The group arrived at Hyeopjae Beach in the late afternoon. The sand was white and soft. The water was clear and turquoise, exactly like Seo-joon had described. Small islands sat on the horizon.
Warren took one look at the water and ran straight for it. Sally called after him. "Warren, you need sunscreen first!"
He was already at the water's edge, letting the waves run over his feet. "It's so cool!"
Sally shook her head. Vin Jin was right behind him, already ankle-deep. Max and Derrick helped Seongji set up a spot under a rented beach umbrella.
Sally and Sujin spread out a large beach blanket. They had stopped at a convenience store on the way and stocked up on snacks and drinks. Sujin arranged everything while Sally rubbed sunscreen into her arms and legs.
"Don't forget your face," Sujin said.
"I know, I know," Sally muttered, dabbing the white cream onto her cheeks.
Yenna sat in her stroller in a tiny sun hat, kicking her legs and making happy sounds. Seongji handed her a water bottle to hold. She grabbed it with both hands.
Baki stood at the edge of the blanket with his hands on his hips, scanning the beach. "Everyone stay where I can see you."
"Yes, sir," Vin Jin called back with a flat look.
Baki ignored him and walked toward the water.
Warren was already waist-deep, grinning. A massive splash hit him from the side. Vin Jin stood a few feet away, smiling. Warren splashed back. Within seconds they were both going at each other, arms swinging water in every direction.
Max and Derrick waded in. Derrick tested the water carefully with his toes before stepping further. Max walked in without checking and a wave hit him at the knees and took his legs out. He went down hard.
Everyone laughed. Max came up with his hair plastered to his face, spitting water. "That wasn't funny!"
"It was a little funny," Derrick said, grinning.
On the blanket, Sujin looked at Sally. "Let's walk along the shore for now."
They rolled up their pants and walked along the water's edge. The wet sand was cool and firm underfoot. Small crabs scattered as they passed. Shells were scattered everywhere in different shapes and colors.
Sujin crouched down and picked one up. It was smooth and spiral-shaped. "Look at this one."
"That's pretty," Sally said. She bent down and started looking too.
They worked their way along the shore, collecting the best ones. Sujin found one that was pale pink with white stripes, perfectly intact. "I'm keeping this one," she said, tucking it into her pocket.
Further down the beach, another group was setting up nearby. Six or seven people, some college-aged, some younger. They had coolers, beach chairs, and a volleyball net. One girl in a bright yellow swimsuit spotted Sally and Sujin and waved. "Hi!"
They waved back. The girl jogged over. "Are you guys here on vacation?"
"Yeah," Sally said. "We just arrived today."
"Same! We cane from Seoul this morning." The girl smiled wide. "I'm Jenny."
"I'm Sally. This is Sujin."
"Nice to meet you both!" Jenny said. "We're about to play volleyball and we need more people. Do you want to join?"
Sally and Sujin looked at each other. Sujin admitted, "We're not very good."
"Neither are we. It's just for fun."
Sally said, "Let me ask my friends first."
"Of course. Bring them too!"
They walked back to the umbrella. Baki was sitting in a beach chair, watching Yenna while Seongji built a small sandcastle near her stroller to keep her entertained.
Sally pointed down the beach. "Baki-hyung, some people over there invited us to play volleyball. Is that okay?"
Baki looked in that direction and studied the group for a moment. "Stay nearby," he said.
Sally ran to the water. "Guys! Volleyball! Do you want to play?"
Max straightened up immediately. "Yes!"
"I'm in," Derrick said.
Warren shrugged. "Sure."
Vin Jin nodded. "Fine."
They made their way over. Jenny introduced her group. Her brother Moon Seong was friendly and easygoing. Jaeryeong Kim was quiet but smiled warmly when he shook hands. Heesu Pi was loud and restless, already bouncing on his heels. Joseph Kim and Jinho Chae were clearly best friends, nudging each other and cracking jokes. Hyesun Oh was the oldest and seemed to be the one keeping things organized.
"Let's split teams," Jenny said. She pointed. "Moon Seong, Jaeryeong, Jinho, and you, you, and you." She picked Sally, Derrick, and Warren.
"The rest are with me," Heesu said.
Hyesun counted heads and frowned. "That's uneven."
"You sit out first and we rotate," Jenny said.
"Fine."
They took positions. Moon Seong served first, sending the ball over the net with decent force. Vin Jin lunged and smashed it straight back.
Warren jumped and spiked it hard. Vin Jin dove, popped it up, set it himself in one motion, and hammered it down. Warren blocked it with both hands. The ball bounced back to Vin Jin's side.
Vin Jin clicked his tongue.
Heesu barely kept it alive. Vin Jin got under it and spiked from a different angle. It landed in.
"Point!" Jenny called out.
Warren's eyes narrowed. He served next, fast and flat. Max received it and fed it to Vin Jin. Vin Jin spiked. Warren spiked back. They locked into a rally, both refusing to give an inch, grunting with effort and glaring at each other between touches.
Joseph leaned toward Jinho. "Are they serious right now?"
Jinho watched them. "Apparently."
The rest of the players had basically stopped participating. Derrick tried to step in on Warren's side and Warren waved him off without looking. "I got it." On the other side, Vin Jin physically moved Max out of the way to reach the ball. "Move."
Sally sighed. "Here we go again."
The rallies stretched longer. Neither of them made mistakes, just kept returning everything the other threw. Warren faked a spike and tipped it softly over the net. Vin Jin scrambled forward and got under it, popped it up, and spiked it in a single motion.
Warren dove but hit sand. The ball was already down.
Vin Jin smirked. "Weak."
Warren stood and brushed sand off his arms. "Lucky shot."
"Want to go again?"
"Obviously."
Sujin raised her hand. "Can we rest? Please?"
"Yeah, you two are unreal," Heesu said.
Warren and Vin Jin both looked annoyed but nodded and stepped back. Warren muttered, "Fine." Vin Jin adjusted his sunglasses and said nothing.
Jenny stared at them. "Do you guys play competitively?"
"No," Warren said.
Sally added, "It's actually their first time."
Joseph shook his head slowly. "That was insane."
From under the umbrella, Baki had watched the whole rally. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Idiots."
Seongji smiled quietly. "They seem to be enjoying themselves."
Everyone sat down in the sand for a break. Jenny's group opened their cooler and passed around cold drinks and ice pops.
Moon Seong handed them over. "Here, have some."
Max grabbed two ice pops without hesitating. Derrick looked at him. "That's too many."
"I'm really hot!" Max said.
Everyone laughed.
Heesu looked over at Warren. "You're really good. Do you train professionally?"
"Not exactly," Warren said. "I work out a lot. My reflexes are decent."
"Like at the gym?" Joseph asked.
"Something like that," Warren said and left it there.
On the other side of the group, Jenny was asking Sally and Sujin about their plans. Sally pulled up her list on her phone and Jenny leaned in to read it.
"You're going to Seongsan Ilchulbong?" Jenny said. "We're going tomorrow morning for the sunrise!"
Sally looked up. "The sunrise?"
"It's one of the best places in Korea to watch it. You should come with us."
Sally looked at Sujin. Sujin hesitated. "We'd have to wake up really early."
Jaeryeong spoke up quietly. "It's worth it. I've seen the photos."
Sally made the call. "Let's do it."
Jenny clapped her hands. "Perfect! We'll all go together."
Nearby, Vin Jin and Jinho had gotten into a conversation about sunglasses. Jinho tapped the frame of his pair. "UV protected and polarized. Got them from a shop in Gangnam."
"Mine are custom," Vin Jin said.
Jinho raised his eyebrows. "That must've been expensive."
"It was worth it," Vin Jin said.
Derrick listened to them and said nothing, but he was clearly amused.
Max and Heesu had started building a sandcastle. Max was doing most of the actual building. Heesu kept giving suggestions.
"Make the tower taller," Heesu said.
"It'll collapse," Max told him.
"No it won't. Trust me."
Max added more sand. The tower immediately fell apart. Heesu laughed so hard he fell backward onto the beach. Max stared at the collapsed tower and then started laughing too. "I told you!" he said.
The sun dropped lower as the afternoon stretched on. The sky shifted to orange and pink. A breeze came in from the water and the heat eased off.
Hyesun suggested a group photo. Everyone gathered together, some sitting, some standing. She set a timer on her phone, ran to join the group, and the camera clicked. Jenny immediately called for another one. They took several more, cycling through silly poses and serious ones until everyone was satisfied.
Moon Seong passed his phone around. "Put your numbers in. We should hang out after the sunrise tomorrow."
"Definitely," Max said, already typing.
They exchanged contacts. Jenny made a group chat and added everyone on the spot. "Now we can coordinate," she said.
As they packed up, Baki walked over with Yenna. She had sand on her hands, her clothes, and somehow in her hair. She looked exhausted but content.
"Did you have fun?" Baki asked.
Sally nodded. "We made new friends."
Jenny looked at Baki. "Are you their older brother?"
"Something like that," Baki said.
Derrick added, "He's our group leader."
Jenny nodded. "Cool."
They said goodbye and headed back to the hotel. Everyone was tired and covered in sand. Yenna was asleep before they reached the car.
Back at the hotel, they split off to shower. Sujin went first and stood under the hot water for a long time. When she came out, Sally was already on the bed scrolling through her phone.
"Jenny posted in the group chat," Sally said, turning the screen toward her.
Sujin leaned over and looked. The photos were good. Everyone looked relaxed and happy. "I'm glad we met them," Sally said.
"Me too," Sujin agreed.
After Sally showered, they ordered room service. The menu had plenty of options. They went with pasta and pizza. The boys did the same in their rooms. Warren and Vin Jin ordered burgers. Max and Derrick got Korean food. Seongji used the small kitchenette to make something simple for himself and Yenna. Baki ordered grilled fish.
Everyone ate and went to bed early. Sally set her alarm for four-thirty. Sujin saw the time and groaned.
"That's so early," she said.
"Jenny said it's worth it," Sally replied.
"It better be."
They turned the lights off and fell asleep fast. The first day was done. The vacation was off to a good start.
Or so it seemed.