own at the least expected of times. Wonwoo would probably be hard at work right now, troubleshooting whatever last-minute problem related to the movie he’d been working on so hard for the past year. Soonyoung remembers that Wonwoo had asked him to attend the movie premiere with him – oh, that’s so fabulously Hollywood, and Soonyoung’s definitely looking forward to it, since it means more time to hang out with Wonwoo.

But he can’t help but wonder why Wonwoo had invited him, of all people. What does Wonwoo think of him – just as someone he’d been helping out for the past few weeks, or someone whose company he enjoys? Soonyoung has never thought about how other people perceive him, since he’s comfortable in his own skin; but suddenly Wonwoo’s thoughts matter. Tracing random characters in the sand, Soonyoung forms his own thoughts of what Wonwoo thinks of him. Does Wonwoo think he’s funny? Maybe quirky? Or maybe Wonwoo’s just tolerating Soonyoung up to this point, and can’t wait to get rid of him…

Soonyoung’s thoughts drift off so far, that he doesn’t realise that he’d written Wonwoo’s name over and over in the sand. That’s all he can think about for now: Wonwoo, Wonwoo, Wonwoo.

Soonyoung tries to imagine how it’s going to be during the premiere; walking down the red carpet and getting their photos snapped by the press, even though no one knows who they are. They’d be wearing sleek suits, and Wonwoo would look very dashing, with his tall and slim frame.

Just the image of Wonwoo in a tuxedo rings wedding bells in Soonyoung’s head, and he turns red, smiling all by himself – he’d let his thoughts go a bit wild.

Soonyoung looks up to see a lone surfer out on the waves, and he doesn’t miss the opportunity to film. He recognizes the surfer’s form as he smoothly rides the top of the wave; it’s Seungcheol, never one to miss out on the sport that he holds dear to his heart. How the surfer seems to be united with the wave itself; commanding control of his body and the wave’s energy, finding the perfect point of synergy makes Soonyoung’s amazed, and he lowers his camera down to witness the moment with his own eyes. But Seungcheol tries to pull a trick and slaloms into the water instead, resurfacing almost immediately, marring the beautiful moment that Soonyoung’s appreciating.

The vlogger sits on the sand, watching Seungcheol recollect himself and attempt to catch another wave, ignoring his camera altogether.

Some moments are meant to be witnessed with your own eyes; and even from the shore, Soonyoung could feel Seungcheol’s determination when he spots a wave, flopping down to his belly, and paddling as hard as he could to match the wave’s momentum –

And there he is, emerging on top of the waves majestically like he owns the sea, looking so cool that it makes Soonyoung’s heart flutter a bit.

Soonyoung thinks that maybe he should try out surfing again, remembering the classes he’d abandoned. But he’s impatient, and he wants to be able to surf as well as Seungcheol in the blink of an eye, even though he knows perfectly well that it takes years to become as good. So he settles back to watch Seungcheol instead, who’s clearly having fun out on the waves.

“Hello, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol calls out when he finally wades back towards the shore, his surfboard floating on the water by his side.

“Good morning Cheol-hyung!” Soonyoung smiles at the older man; and Seungcheol steps onto the sand right by him, dripping wet from the salty water. “You looked really cool just now.”

“Want a surf lesson?”

“I left my wetsuit at home.” Soonyoung quickly makes up an excuse.

Seungcheol grins at the vlogger’s quick answer. “Where’s Jihoonie?”

“Sleeping.”

Seungcheol sits on the sand near Soonyoung, untangling his foot from his surfboard leash. “What are you going to do today?”

“I don’t know.”  Soonyoung exhales deeply and glances at the ocean.

Seungcheol finds it odd for the vlogger to be more pensive and less talkative, so he relishes in the peaceful calmness for a while, resting his tired body, drying off under the morning sun. It had been a good surf, and he’s satisfied – nothing feels better than to quietly unwind right after, listening to the calming sound of the waves gently lapping up against the shore.

Suddenly a golden retriever bounds up to them, tackling Seungcheol down to the ground. Soonyoung grabs his camera and leaps away, shouting in surprise at the sudden attack; then he notices Jerry coming over in a leisurely stroll.

“Down, boy!” Seungcheol’s pinned down to the ground by the dog, getting dog slobber on his face, thanks to the excited animal.

“Hi, Jerry!” Soonyoung greets the man, who coolly shrugs back. “Is that your dog?”

“Mm. Not really.” Jerry’s a bit vague, and makes no move to stop the dog from playfully attacking Seungcheol, who looks exhilarated.

“He’s cute.” Seungcheol sits up and starts making kissy faces as the delighted dog, ruffling its fur, and it barks at him.

“It likes you, Seungcheol.” Jerry remarks. “I couldn’t stop it from running towards you, funny that it picked you…” Jerry rubs his chin in thought.

Soonyoung’s turned his attention to the golden retriever, filming it with his camera, then laughs when the dog his camera lens.

“Can you guys help me look after it? I’d ask Thomas, but it’s his day off today, so…”

“We’ll take care of it!” Soonyoung exclaims excitedly in a heartbeat.

Jerry gladly hands over the dog’s leash over to the vlogger, who quickly gives it over to a confused Seungcheol.

“Just for today. Its owner is coming back tonight. I think.” Jerry says. “I gotta get back to the shop. See you guys.” He speed walks back to his surf shack up on the boardwalk, after offering a quick farewell grin to the two men.

Soonyoung looks up at Seungcheol with a twinkle in his eye. “Hyung, you’re free today, right?”

Seungcheol thinks for a while, and flashes of Jihoon singing his own song pass through his mind. He doesn’t have anything planned, assuming that he’ll spend the day with Jihoon, as usual. “Maybe?”

“Well, I know what we’re going to do today!” Soonyoung exclaims, and the surfer’s suddenly scared of Soonyoung’s use of the word ‘we’…

“I need to go home and shower and change and keep my board…” Seungcheol starts making up an excuse, handing over the dog’s leash over to the vlogger, who interrupts.

“Hyung, you can definitely come over and showe at our place!” Soonyoung offers. “I know you keep a change of clothes in your car, anyway.” He nudges the elder knowingly.

Seungcheol’s too polite to say no, so he lets Soonyoung and the dog accompany him back to his jeep, which is parked near Jerry’s shop. The vlogger even lets Seungcheol park at his house, the three of them driving the short distance after Seungcheol safely puts his board in the back. The dog seems to like the short ride, its tongue lolling out of its mouth excitedly.

Seungcheol’s always wanted a dog. Maybe today will be the day he finds out whether he’ll be a good owner, or not. Letting the golden retriever out of his jeep, he watches it prance around excitedly on the front lawn of the house, its leash trailing behind it like some kind of second tail.

“Do you think he’s trained?” Seungcheol wonders, grabbing the dog’s leash, following Soonyoung to the front door. The dog trails after them, wagging its tail excitedly.

“Sit, boy!” Soonyoung orders, out of the blue, and the dog complies, planting its backside on the front porch. “Don’t move.” Soonyoung grins proudly to himself and opens the front door, skipping inside. “I don’t know if Hoonie would like it if he sees a dog inside, so just let it sit out here and hope it doesn’t run away.”

Seungcheol enters the house after Soonyoung, and his heart breaks a little when the animal whines sadly when Soonyoung closes the front door; but it still heeds the command, faithfully sitting at the same spot.

“There’s a bathroom upstairs.” Soonyoung says. “First door to the left; we have soap and shampoo.”

“Is it okay to leave the dog outside?”

“Don’t worry.” Soonyoung places his camera on the side table in the hallway. “I should start making breakfast…”

Seungcheol decides to put his trust in the vlogger for once, and climbs up the stairs. He follows Soonyoung’s directions and easily finds the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

He can feel the salt water drying on his skin; a sticky sensation. Quickly, he sheds his wetsuit and enters the shower, letting the warm water loosen his muscles, steam practically fogging up the whole bathroom. He feels weird using someone else’s soap and shampoo, but he lathers his dark brown hair with the sweet jasmine shampoo that vaguely reminds him of Jihoon. Then he quickly washes himself with the soap, before turning the temperature of the water to the coldest setting, which alerts his senses.

Seungcheol steps out of the shower when he can’t bear the coldness anymore; then curses himself because his towel is buried deep inside his bag. So he stands there in the middle of the bathroom stark , trying to search for it when the bathroom door suddenly bursts open.

A grumpy Jihoon stands in the doorway, his eyes still closed and a towel wrapped around his neck; while Seungcheol’s like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen in his spot, hyperaware that he’s wearing nothing but his birthday suit in front of Jihoon, who cracks his eyes open slowly.

“Am I still dreaming.” The blond mumbles, slowly registering the man in front of him, his unfocused eyes zoning around the general area of Seungcheol’s crotch...

Panicking, Seungcheol lunges forward and grabs Jihoon’s towel to cover himself up. “Yes. Yes, you are. Sweet, sweet dreams.”

“Sweet, sweet wet dreams.” Jihoon mumbles with a tiny smile on his face, as Seungcheol hoards him out of the bathroom, and locks him outside, just in case the small blond decides to barge in once more.

Seungcheol’s breathing heavily – he’s never been more embarrassed in his life. There’s nothing about the memory that should be lingered on, and he tries to put it at the back of his mind, like nothing had happened. It’s an innocent mistake; it could’ve happened to anyone – but Seungcheol feels shy at the fact that Jihoon (read: his crush) had probably seen him and all he did was freak out.

He dries himself off with his own towel, then dresses quickly in a simple T-shirt and shorts, then he spends a couple of minutes trying to style his hair into something remotely presentable, but gives up, letting his bangs flop messily over his forehead. Soon, he emerges from the bathroom, only to find Jihoon leaning against the wall, snoozing.

“Here’s your towel, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol bundles the slightly damp towel he’d borrowed into Jihoon’s arms. The smaller man nods sleepily, and sleepwalks into the bathroom, almost crashing into the door frame.

“Be careful…” Seungcheol says, as Jihoon bolts the door shut loudly, as if telling Seungcheol that’s what he should’ve done earlier.

It had been his fault for not locking the bathroom door, and Jihoon himself hadn’t bothered to knock. There had been no harm done – nothing to worry about.  

The surfer collects his thoughts, then heads downstairs to the kitchen, where Soonyoung is preparing three bowls of cereal. He leaves his bag in the hallway and takes a seat at the polished kitchen island, watching Soonyoung measure out milk with a measuring cup.

“How’s your shower?” Soonyoung asks conversationally, pouring milk into an empty bowl.

“Uh, great?” A blush spreads on the surfer’s face, remembering what had happened earlier – the embarrassment hadn’t dissipated away fully, even though he’s pretty much confident with his own body (why wouldn’t he, with his toned muscles and six pack abs and a as big as an eggplant). He just didn’t expect Jihoon to walk in on him, and this soon…

Soonyoung drifts over to the older man and sniffs his hair. “Your hair smells like Hoonie’s.”

Seungcheol feels like slamming his head into the kitchen counter – all that’s happened, and now he’s using Jihoon’s shampoo, too? But he likes the scent; it reminds him a lot of Jihoon.

“Do you pour cereal or milk first?”

“Cereal goes first.”

“Any preferences?” Soonyoung gestures towards three different cereal boxes: some healthy organic high-fibre cereal, cornflakes, and colourful kiddy cereal.

“Surprise me.” Seungcheol says, and immediately regrets it when Soonyoung dumps half a box of the kids’ cereal into a bowl for him, followed by milk that’s been carefully measured. The colourful cereal is a bit too sweet for him, and there’s a huge imbalance in the cereal-to-milk ratio; Seungcheol feels like he’s eating dry cereal.  But he’s grateful for the food, anyway; since he’s starving after his early morning surf session.

“Oh, by the way. Don’t mention about the d-o-g sitting outside to Hoonie.” Soonyoung drops his voice down to a whisper, glancing nervously at the stairs.

“He’s got to know soon, right?”

“After breakfast.”

Soon enough, Jihoon sits at the kitchen island, joining them for breakfast; all freshened up though he still looks a bit tired. Only then Seungcheol realises that Jihoon would’ve dried himself off with the same towel he’d snatched from Jihoon to cover his di