“Okay, that guy is cheating on his wife,” Hyunjin points a long finger towards a wrinkled old man in a speedo, walking around like he’s hot shit. “He’s got money but he thinks his stroke game is what gets him girls half his age.”

“And he has two wives, both of them in different countries,” Minho adds, eyes locked on the subject. “They think he’s on a business trip.”

This is their favorite game to play at work, standing behind the bar and making up stories about resort guests they spy on. The restaurant they work at is on property, the only one outside of the hotel complex; completely open air and with a perfect view of nearly the entire strip of private beach.

Eleven months Minho has worked here, and Hyunjin just a bit longer. They went to high school together, actually, though they didn’t talk then. Hyunjin was pretty and popular, Minho minded his own business, a couple years apart. Now it feels like Hyunjin is most of Minho’s social interaction, period. Both of them work the day shift, waiting tables and making up stories about strangers.

“Woah, who is that?” Hyunjin has returned from serving his twentieth mimosa of the day, pressed against Minho all the way down his right side, squinting out towards the beach.

Minho side steps, separating them, forever perplexed by Hyunjin’s incessant need to be touching whoever is closest. Hyunjin is looking towards a guy walking down the beach with Chan, board shorts low on his hips, loose cut off shirt doing little to hide his physique. The man throws his head back, laughing, and Minho catches the side of his face. Round cheeks, that’s the most noticeable.

“Cocky motherfucker, just graduated college, never touched a board in his life but came down here to ‘catch waves,’” Minho spins a new story, even though he knows that wasn’t what Hyunjin was looking for, his friend more inclined to ask about any pretty man that shows up in their territory. “Thinks he’s going to get out there and impress everyone. He won’t, he’ll eat shit, but Chan will be nice about it anyway.”

“He always is, isn’t he?” Hyunjin sighs, leaning over to rest his elbows on the bartop, eyes glued to the men. The pair now chat with a lifeguard, hands cupped over their eyes to shield the sun.

Pretty people are commonplace here. There’s always something nice to look at, be it ocean, sand, trees, or leg. Ass, as Minho is partial to, or chest, that’s Hyunjin’s thing. The resort is crawling with all sorts of people from all over the place. It is strange, though, that this particular man would be talking to Chan, staff member extraordinaire, rather than prancing around the beach with an equally pretty gaggle of frat brothers or whoever he may be here with.

Minho doesn’t really care, he’s not going to dwell on it. Hyunjin will do that for him.

————————————————————

Minho raps at Felix and Chan’s door, painted bright pink, Felix’s choice, and paneled with colored glass. It’s cute, just as their whole house is, a quaint little bungalow just down the road from the public beach.

It’s been a while since he’s found himself here. He hates putting Felix and Chan out, asking them to watch Jeongin.

Changbin begged him to stay late tonight, some event the resort was hosting needed catering. Minho negotiated up to double pay for the work, the only reason he asked Felix to take Jeongin home with him after school.

It’s not Felix or Chan who answers the door.

Minho blinks. “You’re not Felix.”