Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hello to anyone who happens to come across this fic!

First of all, thank you for clicking on it and giving it a chance! This fic is inspired by a couple of works, primarily, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. It is such a lovely and magical book, and it is so so calming and therapeutic. I would definitely recommend giving it a read! I also took inspiration from The Light of Ulleungdo by Mistyreflections here on AO3. I loved the concept of Seventeen being a close-knit community living on an island, and how being so far away from the city can give one space to reflect, heal and seek refuge. Please give it a read too! I would like to thank these two authors for their works, it has been such a joy coming across them!

Okay and now for the disclaimer! I have lived in the city all my life and lack any knowledge whatsoever of what it's like to live self-sufficiently on an island. If you see gaping plot holes or inaccuracies, please feel free to give feedback/suggestions if you're comfortable! This applies for everything else too, be it grammar, spelling, or inaccuracies in legal proceedings, feel free to drop a comment if you see area for improvement!

Please note that the plot is purely fictional! have not done research for the plot nor have I modelled it after a real situation. Any similarities with reality are coincidental.

Lastly, please DO NOT SEND this fic to ANY OFFICIAL SEVENTEEN ACCOUNTS, including the individual accounts of Seventeen members. Do not tag them when referencing this fic /DM them this fic.

Any feedback/comments are always welcomed!

Chapter Text

Status : Classified 

To : Mr Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law

  You are advised to read the following information carefully before your visit to Sebong Island. 

Brief 

Sebong Island (Sebong-do) is a 5 km2 island located off the coast of Busan in the Korean Strait. It is part of a chain of islands for Yong Corporations’ latest multimillion dollar redevelopment project to turn the islands into a holiday destination rivaling Jeju-do and Busan. Sebong Island is one of the smallest islands in the group, but it holds one of the highest importance to us. Due to its isolated location, it has litter-free beaches and an unblocked view of the sky and the sea. Preliminary testing of water and seafood on the island found that pollution levels are significantly lower than elsewhere in the country. Our plan for Sebong is to turn it into an exclusive, premium resort only accessible to a limited number of people in society. This way, we can manage human traffic and preserve the pristine quality of the island. 

Sebong has piqued our interest furthermore due to the unique community on this island. Unlike the bigger islands, Sebong is made up of a close-knit community of islanders who have deep ties to it. Many of the families have been living on the island for years, and even those who are in their twenties do not leave Sebong permanently, instead using their college degrees and learned expertise to improve the lives of the islanders. During preliminary visits, we found islanders to be pleasant, but they unanimously held the same view that they were unwilling to proceed with redevelopment. The response is unprecedented and drastically different from other islands, where at least 40% of all islanders surveyed were willing to accept compensation in exchange for a different life in the city. 

Our close ties with the Korean Government suggest that getting approval for the islanders to give up Sebong will not be an issue. However, the biggest concerns are about the amount of compensation we have to pay to a community whose way of life is deeply rooted in the island, and a shrewd community at that. With a percentage of college degree holders way higher than other islands, we have concerns that negotiations may not proceed as smoothly as they have with other similar projects, and even the final agreement itself may not be in Yong Corporations’ favour. 

Persons of Interest

Preliminary visits to the islands have found the following people to be persons of interest to our redevelopment project : 

[Information redacted] 

Yong Corporations Pte. Ltd. 

Chapter Text

At dawn on Monday morning, Seoul is silently perturbed. The streets are quiet, but the uneasy, hazy glow of the city lights forces it to stay awake. A worn grey, the sooty roads are littered with skid marks, the air thick and musty. Jisoo wakes up, Hyerim still sleeping beside him. He brushes his teeth, changes into his “casual wear”, as dictated by the company, and glances at the living room window on the way out. His is a luxury penthouse on the fiftieth floor, with a view many could only dream of having. From the expansive balcony, one could see all of the city, the Han River, the skyscrapers and lights that dot the horizon, and the Nansam tower rising steadily in the distance, an iconic landmark in Seoul.

As he grabs his knapsack, Jisoo draws the curtains shut.

And he’s out of the door.

At the lobby of his apartment, a long, black car is already waiting for him. “Mr Hong?” The driver, dressed in a suit in the middle of summer, checks his identification.

Jisoo nods. “In order for you to build rapport with the islanders, you must appear as personable and down-to-earth as possible.” Chairman Yong instructed him during his briefing the Friday before. “As such, a company vehicle will take you to the train station. But from there you will take the bullet train to Busan alone. The jetty is only a stone's throw away from the station so you should be able to find it. You will take a regular boat to the island. You will be staying in the house of an islander. Note that WiFi and mobile phone reception are only available at certain places on the island. It is best that you familiarise yourself with these locations in the event that you need to contact us because of an emergency.”

It sounds dangerous, was Jisoo’s first instinctive response. As the car drives swiftly down the empty roads of Seoul, Jisoo is lost in his thoughts. Rationally speaking, it cannot be that risky, he tells himself. Chairman Yong is a close companion of his father. In fact, the Hongs have a long history of working together with Yong Corporations as their lawyers. The file given to him by Yong Corporations also states that the island is fairly modern, with running water, a clinic and a school. It has a sizeable population of young people, and many of those within the ages of twenty-five to thirty are also college graduates. Preliminary surveys have found islanders to be kind but unsupportive of the re-development project.

That part worries Jisoo. If the islanders do not want him there, his life will be miserable. Growing up amongst the super rich, Jisoo has seen his fair share of ethical violations for the sake of money. But physically participating in one makes him feel especially unsettled. On the other hand, this is his first big project after returning from Harvard. All eyes are on him, the heir to Hong Group Corporate Law, and how capable he can prove himself to be on this multimillion dollar redevelopment project. Jisoo doesn’t even want to think about what would happen if he fails.

He watches Korea fly by him on the bullet train. From cities to pieces of the countryside, everything passes by in a blur. It is only when he gets onto the motor boat headed for Sebong-do, the island, when he has a moment to collect his thoughts. The boatman looks at him curiously, the sole passenger going to an island so rarely visited that trips need to be booked at least a few days in advance. “I’m there for work,” Jisoo explains briefly, and the boatman nods politely, though it is obvious he doesn’t quite understand.

The trip takes around an hour. One whole hour where all Jisoo can see is the sky and the vast expanse of dark blue waters. On the world map, this sea is barely visible, a thin line no more than a few centimetres long, paling drastically in comparison to the oceans of the world. Yet it already overwhelms him, the little ripples in the water, the salty breeze, and the warm rays of the morning sun–the sheer vastness of nature quickly surrounds him, and he has never felt so small. Jisoo closes his eyes and sits back. Occasionally, his cheeks would be damp from droplets of cold seawater as the boat splashes it in all directions, and he can almost taste its saltiness on the tip of his tongue.

As they approach the dock, a small wooden platform with only a couple of boats nearby, Jisoo can make out a figure. A young man. He’s dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, and a tote bag swung across his shoulder. Jisoo gets off the boat at the dock and thanks the boatman, who nods and immediately leaves for his trip back.

The man is rather tall and skinny. He has dark brown hair, bright eyes, and his skin is a warm beige.

“Lee Seokmin.” The man introduces himself. Jisoo nods. “Hong Jisoo.”

“I am a recent graduate from a University in Busan and a schoolteacher here. You’ll be living with me for the duration of your stay.” Seokmin explains. His tone is stoic, and now that they are face to face, his eyes appear cold and distant.

It’s fine. As much as Jisoo is used to people pleasers and saccharine smiles, he has seen plenty of people like this too. Guarded and wary folk are not the worst. At least they are better than those who are outrightly disingenuous.

He follows Seokmin from the jetty, up a sloped path lined with trees. Two big dogs come out from the bushes, one a sandy golden retriever and the other a dog with jet black fur and pointy ears, probably a Terrier. “Hansol’s,” Seokmin smiles quietly to himself as if Jisoo isn’t there.

The path leads to what seems to be like a small street, overlooking the sea. There is a row of shops, all brightly coloured with wooden signboards.

“You can’t see any buildings from here,” Jisoo can’t help but marvel out loud. He looks at his phone, unsurprised to see that it has no signal. This realisation feels strangely relieving.

“Seoul is far from here and you must be tired.” Seokmin says stiffly. “I can take you to your room first. After lunch, maybe Jeonghan and Seungcheol hyung can show you around.”

“And you?”Jisoo asks out of politeness.

“I have afternoon classes.”

To get to Seokmin’s place, they continue up two flights of painted cement stairs from the small street. There are a few rows of houses, and Seokmin’s is right at the end by the sea. It’s a single story terrace house, with a small garden out front– Just a couple of potted plants, grass, and a water fountain. The house is simple but it’s lived in. Its walls are beige and the furniture is of muted, earthy tones. There’s a wooden bookshelf stuffed to the brim in the living room. On the walls, there are childish pictures and doodles, and a few toys are scattered on the mat in the living room. Jisoo’s room is the guest room at the back behind the kitchen next to the backyard, with an unblocked view of the cliff and sea below. The walls are rather bare, but a few paintings add colour to the place. There is a simple single bed, a wooden desk, and a potted plant by the window. By now, it’s afternoon, the sun bright in the centre of the sky. The water shimmers with the movement of its waves, and the boats, which he assumes belongs to the islanders, are like coloured speckles decorating the shore.

Jisoo opens his window as he begins to unpack. There is a lot to take in, and he decides that for now, he shan’t try to overthink things. For this moment, he’ll enjoy what he has.

Soon after he’s done unpacking, there is a knock on Jisoo’s door. “We’re going to have lunch at my friend's restaurant.” Seokmin says matter-of-factly.

“Okay,” Jisoo nods. He puts a water bottle and sunscreen into his bag before heading off with Seokmin. They take a languid stroll back to the row of shops, the sun bright in Jisoo’s eyes as he wishes he brought his sunglasses along with him. They stop before an open-air restaurant in the middle of the row. It has a simple layout, just an open space with a wooden roof above it, a kitchen adjacent to it. There are a couple of round wooden tables around and Seokmin gestures to the biggest one in the centre.

“Hyung!” Seokmin is about to say something again when a loud and high-pitched voice interrupts him.

“Chan!” He breaks into a wide smile, and Jisoo is shocked by how the stoic, distant man before him changes so quickly. A young boy runs up to them, who looks very much like Seokmin. Except he doesn’t have a mole on his cheek. But rather, he has a mischievous glint in his eyes and when he smiles he’s missing his two front teeth.

“Did you pay attention when Seungcheol hyung taught you math today?”

“No!” Chan beams at him proudly.

Seokmin pretends to be angry, furrowing his brows and huffing exaggeratedly. “Why?”

“Jeonghan hyung kept making funny faces at us when Seungcheol hyung was teaching!” Seokmin gapes. The audacity! Yoon Jeonghan is already in his early thirties but honestly this behavior does not surprise him one bit. “It wasn’t just me, Seokmin hyung!” Chan rushes to defend himself passionately. “Seungkwan and Hansol hyung laughed too!”

Seokmin shakes his head, ruffling Chan’s hair. He will have to talk to Jeonghan after this.

“Hello.” Jisoo jumps when he hears a voice from behind him. Two boys look up at him. One of them has light brown curly hair and wears a pair of round glasses, and he looks curiously at Jisoo. The other boy’s hair is jet black. He has big eyes and a sharp nose, and scowls at Jisoo disapprovingly. Based on this, he assumes that the brown-haired boy was the one who spoke to him. “Hi,” Jisoo says hesitantly. It has been a while since he last talked to children.

“This is Seungkwan and this is Hansol,” Seokmin introduces the black haired and brown haired boy respectively.

“How much more time do we have here, Sir?” Hansol asks Jisoo. The scowl on Seungkwan’s face deepens. They must know then, about why he is here.

“Time?” Chan looks at them, perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“Time until...we go back to have lessons!” Seokmin laughs loudly.

Chan sighs. “Hansol hyung! You shouldn’t have reminded him. You like school way too much, it’s not healthy.”

Jisoo sees Seungkwan smile sadly.

“Where is everyone else?” Seokmin tries to change the topic.

“Helping out!” Seungkwan complains. “Mingyu hyung says I’m still too short to help! He’s discriminating against us, isn’t he, Hansol? Just because he’s one hundred and eighty-five centimeters or whatever!” 

“It’s for your safety, Seungkwan.” Seokmin ruffles his hair, laughing. “If it makes you feel better, Wonwoo hyung isn’t allowed in either. And he’s very tall.” 

“Wonwoo hyung doesn’t even want to be inside,” Seungkwan mumbles sulkily. “But I do! And Mingyu hyung keeps hurting my feelings by rejecting me.” 

“Me too!” Chan adds. 

“He’ll let you soon enough, I promise.” Seokmin comforts them. “Mingyu hyung is nice, isn’t he?” 

“That’s true.” 

The three children go back to playing and Seokmin pulls Jisoo to the side. “Chan doesn’t know about the redevelopment. And I’d like to keep things that way.” 

"Okay, of course." Jisoo nods. 

“Seokmin!” A very tall man with a gummy smile waves enthusiastically at him, a plate of food in his other hand. Upon seeing Jisoo, he hesitates for a moment, but waves. Jisoo smiles back. 

“Mingyu! Do you need any help?” 

“Nope! But can you help me keep an eye out for Jeon Wonwoo?” 

Seokmin sighs exasperatedly. “He’s not going to–” 

“He might come and start critiquing everything like Mingyu, you shouldn’t leave food out. Mingyu, why aren’t the children sitting on chairs? They might get sick. Mingyu, how long do I have to be here? I want to go back to my clinic and sit in my high and mighty office chair. I would really appreciate it if I don’t have to deal with this today.” Mingyu rants, or raps, rather. He spoke so fast Jisoo could barely catch up with him. 

“You sound crazy,” Seokmin tells him honestly. 

Mingyu shakes his head. “I’m surprised all of you aren’t from having to deal with him.” He looks up and smiles apologetically at Jisoo. Suddenly, Mingyu’s eyes widen. “Speak of the devil.” He shakes his head and squints. “Also, what on earth is he wearing?” 

Just a regular t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. “Got tired of showing off your stupid doctor uniform, Jeon?” Mingyu asks mockingly. 

Wonwoo waves at Seokmin and Jisoo, much to Jisoo’s surprise, before turning to Mingyu. “Do you need any help? You look...flustered.” He smiles at Mingyu. 

“Condescending as always,” Mingyu bites back. “And no I don't, so buzz off!” He sets the second plate of food down on the table angrily. 

“Wonwoo hyung!” Hansol, Seungkwan and Chan call him from where they are playing on the floor. 

“Great, he’s also obviously their favourite.” Mingyu complains bitterly. 

“Mingyu,” Wonwoo starts. “I already told you that they shouldn’t be on the fl–”

“Get them chairs if you’re so concerned, Jeon!” Mingyu snaps. “If you can’t tell, I'm busy.” 

“It’s not his fault, Wonwoo hyung.” Hansol quickly tries to remedy the situation. 

Wonwoo smiles, explaining himself casually. “I never said it was.”

Mingyu on the other hand, looks like he could implode, or explode. 

“Someone really needs to do Yoga with Jun, Minghao and Soonyoung in the morning,” Wonwoo teases him. 

“And me! I’ve been doing yoga too!” Seungkwan adds excitedly, and even Mingyu’s eyes soften. Damn it, he can’t curse Wonwoo out now. 

There is a small tug at Jisoo’s sleeve and he looks down to see Hansol. “I promise that they’re the only source of distress on the island. Otherwise we all get along well.” He says it so seriously that Jisoo can’t help but laugh. 

The small frown on his face deepens. “Please, sir. If you write a report about us, I hope that people will know that we are good people. It might be all people know of us if we have to leave the island.” 

Jisoo is taken aback. “I promise,” he finds himself saying. But that does nothing for the hurt in Hansol’s eyes and the uneasiness in Jisoo’s heart. 

Over lunch, Jisoo gets to meet Jeonghan and Seungcheol, a business and an engineering graduate respectively. They have taken it upon themselves to run the island, from building infrastructure, managing food supply and trade, and even helping Seokmin with the childrens’ education, especially for Soonyoung and Jihoon, two seventeen year old boys. Jisoo is pleasantly surprised by the conversation he manages to have with the teenagers about school life, expecting everyone to be as guarded as Seokmin is. There is also Minghao and Jun, who backpacked around China, Korea and Japan until they found this island and decided to stay. They are both trained in Wushu, take charge of the childrens’ physical fitness and organise sporting activities for everyone on the island. 

Overall, lunch actually goes well. The seafood from Mingyu’s restaurant, though lightly seasoned with ginger and spring onions, is fresh and sweet. He manages to make light conversations with a couple of the people that he has met, and though he can feel Seokmin’s sharp gaze lingering on him, he feels a lot more at ease. 

Chapter Text

Not wanting to ruin the day after lunch, Jisoo decides to start his work only on the next day. He spends the afternoon drafting a preliminary report for week one in his room, and in the evening, he goes with Seokmin and Chan to Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s house, where the two men would brief him on their plans for the next day. 

He learns that Chan is Seokmin’s younger brother, and that they both aren’t living with their parents for some reason. Dinner is a simple Kimchi stew and some soju for everyone but Chan of course, whom is given apple juice instead. Chan is rather nice to Jisoo, though Seokmin is protective of his brother and makes sure they don’t spend much time together. It's fine by Jisoo. He’s going to be gone at the end of summer anyway. 

The next morning, he follows Seokmin and Chan to the schoolhouse. It is opposite their own house, right by the ocean, and like all the houses nearby it is single storied. There are only two classrooms, each furnished with a couple of desks, bookshelves, a projector, a computer and a whiteboard for the teacher. In one of the rooms, Soonyoung and Jihoon do self-study until they have lessons with either Jeonghan or Seungcheol. In the other room, Seokmin will teach Seungkwan, Hansol and Chan. Jisoo learns that the school is one of the few places with an internet connection, alongside Wonwoo's clinic and Jun and Minghao's house. 

EDUCATION  

The school is small. Homely, but functional. There is a small playground outside for the students during break time, but lunch is sponsored by a family who owns a restaurant on the island. The children eat in class. In other words, the school doesn’t even have a canteen. 

What does this mean? What should this mean? As a lawyer, Jisoo has learnt to twist and frame things in his favour. His job here is to reduce the amount of settlement Yong Corporations should have to pay, and convince the Korean government that the benefits of resettlement outweighed those of staying put. 

Evidently, this is not the best quality of education these children can receive. Resettlement to bigger islands, or Busan, can provide them with better opportunities. Furthermore, the lack of an established school system on the Island should also indicate lowered resettlement fees from Yong Corporations. From the simple and rudimentary way in which education is carried out here, any harms brought to the students from resettlement should and will be minimal. In fact, one could even make a strong case for why resettlement would be highly beneficial. 

It would be so simple to write "compensation for disruptions to education" off as a non-issue, Jisoo thinks. To the elites in the city, it is intuitive that an education like this one is insufficient and lacking. You don’t even have to stay here for that long, Jisoo reminds himself. Chairman Yong told him he could leave whenever he felt ready to. 

He could make this easy. Do what Yong Corporations wanted of him. S omething uneasy pools in his stomach.

“Let’s start with Korean first, okay?” Seokmin tells the three boys. Jisoo turns his attention back to the class.  “Seungcheol hyung will come in to teach you math later.” 

Chan and Seungkwan cheer while Hansol sighs. 

“Why?” Chan, Seungkwan and Seokmin all turn to look at him. “Why would you want to do math?” Seungkwan asks, obviously a little offended, but keeping his tone is mild since he doesn't want to make Hansol upset. 

“I had this really interesting math question and was looking forward to discussing it with all of you.” He says a little sadly. 

“Oh…” 

Seokmin looks torn, Chan is keeping a straight face as best as he can, and Hansol looks quite disappointed. “Yesterday we started with Math.” 

“I can help.” Jisoo finds himself volunteering. “I haven’t done much math since high school, but I could take a look if you want.” 

“What are your qualifications ?” Seungkwan studies him with narrowed eyes. It seems as if he wants to say more, but holds back when he sees Hansol excited and genuinely considering the idea. 

“I uh...won a few Math Olympiad tournaments in high school,” Jisoo admits. He also topped his high school in math yearly, got full marks on both the math CSAT and SAT, but Jisoo doesn’t say that. 

“Wow!” Hansol seems amazed. Even Seungkwan is speechless. 

“You don’t have to show it to me if you don’t–”

“This is the question!” Hansol hands a piece of paper to Jisoo, with an algebra problem on it. 

“Algebra! That’s very advanced for your age,” Jisoo smiles at him. 

“I love Math!” Hansol tells him proudly. 

There is a blank look on Seokmin’s face and Jisoo doesn’t know what to make of it, so he settles for saying “I’ll explain it to Hansol. The rest of you are welcome to listen if you’d like! But if not, it’s fine too.” 

It is a quadratic equation with no real roots, Jisoo realises soon enough when he is unable to factorise the equation. By then, Chan and Seungkwan have already lost interest, choosing instead to read while Hansol and Jisoo discuss the problem. “I wanted to know what its graph would look like,” Hansol explains. 

“Have you learnt what a discriminant is, and how to complete the square?” Jisoo asks carefully. 

Hansol nods. “That’s why I knew it had no real roots. Sometimes I struggle with visualisation, it’s the only part of math that can be difficult.” 

“The only part? Hansol is so smart!” Chan says, admiration in his voice. 

“He’s right.” Jisoo smiles warmly. “I actually only learned about what you’re doing now at thirteen. And I didn’t even learn it on my own, my tutor taught it to me. Don’t be disheartened. You’re very good at math.” 

Hansol smiles a little. “Thank you sir.” Jisoo laughs at the honorific and proceeds to explain how Hansol could use the coefficient of the x square and the y-coordinate of the turning point to determine the position of the graph. He then gives Hansol a few practice questions off the top of his head that the boy answers quickly and correctly. 

“You’re all set,” Jisoo high-fives him. “Good job Hansol.” 

“Thank you so much sir!” 

“Jisoo hyung is fine, but only if you’re comfortable.” Jisoo smiles.

“Okay, I’ll remember that...sir.” Hansol flushes, but Jisoo just shakes his head and tells him it’s okay. 

He returns to the back of the classroom, and lets Seokmin take over the lesson. For Korean, they’re writing compositions. Chan gets a slightly easier set of pictures since he’s eight, two years younger, and Hansol and Seungkwan get the same one. 

Seungkwan and Chan start writing immediately, but Hansol stares at his pictures for a long time, frowning. “Everything okay Hansol?” Seokmin asks. Hansol nods hesitantly but still doesn’t start writing. “Is there anything I can help you with?” He tries again next to him, quietly this time. 

Seungkwan looks up too, concerned. 

“I...it’s okay,” Hansol mumbles, obviously overwhelmed. His voice is a little shaky and his right hand grips onto his pencil, trembling slightly. “Can I go to the washroom, Seokmin-hyung?” He manages out. Seokmin nods, wanting to go after Hansol, but resisting the urge to do so. Seungkwan looks up at him, and Seokmin shakes his head. “Give him some time alone, Seungkwan-ah.” 

Ten uneasy minutes later, Seokmin can’t bear to wait any longer. “Can you...look after them?” He asks Jisoo. Seokmin runs out of the classroom, while Chan and Seungkwan stare after them.  Suddenly, Seungkwan begins to cry, loudly, startling both Chan and Jisoo. “It’s my fault,” he sobs. “I...I should have known better." 

“Calm down Seungkwan.” Jisoo tries to comfort him. “It’s alright. What happened?” 

“Since...since we were young, Hansol has had problems with understanding pictures.” 

“Understanding pictures?”

“I know it sounds strange...but everytime we looked at pictures, he wouldn’t understand what’s going on. Like...imagine a picture of a family. Hansol would ask, why are these children sitting on the laps of these adults? I can’t exactly remember but it’s something like that. Or if it was a picture of two friends talking, he would ask, why are these two people looking at each other and opening their mouths. Do...do you get what I mean?” 

“I do.” He doesn’t, not quite, but he understands the gist of what Seungkwan’s saying. 

“I didn’t want to tell anyone anything in case it made him feel bad. I also thought maybe I could help him, just like he helps me with math. I...I didn’t know it would lead to him struggling so badly. Maybe someone better would have been able to help him and…” Seungkwan trails off, sniffling. 

“It’s okay,” Jisoo comforts him. “You meant well.”

He gestures for Jisoo to come closer to him. “Is this going t...to to get us into trouble? With you and your people and…” He whispers. 

“No,” Jisoo shakes his head, his heart breaking. “No, of course not.” 

“Okay,” Seungkwan nods, and it hurts Jisoo to notice Seungkwan’s tense shoulders, and his wide and fearful eyes.

Seungkwan doesn’t believe him. 

Seokmin comes back with Hansol soon enough. The boy’s eyes are puffy and his face is downcast when he comes into the room. As soon as he sees Seungkwan teary-eyed, he starts crying again, and now, so does Chan. Seokmin shoots Jisoo an accusatory look. 

“Talk outside,” Jisoo mouths.  Seokmin nods curtly, his jaw clenched, hands balled into fists. 

Seokmin manages to calm the children all down temporarily by giving them candy. He calls for Soonyoung and Jihoon to take care of them, and in no time, the children are laughing at whatever antic Soonyoung has decided to perform. 

“Why were Chan and Seungkwan crying?” Seokmin hisses at him the moment they step outside. 

“Did Hansol tell you anything?” Jisoo asks gently, not meaning to deflect the question, but to find out how much explaining he needs to do. 

“No, but he’s terrified. Because of you.” Seokmin’s voice is cold as he looks Jisoo firmly in the eye. “He thinks that we’ll get into trouble, and that we might be separated from each other when you take over the island. Hansol has difficulty writing, and he’s sure it’ll make you think our education isn’t good enough.” 

“Seokmin I–”

“You know what the worst part is?” His voice cracks a little, and Seokmin’s eyes turn red and watery. “I can’t even tell him that it’s not true, and reassure him that everything will be okay. Because it isn’t. He’s right, isn’t he?” 

Resettlement to bigger Islands, or even Busan, can give them more opportunities. 

“Seokmin,” Jisoo starts, but he doesn’t know what to say. Hansol isn’t wrong, not in the slightest. “Look...we can do something about it. Fix this, maybe.” 

“Fix this? Fix him?” Seokmin’s eyes widen in horror. “Don’t you dare talk about Hansol like he’s a problem!”

“That’s not what I meant,” Jisoo sighs, a little flustered but otherwise calm. Honestly, he’s dealt with way worse.  “Listen, Seungkwan told me that Hansol has always had difficulties with understanding pictures. We could help Hansol in that area, couldn’t we? My report aside...it’d make him feel better. And Hansol is very bright, anyone can see that. I can’t...I’m not going to use this against him.”

Seokmin sighs. “I’ll discuss what to do with Jeonghan and Seungcheol.” 

“Okay.” 

They return to the classroom in silence. Seokmin takes Seungkwan and Hansol out to talk to them and to do his best to ease their minds. Jisoo sits at the back of the classroom, watching Soonyoung and Jihoon play with Chan to distract him. From the classroom, the sea is a stone's throw away. He imagines its waves crashing against the shore, maybe the low humming of a distant ship, getting louder and louder, until the cacophony of waves and low grumble of motor roars in his ears. 

Seokmin returns soon enough and makes sure that Chan is doing okay. “Shall we move on to science?” He asks, eager to start with something new. Fortunately, all three boys say yes. 

--

Things are deathly awkward between them, Jisoo thinks as he looks at his food. Mingyu brought over chicken porridge, arriving a little late because “Jeon Wonwoo had the audacity to disturb me as I was coming over. He asked if I could drop by his clinic to send him food on my way to the school in future. I said obviously not because who does he think he is?” 

After Mingyu leaves, things fall into silence as the children chat among themselves and Seungcheol and Jeonghan look at him and Seokmin quietly. They arrived after doing their daily round around the village. After science, Seungcheol came in to teach Mathematics and now it is lunch. 

“I can uh...move somewhere else if you want some privacy.” Jisoo offers. While waiting for Mingyu, Seokmin already filled Seungcheol and Jeonghan in on what happened, probably including the part about how the children are terrified of Jisoo. 

“No that’s okay,” Jeonghan smiles at him a little too sweetly. “Since you know what’s going on, it would be nice to hear from you too. In fact, since Seungkwan spoke to you first, why don’t you start with what you think we can do for Hansol?”

It’s sneaky, and very smart. Jisoo isn’t going to be surprised if a recording device falls out of Jeonghan’s pocket at any moment. If the suggestion is Jisoo’s, then the responsibility for the outcome will fall unto him. In other words, if Hansol fails to improve, it’s Jisoo’s fault, not the islanders. 

Jisoo composes himself. There’s nothing to worry about. He meant what he said when he told Seokmin he wouldn’t use Hansol’s struggle against him. “For as long as possible, Hansol will continue his education here, won't he? At higher levels, composition writing will no longer be based on picture prompts. But rather, candidates will be given a written prompt that they read. If the ultimate aim is for Hansol to go to university, he just needs to be o n par with other high schoolers in the University entrance exam. We can forgo the pictures and give him written prompt questions instead.”

Jeonghan nods comfortably. “But...our island is going to be taken away from us, isn’t it?”It’s a little harsh, and both Seungcheol and Seokmin wince before glaring at Jisoo as if he was the one who said those words. “What will we do if Hansol has to enroll in a mainstream school?”

“Of course, it would be good if Hansol can be taught to understand pictures better. Not just for school, but for the sake of creating more ease in his everyday life. However, at the end of the day, from his current level until the end of elementary school, the weightage of composition exams will not exceed 20 percent. After elementary school, picture questions are no longer used. This means that even if he still struggles, Hansol can do decently well so long as he has mastered other parts of the language.” 

“Right.” Jeonghan is impressed, and also a little taken aback. Perhaps he’s finally meeting his match as a quick-witted and clever business major. “We’ll go with what you say then, Jisoo. Seokmin-ah, you should pay Hansol’s family a visit to inform them of this situation. From now on, whenever the children do independent practices, we can give Hansol a prompt version of the composition question.”

“But we should still discuss picture questions, shouldn’t we?” Seokmin adds. “So that when Hansol has to go to a...mainstream school, he’ll be okay.” 

Seungcheol nods. “Maybe we can alternate the practices? The prompt ones are to build his writing skills and confidence. The pictures are for him to learn to read pictures and make use of what he can understand to write. We can give him more guidance with the pictures at first, to ease him into understanding them.” 

“Okay, sounds good.” Seokmin says, writing down the information into his notebook. Jisoo is glad to be done with his food by the time Seokmin is done writing and things go silent again. He washes his bowl and puts it back onto the trolley Mingyu came with earlier, and spends the rest of his break recording down the day’s events. 

After lunch, the children have English with Seokmin. “When are we ever going to learn real English?” Seungkwan drags his feet to his seat when Seokmin calls them in from play time. 

Real English? 

Jisoo soon understands why. Seokmin writes down a paragraph of words in English on the board. Then, between each line, he adds lines of Korean. The Korean doesn’t make sense until Jisoo reads it out loud softly. Then it clicks. They are learning to speak English by pronouncing Korean words that sound similar to each English word. 

This cannot do, Jisoo thinks, noting it down immediately. Surely someone else could teach the children English. Jeonghan and Seungcheol, the graduates from Seoul maybe? 

“Seokmin is already our best,” Seungcheol explains to Jisoo when he looks for him in the other classroom. “Jeonghan and I really suffered through high school English. Jun and Minghao do speak three languages, but none of them are English.” 

“Okay.” Jisoo nods. 

“What about you?” He asks. 

“I’m sorry?” 

Seungcheol shrugs. “You speak English, don’t you?” 

“How would you k–” But Jisoo stops himself mid sentence. It must be obvious given the wealth of his family and their prominence both in Korea and abroad. “Yeah I do. And uh...the way English lessons are held here, isn’t very conducive.”

“I know. There’s unfortunately a limit to what we can do for the children.” Seungcheol sighs. 

“What if, you know, I taught them?” Jisoo asks. 

“You’re leaving in three months.” Seungcheol eyes him suspiciously. 

“I know, but maybe I can set up a system or something like that. Make a couple of notes and worksheets for them, at the very least teach them how to read and write so it’ll be easier for them to get better from there.” 

Seungcheol nods. “It would be beneficial for them, your motives aside.” He remarks casually, causing Jisoo to wince. “It will be useful. I’ll talk to Seokmin and Jeonghan.”

“Alright.”

“You should probably prepare some draft teaching materials for us to look at,” Seungcheol adds. “English is once a day for both groups of students. I assume you will also be teaching Soonyoung and Jihoon?” 

“Right, I can do that.” Jisoo is caught off guard since he hasn’t met the two older boys in class yet and forgot that they too would need English classes. But he quickly catches himself and agrees. There is no harm to doing so, after all. 

The last lesson of the day is social studies where Jeonghan teaches the class about a period in ancient Korean history. It is quite relaxed, with the children reciting some classic poems and watching a video of a remake of an ancient Korean village. Nothing particularly noteworthy seems to be happening, so Jisoo leaves early and heads back to Seokmin’s house to work on his plan. It’s four o’clock in the afternoon, and the view by his window is rather uplifting, the sea turning gold under the late afternoon sun. 

If there is one area where the school is lacking, it would be in English. Students are taught English by reading. Instead of learning the English alphabet however, they learn each word by pronouncing Korean syllables that sound similar to the word. Obviously, such a method of learning English is ineffective and inadequate. For the duration of my stay, I have agreed to teach English to the students–three boys in elementary school, and two in high school. Attached are the plans I will be using with them. The plans span twelve weeks, with five English lessons per week except for the first week as we only have three lessons left. Over the course of the twelve weeks, I will prepare notes and source for materials like books and online lessons that can help the children continue in their studies after I leave the Island. 

Elementary School Level English Curriculum Plan 

Week one : Introduce the English Alphabet 

Week two : Introduce simple reading exercises and start basic vocabulary lessons on family, food, one’s neighbourhood etc. 

Week three : Continue vocabulary lessons, introduce irregular English words that are not phonetic, and start Grammar lessons 

Week four : Main focus will be on Grammar lessons : Sentence structure and conjugation in the present tense 

.

. 

Week twelve : Write and perform a short play in English 

High School Level English Curriculum Plan 

Week one : English diagnostic test + fixing any misconceptions in grammar and pronunciation 

Week two : Grammar and Vocabulary Intensives. 

Week three : Start reading the news and story books in English. If Vocabulary intensives require a longer time, continue them. 

Week four : Students should be able to understand basic vocabulary on simple social topics like education, the environment and travel. 

.

.

Week twelve : Sit for a mock test similar to that of a government school’s English test. The goal is to ensure they get at least a 40% by this point. They will also be required to hold a Conversation in English that is at least 15 minutes long on a given topic. 

Chapter Text

Jisoo wakes up early the next morning to follow Jeonghan and Seungcheol on their morning round around the village. In addition to selling food at their restaurant, Mingyu’s family also sells some of their seafood to Busan and neighbouring islands. Since it happens to be a day where the boat would come by to pick up the seafood, they visit Mingyu’s family first at six in the morning 

“How much do you earn from this?” He tries to ask Mingyu as tactfully as possible. 

“We can make three to four thousand dollars a month,” he answers readily. “People like getting seafood from us because it’s fresh. Our island is further away from a lot of human activity so we don’t have things like rubbish, oil spills, or sewage leaks. Such environmental conditions can severely damage the quality of food.” 

“Isn’t your food significantly more expensive? You don’t sell seafood in bulk the way major fisheries do but you still need to cover the same, if not more transportation costs." 

Mingyu nods. “We’ve been able to sell our food at a premium because of its quality. This covers the transportation cost to Busan. As for the smaller islands nearby, the cost of transportation is lowered quite significantly.” 

Jeonghan checks in with Mingyu to make sure that there is sufficient food both for selling and for the islanders. Seungcheol takes the time to do a safety check of the two fishing boats with Mingyu’s father. 

Next, they visit the orchard and the rice field which are run collectively by the villagers. “We don’t sell produce,” Jeonghan explains. “It isn’t worth it economically.” Since it’s rather early in the morning, only Soonyoung’s family is at the rice field as it is their turn to be on duty. They spot Minghao in the mix and Jeonghan waves at him. “Might just be the only person who finds planting rice therapeutic,” he laughs. 

Lastly, they go to the water refinery on the other side of the island. Run by Hansol’s family together with some help from Seungcheol, the plant allows for clean water to be transported around the island more easily, and for sewage to be dealt with in a hygienic manner. 

“That’s just how our daily rounds go,” Seungcheol explains. “We check on the supply of daily essentials and if anyone else needs help with other things we go to them as well.” 

FOOD AND WATER

The island is self sufficient so islanders do not bear costs for food and water. Everyone helps out with the production of food, in fact, and food is shared communally. This will obviously change should they move to bigger islands, let alone Busan or other cities. They should be given compensation for the additional costs they will have to consistently bear when relocated. In addition, the island earns a revenue of 3-4k a month from selling seafood, valued for its freshness since the island and its surrounding waters are rather isolated from human activity. This is an exclusive form of revenue for the islanders, and they should be compensated for this when they are relocated. 

Later in the day, Jisoo holds his first English lessons. With Soonyoung and Jihoon, class is surprisingly better than he thought it would be. Even though they do not have the best English pronunciation and reading skills, the two boys are hardworking and determined and have learnt English grammar and vocabulary during self study time using the computer in their classroom. The two boys are quiet and shy, but humble and cooperative.  Jeonghan sits at the back of the classroom and when Jisoo asks him how it went he slyly remarks “No comment.” 

Immediately after, he has class with Seungkwan, Hansol and Chan so he doesn’t have time to dwell on Jeonghan’s reaction. Once again, Seungkwan demands proof to ensure he and his friends aren’t being scammed. Fortunately, Jisoo has pictures of his graduation from Harvard. This time, Seokmin openly glares at him from the side of the classroom when the children look at him with admiration in their eyes. Even Seungkwan mumbles, “I’m impressed.”

The lesson gets a little tricky as the children grapple with the similarities and differences between the English and Korean alphabet. Chan gets distracted easily, but Seungkwan seems determined to learn English and Hansol tells him that he’s “very happy to learn a new system of things.” To make things a little more bearable for Chan, he does a hands-on activity where he calls out a letter and the children have to make the shape of it with their bodies. This seems to keep Chan engaged and the rest of the lesson goes on quite successfully. 

Jisoo is in better spirits when he leaves the school with Seokmin and Chan in the afternoon. “It actually went pretty well,”he says, the wind lightly ruffling his hair. He smiles at Seokmin. “Even Seungkwan was like ‘You’re actually good at this’ which was pretty cool.” 

Seokmin doesn’t respond to him and things grow a little awkward so he turns to Chan instead. “Did you like English class?” 

“It’s so fun Jisoo hyung!” Chan jumps up and down and Seokmin’s grip on his hand tightens, his brows furrowed. “But it’s also hard.” 

Jisoo nods. “We’ll have time to get better. Everything is hard at first.” 

“That’s true,” Chan admits. “I want to be a professional dancer. So I’m practising hard.” 

“Sounds like a good plan.” Jisoo high-fives him and Chan smiles widely. “I like you, Jisoo hyung.” 

When he goes back to his room Jisoo finds himself thinking about what is to come. It’s a Wednesday, which means that the weekend is two days away. His report and work aside, he has genuinely become curious about the way of life on Sebong-do. 

There is a knock at his door. 

“Seokmin–” Jisoo stops. Seokmin looks furious, his eyes hardened as he closes the door behind them. “What exactly are you trying to do here?” He demands. 

“I’m sorry?” His glare sends a shiver down Jisoo’s spine. 

“Helping Hansol, volunteering to teach English, trying to befriend my brother...what is it that you want from us?” 

“I–” 

“Do you know how hurt they’ll be when you leave? Even Seungkwan is warming up to you.” He seethes, every word laced with venom. “They don’t deserve to be treated this way because of your selfishness.” He jams a finger against Jisoo’s chest, and it genuinely hurts. Jisoo winces.

“You can’t live with the fact that everyone hates you here, can you? After all, you’ve probably been bowed down to and admired your entire life.” 

“That’s not true,” Jisoo refutes weakly. 

Seokmin ignores him, shaking his head violently. "There's no use in trying to deny it. So what do you do, Jisoo? You try to get the children to like you and befriend you. Because they’re innocent and kind.” He paces around the room, in quick, agitated rounds, his breathing shaky. "I just can't understand why you would want to torment them this way. They're children" 

He walks towards Jisoo and grabs him firmly by the collar, pure rage burning in his eyes. “You better leave them alone. English classes aside, you better not be talking to them or trying to get chummy with them. I’m warning you.”

He lets go of Jisoo roughly, the impact causing him to stumble backwards. Seokmin doesn’t even look at him again before he is out of the room, the door slamming loudly behind him. 

Jisoo’s ears ring as cold sweat drips down his face, his hands shaking as he takes short, laboured breaths. Slowly, he pulls the chair at the study desk out and sits down, closing his eyes. The moments before replay in his head as disjointed fragments. A sharp pain burns in his heart, his head all fuzzy as he opens his eyes, squinting as the light from outside entres his eyes. 

He looks out of the window. Being cooped up in Seokmin’s house isn’t going to help, no matter how calming the evening sea is, the tide low, the waves gentle, everything warm and homely about the room suddenly seems far out of his reach. A sense of unfamiliarity creeps up to him as he lets go of the white windowsill and takes a step back. Sebong-do is only tolerating him, the islanders bearing with him through gritted teeth. 

There is a lot of hurt and anger underneath. 

He takes a deep breath in, and dumps a couple of things into his tote bag. From his room, there is another door that leads out to the backyard and Jisoo contemplates leaving from the back but the gate is locked. He sighs, holding his breath as he walks out of his room. Seokmin and Chan are playing in the garden, and Chan runs over to him. “Play with us Jisoo hyung!” 

Jisoo smiles at him sadly. “Sorry, I’ve got somewhere to be. Have a good dinner with Seokmin okay?”

He evades Seokmin’s gaze and heads for the gate. It’s unlocked and he pushes it gently so it swings open. When Jisoo steps outside it’s early evening and the weather is starting to cool down. He looks at the peaceful street before him and listens to the calming whispers of the sea. If he heads down the street, he will be back at the shops which are bound to be noisy and filled with islanders. Jisoo goes the other way, walking round the perimeter of Seokmin’s house, looking out at the sea before him.

This part of the sea is quieter, further away from the shops. A flight of stairs leads from the rocky cliffs and houses to the stretch of beach below. Jisoo  heads down them and finds himself standing in the water, the soft sand between his toes, the water pooling around his ankles. His mind is still frazzled, but Jisoo let’s himself forget about his thoughts for a while. Before him is an endless sea and a sky that knows no bounds, and it overwhelms him. This place is so much bigger than he is. Let alone the rest of the world. 

He watches as the clouds move in the wind, as the sun gradually sinks, its rays spilling into the sea. As the tide comes in, he moves back slowly to the shallower parts of the water. The wind picks up speed, birds fly over the horizon as they prepare to roost for the night, and Jisoo has never quite felt so small as he watches them from the shore. He feels light, almost as if if he were to just stand up, the warm breeze would pick him up and take him out to sea, guided by the lull of the waves.

It is strangely liberating. 

“Jisoo-yah!” At sunset, the quietness is finally broken. Jisoo turns and sees Mingyu waving at him, a net swung over his shoulder, a bucket in his hand. 

Jisoo waves back.

“What are you doing here?” Mingyu asks curiously.

When he sees the hesitant expression on Jisoo’s face, he explains. “Usually, people prefer going to the beach by the jetty. It’s quieter here.”

Jisoo nods, more relaxed, Mingyu’s response giving him more time to think of his answer. “I thought it was more relaxing here. Since you know, as you said, there are fewer people.”

“Ah, that’s true,” Mingyu agrees. He lifts up the bucket. “I usually come here to catch shellfish and crabs when the tide is low. If the children see me catching fish at the beach by the jetty, they would be quite alarmed. Since I’ve always come here with a purpose, I’ve never appreciated the beach here.” 

He turns around and smiles. “The cliffs here are pretty nice, aren’t they?” 

"Yes, they are." Against the pink, blue and golden hues of the sky, the rocky cliffs stand tall, their jagged edges bathed in the dimming light of the setting sun. The leaves and shrubs on the cliffs sway in the wind, and when he and Mingyu head back they can see the colourful houses in the distance at the top of the cliff, their warm yellow lights glowing in the darkening sky. 

“Are you going back for dinner soon?” Mingyu asks. 

Jisoo pauses, realising that it is getting late and he needs to think about dinner. “Mingyu?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I buy food from your restaurant for dinner?” He asks hesitantly.

“Sure!” Mingyu nods. “I have a couple of preorders but we should be able to have some leftovers. Also, you don’t have to pay me,” he adds. 

“You...uh” A few worries run through his head. Is Mingyu doing this because he’s a guest? Is he just trying to be nice? 

“It’s the same for everyone,” Mingyu explains. “I get water from Hansol’s family for free, and the vegetables and rice from the community garden are free for all too. We just share what we have.” 

“That’s nice.” Jisoo says, because he doesn’t know how else to describe what Mingyu told him. It’s just so vastly different from the way things are in Seoul. He has never had to worry about money, but it’s also all anyone cares about. This re-development project will bring another hundred million dollars or so into Chairman Yong’s bank account. What could he do with another hundred million? He has enough to eat, drink, invest, and go for vacations anywhere in the world, and will still have millions untouched. Truthfully, his family is the same, and soon, Jisoo will be, his own bank account surely to be fed abundantly after this project. 

“Are you also getting food for Seokmin and Chan?” Mingyu asks, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

“Oh, no.” Jisoo quickly smiles to hide his nervousness. “I decided to do more exploring of my own today.”

Mingyu looks like he wants to say more, but smiles politely and nods. “You can come with me if you like. Maybe sit at one of the tables while waiting and talk to whoever’s there. Or you could also explore the other shops and come back in about...forty five minutes?”

“Can I help you?” Jisoo asks. “I mean...with uh preparing the food and stuff.” 

Mingyu looks taken aback, so Jisoo quickly elaborates. “You can say no if you want to! I don’t mean to be a hassle or anything.”

“No, no.” Mingyu smiles. “Thank you so much for offering to help! That would actually be nice.” He sounds genuine, and Jisoo has too much on his mind to question Mingyu’s intentions, so he heads off with Mingyu to his restaurant. 

“Since there are not a lot of orders today, I’m the only one in the kitchen.” Mingyu says as he switches on the lights in the dark kitchen. “My parents are already quite old,” he explains. “And I thought it would be nice if I could help them out more.” 

“Do you have siblings?” Jisoo asks. While it was a nice gesture of Mingyu, he looks at the whiteboard in front of the kitchen and sees that he has ten orders for food. That’s still a lot to manage alone. 

“I have a sister who lives in Busan. She does visit us once a month or so. Different people like life in different places, and while I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but here, Busan is the best fit for her since she likes the vibrancy of living in a city. She’s always welcome back here and we all love her, so long as she stops hitting on Jeon Wonwoo.” 

“That’s nice,” Jisoo says. 

“Nice?” Mingyu gapes. This is the first time he’s been genuinely upset at Jisoo. 

“No, not the thing about Wonwoo.” Jisoo says hurriedly. “The fact that the islanders seem so kind and accepting even of those who choose to live elsewhere.”

Mingyu nods. “The islanders here are generally like that. Everyone is very compassionate. I’m sorry that...you know, you haven’t quite been able to experience that.” 

“It’s okay,” Jisoo replies instinctively. “I deserve it.” To prevent the awkward silence that he is sure will follow, he quickly adds, “Your sister likes Wonwoo?” 

“Ah,” Mingyu temporarily gets distracted by what he’s doing. 

“I can help you wash and clean the vegetables and soak the vermicelli?” Jisoo offers. “So you can focus on cleaning the seafood and the fish.” 

“Right, okay. Thank you.” Jisoo takes the packets of vegetables and vermicelli from Mingyu. The kitchen is rather spacious and there are two sinks, one for preparing vegetables and one for seafood. Jisoo heads over to the one meant for vegetables and Mingyu starts taking out the fish he will prepare along with the shellfish. 

“My sister...I’ve asked her countless times before, and each time she said that Wonwoo is just a friend. Wonwoo has also said the same thing. They were pretty close and are still good friends now. Everytime they’re together they’re always laughing and whispering to each other.” He shudders. “It’s rather unsettling.” 

“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you dislike him so much?” Jisoo asks. 

Mingyu sighs. “We have different personalities. Wonwoo is very organised and meticulous, and I prefer going with the flow and just watching things pan out. So we clash a lot. Maybe it’s also because we’re the same age which is why we feel the need to correct each other and fight when we disagree with the other person.”

“Mhm, that’s quite possible.” Jisoo says. He wants to add that it’s good that their fights are never more than trivial squabbles and that they could try to get along since they both seem like good people deep down but he refrains from adding more. He’s not close to Mingyu, and might be overstepping his boundaries. 

“How about you? Do you have a Wonwoo in your life?”

Jisoo shakes his head. “I don’t have people I would consider as friends.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, everyone either hates me because they are from rival firms or families, or they’re sticking around with hopes of getting some sort of benefit from me.” Jisoo shrugs. It feels so good to speak his mind. Besides, saying this to Mingyu is alright, isn’t it? If Yong Corporations caught wind, he could always play it off as a lie to appear more pitiful in front of the islanders. “It’s alright though, you learn to be okay with living alone.” 

Mingyu nods. “You must have to be very strong to endure that.”

“Not really.” Jisoo denies it instantly. “My life has been a lot easier than most people’s. By a long shot.”

“In some ways,” Mingyu says. “In some ways it must have been a lot harder.” 

Perhaps, Jisoo thinks to himself as he chops the bok choy into smaller pieces. But can he really say that openly? He would be ungrateful and unaware of his obviously privilege, and very obviously dismissive of others. 

As they work in a comfortable silence, there is a knock at the door. “Mingyu-yah!” It is a familiar deep voice.

Mingyu groans. “I can get it if you prefer?” Jisoo offers. 

Mingyu agrees but before Jisoo can get to the door, it opens. Wonwoo stands at the doorway, dressed in a button down long-sleeved cuffed shirt and formal black trousers. He’s wearing his thin-framed metal glasses, his doctor's coat folded on his arm. 

“How pretentious,” Mingyu announces loudly. “And also, did you just break into my family’s kitchen?  Wait till I expose you in front of everybody.” 

“First of all, I’m a doctor. Second of all, the door was unlocked. I knocked to be courteous. Third of all, hi Jisoo.” He smiles and waves at Jisoo. 

“Hi Wonwoo!” He waves back.

Mingyu glares at Wonwoo and clears his throat. “First of all, there is no official protocol for you to go prancing around in formal attire, especially since it’s summer now. Second of all, news flash, the door is unlocked as everyone on the island is welcome here except you. I should really ask Seungcheol hyung to install a biometric system. I’ll register everyone’s thumbprint as authorised except for yours. Third of all, while it’s nice that you said hi to Jisoo I’m here too. How rude of you for coming into my restaurant refusing to even say hi.” 

Wonwoo rolls his eyes. “Hi Mingyu.” 

Mingyu ignores him. 

“Anyway, can I get dinner from you today?” 

“Nope.” Mingyu dismisses him immediately. 

“Why?” Wonwoo doesn’t give up. 

“Because you should have told me earlier. I don’t have enough ingredients, sorry.” 

Wonwoo sighs, running his hand through his hair, pushing his fringe back. “Stop doing that!” Mingyu complains immediately, looking personally offended. “You’re going to get hair all over my food. How unhygien–”

“Please Mingyu? I can pay you or something if you really want. I was caught up because Jun sprained his ankle while teaching the children Wushu. It was pretty bad, and we had to find some way to help him get back home since we have no cars or elevators here.” 

Mingyu thinks for a while and sighs. “Fine, but only because of Jun hyung. And because my parents like you and this is still their restaurant.” 

“Thank you.” He hesitates by the doorway, but Mingyu shoos him outside with the flick of his hand. 

In the end, they cook up stir-fried vermicelli with some leafy greens, fish, and shellfish. The islanders soon come by the restaurant to get their food. Seungkwan and his family are among them, and when he sees Jisoo he runs over to him immediately. “Mr Jisoo!” He exclaims, and Jisoo bursts out laughing because of all the funny honorifics the children have given him. “Do you speak any Chinese?” 

“I actually happen to.” He’s surprised when Seungkwan doesn’t ask him for proof this time but provides it anyway. “I used to attend lessons so I could interact with the children of my father’s business partners.” 

“Woah.” Seungkwan’s eyes light up.

“Wow Jisoo! Seungkwan isn’t easily impressed.” Wonwoo smiles, patting him on the back. It makes Jisoo remember Seokmin’s words. 

Leave them alone. I’m warning you. 

“Mr Jisoo! Can you teach me how to say get well soon in Chinese? I want to say it to Jun hyung.” Seungkwan looks at him earnestly, a hopeful smile on his face. Jisoo can’t bear to say no. Besides, wouldn’t he be hurting Seungkwan more if he let him down? 

Jisoo nods. “You can say 俊辉哥，早日康复！which means get well soon Jun hyung!” 

“Okay!” Seungkwan smiles. “君辉哥，遭日抗夫！”

Jisoo laughs quietly. “It’s good, sounds very close, but it means hmm...very very loosely, like gentleman Hui, you are cursed with the sun and have to carry your husband.” 

Seungkwan laughs too. 

Fortunately, with Jisoo’s encouragement and Seungkwan’s determination, he gets it right after a while. “Thank you Mr Jisoo! I need to go now. I’m sending food to Minghao and Jun hyung’s home since he can’t come here.” 

“All alone?” Jisoo fakes surprise, but he’s genuinely concerned Seungkwan hasn’t gotten parental permission. 

“Nope, my mother is coming with me. She already told Minghao hyung before we came here. We just need to get the food from Mingyu hyung!” Seungkwan is obviously excited, and seems to be in a hurry. “I need to get there before the food gets cold. Bye Mr Jisoo and Wonwoo!” With that, he’s off, calling for his mother so they can leave to go to Jun’s house. 

Later, Jisoo spends dinner talking to Wonwoo. Like Jisoo and many of his peers growing up, Wonwoo is well-read and they fall into a conversation about history quite easily. Jisoo has had trivial conversations like these many times, but this particular one is markedly different. They sit at a wooden table overlooking the sea, dressed in shorts, and Wonwoo is a patient listener throughout, a far cry from the arrogant and judgemental company he usually has. At the end of the night, Jisoo and Wonwoo stay to help Mingyu clean up, and Mingyu even begrudgingly lets Wonwoo in to help him wash the plates.  

Though a little bit of dread pools in his stomach when he thinks of returning back to Seokmin’s house, Jisoo still leaves the restaurant happy, walking back to the houses with Mingyu and Wonwoo who tell him the stories of how they used to sneak out at night with Jeonghan and Seungcheol. Perhaps it is the work of a little bit of soju, or the fact that they finally have something in common, but Mingyu and Wonwoo refrain from squabbling for once, laughing as they help each other with the details of their childhood adventures. Jisoo pushes his own worries to the back of his mind.

As they talk, he begins to miss something he has never had. A childhood of wading in the sea at midnight, or setting off firecrackers at 3 am, or stealing a fish from a restaurant for an impromptu late night feast–Jisoo can only begin to imagine the hair-raising thrill as the front door creaks open loudly and Mingyu makes a run for it, excitement bubbling uncontrollably as he stifles his laughter, the sweet taste of midnight freedom as he finds his friends, and as they sit round a makeshift fire Jeonghan has put together or by a dimly lit torch Seungcheol stole, it must have been warm. To have friends and to be understood. There has been nothing else that he's tried quite so hard to live without but longed for with the same intensity in the recesses of his heart and the edges of hazy, short-lived dreams. 

Still, Jisoo is happy knowing that Mingyu and Wonwoo have chosen to share this part of their lives with him. It may not be much, but it is still a first in many ways. 

When Jisoo returns to the house at eleven, he unlocks the door quietly with his key. By now, Chan should be asleep. Seokmin, however, appears to still be up. From where he is, it is obvious that the lights to the living room are still on. He breathes deeply, calming the nervous beating in his chest. “Whatever happens, be polite and be kind,” he repeats in his head. "Then it'll be fine." 

As he walks up to the door and opens it, Seokmin turns to look at him, his gaze still as hard as before. Jisoo thinks of saying hi, but his throat suddenly goes dry and nothing comes out. “It’s alright,” he tries to let it go as he closes the door behind him and heads to his room. “It’s alright.” Outside, the sea at high tide feels nearer to him, it’s black waters calm under the watchful eye of the moon, and they soothe him, their repetitive rise and fall lulling him off to sleep. 

Chapter Text

The next morning is still incredibly awkward but thankfully Chan is now awake. He drags Jisoo to have breakfast at the table and talks to him despite the permanent disapproving glare on Seokmin’s face. “Why are you doing that? You’re going to have bad eyesight like that hyung.” Chan shakes his head. 

To respect Seokmin’s wishes, Jisoo decides not to spend the morning in the schoolhouse. Instead, he gets directions for Jun and Minghao’s house from Wonwoo, who has already opened his clinic at eight o’clock in the morning. He also offers to help Wonwoo bring some herbal medicine for Jun’s ankle. “Better than painkillers,” Wonwoo explains. “But if he does need painkillers, I do have them.” Jisoo offers to come back for them if Jun needs any. 

Jun and Minghao live on the street opposite Seokmin’s, in a tastefully designed white house with blue-paned windows. There is a ginger cat sitting on the porch that Jisoo can see through the gate when he rings the doorbell. 

A man who is probably Minghao runs out. He’s skinny, dressed in sweatpants and a graphic T-shirt, his hair, rather long, falling around his face. 

Upon coming face to face with Jisoo, Minghao frowns a little. Jisoo doesn’t let it affect him too much. “I uh...came to visit. Seungkwan told us yesterday that Jun sprained his ankle.” He lifts up the bag of medicine in his hand. “This is from Wonwoo for Jun’s leg. He’s also written a note on it.” 

Minghao warily opens the gate and takes the bag from Jisoo, mumbling “thank you” as he reads the contents of Wonwoo’s message. “It’s just to tell them what the medicine is for and to wish that Jun gets better soon. Oh yeah, and also that I did agree for you to send the medicine on my behalf.” Wonwoo was kind enough to show Jisoo the message and explain its contents to him before he left. 

“You can come in.” Minghao gestures to his door. Jisoo thanks him, takes off his shoes and steps inside. Jun and Minghao’s house is decorated with souvenirs, posters, and maps from many different places, probably all the areas they’ve backpacked to. There is also a wall with pictures, drawings, and photographs of them and other people. Jisoo can easily pick out the islanders in the pictures, like one where Mingyu, Jun and Minghao are standing in front of Mingyu’s restaurant, or another of them, Seungkwan, Hansol and Chan dancing. 

“Oh hi!” Jun waves to Jisoo from the sofa. 

“Hi, I’m Jisoo.” Jisoo smiles. “I just wanted to drop by and see if you were doing okay. I also have some herbal medicine from Wonwoo.” 

“Ah, thank you.” He turns to Minghao, who is standing stiffly by the doorway, his hands folded across his chest. “He was also the one who taught Seungkwan how to say get well soon in Chinese!” He beams. “Thank you so much. I was very touched and Seungkwan was elated too.”

“No problem.” 

“You speak Chinese?” Minghao asks him warily. 

Jisoo nods. 

“Ah, I was wondering where Seungkwan learned how to say get well soon,” Minghao muses.

“I asked him about it yesterday while you were in the kitchen,” Jun explains. “That’s probably why you didn’t hear it.”

Minghao nods. 

“Why don’t you sit down?” Jun gestures to the empty space on the sofa while looking at Jisoo. “It’s been horribly boring. All I can do is sit down and read.” 

Jisoo looks at Minghao but there is a blank look on his face. He sits down hesitantly next to Jun. 

Minghao mumbles something about needing to do work and leaves the room. “Sorry, he just takes a little while to warm up to people.” Jun smiles apologetically. 

“You know, Minghao and I were thinking of teaching the children Chinese.” He shares. “But it will be hard work. Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. And even though Korean and Chinese are similar, Chinese is tough for Koreans too.” 

Jisoo nods. “Especially with writing, since it doesn’t have its own alphabet. The whole concept of writing in Chinese is vastly different from Korean and Latin languages.”

“That’s why we haven’t gotten round to it.” Jun sighs. “Only Minghao and I speak Chinese, and I’m not sure if the two of us alone can handle teaching everyone. I’ve been thinking about it again since yesterday when Seungkwan came over. Also because I can’t really do anything for the next two to three days or so.” He gestures to his ankle. 

“Do you plan on teaching Chinese at the school too?”

“Probably not,” Jun replies. “The children already have six hours of lessons a day, and based on what I’ve heard from Jeonghan when he came by, they seem to need a lot of work on their English already. We were thinking of holding weekend classes.” 

“Sounds like a good idea.” Jisoo encourages him. “Why don’t you start with a small group first? Children seem to be able to learn faster. Perhaps you could start with...Seungkwan and Hansol? Chan is a little young but Seungkwan is good at languages and Hansol seems to like learning a lot in general.” 

“Ah, it would be so much more manageable that way.” Jun’s eyes light up. “Actually, I can even start working on a lesson plan now.” 

“I can help.” Jisoo volunteers. “Since I’m not a native speaker and also learned Chinese through having classes, maybe I could also add some perspective on how to pitch the lessons effectively.” 

“Really? That would be great. Thank you Jisoo!” Jun asks Minghao for a piece of paper and they get to work. The rest of his time at Minghao and Jun’s house goes rather well. Jun is kind and accepting of his ideas, and the two of them have quite a lot of fun talking about their trips to China as they work out a plan. Even Minghao joins them towards the end and thanks Jisoo when he has to leave for his English lessons. 

“Would you like me to inform Seungkwan and Hansol for you?” Jisoo asks as he stands up and gets ready to leave. “Ah, but you guys should do it. It’s your idea! You should be the ones who see the excited smiles on their faces.” 

“We can do it tomorrow,” Minghao suggests. “During dinner.” When he notices Jisoo’s confusion, he explains, “The islanders usually have dinner together at Mingyu’s on friday night. 

“Ah okay, you guys should do that then! I’m excited for both of you, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.” Jisoo smiles. 

“Thank you,” Jun says. “And you’re welcome to drop by for our class if you like! Since it’s the first session and it might be more informal, we’ll probably do it in our Wushu studio. At...10 am on Saturday?” He looks to Minghao who nods. 

“Really, thank you. That would be nice.”Jisoo wasn’t sure if they wanted him there, and feels pleasantly surprised. 

“Our Wushu studio is three shops to the left of Mingyu’s restaurant,” Minghao adds. 

“We can show it to you tomorrow as well!” Jun offers. 

Finally, he says goodbye to the Chinese couple and heads off to the schoolhouse for his English lesson. Jun thanks him profusely and even Minghao has a small smile on his face. 

--

Jisoo suspects that Seokmin is giving him the silent treatment. They haven’t said a word to each other since the day before and it is Jeonghan who tells Jisoo about the weekly dinner the islanders have altogether on Friday. “You can come at around seven,” he suggests over dinner. Jeonghan invited them over for dinner at school, but Jisoo has a suspicion that Seokmin asked him to. Chan, much to the annoyance of Seokmin, Jisoo is sure, has grown extremely attached to him. He insists that Jisoo sits next to him during dinner, and even wants to play with him when they’re done eating. 

“That’s a great idea!” Seungcheol responds a little too enthusiastically. “Why don’t you play with Jisoo hyung in the garden?” Jisoo forces himself to smile. He was going to offer to help wash up, but he instantly knows that Seungcheol’s words are code for we want to talk about you so please leave . He is honoured that Chan likes him so much, but it does sting knowing that while they are outside the others will be talking behind his back. Jisoo tells himself not to think too much about it. Getting such treatment is ultimately his doing after all. 

“Let’s go Jisoo hyung!” Chan stands up excitedly and tugs at Jisoo’s hand, leading him out to the garden. “Seungcheol and Jeonghan hyung keep some legos here.” He points to a shelf next to the shoe rack. “Do you like legos?” 

“It’s been a while since I last played with them,” Jisoo admits. 

“But do you like them?” Chan asks, his eyes wide as he fidgets with his hands anxiously.  He wants Jisoo’s approval. 

Jisoo nods. “I actually didn’t play a lot as a child, so getting to play legos with you will be fun.”

Chan pauses, but then he smiles. For a moment, he looks just like a happy, carefree version of Seokmin. Then he hears laughter coming from inside the house. “Does Seokmin hyung like laughing?” He finds himself asking Chan. 

“Mhm, he’s always smiling. Everyone says he’s nice. Well sometimes he teases me, but my friends like him a lot.”

He’s always smiling. Something tugs at Jisoo's heart. He nods in response to what Chan says, deciding not to dwell on it for now since he promised to play legos with the boy. “Shall we start building?” 

“Yes!” 

“If you like this, you should play with me more often!” Chan tells Jisoo excitedly. His lego set is an alligator set, and they are halfway through building it using the instruction manual. 

Jisoo nods. “It is fun.” 

“Why didn’t you play a lot as a child hyung?” Chan asks curiously. “Even Hansol hyung plays. Well...he calls predicting tidal patterns, looking at train maps and reading 'play'.” Chan stops to make quotation marks with his fingers. “I think play is anything that you’re not forced to do and makes you happy. So even if Hansol hyung’s play is boring to me it’s still play. What about you?” 

Jisoo goes silent for a while as he debates how much to tell Chan. He doesn’t want the boy to feel for him. But at the same time, he already let it slip that he didn’t use to play often. “Well.” Jisoo takes a deep breath in. “My parents were quite strict. They sent me for all sorts of classes. When I didn’t have classes, I was usually meeting their...friends’ children.” 

“So...your friends?” Chan asks. 

Jisoo shakes his head. “Not exactly. My parents had a well..let’s call it a business. When you have a business, you want to work with other people with other businesses. So you can all help each other and earn more money. In the future, the parents want to pass their businesses down to their children. So they make sure that their children get along with each other too. This way, the good relationship between the businesses will continue.” 

“Oh…” Chan looks a little overwhelmed by the influx of information, so Jisoo gives him some time to process it. 

“But if you were all going through the same thing, wouldn’t it be easy to make friends with these children?” He asks after a while. 

“That’s what I thought at first. But some children do quite enjoy attending all the classes and being like little grown ups. Maybe it's their personality, or maybe they’ve always felt that they had a responsibility to do as they were told. So it was hard to openly admit that you didn’t enjoy meeting them. They were always happy to be there, so I went along with things. Even if we played with toys, or ate lunch, or went swimming, I didn’t exactly feel happy.” 

“It’s okay hyung, you can be happy here.” Chan beams at him and Jisoo ruffles his hair gently. Even though there is a twinge of sadness in his heart, Chan is not wrong. Already, there are certain things he prefers about the island over Seoul, and while not everything about life here is perfect, he can try to make the most of his trip. 

“Shall we continue building the alligator?” Jisoo gently changes the topic. 

“Yes, I’m going to take my alligator swimming tomorrow!” Chan tells him excitedly. 

“Swimming?” 

“At the beach! I’ll ask Seokmin hyung to take me after school. You should come too!” 

“If Seokmin hyung goes, I can’t,” Jisoo thinks to himself. “I’m not sure if I can come tomorrow.” He settles for a tactful answer. “You have fun with Seokmin hyung okay?” 

Chan looks a little disappointed, but nods nonetheless. “Maybe you can come next time. Who knows? My alligator might really like swimming and he’ll want to go back again.” 

“Maybe, fingers crossed!” Jisoo laughs. 

-- 

On Friday afternoon before his English lessons end, Jisoo has a couple of hours to kill. He sits by the window in his room, the turquoise waters rising and falling playfully in the hot wind. His macbook is grey with uniformed black keys, and his white document of neatly typed words is stiff and sterile. Briefly, he contemplates going to help Mingyu prepare dinner at his restaurant. Since everyone would be eating today, his family would surely have a lot of work to do. 

But Jisoo stops himself before he can leave his room. Though he is fairly certain that Mingyu and him do genuinely get along well, he isn’t sure about Mingyu’s family. They have every reason to hate him, and getting kicked out of the restaurant would ruin the happy experiences he has had so far. Besides, he has to send a report to Yong Corporations every week and this week, besides a collection of various observations, Jisoo doesn’t have anything else. The sunlight spills into his room through the curtain, and he watches as a few seagulls fly around the water and run on the sand. 

He should really get started. Jisoo opens his suitcase and digs through it until he finds his earphones. He untangles them, plugs the auxiliary cord into his macbook, and wills himself to get to work. 

At seven, he goes to Mingyu’s restaurant. The adults are hurrying in and out of the kitchen while Hansol and Seungkwan play. Chan sits on the ground dejectedly, holding his lego alligator in his hand. 

“Seokmin hyung didn’t take me to the beach!” He complains to Jisoo loudly. “I tried talking to him but he was talking to Mingyu hyung and he wouldn’t listen.” 

“It’s night now.” He points to the darkening sky crossly. “And Hansol hyung says the tide is coming in soon which means it’ll no longer be safe to go swimming.” 

“Ah, I see. What about going tomorrow?” Jisoo asks gently. 

“But he really wanted to swim today!” Chan retorts. “It won’t be the same.” 

“It' okay, the alligator doesn’t actually talk, Chan.” Hansol says, patting Chan on the shoulder. 

But it seems to have been taken the wrong way. Chan flinches. “It does so!” 

Hansol looks a little confused but Seungkwan gestures to him not to say more. 

“What if you know, we asked Mingyu hyung for a bucket of water for him to swim in?” Jisoo tries to find an alternative. He puts his hand over his mouth and pretends to whisper. “Here’s a secret. Swimming in the sea can be very scary. Why don’t you let him practise swimming in a smaller pool first?” 

“I already thought about that!” Chan huffs. “Yesterday after we went home I let him go swimming in the sink, and then in the bathtub. He’s ready for the sea!” Chan declares confidently. “But now we can’t go.” 

“Well...maybe he could practise again tonight?” Jisoo tries again. “It doesn’t hurt to practise more before taking on a big task.” 

“He also practised this morning, and this afternoon,” Chan tells Jisoo. “He’s worked very hard.”

Seungkwan and Hansol are trying hard to stifle their laughter and Jisoo shares a knowing look with them. 

“Any ideas?” He mouths, and both boys shake their heads, giggling. 

“Okay everyone, time for dinner!” Mingyu calls out to everyone before Jisoo or Chan can say anything more. “Come on.” Seokmin runs over to the children, smiling. “Let’s go.” Jisoo watches as they follow him to the table willingly. He stays behind to wait. 

The islanders crowd round the table, and everyone thanks Mingyu and his family profusely for their hard work. “Thank you to everyone for coming and helping too!” He scans the crowd briefly, laughing as he points to a few people in the distance. “Ah, there they are.” 

Minghao and Wonwoo are coming down the sloped path while Minghao pushes Jun’s wheelchair. “Sorry everyone!” Jun flushes and hides his face when everyone turns to look at him. “This is embarrassing and unnecessary but some people just insisted that I had to even though I’m perfectly capable of walking.” He glares at Wonwoo and Minghao. 

“It’s alright!” Someone shouts from the crowd. 

“Yeah, you look so cool Jun hyung!” Jisoo recognises the voice to be Seungkwan’s. “I would love if I could sit down all day and have someone else do the work when I need to move.”

Everyone laughs, and a few more people, including Mingyu, assure Jun that it’s okay and wish him a speedy recovery.

“Ah, thank you everyone.” He smiles, touched. 

To everyone’s delight, dinner is a feast, with steamed red snapper with ginger, stir-fried black pepper crabs, oven baked clams, fluffy omelettes, and vegetable soup. As everyone gets to their seats, Jisoo isn’t quite sure what to do. “Do you want to sit together?” Wonwoo comes up from behind him and asks. “I uh… it can be a little awkward for me too. Especially since Mingyu usually makes an open fuss about me being here and while it’s usually light-hearted, everyone does turn to look and stare.” 

Jisoo gratefully accepts the offer and the two find seats next to Jun and Minghao. 

“Oh Wonwoo and Jisoo!” Jun waves to them warmly. “This reminds me, I’ve got to tell everyone about our plan to have Chinese lessons!” 

As expected, Seungkwan and Hansol are elated to be chosen as the first two students to start lessons the next day. Chan doesn’t seem to mind being left out, being much more preoccupied with his alligator. The other islanders also express their interest in the class and their support for Jun and Minghao, including Wonwoo. “It would be fun to learn a new language, and it would also make Jun and Minghao feel even more at home.” He explains to Jisoo. 

“Yeah! Those are two great reasons Wonwoo. You should go for it.” Jisoo encourages him. 

“Everyone, if I could have a couple of seconds!” Mingyu shouts over the chatter so everyone can hear him. “What’s Friday night without some soju?” 

The adults cheer and so do Soonyoung and Seungkwan. “Soonyoung hyung and Seungkwa you’re underage!” Hansol shakes his head disapprovingly and everyone can’t help but laugh. “Remember, only a maximum of two shots okay? We don’t want anyone getting drunk out of their minds here. And...for the children, I’ve got some apple juice!” 

This time, Hansol cheers loudly while Seungkwan and Soonyoung frown. Chan sits glumly beside his brother, who is deep in conversation with Jeonghan and doesn’t seem to notice. Jisoo thinks of telling Seokmin so Chan’s night wouldn’t be ruined, but Seokmin catches his gaze and his eyes turn cold. Maybe that wouldn’t be the best idea. 

There is a loud rumble in the sky followed by a flash of lightning. Soon, heavy rain begins to pour from the sky, roaring as it pelts down on the roof of the restaurant. Mingyu drags out a speaker and a microphone and Jisoo watches, amused, as Mingyu switches the speaker on. “Hope everyone has their umbrellas! If not, just ask me. I’ve got some extras. If you want to say anything to all of us, use the mic here so you'll be heard over the rain!” 

“He thinks of everything. Mingyu is such a good host,” Jisoo and Wonwoo hear an islander say. Wonwoo raises his eyebrows and shakes his head, smiling. 

The rain is heavy and cold gusts of wind hit Jisoo’s face. The floor is a little damp, and occasionally, he feels a shiver down his spine. Mingyu has taken out a small gas stove to keep the vegetable soup hot, and as Jisoo sits with the islanders,  listening to the vibrant and noisy chatter that fills the restaurant on this cold night, he feels the warmth of the fire and the sweet burn of Soju in his chest.

Chapter Text

“Has anyone seen Chan?” Seokmin makes a frantic interruption over the speaker and Jisoo sits up immediately. The restaurant falls silent as everyone frantically looks around.

“Chan?” 

“Chan, can you hear us?” 

In a split second, the air is filled with cries for Chan as people search frantically for the boy. Jisoo tries to calm himself down and focus on thinking through the possibilities of where Chan could have gone. 

Chan was upset that he couldn’t take his alligator swimming. Could that be it?

He checks the tables overlooking the sea and out of desperation and a nagging fear in his heart, he rushes down the steps leading to the sea from Mingyu’s restaurant, looking for the boy with his phone torchlight. The rain roars in his ears as Jisoo reaches the sea, his vision blurry from the heavy rain before his eyes. He spots unusually big splashes coming from the water and amidst the rain, he can make out a faint cry for help. 

“Over here!” Jisoo calls as loud as he can and waves his arms, trying to get the attention of the islanders who are still in the restaurant. But he doesn’t have time to check if they are following him. Taking a deep breath in, Jisoo kicks his shoes off,  runs into the water and starts swimming. It is numbingly cold and his clothes are soaked almost instantly, clinging to his body, weighing him down. He forces his eyes open even as the salt stings his eyes. He moves quickly towards the direction of the cries and the splashing and sure enough, it is a person. 

“Chan? Is that you?” He shouts at the top of his lungs, treading water to avoid swallowing more of it. 

“Y...Yes! Help!” He cries between gulps of water.

“Chan! It’s Jisoo hyung!” Jisoo yells as loudly as he can. “Stay put okay, I’m coming!” The wind howls and bites his cheeks as he swims towards the boy. As he gets closer and closer, Jisoo reaches his hand out and grabs him by the waist. Suddenly, a tide comes, and they are plunged underwater. Jisoo tries to steady himself, but his feet aren’t touching the ground and the thought of the sheer depth of the water sends a chill down his spine. With all his might, he pulls them up to the surface of the water. He holds onto Chan, making sure the boy doesn’t go under again. 

The strong waves are taking them further away from the shore, and Jisoo feels his mind go blank as he struggles against the current. He hears a splash, as a buoy is thrown an arms length away from them. Fortunately, someone heard him. 

“Hold on to this okay!” he tells Chan, reaching for the buoy and placing Chan’s icy cold hands around it. “Don’t let go. And don’t let your head go under.” The buoy is attached to a tough rope, and once Chan grabs onto it, someone starts pulling it, taking him back to shore. Jisoo swims next to him with all his might, his muscles are sore, the current is extremely strong, and his clothes heavy as they cling to him. He thinks of reaching out for the buoy, but he doesn’t want to slow Chan down or change the balance of the buoy and cause him to go underwater again. The boy must have already drunk a lot of seawater. Without having to hold onto Chan, Jisoo focuses solely on willing himself to swim. He’s freezing, and breathless, and his eyes and throat are burning, but he keeps going, and finally he touches sand as he pulls himself to a standing position with the reserves of his strength.

“Chan!” Seokmin rushes forward to his brother, tears streaming down his face, but Jeonghan holds him back under his umbrella. Wonwoo is already on standby and he quickly carries the boy up to the restaurant where it is dry, wraps him up in blankets and starts doing chest compressions. Jisoo picks himself up and returns too. His teeth are chattering and maybe it was the alcohol, but his head starts to hurt. 

Chan is pale, his skin white as a sheet as he coughs up water. A lot of it. Jisoo’s heart aches as he watches from a distance away. Wonwoo proceeds to ask Chan a couple of questions about his name, his grade, his favourite colour, and the boy answers all of them correctly and confidently. 

“He should be fine,”Wonwoo assures everyone, and there is a collective sigh of relief. “Fortunately he was rescued early. Just to be safe, I’ll bring him into my clinic for a checkup. Jeonghan hyung, could you get a pair of clothes for him? I’ll let him take a hot shower first so he doesn’t catch a cold.” 

“Alright.” After making sure Seokmin is fine and ready to accompany Chan, Jeonghan gets Seokmin’s house keys from him and sets off for their house. 

“I’ll help with bringing you there.” Seungcheol offers. He gets a big umbrella from Mingyu and helps Wonwoo and Seokmin take Chan to his clinic. Everyone else, Jisoo included, waits for the news. It takes a while, and by the time Wonwoo and Seokmin come out with Chan, the rain has reduced to a light, cold drizzle. 

“He’s okay.” Wonwoo smiles.  Chan nods his head. “I’m alright everyone.” The boy smiles. “And so is my alligator.” He holds it up victoriously. 

He’s a very strong boy, Jisoo thinks. He’s starting to feel rather delirious at this point–the alcohol must have been quite strong. 

Mingyu has cooked a bowl of porridge for Chan and he eats it hungrily. Wonwoo also gets him to drink a cup of herbal tea to reduce the chances of him falling sick, and even though it is bitter from the face he’s making, he drinks it obediently.

Chan will be...okay. Jisoo smiles. The islanders approach him slowly to check on him, and he’s wrapped up in blankets, Seokmin by his side. Chan will be okay. It’s okay now. Under the warm, yellow lights, the chilly night is once again warm and peaceful for the islanders. 

Jisoo walks out into the rain. 

–

He doesn’t think using his umbrella would have made much of a difference considering he’s soaked from head to toe. He stumbles into the shower, and takes a hot bath before changing into his thickest clothes – Still a t-shirt and shorts, because it’s summer. Jisoo hangs his clothes and shoes up to dry in the backyard, but realises that Seokmin wouldn’t appreciate him leaving his dirty, soiled clothes on the clean drying rack. Jisoo gets out some soap powder from his luggage, and cleans his clothes by hand. When he’s done drying them, his head feels like it could explode and his legs have turned to jelly. He falls asleep instantly when his head touches his pillow, and feels the repetitive bobbing of tides as they rise and fall, tossing him out into the open ocean. 

It is ten o’clock in the morning when Jisoo wakes up, his forehead burning, throat sore, and he can’t stop sneezing. 

Ten o’clock. Jun and Minghao’s Chinese class. Jisoo sits up in bed and reaches for his phone, realising that they would be uncontactable since neither were in their house. Jisoo sighs. He considers going to their studio, but as he sneezes again for the upteenth time, he stops himself. While this could be due to him being out in the sea, it could also be unrelated and in fact, a contagious bug. He is probably better off staying here. Jisoo grabs a face mask from his bag, puts in on, and heads out of his room. There’s no one else around.

Jisoo boils up some hot water and pours himself a cup. He still feels tired and his arms and legs are sore, so he doesn’t have energy to make breakfast. He returns back to bed, looks at the ceiling, and before he knows it, falls asleep again within seconds. 

When he wakes up again, groggy, he sees Wonwoo. “Can you help me tell Jun and Minghao I’m sorry I couldn’t come for their class?” Jisoo rasps. 

Wonwoo nods. “Don’t worry, they know you’re sick. They’re not angry. You shouldn’t talk Jisoo-yah, your voice is already almost gone. Here, drink this.” He hands Jisoo a cup of what Jisoo can only describe as bitter tea. It’s thick and heavy and he has to will himself to gulp it down. 

“Have you eaten anything since last night?” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “Okay, I’ll ask Mingyu to come in, yeah? He made food for you.”

“Oh, and Jisoo? Sorry I forgot to...check on you yesterday too,” Wonwoo apologises. Jisoo smiles. “It’s okay, Chan needed help.” I’m not one of you, Jisoo thinks. It’s alright. 

It seems to be a recurring line. Mingyu, Jun and Minghao, all apologise for forgetting about him. If Jisoo could be honest, he’d rather that they don’t bring it up. He takes a few bites of Mingyu’s porridge and feels full instantly so he stops eating. Jun and Minghao talk to him, but it kind of goes over his head. At one point, he’s quite sure Seungkwan, Hansol and Chan come in. They talk a lot, but it sounds like a blur to him. A noisy one at that. 

He probably just needs sleep. A lot of it. When he wakes up on Sunday, his fever is gone and his cold has gotten better. Wonwoo leaves a note on how he is to take his medicine, and for lunch and dinner Mingyu drops food off. Jisoo is definitely grateful for that because he isn’t ready to think about how he is supposed to interact with Seokmin. He spends the day writing, or rather, trying to write his report for Yong Corporations, but he’s still fatigued and his head is spinning. In the end, Jisoo just decides to send them a collection of his observations he has made. It’s only week one out of twelve after all, and honestly, he hasn’t collected many of his thoughts, let alone pass any judgement on what he’s observed. He formats everything neatly into a document and prepares to email it to the company the next day.

– 

On Monday, he heats up the last of Mingyu’s porridge for breakfast and heads to the school early in the morning so he can email his report to the school. Today, Jisoo’s english lessons are during the first two hours in the morning, and after that, he’ll probably visit Jun and Minghao to apologise for not attending their chinese lesson. 

“Mr Jisoo!” 

“Sir!”

“Jisoo hyung!” 

As he’s setting up for class, he hears loud, running footsteps and excited laughter echoing down the corridor. 

“Mr Jisoo! You’re alive!” Seungkwan exclaims, the first one to reach class, his cheeks all red. He sighs, thumping his schoolbag down onto his chair. “Thank goodness.” 

Hansol waves at him, a wide smile on his face as he comes in after Seungkwan. 

“Hyung!” Chan comes in next, running towards Jisoo and wrapping himself around his legs. “Thank you for rescuing me Jisoo hyung.” 

It is rather overwhelming and Jisoo can only nod and smile at the children. 

Seokmin walks in last with a poker face and heads straight for the back of the classroom. Jisoo shrugs it off, used to their awkward relationship by now. 

“Alright, can everyone take out their pencil cases? We are going to revise how to write the lowercase alphabet today,”Jisoo instructs the children. 

“I have some worksheets here, one for each of you.” He hands the worksheets out. “I’ll start by showing you how to write the alphabet on the board and then you guys can have a go, okay?” 

Seungkwan and Chan are sitting up straight and looking at him, but Hansol is busy rummaging through his pencil case, eyebrows furrowed. 

“I can’t find my pencil.” He hears Hansol mumble to himself. 

“Oh, I’ve got an extra one.” Jisoo smiles. “Let me get it for you.”

“No!” Hansol shakes his head. “I mean, no thank you, but I have to use my pencil.” 

His cheeks are flushed and his eyes watery as he takes everything out of his pencil case and sorts through it again. 

“Do you have any idea where it could be?” Jisoo asks. He doesn’t understand why Hansol is so insistent on using one specific pencil, but he is obviously genuinely upset and Jisoo wants to try his best to help him. 

“I kept it in my pencil case yesterday.” Hansol tells him apologetically. “I always pack my bag but my mother likes to check it and sometimes she...likes to remove things without me knowing.” 

“Sir Jisoo, can I go back home and get it?”He bites at his cheek and fidgets with his fingers nervously. “I promise I’ll be back fast.” 

It wouldn’t be good for Hansol to skip class, Jisoo thinks. He can’t go either, since lesson time would be disrupted for everyone. His eyes automatically go to the back of the classroom where Seokmin is. Jisoo takes one look at Hansol who is on the verge of tears, and Chan and Seungkwan who are now huddled around him. He can do this for them. 

“Seokmin, if it isn’t too much, could you go to Hansol’s house?” 

Without looking at Jisoo, Seokmin smiles at Hansol tells him he’ll be back quickly. While waiting, Jisoo lets Hansol use the whiteboard to practise instead. Hansol is smart and hardworking, but his letters are messy and illegible. While Seungkwan and even Chan are slowly starting to get the hang of things, Hansol struggles a lot more to get his words neat. 

He definitely made the right choice by getting them to start with lowercase letters, which are harder and therefore require more time and practice. When Seokmin returns with Hansol’s pencil, he works diligently to complete the worksheet while Jisoo lets Chan and Seungkwan have a short break to reward them for their hard work. Jisoo sits next to Hansol, guiding him along, and the boy is making a little bit of progress. “I want to continue practising when I get home. I already started” He tells Jisoo firmly. 

Jisoo nods. “That’s the right spirit. But you must also remember that it’s okay if your letters don’t look the best, or the most perfect. You’ve just started after all.” Hansol smiles at him and says thank you. 

–

“I just want to know why.” Jeonghan sits next to Jisoo again at lunch, his smile never reaching his eyes as he talks. “Why did you give in to Hansol?” 

It makes Jisoo uncomfortable. Jeonghan looks at him dead in the eye, and the food in his mouth starts to taste a little sour and bitter as he swallows it down. “Hansol looked genuinely upset,” Jisoo explains. “He was nervous and tense, and even then, he tried his best to be polite. It wasn’t a tantrum, it was something more than that.” 

Jeonghan nods thoughtfully. “You seem to genuinely care for him. Why is that so?”

“Why not?” Jisoo replies instinctively. Jeonghan laughs, and Jisoo feels his face burn. He composes himself quickly. “I do have to take his, and everyone else’s needs into concern while coming up with the compensation contract.” 

“Your care for him is solely work related then.” Jeonghan muses calmly. 

He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, really.  “Of course it’s not just work. The children have grown on me a lot lately.” With people like Jeonghan, Jisoo’s strategy is to be honest, so long as there is no damning piece of information that he can’t reveal to them. They are skillful and sly, and will find out everything eventually anyway. 

“The children,” Jeonghan repeats. “Not just your students, but the children.” He sighs, looking at Jisoo with a face of pity. “You know, as much as they are very bright, Hansol, Seungkwan and Chan are still children nonetheless. They’re easily tricked and manipulated. You should know that.” 

“I have no plans of–” 

“Every conversation you have with the children, one of the adults will be around.” Jeonghan cuts him off firmly. Jisoo feels his stomach curdle, and something uneasy tugs at his heart. Jeonghan looks at him with coldness, and distance. Jisoo is reminded once again that he does not belong here. 

“That’s fine by me,” He answers quietly. 

So where exactly is he from? Jisoo leaves the school after lunch and decides against going to Jun and Minghao’s house. He heads back down the steep stairs to the sea and walks along the shore, in the direction away from the jetty. The waves are bluish-grey and distant, the might of nature in their vastness is overwhelming and cold. He shivers as a gust of wind blows by him, and wraps his arms around his thin shirt. 

“I am Hong Jisoo, from Seoul.” There are two things that he is known by. Being a Hong and Seoul. 

Jisoo is from Seoul. He’s been living in Seoul all his life. When he’s not in Seoul, Jisoo is overseas. In Massachusetts, or Shanghai, or Tokyo, just to name a couple of places he’s been with his father for business trips. He was born in a mansion in Apgujeong-dong, and now lives in a luxury penthouse in Gangnam. He thinks of his house, white marble, expensive warm lights, high ceilings, full length windows, designer furnishings. Then he sees Seoul outside. Skyscrapers, blinding white lights, endless noise, the stink of exhaust, smoke, crowds, and grey streets. Perhaps he belongs there, amidst the sterile and lifeless city. 

But Jisoo is not actually from Seoul. He lives in a packaged, cleaned, Seoul! Made easy. Maybe then he belongs to the blur of time and space slipping from his fingers, the airplane rides, the next megacity, the stiff smiles and pre-rehearsed conversations in a hotel conference room somewhere in New York or Tianjin, the rush from one place to another, one piece of work to the next. He sits down on the sand. It is a little damp, and cold, and his hair flies in the wind. 

The sea is so timeless and transcendental that he starts to lose himself in the coming and going of its hypnotising waves. 

–

Jisoo wills himself to wake up the next morning. The night before he skipped dinner on a whim, and even now, under the cold, misty morning sun, the grey sea appears dejected before him. He puts on a shirt, and jeans and trudges to the school. 

To : Mr Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  The report from the first week was mostly nothing preliminary visitations and investigations didn’t already know. More analysis would be appreciated for subsequent reports. 

  The part on English classes and the standard of English on Sebong-do was noteworthy. 

Yong Corporations Pte. Ltd. 

He gets an email from Yong Corporations on his week one report and slumps onto the table. 

Before the children come in, he gets up and prepares the whiteboard for his class. If anything, the children have been nothing but kind to him and they deserve a decent English teacher. 

“Today we will be learning about routines. Can anyone tell me what routines are?” 

Hansol's hand shoots up immediately. “I love routines. They help me to stay on track. Routines are things you do repeatedly, like brushing your teeth twice a day.” 

“Very good Hansol.” Seeing the children again, their smiles, childish laughter, and animated discussions, makes him feel slightly better.

“I don’t like routines!” Chan challenges him. 

“Me too,” Seungkwan adds. “Though it’s alright if Hansol likes them. I just don’t because you plan everything and there’s nothing new and exciting to your day.” 

“What about you Mr Jisoo?” He asks, looking up at Jisoo expectantly. 

Did he? Honestly every question about his personal life is now agonising to him. Jisoo has been having an identity crisis, or something like that. At the very least his brain is no longer able to process the swarm of thoughts in his head. 

“Well I have routines at work.” He explains slowly. “Like having meetings at certain times, having lunch at certain times...they help me to finish work on time and keep things organised. But in other cases not having routines can be enjoyable and relaxing too.” 

Jisoo teaches the children about daily routines in English and asks them to do a short writing exercise about the routines they have in their lives. 

Name : Chwe Hansol

I wake up at 7 morning everyday. 

I like to brush my teeth and change at 7.05 am. 

I read from 7.05 am to 7.30 am. Now I read Korean books but when I go to Boosan I buy English ones. 

At 7.30 am I help my mother make breakfast. 

At 7.45 am I eat breakfast.

At 8 am we wash up the plates. I and my mother. 

At 830 am I arrive at school for class. 

Everyday at school the timetable is different. Sometimes I feel confused. 

At 12 pm I eat lunch. Lunch is from Mingyu hyung. 

At 4pm school is over. I go to my home with my mother. 

From 4 pm to 6 pm I like to learn mathematics with Seokmin hyung old book. 

From 6 pm to 7 pm I help cook dinner. 

At 7 pm I eat dinner. 

At 730 pm I help washing plates. 

At 8 pm I bathe. 

At 820 pm I talk to my family or play with my friends. 

At 930 pm I sleep 

Jisoo hyung do you know not everyone follows a routine? A lot of times my routine is disrupt. I feel sad and stress. A lot. 

Chan gives him an adorable timetable with drawings of dinosaurs and Seungkwan writes him a passionate piece about “routines not good in BOO SeUNgKwan life.” Hansol has the best grammar out of the three and is closest to actually doing the task, but his piece leaves Jisoo the most concerned. 

Now that he thinks about it, he has been concerned about Hansol for a while. His difficulty with understanding interactions between people, his struggles with writing neatly and visualisation, his dependence on strict routines, and the formal manner in which he speaks to everyone in are all causes for concern. At the same time, Hansol is obviously terribly intelligent and well-read. He is way ahead of his peers, but struggling way behind at the same time. 

It is strangely contradictory. 

Something clicks in Jisoo’s head. Could it be? He learned about it briefly in the law school module and was the assistant lawyer on a case a few months ago when the person underwent evaluation and diagnosis for this condition. It is sometimes confused with psychopathy or narcissism, but Jisoo is confident those two conditions do not apply to Hansol. The boy is sweet and kind after all, and tries his best despite his struggles. 

He decides to consult Wonwoo during lunch just to make sure he isn’t overthinking things. Jisoo’s first reaction is to go to Seokmin, but given that he doesn’t trust Jisoo, there is no point in talking to him. The same goes for Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Wonwoo is a doctor, and his opinion would back Jisoo’s up, provided he agrees. 

“I’ve never thought of that.” Wonwoo admits. “It did cross my mind once or twice, but I never thought with certainty that Hansol has Aspergers.”

“So you think I might be overthinking?” Jisoo asks. 

“No, actually. I think you’re right.” Wonwoo sighs. “I didn’t think of it perhaps because I’ve known Hansol his whole life and I’ve always been familiar with him. Or maybe it was because we still have a very fixed perception of what Autism Spectrum Disorder looks like. But objectively, I think that there is a good chance Hansol is on the spectrum and we should get him tested.” 

Wonwoo agrees to talk to Jeonghan, Seungcheol and Seokmin. “You should come,” he suggests. “You’re Hansol’s English teacher after all.” 

“Asperger's syndrome? Like Autism?” Seungcheol seems stunned. “It’s not that I wouldn’t love Hansol if he had Aspergers but he’s never had speech delays or...you know, meltdowns, stimming...things like that.” 

Wonwoo nods. “Aspergers isn’t exactly the same thing as classical Autism. Some children with Aspergers don’t have speech delays or struggle with intellectual work. They also mask their autistic traits well because they are highly intelligent and can learn to model socially acceptable behavior. In fact, they can have a high verbosity from a young age, like Hansol. However, they still face challenges in understanding social interaction, with fine motor skill development, relying on fixed routines, and having intense interests–all of which are things I do see in Hansol.” 

“I see where he’s coming from.” Jeonghan gets it almost immediately. “But Wonwoo-yah, why are we having this conversation here?” 

His gaze lands on Jisoo and Jisoo feels his skin prickle. 

“Jisoo was the one who brought it to my attention.” Wonwoo explains. 

“You’re really doing a lot, aren’t you?” Seungcheol smiles at him sarcastically. 

“It is quite suspicious how he’s involved in everything.” Jeonghan agrees. “Chan’s drowning, now this...Think about this. The islanders of Sebong-do are extremely negligent. A boy, Lee Chan, was drowning in the sea because the adults were drunk and there are no safety barriers to prevent children from wandering. In the end I had to save him myself. There’s also another child, Chwe Hansol, who has Asperger's syndrome. Yet, the islanders, with their lack of knowledge and medical expertise, did not even understand what Aspergers was. I was the one who suggested diagnosis, and helped the child with the struggles he faces. ” 

Wonwoo frowns, uncomfortable. “Jeonghan hyung...that’s a little bit too much isn’t it? Jisoo hasn’t –” 

Seungcheol seethes. “There’s nothing your sort wouldn’t do for money.” 

“Hyung…” Wonwoo cuts him off. “Stop it. If anything, this is still about Hansol right?” 

“Can we put off diagnosis until...until later?” Seokmin speaks up. 

Wonwoo sighs. “Preferably not. The best time to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder, which Aspergers now falls under, is when the child is under six years old. Hansol is already ten. The more we put it off, the more difficult tests will be, because the child will learn to mask his symptoms as he grows more socially aware. Besides, Hansol might continue to feel discouraged and stressed knowing he faces challenges his friends don’t.” 

“Then we can leave him out of it, can’t we?” He continues asking. “Hong Jisoo doesn’t need to be here. If he needs anything for his report, we can tell him later. But for now, we need to make sure nothing is used against Hansol.” His voice is firm as he looks Wonwoo straight in the eye. 

“Yes, that would definitely be for the best.” Jeonghan agrees and Seungcheol nods. 

“Jisoo–” 

“It’s fine, Wonwoo, I understand.” This is his job. As much as he cares for Hansol, Seokmin is right. This is something the Islanders should be involved in, not him. Jisoo exits the schoolhouse quietly, and heads back to the house to write his report. 

  This week, I have observed that one of the children, Chwe Hansol, could have Asperger’s syndrome. The doctor on the island, Jeon Wonwoo, a medical doctor who graduated from SNU, agrees with me. As for what this could mean for Yong Corporations –

  Jisoo stops there. He doesn’t yet know. 

     One thing is for sure. The teachers of the school, Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol and Lee Seokmin, all care deeply for Hansol. Despite their resistance towards me, they have not rejected my observations and appear to be working out a plan on what they can do for Hansol. It is evident to me that they have his best interest at heart. Will Hansol get the same love from an understaffed government school with so many more children? Is the support system here on the Island, more like a community, or a family, something that money can buy? 

Chapter Text

I haven’t spoken about Kwon Soonyoung and Lee Jihoon, the two seventeen year old boys who live on the Island. Attached are two excerpts, the first written by Jihoon and the second by Soonyoung. These were done during an essay writing activity in my English class. 

Lee Jihoon 

Some say the arts have no place in our lives. Do you agree? 

  I disagree. Music is a way for me to express me. Since I was young, I want to play the piano and compose music. Sometimes I hear a melody in my head. But since I do not learn music, I cannot go further than that … 

Kwon Soonyoung 

Some say the arts have no place in our lives. Do you agree? 

I agree and disagree. I disagree because I like to dance. Jihoon’s family has a radio store. I often go there to listen to music and sometimes borrow a CD. If I did not dance, life is less meaningful. But I also agree that art is not the most important. Sebong-do is a small island. Life  is happy and slow, but also. We do many things ourselves from food, to school, to trade. Dance is not a necessary thing. It will not feed us or fix the problems...

It was meant as an argumentative essay about society. But as Jisoo reads Jihoon and Soonyoung’s essays, he realises that he barely knew anything about them before this. They were always polite and quiet, never talking to him much outside of schoolwork. 

Sebong-do lacks opportunities for the arts, it seems. Curiosity gets the better of him, and Jisoo decides to extend this discussion on arts over lunch. 

“Art was always a status symbol to my family.” Jisoo shares first in Korean, thinking that speaking in Korean would be more comfortable for the two teenagers.  “I learnt the piano and had art classes. When my mother realised I wasn’t good at art, I focused solely on the piano. I played until I went off to college, won a few competitions and took my diploma exam. I had the privilege of learning music but I didn’t enjoy it. In my family, music was used to show off to others. My mother would tell the mothers of other children that I had this achievement in piano, or got this score for an exam, and feel pleased if I did better than their children. I didn’t do music out of passion or happiness. What about you two?”

The general gist of things is that no one on Sebong-do is interested in the arts the way Jihoon and Soonyoung are. “But I still like living here. Everyone has the freedom to explore what they want to. And I know that if I want to pursue art, the islanders will support me.” Soonyoung says confidently. “It’s just that I don’t want to burden them. An arts education cannot help the islanders.” He adds, softly this time. 

“The big city is worse isn’t it?” Jihoon asks quietly. “You don’t actually have freedom to do what you want. In theory you do. But you have bills to pay and expectations to meet. If you do whatever you want you won’t have a roof over your head. At least here school isn’t so hectic. We don’t have to go for tuition classes, or take many exams and tests, so we have time for music and dance, even if it is in a limited way.” 

“You’re right.” Jisoo nods. “In Seoul, everything is about utility. I’ve never really seen people pursue art purely for passion. If you’re good in the arts, you should go to an arts school. From there, you either become a performer, or work in the entertainment industry so you can earn a high salary even if you aren't a doctor or lawyer. People don’t have much time or energy for things like their interests.” 

“That’s why we’re grateful for life here.” Soonyoung explains. “I wouldn’t change Sebong-do for the world.” He sighs. “If I had you know..a choice, of course.” 

He gives the teens the rest of their lunch break to do as they please as he sits alone in the empty classroom. They could perform at Mingyu’s restaurant or something, couldn’t they? Soonyoung could work with Jun and Minghao to teach the children dance. Jihoon...could he sing? If not, what about a trip to Busan? He’s sure it wouldn’t be hard to find a second hand guitar or something. 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  As we approach the middle of the week, please bear in mind the feedback from your first report for all subsequent reports. Looking forward to an insightful week 2 report by Monday, 0800 hrs. 

Yong Corporations Pte. Ltd. 

Right, his job. The whole reason why Jisoo is even here in the first place. He opens his messy document where he has been drafting his reports, and it suddenly occurs to him. What exactly is he trying to do? 

Seokmin isn’t wrong. What is he doing? He is not supposed to get to know the islanders, only look around, determine how much their lifestyle should be worth, and negotiate with them until Yong Corporations is content with the final sum. Why is he trying to befriend Seungkwan? Help Mingyu? Talk to Jeonghan and Seungcheol about Hansol’s learning difficulties? 

He is massively overstepping his boundaries and not to mention, failing to do his job properly. The islanders are uncomfortable and he is being irresponsible. His life in Seoul, the city, meetings, contracts, like it or not, they make up all he knows, and perhaps things should stay that way. 

Other than his lessons, Jisoo spends his day locked up in his room, the curtains shut. The sea waits outside, but Jisoo’s eyes are focused soley on the glow of his screen. This is his life, work consuming his every thought, typing and clicking filling his ears, coffee numbing his tongue, so he doesn’t have the time or energy to question if this is really what he wants, or all he has to live for. 

Over the weekend, Jisoo arranges for a boat ride to Busan. “You’re leaving?” The boatman asks. 

“No,” Jisoo answers. “Not yet.” 

He tells himself that it is comfort that tugs at his heart as the island becomes smaller and smaller in the distance. 

Going back to the city will do good for him. It will remind him where he’s from. Jisoo gets a hotel room at Hyatt, with a room overlooking the busy streets and the lights of the city. Now, he’ll be able to focus on his report. 

After speaking to the youth about their lives on the island, I must say that they are very appreciative of the life they have here and treasure it deeply. Unfortunately, they don’t have the means to express themselves in music and dance, which they have an interest in. The music shop on the island only sells CDs, and with an audience of ten families, they will not go far in their dreams. In the city, their lives would be drastically better in this sense. 

“But the big city is worse.” Jisoo finds himself repeating Jihoon’s words. To write that their lives would be better would be an outright lie. The big city has more opportunities, but only if you are deemed deserving of them. There are so many options, but so little choice. Jisoo feels drained watching the hustle and bustle of cars coming and going and people walking mindlessly between grey blockish shopping malls. There are barely any plants on the sidewalk, and the air, he imagines, is thick with exhaust. 

“What about a trip to Busan?” He recalls his thoughts after meeting with Soonyoung and Jihoon. “A second hand guitar shop…” He murmurs. Maybe the coffee has gotten to him, or too many hours spent staring at the screen, but Jisoo feels the need to leave his room. 

He finds himself before the first shop he could find on google. Spending up to a thousand for a guitar would mean nothing to him, but Jihoon would probably mind, and so would everyone else. He settles for one in a cheaper price range. The guitar is smaller as well, meaning it would be easy for a beginner to manage. Then he buys a few extra sets of strings, a tuning fork, and a pick. It’s one of the rare times Jisoo pays attention to the bill before he taps his card to pay. He would hide the strings, since they did rack up the price quite a bit. As for the guitar itself, he could lie and say he got lucky with a second-hand one, though Jihoon might find it hard to believe. Perhaps he could worry about that later. It is Sunday afternoon and he needs to get back. His boat is at five o’clock so Jisoo rushes to pack his bag and grabs a sandwich from the convenience store at the jetty since he doesn’t want to have to worry about dinner. 

He feels all too much relief as he rushes to vacate his room, barely lived in, and finds himself feeling free when the bus he is on speeds down the roads towards the jetty. On the boat, as he watches the city gradually fade away, Jisoo doesn’t have any reservations about leaving the noise and the stink behind. The setting sun slowly sinks into the water, the sky is gold, blue and pink, and the warm evening wind blows his hair gently as Jisoo rolls up his sleeves and allows the cool water to splash onto his arms, the comforting salty, scent of sea reminding him of a certain cozy room by the cliffs, overlooking the quiet waters below. 

– 

“Where were you?” Seokmin greets Jisoo at the door, or rather, blocks the entrance, his arms folded over his chest. His skin is pale, there are dark circles under his eyes, his hair mattered and messy. 

“Ah.” Jisoo swears at himself inside. In his haste, he forgot to tell Seokmin that he was going to Busan for the weekend. To be honest, it never once occurred to him. They haven’t 

talked for a week, and Jisoo is merely like a stranger living in his house. The only person who he explicitly told was Mingyu, since Jisoo didn’t want to get the boatman’s contact number from Jeonghan or Seungcheol, or even Seokmin for that matter. 

“Chan is worried sick...about you.” He breathes. 

The children. Jisoo’s heart sinks. He didn’t think of telling them either. There was no need for them to be that close, and besides, it was one weekend. He would see them again for school on Monday. 

“Where is he?” Jisoo asks, feeling horrible. He didn’t think two nights away would shake Chan up so badly. 

“You’re not going to see him.” Seokmin tries his best to steady his voice, gripping onto the door, but he is weak and on the verge of passing out. “You’re making my worst fear come through, you know that?” Seokmin’s voice breaks, and he squeezes his eyes shut, pain in his every word. “The past few days...you’ve locked yourself in your room. And on Friday afternoon we return to find you gone. You didn’t even tell us, or Jeonghan and Seungcheol.” 

“Seok–”

“Do we mean so little to you Hong Jisoo?” His voice is barely a whisper as Jisoo walks towards him, realising that Seokmin’s eyes are welled up with tears. 

“It’s been too hard, Hong Jisoo. God, Jeonghan hyung is going to kill me.” He tries to laugh, but it comes out all wrong, like a choked sob. “Trying to hate you…It’s supposed to be easier than this. You’re supposed to be stuck up, and distant. But now my brother is enamored with you, Hansol and Seungkwan look up to you, and even Jihoon and Soonyoung trust you enough to talk to you about music. You saved Chan before any of us. You’re friends with Mingyu, Wonwoo, and Jun. Heck, even Minghao speaks highly of you when you’re not around.” 

Jisoo can only look at Seokmin, eyes wide, as his brain struggles to find the right words to put in his mouth. He had no clue that in such a short span of time, and by doing so little, he left an impact on the islanders. “And then you just leave like that.” Seokmin starts to cry, tears slipping down his cheeks, his voice so strained and hoarse Jisoo can only imagine how much it must hurt. “I wanted to like you, so much.” 

He takes a deep breath in, pushing his hair away from his flushed face. “You must think I’m crazy now. This is going into your report whether I like it or not.” Seokmin shakes his head. “You made me feel so stupid. Sebong-do means everything to us, and I wasn’t going to give in to you. But I thought it was my fault when you left. I went to look for you with everyone else. I couldn’t sleep.” 

Jisoo is panicked. He still doesn’t know what to do, or say, but Seokmin is hurting, and he wants to make it stop. “Let me–” 

“No! Okay, no!” Seokmin pushes Jisoo, the impact causing him to stagger backwards. “But it turns out that we just didn’t mean that much to you.” He points to the guitar by Jisoo’s back. “That right there...it’s for Jihoon, isn’t it?” 

“Yes. How..how did you know?” 

“Because you’re like that,” Seokmin smiles crookedly. “Hong Jisoo is like that. Hong Jisoo is not a bad person, but I just can’t accept that.” 

“I. Just. Can’t.” Sobs wreck his body. “It hurts so much. And I’m tired, I really am.” His voice rises to a frustrated cry, and to Jisoo’s alarm, he starts to hit himself as he tugs at his hair. “What’s wrong with me?” 

Jisoo rushes forward, and grabs Seokmin’s hands with his own. He has never done this before, but the man in front of him is losing himself, and for his sake, Jisoo is going to stay calm. “Look at me, Seokmin.” He keeps his voice firm, but calm. “Look at me, okay?” Seokmin’s frantic, pained eyes meet his, and Jisoo does the only thing that comes to him. He pulls Seokmin to his chest, and wraps his arms around him. Seokmin is shaking, his breathing erratic, heart thumping wildly as he cries, his voice hoarse and broken. 

Jisoo only holds him tighter, Seokmin’s weak breath on his neck, his arms around him, their faces barely inches away from each other. 

And Seokmin lets him. 

– 

Jisoo doesn’t know how much time has passed. The sun has gone down, and Seokmin seems to have fallen asleep in his arms. He debates trying to wake him up or carrying him to the couch but Seokmin is sleeping peacefully and Jisoo doesn’t want to disturb him, nor does he want to deal with the awkwardness behind them that might follow when Seokmin wakes up. 

Finally, the doorbell rings. As Jisoo struggles to get up from the floor, whoever it is has already started opening the door. “Seokmin-ah, it’s Jeonghan.” Jisoo doesn’t know if he should be relieved or stressed, but he can only sit and wait. 

Jeonghan does a double take when he sees Jisoo. He quickly composes himself and ignores Jisoo for Seokmin. “Seokmin-ah, wake up,” he tries, but Seokmin does not budge. 

“Seokmin-ah..for your sake you need to wake up.” Jeonghan reaches out to try and shake him, but stops when he realises Jisoo’s arm is around his body. 

Jisoo helps by trying to remove his arm from Seokmin’s grasp, but he only begins to stir, grabbing onto Jisoo’s arm even harder. Next, he tries his other arm that lies across Seokmin’s  stomach and signals to Jeonghan to come over. 

“...Jisoo,” Seokmin whines, reaching out for his arm again. Jisoo lets him, dumbly, bewildered by Seokmin’s strange behaviour. 

“Seokmin-ah!” Jeonghan takes the chance now that Seokmin is slightly awake, tugging at his arm to wake him up. Finally Seokmin’s eyes open, and as he comes face to face with Jisoo’s, his eyes widen in horror as he sits up abruptly, head knocking into Jisoo’s chin. 

Jisoo winces . His lower teeth scrape his lip, and instantly, he tastes metallic blood on his tongue. “J...Jeonghan hyung,” Seokmin stutters, and Jeoghan nods sympathetically. “Let’s talk elsewhere, come on.” He helps Seokmin up, and without another word, the two are out of the house, leaving Jisoo alone in stunned silence. 

this week’s main report will focus on the minors living on this island. 

Throughout his entire life, Jisoo has gotten good at blocking out his thoughts, as he is now while finishing up his report. The night sea is calm and still, the wind tamer than before, as he sits by the window, working. 

The next morning, Jisoo wakes up earlier to send off his report and to avoid an awkward encounter with Seokmin. But then he remembers what Seokmin said about Chan, and how he missed Jisoo. He would love to stay for breakfast with Chan, but it is Seokmin’s presence that makes him hesitate. 

“Jisoo hyung!” It seems Chan has already decided things for him as he sprints out of his room, running right into his arms. “Jisoo hyung! Where did you go? Are you okay? Did you miss us?” 

Jisoo can’t help but smile at Chan. “I went to Busan. Sorry I didn’t tell you. I was rushing.” 

“Oh, it’s good that you didn’t leave!” Chan gives him a toothless grin. “But why were you rushing to Busan?” 

“Mm...just some work for my job,” Jisoo explains. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. Seokmin said you were very worried.” 

“I was.” Chan nods his head. “But Jisoo hyung, Seokmin hyung reacted worse. He was crying even after Hansol, Seungkwan, and me stopped. We only cried for a short while until Mingyu hyung told us you took the boat and you weren’t lost or eaten by a whale.” There is a soft click from behind them as the door next to Chan’s room opens and Seokmin steps out. 

“I’ll tell you a secret.” Chan smiles, putting his hand over his mouth as he glances at his brother, still dazed from sleeping. “Seokmin hyung cried for longer than us. In fact, when Mingyu hyung told us you went out, he cried even more. He was the only adult that cried.”

Chan laughs, and that seems to raise Seokmin’s attention. “What are you...come here, Lee Chan!” His face turns red as he rushes forward to grab Chan, stopping when he comes face to face with Jisoo. 

“I uh…” Seokmin looks away, standing back up as he fidgets uncomfortably. Jisoo focuses on Chan. 

“Oh Seokmin hyung, you haven’t heard this part too.”  Chan beckons him to come closer, but Seokmin stays rooted in his spot. “I asked Mingyu and Wonwoo hyung why, and they both said that you must really like Jisoo hyung and were really scared that he was gone.” 

Chan adds gleefully, “This was the first time they actually agreed on something. What a miracle! Seungkwan and Hansol were amazed too.” 

“Mm,” Jisoo tries his best to smile. “Why don’t you go have your breakfast with Seokmin? You need to go to school.” Changing the topic seems to have worked as Chan runs to grab the loaf of bread on the kitchen counter, but not exactly in Jisoo’s favour. 

“You should have breakfast with us hyung! You always eat at school.” 

Jisoo finds it impossible to outrightly reject him. “Why don’t you ask Seokmin hyung first?” He asks instead. 

“Ah, hyung will agree of course. Right?” Seokmin nods absentmindedly. 

Breakfast is filled with Chan’s chatter as he hurries to fill Jisoo in on everything he missed out over the weekend. 

“I begged Jun and Minghao hyung to let me sit in during their chinese class. They said that I learn very fast so I can join Hansol and Seungkwan now. And also, you won’t be able to guess what Mingyu and Wonwoo hyung argued over on Saturday.” 

“What was it?” Jisoo asks, genuinely rather curious. 

Chan shakes his head, sighing like a grown up, causing both Jisoo and Seokmin to laugh. For a moment, their eyes meet, and Jisoo’s heart skips a beat because Seokmin is smiling at him, but as soon as it happens, he looks away, and Jisoo too diverts his attention back to Chan. “They were quarreling over how much is too much to be considered a pinch of salt!” Since Jisoo needed to go to the school early to send his report off, he couldn’t stay to hear the whole story. “Seungkwan hyung will tell you!” Chan promises. 

Sure enough, Seungkwan, Hansol as well as Chan and Seokmin (at Chan’s insistence) arrive early, not long after Jisoo’s sent his email off. Seungkwan and Hansol are relieved and happy to see him, and Jisoo apologises to them as well while patiently entertaining their questions. 

“Busan is cool! Not as nice as here, but it’s so big!” Seungkwan exclaims. 

“I don’t like Busan,” Hansol speaks quietly. “It’s noisy.” 

“Seungkwan hyung!” Chan interrupts the conversation on Busan by banging the table with his fist.“You need to tell Jisoo hyung about Wonwoo and Mingyu hyung’s argument over salt!” 

“Seungkwan’s good at stories.” Hansol beams proudly.

Seungkwan insists that they all sit around a table. “It all started when we were having lunch.” He sets the scene dramatically. 

“We were eating mackerel, and Mingyu hyung said if you add a pinch of salt, it tastes much better.” Seungkwan pauses, looking around warily. 

Chan rolls his eyes. “It’s not a horror story hyung, hurry!” 

“Shhh!” His voice drops to a low tone, as low as he can muster. “As I was saying, Mingyu hyung added a pinch of salt to our mackerel. And Wonwoo hyung said that’s too much salt. It’ll be bad for your health.”

Seungkwan’s eyes widen as he gapes. His mouth slowly forms a mischievous grin. “That’s where all the trouble started.”

“Jisoo when I tell you I was appalled.”

Over lunch, Mingyu decides to sit Jisoo down for a first person recount of the same situation. It has been two days, but Mingyu is still “anguished and hurting”, in his own words.

“I know he’s naturally...abrasive, but really? A sprinkle of salt?” 

He takes a bite of his vegetables aggressively. “Wonwoo said ‘that’s too much salt to be a sprinkle, Mingyu.’ Who even does that? He’s obviously just trying to get at me but still tries to pull the nice guy card. Let me annoy the hell out of Mingyu while still resuming the moral high ground as the caring doctor who just wants to take care of everyone. Who does he think he is? With his stupid calm voice, and his smile, and that thing he does when he runs his hands through his hair.” 

Jisoo nods understandingly. He does feel for Mingyu and his frustration, but he is starting to suspect something, and needs a second opinion.

“Ah, I’m sorry for bothering you with this. I’m sure you’ve already heard it from the children,” Mingyu sighs. “Anyway, how was Busan?” 

“Good, it’s all city so I found it easy to focus on my work instead of thinking of the beach,” Jisoo answers. “But it’s...not like Sebong-do. Well obviously, but going to Busan made me miss the island actually.” With Mingyu, Jisoo finds himself more relaxed. He has an easy way about him which makes Jisoo comfortable with sharing his thoughts honestly. 

“I get what you mean. Sebong-do is special. It’s so far away from the city. It runs on its own clock, pretty much.” He smiles. “We’ve been lucky to have the island. It has sheltered us from a lot for so long. Busan is not even Seoul, and it is already so drastically different from here. As an adult, I know I have to try my best to make it wherever I go. But it’s the children I worry for.” 

Jisoo turns away from Mingyu, and looks at Chan, Hansol and Seungkwan–Chan playing with his alligator, Hansol reading, and Seungkwan trying to practise singing by the window, looking at the blue sky and the bright midday sun. 

Here they are carefree, and very happy. 

The big city is worse, isn’t it? 

Chapter Text

The next day, Seungkwan walks into class glumly. “My parents don’t want to let me get a CD player,” he sighs when Jisoo asks him what’s wrong. “How am I supposed to listen to music when Jihoon hyung’s family’s shop is closed?” 

“Why don’t they want to get you one?” Jisoo asks. 

“They think it’ll be noisy, and that I will get distracted from my work. That’s not fair!” He rolls his eyes, huffing as he folds his arms over his chest. 

“Why not?” 

“I haven’t even gotten the chance to prove myself and they are already accusing me!” He slumps down into his seat. “You’re a lawyer Jisoo hyung, and it should be very very obvious that I am not getting a fair trial in this situation.” 

“Do you want me to...help you?” Seungkwan nods excitedly once the words leave Jisoo’s mouth. 

“You can be my lawyer and convince my parents!” Seungkwan gasps. “Wait till they find out I have a lawyer now!” 

During lunch, Jisoo tries to explain what a trial looks like to Seungkwan in a very simple manner. “First, we have to present a case against your parents’ argument. Second, we can also try to strike a deal with them.”

“What deal?” Seungkwan is instantly wary of the idea.

“Well...it is kind of like a compromis–”

“Jisoo hyung!” He cuts Jisoo off before he can even finish. “How can you think of losing when we haven’t even started?” 

Admittedly, “compromise” isn’t the best choice of words. “Well deals don’t always have to be bad. For example, a deal could be something like this : If more than half of the Islanders support me after listening to my case, you have to agree to my terms.” 

“Oh, I like that kind of deal.” Seungkwan smiles mischievously. “Actually, that is a great deal. Let’s go with this one.” 

“What deal?” Jeonghan comes up from behind Seungkwan, shooting Jisoo a death glare. 

Jisoo tries to keep the smile on his face. “Why don’t you explain what’s happening to Jeonghan hyung?” 

“I have to admit that is a good idea, Seungkwan,” Jeonghan concedes. “But I want in on it too. Seungkwan, you have to include me on your legal team. Also, I have to tell your parents what you are planning to do.” 

Every conversation you have with the children, one of us must be around. 

“What?” Seungkwan turns around, brows furrowed, offended and horrified. 

Jisoo helps Jeonghan out. “Of course you have to tell them, Seungkwan. It wouldn’t be a fair trial if you have time to prepare and they don’t.  A proper trial has to be announced in advance, it can’t be a surprise attack on your opponent.” 

“You’re right.” Seungkwan mumbles begrudgingly. “Fine Jeonghan hyung. You can be my secretary and inform my parents that the trial is this Friday during dinner. The deal is that if more than half of the islanders side with me, they have to give me a CD player.” 

“Alright.” Jeonghan accepts the job. “You are seriously taking after me, Seungkwan-ah,” he adds, laughing. “I don’t know if I should be proud or threatened.” 

“Maybe both,” Seungkwan suggests candidly, and Jeonghan has to agree. 

After school, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Seungkwan and Mrs Boo head to Mingyu’s restaurant. “I need to be at the trial venue,” Seungkwan insists. “A trial requires both physical and mental preparation.” 

Mingyu brings out coffee for Jeonghan and Jisoo and milk for Seungkwan. Then, he sits with Mrs Boo at a nearby table since her son refuses to let her listen in on the preparation for his case. “Obviously, you’re my opponent,” Seungkwan explains like it is the most obvious thing in the world. 

“I have an update.” Jeonghan starts talking first when they sit down. “After a long negotiation, the deal is now that you must get 60% of the islanders to agree with you.” 

“60?” Seungkwan shakes his head. “Well that isn’t great, but I’m confident Jisoo hyung can do it.” Seungkwan beams at him, and Jisoo genuinely starts to feel some pressure towards this whole case. 

“Let’s get to work then!” He clasps his hands together, sighing. “Your case is going to be made up of why you think you should be able to get a CD player. After that, the Islanders also get to ask you questions.” 

“Questions?” 

“Yes, to see how reliable your case is and how much they can trust you.” 

Seungkwan nods. “Let’s start working.” He pulls out a stack of papers from his bag, and a pencil. “Hansol suggested that I write all my drafts in pencil first. Then I’ll write the final one in pen.” 

They get down to work seriously, Jisoo and Seungkwan writing while Jeonghan plays devil’s advocate and tries to find flaws in the case that they then fix to strengthen it. Everything is going well, and they are ready to start rehearsing when a loud clang comes from the kitchen. 

Jisoo turns to Mrs Boo’s table, realising she is now alone reading a magazine. That means Mingyu is…

“Don’t touch me Jeon!” They all hear a loud yell from the kitchen and quickly rushes in to have a look. Mingyu stands gawking before an overturned bowl of Kimchi while Wonwoo laughs and takes pictures with his phone, red kimchi juice all over the floor. 

“Oh boy,” Jeonghan sighs. “Do I even want to know what went down?” 

“I. Demand. Compensation,” Mingyu seethes. “Jeon Wonwoo suddenly came up from behind me like a ghost of sorts, as if he doesn’t know how unwelcomed he is here.” 

“I was just dropping by,” Wonwoo explains himself calmly. “Thought you were preparing afternoon tea now and I wanted to get some. Honestly Mingyu, you overreact everytime you see me.” 

Mingyu stares at him indignantly. “I do not.” 

“Wonwoo hyung has a point.” Seungkwan shrugs, and Jeonghan nods along. “Definitely does.” 

“Guys!” Mingyu turns to them, annoyed out of his mind. “He just suddenly touched my arm!  I was so scared!” 

“Mhm, did you feel electric sparks too?” Jeonghan drawls. 

“As a matter-of-fact, yes!” Mingyu turns back around to face Wonwoo, an accusatory look in his eye. “Were you trying to electrocute me?” 

Wonwoo shakes his head. “I have more important things to do than that.” 

“Excuse me? Really?” Mingyu gapes. “As if annoying me isn’t your top priority!” 

“It really...isn’t? I have a job.” Wonwoo has yet to lose his cool, answering Mingyu calmly. 

“Enough about your stupid job! Who cares if you are a smart and kind doctor who is handsome and approachable and well-liked or whatever? It’s getting on my nerves!” Mingyu fires back. 

“What did you say?” Wonwoo flushes, his cheeks turning bright red. 

“That you’re...ugly, and mean, and...no one actually likes you!” Mingyu retorts, rolling his eyes. “Go get your ears cleaned.” 

“Definitely not what I heard,”Jeonghan chimes in. 

Seungkwan giggles and covers his mouth with his hands, trying to hold back his laughter. Jisoo watches on amusedly. 

“Wonwoo and Mingyu hyung are definitely in love,” Seungkwan whispers to both Jeonghan and Jisoo. “But this is one of the worst love stories I’ve ever seen.” 

“Hmm...I’m not sure about Wonwoo, but Mingyu is definitely in deep.” Jisoo whispers back. 

“Absolutely.” For once, Jeonghan is agreeing with him. “My money is on Mingyu feeling a lot of pent-up frustration because he subconsciously knows he really likes Wonwoo but doesn’t think Wonwoo feels the same w–” 

“What are you whispering about?” Mingyu demands. Wonwoo looks at them curiously. 

“Nothing! Everything is fine.” Jeonghan smiles. “Oh, if you would just look at the time! Wonwoo, you better close up your clinic and Mingyu! You need to start cooking.” Both eager to escape this awkward situation, Mingyu and Wonwoo nod silently and are off without a single word of protest. 

Jeonghan, Jisoo and Seungkwan return to the table. Fortunately, there is still some time left before dinner so Seungkwan can start to rehearse and do what Jisoo calls “preparing him for the stand” where Jeonghan and Jisoo take turns to ask him questions about his case, and he has to try to answer them. 

Seungkwan is definitely a future lawyer in the making, Jisoo smiles, impressed, as he successfully dodges curveball after curveball. 

-- 

“Good evening everyone, as you all know, I’m Boo Seungkwan.” On Friday, everyone is seated by six thirty so Seungkwan can “deliver his case” before dinner starts. Mingyu brings out his microphone and the speaker at Seungkwan’s request, and he himself is also dressed in his brightest, newest pair of jeans and a cuffed long sleeve shirt. “They have to take me seriously,” he explained to Jeonghan and Jisoo. 

Seungkwan takes a deep breath in and begins. “I really want to get a CD player. I am ten years old now, but in my house, I never get to choose the music because my mother listens to her own music all the time. Our taste in music definitely isn’t the same either. She likes old people music.” He pauses and grimaces, which makes a few of the Islanders laugh. 

“However, I like Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Besides, I am growing up now and have to learn to be more independent. I cannot do that if my parents won’t even let me have my own CD player. How will I be able to take charge of bigger things? Before I continue, here are the terms I will agree to to have a CD player.” 

• I will not use the CD player while doing my homework

• I will not listen to music after 10 pm 

• The maximum volume I will listen to my music to is at volume 75, or 75% of the maximum volume 

“Did you write this?” Wonwoo asks Jisoo. 

Jisoo shakes his head. “Seungkwan came up with most of it himself,” he explains. “I mainly just had to give him a structure and explain the purpose of having terms of agreements and deals.” 

“He’s good.” 

“Isn’t he?” Jisoo smiles. 

Seungkwan looks a little tense, but he presents a straight face, his voice confident and loud. He remembers all of Jisoo’s tips, from eye contact, to emphasising important words, to hand gestures. Jisoo is confident that he will be over to win over the islanders, but part of him is still a bundle of nerves over the possibility that things will not turn out how Seungkwan wants them to. 

“Alright.” Mingyu comes onto stage, and Jisoo hears Wonwoo whispering something about him always needing attention. “Does anyone have any questions for Seungkwan?” 

Chan’s hand shoots up. “Seungkwan hyung, why do you have to get another CD player for yourself? Isn’t it easier to share one with your parents?” 

“Thank you Chan.” Seungkwan speaks formally and the islanders burst out laughing. 

“My mother likes music as much as I do. She will be sad and angry if she can’t listen to her music as much as she used to. Besides, with two CD players, we can both listen to our music at the same time without fighting with each other.” 

A couple more of the islanders ask their questions and when the islanders start to fall silent Mingyu announces that it will be time for them to vote. “Remember, Seungkwan needs 60% of the vote to succeed, which means about...well…”

“He’s horrible at math,” Wonwoo laughs. “It’s cute.” 

“Right.” Jisoo nods. Interesting. 

“Around...40? Yes, 40 will definitely be more than enough.” Mingyu flushes. “Well, let’s move on with voting then! If you agree Seungkwan should get a CD player, please raise your hand now.” 

At once, many islanders raise their hands. From where he is, Jisoo can see that the only people who aren’t raising their hands are Mr, Mrs Boo and Seungkwan’s grandmother, who are probably choosing to abstain. Seungkwan breaks out into a wide smile, and Jisoo heaves a sigh of relief. “Wooh Seungkwan!” Wonwoo cheers loudly. 

Mingyu, on the other hand, is still trying to count the vote. “1, 2, 3...10... wait, again! 1,2,3,4,....20, ugh! 6,7,8,9...29?” 

“Why is he still counting the votes?” Wonwoo whispers to Jisoo. “Everyone in the roo–” 

“Jeon Wonwoo!” Mingyu shouts over the microphone, the feedback screeching loudly in everyone’s ears. “Instead of laughing at me, why don’t you come up and help count the votes?” 

Wonwoo beckons for him to come over. Mingyu scowls at him but goes anyway, at wits end with counting the votes. “Please give me a moment everyone…” 

“You don’t actually have to count all the votes.” Wonwoo smiles triumphantly. “Can’t you tell that it’s definitely way over 60%?” 

“No?” Mingyu looks indignant. 

“You’re the tallest person here.” Wonwoo shoves him lightly and Mingyu raises his arm to retaliate. 

“Wait!” Wonwoo laughs, moving back. “Let me finish. Instead of counting the people who did vote, count those who didn’t. Mr Boo, Mrs Boo and Seungkwan’s grandmother. Even without doing any of that, it’s obvious Seungkwan has won.” 

Sure enough Seungkwan has taken over the stage, thanking everyone, especially Mrs Boo, who smiled and shouted an “Okay fine! You can have your CD player!” 

Mingyu looks stunned for a moment, but quickly recovers. “I knew that, Jeon,” he scoffs. “You were just...distracting me the whole time by being here.” He shakes his head, sighing. “I need to bring dinner out.” With that, he pushes past Wonwoo and walks away, while Wonwoo smiles widely, looking too happy for someone who just got insulted. 

“Jisoo hyung!” Seungkwan runs over and hugs him tightly. “Thank you so much hyung! I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

“You definitely could have,” Jisoo thinks as he smiles at Seungkwan. “You’re welcome Seungkwan-ah. Enjoy your new CD player okay?” It is at this moment that Jisoo realises two things. The first, that Seungkwan has fully warmed up to him and accepted him. The second, that he is no longer Mr Jisoo but Jisoo hyung. Just like how Mingyu is Mingyu hyung and Jeonghan is Jeonghan hyung. 

Seungkwan nods, continuing to hold on to Jisoo. It makes a certain warmness spread throughout Jisoo’s entire body. 

“It’s dinner time!” Mingyu shouts out over the chatter. “We ordered some chicken from nearby so we get to have fried chicken and spicy fish soup!”

Right, Jisoo almost forgot. He planned to use the time when everyone was preoccupied and at Mingyu’s restaurant to drop off the guitar at Jihoon’s house. As everyone moves about to help Mingyu bring out the food and the children heatedly discuss who sits next to who, Jisoo slips away and runs back to Seokmin’s place. The sky is now a dark blue, cicadas chirping from the trees, the warm wind running with him. He grabs the guitar quickly and heads for the small house with mint green walls at the other end of the street. 

Now comes the hard part. In case it rains, even though Jisoo checked the weather forecast every hour meticulously, he needs to get the guitar under the sheltered part of the porch. The small white wooden picket fence out front is not all that tall, and Jisoo is not about to spoil a two hundred dollar guitar meant for Jihoon.

Here goes. He swings the guitar case over his back. It weighs a ton but Jisoo skillfully hoists himself onto the top of the fence. What a sight! In the twilight sky, he can see a couple of stars twinkling brightly. Jisoo smiles, sitting there for a few moments. This is a luxury he would never get to see in Seoul. 

“Hong Jisoo?” So engrossed in the stars is he that Jisoo fails to hear the footsteps coming up the street. Jisoo immediately jumps, bending his knees to brace the impact of his fall. The guitar is fine. He uses his hands to steady himself as he lands in a squatting position and slowly stands up. He leans the guitar against the door and climbs back over the gate calmly, ready to explain himself. He doesn’t have ill intentions. The worst thing that could happen is that Jihoon’s surprise is spoiled but even that isn’t anything too detrimental.

“What are you doing?” Jisoo flinches upon seeing Seokmin’s face. Okay, maybe the fact that it is Seokmin who catches him is pretty bad. Jisoo has gotten used to avoiding Seokmin as best as he can, and the last they talked properly and civilly was two weeks ago. He looks cross, but also curious, his eyes wide as he watches Jisoo hop down from the fence and roll down his sleeves as he stands up. 

“It’s the guitar for Jihoon.” When the look of disbelief doesn’t leave Seokmin’s face, Jisoo hurriedly adds. “You can check my pockets. I didn’t take anything.” 

“You...wanted it to be a surprise of sorts?” Seokmin asks slowly. 

“Yeah, I guess.” Jisoo scratches his nape sheepishly. 

Seokmin turns away, stifling a laugh. 

As a lawyer, Jisoo has learnt to read people pretty well. But at this moment, his brain suddenly goes blank, panic taking over in his heart, and he can’t tell if it is a genuine or sarcastic laugh. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah! It’s nothing.” Seokmin nods, schooling his face into a neutral expression. “We should head back.” 

They walk in silence, the cicadas keeping them company. Jisoo keeping his eyes straight ahead, as if staring at the darkening sky and the street lamps in front of him would help to dispel the awkwardness between him and Seokmin. 

He misses the small smile playing on Seokmin’s lips as he glances at Jisoo, eyes serious and stern, dressed in greying sneakers and old socks that are slipping down and exposing his ankles, white shorts, and a blue shirt rolled up to his elbows, a little scratch on his left arm from the fence, the hot wind ruffling his soft hair. 

Chapter Text

“Jisoo hyung, thank you so much! Please tell me how I can repay you!” 

“Me too!” 

On Saturday morning, Seungkwan comes to Seokmin’s door, insisting that Jisoo come with him to get his new CD player. Jihoon and his father are there, as is Soonyoung.  

“Hyung!” Upon seeing Jisoo, Soonyoung runs towards him to thank him for the guitar, Jihoon following behind him. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jisoo starts but quickly catches himself. Gift giving is nothing uncommon to him. Every gathering, meeting and trip he has been to, expensive gifts would be exchanged. From legos and custom-made puzzles when he was a child, to wine and branded bags when he became an adult. Gift giving has lost its meaning to him, it is always motivated anyway and never out of sincerity. But in this case, where a single guitar means so much to Soonyoung and Jihoon, things are different. 

“Hyung, if you don’t mind me asking, how expensive was it?” 

“I got lucky and found a good second-hand one,” Jisoo lies. “It was about...maybe eighty dollars?” 

Jihoon furrows his brows and doesn’t look entirely convinced. “We’ll pay you back when we can hyung! I’m sorry I don’t have enough money now, and might not for a while.” 

“Same here, maybe when I go to university and get a job there. Would that be okay? We could meet up with you! Or...maybe send the check to your company?” Soonyoung adds nervously. 

“It’s alright,” Jisoo shakes his head. By now, a few people have gathered around them so he walks up to the boys so they can talk quietly at the corner of the store. “It was for you guys. You don’t have to pay me for it.” He explains. “Both of you have been kind and hardworking students...and I just thought it’d be nice to help support you in whatever way I can.” 

“Ah..okay! Thank you hyung!” 

“Thank you Jisoo hyung!” They still look awkward and stiff, and internally, Jisoo too doesn’t know how he can put them at ease. Was it wrong to buy a guitar for them? 

Jisoo smiles. “You’re welcome. I hope you enjoy playing! I did play for a while too so you can always come to me if you need help.” 

He can tell Jihoon and Soonyoung  are still a little overwhelmed and flabbergasted, so he quietly leaves to accompany Seungkwan who is picking out some CDs to borrow for his new CD player. 

--

When Seungkwan leaves and the shop quietens down, Jihoon takes the guitar out of its case gingerly. In the case, Jisoo has also left a book for beginners learning the guitar. Soonyoung watches as Jihoon sets the guitar down on his lap and strums the strings. 

“Be careful Jihoon," Soonyoung says, handing him the pick. “Guitar strings are thick, you might hurt your fingers. Why don’t you use this instead?”

Jihoon nods. In the past, he has watched videos on how to play the guitar, but while he theoretically knew what to do, nothing could compare to the weight of a physical guitar in his hands, his fingers pressing down on the thick strings that start cutting into his flesh when he holds them there for a moment too long. 

Soonyoung hands him the tuning fork, and once he has managed to tune the guitar, Jihoon flips the book over to start learning some chords. “Chords are a good way to start,” he laughs quietly. “Especially since we aren’t entirely familiar with all the various notes yet.” 

“Mhm,” Soonyoung responds expressionlessly. Jihoon turns his head, and Soonyoung is frowning as he stares at Jihoon’s fingers. 

“Is everything okay?”Jihoon asks. 

“Yeah. I’m going to go to Wonwoo hyung’s. You continue playing, I can go myself.” He gets up and walks out, leaving Jihoon behind. 

Jihoon looks down at his guitar dejectedly. It has been playing on his mind for a while now, really. This incident only serves as further confirmation. Soonyoung is the life of the party. He is funny, outgoing, and dramatic around everyone but Jihoon. When he is with the younger children, he always cracks them up with entertaining jokes and exaggerated expressions. With the adults, he can bicker with them and always greets them with a big smile on his face. He can talk to Junhui and Minghao for hours about sports and their travels, and even with Jisoo, Soonyoung is always polite and kind.

Everytime he is with Jihoon, Soonyoung grows quiet. It didn’t use to be this way. As a child, Soonyoung was hyper and boisterous. Jihoon didn’t use to like him much, but Soonyoung grew on him. He was warm-hearted, with an infectious smile and an eccentric brand of humour. He taught Jihoon to let loose and comforted him whenever he was down or stressed. 

A year or so ago, things started to change. Soonyoung has been quiet and serious all the time. He never smiles or laughs, or cracks stupid jokes that leave Jihoon wound up in stiches of laughter. 

“Maybe he’s bored of me,” Jihoon thinks. “Or he might hate me.” He can’t think of any incident that would cause Soonyoung to get angry, but maybe he just didn’t like Jihoon anymore–Jihoon who is dorky, a perfectionist, and not all that funny and warm the same way Soonyoung is. 

Or maybe he has found out. The thought makes Jihoon’s heart shatter, the colour draining from his face. Soonyoung is only growing more detached each day as his feelings continue to leave him vulnerable and fearful that any day now their friendship would crumble under its weight. Perhaps his worst fears have come through. Soonyoung already knows, and he cannot accept them. 

Jihoon doesn’t feel like playing the guitar anymore. He keeps it in its case and puts the guitar at the back of the shop. 

“Jihoon?” Soonyoung comes back into the store a few moments later. Jihoon is listening to music with some headphones, his head resting on the table. “Are you okay?” 

Jihoon tries to hold back his tears and looks up, nodding. 

“I–Where is the guitar?” 

“Are you not going to the Wushu studio for class?” Jihoon asks back, taking his headphones off. 

“Yeah! But I was going to…” He stops. Jihoon is looking at him blankly. “Are you angry?” 

Jihoon shakes his head. “I’m alright,” he sighs. 

Soonyoung is frowning again, more deeply than before. Pain pangs in Jihoon’s heart. “You should go,” he whispers, softly, but loud enough so that Soonyoung can hear it. 

“Alright...I’ll see you at lunch.” Soonyoung’s gaze lingers on him, and it makes Jihoon awfully uncomfortable so he buries his head into his arms. When he next looks up, Soonyoung is gone, and he feels himself begin to cry. 

Fortunately, not many people come by the shop as most Islanders are enjoying a morning at the beach or doing Wushu with Junhui and Minghao to start their weekend. Jihoon lets himself cry until lunch time, when he drags himself to get ready for lunch. Since he was supposed to spend the day with Soonyoung, he already ordered food from Mingyu for lunch and no one would have food for him at home. 

Jihoon sits down glumly at a rectangular table overlooking the grey waters of the sea. Soonyoung comes to sit down beside him. 

Neither of them say anything. 

The silence is only broken when Soonyoung and Jihoon get their food, and Mingyu sits down opposite them, joined by Wonwoo. 

“Hi Wonwoo and Mingyu hyung!” Soonyoung greets them. 

Jihoon waves. “Hope you had a good morning!”

Mingyu beams. “You’re always so polite.” 

Wonwoo smiles nervously. “Are you both fighti–ow! Kim Mingyu!” Before Wonwoo can complete his sentence, Mingyu slaps him on the arm. Wonwoo raises his eyebrows and jabs Mingyu’s chest. 

“Get it together Kim!” He whispers angrily, loud enough for Soonyoung and Jihoon to hear him. 

“You are the one who is screwing up!” Mingyu retorts. “We just agreed on having a more sensitive response to things.” 

“Well? You slapping me isn’t very ‘sensitive’ you know?” Wonwoo shakes his head. Feeling Jihoon and Soonyoung’s gazes on them, he smiles apologetically.

 “Let’s just go about this separately,” he suggests. “We can both share what we think is helpful. Deal?” 

“Deal.” Mingyu agrees, but not without one long, hard glare sent Wonwoo’s way. 

“Sorry Soonyoung and Jihoon. We just wanted to help. You both look like...you’re fighting. Is that true?”

“Do you want to talk about th–?” Wonwoo adds. 

“Too many questions Wonwoo! Just stick with one!” 

Wonwoo sighs. “Your approach is too dictatorial, you’re scaring them.” 

“I’m not!” Mingyu hisses. “Be quiet.” 

“Anyway.” He turns his attention back to Soonyoung and Jihoon. “Fights are normal, but you should try to talk things out. Don’t let–”

Wonwoo scoffs next to him. 

“Seriously Jeon?” Mingyu rolls his eyes, exasperated. “You are setting a terrible example for the kids.” 

“So are you!” Wonwoo exclaims. “You’re always being difficult and like starting fights with me. You should practise what you preach.” 

Mingyu shoots him a pointed look. “We aren’t exactly friends Jeon, it’s different.” 

“We...aren’t?” Wonwoo looks a little taken aback but quickly recovers. “It doesn’t matter Mingyu! You’re still a hypocrite!” 

“Hypocrite?” Mingyu raises his voice. “You are the hypocrite. You always treat me badly.” 

“Not like you don’t reserve your worst side for me either!” 

When Soonyoung and Jihoon finally get through lunch and take their leave from Mingyu and Wonwoo, Jihoon mumbles an excuse under his breath, wanting to leave quickly. 

“Wait, Jihoon.” Soonyoung runs after him. They stand on the path outside Mingyu’s shop, the weather cold and windy. 

“Can we talk about earlier?” Jihoon feels a chill in his heart. Soonyoung narrows his eyes, his brows crossed tightly.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he responds hurriedly, looking away from Soonyoung. “I have to go, see you around.” 

“Jihoon!” Soonyoung shouts harshly, his face turning dark, all traces of emotion vanishing from his face. “Something is obviously bothering you, what is it?” 

This, Jihoon thinks. The fact that Soonyoung was always angry and stressed while with him. He opens his mouth to try to say something, but nothing comes out. Soonyoung continues to stare right into his eyes, and Jihoon feels sick, tears springing to his eyes. 

“Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung steps closer. “Are you crying?” His eyes widen in shock, and Soonyoung begins to panic, not knowing what to do. He quickly glances around, but fortunately, no one notices the both of them. 

Jihoon feels his cheeks burn and he pushes Soonyoung away, as hard as he possibly can, and runs as quickly as his legs can carry him in the opposite direction. 

“Jihoon?” Soonyoung starts chasing him, and Jihoon ignores the burning sensation in his chest as he wills himself to go faster. Soonyoung runs much faster than he can, and the sound of his footsteps hitting the cement path grow louder and louder. Jihoon gasps, trying to control his breathing, his legs sore almost to the point of numbness.

Just as his vision starts to become blurry and he has no choice but to slow down, Jihoon realises that he can’t hear Soonyoung anymore. He walks slowly, trying to prevent himself from throwing up his lunch, and as he glances back Jihoon sees Soonyoung in the distance, watching him with downcast eyes and a tight frown. 

Jihoon doesn’t look back again. When he rounds the corner and Soonyoung is safely out of sight, he lets his tears flow freely, pain ripping at his heart as he does. Deep down somewhere inside of him, he prepares himself that this is it. Soonyoung has grown out of being his friend, and for his sake, Jihoon needs to let him go. 

Chapter Text

“Jisoo hyung! Have you seen Wonwoo hyung?” On Sunday, as Jisoo takes a stroll down to the music shop, he bumps into Seungkwan and Hansol. “We were playing at Mingyu hyung’s restaurant and Seungkwan scraped his knee,” Hansol explains. 

Sure enough, there is a pretty nasty gash on Seungkwan’s knee. Seungkwan himself seems fine, but Hansol is pretty stressed and this wound does need to be treated. 

“We also didn’t want to disturb Mingyu hyung,” Seungkwan adds. “He’s cooking. Wonwoo hyung isn’t in the clinic, or any of the shops nearby.” 

“Maybe he went to visit someone. Either way, don’t worry. Mingyu should have a first aid kit. I’ll help you treat the wound okay?” 

Jisoo stays with Seungkwan and Hansol until lunch, shelving his plans to drop by the music shop to check on Soonyoung and Jihoon for later. When lunch time rolls around, Wonwoo finally appears. Jisoo wants to ask where he went, but Wonwoo looks horrible. His eyes are puffy, his skin is unusually pale, and there are dark circles under his eyes. He still looks put together, in a fitting white t-shirt, black jeans, and his glasses, but something has obviously happened. 

To Jisoo’s surprise, when Wonwoo sees Seungkwan’s knee, he doesn’t go after Mingyu. After making sure he is okay, Wonwoo sits down in one of the seats at the table, staring into space. Jisoo decides it might be better to give him the time to mull over his thoughts than to try and engage him in a conversation. 

Jihoon and Soonyoung soon arrive, appearing relaxed and happy. That’s good then, Jisoo thinks. There were rumours going around yesterday that they fought. 

Mingyu and Jeonghan are bringing out the food when Jeonghan spots Jihoon and Soonyoung. “You and Wonwoo were so disastrous at helping that they decided to help themselves,” he laughs. 

“Okay, it wasn’t exactly me.” Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Wonwoo was...the one.” His voice trails off when he spots Wonwoo, slumped in one of the chairs, sleeping. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Mingyu whispers to Jeonghan. Jeonghan shrugs. “I was about to ask you the same thing.” 

“Do you know, Jisoo?” Jisoo shakes his head. He walks over to Mingyu and explains the strange things he has noticed so far. “He wasn’t even at his clinic. Something could have happened.” 

“I saw Mr and Mrs Jeon this morning. They were fine,” Jeonghan says. “Maybe it’s something more...personal.” He glances at Mingyu who notices it. 

“Why me?” 

“I don’t know, did you do anything that could have gotten him this upset?”

Mingyu shakes his head, frowning. “Now that you say it though, after our squabble he just stopped talking to me. He left without saying bye and I didn’t see him for the rest of the day.” 

“So it is your fault,” Jeonghan sighs. Mingyu looks like he wants to refute that, but closes his mouth. 

“Is it? We just bickered as usual. That’s strange.” Sunday is indeed a little unusual without Wonwoo and Mingyu’s constant quarelling, but the island is much more peaceful as Jisoo types up his report for week three about the childrens’ progress in English, Seungkwan’s mock trial to get a CD player, and Jihoon getting his guitar. 

By Tuesday, when Jisoo still does not see much of Wonwoo around, except when he is cooped up in his clinic, he decides to pay him a visit before school starts.  It is a chilly morning, the misty air rising over the cold waters of the sea as he heads down the row of shops. 

“Jisoo hyung! You have to come, quick!” He runs into Chan, who grabs his hand. He’s sweaty, flushed, and his eyes are red and puffy. “Seungkwan and Hansol are in trouble!’ 

Chan takes him to the beach, running, where Seungkwan and Hansol are standing before a tall man dressed in a suit. The boatman is waiting in his boat not far away. 

Broad shoulders, strong jaw, slicked back hair, icy, narrow eyes. “Yong Jaemin?” What is Chairman Yong’s son doing here? 

“Jisoo hyung!” Jisoo almost drops to his knees when Hansol and Seungkwan run towards him, tears running down their faces. “J...Jisoo hyung! The...the man,” Hansol chokes out between loud sobs as he grabs onto Jisoo’s shirt. Seungkwan rests his head against Jisoo’s torso, his breathing shaky. 

“Are you okay? Chan-ah, come here too.” Jisoo bends down and pulls the children into his arms. “What happened?” 

“That man.” Chan points to Jaemin angrily. “He started asking them all sorts of weird questions.” 

“Jaemin?” Jisoo looks up at the man, an uneasy anger simmering in his heart. “What did you do?” He tries to keep calm but his tone comes out accustory as his grip on the children tighten. 

Growing up, Yong Jaemin and Jisoo were supposed to be best friends just like how his father and Chairman Yong were. Jaemin was confident and charismatic and Jisoo was supposed to compliment that by being the quieter, introspective one of the two. Which he was. But Jaemin was too loud for him. He never really was Jisoo’s kind of person, and their relationship was never anything more than a superficial business one. 

“I just asked them some questions.”Jaemin shrugs indifferently.

“About the island…”Seungkwan whispers quietly. “He kept asking us if we want to live in Busan, and how much he can give us to go.” 

“Why would you do that?” Jisoo takes a deep breath in. He is losing his temper, which will only scare the children. 

Jaemin smirks, arms folded over his chest as Jisoo attends to the children.

“Who brought you here?” He asks. 

“Seokmin hyung. He just left for awhile to talk to Mingyu hyung.” 

“Okay.” Jisoo lets the children settle down as they wait. He needs to talk to Jaemin but not here. 

“What’s going on?” Sure enough, Seokmin comes running, Mingyu hurrying after. 

Jisoo slowly stands up, his legs sore from squatting. The children still don’t let go.

“Who are you?” Seokmin questions Jaemin. 

“Yong Jaemin. Yong Corporations.” The smirk still hasn’t left his face. 

Jaemin laughs, loud and unsettling. “I’m not here for you. But I need to speak to your new friend Jisoo.” Jisoo can feel Seokmin’s gaze burning into him. 

“Seokmin, I’ll take the children to my restaurant first,” Mingyu suggests. 

Seokmin nods. 

Jisoo has to gently pry the children away from him before they slowly walk over to Mingyu and follow him. 

“I asked to speak to Jisoo.” Jaemin smiles stiffly. “You…” 

“You want to speak to him here?” Seokmin asks, partly wary and partly curious. “Why don’t you–” 

“I don’t have all day.” Jaemin cuts him off impatiently. “As it is, the sand is sticking to my shoes.” Jisoo looks down at his polished leather dress shoes, out of place on the white shore. 

“Fine, I’ll go,” Seokmin sighs. His gaze briefly flickering to Jisoo, an incomprehensible worry in his eyes.

“I see you have some sort of a strategy,” Jaemin laughs. “It seems pretty successful.” 

Jisoo takes a few steps back. 

“Why so stiff? Come on, they’re not here. You don’t have to pretend.” 

“They’re children.” Jisoo finds himself unable to hold his anger back anymore. “How could you?” Even he is surprised by the coldness of his own voice. 

“Wow,” Jaemin runs a hand through his hair, sighing. “I never thought you were like that. Oh well, what about the adults? I’m not sure if you have been questioning them like you were supposed to.” 

A sickly, bitter taste rises in his throat. “Like what?” Jisoo demands. “Manipulating them into saying the things we want? The same thing you did with the kids?” 

“You’re our lawyer,” Jaemin chides. “Your job is to help us. They will have their own government lawyer.” 

“We need to be fair at least.” Jisoo holds his ground. “This island means a lot to the–”

“What is wrong with you? Three weeks here and you are already behaving like a local. Wow…” 

“I–”

“Listen up. You want to know why I’m here? Your reports. Lacklusture. I don’t care how the kids are doing, tell me what it means for our money. Do your job, Hong Jisoo, or Appa said this job is going to me and my lawyer instead.” 

“It’s too early to pass judgements,” Jisoo disagrees. “There’s nothing wrong with waiting a while longer. Airing on the side of caution helps everyone involed.” 

“And we are Yong Corporations!” Jaemin hisses. “What can they do? Even Choi Seungcheol and Yoon Jeonghan. They run the island, but do they know anything about how corporate law works? Are they powerful? So what if prosecution disagrees with us? That is bound to happen!” 

“No.” Jisoo stares Jaemin down firm in the eye. “We are going to do this fairly. You are taking away their island, don’t you think we should give the islanders a little respect?” 

“Do as you please then.” Jaemin sing-songs. His mouth twists upwards as he grabs Jisoo by the collar. “But if you screw this up for my father, you can kiss all you have goodbye.” 

Jisoo grabs Jaemin’s hand, prying it away from himself forcefully. There was once a time where he felt sympathy for the man before him. But now, Jisoo can only look at him with disdain. 

“Uncle, I’m ready to go.” Jaemin calls for the boatman as he examines his hands. He leaves Jisoo one last sinister smile. 

Heavy rain clouds roll above the waters as Jisoo sinks down onto the sand. The rough tides take the boat out to sea, and it soon disappears into the horizon. All that is left are shoeprints from Jaemin’s shoes,  sunken into the sand. 

--

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  Even if we are talking about basic facilities on the Island, your reports fail to be informative. You’ve visited the water plant, the farm and the fish restaurant. Who provides electricity? How does the island get milk and eggs? Read the attached infobrief so you do not repeat the information that preliminary investigations already found. Instead, your report should focus on analysing this information.

  As for the islanders, make judicious choices about what information you choose to include. We do not have the time to sort through pages of long-winded gushing accounts of how children have been doing. 

  In your report for week 4,  please also include a recount of what happened during your interactions with Mr Yong Jaemin. 

Yong Corporations Pte. Ltd. 

Infobrief  

Electricity: 

The island’s electrical generator is powered by solar energy and natural gas. The generator is located far away from the main street and houses on the other side of the island. There is a patch of forest separating the main living area and the generator, so any negative effects of air pollution from the burning of gas is mitigated. Additionally, because there are so few people on the island, pollution is very minimal. The electrical generators are owned and maintained by the Choi family. 

Internet connection : 

Maintained by the Korean government. The islanders pay regular prices for an internet service subscription. 

Sewage disposal : 

Waste matter is processed and shipped once every two weeks to the mainland for disposal. Sewage disposal is managed by the Chwes with help from Choi Seungcheol.  Preliminary investigations found the sewage disposal system to be advanced and sanitary. Maintenance is done for free by Seungcheol with help from the islanders, thereby incurring few costs. The cost of transportation of sewage is also low since it is done by boat. 

Dairy: 

Dairy is not commonly consumed on the island. Babies and young children are raised by breast milk or milk from cow’s imported from nearby islands. Cheese and milk are not commonly consumed except for certain special or rare occasions. However, despite the lack of dairy, islanders are not malnourished as their diet is high in fish and vegetables. 

Animal products: 

In the farm, there is a chicken coop with a family of chickens owned jointly by the Boos and the Kwons. Chickens are not slaughtered for meat and are kept only for their eggs. Similar to dairy, animal products with the exception of fish and seafood are bought from nearby islands only on rare occasions.

Material goods: 

Some of the clothes are handmade by islanders. But most are bought from nearby islands for relatively cheap prices. The majority of islanders wear simple hand-me-downs but are content with not having the newest of clothes. As for electronic devices, computers tend to be shared among families. Most adults own phones which are usually bought only when they start going to college. Manufactured and processed food like cereal and snacks are rarely consumed. Books and CDs are purchased from nearby islands or from Busan. 

Jisoo spends his nights working on the next report. Though the children seem fine after the incident with Jaemin and no one, not even Jeonghan and Seungcheol, seem to blame him, Jisoo doesn’t wish for Jaemin or anyone from the company to come back again. He knows it is his job to twist everything in favour of Yong Corporations. 

So what if the islanders didn’t spend a lot? Surely they would be unhappy. Imagine rarely getting to have chips, or even chicken meat, or wearing greying hand-me-downs from your hyungs, or having to maintain a sewage system and electrical generator when you have a prestigious engineering degree.

At the same time, in the three weeks or so he has spent here so far, he has never once seen the islanders unhappy with what they have. Far away from the city, they are tucked away cozily, watching on from their own piece of the world. How was Jisoo to put a price tag on the solace and the peace they had here? 

This is a question he does not deserve to answer. 

Chapter Text

Jisoo has to start his interviews. As much as he does not want to anger the islanders or ruin the friendships he has started to have, he needs to know what they truly think in order to help them best. On Wednesday in the afternoon, Jisoo drops by Mingyu’s restaurant, deciding that he should start by interviewing Mingyu and Wonwoo first, the two people who have been the most comfortable with him since the beginning. 

Mingyu sits at the table, a frown on his face. 

“Is everything okay?” Perhaps Jisoo should go to Wonwoo’s first, but the last time they saw each other on Sunday, Wonwoo did not look too well.

“Not really,” Mingyu sighs. Jisoo sits down with him. Mingyu has always been happy-go-lucky, even amidst his never-ending spat with Wonwoo. Something is wrong. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Mingyu nods glumly. “The rest would tell, by accident or otherwise. I can’t tell the children obviously. I didn’t know if you would want to listen so I didn’t approach you first. I know you’re busy. What happened with the man? Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. I hope he didn’t upset things around here too much. Is that...the reason why you’re upset?” His heart sinks. The more he wants to help the islanders, the worse things seem to be going. If Yong Jaemin, the son of chairman Yong has come to the island already, what would happen next if Jisoo continues giving them unsatisfactory answers? 

“No, it’s not that,” Mingyu laughs. “We’re okay. Honestly that man doesn’t look like he can last a day on our island.” 

“He really doesn’t.” 

“It’s something a bit more...personal.” Mingyu’s face flushes as he closes his eyes. “Wonwoo isn’t talking to me.” 

“Since Sunday?” 

“Since Saturday afternoon,” Mingyu groans. “I’ve even tried being nicer but he has been unresponsive to everything I say.” 

“Ah.” Jisoo nods. “Have you tried asking him what’s wrong?” 

“I did. He ignored me.” Mingyu rolls his eyes. “Typical Wonwoo. He thinks he’s better than me just because he went to medical school.” 

“You seem quite upset. Is there anything I can do?” 

Mingyu clears his throat. “I’m not actually upset...you know, it’s just disturbing that he suddenly got so petty.” He pauses for a while, then adds. “Can you try talking to him? Everyone else has tried and Wonwoo isn’t saying anything.” 

“Alright, do you want me to go now?”

“Yes actually, that would be great.” 

Jisoo leaves the restaurant and heads to the clinic where Wonwoo is engrossed in a book. When he asks to talk, Wonwoo surprisingly opens up quite easily, despite the resistance Mingyu described him as having. 

“It’s childish and stupid,” Wonwoo smiles sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind.” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “You’ve been worried about it. Whatever that has happened must mean a lot to you.” 

“It does, and I feel quite stupid about that.” He looks down at his feet. “Mingyu genuinely dislikes me.” 

“Are you sure?” Jisoo asks. Based on his recent observations, things seem to be quite the contrary. 

“Yeah, it happened on Saturday,” Wonwoo explains. “We were talking to Soonyoung and Jihoon, and I mentioned that it was a little ironic for Mingyu to be giving them advice about what friends should do during fights. Since we, you know...squabble all the time.” 

“Mingyu said ‘that’s different, we aren’t friends. ‘Our banter might be genuine but I’ve never disliked Mingyu, you know? I didn’t know...he felt so strongly repulsed by me.” 

“I see, have you...tried clarifying things with him?” 

“What’s there to clarify?” Wonwoo sighs dejectedly. “I don’t really want him to rub it in my face.” 

“I think it could be something else.” Jisoo smiles. “Are you willing to try?” 

“Sure,” Wonwoo shrugs. In the worst case scenario, Mingyu would tell Jisoo that he hates him, but Wonwoo doesn’t think he is capable of crying anymore and has nothing more to lose. 

They head to Mingyu’s restaurant in silence. Wonwoo has an uneasy frown on, and Jisoo knows nothing he says can ease him now. He can only hope that he is right, and that Mingyu will be honest. 

“Jeon! What’s wrong with you?”Mingyu demands. 

Jisoo stifles a laugh. If that’s how Mingyu asked Wonwoo how he was doing, he isn’t surprised Wonwoo refused to answer him. 

“Did he confide in you?” Mingyu asks Jisoo anxiously. Jisoo nods his head. 

“What? Why Jisoo and not me?” Mingyu turns to Wonwoo, hurt and anxiety evident in his eyes. “Just becaue you’re–” 

“Stop it Mingyu!” Wonwoo retorts harshly, his eyes turning bloodshot. “Why do you even care so much?” 

Jisoo steps back to let them talk. 

Mingyu runs forward, eyes laced with worry. “What are you talking about? Since when have I–” 

“You said we weren’t friends. On Saturday.” Wonwoo cuts him off coldly. 

“That? That is what you’re upset over?” Mingyu gapes incredulously. “Come on Jeon!” 

“I can’t believe I have to spell this out for you.” Mingyu flushes. “We both know things are a little more complicated than that, Jeon.” When he wills himself to look at Wonwoo in the eyes, he can’t help but smile nervously. 

“What? Why are you smiling?” Wonwoo doesn’t seem to get it at all. 

“Seriously?” Mingyu shares a look with Jisoo. “He’s absolutely hopeless.” 

“Wait here.” Mingyu runs into the kitchen and comes back with the portable whiteboard. “I’ll explain it your way.” 

Jisoo watches as Mingyu draws what appears to be a timeline. Acquaintances, Friends, Lovers. 

“Oh, it’s a meter.” Jisoo laughs. 

“Do you think it’ll work?” Mingyu asks nervously. 

Jisoo shrugs. “It’s your best shot now.” 

“Come,” He grabs Wonwoo’s hand and walks him over to the board. “This is the relationship spectrum.” 

“And this is where we are.” He sighs, biting his lip. “You put me through so much embarrassment, Jeon.” 

He draws an X between friends and lovers. “So you can’t exactly say that we’re friends, can you?” 

Colour rushes to Wonwoo’s cheeks, his eyes widening.  “You see me as a close friend?” 

“Do I have to repeat myself again?” Mingyu yells, exasperated. 

Close friend? 

Really? It is now Jisoo’s turn to sigh, burying his face in his hands. 

“This is truly the worst romantic drama ever.” They turn around to see Jeonghan and the children laughing. 

“What are you doing here?” Mingyu hides himself behind the board, but since he is so tall, his red face can be seen just fine. “And what do you mean romantic drama?” 

“We were going to the beach for a Geography lesson,” Jeonghan explains. “I wanted to stop by and check in on you both but I guess the kids got a lesson in love instead.” 

“Ah yes, love. Like friendship,” Wonwoo clarifies enthusiastically. 

Chan shakes his head, scrunching his nose. “This is a bad example.” 

“The diagram was very clear and insightful, however.” Hansol observes. “I didn’t understand what Mingyu hyung was saying either.” 

“That was a disaster.” Seungkwan doesn’t even consider mincing his words. “Zero out of ten.” 

The news that Wonwoo and Mingyu are “a little more complicated than friends” spreads throughout the island like wildfire. 

“Oh man! I bet on accidental kiss after Mingyu hyung trips Wonwoo hyung with a broom.” Soonyoung groans when he and Jihoon come by the restaurant. “I should have known something weird like a confession of friendship would have come first.” 

“I know,” Seungkwan smiles gleefully. “Pay up Soonyoung hyung.” 

“Kwon Soonyoung!” Jeonghan can’t believe his ears. “Have you been teaching the children to gamble?” 

“It’s economics hyung,” Soonyoung grins, showing all his teeth. “The gig economy. You should be happy I’m teaching them in advance.”

Jeonghan opens his mouth to retort, but closes it quietly, secretly proud. 

“Who else didn’t bet correctly?” 

“Me too!” Chan says. 

“Not the eight year too,” Mingyu shakes his head, earning a small glare from Chan. “I’m old enough hyung!” 

“Seungkwan and Chan bet the same thing, so Seungkwan is wrong too.” Hansol says. “I abstained.” Jisoo and Wonwoo heave a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Hansol is still a source of rationality among his crazy friends. 

“What did you bet on?” Jeonghan asks. 

Seungkwan giggles. “A drunk confession.” 

“Did anyone actually bet correctly?” 

Jihoon raises his hand. “I bet that they would both have to admit to being more than friends first before eventually getting together. Though obviously...not in this way.” 

“It still counts though.” Seungkwan says. 

“Woah, Jihoon hyung gets seven prawns!” Hansol cheers, being the fastest to calculate everything. “Congrats hyung.” 

“Seven?” 

“I bet five prawns.” Soonyoung confesses. 

“They bet prawns!” Wonwoo laughs. “That’s cute.” 

“Cute?” Seungkwan crosses his arms. “Wait till we go to Busan for a trip. We can bet with real money there.”

“Yeah!” Soonyoung cheers. 

“No more than two dollars per person, okay?” Jeonghan hurriedly intervenes, to which the children all groan and sigh. 

--

In the evening, Jisoo heads back to Seokmin’s house. He has been spending quite a lot of time at Mingyu’s but today there seems to be a consensus on the island that Mingyu and Wonwoo should be left alone for dinner. He reaches the house at dusk. The warm yellow light is on in the living room where Chan sits drawing on the floor. 

“Hi Jisoo hyung! Are you eating with us today?”

Was he? Jisoo has not eaten, but he is not entirely sure if Seokmin will be comfortable with having him around for dinner.  

“Seokmin hyung is cooking,” Chan adds. “I can ask–” 

“It’s okay, I’ll ask him myself. Thank you Chan.” 

Seokmin is washing vegetables in the sink when Jisoo approaches him. The difficulty about talking to Seokmin, Jisoo realises, is that he wears his heart on his sleeve. Jisoo is used to talking to people who do not, who are either quiet and clammed up or superficially friendly. Coming to his own deductions and realisations has always lessened the blow of having to talk to others. There is power in what is not said, but also relief and breathing space. With Seokmin, everything is told straight to his face, and Jisoo cannot help but let his emotions get in the way. 

“Seokmin, hi.”  

Seokmin turns around, a little shocked to see Jisoo home so early. “Oh, Jisoo.” 

“I was wondering if I could have dinner with you and Chan today?” 

“Yes, sure. I’m planning on cooking a spicy mackerel stew and rice. Is that alright?” He smiles stiffly and this is definitely a situation that is awkward for both of them, but at least he is not kicking Jisoo out of his kitchen.

"Yeah.” Jisoo lets out a breath that he has been holding in. He looks around the kitchen, and realises that nothing seems to be done yet. Nothing is cooking or marinating anywhere. The kitchen is still clean. 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

Seokmin raises his eyebrows as his eyes dart around the room. “Uhm...maybe the vegetables? You can cut them up. I’ll prepare the fish.” 

“Okay.” They work in an awkward silence, the only sound that can be heard being Chan’s singing as he draws. 

“Does Chan help you in the kitchen?” Unable to bear the tense silence for any longer, Jisoo asks a question. 

“He does.” Seokmin replies, more at ease now since he is preoccupied with cleaning the fish. “It’s just that today there aren’t a lot of things that need to be done so I’ve decided to do things alone. He’s still young too. When I get him to help, I have to supervise him because he can get hurt in the kitchen. So things don’t get done much faster. Chan helps out more with other safer chores like gardening and cleaning.”

Jisoo nods. Realising he has nothing more to add, things go silent again. 

“Do you want me to prepare the soup base?” While Seokmin is still slicing the fish, Jisoo is done with the vegetables. 

“Alright. Just take some gochujang, soy sauce and minced garlic which you will find in the fridge. I have some pork bone broth in the fridge as well. You can add a couple spoonfuls.” 

The shelves and the side of the stove are stacked with food and condiments, so Jisoo spends a while trying to find all the ingredients. This is a cozy home, a place well lived-in. He does eventually and mixes everything into a thick paste, gets a pot from the cabinet, lights the fire and stir-fries the paste for a while before adding in water and the vegetables.  

When he turns around, he realises Seokmin has been watching him curiously. “Have you been cooking since you were young?” 

“No actually. In college I begged my parents to let me live alone and from there I slowly figured things out one kitchen disaster at a time.” 

“You don’t seem too bad at it,” Seokmin says while walking over to the stove to transfer the fish into the pot. 

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see,” Jisoo laughs. 

Now that all that is left to do is to wait for the stew, Jisoo feels himself grow restless again. He steals a glance at Seokmin, who is looking intensely at it bubble and boil. “Chan told me,” Seokmin says softly, “that you didn’t have the best childhood.” 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Jisoo quickly responds. “I was very lucky. My family had and still has everything.” 

“Did you ever think of running away?” 

Jisoo glances at Seokmin, eyes still trained on the stove. “Of course, but it would have been unrealistic to do so. I had to wait for college.” 

“And now? Are things better?” 

Jisoo smiles sadly. “Not really. I’m married.” He gulps. It still makes dread pool in his stomach. “And my uh...Hyejin is quite like my parents in terms of her beliefs. Our current house is quite like the one I grew up in. It’s sterile and cold. Work is hectic too, even though I’m no longer living under my parents...you get the gist.” 

“You’re married,”Seokmin repeats. 

He turns to look at Jisoo. “You make marriage sound horrible.” Something flickers in his eyes but Jisoo is too nervous to notice. Opening up to Seokmin scares him. He worries that he’ll say the wrong thing, or come off a certain way, and an immense pressure starts building in his chest, overwhelming him. Tears well up in his eyes. 

“You could say so.” Jisoo turns away, trying to laugh. “If Wonwoo and Mingyu have a disastrous romance, my marriage is...it wasn’t even out of love. My parents arranged it.” He blinks back his tears and puts on a smile. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be burdening you with this. All of you, really, have gone above and beyond for someone who is about to take this place away from you.” 

Jisoo feels a warm hand on his back. “You’ve done a lot for us too as someone who is supposed to take this place away from us.” 

“Jisoo...I’m sorry that I haven’t always been the nicest to you. Far from it. Besides Jeonghan and Seungcheol hyung, I have made your time very difficult so far.” 

“You had to. It’s alright.” 

“I don’t have to anymore.” Jisoo wills himself to look at Seokmin, and sees in his eyes a gentle, delicate fondness.”We’re lucky it’s you, Jisoo. You’re a good perso–”

“What if I’m manipulating you?” As much as he appreciates Seokmin’s acceptance, Jisoo doesn’t quite know if he can live up to it, and the thought makes him sick in his stomach. 

Seokmin laughs softly. “All this while we’ve just been lucky that we’ve never had run-ins with the law. Jeonghan and Seungcheol hyung are great, and they’re doing the best they can, but they too are helpless about this situation. It could have been Yong Jaemin in your place and the end agreement would be just the same. You don’t have to be nice to get what you want out of us, we don’t know any better.” 

“The difference is that you have a heart, and a good one at that. If not you, someone else would have to do this job, and if I could be honest, I’m very happy that it’s you.” 

Jisoo doesn’t even realise that he is shaking until Seokmin’s hand brushes against his. He looks at Jisoo, eyes wide with concern. “Do you want to wait outside? The soup is almost done anyway.” 

“It’s alright, I can help you take out the rice?” He clears his throat and quickly composes himself. 

“Sure, okay. Thank you.” Seokmin smiles, his warm eyes putting him at ease. 

Since it is rather late by the time they are done eating, Seokmin lets Chan get ready for bed while he and Jisoo do the washing up. 

“You should eat dinner with us more often,” Seokmin tells Jisoo as they wash the dishes. “It was nice...having you.” 

“The soup was okay?” Jisoo asks nervously. 

Seokmin nods. “It was good, and even if it wasn’t, I’d still ask you to eat with us.” 

“Would you like to have a shot or two of soju with me?” He adds quietly. 

“Sure.”

A warm light hangs above the wooden dining table. “How were Mingyu and Wonwoo?” Seokmin pours them both a glass of soju each. “You and Chan were both there to see it live, weren’t you?” 

Jisoo nods. “Yeah, has Chan gotten round to telling you about it?” 

“Mhm, the whole relationship spectrum thing, it’s exactly like them.” 

“Did you hear that the children were placing bets on them too?” 

“I did.” Jisoo’s heart skips a beat as Seokmin smiles warmly at him. “Would have placed one myself too if there was a betting pool among the adults.” 

“Personally I expected them to have a chaotic confession. But even this surprised me,” he whispers, grinning. 

“It’ll probably take quite a while for them to actually get together.” 

Seokmin laughs softly. “What would you have bet on?” 

“Definitely something more accidental. Like a confession accidentally slipping out when they were arguing.” 

“Mhm.” Seokmin rests his chin on his palm, specs of light from the lamp reflected in his eyes. 

 “Tomorrow is another early day for you, isn’t it?” Jisoo smiles when Seokmin stifles a yawn. “Go get some sleep.” 

They get up to wash the shot glasses, a comfortable silence enveloping the kitchen. Seokmin walks Jisoo over to his room. “We should do this again sometime,” he says quietly, face red from the alcohol. 

“We should, goodnight Seokmin.” 

“Goodnight Jisoo.” 

It is a chilly night, heavy mist rising above the cold dark water. The soju leaves a pleasant burn in his chest, and Jisoo falls asleep warm and cozy inside. 

--

“For the last time, I was not following you.” 

“You’re just denying it because you got caught!”

“Give me one good reason why I would want to follow you.” 

“Because...I don’t know, you always are!” 

Mingyu comes to the school during lunch with a scowl on his face, Wonwoo behind him. Judging by the situation, despite Mingyu’s somewhat confession, they have not dropped their bickering. 

“I’m genuinely here to talk to Seungcheol and Jeonghan hyung, okay?” Wonwoo tells Mingyu calmly, before going into the classroom. 

Mingyu shrugs and sits down with Seokmin and Jisoo. A short while later, Wonwoo calls Seokmin and Jisoo to join him. “And I’m not spiting you,” he says before Mingyu can open his mouth. 

“I’ve contacted a psychology clinic in Busan,” he explains. “The only problem is cost. The test is around two thousand dollars since we want to go to a private clinic. If Hansol goes to a government hospital for testing, this record will follow him permanently and will be accessible to governmental services, including to his future schools and employers if he decides to work in civil service.” There is nothing wrong with having Aspergers, but Korean society is very conservative and the record might be used against Hansol. Jisoo understands. 

“We’re planning on saving up for the test. But in the meantime, we can start to help Hansol. Even without a formal diagnosis, there are areas that he is struggling in and we can try to help with them.”

Seungcheol adds, “We’ve already spoken to Mrs Chwe. She will be the one to tell Hansol about the possible diagnosis and how we can all try to help. 

“Will he understand the nuances of this though?” Jisoo finds himself saying. The room falls silent, everyone turning to look at him. Jisoo gulps. It is also at this moment that he finds himself wondering why he is even here to begin with. The last he heard, Jeonghan, Seungcheol and Seokmin decided to leave him out of Hansol’s diagnosis.

“The nuances of?”

“You might or might not have this condition. For now, we can help you with managing the “traits” you have associated with this condition. It might be a little too complex for a ten year old.”

“Right.” Wonwoo nods. 

“What if we don’t tell Hansol about the Aspergers part first?” Seungcheol suggests. 

“If we take him aside to give him extra help, for example in class, he deserves an explanation. If not, he might think something is wrong with himself or that he is in trouble.” Jeonghan disagrees. 

In the end, they go with telling Hansol the truth anyway, seeing that it is the best course of action. “If he’s confused, I’ll help to clarify any doubts,” Wonwoo volunteers. 

When Jisoo leaves the classroom and goes back to having lunch, the thought of helping to pay for Hansol’s test plays on his mind. He knows Jeonghan and Seungcheol are resistant to him interfering with the lives of the islanders, and that he would have to declare that he was the one who paid for the diagnosis to Yong Corporations. 

Jisoo tries to imagine the situation from the point of view of the corporation. Here, they earn so little that the whole island cannot even fork up two thousand dollars for a boy who needs a diagnosis. It is important to stress again that so many islanders here are university graduates. Yet, many of them earn nothing. Collectively, they earn four thousand dollars or so which is the equivalent of one household’s average income. Relocation to the city is in fact doing them a favour. Even a small payout to buy a small flat and get a suit for an interview would make drastic differences to their quality of life. 

It could be detrimental to the amount of compensation the islanders received. Saving up, unfortunately, seems to be the only way about things. Alternatively, they could try to raise funds. What about a fundraising event? His mind immediately goes to Jihoon and Soonyoung and how they have been hoping for opportunities to perform. They could go busking, but Jisoo immediately frowns at the thought. They are only seventeen, and busking is hard work. Regardless of what he plans to do, he will have to consult Seungcheol and Jeonghan first. 

-- 

Mingyu : I do worry for my family. My parents are getting old and the food and beverage industry is so competitive. I’m not sure if I can successfully start a business when we leave. My sister has an office job, but it would be unfair to place the burden of feeding our family on her. 

Wonwoo : Honestly, with the way these things work, I’m afraid a payout will never truly be enough. I’m sorry Jisoo, it's nothing against you specifically. The problem is that making ends meet is a continuous, constant process. Unless it is really a lot of money, which does not happen in cases like ours, a one-time sum of money per family will run out very quickly. I’m fortunate to be a doctor, a job that is always in high demand. Not everyone here is that lucky. 

Mingyu : To be honest, I don’t think any of us know how to put a value on Sebong-do. It just feels wrong. 

Wonwoo : Jeonghan hyung is probably your best shot in terms of getting a quantifiable value of money. 

After dinner with Seokmin and Chan, Jisoo mulls over his interview with Mingyu and Wonwoo. As far as he knows, Yong Corporations wants to give the islanders a one-time payout, it is far more profitable that way. How could he incentivise them to consider something different?

What about the corporation’s public image? Jisoo sighs. They would come out with a publicity campaign claiming that the lives of the islanders have improved since leaving the island, of course, and since Yong Corporations is so rich, some resentment by a few disgruntled netizens won’t do anything for them. 

“Are you working?” Seokmin pours them each a cup of tea, and sits down opposite Jisoo. Jisoo glances at the time on his computer, it is almost eleven at night. 

“Yeah,” Jisoo looks away from the screen for a while. Seokmin has just bathed, his hair a little wet and toussled. He’s dressed in a simple white t-shirt and grey shorts, a relaxed smile on his face. “Sorry about that.” 

“No it’s alright, go on. I’ll grab a book to read.” Jisoo pauses. Was Seokmin waiting for him to go to sleep? 

“If you want to sleep, I can go to my room,” Jisoo offers. 

“Oh.” Seokmin’s eyes widen. “No, it’s not that! Don’t worry.I don’t sleep too early myself.” 

Jisoo nods and goes back to his work. 

As corroborated by all my previous reports and the findings of preliminary investigations, the islanders lead a high quality of life here and should be compensated accordingly. Just to name a couple of things: little financial stress, low levels of pollution, slow pace of living, and a tightly knit community. I therefore recommend that we adopt a monthly pay out over a period of a few years over a one-off sum of money. This is a safer option for Yong Corporations, since the corporation will not lose a massive amount of money at one go. With the development of the chain of islands, and possible lawsuits served by islanders, not just from Sebong-do but other surrounding islands, the company should refrain from a one-off payment. 

It isn’t perfect, but Jisoo can’t think of anything better at the moment. He closes his document, and glances up to see Seokmin looking at him.  When Seokmin’s gaze meets his, he turns away awkwardly. 

“I guess your book wasn’t all that interesting?” Jisoo jokes. 

Seokmin shakes his head. “Reading is enjoyable but it is also so tiring at the same time. It can be hard to get into the book before you lose interest.” 

“I get that.” They fall silent, Jisoo drinking a mouthful of his tea, Seokmin glancing around the room.

“There’s actually…something I wanted to talk to you about.” Jisoo breaks the silence. 

Seokmin turns to look at him.

“Hansol’s diagnosis,” Jisoo explains. “I was thinking we could do a fundraising event. My first thought was that Jihoon and Soonyoung could perform, but raising so much money would be too much work for them on their own.” 

“You know Mingyu could cook up some food,” Seokmin adds thoughtfully. “Jun and Minghao can put up Wushu performances too.” 

“Wonwoo could do cheap health check-ups,” Jisoo suggests. “Jeonghan, I don’t know if he’d be on board, but people often need financial advice.” 

Seokmin nods. “I’ll see what I can do.” He smiles. “We could try to get everyone involved in some way. This way, we might be able to run a bigger scale event.” 

Jisoo and Seokmin’s fundraiser proposal : 

Goal : Raise at least two thousand dollars for Hansol’s diagnostic test 

Seungcheol : Could have an engineering class for kids. Teach them how to build models of vehicles, for example 

Jeonghan : Set up a financial advice booth 

Wonwoo : Cheap health check-up booth 

Junhui and Minghao : put on Wushu performances, teach beginner Wushu Classes 

Jihoon and Soonyoung : put on singing and dancing performances respectively 

Mingyu : Have a food kiosk! 

“What about the children?” Seokmin asks. “Do you think it would be a good idea to have them be involved?” 

“We won’t be able to keep things from them. Hansol is smart and would immediately ask where the money has come from.”Jisoo looks at his screen, drumming his fingers on the table. “You know what? Maybe we could say that the fundraiser is meant to raise money for both his diagnosis and the island in general.” 

Seokmin smiles “We’d have to raise more than two thousand dollars then. Do you think we can do it?” 

“It’ll be hard, but let’s try.” 

Seungkwan and Chan : Join Jihoon and Soonyoung’s performances. 

Jisoo : Legal Advice Booth 

Seokmin : Open a tuition booth to help any student from elementary school to high school 

Hansol : Seokmin’s teaching assistant. 

-- 

To : Yong Corporations Pte. Ltd. 

   Weekly Report No. 4 – Sebong-do Redevelopment Project, South Korea 

Following my fourth week on Sebong-do, I have conducted an interview with Jeon Wonwoo and Kim Mingyu and have an update on Chwe Hansol’s Aspergers Diagnostic test. Lastly, I will be addressing my conversation with Mr Yong Jaemin that took place earlier in the week. 

Firstly, the islanders have agreed to pool together to help raise money for Hansol’s Asperger's Syndrome Diagnostic test. In two weeks or so, they will be holding a weekend-long fundraising event at one of the nearby islands. The exact location and time has yet to be confirmed. (See : PDF attachment 1 for more details). I understand that it will appear that the Islanders are barely getting by and admittedly, by our standards as people living in the city, they are, monetarily wise, far from rich. While they might not have a lot of disposable cash at hand, the simple truth is neither do many people in the city who are drowning in debt. In fact, it is precisely because the islanders are so close to one another, and life is relatively slow, that they can afford the time for a fundraiser instead of turning to loans. If anything, the fundraiser shows the islanders’ abilities to be self-sufficient even while living the life that they have. It is my recommendation that this incident should not be used to reduce compensation for islanders under “Healthcare services and resources”, or any other related aspect.

...

Regarding Mr Yong Jaemin’s visit to the island, I stand my ground that it is inappropriate for him to be questioning the children, especially without a) explaining them properly the context of the interview, b)getting their consent and for c) continuing to barrage them with questions after they showed clear signs of discomfort. The same applies for any of the other adults living on the island. Using manipulative tactics to get answers out of people  is something I will not stand by. I am your lawyer, which means that I put your interests first. But under no circumstances does that mean that I will do so unethically. 

I hope to make this clear from this point forward. 

Of course, I do not have anything against Mr Yong Jaemin himself. I am glad that he has returned to Seoul safely. 

Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law. 

  Tell us more about the two Chinese Nationals living on the island, Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao. Specifically, about the legal status of their residence on Sebong-do. 

Please submit a separate report on Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao by today, 1730 hrs. Should you fail to submit one, necessary steps to safeguard Yong Corporations’ interests will be taken. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd

Chapter Text

Immediately after his classes end on Tuesday at noon time, Jisoo rushes to Jun and Minghao’s house. Ever since he received the email in the morning, a feeling of dread has been pooling in his stomach. It didn’t take much for him to figure out what Yong Corporations was insinuating in their previous email. 

As he rings the doorbell, Jisoo coughs, trying to catch his breath, his vision blurry, cheeks pale as he holds on to the gate. In order to do the interview as soon as possible, he decided to skip lunch and head to Jun and Minghao’s house immediately. 

“Jisoo, hi!” Jun waves. “Do you want to have lunch with us?” 

Minghao greets him with a tense smile on his face. 

Jisoo shakes his head. “It’s alright. Thank you.” 

As he opens his laptop and gets out the recorder, Jisoo looks down at his things absent-mindedly. When he came over in the morning, Jun and Minghao were out. By the time Seungcheol and Jeonghan were finally able to get a hold of them, it was already lunch. He doesn’t know how much Jun and Minghao know, or how much he should be telling them. 

Jisoo reminds himself that there is a possibility that he is overthinking things. After all, he has flat out refused to write the reports Yong Corporations wanted of him for the past three weeks, and the only thing they’ve done is to send Yong Jaemin who, raised in the lap of luxury, could barely spend fifteen minutes on the island. He shakes his head. It’s always safer to air on the side of caution. 

“Right.” He breathes deeply as he looks up, noticing Minghao and Jun standing apprehensively at a corner. 

“Is it...bad?” Jun asks. 

Jisoo bites down on his tongue, letting out a tense sigh. “You both have your paperwork and acquired the VISA legally which is good. I’m just worried...about Yong Corporations could do with what they have.”

“Okay.” Minghao nods, his eyes trained on Jisoo. 

“What’s going to happen today is that I am going to ask you a couple of questions related to how you came to live on the island, what you do on the island, and how well you get along with everyone. Then we will have to get into more technical questions such as what VISA you hold, the application process, evidence that you have been keeping to your VISA requirements, etcetera. Lastly, I may have to take a few pictures of your VISA documents for proof. Would that be fine by you? I will blur out any confidential information.” 

Jun and Minghao agree. They sit down at the dining table, and after Jisoo goes through the standard procedure of informing them that this interview will be recorded and showing them the recording device, they start. 

“Minghao and I backpacked around the region after we graduated from University at twenty-one. In the summer when we were twenty-two, we visited Busan since we were in South Korea at the time. After a couple of days of typical sightseeing, we wanted to do something a little more adventurous. We’ve heard that from Busan, you can get to quite a few smaller islands. We decided to go Island hopping.” 

--

It was noon when Jun and Minghao first arrived on the island, the waves playful as they glimmered under the bright sun, a comfortable warm breeze rustling in the trees. 

“You sure you want to eat lunch here?” Minghao asked apprehensively, studying the picture of a hand-drawn infosheet about Sebong-do the boatman provided him with. “None of the people on the boat even stopped here.” 

“It can’t be that dangerous. There are humans living here.” Jun sat down on the white sand. 

Minghao shuddered. “Don’t say it like that. You’re making it sound worse.” 

“Calm down,” Jun slung his arm around Minghao. “Didn’t the boatman also say that the humans–”

“Stop calling them humans!” Minghao slapped his arm lightly. “Just say people like a normal person would.” 

“Come on Hao, we’ve done far crazier things, like that one night in a shady Japanese hostal, swimming in Harbin during the winter, getting terrible altitude sickness in Tib–”

“We almost, or rather, you almost died because you took off your oxygen mask. For a picture. ” Minghao cut him off. 

“Also true,” Jun admitted, shrugging. “But hey, that just proves my point. We’ve done much worse. We’ll be fine here, okay?”

“Alright,” Minghao grumbled. “But you are doing all the talking and if anything happens to us I will come after you in the afterlife.”

“Mhm, nothing I don’t already know.” Jun grinned, holding a hand out to Minghao. “Let’s go?” 

They looked around the stretch of beach, and spot the flight of concrete stairs leading up to the back of Mingyu’s restaurant. From where they were, it just looked like a flight of stairs leading up to an empty space, but Jun and Minghao climbed up anyway. Before Minghao could open his mouth to speak, a loud clang came from the kitchen. 

“Get out Jeon! Get out!” A loud voice boomed and Minghao jumped back instantly. “We should leave.” 

“Why?” Jun stepped closer to the small room adjacent to the eating area where the sound had come from. “We just got a sure sign that there are humans insid-”

The door swung open violently as a tall skinny man with metal-rimmed glasses was pushed out. He groaned softly. 

“Are you okay?” Despite being terrified of whatever was lurking behind the door, Minghao rushed forward instinctively. 

“Yup, I am! Don’t worry.” The man stood up on his own, furrowing his eyebrows a little as he adjusted his glasses and looked at Junhui and Minghao. 

“You are?” 

“We’re Junhui and Minghao.” Upon seeing that the man before him wasn’t a threat to their immediate safety, Minghao loosened up a little and introduced Jun and himself to Wonwoo. 

“We are from China and are currently backpacking around China, Korea and Japan. For now, we’re in Korea,” Jun added.

“Ah! Nice to meet you! I’m Wonwoo” Wonwoo shook their hands. It’s a little awkward and stiff and they all burst out laughing. 

“Jeon! Why can I still hear y–” Minghao tensed a little as a tall man with messy hair and anger burning in his eyes stormed out. Not to mention, he was much taller than him. “Oh, hi. Sorry about that.” His eyes widen when he spotted Jun and Minghao. “I’m Mingyu.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m usually...nice. I promise.” He flashed them a smile, and Minghao nodded his head hesitantly. 

Fortunately, all misunderstandings were resolved when Mingyu offered to cook lunch and they sat down for some of the freshest seafood Jun and Minghao had ever had. 

“Mingyu had just returned from college. Wonwoo was on summer break, in the midst of completing medical school. You know how long that thing takes,” Jun explains to Jisoo. 

“Mingyu was exactly like how you know him today. He was warm and accepted us readily.” Minghao smiles fondly. 

“You can do Wushu? No way!” A hyperactive eleven year-old Soonyoung with thick messy hair spat his rice out, his eyes wide with excitement. 

“Soonyoung-ah,” Jihoon laughed, wiping off the rice grains on his favourite book. “Be careful.” 

“Ah, Jihoon! I’m sorry.” Soonyoung frowned, looking down at Jihoon’s book that now had a small stain on it. “You got this from Busan and you really liked it and…”

“Mm, it’s okay.” Jihoon shook his head, smiling. “Go talk to Minghao and Jun hyung. You’ve wanted to do Wushu for such a long time now.” 

“Would you like to try Jihoon?” Minghao asked. 

“Me?” He flushed. “I don’t...okay, I guess. I’ll give it a try. But I’m sorry in advance, I might not be very good.” 

“It’s alright.” Jun smiled. “You can try doing Wushu for fun. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to continue.” 

Jihoon was their most diligent student of all the children. 

"You know what Sebong-do is like. The way of life they have here is unlike any other place we’ve ever been to. You travel a lot too, don’t you? Sebong-do is a breath of fresh air, a retreat for city dwellers like us, but it’s also so much more. It’s peaceful, cozy and the islanders have always been nothing but kind to us. It feels like a home, and before we knew it we had fallen in love with the island. We didn’t want to leave. 

Unfortunately, the VISA applications would take a long time. For many reasons. Even Koreans rarely visit Sebong-do, let alone foreigners. It would seem strange to any immigration authority that we would want to live on the island. Additionally, because of how everyone shares everything on Sebong-do, we technically could not get a “job” since people don’t get paid on the island."

“Jun hyung, Minghao hyung, are you leaving?” Seungkwan, then four, ran up to them, tears in his eyes. 

“Leaving?” Hansol follows suit, a little dazed. “We made this card for you because Jeonghan hyung said you’re going to Japan for a while before coming back.” 

“Hello M’nghao hyung and Jun hyung!” Chan, then two, waves at them, beaming and clueless. 

“Yes, that.” Jun tried to keep his tears back. “Hansol’s right, we’re only going for a short while.” 

“I’ll be going back to college soon so I’ll have wifi.” Seokmin hugged them tightly. “Let’s stay in touch, okay? Let me know if you need anything.” His voice started to tremble, and before Seokmin knew it, he was crying into their shirts. “I’m so sorry...just stay safe and have fun okay?” 

“Everything will work out fine, okay?” Seungcheol assured them firmly. “Leave things to us. You two just have fun and take care of yourselves. No more dubious food and unsafe hostels, okay? We need you here back in one piece!” 

“Trust me,” Jeonghan called out one more time as the boat slowly departs for Busan. “I’ll argue with whoever I have to but you will get your visas okay?” 

“After a year and a half, our visas got through,” Jun explains. “We are on a long-term self-employed Korean Visa, with the special terms of what constitutes “employment” in Sebong-do made known to the Korean authorities. We have proof in the form.” 

“Okay, that’s good.” Jisoo writes that down hurriedly. 

“The islanders have never treated us badly. Even though Korea and China have a tense and controversial history, we were never reduced to where we came from.” 

“What do you mean?” All colour is drained from Seokmin’s face as he gripped on to the chair. “Tell me this is just one of your terrible pranks Jeonghan hyung.” 

But Jeonghan wasn’t joking. “I’m sorry, Seokmin-ah.” His voice was hoarse, almost gone, his lips chapped, dark circles under his eyes, as if he had been trying everything he could and nothing seems to be working. 

“Jun and Minghao hyung,” Seokmin said weakly. “Jun and Minghao hyung, what’s going to happen to you?” Tears stream down Seokmin’s face as he wipes at them furiously. “Sorry, this shouldn’t be about me. Jun and Minghao hyung, are you going to be okay?” 

“I’ll see what I can find out when I go back to Seoul,” Wonwoo offered immediately. His voice was calm and steady, but his downcast, red eyes betrayed the pain underneath. His final exams before he became a doctor were in a week, but he had rushed back upon hearing the news. 

“I’ll go to Busan,” Mingyu suggested. “Look for job openings, places to stay for the both of you. If anything happens, Jun and Minghao hyung, wait for us in Busan.” 

“If anyone comes, don’t talk to them okay?” Jihoon added softly. “Tell any one of us, even Soonyoung and I.” 

Soonyoung nodded. “Please do. Things you say might be used against you. Don’t talk to any strangers until we can make sure nothing will happen.” 

"When the redevelopment project was announced, they were all crushed. The islanders had grown up here. If this island is a home to Jun and I, imagine what it means to them. This is the one place they’ve ever truly known. To be told that this is going to taken away for a rich man’s fantasy and that you now have to relocate to a hectic, cold city at the same time was heartbreaking. Yet, they looked out for Jun and I first. Even the kids."

“Seungkwan-ah, Hansol-ah, we might be moving to the city.” Seokmin knelt down, grinning as widely as he possibly can, squeezing his eyes shut so they didn’t see the tears threatening to spill. “We are going to pack our things and go somewhere new, okay? It’ll be fun.” His voice cracked as he gritted his teeth and smiled, biting his lip so hard that it drew blood. 

“But the island won’t disappear.” Jeonghan added slowly. “Mm, we can still see our home from Busan, remember? We were just at the pier recently.” 

Seungkwan started to cry immediately and Minghao could only watch in pain as tears slowly dripped from Hansol’s eyes. 

“Jeonghan hyung...I know you must be busy. I promise it’s just...o...one thing. Please take care of Jun and Minghao hyung.” Seungkwan sobbed. 

Hansol nodded. “So that even if we have to leave, we can be together.”  

"That first night was terrible. Everyone was distraught. Even though Seokmin tried to shield him from things as best as he could, Chan knew something wasn’t right. But he too held on."

“This candy is for you!” Chan ran up to Junhui with a big smile. 

“And this one’s for you Minghao hyung!” 

The islanders met for breakfast the day after Jeonghan breaks the news. It was a cold morning, the weak rays of the sun shining through the thick clouds, the sea grey and stormy. Chan was dressed in a puffy jacket, running around with sweets in his hands to pass out to everyone, his cold breath forming puffs of mist as he runs. Not everyone could bring themselves to smile at him, and Chan watched  them silently from a distance, eyes wide. 

He sat down at a corner of Mingyu’s restaurant, cheeks red from the cold. Jun watches as he lifts the jacket sleeve up to his eyes. Once, twice, thrice, until Chan held it there for a long time. 

“Peekaboo Jun hyung!” He lifted his arm in a swift motion, laughing. “Did you like my surprise? I knew you were looking at me!” His eyes were swollen and wet. 

“I just want you to know that the islanders are good people. I know you haven’t always been able to experience that, and I’m sorry about that. If it isn’t too much to ask, if we have to leave, please do the best you can for them.” Minghao smiles. 

“We can only guess what your...company has in mind, but whatever you write, please don’t sew discord between us and the rest of the islanders. The relationship between us has never bore any ill-will nor an ulterior motive, and I hope that’s what people will know of us too,” Jun adds quietly. 

--

Jisoo leaves Jun and Minghao’s house after reminding them to call him immediately if anything happens. His heart is heavy as he grips on to his laptop and runs down the street. By now, it’s late afternoon, the gentle rays of the sun drawing long shadows of the houses and trees around them, the street bathed in a light golden hue. Jisoo’s mind is addled, and once again, he pushes his thoughts to the back of his head. For Jun and Minghao’s sake, he needs to get the report done. 

He heads to Wonwoo’s clinic, and fortunately, it is open and Wonwoo offers him a seat at a spare desk he has at the back. 

Jisoo connects the recorder to the computer, letting the audio upload, as he opens up a new document. 

To  : Yong Corporations Pte Ltd. 

   Special Report : Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao–Sebong-do Redevelopment Project , South Korea 

  Please find attached the rough transcript (See : File A) and the audio recording (See : File B) of the interview. This report will be structured as follows : Addressing allegations against Wen and Xu, Addressing allegations against the Islanders, Addressing the legality of Wen and Xu’s visas. 

Allegations against Wen and Xu 

  Based on my interview, Wen Junhui and Xu Minghao came across Sebong-do while backpacking and decided to stay. According to their recount, corroborated by their visa documents (See : File C, page 1), the entire process of obtaining a long-term VISA took one and a half years. 

  This is sufficient to dispel doubts that Wen and Xu could have come to the island for an ulterior motive. Put simply, if they wanted to engage in any form of illegal activity or if they were on the run from the law, they wouldn’t go somewhere that would take them one and a half years just to get a temporary semblance of stability. It is important not to treat a long-term visa the same way we would see a confirmation of citizenship or permanent residency. A visa holder is still a foreigner, and does not receive any form of protection from the Korean government. It just wouldn’t be worth the while for Wen and Xu to wait one and a half years to get a long-term pass to conduct illicit activities on Sebong-do. 

  See also how in the interview Wen and Xu go into extensive detail to describe their arrival on Sebong-do and their interactions with the islanders. This level of detail and emotion cannot be faked especially given such a short notice. Wen and Xu were only informed of the interview at 12 p.m. today (See : File D, a screenshot from Choi Seungcheol’s phone) and the interview itself started at 1 p.m. (See : File A)

Allegations against the islanders 

The question that should have been asked at the very beginning before this accusation was made is what types of illicit activities could possibly be done on Sebong-do? This is an island with low human or cargo traffic (See : File E, pg 1) and previous governmental checks have also not found illicit activities on the island. (See : File E, pg 2) 

The island, as written by Yong Corporations itself, is a “small, residencial island” with a “tightly-knit community” and an exceptionally high percentage of college graduates. (See : File F, pg 1) This is not to say that simply because the islanders are educated that they therefore do not carry out illicit activities. But rather, the fact that the islanders are close to each other and that the standard of education on the island is exceptional indicate that the island has a strong support structure and responsible adults to care for the children. This is further backed up Yong Corporations’ own statement. “and even those who are in their twenties do not leave Sebong permanently, instead using their college degrees and learned expertise to improve the lives of the islanders.” (See : File F, pg 2). Not to mention, a thorough visit by preliminary investigations carried out by Yong Corporations for the corporation’s interest and nothing suspicious was found. 

As such, I strongly recommend that allegations of a criminal nature against Wen, Xu and all other islanders are not to be pursued further… 

Jisoo finally submits his report in the nick of time. He heaves a sigh of relief, slumping onto the table as he rubs his fatigued eyes. His fingers are cramped and he is exhausted, but the nagging worry in his heart wills him to stay awake. 

He walks out of the room, stretching his legs as he does, finding Wonwoo reading a book outside. It is pouring, heavy rain clouds rolling in the sky. The sky is almost completely dark, and everything before him is blurry behind the big raindrops.

“It started raining heavily all of a sudden while you were working,”Wonwoo explains as Jisoo glances up at the sky. 

He nods. It suddenly dawns onto him that Wonwoo has been waiting for him for a long time. “I’m sorry, you’re stuck here now because of me,” he apologises. 

“No, it’s okay.” Wonwoo shakes his head, keeping the book he was reading back on the shelf. “I’m going to Mingyu’s which is not that far away. I think I can make it with an umbrella.” 

“Would you like to join us?” He offers, smiling. “Though I suspect dinner will be a little later today. Knowing Gyu he would probably try to do something stupid like deliver dinner to the islanders’ houses, as if that’s not a recipe for disaster. I won’t let him.”

“Nope it’s alright. I promised Seokmin and Chan I’d eat with them more often. I think I’ll head back to Seokmin’s place.”

“In this weather?” Wonwoo’s eyes widen. “I should have a raincoat somewhere. Let me look for it.” 

“It’s alright Wonwoo you’ve helped me enough today. You must really want to get off work,”Jisoo laughs it off. “Thank you so much for letting me use your clinic by the way.”

“Ah okay then, take this at least.” He hands Jisoo a spare big umbrella he has. “With the one you have…” he gestures to the small one in Jisoo’s hands, “You’ll be drenched in a matter of seconds. Actually, you better change your clothes when you get home anyway. In this rain, you’ll probably still get wet.” 

Wonwoo switches off the lights and locks up as both he and Jisoo head back outside. Even with Wonwoo’s umbrella, his sneakers and shorts soon become drenched as his feet inevitably step into puddles of water. The floor is slippery and as he climbs the stairs, so he has to hold on to the wet railing. If not for the fact that it is getting late and his wet socks are uncomfortable, it was a rather therapeutic experience. The rain is cool on his skin as the constant drumming of raindrops hitting his umbrella accompanies him back to Seokmin’s house. As he reaches the top step and looks out to the street, a warmness fills his heart at the sight of the lights of homes and street lamps glowing steadily against the stormy sky. In the distance, he sees the dark waters of the sea rising steeply, falling back down as white bubbles of foam as they crash into the pier, the little boats by the sea rocking back and forth in the wind.

Jisoo reaches for his key in his pocket and unlocks the door. Heavy droplets of water cloud his vision and he only notices Seokmin has been out on the porch when he takes his umbrella from him and wraps a thick towel around him. 

“Oh, Seokmin, hi.” Seokmin’s face is right in front of him, and in the darkness Jisoo can barely see him properly except for the intense gaze he has on Jisoo. “Thank you.” Jisoo adds. 

“I thought this might happen,” Seokmin says quietly. His eyes meet Jisoo’s. “You okay?” 

“Mhm, the report is fine. I wrote what I could but just to be safe, I told Jun and Minghao to contact me if anything happens. Which reminds me,” Jisoo pauses to catch his breath, “do you think I could sleep at the schoolhouse tonight? I know it sounds ridiculous but for Jun and Minghao to reach me…” 

Seokmin’s gaze remains fixed on Jisoo as he nods slowly.  “I’ll see what I can do. But for now, let’s go inside. Straight to the bathroom for you, okay?” Maybe it’s from the rain roaring in his ears, but Seokmin’s voice is gentle as he reaches forward to brush a wet strand of hair away from Jisoo’s eyes. “I don’t want you to get sick again.” 

Jisoo’s heart continues to beat loudly against his chest when he’s in the warm shower, but his mind is swarmed with worrying concerns. He tries to put it all aside because the last thing he needs to do is burn out and fall sick when Jun and Minghao need him, but it is difficult. The islanders did not worry for nothing. Jun and Minghao are perhaps one of the most vulnerable islanders and the easiest for Yong Corporations to target. 

During dinner he tries to be present for Chan and Seokmin’s sake. Chan is thrilled to learn that Jisoo went “playing in the rain”. “Was it fun hyung? Can you take me next time?” He asks. 

“It was actually, it was rather therapeutic.” He rolls up the sleeves of the thick sweater–Seokmin’s–he insisted Jisoo wear it to avoid catching a cold and admittedly it is helping with the slight chills he has. 

“And it’s summer now so the rain wasn’t that cold.” Jisoo’s gaze lands on Seokmin and he smiles. “So don’t worry.” 

Seokmin looks down at the table and Jisoo feels the persistent hammering of his heart once again. But he quickly diverts his attention back to Jun and Minghao. He’s the only lawyer here, and he needs to do all he can to help. 

After dinner, Jisoo washes up with Seokmin after he insists and Seokmin finally gives in. The rain has mellowed to a light drizzle by now and Seokmin tells him that he’ll go over to Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s once they’re done washing up to ask about the schoolhouse. 

“There’s something we need to talk to the both of you about,” Jeonghan and Seungcheol beat him to it, appearing at Seokmin’s house moments later. In the dark, Jisoo cannot see him very well, but Jeonghan is out of breath and his skin is pale. Seungcheol doesn’t look much better, dressed in a light grey cardigan, his hair messy. 

“Jisoo, would you be willing to sleep in the schoolhouse?” Seungcheol asks quietly when they are all seated in the living room. Chan is playing in his room with the door left ajar. “I’m sure you know what this is about.”

“Yes to both questions, Seokmin and I were just discussing it actually.” 

“Good, okay,” Jeonghan heaves a sigh of relief. “Seungcheol and I will be sleeping in Mingyu’s restaurant. He’s gone to get us sleeping bags so we can come here in the meantime. We’ll take turns sleeping up and watch the coast, especially as the sky begins to turn bright. Hopefully nothing happens, but if something does, we’ll be able to respond.” 

“Mingyu and Wonwoo will be sleeping in Wonwoo’s clinic for standby,” Seungcheol adds. “As for you and Seokmin, the schoolhouse is the point nearest to Jun and Minghao’s house which has an internet connection. You can sleep but please wake up by 5:00 am, and leave your phones on sound. If anything happens, go straight to their house unless we say otherwise. As for Chan, Mrs Boo volunteered to let him sleep over.” 

After Seungcheol and Jeonghan leave, Jisoo tells Chan about the “sleepover” he will be having while Seokmin looks for sleeping bags. After taking Chan to Seungkwan’s, Jisoo and Seokmin pack up their things and head for the schoolhouse. 

The sea outside is dark, but in the classroom, Seokmin switches on the white light and  sets up their sleeping bags while Jisoo checks the wifi signal. “I’m sorry about being here by the way,” Seokmin says quietly. “I guess Cheol and Jeonghan hyung wanted at least two people at each location.” 

“I don’t dislike you, you know,” Jisoo answers without thinking twice. He catches Seokmin’s gaze. “You did what you had to, and if you ever keep your distance from me again, I’ll understand.” 

He tries his best to ignore the way the small smile on Seokmin’s face makes him feel. “We should probably try to sleep soon, shouldn’t we?” Jisoo says to break the awkward silence. 

Seokmin nods. “Except I don’t think I can fall asleep. It’s only nine.” 

“Neither can I.” 

“I brought this,” Seokmin confesses, pulling out a night light. “Thought it would be fun and quite cozy, and besides, these lights are too bright for the night.” He gestures to the lights in the classroom. 

Jisoo helps him to switch off the lights. He can barely see Seokmin now, but only the faint glow of his warm lamp. Things fall silent for a while as they both sit in their sleeping bags and Jisoo stares up at the pitch black ceiling. 

“Jisoo? Can I do something?” Seokmin asks all of a sudden. 

“Sure.” 

In the dark, Jisoo hears rustling as Seokmin gets out of his sleeping bag. The floorboards creak slightly as Seokmin walks over to him and sits down. “Thank you for coming here.” From behind, he hugs Jisoo tightly. 

Jisoo's breath catches in his throat, his mind going entirely blank. His heart beats wildly, and his cheeks burn knowing that Seokmin probably knows because his left hand is right above his heart. 

“And for the all the hard work you didn’t need to do but have done and are going to do anyway.” Jisoo tenses as Seokmin’s breath tickles his nape and as he rests his head on Jisoo’s shoulder.  “Thank you.” 

“It’s alright,” Jisoo responds when he finally regains the ability to speak. “It’s not much really. You don’t have to thank me.” 

To his relief, Seokmin soon stands up and goes back to his sleeping bag. Jisoo heaves a sigh of relief. 

“You skipped lunch today, didn’t you?” Seokmin breaks the awkward silence. “You left the school before lunch and worked all the way until dinner time.” 

“Yes, but it’s fine. I had enough to eat at dinner.” 

“Chan and I made sandwiches earlier and we had some leftovers.  Don’t worry, they’re ang butter sandwiches so they keep quite well.” Seokmin pulls out two sandwiches in paper bags from his bag and gives one to Jisoo. “So that you’ll have enough energy for whatever happens tomorrow.” 

He’s lying. The bread is crispy, and when he bites into the sandwich, warm, creamy butter and sweet red bean paste ooze out. Seokmin must have rushed to get this ready when they had to leave.

“Tea?” Seokmin holds out a thermos flask. “I better switch on the lights for this one though,” he laughs. “It’s still hot.” 

“When did you have the time to do this?”

Seokmin shrugs, smiling. “It’s not that much work, I could do it quickly.” Under the light, he notices that Seokmin’s sandwich, unlike his, looks a little stale and hard. The paste in the middle has congealed and the butter is blockish. “Here,” he passes Jisoo a paper cup of tea. 

“The children are going to be jealous when they find out that we beat them to a sleepover here,” Seokmin laughs. 

“A sleepover?” 

“Technically that’s what this is, isn’t it?” 

“I guess so.” Jisoo goes along with it. It could be Seokmin’s own way of coping with the gravity of the situation and admittedly, it is helping him too. “Thank you for the sandwich and the tea Seokmin. I hope this wasn’t too much of a hassle for you.” 

Seokmin shakes his head. “It wasn’t. Don’t worry about it.” 

Supper with Seokmin proves to be what he needs after a hectic day. When Jisoo and Seokmin go to bed at eleven, Jisoo finds himself able to sleep surprisingly well. The only time he wakes up is when his phone rings. 

Jisoo wakes up groggily. It is dark and chilly outside, mist forming on the windows. His sleeping bag is pulled right up to his chin and even then, his hands are still cold.  He reaches for his phone and brings it to his ear. 

Seokmin is still sleeping peacefully beside him.  

“Jisoo? This is Seungcheol. Meet me at the jetty. We need to go to Busan now.” 

Jisoo sits up with a start, now fully awake.

Chapter Text

Jisoo tries to stay as calm as he possibly can. He wakes Seokmin up, dresses in his suit as quickly as possible, and they grab their bags before bolting to the jetty. Seungcheol and Jeonghan are there, as are Mingyu and Wonwoo. “Jun and Minghao are over there,” Seungcheol tells them, shining his torch at a police boat in the distance. The sky is still pitch black. 

“They came silently,” Seungcheol explains, trying to keep his voice steady. “Minghao had just enough time to call me before the police got to them. We managed to talk to the police at the jetty. They will be taken to the Busan Immigration office for questioning.” 

“Currently it’s 5 am,” Jeonghan adds. “We’ve managed to contact the boatman, but he will only be here at 6 am. For the next hour, we should prepare ourselves for what is to come.” 

Mingyu offers to cook up a simple breakfast while everyone else discusses the best course of action. “It could last up to a whole day at one time,” Jisoo admits when asked. “We have to be prepared to stay in the office for hours.” 

“It would be best for us to wait in shifts then. But before that, let’s decide who’s going,” Seungcheol says. “Jeonghan and I will go. Jisoo, you’re the only lawyer here, so if–”

“I’ll come,” Jisoo agrees without hesitating. 

Eventually, it is decided that Jisoo, Jeonghan and Seungcheol would go to Busan while the rest stayed behind. They would break the news to the islanders later in the day. When the boat for Busan sets off at six, the sky is pitch black and the waters completely dark. A strong wind blows as Jisoo looks through his report again while Jeonghan and Seungcheol discuss silently. 

Before leaving, he tries sending Yong Corporations a couple of emails to find out where exactly they are going with this, but since the office only opens at 9 o’clock, he cannot rely on getting an answer from them. 

When they reach Busan at sunrise, Jisoo already starts to find himself weary. It is a dreary morning, one of those where the chill in the wind and the cold puddles of rain on the floor don’t quite leave you alone. The foggy sun rises lazily from behind the thick clouds as they get off the boat. 

The boatman charges them double the price for the early morning trip and Jisoo offers to pay. Later, they take a taxi to the Immigration office and he does the same. Seungcheol and Jeonghan let him, having way too much on their minds. 

The Busan Immigration Office is a brown building with squarish windows. As they enter from the first floor, no one is at the reception since it is only seven twenty. The place is dark, the only light coming into the building being the sunlight from outside. Jisoo walks over to the lift and studies the directory. Unsurprisingly, it does not explicitly state where the detention centre is, but it does mention that VISA applications are on the third floor. 

When they get there, the glass doors on both sides of the lift lobby are locked. The corridor behind the door on the left is dark, but the lights are on in the one on the right. Jisoo peers into the room, but does not see anyone. 

“We might be too early,” Seungcheol sighs. “It looks like we’ll probably have to wait around for a while.” 

Back on the first floor, Jisoo goes through his report again, familiarising himself with the arguments he made in favour of Jun and Minghao. Seungcheol and Jeonghan go through Jun and Minghao’s VISA paperwork with him. 

-- 

“Something is most definitely not right.” When Seokmin goes over to the Boo’s for breakfast, Seungkwan is mumbling to himself as he paces around the living room. His plate of pancakes–his favourite breakfast food–is left untouched. Chan watches him curiously. 

“All of this is too good to be true. I know Hansol would agree,” he says to no one in particular. 

“Seungkwan-ah, come have breakfast,” Mr Boo tells his son. “You’re going to be late for school.” 

“I just can’t quite put my finger on it. But the sleepover Chan and I had was too good to be true,” the boy concludes. “What are you hiding?” He looks at the adults expectantly.

“What do you mean?” Seokmin asks carefully. 

“Why would Chan and I suddenly have a sleepover? On a weekday? And also Hansol isn’t here which means it isn’t meant to be a sleepover. Chan came over because something has happened.” 

Mrs Boo sighs, sharing a knowing look with Seokmin and her husband. “Seungkwan, come eat breakfast okay?” There is a slight strain her voice that Seungkwan picks up on immediately. He nods his head and goes to finish his food quietly. 

At school, Seungkwan immediately confides in Hansol. “It must be Mr Jisoo hyung, I mean Jisoo hyung.” Hansol blurts out. “At breakfast you said Mr Boo, Mrs Boo, Grandma Boo, Seokmin hyung and Chan were there. Jisoo hyung wasn’t there. But Jisoo hyung lives in Seokmin’s house.” 

Seungkwan gasps. “You’re right. Chan came over because for some reason he couldn’t sleep at his own house. Since Seokmin hyung is fine, that can only mean something must have happened to Jisoo hyung. Maybe he’s in trouble.” 

“Why? Jisoo hyung is a good person.” Hansol doesn’t understand. 

Seungkwan nods. “But he taught me lawyer secrets.” 

Hansol frowns. “I don’t think that is it. Adults don’t entrust children with secrets.” Seungkwan winces, but he doesn’t let Hansol’s words get to him since he knows Hansol means well. 

“Maybe Jisoo hyung misses his home. He has been here for almost five weeks,” Hansol suggests. “I wouldn’t stay in a place away from home for five weeks.” 

“Maybe,” Seungkwan thinks, looking out of the window. He should probably ask Jisoo about it later. 

When Seokmin starts setting up for class Seungkwan and Chan don’t think much of it, but Hansol fidgets in his seat uneasily. “It’s supposed to be English. English is the first lesson on Wednesday. It has been like this since week two of Jisoo hyung’s English classes.” 

Seungkwan is about to try to help Hansol calm down, when it hits him. “That means Jisoo hyung...Jisoo hyung could be in trouble. That’s why he’s not here!” 

“Jisoo hyung is in trouble?” Chan sits up in his seat, alarmed. “We need to help him!”

Seungkwan nods firmly and so does Hansol. “Seokmin hyung, what should we do?” 

Seokmin gives them a small smile. “Jisoo hyung is okay. I just spoke to him over the phone twenty minutes ago.” 

Instantly, the children heave a sigh of relief. “Then where is he?” They are still not entirely satisfied, however. “Can we talk to Jisoo hyung?” 

Seokmin grabs a spare chair from behind the teacher’s desk and sits down with the children. “Jisoo hyung is in Busan with Seungcheol and Jeonghan hyung because...Jun and Minghao need some help.” 

“What do you mean?” Seungkwan asks while an anxious frown grows on Hansol’s face. 

Seokmin grapples with the best way to phrase things. How much should he tell them? Hansol and Seungkwan are old enough to know when Seokmin is sugarcoating things but even then will they be able to handle the truth?

“Well, the police  want to check on their paperwork…But don’t worry, Jisoo hyung said that we have done everything correctly.” He decides to end on a positive note, but really that’s why it is so concerning. If the paperwork was all correct and Yong Corporations still went ahead to lodge a report, then they were really willing to go quite far to bring the islanders down. 

Seungkwan and Hansol do not look entirely convinced but seemingly sensing Seokmin’s own apprehension, Seokmin sees Seungkwan gesture to Hansol that they shouldn’t ask more. It eats at him that he can’t do more to ease their minds, so he does the next best thing. “Shall we have a fun lesson today?” 

-- 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  Yong Corporations has found your report unsatisfactory and has hence, taken the necessary steps to safeguard our interests. Do note that we have merely informed the relevant authorities. Ultimately, they exercised their own discretion and took their own cause of action. 

  As this is now a governmental matter, all further communications regarding this issue should be made with the relevant authorities and not Yong Corporations. Nonetheless, we remind you that you are our lawyer first and foremost and the work we assigned to you should take precedence over other extra tasks you have decided to take upon yourself. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd.

At 10 am, the clerk at the front desk denisJisoo’s requests to go into the interrogation room even though he tells her that he is their lawyer. He tries his best to keep cool even though he’s both anxious and angry that Yong Corporations would stoop so low. “Let’s use the time to review their paperwork again then, in case you are brought in for questioning too,” he tells Seungcheol and Jeonghan. 

He texts Wonwoo, letting him know that he’s still waiting to be let in. Wonwoo replies, thanking him for being there and reminds him to take care of himself too. Jisoo is deeply touched that again, Wonwoo bears no resentment towards him. It gives him the determination to keep going.

--

On the island, Wonwoo visits when lunch rolls around. The children, curious as always, stand around as they talk, trying to catch pieces of the conversation. Unfortunately, Wonwoo doesn’t have much to tell them either. 

“Jisoo says it’s promising because Yong Corporations has no solid proof. Jun and Minghao should be allowed to come back. It’s a matter of when, really.” His voice drops to a whisper at the last part. 

“I’d worry more about what they’d try next,” Seokmin admits. “This is already taking it very far.”

Wonwoo nods grimly. “We’re lucky we have Jisoo, and Jeonghan and Seungcheol of course. But Jisoo…without him I think we would be in far bigger trouble.”

Seokmin can only agree. 

As lunch ends and Wonwoo gets ready to go back to the clinic, Seungkwan and Hansol approach him. “Seokmin hyung, Jun and Minghao hyung are in trouble aren’t they? We know about how you were all worried they might face problems trying to stay here,” Seungkwan asks. 

“Yes, but it’s okay–”

“Don’t worry about us, hyung,” Hansol interrupts politely. “We want to help.” 

“Jisoo hyung taught me how to write a case. I can write a case for Jun and Minghao hyung too,” Seungkwan offers.

“I’ll teach math when Jisoo, Seungcheol and Jeonghan hyung aren’t here. I can teach English too. I’ll try,” Hansol says, determined. 

Seokmin smiles softly at them, steadying his voice as well as he can. “Thank you Hansol and Seungkwan. I know you want to help but this is a big, big issue and we’ll help Jisoo hyung most by leaving the case to him. As for teaching, we’ll see how things go. But I want you to tell me the moment you feel tired or stressed because it can be difficult to stand in front of everyone and talk for a long time.” His voice is soothing but inside it’s a totally different matter. His heart swirls with rage, sorrow, and something bittersweet. He would do everything he could to protect the children. 

--

“Hong Jisoo, you’re allowed to enter the interrogation room.” Finally, after almost five hours of sitting in exasperated silence, there is a glimmer of hope.It’s one o’clock in the afternoon, the sun high up in the sky. Seungcheol is out buying lunch leaving Jeonghan and Jisoo behind. When he stands up, blood rushes to his ears and his head hurts. That’s just how long they’ve been made to sit here. He grabs his files. Inside, the paper is already lightly crumpled given the number of times he has flipped through the papers. “I’ll do my best.” Jisoo gives Jeonghan a firm nod and turns around, not daring to look at the other man’s expression. 

“Right, please empty your pockets and lift both hands up.” Jisoo does as he is told, letting the guard at the door search him. “Okay, please follow me.” 

Jisoo takes a deep breath in. No matter how much he dislikes interrogation rooms, he has done this before in law school, and when he shadowed the higher ups in Hong Group. He’ll be fine. He has to be. 

The room is dark with no windows. A sole bright fluorescent white light hangs above them. The air-conditioning is unforgivingly cold and the room is so silent that as he walks in his footsteps echo behind him. Jun and Minghao look tired, dark circles under their eyes. They’re obviously distressed too, Minghao’s eyebrows knitted into a tight frown while Jun presses his lips into a thin line. Upon seeing Jisoo, Jun smiles and Minghao’s shoulders sag. “How are you both?” He asks quietly.

“Holding up,” Minghao answers bravely. Jun can only give him a small smile. Jisoo nods. “I’ll get us out of here.” 

He turns his attention to the officers. 

“Mr Hong, I believe you know why Xu Minghao and Wen Junhui are here today.” 

Jisoo does not nod. “The Korean government suspects that they are on Sebong-do illegally.”

“Yes. We received information to investigate this case. It was a cause for concern, given the unique circumstances. As you know, Mr Hong, Sebong-do is inhabited by very few Koreans, let alone foreigners.” Yong Corporations. Jisoo keeps a straight face, trying his best to suppress the anger threatening to spill out inside. 

“I understand. But I can assure you we have all the right paperwork prepared to prove that they are here legally.”

“Okay,” the officer nods. “Mr Hong, please take me through the paperwork.” Jisoo nods. 

The next time Jisoo sees a window, it is four in the afternoon. Minghao and Jun have suffered even more than he has, and are exhausted when they meet Seungcheol and Jeonghan on the first floor. 

They rush over to talk to them and Jisoo relaxes, he himself relieved that the worst is over for now. He puts on a small, cordial smile, but everything around him happens in sort of a blur. Minghao and Jun embrace Jeonghan and Seungcheol, they talk for a while, Jisoo gives updates, and then they are off to the jetty to catch the boat back, watching the sun set over the water. 

Jisoo can still feel his ears ringing as his headache intensifies. The gentle rocking of the boat, usually therapeutic, is actually making him rather sick this time around. For four hours, Jisoo sat in the interrogation room, being asked the same questions over and over again. “Are you sure they are really here to stay?” “Who would want to stay in Sebong-do?” “Tell me how they came to live here again?” 

Through it all, Jisoo stayed calm and measured, giving the answers he prepared for and presenting the evidence from his files. At first, he was happy as it was going well, then he felt increasingly angry and frustrated that Jun and Minghao were treated with such suspicion and all their contributions towards the island were just casually dismissed. Didn’t the official feel stupid for asking the same questions over and over again? Towards the end, even the anger faded. Jisoo just felt numb and tired. Fortunately, it has all paid off now. 

When the boat docks as the last of daylight spills into the waters, shouts and urgent footsteps break the tranquility of the long ride back. 

“Minghao hyung! Jun hyung!” It’s Wonwoo and Seokmin, running to greet them, the children and the other islanders following behind. 

Is he…tired? Jisoo can barely feel much as Seokmin speaks to Minghao and Jun and takes them home, Wonwoo staying behind to make sure the islanders don’t disturb them. 

He makes it through a simple dinner at Mingyu’s with Wonwoo and some of the others, and makes it home while Seokmin and Chan are still out. 

Jisoo falls asleep almost instantly, his mind a whirl of tormentous waves. 

Chapter Text

To : Hong Jisoo. Hong Group Corporate Law

  You have been instructed to return to Seoul to attend to company matters. A boat has been arranged for you to leave Sebong-Do today at ten. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd.

When he wakes up the following afternoon, having slept through the entire morning, Jisoo’s head is still groggy when he comes across the email. Immediately, his eyes widen upon understanding the content of the email and he hurriedly glances to the top of his screen for the time–It’s eight thirty in the morning, fortunately. Hurriedly, he sends an email asking how long he’ll be in Seoul for while he scrambles to pack his things. 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  Just for the day. 

It brings a rush of relief as Jisoo gets dressed and prepares himself for the long day ahead. 

“Jisoo hyung!” When he steps out of the room with his bag, Jisoo comes face to face with Chan, whose nose and hair are dusted with flour. “Chan!” His eyes widen in surprise as he looks up and sees Seokmin by the stove flipping pancakes. The aroma of buttery pancakes wafts into his nose, letting him momentarily forget what lies ahead. 

“Jisoo, good morning. Breakfast is almost ready,” Seokmin smiles. 

“Thank you. Can I help?” 

Seokmin shakes his head but before he can say anything Chan beats him to it. “This is a breakfast we’re making for you Jisoo hyung. You aren’t allowed to help. I made you a card with computers because your computer is your best friend but this breakfast was Seokmin hyung’s idea.” Jisoo can’t help but laugh, and thanks them both profusely. 

Over a breakfast of freshly roasted coffee, light fluffy pancakes Jisoo can’t help but ask. “Why do you think my computer is my best friend?” 

Chan beams. “You always bring it everywhere like I bring my alligator around! Also, you always type on it when you’re sad, just like I talk to my alligator. Hansol hyung said alligators don’t have ears, but he’s lying, right?” 

Jisoo and Seokmin share a look. “Well Hansol hyung is smart but he doesn’t know everything. In terms of alligators, you’re definitely an expert.” 

With half an hour to spare before going to the jetty, Jisoo quickly helps Seokmin to tidy up after breakfast, stacking up the plates and heading straight to the sink to get started. 

“Are you in a rush to go anywhere?” Seokmin asks, coming next to him to grab the cloth for the table. 

“Yes actually.” After glancing around to make sure Chan is out of earshot, Jisoo tells him. “I have to go back to Seoul today actually.” 

Seokmin’s eyes widen. “For good?” 

“No, just a day. I think they might have updates about the project or questions for me.” 

Seokmin pauses, deep in thought. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, but if there is, tell me okay?” 

Jisoo nods. “Thank you.” 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

  We will need a report on the incident that has happened yesterday. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd. 

As such, as the train speeds down the tracks from Busan to Seoul, Jisoo is lost in work once again. The next time he looks out of the windows, towering skyscrapers greet him, covered in a thin layer of exhaust. He is back, and perhaps Chan is right, his laptop is his best friend. 

Jisoo tries to ignore the sinking feeling as he enters the company car. The next time he comes back to Seoul, it would be for good. No more Sebong-do, no more being safe from this crazy and hectic world. He glances out of the window as the taxi passes the Hanggang, and he spots his apartment complex towering above the river. Here, the river can’t escape the glaring lights of the city, the dust and the noise, the buildings casting their tall shadows into the blue water. 

Yong Corporations is located in Gangnam. When he steps out of the car, he is escorted straight up to the seventy-third floor to meet the chairman. Behind the heavy wooden doors, Jisoo comes face to face with chairman Yong, but also one more person–his father. Jisoo gulps as he bows to them both. Chairman Yong nods, but his father does not react. 

“Jisoo, I trust you know why you are here today.” 

“Yes sir.” 

“To put it lightly, your performance on Sebong-do is not up to standard.” He turns Jisoo’s father. “Joon Tae here has been a long-time friend of mine, and for the sake of our friendship, I would like to give you the chance to explain yourself first.”

Jisoo takes a deep breath in. The tall ceiling is dizzying, and outside, through the full length glass windows, he feels as if the building can’t keep its balance high above the ground. He turns to look at the two men before him. Once upon a time, Jisoo had nothing but respect for his father and his most esteemed friend. But today, all he can feel is a sick feeling of disgust and disappointment. When he meets Chairman Yong’s iron stare, there are a cocktail of emotions swirling inside of him. Jisoo shoves it all back down.

He bows, a full ninety degrees, the words, as disingenous as they are, come out imediately. “Chairman Yong, Appa, I’m sorry. I’ve been foolish and complacent, taking too long to deliver what the company wants. I’ll do better, I promise.” 

“And what about the email you wrote about us? I will put your interests first, but I will not support you if you manipulate others. What does that mean?” Chairman Yong continues. 

Jisoo apologises profusely again. “I’m sorry, I was caught up in my own biases. I know Yong Corporations means well. I’ll do better. Please give me the next six weeks.” 

“Good. I expect to see results soon. Joon Tae, I hope I wasn’t wrong in my advice to send him overseas to Harvard.” 

Jisoo bows again, seething, but also increasingly troubled. 

– 

The sky is dark when Jisoo returns, weary but much happier despite the growing stress ovre his work. Not wanting to stay in the city any longer, he paid a premium for the boat ride all the way back to Sebong-do at night. In the distance, he can see the lights on in Mingyu’s restaurant. It is a Friday, and of course, everyone is gathered there. What he does not expect however, is to see the lone figure siting by the streetlight on the dock, his legs dangling over the water as he looks out to the ocean. “Seokmin.” Jisoo runs off the boat after hurriedly paying his fee. Seokmin turns around when he hears the foosteps and he breaks into a smile, standing up and engulfing Jisoo in a hug. 

Jisoo stands, stunned, for a moment. His heart is beating in his chest and his mind goes haywire but then he feels the warmth spreading through his body, and realises how right this all feels. He puts his own arms around Seokmin and closes his eyes. 

“How was today?” Seokmin asks. 

“Tiring, but alright.” Jisoo replies. He still has a lot to sort out, but something tells Jisoo that this isn’t the time to worry about work, and he listens. “How were things here?”

“The kids missed you, and everyone is really thankful for what you did for Minghao and Junhi,” Seokmin explains. “We’re actually having dinner at Mingyu’s now, and we’d all love for you to come if you aren’t too tired?” 

Jisoo nods. Exhaustion has seeped into every part of his body but he thinks he owes them all at least this much. Besides, Jisoo would rather be with the islanders, celebrating by the sea, than staying by himself in his own thoughts again. “I’d love to.” 

Seokmin smiles. “Did you have lunch by the way?” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “I didn’t have time. It was work all the way to Seoul and work all the way back.” 

“Alright,” Seokmin nods. “I will have to pack you lunch next time,” he declares firmly. 

“Seokmin, you don’t have to.” 

“I want to, let me.” Jisoo lets him have it, silently pained over how there wouldn’t be a next time. 

Fortunately, his feelings of melancholia are quickly forgotten when they arrive at the restaurant. Everyone is seated while Wonwoo and Mingyu stand in front, talking into the microphone. Upon seeing Jisoo, Wonwoo enthusiastically snatches the mike, “it seems like Jisoo is here! Round of applause, everyone!” 

There is a loud screech when Mingyu hurriedly snatches it back. “Wonwoo, I was supposed to deliver that line.” 

“You’re always the emcee for Friday night dinners, can’t you give someone else a turn after all these years?” Jisoo and Seokmin sit down next to the children and Jisoo leans over to whisper to Seokmin. “What’s gotten into Wonwoo? Emceeing?” 

“He’s got something prepared for later,” Seokmin tells him. Judging by his excited expression, he is probably in on it. 

“Anyway,” Mingyu continues, “everyone, please give it up for Soonyoung and Jihoon!” 

“That is right!” Wonwoo jumps in. “They were coached by Jisoo and want to perform a song for him! Also, they’ll be playing this and a few other songs for the fundraiser so everyone, please give them all your support!” The restaurant erupts in cheers. 

"Hi everyone! I'm Soonyoung!"

"And I'm Jihoon." 

From where he is, Jisoo senses something is amiss, but he can't quite put his finger on it.

Wonwoo and Mingyu hand them their mikes and Mingyu gives them a thumbs up to start. Jihoon starts playing a simple melody and Soonyoung takes a deep breath in. Yet, after a long moment, Soonyoung still hasn’t started singing. Jihoon is already looking at him, but he looks lost in his thoughts. 

Jihoon stops. “Soonyoung?” 

“Oh uh…sorry.” Soonyoung takes a deep breath in, starts singing, and now it’s Jihoon’s turn to be lost as he struggles to keep up with him. 

Things seem to get a bit better but Soonyoung suddenly stops halfway. Jihoon glances at him, stunned, but carries on with the guitar melody and the islanders clap along, going along with it. Soonyoung’s face turns pale. His eyes dart between Jihoon and the crowd, and all of a sudden, he mumbles, “I’m sorry”, drops the mike, and runs. Gasps fill the restaurant. Now, Jihoon stops playing and stands up slowly, the anxiety obvious on his face. “Thank you Jihoon!” Mingyu quickly reacts, escorting him to sit next to Jisoo and Seokmin. 

“I’m sorry, please excuse me,” Jihoon says without looking either of them in the eye, and he too takes off. 

Seokmin glances at him. “You look for Soonyoung, and I’ll look for Jihoon?” Jisoo nods. “We should let their parents know first.” 

Seokmin and Jisoo head out, only to realise they’re looking at a vast area of pitch darkness. “I think it’s better if we search for them together first,” Jisoo suggests. “When we find both of them we can split up again then.” 

Seokmin agrees and they head for the beach, Jisoo using his phone as a torchlight. Soon enough, they find Jihoon sitting by the shore. “I’ll go look for Soonyoung,” Jisoo tells him. 

Seokmin agrees. “Be safe.”

Jisoo quickly checks the rest of the shoreline in the vicinity of Mingyu’s restaurant but Soonyoung isn’t there. Since he left earlier than Jihoon, he could have gone further away. Jisoo decides to look around other areas first and return to the beach if he still couldn’t find Soonyoung. He climbs up the steps and searches through the row of shops until he spots a lone figure sitting alone by the steps leading up to the houses. 

“Soonyoung?” He walks over quietly. Even in the dim light, Jisoo can tell that he has been crying. “Can I sit here with you? You can say no, I’ll respect that.” 

Soonyoung nods. 

Jisoo lets him cry it out for a while longer, before gingerly asking. “Would you…be willing to share what’s going on with me?” 

Soonyoung remains quiet for a while, but finally says. “Yes.” It’s very soft, and his voice is shaky. “I…something’s gone wrong with me and Jihoon, and I don’t know how to fix it.” 

Jisoo listens as Soonyoung tells him everything from his side. How Jihoon constantly looks sad, and runs away, and tells Soonyoung that he looks stressed and angry. “I never have, and I wasn’t mad at him. Now I am, in fact, just a little, because he just keeps running away but…I don’t hate him, Jisoo hyung. All this while, he has been acting like he’s fine when others are around, and I went along with it. I think we both didn’t want the other islanders to worry. I’m sorry about today, Jisoo hyung.  ” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s alright. Thank you too for being so mature. But in a different sense, it’s good that the issue is out so we can resolve it. Right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“In the moments where he says you’ve been stressed and angry, they could be a misunderstanding. Do you remember what happened then?”

Soonyoung shares with him about the guitar. “I thought Jihoon knew I was just concerned. We’ve always been this close. We don’t have to say things to each other and the other person would just understand. Maybe things are different now.” 

“I’m sure you still know each other very well, and are still very close, but sometimes…perhaps changes can happen in relationships. Maybe, and this is just an example, Jihoon could be going through something that made him misinterpret your concern. It’s best to just communicate everything out in the open, you know?” 

Soonyoung nods. 

“You also mentioned Jihoon feeling you’ve become more serious. Do you want to talk about that?” 

“Jisoo hyung, there is actually something I need to tell you.” 

Soonyoung takes a deep breath in and sighs shakily. “I…Over the past few years but especially this year, I’ve realised that I like Jihoon. A lot.” 

“You mean romantically, right?” Jisoo clarifies. 

“Yes.” 

Right. That makes a lot more sense now. 

“It’s possible that developing feelings could have changed the way you act. For instance, liking people can be stressful and may have made you feel anxious. That could be how Jihoon picked up on your stress.” 

“I see…I’ve been thinking about whether to tell Jihoon actually. But I don’t know, hyung, I don’t want to lose him.” 

“I understand. Whatever decision you choose, I will support you. But even if you do choose to tell him, I’m here, and so is Seokmin, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Minghao, Junhui, Jeonghan and Seungcheol. I know for a fact that they will stand behind you, and I can promise you that I will too. And to be honest, though I haven’t known you both for long, Jihoon cares about you alot. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, I don’t think he’ll just end the friendship.” 

“Jihoon is a good person,” Soonyoung agrees. “I’ll think about it, thank you Jisoo hyung.”

“You’re welcome.” 

Later, Jisoo goes to get the both of them food since Soonyoung tells him that he needs a break from eating with everyone. When he finally walks Soonyoung home and heads back to Seokmin’s house, it is already late. Seokmin and Chan have just gotten back themselves. 

“How were things with Soonyoung?” Seokmin asks later when Chan has gone to bed and they’re talking in the living room. Jisoo tells him, leaving the part about Soonyoung liking Jihoon out to respect his privacy. Instead, he just tells Seokmin that “I think something has changed, and told Soonyoung he could consider talking about it with Jihoon if he was comfortable.” 

Seokmin nods. “It went similarly for me. Jihoon said Soonyoung has been acting very stressed and unhappy around him, but knowing Soonyoung, I don’t think he’s mad at Jihoon. Whatever it is, I do hope they’ll be able to overcome it together.” 

They fall silent for a while before Seokmin asks gently. “And you? How was Seoul? Sorry I didn’t ask earlier.” 

Jisoo grimaces. Since coming back here, he has almost forgotten what happened earlier. “It’s alright. I met my father and Chairman Yong. They just wanted to have an in-person chat to see how things were going.” Jisoo decides to spare Seokmin the details since he doesn’t want to stress him out but he’s sure Seokmin can figure out it wasn’t entirely good. 

Seokmin, if he has in fact known, doesn’t make it obvious. “You must be tired,” he says. “Today was yet another long day. I’m sure you have reports to write too.” 

“I’m alright,” Jisoo smiles. “It’s good to be back here in Sebong-do.” 

“That’s good. We’re glad you’re back too.” 

Chapter Text

“We should go to the beach to talk. The weather is cold and windy today which will be nice.” 

Jihoon follows Soonyoung silently. Before the row of shops is a stretch of beach. Heavy clouds hang above them as they sit down on the damp sand. “Are you okay?” Soonyoung breaks the silence first. “Was it something I did?” 

His voice is soft and quiet in contrast to the waves. Jihoon listens to the waves, the coming and going, the loudness as they approach and the quiet retreat. He can almost forget that Soonyoung is next to him, if not for the nagging ache in his heart. 

“Soonyoung?” 

“Yes?” 

Jihoon takes a deep breath in. “Do you hate me?” 

“No, of course not.” Soonyoung answers him immediately. “Why? What made you think so?” His voice cracks. Jihoon forces himself to face Soonyoung and his pained, watery eyes. 

“You treat me differently.” Jihoon breathes shakily, his voice trembling. “In front of other people you’re always happy and laughing. With me, you’re so serious. You never smile and…” A tear slips down Soonyoung’s cheek and Jihoon’s eyes widen in alarm. 

“Don’t cry, I’ll…ah.” Jihoon finds his vision blurring as he wipes at his eyes with his hands. 

“Soonyoung-ah.” He tries to smile, using his finger to dab Soonyoung’s cheek. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” 

“Can I hug you?” Soonyoung asks weakly. He doesn’t have to ask twice. Jihoon pulls Soonyoung into his chest, his arms securely around Soonyoung. 

“I don’t hate you,” Soonyoung whispers. “In fact, if anything, it’s the very opposite.” He looks up at Jihoon, teary-eyed but smiling. “If you hate me after this, it’s okay. I have this moment to rem–”

“Don’t say that,” Jihoon hurriedly cuts him off. “I’ll never hate you. Don’t be silly.” 

Soonyoung chuckles, shaking his head. “I love you Jihoon. How much I don’t quite know.” 

Jihoon freezes, his breathing slowing. 

“We’re only seventeen. There are so many things we don’t know. All I know is that you mean so much to me. When we were younger, you were my best friend. Now you still are, but you’re also so much more. Jihoon, you’re kind to everyone, but also smart and sensible while I play a fool. You’re smart, and wise, and sarcastic, and so very talented.” 

All this while Soonyoung has not looked away from Jihoon’s face, and Jihoon’s eyes are looking right into his own. His brows are furrowed, his gaze unshifting, his eyes are pooling with so many emotions and it scares Soonyoung that among those feelings are hatred and disgust waiting to be spat at him. 

“I just want to be there for you the same way you’ve been there for me. I wanted to grow up and to take care of you. I wanted to be serious and mature the same way you are. How else can I hope that you would want to spend the rest of your life with me?” 

Soonyoung laughs. “I sound stupid, don’t I? Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to accept me for this. I just want you to be happy, and if that means falling in love with someone else, that’s completely fine.” 

“Ah,” he breathes weakly. “I just want you to know that I don’t hate you.”

A silence follows. “That’s all.” Soonyoung smiles even as new tears well up in his eyes. “I can go now if you’d like.” 

“Soonyoung-ah…” Jihoon reaches his hand out to tilt Soonyoung’s chin up, Soonyoung’s distressed eyes meeting his own. 

“I...you, forget it.” He takes a deep breath in and leans forward until their lips touch, mind going blank as he closes his eyes. Hiis legs go numb, lungs on the verge of giving way. His heart is beating so fast and so loudly he knows Soonyoung can definitely feel it. 

Soonyoung’s hand reaches for Jihoon’s hair as he kisses him again. The tears come back, running down Jihoon’s face again as he grips onto Soonyoung’s hand, a million butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He feels lightheaded and spacey but holds on to Soonyoung, everything around them seeming to come to a standstill. Even the waves feel far far away. 

As they slowly pull apart, Jihoon opens his eyes. Inches away from Soonyoung’s face, his heart could jump out of his chest. 

“I love you too,” Jihoon admits quietly against Soonyoung’s lips. “Thank you Soonyoung-ah, and I’m sorry for hurting you.” 

Soonyoung’s eyes are puffy, tear streaks on his face, his hair flying as the strong wind blows, but Jihoon’s heart still skips a beat when he smiles softly. “It’s alright. I’m not sad anymore.” 

Soonyoung sniffles and laughs. “You aren’t angry with me, it was all a big misunderstanding, and now…”He looks down at his feet, biting his lip to hold back a smile. “And now we have us.” 

“We have us,” Jihoon repeats softly. “I like that.” 

As the tide comes in, the wind picks up speed, cold gusts hitting their cheeks. Soonyoung pulls Jihoon into a hug as they sit watching the sea and the birds flying off into the distance, the waves calm and gentle along the shore. 

– 

Jisoo spends the weekend cooped up in his room in Seokmin’s house, trying to think of how he should move forward without raising Yong Corporations' suspicions. In order for Hansol to get his diagnosis as early as possible, they have already planned to have the fundraiser next week. But now, Jisoo worries that Yong Corporation would see his participation as a sign of stubborn defiance. 

They still expect him to send regular reports, and Jisoo decides that perhaps he should carry on with his interviews. As for how to word his own evaluation of the situation, Jisoo decides that he can worry about that later. 

“Jisoo! I have good news!” In the afternoon, as the waves lap under the sun, Seokmin comes knocking on the door excitedly. Jisoo opens the door, putting his work aside for a while. 

“I think Soonyoung and Jihoon made up,” Seokmin tells him. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, I was at Mingyu’s and I saw them walk past talking to each other. Whatever we did, I think it worked.” He smiles.

“That’s good.” 

They fall into a comfortable silence. Seokmin stands by the door, watching Jisoo against the pale blue waves, the light of the afternoon sun falling around him. 

“Are you…perhaps free?” 

“Seokmin, are you free now?” 

They both laugh, and Seokmin tries to control his smile. You go first,” he says. 

“Could I interview you?” 

“Oh.” Jisoo watches as Seokmin’s face visibly falls. “I’m sorry. If this isn’t a good time, we don’t have to do it now.” 

“No, it’s alright,” Seokmin shakes his head, putting on a small smile. “Now is fine actually.”

“You sure?” Jisoo asks. 

Seokmin nods. He grabs a chair from the living room and brings it over to Jisoo’s room and sits down. 

Seokmin : I’m sure you’ve already heard from the others about how much Sebong-do means to us. It is hard and painful to think about, but if saying this will be of any help at all, as much I don’t think any amount of money can replace my home, there are many things that I think we should be compensated for. I’ll try my best to list them all out here. As the others have mentioned, and as have investigations have found, our farms, our fish, our quality of life here, are all things we’d never have back. 

But I think it’s also important that we are compensated for the toil this has taken and will take on all of us psychologically. I worry the most about the children, not only because of how disorienting it is to move from the one place you’ve known your whole life, but because in the past few months, there are moments where we can’t hold it together either. I know they take notice, Seungkwan and Hansol definitely do. Chan may not fully know what’s going on but he’s aware when people are down. 

Beyond the children, for Soonyoung and Jihoon, I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to join a mainstream high school now. Children from rural areas often face ostracisation when they move to the city, let alone children like Soonyoung and Jihoon from a place as far-off as Sebong-do. 

Recently, Minghao and Jun hyung have faced severe stress too. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to have someone threaten to take you away from your home. Finally, for Seungcheol and Jeonghan hyung, and all the adults, everything is falling on their shoulders. From where we’ll all go, to how we’ll be able to make ends meet, I know it troubles them every single day. 

I know Mingyu and Wonwoo were amicable and diplomatic, as they are, but I think someone needs to say that they are angry and upset. I will be that person for us. 

Yong Corporations is about to rob us of our livelihoods, our family, and a home that is rightfully ours. It is the least they can do to ensure we are compensated for everything above and to ensure a smooth transition for us when we move to the city. 

By the end of the interview, the mood in the room has become much more somber. Jisoo types everything down and takes a deep breath in. By now, it is evening, and the sun’s rays, a darker orange, glitter in the water. “Thank you Seokmin,” he turns to look at Seokmin, but the words dry up in his throat. 

“Seokmin?” Seokmin sits, shoulders slumped, head bowed. Jisoo tries to look away from his eyes, which he can see tears beginning to drip from. “I can leave if you need a moment.” 

Seokmin doesn’t budge. 

“Seokmin?” Jisoo tries again, softer this time. Seokmin shakes his head. “It’s okay, please just give me a moment.” He mumbles under his breath, and if Jisoo didn’t strain his ears, he’s sure he would have missed it. Without looking at him once, Seokmin stands up and walks out. Jisoo wants to follow him but he stays put, listening as the front door opens and closes. 

He sits back down, looking through the notes on his laptop again. He’ll let Seokmin decide again later if he’s comfortable with Yong Corporations having access to this information. Jisoo stares out the window, partly debating whether he should go after Seokmin. More than anything, he admits to himself that he’s afraid. Dread pools in his stomach, to his clammy hands as his breathing tenses, and he realises he’s worried that Seokmin has gone back to hating him. 

Jisoo can see why perfectly. So what if he helps the islanders? So what if he does his “best”? Why is his “best” so little anyway? Everyone has an obligation to be a decent human being. 

He buries his head into his hands. For once Jisoo thinks he can’t quite suppress his feelings of guilt and anxiety anymore. 

–

Seokmin finds himself at the furthest corner of the shore where the sand retreats to give way to the forest. He hates how quickly he lets his emotions change, it’s a glaring statement on how fickle he is. 

Shutting his eyes, all he can see and think of is a certain man. Each time Seokmin meets him at the dock, he finds himself watching the way Jisoo would look at the sky and the vastness of the waves with a certain awe, as if the sight before him was more priceless than all the luxuries he had in the world. He thinks of the first time they met, when Jisoo was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and Seokmin was mad, not for anything he did, but because he wanted to hate a stuck-up brat from Seoul. It was surprising how quickly he got to know everyone, and how readily he stepped up to help. 

It wasn’t until Yong Jaemin appeared that Seokmin remembered how lucky all of them were. True brats from Seoul wouldn’t need to put in the extra effort to teach the children, to get to know the islanders, to risk their own safety to save his brother for crying out loud. They could have had someone who made their lives a real living hell. 

Instead, they had Jisoo. The memories of the past few weeks flood his mind. His first lesson, how he encouraged  Hansol and helped him better than anyone could. That night when Chan nearly drowned, and from the corner of his eye, Seokmin could see him, drenched, shivering, his shorts and shirt clinging to his body, his skin pale, hair falling around his eyes. Then there was that evening, when he sat atop Jihoon’s gate, smiling with his eyes closed for a brief moment. There was the night they spent in the schoolhouse, when he was dressed in sweatpants but still looked undeniably handsome. Seokmin remembered the creeping feeling in his heart, the same one he felt when just a few days ago, Jisoo came back to Sebong-do from Seoul. There’s this feeling of safety, comfort and joy he gives Seokmin that he’s never felt anywhere else.   

But how could he? How could he feel this way when Jisoo was from such a different world, the very world that was going to take everything from them? Besides, Jisoo is married, and An acquaintance, a friend, if he’s lucky, but that’s it. Seokmin should bear that in mind. 

He lets the tears fall freely as he sits down, looking out into the distance. Suddenly, a horrible thought comes to him, and he tries to resist it, but it comes anyway. It’s almost as if he can’t wait to be out of here and living in a city instead. It simply cannot be as painful as everyone waiting out their last days here in dread and agony, not knowing when the last day would come, only that it would come increasingly soon. 

Chapter Text

Jisoo senses something is wrong with Seokmin, but he can’t put his finger on it. As the islanders get busy preparing for the fundraiser, Jisoo finds himself engaged too. Everyone has been asking for his help, mainly for advice regarding their respective booths. Even Jeonghan stopped by the school to meet him for a chat at his own financial advice booth. 

When he isn’t busy helping with the booths or in school, Jisoo thinks about how to word his report for the fundraiser. 

The fundraiser was proposed collectively by the islanders. I merely joined in by contributing just one of many other booths. Though Yong Corporations may doubt my intentions, I still believe that regardless of our interests, it is important that I maintain good ties with the islanders, and that includes participating in their activities. 

The week passes by and soon, the time comes for everyone to head to Geoje-do, the biggest island in the chain of islands, for the fundraiser. At seven in the morning, as the sun rises, they head onto the bumboat with high spirits. Jisoo looks around, watching everyone holding on to their own equipment. There is Wonwoo with his compact medical kit, Jihoon with his guitar, and the person with the most equipment, Mingyu, with an icebox full of food and a portable stove. 

Jisoo finds a seat next to Seokmin and Chan. “Jisoo hyung, my alligator’s going to come with us! It’s his first time on a boat.” 

Jisoo ruffles his hair. “I thought your alligator could swim on his own.” 

“Mm…not yet. Hyung says he and I both need to get older before we can swim in the sea on our own.” 

“That’s good advice.” He looks to Seokmin, who is gazing out of the window, lost in thought. The sunlight falls on his hair and on his skin, the early morning waters are calm and serene, but he can’t help but feel Seokmin is a little distant. He has been since the day before in fact. 

Soon, the boat sets off, and from in front of them, Jisoo hears Seungkwan and Hansol talking excitedly about the islands. “South Korea has 3400 islands, and is one of the top 10 countries with the most islands in the world,” Hansol tells Seungkwan. 

“3000?” Seungkwan looks back at him, stunned. “No way!” 

“Mhm, it is possible. The Philippines has 7000.” 

“Wow, how do you know that?” 

Hansol beams as he pulls out a book from his bag. “Here, Jeonghan hyung lent this to me.” 

As they flip through the book happily, Jisoo glances over to Chan, who has fallen asleep, clutching his alligator in his hands. Behind, Wonwoo listens to music while Mingyu, Soonyoung and Jihoon animatedly discuss fishing with Jun and Minghao. Seungcheol and Jeonghan join in too. 

“Who do you think would be the best at fishing?” Jihoon asks. 

“Mingyu of course,” Jun answers. “It’s his family business.” 

“Excluding me, I think Jeonghan hyung would be good too,” Mingyu adds. 

“No way,” Soonyoung grins, and Jisoo finds himself smiling too, glad that Soonyoung and Jihoon are back to their usual selves. “Jeonghan hyung can’t cheat at fishing.” 

As the rest laugh, Jeonghan points a joking finger at him. “Soonyoung, you brat! I”ll throw you into the water.” 

The sea is beautiful, and Jisoo would like to spend the whole trip just enjoying the cool breeze, but there is almost a certain relief when he pulls out his laptop and goes over his work again. In a blink of an eye, he’s almost at the halfway mark of his time on the island. The past six weeks were beautiful, even magical for him, but he feels empty knowing he hasn’t accomplished much. He’s tried, subtly or not so subtly, to share his own doubts with Yong Corporations. Yet, they’re set on buying the island at all costs, even if it means intimidating the islanders. 

As the realisation dawns upon him, his heart sinks with guilt when he glances over again, and watches the islanders chatting happily. If Jisoo pivoted to focusing on getting them good reparations, it would be far more realistic and easy to achieve, but that would also mean he would have to give up on trying to change Yong Corporation’s mind. 

Sebong-do would be gone, and he would be the final one to accept the truth. As the sorrow mixes with frustration, guilt and anxiety, he looks at the islanders again and wonders how much they’ve accepted. Are they making the best of the time left, or are they still hopeful deep down, unable to confront the truth? He thinks of how beautiful the island is, and in contrast, how heavy Seoul makes him feel. He remembers his first time meeting Chan, and how Mingyu and Wonwoo waved at him. Everyone warmed up, even Seungcheol and Jeonghan are much nicer to him now. 

A determination surges within him. From now, he would just have to work even as hard, as hard as he possibly can. 

– 

The fundraiser is in full swing. Since it is Sunday on Geoje-do, the town square is bustling with activities and many curious onlookers come to watch the performances, try the food, and partake in the activities. “You guys are from Sebong-do?” An older woman speaks to Jisoo after coming to ask him about the inheritance of her house. Jisoo nods. “I’m not, but everyone else is.” I’m sorry about what’s going to happen,” she says. “Is this fundraiser for that?” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “Not really. We’re raising funds for the childrens’ education.” 

”Are you a volunteer or…somebody’s husband?” 

“A volunteer,” Jisoo says casually. “I appreciate your concern for the island, but could I ask that you don’t mention it to the rest? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion for them” 

“Ah ok ok, I understand. I’ll tell my friends who are here too. All the best to you guys, I hope it works out.” She stands up, and Jisoo thanks her too. Throughout the day, he’s certain the islanders will be asked about the upcoming acquisition and it does have him concerned. Jisoo looks around, and can’t help but laugh when he sees him, his mood lifting a little. Wonwo is surrounded by gushing old ladies, a long line in front of his medical booth. Nearby, Mingyu does have a fair share of fans too, who laugh as he cooks and shares jokes. 

He sends Wonwoo a text. 

You and Mingyu sure look busy over there!

Have you not seen your own long line? 

Jisoo glances up at his phone, startled when he sees the ten or so people before him. He had been so lost in thought about the acquisition that he forgot about his customers. Apologising to the next person, a middle-aged woman and her child, he sets aside his phone and talks to them. 

The first half of a day is busy but everything runs relatively smoothly. At around lunch time, Soonyoung drops by his booth. “Hyung, do you want to take a lunch break?”

Jisoo glances around. Under the midday July sun, the crowd is thinning, everyone probably eager to retreat indoors for lunch. “Have you asked the rest?”

Soonyoung nods. “Mingyu said he can cook for all of us.”

“He should take a break,” Jisoo thinks. “Why don't we get takeout?”

“Sure hyung, I can go with you and…” Jisoo glances back at Seokmin who is busy keeping his materials, all smiles as he watches Chan play with other children. 

“Wonwoo hyung looks free,” Soonyoung tells him. 

“Never thought I'd see that crowd go down,” Jisoo laughs. 

“That's because you completely missed Mingyu hyung,” Soonyoung whispers to him. 

Jisoo looks at him curiously but he has already waved at Wonwoo who starts walking over. “I'll tell you later. Or maybe Wonwoo hyung will tell you himself.”

“Wonwoo hyung!” Soonyoung waves. “How did you get the queue down?” 

Wonwoo shakes his head. “Mingyu. He walked over and got people from my queue to go over to him.” 

They glance over where Mingyu is still busy dishing out plates of food. “I don’t know what’s with him. Maybe he wants to cook for more people.” 

“Mhm, probably,” Soonyoung nods, sharing a gleeful look with Jisoo. 

Unlike Sebong-do, Geoje-do is much bigger with commercial shops. After doing a quick search online, Wonwoo takes them to a highly recommended seafood restaurant where they get seafood fried rice, jjampong and seafood stew for everyone to share. When they head back, Mingyu is still working tirelessly. “I bet he regrets doing that,” Wonwoo laughs. “It serves him right.” 

But instead of sitting down with the rest, he sets the food down and walks over. “He’s gone to help Mingyu?” Jisoo looks on, amused. “Soonyoung, did you–” Jisoo turns, but instead of facing Soonyoung who had gone to talk to Jihoon, Jisoo finds himself face to face with Seokmin. The  smile on Seokmin’s face vanishes as they look at each other for a moment before Seokmin hurries away, leaving Jisoo perplexed. 

Jisoo knew he was upset after the interview, but he thought that there wasn’t anything else to it. Glancing over at Mingyu cooking while Wonwoo hands out the food and collects money, he feels a little happier. 

A short while later, Mingyu and Wonwoo are finally done with serving everything and temporarily close the booth. “I’ll be storing all the proceeds until we get back to Sebong-do. Then we can count everything and see how much we’ve raised!” Jeonghan announces. 

“I think we had a good morning so far,” Seungcheol adds. “Especially Mingyu.” 

“What can I say?” He feigns nonchalance, shrugging. “I’m a double threat. Good looks and good food are the way to anyone’s heart.” 

Next to him, Wonwoo makes a gagging noise and Mingyu shoves him jokingly. 

“Wonwoo and Jisoo, you guys didn’t do too badly either. As a whole everyone did well, good job.” Seungcheol nods at Jisoo which sends something warm down his heart. Things with Seungcheol and Jeonghan were getting better, but with Seokmin they were back at square one. Well, maybe it was slightly better than that, given that the last time they fought Seokmin yelled at him. 

After lunch, Mingyu asks to speak to Jisoo. “Is everything okay? You looked kind of down for a while. Min did too, actually, but you first.” 

Jisoo looks out at the bustling shops. He debates telling Mingyu, and a part of him just wants to say “it’s fine” and change the subject, but the weight of what has been going on presses down on him. He lets out a shaky breath. Jisoo rarely confides in anyone. Sure, he did with Seokmin once or twice, but now Jisoo isn’t sure if that was a mistake. 

“I won’t prod if you don’t want me to. And if you need a break, please take one.” 

Jisoo takes a deep breath in. “I think something happened with Seokmin.” 

“Alright, do you want to say more?” 

“Everything was going alright. Seokmin came into my room, I interviewed him like I have all of you. And then…he just grew quiet. I know the interviews are stressful and bring up unwanted memories, and I’m sorry for subjecting all of you to them. But this is also one of my best ways of knowing what exactly you all need and want, you know?” 

“Yes I understand. After the interview he just hasn’t spoken to you?” 

Jisoo shakes his head. 

“Do you want me to talk to him? I won’t bring you up, of course. And I’ll let you know what I can.” Mingyu turns to him. “And don’t worry, even if Min doesn’t want to talk to you, I will, and so will Wonwoo, and Chan, and everyone else who has grown to adore you.” 

A comforting feeling settles inside him. Jisoo trusts him, because Mingyu, Wonwoo and Chan did talk to him when he first came. Even when they thought he could have been the nastiest, meanest, lawyer, they treated him with nothing but kindness. 

“Thank you Mingyu.” 

“No problem,” Mingyu smiles and hugs Jisoo. “You’re going to be alright.” 

“I just have one request though,” Mingyu tells him. 

“Of course.” 

“Could I let Wonwoo know? You know he’s quite perceptive. Maybe he can notice something we can’t.” Jisoo nods. “I think that would be a good idea.” 

Mingyu and Wonwoo are getting along well today, Jisoo thinks when Mingyu talks to him and he nods before saying something back. At his booth, he puts on a smile and continues talking to the customers, who, after having lunch, have found the energy to queue again. 

“Well done everyone! Today was great!” As the islanders board the boat back to Sebong-do, the orange sun sinks into the water and the evening wind lightly tousled their hair. Mingyu and Wonwoo invite Jisoo to sit with him, and the three of them, all with their fair share of fans, trade stories animatedly. 

“There was this old lady that kept bothering Wonwoo, I swear she was at his booth five times,” Mingyu tells him. 

“There was one?” Wonwoo asks. 

“Yes, you were too busy being Mr Nice Guy to notice,” Mingyu reaches out to flick his forehead, but pauses, looking at Wonwoo for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face. He flicks his forehead lightly, and Wonwoo’s ears almost turn as pink as the sky. 

“Let us join this conversation.” Soonyoung and Jihoon turn back. “I’m here to save you from being a third wheel, Jisoo hyung,” Soonyoung whispers to him. 

“Thank you, it was almost getting too much.” 

“Jisoo hyung, honestly, plenty of people were looking at you too,” Jihoon brings it up, sharing a smile with Soonyoung. “The accent girl.” 

“The what?” 

“The accent girl!” Mingyu’s eyes widen. “Jisoo did you notice?” 

“No, not at all. What happened?” 

“I think you were explaining some technical terms that only exist in English,” Jihoon explains. “This girl overheard it and we heard her talking to her friends about you.” 

Mingyu whispers something in Wonwoo’s ear and his eyes go wide. “Well…to tell you the family-friendly version of things, some people are very attracted to your accent.” 

Jisoo nods, slightly horrified. “I will make sure I never speak in English here again.” 

Everyone bursts out laughing. 

After a while, they go silent, watching the gulls fly over the horizon as land begins to come into view. 

“Are we there yet?” Jisoo hears Seungkwan ask Hansol.

Hansol shakes his head, glancing at the watch. “The boat travells at approximately 10 kilometers per hour and Sebong do is around 20 kilometers away. So far, we’ve only been here for 45 minutes. So we have 1 hour and 15 minutes more.” 

“Alright,” Seungkwan glances out of the window. “Then what’s that island over that?” 

“That’s another one in the chain…” Watching them, Jisoo hopes the money they have raised is enough. If it isn’t, he’ll willingly pay the remainder and just count it under money earnt from the fundraiser. 

“Actually, there’s been something Jihoon and I have been wanting to tell you guys.” 

Jisoo turns his attention back to the group. Mingyu, exhausted from the cooking, has fallen asleep on Wonwoo’s shoulder, and Wonwoo has his earpieces in. Jisoo watches as Wonwoo occasionally glances over at Mingyu, a small smile on his lips, and quietly takes out his phone to snap a picture, planning to send it to them when they finally got together. 

“I guess we’ll just be telling you then, Jisoo hyung,” Jihoon says. 

“It’s for the better, Mingyu hyung will tease us,” Soonyoung rolls his eyes jokingly. “As if he doesn’t have similar issues to deal with.” 

Jisoo turns to face them both. “We aren’t really ready to tell anyone yet, but I want you to know, and I told Jihoon we can trust you because I told you…what I told you previously.” 

Ah, there was a development in that? 

Soonyoung glances over at Jihoon, and can’t stop himself from smiling. “Jihoon and I are together now.” 

“Like in a relationship,” Jihoon adds nervously, but his eyes are happy. 

Looking at how happy they both are, Jisoo feels his heart melt. “That is amazing guys, congratulations! And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” 

Today wasn’t such a bad day after all. Jisoo realises he’s still the third wheel, but he doesn’t mind at all. “Tell me about how you both got together?” 

Chapter Text

Everyone waits in baited breath as Seungcheol and Jeonghan count and recount the funds. There are lots of notes, and coins, and Jisoo sees quite a few small bills too, making him worry if the total amount will be less than what it appears to be. After the second recount, Jeonghan goes over to Seungcheol excitedly and Seungcheol breaks out into wide smiles. 

“We raised…three thousand dollars!” The islanders erupt into cheers. “Good job everyone!” 

Mingyu rushes up to the stage. “As you guys know, my parents stayed behind today. But that was because they were cooking up a big feast for everyone! Let’s celebrate, we all deserve this!” 

As everyone cheers again, Jisoo notices Wonwoo walking towards him, rubbing his shoulder. When Wonwoo comes to stand next to him, he realises Wonwoo has a busted lip. “You alright?” 

“Mingyu was so shocked when he woke up that he knocked into my face. All that after giving me a cramped shoulder.” He shakes his head, smiling. “Good job Jisoo, we did well today.” 

“We did.” 

–

Seokmin can still hear the distant chatter of the islanders when he and Mingyu walk over to the pier. He has a slight idea why Mingyu could ask him here, and the nagging guilt gnaws at his heart. Fervently wishing he’s wrong, Seokmin sits down, and turns to Mingyu, trying not to tremble. “What’s the matter Gyu?” 

“If you don’t want to talk about this, we don’t have to.” Seokmin feels his heart sink even further. “But I care about both of you, so I just want to ask if that’s okay.” 

“What’s going on with Jisoo?”

That’s all it takes before Seokmin feels his heart sink into a pool of dread as tears slip down his cheek. He wipes it away, shame burning inside of him. 

“I don’t know where to start, Mingyu.” 

“It’s okay, you can just tell me everything you feel. I’ll make sense of it.” 

Seokmin takes in a shaky breath. “You know Jisoo is married, right?” 

“Yes.” Just hearing Mingyu say that so definitely makes Seokmin’s heart shatter further, but he soldiers on. 

“You also know he’s not exactly…from…our world. The closest thing we have to it would be Wonwoo’s medical school friends.” 

“That is true, but Min, he’s humble. And he’s been great to us,” Mingyu says tactfully. 

“Yes I know. Jisoo is a good person. I think some part of me has always known that.” 

“I’m horrible for this Mingyu…but I,” he pauses, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. 

Mingyu puts a hand around his shoulder. “You’re not horrible. This has been hard on you too, Min. When you opened up you were good to Jisoo.” 

“Let’s not even get started on how I treated him,” Seokmin laughs bitterly. “Sorry Gyu, that you have to see me like this.” 

“No no it’s alright. You’ve always been here for me too, Min. But back to this, forgive me, but I don’t quite understand why you’re so upset. If it’s because of how you reacted when Jisoo first came, trust me when I say that he was never even mad about it. Jisoo understands, as do I and everyone else.” 

“I know Mingyu, and I’m grateful for that. But…it’s something worse, Gyu.” He cries, his vision blurry as he pulls his knees to his chest. Seokmin buries his head in his knees, and feels himself retreating inside further and further, hoping that when he looks up all these problems would just magically disappear. 

Mingyu puts an arm on his back. “You can tell me. It’s always better when it comes out. That’s what you tell Chan too, don’t you?” 

“Yeah.” Seokmin smiles tearily. Taking a breath in, he musters up all the strength within himself. “I think…I think I might have feelings for Jisoo, Mingyu. And I feel disgusting. He’s married, he’s going to become one of Korea’s top lawyers, and I’m just…Seokmin, but most of all, he’s still taking our home away from us, Gyu. How can this be happening?” 

Ah, Mingyu thinks. That explains a lot. “Seokmin, I’m not mad or disgusted, I just want to tell you that, alright? Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.” 

“About Jisoo,” he keeps his tone as calm as possible, letting Seokmin pour all his anger and frustrations out. “There are lots of reasons why this might happen. For starters, he’s a great guy isn’t he? He’s smart, kind, good with the kids, Chan adores him, and what Chan thinks matters a big deal to you. He’s attractive, I’m sure you know that. He’s a good person, he’s a hard worker, and is going above and beyond for us.” 

He turns to Seokmin. “Don’t see yourself liking him as a betrayal. If anyone ever says that to you, tell me. They won’t get free food from me for a month.” 

Seokmin laughs a little. “Don’t do that please, I don’t want that.” 

Mingyu nods. “Alright. But if you change your mind, the offer stands.” 

“About Jisoo being married however…” The mood becomes solemn again. 

“Gyu, can I tell you something?” 

“Of course.” 

“Promise me you won’t repeat it to anyone, not even Wonwoo.” 

“Jeon?” Mingyu feigns offence as he gasps dramatically. “No way. But seriously, I promise.” 

“I can’t tell you everything, but Jisoo did open up once that…things with his wife…you know.” 

“Oh, Seokmin.” Seokmin hears the pity in Mingyu’s voice, and he hates it, but what else could Mingyu possibly feel? 

“Marriages can be so complicated, and sometimes they’re stronger than we think. People stay together for all kinds of reasons, and sometimes, even if they’re going through a rough patch, they still stay on, you know?” 

“I know. I feel disgusting for thinking that–” 

“You’re not disgusting, it’s alright. But this does mean that…well it doesn’t mean it, but I would advise you to slowly get over him. If nothing else, this will save you the heartbreak.” 

“How do I go about that, Gyu?” It’s heartbreaking, overwhelming and daunting all at once, as Seokmin glances out into the big, black sea and instantly finds it almost staggering how the sea is so deep and vast. 

“What about some time and distance away? Take a trip, ask Jun and Minghao to take you somewhere.” 

“We have six more weeks with Jisoo, I want to be here.” Seokmin answers. “And besides, that could also mean six more weeks…with Sebong-do.” 

The words send a chill down Mingyu’s spine, but he tries his best to remain unfazed. “In that case…getting to know him better may not be bad too. Sometimes the more we find out about a person, the less we like them. You just idealise them less when you get to know the real them. If you’re worried about things being awkward, just avoid being alone with him too much. If it’s you, him, and Chan that would work. If you need me to come over, I’ll be there too.” 

“Thank you Mingyu, I appreciate it.” 

“Take it one day at a time, okay? That has worked well so far, hasn’t it?” 

Seokmin supposes it has. He stands up slowly, and holds a hand out to Mingyu. “Can you believe we used to be the same height?” 

“Everyone says that to me,” Mingyu laughs. “I guess the Kim family genetics get activated during puberty.” 

As Seokmin stretches, Mingyu asks. “Do you want to talk to Jisoo? To make amends for what has passed.” 

“Yes, I should do that.” 

“Do you want me there?” Mingyu asks again. 

“Having you nearby would be great. Thank you so much Gyu, I owe you one.” 

“It’s alright,” Mingyu smiles, and Seokmin finds himself admiring how easy-going, open and generous Mingyu is. He’s always been this way, but as a child, Mingyu was petty at times. He still is now to be honest, but Seokmin finds himself feeling very proud of his friend. 

“I love you Mingyu.” 

Mingyu swings an arm around him. “Love you too, Seokmin.” 

–

“We’re going to BOOSAN! Boo Seungkwan in Boosan! And Lee Chan and Chwe Hansol!” 

The following Monday, the boat is a roar of activities as the children eagerly chat about Busan, Chan and Seungkwan insisting that they had to be with Hansol for moral support. Wonwoo discusses the diagnostic test with Hansol’s parents, while Seokmin and Jeonghan talk, Jisoo working beside them on his laptop. Technically, Jisoo does not need to be here but Hansol asked him if he could come, and Jisoo could not refuse.

Jisoo finds himself more relaxed now that things with Seokmin are back to some sense of normalcy. 

“I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting the past few days. Something personal came up, and I was overwhelmed. But I’m alright now.” The weight in his heart was instantly lifted but Jisoo still found a certain stress weighing on him. Nonetheless, Jisoo was still happy, smiling as he told Seokmin to ask if he ever needed anything. Jisoo meant it, truthfully, but he still feared that Seokmin would turn on him again. 

“Alright I will.” For his own sake, and because Jisoo wants to be happy, he tries not to focus on that fear.

“Seokmin, should we go over today’s lesson plan?” Jeonghan breaks the silence next to Jisoo, snapping him out of his thoughts. Seokmin nods. Since Chan and Seungkwan wanted to go to Busan, Seokmin and Jeonghan decided to plan a field trip of sorts so they could do some learning too. 

Upon arriving at Busan at 9 am, Wonwoo and Jisoo, at Hansol’s special request, follow the Chwes to the clinic while Jeonghan and Seokmin take Chan and Seungkwan around Busan. It’s left unsaid to the children of course, but a key reason for this is also to familiarise them with what would most likely become their new home. 

It is a beautiful day when they arrive and tour the city centre before Jeonghan brings them into the train station to learn the routes. 

“Can you take a picture hyung?” Seungkwan asks Seokmin. “Hansol would love these maps more than we do.”

Case in point, Chan has already been attracted to a glowing advertisement for toys while Seungkwan yawns for the fifth time in the fifteen minutes since they've gotten to the station.

“Should we go to the beach then?” Jeonghan asks, ready to ditch their lesson plan. 

Seungkwan shakes his head. “We can't go without Hansol.”

They decide to continue touring the area and the cultural village before Hansol’s appointment ends. After the first day of Hansol’s tests, everyone meets for lunch nearby. “We’re planning to go the beach this afternoon,” Jeonghan shares. “Do you guys want to come along?” 

“You guys go ahead,” Wonwoo answers. “I’m meeting up with Hayeon.”

“Hayeon,” both Jeonghan and Seokmin frown, trying to recall the name. “Oh, your friend from medical school?” 

Wonwoo nods. “She’s on holiday in Busan for a while. I’m thinking of bringing her back to Sebong-do too if you all don’t mind.” 

“Of course not, I remember her. He was a good friend to you,” Jeonghan answers. 

The children, too young to remember Hayeon, look on curiously. “I’m fine too, and I think no one would really have a problem,” Seokmin tries to hold back a laugh when he shares a look with Jeonghan. This was going to be fun. 

In the afternoon, after splitting from Wonwoo,everyone else heads to the beach. As the children play in the water with Jeonghan, Jisoo finds himself sitting beside Seokmin. 

“I’m really, truly sorry and I mean it when I say it was something personal,” Seokmin tells him. I didn’t go back to hating you or anything like that.” 

Jisoo nods. “It’s alright.” 

“If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, tell me?” 

“You really don’t have to.” Jisoo places a hand on Seokmin’s shoulder, turning so he can face Seokmin. “You’ve already done a lot for me.” 

Jisoo sees something flicker in Seokmin’s eyes, but it’s soon gone. Seokmin turns back to the sea. “Have you been here before? When you were a child and all.” 

“Once or twice, when my parents wanted to visit business partners. They aren’t exactly beach lovers.” 

“You should go and join the rest. I’ll look after our belongings,” Seokmin says. “Go enjoy Busan.”

Jisoo stands up, dusting off the sand on his pants before holding his hand out to Seokmin. “You too, and don’t worry about the belongings. Mr and Mrs Chwe are here too.” 

Seokmin smiles, taking his hand, letting it go once he stands up. Though it is the middle of July, the seawater is still cold and rejuvenating when the waves wash up on Jisoo’s feet. Next to him, Seokmin calls out to the children, pointing at the seagulls flying overhead. As the waves blow by, they ruffle Seokmin’s hair lightly. He’s dressed in a white shirt and beige shorts, and as he watches the gulls, his face is upturned towards the sun, a carefree smile on his face. 

For a moment Jisoo stands there, just watching, a feeling of warmth creeping its way into his heart. 

Chapter Text

Exhausted from the day out in Busan with Seungkwan and Hansol, Chan falls asleep soon after they get home from dinner. Dinner itself was delicious. Jisoo bought grilled seafood just before they left Busan and Mingyu served it with rice and spicy noodles. At night, Jisoo has no choice but to go back to agonising over his weekly report while Seokmin makes tea for them in the kitchen. 

Compensation for Islanders on Sebong-do 

Item                                                       Cost

Access to fishing grounds

Access to rice fields 

Access to free electricity

Moving costs 

Maintenance fees for living in Busan (Monthly for the first year) 

Psychological stress * (check Korean Law) 

Notes: 

Out of all the adults, those that concern me are Mingyu, Seokmin Jun and Minghao. The rest have specialised degrees and should be able to find work. But these four do not.

Jisoo sighs. Yong Corporations was right in saying that he was doing a bad job. He doesn’t even know what degrees Jun and Minghao have. He makes a note on his phone to speak to them again tomorrow before going on to legal research, hoping that there would be legal precedence for generous payouts in similar cases. 

“Here.” Seokmin sets Jisoo’s cup before him before sitting at the other side of the table. 

“Thank you.” 

He watches as Seokmin pulls out a book from his bag and opens it before going back to his laptop. They sit for the next two hours or so in silence, Jisoo noting down compensation in similar past cases for comparison. When he’s done, it’s midnight. Standing up to stretch, Jisoo notices that Seokmin isn’t reading, but is instead looking at the table, deep in thought. “You alright?”

Seokmin jumps. “Me?...yeah. I was just a little sleepy.” He stands up and brings their cups to the sink, Jisoo following after him to help wash them. 

“You don’t have to stay up if you’re sleepy,” Jisoo says. “Thank you though, for keeping me company.”

“It’s alright, I did want to stay up.” The next two days pass this way. Between teaching in the mornings and working in the afternoon and evening, as things calm down in Sebong-do, Jisoo finally has long uninterrupted periods where he can just focus on his work. It’s almost like Seoul, except here the sea and the islanders keep him company, and that makes it a little more bearable. 

Jisoo has just sent the first few pages of his draft compensation proposal to Yong Corporations in the evening when Seokmin and Chan prepare to head out. “Wonwoo and the Chwes are almost back.” Eager to check in on Hansol too, Jisoo joins them, heading down to the pier. “This is going to be entertaining,” Seokmin whispers to him. 

“Really?”

“Mhm, you’ll see.” He grins. 

“Hansol-ah!” As the boat approaches the dock, Seungkwan and Chan cheer excitedly, neither of them having been separated from their friend for so long. The boatman ties the boat to the jetty and Wonwoo pays the fare before stepping out and helping the rest. “Hansol!” Chan and Seungkwan run to him while Mr and Mrs Chwe follow behind. Jisoo watches as Wonwoo smiles and holds out his hand to one more person. A woman steps out of the boat, dressed in sneakers, a white blouse, and a black floral skirt. Her long hair falls around her shoulders, lightly curled, and she smiles brightly, talking to Wonwoo as they walk down the pier. 

“Who is that?” Seungkwan asks Hansol. “Did you bring your doctor from Busan?” 

Hansol shakes his head. “That’s Wonwoo hyung’s friend, Miss Hayeon.” 

“Oh.” 

Hayeon spots the children and bends down to say hi. “You must be Seungkwan and Chan, Hansol told me about you both.” 

Chan waves at her curiously while Seungkwan musters up his confidence, standing as tall as he can. “Are you from Busan?” 

She nods. “I run a pediatrics clinic there, a clinic for children.” 

“So you do injections?” Seungkwan asks warily. Next to him, Chan shudders too. 

Hansol taps them both on the shoulder lightly. “Be nice to Miss Hayeon, okay? She helped us a lot in Busan and Wonwoo hyung stayed at her house so we could save some money.” 

“Thank you Miss Hayeon!” Chan smiles at her and Seungkwan bows and thanks her too, but there is something he cannot quite shake off. Walking over to Jisoo and Seokmin, he asks softly. “Is Miss Hayeon Wonwoo hyung’s new girlfriend? What is Mingyu hyung going to think?” 

Jisoo and Seokmin can only share a smile. “Don’t worry about Mingyu hyung, he’ll be fine.” Seokmin ruffles his hair. 

Or maybe not. 

“Mingyu, it’s so good to see you again!” Hayeon shakes his hand and Mingyu is surprisingly cooperative. They hug, and Mingyu has a charming, warm smile on his face. 

“Likewise, Hayeon.” 

It’s now evening, and a few of the islanders are gathered at Mingyu’s for dinner. 

Turning to Wonwoo, who looks stunned but pleasantly surprised, Mingyu grins and winks, sliding a hand across Wonwoo’s chest as he walks off. 

“Just what on earth is happening here…” Jeonghan mutters, horrified. Jisoo and Seokmin too cannot peel their eyes away from the scene. Wonwoo is all but pink when Hayeon walks over to him. “Mingyu has matured a little.” 

“Yeah…huh?” Shaking his head, Mingyu gestures to the table where a few of the adults are seated. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” 

There is an empty seat beside Seokmin and Jisoo where she sits down. “Ah, I remember Seokmin. The last time I visited, you were still finishing up your degree and Chan was still a toddler. He’s so big now!” 

Seokmin nods. “Thank you so much for helping Hansol this time when his family was in Busan, and for the previous times too.” Turning to Jisoo, he explains. “Hayeon helped Wonwoo with the clinic. Since her parents are doctors too, she used her connections to get us a lot of supplies and equipment.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Seokmin. That’s all in the past.” Turning to Jisoo, she asks, “And you are?” 

Next to Hayeon, Wonwoo’s esteemed friend who has done a lot for the island, Jisoo’s title as “Yong Corporations’ Lawyer” is unbearably humiliating. Nonetheless, he still answers her. 

“Ah.” The smile on her face falters a little but she still maintains it politely, briefly glancing towards Seokmin. 

“I know what you’re thinking, Hayeon, and it isn’t like that. Jisoo has actually been doing a lot for us.” Hearing Seokmin rush to his defense, Jisoo feels incredibly grateful and touched. In this short period of time, he has made friends who are kind, loyal and protective of him. 

“So Wonwoo wasn’t just being naive,” Hayeon nods contemplatively. “I’m sorry,” she explains to Jisoo. “It’s just that with your position on the island, I couldn’t help but think you were here to cause trouble.” 

“Naturally, it’s alright.” Wonwoo mentioned him too? Speaking of Wonwoo, he looks like he has the life sucked out of him as he sits quietly, barely reacting to anything around him. 

“Food’s here!” Mingyu comes out with a small gas stove, a pan with chewy seafood noodles in spicy broth on top. “It must have been a long trip here for you guys,” he answers, specially nodding in Hayeon’s direction. “You must try this Hayeon!” 

“Thank you Mingyu!” 

“With the way he’s smiling, do you think the food is poisoned?” Jisoo overhears Jeonghan whispering to Seokmin. 

“I need to have a conversation with Gyu later,” Seokmin sighs. “I’m concerned but also…so curious.” 

Walking over to Wonwoo, he ruffles his hair, winking again. “Tell me if any of you need anything else, yeah?” 

“Someone just gouge my eyes out, please.” Soonyoung groans. 

Wonwoo buries his head in his hands and lets out a loud sigh. 

“I think…Mingyu just broke Wonwoo.” 

– 

Hayeon stays with the Jeons over the next couple of days, mainly helping him at the clinic. In the mornings, she also visits the schoolhouse to teach the children and the children do rather like her. “I was scared of you at first,” Seungkwan admits. “You looked like Beyonce and I was quite amazed.” 

“Woah, really? I’m so honoured,” Hayeon laughs, as do Seokmin and Jisoo. Over lunch breaks, Jisoo and Seokmin get to talk to her too. An adventurous, free-spirited person, it turns out, Hayeon initially met Wonwoo in their university’s outdoors club, which Wonwoo joined so he could still visit nature areas while studying in Seoul. She was juggling work in Busan and mountaineering overseas but quickly came back to Korea once she heard of the re-development. 

“Your love for the outdoors explains a lot. When you first came to the island, we were so impressed that you were willing to try everything from rice planting, fishing to plumbing.”

“I definitely wasn’t very good at it, but thank you for letting me try.” Their lunches are filled with exciting travelling stories. Jun and Minghao also drop by for lunch and chat with her, adding their own takes on some of the places they visited. 

“Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend?” Jun asks. “The four of us should go travelling sometime.” 

Hayeon shakes her head. “I’m loving the single life. But I can bring a friend with me.” 

Later in the day, when Jisoo is teaching English, Seokmin finds him sitting alone with Hayeon. “Hayeon, could I ask you a question? I apologise if it’s offensive but I’m concerned for my friend.” 

“Ask away.” 

“Do you happen to…have feelings for Wonwoo?” 

She shakes her head. “Nope, never did. Besides, he’s always been head over heels for Mingyu.” 

“You knew?” Seokmin gasps. 

Hayeon laughs. “Of course.” 

Hayeon always paid attention to the quiet boy in their outdoors club, interested in getting to know him better. Most of the members were like her, born and raised in the city, but he mentioned he was from Sebong-do, an island far off the coast of Busan. Wonwoo was always diligent, and great with his hands, be it in tying knots, dressing wounds, or preparing firewood for their campsites. It took a lot of effort and many conversations but Hayeon was touched when Wonwoo finally opened up to her and they became friends. 

Years later, Wonwoo would let her know he was grateful she tried so hard, as he did want a friend but was afraid she wasn’t sincere. “Without you, I don’t know if I would have found the confidence to approach others in SNU.” 

It was their first year of medical school, and the Christmas holiday was approaching on the day of their last meeting for the semester. Hayeon herself was elated, her parents having planned a ski trip in Chamonix. 

“Take lots of pictures!” 

“Bring me along next time!”

“Don’t forget about the lifeskills I taught you!” A senior lectured her jokingly. “Okay, sunbae.” Out of the corner of her eye, Hayeon noticed Wonwoo sitting quietly in a corner. 

“Everything okay?” She asked. 

Wonwoo tried to deny it, but Hayeon noticed the photo on his phone, a picture of Wonwoo and another boy with fluffy messy hair and a gummy smile. Their arms were around each other, and the other boy was grinning mischievously at Wonwoo while Wonwoo looked straight ahead at the camera with a picture-perfect smile. “That’s my best friend and arch nemesis, Mingyu. I don’t know if…we’ll be able to spend Christmas this year together.” 

“How much does it cost to go back?” 

“Hayeon…you don’t have to.” 

“No seriously, money isn’t an issue. I’ve got you both, okay?” 

“I know Mingyu isn’t the most fond of me right now,” Hayeon explains to Seokmin. “But he owes me big time at his wedding.” 

“Oh he definitely does.” Both amused and touched by the story of how Mingyu and Wonwoo got to come home during college, Seokmin thanks her profusely. “I’m sure Wonwoo has said it before, but seriously, thank you Hayeon. Wonwoo is so lucky to have a friend like you.” 

“We’re always arguing. Mingyu will roll these big snowballs and we’ll have a fight right outside his parents' restaurant. It actually hurts when they hit your face, it’s wet, icy and obviously it hurts your nose, but when you’re laughing and smiling so hard you don’t mind at all. Mingyu makes the best hot chocolate and cookies, and on Christmas Eve we like to stay up the whole night in his room, just watching the snow fall. It’s one of the rare times we aren’t bickering, and as much as bickering with Mingyu is something I’ve come to…love, watching the snow fall with your best friend is so magical.” 

Watching the dark snowy winter sky from all the way over in Chamonix, some eight hours behind Korea, Hayeon was beyond elated and curious about the budding romance story between her new university friend and his childhood best friend–and arch nemesis, Wonwoo would have added. 

“I think I’ve always known since then.” Hayeon sighs. “I have to say, I’m a little disappointed that they’re still dancing around their relationship after so long.” 

“Me too, it’s exasperating.” 

“You know,” Hayeon whispers to him. “I’ve been thinking about using Mingyu’s jealousy to get them together. Maybe I should have done it the last time, but Mingyu is acting so…weirdly this time. I would have thought they were already together if not for the fact that I asked Wonwoo.” 

“You asked him? Up front?”

“Yeah,” she shrugs, chuckling. “Each time I meet him it's just ‘So, are you and Mingyu together yet?’ And Wonwoo’s all red and says ‘What are you talking about?’ before doing that thing where he complains about Mingyu but it doesn’t quite sound like complaining–” 

“But more like he’s in love?” Wonwoo does that too? “You really need to come more often.” Seokmin can’t help laughing at this point, already feeling a little sad that Hayeon would only spend a few days here. 

“I’ll try my best to, but for now, let’s try to get Mingyu and Wonwoo together once and for all. What do you say?” 

“I’m in.” 

Chapter Text

“Mingyu, hey! Yeah it’s Min, I’ve been hanging out with Hayeon. About Hayeon, did you know she’s hilarious? She also told me she and Wonwoo are having breakfast tomorrow at Wonwoo’s balcony. You know Wonwoo’s house overlooks the cliffs right? Gyu…I think I kind of ship them! Don’t you?” 

It’s working. Good job Seokmin.  

“So, Hayeon, what brings you here again ?” Breakfast at the Jeon house is an extremely interesting affair. For starters, Kim Mingyu shows up and before Hayeon can react, sits himself down right beside Wonwoo and places an arm around his shoulder. Wonwoo is trying to eat, appearing as unfazed as he can be, while Mingyu and Hayeon are locked in a staring contest. 

Ah! I wish you could take pictures. All the best!

Hayeon smiles sweetly. “I just wanted to see everyone of course.” 

“Mm…” Mingyu squints at her. “If so, kindly go have breakfast with everyone and not just Wonwoo,” he laughs. “If not, people may think you’re only here for Wonwoo.” 

“So what if they think that way?” Mingyu chokes on his coffee, or rather, Wonwoo’s coffee that he took a sip of. “What do you think, Wonwoo oppa?” Wonwoo feels a headache coming on. Since when did Hayeon become as insane as Kim Mingyu? 

“Yah! Oppa?” Incensed, Mingyu shoots her a dirty glare. “Why would you say that? You…”

“He said I could call him that–” 

“I don’t like it,” Mingyu retorts, folding his arms over his chest. “Look at the time,” he glances at his non-existent watch. “Don’t you have to go teach the children? I’m sure you don’t want to let them down, do you?” He smiles sadly. 

What a brat! Hayeon thinks. Luckily for him, she’s good natured. Besides, he’ll be repaying her big time soon. 

“It’s a Sunday. Wonwoo and I have lots of plans today, right?” 

“She’s ri–”

“He’s busy, sorry.” Mingyu declares, a tone of finality in his voice. 

“I am?” “He is?” 

Mingyu brings his hand to his forehead, wincing loudly. “Ah! Wonwoo, my headache came back again. We should go to your clinic right now!” 

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo looks at him, beyond confused. Just what is this mess? 

“Just admit it Mingyu,” Hayeon tilts her head towards him. “You don’t like me being alone with Wonwoo because…you like him, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” Mingyu looks at her, eyes full of determination and rebellion 

Hayeon smiles triumphantly as Wonwoo turns bright pink. “You…you like me?” 

Mingyu freezes, eyes going wide, stuttering. “I…I meant, I like you…for my sister! Don’t tell me you forgot about Jiyun already! I can’t believe you are two- timing her right here!” 

Hayeon resists the urge to scream. 

Seokmin! He’s hopeless! 

Which one? 

“I’m not with Jiyun, Mingyu. We’re just friends. So are Hayeon and I, and that’s the same as…you and I, right?” 

BOTH. 

– 

Soon, the time comes for Hayeon to return to Busan. To celebrate, the night before, the adults hold a small party at the beach. “I’m sorry Seokmin, I really tried.” 

Seokmin shakes his head. “It’s alright. At the end of the day, they’ll just have to reach breaking point and admit it themselves. I think you already did pretty well.”

Everyone shares grilled seafood and a few beers, though after grilling everything and distributing the food, Mingyu seems to have had more than a few beers. “I’ll go check on him,” Seokmin says, but Wonwoo beats him to it. 

“Mingyu-ah! How many have you had?” 

Mingyu looks up at him, dazed and cheeks dusted with a layer of pink. “Yah, why do you care?” 

“Come on, we’ve talked about this before. You know what I’ve seen in the hospitals, so please, drinking doesn’t solve anything.” Wonwoo tries to pry the bottle out of Mingyu’s hand. “Mingyu.” 

“I can clean up by myself.” He stands up, a little unsteady and walks over to the grill where he left his broom and a few other cleaning supplies. “Mingyu,” Wonwoo runs after him. “Just sit down, you’re already drunk.” 

“Am not.” Mingyu continues sweeping at the air comically. “Just give this to me,” Wonwoo snatches the broom from Mingyu but Mingyu pulls it back immediately, causing the broom to hit Wonwoo’s leg as he loses his balance, falling forward, his head heading right for Mingyu’s face. “Hey…be careful, won’t you?” Mingyu catches him just in time and Wonwoo feels his breath hitch, realising that they are barely inches apart from each other. He quickly steadies himself and moves apart, standing up straight so he can meet Mingyu’s eyes. 

Mingyu looks at him with a fondness that Wonwoo has never noticed but somehow finds all too familiar. His eyes are glossy but sincere, as he reaches his hand out and touches Wonwoo’s cheek. “Handsome.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Wonwoo-yah, you’ve always been handsome.” 

“You too,” Wonwoo says, brows furrowed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. “Mingyu…we–” 

Mingyu places a finger to his lips. “Hayeon wasn’t wrong just now. I do like you, Wonwoo-yah, a lot. I love you. For a very very long time now. You annoy me so much sometimes, but I’m so proud of you and the person you’ve become.” 

“Gyu?” He’s just drunk, isn’t he? Alarm bells go off in Wonwoo’s head as he tries to find a way out for the both of them, but Mingyu only inches closer. You love me a lot, as a friend? Right?

And closer. Wonwoo can smell the beer in his breath, and Mingyu is clearly intoxicated, but something about this seems so genuine and deep down, Wonwoo knows he wants this too. 

“Can I kiss you?” Mingyu asks. For a moment, they lock eyes, and Mingyu’s evidently nervous, and excited and in love all at once, his eyes vulnerable yet filled with a deep longing. 

“Yes.” Mingyu presses his lips to Wonwoo’s, and Wonwoo wraps his arms around Mingyu, kissing him back. He’s been an idiot, they both have been. Nothing else had ever felt quite this right and only idiots like them would have deprived themselves of this. 

“Hallelujah, praise the gods!” Hayeon cheers from her hiding spot and so does Seokmin, tears of happiness and relief welling up in his eyes as he hugs Hayeon tightly. “We did it, freaking finally!” 

– 

Mingyu wakes up with a raging headache and a bitter taste in his mouth, cursing as he tries to recall the events of the night before. They were having grilled seafood as a farewell for Hayeon. Ugh, Hayeon. The thought of her instantly made his headache ten times worse. 

Then, they had a few beers and Mingyu got drunk trying to forget about the stupid rage in his heart when he saw Wonwoo and Hayeon together. After which, Wonwoo told him to stop drinking and…everything comes back to Mingyu and he feels his head reeling before he runs into the bathroom and throws up. 

Cursing, he quickly rinses his mouth, brushes and teeth and races out of the room, freezing when he sees Wonwoo and his parents sitting outside, looking very amused. Mingyu brings a hand up to his hair and apologises while trying his best to neaten it. “Wonwoo, can we talk outside?” 

He is hungover and numb but even that cannot mask the nervous pounding of Mingyu’s heart when he comes face to face with Wonwoo at his balcony. He’s quite sure his mother is spying on them, and anyone could walk past, but the scent of the sea is calming his mind and the sound of the waves on the shore not far behind him rise and fall soothingly, encouraging him to keep going. “About last night.” He takes a deep breath in. “I remember what happened.” 

Wonwoo nods. 

“And I want you to know that…this is still really scary to admit but…I meant it. I meant everything I said. And did.” 

“I know,” Wonwoo answers, smiling softly. “I feel the same way, Mingyu.” 

Mingyu’s eyes light up as he engulfs Wonwoo in a hug, warmth and relief flooding him at once. “I’m glad, I’m so happy you don’t even know.” 

Wonwoo smiles as they pull apart. “I love you, Jeon Wonwoo.” 

“I love you too, Kim Mingyu.” They stand that way, for a few moments, smiling like fools until Mingyu breaks the silence. “You can kiss me, you know? I brushed my teeth.” 

Wonwoo laughs, doing just that. 

“Everyone is going to have so much to say about this, I just know it,” Wonwoo says when they’ve finished a very…interesting (awkward) breakfast with Mingyu’s parents where no one said anything about what happened but Wonwoo and Mingyu are certain they already know. 

 “They will,” Mingyu flushes. “But we did put them through it too, didn’t we?” 

“That’s what I love about you,” Wonwoo replies quietly. “You’re so stubborn. It’s quite adorable.” 

Mingyu looks around and presses a chaste kiss to his cheek. “You too. But that’s what makes you a good doctor to all of us.” 

As they walk to work together, Mingyu can’t help but feel that life just got quite a bit sweeter.

–

“The betting pool failed!” While Jeonghan is teaching the next day, Soonyoung runs into his classroom. “We were all correct in some sort of weird way.There was a confession before the actual confession, and then Mingyu hyung tripped Wonwoo hyung with a broom, and it was a drunk confession!” 

They all look at him, confused for a second. “Wonwoo and Mingyu hyung are together. For real this time.” 

The classroom erupts into cheers. “I owe Seungcheol two hundred dollars which is awful but this is great news!” Jeonghan exclaims, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Soonyoung grins at the children. “See? I told you Jeonghan hyung does betting too.” 

“I wouldn’t,” Hansol shakes his head. “It’s still irrational.” 

“Mhm, you’re very sensible Hansol,” Soonyoung praises him. “Make sure you take care of Chan and Seungkwan.” 

“But if we all bet correctly, what prizes do we get?” Seungkwan asks. 

That answer came in the form of a celebratory lunch feast hosted by Mingyu and Wonwoo’s parents. “It took both of you long enough!” Mingyu’s sister, Jiyun, shouted at him from over the phone. 

“Mhm, please talk softly. I am still recovering from that hangover,” Mingyu replies while Wonwoo shoves him gently. 

Hayeon comes over and Mingyu instantly tenses, but she just laughs. “Relax, Mingyu.”

“So,” she says, sitting down from across them. “What did you think about my strategy to get you together?” 

Mingyu blinks. “So you don’t actually…like Wonwoo in that way?” 

“No, sorry for yesterday, Wonwoo, but someone had to. And I’m glad I did.” 

Mingyu instantly goes red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, and thank you Hayeon. Have you…always…”

“Been trying to make you jealous?” Hayeon shakes his head. “I always knew you felt the same way about Wonwoo, it was pretty obvious. But I never tried to do anything until this time. Ah, I should have tried earlier.” She shakes her head.

“I am seriously sorry for how I acted yesterday.” 

“It’s alright. Anyone would have acted that way in your situation. Congratulations,you two!” 

As an eventful week passes. Hayeon returns to Busan, Wonwoo and Mingyu are incredibly happy, and after the celebration winds down, Mingyu asks Seokmin for a chat at the pier at sunset. 

“I am so happy for you, Gyu.”Seokmin tells him. “Help me tell Wonwoo congratulations too.” 

“Mhm, I will.” Seokmin raises an eyebrow when he realises the new bracelet around Mingyu’s wrist but says nothing. Mingyu and Wonwoo really deserve this. 

“I wanted to thank you too,” Mingyu says. “Hayeon told me what happened and from your call that night I know you were in on it too.”

“You’re welcome, Gyu.” 

They fall into a comfortable silence, watching as the light of the sun spills into the endless and boundless sea. “How have you been? If you want to talk about it, that is.” 

“You know Hayeon is actually pretty attentive,” Seokmin says. 

“I’ve realised.” Mingyu pauses. “She caught on about Jisoo?” 

Seokmin nods. “How did that happen? You are fond of him, but so are most of us. I never found you liking him obvious.”

“She said it wasn’t.” Mingyu heaves a sigh of relief for his friend. “We just talked about Jisoo because she was concerned about his intentions, as I was in the past. That’s how she caught on. I guess I do like him quite a bit, even now.” 

Mingyu feels guilty watching Seokmin suffer with the recent success in his own love life. Yet, he finds that giving advice on Seokmin’s predicament is out of his depth. “Did she say anything?” 

“She said something similar to what you did, that he does seem to be a genuinely good person. But of course, we can’t be together. She did say something more though.” 

“Mhm?” 

“Jisoo comes from high society, and getting in the way of his marriage would essentially mean upsetting lots of important people.” Everything about this situation is depressing and makes him incredibly dejected, bringing up old wounds that he desperately tries to bury deep within him. 

“Is that a ‘high society’ thing in general? Or…”

“Well, Jisoo’s marriage is arranged, he told me that. In that case, it is obviously based on the wishes of the Hongs and whoever his wife’s family is.” It is a high society thing in general, and Seokmin hates that he has to confront it all again. 

“I just really want you to be careful. The only way you could be together with him is if there is a complete, clean break from his family. You know, just in the event that he confesses to you or likes you back…don’t agree to be with him unless there is a clean break. If not, who knows what might happen? They may protect his reputation and leave you to take the fall.” 

Mingyu sighs. “It is a scary world we live in. We’ll have to face it soon.” 

“Maybe moving to Busan is better than resisting, Gyu. In Busan we’ll still get to be ordinary people. It’s still better than being harassed by these corporations, don’t you think?” Mingyu nods. “I’m starting to think so. I think…I’m slowly accepting that we’ll have to leave. Before that, let’s document everything, shall we? Every nook and cranny, every memory, all our favourite spots on the beach. Everyone can do it together, and these photos and videos can still keep us company.”

“Yeah,” Seokmin begins to cry, as does Mingyu, while the sun slowly sinks into the sea. 

Under the twilight sky, Seokmin tells Mingyu the last of his conversation with Hayeon. 

“What do you think of his personality?” 

“He’s humble, kind, hardworking and intelligent. But Jisoo feels…out of reach sometimes.” 

“Seokmin, can I?”

Seokmin nods. 

“To me, he’s not in the position to think about love. I doubt it really crosses his mind. He’s swamped. By work, for starters, he’s always working. I’m sure there are expectations and pressure from home too. Also, from talking to him and you, there’s definitely a moral conflict there too, about what he’s doing with Sebong-do. This dilemma he has is consuming him. There’s nothing wrong with having troubles, but you deserve someone who can be present for you, you know?” 

Dear Jisoo, I can wait. I’ll wait for as long as it takes. Will that be enough? 

Chapter Text

From : Yong Corporations Pte Ltd

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

RE : [Highly Sensitive] [Classified] Redacted Document on Persons of Interest on Sebong-do 

  Warning : Do not open this email if you are not its intended recipient. Doing so will be a breach of the Official Secret Act and legal action will be taken against you. 

   This document was previously redacted to ensure that you maintained cordial relationships with the islanders. However, now that your stay is about to end and your final report deadline is approaching, this information will serve you well. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd. 

Persons of Interest : Lee Seokmin (Lee Dokyeom ) , Lee Chan (Lee Dino) 

Father : Lee Dongwon

Mother : Lee Shin-Ah 

Report

Lee Seokmin was the heir-apparent to LDW Co., one of Korea’s top business conglomerates. Lee Dongwon wanted to protect the identities of his children, and had them go by their second name while keeping their real first names private. Hence, Lee Dokyeom refers to Lee Seokmin and Lee Dino refers to Lee Chan. 

Lee Seokmin was disowned and cut from the family behind closed doors after a series of events which we think is aptly described through the following headlines at that time:  

What has Become of this Country? : Chaebol Heir Lee Dokyeom Suspended from Top High School for Bullying, Harassment and Assault.  

  A certain Chaebol Heir, Mr. Lee Dokyeom, is currently enrolled at one of the country’s top high schools and has been suspended for viciously bullying and assaulting his classmates. His father, Lee Dongwon, is the CEO of LDW Co., one of the top businesses in the country…

Enough is Enough. Chaebol Heir Lee Dokyeom is a Vicious Bully in Top Seoul High School 

BREAKING : Ungrateful, Rotten Chaebol Heir Lee Dokyeom Slaps Father at Public Event 

Due to the close ties between Yong Corporations and LDW Co., Yong Corporations was able to verify that Lee Dokyeom is indeed Lee Seokmin. 

Lee Seokmin was given an annual allowance and sent abroad but he refused and instead fled to Sebong-do with his then baby brother, Lee Chan, who was barely a year old. They have been living there since. It is unclear if Lee Seokmin has continued to receive this annual allowance and has bribed the islanders into letting him stay there. Is Sebong-do is just as corrupted as the rest of Korea?  Besides, isn’t it better that Sebong-do becomes a resort instead of a haven for rotten Chaebol children? 

Second-generation Chaebol Scumbag Lee Dokyeom : Parental Abuse, Bullying and Teen Pregnancy Now Confirmed

Chapter Text

tw: swearing, mild violence 

Jisoo buries his hand in his hands. This portrayal of Seokmin couldn’t be further from the man he knows. Maybe it’s denial that is clouding his judgement but Jisoo can’t help but feel that something is wrong. He goes through the report again, writing down a list of questions. 

• What was Seokmin’s motive for bullying his classmates? 

• Why did Seokmin refuse the overseas payment, and choose Sebong-do of all places?

• Most importantly, why wasn’t any police report made when Seokmin fled with Chan then a baby? Was there no effort to find Chan? 

• Why did Yong Corporations make me live with Seokmin, if he was allegedly “violent” or “unreasonable”? 

He has no choice but to bring this up to Seokmin directly, as uncomfortable as it could be for the both of them. Since the week just started, they would both be busy with teaching. Ideally, Jisoo doesn’t want Chan to be around in case things got ugly. He decides to talk to Seokmin in the schoolhouse during Jeonghan’s lesson. 

They use Jihoon and Soonyoung’s classroom, Jisoo already asking Jeonghan beforehand, explaining he had an urgent matter to discuss with Seokmin. To his surprise, Jeonghan agreed without much hesitation. Closing the door on choosing a seat at the corner of the room, Jisoo beckons for Seokmin to sit next to him. “There’s something I need to show you. Before that, I want to say that I haven’t made my mind up about what’s been said and that I want to trust you.” 

“Alright.” Seokmin evidently looks nervous, and Jisoo hates that there is nothing he can say to make it better. 

He puts his laptop in front of Seokmin, and watches as his face instantly turns white. 

– 

Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, 2014 

“Thank you sir.” Bowing, Seokmin steps out of the Mercedes-Benz, stretching and sighing as he faces the prim white bungalow and its blue-paned windows. Today had been yet another exhausting day of school, Math Olympiad, singing lessons and intensive Korean cram classes. As midnight approaches, Seokmin finds himself starving and exhausted, wondering how exactly he’s supposed to survive three more years of this in high school. He unlocks the door and enters where one of the housemaids gestures to the kitchen, helping him pull out his seat at the dining table before warming up his dinner for him. He thanks her, and lies his head down on the table. 

When he was younger, he used to dream and imagine himself in a distant place by the sea, with a small house on the cliffs. The sea breeze would soothe his weary frame on days like these, inevitable even in the best of places. Life would be gentler to him if he was on his own, and maybe, if he was lucky, he would even be able to meet a few genuine and true friends. But now, in high school, with the CSAT looming overhead and schoolwork getting increasingly difficult and rigorous, even his ability to dream was fading. Seokmin can only sit, scrolling mindlessly through his phone as exhaustion seeps into his body. 

“Wah!” Seokmin sits up when he hears a baby crying, followed by his mother’s angry voice. “Dongwon, I cannot do this!” 

“Shin-ah!” He shouts back. “It is what it is now.” 

“And you expect the public to believe this? You may look like a fool, but I’m not going down with you.” 

Seokmin instantly feels his chest tighten. Hearing his parents' quarrel always had this suffocatingly stressful effect on him, that made the burden of schoolwork and all the other expectations they put on him that much harder to bear. 

“Seokmin.” They give him a brief nod when he runs up the stairs, too anxious. In his mother’s arms is a baby. But the expression on her face as she looks at the baby can only be described as one of disdain and sheer hatred.

“Who…who’s baby is this?” Seokmin looks frantically between his parents. His mother was not pregnant, which could only mean…

“Mine.” His heart sinks to the pit of his stomach in horror as he looks at his father's reply in such a matter-of-fact way. “You…cheated on Mother?” 

The stinging slap across his face reminds Seokmin that he should never, ever talk back to his father. Certainly not during a time like this. 

“You still haven’t told me. Who is the other woman?” In response to his mother’s scream, the baby starts crying loudly too, and she completely breaks down. Seokmin rushes in, taking the baby from his mother and waljs back to the entrance of the door, singing a lullaby to calm him down. He makes sure the baby’s face is facing away from his parents. “I’ll take care of him, please. If it means you both will be happier, I’ll do it.” 

“No you will not,” his father instructs him coldly. “One of the housemaids will do it, we will make her sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. When he’s old enough, he will be told that the housemaid is his mother, and we will reveal to the press that the Lee family willingly accepted a housemaid who was pregnant and brought her son up. Everything will be solved.” His face is filled with so much conceit that it makes Seokmin sick and painfully dejected that this is who his father is. Yet, some of this dissipates away when the baby, now happily snuggled up against Seokmin gurgles happily. Seokmin looks at the baby, his brother, and his heart can’t help but swell. 

“Seokmin don’t you look at him like that!” His mother shouts. “Just…get him out of my sight! Now!” 

Being in and out of the house for school and various classes seven days of the week means Seokmin has little time to see his little brother, Lee Chan. Fortunately, during any free pockets of time he has, the kind housemaid allows him to assist in taking care of him. From bathing Chan, changing his diapers, feeding him and playing with him, Seokmin grows increasingly fond of the boy. “He looks quite a bit like you when you were young,” the housemaid says and Seokmin can’t help but agree. They both have similar eyes, and the same bright smiles. When they are older, Seokmin tells himself he'll be Chan’s mentor and protector. Even if his parents treat him badly, Seokmin would always make sure that he is loved and cared for. 

Breaking News! Chaebol Fairytale Marriage Could End in Nasty Divorce

Sources report that the CEO of comapny A. has been caught in an extramarital affair and the woman has given birth to a child.   

Photos Leak of LDW Co. CEO Lee Dongwon and a Mystery Woman 

Who is the Mystery Woman in the LDW Co. Scandal? 

The news is everywhere all at once. In school, Seokmin can barely keep his head up as people he’s never even known suddenly seem to know more about his own family than he does. People whisper about him right behind his back and many give him looks. Some are filled with outright disdain, while others wear a look of pity, pretending to be sympathetic while asking him for more details. “Dokyeom-ah, is it true? What does the other woman look like? Is she like a fairytale stepmother? Pretty but evil?” 

Once, when Seokmin was asking his teacher a question, his computer buzzed with notifications–conversations with his friends about Seokmin’s family scandal, and Seokmin could only feel shame burn in his cheeks. 

Just In : LDW Co. CEO and Mistress had a Baby

The pictures flood in in the middle of class when suddenly, students start turning and whispering while staring at Seokmin. The teacher, frustrated, tries to stop them quite a few times but that does nothing to calm the growing dread in Seokmin’s heart. He knows that whatever has come out this time is bound to have been terrible. 

“Yah, Lee Dokyeom!” After class, a bunch of his classmates approach him when he’s trying to leave. “How does it feel like having a bastard brother?” Seokmin’s face turns bright red as he shoves his things into his bag, sheer fury threatening to spill out of him. All this while, he could still try to tolerate the remarks. But now, they were insulting Chan, a baby–his baby brother. 

“Yah, answer! I never liked you Chaebol types anyway. Everyone loves you because you’re rich, and handsome and I guess I would be smart too if my parents had endless money to pay for tuition.” A bunch of laughs and snickers echo throughout the classroom. “But now, I get to watch your downfall.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seokmin mumbles, trying to leave but he is blocked at the door. He glances up at the boy’s nametag, “Cho Bojun”. He brielfy remembers them working together a few times, and Bojun never gave him the impression that he hated him. In that moment, Seokmin realises just how quickly people can turn on him. 

Bojun grabs him by the collar. “What I’m trying to say is that you have a bastard brother. And it doesn’t matter how successful you are, people will only know you for your bastard brothe–AH! Lee Dokyeom you crazy fucker!” 

It was one punch, one that sent Cho Bojun flying across the room, hitting the corner of a sharp table and almost instantly losing consciousness. As blood trickles from Cho Bojun’s forehead, Seokmin breaks out in cold sweat, dread making him sick. “He really is crazy…” “Like father, like son, they say…” Instantly, he is surrounded by hundreds of flashing cameras and finds himself frozen in fear. 

The fallout is so terrible it feels surreal. But it only gets worse. “Pack your bags, you’re going to America,” His mother tells him one morning. “You’re finished here.”

“I don’t want to leave!” He starts panicking. “I’ve always been good, you know that. So please let me stay.” 

His mother shakes his head, and it scares Seokmin how cold and emotionless she is in that moment. “You have no choice.” 

Lee Dokyeom is a School Bully and Impregnated a Girl? LDW Co. Press Conference Tomorrow at 9 AM 

It seems that we may have misjudged the well-loved CEO Lee Dongwon after all, as sources now tell us that the baby is actually his son’s. Tthe mystery woman is the mother of Lee Dokyeom’s girlfriend who he impregnated. CEO Lee just met her so the two could decide how to proceed forward in the best interest of their children. 

“Did you do this?” Seokmin feels his vision beginning to blur as he holds on to the table. “Talk to me, Mother!” 

“So what if we did?” She asks. 

“How could you! You ruined my life!” Seokmin starts crying hysterically, betrayed, furious and above all, dejected. A part of him struggles to believe that this is even real at all.

“You know it’s for your own good. If we save your father’s reputation, he can support you abroad. If we don’t, our entire family is finished! So stop crying!” She yells at him. 

Seokmin runs out of his house, heading straight for his father’s office. By then, the press was already crowded outside, eager to get the scoop on the year’s biggest scandal. Just then, Seokmin spots his father coming out of the tall glass doors and the anger just possesses him. As his father is about to take a bow, Seokmin punches him across the face. “How could you, Father?” 

He expects anger, retalliation, or even a cold blank stare, even guards coming up to him and tackling him to the grown. Instead, he watches in horror as a crocodile tear slips down his father’s cheek, his face sorrowful as he bows his head. “I’m sorry my son, I have to do what is right.”

As the cameras flash in his face and murmurings fill his ears, Seokmin realises that he has been utterly betrayed by the very people who were supposed to love him more than anyone else.

Ungrateful Chaebol Heir is a Father Beater 

Parent Abuser, Bully, and Impregnated a Girl - Lee Dokyeom is South Korea’s Most Hated Teenager 

“Now will you go overseas?” His mother’s lips are pursed and his father’s hands are folded over his chest, satisfied that they just beat their son in this sick game. 

Seokmin is beyond exhausted from crying and heart hurts, so utterly disappointed. “What about Chan?” He asks weakly 

“We’ll put him up for adoption of course.” His father answers without stuttering. 

Tears roll down Seokmin’s cheeks as he shakes his head furiously. “How could you possibly be so cruel?” 

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” his father sighs, unfazed. “Go to your room, I hate seeing your pitiful face.” 

Chapter Text

It’s five forty-five AM and all of Seoul still seems to be mocking him in the cold early morning. With nothing but $100 and a bag of Chan’s essentials, Seokmin wraps his baby brother up in a coat and lifts him up into his arms. Chan is fortunately, soundly asleep. Tiptoeing to the door, he unlocks it carefully and as quietly as he can, stepping out. Once through, the cold air hits his face and Chan begins to stir. Acting fast, Seokmin closes the door, walks briskly to the gate, and unlocks it, and closes it behind him. 

He doesn’t look back, running as quickly as his legs can take him to the subway station for the first train to Seoul terminal. 

It is nine-thirty AM when Chan and Seokmin arrive in Busan, Chan giggling and happy to spend more time with Seokmin. He feeds Chan a snack and ignores his own hunger as they approach the jetty a stone’s throw away. There are various boats going to many different islands and for a moment, Seokmin is terrified and doesn’t know what he’s doing. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees a small bumboat and a middle-aged man waiting with a small signboard. “Sebong-do”

“Excuse me, what kind of island is Sebong-do like?” 

“There’s a small community of people, they’re quite nice. But no one really comes here, it’s not a holiday place.” 

It sounded perfect to Seokmin, too tired to think more. “Please take me to Sebong-do.” 

When he comes to the island, it looks deserted. Hesitantly, Seokmin gets off with Chan, his heart hammering in his chest. 

Seokmin turns back to the boatman, but he only shrugs and returns to the boat, untying it from the dock. Taking a deep breath in, Seokmin ventures down the pier, coming to Mingyu’s restaurant. 

“This one is A.” A young, pale teeanger is sitting at the table, pushing his glasses up onto his nose. From the corner, Seokmin heaves a sigh of relief when he realises that there are people on this island. 

“Really? Yeah, look here. This is actually an equilateral triangle.” The other boy next to him, with a bright gummy smile, looks at him, eyes full of admiration. “Wonwoo-yah, you’re actually very smart. Annoying, but smart.” 

The pale boy laughs. “You too Mingyu.” He shoves Mingyu back, and the shoving continues back and forth until Wonwoo notices Seokmin and Chan standing in a corner. “Hi!” He smiles at them. Seokmin nods nervously.

“Please take a seat. Can I get you anything?” Mingyu asks.

Seokmin shakes his head. “I just have one question. Is it possible to live here?” 

--

“That’s the story of how Chan and I came to be here,” Seokmin explains to Jisoo. “After that, Mingyu and Wonwo took me to their parents who helped support us. I used Wonwoo’s old notes to study for exams as a private candidate so that’s how I “finished” high school. Jeonghan and Seungcheol looked after Chan when I was in university as they were done with their degrees by then.” 

Jisoo writes the last of it down, and looks up at Seokmin. His head swirls with anger and disgust towards Lee Dongwon and Lee Shin-Ah, and in his rage, he vows to wreak vengeance on them when he returns to Seoul. Yet, upon noticing Seokmin’s terrified expression his hands gripping the side of the table, his face white, his heart softens.  “Thank you. For trusting me with this. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy story to tell.” 

“You believe me?” Seokmin is beyond touched, his eyes welling up with tears. “I do.” Jisoo nods firmly. “And we’ll find a way to prove yours and Chan’s innocence.” 

Seokmin hugs him tightly, and for a moment, Jisoo feels as if the wind has been knocked out of his ears. He wraps his own arms around Seokmin, tight enough so Seokmin knows he’s there, and that he fully trusts him. “Thank you, Jisoo.” 

As school ends in the afternoon, Jisoo returns home with Seokmin to continue their discussion, Chan in tow. “What did you learn today?” Jisoo asks him. 

“That Jeonghan hyung is boring sometimes!” He stifles a yawn. Jisoo and Seokmin both burst out laughing. “What made you think so?” 

“He tried teaching us about Economics. Only Hansol hyung was interested. Seungkwan hyung was drawing in his notebook, I saw it.” Looking at Chan so happy and carefree, Jisoo can only feel immensely proud of Seokmin for giving his brother the childhood he dreamt of having. He deeply admires how he had the bravery to find a better life with Chan as well as how he fiercely protects everyone he cares for, be it his brother or the islanders.

Back in the house, Seokmin distracts Chan with his alligator while he and Jisoo talk. “What are you and Jisoo hyung talking about?” Chan asks. 

Seokmin frowns jokingly, scrunching his nose. “Economics.” As expected, Chan is happy to stay in his room. 

“Does anyone else know about the true story of how you and Chan got here?” 

Seokmin nods. “Jeonghan and Seungcheol do. I told them after I became an adult because I didn’t want them to get implicated in any way if what I did was illegal. I told Mingyu and Wonwoo eventually too.” 

“That’s good to know. It must have been difficult keeping this to yourself.” 

“I was scared that they would come find us and bring us back. I’ve gotten nightmares quite a few times actually.” Seokmin lets out a shaky sigh. “But throughout the years, I’ve realised that my parents never wanted either of us after they found their way out of the scandal. It’s sad but also brought me so much relief, knowing that Chan and I are safe here.” 

“I’m glad you’ve found Sebong-do,” Jisoo tells him quietly. 

“Me too.”

Soon, Jisoo gets back to work. When asked, Seokmin said he was fine with doing a DNA test with Chan to prove their relationship as half brothers, and Jisoo is fully prepared to pay for it. 

As he works, Jisoo’s mind naturally wanders back to the conversation he just had. After the initial shock wears off, Jisoo is mad more than anything else. Just how far was Yong Corporations going to go? Seokmin was just a child when all of this went down and to weaponise one’s past against them is an incredibly cruel act. 

“Here.” Seokmin sets a plate of deliciously stuffed fruit and whipped cream sandwiches before Jisoo and Jisoo feels his anger begin to dissipate. “Thank you again, Jisoo.” He looks down at Jisoo, smiling, and for the first time Jisoo is consciously aware that Seokmin’s smiles really do something to his heart. 

“Try one,” Seokmin whispers excitedly. Jisoo does, and it’s the best thing he has had all day. The cream is light, cold and milky and the strawberries are sweet and juicy. “It’s really good.” Seokmin’s eyes light up and Jisoo realises that it’s not just Seokmin’s smiles, but Seokmin himself that really makes him feel happy in a magical way.

As afternoon turns into evening in Sebong-do, Hong Jisoo listens to his heart for once, and it tells him that he’s starting to fall in love with Lee Seokmin. 

--

To : Yong Corporations 

From : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law

To: Yong Corporations, 

  Thank you for your report. It was deeply insightful and I will bear it in mind when writing my final report. 

Hong Jisoo 

Hong Group Corporate Law 

Jisoo downloads Yong Corporation’ report and saves it in a folder he has simply titled “Evidence”. Inside, it joins the recording of Yong Jaemin’s visit and Yong Corporations’ threats against Minghao and Jun. He’ll do his best for the islanders, and to protect Seokmin, just as Seokmin protects everyone he loves. 

Chapter Text

As Jisoo’s days on the island come to an end, he interviews Jeonghan and Seungcheol, finalising the amount of compensation for the islanders and the justifications. The atmosphere in the schoolhouse is tense, but Jisoo also realises how far they have come. He doubts that Seungcheol, Jeonghan and him could have been in the same room having an amicable discussion just a few weeks ago. 

English classes get more exciting with the children as Jisoo prepares them for their final project, a play. After weeks of daily lessons, the children are able to speak simple English confidently, making Jisoo immensely proud of how far they have come. As for Soonyoung and Jihoon,  the time soon comes for them to sit for a final exam–an equivalent to high school level English. While they work, Jisoo finishes the last of his final report on the proposed compensation for Sebong-do. 

He finds his heart unbelievably heavy. Summer was lively and eventful here, and as things finally settle down into a more peaceful state, the islanders have to brace themselves for the greatest challenge in their lives. 

Marking Soonyoung and Jihoon’s work, he is pleasantly surprised at how much they have improved and congratulates them both. In his report, Jisoo makes sure to add that: 

Soonyoung and Jihoon should have access to a good high school and not be discriminated against based on their education. As seen in the drastic improvement in their grades, their English is up to standard. Moreover, their ability to learn fast and work hard is certainly commendable and a telling sign that they are good students. 

It is a Sunday afternoon when the children put on their play, Cinderella, at Mingyu’s. It is hilariously adorable, with Seungkwan as Cinderella, Hansol as the prince, Chan as the fairy god-alligator (because it is possible, mind you), and Jisoo as the translator for those who do not speak English. After his diagnosis, things have been getting better to Hansol. The young boy, ever the perfectionist, has learned to go easier on himself when it comes to writing and drawing. Even when he stumbles over a few of his lines he doesn’t let it affect him, carrying on bravely, and it warms Jisoo’s heart to see just how well they are all doing. He knows it will continue to be difficult for Hansol, but Wonwoo assures him that he will keep an eye out for him, especially during moving and the transition period. 

Jisoo sends his report in the evening, when the first gust of cold autumn wind starts to hurt his cheeks a little. Summer truly is coming to an end, the sun setting soon after six and not later as it used to during the earlier long days. Summer’s end means his return to Seoul too, Jisoo realises sadly. He longs to visit every place in Sebong-do once more, but now that his final report has been sent, his real work begins. The last of his days are spent working from his room in Seokmin’s home, the determination surging in him as he writes. 

The night before Jisoo leaves, the islanders hold him a thank you dinner at Mingyu’s. As night falls over Sebong-do, Seungcheol taps him on the shoulder. “Can we talk?” 

Jisoo agrees, and they find themselves at the shore. “I just wanted to thank you,” Seungcheol says. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been kind to you. I did it to protect the islanders, especially those who are kind and good-natured.” 

Jisoo shakes his head. “It’s alright.” Over the weeks, though he hasn’t become friends with Jeonghan and Seungcheol, their relationship has improved dramatically, and that is enough for him. “Thank you for saying this to me. It means a lot.” Sitting here with Seungcheol in the cold warms his heart, and is more than what he could have expected. 

“I hope that even though there has been a lot of work for you, you enjoyed Sebong-do too.” 

“I did.” He means it with all his heart. “Thank you Seungcheol, for giving me a chance and for making amends.” 

“You’re welcome. Thank you too for everything you have done for us. I wish you all the best too in Seoul.” 

Jisoo leaves promising Seungcheol that he would do his best for the islanders to have a good life in Busan. 

--

“Jisoo, are you awake?” It is pitch black when Seokmin wakes Jisoo up and takes him to the cliffs. Autumn is nearing fast, he realises when the cold wind greets him, a twinge of sadness in his heart. 

“I never asked in case you were busy. But the sunrise from the cliffs is perfect.” As the dark sky turns blue and pink clouds surround them, the calm sea turns into beautiful hues, creating a lovely contrast with the green shrubs along the path below. Jisoo turns to Seokmin, dressed in a dark blue hoodie, his knees pulled up to his chest, face upturned towards the sky. His voice dries up in his throat, and he finds himself wishing this moment would never come to an end. 

Alas, as the morning rays of the sun warm up the air, they head home to Chan for a simple breakfast before Jisoo packs his things into his luggage. Over his time here, most of the memories he has collected have been translated into reports for Yong Corporations on his laptop, so packing is relatively simple since he only has his clothes and necessities to keep away. Together with Seokmin and Chan, he heads to Mingyu’s restaurant for lunch and to say goodbye to everyone. It is a bittersweet moment as Jisoo hugs everyone for the last time. There are Jihoon and Soonyoung, who are now more ready for high school and have a lovely budding relationship. Then, Minghao and Junhui, who can now be assured that they will not be forced off Sebong before they can say goodbye. Mingyu and Wonwoo thank him for helping them through their relationship struggles. The teary eyed children come up to him. Chan, Seungkwan and Hansol thank him for being the “best teacher and hyung they have ever had,” and Jisoo feels his heart breaking as he wipes their tears. 

“You’ll come back right, hyung?” Chan asks. Jisoo can only swallow the lump in his throat when Seungkwan and Hansol clear their own teary faces and smile at him. “Yeah! We’re just sad because…we love Jisoo hyung lots,” Seungkwan says. 

“Thank you Jisoo, for everything you’ve done.” Jeonghan and Seungcheol both give him a hug, and Jisoo feels a massive weight being lifted off his chest when they smile at him.

Last of all, Jisoo’s eyes meet Seokmin’s tear-stained ones. It is at this point that Jisoo realises how red and puffy Seokmin’s eyes are but he says nothing, wordlessly pulling him into a hug. Jisoo holds on tightly, closing his eyes as he does. This feeling of warmth has always felt so right, and Jisoo treasures every last moment he has in Seokmin’s arms. “Thank you Seokmin, for being my host, my support, and my friend. Thank you for opening your heart to me.” He feels wet tears on his shoulder and Jisoo wills himself not to cry as best as he can when he pulls apart and meets Seokmin’s gaze firmly. 

Seokmin smiles at Jisoo through his tears and hands him a heavy paper bag. “This is for you, from each one of us. Thank you Jisoo. I’ll miss you so much.” 

He takes the last boat of the day, watching as the sun sets into the water with a heavy and warm heart. Sebong-do is the most precious place in the world, and Jisoo spends the ride recalling each moment, committing them to his memory. By the time he is back in Busan and the sounds of fast cars and bustling commuters greet him, Jisoo starts to feel a great emptiness in his heart, and he instantly longs for Sebong-do and the lovely people he has met there. He comforts himself with the reminder that he still had the train ride back as he looks out at the sky, the last glimmers of daylight disappearing into the night’s darkness. 

All his melancholy disappears instantly when his phone buzzes in his pocket. 

To : Hong Jisoo, Hong Group Corporate Law 

We will discuss your proposal and necessary revisions will be made. Acquisition will start immediately this Monday. 

Yong Corporations Pte Ltd

Anxiety pooling in his stomach, his heart pounding against his chest, Jisoo quickly finds his train to Seoul, gets on, and starts typing furiously, even as the last of the sea disappears from view and the scenery outside his window morphs into rows of gray industrial buildings against the dark night sky. 

At nine o’clock on a Friday, Seoul is loud, crowds bursting at their seams, Namsan tower barely rising above the haze, its light blinking red weakly. Exhaustion washes over Jisoo as he alights from the train, looking for the sign for the Seoul metro. It would be another thirty minutes before he got back to his apartment in Gangnam and could continue with his work. 

“Jisoo Oppa?” When he answers the phone, Jisoo hears Hyerim’s voice for the first time in a long time. “Where are you? Your parents are picking us up for dinner.” As he walks towards the taxi stand, Jisoo slowly tries to accept that he is back to his old life now, for good. 

“Oppa!” He’s greeted with a bright smile and a kiss on his cheek from Hyerim and a warm welcome from his mother. His father nods sternly, and Jisoo knows why perfectly. Nonetheless, he meets his gaze calmly, not regretting anything he did. 

Dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, Jisoo feels a little out of place when they arrive at the Ritz Carlton, Seoul, his father in a suit, his mother dressed in a shimmering black dress and Hyerim in a red silk one. “The island life must have been so tough.” Hyerim smiles at him sympathetically. “You became tanner,” his mother notices. 

“Rest well this weekend,” his father says. “Work starts Monday.” 

“Yes, father.” They have steak and lobster, paired with rich, velvety red wine and fragrant light white wine which is delightfully bubbly, but from where he is on the top floor of the luxurious hotel, Jisoo longs for Mingyu’s seafood, Seokmin’s ang butter sandwiches and a beer by the pier. Looking out at Namsan Hill, he smiles wistfully. From here, he is so far away from Sebong-do that he cannot even see the sea. The stars that once dotted the sky and after a night at Mingyu’s are now hidden behind clouds of thick smoke. He is lost here, but they can no longer guide him home. 

“How were the people? I heard that they were educated. It’s a little odd that they would want to stay put.” Hyerim asks. 

Mrs. Hong nods in agreement. “Who would genuinely want to live so far away from everything?” 

“They were kind,” Jisoo answers calmly, suppressing any indignation in his heart. 

After dinner, Jisoo takes a long shower. Everything here is larger than life, and he feels powerless. Taking a deep breath in, Jisoo gathers his strength and quickly changes, working late into the night. 

“Jisoo, do you want to go out today?” After barely a few hours of sleep, Jisoo continues working undisturbed until Hyerim comes out of the room in her pyjamas. “If not,” she walks over to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I’m sure you would have a little bit of time just to let off some steam.” 

Jisoo shakes his head quietly. “I’m sorry, I have to work.” He makes sure to change his tabs quickly before she peers at his screen. Inside, it dawns upon Jisoo that it has never really just been about work but that he has had an aversion towards being intimate with her. Hyerim is a sweet and beautiful woman, but Jisoo has never seen her as anything more than an acquaintance, maybe a friend. “Oppa, are we ever going to have sex? We’ve been married for almost a year now.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jisoo stands up, holding her wrists. “I really, really need to work.” 

"On what? I talked to your father, he said that there was nothing more to do.” She asks, frustrated tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “Last night you didn’t even want to sleep with me, I saw you on the couch.” Jisoo feels terrible seeing her break down in front of him, her hands beginning to tremble in his. “Was there another girl? Some island girl that seduced you?” 

“No, please just give me the next two days. After Monday I’ll be free, alright?” 

After Monday, you won’t be crying over me anymore. 

She nods, sighing deeply as she lets go of Jisoo’s hands forcefully. “I’ll be out today. Take care of yourself. ” Slamming the bedroom door behind her, she emerges a few moments later and leaves the house without saying goodbye. 

The days pass by in a blur, Jisoo stopping only when hunger impairs his concentration and he orders a quick delivery meal. With not even a moment to look out at Seoul’s skyline, Jisoo’s last fight is a blessing in disguise, keeping him from the pain of missing Sebong-do. He prays with all his heart that it will all be worthwhile. 

Chapter Text

At seven-thirty on Monday morning, Seoul is hazy and trudges along to the drum of work and school. The air is starting to turn cold as the trees lose their bright green leaves. Thouhg it is early, streets are already crowded as people hurry about on their phones, but today will be a different day. With his phone switched to airplane mode, Jisoo wakes up and stretches, staring out at the mega signboards of the malls far below with nervous anticipation. He brushes his teeth, combs his hair and changes into his best suit. With his head held up high, Jisoo gets into his Mercedes, ready to face the chaotic streets of Seoul. 

Switching on the radio, he waits. “Good morning, this is the KBS news morning broadcast and I am your host Lee Insung.” 

“Good morning, I am your co-host Jo Jungseok and we have an important piece of breaking news that is sure to stun the Korean public. Yong Corporations, one of the top and most well-loved companies, has been exposed for its atrocious and cruel behaviour in an open letter from one of Korea’s top up-and-coming lawyers, Hong Jisoo from Hong Group Law Firm. We will now read Jisoo’s statement to the press.” 

This is an open letter to the citizens of Korea and the Korean government appealing for your support. I am Hong Jisoo, Yong Corporations’ lawyer in the acquisition of Sebong-do. Like many of you, I had my doubts about this project. Yong Corporations is so wealthy, and hotels in our country’s southern islands are a dime a dozen. More importantly, there is a community of people who have been living on the island for generations now. Certainly, there were ethical concerns surrounding their relocation. 

Sebong-do is a beautiful island which surprised me in so many ways. Unlike what we might think, it is not a backwater but has proper infrastructure, medical care and even  education for its children. The community is selfless, with everyone sharing resources from fruit and vegetables, fish, rice, to clothes and CDs, all for free. As an outsider, a hostile one at that, I expected them to be unfriendly, but I was soon surprised by how kind they all were, even to me. 

I think you all know where this is heading already. To me, this is reason enough to ask the government to stop the acquisition and re-development of Sebong-do. But there is more that must be said. I have a duty to expose how Yong Corporations treated the islanders in an unprofessional, unethical and downright cruel manner. 

“We will interrupt here to share that Hong Jisoo has also shared evidence with the press which will be released to the public shortly. The government has also been sent a copy of this letter.” 

Ranging from constantly asking me to reduce the negotiated amount of compensation, twisting the facts, threatening children, abusing law enforcement and perpetuating defamatory information about the islanders, this behaviour is certainly unacceptable and morally abhorrent, especially for one of the country’s top firms. 

Cameras flash as Jisoo hands his keys over to the valet driver and walks into Yong Corporations, briefcase in hand. Briefly, he remembers Seokmin’s own experience being humiliated by his father before the press. Jisoo takes a deep breath in. 

The front desk is a flurry of urgent calls and staff running about as Jisoo taps his card on the reader and waits for the lift. 

“The stocks are falling rapidly!” A executive walks briskly, yelling orders into his phone. “Start the buyback now, and contact our top shareholders immediately!” 

“The Lee Dongwon scandal! Chairman Yong says to release it now!” He watches as a group of executives, lead by the head of public relations, Mr. Park, walk towards the door frantically, Park busily reading through the papers in a clipboard he was handed. 

I am sure many will remember the scandal surrounding LDW Co. CEO, Lee Dongwon from years ago. Allegedly, his son, Lee Dokyeom had impregnated a girl, bullied his classmates and abused his parents. They now live on Sebong-do. The real identity of Lee Dokyeom and his alleged son Lee Dino shall remain hidden but I have to release this story before Yong Corporations does and twists the facts. 

If you can see the report I have attached, that is the DNA test done by Lee Dokyeom and Lee Dino. 

Now, a father and son would share 50% of DNA, right? Why do Lee Dokyeom and Lee Dino only share 25% of DNA? Is there such a thing as a half-father? Certainly not, but there are half-siblings. Lee Dino is not Lee Dokyeom’s son, he is his half-brother. Lee Dino is indeed Lee Dongwon’s son as the public initially speculated. Yet, instead of owning up for his actions, Lee Dongwon made Lee Dokyeom the scapegoat and threatened to put Lee Dino up for adoption. 

Fortunately, Lee Dokyeom fled with Lee Dino. I have had the pleasure to meet them both. Dino is doing so well, and Dokyeom has nothing but my utmost admiration and support for his bravery and love for his brother. 

“Mr. Park! Mr. Park!” A woman runs as fast as she can, heels clicking against the floor as she shouts for him loudly. “Stop! We can’t use the Lee Dongwon scandal.” Hurriedly, she shows him her phone and his face instantly turns white. 

Calmly, Jisoo walks into his lift for the final meeting. The lift speeds to the 70th floor of the building as Jisoo straightens his tie and clears his throat, calming his nervous heart. When the lift dings, he steps out, and makes his way past the absent receptionists and knocks on the heavy wooden doors. 

“Hong Jisoo! Have you gone mad?” When his father’s hand meets his face, Jisoo can barely feel the stinging pain. His face does not burn as he bows. “Appa, Chairman Yong.” 

“Joon Tae, please. I don’t even want to look at him.” Chairman Yong has never looked worse, quivering with wage as he sits at the head of the table, arms folded. 

“I trusted you, Hong Jisoo!” He yells. “You have no idea how unbelievably simple this assignment was. It should have been done, settled in a week maximum! We gave you three months, and even after that, we were prepared to clean up after your sub-par report.” 

Hong Joon Tae immediately kneels to the ground. “Dae Cheol, I am absolutely sorry. It is my fault for not teaching him well. I don’t even know what to say. I am so sorry to have let you down.” 

Ignoring Jisoo’s father, Chairman Yong concentrates his burning gaze on Jisoo.

“It isn’t fair, Sir.”

“What are you saying to me?” Jisoo has never been shouted out so loudly, but he is calm. 

“I represent your interests, but not your exploitation against the innocent people of Sebong-do,” he answers firmly. 

Hong Joon Tae glances up at his son, mortified, eyes wide with trepidation.. “Jisoo! How dare you accuse Chairman Yong like this?” 

He struggles to get a grip of his emotions, all bitter, and sour, and somewhere there is a warm, sweet love for Sebong-do that is mixed with pain. “Appa,” he turns to Joon Tae now. “What about you? Is this why you built Hong Group? To help your friends escape justice?” 

“Hong Jisoo!” 

“Enough is enough! Get out, Joon Tae. I never want to see the both of you again.” 

“Dae...Dae Cheol–” 

“Out!” 

The stinging slaps that hit his face one after another leave nothing but a numbing tingling sensation on Jisoo’s face. He wipes off the blood that is starting to gather on his nose, and leaves Yong Corporations. All that is left to do is get his things out of the house. 

Upon arriving at his apartment, Jisoo finds that it has already been done for him, Hyerim throwing his things into his suitcase, the bedroom in a state of utter disarray. “Oppaa! How could you?” She looks up at him, disgust and betrayal overflowing in her eyes. “You were supposed to provide for me, and you do something like this?” 

“Let’s get a divorce.” Jisoo is the first one to say it. 

She stands up, letting his things fall to the floor. “Yes, we should.” That is the last time Jisoo sees her.

Dressed in a cap and a mask, Jisoo gets a room in a hotel, waiting, his heart pounding in his chest. The news is everywhere, his face on every newspaper and TV station. Protests have taken to the streets around Yong Corporations’ headquarters and outside the Seoul City Hall. 

With nothing to do but wait anxiously, Jisoo holds onto the paper bag from Seokmin. Finally, on his first break from work after leaving Sebong-do, he opens it. Pouring its contents out onto his bed, Jisoo finds a card from each person on Sebong-do. 

The Chwes thank him for helping with Hansol’s diagnosis, and Mingyu and Wonwoo’s parents both send notes wishing him well, overjoyed that their sons finally stopped being dense, restoring a little more peace to the island. Soonyoung and Jihoon thank him again for the guitar, the English lessons, and the lessons in love :), Jun and Minghao invite him to travel one day while Mingyu and Wonwoo also send their well wishes. 

Then he gets to Chan’s card. For you to be brave, Jisoo hyung! My alligator will accompany you! (Don’t tell anyone!) Come back fast!

Jisoo peers into the bag. No wonder it still felt so heavy. He takes out one green lego alligator with a bow around his neck, “Chan” scribbled messily on it, a book on the Korean islands, a CD, a small thumb drive, a postcard, a small scroll, a list of recipes clipped together, a jar of multivitamins, and a small box. 

Tears well up in his eyes. Jisoo hyung, in case you can’t find your way back. This book is my favourite and will teach you about every Korean island so you won’t get lost. I wish you will always be happy and healthy! - Hansol

This is the best Beyonce CD I have which always cheers me up. I hope listening to her songs will give you the same strength. I miss you already and I wish we will see each other again, hyung! - Seungkwan

We recorded a song for you with the guitar you got. Thank you, Jisoo hyung. - Soonyoung 

I admire you a lot hyung. I want to be like you when I’m older. Stay healthy and happy always! - Jihoon

This is my hometown in China. Anytime you'd like to go on a trip together, give me a call. Thank you for giving us a little more time on Sebong-do, Jisoo. You have done so much for me and Minghao - Junhui  

Jisoo, this is a painting Junhui and I got in Sichuan on one of our trips. It was the new year's, and the writings are meant to wish you good health and fortune. Thank you for keeping us safe and protecting us, I will always be grateful to you. – Minghao

A collection of my favourite recipes if you ever want to cook, or if you miss the food here. Thank you for being an amazing friend, Jisoo. Take care and till we meet again! - Mingyu 

Being a lawyer is tough work, make sure you take these vitamins once a day and stay healthy. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Jisoo. You are a great person, and an even better friend - Wonwoo. 

Last of all, Jisoo opens the box, holding up a beautiful bracelet with a shimmering white conch shell in the middle. 

So you’ll always have a piece of Sebong-do (and us!) with you. I’ll miss you a lot, Jisoo. Thank you for your patience, kindness and friendship, and for believing in me. You’re an intelligent man with a big heart, I know you’re going to go places. Take care and know that you’re always welcomed home, wherever that may be in the future. - Seokmin. 

Jisoo sits in his bed silently, holding all the letters to his chest, his heart full. With all his heart, he prays that his work will pay off. For the sake of Sebong-do, and these beautiful people he has been so lucky to know.

--

Breaking news : Acquisition of Sebong-do Banned, Island Afforded Permanent Protection Status from the Government

The news comes barely a few days later, and Jisoo feels as if the wind has been knocked out of his ears. Sinking to the ground, a single tear falls from his cheek and before he knows it, tears stream down his face uncontrollably, sobs wrecking his body.

He has done it. Sebong-do is safe, and it will always be. 

Chapter Text

Stepping into his Seoul fills him with trepidation. It has been ten years and the fear of being humiliated suddenly feels as fresh as it had back then. The news is everywhere, and his own old name, Lee Dokyeom, is said more than it has ever been. 

When the story first came out, Seokmin instantly broke down when Mingyu pulled him out of class. “The reception is good, I think…I think it may work, Min.” For the next few days, the islanders waited in bated breath, trying their best to keep up a semblance of normalcy in front of the children . No one dared to utter a single word, and deep inside, Seokmin struggled with doubt that was eating him up alive. This was too good to be true, wasn’t it?

Yet, each day, Wonwoo, as calmly as he could, would update them on the latest SNS comments and protests. “The support for us is overwhelming. Let’s hold on.” 

The morning the news came, Jeonghan and Seungcheol ran  into the schoolhouse, tears streaming down their faces as Jeonghan hugged Seokmin so tightly he couldn’t breathe. “Sebong…Sebong-do is safe, Seokmin.” 

He brain did not process it at first, not even daring to believe it could have been true. “You mean…”

When Seokmin took a closer look at Jeonghan, he sees that they are tears of elation, a wide smile spread across his face. Seokmin’s heart leaps. “The acquisition, it’s been banned. And all further acquisitions will be too. We have received permanent protection status from the government.” 

Seokmin sank to the ground. They were safe now, and they would always be. Celebrations erupted throughout the island, happy tears and hugs are exchanged and Seokmin feared that any moment now, he would wake up from this dream. But the email from the government arrived confirming the permanent protection status, and now in black and white, it was undeniable. 

Jisoo, Jisoo did this all for them. Seokmin wasn't naive, knowing full well the workings of the Seoul elite. Jisoo was done for now. Even if he became a hero among the people, he would have fallen from the graces of high society. Jisoo did all that for them, giving up everything to protect the island.

Tearing himself away from the celebration, Seokmin took the first boat to Busan and headed straight for Seoul. 

–

Jisoo wakes up, his head spinning and throbbing, throat scratchy, chills overcoming his body. He slept for so long that it takes a while for him to remember what happened, and when he does, Jisoo resists the urge to knock his head against the headboard. 

He is nothing now in Seoul. Jisoo supposes he could always move to a small town and work as a public prosecutor instead, but even that is not guaranteed. Sitting up in his bed and reaching for a glass of water, Jisoo also realises that he has a fever from overworking and that he is famished. 

Bracing himself for the flood of messages and calls, it is eerily silent. It seems that all his colleagues, friends and family have just decided to distance themselves from him. Heaving a sigh of relief, Jisoo then notices the sole notification he has. “Lee Seokmin : 25 missed calls” 

Just seeing the name on his screen makes Jisoo light up as he calls Seokmin back. The islanders must be elated, and they deserve it. 

“Jisoo-ah, you finally picked up.” He can hear Seokmin’s concern through the phone.

“Is everything okay with Sebong-do? You sound worried,” he rasps, eyes widening. Jisoo did not know he sounded that bad. 

“Don’t worry about the island, everything is great, and we are so thankful. Thank you Jisoo.” 

“I’m glad. Congratulations to Sebong-do, by the way. You all deserve this.” He settles for whispering instead. 

“Where are you?” Seokmin asks. 

“In Seoul.” 

“I know, where?” 

It is the first time Jisoo sees Seokmin in a week and a half and when Seokmin hugs him, Jisoo realises just how much he has missed him. He is certain he looks horrible–eyebags, pale skin, unruly hair, and all, but Seokmin doesn’t seem to mind, setting down food and medicine on his bedside table. 

When they pull apart, Seokmin looks at him in the eyes, a single request on his lips. “Come back to Sebong-do with me, please?” 

Jisoo freezes. He never considered going to Sebong, not wanting to impose that on the islanders. But he would be lying if he said he wouldn’t love to return. 

“Do you not want to?” Seokmin asks quietly when there is no response. 

“No, I do, very much.” 

Seokmin’s face relaxes, a smile spreading across his face. “That’s all I needed to hear. “

–

Jisoo’s first week on Sebong-do is filled with sleeping, a lot of it, and many nourishing soups from Mingyu. There is a lot to do as usual. He is eager to help the children with English again, start learning Wushu with Minghao and Jun, and join Mingyu and Wonwoo for drinks by the pier, but Seokmin insists that he is not allowed to leave until he rests. 

He resists it initially, but as soon as his head touches the pillow in his room back by the sea, the drowsy relaxation spreads all around his body and it isn’t long before he is fast asleep. When he gets better, life feels surreal. For once, Jisoo doesn’t have deadlines looming over his head and expectations to fulfill. It does make him feel a little empty inside. 

Fortunately, the feeling soon dissipates as before long, he is up on his feet again after the celebratory dinner the islanders throw for him. This time, without the deadlines, Jisoo can spend his time doing what he loves, be it photography around the island, telling stories to the children or just sitting on the shore with Seokmin as they talk, Jisoo loves how he and Seokmin can talk about anything, from their similar childhoods, to their love for music and just the day-to-day stories that happen on Sebong-do. He basks in the feeling of warmth in his heart every time he is near Seokmin, and how it makes his heart beat fast and his cheeks feel flushed. 

With Wonwoo’s help, the Chwes found a psychologist who was willing to do online therapy sessions with Hansol, helping him to better express his emotions and manage any stress that could come up. In class, Jisoo observes with pride how he continues to learn brilliantly and also take care of himself. Seungkwan and Chan are the most caring friends too, trying their best to be on-time for activities and class because they know how important routine and structure is to him.

Occasionally, when at the beach with Seokmin, Jisoo spots Soonyoung and Jihoon too, Soonyoung often giving him a knowing look while Jihoon laughs, turning red. It perplexes Jisoo but he doesn’t mind, so long as the two of them are having fun. Jeonghan and Seungcheol get engaged, setting a date for a wedding in Spring, Mingyu and Wonwoo have plans to move in together, and there is a whole lot of playful bickering when Mingyu is, of course, the cook for the wedding and Wonwoo steps up for the role of wedding planner. 

All in all, Jisoo couldn’t be happier to be back. 

Autumn comes and goes in a blink of an eye, but it is still a beautiful season with falling leaves, warm cookies that he bakes with Seokmin and walks into the forests on the other side of the island. Before Jisoo realises, the first snow of the year falls. 

Watching Seokmin and Chan play outside, Seokmin’s eyes lighting up as he helps Chan make a snowman, Jisoo thinks he’s known for a while now when his heart skips a beat. As Soonyoung’s knowing glances grow longer, as does the whispering between the children, Jisoo slowly accepts that he is in love. 

Talking with Wonwoo and Mingyu at the pier one chilly night allows Jisoo to find strength in their encouragement. “It’ll go well, I promise,” Mingyu assures him. 

“And if he doesn’t feel the same way?” Jisoo has a glimmer of hope that he does, but it still scares him. 

“You know Min,” Wonwoo comforts him. “Even if he doesn’t, nothing will change on his end. He’ll still be right by your side.”

Jisoo feels a light tap on his arm, Seokmin smiling at him expectantly, asking him to join them in a snowball fight. When Chan falls asleep, tired, and Jisoo and Seokmin sit by the porch, mugs of hot chocolate in their hands, as they watch the snow fall, Jisoo finds the confidence within him.

“There’s actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he starts, putting down his cup. 

Seokmin does the same, turning to face Jisoo. 

“This might come as a surprise, maybe an unwanted one, so if you need time after this I completely understand.” Jisoo feels his face flush even in the cold, his heart threatening to leap out of his chest as he looks at Seokmin earnestly. “I love you Seokmin. I have for quite a while now, and I mean this…romantically.”

Seokmin blinks, his face going blank for a moment. Jisoo panics, thinking he read every single sign wrong. But then, Seokmin’s eyes widen, his cheeks turning pink as the biggest smile Jisoo has ever seen finds its way onto his face. “You do?” 

Jisoo nods his head. 

“I love you too, Jisoo.” They kiss for the first time under the roof of Seokmin’s house, and Jisoo’s heart is overwhelmed by happy butterflies. This, all this, is what love feels like, and it is one of the best things he has ever felt.

He pulls Seokmin into a tight hug, and they stay there like that, just the two of them, until Chan surprises them, giggling and exclaiming,“I won Seungkwan hyung!”As it turns out, the betting pools among the children were still very much a thing. 

Life in Sebong-do has it’s ups and downs. Some days, it’s busy and chaotic, while other days are peaceful and calm. Regardless, every one of Jisoo’s days ends in Seokmin’s arms with a cup of hot tea and the sound of the sea rising and falling soothingly across the rocks, which is just what he needs to face the next day. Sebong-do is far, far away from everything, but for the first time, Jisoo is happy, very happy, in his distant place. And he would not trade any of it for the world. 

– end. –  30/12/23 (written), 1/6/24 (posted)