before the sunrise.

eight.

jaebum wakes to a manager calling him. it's a loud, angry one-sided conversation he can't weasel any words in. too early in the morning and in the middle of his break, thinking straight is an issue; he can't. there is struggle where there is sleepiness.

there is struggle where dispatch threatens to release intimate pictures of him and seulgi.

when the shouting ends, demanding him to get his together, he falls back onto bed with all the weight of pressure on his chest. he stares blankly at the ceiling fan, watching it go round and round. seulgi sleeps peacefully next to him, ignorant of the world. he doesn't want to bother her, so he stands and goes to the balcony for fresh air.

sun kisses his skin, and winds bathe him in welcome. he stopped wearing dark clothes that cover too much. such a silly thing on a beach, on a tropical paradise. he has seulgi to thank, for buying him ridiculous hawaiian shirts even though they aren't in hawaii. close to it, though. and perhaps he has jackson to thank, too. he met seulgi because of him.

a smile grows on his face as the sun rises above crystal blue water. the warmth of its rays frolic in the tenderness of his eyes. here, he isn't confused or troubled. here, jaebum is free to breathe, to think, to decide what he should do. his company says there is no way dispatch won't release the pictures. and his reputation will take a blow since the reason for his absence in the entertainment industry was for health concerns. fans won't be happy he got a girl in the meantime.

he should come clean; he doesn't want to hide.

but what will happen to seulgi?

her arms snake around his middle, taking his problems away for a moment when he gazes down at her sleepy face, poking her nose as she yawns.

"morning," she says, groggy. "you're up early. what's up?"

for a brief moment, jaebum considers fibbing to her that everything is fine. she doesn't deserve that, though. so, with a small smile, he starts.

"dispatch took pictures of us together." he waits for her reaction, which is mildly horrified. "they're going to release them. my company wants me to give them a narrative good enough for my fans to hate me less."

it's a lot of information to take in, so he can't blame seulgi for dropping her embrace and walking to the other end of the terrace. her back is turned. she looks as lonely as he feels.

"what are you going to say?" her voice is carried off by a breeze.

all caught up, they're in the same place, at the same crossroads. jaebum is leaned on the railing, hands clasped. from the corners of his eyes, he keeps watch on her for a sign. she just stands there, sight set on the water but it goes beyond distance.

"the truth," he answers honestly.

but the thing is with the truth, it isn't pretty. he and seulgi aren't together. they aren't dating, which contradicts how they've been and the pictures taken of them entirely. it's too late to go back in time and do it the proper way. besides, jaebum regrets nothing. not the way they met, not the manner their relationship progressed. nothing. every minute with her, he enjoyed thoroughly.

because of her, he smiles sincere and genuine. he even planned on introducing her to his father just because he thinks everyone deserves to meet her; she's amazing.

so, that's what he plans to do. to introduce her to everyone.

"i'll tell them i met someone who makes me very happy."

only then does seulgi respond. she looks at him, jaw dropped but not too wide.

"but what about your fans..."

"i think they'll understand."

"and your company?"

"they told me i had to decide what to do."

she's slowly making her way to him, stopping to slip her hand between his. palms pressed, she squeezes.

"are you sure you want to do this? i might wreck your career."

"you're concerned about me when i'm worried about you." he plays with her fingers, touched. "this may affect you negatively. you may get a lot of hateful comments."

"sticks and stones, right?" the nervous laughter seulgi gives is understandable.

jaebum lifts her hand, and kisses the back of it. "i won't let them hurt you. i also think i have an idea."

"an idea?"

"yeah, i just need my phone for a second." he goes back inside to fetch it off a table.

"to let your company know?" she wonders.

he shakes his head, clicking the camera app and switching orientation on their faces as he stretches his arm, the other wrapped around her shoulders. "how did your dad make you smile again?"

"jaebum, are you sure?" she eyes him, and he nods. "alright, then. what's one plus two?"

and they say three at the same time.

— — —

the flood of comments on her instagram are foreseen. jinyoung and jackson have to look through them first to make sure they're alright. surprisingly, korea is taking it a lot better than expected. still, the majority is shocked, but they are receiving the news very well. most comments wish them congratulations. some are thrilled jaebum finally has someone because they were scared he'd end up as a cat-lady.

it was a text message from jaebum's father that really made her day: i cannot believe i learned about your girlfriend through my friends when she was right under my nose all along. -___- she laughed when jaebum showed it to her.

laughed even harder when she was recording him from an impromptu instalive, and he fell off the surfboard once again. he swam towards her, thanking his fans for being understanding and for treating them kindly. then sassed them when they said he should continue his surfing lessons because they saw seulgi in one of her posts, and she's much, much cooler than him. he doesn't deny this.

night descends upon them. jaebum walks from the water, and seulgi is seated on the sandy shore.

"you're much tanner than this morning," she quips, sounding nostalgic.

sitting next to her, he gives his arms an once over. "the impossible happened."

"you're welcome!" she replies cheekily.

chuckling, he nudges her. "no, you're welcome."

"for what?"

"for giving you a compelling connection."

she rests her head on his shoulder. "and you thought i couldn't do it."

"no, i actually did. i'm just glad it's with me."

"since you opened your door, which i thought was mine, it has always been you."

he leans in to kiss her softly. "i should really thank jackson for that."

"you can do that right now. he's pretending to be a shark, swimming after mark and jinyoung."

the end.

//

for now this is complete, but an epilogue will happen so you can catch a glimpse of their life in seoul as opposed to their life on vacation. this was always mean to be a soft, short piece, and if i were expand it anymore i'd be unhappy with it. so thank you so much for reading!