✔️ Cruise ➳ jungkook

🚢 12 🚢

The next morning, when Chaerin woke from blissful slumber, Jungkook was already gone.

Yawning widely, she spared a cursory glance at the unmade bed next to her before shrinking back into her blanket burrito, weighed down by the dejection welling inside her chest.

"Does this count as a one night stand?" she asked the ceiling, spending a few more moroseful moments swaddled in her duvet before crawling out of bed and trudging towards the washroom.

She tripped and nearly got a mouthful of something purple and soft.

It was Jungkook's sleeping bag. Huh. The guy didn't leave her for good after all. She silently rejoiced.

Then something else occurred to her: Taehyung hadn't returned, which meant that imbecile had been out all night. Goodness knows where her brother was, and what he had been up to. She just hoped it wasn't anything remotely dumb. Unfortunately, this was most likely the case.

Chaerin quickly got dressed and left her room to find Taehyung, as well as Jungkook who probably just went out for a bit since he left his sleeping bag behind.

To her surprise, when she emerged and set foot outside, a gentle breeze caressed her face, and she tasted the mist of brine upon his lips. Gone was the gloomy weather of Helsinki, replaced by the serenity of Stockholm's perfect summer day. The sun casted a warm glow, bathing everything in cascades of golden light; the sky was a soft periwinkle blue, smudged with faint wisps of clouds like remnants of an artist's test paint. A vast expanse of brilliant blue stretched as far as the eye could see, so tranquil was the water that it seemed like a mirror, with the occasional ripple ruffling the surface as seagulls skimmed the waves with their wings.

As the Mariella cruised along at a leisurely pace, Chaerin leaned over the railing to admire the farm houses on the shore, their vibrant colors accented by the beauty of the morning. She closed her eyes and relished the cool draught of air on her skin, allowing her hair to be tousled playfully by the wind.

"Click!"

Her peaceful moment was interrupted by what was unmistakably the sound of a camera shutter.

She turned just in time to see a flash of white dart out of sight. Squinting hard, the girl could just make out the tufts of brown hair cropping up from behind a fake mandarin tree. She parted a branch to reveal a very guilty looking Jungkook doing his best to conceal his DSLR under his hoodie.

"Ohhhhheeeeyyyyy, Rin! Great 'mornin for... Looking at mini oranges, right!?"

Aware of just how stupid he sounded, Jungkook lurched to his feet, apparently coming to terms with the fact that he had been caught red-handed and that his attempts of hiding the evidence were futile. White knuckles gripped his beloved camera as he carefully avoided Chaerin's eyes.

"Well." Chaerin cocked an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms.

"Kookie and I were doing absolutely nothing." Jungkook still refused to look at her.

"Who's Kookie...?" she trailed off as her eyes wandered down to Jungkook's hands nervously twirling the strap of his camera around his fingers. Something clicked in her head, and her immediate reaction was to let out a high-pitched squeal of delight.

"Oh my goodness, you call your camera 'Kookie'?? That's too precious, I can't deal with this. I really uhhh—" Her fangirling was momentarily cut short by the venomous glare Jungkook threw at her.

"Ahem," she composed herself. "What... exactly were you doing hiding behind that plant anyway?" Her attempt at sounding casual did nothing to conceal the hint of smugness in her voice. "If you really wanted a picture of me, you could have just asked."

Jungkook was quiet, but it was obvious that he was fighting yet another internal battle (and losing spectacularly). Finally, for the second time since Chaerin met him, he caved in.

"You— look... p-p-ppretty— I mean! Pretty aesthetic, okay? I just couldn't resist!" Jungkook admitted with huff of embarrassment and exasperation, his words tumbling out of his mouth in a garbled mess.

There was no mistaking that this exchange had him extremely flustered. Frankly, Chaerin considered that a victory.

"Fancy hiring me as your model for the morning? I charge 500 Swedish Krona an hour."

"Fat chance."

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't be able to afford me anyway."

"Isn't my company considered a valid form of payment already?"

"Fine, you've convinced me. It's a done deal."

"Then... Shall we?" Jungkook asked rather timidly, as if he were afraid that this was all too good to be true.

Chaerin shrugged, and without warning, Jungkook grabbed onto her arm, tugging her along. She allowed herself to be led away, the skin at her wrist tingling at the point of contact with Jungkook's slender fingers.

With an hour to spare before docking at Stockholm, Chaerin and Jungkook set out on a frenzied race to find the most aesthetic photo spots on board. Jungkook directed Chaerin exuberantly, taking multiple shots of her in various poses, humming in satisfaction whenever he got a good picture. Being his model had its perks, she quickly found out, as this allowed her to get up close and personal with this adorable boy. Many times she had to bite back a squeal whenever Jungkook smiled, or even pretty much look at her.

It was nearing the end of their spontaneous photoshoot escapade when Jungkook paused next to an emergency lifeboat, eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Do you hear that?"

Chaerin frowned, scooting closer to press an ear against the hull. Sure enough, she heard a low rumble reverberating from its depths. A shiver ran down her spine as she envisioned a slumbering beast or a savage stowaway nestled in the shadows.

They inched closer to better access the situation. Yup, something was definitely in there. Chaerin and Jungkook exchanged uneasy looks.

On the count of three, they each grabbed one end of the tarp and lifted it, and were immediately greeted with the sight of Taehyung's sleeping face, the older boy snoring merrily away while he drooled down the side of his cheek.

Chaerin leaped backwards in alarm. "OPPA!"