NOT YOU AGAIN! {KITTYZ}

STILL WEAK

"Why are you following me?" Haerin finally turned around, voice carrying a slight edge of exasperation. She was met with the sight of the girl behind her, who sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear like she'd been caught in the act of sneaking cookies before dinner.

Hanni blinked at her, momentarily flustered but quickly regaining her composure. "Well, thanks to you, I lost my sleep, so..." she trailed off, flashing a grin that didn't quite meet her eyes as she continued walking, grabbing Haerin's arm gesturing her to move as well.

"So what?" Haerin raised an eyebrow, folding her arms over her chest, her gaze flickering down to the hand that had casually landed on her arm, clearly without permission.

Hanni, noticing this, quickly yanked her hand back like she'd just touched an electric fence. "I thought," she began again, trying to sound as casual as possible despite her obvious awkwardness, "you could take me to that place you were talking about earlier."

Haerin couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Seems like Miss Confident's little island adventure didn't go as planned this morning, huh?" She was clearly enjoying this far too much.

Hanni huffed, rolling her eyes but clearly embarrassed. "Not gonna lie," she mumbled, looking down at the sand as if it would swallow her whole, "I went sightseeing, but instead of seeing sights, I got lost, ended up nowhere, and then, uh, got lost again. Multiple times." Her tone was a perfect blend of sheepish and mortified.

It took everything in Haerin not to burst out laughing. The idea of someone getting lost in the Maldives, of all places, was borderline ridiculous, but here was Hanni, standing like the picture-perfect disaster she was. With great effort, Haerin bit her lip to contain her amusement, though it clearly showed in the way her eyes sparkled.

"Okay, okay," Hanni muttered with a glare, crossing her arms. "Go ahead and laugh."

Haerin chuckled softly, unable to resist anymore. "Alright, alright, let's make your day a little less tragic, shall we?" She dropped to her knees suddenly, right in front of Hanni, who took a startled step back.

"Wait—what are you doing?" Hanni's voice rose in pitch, genuinely alarmed as Haerin began untying her sneakers with practiced ease.

"Taking off your shoes, duh." Haerin shot her a grin, clearly amused by the flustered reaction she was getting.

"Why?" Hanni asked, blinking rapidly, as if this sudden turn of events had short-circuited her brain.

"Because we're at the beach, genius," Haerin replied, as if that explained everything. After pulling off Hanni's sneakers, she moved to her own, discarding them to the side and folding up the cuffs of her pants. Then, with the flair of a prince straight out of a Disney movie, she stood up, dusted off her hands, and offered one to Hanni. "Shall we?" Her grin was nothing short of mischievous, eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

Hanni stared at her, eyebrows raised, lips pressed together in a thin line as if trying to hold in a laugh of her own. "Don't make me laugh, Haerin," she warned, though it was clear she was fighting a losing battle.

Haerin's grin widened. "That's kind of the point." She wiggled her fingers, waiting for Hanni to take her hand. "Now, shall I have the honor?" She added with exaggerated formality, as if they were about to attend some grand royal ball.

Hanni raised a skeptical eyebrow, but finally, she gave in, slipping her hand into Haerin's. "Fine, fine," she muttered. The moment her hand was secured, Haerin yanked her forward with surprising speed, pulling her toward the shoreline in a rush. Hanni stumbled slightly but managed to keep up as their feet met the cold, refreshing water, which sent a shiver up her spine.