was a mesmerizing blue, glistening with every crash of the wave, paying no mind to the cold wind that silently whisted.

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Aera gazed ahead, unto the horizon; attempting to keep her shiver under control as the wind continuously trickled upon the surface of her skin.

She took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air that the sea offered; knowing full well that the refreshing and calming ambiance of the rural beach was not going to be offered once they go back to the city.

They had just graduated from middle school, and her friends wanted to do something to remember their achievements; and what better way than to take an early trip to the cold, serene beach.

Aera appreciated the scene though, very much willing to take in the calming sea to relax her body and let loose. Letting her anxiety wither away as she enjoyed the small waves of water that crashed upon each other.

Although, she wasn't to be here. It has come to be known that Aera was not a morning person. She hated mornings with all her being and was extremely delighted once school was finished because that just meant she could sleep in without Jiho and Ju-in knocking at her door telling her to get ready.

So she was mildly irritated when the same band of boys, or who she thought was the same band of boys, woke her up from her very peaceful sleep.

"Aera, wake up." She could feel a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her form.

Aera hummed in refusal and turned her back from the person who was trying to wake her up.

She heard the boy chuckle gently and slowly tried to pry the girl's cozy blanket away from her.

"Come on, we're going to the beach today." He whispered, openly displaying his soft fondness for the girl who didn't want to wake up from her slumber.

He touched her cheek and tucked some of her silver hair behind her ears; placing a gentle kiss on the top of her temple.

"...so cute." Aera was too sleepy to pay attention to what exactly was happening around her as sleep quickly caught up to her consciousness.

Before she could fully sleep, however, the stranger said something that caused Aera to get up almost immediately.

"Eunhyung's cooking breakfast." He whispered right beside her ear.

With this, Aera begrudgingly sat up; her head bobbing up and down as sleep tried to lull her away to her dreamland once more.

Chunyoung--as Aera recognized from her half-asleep state helped stabilize her head by holding her chin, taking in the responsibility to fix her hair as well.

"Come on, just sleep on the train." Aera reluctantly nodded her head, agreeing with his suggestion as Chunyoung walked to the door to give the girl some privacy to change; but not before planting another soft kiss at the side of her temple.

Aera, not questioning why Chunyoung and Eunhyung were here instead of the regular Ju-in and Jiho, as well as not weighing any surprise with his touchiness; got up and ready for their little trip to the beach.

She wore simple baggy high-waisted jeans with some leg warmers under them and paired her clothing with a knitted sweater underneath a plain turtleneck to protect her from the harsh cold morning of South Korea. She opted to bring her polaroid camera to capture some memories for her mini-album, choosing not to bring a scarf since she told herself that she was wearing a turtleneck anyway.

After getting ready, she went down from her room to their family kitchen. Not surprised that her parents weren't there as they were always all over the country; instead, she saw her two friends and some helpers that were doing their morning cleaning routine around the house.

It was Eunhyung who spotted her first, all the way from his place at the kitchen counter, making his famous Korean Fried Rice. To which the servants happily let him, after years of getting used to the boy insisting that he cooks for their young mistress.

Aera went to the kitchen and was engulfed in a hug by the said master-chef; sporting a gentle smile, happy that Aera had gotten out of her way to go with them to the beach.

"How did you sleep?" He asked softly, cradling her head with his hand, while the other was wrapped around her waist.

"...fine." Aera nodded simply; still seemingly out of it.

"Hmm, I cooked some fried rice; would you like some?" Aera vigorously nodded, her head still stuck between the crook of Eunhyung's neck.

The said red-haired boy chuckled, very much pleased with the girl's response.

"Okay, it's almost done. Why don't you take a seat beside Chunyoung for now." Eunhyung placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling away from the hug; letting Aera sit on the counter stool—just beside Chunyoung who was busily playing a game on his phone.

Aera didn't bother to call him out on his touchiness. The girl being used to the affection from the years that came by. They weren't this clingy during the first year in middle school, but have gotten increasingly so as the years progressed, which came with Aera's increasing tolerance to physical affections as well.

She rarely reciprocated the gesture, however, opting instead to be on the receiving end (with a special exception to Dan-I)—not that it mattered if they gave her affection or not, but in the depths of the mind of the touch-starved girl, it felt nice.

The three years that came by were certainly not the easiest, but it was honestly some of the best years in the silver-haired girl's life.

Therefore, she thought that she was somewhat thankful for the failure of Dan-I's original plan; as if they followed through to it, then all of the fun and happiness she experienced wouldn't have existed.

She vaguely remembered what Dan-I wanted both of them to do: Avoid Ban Yeoryeong and the dubbed "Four Heavenly Kings".

It was a stupid plan, of course; with both of them realizing a moment too late when it backlashed on both of them.

Dan-I was getting called names, and

Aera was having rumors spread all around her--to the point that having panic attacks at least once a week was the norm.

If it wasn't for Eunhyung's callout and Yeoryeong's constant push to be Dan-I's friend then the situation would've never resolved itself.

And just like that, three years went by relatively peacefully.

Looking back at it now, with Dan-I arriving at the terminal together with Jiho, Ju-in, and Yeoryeong; they should've known the plan would fail—they were too entangled in the characters of the story that any attempt to stray away would cause more harm than good.

"Aegi-ya!" Ju-in excitedly greeted the silver-haired girl. Gathering her up in his arms and giving her a tight squeeze. Aera had to stand on her tiptoe to reciprocate the boy's attention, ruffling his hair in acknowledgment.

"Mhm, annyeong." She replied simply, still not having the energy required to match the brown-haired boy's excitement.

"Ju-in! Stop hogging Aera to yourself!" Yeoryeong reprimanded, making Ju-in release the girl with an obvious pout, facing Yeoryeong to show his dejection.

Dan-I took the opportunity of a distracted Ju-in and came up to her arms soon after, greeting her best friend with a beaming aura.

"Did you sleep well?" Dan-I softly asked. It's been three years since they were transported into this unknown world, and Aera had constantly proven that she was her rock. Their friendship had gotten stronger than ever as Dan-I let herself fall deeper into the trap that was Shin Aera.

Much like how she replied when Eunhyung asked the question, Aera nodded in her shoulder.

Dan-I, noticing the sleepy aura around her best friend suggested sleeping on the train, to which the girl replied with a positive nod.

"Oi." A voice came from beside them, opting Dan-I to slightly release the girl to face the perpetrator.

"What?" Dan-I asked irritatedly. First, Jiho disturbed her sleep; and now he was disturbing her time with Aera—could he just, like, leave?

"It's my turn." Jiho demanded; much like a kid who had to share his Ipad with his siblings. He had not seen Aera that morning as he lost in a game with Chunyoung; so he and Ju-in were tasked to get Dan-I and Yeoryeong instead of his childhood friend.

And not being able to touch the silver-haired girl that morning was ruining his mood.

"No." Dan-I simply replied and put her arms around the sleepy girl once more, letting her drape her figure on top of Dan-I.

Jiho had an obvious tick mark on his forehead.

He grabbed Aera's wrist and forcefully guided her out of Dan-I's embrace, and instead gathered her in his arms.

Dan-I, not wanting to hurt her friend, reluctantly let the girl go, but not before cursing the silver-haired boy under her breath.

She couldn't believe she was afraid of them in their first year; Ju-in was a puppy for Pete's sake, and Jiho—well, Jiho was more irritating than scary.

Jiho let his exasperation subside as he finally got the girl in his arms.

He wrapped his hands around her waist and slightly rocked her back and forth, patting her back like what one would do with a baby.

That made sense for him though, he thought; as Aera was their baby, his baby.

Jiho did not speak to the girl, opting instead to stay silent and let the girl rest her head on his shoulders, knowing full well that she wasn't a morning person.

Jiho got to hold Aera during the whole duration of their trip; not minding Yeoryeong's constant complaints about how she didn't get her turn, but ultimately backed down when she saw how peaceful Aera looked in Jiho's arms.

The journey to the beach was somewhat peaceful. Their chaotic nature as a group subsided as most of them were tired from waking up early, so they made up for it by resting on the train.

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧