Chapter Text
Seonghwa burst up through the surface of the water, gasping raggedly for air as the salt water burned his eyes, obstructing his vision. The waves were churning violently, and just as he tried to inhale again he was pushed beneath the surface by another large crest, water filling his lungs against his will.
He flailed his arms desperately, unsure of which direction to swim as the currents seemed to swirl around his body, twisting any sense of orientation that he may have had. His lungs were burning from the water he’d inhaled, screaming for oxygen as he struggled, reaching out for something he could use as leverage to pull himself up from beneath the clutches of the ocean.
A particularly strong wave sent his right arm flying to the side, colliding roughly with a solid, unforgiving surface. There was a blinding shot of pain that traveled all the way up his arm, and his mouth opened in a silent scream, more water choking its way down his throat. Still, he desperately scrabbled for some kind of purchase against the firm structure, gritting his teeth against the unrelenting sear of agony in his forearm.
Finally, his fingers slotted into a chink in the solid metal-like material, and Seonghwa was able to wedge them in enough to steady his body amidst the neverending push and pull of strong currents that seemed to rip straight through him. Steeling himself, he squinted his eyes open just enough to see the dull glimmer of sunlight through the water lingering above him, the salt stinging relentlessly as he squeezed them back shut.
Blindly, he used the leverage from his grip to push himself in the direction of the sun, desperately clawing for the surface as his chest burned with the need to breathe. Just as he was about to lose the battle and inhale nothing but water, he finally broke through, lungs heaving as soon as he felt the whip of the cold air against his soaked skin.
Terrified of being pulled under again, Seonghwa pushed through the burn and opened his eyes, for he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it back above the surface a third time. It felt like mere moments ago when he had been sitting on the tour boat, the captain attempting to fix the stalling engine while urging them all to keep calm, and yet now he was fighting to stay afloat as each wave threatened to pull him under.
All he could remember was the sheet of freezing water that had surged over the side of the boat and drenched his clothes immediately, the sudden weightless feeling as the boat fully capsized, launching all of its passengers straight into the unforgiving grip of the rapid onset tropical storm. There had been nearly fifty people on that ship, all of them now fighting to keep their heads above the water.
Seonghwa strained his neck to see over the raging sea, realizing that the surface he’d grabbed onto was the side of the tour boat, smooth and sturdy beneath his fingers. Treading water, he slowly fought his way back to the boat, desperate for some sort of anchor to grab until he could think clearly enough to devise a plan. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that being stuck in the water during a storm like this was practically certain death, but if he was going to drown he would at least try to resist it for as long as possible.
It felt like with every stroke of his arms through the water he hardly made any progress, and he was exhausted when his hands finally came within reach of the boat, skimming over its surface to find something to hold onto. The boat was fully upside down in the water, its smooth base the only thing visible above the waves, and suddenly an idea came to life within Seonghwa’s addled mind.
If he could just get on top of the overturned ship, he would be able to stay free of the waves. It wasn’t a permanent solution, for he knew it was only a matter of time until the ship sank entirely, but it was an infinitely better option than succumbing to the relentless pull of the storm. Still, the idea presented a new problem - with water constantly washing over the boat, it was impossible to grip onto anything, and Seonghwa’s fingers couldn’t find a steady anchor to pull himself up.
He ran his hands up as high as he could manage while still managing to stay in place, the boat providing a buffer against the strong force of the waves. Water was constantly splashing into his eyes and obstructing his vision, so he was forced to navigate mostly by touch, treading water as he shifted along the side of the boat. Just as he was about to pull his hands back and consider a different way to prolong whatever small portion of his life that he had left, his fingers hit against something hard jutting from the surface, sending a jolt of pain down his arm that had already been injured.
Seonghwa grunted from the pain but still managed to grasp onto the object, wrapping his fingers around what felt like some sort of solid metal handle. He raised his other arm to grab it as well, finally relieving some of the weight off of his injury, and tightened his grip as much as possible. The handle was still slippery from the water, but he gritted his teeth and hoped desperately that he would have the strength to pull himself up.
There was so much adrenaline present in the moment that when he tensed the muscles in his arms and tried to pull up his own weight, it was easier than he’d anticipated, though his entire body was trembling from the muscular exhaustion he had already been feeling. His right forearm screamed in pain, but even as red clouded his vision he kept pulling, fumbling with his feet along the side of the ship.
It was essentially like doing the most high stakes pull up of his life, the waves still trying to pull his body in all different directions until his left foot finally found a protuberance along the smooth side of the boat - it was small, likely a knob of some kind, but Seonghwa didn’t have much time to question it as he pushed with all his might. Removing his uninjured arm from the handle, he reached further up onto the slick bottom of the boat as he launched his body up with his foot, until his chest collided full against the surface and his legs were in the air, free of the cold churn of the water at last.
He heaved raggedly, scrambling further along the surface until he was seated in the center of the overturned boat, its smooth base entirely slippery from the waves that consistently rose high enough to send a sheet of water over to the other side. Still, it was much easier to stay in place up there than attempting to tread water below, and Seonghwa placed his head between his knees in an effort to regain his breath, lungs finally gulping down the air they needed.
It was raining heavily, thunder cracking in the skies above, and a particularly loud boom had Seonghwa startling, jolting back into an upright position. Though he was still majorly out of breath, he was able to settle his mind a bit more now that he was out of the water, and he took to assessing the situation as best as he could.
The searing pain in his arm was the most pressing, and as he looked down at the limb he winced, finally registering the extent of the injury as his mind cleared. “Fuck,” he hissed, for though there had been no external wounds, no blood to be found along his skin, there was still an obvious cause to the pain he felt.
His forearm was not aligned the way it should be - about midway between his elbow and his wrist, there was a clear jut of bone poking up into the skin. It was obviously broken, that much he knew, and when he ghosted his fingers over the protruding bump of the snapped bone he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, for the area was sore to the touch and already beginning to bruise.
Aside from the pain, the sight was disturbing in and of itself, and though Seonghwa was currently a first year medical student he still felt nausea churning in his stomach. He had seen countless injuries on other people, most of them worse than just a simple broken bone, but there was something about seeing his own bone jutting from the skin of his forearm that was far more disturbing. Not to mention the situation he was in - a broken arm would only make things more difficult.
With that thought in mind, Seonghwa clenched his teeth hard, placing his wrist between his knees and squeezing to keep it in place. The best he could do for now would be to set the bone back into place, so that the misalignment couldn’t get worse. He wasn’t even sure if it would work without the help of another person, but he was at least resolved to try.
Holding his wrist in place with his knees, he took a shuddering inhale before placing his hand on the break, pain already blooming beneath his touch. Using what little strength he had left, he tried to push the bone back into alignment, a harsh scream tearing from his throat as both sides of the bone scraped against one another but refused to budge.
He gasped for air and pulled his hand away, shaking his head to clear the black spots that danced before his vision from the pain. The bone was still sticking up against his skin, but he was too weak to fix it by himself. He yelled in frustration and smacked the hand of his good arm against the boat surface, cold rain falling over his shaking form.
It took a moment for Seonghwa to recollect himself, breathing in deep through his nose as he looked away from his mangled arm, instead scanning the surrounding seas. Everything was hazy, but even in the fog of the storm he could see large objects being tossed around by the wind and waves, no doubt the contents of the boat that had been dislodged along with all of the passengers when it capsized.
All Seonghwa could truly hear was the booming of thunder and the harsh pour of the rain, though he imagined that there must be people screaming, figures hardly able to keep their heads above the large waves. His heart clenched despite knowing that there wasn’t anything he could do to save them when he was headed straight for certain death as well - it was in his nature to help others, and his heart still yearned to do so despite his mind’s knowledge that the situation was entirely out of his hands.
There was hardly anything visible in the shadows, but Seonghwa still scoured the horizon, searching for something. Perhaps another tour boat with an engine that hadn’t stalled in the middle of the storm, or some kind of large supply ship that could spot the wreckage in the waters ahead. Those were the manner of saviors he was searching for, but his heart nearly stuttered to a stop when he saw something else in the distance.
He had seen enough movies to know that sometimes on the brink of death, a person’s mind could conjure up the very thing they wanted to see, but when he blinked his eyes rapidly and shook his head to clear his vision, the shadow was still there. A silhouette of land not terribly far, nothing more than a small island, clearly not a place where any sort of civilization existed.
“Holy shit,” he breathed, voice stolen away instantly by the raging wind. An island - he still couldn’t believe it even as he stared at the mass of land, watching it drift farther and farther away as the waves carried the overturned boat in the opposite direction. The opposite direction. Suddenly his sanctuary on the boat was no longer a very appealing thing, rather one that was carrying him away from the one solid chance at survival he had.
Seonghwa shifted instantly, ignoring the pain in his arm as he scooted over to the side of the boat again, bracing himself for how cold the water would feel, how powerless he would be to fight the currents. He had to fight, just long enough to get to the island. WIth that assertion in mind, he slid off the side and back into the raging ocean, flailing for a moment until he was able to get his head back above the waves.
He craned his neck to see the island looming up ahead, much more difficult to make out now that he was back in the water, but he started to swim forward in the right direction as soon as his eyes landed on the silhouette. The waves were crashing into him with each stroke, filling his mouth with salty water and burning his eyes, but he still kept going, struggling with every inch of progress he managed to make.
Exhaustion was already setting in, and he hadn’t moved more than a few meters from the boat. If he was ever going to make it all the way to the shores of the island, something would have to change. Still moving forward, he began to scan the surrounding waters frantically, searching for some kind of object that he could use as a flotation device of sorts to conserve what little energy he had left.
There appeared to be nothing but scattered debris all over the place, nothing substantial enough to stay afloat for long, and Seonghwa was about to settle for the flattest, largest plank of wood he could find until he noticed splashing several meters in front of his current position, appearing to be some kind of struggle. He grasped onto a piece of wood then, using it to at least block the splashing waves as he propelled himself forward with his legs, kicking desperately beneath the water.
He had to move in the direction of the struggle to get to the island, and he planned to skirt around it, for as much as he wanted to save the drowning passenger, he was hardly managing to keep himself afloat. There was nothing that could be done, and he clung helplessly to his plank of wood, resolutely looking away as he neared closer to the person. His heart clenched when he came within range of the cries, for the person sounded young, screaming out into the void of wind that ripped their pleads straight from their throat.
Seonghwa hardly registered that he was crying as he continued to swim forward with his wooden plank, every muscle in his body strung tight as he resisted the urge to answer the cries for help, to save someone with so much life ahead of them. Just as he drew up parallel with the struggling person, the sounds became louder, and Seonghwa felt nauseous because he was listening to someone slowly die.
He pumped his legs harder, desperate to get away, until he heard a much deeper grunt come from the same area. His head whipped to look at the struggle then, ignoring the protests within his mind. It was two people, and he was mere feet away from them, allowing him to fully see what was happening. A larger man was pushing a smaller boy down beneath the waves, as if trying to use his body for flotation, ignoring the terrified screams coming from the boy.
It was a split second decision, one that Seonghwa knew could very well lead to his own death out in the ocean when there was an island within sight, but he couldn’t just leave the boy there. He couldn’t let the man kill another passenger, no matter how dire the situation was. Before he could even register what he was doing, he was swimming to the side, using the wood in his hands as something of a paddle to bring himself closer.
The boy was pushed beneath the water again, a scream cut off midway, and Seonghwa was thankful the man’s back was towards him as he approached. He definitely hadn’t thought this through, for the man was much bigger than him and clearly had no qualms against killing another person, but at least he would have the element of surprise.
Trying his best to tread water, Seonghwa held the plank of wood in his good arm, raising it over his head as soon as he was within range and slamming it down with all of his might directly into the head of the man. The vibrations from the hit reverbated up his arm painfully, and his numb fingers couldn’t hold onto the wood any longer. The plank fell from his grasp into the waves just as the man bellowed in pain, an ugly sound.
Seonghwa didn’t feel any remorse for him, however, and amidst the confusion he had clearly let go of his victim, for the boy surged back above the surface, gasping and spluttering and screaming in fear. It would only be a matter of moments before the man regained his senses and searched for the person who had hit him over the head, Seonghwa knew that, and he slid beneath the surface of the water to keep himself hidden, taking a massive breath of air before submerging himself entirely.
Sure enough, he could feel the way the man whirled around, searching for a person that was no longer there, and Seonghwa hurriedly propelled his body forward, stopping when he collided with another figure under the water. He rose back up for air, and sure enough it was the boy floating before him, flailing and panicking as he tried to stay afloat.
“Be quiet,” Seonghwa bit out under his breath, pulling his face close to the boy so that their noses were nearly touching. He whimpered but thankfully complied, seeming to sense that Seonghwa possessed no ill intentions. The boy was still harshly coughing up water, and Seonghwa grabbed the fabric of his shirt, pulling him forward until he was able to breathe well enough to swim mostly on his own.
They were able to get far enough away from the man after that, the two of them gasping and spluttering as the salty water continuously filled their mouths, the violent waves never ceasing. It was sapping all of Seonghwa’s strength just to keep swimming forward, and he couldn’t so much as make a sound to tell the boy about the island, that they would survive as long as they managed to avoid drowning long enough to get there.
Even without that, though, the boy continued to follow him blindly, occasionally reaching out to brush his fingers past Seonghwa’s clothes, as if ensuring that he was still there. It was impossible to tell how much progress they’d made, for the debris in the water was spreading with the waves as well, plenty of boat fragments following along with them as they traveled forward. Still, Seonghwa suspected that they were still a lengthy distance away, and he knew they wouldn’t make it without something to cling onto.
He began to wave his arms around in the water as he swam, gasping as he felt around for something they could both use. The boy was beginning to cling to him more and more, clearly losing energy after fighting to stay alive earlier, and Seonghwa just didn’t have the heart to push him away. He was young, even in the darkness brought on by the storm Seonghwa could see that, and now that Seonghwa had saved his life he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave the boy behind. Curse his damn heart for being soft when his own life was on the line as well.
A small sound of relief fell from his lips when his arms finally bumped into something floating above the surface, clearly large enough to support both himself and the boy. He ran his hands along it, pulling it closer and trying to determine what it was, but it was only when he felt the small bristles of hair that he realized he was touching a human arm.
An involuntary yell tore from his throat as he pulled back, chills spreading down his spine, for it was a floating body, no doubt one of the passengers of the boat who had already succumbed to the pull of the water. His skin was crawling, and his back bumped against the boy behind him in his panic. “Shit!” He burst out, reaching forward again for the body despite the nausea that pushed its way up his throat.
His hand again clamped around the cold, wet flesh of the body who he now determined to be a man, and he couldn’t help it when he gagged into the water, keeping his hold even then. The boy was clinging to the back of his shirt and struggling to tread water, and Seonghwa turned to him, stomach still turning. “Listen to me - hold on,” he yelled over the wind, and it was only then that the boy realized what Seonghwa was holding.
He shook his head frantically, a queasy expression evident on his face, but as a particularly large wave broke over his head and left him gasping, he had no other choice than to grasp onto the shoulder of the dead man. The boy was gasping for air, wheezing deep in his chest as he was finally able to regain his breath, no longer forced to support all of his weight on his own. Seonghwa kept kicking forward, finding it to be much easier with the body to cling to, no matter how wrong it all felt. This person was dead - they were still alive, and if Seonghwa wanted to save himself and the boy beside him he had no other choice.
That was what he chose to focus on as he swam forward, making slow progress as the boy recovered, for he was doing most of the work to push them forward. It still wasn’t easy by any means, but Seonghwa was able to breathe much easier, the body also buffering many of the waves that constantly buffeted them around in the water. Eventually, the boy began to lend his help as well, kicking his legs more strongly as they moved a bit faster, finally falling into a steady pace.
It occurred to Seonghwa again then that the boy had no idea why they were even bothering to swim, for Seonghwa hadn’t had the chance to mention the island amidst their struggle. Now that he could breathe a bit more steady, he trained his gaze ahead on the shadow of the island, beginning to appear a bit larger as they got closer. “Look ahead of us,” he said, loud enough for the boy to hear him.
The boy did as he asked, scanning the horizon until he clearly saw the island as well, his jaw dropping open slightly. “No way,” he marveled, and now that Seonghwa was finally able to observe him up close he realized that the boy wasn’t as young as he’d originally thought - likely only a year or two younger than himself.
Seonghwa focused back on swimming after that, the boy pumping his legs with renewed vigor now that he saw the destination before them, but it still wasn’t long before they were both utterly spent, only kept afloat by the body they clung to. There was still a sizable distance to travel, for though they were closer to the shore they couldn’t have been more than halfway there. Sparing a glance back, Seonghwa couldn’t even see the shiny hull of the tour boat anymore, indicating they’d either swam out of visible range or the waves had already carried it away.
The boy was beginning to succumb to his exhaustion, eyes drooping as he kicked every now and then, and that was enough to keep Seonghwa going, to keep him fighting even when his body wanted to just sink below the surface, to inhale the water and let it fill his lungs. He had saved this boy’s life at the risk of his own - he would not let him die now. With that thought in his mind, he continued to push himself, one kick of his legs at a time.
At one point, the boy’s grip on the body began to slacken, and Seonghwa yelled out immediately, making his eyes open wide once more. “I will get us to that island - your only job is to stay awake,” he gritted out, clenching his teeth to keep himself grounded. Thankfully, the boy appeared to understand the honesty in the words, Seonghwa’s genuine devotion to keeping them both alive, for he clung to the body with force, fully giving up his efforts as he focused all of his strength into his hands.
It was a sickening sight - the boy was resting his head against the body, likely not even fully registering the implications considering how much trauma he’d experienced in a matter of hours. His eyes were half lidded, but they stayed open resolutely, and his fingers continued to grasp the fabric of the soaked clothing on the body. His fingernails were a deep blue from the cold water, his lips a similar shade, and Seonghwa had no doubt that he wasn’t looking much better.
“Wooyoung,” the boy said at one point, his voice just barely registering in Seonghwa’s mind, for he had partially shut down, his only thoughts centered on each kick of his legs as they drew closer to the island. After a few moments of silence, the boy spoke again, his voice heavy with fatigue. “My name is Wooyoung.”
Though Seonghwa didn’t have the strength within himself to respond, he did register the words, grateful that he at least had a name to associate with the boy now. It appeared that talking was Wooyoung’s only way of keeping himself awake, and Seonghwa didn’t even mind it as much as he thought he would have, for it was almost some kind of comfort knowing that he wasn’t alone out in the middle of the ocean, that when he did reach the island there would be someone else there too.
He didn’t process most of the things Wooyoung said, and he was fairly certain that Wooyoung didn’t know what he was saying either, but it did the trick to keep his grip from slackening again. Seonghwa was at a loss in regard to how long they’d been swimming, but it felt like ages since he’d been sitting safely on the tour boat. Never would he have imagined it ending like this - no one could have, for the storm had been very sudden in its onset, just as tropical storms often were. Unpredictable and numerous.
Their boat had been carried off course by the strengthening current, and despite the captain’s efforts the engine had stalled entirely, resulting in their path drifting directly into the heart of the storm. Seonghwa knew that they must have been swimming for a long while, because the farther they went the less violent the waves became, making his job much easier. He was still coughing on salt water from time to time, though he suspected that it was more from his own inability to raise his head than from the waves themselves.
The island was much closer now, less of a shadow as Seonghwa could see the green of the trees and the white sand of the beach. They were close, and when they finally came out of range of the worst of the waves, there was a much needed change in current. Seonghwa had been swimming forward against the movement of the water, but now the current finally started to help them along, the waves crashing over his back instead of directly into his face.
It was the final push he needed, for each kick propelled them forward nearly twice as far as before, decreasing the gap extremely. Wooyoung was still mumbling under his breath, his words no longer audible as he fought to stay awake, and Seonghwa felt his heart clench in his chest as they finally neared the shore, the water around them becoming lighter in color as it became shallower. “We’re almost there,” he managed to choke out, and Wooyoung nodded weakly from where his head rested on the chest of the dead man’s body.
“What’s your name?” Wooyoung asked, his tone light, like he wasn’t even fully aware of the situation anymore. Seonghwa coughed some of the water out of his throat before responding, wincing at how hoarse his voice had become.
“Seonghwa,” he answered, hardly paying attention to the boy. Just a few more pushes, a few minutes more, and he would be able to touch the sand below his feet. The shore was so close it was practically taunting him, and he could now see the birds that flocked around the beach, could even hear their squawking.
It suddenly became even easier to swim, and Seonghwa gripped the body securely, for he was beginning to see the sand beneath the water, just out of reach of his feet. He turned to Wooyoung to tell him that they would be able to touch the ground and get to the island, only to realize that the boy was no longer beside him. Seonghwa panicked, quickly abandoning the body entirely and spinning around in the water, squinting his eyes through the pouring rain.
He had just asked Seonghwa what his name was - and he hadn’t continued to speak after that. Seonghwa hadn’t realized it at the time because Wooyoung’s mumbles had been nothing more than background noise, but now he felt unadulterated dread consume his chest. “Wooyoung!” He screamed, ignoring the grating feeling in his throat as he quickly submerged beneath the water, opening his eyes and not even registering the burn as he frantically scanned the water.
Sure enough, a mere few feet behind him was Wooyoung, eyes closed and body drifting along with the current. Seonghwa swam forward immediately and grabbed his arm, tugging him back up to the surface. As soon as he resurfaced he pulled Wooyoung’s head up as well, eyes darting over the boy’s face. He wasn’t conscious, head lolling back dangerously.
Seonghwa cursed, shifting so that he was practically hugging Wooyoung to his chest, gently guiding his head forward until it was resting against his shoulder. He tried his best to keep them both above water as he swam those last few feet, unable to stop the tears of relief that blurred his vision as soon as he felt the soft sand beneath his feet. There was no time to rejoice, however, and he waded out of the water with urgency, holding Wooyoung close with his uninjured arm.
As his torso came fully out of the water, Wooyoung’s weight became too difficult to carry with one arm, and he fought to maintain his grip as his thighs emerged as well. The last steps out of the water were nearly impossible, for there was no buoyancy to help him carry Wooyoung’s limp weight, and as soon as his foot stepped onto dry sand he collapsed, both of their bodies spilling out onto the white sand of the beach.
He must have blacked out for a moment, because Seonghwa couldn’t recall anything when he first reopened his eyes, squinting against the rain that splattered onto his face. Sitting up, he groaned at the pain in his broken arm, still not set back the way it should be. As he looked down at the protruding bone, he finally noticed the boy beside him, and all of his former panic came rushing back full force, not unlike the heavy waves of the storm.
“Wooyoung,” he burst out, turning his body over and noticing that his eyes were still closed. Seonghwa grappled for a pulse, placing his fingers against Wooyoung’s neck, holding his breath nervously. His heart dropped when he didn’t feel anything beneath the skin. “Shit,” he hissed, his own pain entirely forgotten as he recalled all of the lessons he’d received on resuscitation, especially in relation to a drowning victim.
He immediately went straight to ventilating, gently opening Wooyoung’s mouth enough to puff two steady breaths of air down into his lungs. Seonghwa then began to alternate between compressions and mouth to mouth, knowing that it was more important to get the water out of his airway than anything else. “Come on, dammit!” He yelled, because he had given everything he had into saving this boy’s life - he couldn’t die like this, not when they’d made it to the island.
Tears were freely streaming from his eyes as he pressed down into Wooyoung’s chest again and again, both from the desperation he felt as well as the excruciating pain that came from his broken arm with each impact. Just as he puffed another breath into Wooyoung’s mouth, the boy lurched upwards, coughing wetly and vomiting water all over himself.
Seonghwa fell back, gasping roughly from the relief that consumed him. He’d taken part in countless classes, always being taught the same routine on how to save someone when their heart had stopped, but it was entirely different doing it in the middle of nowhere, alone and injured himself. He winced at how intense the pain in his arm was, squinting through the pain at Wooyoung.
He reached out a hand to rub the boy’s back, patting it to help dislodge the last of the water in his lungs. Wooyoung was inhaling deeply, practically wheezing when he finally collapsed back against the sand, looking back at Seonghwa. “I’m sorry,” he croaked out, hardly able to speak from how badly his throat had been damaged.
Seonghwa shook his head immediately, brushing the soaking wet hair away from Wooyoung’s face. “Don’t apologize,” he dismissed, for the clear exhaustion and remorse in his expression was enough to make his heart ache. In reality, Wooyoung definitely wasn’t wrong for apologizing, considering Seonghwa had saved him from the man who’d tried to drown him before swimming them both all the way back to shore and proceeding to save his life again when they got there. Seonghwa told himself that he just didn’t want to deal with the boy’s blubbering, though he knew that wasn’t the real reason.
“Your arm,” Wooyoung whispered, eyes fixated on the clearly broken bone sticking up under his skin. Seonghwa grimaced at the reminder, but he couldn’t do anything to fix it until he had help, and Wooyoung was much too weak currently to be a viable option.
“It’s fine,” he assured, though anyone with eyes would be able to tell that it was most definitely not fine. Wooyoung looked like he was about to protest, but Seonghwa shushed him quickly, for he had noticed something just past his shoulder. The boy frowned in confusion, but Seonghwa waved him off, getting to his feet unsteadily. “Stay here.”
There were two other people on the sand, closer to the treeline considering that Seonghwa and Wooyoung had collapsed mere inches from where the waves crept up the shore. One of them was sitting up and waving his arms wide, his mouth open as if he was trying to yell but no sound was coming out, his voice probably gone from the struggle as well.
Seonghwa went towards them, for it was clear they had only just gotten there as well, their clothes soaked from the water. On the tour, they had all been forced to wear the same fluorescent orange tee shirts, and it was clear that the two boys were wearing the same shirt as Seonghwa. He hoped that one of them would be able to help set his arm, but as he got closer he realized they had problems of their own.
The one who was waving had hair dyed red, and though he appeared to be uninjured, he was clearly calling for help for the boy beside him. He was unconscious, that much was obvious, and Seonghwa’s heart stuttered at the idea of having to resuscitate someone else, his broken arm still sending white flashes of pain under his skin. Still, he couldn’t just leave him there either, so he picked up his pace despite the burn of his exhausted muscles, nearly falling once he got there.
He opened his mouth to ask what had happened when the red-haired boy spoke first, fire in his gaze. “I saw you just bring that kid back to life - he needs help, I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I got here and he showed up right after, but he passed out as soon as he got out of the water,” he explained, and Seonghwa nodded, shifting to feel the unconscious boy’s pulse.
Thankfully, there was a steady rhythm beneath his fingers, if a little weak. “He’s breathing. Probably just passed out from exhaustion,” Seonghwa said with a relieved breath, sitting back slightly. The boy had inky black hair, plastered partially over his eyes from the rain, and his face itself was angular, high cheekbones that collected rainwater before it trickled down to the sand below.
“How would you know?” Seonghwa was taken aback by the question, looking back at the red-haired boy with nothing but confusion. Hadn’t he just said he watched Seonghwa save Wooyoung’s life?
“Um, I’m a medical student,” he answered, though he spoke with a slight inflection at the end of his words, as if it was a question. “You asked me for help, and I gave it to you - I don’t understand.”
The boy scoffed, as if Seonghwa had said something outrageous. “I asked you for help because I expected an actual answer - you think I didn’t try to take his pulse?” His gaze then fell to Seonghwa’s arm, brows raising when he saw the clear break. “Though I guess I should’ve known, looks like you can’t help yourself either.”
Seonghwa was at a loss for words - he had not anticipated this sudden hostility in the slightest. It was a stressful situation, perhaps one of the most stressful situations a person could be in, and he knew that some people resorted to flaring tempers as a defense. He inhaled deeply, keeping a hold on his own anger, for there was no indication of how long they would be here, and he didn’t need some ridiculous rivalry born from no real conflict.
“Speaking of this, would you mind helping me?” He asked, gesturing at his arm. It was certainly not ideal to ask this seemingly irritable person for help, but the pain was continually getting worse and worse, and he seemed healthy enough to help. He nodded in agreement though, and Seonghwa smiled, hoping that he was just scared and not actually rude. “What’s your name?”
The boy cocked an eyebrow at the question. “Hongjoong,” he answered, though he didn’t ask Seonghwa for his name in return.
Seonghwa didn’t particularly mind, introducing himself anyway as he shifted away from the unconscious boy to sit in front of Hongjoong. “I’m Seonghwa,” he said, gently holding out his broken arm in front of himself so that it was in between the two of them. “I just need you to hold my arm steady, and when I tell you to, hold my wrist and pull upwards while I push the bone back down, okay?”
Hongjoong looked back at him with one brow still raised, looking entirely uninterested as he grabbed Seonghwa’s wrist. It wasn’t quite the gentle touch that he would’ve liked, but it was going to hurt regardless so Seonghwa didn’t comment on it. He noted that Hongjoong had surprisingly small hands, hardly wrapping around Seonghwa’s entire wrist, and he would have found it cute if the hands weren’t attached to such an unfriendly person.
Loosing a breath, Seonghwa steeled himself for the pain that was sure to worsen exponentially as the bone scraped its way back into place, knowing that he had no choice. It would only hurt more if he let the bone stay in such an awkward position for any longer. “Okay,” he breathed, shifting his hand to cover the area of skin that was protruding above its usual plane, hard bone clearly tangible beneath.
The skin was already purple from the damage, and with the unrelenting rainfall there were goosebumps that had arisen all along his arm, creating an ultimately unpleasant sight, to say the least. Hongjoong was looking at Seonghwa, clearly waiting for his signal so he could let go of his wrist as soon as possible. It was a bit alarming how little he seemed to care about the clearly misplaced bone right in front of his eyes.
“Now,” Seonghwa gritted out before pushing down on the bone with all his might, a strangled cry garbling up his throat as the bone slipped back in place with a sickening sound, one that seemed to reverberate through his body even after it was over. Hongjoong, as indifferent as he seemed, had done what Seonghwa asked of him and pulled up on his wrist, providing the extra leverage he needed to settle the bone back where it belonged.
The pain was excruciating, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but clutch his arm to his chest instantly, practically ripping it from Hongjoong’s grip in his blinded state. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping down a few unsteady breaths before the pain finally began to fade, succumbing back to a slightly more bearable level. That had been the worst of it - with the bone back in place, it would heal on its own as long as it remained stable.
Considering how his ridiculous tour shirt was already soaked through and the rain didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, Seonghwa opted to just take it off, reaching over his head with his good arm to grasp at the hem and tug it off completely. “Why the fuck are you taking your shirt off?” Hongjoong asked, looking away resolutely and feigning a look of disgust.
Seonghwa rolled his eyes, squeezing out the shirt in his hands to relieve the fabric of as much moisture as possible. “You don’t have to pretend like you aren’t enjoying the view,” he quipped back, for as hard as he tried to remain civil, there came a time where even his seemingly endless patience came to an end. “I’m making a sling, you idiot.”
Hongjoong spluttered at that, as if the idea of looking at Seonghwa’s bare torso was entirely appalling, but Seonghwa just grinned. If Hongjoong wasn’t even going to try to be pleasant, then he held no qualms about some simple teasing. Just as he was trying to figure out the best way to create the sling on his own, for he certainly would not be asking Hongjoong for help again, there was a sound behind them on the sand.
“It’s your almost dead friend,” Hongjoong explained lazily, for Seonghwa’s back was turned away from the approaching figure. “Though he looks to be dragging himself along the sand more than walking, if I’m being honest.” Seonghwa turned at that, heart lurching with worry for Wooyoung. His heart had stopped - he should have stayed put like Seonghwa instructed.
Sure enough, Wooyoung was just a few feet behind where Seonghwa sat, crawling along the sand towards them. “When I called you over here, I didn’t want this to become some kind of group activity, you know,” Hongjoong muttered, though Seonghwa didn’t pay him any mind. They were stranded out here together - though the truth of that certainly hadn’t sunk in for any of them yet, there was no use in trying to ignore one another.
Eventually, Wooyoung made it to Seonghwa’s side, sitting on the sand and trying his best to catch his breath. “You fixed it,” he managed to say between intakes of air, gesturing weakly at Seonghwa’s arm.
Seonghwa smiled at him, for though he shouldn’t have moved all that way when his entire body was already so exhausted, there was no use in scolding him for it now. Plus, Seonghwa truly had no interest in assuming the role of this boy’s mother - he was struggling enough to deal with his own injuries as it was. “Wooyoung, would you mind helping me with this?” He asked, raising the shirt in his fist, but Wooyoung was looking past him at the other body on the ground mere inches away.
“Oh, he’s okay. Just unconscious,” Seonghwa was quick to assure, for the boy did look dead at first glance. Wooyoung shook his head though, as if that wasn’t the reason for his staring.
“No, I just - his name is San. He was sitting next to me on the boat. I didn’t really know him well, but we saw enough of each other throughout the past few days that we started to stick with each other. I’m just - I didn’t think anyone else would make it,” he explained, eyes shining. “I’m just happy he didn’t drown out there.”
Seonghwa sighed shakily, nodding in understanding. It was the entire reason they’d been on the boat in those stupid matching shirts to begin with - the trip was supposed to be some kind of life changing experience. Though, as he scanned the treeline of the unfamiliar island they were now stuck on for an undetermined period of time, he supposed this was certainly life changing, just not in the way they’d originally intended.
It had been a contest, offered through major universities all across Korea. The winners were granted an all expenses paid vacation through the tropics, covering various islands within the Pacific. It was all organized for them, just as the ride on the tour boat had been, and Seonghwa had applied simply because everyone else was doing so. Never had he expected to actually win. He’d been ecstatic at the time, because who wouldn’t be - they were struggling college students, after all, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
It was a horrible thought, one that Seonghwa hadn’t quite registered amidst the initial panic of reaching the island - the rest of those students, the ones he’d spent days with - they wouldn’t live another day. What was supposed to be a fun trip had become nothing but terror for them, and to think that they’d spent their last moments in fear - it was gut wrenching.
Seonghwa pushed those thoughts aside for now, as they were much too close to reality for his comfort, choosing instead to focus on a less pressing manner. “Wooyoung,” he said, getting the boy’s attention as he finally tore his eyes away from where San lay upon the sand. “Can you help me with this?” He extended the orange shirt in his hand, and Wooyoung took it right away, looking to Seonghwa for further instruction. It was sweet how willing he was to listen to Seonghwa without question after his life had been saved.
“Just tie the ends together - though now that I think about it, it probably won’t be long enough that way. We’ll have to rip it,” he decided, taking the shirt back because he knew that Wooyoung was much too weak to tear the fabric easily, and with his own injuries there was only one person who was capable enough to help them. “Hongjoong,” he started, voice unassuming in an effort to garner whatever sympathy he could from the seemingly soulless individual.
Hongjoong had been paying them no mind the whole time, rather just fiddling with a scrap of metal in his hands, likely from the shipwreck. “What,” he snapped, not looking up. Seonghwa exchanged a glance with Wooyoung, urging the boy to keep quiet and let him handle things.
“Would you mind tearing this shirt for me - you’re the only one capable of doing it right now,” he continued, keeping his tone pleasant. Hongjoong looked up then, eyes sharp as he stared at the outstretched garment. He had been sitting right in front of them the whole time - Seonghwa knew that he’d been listening, that he was just choosing to be difficult. Frankly, it was annoying, if only because Seonghwa had been nothing but nice only to receive the opposite treatment in return.
Still, Hongjoong begrudgingly took the shirt, grasping the fabric tight in his small hands until it was pulled taut. From there, he ripped it clean down the middle from neck to bottom hem, creating a much larger piece to work with. “Thank you,” Seonghwa appeased when he handed it back, though he didn’t receive any response after that.
Pressing his lips together to keep his swirling thoughts at bay, he handed the shirt back to Wooyoung, watching as the boy tied a firm knot to create a loop large enough to function as a sling. He’s just scared. Seonghwa tried his best to assure himself of that fact, that Hongjoong wasn’t actually an awful person, though as he stole glances out of the corner of his eye he determined that he didn’t look to be scared in the slightest. He knew that fear and trauma manifested differently across individuals, however - Seonghwa himself often threw his mind into caring for others to keep the reality at bay, as evidenced by the way he was treating Wooyoung.
Taking the sling with a word of thanks, Seonghwa awkwardly looped it over his head, struggling for a minute before he was able to safely set his arm into the fabric, adjusting it to be as comfortable as possible. All in all, it wasn’t a terrible substitute for real sling, and with the bone set back in place it would be enough to ensure proper healing.
“How are you feeling?” Seonghwa asked once he was fully adjusted, turning to Wooyoung as he spoke. Now that things had calmed down a bit, he was able to study the boy’s features more closely - he had a small mole just beneath his eye, and as his lips twitched up into a small smile, Seonghwa noted that the expression was rather mischievous in nature.
“Better now - just exhausted. I could sleep for a whole week,” he sighed, falling back against the sand dramatically. Seonghwa realized then that the boy likely hadn’t grasped the permanence of their situation, but he decided to allow him to hold onto his ignorance for a bit longer, at least until Seonghwa could sort through his own thoughts. Their boat would certainly be determined missing within a short period of time, which was about the only comfort he could cling to - his mind was much too exhausted to focus on anything else.
Seonghwa looked back towards the unconscious boy on the ground then, for he was the most pressing matter left. “San,” he whispered, using the name that Wooyoung had supplied. He appeared so young in unconsciousness that it made Seonghwa frown slightly, heart aching in his chest.
Reaching out a hand, Seonghwa gently prodded at the boy’s cheek, feeling how cold the skin was from the chill of the rain. He rested his hand fully against his face and shook a bit harder, not wanting to cause him any pain but desperate to rouse him to at least determine if there were any hidden injuries plaguing his body. “Come on,” he urged, worry building steadily when San didn’t wake up.
Seonghwa sighed in frustration, more towards himself than anything else, for if he had any of the equipment he was used to, none of this would be nearly as difficult. There was no use wishing for things that could not be, however, so he instead opted to awkwardly grapple with San’s body until he could raise the boy’s legs enough to facilitate the blood flow back to his cardiac region. It wasn’t a guaranteed fix, but it would at least speed up the process.
He wasn’t even fully aware of how much time passed as he sat there with San’s legs in his lap, for without anything else to do but wait for the boy to wake up, his mind began to wander, slipping into the exhausted thoughts that filled his mind. There were four of them on the island - four survivors, at least so far, out of nearly fifty passengers. A shuddering exhale left his lips then, because it all came crashing back. The struggle, the dead body they had used to get to the island - how many people had just given up, not aware that a sanctuary lurked in the shadows?
It was beyond chilling, and a wave of goosebumps swept along his skin that had nothing to do with the cold. They were dead, the people he’d sat next to on the boat, the tour guide who had pointed out their surroundings as they sailed. He couldn’t reconcile the reality with his own mind - those people had been alive mere hours ago, how could they all suddenly be dead, futures cut short in a matter of moments?
Seonghwa’s fingers had started to tremble with that terrifying realization, and it was perfect timing when San’s eyes suddenly began to flutter, his legs twitching in Seonghwa’s lap, providing the distraction he needed. “San,” he called softly, tapping the boy’s leg, for he didn’t want to shift position yet. It took several moments of bated breath before San’s eyes opened more permanently this time, his gaze struggling to focus as raindrops splattered against his face.
“San!” Wooyoung burst out, scrambling along the sand to come sit beside the boy. Though he tried to resist, Seonghwa couldn’t help but spare a glance back at Hongjoong, but he was still just fiddling with that piece of metal, not even looking up once. For some reason, it irritated Seonghwa more than it should have - he’d acted like he wanted to help San, but had passed him off as soon as he could, entirely unconcerned about what actually became of him.
Shaking his head to dislodge the thought, Seonghwa stared back down at San, rubbing his legs in an effort to provide some kind of comfort. The boy looked up from where his head rested against the sand, finally appearing to recall where he was, what had happened. “There’s more - I’m not the only one here?” He sounded so hopeful, so relieved that he wasn’t alone, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile at him gently, desperate to relieve his worries.
“You aren’t alone,” he reassured, keeping his tone soft. “There’s three more of us here.” San seemed to only realize Wooyoung’s presence then, for his eyes grew wide, lips parting in surprise.
“Wooyoung,” he murmured, disbelief evident in his words. He fumbled for the right thing to say after that, seemingly overwhelmed by so many realizations at once, before finally settling on a short phrase, one that echoed Wooyoung’s from earlier. “I’m happy you made it.”
It was remarkable, how a casual acquaintance back on the boat had now become the only thing they had to hold onto, the only thing about their lives that hadn’t spiraled out of control. The fact that their lives had changed that fast - it wasn’t even fathomable. “How are you feeling?” Seonghwa asked, directing the conversation back to San’s former state of unconsciousness.
He looked down at his body, assessing himself for a moment before answering. “I feel okay - mostly just exhausted. It took everything I had left to get here, and I think my body just couldn’t take it.” Seonghwa couldn’t help but feel smug - it was exactly what he’d told Hongjoong before, though he’d just received insults in return. A selfish part of him hoped that Hongjoong was listening to their conversation, but he shook the thought away, for he was not supposed to be furthering any animosity that already existed between the two of them.
“Shit,” Hongjoong said then, as if Seonghwa had summoned him with his internal deliberations. “Look - out there.” Seonghwa turned to follow where he was pointing, immediately seeing something out in the water, drawing closer with each push of the waves. He gently set San’s legs back down on the sand, getting to his feet and squinting through the rain.
“Oh my god,” he remarked, for it was a chunk of the tour boat out there. That wasn’t the astounding thing, however - there were three people grasping onto it for support, just as Seonghwa and Wooyoung had done with the body. Three. That meant seven survivors total, and possibly more, if there were still some on their way.
Seonghwa took a step forward, though not before turning back to Wooyoung and San who were still on the ground. “Stay here, you both need to rest,” he pleaded, not wanting either of them to exert themselves so soon. At their answering nods, he was about to turn to Hongjoong to tell him to stay as well, but he was already standing, fixing a firm glare on Seonghwa.
“I don’t care if you tell them what to do, but don’t try to pull that shit on me,” he warned, pushing past Seonghwa with more force than necessary. Seonghwa clenched his jaw before heading towards the shore himself, catching up with Hongjoong easily.
“You could stand to be a bit more pleasant,” Seonghwa grumbled, not necessarily intending to speak the words, but rather losing control of his own composure for a moment.
Hongjoong looked at him, that ever present glare never dissipating. “You could stand to realize that we are doomed out here - I’m not trying to make any friends.” He picked up his pace, as if he had something to prove by reaching the newcomers first.
It was almost like some kind of game he was playing, one that Seonghwa certainly did not understand in the slightest. “I’m not trying to be friends, I just don’t think being outright rude will get us anywhere either. We stand a much better chance if we work together.”
Perhaps he should have known that Hongjoong would never give him the response he wanted, for all he did was scoff, as if that was the most ridiculous idea he had ever heard. “You give me no choice when everything that comes out of your mouth is so damn overbearing,” he shot back, and Seonghwa couldn’t believe so much rage could be held within such a small frame.
As badly as he wanted to retort until the conversation escalated beyond his control, he chose to stop talking after that, for they both reached the waterline at the exact same time, the waves just barely touching the ends of their bare feet. Seonghwa had been wearing sandals on the boat that morning, and he assumed the others had been as well, for none of them had arrived at the island with their shoes still on their feet.
The chunk of boat was still several feet out from shore, though it appeared that the water had become shallow enough for their feet to touch the ground, for after a few moments Seonghwa was able to see them more clearly. There were two tall boys and one who was a bit shorter, all of them appearing to be fairly well built. It was no surprise that the three of them had been able to make it to the island together, especially with the help of the boat fragment.
When they finally came close enough, Seonghwa instantly reached the hand of his good arm out slightly, wanting to help but unsure of their injuries. “Are you all okay?” He shouted, not wanting to be overbearing but also worried for their wellbeing. Maybe Hongjoong’s words had stung a bit more than he’d let on, if only because his nagging had been taken that way before.
“One of them is unconscious, you idiot,” Hongjoong hissed before wading out into the water, Seonghwa right at his heels, for as much as he hated to admit it Hongjoong was right. He should have realized, but one of the taller boys was being supported by the other, his head lolling back limply, dark red blood trickling down from his hairline. The shorter of the three also appeared to be a bit worse for wear, but he was at least walking on his own.
Seonghwa paid no mind to the water that soaked through his pants again as himself and Hongjoong met them halfway, the waves reaching his hips. He quickly moved to support the other side of the unconscious boy, eager to relieve some of the weight from the other boy who was holding him up all on his own. Hongjoong didn’t offer any help, for it wasn’t needed, rather just leading them all back to the shore. It was just a simple action, and yet it still pissed Seonghwa off, because who was he to take the lead? He hadn’t exhibited a single quality reminiscent of a leader, that much was clear.
As soon as they emerged fully from the water, Hongjoong pointed them all just a bit further up the sand to the same area where they had been sitting before. The weight of the unconscious boy was getting heavier with each step, and Seonghwa’s already exhausted muscles were threatening to give out, but he gritted his teeth to steel himself until they finally made it there safely.
Wooyoung and San had thankfully heeded his directions this time, both still on the sand though San was now sitting up, some of the color having returned to his complexion. Seonghwa grunted as they finally set down the boy, crouching down and taking a moment to catch his breath.
Hongjoong was just fine, considering that he hadn’t even lent any real help, so he was able to speak easily, not a hint of struggle in his voice. “Who are you?” He asked bluntly, sitting back down with that same piece of metal. Seonghwa wanted to know their names as well, but there were definitely better ways to ask such a thing.
However, the tall boy who had been originally carrying the other boy on his own didn’t seem to mind the hostility, just offering a tired grimace. “My name’s Yunho, this is Jongho,” he gestured at the shorter boy, “and this is Mingi.” The final name was directed towards the still unconscious boy. “We were sitting next to each other, and when the boat capsized I was able to hold onto them both. Mingi has been unconscious ever since, he must have hit his head when we all fell into the water but I couldn’t leave him behind.”
Seonghwa felt Wooyoung’s eyes on him then, for their situation had been very similar. If Seonghwa hadn’t saved Wooyoung, he never would have made it on his own. Hearing the story, Seonghwa felt for Mingi’s pulse, relaxing a bit when he felt the steady beat beneath the skin. “His pulse is strong. He’s probably just unconscious from the head trauma, but if it was a really serious wound his pulse would reflect that.”
Yunho still looked nervous, and Seonghwa understood the feeling. It was the same way he’d felt when Wooyoung had nearly died on shore - you risked so much to save someone, only to fear that they would die right when you pulled them from the waves. “Head wounds always look worse than they really are,” he placated, reaching over to examine the wound with his hands, though he was careful not to touch the wound itself out of fear of infection.
Sure enough, it appeared to be no more than a surface wound, a gash along the hairline that was bleeding less now that he was no longer in the water. “It’s gonna heal just fine, all we need to do is cover it to keep out infection. Being in the tropics, it’s a lot more likely for that to happen.” Before Seonghwa had even finished speaking, Jongho was already tearing a strip of fabric from the bottom of his own shirt and offering it to him.
“To cover it,” he explained, and Seonghwa couldn’t help the small smile that rose to his lips. Perhaps Hongjoong was the odd one out here - everyone else seemed to be kind, placing their own lives at risk to bring Mingi all the way to shore.
“Thank you,” he said with a nod, taking the fabric gratefully. It was the perfect thickness to tie off around Mingi’s head, though it was a bit sandy from the beach. “I’m just going to wash it off in the water again, to be safe.” Seonghwa stood up again as he spoke, holding the strip of Jongho’s shirt in his good hand.
Just as he was about to go back down to the waterline, Yunho stood as well, offering him a tentative smile through the clear exhaustion on his face. “I’ll join you,” he offered. Seonghwa would have declined, for he had only just arrived at the island, but Yunho was already moving to walk beside him, so he merely nodded in acceptance.
The two of them made for the water, and it was finally a moment of quiet as nothing but the sound of the rain and an occasional boom of thunder surrounded them. “It seems like you know what you’re doing with that stuff,” Yunho said, gesturing at the piece of fabric in Seonghwa’s hand. It took him a moment to understand what Yunho meant, but once he did he couldn’t help the way his face flushed, because he really didn’t.
“I mean, not really,” he excused, fiddling with his sling absentmindedly. “I’m a medical student - none of us actually know what we’re doing yet.” It was most certainly the truth - Seonghwa had seen a lot of injuries and had even helped with some, but being out on their own like this was an entirely different experience.
Yunho didn’t look convinced, however. “I don’t know, I’m thinking that we’re lucky to have you out here.” It was a simple sentence, one that Yunho was probably just saying to be nice, and still Seonghwa felt his heart warm in his chest.
“How are you so - okay with this?” Seonghwa asked, unable to help himself. Yunho seemed much too calm for a person who had just gotten to the beach mere minutes before, and his breathing was fully back to normal now while it had taken Seonghwa ages to finally recover from his swim.
Despite all of that, Yunho shook his head, looking out at the storm on the horizon with heavy eyes. “I’m not okay with any part of this,’ he said softly, honesty evident in his tone. “There’s so many people dead, it’s impossible to fathom. It’s easier to just-” he faltered, as if unsure how to describe how he was feeling.
“Not focus on it,” Seonghwa finished for him. “Me too. If I focus on helping other people instead, I don’t have to deal with the reality of what we’re dealing with.”
“Exactly,” Yunho agreed, the two of them reaching the water. Seonghwa crouched down to wash off the strip of Jongho’s shirt, making sure that all of the sand was washed away. It wasn’t ideal to wash the fabric in the salt water, but it was the best option they had at the moment. It was only then that Seonghwa realized a very important thing they were completely lacking - fucking fresh water. Also known as the key to survival on an island like this one.
He vaguely felt panic begin to rise in his chest, forcing it down as he finished cleaning the fabric. One thing at a time - they could all figure out what to do once Mingi was taken care of. Desperate for some kind of distraction from his new realization of their impending doom, Seonghwa swallowed his nerves to make his voice come off less shaky. “My name is Seonghwa,” he said, though when Yunho didn’t answer he stood from his crouched position, the fabric in his hand as clean as he could manage.
His mouth was poised to speak again, but when he saw Yunho’s expression he paused. “What is it?” Yunho simply pointed out at the horizon, and Seonghwa followed his finger as best as he could, scanning the water until he saw it. There was someone else out there - decently far out, and they appeared to be struggling, but they were definitely alive.
“Oh my - what do we do? They’re all the way out there-” Seonghwa started to panic, but he abruptly stopped speaking when Yunho pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it into Seonghwa’s hand that was already holding the other strip of fabric. He grabbed onto it automatically, still staring at newly shirtless Yunho who was beginning to wade into the water. “What are you doing?” He practically screeched the question, heart thumping rapidly in his chest.
“I’m going out there to save them, whoever it is - they didn’t make it all the way here on their own just to drown with us watching.” And with that, Yunho was gone, diving into the water and resurfacing a few feet further away, steadily swimming out to the struggling figure. Seonghwa’s heart was thundering with worry, for the waves were still very choppy and the storm was raging on, appearing to be coming closer and closer to the island itself.
Perhaps he had only known Yunho for a short time, but he had already taken a liking to him. He certainly didn’t want him to die, and so he stood there holding onto the shirt in his hand and watching anxiously as he swam farther and farther out, until only the small shape of his head was visible. He was a very strong swimmer, that much Seonghwa could tell from his steady strokes through the water and the ripple of the muscles along his back when he’d first dived into the water, but it was still worrisome.
Eventually, a new presence came up behind him, and Seonghwa grit his teeth instantly, knowing exactly who it was. “There’s someone out there,” he explained, pointing towards where Yunho was swimming. He was more than halfway there now, but the hardest part would be getting back with the added weight of an additional person.
“Yeah, I can see that much for myself,” Hongjoong snapped, arms folded across his chest. “Why did you just let him go - he’s strong, we can’t risk someone like that.” There was something about the way he spoke, talking about Yunho like he was no more than a resource, that finally snapped Seonghwa’s small string of remaining patience.
He whirled around, clenching the fabric in his fist. “He chose to go - he didn’t want to just watch someone drown out there, and neither did I. Do I think it was reckless? Yes, but it was his choice, not mine,” Seonghwa seethed. “That’s a life out there, don’t you get that?”
Hongjoong didn’t even appear to be fazed by Seonghwa’s burst of anger, not even sparing him a glance as he watched Yunho swim. “That’s a life that we can’t guarantee - Yunho was safe here, and now he went back out, risking himself as well. We could potentially lose two lives here, and that’s on you.”
Seonghwa couldn’t even believe the words that were coming out of Hongjoong’s mouth. “It’s on me?” He spluttered, indignance obvious in the words. “Yunho chose to go, I didn’t force him to do anything. I thought you were just dealing with this situation in your own way, but the more you talk the more I begin to think that you’re just insufferable.”
His chest was practically heaving with the rage he felt, and yet all Hongjoong did was laugh, a low chuckle that held not a trace of humor. “You don’t know a thing about me,” he answered. “And yet, I can tell many things about you just from what I’ve seen. You’re overbearing, and you think you’re some kind of hero just because you know how to do CPR. Don’t try to lecture me about the value of life when you’re the one who paddled your way back to shore using a dead body as a float.”
Seonghwa froze at that, feeling the nauseating claw of guilt grip his stomach. Amidst all of the chaos, he had chosen to forget the man’s body that they had used to get to shore, but the feeling of cold, dead flesh beneath his fingers came back instantly with Hongjoong’s recollection.
“Not so quick to argue now, are you?” And with that final remark, Hongjoong turned to go back up the beach, as if he’d only graced Seonghwa with his presence in order to irritate him before leaving again. Seonghwa just couldn’t wrap his mind around why Hongjoong was so consistently awful, nor why he was so consistently surprised by it. He should have known the words were coming, and he shouldn’t have allowed himself to be caught by surprise in such a way, for that was exactly what Hongjoong wanted.
In the time it had taken for Hongjoong to both arrive and leave, Yunho had reached the person out in the water, and now as Seonghwa watched him he was beginning to make his way back. Thankfully, the other person appeared to be somewhat capable of supporting themself, and they made steady progress back to shore.
Seonghwa felt the anxiety in his chest loosen slightly, for it was becoming more and more likely that they would make it back okay. What he detested most about Hongjoong already was his ability to hit Seonghwa right where it hurt - if Yunho and the other person out there hadn’t made it back, he would’ve instantly blamed himself for it with or without Hongjoong’s added criticism. The fact that Hongjoong had realized that, had known where to strike - it bothered him far more than the words themselves. He hated that Hongjoong seemed to be able to read him like a book, while Seonghwa couldn’t even figure out why he was so horrible in the first place.
He continued to stand out there, ankle deep in the waves as Yunho swam closer and closer, until eventually Seonghwa could see the other person as well. He was a boy, appearing to be on the smaller side, but clearly strong if he’d made it that far without any help. Thankfully, he didn’t look hurt from what Seonghwa could see, just entirely wiped from swimming for so long.
He helped them both out of the water once they reached the shore, handing Yunho back his shirt but holding onto Jongho’s piece of shirt fabric, not forgetting that he still needed to cover Mingi’s wound. The new arrival immediately slumped to his knees, coughing up water and choking on his own breaths as he tried to recover. Seonghwa knelt down to rub his back, thumping his hand to dislodge the rest of the water caught in his lungs.
“Thank you,” the boy rasped when he could finally speak, looking up at both Yunho and Seonghwa. Yunho was heaving for air as well, but he was able to remain standing, hands against the back of his head as he took deep breaths.
“What’s your name?” Seonghwa asked, removing his hand once the boy was done coughing, some of the color flooding back into his face. He had black hair like the rest of them, aside from Hongjoong of course, but it was a bit longer, framing his face nicely even when wet.
“Yeosang,” he answered weakly. Seonghwa offered his good hand, stashing the piece of fabric within his sling. Yeosang took it gratefully, clutching onto Seonghwa desperately as soon as he stood so that he wouldn’t fall over. “Sorry,” he gritted out, clearly embarrassed that he couldn’t manage to stand on his own.
Seonghwa shook his head, shifting his arm slightly to allow Yeosang to grip onto it easier. “Don’t apologize for that - we’re glad that you’re alive.” It was a slow process, but eventually the three of them made it back up to the rest of their group, just as the sun was beginning to set in the sky. It wouldn’t be fully dark for several hours more, but because of the ongoing storm it was already rather grey and gloomy.
Once he helped Yeosang to sit back down on the sand, Seonghwa knelt beside Mingi only to realize that he was now awake. “Oh, um, hello,” he stuttered awkwardly, not expecting the boy to be fully conscious, though he supposed it made sense considering how long it had been. “I’m Seonghwa, I was just going to wrap this around your wound.”
Mingi looked slightly intimidating upon first glance, but his face broke into a sweet smile at Seonghwa’s explanation. “Oh, they were just telling me about you,” he realized, gesturing towards where Wooyoung and San were still sitting together. “Wooyoung said you saved his life.”
After the earlier conversation with Hongjoong, Seonghwa wasn’t particularly keen on talking about his experience saving Wooyoung, so he instead focused on smoothing Mingi’s hair away from the gash. “Here, can you help me with this?” He asked, unable to do it himself due to his broken arm. “Just tie this around your head, I’ll tell you where.”
He complied easily, taking the fabric from Seonghwa and raising it to cover the gash. Once it was positioned correctly, Seonghwa gave him the go ahead to tie it back behind his head. With that done, Seonghwa was finally able to sit down himself, taking the empty place beside Wooyoung that had no doubt been reserved for him if the boy’s satisfied smile was any indication.
There wasn’t much conversation between the eight of them after that, all of their eyes remaining on the horizon as the sun lowered further, keeping an eye out for any other arrivals, though as time passed it became less and less of a possibility. “I don’t think anyone else is alive,” Jongho eventually said after a while, putting all of their thoughts into words.
Seonghwa sighed but chose not to respond, running a hand through his sopping wet hair. “But - that’s so many people,” Wooyoung murmured softly, as if he didn’t want to believe that it was possible for so many people to die in such a short amount of time. It was a naive thing to say, and yet Seonghwa didn’t fault him for it, for he couldn’t have been older than twenty. To be so young - none of them should ever have to face a reality like this.
“It doesn’t matter - choosing to dwell on that is only going to make this harder. There will be people out looking for us, and they’ll find us out here as soon as this storm ends. All we have to do is survive until then,” Hongjoong said curtly. “Tropical storms like this can last for weeks, all we need is something we can use to collect water and the rain should take care of that problem for a while.”
As much as Seonghwa hated to admit it, he did feel the anxiety in his chest loosen at Hongjoong’s reasoning. He’d been worrying over freshwater, when there was currently loads of it falling freely from the sky. “How will we collect it, though?” He asked, as they didn’t have access to anything that was in the shape of a bowl or container of some kind.
He regretted opening his mouth as soon as he finished speaking, for Hongjoong fixed him with an unimpressed look. “We’ll figure that out tomorrow - I’m sure there will be scraps from the wreck washed ashore by the waves, something there will probably work.” It was surprisingly a suitable answer, however, so Seonghwa didn’t comment on the haughty tone with which Hongjoong spoke.
Hongjoong wasn’t done talking, though, and he looked away from Seonghwa to scan the treeline behind them. “We should move back there - get out of the rain, and get some rest. There could be wild animals, so we’ll stay right at the treeline, but we need the cover from the rain unless we’re all going to end up sick.”
The thought of wild animals hadn’t even entered Seonghwa’s mind before, and a chill ran along his arms. He felt Wooyoung’s cold hand wrap around his own, almost seeming to be an unconscious gesture seeking comfort, and he didn’t have the heart to turn him away. Instead, he laced their fingers together, squeezing slightly.
Seonghwa wouldn’t have known the first thing about how to survive on this island if he had been alone, and so he begrudgingly listened to Hongjoong’s instructions, standing up with Wooyoung and the rest to move further back along the treeline. The rain was showing no sign of stopping anytime soon, and he shivered at the thought of being stuck outside in a storm like this for weeks.
He just hoped Hongjoong was wrong about that part of things - rescue would come in a matter of days. It had to, because they had lives to get back to. A whole ship of people doesn’t just disappear, and until they were found there wouldn’t be justice for anyone who had been on that boat with them. All the people that didn’t make it - their story wouldn’t be told until then.