Chapter Text
The sun beats down on Sieun’s bare legs, while the warm sand of the beach hugs him close. A salt-heavy breeze tickles his hair and drinks up the sweat trickling down his neck. Bright laughter fills his ears as his friends mess around in the ocean waves.
It’s the perfect summer day.
They’ve had plenty of days like this over the past few years. Sieun’s always loved them, even when the sun’s too bright and burns his skin. He loves the simplicity, the repetition, the fact that they always do the same thing—eat spicy ramen and hotteok from the stalls on the boardwalk, play around with a frisbee or dunk each other in the water, then collapse on the sand when they’re too tired to move.
It’s the same today, too. A stomach full of food, muscles tired from running around, a sunburn. Well, it’s almost the same—
“Suho-yah!” A voice rises above the sound of the ocean. Suho, floating on his back on the water, lifts his head to look around. Sieun watches as a young man—tall, strikingly handsome—emerges behind him, pushing down on his shoulders, dragging him under.
A few seconds later, Suho bursts out of the water, spluttering and pawing at his face. The man laughs, all mischief and white teeth. Regaining his balance, Suho chases after him, but he’s laughing too, intermittent with threats and curses. Yeongyi’s treading water, watching and egging them on.
Suho catches up with the man—who purposefully slows down, Sieun suspects—and jumps on him. He twists to push him off, and now they’re both dragging and dunking each other under the water. Wet hair, golden skin on skin, laughter melding into one another.
For some reason, the laughter grates at Sieun’s nerves, like nails on a chalkboard. He spreads his palm on the sand, digging his fingers in hard, until the sand burrows into his fingernails. Even though he always hates when that happens. It always takes so long to clean and extract the tiny granules out.
“Sieunnie!” It’s Yeongyi, flopping down on the blanket laid out beside him, water dripping onto him. He starts—when did she come out the water? “Aren’t you done resting? Go play in the water!”
“In a bit,” he says, absentmindedly, as he watches the man dragging Suho out onto the beach, where they both collapse, breathing heavy.
Beside Sieun, Yeongyi sits up. “Can’t believe Suho’s made a new friend,” She reaches over to grab a leechee from the bowl perched on the blanket.
Sieun stiffens, then nods.
"Junho, I mean," Yeongyi gestures at the man lying next to Suho.
"I know who you meant," Sieun mutters.
“It’s good for him,” Yeongyi peels the leechee, throwing the rough peel back in the bowl. “He looks happy.”
Sieun watches Suho run a hand through his wet hair, smiling big and loud, the sunlight embracing him in a protective glow. He notices Sieun watching, and waves, arm winging over his head, smiling even bigger, brighter. Sieun smiles and waves back, but the curve of his lips flattens sooner than he wants it to.
Yeongyi’s right. Ever since Suho woke up, ever since everything that happened with Beomseok, he’s had his walls built up so high. This is the first time he’s let them down enough to make a new friend.
Sieun should be happy for him. To see him so unguarded around someone that’s not him or Yeongyi. Suho deserves this, after everything he’s been through.
He watches water droplets trail down Suho’s back, down muscles hard-won from endless sessions of physiotherapy. He watches Junho watching Suho, his eyes tracing over his arms and bare chest. He wonders if he’s only imagining—or projecting—the heated admiration behind them.
Something tightens in his throat, and he looks away. Suho deserves this too—someone who sees him, admires him.
“Yeah,” Sieun says. “He’s good for him. I’m glad.”
Yeongyi glances at him for a second, eyebrows raised slightly, before looking away.
Sieun gets the sense she doesn’t quite believe him.