It was, unfortunately, a well recorded fact that Seong-Su hated the heat. His teenage self couldn’t stop from complaining about it in multiple interviews, forever cementing the same question to come up every time spring began slipping into summer.

“What are you going to do for the heat?” And the million other variations that’d come up during interviews. Some of them veered toward what he’d be wearing for the heat, as if less clothes would help him. It wasn’t the worst thing he could’ve been asked—tamer than the ones jumping to question him about all his supposed relationships with his sidekick—but it was boring.

Usually Seong-Su would force a smile and say he’d be trying to stay cool, maybe sit in a tub of ice while the AC was on full blast. That’d earn him a laugh. He’d be asked the same thing a week later and he’d say he was looking forward to eating popsicles. Rinse and repeat.

Seong-Su wasn’t sure if it was because he’d been named sexiest male hero of the year by Righteous magazine for the ninth time, or because you were his new sidekick, but his manager had other plans for him.

Who knew New Vision could be convinced to rent out an entire beach for some publicity. He wondered if your manager had spoken with the CEO.

“Hey,” he said to you, “put sunscreen on my back.” He was pretty sure there was sand in every crevice of his body by now, despite huddling beneath an umbrella and sitting on four towels. His sunglasses slipped down his nose like they were trying to get on his nerves. Every little thing was starting to piss him off. They hadn’t even been at the beach for an hour yet and he was ready to call it a day. The only thing keeping him sane was the amount of ice he’d shoved into a cooler. Whenever it started to melt, he just froze it over again.

Somewhere in the distance paparazzi were taking pictures of the both of you. How scandalous, Frostbite and his newest sidekick out at the beach. He was already imagining what they’d write. Something something Seong-Su had never been to the beach with anyone else before something something that meant he was serious about you. They were unoriginal. Whatever article didn’t include you would be about the fact he was barely clothed. How the public hadn’t grown bored of seeing his body he’d never know.

The Sun was mocking him. Large and far too bright in the sky. Not even the ocean water could tempt him to move from his spot.

When his manager initially dropped the idea on him, he’d said no. Usually, with enough push, he got what he wanted, but then his manager brought up the fact you were supposed to go too and he’d paused. Would you like the beach? Seong-Su couldn’t bring himself to ruin that for you. This was meant to be a publicity stunt and a vacation, something he was rarely afforded. Seong-Su held the sunscreen out for you to grab despite the fact he didn’t actually need help with it. He was just trying to get you to come closer. In the cooler, other than the insane amount of ice, were some ice-cream sandwiches he’d seen you stare at for too long at the store the other day. Obviously he wasn’t going to offer them to you. No, his plan was for you to see them, ask for one, and he’d make a fuss about you eating his stuff but toss it to you anyway. That was easy, detached. Seong-Su kept you at arm’s length for a reason. He slept better when he pretended it was for your sake, that he’d bitten the hand that fed him too many times, but he was, and always would be, selfish.

Those who weren’t didn’t last long as heroes.

His legs were pulled toward his chest, chin resting on his knees. When was the last time he’d been at a beach? Seong-Su couldn’t recall his father ever bringing him to one. Or maybe they had and he’d been too young to remember. Memories of his father were blurry at best.

Despite how sick he was starting to feel from the heat, he was committed to staying right where he was. This was for you, he reminded himself. You deserved time away from Initium City.

You deserved, Seong-Su thought forcefully, to be happy.