21 days ; wheesa

day 6

for our sweet maknae.
a confident woman, ahn hwasa
a sweet & caring lady, ahn hyejin
happy blessed birthday to you!

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[ unedited ]
hwasa's pov

"hyejin, look!" wheein yelled as we approached the beach.

the sky was neon blue threaded with a silver lining in the horizon. coconut and palm trees lined the shores, swaying gracefully in the whispering wind. waves crashed against the sandy shores before ebbing away slowly. the fragrance of barbecue filled the air, teasing my nostrils. the surroundings smelled a mixture of fine sand and salty sea. the soft breeze blowing kissed my skin, and i welcomed it wholeheartedly.

around us, children were scampering around, building sandcastles. teenagers whizzed past with their bicycles, toddlers waddled around wobbly, crying exclamations of fascination.

our first instinct upon reaching was to rush out to the sea which seemed to be calling out for us. the cooling water engulfed my feet entirely, swooshing my tiredness away. as i soaked myself in the water, i gestured wheein to join me. the sand felt so cool and soothing beneath my feet, and i took a deep breath.

i heard an airy laughter beside me, with squeals of delight. i glimpsed at wheein. her face was lit with euphoria, her eyes were dancing with immerse joy. she was like the sun, shining luminously and spreading her infectious ecstasy. with a dreamy but determined gaze, she swiveled around suddenly and pushed me into the sea.

i felt myself sinking beneath the surface. the choppy waves surged into my mouth and ears. struggling to pull myself out of water, i lifted my head up finally, spluttering the sea water that i managed to swallow.

with agony, i yelped, "jung wheein, you watch out!"

without warning, i reached for her legs dangling under the waters in a bolt, and dragged them down. she went into the waters in a second, and i let out a fit of uncontrollable laughter. even as she got out and went to the shore to dry herself up, her smile was still plastered on her face. i followed her without a word, and we found a spot under a shady palm tree.

my lazy self plunged down onto the warm sand instantly. like the kid she was, wheein proceeded to build sandcastles around me. i wanted to roll my eyes at how childish she was, yet i couldn't bring myself to do so. her chubby, entertained face was more than enough for me to feel at peace and utter merriment.

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as the sea turned into a deep inky blue when time flew, lights from the ships glowed like bulbs. the sand now gave off a pearly white gleam as it reflected the moonlight. i've been laying in the same position for hours, without the urge to get up and shift. wheein joined, snuggling close to me. the heat radiating from our bodies somehow kept me warm against the cool breeze blowing past peacefully.

the stars at night were beautiful. i caught myself lured on gazing them the whole night.

after what seemed like eternity, i flipped over to face wheein. still having an impressed and starstruck stare made her look so ethereal under the moonlight. it reminded me of the way she once interacted with keres, and how keres was now targetting on me and getting close to her. unknowingly, my face held a frown.

"still thinking about yesterday?" she spoke gently, without even looking at me.
"i didn't mean to, but my mind drifted so yeah" i shrugged.
"you don't have to worry about anything. even if he comes to disturb you, he'll do so with a price to pay," she reassured me.

i smiled a sincere smile.

with wheein by my side, i felt so protected.
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