into the unknown |t.k|

thirteen

Jeongguk tried to bite back his smile as they walk down the shoreline, toes covered by fine grains of sand. This was his dream. The way the seawater felt cold, but instantly warmed up as he continued to walk down the length of the beach. Taehyung walked beside him, his hands in his pockets.

"It's wonderful.", Jeongguk said, smiling up to the sky, letting the sun kiss his cheeks.

"Yeah, it's even more beautiful at dawn, when the sun and the moon meet. It's peaceful."

"I love the sound of your dawn." 

Jeongguk watches as his feet disappear into the wet sand, then covered by the seawater. 

"We can watch it together tomorrow. Another stunning moment at the beach is when the sun sets, and when the moon is in the middle of the sky."

"I'd love to see the sights you see, Taehyung." 

"You act like you haven't seen them before. I'm sure you have."

Jeongguk shakes his head, "I haven't seen them the way you have."

"I'm sure you've seen the same sunset, and the same sunrise before."

"It'll be different because I'll be with you." Taehyung looked away from.

"Why are you saying that. What's so special about seeing it with me?"

"Taehyung saved me! He is so cool!"

"Stop it, nutcase." 

Taehyung pushed Jeongguk away from him once they got to the shop. 

"Here we are. 'Breaking Waves'." 

Taehyung opened the glass doors for both of them.

"This is beautiful." 

Jeongguk went around touching all the boards on display.

"Do you know how to ride a surfboard?", Taehyung asked, standing beside Jeongguk.

"What's a surfboard? This is the thing you tame with the waves?" 

Taehyung quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, this is what you use to ride on the waves. This is what you use if you want to be King of the Ocean 2015.", he mumbled lowly.

Jeongguk gasped. 

"There are other 'Kings of the Ocean'? Not just father?"

Taehyung shrugs his shoulders. 

"Your dad knows how to surf but he didn't teach you? Yeah, there's one every year. I want to be one. I love being in the ocean. I feel like, if mermaids and shit existed, I'd be one."

"You want to be a mermaid?"

"Being in the water 24/7 sounds amazing. I'd love to be able to breathe underwater. If I was a sea creature, I want to be something cool like, maybe a shark. Sharks are cool. Maybe a whale is more fitting since I'm pretty chill."

"They're marvellous! They're friendly, but humans don't seem to like them. I guarantee, they're one of the nicest creatures you'll ever meet in the ocean. I love them."

"You seem to know a lot about the ocean. You forget everything except the ocean, huh?" 

Jeongguk hid his face from Taehyung.

"I guess."

"Who do we have here?" 

A voice behind them shocked Jeongguk. He jumped slightly from the surprise.

"Tae, you weren't supposed to be in today until the afternoon." 

Taehyung turned around.

"I found this guy at the beach earlier. It seems like he hit his head hard somewhere and forgot what he was recently doing. If it's alright, can he stay with us for a few days? I'd rather he stay with us for now. If that's alright with you, Ma." 

Taehyung's mother looked at Jeongguk from head to toe, with a serious look on her face. 

She smiled at Jeongguk. 

"I don't see the problem. He doesn't look like he'll be any harm."

"I'm Jeongguk."

Jeongguk beams up at her.

"I'll work! I'll help here as a thank you for letting me stay here."

"Just say yes, Ma. Didn't you always want to go on a vacation with Pa? With Jeongguk here, he can watch over the store with me. We'll be fine. And with an extra hand around here, we could get even better business."

 "Well, with more hands, on deck, it won't be a bad idea." 

Taehyung nodded. 

"And with Jeongguk, here. I mean, you warmed up to him fairly quickly."

"It was instinct. I didn't feel like he could even hurt a flower."

"It's settled. If you don't mind working with us, that would be lovely. We would love to have you."

"I won't disappoint you!"