It's been a month since he turned eighteen, and this summer felt different from the rest of the past years. Byun Baekhyun not only woke up to his window being opened and his neighbor's sixties radio station being blasted to the max, but he also woke up to his annoying older step-brother by a month cradling him to wake up. Oh Sehun dragged Baekhyun's arm towards him before moving his head onto his lap. The elder began caressing his cheeks before running his hands through his short blonde mullet hair to coax him to wake up. Baekhyun began whimpering before slapping his step-brother's hands out of his hair.

"Happy first day of summer, Baekhyun!" Sehun cooed as the blonde cracked an eye open. "You slept for a full fourteen hours baby bro," he said before earning a soft whack on the cheek.

Baekhyun stretched his arms above his head and fluttered his eyes open to the direction of his opened window. He groaned as he heard the radio from his neighbor and grabbed the walkie talkie on top of his nightstand to yell into it. His neighbor yelped out loud and grabbed his device.

"Turn your radio down, Minseok! No one wants to listen to that at— what time is it? Nine in the morning!" Baekyun whined before slamming his device down on his nightstand and wrapping his arms around his step-brother's waist. His older yet eighteen-year-old neighbor, Kim Minseok, burst out laughing before greeting him a good morning and turning his radio down. "I know I've slept early, but I think I need another hour," Baekhyun yawned.

Sehun clucks his tongue before shaking him to wake up. "No. We have to celebrate and welcome summer with mom and dad. They said this year is special for us," he said as Baekhyun rolled himself off of his lap and landed back on the soft mattress. "They think it's time for you to do something different too! Like going to the beach—"

"I hate the beach!" Baekhyun yawned in frustration before pushing himself up from his bed. His shirt was hanging off of his shoulder while his blanket was half-covering his legs. Sehun fixed him up by covering him before opening his mouth.

"I know that you do, but you have to learn to accept your dislikes one day," he said.

For as far as Baekhyun knows, he has always hated the beach. He hated the sand and how it can stick to him irritably, how the beach is always crowded with families and annoying kids, and how he can barely swim if he were to ever go into the water. He was never a person to go to the beach because despite being born in Hawaii, he was never brought there. The thought of it was something he can't bring himself to think upon. Although he is familiar with who works on the beach or who goes there regularly— it was literally in front of his house— he cannot imagine himself stepping foot on there. The last time he was there was when he went to a family cookout years ago.

Sehun rolled his eyes as Baekhyun stared at his own hands before shuffling out of the bed to fix it. "I think this summer can change you, Baek. We're legal adults now!" He exclaimed as he watched him make his bed.

"Okay, we're adults going into college, but are we allowed to consume alcohol?" Baekhyun sassed as he straightened his blanket before folding it. "Can we play beer pong? Can we do this and that? By this and that, I mean drinking and playing at the casinos? No!"

"Yeah, but we can still discover more about ourselves and get ready for our summer courses—" Sehun stopped when his step-brother gasped out loud. Baekhyun dropped the pillow he was trying to fluff up and whipped his head towards his corgi calendar. He saw the date and the reminder stating that he has his first class in about an hour.

Baekhyun pouted before looking at the elder with his hands at the hem of his oversized t-shirt. "We start our courses today," he said. "I haven't even prepared for my first music lecture!"

The elder waved his hand at him. "You're a natural at this. You can sing—"

"But no one knows I can. I'm nervous," Baekhyun butted. "I hate adulting." He blurted as he shuffled towards his bathroom that was right beside his desk and clothing drawer.

Sehun watched him through the window of his bathroom and looked away when he realized Baekhyun was going to use the bathroom. He cleared his throat before going towards the window and sticking his head out of it. "Minseok!" He shouted and shortly the elder poked his head out of his room. "Are you ready for summer classes?"

Minseok nodded. "I'll have a good advantage to earn more spare time and credits! I heard business is hard in the first semester, so this should help me," he said with a bright smile. "Is Baekhyun nervous?" He was leaning out of his window while watching the people walk in-between their houses into the boardwalk. Their houses were very close to the beach and the boardwalk, especially where their neighborhood is.

"Ask about me, Minseok." Sehun frowned before cracking a smile. "He is, but I know he'll be fine. He rarely sings in front of our parents since he is insecure."

The elder nodded. "He will be fine for sure. Are you going to go out with your parents later? You guys always go to the beach on this day," Minseok asked.

Sehun nodded his head as he leaned on the ledge of the window. "I will if they make breakfast. They're busy jogging around from six in the morning!" Minseok laughed out loud before seeing Baekhyun coming with a toothbrush in his mouth. Sehun was pushed to the side as Baekhyun poked his head out.

"You got The Ronettes in my head!" Baekhyun said as he brushed his teeth.

"What a way to wake up right? Happy summer," Minseok greeted softly before turning his radio back on. He began switching channels until he heard a song from The Temptations playing. Baekhyun rolled his eyes before pushing Sehun to the window and dragging his feet towards his desk.

Baekhyun was not the type of person to go outside as often, and if he were to go out, it would be because of his family or his only two friends with Sehun: Kim Minseok and Do Kyungsoo. He never had many friends since he has been homeschooled his whole high school life. There were lots of things Baekhyun was restricted to before being adopted by Sehun's family at the age of thirteen. Due to his parents' business affairs, they couldn't take care of him and offered him up for adoption.

Until this day, at the age of eighteen, he has lived a better life from his past. However, there were still things that restricted him from living a life like a normal person, such as going out and having fun. He is an introvert anyways. Baekhyun sat down on his desk chair before unlocking his computer and opening his university's portal to access his online summer class. Sehun and Minseok chatted for a while until Minseok had to go help his father with breakfast. Shortly after that, Sehun heard the familiar footsteps coming upstairs to Baekhyun's room and he extended his hand to reach the handle of the window to pull it closed. A knock came at the door and Baekhyun rolled himself over on his desk chair to open the door for his parents.

Mrs. Oh appeared first at the door and giggled upon the sight of her youngest son with his blonde locks sticking all over the place. "Good morning baby," his mother greeted him with a kiss on the forehead before going to Sehun.

His father followed with another kiss on the forehead before following his wife to bully Sehun. Baekhyun giggled as he rushed himself to the restroom to rinse his mouth. Following his usual routine with his morning skincare and fixing his short blonde mullet cut from bedhead, he came out to see his older brother's cheeks being pinched by their parents.

"Oh, Baekhyun! We bought breakfast from Sonya's on our way back home from the boardwalk," Mr. Oh said as he released Sehun's cheek. "You can have Sehun's platter too if you would like!"

Mrs. Oh agreed with her husband. "More for our favorite son!"

Sehun frowned as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes to look outside the window. "I am not proud to be an Oh anymore," he mumbled under breath until he was cradled by Baekhyun. "Let go of me!" Baekhyun began whining before Sehun eventually leaned into his touch undefeated.

"I am not going to steal my brother's well-deserved breakfast platter, mom and dad," Baekhyun giggled as he let his brother go. "I'll meet you downstairs once I get dressed."

His parents nodded before leaving his room with Sehun following them. Baekhyun walked over to his closet to grab a pair of shorts and noticed Minseok back in his room when he was putting it on. He went back to his window and opened it up to call him out. "Mom and dad made their famous musubi?" Baekhyun asked.

Minseok shrugged as he showed off his plate and ate the piece on his fork. "I don't want to brag, but yes! You want some?"

The younger shook his head with a smirk. "No, I got Sonya's." He said and stuck his tongue out.

"Whatever. I am still satisfied with my food," Minseok said sharply. "You look extra cute today. The first day of summer is already treating you well," he complimented. Baekhyun cracked a smile before closing the window and waving goodbye to eat his favorite strawberry French toast. He has to start his day before he grows lazy. 

Since Baekhyun was never the type to get out, unless he has to, he decided to avoid his parents by slipping in the shower. He didn't shower last night, so he found that this was the chance to avoid them from dragging him out to celebrate summer. Every year he comes with good excuses to stay in. From running away to Kyungsoo's house to begging people around the beach to give him volunteering hours, he now has a decent excuse to stay home. Stripping down his clothes and making sure his radio was still functioning in his bathroom, he turned it on and stepped into the tub. He made sure to crack the window open to let out the steam. Closing the shower curtain, he began to shower and hum along to the song on the radio.

Sehun walked into his bedroom to see what his brother was doing and heard the water running from the bathroom. Peeking to see if the door was closed, he saw it wide open and quickly turned his heels to leave the room. Before he made his way out, he bumped into his father and was playfully pushed to the side. "Step aside, boy!" He said before walking in with his wife behind him. "Baekhyun?"

Due to the music and his singing, Baekhyun barely heard his parents calling his name until his mother knocked on the door. He yelped out loud before reaching his hand behind the curtains and lowering the radio. "Honey, we're going to go out. Make sure you eat lunch, okay?" His mother said, and she received a hum from him. Right before he was going to raise the volume, his mother opened again. "Baekhyun, we can wait another five minutes for you if you'd like," she said.

"No! No, it's fine! You know I have classes today. Leave without me, and have fun! I'll celebrate with you in the evening, yeah? I can make dinner!" He giggled in between his plea for them to leave.

Sehun made a disgusted face and shouted, "You lost me at dinner. Have fun with class!" Sehun locked his arms with his parents before storming them downstairs to get out. Baekhyun cracked a smile before turning up the volume of his radio and continuing to refresh himself. Maybe the day was not going to be too bad he thought to himself. 

[summer curiosity]

Nothing but good old leftovers never failed to make Baekhyun's stomach growl. He finished his first day of summer classes three hours later and was finally free. After saying goodbye to his professor, he immediately rushed downstairs and ran to the fridge to take out the leftover BBQ ribs from last night. After punching in about two minutes to microwave the ribs, he ran his hand through his blonde hair before leaning against the kitchen counter to see people walking on the boardwalk. He rested his chin on his palms as he watched people going in and out of the beach below him. He had to admit that seeing people going to the beach made him feel giddy, which was not normal for him to feel on this day.

Baekhyun glanced at the small television in the corner of the counter and switched it on to tune into the current channel of some sappy 90s show that usually plays around two in the afternoon daily. He turned his focus towards the window and immediately caught eyes with someone looking at him. His heart began to beat faster as he maintained eye contact with the area's hottest man. The sound of the microwave immediately went off, and he ran to get his ribs out. Sighing, he took it out and slammed the microwave shut before sitting at the kitchen island. Never in his life did he think that the person he swore to never fall in love with, or be involved with, would make eye contact with him that lasted for more than three seconds. 

Usually, he'd see the man once in a while, or whenever he comes and leaves the beach, but never to the point where he had a proper look at him. He knew he was handsome since the day he laid eyes on him, but he would go insane if he LOOKED at him. Baekhyun snapped out of it once he heard a screech on the television. He shook his head before picking up one of the ribs.

Years back to when Baekhyun was adopted, he instantly fell in love with Park Chanyeol at first sight when he helped his parents move in their newly bought furniture. Loey in his vocabulary since no one knew his real name. Baekhyun had no intentions of finding love, but because of Chanyeol, he had some interest in pursuing it in an unrequited manner. He always liked the man even though he never talked to him. He often watched from afar as he grew up. Baekhyun would love to watch him hang out with his friends late at night, teach kids how to swim or surf, and chilling with his family wherever he would see them. He would even watch him transform his body and go through some hair changes as well, and he was glad that he kept his black, fluffy hair. Baekhyun loved watching him, not in a stalker type of watching, but he hated having one-sided feelings towards him. He barely knew him!

Baekhyun caught himself deep into his thoughts and took an aggressive bite of the meat in front of him. "Do not feel tempted," he threatened himself before taking in another bite. "You know your boundaries," he reminded. There was no way Chanyeol would want to involve himself with a person like him. That was his promise to himself: never be involved in Chanyeol's life for his own sake.

A crowd of guys started to cheer outside his kitchen window, becoming louder as Baekhyun tried to match the volume of his television to their voices. Their voices weren't bothersome until they shouted a particular name on top of their lungs. "Loey is buying us ice cream! All high school seniors graduates follow us!" The blonde scrambled to the kitchen window to see his interest being surrounded by girls. He saw the group of guys leading the way while Chanyeol tried to walk away from the girls. They were heading down Baekhyun's section of houses where the boardwalk divides his house and Minseok's. Baekhyun heard a knock at his front door and quickly made his way to open it without looking at the peephole. Once he opened the door, he was met with no other than his two only friends, Kyungsoo.

"Hey," Kyungsoo greeted while glancing behind him, "I was told Loey is treating graduating high schoolers. Do you want to come with Jongin and I?" He asked while pointing his thumb behind him. Baekhyun took a glance behind him and immediately caught Chanyeol's eyes on him. Chanyeol broke the eye contact and smiled down at the girls grabbing his arm softly. It was a sight that made Baekhyun's eyes widen. Kyungsoo turned around to see the crowd and rolled his eyes. He, too, knew of Baekhyun's forbidden crush with Minseok and Sehun. "I'll take it as a no?"

The blonde nodded. "No one is home, so I have to stay here. Maybe bring me a cone?" Baekhyun grasped on the doorknob nervously. "You need to hang out with your boyfriend anyways. He's leaving for college soon." Before Baekhyun could say more, Kyungsoo nodded and walked down the steps to follow the crowd down into the food and attractions section further down Baekhyun's neighborhood.

Once he left, Baekhyun quickly closed the door and took his usual spot at the kitchen island. He began to ponder on his thoughts. Usually Chanyeol would never look at him or notice him out of the ordinary, but today was something else. Never once did Baekhyun think he would ever see him because it was always Baekhyun looking for him wherever he was. The feeling he felt in his chest was different, but not in a bad way. It made the blonde feel goosebumps across his sensitive skin. Since when did he feel... eager? Baekhyun didn't stop his thoughts from lingering in his head as he continued to eat and ignored the show in the background. 

[summer curiosity]

♫

Baekhyun always had a door in his room that takes him outside to the back stairs behind his house to his backyard. He never used it unless he wanted to go to the backyard, but now he was thinking of using it for another reason. After careful consideration, Baekhyun decided to get out of his comfort zone. The first phase he wants to attempt breaking is to go to the beach. It was not something he wanted to do, but he felt different today for some reason. However, he knew Chanyeol had something to do with influenzing him to get out. Although he hates the beach, he at least wanted to spend more time with his family that is not at home or at any place other than the beach. They love going to the beach anyways, so Baekhyun had a slight change of heart. While his family was at the beach, he snuck into Sehun's room to rummage through his drawers for a swimming trunks. Luckily he found one of his old ones that he grew out of, and he took it to change into. After making sure his parents were downstairs in the living room with Sehun stuck in his room with his classes, Baekhyun reached into the drawer of his desk and grabbed the key to the door in his room.

He made sure to bring his towel and Sehun's goggles before leaving his room to take the back stairs. He quickly made his way down to the backyard and peeked at the windows that showed his living room. His parents were playing chess at the coffee table in the living room, looking nowhere at the sliding door that opens to their pool in the backyard. Baekhyun made a run for it and punched in the keypad to open the gate. He took a look back after he closed the gate and his parents weren't aware of him leaving. He took a deep sigh and made his way down to the beach on the boardwalk.

It was odd to be alone outside of his house. He was never by himself whenever he is out because he would either have Minseok, Kyungsoo, or Sehun with him. It almost felt wrong to be alone, or even worse, a sin to go to the beach. Alone. Baekhyun reached to the end of the boardwalk that leads to the entrance of the beach, and he slipped out of his slides to hold onto them. With one deep breath, he stepped onto the soft sand and immediately winced. It was not just the feeling of it, but also how hot it was. The blonde quickly hopped around the sand to find a safe space that was not too close nor far from the shore. He tossed down his beach towel on the sand and threw his bag on top of it along with his slides. He scanned around his surroundings while playing with his small mullet and saw the familiar surf shack near the boardwalk hovering over the water.

Baekhyun quickly reverted his eyes to the ocean and the sun slowly coming down in the sky when he saw Chanyeol come out from the front counter of his shack. He took a seat down on the towel with his eyes looking down at his clasped hands as he listened to the man's voice inching closer towards him. Chanyeol passed by him with a board under his arm and he watched in awe at how beautiful he looked with the sunset. The feeling in his heart alerted him back to reality and his mind began to conflict with him. He did not know if it was safe enough for him to attempt getting in the water. He could barely swim or float. However, the thought of trying to talk to Chanyeol provoked his body to move on its own. Baekhyun did not know how, but somehow he abandoned his spot and made his way to the shack. He knew he was crazy for doing this, but a part of him longed to talk to Chanyeol. Chanyeol's father passed by him with a student, which caught him off guard because he has never seen the man before in his life. After passing him, he reached the front of the shack where Yoora was. She was touching the cash register without noticing him.

Here goes nothing. Baekhyun noticed the bell near the register and tapped on it, immediately catching the woman's attention. Her face lit up at him as she smiled at him. No wonder why people around town say they look so much alike. Almost identical. "Hi! This is the last hour to rent boards. All surfing lessons have ended for today. Do you want to book a session for another day or rent a board?"

The blonde pursed his lips to suppress his nervousness. "I'll rent a board. Are there any small ones?" Yoora replied enthusiastically before going to the back to find a small board. After a few minutes, she came back with a board and told him that he has an hour for rental.

Baekhyun made his way to the ocean with his heart beating against his chest nervously. Whatever took over his brain today was doing him dirty, but he knew that at the end of the day, he will feel good about it. Not only did he get out for once, but he could possibly talk to Chanyeol. He never dreamed of this happening, or ever expected it to happen so suddenly, but would it hurt him? He took it as a no. Baekhyun made contact with the cool water below his feet and he was taken back by how good it felt. It's been years since he last stepped foot in the ocean, and it was all thanks to his curiosity. Before he went deeper into the water, he cleared his mind of worrying about drowning. It is something he lacked.

There was no hesitation in going deeper into the water until he was on the tips of his toes. There were some tides that caused him to rock back and forth in the water, but Baekhyun had a feeling he could handle the subtle force. Once Baekhyun knew he would be safer on the board, he dragged the surfboard in front of him and attempted to lift himself up on it. Instead, he pushed himself further into the tidal waves and his grasp on the board slipped. He yelped before his head was completely submerged under the cold water with hands searching for the board. Baekhyun thought that this would be his final time since the water pushed him back into the tidal waves. It was not too forceful, but still not enough for him to reach the surface. Nothing scared him more than to feel something wrap around his waist and lift him up to the surface of the water, hands immediately finding his surfboard. 

With the thought of being near death, Baekhyun gasped out breathless laughter as he clung onto his board, never noticing a pair of hands securely on his waist. They were now at a deeper section of the ocean where there were not tides. Something was said that Baekhyun could not comprehend due to the water in his ears, but he managed to make out what the man said. He continued to laugh as he rested his head on top of his hands that were gripping to the board, barely looking at the man.

"I... I was lying on the board and accidentally fel off when a wave rushed over me... Thank y-you for saving me," Baekhyun gasped out before giggling to himself. What if the person who saved me is Loey?

The grip on his waist, which he began to notice, caused him to glance over his shoulder and see who the man was. Indeed, it was Loey. In order to not freak out, Baekhyun attempted to wriggle himself out of his grasp by pushing himself up to sit on the surfboard. The taller caught on and helped him up. After Baekhyun was settled, he watched as the elder reach for his board while asking him a question.

"Are you from here? I have never seen you before."

Baekhyun nodded in response. "I am... I never go to the beach... That's why you've never s-seen me." The blonde mentally cursed himself for stuttering and talking so slowly. He continued to watch the man besides him hoist himself on his board.

"Yeah? Well, it is nice to meet you," he said, trying to take a closer look of Baekhyun. The younger knew what he was doing and quickly looked to the right to avoid looking at his gorgeous face. Chanyeol did not miss the blush on his cheeks that almost matched the colors of the sky. Baekhyun could feel his eyes still staring at him, scanning him from his face to his body. It made him tense up in a way he has never felt before— the good type of tense. Whatever that could mean to Baekhyun. As the sunset, Baekhyun took it as his cue to stop the elder from looking at him.

"The sun is setting!" He said excitedly before realizing how deep he is in the ocean with his fingers dipping 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 . He pursed his lips in disappointment for stuttering again. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw the elder look at him. "What do you mean? You can't swim?" Baekhyun unconsciously let out a chuckle and a nod, revealing his inability to swim. "You're so brave for renting my mother's board and coming out here then."

The compliment immediately stopped the blonde from smiling stupidly. He gasped as he straightened his posture and pointed at the sunflower print on the surfboard. Chanyeol quickly placed his hand behind his back to keep him from tipping over the board. "It's no worries! I guess my sister didn't pay attention—"

"Can we switch boards? I feel guilty," Baekhyun interrupted as he began to feel uneasy. How can I disrespect his mother like that? The elder agreed and helped him hop onto his board before taking his mother's board back. Baekhyun felt more relieved once he took Chanyeol's board. After switching, they sat in silence to watch the sky change color as the sun leaves for the day. Baekhyun had always watched the sun set, but this time it was different. Not only did he get the best view to see the day end, but he got to see it with someone he loved from a far. Someone he promised not to be involved with. A guilty pleasure. His eyes peeled away from the sky when he noticed Chanyeol's arm extended towards him, waiting to be held. Without hesitation, Baekhyun shyly grabbed it.

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

Right as Baekhyun was going to smile, his sharp ears picked up Sehun's voice from far away. He quickly turned his head to see Sehun running up to where his belongings were, picking them up as he scanned the whole area until he saw him with Chanyeol. Baekhyun took his hand out of Chanyeol's grasp and gave him a small smile as he pointed behind his head. "I have to go. It is nice to meet you finally..." He paused as if confused about what to address Chanyeol as. He did not want to be rude by calling him Loey, but then he had the privilege to call him Chanyeol.

"It's Chanyeol. It is also night to meet you too..." The elder stopped abruptly, confusing Baekhyun. Without a clue, the blonde smiled at him before paddling himself back to shore, watching as Sehun began to walk out of the beach. He quickly reached back on land and ran to return the board and pay his rental fee. After Yoora thanked him, he dashed towards Sehun, who was purposely walking slower for him to catch up. Baekhyun would be lying if he said he was afraid of what was going to happen to him once he reaches to his brother. Because, if anything, he was beyond glad of his decision to be curious. He was glad to let a piece of him go, but how far will he go?

[summer curiosity]