ˏˋ°•*⁀ ➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬-𝗢𝗡𝗘
─◌✰್ 𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗄𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀
𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻) /ˈ𝗱ə𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗡𝗚/
❝𝖺 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗄．❞

"Laska, why the hell did you lock the door??"

The bedroom door handle jiggled for the third time that morning.

The first had been Hyunjin, attempting to barge in on you, Mya, and Riley, who were still sleeping, to ask what kind of smoothie you each wanted. Mya, who had just started to wake up anyway (you were honestly surprised she had slept in until eight today), ran to open the door, but only after ten minutes. Hyunjin glared at her, about to lecture about politeness and not to ignore others, but she just slammed the door in his face so he couldn't . This had woken you and Riley up, and you both fell on the floor laughing at Hyunjin's pissed off expression when Mya finally had the courage to open the door again. He muttered something about Mya being "almost as spoiled as my sister", before stomping away.

The second time had been Chan and Changbin knocking at the door as the three of you were getting ready, announcing that they, along with Felix, were going out for lunch and coffee, just the three of them. No matter how much Riley begged, they rejected her, saying they needed some "guy time".

You had no idea what "guy time" meant, but you had a sneaking suspicion that they were taking Felix away so he wouldn't be around you. Normally, you would be very offended and probably complain loudly to Chan and Changbin about why they were stealing your boyfriend from you.

But today, while it still hurt, you understood. You'd been trying your best to give him the space he asked for, but it was hard when he slept right down the hall, and hung out with you by the beach all day. While it had only been one day since you'd spoken, it sucked. You longed to be near him, even if you weren't physically touching. But if he was gone for a little while, it would take away the temptation to try and hug and kiss him.

Now, Riley was trying to force her way back into the room like there was a murderer chasing her down the hall.

But you were working on something secret. In fact, you'd been working on this secret thing for a few days now. And you didn't want anyone, not even your best friends, to see. Not yet.

"Geez, I'm coming!" You whined. "Just because Chan has been gone for a whole half an hour doesn't mean you get to bother me! Can't you entertain yourself??"

"No!" Rileys voice traveled through the door. "But that's not why I'm here! Everyone else is down at the beach! They're about to start playing Marco Polo and I need to put on sunscreen! So let me in!"

You rolled your eyes, starting to pack your project away into your assigned closet. You'd told your friends it was off-limits, and for once, they seemed to take you seriously.

When you swung the door open, a grumpy Riley dramatically stomped into the room and grabbed a plastic bottle from her suitcase.

"Didn't Mya bring any down with her?" You asked, fixing the tie on your bikini.

"Yeah, but she won't let me use it," Riley said, spreading the sunscreen on her arms. "She's really protective of that stuff. Apparently that's the only thing she spends any money on, because she doesn't want to get skin cancer and die."

"I wouldn't let either of you use my sunscreen," you agreed.

"Uhm, you forgot yours, and Hyunjin had to lend you his!" Riley accused. "So you have none to share anyway."

"So not true," you complained. "I did have mine, but then Hyunjin needed to borrow it before we left! And he didn't put it back in my suitcase before we left. So therefore, he had to give me his. He deserves it."

"I guess he didn't argue as much as he usually does about everything else," Riley conceded. "C'mon, you've been holed up here for the past two hours! I don't wanna miss out on the fun, do you?"

"Ewe, of course not," you wrinkled your nose. "I wanna jump on Minho and pretend to drown him, and say it was part of the rules of the game!"

"Even though Chan isn't there, which puts a real damper on things, I wanna beat all the other guys at something," Riley agreed.

The two of you headed down to the beach, where everyone, minus Changbin, Chan, and Felix, had gathered. They were all in their swimsuits, their clothes sitting under the cabana on their assigned chairs.

"Hurry up and take your clothes off!" Lanhua yelled at the two of you, motioning with her slender, muscular arms.

"We even set your chairs up for you, even though we didn't want to," Tessa agreed, smirking playfully. "Minho made me. I guess he likes you."

"He doesn't like anyone!" Seungmin replied, ducking when Minho pretended to punch him.

"He likes me!" Han said hopefully. No one disagreed with that.

"Everyone likes you, baby," Robin said, shooting Han an endearing look. She had on a black one-piece with white accents on the edges, with a matching white baseball hat. If you recalled correctly, Lanhua had purchased it when you'd all gone out shopping a few days ago, and when you came back, Han begged her to sell it to him. He'd said something along the lines of, "this is so Robin, can I give it to her?? She would look so good! Pleaseee??"

Robin continued, "As much as I hate to say it, they might like you more than me. If that's even possible."

"Everyone likes you, Robin!" Renee said with a smile. She wore a white bikini with a lavender floral pattern across the top and bottom. Her hair was in two milkmaid braids that fell across her shoulders. Seungmin, who stood next to her, kept grabbing the end of one, gently pulling it or swinging it back and forth. Renee didn't say anything, but she was notably avoiding his playful gaze, her face bright pink.

"I already knew that, but thanks babe," Robin chuckled good-naturedly at her. "But for real, hurry up and get your clothes off! We wanna start playing! Minnie is It first."

"I lost three rounds of rock paper scissors," Seungmin lamented. "I still think Jeongin cheated."

Jeongin grinned. "No, the baby would never do that."

"That smile is freaking me out," Lanhua observed, raising her eyebrows over her white sunglasses. She donned a matching cut-out one-piece that tied around her waist, where it connected at the bottom. "It makes me think that you get away with a too much just because you're the youngest."

"Hey, that's not true!" Mya came to his defense. "Just because he's the youngest doesn't mean he would do something like that."

"You're just saying that because you're our baby!" Riley interrupted. "You're not tricking anyone."

"Yeah, we see you Mya," you waggled your finger at your friend, who crossed her arms and huffed.

"Can we please get in the water?" Tessa pointed at the ocean, which was sparkling enticingly. "I bought this bikini specifically for today, and I don't wanna just stand in the heat while I wear it."

She wore a moss green triangle bikini with pale green edging. She'd bought the sexy number while you were all out shopping, and Minho's eyes had practically popped out of his head. When Changbin innocently commented on how good the color looked on her, Tessa had done a playful shimmy at everyone. You'd never seen Minho's entire upper body turn red, but it had then.

"What the hell is that??" Minho had yelped, sounding like he was being strangled. "Are you- are you actually going to wear that?? You can't wear that!"

Tessa had glowered at him, crossing her arms. "Just because you said that, yes I am," and then she'd marched back into the dressing room.

Now, you and Riley removed your clothes and everyone finally waded into the water.

"Oh my gosh, your swimsuits are sooo cute!" Lanhua gasped, pointing at you, Mya and Riley. "Are you guys matching???"

"Hua, you were there when they bought them, remember?" JJ said, shaking her head at her friend. "They even tried them on in front of us."

"You know she has shitty memory when she's tired," Tessa laughed. "Hua can't remember shit unless she's drank four matcha lattes, or slept at least eight hours. The last one never happens."

"That's so not true!" Lanhua protested, reaching down and splashing Tessa with icy ocean water. Tessa screeched and splashed water back. "I remember everything about my friends! Maybe I was just distracted!"

"Yeah, distracted by Changbin's huge muscles," Robin joined the conversation. "When we went shopping, he kept not-so-sneakily flexing his arms because he was carrying all the clothes you were going to try on. I bet you were just watching him the whole time."

"How could you not??" Lanhua said defensively. "They're like huge steaks. I wanna take a bite."

"She's right about that," Mya sighed. "I do like a man with muscles."

"Even I agree," Hyunjin cut in, listening from a few feet away. He was still in the shallow part of the water, arms crossed over his chest as he tried to make it further in. "I wish my arms looked like that."

"You do wish," JJ joked. When Hyunjin looked hurt, she turned serious. "I like my men skinny," she reassured him.

Your brother mysteriously started smiling a hell of a lot more after that.

"I'm gonna ignore all those gross comments," you said, shooting JJ a pointed look, before pointing at your swimsuit. "We do look hella cute though, don't we??"

You were wearing an orchid-colored bikini that had ties at the hips, with a long string that went around your rib cage and crossed around your waist. Riley had a matching black one, and Mya was also matching in pink.

"I think you should wear some sort of cloak over that," Hyunjin replied, eyeing the skimpy outfit with suspicion. "I don't like the idea that other guys are staring at you. They're monsters, Laska, monsters."

"None of your friends are monsters, they're just idiots," Riley assured him. "Look, theyre not even paying attention to us!"

"The only guy who would be staring at Laska is Lix, and he isn't here. Or maybe Minho..." Tessa smirked at the other guy, who was laughing with Han and Jeongin. Lanhua nudged her in the ribs, and she yelped.

"Ow, what was that for??" She held her side, frowning at her friend.

"What do you mean, Lix or Min would be looking at her??" Hyunjin demanded, wheeling around to face you. "I thought you said-"

"Hurry up and start playing with us!" Seungmin saved you from a very awkward conversation as he punched his fists into the water like he was throwing a fit. "I wanna start chasing you guys! In case you didn't know, I'm very good at Marco Polo."

"This will be fun to see," Robin laughed. "Someone better dunk Seungmin in the water when he's not looking."

"I volunteer," Minho raised his hand. Seungmin glared at the two of them.

Renee patted Seungmin on the arm. "Just close your eyes and we can start, okay?" She beamed at him.

"Ah, yeah okay, sure," Seungmin grinned back, before waving his arms at everyone else. "I'm gonna count to twenty now! Get ready!"

As Seungmin started counting, everyone tried to run as far away from him as they could in the short amount of time.

Robin tapped Han on the shoulder, and he wordlessly picked her up and started carrying her piggyback through the water. She waved at everyone with a smirk on her face.

Damn, if only you had someone to do that with.

You watched as Jeongin offered his hand to Mya, and without hesitation she clung onto him as they hurried away. Tessa took the liberty of shoving Minho out of the way as they raced each other to see who could move the fastest. He fell with a loud splash, but for once didn't curse her out, because he didn't want Seungmin to know where he was. Tessa silently pointed and laughed at him before rushing off.

JJ was swimming with a strength you didn't expect from her. You knew Lanhua was basically a pro athlete, but you'd always assumed JJ didn't like to move. Hyunjin was trying to grab her hand, but she kept throwing him off as she attempted to show him how to swim next to her instead.

You, Riley, and Lanhua swam together, because your men weren't there. Unsurprisingly, Lanhua was like a literal swan as she pushed herself through the water. She easily outpaced you and Riley, and soon she was a speck in the water she was so far away. You weren't sure if that was actually allowed, but it would be funny if Seungmin tried to catch her.

Seungmin finally finished counting, and started floundering around, throwing his arms left and right. "Marco!" He yelled as he tried not to get water in his mouth.

Everyone else called back, "Polo!"

Seungmin immediately started moving towards Minho and Tessa, who were the closest. They had gotten distracted by starting a splash fight with each other, and hadn't moved far enough away.

"Marco!" Seungmin said again.

Everyone else responded.

He moved closer and closer to Minho and Tessa, who were both trying to run away from him as quietly as possible, while simultaneously attempting to thwart the other. You thought they'd probably have a better chance of escaping if they'd just focus on themselves, but that would never happen.

"Marco!" Seungmin yelled, his arms inching closer and closer to Tessa, who was trying to scurry away from him.

"Polo!" Everyone called. But Tessa, who was barely a few feet away from him, didn't say anything.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Minho exclaimed, forgetting the rules of the game. "Tessa didn't say anything! She has to say Polo too!"

"Fine, Polo!" Tessa glared at him. "I'm gonna get caught anyway, why does it matter?"

But before anyone could start moving again, Seungmin turned around after hearing Minho's voice, and ran at top speed (or what speed he could in the water) towards him.

Minho, who was completely caught off guard, tried to escape, but before he knew it, Seungmin had grabbed his arm.

"I GOT YOU!" Seungmin hollered, opening his eyes and jumping up and down. "See, I told you I was good!"

"Whatever," Minho grumbled, rolling his eyes. But you could tell he wasn't actually upset, based off the way the ends of his mouth turned up.

"If you hadn't snitched on me, you wouldn't have gotten caught," Tessa observed, pointing at Minho. "That's what you get!"

"What if I was just trying to save your sorry ass?" Minho raised his eyebrows. "Did you ever think of that?"

"You wouldn't do that," Tessa dismissed him. "But that's a nice thought."

"Aww, we love softie Minho!" Mya clapped her hands. She stood further away next to Jeongin.

"We knew you could to it," Robin waved at Minho from Han's shoulders.

"I'm surprised you didn't swim faster," you said to Minho. "It was like you were in slow motion."

"Hey, I could swim fast if I want to," Minho grunted, crossing his arms.

"Well, you'll get to prove that now!" Renee said. "Since you're It!"

Minho scowled at everyone. "Good thing I brought something to aid me in case I got caught!"

He hurried to the cabana, where he retrieved a huge round floatie with a green alligator head on the front. He stepped into the middle of it and floated over to the rest of you.

"Can you not swim??" Tessa gasped, unsure if she should laugh or be concerned.

Minho didn't say anything, but Seungmin nodded.

"I forgot, but it's true," he said.

"I almost feel bad," Tessa commented. "Almost."

And Minho was surprisingly good, with help from the floatie. He swam so deep that no one could touch anymore, all with his eyes closed. Han had to set Robin down because he couldn't swim while carrying her at the same time. Lanhua had swam back over to join in on the fun, while Hyunjin kept trying to follow JJ. He seemed to have a lot of trust in her. You swam around with Riley just out of reach from Minho, trying not to laugh as he got frustrated with you both. Jeongin was trying to swim, but Mya kept reaching for his hand, and he kept getting distracted by her, because he wanted to hold her hand too. Finally, Minho caught up to the pair of them, but Jeongin moved in front of Mya so she wouldn't get picked. Minho touched Jeongin's chest, and opened his eyes.

"See, I did a great job!" He said defiantly as he held onto the floatie.

"Yeah, all while you tried to drown all of us!" You frowned. "A short girl can only tread water for so long!"

Minho shrugged. "It was part of my strategy, deal with it Laska," he smirked at you, and you rolled your eyes. He was so attractive, how could you really argue with him? That was only a Tessa thing.

"I guess it's my turn then!" Jeongin grinned, stepping forward and out of Mya's grip.

"Oh no, I'm definitely gonna get caught now," Mya moaned, holding her head in her hands. "I'm gonna drown!"

Jeongin laughed at her. "You're gonna be okay, just listen to my voice," Under his breath, he added, "don't go too far away, okay?"

Mya frowned at him in confusion, but nodded. "But if you catch me, I'll scream," she added before swimming off towards you and Riley.

"Finally, we missed you!" You cried, throwing your arms around your friend. "You love your boyfriend more than us!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Mya hissed, her face turning scarlet. "He's just my... Jeongin!"

"Not yet he isn't," Riley smirked. "You said he's been dying to ask you out. It's only a matter of time."

"I'm calling it, he's definitely gonna ask you out before the end of the trip," you said, fixing Mya's swimsuit tie around her waist.

"If I don't throw up first," Mya groaned. But before she could say anything else, Jeongin started counting.

The three of you started swimming away, but Mya kept lingering closer to Jeongin than you wanted. You knew he'd told her to stay close, but you'd hoped she would ignore him and run so she wouldn't get caught next. None of you three were very good at swimming fast, so it would probably take a long time for her to tag anyone.

"Hurry up Mya!" You hissed, nudging her with your foot.

"No! I gotta stay nearby!" Mya shook her head.

"You can't listen to your boyfriend for everything Mya!" Riley insisted. "I don't wanna be It next, so we should move!"

"For the last time, he's not my-" Mya started.

"Twenty!" Jeongin interrupted her, before he started to swim. "Marco!"

"Polo!" You all called back.

"Dammit, he's so gonna hear us!" Riley groaned. "If I get caught, I'm coming after you Mya."

"Hey, not fair!" Mya whispered as she started swimming away from Jeongin, who heard them talking. "Laska, that's bullying, right??"

You rolled your eyes. "You deserved it. I'm not about to get caught. I'll push you in front of me. You'd probably like that though, because Jeongin would catch you."

"You don't know that," Mya mumbled, but the blush on her cheeks gave you the answer.

"Marco!" Jeongin called again, swimming closer to the three of you.

You and Riley practically shoved Mya backwards as you moved out of the way from Jeongin, who was a strong swimmer, even without pool floaties (unlike someone else you knew).

"Polo!" You all responded. Mya's loud voice could be heard over everyone else's, as she struggled between wanting to run from Jeongin for the sake of the game, and saying fuck it and jumping into his arms.

"At this point, she might as well give up," you said to Riley under your breath, who just laughed.

But this time, instead of continuing to swim, Jeongin stopped in the middle of the water, and grinned. What was he doing? Was the game over? He hadn't caught anyone yet.

And instead of calling "Marco", like he was supposed to, Jeongin yelled, "Mya!"

"Yeah??" Mya replied immediately, before covering her mouth. "I-I mean, no! I- ah!"

Mya started doggy paddling away from him as fast as she could. But with her short arms and legs, she wasn't going anywhere.

Jeongin started to swim towards her again, while everyone else just stood watching them.

"Mya, I have a question for you!" Jeongin continued, reaching out for her. Only a few feet of water stood between them.

"Wh-what?" Mya turned around, ceasing her feeble attempt at escape.

"Shouldn't she still be swimming??" You could hear Tessa's voice a bit further way as she yell-whispered to Lanhua.

"Girl shut up, you have zero tact," Lanhua poked her friend in the side.

"Both of you be quiet," JJ rolled her eyes. "They're cute, don't ruin the moment."

Jeongin finally caught up to Mya, and touched her arm lightly. When he opened his eyes, he encased her small hands in his large ones. He smiled down at her. She gazed up at him.

"Mya, I know you keep trying to run away from me. Just now, you were literally running away. But now that I've caught you, I just have one question for you," he said solemnly.

Mya didn't say anything, but she nodded, a few short jerks of her head. Her chest moved up and down, winded from swimming so hard.

"Just go out with me, will you?" Jeongin said all in a rush. "I mean- we don't have to be official or anything, but just go on one date with me. I promise I'll win you over."

"You-" Mya paused to catch her breath. "You already have. And I've been dying to go on a date with you!"

Jeongin's face, which was etched with nerves, broke out into an infectious smile as he picked the girl up in a bone-breaking hug, before planting a kiss right on her lips.

Mya didn't break away. In fact, she pulled him even closer, placing a hand on the back of his neck and kissing him back.

"Holy crap, Mya!" You gasped, covering your mouth dramatically.

"Our babies are growing up!!" Han called from his spot in the water next to Robin, who was pretending to wipe her eyes.

"I never thought the youngest would be the bravest of you all," JJ commented, laughing when Hyunjin pouted next to her.

"They're such a cute couple!" Lanhua admired them.

"Is he a good kisser??" Tessa called to Mya.

Mya didn't say anything, but just gave you all a thumbs-up.

"I wish I had someone to kiss like that," Renee sighed dreamily.

"Losers," Robin smirked at them, nudging Han. "I got a great makeout buddy."

"That's pretty gross," Minho raised his eyebrows at both couples.

"For real, that's making me feel so single," Riley groaned.

"I could use a good makeout right now," you agreed.

"I'd makeout with you," Minho smirked at you.

You and Hyunjin both glared.

"You're so gross," Tessa cut in, frowning at the man, who just shrugged.

All of you convened back on the shore, starting to dry off. The day had started to get cloudy and a bit windy again, just like the day before. What had originally been a gorgeous, sunny day was starting to turn into a storm.

"Should we head back inside?" Renee asked nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. She'd been smart and brought a sweater. She was now wearing a white pullover with two gray kittens printed on the front. You crossed your arms over your chest, trying not to shiver. The wind on your damp skin was chilling.

"I think that's probably a good-" Jeongin started, pulling Mya closer to him.

But someone else interrupted his words.

"Beachgoers!"

A booming voice over the beach's loudspeakers - which were usually used to announce lightning or sharks - rang out. A bit of feedback caused a painful ringing noise to echo across the sand, and everyone covered their ears.

"Beachgoers! We have just gotten news from the Jeju Weather Service that a hurricane is moving across the ocean. We recommend that you all begin evacuating from the island by tomorrow, if you are staying within twenty minutes of the ocean. While we do not expect the storm to come for the next two days, we do not want to risk the safety of any of you. The water will start to rise tonight, so be careful."

The water will start to rise tonight.

You could feel panic rising as fast as the water. Flashbacks of the night you nearly drowned raced through your mind as your heart sped up tenfold. The icy water encasing you in it's unrelenting grip. Your lungs screaming for air, only to be replaced by liquid. Fighting for your life, only to be left powerless by the monster that was the sea. One of the only places you'd truly loved turning on you in an instant.

You clutched at your chest as your breaths became shallow, a ringing, vibrating sensation traveling through your head.

"Laska?" Riley instantly put a hand on your arm. Her voice was foggy, like you were listening to her through a glass."Laska, you good?"

"She looks like she's having a panic attack," Seungmin was instantly at your side, his usual sarcastic self nowhere to be found.

"Laska, breathe for me," Lanhua, who was a veterinarian and probably the most knowledgeable about all things regarding health, commanded. "You're going to be okay."

You nodded, grasping Riley's hand as you tried to force some air into your lungs. You hadn't realized how traumatic that night had been until now. You'd gone in the water multiple times since that day, and been completely fine. But the mere thought of the water rising, of being unable to control what might happen to you once again, threatened to overwhelm.

"I-I don't want to be here until tomorrow," you said, finally letting go of your friend as you gazed around at everyone. They had all formed a circle around you, watching with concern. Mya's eyes were like two bowls full of chocolate, they were so large.

"We're here for you, whatever you decide," Lanhua said, fixing your hair gently.

"We don't want you to be scared, Laska," Han agreed, balling his hands into fists. "We'll protect you."

You managed a smile, but shook your head. "I don't need you guys to protect me, but thank you."

"What do you need?" Mya moved from her spot by Jeongin to stand next to you.

You knew what you wanted. Right when you heard the announcement through those semi-functioning speakers, you knew what you needed. No matter how much you wished you didn't, you knew.

"I-I want to go home. I don't want to wait until tomorrow. I need to go now."

laska's note —
well, there it is! our babies trip is being cut short. were you expecting that?? i've had this planned since the beginning hehe. also, our maknaes are finally official! they're so cute! how do you think the rest of our couples will get together? hint: not all of them will get together by the end of this story, because this is only the first book in a series of four! i'll make an official announcement about that later, but surprise! give me all your thoughts in the comments, i love hearing your thoughts!

question of the day —
did you know today, september 15, is felix's birthday? and yesterday, september 14 was han's birthday? wish them a happy birthday in the comments! are you doing anything for their birthday?

my answer —
there is a cupsleeve event next weekend celebrating them and seungmin! i can't wait! there also might be a jilix one-shot coming in your future as a late gift (if i feel like it oops) 🤭

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟯𝟮 - 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊