The sun was at that perfect "I'm going to burn your soul" angle, it hovered just high enough to bleach the sky and threaten heatstroke, and somehow everyone agreed that meant today was the day to act feral and we were going to be louder than a concert. Beach bags flew like missiles, sunscreen bottles got squirted on unsuspecting friends, and someone most probably Taehwan was already building a sandcastle that looked like a collapsing UFO.
Hana, of course, was in her element, running around like she had coffee in her veins and chaos in her heart.
"Rachel! Come on, sit! You're literally melting in the sun!" she shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the water. My flip-flops slapped against the sand, threatening to fly into someone's face.
I squinted at Jaeon, sitting a few meters away, earbuds in, hands lazily in his pockets, the ocean breeze ruffling his hair in a way that made me internally combust. He looked so… calm. So untouchably cool. And yet, somehow, impossibly hot.
"Stop staring," Hana hissed, noticing me freeze mid-step.
"I'm not…" I started, but she slapped a hand over my mouth.
"You literally are. Face it, you've been staring since the bus. Everyone saw you on the ride here. The boy knows. Maybe he's laughing at you inside his chaotic little rich-boy brain."
I rolled my eyes but didn't move. Because yes. Guilty. Totally guilty.
By now, the group had spread across the sand, forming a semi-circle around a cooler and a suspiciously spinning bottle.
"Alright, losers," Asher called, leaning back on his elbows like he was hosting a game show. "We're doing Confession. You know the rules. Bottle spins. Whoever it lands on, gotta confess. Keep it cute, keep it messy, keep it dramatic."
The bottle spun. Round and round, a slow-motion apocalypse of spinning plastic. My stomach did gymnastics.
"Rachel Williams," someone called, voice dripping with mischief. "It's your turn!"
I froze. My pulse went fast enough to register on seismographs.
"Nope," I muttered.
"Yep!" Hana yelled, shoving me forward. Asher gave me a little push too, because apparently the universe required physical coercion for my love life.
Hana grinned like she'd been waiting her entire life for this. "Rach, this is your moment, baby. No excuses."
I groaned. "Moment for what? For embarrassment? I have options for avoiding death-by-public-confession, thank you very much."
"Girl, don't chicken out. It's the last day of school. Last chance. And spoiler alert—Jaeon's looking right at you like a literal snack." Hana winked.
I shot her the kind of glare that could kill small animals. She laughed, because of course she did, unafraid, because she feared nothing.
☆☆☆
I stumbled across the sand toward Jaeon, every grain of it like it was actively trying to betray me. His eyes flicked up from his phone, expressionless… except for that tiny smirk. That smirk that always made me feel like I was simultaneously dying and flying.
"Hi," I said, voice squeaky and entirely too loud.
"Hey," he replied, calm, as if I wasn't about to have a mental breakdown in front of our entire graduating class.
The bottle continued to spin in the sand behind us, mocking me. My friends were filming. Snapping photos. Making loud commentary that could probably qualify as background noise for a horror movie.
"Okay, you've got this," I whispered to myself. "Just breathe. Don't explode. Don't pass out. Don't vomit. Don't–"
"Rachel."
I froze. He had tilted his head, that subtle eyebrow raise that made me forget how to English.
I blinked. "…Yes?"
"Relax. I'm not judging."
I wanted to hit him. And hug him. And scream. All at the same time.
Hana's voice rang from across the sand: "You literally have one chance left before I push you into the ocean myself!"
I looked at Jaeon again. His hair was catching the sunlight. His jawline was—too perfect. His lips were slightly parted, like he'd been caught mid-thought. And somehow, despite the ridiculous chaos behind me, all I could see was him.
This was it. The bottle had stopped spinning. The world had narrowed down to: me, him, and the impossibly bright ocean behind him.
I swallowed. My hands were clammy. My heart was doing its own indie dance number. I opened my mouth to say something, anything…
The world shrank to us.
I opened my mouth but… someone yelled that it was time to move because the boat was ready.
By the time the sun began to dip, the beach had turned gold, like God spilled honey across the horizon just to show off.
The rented speedboat bobbed near the dock, white and gleaming against the pink-tinged sea. My classmates piled in, shouting and laughing like this was the last day on earth.
Honestly, maybe it was.
"Move, slowpoke!" Hana called from the bow, waving wildly in a life vest three sizes too big. "You're not escaping destiny!"
"I'm coming!" I yelled, even though my heart was trying to negotiate a delay.
The air smelled like salt and barbecue smoke. Music thumped faintly from shore, someone was blasting babymonster forever again because heartbreak apparently had a soundtrack.
As I stepped onto the boat, it rocked beneath me, and I stumbled straight into—
"Careful."
Jaeon's hand caught my arm.
Deja vu hit so hard I nearly forgot how lungs worked.
He looked at me with that quiet face, the one that didn't reveal much but somehow said everything.
"Y-you're everywhere today," I said, attempting casual and failing.
He smirked. "Maybe you're just bad at balance."
"Wow," I scoffed. "Poetic."
The engine roared to life, the boat slicing through waves. Wind tore through my hair. Everyone screamed like maniacs.
Hana was filming, yelling, "If this doesn't go viral—!"
I laughed, gripping the railing, salt spray kissing my skin. For a moment, everything fell away. The nerves. The ache. The overthinking.
Then Hana caught my eye.
She mouthed, 'Now'.
I shook my head violently.
She pointed to Jaeon. To me. Then clasped her hands like she was praying to the romance gods.
The chanting started.
Soft at first. Then louder.
"Confess! Confess! Confess!"
My soul exited my body.
"Guys, stop. no– what?" I stammered.
Jaeon leaned against the railing, arms crossed, that half-smile back.
"Guess they're waiting," he said.
"You're enjoying this."
"A little."
I swallowed hard and looked at him. Sunlight reflected in his eyes. He wasn't looking past me.
He was looking at me.
Something cracked.
"Fine!" I blurted.
Silence.
"I like you!" The words spilled out wild and fast. I covered my mouth and sighed inwardly before speaking again. "I like you, you emotionally unavailable, anime-protagonist-looking fool!"
The boat exploded with laughter.
But I kept going.
"You make everything complicated, and I hate it, but I still like you! Even when you act like you don't care, even when you make me overthink everything, I like you!"
My face burned.
Jaeon stared.
Then, softly, "Finally."
"What do you mean finally?"
"I knew," he said, smiling. "I was just waiting."
I lunged at him, laughing and mortified, and before I could think, before fear could grab me back,
I kissed him.
Quick. Breathless. Real.
The boat went feral.
When he pulled back, smiling, the world felt lighter.
"Guess we're even," he said.
And for the first time, I didn't run.