It's their last day in Yangyang and Jeongguk has something planned for them. They set off early to drive further south along the coast to Jukdo beach. The wind blowing through their hair is fresher and stronger than in the city, but still pleasant, so Jimin calmly sticks his nose up and breathes in and out deeply. His peach-coloured hair is carried and tousled by the wind.

"Tadaa!" Jeongguk suddenly exclaims as he comes to a halt near the beach. His hand points to a large beach house with a beach bar next to it, brown eyes sparkling with pure excitement. "Being here, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to show you surfing and thought why don't I teach you myself?"

Only now does it occur to Jimin that this is a surfboard rental shop with a beach bar, and Jeongguk must already have surfing experience. Nervousness and a kind of tension run through him. He has never surfed before and would not have thought of doing it in the near future. Restlessness and fear spread through him. Is he willing to try this out?

"Does that mean you surf? You've never mentioned it."

Jeongguk nods proudly, and together they reach the rental shop where Jeongguk orders the wetsuits and surfboards at a counter, returning Jimin's question when the employee goes to the storage room. His otherwise serious expression is clear and cheerful, just like his voice, but maybe it's just because he's generally in Jimin's presence like that. "Almost every summer. You've really never done this before, have you? You look unsure. How can I make you agree to try?"

Jeongguk looks so eager to show him more about his passion and Jimin is anticipating to know more about him, but surfing? He peers to the left, to the broad ocean, and observes the waves critically. Some are small, but further away from them are bigger waves, causing him to swallow dryly. He thinks it's doable if Jeongguk is close to him. The other surfers and beginner surfers who are just out on the water can do it too.

"How can you be so calm about this when I've never done this before?"

Jeongguk's face contorts like he sinks into thoughts as he hums and then shrugs in response. "Why not? Everyone has to start somewhere. I'll show you around and be with you when you're on the surfboard."

"Okay, that makes things better," Jimin nods with a broad smile and begins to feel ants in his pants. That does indeed make things better, but still, one thought worries him greatly. Thoughtfully, he looks at Jeongguk after he has turned back to the staff member and received the wetsuits. "...But, Jungkook?"

"Hm?" The drummer hums in response, showing that he's listening to Jimin, but still doesn't turn around as he is about to pay. His relaxed shoulders tense noticeably at Jimin's words. He clearly hasn't expected them.

"I don't know how to swim. Is that necessary? Is it a requirement?" he asks Jeongguk with an innocent look while trying to suppress a grin, even more so when he watches Jeongguk pause in his motion. In a swift motion, he turns around, and his mouth falls open, his arms falling beside his body. Jimin wants to giggle, he seems to have really shocked Jeongguk with this question.

Jeongguk, on the other hand, blinks a little stupidly, brows furrowing. "Don't tell me you can't swim."

Instantly, the feeling of guilt sweeps over Jimin, and he bites his lower lip with his crooked front teeth. Averting his gaze from the taller man, Jimin pushes his pink lower lip into a cute pout, eliciting a slightly annoyed groan from the other, who tosses his head back.

"Really?" Jeongguk asks rather rhetorically, as if talking to himself. Somewhat perplexed, he runs his tattooed hand through his black hair, and surely Jimin would swoon over him if he hadn't been lowering his gaze and drawing patterns in the sand with his foot, lost in thought. "Silly me, I didn't even think to ask you if you could swim at all. Let alone consider that you couldn't swim."

He takes a deep breath and seems to collect his thoughts. Jeongguk turns to the counter and takes the card out of the card reader, puts it away and picks up one surfboard after another and places them against the side wall. Jeongguk turns back to Jimin and holds out a wetsuit, which Jimin nervously accepts.

"No need to panic, the waves aren't too strong or high and if we go where you can stand it shouldn't be a problem."

Jimin nods understandingly and both go to change in separate changing rooms, Jimin taking longer than Jeongguk has him asking a little worriedly. Jimin, however, assures him that everything is fine and Jeongguk doesn't need to worry or help him.

A short time later, he comes out of the changing room, causing Jeongguk to eye him with a raised eyebrow, because first and foremost, he has never seen Jimin in a wetsuit before and secondly, Jimin is acting a little hesitant.

"What's wrong?" Jeongguk asks with concern in his voice. He's about to take a step towards Jimin when he speaks up.

"Jeongguk, don't you think my tail looks weird in this wetsuit?" Jimin turns around with another pout on his lips, trying to look over his own shoulder to see the prominent bulge on his back. Jimin misses as Jeongguk's gaze lowers and darkens for a few seconds. He also misses that he slightly stretches his butt towards Jeongguk, leaving the other no choice but to gaze at him intensely. "It looks weird, right? I might just change back."

Jeongguk snaps out of his thoughts and awkwardly clears his throat, trying to keep his eyes on Jimin's face. "Min, it might look a bit weird but no one will pay attention to it, okay?"

"A-are you sure?" Jimin hesitantly peers up at him, gaze once more falling to his back, which causes Jeongguk to accidentally do the same. He shakes his head, eyes darting to a stool in the waiting room.

"I'm sure," Jimin hears Jeongguk mutter. He's too focused on his own outfit to notice Jeongguk, resisting the urge to let his eyes stray to him again.

"Okay, but let me rearrange it quickly. It's a bit uncomfortable on my spine under the tight suit." With that, he's already disappeared into the changing room and positions his tail at the back of his thigh. Looking in the mirror, it doesn't look much better, but Jimin guesses he'll just have to settle for that. He could wrap it around his waist, but he has seen others on the beach doing exercises on the surfboard, so it would certainly bother him if he were to do the same.

"You're good now?" Jimin nods, and together they go to a random locker where they lock up the valuables and clothes. Jimin follows Jeongguk eagerly and with a thrill to see what comes next as he grabs the surfboards from the side wall under each arm, and they walk close to the water.

"I thought you could do stand-up exercises first and if you can do those, then we'll go into the water no further than your knees-high. Surfing is not easy as it requires a strong core and balance. Otherwise, you will fall off the board, but that's absolutely normal as a beginner. So let's start."

Jeongguk puts the surfboards down on the side and draws a surfboard on the sand first, to Jimin's confusion. Jeongguk patiently shows him the exercise and does it together with Jimin for the time being. Basically, Jimin has to pop up by pressing his hands into the ground beneath his chest and, in one burst, jump to his feet, making sure it's the right one he lands on, which looks easier than it actually is. Jimin tries to ignore individual glances from others, not knowing whether they are thrown at him because they see his fluffy ears or his funny movements, which are supposed to resemble Jeongguk's smooth movements.

"You're doing great," Jeongguk gives him a friendly word and a thumbs-up, which immediately motivates Jimin a little more, as he feels the need to impress the others and perhaps get Jeongguk to say that he's proud of him. "I think two more, and you're good to go to try paddling into the waves and popping up."

Jimin does exactly as Jeongguk has shown him and receives a proud smile from the taller man in return. Jimin automatically reciprocates it, his chest blooming with warmth as their gazes lock. He can't help but take in Jeongguk's doe-like brown eyes softening and muscles relaxing around them. His heart skips a beat and begins to hammer in his chest. Jimin feels foolish to feel drawn to him and to have the longing to look at Jeongguk for longer. He wants to take a step towards him, but insecurities stop him, and he breaks eye contact, looking sheepishly at the surfboards on the side.

"Right, ehm... the side on which you'll stand is already waxed," Jeongguk speaks up and carries on, "If you want, you can go into the water, I'll just get you a life jacket and be right behind you, but be careful please. There's also the leash you have to put on the back of your ankle."

Jimin doesn't need to be told twice and rushes to the surfboard, even if he is unsteady, and grabs what Jeongguk has shown him. The warm-up exercise and watching the others made him excited and motivated to do it so well himself. If Jeongguk goes surfing almost every summer, they could surf together sometime. Jimin blushes at the idea. He wonders what that would be like.

Determined and with his surfboard under his arm, he runs into the cool water. He is grateful for the suit when a smaller wave slaps against his body. Jimin sets the surfboard down on the water and makes sure to catch up on the waxed area. As he watches the others from a distance, he gets impatient and wonders what would happen if he climbed on the board, he doesn't need to swim for that and the water isn't that deep...

Hence, Jimin copies the other beginners in no time and climbs shakily onto the board, on which he tries to steer with his arms while smaller waves are coming towards him, just like he sees the others doing. In the process, Jimin is too focused on his hands and arms that he doesn't look at how far off the beach he is drifting.

Panic rises in him and the air catches in his throat as he looks up and finds himself where he shouldn't be. Jimin suppresses a panicked shriek to keep from falling off the board. He suddenly regrets not having gone into the water with Jeongguk. Jimin clings tighter to the board with his hands, whimpering and realising that he's not even wearing a life jacket. Thoughts of what if he falls from the surfboard and drowns go through his mind, pushing himself to call out for Jeongguk.

He manages after several tries, earning not only Jeongguk's panicked gaze but also from other people. Jimin doesn't care though, as embarrassing as it is, as long as he has Jeongguk's attention who will help him, nothing else matters. Like predicted, Jeongguk lets the life jacket fall next to his surfboard and dives into the water to get to Jimin. What Jimin doesn't expect though is for Jeongguk to have a slightly angry look as he comes out of the water. Much less nag at him as soon as they are in shallow water, where Jeongguk puts the life jacket on him.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have been hurt or drowned!"

"I-" Jimin pauses and lowers his head. Everything he could say sounds childish in his head. He thinks of the smartest thing to say that pops into his head. "I-I'm sorry."

Jimin has never seen him so angry and worried at the same time. Even when they were joking around on the other beach yesterday and Jimin got his clothes wet, Jeongguk didn't get so angry. Jimin swallows, but the forming lump in his throat doesn't seem to go away. He's overcome with guilt, his hands clench into fists and his vision blurs. Not only does the shock set in, but also that Jimin has disappointed Jeongguk and not really thought about the consequences.

"I'm sorry," Jimin says louder and sniffles, shoulder drooping. Meanwhile, his eyes burn with fresh tears, running down his cheeks. Jimin cannot look Jeongguk in the eye, he is angry that he dared to go into the water himself. He is angry about it and ashamed to think it would be easy, but he is most angry at himself and how he has disappointed Jeongguk. "I thought—I thought the water wouldn't be so deep—"

"Shhhh..." Jeongguk shushes him and pulls him within the next second, towards his chest, nose burying into his hair. Jimin whimpers and finds it pathetic how he immediately goes for Jeongguk's near, clinging to his wetsuit. It's as if the world would be better if he hugged Jeongguk, but unfortunately it doesn't really match reality.

"It's fine," Jeongguk murmurs, circling Jimin's hips with his arms and causing Jimin to let out a squeak. "I know you were just curious, but you really scared me. I don't want to think what could have happened if you hadn't called out to me, or if I hadn't seen you. Jimin, you're important to me, and I don't want to lose you just because of something so small. You told me you'd be careful."

Jimin suppresses a whimper at the sound of Jeongguk's voice breaking. He clings tighter to him as a result and has his head buried in Jeongguk's neck, drops of water roll off his hair drip onto Jimin's cheek. Since he's only a few centimetres taller than Jimin, this position feels more intimate, especially when Jeongguk puts his mouth to his ear, murmuring it's fine. "What you did was stupid. Stupid but brave. I don't want to see you panicked like this again, okay? That's why we start slow. I can even teach you how to swim but for now the life jacket must do as well."

"Will you do that? Will you teach me to swim?"

"I will," Jeongguk whispers softly in his ear and rubs his hand over his back. "But all in time. Have you calmed down? Do you want to get back on the surfboard?"

"When you're with me..." Jimin murmurs softly and looks at Jeongguk with red eyes. Being this close, causes his heart to pound faster against his ribcage. Jimin feels bewitched and trapped in his gaze, their breaths almost mingling. It wouldn't take much to get up on his toes and plant a kiss on either Jeongguk's cheek or lips. His brain short circuited and he steps onto his toes, lips barely touching Jeongguk's cheek before he whispers a soft thank you against his skin and dashes with his surfboard back to the ocean, leaving a flabbergasted Jeongguk behind.

"Are you coming?" Jimin exclaims, trying to hide how much what he has just done affects him. The little devil in him, though, just beams with success, brave enough to do it and to stun Jeongguk positively. The drummer doesn't look mad or disgusted at all. "I thought you wanted to teach me how to surf!"

Jimin has to keep himself from giggling when Jeongguk's brought back to his senses, clearly still taken aback when he looks wide-eyed at him. He can't help the grin, though, which plays across his lips as Jeongguk shakes his head and runs his fingers through his wet hair, taking a moment before he steps into the water slightly dazzled. Jimin can't wait for his surf lesson to begin.