“humm hum hummmmmm hum humhumhum,”

“You’re in a good mood today considering what-,” Taemin said pulling me out of my trance. I turned away from the bright blue sky to look at him. A soft smile on his face while his head tilted a little to the side. I simply shrugged at him then turned back to the beautiful scenery. The evergreen grass blowing along with the sea breeze as the ocean sang a harmonious song with the seagulls. I felt Taemin tightened his hand slightly on mine calling my attention to him again. “Are you ok?”

“You just said I was in a good mood then you ask me if I am ok?” I spoke looking at my fake boyfriend in amusement. My toes digging into the soft cold grass as we walked down along the edge of land hand in hand. My other hand clutching tightly to my sandals. Soft sprays of the ocean water misted our skin as the ocean slammed against the large rocks. I turned back to the water making Taemin stop with me. Both of us facing the water. Our hands still clutching together. “This has to be the most peaceful I have felt in a while. I wonder if it is because of Jeju.”

“Yeah, that could also be because there are no fans here hounding us and threatening you. Not to mention, we lost that manager of yours.” Taemin let out a groan. “She is going to scream our ears off when she finds us.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we lost them. Them and our ear pieces.”

“I can’t believe we ran away from everyone like outlaws.”

“You’re the one that grabbed my hand and sprinted for it,” I commented turning my head to look at him. I lifted our intertwined hands to show him. I quirked my eyebrow at him as his cheeks heated up turning bright red. “You haven’t even let go since then.”

“Th-that’s because..” Taemin stuttered as he pulled his hand out of mine. “I- I had to make sure I-I didn’t lose you.”

I chuckled as he stammered over his words. His face held a youthful glow as his cheeks turned red. He looks cute embarrassed. Like a child who got caught trying to steal from the cookie jar.

1. can see why so many girls want to date him. I can see why they curse me and hate me. If only they all knew that I can only see him as an annoying little brother. A little brother who is sometimes a worrywart about me.

“Relax, Taemin. It’s just like you said earlier. I am in too good of mood to even care,” I replied with a shrug. I moved towards the wall blocking people from falling into the rocky sea. “It’s been a little more than a week of non-stop group activities.” I put my hand on the tan concrete and easily hefted myself on top of it. I turned my back to Taemin as I sat with my feet hanging out towards the sea. I could easily push myself off into the rocky sea if I wanted to. Disappear to become a sea foam like the Little Mermaid. I thought back to the reason of my good mood. The events of the past week flashing in my mind. Especially to three days ago, when Jaejoong picked up my drunk self at Naeun’s café. I let out a soft chuckle as I thought of Jaejoong. The next morning, I defiantly got a talking to about my drinking and some good news. “You would think I would be exhausted, but I am not.”

I swung my legs from side to side happily in the air. I didn’t even care about the ocean sprays soaking my legs and shorts. I welcomed the cold fresh water to cool my skin from the hot day. The sun trying to burn the water off my skin.

“If anyone sees you, they will think you are suicidal or just plain crazy,” Taemin grunted as he came up to sit next to me.

“I’ve always been crazy, you on the other hand not so much.”

“Someone has to make sure you don’t fall to your death.”

“It’s not a bad drop. Bet you, we would survive.”

“Please don’t say that while I have my legs dangling over sharp rocks.”

“No one told you to sit up here,” I laughed. I moved closer to him faking as if to push him. Taemin let out a yell as he fumbled a little away from me. I let out a loud laugh. Taemin grumbled about having to ‘protect my crazy ’. Then there was a soft peaceful silence between us for a few minutes. The waves continued to roar against the rocks. “You didn’t have to protect me earlier.”

My mind reeling back to why we ran away in the first place. I looked down at my dirty black shirt with a sad smile. I still feel stickiness from the soda clinging to my skin underneath. My hair wet and curling in different directions forming hateful knots. It’s going to be a to mess with that later. Song is going to kill me especially since she spent so long in straightening my hair this morning.

“It was either grab your hand to run away or watch you punch someone out once you came out of shock,” Taemin answered running his hand through his floppy hair with a sigh.

“I wasn’t gonna punch anyone,” I let out in defense. I looked at Taemin to only see him let out a loud laugh. “I’m serious, Taemin. I wasn’t gonna punch that who poured an entire pitcher of soda over my head.”

“I know you, Sam. Even mentioning it now pissed you off.”

I shrugged turning back to the water. Staring out into the sea.

“I am annoyed it happened. Even though the person tried to act innocent there was no doubt it was done on purpose. I hate when people do that. If you are going to do something or even say something against a person, just own up to it,” I breathed. Taemin let out a hum in agreement. I then let out a soft chuckle as the scene replayed in my head. The initial shock I felt when the pitcher of ice soda fell on me while I was in the middle of having a ‘date’ with Taemin at the restaurant. “I was pretty shocked when it happened, wasn’t I?”

Taemin laughed. “Your eyes got so wide. You even jumped out of your chair like a cat. Your manager was cursing up a storm through the ear piece. I could still hear her yelling at me to grab you before you kill someone.”

“And instead of just holding me still, you grabbed me to run away. She is probably cursing us and our future descendants.”

“And dishonoring our cows.”

Taemin and I looked at each other for a second. A silence going through us. Both our eyes sparkling with amusement. Then as if sharing an inside joke we both let out a loud laugh. Like a pair of old childhood friends, we sat on the sea wall laughing till tears came down from our eyes and our stomachs hurt.

“You’ve changed,” Taemin breathed out when he finally regained his breath. I let out a soft noise in confusion as I looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. “You seem….seem happy.”

I sighed turned my head back to the sea. A small smile making its way to my lips. It thought back to the last two weeks. Ever since the day Jon decided to become my ally, my life is finally starting to seem better. I have started to go to a routine. Group activities in the morning and Jon coming with some excuse for me to get away from Medusa. Jon has kept to his promise he made me at the Nylon photoshoot a week and a half ago. I went all that time without seeing Medusa because of group activities much to her annoyance. Jon even went as far as dedicating some time for Jaejoong and I to have secret meetings. Although, we never went out in public, it was enough for us. Laughing and talking through the night. Sometimes we were at his place and sometimes Naeun Unnie covered for us at her café. If we helped her close the café, then she let us have a date there hidden with privacy. Most of the time Jon was with us, refusing to leave us alone because of the strip pirate game incident.

All the laughter. All the arguing. All the ease. If it wasn’t for Jon, it would have never happened.

“I am,” I said.

342. it was the truth. I am happy.

Another big reason for my mood is also that my voice is out there. My singing voice that SM never let out.

The morning after Jaejoong picked me up from the café, he told me the song we recorded together with the rest of JYJ has finally released. I still remember the look he gave me while I heard the song through the radio in wonder. The song climbed up the charts and is currently at number 2 behind Taeyang’s new single. The public is frantically trying to guess who the mysterious voice is. No one knows it is me, and it will always be kept a secret.

“That’s good considering all that’s going on,” Taemin responded.

“You mean the whole petition from ‘fans’ to kick my ty out of the Violets,” I sighed rolling my eyes. Taemin nodded his head sullenly. “They still think I am cheating on you with Yunho.”

“Hopefully this date helps with that.”

“It won’t,” I sighed. “Nothing will. They formed their opinion of me a long time ago and they plan to keep it.”

“That’s bull.”

I shrugged. “That’s the life of an idol. Especially for a female idol.”

“You know….”

Brummmmm. Brummmmm.Bruuummmm.

My phone vibrated to life on my cutting off Taemin from saying more. Taemin and I looked at each other with a tired face. Both of us already knowing who it was.

Here goes nothing.

“That took longer than I thought,” I breathed out. I moved the right side of my bottom slightly up in the air so I can grab my phone from the pocket. Tapping my thumb on the answer button, I lifted the phone up to my ear closer to Taemin so he could hear also. “Hel-“

“Where the hell are you two?” Medusa screeched on the other side. “Do you have any idea what you idiots have done.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking. No major injuries from the soda, in case you cared.”

“I don’t give a on how you are. Now where the hell are you!”

“uhmmm,” I pretended to think out loud as I leaned back to look at Taemin. He smiled at me as he pointed to the ocean under us. “Water. There is defiantly water around us.”

“We are on an island, you idiot. Of course! There is water around us! I am next to water right now!”

“Really? Maybe we are next to each other.”

“You, ! Where is Taemin? Put him on.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to do that. You should have called Taemin’s phone instead of me.”

Taemin bit his bottom lip to keep from bursting into laughter as he then pointed to the sky. Following his finger, I looked up at the sky. Yup, she is going to have to work super hard to find us. I don’t care. The longer I go without her, the better.

“Would you look at that? I also see a cloud shaped like a bunny in the sky,” I breathed out in fake wonder. A loud frustrated groan echoed through the other end of the phone making me smile widely. “Are you okay there?”

“When I find you I swear I am going…” Medusa went to threaten.

“But that’s the thing. You can’t find us.”

“Sam, remember the contract you signed. Remember the power I hold and what I can do. I can dest-“

“Have fun finding us,” I let out with a laugh just before I hung up on her. I placed my phone back on my pocket sitting on it. Ignoring the vibrations of Medusa’s numerous calls, I turned back to Taemin. He looked back at me with a shocked face. His brown eyes holding concern for the future consequences of my actions. “We will go back in an hour. Just let me enjoy this a little longer, please. I want some peace before I have to go back to that monster.”

He nodded his head.

With a sigh, I placed my hands on the edge of the wall behind me. I leaned back letting my head up look up at the sky. I closed my eyes letting my other senses come alive. The sounds of the waves, seagulls, and the wind echoed through my ears. The cold ocean sprays cooling the front of my body as the sun also tried to heat me up. The salt smell in the air was enough to calm my mind and beg my body for a rest.

Just one more hour.