Day 

The sunlight was warm on Seulgi’s skin. The sky was blue above her, its color dulled by the shades she was wearing. She was lying down on a small mat, taking delight in the sound of the waves crashing gently against the sand, drowning out the noises of other visitors of the beach.

She closed her eyes, trying to dull the pulsating pain in her chest. Wasn’t that what she came here for? To heal her broken heart, before it could drag her down into hollowness. She had never been here, she didn’t even know why she chose this particular beach, the farthest to the East.

She had stayed fully awake last night, not even a blink of sleep, suffocated by her lingering sense of loss, and all she could think of beyond that was a beach. That’s where she had said she wanted to go, before she left.

So she had gotten up from her bed, packed her beach necessities, got out of her apartment and hopped on the first bus she could catch. She didn’t care which direction, which beach, she just wanted to go to the farthest end of the land, and look at the sea.

There was a soft thud against the sand right beside her. She opened her eyes, turned her head a little, and saw a yellow beach ball there. Its owner, a young man, was running towards her direction. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue shorts. Tan skin glistening with sweat. Probably a local, Seulgi thought.

“Sorry!” The guy called out, he was now standing just a few meters from her. “Can you pass the ball, please?”

“Okay,” Seulgi complied. She sat up, grabbed the ball, and threw it at the guy’s direction.

He caught it. “Thanks!” And that’s when she noticed there was a girl behind him.

“Thank you,” the girl smiled and waved at her. She had long dark hair with green tips. Seulgi guessed they both might have been younger than her. It seemed like they both were locals.

Seulgi returned the smile and nodded at both of them. “No problem.”

They returned to their own activity, so did Seulgi. She couldn’t help but turned her head a little from time to time to observe the guy and the girl talking so closely to each other and noticed the way they cling to each other sometimes. Must be a couple, Seulgi concluded.

It was a little past noon, and she hadn’t had anything to eat since last night. She had gotten here early in the morning, without eating breakfast. After unpacking her things in the cottage, she lied down on the bed, felt it hard and uncomfortable against her spine. Her thoughts and memories brought her mood down again, and she ended up falling asleep.

When she had woken up a few hours later, she was determined to stop brooding. She had changed into a small top that exposed one shoulder, shorts, and then she put on her shades and flip flops. When she stepped outside, she was ready to revel in the sight, smell, and sounds of the sea. Seulgi felt that this was what she would’ve wanted.

So here she was now, a couple of hours after that, lying down near the crashing waves, feeling more than a little hungry. She finally got up, patted away the sand that was sticking on her body, and walked towards the biggest structure at the beach.

It was a restaurant, built with wood with a modern design, just like all the cottages she could see on this beach. The entrance door was always opened, so were the windows. Seulgi could hear the music playing inside the building as she got nearer to the place, and the sound of the crashing waves faded away slightly.

“Welcome to Local Cosmos, Beachside Restaurant and Bar!” She heard a person greeting her cheerfully by the entrance when she walked in.

It was the girl she saw earlier. Seulgi blinked. “Oh, hello there.” She greeted back.

“Hi,” the other girl smiled in recognition. “Do you want a table or do you want to sit by the bar?”

Seulgi looked around her. There were a number of group of guests sitting by the tables. She looked at the bar area, which was empty. The bartender, a girl with long burgundy hair, winked at her from behind the counter.

Seulgi chuckled inwardly. “Bar, Iguess”

“I’m Joy, by the way,” the girl with the green tips in her hair introduced herself to Seulgi as they walked together to the bar. “Nice meeting you.”

“I’m Seulgi,” Seulgi said. “Nice meeting you, too.”

“Wendy, take good care of her alright,” Joy told the girl behind the counter, and left. Seulgi hopped on the bar stool, and watched her as she walked away to a table in one corner, filled with people whom Seulgi guessed were locals, judging by their appearance. Joy then sat next to the guy who was with her earlier.

“Well, hello there,” Wendy greeted her, which prompted Seulgi to look at her. “Thanks for sitting here, I was getting bored.”

“No problem,” Seulgi smiled. “That girl just now…she works here too? She looks so young.”

“Well, I guess she kinda owns the place actually,” Wendy smirked. “Her father owns this whole business in the beach, so she and her sister help sometimes.”

“The cottages too?”

Wendy nodded. “The cottages, this restaurant, the whole entertainment. You should try surfing or riding the jet ski.” She handed Seulgi the menu. “What would you like to have?”

Seulgi picked the first food she spotted on the menu and told Wendy her order. It was a slow day in the restaurant and most of the waiters and waitresses were slacking off at the table in the corner so the bartender went away to the kitchen to notify the staff about Seulgi’s order.

While she was left alone, she noticed another figure approaching in her peripheral vision. She turned to look, and saw another girl walking towards her direction. Seulgi tried not to stare, as she realized the other girl was really pretty, but she found herself mesmerized

“Hi,” the other girl greeted her. “Have you made your order?”

Seulgi supposed the girl was working here, which was odd, because the girl was even paler than her. Her hair was long and jet black,(Seulgi had to resist the urge to reach out and touch it), her facial features were soft on her her pale face; deep dark eyes, cute button-nose and pink lips. She almost looked fragile and tiny, probably shorter than Seulgi. A plain pink t-shirt and black shorts hugged her tiny figure.

“Um,” Seulgi felt stupid. She hoped the other girl hadn’t realized that she’d been staring. “Yes, I have. Wendy is taking care of it.” She gestured to the kitchen.

“Oh,” the girl slowly nodded. “Enjoy your stay.”

Seulgi watched as the other girl walked away. She headed for the exit, but not before casting a look in Joy and her supposed boyfriend’s direction and sighed annoyedly as the young couple were whispering and giggling together.

What was that about?

“Oh you met her already,” Wendy’s voice caught Seulgi’s attention. She turned to look as Wendy took her place behind the counter again.

“That girl?” Seulgi gestured to the entrance. She could still see the girl walking towards the sea. “Who’s that?”

“That’s Irene,” Wendy said, then added. “Joy’s older sister. She just got back here from the city last night.” She began preparing the drink Seulgi had ordered earlier.

“Well, that explains it,” Seulgi turned her head to look outside again. Irene was walking towards a small pier on the shore. “She’s so pretty, by the way”

Seulgi couldn’t see her, but Wendy smirked. “She is, isn’t she?” She began throwing in a mix of fruits into the mixer. “If only she’d come home more often though. She looked more and more tense the longer she stays in the city, I tell ya. No wonder she’s worried for her sister wanting to follow her footsteps.”

“So what’s the story?” Seulgi turned her head to look at Wendy again. “Does she not like Joy’s boyfriend?”

“You caught that, huh?” Wendy laughed, and then turned her voice down. “It’s not that she doesn’t like Kai. She’s just really protective of Joy.”

Seulgi raised her eyebrows. “And why is that?”

Wendy thought for a moment, and shrugged. “I don’t know.” Wendy put a lid on the mixer and turned it on. The noise put their conversation on hold, so Seulgi looked outside again.

Irene was standing on the edge of the short pier, facing the sea. She was motionless, except for her long tresses that was caressed by the wind.

Seulgi wasn’t sure if it was because of the sunlight on Irene's body, or the way her hair was swept by the wind, or the way the ambiance of the beach seemed to be altering Seulgi’s senses, but she felt like she had never seen anyone as beautiful as Irene.

The mixer was turned off. Wendy spoke to her again. “So, city girl, what brings you here?”

A broken heart. Seulgi turned to face the other girl again. “I had some time off,” she shrugged, then she remembered something. “You said Irene just got back from the city.”

Wendy understood the silent question. “She works in the city,” she poured the drink from the mixer into a tall glass. “So she’s only here every once in a while.”

“And her sister?” Seulgi glanced at Joy’s direction again.

“She and Kai are starting college soon in a different city,” Wendy handed Seulgi the drink. Seulgi took it in her hand and took a sip as Wendy continued talking. “So you see how this might be an issue to big sis.”

“You sure love gossiping about your bosses,” Seulgi teased. She took a sip of her drink.

“Hey, you asked,” Wendy chuckled. “And they’re my friends, not my bosses. Look, if you’re so curious about Irene, why don’t you go and talk to her?” She winked. “And maybe make her loosen up a little."

Seulgi turned her head to look outside again. Irene wasn’t at the pier anymore.

“I could use some more friends,” Seulgi shrugged nonchalantly. The truth was, she really was curious about the other girl.

With her stomach now full, she made her way back to her former spot on the sand again. Her orange mat was still lying there, except this time there was another person sitting there, watching the sea silently. Seulgi smiled to herself when she realized who the other person was.

“Can I sit here?” Seulgi stood right next to her.

Irene looked up at her, she smiled. “Of course, this is your mat after all.”

Seulgi sat down right next to the shorter girl. “How’d you know that?”

“I was watching from up there,” Irene gestured at a small hill near Local Cosmos

“You were watching me before?” Seulgi’s raised her eyebrows.

Irene rolled her eyes, and then chuckled. “No, silly, I was watching my sister.”

“Ah,” Seulgi nodded slowly.

“Wendy talked, huh?” Irene laughed softly. “Good ol’ Wendy. So you must know everything about me already.”

Seulgi let out a nervous laughter, her cheeks turned red. “Not everything. I’m Seulgi by the way.” She held out her hand.

Irene smiled, she shook it. “I’m Irene, but you know that already.”

That was when Seulgi saw it. Now she realized why she seemed to be drawn in by the other girl. The smiles that didn’t quite reach her eyes, the dark chuckles, the way she seemed to be fond of staring off at the sea… Irene was beautiful, but she seemed melancholic and perhaps a bit lonely, Seulgi concluded. Just like she was at the moment.

Seulgi wasn’t sure how it started, but they began talking like old friends. Seulgi found out Irene was only a few years older than her, was born and raised in the beachside village just like everybody else who worked at the beach, graduated college three years ago, and was working as an interior designer in the city. She confirmed that her father did, in fact, own the business at the beach.

“People like to say that my dad built this business, but the truth was we built it all together,” Irene said fondly. “My dad did propose the idea, and he did invest the most but Wendy’s parents, Kai’s parents, everybody’s family helped him build all of this.”

“You must be like the princess around here,” Seulgi joked.

Irene chuckled. “Well, they used to kinda treat me like one. It was weird. It’s not like I’m their boss or anything.” She smiled softly again. “I guess they were just thankful because their families have stable jobs here.”

When the topic of her family came up, her smile had a hint of sadness in it.

“My mom died when I was seven,” Irene was now staring out to the sea again. “Some time after that, dad left us to study business in the city. I practically had to raise my sister.”

Seulgi followed her gaze. “So that’s why.”

Irene laughed bitterly. “Yeah, that’s why,” she shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t like Kai, or any other boys that like her. I just don’t want to see her get hurt, you know.”

Seulgi was still staring out to the sea. She saw a young man riding a jet ski that was going against the waves a few meters from the shoreline. Seulgi made a mental note to rent a jet ski later.

“Does she want to go to the city too?” Seulgi knew the answer, but she asked to keep the conversation going.

“She does, and Kai too. They’re starting college soon,” she sighed and shook her head. “On the other hand, I’m kind of relieved she won’t be alone in the city, though. But you know, of course I’m always going to be worried.”

Seulgi watched as the man riding the jet ski now was making his way back to the shore. She could feel the throbbing pain in her heart intensified for a few seconds as she prepared to talk about what caused it.

“I had an older sister."

Irene turned to look at her, but Seulgi kept her gaze straight ahead. 

Seulgi took a deep breath and then said quietly. “She died a few days ago. Cancer.”

Irene’s eyes widened at the revelation. Neither said anything for a few seconds. Seulgi could still feel the pulsating pain again in her chest, but it wasn’t as intense as before, she noticed in surprise. Maybe reveling in the sight, sound, and smell of the beach helped, as well as talking about it, instead of sulking. She smiled inwardly. Her sister wouldn’t have wanted her to brood forever.

“I’m so sorry,” Irene whispered.

Seulgi turned to face Irene again, who was looking down and biting her lip. She smiled, “Hey, it’s okay. It’s tough, obviously, but I’m dealing with it. She wasn’t as crazy-protective as you, by the way.” Seulgi laughed.

Irene looked up at her again and smiled. “I should be offended, but I’m gonna let it slide.”

“Oh, she had her moments alright,” Seulgi said. Then it was Seulgi’s turn to talk about herself to Irene.

Seulgi told Irene she was from Seoul, currently attending university, majoring in architecture. The older girl listened intently and smiled sympathetically at her when Seulgi told her she was taking a few days off to mourn, and how she got here this morning after a sleepless night filled with memories of her sister. It was strange, Seulgi thought, she had never been this personal with a stranger before. Maybe the sea really did wonders.

“Come to Local Cosmos after sunset,” Irene said, her eyes lit up. “We’re celebrating Max’s birthday tonight. I’ll make sure your dinner is on the house. Also, drinks.”

Seulgi smiled. “Well, I can’t miss this. But who’s Max?”

“Kai’s older brother. There,” Irene gestured to a spot on the shoreline, a few meters from where they were sitting.

It was the guy on the jet ski that Seulgi was observing a few minutes earlier. He was now standing next to his ride, tinkering with the speedometer. Seulgi hadn’t gotten a good look at him when he was riding his jet ski earlier, but now she could see him clearly. He was tall and very well-built. Seulgi could see his resemblance to Kai.

“He’s…tall,” Seulgi blurted out. “Like, really tall.”

Irene smirked. “I hope Kai doesn’t grow up to be as tall as him. That’d be annoying.”

Max must have sensed two pairs of eyes observing him, because he turned his head towards the two girls all of a sudden. He smiled and waved at Irene. Irene returned the gesture. Then he went back to attending to his jet ski.

Seulgi turned to look at the older girl. “You don’t hate Kai’s brother?”

Irene laughed. “I don’t hate anyone!” Her smile softened. “Especially not Max. He’s one of my best friends. We grew up together.”

Something about Irene’s facial expression prompted the younger girl to ask. “Why do I feel like there’s a little more to this story?”

Irene grinned at her. “Maybe I’ll tell you sometime later.” She got up slowly, Seulgi mirrored her. “I need to run home now. I have to finish a design by tonight, or my boss is going to murder me when I got back.”

“Alright. I guess I’ll just…,” Seulgi looked around. “Hang around here.”

“Talk to Max, he’ll rent you a jet ski, or a boat, or a surfboard,” Irene told her as she walked away. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Seulgi was alone once again, as she sat down and resumed staring out to the sea. Her heart felt a little lighter. The pain in her chest had subsided. She took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the sea. She did it again, and again, and felt as if the air going into her lungs was soothing her heartache. Perhaps it really did, talking to Irene sure helped too. She smiled to herself again.

Suddenly her back was hit with something. “Ow!” She yelped.

It didn’t hurt at all, but she was startled. She turned her head to see the giggling culprit. It was Joy. Kai, Max, and a bunch of other people were also with them, looking at the city girl expectantly.

“Hi there,” Joy grinned. “Now that you and my sister are done brooding together, would you like to play volleyball with us? You’re kind of our favorite guest right now.”

Seulgi grabbed the ball and stood up. She grinned, “All right I’ll play. Go easy on me, though.”

She threw the ball suddenly at Kai, intending to hit him . But the boy had quick reflexes, he caught it with no problem.

“Look at that, twenty minutes with Irene and she hates me already,” Kai laughed. The rest of them, including Seulgi, joined him heartily.

It was only Seulgi’s first day in that beach, but as the hours flew by, more time she spent with Joy and her friends, she understood why Irene spoke of the place and the people with such fondness. They made her feel at home.

A/N: I intended this to have only one chapter but it got kind of out of hand haha. On to the next and final chapter~