Chapter Text
The number one rule of sailing is that you don’t do it alone. Yoohyeon knew that. Had had the lessons of the sea engrained into her since she was a toddler.
But Yoohyeon was also stubborn, so the second her father reminded her a lady didn’t belong on the open waters without a man beside her, she’d thrown the number one rule out the window. After saying that, he’d basically asked for her to do this, right?
Yoohyeon checked her sails once more, squinting through the whipping winds and rain that pelted the sea, her boat, and the now tattered sails.
“Come on, come on,” Yoohyeon willed the sails to work with her, not with the fucking hurricane level winds that were leading her further from land.
It was stupid, reckless, but she’d always wanted to fly solo, and when her parents were gone on their Alaskan cruise it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
If only she had checked the weather before undocking.
The sky flashed with another round of lighting, and had Yoohyeon been at home, watching this from her front porch, she’d be admiring the beauty of mother nature.
Right now, though? Mother nature could suck her metaphorical dick.
A thunderous crackle caused the young woman to jump, loosening her grip on the ship’s wheel, sending her sails further south, further from her home.
It was futile, she knew, these winds no doubt ensuring she wouldn’t be docking anytime soon. All she could do, all the winds were permitting her to do, was weather the storm.
Yoohyeon glanced over her shoulder, peering at the shrinking land mass where her port was.
“Fuck,” Yoohyeon shouted to no one in particular, her words no doubt swallowed into nothingness by the chaos around her.
She glanced back towards her sails, seeing them flapping wildly in the wind similar to the way her long, blonde strands of drenched hair whirled around her head.
Yoohyeon’s eyes widened, zoning in on the large boulder she was headed straight towards. Instantly, she yanked her wheel sideways, turning the wooden contraption as fast as humanly – Yoohyeonly – possible to try and avoid the obstacle that would certainly wreck her tiny boat.
“No, no, no,” Yoohyeon muttered, body tensing as she prepared for the inevitable. She’d lost control of her ship no doubt, and there was no stopping it from colliding with the rock she was baring down on.
The last thing Yoohyeon remembers is the deafening crack of her wooden boat colliding with the land mass, and a large wave barreling down on her, knocking her off-balance and out of consciousness.
--- --- --- ---
“Baby, I think she’s waking up!”
Yoohyeon scrunched her nose, slowly opening her eyes.
She was met with the scorching sun, but also a young woman, leaning over Yoohyeon and graciously blocking some of the sun’s bright rays.
“Good morning, beautiful,” the woman beamed, smiling down on a still barely conscious Yoohyeon.
The sailor brought her hands to cover her eyes, shielding them from the brightness and confusing sight before her.
“Wha – ” Yoohyeon tried to voice her confusion, only now noticing how fucking sore her body was. The pounding in her head was louder than her college marching band’s overzealous drummers. Her whole body hurt, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out where she was, or what was going on.
“Where am I?” Yoohyeon finally formed a coherent thought, pressing her palms firmly against her forehead, trying in vain to alieve the migraine that had formed.
“Oh my,” the woman spoke softly, “you must be so confused.”
A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, massaging the tender skin in tiny circles.
Yoohyeon uncovered her eyes, once again taking in the woman knelt above her, “and who are you?” She tried to keep her tone neutral, but she knew she sounded cold, cagey.
Then again, only in Yoohyeon’s wildest dreams had she woken up with a supermodel, so this certainly couldn’t be reality.
“The name’s Minji, sweetie,” the pink haired beauty stuck out a perfectly manicured hand, “and you’ve landed yourself on our island. Possibly by mistake, but that’s quite alright.”
Yoohyeon forced out a humorless chuckle, reaching out her own hand to clasp Minji’s. Minji’s grip was firm, nothing like the limp noodle Yoohyeon had offered.
Minji’s smile never once faltered though, as she gently began to ease Yoohyeon up into a sitting position. Yoohyeon obliged.
“There you go, beautiful,” Minji murmured, her hand finding its way to Yoohyeon’s middle back, once again giving the sailor a much-needed massage with her long, lithe fingers.
Before Yoohyeon had a chance to ask anything else, such as how she got on this island, another figure stepped into her line of sight, further shielding Yoohyeon from the blistering sun.
Yoohyeon studied the person, currently just a silhouette as the sun’s beams wrapped around her. Her. From the hourglass shape and long hair that sat almost too perfectly around her shoulders, Yoohyeon could tell this second mystery person was also a woman.
And then she stepped off to the side, and her features were slowly revealed.
Yoohyeon felt her jaw drop, staring dumbstruck at the person in front of her.
If Minji was a supermodel, then this woman was a goddess.
Simply put, she was the hottest being Yoohyeon had ever laid eyes on.
Her eyes were a bright green, standing out against her pale, yet still somehow sun kissed, skin. Her hair was jet black, and much longer than Yoohyeon had first observed, coming down and tickling the bare skin of the woman’s thighs.
Instantly, Yoohyeon felt underdressed in her cargo pants and black wetsuit. Or maybe the better term was overdressed, as she was only just now noticing that both her rescuers were dressed in shorts and bikini tops.
A wet dream.
Yoohyeon let out a hushed laugh, shaking her head at herself. That had to be the reason for this – this otherwise nonsensical setting she’d found herself in.
“Well, hello stranger,” the goddess cut in, “welcome home.”
Home?
That didn’t sound right. She should be at home with Pie, her Pomeranian. And getting ready to start her second year of schooling at their beach town’s local community college.
But Yoohyeon couldn’t quite bring herself to care, simply nodding along as she allowed goddess’s outstretched hand to help her to her feet.
“What’s your name?” Minji asked, quickly popping up to a standing position as well, her hands coming to rest on Yoohyeon’s shoulder. That wide smile never left, but something about Minji made Yoohyeon feel uneasy, less at peace than the goddess did.
Yoohyeon wet her lips, glancing back and forth between the two women, until goddess cut in, repeating Minji’s earlier question.
“Yoohyeon,” this time she was quick to answer, “my name is Kim Yoohyeon.”
Yoohyeon’s gaze was locked onto goddess’s, but she didn’t miss the tiny pout that came from Minji, the other woman letting her hands fall off of Yoohyeon as she took a few steps backwards.
“Yoohyeon,” the goddess tested out the name on her lips, and something about the way each syllable sounded rolling off her tongue had Yoohyeon entranced. She couldn’t take her eyes off those full lips.
“The name’s Joohyun. And I believe you’ve already been introduced to Minji,” the goddess – Joohyun – pulled the pink haired woman into her side, wrapping her hand tightly around her waist.
Yoohyeon just nodded, letting the new information sink in.
Joohyun.
What a name. And what a woman.
“Come now, let me offer you something to drink, you look parched.”
Yoohyeon followed Joohyun’s beckoning finger, dutifully trailing the other women up the beach until they reached a beautifully crafted hut.
It looked amiss against the otherwise dull terrain. And had Yoohyeon not been so focused on Joohyun, she would have noticed how simply unnatural, almost magical the women’s home was.
All she took in though was the soft pink saucer and tea cup thrust towards her, filled to the top with a warm, lavender-scented liquid.
“It’s tea, Yoohyeon,” Joohyun elaborated, “drink.”
Yoohyeon complied, quickly lifting the liquid to her lips and sucking in a generous amount. She sputtered, quickly spitting the liquid out, letting some dribble down her chin.
“Ow. Shit. Hot,” Yoohyeon whined, her lips turning into a scowl. She glanced up at Joohyun, who looked slightly taken aback. Internally, Yoohyeon’s insides were screaming, willing her to take another sip. Anything not to disappoint her beautiful host.
And almost on autopilot, she brought the teacup back towards her mouth. She was stopped partway though, Joohyun’s raised hand and the simple command to “let it cool,” was enough for Yoohyeon to come back to her senses.
Yoohyeon stared at her cup, wondering what the fuck had gotten into her. Yes, she’d spent most of her adolescence nervous around pretty girls, but that was just idiotic.
“Babe,” Yoohyeon heard Minji whine out, “remember what we’ve discussed. You need to be more careful, more specific.”
Joohyun chuckled, her laugh sounding sweet as if it was laced with cotton candy, “you’re right, darling. I’ll be more mindful.”
The two women carried on a hushed conversation. Yoohyeon didn’t know if it was meant to exclude her, but she was so intent on studying that damned tea that she didn’t make out a word either of them said.
That was, until Joohyun called her name.
Instantly, Yoohyeon’s head snapped to attention, sending the dark-haired woman an eager smile, “yes?”
Joohyun smiled back, albeit with a little more elegance, more poise, “I was just telling Minji how quiet it’s gotten here lately, and we would love if you’d stay with us for some time.”
Yoohyeon found herself nodding, and based on Joohyun’s expression, Yoohyeon could tell she’d already expected that answer.
“Perfect, I’ll show you around,” Joohyun set down her own tea, making her way to stand. She brushed off the imaginary dust that had settled on her lap before sticking out her hand, “come.”
Yoohyeon wordlessly took her hand, following Joohyun up and out of the hut, barely giving Minji a second glance.
The next few hours were spent with Joohyun acquainting Yoohyeon with the island. She’d been shown the river, the overabundant fruit trees, a cozy looking hammock, until they found themselves back on the beach where Yoohyeon had crash landed.
“Minji has prepared dinner for us by now, and she’ll have gotten you a change of clothes,” Joohyun spoke confidently, like she had everything under control. Which, from Yoohyeon’s perspective, she clearly did. “But before we return, I know I need to wash up and I’d assume you may want to as well.”
Most definitely.
Yoohyeon hadn’t noticed until now, but she did feel a bit grimy.
Before she could say that though, Joohyun had turned on her heel, gliding through the sand and into the water – stripping herself of her clothes as she did so.
Yoohyeon was staring, that she knew, at the exposed back and ass of the beautiful woman in front of her. She quite literally couldn’t seem to take her eyes off. Until Joohyun turned, then Yoohyeon was a blushing mess, but she quickly undressed, scampering into the water until she was covered to her chin, embarrassed to show her frail body next to such a perfect specimen.
Joohyun smiled softly at her once more, conjuring up some body scrubs and shampoo from who knows where, and got to bathing.
The rest of that day and the next ten – eleven? – that followed, felt like a fever dream. Yoohyeon was simply put, weak, when it came to Joohyun. Every suggestion the goddess made seemed like the right one, which was why it was no surprise that when one night she asked Yoohyeon if she’d like to stay with them forever, all Yoohyeon formulated as a response was, “yes, please.”
Joohyun had beamed, pulling Yoohyeon into a tight embrace as she whispered, “you’ll love it here, I promise.” Minji, on the other hand, had appeared indifferent to Yoohyeon’s response, sending Yoohyeon a gentle smile but not making her way over to embrace Yoohyeon like Joohyun had.
That was probably Yoohyeon’s fault though, the sailor mused. Over their time together, Yoohyeon just hadn’t…connected…with Minji the way she had with Joohyun. The woman was gorgeous, and plenty kind, and the perfect host, and the list of superlatives continued, but there was just something extra special about Joohyun she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
So that night, when the three of them curled up in the cozy hut that was more adequately sized for two, and Joohyun requested Minji sleep in the middle instead of Joohyun herself, Yoohyeon was slightly miffed.
She didn’t want to appear rude though, not when these hosts had been nothing but welcoming, so Yoohyeon settled into Minji’s side, facing the woman – just as she had slept curled up into Joohyun’s side every night prior.
At first, Yoohyeon was a little stiff, but Minji sent her a small smile, asked her in a hushed tone if everything was alright, and when all Yoohyeon did was nod in return, Minji frowned.
The pensive expression, simply put, looked very cute on the other woman. Her brows were furrowed slightly, creating little wrinkles on her forehead.
This was the closest Yoohyeon had been to Minji, and only now was she realizing how sweet she smelled – like cherry and vanilla – and how kind-hearted her warm eyes were.
So Yoohyeon forced the stiffness out of her body, willed herself to snuggle against Minji as she would with Joohyun, and mumbled out a tiny “goodnight” against the crook of her shoulder.
She’d be lying if she said she slept well, but it wasn’t terrible. Lying next to Minji. And eventually she had found sleep, nose pressed flush into Minji’s shoulder in the middle of the night.
It was barely dawn when Minji had begun to shift in her slumber, consequently rising Yoohyeon from her own state of unconsciousness.
“Rise and shine, mi amores,” Joohyun appeared seemingly out of nowhere, carrying two trays of fresh fruits and pastries.
Yoohyeon had stopped questioning where her hosts gathered all their material belongings from, coming to the conclusion that as long as the pampering didn’t stop, she didn’t care.
Joohyun gently placed each tray on each of the other women’s laps, pausing to pull Minji in for a searing kiss.
Yoohyeon bristled, instinctually shifting her focus down to the food sat before her. The other two were very…affectionate…and didn’t seem to let Yoohyeon’s presence alter how they showed it.
The woman had picked up very early on – within forty-eight hours or so – that Minji and Joohyun were a couple. And that they were madly in love. The way Joohyun looked at Minji spoke volumes, and the smile that would coat Minji’s lips at even the mention of the dark-haired woman’s name, was also very telling.
It wasn’t necessarily off putting to Yoohyeon, but it did stir up an uncomfortable feeling, one that felt a lot like jealousy, whenever the two were too lovey-dovey in her vicinity.
“I was hoping to spend the day with Yoohyeon, darling,” Joohyun spoke up after pulling back from the kiss, giving the other woman’s nose a tiny boop as a small frown appeared on her lips, “figured I might take her fishing, teach her how to operate our boat.”
Boat.
For a moment Yoohyeon’s mind stalled, the idea of fishing, on a boat, causing the gears in her head to turn. She remembered that that’s how she’d met Joohyun in the first place, and was just now wondering why the woman hadn’t considered offering her a ride back to the main land. The question was on the tip of her tongue, but as soon as her eyes met Joohyun’s the words evaporated from her memory. Instead she found herself nodding along with Joohyun, agreeing about how nice it sounded.
Just the two of them.
The boat was tiny, barely big enough for the two women to ride in comfortably, but together they managed. Joohyun worked the oars, Yoohyeon having had to sheepishly admit that despite sailing for years her lack of coordination had always prevented her from learning how to row a boat. Joohyun had just smiled, her eyes twinkling with a fondness as she rowed them out a couple hundred feet from shore.
“Minji doesn’t like fishing,” Joohyun commented as she pulled the oars back into the boat, “prefers to gather berries and other fruits. So I’ve always been the one to catch meats.”
Yoohyeon nodded, simply watching as Joohyun cast the fishing net off to the side of their boat, letting the knotted rope sink underneath the surface before swiftly pulling it back in – carrying a few fish with it.
“I do hope that you’re willing to learn. Minji – we – could really use an extra pair of hands working as a hunter.”
“Of course,” Yoohyeon agreed instantaneously, reaching out to assist Joohyun with the removal of the fish, dropping them one-by-one into the bucket they’d brought along.
The two women’s knees knocked against one another, Yoohyeon’s lanky figure proving to be quite cumbersome to maneuver in such a cramped space. Yoohyeon’s whole body erupted in goose bumps, which was a recurring theme the woman had noticed occurred whenever the two touched. Joohyun just smirked, not deterred from the task at hand.
Neither woman commented on it, and if Yoohyeon hadn’t seen Joohyun’s expression, Yoohyeon would have thought she’d imagined the entire encounter.
It took a couple more casts of the net for their bucket to be filled, as well as for Yoohyeon’s erratic breathing from the casual touch to even out, and then they were headed back to shore.
“You know,” Joohyun began, oars cutting through the waves seamlessly as she sent Yoohyeon a pointed look, “I do hope you meant it when you said you’d stay with us forever…”
Yoohyeon’s brows rose, having forgotten about that commitment, and now, on the open water, it was feeling a little scarier. But before she even realized it, she was agreeing with Joohyun’s request, assuring her she’d love nothing more.
“I just think you’ll bring the two of us a lot of happiness. And sometimes Minji gets lonely, she could really use your companionship.”
Minji.
How easy it was for Yoohyeon to forget the other woman’s existence. Joohyun made Yoohyeon feel so special, so cared for. Then again, Yoohyeon would be lying if she said she didn’t make Minji feel the exact same way.
But Minji gets to kiss her.
A bitter voice in her head rang out, calling attention to the ugly green monster living within.
“Yoohyeon?” Joohyun’s voice cut through the jealousy, sending Yoohyeon’s eyes to snap in her direction, “Minji will treat you well. I can assure you that.”
Yoohyeon just nodded along, not too sure what Joohyun had noticed to make her offer that type of reassurance. Either way, Yoohyeon and Joohyun seemed content, letting the subject drop as Joohyun rowed them back to the shore in silence.
Upon arriving, Minji greeted Joohyun with a beaming smile, leaning forward to give her a light peck on the cheek. She then turned towards Yoohyeon, giving their third wheel a sheepish smile.
“Oh, look at all those fish!” Minji redirected everyone’s’ attention to the bucket Yoohyeon had lugged up the beach. “Here, give me them and I can clean and prepare some for dinner tonight.”
“That’d be lovely, Minji,” Joohyun beamed, assisting with the transfer of the bucket from Yoohyeon to Minji’s hold. “Yoohyeon and I will go clean ourselves up and help with setting the table.”
“Perfect,” Minji agreed, disappearing with the fish into the little hut Yoohyeon was beginning to classify as home.
A notion that should terrify her, but with Joohyun’s arm around her shoulders, leading her down the beach to the open waters, she felt content, serene.
Several more days passed in a similar manner, both Yoohyeon and Minji glommed onto Joohyun with the intent of the woman’s full attention and affection. However, Minji and Yoohyeon had started to bond more. It was a small change, barely noticeable, but Yoohyeon was starting to feel comfortable around the pink-haired woman, too.
It was midafternoon and Yoohyeon found herself alone for one of the first times since landing on the beach. She’d offered to go gather some fruits and with Joohyun’s detailed directions and the promise that all wildlife on the island were harmless, she was off. Yoohyeon had managed to almost fill her bag full of different produce – ranging from pineapples and oranges and grapes and more exotic berries Joohyun had introduced her to.
It was strange, and Yoohyeon wouldn’t claim to be an expert on the matter, but the fact that all these different foods seemed to be in surplus on the island felt unnatural. She’d thought some of the things she gathered originated in other climates, or on other continents, but maybe she’d dozed off in one too many of her geography classes.
Before long, her burlap sack was overflowing, and she’d decided to call the search quits. This should be enough fruit to last the three of them a week or so. Maybe she’d get to go scavenging with Joohyun the next time…
Yoohyeon felt her heart flutter at the thought, and she made her way out of the forest and back to their hut with an ear-splitting grin on her face. It was quiet, too quiet, as she came to realize neither Minji or Joohyun were indoors. She set the bag down next to the fresh fish they’d caught the evening prior and headed back out, intent on finding one of her companions. Preferably the dark haired woman that occupied most of her thoughts.
She meandered down the beach, thinking maybe they had snuck off for a swim in the ocean. Yoohyeon had learned swimming was one of Minji’s favorite activities – and Joohyun definitely indulged her lover. The sun was blistering, and Yoohyeon shaded her eyes with her wrist, scanning the water and finding it empty. She shifted her attention to the beach, and could just make out two tiny specks in the far-off distance.
Another small smile appeared on her face as she began her trek towards the other women. As she got closer, though, something felt off. Maybe she was just imagining things, but Yoohyeon felt different, tenser all of a sudden.
It wasn’t until she was ten or fifteen feet from the two that she noticed Minji’s posture, curled over Joohyun and shoulders trembling, that Yoohyeon knew for sure her instincts had been correct.
“Minji?” Yoohyeon called out, standing frozen as she waited with bated breath for Minji to look her way.
And when she did, Yoohyeon was met with a tear stricken face, Minji’s mascara covering her cheeks as she let out another loud sob.
“Sh-she’s dead.”
And Yoohyeon’s world came crashing down.