Hot Issue - September 9
The beach had been a good idea. It wasn't too crowded on weekdays, despite the nice weather. Gaho and his blond hair pretty much guaranteed that some people would recognize him, but at least they wouldn't get mobbed.
Spending the night at a nearby hotel was also a good idea. A great one, in fact, that had been worth talking Hyun Suk into. It had been nice to spend the afternoon with his friends without even thinking about work, but he was looking forward to spending the night alone with Young Bae even more. They did need to talk in person without either of them falling asleep on the other or having to rush to the studios.
He walked along the shore, letting Gaho splash through the shallow water (he'd been intimidated at first but gotten over it quickly). He could see Young Bae not too far off, sitting between Justar and Yanggaeng. Ji Yong was almost certain the latter two were checking out some guys, judging by the pointing and snickering. Young Bae seemed vaguely uncomfortable, but he was looking where they pointed and saying a few words now and then. At least he was heeding Ji Yong's advice - sort of.
Ji Yong slowly made his way back to the small group, ignoring the few people who looked and pointed his way, and crouched down in the sand between Yanggaeng and Young Bae. "Having fun?"
Yanggaeng grinned at him. "Yes."
"Mind keeping an eye on Gaho?" he asked, offering his leash. "YB and I are gonna go swim."
Young Bae laughed softly. "We are?" he said, but then stood up, brushing some sand off himself.
"Well, if you'd rather stay here and keep looking at other men..."
He'd been expecting mortified, sputtering denial, but Young Bae only gave him a little look as they headed toward the sea, his cheeks coloring slightly. "You told me to do gay stuff."
"I know. I don't mind. See anyone you like?"
Young Bae's eyes scanned the beach quickly, then he shrugged. "Not really. ... They said I'm difficult."
Ji Yong grinned. "Fine by me."
***
The sun started to set and Yanggaeng, Justar and Kush left, taking a very sleepy Gaho with them. Ji Yong and Young Bae walked side by side along the beach, heading slowly toward their hotel. Most people had left, now, and there were only a few groups of friends and some couples scattered here and there. The setting was just too perfect - Ji Yong couldn't resist. He elbowed Young Bae lightly, then took his hand, smiling at him. "I'm a genius, admit it."
Young Bae smiled back. "You are. You look less stressed out."
"I don't know... I could use a massage later on."
Young Bae laughed and kicked some sand at him. They walked in comfortable silence for a while, until Ji Yong felt Young Bae tense up slightly. He looked at him and frowned when he saw the carefully-blank expression on his face. "What's wrong?"
"They're taking pictures of us."
Ji Yong looked around discreetly until he spotted the girls Young Bae was talking about. One of them still had her phone pointed their way. He looked away and let go of Young Bae's hand, doing his damnedest not to sigh. "Sorry."
Young Bae grabbed his hand again. "I don't care."
"You don't have to--"
"Are you gonna keep doubting me forever?"
Ji Yong blinked, surprised by his tone of voice. "I'm just... trying to give you some space. Until you get used to it."
Young Bae sighed hard enough for both of them, running his free hand through his hair. "I've been thinking about it," he said, then shook his head. "We can talk in our room."