“Kyungie, can you wake up Tae and Sol?” Kyungsoo asks her when she closes the door behind her and Sehun.

She stiffly nods. Jungkook skips downstairs, grinning at her. “Oh, hey. Mornin’ noona. Mornin’ Hoonie.”

Sehun returns a wide smile. Well, at least one of them was acting normally. “Good morning, J. How was your sleep?”

She heads up the confinement of silence, leaving the two chattering boys behind. When she opens the shared room, Tae and Soleil are still passed out.

Tae is sleeping on his stomach with his sticking up in the air. She stifles a silent laugh. Soleil is curled over and pressed against the wall. She could see why Jungkook wandered to Sehun’s room last night.

Rubbing her hands together, she inches up, shaking Soleil. It takes her a minute, but the young girl blinks away disoriented.

“Kyungie?” Soleil croaks.

She runs a hand through the latter’s hair. “It’s time to get up. We’re heading to the beach after breakfast.”

Kyungha watches the half-awake girl go from dozing off to sparkly-eyed excitement. She springs up with an epic victory shout. The older girl laughs, shaking her head.

“Alright, go brush your teeth and head downstairs.”

Soleil doesn’t have much resistance and immediately does what she’s told. Kyungha glances down at Taeyong, still very much in full hibernation.

The worst thing about waking him up—much worse than Jungkook—is his temper and the basic inability to participate in the act of waking up.

Kyungha attempts to shake him awake, but all he does is sleep through it. She shakes him harder. Still nothing. She tickles him, but all that does is changes his position. He shuffles closer to the wall and away from her.

She sighs. This left her no choice. She bends over the bed, pulling the younger into her arms. He doesn’t struggle and continues to snore away.

Kyungha walks into the bathroom, seeing Soleil casually wave at her with her a toothbrush in . “What are you doing?”

“Waking him up,” she answers simply. Setting the boy in the tub, she pulled the little tab to change the setting to activate the shower. Then, she makes sure to turn the water to the coldest setting. Soleil peers over her shoulder, anticipating.

The two watch Taeyong’s eyes shoot open as he begins to flubber, splashing water. Kyungha turns off the water. With a sarcastic smile, she greets, “good morning, I’m glad you finally turned up. I was worried that you had died.”

Taeyong glares at her, and if looks could kill, she’d probably be dead, but Kyungha isn’t scared of a little midget. “Noona! How could you?!”

Soleil giggles. “That was really impressive! Tae, you never wake up within ten minutes.” His sister sends Kyungha a double thumbs-up.

Kyungha ruffles her hair. “Alright, alright. Sol, finish brushing your teeth. And Tae, I’ll grab you a new pair of clothes. Make sure you brush your teeth.”

Taeyong huffs, “I’m boycotting.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not Rosa Parks and this isn’t a bus. Get out before I turn the shower on again,” Kyungha threatens, keeping her tone light.

“I’m getting you back for this!” He shouts, shooting out from the tub and marching away.

Her laugh comes out unsuspecting. “Right, right. You can get me back after you stop throwing a tantrum and get ready. When I come back, your teeth better be shining.”

Maybe she should’ve been aware of his harmless threat. Kyungha had brushed it off too easily. And somehow she didn’t expect it to come back and bite her in the .

When the two head down for breakfast, everyone has already settled down around the living room with heaping plates of random breakfast food.

“Should I know why Tae looks like he’s about to rip one of his sister’s barbie doll’s head off?” Baekhyun asks with mild concern as he observes his son’s glowering expression.

Soleil looks absolutely horrified. “Daddy! Don’t give him ideas!”

Haeeun walks over to them, running a hand through his wet hair. “Are you okay, baby boy?”

Taeyong merely sends a glare at Kyungha before he softens his expression toward his mom. Kyungha snickers. He was the biggest mama’s boy.

“Noona drowned me this morning.” He tosses this out casually, gaining the attention of many questioning eyes.

Kyungha snorts, “yes, I fully submerged his head underwater until he died and then I brought him back life by resuscitation. True story.”

Soleil giggles, now in the arms of her dad. “She woke up him under ten minutes!”

Taeyong sulks as his mom engages him in conversation.

Sehun lifts a brow, handing her his plate of food. “Should I be aware of the method you used?”

“Sorry, my methods of torture aren’t to be divulged.”

The corner of his lips twitch. “Well, aren’t you just a little menace?”

“And?”

He lowers his voice. “And you’re the cutest menace there is. Period.”

Kyungha ignores the way her stomach flutters. She was drowning in butterflies. Monarchs, viceroys, swallowtails. A whole kingdom of them. Twisting in her tummy. And unstoppable.

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever.” Then, she turns to see Kyungsoo rummaging through a paper bag on the kitchen counter. “When did you get bagels?” She asks, wandering over.

Kyungsoo hums, “Mom picked them up this morning. Do you want Nutella or cream cheese?”

Kyungha sends him a look. “That wasn’t even a question.”

Her brother chuckles. “It was worth a try.” He hands her a plain bagel and tells her to check the cupboard for the spread.

Now, Kyungha was a pretty tall girl for her age, so she found it completely unnecessary when Sehun reached above her to grab the hazelnut spread.

She also found it completely necessary at her nerves whirring to life at the feeling of his body pressed to her back. “I had it.”

Sehun smirks, “but I saw it first.”

“How did you even know I was looking for it? What if I was looking for jam?”

He snorts as if she’d said the most ridiculous thing, but also because she was pretty adorable as well. “Please, you’re a crackhead when it comes to chocolate.”

“For good reason,” she points out, squinting her eyes in mock.

“It’s amazing, honestly.”

“What is?”

“The fact that you don’t have processed sugar running through your arteries.”

Kyungha ignores him, closing the cabinet. She attempts to slip out from the tiny space he’s enclosed her in, but she underestimates the distance between them because, in reality, her brushes past the metal of his zipper. She sharply inhales, afraid to let out a single breath as she avoids his eyes.

And at this time, she realizes the reason why she could hear a loud, cohesive exhale. It was because they were doing it at practically the same time.

Which means he held his breath. Which also means he’d felt it too. The sharp sting of excitement, the warmth flooding just below her abdomen.

Kyungha’s gaze stutters onto his face. And she wants to shrink away instantly. His eyes are painfully seeking hers. Dark and black. Arousal and want. Emotions that don’t make sense, but they really do make the most sense. Because she feels it too. And Kyungha can’t lie to herself anymore.

“Mom, are you coming with us?” Kyungha asks, standing beside her mom beneath the foot of the stairs.

Her mom hums, “probably not.”

She frowns. “And why is that? Actually, no. There isn’t a good reason. You have to come.”

“Honey, I have to set up for the barbecue tonight,” her mom reasons anyway. Kyungha’s persistence makes her continue. “I’ve been to the beach countless times. I want you all to have fun. And besides, it’s hard for an old woman to walk through miles of sand, okay?”

“I’ll carry you on my back.”

Her mom titters an incredulous laugh. “I’m okay. Honestly.”

“Then give me a better reason,” she insists.

Her mom purses her lips before answering, “I’m actually having someone over to help me…with cooking and everything else.”

Her jaw drops. “A man?”

Her mom turns away with a shy smile. Well, there’s her answer. “Yes, sweetie. A man. Does that surprise you?”

Kyungha scoffs. “Mom, I’m not ten. I don’t care. You should’ve started with that.” She lets a beat of silence pass between them. “So, is he good to you?”

“He’s fantastic. I really like him.”

“That’s good…does he measure up to Dad?”

There’s a misty shimmer that crosses her mom’s eyes. A kind of sad reminisce. As if painful memories were brought up suddenly. Kyungha winces, about to change the topic, but her mom speaks. “Listen, honey. No one in this world will measure up to your dad. He was the love of my life.” She chokes on a laugh. “Actually, he still may be. But, no wounds can’t be healed. I’ve had time, and I will never, ever regret my decision to marry him. He was the greatest thing that happened to me. How else would I have gotten my two precious children and grandchild? I got Kyungsoo and you, my beautiful, smart baby girl.”

Kyungha bites her lips. Her mom holds out an arm and she doesn’t hesitate to step in. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, honey.”

“How did you know that you loved him?”

“It came to me one day as a revelation. It was really out of nowhere. It was just an ordinary day. He’d been trying to take me out for months. And then one day, I just said yes. The evening was wonderful. I felt an instant connection. Stupid. And the whole night, I couldn’t stop thinking that I was a fool for not saying yes earlier. He was amazing. Funny. Kind. He had a beautiful heart. And the way he looked at me. Kyungha, he taught me what love was. It’s an appreciation, excitement, and the culmination of warmth—hot, passion, need, want. Sometimes, it comes in the form of pain, but love is a wonderful feeling if you open yourself to it.”

Kyungha ponders this, stunned at the smile on her mom’s face. She’d expected her mom to be broken about the topic. After all, she had to live through a tragedy. Her husband was taken away from her. She’d raised two children, each of them resembling him with different characteristics. It must’ve been so painful, but her mom did it. She singlehandedly watched Kyungsoo and Kyungha blossomed, never once complaining.

Her mom was an amazing woman, and she’d never lived a day in her life without gratefulness.

Her mom places two hands on her shoulders. “You’re beautiful, Kyungha. Inside and outside.” Then, her gaze falls behind Kyungha.

Kyungha traces the direction of her glance onto Sehun. He’s laughing at something Jongin is saying.

“You know, honey. The way he looks at you. It’s exactly the way your dad had looked at me.”

She stiffens. “That’s not—it’s not—“

Her mom laughs. “It’s not my secret to tell. Your brother would probably lose his head.” She smooths a hand over her daughter’s hair. “But, Kyungha. A man like that only comes around once. You’ll meet other men, of course, but you’ll always find yourself comparing them to him. I got my chance. Now my beautiful daughter is coming of age and I know you’re only sixteen, and I—definitely—could be seen as irresponsible for this, but I like him. He cares about you a lot, and no, he didn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. I see it in his actions. He has a big, beautiful heart and only a man like that is good enough for my daughter.”

Kyungha opens , but nothing comes out. What was she supposed to say? She couldn’t think of anything. Her brain—her once fail-safe brain—has short-circuited and Kyungha couldn’t do anything about it. She wasn’t prepared to feel so lost, so confused.

Like there was a new world, a new door that had just opened up. She was afraid to pass that door.

Her mom sees that. “You can be afraid, Kyungha. That’s perfectly okay. But don’t run away from it.” She claps the younger girl on her back. “And that’s the end of my Ted Talk.”

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops when she peels off her denim shorts and tube top. “Do Kyungha, what the hell am I looking at?”

Kyungha wrinkles her face. “A swimsuit?”

Haeeun chuckles, clapping her hand together. “Doesn’t she look amazing? I’ve never been so jealous of her proportions.”

She glances down. Her pale yellow bikini top is triangular, and even though, she doesn’t have much of a chest, it compliments her skin tone and frankly, she thought it was a good aesthetic. Her bottom is sort of scandalous—not something she’d usually settle for—but she wasn’t going to complain. She’d forgot to bring swimwear and at the last minute, Haeeun had pulled through. It’s the same pale yellow color with modesty of about zero out of five. It’s a high waisted cut, exposing her hipbones. Her had looked amazing in it.

This was probably credited to playing on her university’s volleyball team.

Kyungsoo grimaces when other men pass by, not even hiding the fact that they were staring. He turns to his best friend. “Really, Hae? You’re going to do this to my little sister?”

Haeeun rolls her eyes. “Do what? Make her twinkle like a star?”

“I’d kill you if I didn’t love you so much.”

“Oh, no need to remind me, I pray every night to remain in your good fortune.”

Kyungsoo lets out an exasperated sound. “Jongin, don’t you agree with me?”

Jongin gives her once over before shrugging. “She looks hot to me.”

“That’s not the point!” Kyungsoo shouts.

Haeeun stifles a laugh under her hands. “You’re asking the wrong person, Kyung. You’re forgetting that you turned your husband gay. He probably can’t tell for .”

Jongin smirks, “Hae, you are truly the epitome of wisdom.”

Haeeun turns to Baekhyun. “So, you’re on my side right? She looks perfect!”

Baekhyun has a wary look in his eyes. “I guess? But if we’re talking about you, yah, Kang Haeeun, you’re a mother of two. What do you think you’re doing, looking like you’re at a ty college pool party?”

Haeeun jabs a finger at her husband’s chest. “Chill out, Bae. I can almost see the green in your eyes. I know I’m hot, honey. No need to remind me.” Then, she shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have asked you. You’re useless.” Her eyes flash brightly as she turns to Sehun, suddenly remembering he also had an opinion.

Sehun is being buried in the sand by the three wild children.

“Sehunnie!” She shouts. Kyungha deflates. Oh, man. Sehun turns his attention to them, ignoring the disappointed whines from Soleil as he sits up easily in the sand. “Doesn’t Kyungha’s bikini look stunning?”

A frown falls on his pretty face as he scans her head to toe. Kyungha squirms uncomfortably under the intensity of his eyes. “She’s fine,” he answers half-heartedly.

She breathes out in relief, better than -shaming.

Haeeun isn’t satisfied with the answer. “Oh, come on, at least act like you care.”

Sehun flits his eyes between the two of them. “So you want the truth?”

“Shoot.” Kyungha is surprised that she was the one who answered.

He bites his bottom lip. “You look gorgeous. There’s no doubt about that. But it pisses me off when a sleazy guy can walk by and ogle you shamelessly.”

Kyungsoo throws up a hand. “Thank you!”

Sehun looks like he wants to speak. “But,” he interrupts her older brother. Silence falls over everyone. Then, he continues, “no matter how much I want to hide you away in my pocket. No matter how much I want you to cover yourself. Frankly speaking, it’s your body. Only you have a say. And all I can do is respect your decisions because it’s your life. And because you’re another precious person in this world who shouldn’t have to worry about double standards and other bull misogynistic standards.”

Kyungha’s mouth is dry. She flushes. There’s not a single bit of playfulness anywhere in his expression. He’s serious. He’s not projecting an image to earn respect. And then, there it is.

Her appreciation for him.

Haeeun blinks and then turns to Baekhyun. “Why can’t you be more like him?”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “I never said I didn’t agree with him. I could’ve thrown you back into the van, you know?”

Kyungsoo looks resigned as Jongin claps with an astonished grin. “I will never be like you, and I’m so okay with that. Sehun, how do you not have a woman?”

Sehun throws him a cheeky side smile. “I do have one.”

Kyungha’s stomach flips with a sudden pang of fear. He never mentioned that he was dating someone. And why was she suddenly concerned? Who cares? He was single and a man. He had the right to date other people.

Haeeun’s eyes widen as she leans closer with interest. “Who?”

He points to Soleil. “Your daughter, of course.”

Everyone rolls their eyes as Soleil hops onto his lap with bubbly excitement. “Hoonie, let’s go swim!”

Kyungha’s unexpected anxiety sinks and buries itself. She feels a flare of relief and horror at the same time.

Sehun asks her to come with him and the other three kids, but she shakes her head, telling him she’ll swim later.

She watches his silhouette disappear past the hills of the dark sand. After making Kyungsoo slather sunscreen on her back, she raises to her feet, telling the crew that she was joining Sehun.

They wave her off distractedly as each of them focuses on their hand of playing cards.

Kyungha struggles through the heavy sand, scanning the deep blue waves to find them. Her ears pick up on Taeyong’s voice who is unabashedly dangling on Sehun’s back near a cove of rocks.

She swims over, smiling back at Jungkook who notices her. Soleil shouts her name with a happy smile. Sehun turns with Taeyong. His eyes crinkle.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi.”

They stare at each other, but Taeyong splashes her. With a haughty laugh, he jumps off of Sehun and doggy paddles away.

“You little—“ She swims after him.

He kicks water in her face. “Ha ha! You can’t catch me, slowpoke!”

“I’m gonna kill you when I catch you,” she growls.

Soleil and Jungkook are playing with each other, not minding the scene as they’re used to seeing Kyungha and Taeyong neck to neck.

Sehun, however, swims after them to make sure they aren’t heading too far out.

Kyungha manages to catch Taeyong’s foot. He whines and tries to dismantle himself from her arms. “What do you say, Byun Taeyong?”

He finally stops struggling with a timid expression. “Noona, I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

Her expression softens. “Are you now?”

In a split second, Taeyong’s expression shifts as he grins wickedly. “Nope!” He chirps, his tiny arms pull at the strings of her top. Kyungha gasps, feeling the cold water seep against her bare chest. The waves had washed her top away. He takes this moment to swim away from her.

He passes by Sehun who scolds him, but the little rascal doesn’t listen as he swims toward Soleil and Jungkook.

Kyungha is frozen in panic. Why the hell did she think it was a good idea to challenge Taeyong? He was the true menace. Satan’s span. The wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Sweetheart?” Sehun asks.

She curses to herself. . He was swimming nearer and nearer. What the was she going to do? There’s a surfer nearby and the tidal waves were sinking. She was going to flash everyone if she didn’t do something. So, Kyungha doesn’t think.

She latches herself onto Sehun, her arms wounded tight around his neck. His words come out mangled and confused, “what are you—sweetheart, are you okay?”

Kyungha wants to die of mortification. She swears to kill Taeyong the minute this crisis passes. She tightens her arm around his neck, but he doesn’t protest, still extremely lost.

The kids don’t seem to notice anything is wrong. Then, her eyes catch onto someone behind her. Kyungsoo is on the shore, snapping pictures. She shields her face behind his shoulders, horrified by the situation escalating and getting further out of hand.

Sehun begins to trace her gaze, and Kyungha panics. “Don’t turn around!” She hisses.

His eyebrows knit. “What do you mean? What’s going on?” His head can’t help turning around. Kyungha swears a string of profanities that if her mom heard, she’d definitely drown her in soap if Kyungha hadn’t drowned in her own embarrassment.

With two hands cupped around his face, she presses her lips against his. His breath hitches. And she would know since she’d felt the violent nature of it. The forceful suspension of oxygen. Was he even breathing anymore? She couldn’t tell. To prevent herself from floating away, she hooks her legs around his hips.

Kyungha breaks away with a gasp. Trepidation races through her. What the hell did she—

Sehun leans in, shattering any bit of sanity she had left. She mewls at the unexpectedness of all of this. So his lips were as soft as they’d seemed. Their initial kiss had been a mind blurring, unimpressive stale one.

But this one, it was different. Powerful. She felt like he was prying her apart with just a pair of lips.

Kyungha tries to remember her first kiss. She was fourteen and the guy, seventeen. They had the same math class at university. He was enrolled for dual credit. One day, he’d asked her out on a study date.

She’d agreed easily. It was studying. Studying was harmless. Or so she’d stupidly thought. An hour in, and they were alone in the library. He’d pulled her into a kiss. Honestly, it was the worse experience of her life. She felt like she was kissing wet tuna. His tongue was intrusive and it was more like the proverbial wet tuna was tripping on acid, thrashing around.

Sehun kisses like he means it. He’s skilled. Of course, he would be. He had years of experience over her. But somehow, she didn’t mind that thought. He was kissing her like she was the only girl he’d ever wanted to have his mouth on. Like she was his oxygen, and without her, he’d be done for.

Kyungha moans and is startled by her own sounds. She couldn’t find the origin of these sounds. For god’s sake, she could hardly believe that they were real. Was this real? Was she kissing him? She doesn’t have time to think it out because his hands are like magic. They’re distracting, but they belong on her, and she wants his touch everywhere. He feels perfect.

Sehun runs a hand up her back, and minutes after he does this, he must've realized that she didn't have a top on. He pulls back in a daze, the question forming in his eyes.

But Kyungha hasn’t had enough of him yet. So, she ignores her lungs that beg for oxygen and takes his bottom lip between her lips, threading her fingers through his wet locks. He groans on contact, curling his fingers around her ribs in return. Mine. She’d felt that from the tightness of his grip.

She’s never actually kissed anyone, so Kyungha assumes she’s probably at it. But listening to his sounds buzzing against her chest, she confirms that she’s not as horrible as she thinks she is. Letting her body take the lead and completely abandoning her rationality—something Kyungha never did, she slides her tongue between the gap of his lips. He opens them, letting her in. And then he’s tilting his head, pressing into her deeper.

Her s harden and pinch against the smooth expanse of his chest. The minute her tongue touches his, everything fades into the background. The harsh sunlight on her back, the sound of kids laughing nearby, the beating of the waves around them.

She doesn’t care. Frankly, nothing was better than feeling his teeth biting, nipping, pulling at her equally bruised skin—than his tongue tracing the canvas of like he was a painter. And she was his muse—his art. And he was bestowing magic with that divine, playful tongue of his.

Kyungha is lost. Lost in the way his hand crawls up her stomach, past her floating ribs, up to her . He’s gentle, and then he isn’t. Pinching, tugging. Enjoying the way she cries out when he ghosts his fingers over her s.

He isn’t being fair, and Kyungha is naturally competitive. Even in this instance. She follows her instincts, pushing her torso inward and feeling his hard bulge pressing against her. It’s mind-numbing. And completely unfair.

He was ruining for her because she knows she would never be this for anyone else again.

“Sweetheart, ,” he mutters as she grinds her hips, adding more pressure. His eyes are shut tight when she opens hers to gauge his expression. He’s beautiful. In fact, he’s the most beautiful person she’s ever seen. Long lashes, red lips, deep sounds spilling from him like he was losing bits and bits of himself.

Kyungha likes the pleasure etched in his expression. The way he tightens his jaw, hissing when she does something he likes. And the way he can’t seem to open his eyes because, honestly, she’d probably lose if he saw the way she was looking at him.

She presses her lips against his as a last means of survival. She’s addicted. And the answer is simple, really. He’s intoxicating. From the way his breath shudders to the tight restraint, he’s put over himself. Sehun pauses, their lips barely touching. Kyungha inhales his air. He finally cracks open his eyes to look at her.

His smile is wobbly, but he manages, “looks like you ended up giving me all of your flora.”

Kyungha presses a chaste kiss against his bruised ones. Short, but it was anything but simple. It was a thousand words, but it was also their last one. “We can’t,” she says, voice tight.

Pain flashes through his eyes, and her chest pangs, hearing his thin voice. “I know, sweetheart.”