Busan was a bustling coastal city known for its beautiful beaches, mountains, and temples. It was the second most populated city in South Korea, only to Seoul, being home to over three million individuals, including one Kwon Soonyoung. He was not only a very popular dance instructor at Busan Dance Academy, but also a recreational volleyball player. He went to a local recreational center on Saturday mornings to play. Often, there were people he recognized, but sometimes he would play among complete strangers. He enjoyed that aspect. The game was for everyone and the main goal was always just to have fun with it. 

 

After finishing this week’s match—in which his team won—he noticed a poster on the center’s bulletin board advertising a volleyball tournament at Haeundae Beach as he headed out. It said it would be in two weeks and that sign-ups were from now until the day before it started. There would be a table outside the aquarium near the beach where they could sign up. If only he had a team to compete with.

 

“Want to sign up?” his friend and fellow volleyball player, Seungkwan asked. 

 

“I don’t have anyone to compete with,” Soonyoung said. 

 

“You have me! We just have to get a few more people to agree. I have a friend at work I could ask. What about you?” 

 

“I guess I could ask some work friends too.” 

 

“Great! See you next week?” 

 

“Yep! I’ll be here.” 

 

“Bye, then. Have a good day.” Seungkwan walked away.

 

“You too!” Soonyoung yelled out as Seungkwan left the recreation center. 

 

He saw Seungkwan give him a thumbs-up and smiled as he also walked out. He went to his car and sat in the driver’s seat for a few minutes before leaving. As he sat, a few co-workers came to mind when thinking of who could be on a volleyball team with him, but he wasn’t entirely sure they would agree. 

 

He shook his head to rid himself of the negative thought and the engine. The car whirled to life, and the air conditioner blew cold air directly at his face, instantly cooling him down. He pulled the seatbelt over himself, hearing it click in place, then fiddled with the knob to the radio for a few seconds before getting to the station he liked. Once he did, he let the music filter through his ears and finally drove back home. 

 

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The dance room Soonyoung typically used to teach his classes was surprisingly empty when he walked in. Usually, at least one student was already there by the time he arrived. Hopefully, nothing was wrong, and they were all still able to come. A few moments later, the door opened as he stretched and prepared for his lesson. He thought it was one of his students, but it was just one of his co-workers, Junhui. 

 

“You’re here early,” Junhui said. 

 

Soonyoung raised an eyebrow. “Early?” 

 

“Yeah. You didn’t hear? Your class was pushed back an hour.” 

 

“So, you’re saying instead of nine, it’s at ten now?” Soonyoung sighed. “No wonder no one is here.” 

 

Junhui chuckled. “At least you know now.” 

 

Soonyoung grabbed his water bottle next to him and took a few sips. “Can I ask you something?” 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“Haeundae Beach is hosting a volleyball tournament, and…” 

 

“You want me to be on your team?” 

 

Soonyoung put his hands together and prayed to Junhui. “Please. Do you think Minghao and Chan can also join?” 

 

Junhui crossed his arms. “Get up.”

 

Soonyoung stood up. “What?” 

 

“You know we don’t really know how to play, right? When is the tournament?” 

 

“In about two weeks. That should be enough time, I think.” 

 

“You’re sure? Fine, I’ll talk to Minghao and Chan about it. One question, is there a prize for winning?” 

 

“The poster said first place gets five million won, second place gets two and half million, and third place gets a million.” 

 

Junhui’s lips quirked up. “Great.” 

 

“If you’re joining, meet me at the recreational center tomorrow at 15:00.” 

 

Soonyoung saw Junhui nod slightly as he walked out of the dance room. He cheered to himself and pumped a fist into the air. That was a win in his book. He went to the dance studio office to get some coffee and a snack before his class. 

 

When he returned to the dance room, he saw his most punctual student. He looked at his watch. There were still twenty-five minutes left until the class started. In the meantime, they made light conversation while his student stretched. As it got closer to the start time and more students trickled in, he finally got to start teaching a new choreography he had been wanting to perform for a while. 

 

It was a fairly complicated dance number, but he had confidence in his students to be able to handle it. He performed the number for his students and they observed his movements. Many of them looked in awe. In the time they had today, they were able to learn the first half of the routine, which he thought was really impressive considering it was only the first time they saw it. 

 

“Great job everyone! See you guys next time,” Soonyoung said. 

 

“Thank you!” the student chorused as they left the room. “See you.” 

 

Soonyoung smiled as sweat ran down his face. It was another successful class. 

 

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The next day, Soonyoung saw his fellow dance instructors at the recreational center. He smiled widely at the sight of them. 

 

“Don’t get too excited now,” Minghao said. “I’m just here for the prize money.” 

 

“Uh-huh, like you weren’t already on board because of me,” Junhui said. 

 

Minghao flushed slightly. “Maybe, that too.” 

 

“I know you, babe.” 

 

“Okay. So, are we going to actually learn how to play volleyball, or what?” Chan cut in. 

 

“We’re just waiting on my friend Seungkwan and his friend and then we’ll have our team,” Soonyoung said. 

 

“Sounds good.” 

 

Some minutes later, Seungkwan and his friend walked into the recreational center. 

 

“Nice! You’re already here! And with some friends too. I’m Seungkwan,” he said. “This is Seungcheol,” he introduced his friend next to him. 

 

“Hello! Nice to meet you,” Seungcheol greeted. 

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Soonyoung,” he said. 

 

“I’m Junhui,” he said. 

 

“Minghao,” he said.

 

“Chan,” he said. 

 

“Nice to meet you all!” Seungkwan said. “Let’s get this party started!” 

 

Soonyoung and Seungkwan helped their friends with the basics of volleyball such as serving, receiving, and setting. They guided them in how to position their hands and how to move their body to adapt to a ball moving toward them. In a matter of a few hours, four people who knew virtually nothing about volleyball were able to do serves across a net and receive on the other side to keep a volley going for at least a few minutes. They would surely be good enough for the tournament if this was how they were in just a few hours. 

 

“This is a great start! Tomorrow we’ll go to the beach,” Seungkwan said. 

 

“Why?” Chan asked. 

 

“Playing at the beach is different from playing on an indoor court. Since the tournament is at the beach, we need some practice there too. And also, so we can sign up.” 

 

Chan nodded in understanding. “Ah, got it.” 

 

“See you tomorrow, then?”

 

“See you tomorrow.”

 

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At the sign-up table, Seungkwan realized why Seungcheol agreed so easily to his proposition to participate in the tournament. The company Seungcheol’s boyfriend was working for was sponsoring it and he was in charge of the table. 

 

“Cheol! You’re here! Are you signing up?” his boyfriend, Jeonghan asked. 

 

“Yeah, I am,” Seungcheol said. 

 

“Okay, great!” Jeonghan pushed a clipboard in front of them. He pointed to an open line. “Sign up here. Write down your team name and members.” He pointed to forms next to the clipboard. “And fill out these consent and safety forms. One for each of you.” 

 

Seungcheol took the clipboard and wrote down everyone’s name in the team members’ spot. He hovered the pen over the team name. “What should our team name be?” 

 

The rest of the team started talking over each other as they threw out different suggestions. None of them were hearing each other. 

 

Seungkwan put his arm up. “Hey! Soonyoung was the one who suggested we do this. How about he decides?” 

 

The others nodded. They could accept that. 

 

Soonyoung made a clawing motion with his hands. “The Tigers!” 

 

The rest of the team chuckled. The Tigers it was. Seungcheol wrote it down in the team name spot and handed the clipboard back to Jeonghan. He grabbed six consent forms and handed them to the team. They grabbed pens, filled them out, and put them back on the table after they finished them. Jeonghan gathered them and thanked the team as they walked to the beach to practice. 

 

The sand of the beach was harder to play on than the wood of the indoor court, so it took a bit more time to acclimate to it, but when they got their footing, the play was much the same. Serves and receives were looking better and they were able to keep a volley going for longer than yesterday. 

 

At the end of the day, they got the nice treat of viewing the sunset. 

 

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The tournament weekend was finally upon The Tigers. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be eliminated in the first round. That would be a waste of all their efforts. They went to look at the bracket and saw their first match was against a team called Infinite on Court B. 

 

Feeling the sand between their feet, they went over to Court B and warmed up before the match. Some minutes later, a referee came over and called the captains of each team for a coin toss to declare who started. Soonyoung called tails as he saw an ice cream cart in the corner of his eye. The referee flipped the coin and it landed on tails. Soonyoung chose to receive and shook hands with the captain of the other team before returning to his side of the court. 

 

The server of the other team set up in the back as the referee blew his whistle, signaling them to start. He did an underhand serve and Seungkwan received it. Junhui set it up and Minghao hit it over. A member of the other team bumped it up over the net in one fluid motion. Soonyoung received it, once again catching a glimpse of the ice cream cart on the sidelines. Junhui set it up again, this time for Chan to hit it over the net. The volley lasted quite a few minutes before The Tigers finally broke through and scored after a member of Infinite was a couple of seconds too late in receiving the ball. 

 

Seungcheol spun the ball in his hand and threw it up for an overhand serve. A member of the other team bumped it up for another to set up. However, they missed the timing of the final hit and dropped the ball, awarding The Tigers another point. 

 

Soonyoung performed an underhand serve and looked at the ice cream cart again. The seller caught his eye for some reason. He didn’t know why. He knew he couldn’t afford to be distracted, though.

 

A member of the other time received it, starting another minutes-long volley. It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that The Tigers finally won the match with 25-20 in the first set and 25-23 in the second. 

 

“Good game,” Soonyoung said. 

 

“Good game,” the captain of Infinite said. 

 

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Soonyoung had been eyeing the ice cream seller the whole weekend that he was surprised that they even made it to the finals. They were up against a team called TNX and were currently ahead by one in the final set. He gripped the ball in his hands for a few seconds before serving it. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he watched the other team set it up and hit it back. He saw Chan bump it up and Seungkwan set it for Junhui to hit over the net. The other team scrambled to receive it, but were unable to, putting The Tigers up by two. He smiled and looked at the ice cream seller again. In those few seconds, he missed a ball that was set to him and TNX scored a point. He refocused and looked at the server of the other team, moving to receive the ball when he noticed it was coming towards him. He felt his hands sting from the impact, but it was a price he was more than willing to pay to relieve at least a little bit of pressure from the rest of the team. 

 

In the next two volleys, TNX were able to pull ahead. The score was 13-14. TNX needed one more point to win. But, luckily for The Tigers, TNX’s setter dropped the ball due to sweaty hands, and granted them a point, tying in the game. 

 

However, in the end, Soonyoung cost them the match when he spared a glance at the ice cream seller and he actually made eye contact with him. Against his better judgment, he let himself get distracted. The sound of the ball hitting the ground and TNX’s cheering rang in his ears. 

 

Junhui grabbed his shoulders. “What the hell dude?!” 

 

“We almost had it!” Chan exclaimed. 

 

Seungkwan shook his head in disappointment. “How did you let that slip?” 

 

Minghao sighed. “You really fumbled the bag in the last moments, huh?” 

 

Seungcheol laughed. “Is the ice cream seller in the corner really that handsome?” 

 

Soonyoung looked down. “I’m sorry. I let you all down.” 

 

Seungkwan patted his back. “It’s okay. We all get distracted sometimes.” 

 

“I mean, we still got second. That’s quite a bit of money,” Junhui said. 

 

“Yeah!” the others concurred. 

 

“I still cost us the win. I deserve your scolding,” Soonyoung said. 

 

“It’s all good! Did you guys at least have fun?” Seungkwan asked. 

 

“I mean, it was better than being bored at home,” Chan said. 

 

“Definitely!” Junhui and Minghao said in unison. 

 

Soonyoung smiled. “I’m glad.” 

 

“So, are you going to talk to him, or just let him pack up and leave?” Seungcheol asked. 

 

Soonyoung raised an eyebrow. “Who? The ice cream seller?” He shook his head. “It’s just a silly infatuation. I’ll probably be over it in the next couple of days anyway.” 

 

“So what? What do you have to lose just by talking to him?” 

 

Soonyoung shrugged. “I guess I could.” 

 

“Go!” the other members egged him on. 

 

“Okay. Okay,” Soonyoung conceded. 

 

He started walking up to the ice cream cart, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about every step he took. He felt sweat building on his palms as he got closer. When he got to the cart, he looked at the menu of different ice creams as he shifted his weight from one foot to another to avoid looking at the seller. He took a deep breath and wiped his palms on his shorts before looking up to face him. 

 

“Hello. I’m Soonyoung,” he greeted. 

 

The ice cream seller smiled. “So, you’re the one that’s been looking my way all weekend. I’m Jihoon, nice to meet you. Would you like an ice cream?” 

 

“Would that ice cream come with a date by any chance?” 

 

Jihoon chuckled. “How about my number?” 

 

“That also works. A mango popsicle, then.” 

 

Jihoon grabbed a mango popsicle from inside the cart and wrote his number on the wrapper before handing it to Soonyoung. “On me.” 

 

 “Thank you. I’ll talk to you soon?” 

 

“I’ll look forward to it.” 

 

Soonyoung walked back to his team and told them the good news. They congratulated him and handed him his split of the prize money, about 416,000 won. He might not have gotten first place, but he still won.

 

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Soonyoung smoothed out his shirt before walking into the coffee shop he and Jihoon agreed to meet at for their first date. It had been a month or so since they met at the beach volleyball tournament. Today was the earliest date they were both free. A random Tuesday in July. He saw Jihoon was already sitting at a table and went to join him. 

 

“Hello,” Soonyoung greeted. 

 

Jihoon looked up from his phone and smiled at him. “Oh. Hello!” 

 

“How are you today?” 

 

“I get to see you, so I would say I’m pretty good. How about you?” 

 

“I’m great!” 

 

“What have you been up to?” 

 

“You know, just busy teaching my classes. Have you been producing any new music lately?” 

 

“Yeah! I have a new album coming out in a few days.” 

 

“I can’t wait to listen to it!” Soonyoung stood up. “Do you want anything? I’ll get it for you.” 

 

“Are you sure?” 

 

“It’s no problem.” 

 

“Okay, then. An iced latte is fine.” 

 

Soonyoung nodded and walked to the counter to order. A few minutes later, he returned to the table with two drinks and a coffee cake for them to share. He was unsure of what Jihoon would like, so he went with what he thought was a safe choice. 

 

“You got a cake too?” 

 

“Yeah. I didn’t know what you would like, so I went with a coffee cake.” 

 

“Don’t worry, I like pretty much anything.” Jihoon took a bite of the cake. “Did I do something wrong? You seem very intimidated by me.” 

 

Soonyoung flushed with embarrassment. “That’s not it. I just think you’re really nice and I want to impress you. I’m just a little nervous is all. Sorry.” 

 

Jihoon chuckled. “It’s okay. You don’t need to impress me. Just be yourself.” 

 

Soonyoung let out a breath. “Thank you.” 

 

“So, do you have a favorite choreography you like to teach?” 

 

“That’s like asking you if you have a favorite song you’ve made. I can’t choose just one. They all have their different and unique moves that make them fun, just like how songs have different sounds.” 

 

“I get that, but if you had to choose one which one would it be?” 

 

“I like Taemin’s choreographies a lot.” 

 

“He’s cool.” 

 

“What about you? What’s your favorite song you’ve produced or composed?” 

 

“It’s on the new album.” 

 

“No spoilers?” 

 

“I wish.” 

 

They made light conversation about their interests over their coffee and cake for a while before getting up. Soonyoung held open the door for Jihoon as they stepped out of the coffee shop. 

 

“Want to go to the beach?” Soonyoung asked as they walked through the city. 

 

“Sure.” 

 

So, they started walking toward the beach in a comfortable silence. Each other’s presence was enough to satisfy them. As soon as they got to the beach, they went to walk along the shore, feeling the sand beneath their feet and the occasional cooling splash from a wave. 

 

“What led you to being an ice cream seller at the tournament?” Soonyoung asked. 

 

“It was just a way for me to get some extra money. Equipment costs quite a bit, you know,” Jihoon said. 

 

Soonyoung nodded. “Makes sense.” 

 

“Do you play volleyball just for fun or…” 

 

“That tournament was the first time I played in an actual competition.” 

 

“And you got second? Impressive.” 

 

“Now that I think about it, yeah, we did a great job.” 

 

“You guys won two and a half million won! That’s nothing to scoff at.” 

 

Soonyoung smiled. “For sure.” He saw an ice cream cart in the distance as the sky turned from blue to orange and pink. “Want to get an ice cream?” 

 

“Would that ice cream come with a kiss by any chance?” 

 

Soonyoung turned to face Jihoon and leaned down slightly. “It can.” 

 

Jihoon leaned forward and captured Soonyoung’s lips. Soonyoung melted into it as he grabbed Jihoon’s waist and pulled him closer. It was only them, the beach, and the backdrop of the sunset. A couple of moments later, they parted and intertwined their hands. 

 

“Still want an ice cream?” Soonyoung asked. 

 

Jihoon swayed their hands. “I would love one.”