ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛᴇᴅ

【16】

the sun peeked over the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the beach. the sound of waves crashing against the shore drifted through the open windows of the vacation house, mingling with the smell of fresh coffee and salty air.

inside, the eight friends bustled about, each tackling their share of the morning tasks as they prepared to leave the beach house.

"did anyone see my sandals?" called out san from the living room, rummaging through a pile of towels and sunscreen bottles.

"check under the couch!" replied jongho, who was carefully stacking the board games they had played the night before. "that's where everything you lose ends up."

in the kitchen, seonghwa and yunho worked together to pack up the leftover food. yunho held up a container of leftover meat. "think we can take this?"

seonghwa grinned. " if they don't finish it before we leave the house."

upstairs , yeosang and wooyoung were stripping the beds, laughing as they shook sand out of the sheets. "it's like the beach is coming home with us," wooyoung said, holding up a clump of sand that had gathered in the corner of the fitted sheet.

"let's just hope the cleaning crew doesn't hate us," yeosang replied, tossing the sheets into a laundry bag.

on the deck, hongjoong wad soaking in the last moments of the view. seonghwa joined in. hongjoong sipped hus coffee, his gaze fixed on the ocean. "i can't believe it's over. this week flew by real quick." seonghwa said.

hongjoong nodded, leaning against the railing. "we'll have to make this an annual thing. same group, same house."

"same everything," seonghwa agreed.

as the clock ticked closer to leave, the friends came together in the living room, their bags piled near the door. the once lively and cluttered space now felt eerily empty.

"alright," san said, clapping his hands together. "before we go, one last group photo?"

they gathered by the big bay window, the beach stretching out behind them. seonghwa set the timer on her phone and scrambled into the group. the camera clicked, capturing their sun-kissed faces and wide smiles.

with the photo taken, they carried their bags to the car parked in the driveway. as they loaded up, the laughter and chatter slowed, a quiet melancholy settling over the group.

as the car pulled out of the driveway and onto the winding coastal road, the beach house stood silent knowing the group would be back.

the car rumbled along the highway, its tires humming against the asphalt. everyone crammed together with suitcases, snacks, and leftover spring break energy, were on the last leg of their road trip home. the sun was setting, painting the sky in fiery oranges and pinks, but the mood inside the van was anything but quiet.

"okay, next question," said yeosang from the passenger seat, flipping through her deck of "would you rather " cards. "would you rather give up your vape or never never smoke a joint again?"

"easy," said mingi from the back row. "the vape can go."

"what type of question was that?" seonghwa spun around from the front seat, his mouth hanging open. "flavored air or plants."