Moonglow Bay | ATEEZ

05. the first of three

Why does he look so familiar? As you made your way through the courtyard, that one thought wouldn't leave your mind. The boy in question was walking on the same path as you, in your direction. He was blonde, had dark-set eyes, and seemed quieter than most. He was attractive as well, you observed, but other than that, nothing seemed to stick out at you. You recognized the boy he was walking with as one of your upperclassmen: Seonghwa, if your memory was correct. You assumed Seonghwa must have cracked a joke, because the blonde boy's face lit up with amusement. It was his smile that did you in.

"Hold up," you whispered, grabbing hold of Jongho's arms as you pulled him aside. You turned your back to the path, keeping your attention on your friend rather than the boys passing behind you.

"What's wrong?"

"That's Yeosang."

"Who?"

"Yeosang." It came out as more of a hiss than a whisper.

Jongho's eyes widened at the name. "Wait, Kang Yeosang?"Shit, what's he doing here? I thought he left Moonglow Bay."

You looked down at your shoes as Yeosang and Seonghwa finally passed you, heat rising in your cheeks. "Well, I guess he's back."

"God, how long has it been?" Jongho asked as the two of you started walking again.

You snuck a glimpse back at the young man over your shoulder, a rush of emotions overcoming you. "Three years."

◌  ◌  ◌

You used to dread the end of the week. Weekends meant getting stuck in the bookstore all day, and when you finally made it to high school, your parents put more trust in you to watch the shop while they ran their necessary errands for the week. It was especially upsetting to you one weekend in particular: the weekend of your school's annual beach outing during your second year in high school. The first Saturday in May, the beach outing was the first celebration of summer, that school would go on break soon, and you would be free from the clutches of classrooms and your school uniform for a few months at least. And this particular beach outing was one you dared not miss. After all the time you'd spent preparing for it, there was no way you wouldn't go. No way in hell.

"Okay, uh..." You mumbled, flipping through the stack of index cards in your hands. "Pretend you're him! I need practice."

Saturday morning, and you were exactly where you didn't want to be: stuck behind the counter of your family's bookstore. At least Jongho was with you. That was, until he left for the party.

Your friend eyed the index cards and snatched them away from you before you could hide them away. "What are these?" He teased, thumbing through the cards. He landed on one in particular, and after skimming its contents, let out a scoff of amusement. "Are these talking points?" You could hear he was on the brink of laughter, and that frustrated you.

"I can't afford to mess this up!" You whined in defense.

"What sixteen year old writes down talking points for their crush?"

With a pout, you yanked the cards out of Jongho's hands and tucked them away behind the counter. "Just help me," you said. "This has to be perfect."

"I swear you've been watching too many dramas," Jongho muttered, but as soon as you shot him a look, he got into character. "Uh, hey, Y/N. What's up?"

His voice had dropped an octave, and the whole scenario was incredibly unrealistic. That didn't prevent the butterflies in your stomach, however, nor did it keep your heart from skipping a beat. You opened your mouth to speak, an infinite number of responses flickering through your mind. To both your and Jongho's disappointment, all you managed was a groan, accompanied by you hiding your face in your hands. "This is hopeless," you grumbled into the heels of your palms.