Chapter Text
Summer is Yoohyeon’s favorite time of year. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and it brings joy into her otherwise boring life. Ever since she was a child, she has found her happy place sitting poolside at the country club with a good book or video game as her companion. Sometimes she brings friends, but many times she kicks it solo. Regardless of who is with her, she stakes out the same spot any day that the weather permits and spends it lazing away in bliss. Her parents have offered glamorous trips ranging from Rome to Rio de Janeiro, but Yoohyeon can’t imagine herself spending her summers anywhere else.
Despite never learning to swim, Yoohyeon enjoys the pool more than any place else in the world. There is something about the sounds of laughter mingled with splashes and squirts of sunblock that make it even more magical. Yoohyeon is especially transfixed by the way the water shimmers in the summer sun, looking like a sea of crystal. She knows that every club member, including her parents, pays copious amounts of money to ensure the water’s cleanliness using harsh chemicals, but she likes to pretend it’s the result of sorcery. When it comes to the country club pool, nothing can ruin how special it is to her.
~
Today marked the first day of yet another summer. Yoohyeon could hardly contain her excitement as she woke to her internal alarm instead of the shrill ringtone her phone blared on school days. She sprang out of bed and raced to grab a piece of fruit from the kitchen. She preferred to eat light on summer mornings, so as not to get too sleepy at the pool. She pumped her fist when she saw the lunch her mom had packed for her to bring as a poolside picnic. That was another awesome part of her summers-not having to eat the shitty cafeteria food.
Blasting her favorite summer playlist on her stereo, Yoohyeon got ready for her day of relaxation. She threw on her favorite bikini, tossed an oversize t-shirt over it as a cover-up, and kicked on her new sandals. Once she was dressed, she tied her hair into a braid and threw on her sunglasses and favorite hat. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. It was a relief not to wear makeup like she did to school every day. Her skin was already thanking her for letting it breathe. She wasn’t sure it would be quite as thankful when she doused it in lotion and exposed it to the harsh UV rays of the sun, but it should have been used to that by now.
Yoohyeon hummed to herself as she finished packing her things. Her cute new tote bag was filled to the brim with her phone, her wallet, a towel, a new book, and her lunch along with some snacks to sustain her through the hot day. Yoohyeon swung her bag from side to side as she skipped outside to mount her bike and ride it to the club. She had almost gotten one foot on the pedal when her phone pinged with a text notification. She fished it out and took a look to see who was bugging her. It was Gahyeon, one of the members of the Three Amigos as well as her unofficial child.
‘Hey, Yoo! Get it? Hehehehehe. Hope you’re enjoying your summer so far! Wanna hang today? I’m sooooo bored!!’ the text read.
Yoohyeon could practically hear the other girl’s loud whining from across town. Still, she supposed kicking off the summer with her best friends by her side wouldn’t be so bad. She quickly typed a response.
‘Heading to the pool all day. You’re welcome to tag along. Meet you there if you’re interested. Text SingSing that she’s welcome to join!’
Gahyeon immediately replied with a thumbs-up. Yoohyeon put her phone away and took off on her bike, eager to see her friends in her favorite place. She had gotten the ride to the country club down to a science, and could estimate her arrival down to the minute. She arrived exactly when she expected, and locked her bike in its usual spot on the rack. Once that was settled, she pranced over to the check-in location and fished her membership card out of her wallet. Even touching her card was a formality, since just about every employee at the desk recognized her by now. Occasionally there was a new face who’d ask to see her ID, but usually they just waved her in. Today Woohee was working, so she knew she’d be fine.
“Morning, kiddo! It’s good to see you. Are the other members of your trio gonna make an appearance today?” the older woman asked good naturedly.
Yoohyeon nodded, “They should be here soon. When they get here, can you tell them I’ll be waiting at the usual spot?” she instructed.
Woohee nodded and gave her a mock salute. Yoohyeon smiled and thanked her before making her way inside.
She was pleased to see her favorite chair was open. She staked out her usual spot and set her things on the chairs on either side of it for Siyeon and Gahyeon. Yoohyeon was excited to reunite with her closest (and only) friends. The three of them attended different schools which made it harder to hang out. Summertime was their chance to reconnect and relive the glory days of their childhood. Yoohyeon couldn’t imagine a summer without Gahyeon dribbling ice cream down her chin or Siyeon ambushing her with a water gun. As annoying as they could be at times, they were her summer sisters.
Yoohyeon had pulled out her book and had finished exactly one page before two voices loudly shouted her name. When her eyes met theirs, Gahyeon and Siyeon took off running towards her like a pair of chipmunks on speed. Practically everyone at the pool was staring at them and Yoohyeon blushed at the unwanted attention. She grunted as the two girls attacked her in a bear hug, simultaneously raving about how much they’d missed her.
Siyeon yanked off the baseball cap she was wearing and shook out her brown hair which glistened with a slight sheen of perspiration. She wore a baggy t-shirt and cargo shorts with sandals that looked like something a dad would wear to a barbeque. Yoohyeon wasn’t surprised to see that her dear friend was still a walking fashion disaster. Not that she was one to talk. Gahyeon always complained that Yoohyeon got blessed with the looks of a supermodel, but wasted it with her lousy fashion sense. Beside her, Gahyeon was much cuter in a flowery coverup with a matching sunhat and sandals. She completed her look with a pair of stylish sunglasses. Yoohyeon smiled at her friends and let them get situated in the spots she’d saved for them.
“Thanks for inviting us! What a way to ring in the season,” Siyeon sighed contentedly as she reclined into a comfortable position.
“You guys know you’re always welcome. Mi country club es su country club,” Yoohyeon assured them both with a grin.
Gahyeon rubbed her hands together, “So, what snacks did mom pack for us today?” she inquired.
Yoohyeon rummaged through her tote and handed the goods to her younger friend. She was about to list the items her mother had packed when she felt the air get physically knocked out of her. She choked on air and was unable to finish her sentence. Gahyeon, wondering what had caused her taller companion to malfunction, turned to see what was wrong with her. She noticed Yoohyeon gaping at something across the way from her. When the younger girl looked to where her friend was looking, she realized it was not something, but rather, someone.
Yoohyeon had never seen this girl before. She had been coming to the club for years, and knew every employee by name. As far as she knew, there was no employee named Physically Perfect Goddess Angel Woman. That was the only way she could describe the person sitting in the lifeguard’s chair at this moment in time. Even though she was sitting, Yoohyeon could tell she was tall. She might even have been as tall as Yoohyeon herself, a remarkable accomplishment. The goddess in question had silky, bronzed skin that glowed as brightly as the sun looming above them. Her long, dark hair hung down to her perfect chest and looked like it could be the hair of a princess. Even in the hideous one piece suits that were the uniform of the club’s lifeguards, this girl looked like sex on legs. Yoohyeon was reduced to a spluttering mess even looking at this ethereal being.
“Yoo, are you good? You sound like my car when I forget to gas up before going on a roadie,” Siyeon called over.
“I think she’s gay panicking. It looks like there’s a new lifeguard in town,” Gahyeon informed her on Yoohyeon’s behalf.
Siyeon looked up to see what Gahyeon was talking about and let out a low whistle.
“Damn, that girl is mad attractive. Yoohyeon, you need to get those digits! It’s about time we got you a girlfriend. You’re the least experienced in our little crew,” Siyeon pointed out.
Yoohyeon finally remembered how to breathe and was able to speak again. She turned to frown at her friend’s commentary.
“Just because you felt one girl’s boob at a house party doesn’t make you a connoisseur of the art of lesbianism. Gahyeon’s the only one of us who has ever had a girlfriend. Besides, you clearly aren’t wearing strong enough sunglasses because you are blind if you think that I am even in the vicinity of that woman’s league,” she fired back.
“Gahyeon has actually had three girlfriends, but who’s counting? Anyways, you’re being way too harsh on yourself, Yoo. That girl is mad hot but so are you! Come on, ditch the coverup. Give her a little show,” Gahyeon cheered her on.
“You’re like twelve! How have you had that many girlfriends already? Also, you are way too young to be telling me to take my clothes off,” Yoohyeon stammered, blushing and throwing her arms over herself defensively.
“Come on, take it off!” Siyeon demanded, trying to wrangle Yoohyeon’s shirt off of her.
Yoohyeon shrieked and tried to fend off her overly enthusiastic friend while Gahyeon laughed at their idiocy. They almost knocked over several chairs and umbrellas in their struggle, which prompted several nearby guests to glare and scoff at them. Yoohyeon was eventually defeated, and knocked to the ground with Siyeon straddling her. The older girl cheered, holding Yoohyeon’s clothes in her hand like a trophy.
Yoohyeon, despite being at the pool so often, rarely stripped down to her swimsuit. She felt naked. To make matters worse, she and Siyeon had caused such a ruckus that hot lifeguard girl had turned her attention to them to see what was the matter. The two made eye contact and she must have been hallucinating from the impact of hitting the ground, because it appeared that lifeguard girl smiled and winked at her. Yoohyeon wanted the pool to swallow her up in that moment. As it was, she was already knee-deep in the stages of a crush. It was only day one, yet this summer was already shaping up to be a doozy.