Beyond the clear ocean lies the sunrise peeking out of the horizon. There is not a single day where Park Chanyeol would miss the sunrise, and he has been keeping his daily streak for five years as a twenty-two-year-old. Being one of the owners of his family's private-owned surfboard shack, he has the advantage to paddle into the ocean and watches the sun come and go. He thanks his deceased mother every day for allowing him to live another day to watch the sky turn from day to evening. With his father and his older sister, they run the shack even through the death of his mother. Life has changed since, but not to the point where they would have to shut down their business. 

Chanyeol took a deep breath as he dropped his arms to his side and dipped his fingers into the cold water. He smiled once the warm rays caressed his sunkissed skin and opened his eyes. It was the first day of summer. Running his hand through his damp black locks, he squinted his eyes at the sun. "Good morning beautiful," he mumbled as he cracked a smile, "happy summer to us."

"Good morning, Loey!" Chanyeol looked up to see the elderly man who often fishes in the mornings and smiled brightly at him. The man was on the boardwalk that leads to the amusement area and the beach's most famous diner. "Nice surfboard!"

Chanyeol laughed out loud. "Aloha! It's a once in a while use. My mom would've killed me if she was still here," he shouted. The man shook his head as waved his hand while laughing. "It's the truth, sir! I'm still afraid of her!"

"Well, you are using one of her favorite boards into good use! Have a nice day!"

Chanyeol greeted him back before being welcomed by a huge wave that completely wiped him off of his surfboard. He came back to the surface of the water and rubbed his eyes from the salty water. "That must've been your mother!" He heard the man exclaim and began shaking his head with red ears on display. Of course, it was from her. Chanyeol immediately laid on top of his board before waving goodbye and paddling back to shore. He had to open the shack before his sister kicks his for spending too much time with the ocean.

It has been five years since his mother's unexpected death. Chanyeol was still seventeen when she died in the middle of summer. She died as a hero who rescued two people from drowning during a terrible storm. If she hadn't done what she did, those two wouldn't have been alive. Although life was still lost, she died doing what was right, and her family knew her intentions. She loved the ocean, but she would rather put herself at risk for anyone who is in danger in the mysterious waters of the world. Her family lived by it, but she was the only one who is honest with the motto because of her love for the beach and the ocean. Even before her death, she made sure that her family knew that she loved them every single second of the day. That's why they're strong enough to manage their business.

Chanyeol and Yoora, his older sister by three years, made a promise at their mother's grave to continue her legacy as owners of the shack and teachers of surfing. They believed that this was the only way to remain close to her, and it shows as they do what they promised. For Chanyeol, he wanted to connect with his mother more by watching the sunrise for the day, and the sunset for the evening. Their mother loved watching the sky, especially the sun, so Chanyeol took the extra step to show his love. Yoora found it overwhelming for their mother to see, but it turns out it was too much for her to witness as it brings her to tears every morning and evening. Their father does the same things they do, but he doesn't show much because he wanted to remain strong for his children. He still grieves for his wife, but his children are his constant reminders of her, and he is forever grateful for them.

Being a well-known family in the state of Hawaii, they are experts in surfing and are excellent teachers. Thanks to their mother, Chanyeol and Yoora found a passion for teaching. All around Hawaii, Chanyeol is known to be called Loey because it was easier to pronounce for the majority of the people. No one knows his real name, and he was fine with it because he liked Loey. He wanted that to be his name if he were to become an artist for his sketch and painting skills, which is still a goal he wants to achieve. As he reached shore and stumbled to get his balance, he saw his sister in the distance from the beach's parking lot. He quickly grabbed his board and ran towards the shack, which also caused his sister to start running.

"Not on my watch!" Yoora shouted as she extended her hand to reach the back door of the shack. Chanyeol began to sprint and slapped his mother's handprint on the door, winning the race between his sister. She groaned out loud before touching her mother's handprint as well and turned the doorknob. "Curse your long legs," she said before walking in the shack.

Chanyeol grinned as he ran back to go inside their outdoor shack through the back. He closed the door behind him and placed his board in its usual spot before stripping his wetsuit above his hips to throw on a shirt. Yoora lifted the wooden countertop and walked to the front to push up the steel door to open the shack for the day. She flipped the closed sign to open and rubbed her fingers across her mother's name printed at the bottom edge of the sign before going back to stand behind the counter.

"You better have some clothes on back there!" Yoora teased as she opened the cash register.

"Don't worry. No one but these beautiful boards is watching me," Chanyeol laughed. His sister rolled her eyes before checking the time. The beach was about to open in a few minutes.

Yoora glanced over at the surfboard Chanyeol used that was leaning against the smaller boards for kids and she gasped. She walked over to the board and grabbed it with both of her hands. "Did you use mom's boards??" She asked without glancing at her brother hiding in the storage room. "She is going to give you hell today!" Chanyeol stumbled on some boards in the storage room before turning on the light switch and fixing the boards that were still in the process of making by his dad. The family would make their boards. He looked at a few snorkeling equipment that he knocked over and fixed them to how he'd last seen it the day before. He walked out of the room and turned the light off to stand behind his sister.

"Not at all. She is going to bless me for finally using her boards," Chanyeol teased before reaching over his sister's head to grab his clipboard. He sighed before taking a pen from the front desk and using his teeth to open the cap. His eyes scanned the list of incoming students before looking down at his phone beside the register. "First few kids are coming soon, and you're in charge of them."

His sister looked over the clipboard and whacked Chanyeol's head. "You were supposed to take them!"

Chanyeol shook his head in fear before handing his sister her timer button. "They make fun of my ears instead of learning!"

They bickered for a moment until they were faced with their first students of the day. They played rock-paper-scissors while getting their surfboards, and because of how good Chanyeol is at probability— including how well he knows his sister— he won.

[first day of summer]

The best part of every summer was to reconnect with his mother. His mother loved summer, and on every first day of the season, she would take her children to the cliffs that overlooked the sea and jump into the sea. It was a tradition the family normally did until the day she died. Ever since that year, they've never done it. It'd be harder to do it this year because it will be her sixth year since she passed and her twenty-fifth anniversary with her husband. Despite their father trying to resurrect the bittersweet tradition, the Park siblings felt as though it was wrong to do it without her physically with them. They wanted to respect her.

Chanyeol thought about it as he looked at the same location he would jump off with his mother and sister. He felt a small hand on his thigh and then looked down at the five-year-old girl he was teaching. He glanced down at his timer and saw the remaining ten minutes of her session. The girl gave him a toothy smile and he smiled back at her while adjusting her swimming cap. "Goodness, Phoebe. Your hair is escaping your cap again," he cooed as he tucked her hair back into her swimming cap.

"My hair tie must be loose again!" She exclaimed before pulling the cap off of her head with a plop sound. Her ginger locks bounced before his eyes and she lifted her goggles to rest on her forehead. "Are you sad today, Loey?" The little student asked as she scooted closer to her instructor and hugged his waist. Chanyeol pouted at the gesture and patted her back to reassure her that he was fine. She is one of his longest students who often worries about him since knowing about his mother.

"I'm not sad, Phoebe. Thank you for asking," he answered. "Do you want to go back to shore? Your dad must be proud of you for being able to balance!" He received a small nod from her before telling her to hold onto him as he leans forward and uses his hands to paddle back to shore.

Once Chanyeol brought the girl back to shore and gave her father updates on her progress, he waved at them farewell and ran back to the shack with the board. Yoora was leaving with her students and told Chanyeol to help the person at the front desk. He glanced at the boy before telling him to wait and running to the back of the shack. He walked passed the storage to see his dad working on one of his new boards and greeted him before dropping the smaller board with the used ones. His dad whistled at him as he grabbed a towel and threw it over his neck while walking back to the front.

The guy had a cold expression on his face as he hugged his arms across his chest. His sunglasses were on top of his head as he squinted into the distance. Chanyeol came to the front and tapped the desk bell to grab his attention. His eyes landed on his and he cleared his throat. "Can I book a session?" He asked Chanyeol.

The elder turned around to look at his clipboard for openings and came back to him. "I am free now. Can I have your name?" Chanyeol took a pen out of the cup before turning around and waiting for the guy to respond.

"Sehun. Oh Sehun," he responded. "How long are the sessions for?"

"Typically about an hour. If you request for longer sessions, it'll be approximately close to an hour and forty-five minutes." Chanyeol said as he wrote down Sehun's name and threw the pen back into the cup. "Do you prefer a specific board or whichever is fine?" Sehun only shrugged his shoulders and Chanyeol tapped his fingers on the wooden surface. "Is an hour good for you?" Sehun nodded. "Then give me the fee." Chanyeol turned around to grab one of the basic boards above him as Sehun was fishing for his wallet in his fanny pack.

When Chanyeol placed the board on the counter and waited for Sehun to get his money, the boy sighed and zipped his fanny pack closed. "I think I left my wallet with my parents. I will be right back," he said before speeding off. Chanyeol watched as he went to a specific umbrella and began bothering his mother about his wallet, which made him chuckle since he saw the woman hitting him playfully. Later the boy came back with his wallet in hand and took out his money before sliding it towards Chanyeol's hand.

"I've seen you for many years yet have not interacted with you," Sehun said, "but I want to say that I'm sorry for your mother's loss. This is one of those special memorial days, huh?"

Chanyeol opened the register as he glanced up and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it is. Thank you for your condolence, and let's become closer. Can I ask how old you are?" He asked while Sehun grabbed the board.

"Eighteen," Sehun answered. "Not so far from you. Becoming twenty-three soon?" Chanyeol nodded before setting up his timer and coming out of the shack. "Must be nice to look older than you look," Sehun joked as they both make their way to the water.

Chanyeol began laughing. "Are you going to give me trouble, Sehun?" The younger only shrugged and placed his glasses on his face only to face his mother chasing him down with sunscreen and kiddie goggles in her hands. Chanyeol laughed until he was kissing the sand beneath his feet.

After witnessing Sehun being slapped with sunscreen from head to toe, they swam past the tides and were floating on top of the calm sea. Sehun was lying flat on his board while waiting for Chanyeol to instruct him. "Do you have any experience with surfing?" The elder asked. Sehun shook his head bluntly. "You've never surfed yet you're a local here?" He shook his head once more.

"I may appear on the beach, but the closest thing I'll ever do is swim until I can't reach the ground. I have never touched a surfboard," Sehun explained. "I am only learning because I need to get out of my house more often." He pushed himself off of his belly to sit on the board.

Chanyeol nodded in agreement. "That's the same for most kids. I don't think I've taught people your age that often. They usually go with my dad or my sister," he said.

"I'd take anyone," Sehun sighed before pushing himself up from the board and sitting on it. "Now teach me because I know my parents are watching from the boardwalk," he glanced up at the boardwalk to see his parents recording him with huge smiles on their faces. Chanyeol tried his best to keep his laughter back as he began his lesson with Sehun.

[first day of summer]

By the time his session with Sehun was over, Chanyeol and Yoora temporarily closed down the shack to go down to the shopping center to grab dinner with their father. They went to their favorite restaurant to eat authentic Hawaiian poke and sushi in courtesy of their mother since it was her favorite besides Korean food and pizza. Earlier, Sehun managed to balance himself on the board, yet he never got himself to sit down or crouch into a surfing position. It was expected, but his parents were unexpected as they scolded him for being too scared. 

After dinner, Chanyeol ran back to the shack to change into his wetsuit and grabbed his usual board. He watched as the sun began to set into its usual starting spot to set and greeted his sister before running back into the ocean. Tears always make their way to Yoora's eyes every single time he goes to watch the sun. She wrapped her sweater around her before heading to the front to take care of her father's last student.

"Dad, are you still back there?" Yoora called out and he came out from the back of the shack. "You have one more student for the day."

Mr. Park came out from the back once he heard his daughter. He smiled at the student before grabbing a random board. "Make sure you tell whoever comes that the last rent hours start now," he said before leaving the shack with the student.

Yoora nodded before sitting on the stool behind the counter. She ran her fingers across the keypads on the cash register before she heard the bell rang. She looked up at the boy in front of her and smiled at him. "Hi! This is the last hour to rent boards. All surfing lessons have ended for today," she said. "Do you want to book a session for another day or rent a board?"

The boy pursed his lips while thinking. Yoora studied his face before scanning her eyes up and down. She has never seen him around before. It was like he wasn't a local. Her eyes widened when he finally opened his mouth.

"I'll rent a board," he said softly. "Are there any small ones?"

Yoora hummed. "Yeah! Will you give me a second?" She asked before seeing him nod shyly and heading to the back. Yoora rushed towards the small security room of the shack and unlocked the code on the knob before going inside. She looked at the computer screen to see the camera facing directly at the boy's face. She made sure that his face was still clear enough to capture before leaving the room and grabbing a random board she landed her eyes on. Yoora came back and handed him the board without noticing that it was the same board Chanyeol used in the morning.

"You're free to rent it for only an hour right now, okay?" The boy nodded before turning towards the direction of the ocean. As he strayed further away from the shack, Yoora leaned over the counter to see him waddle into the water. There was something about him that made her feel butterflies in her stomach for Chanyeol.

Chanyeol came out with his uality when he entered high school. Yoora knew way before when he talked about it to her when he was only twelve, but he confronted their parents when he was fourteen. He never faced any issues in school since he doesn't reveal his uality. His family accepted him wholeheartedly and never treated him differently after finding out. There were times where their mother would for not finding interest in anyone because Chanyeol wasn't looking for a person yet. Chanyeol sometimes regrets not finding a potential partner when his mother was around, but he knew that she will guide him towards a person she will accept.

Chanyeol was resting his arms and head on top of his board with his body dangling off. His eyes were fixed on the sun as he felt the warm rays hitting his face. He was alone in the ocean where the tides weren't as active. His father and his student weren't around him as they swam somewhere else. He didn't notice he was completely alone until he heard a yelp in the distance. Looking around him and climbing on his board, he saw someone struggling to get back up to the surface and quickly paddled his way towards the person getting lost in the tidal waves.

He came closer and quickly dove into the water and wrapped his strong arms around the person. He brought the person back to the surface and he immediately clung onto his board as Chanyeol held his small slim waist. The blonde was gasping for air while laughing at himself as he clung onto his board. Chanyeol glanced at the board and noticed it was his mother's board that he used in the morning. It was a rule to never lend his mother's boards to any customer. He shook the thought of the board and immediately paid close attention to the boy.

"Are you okay? Did you fall off?" Chanyeol asked while trying to look at him.

The boy didn't make any eye contact as he continued to laugh at himself, and he rested his head on top of his hands that were clinging onto the board. "I... I was lying on the board and accidentally fell off when a wave rushed over me... Thank y-you for saving me."

His voice was soft as it was filled with small giggles and gasps. Chanyeol never realized that his hands were still hugging around his waist until the boy tried to push himself up to sit on top of the board. He quickly helped him up on the board and the blonde sighed once he was seated with his legs on either side of the board.

"Are you from around here?" Chanyeol asked as he reached over to the board that was floating around him. "I have never seen you before."

Chanyeol earned a nod. "I am... I never go to the beach... That's why you've never s-seen me."

"Yeah?" Chanyeol hoisted himself on top of his board and sat on it. "Well, it is nice to meet you." He said as he looked over to get a better view of the boy's face. The blonde glanced over to his right where Chanyeol was and quickly looked away to look at the sun beginning to set. He was hoping Chanyeol wouldn't notice his cheeks beginning to turn pink.

Chanyeol studied the boy's side profile before his eyes traveled down to his swimwear. He was wearing a white t-shirt that was sticking to his skin and a pair of baby pink swimming shorts that were too short for him to wear. To prevent himself from examining him further, the blonde gasped and tapped on his hand that was resting beside his thigh.

"The sun is setting!" He said excitedly before tipping his hands into the water and realizing how deep he is in the water. "O-Oh! I forgot how far I floated away from the shore," he stuttered before leaning back to rest his hands behind his .

The comment made Chanyeol curious, and he tore his eyes away from the sun. "What do you mean? You can't swim?" He asked.

He earned a shy chuckle from the boy before he nodded embarrassingly. Chanyeol looked at him in shock. "You're so brave for renting my mother's board and coming out here then," he complimented. The boy looked down at the sunflower print on the board and gasped as he straightened his back and pointed at the flower. Chanyeol, by instinct, landed his hand behind the boy's back to keep him from tipping over and cracked a smile. "It's no worries! I guess my sister didn't pay attention—"

"Can we switch our boards? I feel guilty," he interrupted.

Chanyeol blinked at him with wide eyes before agreeing and unstrapping the strap off of his ankle. He guided the boy by lifting him to place him on his board before getting off and swimming over to his mother's surfboard. They both noticed the water and the sky turning into orange and made eye contact with the sun. Chanyeol quickly got on the board and basked in the remaining sun rays that were radiating on him before seeing the sun leave for the day. He internally thanked his mother for another successful day before looking over at the blonde. The blonde was too busy looking at the sky in awe to notice him. Chanyeol extended out his right arm, and the blonde has looked at it. He blinked at him before shyly grabbing his hand.

"My name is Chanyeol," Chanyeol introduced, "but only you will know."

Right when the boy was about to smile, he heard a distant voice from behind and turned his head over to the shore. His eyes widened, and he quickly retracted his hand away from the elder. Clearing his throat and giving him a small smile, he pointed his thumb behind his head and opened his mouth. "I have to go. It is nice to meet you finally..." He paused as if confused about what name to address Chanyeol.

Chanyeol chuckled before answering. "It's Chanyeol. It is also nice to meet you too..." Chanyeol stopped in hopes of hearing the boy's name. Instead, he got a smile as the boy lay on his belly to paddle himself back to shore.

Chanyeol would be lying if he wasn't disappointed. He had hoped to find out more about who the blonde is, and why he hasn't seen him until this very moment. There was something about him that made Chanyeol's chest tighten, and he didn't think it was a bad feeling. It was a feeling he was willing to discover. In curiosity, he turned over his shoulder and saw the blonde return the board to Yoora before running to a person he recognized. Chanyeol's shoulders slumped down when he was his run to Sehun, who looked like he was going to kill the boy. Whatever the reason may be, and whomever Sehun is to the boy, Chanyeol can say that this first day of summer has to be his best one since his mother's passing.

[first day of summer]