The group arrived at Hyeopjae Beach in the late afternoon. The sand was white and soft under their feet. The water was clear and turquoise, just like Seo-joon had described. Small islands dotted the horizon.
"Wow!" Warren ran toward the water immediately.
"Warren, wait! You need to put on sunscreen first!" Sally called after him.
But Warren was already at the water's edge, letting the waves wash over his feet. "It's so cool and refreshing!"
Sally shook her head. Vin Jin also ran into the water. Max and Derrick helped Seongji set up a spot under a large beach umbrella they'd rented.
Sally and Sujin spread out a large beach blanket. They'd stopped at a convenience store on the way and bought snacks and drinks. Sujin arranged everything neatly while Sally applied sunscreen to her arms and legs.
"Don't forget your face," Sujin reminded her.
"I know, I know," Sally replied, rubbing the white cream onto her cheeks.
Yenna sat in her stroller, wearing a tiny sun hat. She kicked her little legs and made happy sounds. Seongji smiled and gave her a bottle of water to hold.
Baki stood at the edge of the blanket, hands on his hips, surveying the beach. "Everyone stay where I can see you."
"Yes, sir," Vin Jin said sarcastically.
Baki ignored him and walked toward the water.
Warren was already waist-deep. "It feels amazing!"
The water was refreshing. It wasn't too cold, just cool enough to be pleasant in the summer heat.
Suddenly, a massive splash hit him. Nearby, Vin Jin stood grinning.
Before Warren could respond, Vin Jin splashed him again. Warren splashed back, and soon they were both attacking each other with water.
Max and Derrick joined them. Derrick was cautious, testing the water with his toes first. Max walked in confidently, but a wave knocked him off balance and he fell backward.
Everyone laughed. Max came up sputtering, his hair plastered to his face. "That wasn't funny!"
"It was a little funny," Derrick said with a grin.
The girls watched from the blanket.
"Let's walk along the shore for now," Sujin suggested.
"Okay," Sally agreed.
They rolled up their pants and walked along the water's edge. The wet sand was cool and firm under their feet. Small crabs scurried away as they approached. Shells of various shapes and colors were scattered everywhere.
"Look at this one!" Sujin picked up a smooth, spiral shell.
"That's pretty," Sally said. She bent down and started looking for shells too.
They collected several, choosing only the prettiest ones. Sujin found one that was perfectly intact—pale pink with white stripes.
"I'm keeping this one," she said.
As they walked further down the beach, they noticed another group setting up nearby. There were about six or seven people. Some looked college-aged, others younger. They had coolers, beach chairs, and a volleyball net.
One of them, a girl with short hair and a bright yellow swimsuit, waved at Sally and Sujin. "Hi!"
Sally and Sujin waved back politely.
The girl jogged over. "Are you guys here on vacation?"
"Yeah," Sally said. "We just arrived today."
"Same! We drove here from Seoul this morning." The girl was energetic. "I'm Jenny, by the way."
"I'm Sally, and this is Sujin."
"Nice to meet you!" Jenny grinned. "Do you guys want to play volleyball with us? We need more people."
Sally and Sujin looked at each other. "Um, we're not very good at volleyball," Sujin admitted.
"That's okay! Neither are we. It's just for fun."
Sally thought about it. "Let me ask my friends first."
"Sure! Bring them too. The more, the better."
Sally and Sujin walked back to their spot. Baki was sitting in a beach chair, watching Yenna. Seongji was building a small sandcastle near the stroller to entertain her.
"Baki-hyung, some people over there invited us to play volleyball. Is that okay?" Sally asked.
Baki looked in the direction Sally pointed. He studied the group for a moment. "Stay nearby."
"Thanks!"
Sally ran toward the water and shouted, "Guys! There's a volleyball game! Do you want to play?"
Max perked up immediately. "Volleyball? Yes!"
"I'm in," Derrick said.
Warren shrugged. "Sure."
Vin Jin nodded. "Fine."
They all made their way to where the other group was setting up the net. Jenny introduced everyone.
"This is my brother Moon Seong," she pointed to the others. "That's Jaeryeong Kim, Heesu Pi, Joseph Kim, Jinho Chae, and Hyesun Oh."
Everyone exchanged greetings. Moon Seong seemed friendly and easygoing. Jaeryeong was quiet but smiled warmly. Heesu was loud and energetic like Jenny. Joseph and Jinho looked like best friends, constantly joking with each other. Hyesun was the oldest and seemed to be in charge.
"Okay, let's split into teams," Jenny said. "How about... Moon Seong, Jaeryeong, Jinho, and..." she looked at Sally's group, "you, you, and you." She pointed at Sally, Derrick, and Warren.
"The rest of us are on the other team," Heesu said.
Sally ended up on a team with Moon Seong, Jaeryeong, Jinho, Derrick, and Warren. The other team had Jenny, Heesu, Joseph, Hyesun, Sujin, Vin Jin, and Max.
"Wait, that's uneven," Hyesun pointed out.
"Hyesun, you sit out first, then we'll rotate," Jenny suggested.
"Okay."
They took their positions. Vin Jin and Warren looked at each other and grinned.
They started playing. Moon Seong served first. He hit the ball over the net with decent force. Vin Jin lunged for it and smashed it back.
Warren leaped up and spiked the ball hard. It flew toward Vin Jin's side.
Vin Jin dove and hit it up. "Hah!"
Max set it for him. Vin Jin jumped and smashed it down. Warren was already there, blocking it with both hands. The ball bounced back.
"Tch." Vin Jin clicked his tongue.
Heesu barely saved it. Vin Jin got under it again and spiked from a different angle. This time it landed in.
"Point to us!" Jenny called.
Warren's eyes narrowed. He served next—hard and fast. Max received it, sending it to Vin Jin. Vin Jin spiked. Warren spiked back. They kept going back and forth, both refusing to lose.
"Are they serious right now?" Joseph asked.
"Apparently," Jinho said.
The two had completely taken over the game. Warren would spike, Vin Jin would receive and counter. Vin Jin would attack, Warren would block and return. Neither said much, just grunted with effort and glared at each other between plays.
Derrick tried to help but Warren waved him off. "I got it."
Same with Max on the other side. Vin Jin pushed past him to get the ball. "Move."
Sally sighed. "Here we go again."
The rallies got longer. Ten hits, fifteen hits, twenty hits. Both were dripping sweat but neither would back down.
Warren faked a spike and tipped it over instead. Vin Jin scrambled forward and got under it, popping it up. He then set it himself and spiked it in one motion.
Warren dove but missed. The ball hit the sand.
Vin Jin smirked. "Weak."
Warren stood up, brushing sand off his arms. His jaw was tight. "Lucky shot."
"Want to go again?"
"Obviously."
"Uh, can we rest?" Sujin asked. "Please?"
"Yeah, you two are crazy," Heesu said.
Warren and Vin Jin both looked annoyed at being interrupted but nodded.
"Fine," Warren muttered.
"Whatever," Vin Jin said, adjusting his sunglasses.
Jenny stared at them. "You guys are really good. Do you play competitively?"
"No," Warren said.
"It's our first time," Sally added.
Joseph shook his head. "That was insane."
From the umbrella, Baki had watched the whole thing. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Idiots."
Seongji chuckled quietly. "They seem to be enjoying themselves."
During a break, everyone sat down in the sand. Jenny's group shared their cooler, which had cold drinks and ice pops.
"Here, have some," Moon Seong said, passing around drinks.
"Thanks," Max said, grabbing two ice pops.
"Max, that's too much," Derrick said.
"I'm really hot!"
They all laughed.
Heesu looked at Warren. "You're really good at volleyball. Do you play professionally?"
"Not really," Warren said. "I just work out a lot, so my reflexes are decent."
"Work out? Like at the gym?" Joseph asked.
"Something like that."
On the other side, Sally and Sujin were talking to Jenny and Jaeryeong. Jenny was asking about their trip.
"How long are you staying?" Jenny asked.
"We haven't decided yet," Sujin answered.
"Same! Have you guys planned where to go?"
"We have a list," Sally pulled out her phone and showed Jenny.
"Oh, you're going to Seongsan Ilchulbong? We're going there tomorrow morning for the sunrise!"
"Sunrise?" Sally hadn't thought about that.
"Yeah! It's one of the best places to watch the sunrise in Korea. You should come."
Sally looked at Sujin. "Should we?"
"We'd have to wake up really early," Sujin said hesitantly.
"It's worth it," Jaeryeong spoke up quietly. "I've seen pictures. It's beautiful."
"Okay, let's do it," Sally decided.
Jenny clapped her hands. "Great! We can all go together."
Vin Jin and Jinho were talking about sunglasses. Jinho also wore sunglasses and was apparently particular about brands.
"I got these from a shop in Gangnam," Jinho said. "They're UV protected and polarized."
"Mine are custom," Vin Jin said.
"Custom? That must've been expensive."
"It was worth it."
Derrick listened to their conversation with amusement.
Max was building a sandcastle with Heesu. Well, Max was building and Heesu was giving unhelpful suggestions.
"Make the tower taller!" Heesu said.
"It'll collapse if I make it taller."
"No it won't. Trust me."
Max added more sand. The tower immediately collapsed. Heesu laughed so hard he fell backward.
"I told you!" Max said, but he was laughing too.
They spent another hour at the beach. The sun started setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The temperature dropped slightly, and a cool breeze blew in from the ocean.
Hyesun suggested they take a group photo. Everyone gathered together, some sitting, some standing. Hyesun set up a timer on her phone and rushed to join them. The camera clicked.
"Let's take another one!" Jenny said.
They took several photos in different poses. Silly ones, serious ones, and everything in between.
Moon Seong gave everyone his contact information. "We should hang out again tomorrow after sunrise."
"Definitely," Max agreed.
They exchanged numbers and social media handles. Jenny created a group chat and added everyone.
"Now we can plan stuff together!" she said.
As they were packing up, Baki came over with Yenna. The little girl had sand all over her hands and clothes. She looked tired but happy.
"Did you have fun?" Baki asked.
"Yeah!" Sally said. "We made new friends."
"Good."
Jenny looked at Baki curiously. "Are you their... older brother?"
"Something like that," Baki said.
"He's like our group leader," Derrick explained.
"Cool," Jenny said.
They all said goodbye to Jenny's group and headed back to the hotel. Everyone was tired but in good spirits. Sand was everywhere—in their hair, clothes, shoes. Yenna had fallen asleep in her stroller.
Back at the hotel, everyone went to their rooms to shower and clean up. Sally and Sujin took turns in the bathroom. Sujin went first and took a long, hot shower. The water felt amazing after being in the sun all day.
When she came out, Sally was lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone.
"Jenny already posted photos in the group chat," Sally said.
Sujin looked over her shoulder. The photos were good. Everyone looked happy and relaxed.
"I'm glad we met them," Sally said.
"Me too."
After Sally showered, they both changed into comfortable clothes. They were too tired to go out for dinner, so they ordered room service. The hotel menu had lots of options. They chose pasta and pizza.
The boys did the same. Warren and Vin Jin ordered burgers. Max and Derrick got Korean food. Seongji made something simple for himself and Yenna in his room using the small kitchenette. Baki ordered grilled fish.
Everyone ate in their rooms and went to bed early. Tomorrow would be a long day with the sunrise hike. Sally set an alarm for four-thirty in the morning. Sujin groaned when she saw the time.
"That's so early," she complained.
"Jenny said it's worth it."
"It better be."
They turned off the lights and fell asleep quickly.
The vacation was off to a good start. Or so it seemed.