Kyungmin rolls his eyes. âYou know, things tend to pack more of a punch when theyâve never been done beforeâŚâ And besides, Yujae had the chaste damsel act already in the bag (hell of a ruse, for what it was worth); heâd take to a simple oppa like a fish in water. âI have total faith in you,â Kyungmin reassures him. âYouâd kill it. Murder me dead. Itâs not like Iâm going to find someone whoâd have any reason to call me oppa like that, anyway.â
He pouts, indignant. âIâm not being mean,â and he promptly places his thumb at the base of Yujaeâs nipple; together with his index finger, Kyungmin gives it an unsympathetic twist and yank. That was mean. Yujaeâs fault for climbing on top of him half-naked and totally unprompted. The pout on his face lifts. âThatâs what I said, though? That Iâd be impressed by you either way: stackedâŚâ and here, Kyungmin pokes Yujaeâs right nipple (call him a man of equal opportunity), âor not.â
With the way Yujaeâs chin has earned an extra fold since the last Kyungmin saw him, not appears to be the correct answer. More to love, Kyungmin thinks with some scientific fondness. And while the temptation to spend the next hour or so on this sofa curled into Yujaeâs brand new set of curves with feet entangled is terribly difficult to resist, Kyungmin wills his rationale to speak some sense into both of them. âIf we nap now, we wonât sleep laterâŚâ He says, but the words emerge softer and a little sultrier than heâd bargained for what with Yujaeâs lips over his adamâs apple, pressure of his tongue following the way it bobs down as Yujae gathers his thoughts and gulps. âDinner,â whatever dinner means, âcan wait.â His mind skids back on track. âWeâve only got one night here, the beach comes first.â He lets Yujae drag him out the door, making sure to pick up his Goethe before locking up.
The trail to the water is cluttered with small, fallen branches, empty plastic bottles, and branded coffee cup holders. Vacationersâ negligence. Kyungmin holds Yujae firm by the wrist as they navigate their way past treacherous litter and firmer yet when he nearly loses his footing on a loose rock. Good, reliable Yujae, his bare arms are practically cushions for Kyungminâs spindly claws. Eventually the path opens to the sound of a roaring ocean and the sight of the endless water, framed by white sand and a copper-tinged sky.
A few other stragglers fill the picture: an elderly couple equipped in full bodysuits and tinted goggles, and three middle school-aged girls blasting music from tinny phone speakers.Â
Kyungmin is mindful. Before their feet can hit the sand, heâs released his grip on Yujaeâs wrist and strides several paces ahead. Doesnât look back. Directs his vision to his book instead and with nose deep in its gutters he flips through the pages until the moment heâs located both the correct page number as well as a dry spot in the sand, whereupon he plops down to wiggle himself a seat.
âoh, wow youâre really gunning for it.â itâs not that he minds. yujae hardly minds anything kyungmin asks of him anyway. but thereâs no fun in just giving in. no fun in that at all. âthanks, âppreciate it.â he snorts. âiâll make sure to save it for a special occasion then, maybe when youâre least expecting it...â maybe after he practices a bit in front of a mirror so itâs not as odd as it plays out in his head as well.
he winces at the twist, lips parted for a small sharp âah!â that comes accompanied with his hand slapping kyungminâs away. âarenât you practically a bully by now?â he rubs his chest idly, eyes narrowing while the other speaks. âoh, because more for you to abuse right?â his tone is sulky, swatting away kyungminâs other roaming hand. had they not been on somewhat of a schedule (he remembers only vague details, swimming, a restaurant they talked about trying), he wouldâve asked for him right his wrongs and kiss it better.
âitâs not like we plan on sleeping anyway.â that much has to be obvious. but yujae doesnât press further. whatever they do would be completely fine as long as they did it together, heâs never been picky in regards to things like that.
the walk to the beach is quick, well within a manageable distance from the cottage and yujae is quick to make up for time loss with steps forward toward the welcoming waves. swinging arms brushing against kyungminâs shoulder in passing in a burst toward the water. itâs cold, heâll find as soon as his toes graze the sea, bringing forth a spill of joy bubbling past his lips. he braves a couple more steps in before turning to face shore, waving at the small figure in the sand.Â
âkyungmin-ah!â thereâs no expectations, no particular invitation or request to join. if anything, yujae wanted nothing more than attention. smile split evenly across his face his body buzzes with adrenaline, waits patiently for the needed acknowledgement (needy, needy, eom yujae) before he moves on.
admittedly, itâs a lonely function. only losers swim in the ocean alone. or something like that. yujae doesnât particularly mind, much more taken with a fascination that settles with any step forward, every wave that knocks against his abdomen. he continues as far as his legs will take him, enjoys the ease of moving with the ocean, before he turns to swim back to shore. makes his way back minutes (give or take a handful more to just float about) later; soaked from head to toe.
by then, the beach is mostly deserted (from what limited yujae could spot, seeing as his attention laid mostly with his partner perched on the sand) and he doesnât hesitate to plop down beside him, entirely too close. âiâm baaaack,â his chin finds kyungminâs shoulder, tucked in all too comfortably. the air between them is humid, reeks of salt, wind and residual tones of kyungminâs and hisâ cologne. âdid you miss me?â he grins. âand did you see how far i swam out or were you too busy reading?âÂ