blair04

[blair04]

Chapter 5: Sunset with Them

(2014)

As the kids grew older, each of them began to gravitate toward something unique—something that quietly set them apart and made them irreplaceable within the group.

Yeonjun found his passion in acting. He was always the one to gather everyone at his house for movie nights, only to spend hours afterward dissecting every scene with infectious enthusiasm. Sometimes, he'd pull them into impromptu performances in his room, assigning roles and imagining new lives. For him, slipping into different personas felt like freedom—like unlocking little doors to other worlds.

Soobin was drawn to writing. He often shared his poems with Ivy, soft and sincere lines scribbled in notebooks. He dreamed of writing a story about the six of them—something real, something lasting. Or maybe he’d open a quiet café someday. He didn’t know exactly where life would take him, but he knew he wanted peace.

Beomgyu lived with his headphones around his neck like an extension of himself. Music wasn't just something he listened to—it was something he breathed. He started writing songs, bits of melody and feeling that came to him when the world was quiet.

Taehyun didn’t have one singular passion, but he had a deep love for science and an even deeper love for simply being there. He was the listener, the observer. Always present. He didn’t say much, but when he did, it mattered. His warmth was the kind that lingered.

And then there was Kai, who had every game console the moment it hit the shelves. His room was a sanctuary of glowing screens and shared laughter. He was always inviting the others over to play. One day, he said, he’d make his own games—become a programmer and build entire worlds from scratch.

Ivy, much like Taehyun, simply loved being around the boys. They teased each other constantly, but in their chaos, she never felt alone. By the time she was twelve, the quiet ache of her parents' absence—too consumed by their work to notice the stillness they left behind—had become a familiar kind of pain. She was used to it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

The boys were older now, and they had started to understand why Ivy always wanted to stay over at one of their houses. They had become her second family, a safe place where she didn’t fell alone. And when she couldn’t stay with them, they came to her instead—just to make sure she wouldn’t be alone.

Taehyun came the most. Their houses were practically neighbors, and it didn’t matter if there was school the next day—he’d come over anyway. He’d sit next to her at the table, helping her through math problems and making the silence feel less heavy.

For her age, Ivy carried something she didn’t yet have a name for—a quiet, shapeless sadness that settled deep in her chest. It was a kind of loneliness that clung to the edges of her days. The only things that truly lit her up were the boys… and word search puzzles. Something about finding little pieces of meaning in a sea of scattered letters brought her comfort.

—

One summer afternoon, they were all gathered in Kai’s backyard. It was August, and the heat hung heavy in the air, making everything feel slow and sticky. Kai, Taehyun, Yeonjun, and Beomgyu were crammed into the tiny inflatable pool, laughing loudly as they tried to dunk each other and played at launching themselves off one another’s shoulders like reckless kids who had no fear of bruises.

“You’re going down!” Yeonjun yelled, climbing onto Kai’s shoulders with little warning.

“Get off! You’re heavy!” Kai shouted, half-laughing, half-panicking as he stumbled backward, crashing into Beomgyu, who had just taken a deep breath and was trying to stay underwater.

“Idiots,” Beomgyu coughed, splashing water into Yeonjun’s face. “I almost drowned because of you.”

“That’s kind of the point!” Taehyun added from the side, giving Beomgyu a nudge with his foot before flipping onto his back to float. His eyes were closed, soaking in the sun, the moment, the noise.

Off to the side, Soobin and Ivy lay stretched out on the sun loungers, seeking refuge in the shade from the unforgiving sun.

“Soobin,” Ivy murmured, her voice lazy and a little hoarse from the heat. “Here.” She handed him a slightly worn dessert recipe book. “I found this at home and figured you’d make better use of it than I ever would.”

“Oh, thank you,” he said, flipping it open with a curious smile. “Omg, cheesecake? I already love it.”

“Yeah, right?” Ivy laughed. “There’s also Black Forest cake. You should learn how to make it... and bake it for my birthday.”

Soobin looked at her over the top of the book with a grin. “Got ya.”

Just then, a loud splash followed by a chorus of chaotic shouts rang from the pool. Ivy turned her head and rolled her eyes with a smile. “Damn, they’re making a lot of noise,” she muttered, the shrill laugh of Kai rising above the others like always.

Ivy eventually stood, brushing the crumbs of imaginary comfort off her lap and stretching her arms overhead. The sun was still relentless, but the sound of the boys' laughter—messy, chaotic, alive—was magnetic. She wandered slowly toward the pool, barefoot on the slightly warm grass, the air thick with the scent of sunscreen and summer.

Taehyun noticed her first. He straightened up just a little, grinning as he wiped water from his face with the back of his hand.

“Well, look who’s finally joining the fun,” he teased, his voice dripping with mock judgment.

“I’m not getting in, relax,” Ivy said, already laughing, holding her hands up in defense. “I’m just—”

Before she could finish, Taehyun cupped both hands together, scooped a generous splash of water from the pool, and sent it flying in her direction.

She didn’t flinch.

Taehyun paused.

He raised an eyebrow and threw another splash, this time lower—up to her chest.

Still, Ivy didn’t move. She sat absolutely still, lips pressed together, eyes squinting just slightly in the sunlight. Her whole body tensed in mock seriousness, as if she were made of stone.

But Taehyun could see the corners of her mouth twitching.

“Ohhh,” he said, grinning wider, “you’re trying not to laugh.”

“I’m not,” she replied flatly, but her voice cracked just slightly.

“Interesting,” he said, stepping closer. “So if I do… this—” Another splash. Bigger this time.

Ivy squealed, finally bursting into laughter. “Tae!”

“There she is!”

“Can’t a girl live in peace?” Ivy groaned dramatically, pressing both palms together like she was praying for mercy.

Taehyun burst out laughing from across the pool.

Yeonjun swam closer and leaned on the edge near her. “Wanna get in?”

She looked down at her soaked clothes and rolled her eyes. “Sure. I’m already drenched thanks to Tae.”

“You’re welcome,” Taehyun grinned, throwing her a wink before splashing water at Kai and swimming away.

Without warning, Yeonjun scooped Ivy up into his arms.

“Yeonjun—!” she shrieked, but he was already stepping back into the pool.

“Too late,” he sang, before gently dropping her into the cool water.

Ivy surfaced with a dramatic gasp, eyes wide and voice high-pitched. “It’s so cold!”

Everyone laughed.

“But it’s good,” she added quickly, paddling to keep herself afloat. “It’s really sunny anyway.”

Yeonjun gave her a playful splash to the face, and she gasped, lunging toward him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a mock chokehold. “You’re going down!”

He laughed and tried to wriggle free as she clung to him like a koala.

“Soobin!” Ivy cried, grabbing onto the edge of the pool with her best damsel-in-distress impression. “Save me from these savages!”

Soobin, sitting comfortably on a lounger under the umbrella, raised a lazy eyebrow and said, “You got yourself into this.”

As Ivy pretended to sob, gripping the pool’s edge dramatically, Kai came up behind her, unnoticed, and grabbed her by the ankles with a mischievous grin.

“Don’t you da—”

Before she could finish, Kai tugged playfully, hard enough to pull her backward—but he didn’t realize how close she was to the wall.

Her chin hit the pool’s edge with a muted thud.

The sound was soft, but the silence afterward was deafening.

Everyone froze.

“Ivy?” Yeonjun said immediately, swimming over. “Hey—are you okay?”

She came up slowly, blinking and wiping water from her eyes. There was a pause, then a soft, audible gasp.

A thin line of blood was trickling from a small cut on her chin, and her eyes shimmered with tears—not from the splash, not from the drama, but from the sharp, real pain of it.

“I’m okay,” she said quickly, voice small, trying to wipe the blood with her palm. “It’s fine.”

But it wasn’t.

“Oh my god,” Kai murmured, his face draining of color. “I didn’t mean— I thought you had space—”

Yeonjun was already next to her, helping her stay afloat. “Let’s get you out of the water.”

Ivy nodded, teeth clenched as she climbed out, her body trembling slightly—not just from the chill, but from the suddenness of it all.

Taehyun got out to grab a towel. He crouched beside her, looking at the cut. “It’s not deep,” he said gently, “but it’s bleeding.”

“I’m sorry,” Kai said again, his voice tight and full of guilt. “I was just messing around—I didn’t think—”

“I know,” Ivy whispered. She wasn’t angry. Her whole body was shaking cause of the shock. "I'm fine, kai. Don't worry." she smiled gently at hit.

(♡♡♡)

The sun had finally dipped behind the rooftops, casting the backyard in soft orange and indigo hues. All of them had gone inside, wandering off to change into dry clothes or to sneak snacks from Kai’s kitchen. The buzz of cicadas filled the quiet, mingling with the low hum of the ceiling fan through the open window.

Ivy stayed outside, watching the sunset with a bag of popcorns she had borrowed from Kai’s kitchen. The sky was painted in soft pinks and oranges, the kind of colors that made everything feel slower, quieter.

After a little while, Kai came out and sat beside her. He rubbed the back of his neck, awkward but sincere.

“I’m really sorry. Again.”

Ivy glanced at him, then smiled gently. “I know you didn’t mean to. Forget about it, okay?”

Kai nodded, grateful, the tension in his shoulders easing.

Soon, the others joined them, drawn by the cool breeze and soft evening light. They all settled into the pool chairs, quiet for once, as if the day had finally run out of energy.

Ivy leaned her head against Beomgyu’s shoulder, humming a soft, dreamy melody she had just made up—something slow and soothing, like the sun going down. There were no words, just sound and breath and stillness. The others listened in silence, not wanting to interrupt.

Beomgyu slowly reached for his phone and hit record, capturing the moment like a secret too fragile to forget.

It was peaceful. Warm. Perfect.

Until Yeonjun, sitting cross-legged at the end of the row, suddenly shifted his weight and let out an unmistakably loud fart.

Everyone froze.

Ivy blinked.

Taehyun turned his head in disbelief.

Kai choked on a laugh.

Soobin covered his face with both hands.

Beomgyu paused the recording and stared at his phone like it had just betrayed him.

Yeonjun looked up with a perfectly straight face. “What? Nature’s music.”

The group burst into laughter—loud, helpless, ridiculous. Ivy laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes.

And just like that, the tenderness of the moment didn’t disappear—it just got louder, funnier, messier. More them.

[blair04]

Chapter 1: Opening Sequence

(2008)

In the summer of 2008, six friends were spending a precious time on a beautiful island located in the south of Spain, a place that vibrated with youthful energy and joy during its sun-drenched seasons. It was August, and the island’s annual fair was in full swing, a buzzing tradition cherished by all. Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, Huening Kai and Ivy, after hours of thrilling rides and games, desired a quieter place so they escaped in the woods bordering the fairgrounds.

They settled together on tree trunks, finding a peaceful haven away from the bustling crowds. Soobin and Kai were immersed in a conversation about the latest Nintendo release, their voices animated with excitement. Meanwhile, Taehyun and Ivy leaned back, their gazes fixed on the celestial lights. Deep within the woods, far from the artificial glow of the fair, the stars shone with breathtaking clarity. Yeonjun and Beomgyu shared the music from a single MP3 player, a silent bond forming between them. Though young, with the eldest barely a teenager, they were creating memories that would last a lifetime.

Around ten o’clock that evening, Yeonjun received a call from his parents summoning them back to the village. They arranged to meet their parents in the lively town square, where the festivities continued. As their parents watched them with fond smiles, the friends huddled together, their own conversations weaving through the joyous atmosphere. With seemingly boundless energy, they darted from one attraction to another, their laughter echoing through the night. Finally, as the clock approached half-past midnight, each bid farewell and headed home, the magic of the summer night lingering in their hearts.

wc: 275

genre: coming of age

characters ages in 2008: Yeojun (9), Soobin (8), Beomgyu (7), Taehyun (6), Hueningkai (6) and Ivy (6)