December 7: Breeze (Eunhae)

It was so nice being alone, just sitting on a rock next to the ocean, grey overcast. It was like a scene right out of a movie. A good looking guy looking out into the ocean, sand in between his feet. It felt clean, refreshing, maybe even a bit invigorating. It wasn't often Donghae got time to himself due to the fact he was a CEO of a hotel chain across Korea. He did everything; he designed hotels, made all the important decisions, and did mountain high stacks of paperwork daily. It was a stressful job but rewarding when he had rave reviews and got to the see the smiles his customers had. Not everyone left his hotels happy but he strived to do whatever he could. 

At the moment Donghae was in Jeju Island, having built a new hotel whose construction just finished a week ago. He came down from Seoul to make sure everything was perfect before he could open it to the public. He had of course, made small changes here and there such as a different brand on complementary shampoo and soap, and small furniture changes. He hadn't changed much so tomorrow's opening day was to go on as expected. He was going to be there to make sure everything went well and go home sometime next week. It was going to be a little bit of touch and go but he was sure everything was going to go well since Donghae really liked how this hotel come out. 

Beautiful Diamond Hotel had been decked out, no expense spared. He had designed the hotel to play of the local market, making sure they had the freshest food and drink for miles around. The theme of the hotel was relaxation and he had decorated it with soothing yellows and browns, hints of red to give a little color. It had made him feel like he was just at home and even some of his best hotels couldn't do that. Donghae knew he would come back and enjoy the hotel anytime he needed a vacation. 

Donghae snuggled into his beige sweater, thankful it wasn't cold outside. He had just finished having dinner, a delicious seafood stew with noodles and seasoned rice. The kimchi had even been cucumber kimchi, one of his favorite. Suffice to say, dinner had been so satisfying that he had given his compliments to the chef and gave all the staff 40% off their next stay at the hotel. It was the least he could do. He watched as the waves lapped at the edge of the beach, small crab scuttling by. True to his name, Donghae loved the water, had since he was a kid. He was an excellent swimmer and probably could have gone to the Olympics but he never wanted to compete. It wasn't his style. 

He leaned back, his hands propping him up. He felt at peace with the world. He had everything he could ever want: his loving family, his friends, his wonderful career, and even his beautiful puppy who was waiting for him at him. The only thing that was missing was someone to share his life with. Sure it was a bit lonely but he was a firm believer that love would come at the right time and that he would know at first glance. 

Donghae knew he would have to go inside the little cabin he rented soon since it was getting pretty dark and he had some paperwork to do but as the ocean breeze ran through his hair, Donghae didn't want to move. He glanced at his phone when he heard some laughter coming down the beach, pulling him out of thoughts. Donghae turned to see a group of people getting out of a car, chatting. He saw them lugging firewood around and he wondered if they were going to have a campfire. It seemed like fun and the mood around him changed. He missed Heechul and Sungmin, who would have dragged him around, pushing shopping bags into his hands. 

He paid attention to a young man who was dancing while his friends were unloading their car. Donghae smiled as the guy shook his at one of the young women he was with. There were three boys and three girls and Donghae wondered if it was an MT. It felt a little weird to watch the little group so Donghae got up from his little rock when he heard someone called out to him. He jerked his head to see one of the women, tall with brown hair, came up to him. “Hey! I'm Amber and we were wondering if you wanted to join our little group? You seemed a little lonely.” She smirked, looking back at her group before turning back to him. She leaned in to whisper. “You caught Hyukjae's eye and he thought you were cute. We can't turn up a chance to see him flustered. Sorry about this.”

Donghae glanced behind her, “Which one is Hyukjae?”

“Hyukjae is the guy with the red pants and black sweater. The one who I'm sure you saw dancing around earlier. I totally don't want to offend you but do you even like guys?”

Donghae chuckled, turning back to Amber. “I'm not offended. I'm the type who falls in love with people's personalities, not their gender. He looks cute.” And Hyukjae did. Donghae could see a gummy smile as Hyukjae laughed at what the guy next to him was saying. Donghae definitely thought Hyukjae was cute and it wouldn't hurt to get to know him. “Is the rest of your gang ok with me joining?”

Amber nodded vigorously. “They totally wanted to know why a cutie like you is alone at the beach. Come on, I hope you like hot dogs and burgers.” Donghae laughed as Amber grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards her group. “I've already eaten but I could probably nibble on a hot dog..”

“That's cool but I hope you still have room in that stomach for smores. Victoria makes the best smores, like I don't know how she does it. She's magic. And Minho brought his famous cheesecake. So we have plenty to eat and drink because Sunny totally brought enough booze to light a small village on fire. Do you like to drink? Sunny can drink anyone down the table and the only one that can compete with her is Hyukjae but he doesn't drink often because he ends up becoming a drunk.”

Donghae smiled, Hyukjae sounded like a really funny person. They reached Amber's group, where she started introduce everyone. She pointed to a really gorgeous short girl, “This is Sunny.” Amber moved to Sunny's left. “This is Minho. Victoria, Henry, and Hyukjae. Guys this is..” Amber turned to Donghae, “I forgot to ask for your name.”

Everyone laughed. Donghae coughed into his hand before waving to the group. “I'm Lee Donghae. I'm twenty-seven, blood type A, and I like long walks along the beach.” He turned to Amber, “Sound good?” 

“Perfect. Now what are we gonna do first? Sing campfire songs or eat.” Sunny rose an eyebrow and Minho just pulled out graham crackers. Amber laughed as Hyukjae pulled out five chocolate bars, “Smores it is. Victoria work your magic.” 

Donghae sat down on the blanket the group brought, right next to Hyukjae surprisingly. He turned to give Hyukjae a smile, who gave him one back. “So what are you guys doing all the way out here?”

Hyukjae his lips, stretching his arms a bit. “We're visiting Jeju for work. We all work for a small bakery and they sent us here for trying out some of the local fruit and learning some techniques from some pastry chefs. Do you live in Jeju?”

Donghae shook his head, accepting a smore from Amber. “I'm the CEO of Seaside Hotels. We just finished building the Beautiful Diamond in town and I'm here to make sure its opening week goes well. So you bake?” 

Hyukjae shook his head. “Nah, I at baking. I'm the main decorator but that's nothing like being a CEO. It must be a tough job and lonely.” 

“It is tough at times but I enjoy my job very much.” Donghae nibbled on his smore, holding back a moan from how delicious it was. “Sometimes it is lonely but I have my family and friends. I know one day I'll find the right person.” Donghae winked at Hyukjae, “Maybe I'm looking at them right now.”

Hyukjae laughed, punching Donghae in the shoulder. “Oh my god dude, shut up. Did Amber tell you I thought you were cute?”

Donghae nodded, making Hyukjae hid his face into his hands. “Hey it's ok. I think you're cute too.”

“Really?” Hyukjae looked up. “You're not saying that just to make things not awkward?” Donghae shook his head, finishing his smore. “Why would I do when I'm telling the truth. Here, let's just hang out and see how the night goes and maybe we can go out for lunch tomorrow and get to know each other.”

Hyukjae smiled. “I like the sound of that. You got yourself a deal Lee Donghae. Now let's dig in before Henry eats all the smores and starts chugging the beer like it's no tomorrow.”

Donghae watched Hyukjae wrestle a beer from Henry's hands and pop it open. It was interesting to see how amazing his day had gone. Good food, nice alone time, and now a possible lunch date with a cute guy who seemed more and more likable as the night went on. Donghae felt the breeze and closed his eyes, no longer feeling alone in the world.