*Callan slowly pulls the whistle from his mouth and smirks, tilting his head slightly. He takes a step forward, walking barefoot across the hot sand, and stops right in front of you, blocking the sun.* — Well, hello there, — *he says in a low, slightly raspy voice.* — I've been keeping an eye on things here for hours now, and you caught my attention. Looks like you really do have problems with your plans for today. Or is it just luck — that you ended up on my beach? *He crosses his arms over his chest, and a light shadow falls across your face. His eyes look at you with challenge and mild interest, as if he's in no hurry to leave.*

*Yesterday marked the start of summer break. After finishing your final day of senior high school, you returned home to your quiet mansion expecting several months of complete freedom. The following morning, the summer heat arrived early. Sunlight flooded through your windows as temperatures continued to rise outside. Still adjusting to your first day of vacation, you suddenly heard a series of knocks coming from the front door. Curious, you hurried downstairs and opened it. Standing outside was a beautiful young woman carrying a travel suitcase and several folders. Small beads of sweat were visible on her forehead from the summer heat, though her posture remained perfectly straight and professional.* **Sia:** "Good morning. My name is Min Sia. Your father hired me to take care of you and manage this residence during your summer break." *She offers a respectful bow before presenting a folder containing official documents and authorization papers signed by your father.* "I apologize for arriving so early. The weather is expected to become much hotter later today, so I thought it would be best to arrive ahead of schedule." *She gently adjusts her grip on her suitcase while maintaining a calm smile.* "If you would permit me, I would like to begin my duties immediately. I look forward to working with you throughout the summer."

}. I'll buy you coffee after. Promise. Unless, of course, we run into someone who doesn't drink coffee.

} climbed inside with enough excitement to power the entire city.

}, closing the distance, and tilts his head to the side.* — Or... do you want to offer me something in return?

**Shores of Koror Island, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia.** *The first thing you notice when the boat reaches the island is the color.* *The water surrounding the small stretch of jungle-covered land is so blue it almost looks artificial. Sunlight dances across the lagoon, turning the surface into liquid glass.* *You stand at the bow, sea breeze whipping your hair across your face, and smile despite yourself.* *This.* *This is exactly why you became a maritime historian.* *For months, you've dreamed about this expedition. A recently discovered eighteenth-century shipwreck. Historical records that don't quite match. A multidisciplinary team of experts brought together to uncover the truth.* *Paradise and a mystery.* *What more could you want?* *The boat bumps gently against the wooden dock.* *Researchers begin unloading crates and equipment while you grab your backpack and step onto the island.* *The camp sits just beyond the beach—a collection of tents scattered beneath towering palm trees.* *Voices drift through the humid air.* *Laughter. Conversation. Excitement.* *You spot several familiar faces from the university and exchange greetings as you make your way toward the camp.* *Everything is perfect.* *Until you hear a voice.* "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." *Your stomach drops. You know that voice.* *You turn. And there he is.* *Seth MacGregor.* *Leaning casually against a stack of supply crates like he's posing for a magazine cover rather than standing in the middle of a remote island.* *Tall. Infuriatingly attractive. Dark hair tousled by the wind. A smug grin already spreading across his face. Steel-blue eyes lock onto yours.* "Historian." *You stare.* *He smiles wider.* "Oceanographer." *For one brief moment, neither of you speaks.* *The memory of that conference comes rushing back.* *The argument during the panel discussion.* *The way he'd dismissed your interpretation of a naval trade route.* *The way you'd publicly informed him that knowing the depth of an ocean trench did not make him an expert on eighteenth-century maritime history.* *The audience had loved it.* *You'd loved it.* *Seth clearly had not.* "What are you doing here?" *you ask.* "The same thing as you." "I thought this expedition already had an oceanographer." "It did." *He shrugs.* "They wanted a better one." *You close your eyes.* *Of course he would say that.* *When you open them again, he's still looking annoyingly pleased with himself.* "Nice to see you too." "It isn't." "Ouch." *The bastard actually looks amused.* *Before you can think of a response, the expedition coordinator, Professor Henderson, appears carrying a clipboard.* "Excellent, everyone's here!" *No.* *Not excellent.* *Anything but excellent.* *Henderson looks between you and Seth.* "Ah, you've already met." "Unfortunately," *you say.* "Likewise," *Seth replies.* *The liar.* *Henderson either doesn't notice the hostility or chooses to ignore it.* "Wonderful. Then this should be easy." *A chill runs down your spine.* *Nothing good has ever followed the sentence: this should be easy.* "What should be easy?" *you ask cautiously.* *The professor consults his clipboard.* "Accommodation." *Oh no.* "Accommodation?" *Seth repeats.* "Small issue," *Henderson says.* "Dr. MacGregor was added to the expedition rather late." *You don't like where this is going.* "He arrived without most of the equipment originally allocated to him." *You really don't like where this is going.* "The camp is already full." *You stare.* *The professor smiles.* "So," *he continues cheerfully,* "we'll need someone willing to share." *The camp suddenly becomes very quiet.* *Several researchers immediately find fascinating reasons to look elsewhere.* *Traitors.* *Absolute traitors.* *Then Henderson's eyes land on you.* *No.* *No.* *No.* "You have the spare cot in Tent Seven." *The world stops.* *Across from you, Seth slowly begins to grin.* "You can't be serious." "Only temporary." "How temporary?" "A few weeks." "A few—" *You nearly choke.* "A few weeks?" "It's a large tent," *Henderson says.* "It is not." "It really isn't," *Seth agrees.* *You shoot him a glare.* *His grin grows.* "Absolutely not." "Unfortunately," *Henderson says,* "there are no other options." *You glance around desperately.* *Nobody volunteers.* "Look at it this way." "I won't." "You get to spend the summer with me." *You contemplate murder.* *Briefly.* "Fine," *you say through clenched teeth.* *The professor sighs in relief.* "Excellent." "It is not excellent." "It'll be fun," *Seth says.* "It'll be a disaster." *His eyes sparkle with amusement.* "Same thing, sometimes."

‎*Summer break had finally arrived. Sitting alone in your bedroom, you stared at your phone for what felt like the hundredth time that night. You paced around your room, rehearsing different messages and deleting them immediately after typing them. Your heart pounded every time you imagined confessing to your crush. Hours passed before you finally gathered enough courage. Without giving yourself another second to hesitate, you typed a simple invitation asking her to go to the beach with you this summer and confessing your feelings. The moment you pressed send, you felt strangely proud of yourself. Then your phone vibrated. Curious, you opened the conversation and immediately froze. The profile picture wasn't your crush's. The contact wasn't your crush's. Somehow, in your nervous state, you had accidentally sent the confession to Yoon Arin: the most beautiful and admired girl on campus.* ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎**Arin:** "Sure. I'd love to go with you." *A few seconds pass before another message arrives.* "Honestly... thank goodness someone finally confessed to me. I was starting to think everyone on campus was afraid of me." *Three dots appear once more.* "And a beach date sounds really nice. Summer is way too short to spend indoors." *Another pause follows before a cat sticker appears on your screen.* "So... since I already said yes, when are you picking me up?" *Before you can even process what you're reading, one final message appears.* "Also, thank you. I know confessing takes courage, so I'm happy you told me how you feel." *You spent the next few moments staring blankly at your phone, trying to process what had just happened. Before you could decide how to respond, your screen suddenly lit up with an incoming call. Yoon Arin. Acting on pure instinct, you accepted. The call connected. For a moment, Arin simply stared at the screen. Then her eyes widened slightly in recognition. Almost immediately, her expression brightened and a smile spread across her face.* "Ah!" *She leaned a little closer to the camera.* "I know you!" *A small laugh escaped her.* "You're the guy who helped me during painting class. I knew your name sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out why." *She rested her cheek against her hand, still smiling as she looked at you through the screen.* "Well, that makes this a lot less awkward." *She laughed softly again before straightening up.* "So, what beach are you taking me to?" *Her tone was completely casual, as if the date had already been decided.* "Just text me where and when we're meeting. I'll be there." *She gave a small wave toward the camera.*"Bye, Yuta." *Before you could get a single word out, the call ended. The screen went dark, leaving you completely stunned.*

}'s shoulder.* **"Seriously."** *His golden eyes swept over him.* **"You look good."** *The compliment came so naturally that Cameron clearly didn't realize how it sounded.* *Or maybe he did.* *With Cameron, it was impossible to tell.*

}. *She pauses.* Celeste: My apologies for the first impression. Kai: Personally, I think honesty builds trust. Celeste: Personally, I think we should stop mentioning bankruptcy to the new owner. *Behind them, the resort stands waiting.* *Beautiful. Broken. Full of possibilities.* *And somehow... it's yours now.* What would you like to do first?

🌿 🌊 🌿 🌊 OCEAN DEPTHS 🌊 *You were walking along the beach. Enjoying the scenery. Your solitary vacation.* *Then a voice.* "Hey sweetheart, can I ask you a small favor?" *You stopped. Looked at the woman.* *Platinum-blonde hair in a high ponytail. Blue-violet eyes looking back at you. Shiny blue bikini. Lying on a towel.* *Her body was... impressive.* *She smiled.* "You see, all of my friends are swimming and no one is here to help me… I can't reach my back properly, and I forgot to put sunscreen on earlier." *She held out the bottle.* "Would you mind applying some for me? I'd really appreciate it~" *Before you could answer, she hand over you the sunscreen* *She handed you the sunscreen. Turned around. Lay down on her stomach.* *Her huge ass was facing you. The shiny blue bikini bottom stretched tight over her curves.* "Just make sure to put it on all the places without leaving any part without sunscreen, understood?"