Chapter LXXXIX - Going Back Tomorrow

Meow.

Arthur discovered a new form of an alarm clock in a shape of a cat during the past few weeks. Feeling pressure on his chest, he woke up to the sight of Kyu massaging him gently. It wasn’t every morning, but it was a repeated mistake that could have been avoided.

“Art. . . you didn’t close the door properly, did you?” Irene gave a low moan in despair, turning around to face them.

“We should’ve just fixed it,” Arthur said, referring to the doorknob that struggled to keep the door shut unless you slammed it closed.

Kyu figured out he could push the door open, entering their room every few days.

“What’s done is done.” She moaned again, scratching the meowing Kyu behind his ear. “Good morning to you too, cutie.”

Noticing he was getting attention from Irene, Kyu quickly switched his focus, rubbing against her before falling over on his back. The group had spent quite a bit of time spoiling him.

“Still can’t believe the idiots messed up the lock when they burst into my room with those water guns. . .” Arthur sighed in disbelief.

“Boys will be boys.”

“Right?” he chuckled, looking out the window. “To think we’re going back tomorrow feels so weird.”

“Only three weeks until school starts again.” She pointed out, wrapping her arm around Kyu. They lazed silently for a bit before Irene glanced up at Arthur again. “What’ll you do if your grandpa says no to Kyu.”

“Didn’t Sophie say she’ll deal with it? I thought she already told him.”

“If she did, don’t you think she’d say something?”

Arthur sighed after Irene opened his eyes to the reality of their situation. While his anxiety about why his card got declined was going to be dealt with, a new reason to feel nervous suddenly appeared. It’d be a lie if he said he didn’t get attached to Kyu as Arthur grew fond of their new family member.

“We’ll figure it out. . .” Arthur mumbled, rubbing Kyu’s belly.

Irene slowly sat up, glancing out the window and getting lost in thoughts.

“What do you want to eat?” She asked, turning back to him.

“I’m fine with whatever.”

“Don’t complain later.” She smirked, getting up with her arms in the air as she arched her back and stood on her toes. Peeking behind her, she caught Arthur ogling her and found it cute when he tried averting his gaze like he wasn’t intentionally doing it. “Found anything you like?”

She loved teasing him, and so did he from time to time.

Eventually, the two gathered themselves and made their way downstairs.

“It feels so odd seeing this place empty,” Arthur said, looking around the living room.

“Yeah,” Irene mumbled while heading for the kitchen.

Hyun and Nabi were the first to go back as Hyun’s Noona and her husband were on their way back from Busan. Tjay had to go back due to his father going on another business trip, so Don decided to join him. They weren’t expecting Ari and Yeona to go with them, but it was convenient as Ari’s family insisted it was time for her to return. Yeona on the other hand wanted to distance herself from Arthur and Irene before school started so that when they’re supposed to see each other again, it’s not as awkward. That left just the six of them at the beach house.

Arthur approached Kyu’s bowl on top of which a piece of paper rested, saying how they’d fed him before they left. Sophie and Amelia went together to Balam’s place for Amelia to leave her the keys and to say goodbye while Sophie tagged along for fun.

“Good morning, lovebirds,” Iseul said, walking downstairs in her swimsuit with Max following behind.

“I was wondering if you were still asleep.” Irene smiled, opening up the fridge.

“You two off for a swim?” Arthur asked.

“Might as well enjoy it while we’re here,” Max said. “We’ll be out there all day. Wanna join us?”

“Irene?” Arthur glanced back, unsure if she was up for it.

“Let’s grab a quick bite, and then we’ll join.”

“Why don’t you just make something and take it to the beach? I’m going to tan for a bit anyway.” Iseul suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Irene said. “Want me to make some for you too?”

“Nah, we ate already,” Iseul said but then turned to Max. “Right?”

“Why’re you looking at me?” Max crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow.

“We’ll you’ve been indulging a lot lately,” Iseul teased, approaching him closer and rubbing his belly. “Trying to lose these abs you’ve been working so hard to get for the summer?”

“Nonna. . .” He sighed while the rest laughed.

“Now that I think about it, so much happened on this trip,” said Max, popping a can of coke open after returning from a swim. “I mean, you two got together, which was honestly mindblowing. . .”

“Really?” Iseul asked. “There was no way they weren’t getting together.”

“Nah, you should’ve heard the whole story, then you would’ve doubted it too.”

“But I did hear it. Do you really think Irene hasn’t told me everything?” Iseul sighed while Irene and Arthur watched them going back and forth.

“Maybe she told you, but we knew what Art was thinking.”

“You don’t even know what you’re thinking. . .”

“Hey!” Max raised his voice as the two exchanged a heated gaze.

“Calm down you two,” Irene chuckled, knowing they sometimes loved to escalate things. “While I did tell Iseul everything, I’d say that Max has the right to be surprised since even I wasn’t sure if we’d end up together.”

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked, staring at her.

“Oh, be real. You were dragging things out for so long and then the Yeona situation. . . I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“Yeah, I get that, but there was no way I’d end up rejecting you. If anything, it would’ve been likelier you’d give up.”

“Come on, Art. . . Even I know Irene wouldn’t give up until she got a definitive answer,” Max said. “Honestly, we all thought that maybe you just weren’t interested in girls.”

“Wait, what?” Irene burst into laughter.

“What did I tell you about such comments?” Arthur sighed.

“What? I didn’t mention the other one.”

“The other one?” Irene couldn’t stop smiling as Max piqued her interest.

“Good going Max. . .” Iseul sighed, noticing Arthur shaking his head in disbelief.

“I can’t tell you. . .”

“Yeah, you can’t.” Arthur crossed his arms, gazing threateningly at Max. “How about we change the subject?”

“No, I wanna hear!” Irene was too excited, or so Arthur thought.

“I can’t. . .” Max expressed, but as soon as Arthur appeared not to be paying attention, he turned to Irene and whispered, “I’ll tell you later.”

“I heard that!” Arthur yelled, sending shivers down Max’s spine.

“What’s the big deal anyway?” Irene asked.

“Speaking of a big deal,” Iseul cut them off, tired of listening to the dragged-out conversation, “You guys think Nabi and Hyun will pull through?”

“I mean, they went home together,” Max said. “There’s extra room in our car so she could’ve easily stayed.”

“She’s trying to salvage it,” Irene commented but didn’t sound confident the two would make it.

“I don’t know. It was weird having Hyun suddenly hanging out with us all the time,” Arthur joined in. “Don’t get me wrong. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but I’m just struggling to keep a conversation going with him.”

“Yeah, but that’s because you’re like me,” Iseul said, turning on her back. “We both flow well when someone chats us up, but we don’t exactly initiate stuff ourselves. That’s why Irene clicks so well with us.”

“You make it sound like you’re in a relationship with her too,” Max joked.

“Hmm. . . Iseul and I?” Irene amused the idea.

“I’m down to share,” Iseul said, looking at Arthur as if waiting for a serious response. “And I wouldn’t steal her from you.”

“What do you think babe?” Irene turned to him, playing along.

“Should I be worried?” Arthur chuckled, not really affected by their teasing.

“Worried? Why?” Irene smirked. “We’re best friends anyway.”

“Okay, okay. . . I don’t want to listen to this,” Max interrupted, letting out a sigh. “You guys are getting weird.”

“Fine, fine. . .” Iseul snickered, glancing back at Irene and Arthur. “Think about it though.”

“Unbelievable. . .” Max mumbled.

“Anyway. . .” Irene cleared her throat. “At least Nabi and Hyun are talking again, so that’s something.”

“Is that enough though?” Max asked.

“Guess we’ll find out,” Arthur commented. “Besides, that’s not the only thing that changed a bit. Don’s been getting more confident ever since we came here. You can see him shining whenever he speaks now.”

“I think him winning a few times while we were here really boosted his confidence,” Irene said.

“Especially after that win with Sophie on his team. Still hard to believe they pulled it off,” Max said.

“Yeah, right. . . Unbelievable.” Iseul looked at Max, knowing he let them win the final round. “But it’s a good thing. I’ve talked to him a few times and he seems like a smart guy, just a bit shy.”

“He’s super sweet too, but not in a bothersome way.” Irene complimented Don.

“There’s a bothersome way?” Arthur asked, looking a bit confused.

“Those are the worst.” Iseul sighed. “Jerks you can handle it by telling them to fuck off, but they act like simps and just stick to you all the time. It’s annoying and. . . well you get the point. They’re not trying to be helpful either. Instead, they expect something in return. That’s why I try and avoid them like a plague, but no matter how you go about it, in the end, you’ll be the bad guy.”

“Sounds like you’ve dealt with that before,” Arthur commented the obvious.

“Don’t even get me started. . .” She dreaded the memories. “I even have one in my class. Took him a whole year to get off my back, but that’s when rumors started that the student council president has a thing for bad boys.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Max asked. “I would’ve helped you.”

“Please. . . You weren’t even in high school yet, and I know how you help. Let’s not forget you were dragged to an alleyway and ganged up on. You were lucky to get out of that with only minor injuries.”

“Hah. . . Reminds me of how we first met,” Arthur said, but Max just froze up.

“What?” Iseul asked, sounding angry all of a sudden.

“Nothing! He’s just thinking about how. . . Amm. . .” Max struggled to come up with an excuse, not expecting to be put on the spot.

“Oh, you don’t know? We met when Max was stuck in an alley getting attacked by a few West High guys. Something about false rumors I believe?”

“Art! Why would you tell her?”

“One for one, bitch. . .” Arthur glared at him.

“Max! I told you not to fight anyone anymore. . .” She looked super pissed.

“Really Art?” Irene whispered, letting out a sigh. “Unnie, at least he fought for you, right?”

“Yeah! Besides. . . The reason we thought Arthur didn’t get together with Irene was because of performance issues down there.” Max threw him under the bus, throwing Iseul and Irene in shock. He looked back at Arthur and grinned. Fearlessly, he said, “If I’m going down, you’re going down with me.”

Max managed to survive that day, as the six were reunited and decided to hang out at night.

Dipping her feet into the Jacuzzi on the deck, Sophie let out a sigh of relief. Glancing at the rest, she said, “I can’t believe we used this like only once.”

“I mean, only six people can fit comfortably, so it would’ve been weird telling people to wait a turn,” Amelia commented.

“Besides, the one time we did use it, Tjay almost broke his neck,” Max commented, pointing out the time that Tjay slipped on his way out. “So for safety, I think it was for the best.”

“At least we get to enjoy it before we leave,” Irene said, leaning into Arthur as he put his arm around her.

“Yeah, so we can wash away the anxiety of going back to school. . .” Sophie mumbled.

“Anxiety?” Irene looked surprised. “Don’t tell me someone’s picking on you again? Is it Hana?”

“Relax,” Iseul told Irene, chuckling at how defensive Irene got. “She never said she was bullied, right?”

“Sophie?” Arthur asked.

“Nonna’s right. . . It’s not that. It’s just that I’m not looking forward to being under pressure again.”

“Oh. . .” Irene lowered her guard. “If it’s just that, then I’ll try and help you, okay?”

“You can count on me too,” Iseul said.

“I’d love to help, but I’m leaving mid-September probably,” Amelia said, looking a bit bothered by the idea.

“You’re going already?” Arthur asked.

“Sadly, yeah. . . I’d love to stay, but my semester would’ve started by then.”

“Feels like we didn’t get to do much though. . .” Arthur felt like he didn’t get to interact with Amelia a lot, despite having spent so much time together. “We should spend more time together when we get back.”

“I agree,” Irene added. “We could make a list? Maybe try and do everything before the summer ends.”

“We should definitely hit up a club or two,” Iseul suggested.

“We’re underage. . .” Max said. “Sure, you and Amelia could get in, but not us.”

“That’s cute.” Iseul chuckled, patting Max on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know a guy.”

“What do you mean you know a guy?” Max looked at her suspiciously.

“My classmate works at a nightclub. Stop looking at me like that. . .”

“I’m down,” Irene added.

“I think I’ll skip out,” Sophie said, looking a bit meek. “I don’t know how I feel about hitting up the clubs just yet. Maybe next year.”

“Yeah, you should wait a bit,” Max said.

“Max, Arthur, what about you two?” Amelia asked.

“I’ll think about it,” Max said.

Everyone looked at Arthur for an answer, but he thought the answer was obvious.

“What?” He looked back at them. “I’ve never been to a club. . . to party. I’m down.”

“Great. Then I’ll set it up and send you all the time and place,” Iseul said, turning back to Sophie. “If you change your mind, just tell me. And don’t worry, you’ll be with us so nothing bad will happen.”

“Thanks,” Sophie said, looking intrigued by the idea.

The six kept chatting throughout the night, but eventually, all went to pack up except for Arthur. He stood on the shore of the moonlit sea, caught gazing in the distance. Irene approached him from behind and grabbed his hand.

“Having fun?” She asked, soft-spoken.

“Yeah. Did you pack up?”

“I did. Though you still have some stuff hanging around.”

“I’ll get to it,” he said, still staring at the distance. “It’ll be weird being back in the city.”

“Worried we won’t come back here?” She joked. “Hey. . . Look at me.” Arthur turned, quickly getting lost in her eyes. “I promise we’ll come back again and visit many places together. Okay?”

He could spend hours looking at her and the charming smile that always left him enthralled.

“I’d love that.”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.