The sea breeze felt warmer than I expected.
Soft waves moved quietly against the shore, their sound blending gently with the evening wind.
For a moment—
I forgot everything.
The classroom.
The project.
All the thoughts that had been exhausting me lately.
I just stood there, looking at the ocean in front of me.
The place I had always wanted to see.
A small breath escaped my lips without realizing it.
"…It's beautiful."
The words came out almost like a whisper.
And somehow—
my eyes slowly began to sting.
Not because I was sad.
But because this moment felt too overwhelming to explain.
The sunset slowly spread across the ocean, covering the waves in warm golden light.
The soft sunlight brushed against my face, and somehow—
it made everything feel even more beautiful.
The wind.
The sound of the sea.
Even this quiet moment beside him.
For a second—
it felt like the world had become softer around me.
Then—
Sihoon looked at me quietly before asking,
"…Do you like it?"
I turned toward him.
And only then did I realize—
I was smiling.
A real smile.
Small.
Soft.
But impossible to hide.
"…Yeah," I said quietly.
"I really do."
before I could look away—
he gently held my hand.
My breath caught slightly in surprise.
"Come on," he said softly.
"Let's go closer to the water."
For a moment—
I could only stare at our hands.
The warmth of his fingers felt strangely steady against mine.
And somehow—
instead of pulling away—
I followed him quietly toward the shore.
Suddenly—
cold water splashed lightly against my arm.
I froze for a second before turning toward him.
Sihoon was standing there, his hand still slightly raised.
For the first time—
he looked almost unsure of himself.
Like he thought I might actually get angry.
I stared at him for a moment.
Then—
without warning—
I bent down slightly and splashed water back at him.
The water hit his shoulder and part of his face.
For a second—
he looked surprised.
And then—
he laughed quietly.
A real laugh.
Not just a small smile.
The sound made my heart feel strangely light.
"Jia—"
Before he could finish—
I splashed water at him again.
This time he stepped closer immediately, trying to stop me while laughing softly.
The cold ocean water moved around our feet as the sunset reflected across the waves.
And somehow—
in that moment—
it felt like we had forgotten everything else.
The world.
The noise.
Even time itself.
It was just us—
standing beneath the golden evening sky, getting lost in the warmth of the moment and each other.
The sky slowly became darker above us.
The golden sunlight faded little by little, replaced by soft evening colors spreading across the ocean.
We sat quietly near the water, listening to the sound of the waves reaching the shore again and again.
For a while—
neither of us said anything.
Then—
without looking at him—
I spoke softly.
"…You know…"
I watched the darkening sky carefully.
"For the first time…"
A small smile appeared on my lips.
"I feel like I'm the main character in a story."
The wind moved gently around us.
For a moment—
Sihoon stayed quiet.
Then he turned slightly toward me.
"I don't know what other people think," he said softly.
"But if you ever feel like you're not the main character…"
His voice became gentler.
"Then create your own story."
I slowly looked at him.
And the moment our eyes met—
he added quietly,
"In your story, you'll always be the main character."
For a second—
I couldn't say anything.
Because I had never expected an answer like that from him.
But somehow—
his words made my heart feel warmer than the sunset ever could.
"You two are here?"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind us.
Both of us turned at the same time—
and froze.
Yian.
Minhu.
Yoonji.
And Sonje.
They were all standing a few steps away from us.
For a second—
the silence felt strangely awkward.
Especially because Sihoon and I were still sitting closer than usual near the water.
Minhu looked between us slowly before grinning.
"Wait," he said dramatically.
"Don't tell me you both forgot we're supposed to discuss the film project."
Then his grin became even worse.
"Or were you two too busy having a romantic beach date?"
My eyes widened immediately.
"N-No—"
I hesitated slightly.
But before I could explain anything—
Sihoon spoke calmly beside me.
"It's only six," he said.
"We still have time."
Minhu stared at him for a second before laughing.
"Wow. He's not even denying it anymore."
"Minhu," Yoonji sighed.
Meanwhile—
Yian looked around suspiciously before narrowing his eyes slightly.
"…But seriously," he said.
"Why are all of you here?"
Sonje rubbed the back of his neck casually.
"We needed a place to prepare for the project," he explained.
"And this place seemed good for inspiration, so I brought everyone here."
Then Yian blinked.
"…Wait. Then how did you know they were here?"
"Ahh—I didn't," Sonje replied quickly.
"It's just a coincidence."
Before the conversation could become more awkward—
Yoonji suddenly grabbed my wrist lightly.
"Jia," she said excitedly.
"This place is so pretty."
She pointed toward the other side of the beach where the lights reflected beautifully against the water.
"Come with me over there."
Me and Yoonji walked farther along the beach together.
The waves moved softly near our feet while the evening wind brushed through my hair.
For a while—
we just looked around quietly.
Then suddenly—
Yoonji looked at me with a small smile.
"So…" she said casually.
"What exactly is going on between you and Sihoon?"
I immediately looked at her.
"It's not like what you're thinking," I replied quickly.
Yoonji laughed softly.
"Do you really think you can hide it that easily?"
I blinked slightly.
"We can all see it."
Her words made my heart feel strangely nervous.
I looked away toward the ocean.
"…I'm not sure," I admitted quietly.
"About what?" she asked gently.
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"…About him."
Yoonji stared at me for a second— then sighed softly like she already expected that answer.
"Jia," she said.
"You really can't see it?"
I looked back at her silently.
"We've known Sihoon since childhood," she continued.
"But I've never seen him act like this around any girl before."
The sound of the waves filled the small silence between us.
Then Yoonji smiled slightly.
"And honestly…"
"He's so obvious when it comes to you."
My heart skipped unexpectedly.
The waves continued reaching the shore quietly.
But somehow—
my heart felt louder than the ocean itself.