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‘Roommate,’ Jinyoung’s distinctive voice comes from behind. Jaebeom sighs, laughs and shakes his head, to hide the fact that he may be getting a little fond of this.
Before he can turn this time, an arm slings around his shoulder and Jinyoung’s cheek grazes his, with his usual endearing unawareness of personal space. Jaebeom feels his cheeks scrunching up in a smile, so instinctive he doesn’t even realise how big it must be until the girl he just helped out with her pool noodle stares. A light blush pinkens her face.
‘Flirting again?’ Jinyoung grins too, his eyes on her even as he addresses Jaebeom when he’s the one blatantly doing so. The girl’s gaze shifts to him and Jaebeom jabs his elbow into Jinyoung’s ribs. Jinyoung’s fingernails dig into the bare skin of his collarbone, and Jaebeom wishes he had a shirt on.
After he apologises to the girl for Jinyoung’s rudeness and bows in response to her profuse thanks, they’re finally alone. Jinyoung undrapes his arm from around Jaebeom’s neck and crosses the sand to Jaebeom’s lifeguard tower, starting to climb up with his lithe grace.
‘C’mon, hyung,’ Jinyoung calls when he’s halfway, jerking his head with a petulant frown. ‘I’ve got snacks.’
He empties his pockets once they’re squeezed into the seat under the umbrella, Jaebeom trying not to look down and think of how they’ll land if the tower collapses under their combined weight.
Jinyoung unwraps a chocopie, handing it over. He even brought a mini Calpis.
‘You’re getting a sunburn.’ He studies Jaebeom’s shoulders critically as he’s eating. Jaebeom coughs a little on his mouthful, having the urge to cover up again.
‘Really?’
‘I can help you rub on some sunscreen, if you like.’ Jinyoung’s coy smile is back again.
Jaebeom stutters. ’It’s okay, I don’t have it here anyway.’
‘You don’t have sunblock?’ Jinyoung pouts, looking over the sundry in the bag hanging from the corner of their seat.
‘Nope.’ For some reason Jaebeom suddenly wishes he did.
Jinyoung hums and unpredictably—like most of his actions—starts clambering down the ladder.
‘Sorry for bothering you, hyung.’ He waves up once he’s on the ground. ‘See you back at the dorm.’
Jaebeom grunts, the words sticking to his tongue. I’m glad you dropped by.
‘Don’t work too hard,’ he comes up with lamely instead. By this time Jinyoung is ten paces away but Jaebeom can still hear his laugh. It’s a sound rarely heard, but always surprisingly pretty. Jinyoung waves his arm without turning back. Jaebeom watches his lanky figure, buff but narrow shoulders until it shrinks into the distance. Jinyoung’s uniform smelled like onion rings and fries, an aroma that on any other person might have been less fragrant. Jaebeom wishes, not for the first time, that when Mark hyung had offered to switch jobs with him for the summer, he’d accepted. Then he’d be able to lighten Jinyoung’s workload in the diner now.
Still—these humid summer nights are theirs, and theirs alone. It’s strange—the twinge of pride and possession Jaebeom feels, because they’re usually so tired from work at the end of the day they don’t really talk before turning in.
But sometimes Jinyoung rolls on his side to face him and Jaebeom catches the glimmer of his eyes across the space between their beds, the room encroached in darkness and quiet.
‘Good night, roomie.’ That’s sometimes the last words Jaebeom hears before drifting off. Jinyoung’s mellow voice is as good a lullaby as any song.
The rest of his afternoon is pretty uneventful. Jaebeom gets so bored he even teaches a couple of kids basic breaststroke. He feels relief and a slight building excitement when Jackson approaches to take over the evening shift.
Jinyoung is already in the big kitchen, sitting at the table where they all eat when Jaebeom returns to the dormitory. It’s a two-storey beachfront villa, rustic and homely. They stayed here last summer too, the summer Jaebeom and Jinyoung first met. They weren’t roommates, then. They’ve drawn a lot closer, just from rooming together, in the most natural way. Jinyoung is the kind of delicate Jaebeom doesn’t have much experience with, that he at times doesn’t know how to handle, but inspires an odd protectiveness within him.
He recalls the final day of last summer, when Jaebeom had woken up for a drink of water and found Jinyoung sitting on the front porch at midnight with damp lashes.
Jinyoung—confident, sassy Park Jinyoung—had confided in him that he would miss this house and their ragtag group of friends who worked various holiday jobs in this sleepy beachside town.
Not knowing what to say to comfort him, Jaebeom had blurted out then, ‘Want to room with hyung next year?’
He still remembers Jinyoung’s surprised expression, his tremulous smile that had made Jaebeom feel an urge to hug him.
He’d smiled back instead, Jinyoung’s eyes lowering to his lips.
‘Thanks hyung, I’ll look forward to that.’ Jinyoung seemed more cheerful the next day when they all said goodbye.
When they met again this hot season, almost a full year had passed and Jinyoung looked taller and more mature. His voice seemed deeper than Jaebeom’s memory, though that was quite impossible.
This time, Jinyoung was the one who flung himself into Jaebeom’s arms with a hug that almost knocked him off his feet.
‘I missed you.’ Jinyoung’s breathless whisper made Jaebeom stupidly happy for a few hours until he caught Jinyoung saying the same phrase to Yugyeom—albeit without the hug.
Jaebeom clears his throat now, after five minutes of standing in the doorway without being noticed. Mark is feeding Jinyoung some chilli he made, and Jinyoung’s eyes are wide as he sings praise.
Mark puts down the second spoonful he was about to fly into Jinyoung’s mouth and turns around. ‘Oh it’s you, Jaebeomie. How was your day?’
‘Good,’ Jaebeom smiles. He steals the spoonful of food while taking Jinyoung’s elbow.
‘Dude, let’s go back to our room. I need your help with something.’
Jinyoung reaches into his pocket again when they arrive and Jaebeom switches on the electric fan. Jaebeom peers at the small tube he extends.
‘It’s sunscreen. I bought it from the convenience store.’
‘For me? Whoa, thanks.’
Jinyoung smiles and drops onto his bed. ‘Do you want me to put it on for you?’
Jaebeom’s wearing a shirt now, but Jinyoung’s laughing eyes on his shoulders and abs make him wish—think he isn’t.
‘Haha, no.’ Jaebeom knows Jinyoung flirts for sport by now, for shits and giggles, but on occasion it still unnerves him.
‘What did you need my help with?’
Jaebeom flounders under Jinyoung’s expectant look for a moment before he grabs the skateboard at the corner of their room.
‘Uh, one of the wheels is loose.’
Jaebeom’s heart kind of melts a little at how earnestly Jinyoung tries to fix it for him. He succeeds in the end, to both their surprise.
Jinyoung tries to hide his and smirks. ‘I’m smarter than you think, huh?’
Jaebeom smiles and makes a noise of agreement. Ruffles his soft hair. Mark’s voice floats down the hall calling them for dinner.
At 10 pm they wait on the front porch swing for Jackson and the other guys who have late shifts to come home.
Home? The word only throws Jaebeom momentarily. Then he realises that yeah—this is home, kinda. This creaking rusty swing and the ramshackle house it’s in, filled with warmth and their friends and Jinyoung’s presence.
Jinyoung wiggles his toes in his flip flops, dusted with grains of sand. His denim cutoffs are faded and frayed, looking comfortable like only threadbare clothes can be, like Jinyoung himself. Jaebeom thinks of cracking a joke about racing down to the waves and skinny dipping, because every time he cracks one Jinyoung stares in wide-eyed wonder and giggles for minutes—but for some reason his senses are suddenly overwhelmed and saturated with their nearness.
‘Jaebeom hyung.’ Jinyoung is squinting at the far off tide. ‘Do you think we’ll have time to meet outside of summer?’
‘After this?’ Jaebeom asks with a confused blink.
Jinyoung nods and bites his lip.
‘Well… sure. If you wanted—I’d be happy to.’ Jaebeom’s heart seems to have risen into his throat.
The air is suspended between them for heartbeats before Jinyoung breaks into a grin. His smile is like the sun, Jaebeom thinks.
‘Why?’ he says after another few moments.
Jinyoung finally looks at him. His eyes gleam like precious stones in the moonlight, hair tousled with chlorine and the salty breeze. Jaebeom takes a deep breath of the sea air before reaching across the space between them and gently brushing Jinyoung’s bangs out of his eyes. They follow Jaebeom’s hand as it withdraws.
‘Why?’ Jinyoung repeats. Jaebeom registers the depth of his voice again.
He nods, swallowing.
Jinyoung laughs, sweet and tinkling in the cool night.
‘You’re a little dense, hyungie.’ Catching him off guard—like almost everything Jinyoung does, really—he’s leaning over Jaebeom in one smooth move and bracing his palm on the back of the swing beside Jaebeom.
Jinyoung’s eyes only ask permission for one second, a touch nervous, searching Jaebeom’s. Jinyoung’s eyes suck him in like whirlpools. His lips are cherry pink and soft-looking, that summer sweetheart smile hovering a breath away from Jaebeom’s.
Jaebeom closes his fingers over the nape of Jinyoung’s neck, along with the little distance left between them.