IV.

Miami’s sunshine hits different is Seungwan’s first thought when she opens her eyes.

The hotel bedroom is bathed in soft daylight, the sun barely rising in the horizon. She’s got her legs covered by a soft sheet, the air conditioner making the temperature contrast with the sight of the room. She sits down slowly, trying her best not to wake Sooyoung up. The younger girl was sleeping soundly, her breathing slow, face shining under the morning gleam. Seungwan took a small second to admire how gorgeous she was.

Because Sooyoung was gorgeous. She had always been good-looking, of course — Seungwan knew that a little too well. But she looked much more mature now, her features having grown up with her.

She had been preparing herself for the whole thing —even going as far as rehearsing some lines in the mirror, as embarrassing as that may be— but what she wasn’t expecting was Sooyoung to look like that. The moment she laid eyes on her, even though she was wearing a simple black shirt and some faded old jeans, her brain seemed to stop working. That’s why Jisoo had ended up approaching her and her friends first. So yes, maybe Seungwan went into a bit of gay panic. Sue her.

She stands up from the bed before she starts bordering on creepy, going straight for the bathroom to brush her teeth. While staring at her reflection on the mirror she wonders how she’d ended up on the other side of the world from pretty much one day to another. It made her feel anxious but at the same time, she was having a lovely time so far. Things had been a bit awkward at first but slowly, they’d managed to find comfortable ground for both of them. Or at least she wishes Sooyoung feels as delighted as she does.

Sooyoung seems to have a great life for the most part — a stable job (that she actually enjoys), trustful friends, etc. She hasn’t mentioned a boyfriend or anything of the matter, but Seungwan believes that maybe she’s just the type of person that doesn’t talk about that kind of stuff on the first day.

She’s rummaging through her luggage looking for something to wear today when she hears movement behind her followed by a sleepy good morning.

She smiles softly. “Good morning, Sooyoung.”

“What time is it?”

Seungwan looks at the clock on the bed side. “Eight twenty.”

“Ugh,” Sooyoung rasps, falling back into the pillow. “So early.”

“You’ve never been much of a morning person, have you?”

“Is anyone?”

“Touché.” Seungwan laughs. “What time are they picking us up, anyway?”

“At 10.” Sooyoung’s still snuggled in bed. “The boarding starts at midday.”

“You could sleep for a little bit more then.”

“Not if I want breakfast.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

Realistically speaking, Sooyoung wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, have breakfast and be ready on time unless she did the last two at around ninety kilometers per hour. Seungwan didn’t want to be the one to break the news to her, though.

“What if we get something so you can eat it on the way? That you’d have enough time to sleep some more without missing breakfast.”

The younger girl stands and walks towards her. “It’s okay. Thank you for worrying.” She gives her a soft smile, her face much closer to hers than it’s probably needed. “I’m up now.”

Seungwan hopes the okay she manages to reply doesn’t sound as tight as it feels.

-

They’d thankfully succeeded on getting breakfast and being ready on time, since the cab that was supposed to take them to the port was already waiting for them when they show up at the lobby.

“Good morning, my name is Tyler and i’ll be driving you to your destination today.” A guy with a bright orange shirt greets them. He takes their luggage and puts it on the trunk of the car as they both get in the backseat.

“It should take around 20 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.” Tyler announces, flashing his best retail smile. “How has your trip been so far?”

“It’s been good. We’ve only been on planes though, so it’s probably not the most truthful reference.” Seungwan replies naturally.

“Well, it’s always nice to start off with the right foot. Both in trips and relationships. You’ve got a whole new life ahead of you anyway.”

Seungwan’s about to ask what does he mean by that when she feels Sooyoung shift in her seat.

“What’s wrong?” Seungwan questions.

“I...” Her breath quickens and she looks like she’s about to say something but changes her mind last minute. “I just don’t understand english as well as you.

Seungwan puts a hand over , completely unaware that Sooyoung was feeling left out. “I’m so sorry! I just slipped back to my old ways. I didn’t even notice. I’m sorry.”

Sooyoung looks away. “It's okay. It just wasn't expecting it i guess.”

“I’m sorry. I feel guilty now.” And she really does. The least thing she wants is for Sooyoung to feel uncomfortable in any way.

“No!” She retorts quickly. “Please don’t. I’m probably overreacting. I’m the one who should apologize.”

“Let’s call it a truce, okay?” Before she can regret it she takes Sooyoung’s hand and gives it a little squeeze.

Sooyoung stares at their intertwined hands. “Okay.”

The rest of the car ride is spent in silence. Seungwan swears she can hear Tyler whisper “married life” at some point but it doesn’t make any sense so she just chooses to ignore it.

-

The sun is in full force when they arrive at the port.

Tyler parks next to a souvenirs shop, the Miami heat making them sweat despite their light outfits. He takes out their luggage from the back of car, explaining briefly what they’re supposed to do next.

“Just go to the cruise terminal so you can drop off your luggage the way you would in an airport. Then you’ll have to do a check-in. Most of the process is quite similar, actually. I’m sure if you have any questions the staff there will be more than happy to help.”

They thank him for his services and walk towards the terminal. There’s not nearly as much people as there had been at Incheon or LAX, but it was still hard to maneuver the suitcases through a crowd.

There’s a line at the drop off section so they wait for their turn. The whole place is filled with pictures of boats and ornaments made of nautical things. It makes everything feel much more real. Seungwan feels excitement build in her gut.

An employee signals for them to come over and asks them to put the suitcases on a scale. Sooyoung hands over some papers. “Good morning, miss Park and mister…” He trails off, narrowing his eyes at Seungwan.

Sooyoung stares at him with wide eyes. “No. My companion has changed. I notified the agency.”

For someone who says she doesn’t understand english, she speaks it pretty damn well.

He looks a little bit skeptical but checks again anyway. “You’re right. I apologize, miss Park. It says right here that your partner is now miss Seungwan Son.”

“That’s right.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest.

Sooyoung was acting strange. It’s not like Seungwan had much of a reference aside from the past 24 hours but she could sense something was off.

She decides to confront her as soon as they leave drop off. “Sooyoung. Is everything okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” The younger girl avoids looking her in the eye.

“You’'ve been all jittery ever since we got in the car. You know you can trust me, right?” Seungwan tries to speak in the gentlest way possible.

Sooyoung faces her, smile bordering on insane. “I’m fine. I promise.”

Seungwan doesn’t believe her but she doesn’t want to over-step either so she’s got not to choice but to leave her for a bit and hope that she’ll come around on her own.

-

Like Tyler said, the check-in process had been pretty much like the ones they’d gone through at the airports yesterday.

They made it through security with no problem, the officers working there as nice as all the employees had been so far. Apparently they were finishing the last details with the ship since it was still a little early, so they were asked to wait on a boarding-like area so they wouldn’t be standing under the bare sun.

Seungwan could see the ocean through the window, excitement cruising (no pun intended) through her veins. She takes a picture and sends it to Jisoo. i'm not sure if you’re even awake right now but we’re about to board the ship. wish me luck!

Sooyoung, on the other hand, can’t seem to stop running her hands through her hair. Or sit still. Seungwan tries again. “Do you not like the sea?”

That’s a stupid question, she tells herself. Why would she choose to go on a cruise if she was scared of the sea?

“No.” She doesn’t even turn to look at her.

“Then what’s wrong?”

Sooyoung stands up abruptly. “There’s something you need to know.”

“Okay.” Seungwan doesn’t know what she could possibly tell her that’s got her this stressed.

“Seungwan, I—”

She’s interrupted by a loud bang, the room suddenly filling up with people dressed in coral shirts and white shorts, flower collars hanging around their neck.

One of them takes out a microphone and a speaker, his voice resonating through the walls. “Hello everyone! On behalf of all the crew, i’d like to officially welcome you to the Dream Weaver. We hope that not only you’ll enjoy your stay with us, but also that these next few days become one of the best in your life!” Some cheers can be heard. “We’ll start the boarding shortly. If you have any questions, anyone from our crew will be more than happy to assist you.”

People start mobilizing towards the dock, everyone eager to get on the boat already. They follow the crowd closely, not wanting to get left behind.

As they walk through the glass doors, Seungwan brings back the conversation they were having before the interruption. “So, what were we talking about?”

Sooyoung just shakes her head, lips pressed into a half-smile. “I’ll tell you later.”

-

Turns out later came around 10 minutes afterwards.

They’re hanging around the dock, waiting to board the ship. It was bigger than Seungwan was expecting and even if she hadn’t seen it from the inside, it looked extremely luxurious as well. She spots mostly young couples displaying all kinds of cheerfulness and affection, no children and just a few elderly people on sight.

“It’s kinda weird how there doesn’t seem to be many families around, don’t you think?” Seungwan voices. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Sooyoung stiffen, rub at one of her temples and then let out a nervous chuckle.

“I guess you’re going to find out sooner or later so might as well.” She takes a deep breath and keeps her eyes on the floor. “There’s something i didn’t tell you when i invited you here.”

Seungwan’s about to crack a joke on how she can have the saving door if the boat ends up crashing Titanic-style when the taller girl’s next words come out in a rush. “This is my honeymoon gift. Well, it was.”

Seungwan blinks.

“Honeymoon?”

Sooyoung looks up. “I swear i can explain.”

“Please do because i’m confused.” Seungwan asks calmly despite the rising panic in her chest. What the hell was Sooyoung talking about?

She looks around as if to see if anyone’s paying attention to them. They aren’t, of course. “I was supposed to get married last sunday. That didn’t happen. Obviously.” Her voice sounds more strangled with every word. “This was my honeymoon gift.”

Suddenly all the pieces came together in Seungwan’s mind.

“Oh, Sooyoung.”

A part of her wanted to yell and fling the younger girl overboard for not telling her because she was not ready for this. That thought goes away in less than three seconds when she sees her, though. Sooyoung’s standing with her head bowed, shoulders slumped, looking every bit like a kicked puppy.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have come if i did?”

Seungwan’s reply escapes her lips without thinking. “Of course.”

-

The ship was as extravagant on the inside as it was on the outside.

They had boarded the ship without any trouble, the staff nice enough to give them detailed instructions on how to reach their room and not get lost in the process since the boat was huge. Seungwan could see, just from the place where she was standing, a grass lawn next to an outdoor bar, complete with deck furniture and faux fire pit. They would have plently of time to explore, she hoped.

The walk to their cabin was quiet. Sooyoung hadn’t uttered a word aside from small thanks since the conversation they’d had on the dock. It’d only become worse when one of the crew members told them thank you for choosing to spend your honeymoon with us, we hope you enjoy. Seungwan was way out of her depth, not knowing how to let her know that things were okay without transgressing their boundaries.

The suit was as elegant and stylish, not to mention spacious. There was a lovely balcony with a jacuzzi big enough to fit at least 2 people. The bathroom was as fancy as you’d expect, a huge mirror reflecting back Seungwan’s awed expression. The floor was covered in carpet around the queen-sized bed, which was filled with all types of pillows and silky sheets.

She drops her bag on the table next to the window, the smell of the sea fresh in her nostrils. She’s about to take her camera out so she can snap some pictures when she hears a quiet whimper behind her.

“I’m so sorry.”

She turns around so fast she thinks she might get whiplash. Sooyoung is sitting on the bed, holding a brochure that had been left for them in one of the nightstands. It’s got a picture of a couple holding two glasses of wine, the sun setting down on the ocean behind them, wide smile on their faces. The title reads, ‘Your lifetime of adventures starts today.’

“My fiancé and i split up.” Her hand trembles. “I know that doesn’t actually change anything. But i want you to know that i never meant to lie to you. I’m sorry, Seungwan.”

She sounds so small. So defeated. Seungean sits next to her slowly, their knees touching. She puts her hands on her lap, her fingers itching to take Sooyoung’s but again, she doesn’t want to overstep.

“It’s okay. I’m not mad. Just a little surprised is all.” Silence falls upon the room. Seungwan takes it as a cue to push a little. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sooyoung keeps her eyes locked on the paper. “We were together for 4 years. Met when i was in my second year of college. We dated for a year and then i moved in with him. I thought he was the love of my life.” Her voice is empty. “Turns out he was just an .”

She had never seen Sooyoung like this. Granted, they were basically children, adult life and it’s problems not having taken a toll on them yet. “What happened?” She tries to ask without really asking.

“He got a job offer in America and left. Three days before our wedding.”

Seungwan’s eyes widen. “He didn’t.”

“Wanna know the worst part? He already knew and he didn’t tell me. It was never in his plans for me to go with him.” The brochure crumples in her fist. “God, i was such a idiot.”

She doesn’t hesitate to take Sooyoung’s free hand now. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault he decided to be a jerk and leave like that.”

“That’s what everybody says. But what if i just wasn’t good enough for him?” Silent tears keep flowing from her eyes. “That would explain why he did it.”

Seungwan’s chest feels tight. “No. There is no excuse for what he did. If he was stupid enough to throw away a relationship with a beautiful, kind, smart woman like you then that’s on him.” She says firmly. She may not be good at this kind of stuff but she won’t let Sooyoung tear herself down over her ty ex fiancé. She won’t. “You deserve so much better.”

Sooyoung doesn't reply to that and just looks to where both of Seungwan’s hands are holding her own. “I really am sorry. I should’ve told you all of this when i first called you. I was just so scared. And embarrassed. Still am, actually.”

“Don’t be. And you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t actually lie, you know? You invited me on a cruise and that’s where we are.” Seungwan smiles reassuringly. “We’ll have a great time by the looks of it. If we don’t at least we can steal some pillows.”

The younger girl let’s out a watery laugh. “You sure know how to have fun, Son Seungwan.”

Sooyoung’s face is red and puffy from crying but at least she’s laughing now. Seungwan doesn’t want to see her downcast ever again.

“I didn’t want to come, actually. I said — why would i want to spend a week next to a bunch of happy people who just got married? All that it’d do is remind me of what i lost. But my friends convinced me to do it. I’m kinda starting to feel glad that they did, though.”

Seungwan gets where she’s coming from. She doesn’t think she’d be too fond of the concept either. But no matter what happened, they’re here now and she’s gonna do everything in her power so Sooyoung can forget about her troubles at least for a little while.

“I’m glad too.” She gives her hand a small squeeze and stand up from the bed. “Well, we have a whole ship waiting for us. Where would you like to start?”

“Is it too early to say the bar?”

"You and Jisoo would get along wonderfully.”

-

After waiting for a little while until the swelling in Sooyoung’s face went down —“I refuse to go out like this. The embarrassment is too much already.” — they headed straight for the deck since that's where Seungwan had seen an outdoor bar when they were on the way to their suite.

“Welcome to Palm Grove Bar!” A guy with the characteristic coral shirt greeted them. He looked young, barely old enough to drink the beverages he was hired to prepare probably. “What can i offer you today?”

“What do you recommend?” Sooyoung asks him, taking a look at the board where all the drinks were listed.

“Today’s special is called Forever After, it’s a cocktail with sugarcane liquor. Our guests love it. Plus, it’s got a two-for-one promotion.”

“Does that sound good to you?”

Seungwan shrugs. “I don’t drink much but yeah, sure.”

“Tsk. Should’ve invited Jisoo instead then.” Sooyoung throws a playful smile. “We’ll have two of those, please.”

The guy tilts his head at them but says nothing aside from sure.

They thank him for their drinks and go sit at one of the tables.

“This whole place is so fancy.” Sooyoung says while taking in her surroundings. “It’s got everything. Like a mini city. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a supermarket somewhere.”

“Or a theater.”

“I’m not sure about that but i think i read somewhere that there’s days where they set up a screen on deck and project movies. Like a car cinema. But without the cars.”

The drink is delicious, just the right amount of sweet. She turns to look at the counter only to find the guy from earlier already staring at them. When Seungwan notices he averts his eyes quickly, pretending to clean some of the empty glasses.

“The bartender keeps staring at us.” Seungwan inquires out loud. “He gave us a funny look when we were back at the counter too.”

Sooyoung takes a sip from her drink, apparently unbothered. “Perhaps he’s wondering why i would joke about inviting someone else to our honeymoon.”

It takes Seungwan a second to understand what she means. “Right. This is a honeymoon cruise so everyone probably thinks we’re married.”

She glances at the people currently present at the bar — they’re all couples. Or at least, she assumes they are couples, the way everyone else would assume that Sooyoung and her are a couple.

The younger girl’s expression suddenly changes, words tinted with worry. “Does that… bother you?”

“Of course not!” Seungwan responds immediately. She doesn’t want Sooyoung to get the wrong impression. “I’m just not sure why I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

“Are you sure?” She doesn’t seem too convinced. “The least thing i want you to be is uncomfortable.”

“No! It’s okay. I promise.”

Suddenly a thought sparks in her head.

“Actually… i just had an idea.”

Sooyoung’s face was still filled with reluctance. “What is it?”

“What if we were actually married?”

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Come again?”

“I know it’ll probably sound crazy but hear me out. We’ll meet a lot of people here, or at least we’ll have to talk to them. Like you said, everyone thinks this is our honeymoon. Except it’s not and we’ll have to explain everything over and over. Or they won’t ask and instead they'll keep staring at us like Mr. Barman. So what if instead of denying it we played along? It would make everything so much easier.” Seungwan finishes, realizing how insane she sounds. “And fun. Maybe.” She adds awkwardly.

“So you want us to pretend to be married? That’s…” She leans back on her chair. “Not a terrible idea actually.”

Seungwan blinks rapidly. She didn’t think Sooyoung would actually give her plan a time of the day. “Really?”

“Yes, you have a point. I definitely don’t want to go around sharing my very unfortunate story. I’m tired of seeing the pity in people’s faces.” She shakes her head. “Plus it could be fun like you said. Let’s do it.”

They stare at each other for a minute until they both break into loud laughter, causing one of the waitresses standing nearby to narrow her eyes at them, which only makes them laugh even more.

“How will we do it?” Sooyoung questions when they finally manage to calm down.

“Do what?”

“Well if we’re gonna be fake married we gotta have a story in case someone asks, don’t you think?”

“True.” Seungwan puts her hand on her chin, thinking. She’s about to ask Sooyoung how her dream wedding would be when she realizes it that'd probably be in poor taste. “Is a hotel too lame? The studio i work in sent us to photograph a wedding on a vineyard once. It was all really pretty.”

"When i was looking for venues what it feels like lifetimes ago now… there was this House. I think it was called Grand Walkerhill. It was beautiful. We ended up agreeing on a different one.” She scoffs. “But that was my first choice.”

“Well, who am i to say no to my fake wife of 2 days, right?” Sooyoung rolls her eyes. “Walkerhill house it is.”

-

They spend around an hour making up scenarios about their non existent wedding until Seungwan complains on how she’d forgotten to put on sunscreen and how if they don't move she would end up redder than a shrimp.

They start roaming through the rest of the deck until they come across a girl with short blonde hair and a wide smile. She was holding a clipboard in one hand and some papers on the other.

“Hi! If i could just have a minute of your time,” she begins, not giving them a chance to refuse. “I’m in charge of the couples’ entertainment activities. It’s basically a bunch of games that go on over a few days. We handle it as a competition and the couple who wins gets a super romantic dinner. We’d love if you could join us!”

Seungwan takes the pamphlet that she hands them.

Activities take place at midday (with the exception of port days) next to the main pool on deck. The more you participate, the more points you earn. Win the grand prize of a luxurious romantic dinner on the beach of our last destination!

Sooyoung reads it from over her shoulder. “So we don’t actually have to show up to all the planned activities, right?”

“Nope, that’s for you to decide. However as it says on the brochure, the more games you take part in, the bigger the chances of being number one.” The girl’s energy is contagious.

“You feeling up for some free dinner?” The taller girl asks Seungwan.

“You actually think we could pull this off?” She hopes Sooyoung understands she’s not actually talking about the games.

“Oh, i’m positive.” She smiles mischievously and well, that does sound like the Sooyoung she used to know.

“Okay then.”

“Great!" The blonde girl takes out a pen and writes their names down. “The activity schedule will be out tomorrow first thing in the morning. We usually hang it around different parts of the ship so more people get involved but if you can’t find it, the biggest one will be next to the main pool where the games actually take place.”

“Lovely, thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Now, if you’ll excuse me i have to hunt down your competitors,” she winks. “But if you need anything feel free to let me know. Just ask for Kim Yerim.”

She takes off to approach another unsuspecting couple.

"I have to warn you, though. I at games."

"We'll see about that."

-

It had taken around four hours for Seungwan to regret her own idea.

After spending some more time locating things on board, they went back to their suite to put on their swimsuits and some sunscreen, since the pool looked way too nice and the weather was way too warm not to try it.

Seungwan couldn’t say she frequented the beach much so her swimsuit attire was kinda limited — she’d gone for a plain white one-piece with a front keyhole.

Sooyoung, on the other hand, was wearing a red high waisted bikini with a twisted top.

It would be stupid for Seungwan to deny her attraction to Sooyoung. It wasn’t the first time it’d happened, anyway. She didn’t spend two years (or maybe a little more) crushing on her to act like this wasn’t a recurrent event. What was actually stupid was the fact that’d agreed to this —worse, suggested it— when she knew.

Which is why, right now, she finds herself cursing every single thing that’s ever come out of while she rubs sunscreen on Sooyoung’s back.

“There you go.” She says, wiping the excess on her own arms.

“Thank you.” The younger girl grins. “Were you standing on your tiptoes? That’s so cute.”

“No, i wasn’t.”

“You don’t have to deny it. Our height different is perfect for hugs.” She goes to prove her point by wrapping an arm around Seungwan. “Are you ready to go?”

"Yes.” She hopes her voice doesn’t sound as panicked as she believes it does. “Hold on, i gotta grab something from the bathroom.”

She actually doesn’t. Instead, she takes her phone out and texts Jisoo.

i think i screwed up

Seungwan thinks about elaborating but she doesn’t even know where to begin.

And it was only the first day.