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when lee uk brings home five vouchers for a free stay at a tropical island resort, the lee family immediately dismisses it.
it was supposedly a congratulatory gift from one of their neighbours for the re-opening of the salon, but the lee family knew it was more of a sneaky attempt at getting back into their good graces after participating in the gossip and bad-mouthing a few months ago. it was a bribe, and a terrible one at that.
“is this a mockery? a joke? it’s not as if our relations with mokha are a secret,” chaeho scoffs out loud at the dinner table. “and everyone knows her story!”
kiho chuckles lowly, shaking his head. “sensitivity isn’t exactly song kangjoon-ssi’s specialty.”
not many words need to be exchanged; mokha would probably not be comfortable going to an island so similar to the one she was stranded on, and if mokha does not go, neither will they.
the vouchers are never brought up again. they laid forgotten on the salon counter where they were carelessly left by lee uk, until one day when mokha discovers them while wiping down the salon counter.
“what’s this? vouchers for a free tropical resort stay?” mokha curiously remarks as she inspects the she slips of paper. she gasps. “hey, these are expiring soon!”
she glances around frantically at the lee family, who are moving around and about the salon, doing their usual chores. “are you not going to go? you should hurry up and use these before they go to waste!”
jaekyung waves her hand dismissively with a forlorn sigh. “how could we go, mokha-ya? the salon just reopened and we lost months of income. it’s time for us to work hard.”
when mokha looks away, jaekyung discretely shoots lee uk a glare, and he grimaces apologetically.
a small pout rests on mokha’s lips.
“it’s only for one night,” she protests. “all of you have been through so much, so this is a well deserved reward! plus, wouldn’t it be wonderful to go on your first trip as a proper family?”
without even looking up from the hair rollers he was organising, chaeho chimes in.
“the resort doesn’t look very appealing. too much sand and sun. it’s not really my style,” he says with an exaggerated head shake.
mokha frowns confusedly. “really? i recall you mentioning to me a while back that you wanted to go to hawaii.”
“that was a while ago,” he counters without missing a beat. “i’ve changed and grown since then. do our preferences not evolve over time?”
though still not entirely convinced, mokha slowly nods her head. “yeah, i guess…”
she stares hard at the five vouchers in her hand, particularly at the image of a sandy beach and tropical landscape. a thought crosses her mind.
“is it because of me?”
the shift in air does not go unnoticed by mokha. she sees the way the lee family momentarily stiffen, and the reason for why the lee family seem reluctant to use the vouchers quickly becomes clear to her.
she sucks in a breath. “what if i said i wanted to go?”
“mokha-ya,” kiho immediately interjects, eyes full of concern.
she simply shrugs, attempting a reassuring smile. “it’s almost been a year since i was rescued, and it’s not as if the thought of an island has ever scared me.”
she looks around pleadingly at the lee family. “please? let’s go, it will be fun!”
the lee family glance at each other. seeing mokha’s hopeful demeanour, they feel themselves being swayed.
less than a minute later, jaekyung gives in, and mokha cheers.
that night after dinner, kiho goes up to the rooftop to find mokha freely strumming on her guitar as she loves to do. he slides onto the bench and snakes his arms around her waist. instinctively, she leans into his warmth.
“is this for a new song?” he asks.
mokha hums. “maybe? i’m not sure yet, but this melody has been floating around in my head for a while.”
they fall into a comfortable silence, relaxing to the sound of mokha’s guitar.
when she eventually puts down her guitar, they continue to simply bathe in each other’s presence, listening to nothing but the sound of their heartbeats.
but the quietness soon comes to an end, when mokha finally addresses the concern she knows is rolling about in kiho’s mind.
“kiho-ya.”
“hm?”
“whenever i think about the island i was stranded on, i don’t feel fear.”
kiho nods, listening intently to every word she says.
“when i was still stranded, it’s true that i did curse at the island. things like ‘why did i end up there’, ‘why could no one find the island’, ‘i just want to leave’, would come out of my mouth whenever i cried. but now, i actually feel somewhat grateful for it. i’m thankful that i had ended up alive on that island, i’m thankful that it had potatoes and that i could fish. i’m grateful, because some nights i wonder…what if i hadn’t made it to that island? what if i had drowned and died at sea?”
she feels the hold on her waist tighten.
“thinking about it, it was sheer luck that i made it to the island alive. so no matter what, i can’t hate it. because if it wasn’t for the island giving me a chance at survival, i wouldn’t be here with you, with everyone.”
kiho shakes his head. “that doesn’t make whatever you went through okay, mokha.”
mokha swallows hard, slowly nodding. “i know, but i don’t know how else to rationalise it. if those fearful experiences ever overcome me, i think i would just break.”
she feels kiho shift behind her, as he moves to rest his forehead on her shoulder. “that’s fine. if that ever happens, it’s fine. because i’ll be there.”
mokha smiles to herself.
that’s right. the scariest part was not the island itself. the scariest part was being all alone, and forced to be strong all by herself.
and now, she thinks as she rests against her beloved, she no longer has to feel that way.
“seo mokha! how’s your room?” chaeho exclaims as he walks through the open door of mokha’s assigned hotel room, where kiho was helping to move her things in.
mokha looks around the spacious room, nodding in approval. “it looks good!“
she throws herself onto the bed, relishing in the softness of the bedsheets. “the bed is really comfy too.”
grinning, she turns her head to look at the two brothers. “aren’t you glad we decided to come here?”
they cannot help but smile in agreement.
glancing out the sprawling room windows, chaeho lets out an impressed gasp. “amazing, your view is so much better than mine.”
interest piqued, mokha sits up on the bed to take a look at the scenery outside the windows right across from her bed. “really? do we not all have the same view?”
“your room is a corner unit, so it’s the only one facing the beach,” kiho explains.
“oh, i see,” she murmurs almost absentmindedly. her eyes remain trained on the ocean view before her, almost in a trance. the sight of the sparkling deep blue sea, gently meeting the sandy-white shore, is a gorgeous one to behold, but it is not what holds her attention. it is the sight of another island sitting distantly on the ocean horizon, almost shadowy in its silhouette.
“what island is that?”
the brothers turn to see what she is looking at.
“i believe that’s the sister island of the one we’re on right now. though i don’t think it is used for anything but fishing. it has less waterfalls, apparently,” chaeho answers.
mokha stays quiet, simply nodding in response, and the brothers notice the distant look in her eyes.
chaeho and kiho glance at each other, eyes communicating. kiho gives a small nod, providing all the reassurance chaeho needs.
chaeho clears his throat. “i’ll go unpack my things now,” he announces and turns on his heels towards the door, leaving kiho and mokha alone in the room.
“mokha-ya,” kiho gently calls out. “are you comfortable here? we can switch rooms if you would like.”
when his question registers in her head, mokha blinks and snaps her head towards him. she hastily stands up and says, “oh, no it’s alright. i’m comfortable here.”
she sheepishly gestures to the scenery. “seeing that island just made me think ‘wow, i can’t believe i actually survived on an island like that for fifteen years’.”
“i don’t mean to brag but aren’t i a pretty amazing human being?” she says with a bright expression and a pat to her own shoulder.
it makes kiho melt into a fond smile, just seeing her vigor. he chuckles and rolls his eyes teasingly. “did you only realise it just now?”
she shrugs exaggeratedly and they laugh.
kiho reaches out to mokha, taking her hand and placing a spare key-card in it.
“if anything happens tonight, i’m only next door.”
mokha beams back at him, reaching into her pocket to pull out her own spare key-card for him.
“i know, you’re a light sleeper, after all.”
it starts with just the sound of raindrops lightly tapping on the window. a regular, steady beat that almost lulls mokha to sleep.
it slowly grows louder and louder, and mokha slips further and further beneath the covers, telling herself that the rain will pass, the rain will pass. and then—
—bang!
a flash of white light is followed by an explosion of noise: the deafening rumble of thunder, the sound of something slamming open, and the horrifying sharp whistle of wind.
mokha leaps up from under her covers, immediately pressing her back against the bed frame, knees curled up to beneath her chin and hands shoved against her ears. her terrified eyes land on the windows across her bed, now thrown wide open by the forces of the wind. the curtains are flying wildly in the air, whipping all around the window panes that swing back and forth on the hinge and slam against the frame.
but the chaos is the least of her fears, when beyond the window, out on the ocean, sits an island in its pure-black silhouette, surrounded by swirling grey clouds that she knows will attack anytime soon.
desperate sobs escape her lips the longer she stares, but she cannot look away. because she knows that it’s coming.
“ki-kiho,” she tries to call out in terror, but her voice only comes out as a feeble whisper.
she knows she has to do something. she has to close the window. she has to find kiho. even if she is scared, she cannot give up. she has to go to kiho. he will protect her, she knows he will.
but as she stretches out her legs, clammy hands gripping the sheets as she attempts to move off the bed, another crackling whip of thunder erupts and she cries out, scrambling back onto the bed.
suddenly, mokha finds herself back on the island, trapped in a rickety shelter with nowhere else to go. her cries are drowned out by the angry roars of thunder, yelling and cursing at her. so she presses her hands harder against her ears, trying to block out sound of the violent rain banging against her shoddy walls, demanding to be let in.
piece by piece, her defenses are destroyed, torn and flung apart, leaving her vulnerable and exposed to the whips of cold air and pelts of rain that beat down on her.
she can only cower in a corner, sobbing and praying that the storm will eventually go away—
that he will go away.
please, please, go away.
and then, they do.
at first, she notices neither the quieting of the rain, nor the gentle closure of her window. she only notices it when a familiar warmth wraps around her trembling self, and she is pulled into the arms of the man who promised to take her away to safety.
he carries her into his room, and lays her on his bed, tucking her beneath the covers before sliding in next to her. they find each other with ease.
mokha buries her face in his chest, hands clinging to his sweater. all she can smell is his comforting scent, and all she can feel is his warmth. it is warm like the shoes he placed on her feet, as warm as the raincoat he draped on her many years ago.
letting out a shaky breath full of relief, she finally closes her eyes. she moves closer towards her comfort, her home.
beside her, kiho thinks about the way he had found her in her room, hugging herself desperately. he runs his thumb across her tear-stained cheeks, wondering for how many nights, did she have to endure thunderstorms all by herself? so he holds her closely, rubbing circles into her back until he feels her calm down. He whispers all the promises he has into the hair that he strokes.
he swears that nothing will hurt her, and that she will never, ever, be alone again.
that night, mokha falls asleep to the sound of kiho’s heartbeat.
she is safe and sound.