Summer Nights (Book 1)

Making Waves

Chapter 3

The waves crashed against Yeon Jun, cold enough to freeze regret into his bones. He swore under his breath as he pushed forward, his teeth chattering like an old engine on its last legs. Ahead of him, the man flailed, yelling something incoherent—probably a mix of desperation and bad life choices.

"Hey, buddy! I'm coming, so try not to drown us both, yeah?" Yeon Jun called out, but his voice got lost in the roar of the water.

The woman from earlier was pacing the shoreline, clutching his clothes and cigarette like a cheerleader for bad decisions. "Hurry!" she shouted, like he was out taking a leisurely swim.

The man continued to flounder, and Yeon Jun had just enough time to think, This guy better be grateful, before he grabbed hold of the man's arm. The guy immediately latched onto him like a human octopus, nearly dunking them both under.

"I'm trying to help you!" Yeon Jun shouted, sputtering as a wave smacked him in the face. "But if you keep climbing on me, we're both going under!"

On the shore, the woman's shouts became more frantic. "Hey, don't you dare drown him!" she yelled, like it was a personal favor, like she knew the stupid asshole who was about 2 seconds away from committing a murder-suicide. "I am not carrying two bodies out of here." He heard the woman say.

Well, that's comforting, Yeon Jun thought as he fought to drag the man back. Just as he managed to pull them closer to shore, a tearful woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, sprinting toward the water. Her face was a mess of makeup and emotion, and she screamed, "Lim Dong Jun, are you crazy?!"

The man in Yeon Jun's arms jerked at the sound of her voice, his eyes wide as if he'd seen a ghost. "Yu Na?" The woman—Yu Na, apparently—stood at the edge of the water, looking like she'd just survived her own soap opera episode. "Get out of there, you idiot!" she yelled, and the man's desperation turned into a mix of relief and regret.

"Yu Na?" he sobbed, still half-clinging to Yeon Jun, who was doing his best not to roll his eyes. Great, Yeon Jun thought, now I'm a third wheel in this melodrama. But with Yu Na's encouragement, he managed to drag the man—Lim Dong Jun—back to the shore, where the couple collapsed into each other's arms, sobbing and whispering apologies like they were the stars of their own tear-jerker.

"I won't leave you, so don't die, okay?" Yu Na said, holding onto him like he was a lifeline.

"Please don't ever say you'll leave me. I'll die without you," Lim Dong Jun replied, clinging to her like his life depended on it—which, Yeon Jun noted, wasn't an exaggeration at this point. The two continued their melodramatic reunion, full of declarations of love that would have made a K-drama blush and take notes. Yeon Jun, drenched and freezing, stood up, brushing off the sand stuck to his legs. He looked over at the woman who had helped him, who was watching the scene with mild interest.

"Cute," she said, her tone flat, as she handed him back his clothes and cigarette. "Guess some people really do get the happy ending." Yeon Jun snorted, pulling his shirt back on. "Yeah, as long as 'happy ending' includes almost drowning in freezing water." He shoved his cigarette into his pocket, sighing. "Thanks for not letting me die out there."

She shrugged. "No problem. I needed something to entertain me."

With that, she slung her bag over her shoulder, gave him a nod, and started walking away. He watched her for a moment, wondering if he should say something else—maybe ask why she'd thrown her phone into the water too. But before he could decide, she was already disappearing down the beach.

"Well," Yeon Jun muttered, "that was weird."