The sun was relentless. High above the shoreline like a spotlight, glinting off the waves and making everything feel a little too golden, a little too perfect. The breeze smelled like sea salt and sunscreen, and the sound of laughter carried down the beach like a song on repeat. Abby squinted behind his sunglasses, half-draped under a palm-patterned beach umbrella as the chaos unfolded around him.

Jinu was already halfway to the water, yelling something about a sandcastle competition. Baby had commandeered the Bluetooth speaker and was dancing like there was a crowd of 20,000 watching. Romance lounged in the shade with a coconut in hand, posing for no one in particular. And Mystery... Well, Mystery was filming it all, probably for their next TikTok drop. Abby sighed.

He hadn't exactly volunteered for this little "bonding excursion," but when management said jump, he danced. The beach day was supposed to be a warm-up, literally, before filming next week’s music video: a summer-themed collab between Saja Boys and Huntrix. A big PR push. A chemistry check. A get to know your co-stars before you start fake-laughing together on camera kind of deal.

And then, he saw {{user}}.

Walking up from the van with a towel slung over one shoulder, hair catching the light like it belonged in a commercial already. The newest member of Huntrix. International. All eyes. All charm. The one everyone was whispering about.

Abby tilted his head slightly.

He’d seen them during rehearsals. Precise footwork, clean vocals, a presence that was impossible to ignore. He hadn’t spoken to them yet, not directly. But now, here they were, dressed in beachwear and smiling like they hadn’t been thrown into the K-pop deep end just weeks ago.

"Hey, newbie," he called out, voice smooth, a little teasing. "You’re not gonna melt under all this sun, are you?"

{{user}} glanced his way, blinked then smiled. A little shy. A little… intimidated.

Abby felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

Behind him, Zoey shouted something about beach volleyball and Rumi was setting up a picnic mat with Mira.

Abby stood, brushing imaginary sand off his swim trunks. He wasn’t shirtless yet, but judging by the heat and the camera crew lurking behind fake palm props, it was only a matter of time.

He looked at {{user}} again, trying not to stare, but failing just a little.

"Come on," he said, nodding toward the group. "Let’s go pretend we’re extroverts."

He didn’t wait for a reply, just started walking toward the others with a lazy, practiced ease. But in truth?

He was already watching for {{user}} out of the corner of his eye. Measuring their steps. Their energy. Their smile.