Sunlight glitters off the ocean as the speedboat cuts across the waves, carrying HWAON™ and company back to the mainland. The island dwindles behind them, a postcard-perfect speck on the horizon.
Yuna grips the rail, wind tearing through her hair. J-Min stands close, shielding her from stray ocean spray. He leans in, murmuring over the roar of the motor:
"I'm going to miss that hammock."
Yuna elbows him lightly. "I'm going to miss you shirtless."
J-Min's grin goes downright wicked. "I can fix that."
"NO!" shrieks Seo, from the other side of the boat. "WE ARE IN PUBLIC."
Ari is live-streaming, hair blowing across her phone camera.
"ONARI™!" she shouts. "WE SURVIVED THE ISLAND. Raejin might have rabies, but we're fine!"
Raejin scowls. "I DO NOT HAVE RABIES."
Sori points at his arm. "Then explain that bite mark."
Raejin looks panicked. "It was a hermit crab!"
Sori crosses her arms. "Hermit crabs do not leave hickeys."
Raejin sputters and the entire boat dissolves into laughter.
Hours later, they spill out of the arrivals gate at the airport, sunburnt, sand still clinging to luggage wheels. Flashbulbs pop the second they appear.
"IT'S THEM!" someone screams. "YUMIN™! J-MIN™! EVERYONE™!"
Paparazzi surge forward like a tide.
Seo goes rigid. "Form a perimeter! Taewon, guard the luggage. Ari, stop blowing kisses at the cameras!"
Ari: "Let me live my influencer life!"
Sori tugs Yuna closer. "Smile. Pretend we're not dying inside."
J-Min leans toward Yuna. "Want to make headlines?"
"J-Min, no..."
Too late. He plants a soft kiss on her temple. Camera flashes erupt like a disco ball. Fans shriek. Security starts yelling.
Seo's voice echoes over the din. "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE."
By the time they escape into black vans, Yuna's phone pings.
MOM: Saw the news. Are you pregnant?
Yuna gasps. "OH MY GOD."
J-Min tries to peek. "What'd she say?"
"Nothing!"
She shoves her phone away...but it pings again.
DAD: He seems polite. But keep your clothes on.
"OH MY GOD."
J-Min, laughing so hard he nearly chokes: "Your parents love me."
Mina leans over. "Wait, your mom thinks you're pregnant? Can I send her a sonogram photo of a pineapple and say it's your baby?"
"MINA!"
At HWAON™ headquarters, they gather around the conference table. Everyone's hair looks tragic from saltwater and travel.
Seo flips his clipboard open with the fury of a man at his limit.
"Review time. Let's start with island behaviour."
Mina: "Five stars. I would grope Raejin again."
Raejin: turning crimson "MINA."
Ari raises her hand. "I'd like to propose a new ship name: RaeMin™."
Raejin whimpers. "Please stop."
Sori: "I second it. Long live RaeMin™."
Seo rubs his temples. "We are not rebranding the band into a dating app."
J-Min slouches in his chair, arm slung around Yuna. "How about we talk about the real star of the trip...Yuna in that white bikini."
Yuna turns beet red. "J-Min!"
Seo slams his pen down. "STOP. TALKING. ABOUT. BIKINIS."
ONARI™ goes absolutely feral. Tweets scroll across the giant monitor in the conference room:
@YuminSinner69: YUNA IN A BIKINI. J-MIN'S ABS. I AM NO LONGER ALIVE.
@RaeMinForever: MINA. RAEJIN. BEACH. KISS CONFIRMED????
@SeoProtectionSquad: Give Seo a raise. And maybe therapy.
@HWAONUpdates: Spotted at Incheon Airport. J-Min kissed Yuna. Yumin™ rises!!!
Mina reads aloud. "Wow. We're basically a telenovela."
Ari sighs dreamily. "I want someone to look at me the way J-Min looks at Yuna. Or the way Raejin looks at shrimp skewers."
Mina snorts. "Please. You'll scare the poor man off. And for the record, Raejin doesn't just look at shrimp skewers. He proposes marriage to them."
Yuna groans. "Can we not talk about shrimp proposals right now?"
Suddenly, Yuna's phone buzzes. She groans, recognizing the caller.
"Oh no. It's my parents again."
She answers. Her mom and dad appear on Facetime, both peering way too close into the camera lens. The group instinctively crowds around to eavesdrop.
Mom gasps. "You're so tan! Are you eating enough? You look thinner."
Dad leans forward, squinting. "Young man." (He points sternly at J-Min.) "Remember your hands have a boundary zone."
J-Min bows politely, though his eyes sparkle with mischief. "Yes, sir. Totally aware of Yuna's...zones."
Mom narrows her eyes. "I see the way you look at our daughter."
Yuna sputters. "MOM. DAD."
Mom waves her off. "Well. At least he's handsome."
Dad grumbles. "He's okay."
Mina leans into frame. "Hi!"
Mom gasps again. "Mina! We've been getting calls from your mother."
Mina freezes, eyes widening. "Oh...no."
Dad crosses his arms. "Apparently your parents want to know if you're 'behaving yourself.' Something about a certain bonfire night photo circulating?"
Raejin, lurking behind Mina, yelps. "Delete the evidence!"
Mom squints. "Is that Raejin? Tell him your mother says hello...and that she's seen the photos."
Mina groans and buries her face in her hands. "I'm never going home again."
Yuna's dad, trying to look stern, adds, "Tell your parents we'll all have a talk next holiday. Over barbecue."
Mina wails. "I'm moving to Guam."
Yuna shoves her phone away. "Okay! That's enough family time. Ending call...love you guys, bye!"
J-Min leans closer, chuckling. "I think I'm more scared of your mom than I am of Seo."
Yuna hisses. "You should be."
Later that evening, J-Min corners Yuna in a quiet hallway, away from the conference chaos.
"You know," he murmurs, pressing close, "I keep thinking about that night in my room."
She squeaks as his breath ghosts across her ear. "J-Min, you're at work..."
"Technically," he murmurs, "we're in the hall."
He tilts her chin up, eyes soft but burning with mischief and kisses her until she forgets her name. Yuna pushes at his chest, gasping:
"Someone's gonna see!"
"Let them," he whispers.
Meanwhile, in the dance studio, Raejin and Mina bicker over choreography. Mina grabs Raejin's shirtfront, glaring.
"Why are you always off-beat?!"
Raejin sputters. "I'm not off-beat. You're just...distracting!"
Mina freezes. "What?"
Raejin goes scarlet. "I SAID YOU'RE DISTRACTING."
Then, because Raejin is Raejin, he blurts:
"And I like it, okay?!"
Mina blinks. "Well, duh."
She grabs his face and kisses him...hard. Ari shrieks from the doorway. "OH MY GOD. RAEMIN™ IS REAL!"
Seo barrels in. "NO KISSING IN THE PRACTICE ROOM."
By evening, everyone gathers in the lounge. Taewon has tea. Seo has a stress ice pack on his neck. J-Min lounges with Yuna curled into his side.
Seo sighs. "Next week's schedule is packed. Interviews. Variety shows. And more rumours to manage."
J-Min smirks. "At least we'll make headlines."
Seo howls, "YOU'RE NOT HELPING."
Mina nudges Yuna. "So...where to for our next trip? Mountains? Desert? Arctic tundra?"
Yuna laughs. "As long as there's no hermit crabs. And...maybe a private hammock."
J-Min kisses her cheek. "Deal."
Raejin pipes up. "Can we go somewhere with less sunscreen drama?"
Ari raises her phone. "Wherever we go, ONARI™ comes too!"
Sori sighs. "Lord help us all."
And as laughter fills the room, Yuna smiles, realizing that no matter how wild their lives get, there's nowhere she'd rather be than tangled up in the madness, with J-Min's arm around her, and the whole chaotic family of HWAON™ by her side.