sand&strangers [ JHS ] √

5 | Dare

"What's the dare?" Jaehwa asks, though she wasn't feeling good about it. A bet is a bet. Hoseok, who had just climbed up on the boat, rubbed his chin as if he was thinking. "Hmm," he smirks teasingly. "Come on, don't make it too hard!" She nervously pleads.

"I'll tell you after lunch. Let's eat first snd then see some more corals. Alright?" Hoseok plans as he starts to paddle back into the shore. Jaehwa helps despite rolling her eyes at the guy's reply.

After they ate a few scallops and drank coconut juice, they journeyed back into the vast sea to see some more corals. "I see some more there!" Hoseok points at a certain spot.

They paddled and swam, until the sun had gone down, painting the skies an orange hue. They paddled to a nice spot of the calm sea and saved the moment to watch the sun set. Both of them could only stare in awe. They were strangers after all but each other's presence made the moment a bit more magical.

Panting after paddling a lot, they finally arrive at the shore. Jaehwa collapses herself on the sand, body laid in exhaustion. She smiles unintentionally, and Hoseok saw it. It's true that smiles are vibrant enough to create a smile on someone else's face as well.

Jaehwa looked back at him, only to realize that he was smiling, too. "Aren't you hungry? Come on, dinner is waiting." He holds out his hand and she grabs it as she stood up.

They both walked back to the hotel and went to the outdoor diner, wrapped in robes. Both had decided to eat first before going to the hotel as they were both hungry. Jaehwa ordered smoked salmon while Hoseok went for seafood pasta.

As they were eating their own food, Jaehwa reached for a tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth. "Pabo, how old are you to eat like that?" She nagged. He could only laugh not to mind how his heart beated so fast at that time.

None of them realized how closer they had gotten over just one day, but nevertheless, it was a beautiful encounter. At the end of the day, they knew they were thankful of each other, even if they didn't say so.

After they had finished eating, the bet they made earlier crossed her mind. "What's the dare? Tell me already." She demands. Hoseok took a piece of tissue and went to the bar. Borrowing a pen, he wrote something in it and folded it. He also paid the bills while he was there. When he came back to the table, he handed it to her, while she gave him a puzzled look.

"Open it after we leave Jeju." He smiled.