For someone with a trauma similar to deep-sea phobia, suggesting a trip to the ocean was not something one could easily say if their mind was in order. Without realizing it, Sihyun typed 'Are you crazy?' but deleted it when he sensed Sihyun's dissatisfaction, then sent 'Why would I?' Instead. Hahyeok's reply came a little later.
[It's summer, so going to a resort would be nice.]
[With you?]
[I was thinking of bringing Hamin too, but if you prefer just the two of us, that's fine.]
[I didn't have any plans to go in the first place.]
[Even though you don't faint at the sight of ocean photos. Seems like seeing it in person is scary for you?]
"...."
His eyebrows furrowed at the transparent provocation. Sihyun had felt this way for a while, but Hahyeok was exceptionally good at handling people. It was weird how he managed to touch nerves without even trying.
He didn't want to answer 'yes' to that question. It wasn't about pride, but affirming it would negate the efforts he had made to overcome the trauma.
Contemplating, Sihyun decided that it wouldn't hurt to find out how much he could endure this time. So, he moved his hand to type.
[Hamin and Haru too, please bring them. So it doesn't feel like I'm alone with you.]
[Okay, but I hope you didn't bring a friend with you. Is that okay?]
A friend on the side. Sihyun shifted his gaze towards Seowoo, who was casually reading his message. As he raised his head automatically due to Hahyeok's message, their eyes coincidentally met.
"Is it okay?"
"I didn't think to ask for my opinion."
"Well...."
"If I'm not wanted, I won't go."
"Will you really?"
"What?"
His eyes widened. Sihyun blinked at the realization of how blunt he had been to seowoo. If he were to say that he didn't want that friend either, it would probably be the end for Hahyeok. When he asked again if it was okay, Seowoo, who was looking at Sihyun with a somewhat unfamiliar look, fell silent for a moment. The boy, who repeatedly raised and lowered his eyelids, let out a small laugh.
"It's okay. You can go."
"What?"
"We've been together the whole time. Just go. One night?"
"I don't know about that."
It was an unexpected reaction. So, briefly surprised, Sihyun asked Hahyeok the same thing. When he conveyed that it would be just for a day, a voice came back saying that there was no need to prepare separately.
"Really going?"
"Didn't you have no intention of going?"
"Well, yeah."
But he didn't really want to go. So, feeling that it would be better not to go if seowoo told him not to, Sihyun murmured his lips in the disappeared excuse. It felt like he had become a wet raccoon that had been washed in water in an instant.
"Be careful and come back."
[After today, I'm busy, so I won't have time. Send me the address by 11. I'll come pick you up.]
Just as Seowoo's words ended as if making a promise, Hahyeok's message arrived. With a reluctant shake of his head due to the waves, Sihyun, who said he might not be able to eat until 11, ended up sitting at the dining table.
"I brushed my teeth."
"It's mostly salad, so it should be fine. It's better to fill up a bit rather than going on an empty stomach."
It was hard to refuse his gentle voice. In the end, Sihyun, who became accustomed to it, sighed and put the simple dishes in front of him into his mouth. Throughout the meal, seowoo's mood seemed unusually good, and it didn't seem to be because of any particular reason.
After eating and changing clothes, when Sihyun, who was about to leave at Hahyeok's mentioned time, Seowoo grabbed him.
"Your collar is wrinkled."
As if checking the shirt for wrinkles in that brief moment, he reached out towards the back of Sihyun's neck and promptly straightened the creased shirt. Sihyun's shoulders unconsciously tensed. Suddenly reminded of the restroom, he turned back, and Seowoo, with an odd expression, bid him to take care. Sensing a subtle feeling in those words, Sihyun soon realized something strange.
"I'm not coming back here again?"
"Yeah."
What kind of maneuver is this?
He almost casually mentioned it, and it almost went unnoticed. Looking at him with a slightly awkward expression, Seowoo shook hands as he leaned against the wall. Taking in the unchanged farewell, Sihyun closed the door, showing signs of being fed up. Since waking up until now, he hadn't had a moment of peace.
Pia, nightmares, seowoo, and the sea.
Recalling each thing that had troubled him, Sihyun momentarily halted his thoughts from the nightmare, kicking a stone on the ground.
Nothing was certain. It was highly likely just a nightmare. There were many differences from the precognitive dream he had before. The only similarity was the ominous premonition he felt.
And that premonition had to be heeded, even if it was just a nightmare.
Even if it were a precognitive dream, there was nothing he could do about it.
What he had seen in the dream resembled a natural disaster. An unstoppable, massive calamity. It wasn't something he could handle just because he claimed to know the future. Moreover, it wasn't even certain if it was a precognitive dream. There was nothing he could do except be vigilant, and with a sigh, Sihyun looked up as the unsettling thoughts gradually subsided.
Exactly at 11 o'clock, Hahyeok's car slid in front of Seowoo's house. Entering the back seat and looking around, he saw Haru first and then Hamin with an uncomfortable expression. Seeing how he was reluctant to come, leaning against the window with a nervous face, it seemed that he had been forcibly brought by Hahyeok.
"Is your body okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Then, it should be okay to feel the chilly wind."
Hahyeok, who answered like singing, increased the speed. Leaning towards Seowoo, who was beside him, Sihyun raised his eyebrows. When Seowoo reached for Hamin's hand, who had scars on his wrist, his gaze turned towards Sihyun.
"There's a bruise up to your chest."
"Ah..."
"How about Hamin's house?"
"...Yeah."
"How's your body?"
"It's fine."
"That's a relief."
Is there anything uncomfortable?
As Sihyun talked while lightly brushing the wrist with a scar, he wondered if the power could heal even the scar on his chest. He considered trying it secretly but soon abandoned the idea. Hahyeok already seemed too busy with the task he asked for. It felt inappropriate to ask him to fix the ability he tried out of curiosity.
"Nothing uncomfortable, really..."
"Is that so? Oh, then what does this emoticon mean?"
In the silent car, the conversation between Sihyun and Haru slowly continued. When he took out his phone from his pocket and showed the 'ㅠㅠ' that Haru sent, he blushed, and as if groaning, he hesitated to answer. The sharp voice came at that moment.
"Are you a babysitter? Parents wouldn't care that much."
"...."
At Hamin's words, silence descended. Sihyun, who thought he acted like a troublemaker for the first time in a while, was about to ask what the problem was but stopped himself. He realized that he hadn't reconciled with Hamin yet. In the meantime, he was talking friendly with Haru, so Hamin might not have liked seeing it. Looking at it from Hamin's perspective, it might have been unpleasant. At the same time, he felt a bit unfair.
You've become like this now.
How much effort had he put into trying to reconcile? Every time, saying it was fine and avoiding the conversation was Hamin, and now he was acting strangely. It felt like an absurdity. He didn't want to have a conversation for reconciliation, and he didn't want to talk to others amicably. Even nowadays, it didn't seem like elementary school kids would do this.
Anyway, an annoying elementary school kid.
Sihyun added one more word, calling him an annoying elementary school kid as he always did. Letting out a sigh at himself for adding another label, Sihyun shifted his gaze to Haru, who was leaning back up after saying goodbye. When he said he had to leave, an expression of regret flowed from Haru's mouth. As he straightened up immediately after Sihyun fell, a disappointed sound came out of Haru's mouth. He soon grabbed Sihyun's hand.
"Uh, hmm."
Hyuk, who had been looking at the scene through the rearview mirror, let out a soft hum. That marked the end of the conversation. The atmosphere inside the quiet car was uncomfortably heavy, almost to the point where one could hear others' breaths. Sihyun, who had confidently agreed to come, now regretted it a little. However, that regret didn't last long.
Upon Haehyuk's announcement that they had arrived, Sihyun, who had been closing his eyes, got out of the car with Haru's assistance. Taking slow deep breaths, he focused on the sounds around him. The crashing waves and faint seagull cries filled the air. Sihyun, who had been listening for a while, slowly lifted his eyelids. Gradually, his eyes, with a hint of focus, captured the sight unfolding before him. The sea was visible.
The view of the blue waves seen from the roadside brought a refreshing sense of liberation, even though it might be peak season, the quietness of the sea, absent of a single soul, and the sound of the waves, provided a soothing contrast to the restless emotions since the morning. Contrary to his concerns, there wasn't a strong aversion.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
When Haru, who was next to him, asked while grabbing his shoulder, Sihyun half-smiled in response. It was because he thought it was typical of Haru to grab shoulders as if worried that he might collapse again. Perhaps due to finally relaxing and looking at the sea after a long time, a loose laugh escaped, and a subtle smile appeared. Sihyun, caught by the hand that had grabbed him, concentrated on the energy coming from the sea.
There was no dizziness, no cold sweat. Just inhaling deeply while capturing the blue in his sight was enough to fill his body with a refreshing sensation. Viewing the sea from this distance seemed to be within the permissible limit.
It felt somewhat liberating, as if he was free. Suddenly, memories from the past came to mind, and he closed his eyes, feeling the sea breeze. The damp yet cool air touched his cheeks. It was the typical breeze of the summer sea.
"It would have been better if we came in winter..."
"Winter?"
"Yes. The winter sea is cold but gives a clean feeling. It's good for organizing thoughts, and the cold wind touching your cheeks is nice. So..."
Whenever it was tough, I used to go there often.
Up to that point, Sihyun swallowed the words about the past.
Haru, observing Sihyun who seemed to have lost his words for a moment, felt that his expression looking at the sea had turned darker than before. Although it was difficult to express in words, he seemed sad.
He grabbed Sihyun's hand. Just as he did when he was sad. This time, Sihyun grabbed him.
"...It's my first time coming to see the sea."
It was when they were moving during the math trip, so he hadn't come just to see the sea like this.
Haru whispered as if confessing. Sihyun, who had opened his eyes and was observing Haru's expression, finally spoke.
"...I see."
Come to think of it, this sea was unfamiliar to Haru. He would have, at best, seen it only in photos or videos under the summer sun. Keeping his mouth shut, Haru, who tightly held Sihyun's hand as if not feeling the short stiffness, closed his eyes. It was different from the restless and anxious math trip. Now, everything just seemed fascinating. The refreshing sound of the waves hitting his ears, the faint scent of the sea lingering at his nose, even the slightly humid and warm wind blowing on his face—all of it was filled with wonder. Sihyun, absorbed in the energy coming from the sea, didn't notice the strength in the hand that held him. His appearance, who had come to the lab as if he was a hero from a novel, would be something he could never forget.
"...I've never been to the sea, not even in summer, with anyone before."
"......"
"Since you're with me for every first, I'd like to see the winter sea with you, even if it's the first time."
I wish we were together.
A soft voice cut through the sound of the waves and reached Sihyun's ears. Sihyun looked up at Haru. When Haru whispered like that, he either opened his eyes with embarrassment or smiled gently. This time, he met Sihyun's gaze with a shy smile. The reddening pupils were distinctly different from the dead eyes seen in the lab. Overwhelmed, his lips slowly parted.
"You're making a scene."
At that moment, Hamin's voice intruded.
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