chapter two

Jinhyuk closed his eyes, letting the sunlight warm his features as he throws his head back, basking in the Miami sun. The light breeze ruffled his silver hair and was a welcoming development, given that it cooled his skin from the harsh sun beams.

He was immensely thankful that SM had allowed him to take this break with a few of the other models under the Entertainment company, a much deserved vacation after the extreme dieting and concentrated photoshoots they endured whilst in New York for the past couple of weeks.

Jinhyuk felt drained- he ached everywhere- and he knew that the others were also desperate for a break as well, and so without much resistance SM allowed them to fly three hours just to witness the much anticipated Miami Beach.

"RACE YOU!!"

Jinhyuk's eyes snapped open, his gaze drifting to his fellow model and best friend Minseok who was sprinting, full force, towards the ocean- two of the other models, Jaehyun and Doyoung, right behind him.

Before Jinhyuk even contemplates taking off after them he's being lifted into the air and thrown over Johnny's shoulder- the leader of their little band of models, Taeyong, laughing loudly next to them as Jinhyuk kicks his legs playfully with Johnny nearing the sea.

No full words are formed, just desperate strings of syllables as Johnny waddles through the water. He can hear Minseok laughing over the commotion before he's deafened by his own high pitched scream as Johnny manages to fling him into the ocean almost as if he weighs nothing.

Disrupting the rhythmical turning of the tide, Jinhyuk disappears beneath the waves- his soul practically singing as the cool water envelopes him gladly, almost washing away all of his tiredness and his stress.

Jinhyuk emerges from the water, spluttering half hearted curses to Johnny who only laughs louder and pulls the younger into his chest- arms wrapping around his waist as he cradles the boy softly.

"You're so mean to me" Jinhyuk pouts, looking up at the older who only smiles back fondly.

"It's a harsh world out there, Hyuk" Minseok jokes, feigning a serious expression and clutching a hand to his heart.

Jinhyuk takes that opportunity to move forwards quickly, reaching below the gleaming surface of the water only to bring his hands back up to splash his friend, satisfied and letting out a full, carefree laugh as Minseok falls backwards into the waves, his arms flailing about as he goes.

"Who's being mean now?" Doyoung teases before subtly moving so that he's hidden behind Johnny's broad shoulders, so that he doesn't suffer the same treatment as Minseok.

"Now now kids" Taeyong clears his throat, gradually wading his way through the water towards them, "Our manager said that he's found a nice and quiet place to eat, so if you're done messing around we can head off"

"But Tae~" Minseok whines, his shoulders still emerged in the water so that only his head is peaking out, a pout sitting comfortably on his lips. Hearing the youngest's protests, the other model's present also voice their own disappointment, "we just got here"

"I know, Minnie" He coos softly, smiling down at the boy as he ruffles his wet hair gently, "but we can come back after we've eaten if you like- our flight back isn't till the evening"

Defeated, Minseok nods, before submerging himself in the water once again and swimming the short distance over to where Jinhyuk is, now stood along with Johnny, Doyoung and Jaehyun.

With a dangerous glint in his eye, when Minseok resurfaces, he gesutres for Jinhyuk to lower himself so that they're level, so that they're close so that he can whisper his master plan to him without the others hearing in.

"On three we swim away", he utters, his smile widening as Jinhyuk nods in agreement, on board with their old shenanigans once again.

Taeyong is almost out of the water by this point, standing with Doyoung as they wait for the others to come ashore and grab some food.

Taking a quick glance around, Minseok nods his head again, ready for their plan to unravel. They share an excited look before with hushed voices, they began to count down.

"1....2...-!"

And just as they both push off, Jinhyuk feels something brush against his ankle, the grip firm and pulling him backwards, which causes him to get a mouth full of saltwater.

"3.."

His eyes stinging from the saltwater and his throat burning lightly, Jinhyuk looks up, only to see the faint outline of Jaehyun standing above him.

He's got his well perfected 'parent' look adorning his features- which Jinhyuk and Minseok take full credit for- as he crosses his arms across his chest.

"Did you really think that you and Minseok could get out of lunch by swimming away?" He asks, amusement laced in his voice as he a small smile makes its way onto his face.

Jinhyuk drops his gaze as he sheepishly admits, "We thought it would be worth a try.."

Jaehyun chuckles, offering his hand to help Jinhyuk onto his feet to which he takes gladly, appreciative of the extra support he gets from the water to help him steady himself. Once up, the younger looks around for Minseok, only to see his best friend draped over Johnny's shoulder, kicking his feet as the older carries him back over to the other, laughing over his muffled protests.

"C'mon..." Jaehyun announces, bringing Jinhyuk's attention back to him, "Lets go eat.."

~~~

"Okayy, pictures are up!" Taeyong cheers, lifting his glass high as they all settle into their seats, a picturesque view of the beach before them as they wait for their food, "Now we can really relax"

Despite taking this little vacation, their company still thought it would be good to post some pictures of their little outing for their fans- posed candids, how ironic.

It's not like taking those photos were tiresome in any way, but Jinhyuk relishes in the knowledge that they can just let themselves go a little bit more now, not having to worry about being picture perfect- at least until tomorrow when they land in another country for another schedule.

Speaking of..

"Hyung, do you know where we're going next?" Jinhyuk asks. They don't usually get much of a heads up from management when and where they're going but if anyone between them knows, it would be Taeyong.

"Hmm, we're off to Shanghai to promote a sports brand... I think SM have planned a meet up as well?"

Jinhyuk practically beams- he loves fan meets (almost as much as Minseok).

Fan meets are where, during an event, they'd get to actually talk to their fans who were gathered to support them, through Q&As, they'd get to hold a conversation and take pictures with the people who, essentially, had gotten them to where they are now.

The event itself is beyond tiring but it's what makes his job worth all the long hours and sleepless nights- seeing how he's inspiring people by doing what he loves is reward enough.

But also, going to Shanghai means that they can meet up with Ren, his and Minseok's other best friend who had been stationed over in Shanghai with a brand deal for the past couple of months.

Since all three of them have been busy with their own projects and brand endorsements, they haven't had the time to meet, in what feels like forever.

The three of them made up the 'three musketeers', always causing trouble which subsequently led to Taeyong going prematurely grey. They conspired that maybe that was why they were all given individual projects for the time being, the company knowing how troublesome they were together and therefore minimising the damage by separating them.

But oh, how he's excited for them all to meet up again.

"Given that, we should all try and rest up- we're only there for twenty four hours so it's going to be rather intense, I'm afraid"

The group nods before a young waiter makes their way over to them, balancing a majority of their order on her arms.

There's seafood dishes, pasta, pizza, chips, everything that Jinhyuk could dream of eating on the beach- minus the ice cream but Jaehyun had promised to buy him some as a bribe to get him out of the water previously.

They all chorused a 'thank you' before digging in, gratefully consuming the meal before their manager could check over what they ordered.

He felt so fortunate to be able to experience this with those of who were like family to him. Since he entered the modelling industry pretty young, the older models had become like brothers to him- offering advice, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, he felt so thankful to them.

Having someone else next to you in such a harsh environment, definitely makes it all that much easier, Jinhyuk muses, and it also makes it all that much more fun.

As he munched on some pasta, Jinhyuk's shoulders dropped and he leant back against his wicker chair... he was in paradise.