Sand. (1/1)

Key’s POV“Hi Key,”I turned. “Hi hyung,”“Where’d you go?”“Oh, just outside, strolling alone. Sniffing some air. You?”“I was with HyunMi,”I almost dropped the card-key of our room. “You were with what?” I choked on my own saliva.“Not what; who. I was with HyunMi.” Kikwang-hyung answered while laughing.“Oh,” I sniffed with disdain. “No wonder why I haven’t seen her after dinner.” I couldn’t hide the annoyance in my voice. “What did you do?”“We were on the beach and talked.”“About?”“You.” He laughed.We climbed up the stairs that led to the floor of our rooms. We didn’t ride the elevator to prolong the conversation.“Key,”“Ne?”“Do you think HyunMi likes Dongwoon?”I rolled my eyes. “Well, duh. Of course she does. That terrible flirt,”“And what do you think about it?”“Why does hyung want to know?” I retorted, irritated. I sounded rude, but when I looked at his face it was an expression of amusement on it.“I just do.”“I ignore them.” was my brief answer.“Really?”“Yeah. HyunMi spends a lot of time with him,”“More than she does with you?”I looked up, and shook my head. “No way. HyunMi’s my partner. That’s something I score more at,” I mumbled the last sentence.We stopped in front of his door. “Oh, we’re here,” he announced, like it wasn’t obvious. “I’ll be going in now. See you tomorrow,”“Okay, hyung,” I started to march away, but he called—“Oh, Key?”“Yeah?”“Put your best foot forward; may the best man win!” he rooted, and then disappeared. I stared at the closed door blankly. At first I didn’t think of it as this, but now did I just confirm what this is I have been feeling towards Dongwoon for a time now.I shrugged. “A competition it is, then.” And turned my back and walked. The next day/HyunMi’s POV I looked at the attractive shape beside my foot on the sand. Stooping down, I confirmed what it was.“Oppa, look, it’s a starfish.” I picked it up and showed Changmin-oppa.“Cool,” he said and got it from my hand. “Wait. Are you sure this is still alive?”“I don’t know.”He put the starfish at the back of his hand. “Oh, yeah. It still is,”“How’d you know?”“Simple common sense.”“I don’t have one.”“You irrational little—“ he gave me a noogie, and laughed.“Ow,” I rubbed my head. After fixing my hair I looked at the shore which was seen from a distance and the familiar people walking to and fro across it. “Oppa…”“Yeah?”My eyes concentrated on Kibum’s obvious figure. His blonde hair was seen from afar. I saw that he was carrying something, a plate to be exact, and gave it to a girl which was probably Ji Yeon. He said something which made her throw backwards her head, must be in laughter. Oh, what fun they were having on the shore, and here I am, stuck with this guy.“Hey,” a finger was snapped in front of my face.“I…yeah?” I blinked.“You were calling me.”“Oh,” I rubbed my nose. “What time is dinner?”“Later, probably around 8. Just after this we’ll go back to the shore.” He got another white pebble. After a while, again, “Oppa…”“Yes?”For some unknown reason I found myself feeling down. Very down. Since last night I have been finding myself spending the hours pondering. I think what I’m feeling is synonymous to confusion.“HyunMi-ya, what’s wrong?”“I…don’t know…” I shook my head. “Come on; let’s go back to the shore. It’s already sunset.” It was 6:30 when the sun set and a mix of orange, yellow, violet, and blue were seen on the horizon. It was a lovely view. All of us sat on the shore watching it. “Lovely,” Nicole-unni clasped her hands together.“Oooh, nice~” Kikwang-oppa complimented.I just sighed.“What’s wrong?” Kikwang-oppa noticed my dull aura.I responded with a shake of the head. “Nothing,” I mumbled almost incoherently.“Confused?” he guessed.I turned with wide eyes. “H-h…how did you know?”“Aha, got you,” he chuckled.“W-wha…?”“HyunMi-ssi, have I ever told you how adorable you are? Especially when you’re frowning,” he said with matching pinching of my cheeks and thrusting his thick lips forward. I’m freaking serious, it may be rude to say this, but Kikwang-oppa has very thick lips. I don’t mention that in front of him, though, I just think that, at least, mentally, I am avenging myself on him.“Wow, thank you,” I replied with a hint of sarcasm.“Looking for someone? I can call him if you want,” he stated in a matter-of-fact voice.“Ah, no… He’s busy making barbecue with Ji Yeon,”Kikwang-oppa turned his head to the direction where the grill was and raised a brow. He snapped his head back to face me. “I meant Dongwoon, not Key,”I covered my mouth.“Ooooooh I see what you did there, HyunMi-ssi…Tell you what, I’ll share to you something,”“What?”“My hyungs want to see you.”“Namely?”“Doojoon-hyung. Hyunseung-hyung.  And the rest. They’ve been hearing stories about you, you know. They want to see the girl maknae puts his interest on.”For a moment I felt my heart literally skipping a beat, and I choked on my own saliva.“Easy, easyyy…for a moment I thought you were gonna pass out, you had me worried there,” oppa said while patting my back.I sucked in a very huge amount of air. “Okay, okay. Stop right there. Okay, stop patting—hey I said stop patting!” I coughed once. “Did I hear correctly what you said?”“I said my hyungs want to see the girl our maknae pu—“ I covered his mouth with both of my hands.“OKAY, OKAY. I’LL JUST PRETEND I HEARD NOTHING. Just… don’t bring that up. EVER. AGAIN.” I removed my hands away.Kikwang-oppa felt his lips for a while and mumbled, “Hmm, tastes like saltwater.” We sat the minute next in awkward silence, mutually making the sunset the reason for our sudden peace.What he said, of course, disturbed me. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Er…oppa?”“Yeah?”“Does your maknae know I like him?”“He doesn’t, don’t worry.”“Well then, why is he ‘putting his interest on me’, just like you said?”“You just told me to never bring that up and now you’re voluntarily talking about it? Make up your mind, HyunMi-ssi!”“Just answer me!”“Well…I’ll explain this briefly.”“Go on.”“You’re lucky.”“What? How? Why?”“They boy you like seems to like you too.”Involuntarily, my head turned to the direction where a blonde boy was. I observed him while he conversed with So Eul-unnie, Ji Yeon, Changmin-oppa, and Nicole-unnie as he cooked. Wow, that guy has a really big mouth. He never seems to stop talking.But there was this secret thought inside me—a notion, a wonder, a curiosity…What if Kibum…What if he…  “Dongwoon.”I looked at Kikwang-oppa.

“AHAHAHAHA! OH MY GOSH, SHE LOOKED, SHE LOOKED! DONGWOON’S NOT HER NAME, BUT SHE LOOKED! HER FEELINGS ARE GETTING TO HIGHER EXTREMETIES BY THE MOMENT!” Oppa gasped and wailed with laughter.“SHUT UP!!!” I yelled at him. “Mind telling me what this ruckus is all about?” Kibum suddenly popped in.I was going to say, “None of your business” but in a split-second I remembered my dream about him. I think I’ll never be able to look at him in the eye after that. I turned my head away, my face getting warm.I felt Kikwang-oppa’s eyes looking at me with teasing before he answered. “Nothing, Key. HyunMi doesn’t want to talk about it,”“You.” Kibum called me in a nonchalant tone.“What.” I replied with my back on him.“What are you guys fussing about.”“None of your business.”“Tell me.”“No.”“Aish,”“It’s about Dongwoon. You don’t care. Now get outta here and go back to work.”“Ugh. You little--”Before Kibum could throw at me his plate of barbecue Kikwang-oppa came in between. “OOOHH! KEEEEY! THIS LOOKS YUMMY! May I have one?” and immediately picked two sticks. “Hmm~yummy! HyunMi-ssi you gotta try this out!” he handed me one and I was about to get it but Kibum snatched it.“Not my barbecue, you don’t,”I snorted, hand stopping in mid-air.“You’re not allowed to eat my barbecue.” Kibum declared in a tone like he just said, “I am waging war against you.”I said nothing.Kikwang-oppa, of course, was put in an awkward position. “Uh…guys? It’s bad to fight over food you know.”“Tell that to that girl, hyung.” Kibum said.“Huh, like I’m the one who’s hogging all the barbecues here,” I said with dignity and closed eyes while folding my arms.“Aiiiiiiiisshhh. You won’t get any of my barbecue!”“Like I’d really eat it! If you’re the one who cooked it, then—no, thank you!”Kibum growled. “You…you’re…short!”“Like I care.”“You’re ugly!”“Oh, yeah? Well you’re a gay diva!” We called each other names, yelling at each other. We were too busy having our verbal war we didn’t notice the crowd watching us. When we both ran out of insults we stopped, panting for air, and that was when we realized the people were watching us like we were on a tennis game. “Okay, okay, either of you stop this ruckus or I’ll lock you both up in a room.” Changmin-oppa declared and dispersed us both. Max Changmin a.k.a ‘the hell-of-a-boss’ was speaking. Of course we shut up. Later that night, we had dinner and I never touched the barbecue. As much as I wanted to eat it, my pride was getting in the way. I just ate all food that was laid on the table except for the barbecue.After dinner we went to our respected hotel rooms to, of course, rest. We were to go back to Seoul the next day. It was a lovely, starry night. Would’ve been nice to share it with someone. But then again, I was too angry to appreciate it. I went into our room and shrouded myself with a blanket, tried to get some sleep. Two hours of stirring never got me any. It was past eleven o’clock, and feeling that my bed was getting un-cozy, I got out getting some fresh air. I was walking in the beach, contemplating. The moon’s reflection was rippling on the sea below it. I observed, mesmerized by the beauty first time I encountered, and without meaning to, sat down to look at it a little longer. I was disturbed when I felt another person was around.Who else could it be? He saw me and vice versa. This quarrel was just one among the hundreds we shared. The case in this one, though, I don’t know why I’m feeling extra guilty about it. According to my estimation, it was thirty minutes that we were there on the beach not talking like we didn’t know each other.With him close, my conscience appealed to me. It told me to apologize. Nonsense, I told it, saying that I have no fault. But who was I kidding. One of the worst feelings in the world is having a war with yourself. I was just too rude to him this afternoon. Well, of course I’m rude most of the time, but recalling a part of what I said—“It’s about Dongwoon. You don’t care.” It felt like I hurt him. Why?Why does it feel like I want to tell him it’s not what he thinks?Yes, he knows I like Dongwoon, but why does it feel like I have to explain myself?Why does it feel like it’s not Dongwoon, but… Him? OHGODWHYISTHISHAPPENINGTOMEIAMGOINGCRAZYSOMEBODYHELPPPP I forced myself to stand up, and in a snap, I was standing beside where he was sitting.He looked up at me with a pokerface.I plopped my butt on a measure that was not far, and not close from him. “Lovely night.” I intoned.Silence. I bowed my head. All hope was lost. This scenario was familiar, but how this will end up I don’t know, especially because I can’t apologize the same way as I did before.I just hugged my knees and rocked to and fro slowly. I thought of writing on the sand. I first wrote ‘HyunMi’, then random words that came on my head. After a while, without really meaning to, I wrote something on the sand which aggravated the one beside me. Even more. “’Dongwoon’ again? Don’t you insult me by displaying how much you love that guy in front of me!” He himself erased it and patted his hands violently on the sand; I had to cover my nose. “ERASE-ERASE-ERASE!” he ranted, and replaced the erasure with his name.I just stared at him, dumbstruck.“Much better,” he clapped his palms against each other. “Well? What are you staring at? You have a problem with what I did?”I blinked. Once, twice, thrice. I felt nothing at first, then all happy at the next. “Kibum…”“What?” he answered in his usual, annoyed tone.I laughed at him. Not out of mockery, but of amusement. “Kibum-ah!” I clutched my tummy as my stomach started to ache. I didn’t even know why I was laughing.“WHAT?!” he demanded.I didn’t answer him; I just laughed and laughed until I fell with my back on the sand. My laughter slowly died down. I got up.He looked at me with an expression of extreme scorn. “What were you laughing about?”“You,” I answered, covering my mouth. “Now don’t ask why. I’m just…happy,”“You really think that I already forgave you for trash-talking me, huh?”“Why, didn’t you, already?”“No.” was the cruel reply.So, of course, that burst my bubble. “Oh.” I bowed my head again and fell into silence. ………………………………………I really should get out of here now. I thought. If this silence kept on going on nothing would happen.I was just about to get up but an arm slid itself and hung on my shoulder. That arm, of course, belonged to Kibum. “Sit closer so I could hit you,” he pulled me to his direction and I went with the current.I, of course, was surprised with the sudden change of mood. I sat there with his arm on my shoulders.“Well? Say something! Apologize!” he commanded.This guy must be a bipolar. “I…I’m…sorry?”“Are you asking me if you’re sorry?”I shook my head and began penitently, “I’m sorry…Ki…Kibum-ah.”“Good.”We didn’t look at each other for a while after that. We viewed the vast ocean in front of us, and our feet were just on the demarcation of where the sand and sea met. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of music from a nearby bar similar to that of a Copacabana.“HyunMi-ya.”“Yes?” I turned my head.“What do you say we have a wrestling fight?”

“A what?”“A wrestling fight.” Then he slyly put his hand at the back of my neck and tickled it.“KI-KIBUM-AH! STOP! HEY—NO FAIR! KI--KIBUM-AAAAAAAAAH!” I shrieked as I tried in vain to shield myself. Then he tackle-hugged me and we were laying on the sand. “KIBUM-AH THIS IS HARASSMENT! S-S-STOP POKING MY GUT! HEEEEEEEEY!” but as we all know him, he, of course, didn’t stop.“ONE! TWO! THREE! HAHAHAHA! ALMIGHTY KEY WINS!” he cheered with his arms on my torso.“AISSSHH! That was tickling, not wrestl—“ BOOM!Something flashed on the sky, something red and big. As it exploded, it scattered red dusts on the dark sky.Boom!Another one, the color of yellow. It was simultaneously followed by three more explosions.We looked up. Cheers and claps were heard from the Copacabana bar.“It’s beautiful!”“Yahoo!”“Amazing!”They hailed. “Fireworks?” I asked myself.Kibum got up, and offered his hand. “You won’t enjoy it from that view,” he said.Green, yellow, blue. The fireworks shot up the sky. I could tell as the colors were reflected on one-half of Kibum’s face when I looked at him.I took his hand and slowly stood up. “GROUP HUG!” somebody from the Copacabana said.“Oof!” I squeaked as he pulled me into a tight hug. “Kibum-ah!” I thumped my fist on his chest. “Let go of me,”“Later, when they run out of fireworks,” he grinned smugly and closed his eyes.“You terrible flirt.” I snorted. “What are you doing?”“Making a wish.”“Who told you you can—“ I got cut off. He covered my mouth with his hand.“Why are you so nosy? Can’t you just follow my example?” he scolded. “Close your eyes.”I did, and as darkness took over, the environment’s noise got louder. But I had a sense of tranquility inside me as this crossed my mind: Let’s be happy even when we’re apart. “OOOOOOOOOOOOHH~” seems like everyone in the resort was awakened by the noise. They all seemed to make that sound altogether. I opened my eyes, and though there was only a light mark of it left on the sky, it was visible—it was pink stenciled in a heart shape.“What’d you wish for?”“That you’d stop flirting with Dongwoon,”“Tell me something, are you jealous of us?”I don’t know if it was the color of the fireworks reflected on his face or what, but Kibum turned pink when I said that. “W-what? It’s…j-just… Dongwoon’s mine, got that?”“Okay…” I rolled my eyes.“You, what’d you wish for?”“That Dongwoon would finally hit on me.” I teased.He frowned.“Just kidding. No, I won’t tell you. When we meet again, maybe in five years’ time.” I pushed him away lightly. “Now let’s go, it’s late.”He patted his pants as I tied the laces of my sandals. We then walked. -KEY :)When we were walking to her building she inquired, “Kibum-ah, you wouldn’t do something to me…er, I mean, you wouldn’t do something that could hurt me, would you?”“Why would I? You’re not worth my effort,”“Ugh.” She walked fast, marching out of the conversation.I grabbed her. “I was just kidding! Why’d you ask that, anyway?”“Because…” she avoided my look while blushing.“What?”“I was just curious! But, really, would you?”I smiled. “Of course not. No, I won’t. Why would I?”“I thought you would.”“Do you hear yourself? Well, I do fight with you verbally and even physically but something that would possibly break your heart? Trust me, though before I actually plotted how I would enslave you, now I…” I prevented it from slipping out. “I’m…aish, forget it. The point is I won’t hurt you!”She shrugged her shoulders. “If you say so, then.” And we continued walking. As we did, we met Seohyun.“Good thing to see you both at peace with each other now.” She smiled.

“Seororo!” HyunMi hugged her. Seohyun laughed.“She apologized to me, you see. She did it dramatically.” I eyed HyunMi.“Really, HyunMi-ssi? You cried?”“What? No! Stop that falsehood, Kibum! I just said sorry, that’s all!”“I know.” Seohyun smiled with some mysterious gravity. “HyunMi-ssi, are you gonna go to your room now or stay out here a little longer?”“Oh, I’m going up now.” HyunMi answered. Then she turned to me. “You. Go back to your building now. We’re going back to Seoul tomorrow,” she turned me to the other direction and pushed my back with her hands. “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite!”“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. ‘kay, night.” Then I walked off. - - - - - - - - - - -finally, after 29174018729823734921602874638732 years of not updating, here I am!guys I have good news! I scored perfect on our map test on North and South America, Canada and USA! hehehehe sorry I just wanted to share it with you guys - -") oh, and, Happy Lunar New Year! hope you all had a blast! :D