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Soobin would never willingly come to a pool, let alone a public one. If you asked her, it’s nothing but a breeding ground for sickness and germs, a place for reckless kids to be let loose by negligent parents who let them splash, spit, and pee all in the same tub of water.
If you asked Beomgyu, she would say that Soobin only says that because she can’t swim.
It's an embarrassing secret that Soobin would prefer not to share, especially because of her height.
“How are you drowning in 3 feet of water?” Beomgyu teased the first time they swam together, and afterwards, a vow was made never to swim publicly again. That was four years ago.
But when summer’s been a bust, and Soobin’s craving some time out of the house and away from her PC, who else is she supposed to ask other than Beomgyu, who’s her best friend, after all?
So after a few hours of consideration, Soobin reluctantly agreed. Besides, it’s not like she had to swim; she could just lounge on the deck, maybe start that book she’s been wanting to read, and soak in some sun.
But now that she’s feeling it, the sun’s glare feels almost punishing. It feels way too hot to sit in the sun and avoid heat stroke.
“I didn’t realize how hot it was going to be,” Soobin mutters as she follows Beomgyu towards a pair of empty lounge chairs.
“We're in the middle of a heat wave, Soobin.” Beomgyu sets her bag down under the umbrella, pulling out a striped yellow beach towel and laying it out. “Why do you think I wanted to go swimming?”
“I don’t know. I thought I’d just sit in the sun and tan, or something.”
Beomgyu digs in her bag, pulling out a pair of baby pink goggles to match her frilly bikini. “Well, you have fun melting. I’ll be enjoying the nice, cold water. I hope you’ll join me”
Soobin huffs. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
-
The screech of a whistle makes Soobin wince.
“No running on the pool deck, kid!” a stern voice yelled. Soobin, slightly startled, scans the pool for the voice’s source.
Perched high above the rest of the poolgoers, the lifeguard watches the pool like a hawk, eyes scanning the pool behind a pair of reflective sunglasses. Soobin can’t tell if she’s seeing the light, or that’s just the sun’s reflection off the lifeguard’s shades. Either way, no matter how blinding she may be, Soobin can’t take her eyes off her, the line between fear and insane attraction beginning to blur. The number of violations she managed to catch within the next few minutes is almost absurd. And kinda hot.
“I got snacks!” Beomgyu said, skipping playfully over to her friend, a basket of chicken tenders in one hand, and two ice-cold water bottles in the other. Beomgyu slowed as she noticed Soobin, completely detached from reality. “Hello?” She called again, snapping Soobin out of her trance. “What were you looking at?”
“Um, nothing.” Soobin shrugs, failing to look as nonchalant as she hoped.
Beomgyu follows her gaze, a low whistle leaving her as she finds what Soobin was so intrigued by. “Wow, she’s hot.”
“Huh?” Soobin laughs, feigning ignorance. “Who’s hot?”
“The lifeguard, obviously.”
“What lifeguard?”
Beomgyu rolled her eyes. “You should get her number.”
Soobin doesn’t respond, actually ruminating on what Beomgyu said. She could try. But what if she said no? What if she didn’t even like girls? Who was Soobin kidding? There was no way someone could look the way that woman did, and like a man. But there was probably no way she was single.
Soobin said exactly that. “Are you kidding? She’s definitely already dating someone.”
“Do you see her? I’d say it’s worth a shot.”
“Then why don’t you ask her?”
Finally, for a second, Beomgyu’s confidence falters. “I just… wanted to give you a chance, you know?” Her eyes now darting around, looking everywhere but into Soobin’s.
Soobin scoffs, “Right. You’re scared too!”
“I am not! In fact, I’ll go talk to her–right now!” Beomgyu says, turning on her heels and striding over to the lifeguard chair, before Soobin even has a chance to argue.
“Hey!” Soobin calls, but it’s too late. Beomgyu’s already reached the lifeguard. Fuck. She calls out for her friend, but Beomgyu is either too far to hear, or she’s being ignored. It’s probably the latter.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
God, the heat’s only grown worse. Sweat is dripping down Soobin’s neck, her portable fan died 10 minutes ago, her water bottle’s empty, and her book is much more of a bore than she anticipated. She tried to sleep, but with the sun now hanging directly above her, light and heat hitting her from all angles, it was impossible.
The umbrella’s shade isn’t doing anything to aid in her suffering, and now there’s nothing to distract her from the cruel heat. Soobin’s eyes scan the pool, silently praying to find Beomgyu out and ready to go.
Unfortunately for Soobin, Beomgyu is still in the water, floating across the surface in a starfish position. She looks like an absolute idiot, but she also doesn’t look hot, or sweaty, or like she’s suffering the sun’s wrath, even though the sun is shining directly on her face. It looks nice. Soobin almost feels jealous.
The thought crosses her mind–floating’s easy, it’s not like it requires any skill. She can just lie in the water and stay cool, no actual swimming required.
Okay, she thought, I can do that.
Soobin swings her legs over the lounge chair, her legs aching as she stands. She’d definitely been sitting in the sun for way too long. Still, she makes her way over to the end of the pool that Beomgyu is floating towards. She sits on the ledge, legs dipping into the water. The cold hits her immediately, washing up her legs and over her whole body.
“Hey, Beomgyu?” She calls.
Beomgyu’s eyes slowly open, wincing at the sun’s glare before seeing Soobin in the corner of her eye. “Oh, Soobin!” She beamed, the rest of her body completely still. “Are you getting in?”
“Depends. Is doing that,” Soobin motions to her position. “Easy?”
“Oh, definitely, you just kinda lie with your back flat, and your arms and legs spread out. I can even spot you if you want!”
Soobin hums. “Seems easy enough…”
A million different traumatic possibilities play in her brain at once, but Beomgyu will be spotting her. And though she doesn’t fully trust Beomgyu’s strength on its own, if she does get dropped, she’ll just float. It can’t be that bad.
“Okay. I’ll get in.”
“Beomgyu gasps enthusiastically. “Yes! Just get in and lie back. I got you.”
“Alright..” Soobin mutters, before pushing off the ledge into the water. Soobin sighs, and she swears she feels steam blowing off her skin as she comes in contact with the cold. It’s just what she needed, no need to worry. For a second, she forgets why she hesitated in the first place.
Unfortunately, it really is only a second, because as Soobin takes another step, her feet slip underwater and she immediately falls backwards. It feels like slow motion, how her arms stretch to grab some imaginary hand, how Beomgyu reaches out just a little too late as Soobin’s eyes shut, bracing themselves for the fall. Her back crashes against the water's surface. Her limbs flail, and nothing but air bubbles escape her mouth as she attempts to scream. Beomgyu’s cries grow increasingly muffled as the world begins to fade, her body growing numb.
This is it, she thinks. Drowning in the shallow end. How embarrassing.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Before Soobin even opens her eyes, she assumes she’s in hell.
Considering the screams coming from all directions, as well as the ground sizzling the skin off her back, she concludes that she didn’t qualify for an afterlife of salvation. It’s a shame, really. She didn’t even get a chance to repent.
“Hey, she’s moving!”
Her eyes are still squeezed shut when a muffled voice calls from what sounds like miles away. “Oh my god, I think she’s waking up!” The voice calls out again and again, and the heat grows stronger. She’ll have to face her fate eventually, and take whatever punishment Satan orders, but she’s not quite ready yet.
Unfortunately for Soobin, just as she finally gains the courage to open her eyes, a hand, heavy, sweaty, and punishing, strikes her face.
“Ow!” Her hand flies to her cheek, as if holding it will soothe the pain. “What the hell…?”
“Sorry, oh my god, sorry!” Beomgyu cries–not quite the devil, but not too far off. “Yeonjun pulled you out, but I couldn’t tell if you were still breathing or not.”
“...Yeonjun?”
Soobin knows she’s still quite delirious. The ringing in her ears hasn’t faded, and the events pre-drowning are still a blur, but she’s fairly sure she didn’t come to the pool with anyone named Yeonjun.
To Beomgyu’s side, a familiar figure raises her hand. “Me. Hi.”
Oh, god.
Soobin thinks she would rather be in hell than face the woman in front of her. That same lifeguard from earlier was now cradling the back of Soobin’s head. Her hair soaked and pushed back, save for a few strands left dripping in front of her eyes. Sweat and water gathered in droplets on her shoulders, which were slightly tinged red from the sun, and her abs flexed faintly with each heavy breath.
Everything gets fuzzy, and Soobin’s eyes flutter like she’s about to pass out all over again.
“I..” she mumbles, struggling to find the words, let alone form a coherent thought.
“We’re losing her!” Beomgyu cries with the dramatics of a soap opera star. “You what, Soobin?!” She presses, hands shaking her friend’s shoulders up and down. “Stay with me!”
At this point, Beomgyu’s voice is completely filtered out. The only thing on Soobin’s mind is her newest guardian angel, who is now watching her keenly. “Give her a second, Beomgyu.” She says, turning back to Soobin. “What is it? Are you okay?”
“...I think I need mouth-to-mouth.”
It’s like she doesn’t even realize what she’s just said. There’s a beat of silence before Beomgyu responds, all dramatics dropped. “You’re breathing, dumbass.”
Yeonjun snorts–loud, sudden, but somehow beautiful–and falls back in a fit of laughter.
Soobin sits up, finally regaining consciousness out of sheer embarrassment, and her head snaps over to Beomgyu. “Shut up,” she says through gritted teeth. Her ears are burning red, though not from the heat. The shame coursing through her veins left Soobin feeling on the verge of explosion.
Next to Beomgyu, Yeonjun was still curled over in laughter, tears forming in her eyes. Her giggles finally recede as she asks, “This is the friend you were telling me about?”
“Yeah,” Beomgyu replies. “Can’t you see why she needs you?”
What..?
Soobin must’ve said that out loud, because the two girls turn back to her as Beomgyu laughs awkwardly.
“Surprise!” she says, with a smile that teeters on the line between just trust me and please don’t kill me. “I might have signed you up for swim lessons with Yeonjun.”
Yeonjun chimes in. “Wait, she didn’t know?’
“Obviously not,” Beomgyu scoffs. “She’s too stubborn to admit she needs them.”
It’s official. Soobin is actually going to hell now. This time for killing Beomgyu.
Three days later, Soobin finds herself back at her own personal hell. The weekend's constant bustle is replaced by quiet splashing from a few young children and their parents, as well as a class of elders following a cardio lesson to a bouncy pop song.
In an attempt to be positive, she’s grateful that the pool isn’t as busy on weekdays. Fewer people means fewer eyes to feel judged by, right?
“Oh, Soobin!” a voice calls. Yeonjun, who is now exiting the pool’s office, waves her hand over her head to get Soobin’s attention. Soobin gives a small wave in return.
Yeonjun jogs over to her, offering her hand. “Ready to get started?”
Soobin pauses, thinking about how quickly she could make a break for the exit. Her eyes dart between the exit gate and Yeonjun’s hand–calloused, sunburnt, but somehow still inviting.
Somehow, Yeonjun quickly clocks Soobin’s hesitance. “Relax, I don’t bite,” She assures with a failed wink. Soobin finds it cuter than she should.
Yeonjun leads her carefully towards the pool. Not too far from them, a girl no older than five doggy paddles to her proud mother. Soobin grumbles. Show-off.
Yeonjun snickers and pulls at Soobin’s hand while she’s distracted. “Let’s start real simple, okay?” She asks, guiding Soobin like a lost puppy towards the pool. “You think you can get in without dying?”
Soobin grumbles. “That was one time!”
Yeonjun drops the teasing, her tone more serious, but still kind. “I’m sure you can, Soobin. Let's just be sure, okay?” She drops Soobin’s hand and, for a moment, Soobin frowns at the absence.
She watches quietly as Yeonjun drops into the pool, relaxed and casual, as if it were second nature. Soobin follows behind, opting for the ladder a few feet away.
Slowly and carefully, Soobin lowers herself into the pool.
“Nice and easy,” Yeonjun coos. “You got it.”
Soobin spirals at the slight praise. Her mind barely even registers her feet hitting the floor until Yeonjun speaks again.
“You know this is where you almost died, right?”
“I did not almost die.”
Yeonjun snorts, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she watches patiently as Soobin adjusts to the water, eyes falling to where the waves hit her chest.
“So, what now?”
Yeonjun’s head snaps up with an unintelligible look on her face. Like for a moment, she’s forgotten where she is. She clears her throat and smiles casually. “Well, you’re making progress. I’m a great teacher, aren’t I? Why don’t I teach you to tread water next?”
Soobin blinks. “Tread water?”
“It’s how you can stay afloat without moving. We gotta make sure you don’t drown again, right?”
Yeonjun guides her to the pool’s wall, motioning for her to put her hands on the ledge.
“We’ll work on the legs first. Move them up and down in a circular motion, like you’re riding a bike.
Soobin’s brows furrow, trying to mimic Yeonjun’s movements. She gets it after a few seconds, though slightly less coordinated than her teacher. Her legs stagger under the water, and Yeonjun giggles.
“You do know how to ride a bike, right?”
Soobin huffs. “Yes, I do.”
It’s growing obvious that Yeonjun is having too much fun with this: Soobin’s constant shift between nervous, annoyed, flustered, or some combination of the three.
Though for some reason, Soobin can’t find it in her to be mad. A part of her—shoved way deep down inside, never destined to reach the surface—almost enjoys it.
“Now,” Yeonjun pushes off the wall, farther into the water. “You move your arms like this.” Her arms wade back and forth, over the surface of the water, never falling under.
“I don’t think I’m coordinated enough to do that.”
“Sure you are. Go as slow as you need to.”
Soobin stays close to the wall and mimics Yeonjun’s movements. Her movements were jerky at first, her arms splashing more than gliding. Every time she felt herself slip, panic flared in her chest. Still, Yeonjun was right there, drifting closer.
“You’re overthinking it,” She murmurs, her voice dropping an octave as she reaches out to steady Soobin. Her hands brush against Soobin’s waist, and for a moment, Soobin’s “bicycle legs” falter. Yeonjun holds her in place, watching patiently as Soobin composes herself.
Eventually, Yeonjun lets go, letting Soobin fall into the familiar routine. “Look at you,” she teased. “You’re practically a professional. I told you that you could do it.”
Soobin looks up, caught off guard by the lack of a witty comeback. Yeonjun’s still smiling proudly. “Congratulations, you now know how to float when in water. Baby steps!”
A small smile tugs at Soobin’s lips. “Baby steps,” she repeats.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
By the time Soobin’s first lesson comes to an end, the sun has almost set, now peeking through the trees and lighting the sky in hues of pink and orange. Somehow, the air was still miserably hot, and for a second, Soobin wishes to be back in the pool, with Yeonjun.
She stands patiently in the pool’s parking lot, until she feels the fence rattle against her back. A few feet away, Yeonjun struggles to twist the key into the gate’s lock, teasing it a few times before she can turn it fully.
She sighs, muttering something to herself before she locks eyes with Soobin, still standing awkwardly near the entrance.
“Oh,” Yeonjun says, her voice cutting through the quiet of the parking lot. “I didn’t know you were still here. Did you need a ride?”
Soobin shakes her head, pointing toward the entrance where a small car was just turning in. “No, that’s Beomgyu pulling in now.”
“Beomgyu,” Yeonjun repeats, the name sounding heavy in her mouth. “The one who came to the pool with you?”
“Yeah,” say says, and hesitates. “Um, bye,” she says quickly, but Yeonjun’s hand shoots out, curling around Soobin's wrist.
“Wait,” she said, her other hand fumbling to pull out her phone. “Could I get your number? You know… just to schedule the next lesson?”
“Yeah, of course.” Soobin can barely hide the shy smile that grows on her face. She quickly takes her phone and plugs her number in. After saving her contact, she hands it back. “Bye, Yeonjun. Thanks for today!”
Yeonjun waves as she jogs toward Beomgyu’s car, opening the door and immediately sinking into the passenger seat.
“So~” Beomgyu says, practically vibrating in the driver’s seat. “How did it go? And what was look back there? Did she just ask you out? Did you ask her out?”
“Just drive, Beomgyu,” Soobin groans.
Beomgyu rolls her eyes, but finally shifts into gear, pulling out of her parking spot and driving slowly to the entrance.
The silence only lasts a few seconds before Soobin caves. “I got her number,” she admits quietly.
The car screeches to a halt as Beomgyu slams on the brakes. “What?!” she shrieks, the sound so piercing and loud that Soobin’s certain Yeonjun could hear it from across the lot.
“Can you calm down? It’s just to schedule our next lesson.”
Beomgyu shakes her head, like this is a scenario she’s seen a thousand times before. “Good idea. Now you can see her more often. Get her to fall for you over time. Baby steps!”
“Baby steps,” Soobin echoes. Baby steps.
Soobin’s July belongs to the pool, and more specifically, to Yeonjun. Lessons now occupying three days of her week, with no complaints from either party. The shift was subtle at first, a rescheduled session here, a “maybe I should come more often” there, all under the guise of Soobin wanting to “learn faster.” She wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her. Just a month ago, she would rather have died than set foot in a pool. Now she’s sacrificing her free time to be here, with no idea why.
(She knows why. Beomgyu won’t stop saying why, but it’s not really something Soobin plans to acknowledge.)
It’s not like the time had gone to waste, not when it after it takes Soobin three weeks to learn how to successfully freestyle swim.
The first week was less about swimming and more about learning not to fight the water. Yeonjun had always been patient, but couldn’t always resist teasing.
Unfortunately, Soobin’s coordination started and ended with treading water, and the step up to rotating her arms and kicking her legs created nothing more than a flailing mess of limbs in the pool. There were countless times where Yeonjun had to leap in to catch her, usually followed by some stupid remark like, “Drowning twice on my watch isn’t going to look good on my resume, you know.”
Soobin would roll her eyes and push her off, but always let her hang close to act as a second brace–her hand wrapped around Soobin’s waist as she continued the exercise, while Yeonjun mumbled kind words, in a hushed tone that never sounded like they were meant for her ears.
Even if it often seemed otherwise, Soobin was determined to learn, and finished her third lesson that week better than she started it, at the very least.
With a general understanding of the movements, Soobin went into week two needing to work on her breathing.
“Soobin, a tip,” Yeonjun said on the first day, leaning over the edge of the pool as Soobin surfaced, sputtering. “The goal here is to move the water, okay? You’re inhaling half of the pool with each stroke.” Soobin let out a sharp, insulted huff, but knew she was right. Choking on water after ten seconds didn’t necessarily feel sophisticated.
The routine continued: Yeonjun arms held Soobin’s weight, while she practiced. Everytime she was able to squint through the water in Yeonjun’s direction, she was already looking back with a constant, patient smile.
With the start of week three, it was time to start running drills. And Yeonjun meant business.
With her whistle clamped between her teeth, she set Soobin loose, tracking her progress as she swam until her lungs burned or her limbs gave up. “Try again,” she’d say immediately, and Soobin would huff and puff, but still listen.
By the end of the first day, Yeonjun had to haul her our like a sinking brick and plopped down beside her, “Do you need anything?” She said sarcastically, sat next to Soobin’s limp body.
“CPR,” Soobin breathed, her chest heaving and her throat stinging as she fought for air.
Yeonjun snorted. “You sure you don’t need mouth-to-mouth?” She muttered.
Soobin squinted up at her. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I said you need a towel. Now get up.”
On the second day, Yeonjun was, in every sense of the word, merciless. She left no time for hanging off the edge of the pool, every second that Soobin didn’t spend catching her breath, was spent doing swimming along the edge of the pool, though never able to finish the length in its entirety. She fell into a concentrated silence, any quips from Yeonjun responded to with a quick nod. She couldn’t let the slightest thing throw her off, not even Yeonjun.
After a string of failures on day three, Soobin gets overtaken by a burst of motivation, without thinking, she took a final breath, and pushed off the wall. She didn’t panic, she didn’t flail, she just moved. She let her muscle memory take over, the pool becoming a blur of blue and white along her path.
She was so close. The pool’s edge was right there, she just had to reach it.
Her arms reached out prematurely, searching for the finish, leaving her legs to do the rest of the work until she reached the far wall, gripping it like it wasn’t even real.
When she came up, gasping for air, Yeonjun was already in the water next to her, a fat grin plastered along her face.
“You did it. Soobin. You just swam, successfully, all by yourself.”
Soobin blinked the water out of her eyes,“I did?”
Yeonjun leaped forward, wrapping her arms around Soobin’s neck and pulling her into a kind, wet hug. She smiled into her shoulder and whispered. “You did. I’m so proud of you, Soobin”
Soobin went still for a moment, but melted into it. Her arms circled around Yeonjun’s waist as she let herself take in the moment.
After what felt longer than necessary, Yeonjun pulled away, blinking aggressively.
“Are you crying?” Soobin asked, her voice soft rather than teasing.
Yeonjun cleared her throat “No, of course not,” she said professionally. “It’s the chlorine. It’s strong today, don’t you think?”
“Right. The chlorine,” she echoed.
“You’re just,” Yeonjun continues. “You’re not gonna need me- I mean, you’re not gonna need lessons anymore. You’ve got it.”
Soobin hums, “Barely, I still need to practice, don’t I?”
Yeonjun looked up at her, a flicker of hope shining in her eyes. “You’ll keep coming back? I thought you wanted to get out as quickly as possible.”
“I did,” Soobin admitted. “But I’m having fun now. I think I’ll stick around.”
“Come on, Soobin! It’s so easy!”
“I am not fucking doggy paddling to you, Yeonjun. I am a grown woman. With dignity.”
“You’re a grown woman who almost drowned in five feet of water. And no swearing!”
Soobin grumbles under her breath, “This cannot be for learning purposes.”
Yeonjun pays it no mind. She also doesn’t let up.
So, dignity be damned, Soobin begins to doggy paddle. She mutters under her breath with every stroke forward, shame weighing on her so heavily it might as well pull her down and show Yeonjun what real drowning is.
So caught up in her own embarrassment, Soobin almost doesn’t notice the fat drop of water that lands on her forehead. She could take the doggy paddling, but splashing was her breaking point.
“I’m listening, aren’t I? Stop splashing me!”
”I’m not splashing you, Soobin, you’re in a pool.”
”But…” She’s interrupted by a second drop, this time against the back of her head. Then another on her shoulder, her back, and her forehead again.
”It’s raining,” Yeonjun says plainly.
“I see that now, thank you.”
”Well, we’re safe, as long as there’s no lightning.”
And of course, since the universe has a sense of humor, a streak of lightning cracks in the sky just as Yeonjun finishes her sentence.
”Shit.” Yeonjun says, now standing upright. “Come on, let’s get inside.
”Why? We’re already wet.”
“Get out, Soobin,” Yeonjun said, “I’m serious.”
Soobin’s seen Yeonjun like this before when she needs to be taken seriously, usually with the more troublesome kids, but never with her. It was kind of scary. It was also kind of hot, but Soobin obviously didn’t have time to think about that right now.
Soobin makes her way to the ladder and pulls herself from the water. As she reaches the deck, Yeonjun takes hold of her wrist, dragging her to the pool’s office building with a silent urgency.
She slams the door behind her like someone’s trying to break in, then falls back against it, panting.
Soobin didn’t say anything. To her, this all felt a little dramatic.
”Are you good?” Yeonjun finally says.
Soobin nods. “Just cold. My bag’s still in the locker room.”
Yeonjun turns back towards the door, hand already on the doorknob. “I can get it for you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can get it later.”
Yeonjun sighs guiltily, fingers tightening around the handle. “I’m sorry, this probably all seems like a lot. But it’s protocol; Nobody is allowed in the pool after lightning strikes. I just have to keep our guests safe.”
Soobin hums, in a way that says that makes sense.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” Yeonjun says, and this time, she doesn’t let Soobin stop her.
Soobin stays in place and stays silent, glancing around the pool office. It felt much more… outdated than the rest of the pool. Everything within it was some shade of brown. The tiled floor was a sort of muted orange, the wall painted beige, and the warm lighting came from two lamps that looked older than either of her parents.
Against the side wall was a bookshelf, stacked with decades worth of photos, trophies, and other keepsakes from the pool’s history.
For whatever reason, a certain trophy on it catches Soobin’s eye; its gold foil had peeled over time, and it wasn’t addressed to anyone specific. Next to it was a framed photo, slightly newer than the ones around it, but still quite old. The image contained a young girl holding that same trophy. Her two front teeth were missing, and her hair was untreated and healthy. Still, Soobin recognizes her instantly.
When Yeonjun returns, bag hanging off her arm and soaking wet, Soobin is still preoccupied at the bookshelf.
“Is this you?” She finally says. She approaches the bookshelf hesitantly, like she’ll get in trouble if she looks too close.
An embarrassed giggle leaves her as she realizes what Soobin is staring at. “Hey, don’t look at that!”
“Why not?” She asks, but Yeonjun doesn’t reply, now looking at her own photo fondly.
“You’ve been coming here for a long time, haven’t you?”
Yeonjun nods. “My whole life, basically. The owners treat me like the child they’d never had. That photo’s from my first race. They were so proud, even though I’d gotten third place out of like, four or five kids.” She laughs to herself, shaking her head.
”That’s adorable. You were adorable.”
”Were?” Yeonjun teases.
“Yeah. Were.”
“Hey!” Yeonjun slaps her shoulder. “I’m still cute.”
Soobin flinches, but can’t hide that grin that grows on her face. “Can you do that again?”
”What?”
”Nevermind.”
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
By the time the storm dies down and the clouds break, the sun has almost fully set, and shades of orange and pink shine through the office’s small windows.
Yeonjun spins back and forth lazily on an office chair, while Soobin licks away at a melting ice cream cone, stolen from the concession stand by Yeonjun.
”Do you have a ride home?”
Soobin hums affirmatively. “Beomgyu’s picking me up,” She says between licks.
Yeonjun nods, but her eyes don’t leave Soobin. It’s clear she wants to say something, but doesn’t know if she should.
“You and Beomgyu are pretty close, huh,” She finally says.
What was that supposed to mean?
Soobin hesitated, curious as to what motivated that remark. ”Uh, yeah. We’ve been friends since we were little.”
Yeonjun nods, though doesn’t seem fully satisfied by her answer, ”So you guys aren’t…” Yeonjun says, followed by a vague, awkward gesture–as if her hands could somehow finish the sentence her lips couldn’t
The implication was obvious, but for reasons she didn’t understand, Soobin wanted Yeonjun to say it out loud.
She sits up, tilting her head obliviously. “Aren’t what?"
A heavy, anxious sigh escapes Yeonjun. While Soobin can’t read her mind, the constant bounce of Yeonjun’s knee and the way she gnawed on her lip, as if to physically hold back her words, made Yeonjun’s internal conflict increasingly obvious.
“You guys aren’t dating?” She finally blurts out
There it is.
Soobin scoffs at the suggestion, nonchalant and almost insulted, “Of course not. Beomgyu’s not my type.”
Yeonjun just nods, but it seems as though some sort of invisible unease has dissipated. Her expression barely changes, but she seems less tense, more… relieved? Her knee stills and her stiff posture melts as she slouches back in her chair, finally looking like she could breathe again.
What Soobin doesn’t anticipate is Yeonjun’s next question. “So, what is your type then?”
Now, Soobin freezes, because what is her type? It’s a stupidly simple question, but her mind fails to come up with a cohesive answer.
Because all she can think of when she tries to picture her type is Yeonjun, and how all she ever does is tease, even though she can barely handle the slightest retaliation, how she tries to play it cool and be confident, even though she could be as clumsy and awkward as Soobin herself. Most of all, she thought of Yeonjun’s selflessness–how she’s sacrificed what could have been an uneventful summer job just to help a stranger learn to swim.
But instead of saying along the lines of Yeonjun, Soobin shrugs as casually as possible and lies. “I don’t know what my type is.”
Yeonjun just groans, inching closer in her pool chair. “How is that even possible? Just think about it for two seconds, Soobin.”
Soobin does think about it, for more than two seconds, about how she could tell Yeonjun right now, about how it could be so easy, and how, maybe, she could feel the same way.
Yeonjun watched her, some sort of desperation written across her face. She was obviously hoping for something.
She stares at Yeonjun, weighing the pros and cons, the possibilities and what-ifs. She could do it, she thinks, she can feel the confession building in her throat, she can feel Yeonjun’s anticipation, until the sudden, shrill vibration of her phone shatters the silence.
Instead, Soobin scrambles to pick up her phone. Yeonjun watches silently, her expression now falling into some sort of disappointment.
“Beomgyu’s here,” Soobin says.
“Oh, okay.”
“I’ll come back tomorrow?”
“If you want,” Yeonjun says, her tone hushed.
Quickly and quietly as possible, Soobin lifts her bag over her shoulder and shuffles to the door. “Bye, Yeonjun,” she says, and shuts it before waiting for a response.
She collapses into Beomgyu's passenger seat and groans, her hands dragging along the length of her face.
Beomgyu stifles a laugh. “Trouble in paradise?”
“I almost told her,” Soobin says, muffled against the palms of her hands. “And then I didn’t.”
Beomgyu’s playful smirk falters, replaced by a look of genuine sympathy. She let the engine idle, the quiet hum of the car the only sound in the parking lot.
“You panicked,” she says softly, not as a tease, but as a fact. Soobin finally drops her hands, her eyes fixed on the dashboard.
“I didn't just panic, Gyu. I practically sprinted in the opposite direction,” She whines. “It just… hit me all at once. I was ready to say it.”
Soobin didn’t feel the need to explain it all, but it was true
No butterflies, no fireworks moment. The realization washed over her like a low tide, and she accepted it.
She likes Yeonjun.
No, she’d liked Yeonjun from the moment she saw her. This was more than just physical attraction or a childlike crush.
Soobin was in love with Yeonjun.
She looked out the window at the pool, seeing Yeonjun’s silhouette fumble with the gate's lock. “She looked so… disappointed. And now I have to go back tomorrow and pretend like I didn't almost blow our entire friendship up.”
Beomgyu sighs, shifting the car into gear. “Or,” she counters, “you go back tomorrow and actually tell her. It’ll all work out.”
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Soobin didn’t go the next day. Or the day after that, or the day after that, until it had been a week, and she hadn’t shown face at the pool. Soobin retreated to her old habits, hanging around at Beomgyu’s place, bored and miserable.
“Okay, intervention time,” Beomgyu announces after the seventh day. “You’re depressed, I’m tired of watching you be depressed, and I want my room back.”
“I’m retired from swimming,” Soobin mutters from the depths of a bean bag. “I can’t go back to the pool, Beomgyu, I just can’t. I don’t think I can talk to Yeonjun ever again.”
“You’re being dramatic. It’s not like she hates you.”
“It’s not that,” Soobin sighs, the guilt heavy in her chest. “I feel like I let her down. You didn’t see her face. She looked so... hurt.”
Beomgyu pushes off the edge of her bed, her expression softening but her voice remaining firm. “Can I be honest? I think this is incredibly stupid,” she says plainly. “You two obviously like each other, but you’re both sulking because you’re both too scared to just say something!”
Soobin stays silent, the truth of his statement stinging more than she wanted to admit. “But if I go back,” she whispers, “What do I even say?”
“You tell her the truth,” Beomgyu states, as if the solution were the simplest thing in the world. Suddenly, a wicked spark ignites in her eyes. “And I have the perfect confidence booster.”
She dives into her closet and resurfaces with a pink bikini that looks more like a gift-wrapped cupcake than swimwear. It was a dizzying array of ruffles and polka dots, topped off with more bows than anyone could consider rational.
Soobin stares at the monstrosity for exactly one second. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on, you gotta wear it!”
“No, no way! Wearing that in a pool is basically skinny dipping.”
Beomgyu doesn’t argue; she simply hurls the bikini at Soobin’s face. “It’s perfect for you. And you’re going to wear it because I said so and because I know you’ll look cute.”
“I don’t care about looking cute,” Soobin grumbles, peeling the swimsuit off her face.
“Obviously,” Beomgyu mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing!”
Soobin let out a sharp huff, holding the strings between her fingers as if it disgusted her. But Beomgyu wasn’t done. “Think about it, Soobin. I know Yeonjun is going to lose her mind over this.”
Soobin’s protest dies halfway up her throat. She looks down at the pink polka dots, her brain suddenly betraying her. “You think so?” she says, and Beomgyu grins devilishly.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
Stupid. This is beyond stupid. This is a stupid, terrible idea, and Soobin had no idea how Beomgyu had brainwashed her into doing it.
Soobin stands at the pool gate, hands tightening around her tote bag as if it would protect her.
Despite her wearing the baggiest t-shirt and shorts she could find, the silhouette of the bikini felt dangerously obvious, like it was burning through the layers of fabric and now visible to everyone who walked past.
In a rare moment of foresight, which she was now extremely grateful for, Soobin had tucked her usual swimsuit into the bottom of her bag before leaving the house. In case of an emergency.
And this, this was an emergency. Determined to rid herself of the bikini before anyone could witness, she bolts across the pool deck towards the locker rooms. She keeps her head down, desperate to reach the building before she runs into anyone. Especially Yeonjun.
She scrambles into the locker room, her hands shaking as she pulls her shirt over her head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she hisses under her breath, tossing her top onto the bench. She’s halfway through pushing her shorts down when she freezes.
Soobin feels Yeonjun’s presence before she sees her. The air shifts and everything feels oddly quiet. When she finally looks up, Yeonjun is standing in the doorway, dead in her tracks. Soobin watches in terror as her gaze drifts down and back up again. Yeonjun clears her throat nonchalantly, but her cheeks are almost as pink as the bikini itself.
“You’re back.”
“I- I was changing!” Soobin stammers, frantically trying to pull the old swimsuit out of her bag. “Beomgyu made me wear this. It was a joke. I’m taking it off right now-”
“Wait,” Yeonjun says, her voice dropping to a low, husky register that makes Soobin’s knees feel like jelly. She stepped closer. “I don’t think you should change.”
“You don’t?” Soobin whispers.
Yeonjun nods, a slow, lopsided smirk growing on her mouth as she looks up at Soobin. “I think you look cute. I actually think our lessons might go a lot better if you keep wearing this.”
Soobin’s lights up, eyes wide with hope. “You mean, I can come back?”
Yeonjun snorts, that same beautiful snort she had missed so dearly. “Of course you can come back, Soobin. You thought I’d just kick you out?”
“I mean, kinda-”
Before Soobin can finish, Yeonjun pulls her into a tight embrace, arms tightening around her back as she whispers into Soobin’s shoulders, “I missed you. It has been so boring without you here.”
Soobin stills for a moment before melting into Yeonjun, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I missed you, too.”
Yeonjun wastes no time as she pulls away, tugging on Soobin’s arm as they leave the locker room. “Come on, we have a whole week to make up for now.”
Soobin giggles as Yeonjun drags her back towards the water. The drama of the past week felt ridiculous now, letting go of this, of this feeling, out of fear that her feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated, was a mistake she didn’t plan to make again.
As the last few weeks of summer close in, Soobin can be found at the poor more than anyone could have anticipated. Most days, she’s not there to learn—just there to hang by the lifeguard post as Yeonjun grows increasingly bored with surveillance.
Soobin talks, Yeonjun listens, even if her eyes are trained on the pool, and even if Soobin is ranting about something she has no interest in, like her latest League win.
“And did you prove her wrong?” Yeonjun asks on some random Friday. The pool is about as busy as it usually is on a Friday afternoon. A satisfying medium between a weekend’s bustle and a barren weekday.
”Totally, I even got Beomgyu to admit I was the better player,” Soobin says, her pride adorably evident. “Which—you’ve met Beomgyu—is nearly impossible.”
Yeonjun chuckles, “Yeah, I can see tha-“ Yeonjun cuts off her final word with a powerful blow of her whistle. She shouts out into the pool, loud and reprimanding.
“Hey! No piggybacks in the pool!”
Soobin laughs to herself. She trusts Yeonjun’s expertise, of course, but some of the rules she enforces seem, well, silly. ”No piggybacks? Is that really a rule?”
Yeonjun glances down through the side of her sunglasses, as if Soobin had just asked the stupidest question in the world. “Of course it is. You know how easy it is for the person on the bottom to get their head stuck underwater? It’s extremely common.”
Oh, Soobin thinks. She may have even said it out loud, though she’s not too sure. “I didn’t think about that.”
“Most people don’t. Which is why I need to make sure it never happens. It may not be likely, but it’s possible. Which is why I need to make sure it never happens.”
Soobin just hums in response. The phrase repeats in her head. It may not be likely, but it’s possible.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
When Beomgyu picks her up that evening, Soobin crawls into the passenger seat with a blank look on her face. “I can’t tell her.”
Beomgyu groans, loudly, but Soobin ignores it like she’s already made up her mind. “What, so you come back and now you’re back at square one?”
Soobin sighs, and turns to face Beomgyu so as to say I’m being serious. And she was. “I can’t, Beomgyu, things are going so good and I can’t mess that up again.”
Beomgyu doesn’t whine, doesn’t complain, she just nods–a scarily neutral reaction that she’s never seen from her best friend before. “If you don’t tell her,” she says. “I’m not driving you here anymore.”
“Beomgyu!” Soobin whines. “I need you. You’re my ride.”
Soobin walks to the pool the next morning.
Though, a twenty minute walk in the mild heat wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as she thought it would be, maybe she could do without Beomgyu for the rest of the summer.
When she gets there, the pool is, for once, void of any people. As summer has come to an end, it seems like the pool craze has died down with every passing week.
“People get used to having it,” Yeonjun said once on an extremely uneventful afternoon, watching what seemed to be a child and their nanny circling the shallow end. “They’ll miss it when it’s gone, then come pouring in when the warm weather returns.”
She glances around the pool deck, and Yeonjun is nowhere to be found. It’s nothing unusual, Yeonjun’s usually busy in the office or locker room. Somehow, she always knows when Soobin arrives.
Soobin would’ve waited in silence, had she not noticed a familiar figure, unmoving in the pool. Soobin’s heart drops at the sight. The honey highlights she would recognize anywhere were now splayed out across the surface. Soobin’s heart beats so loud it drowns out her own voice. “Yeonjun?”
As if a head underwater would even register her voice. So, she yells.
“Yeonjun!” She says again, drawing closer to the pool as Yeonjun’s body floats slowly past the five feet mark.
As if she’s possessed by an olympian, Soobin plugs her nose and jumps into the pool, panic drives her every move as she lets muscle memory take over, swimming towards Yeonjun as fast as her limbs could carry.
Soobin hesitates, searching for the least violating way to tuck her hands under the still body and pull Yeonjun out of the water. What was the protocol for situations like this? Soobin didn’t know CPR. Was there even anyone else around?
As Soobin finally reaches under, Yeonjun’s head flips over, her wet hair slapping across Soobin’s face. “Soobin! Hi!’
“Wha- You’re okay!
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yeonjun says casually, like she didn’t just look pratically dead.
“You, you were face down,” Soobin pants, “You weren’t moving!”
“Yeah, it looks silly, doesn’t it?” Yeonjun just chuckles, until she notices the genuine look of fear on Soobin’s face. “Did you seriously think I was dead or something?”
Soobin doesn’t answer.
“I was practicing holding my breath,” she says. “And that was a dead man’s float”
“Fitting name.”
“Yeah, I gue-” Yeonjun pauses, looking at Soobin’s position. “Wait, did you swim to me?”
Soobin looks back and forth, examines her surroundings unaware that she was now treading in the middle of the pool. “Oh,” She hums. “I guess so. I didn’t even realize.”
“You tried to safe me,” she smiles proudly. “You know, that’s lifeguard behavior right there.”
“I don’t think I’m experienced enough for tha-”
Soobin barely gets to finish her sentence when Yeonjun lunges forward, arms draped over her shoulders. “I’m so fucking proud of you,” she whispers.”
Soobin giggles softly. “I thought you said no swearing.”
Yeonjun just shrugs, hugging Soobin tighter. “I think it’s fitting right now.”
Soobin melts into Yeonjun’s embrace, and lets her hands wrap around her back and her head falls to her shoulders. For a moment, she lets herself take in the felling of Yeonjun’s body against hers, until she feels herself lowering. “Yeonjun,” Soobin whispers against her shoulder. “I think we’re sinking.”
“Shit, are we?” She says, planting her feel on the ground. Soobin follows, still holding Yeonjun tightly.
“Sorry,” she grins, hand still holding tightly to Soobin’s shoulders, while Soobin’s hands have fallen to her waist.
They’re still way too close than any coach and student should be, but neither of them move. Yeonjun’s gaze drifts across Soobin’s face, eyes eventually falling to her lips.
Soobin, on the other hand, can’t stop her mind from screaming to move closer.
So, instead of ignoring it, she takes the first leap.
“Yeonjun,” she whispers, her face inching closer. “Is this okay?”
Yeonjun just nods, “Yeah,” she breathes, her voice uncharacteristically rough. “Great, actually.”
Soobin moves without a second thought, at a slow, slow pace, that feels almost idiotic. But Yeonjun let’s her, she stays patiently in place.
So, Soobin dives in first.
She leans in, a little more hesitant, leaving room for Yeonjun to pull away if she wanted. But she doesn’t, and now Soobin is so close she can feel Yeonjun’s breath clashing with her own, and she closes the distance.
Shock comes over Soobin in waves, each realization feeling slightly crazier than the last.
Soobin kissed Yeonjun.
Soobin is kissing Yeonjun.
More importantly, Yeonjun is kissing her back.
And god, it doesn’t even feel real. Yeonjun’s lips, soft and sweet, taste like chlorine and strawberries. Soobin didn’t mind the unconventional flavor, the bittersweet taste felt like Yeonjun herself. She pulls Yeonjun in again–as if their bodies could get any closer–and inhales heavily, as if Yeonjun’s being could fill her lungs. Soobin wouldn’t mind drowning like this–drowning in her.
Soobin pulls her in closer, feeling Yeonjun’s heart speed up against her chest. It’s kind of nice to know she wasn’t the only one freaking out.
As if in response, Yeonjun pulled away, like the kiss had pulled everything out of her. Her chest heaved, but she was close enough for Soobin to feel each breath, for droplets of water to fall from Yeonjun’s hair and down Soobin’s cheeks.
Soobin closes her eyes for just a second, allowing herself to feel everything–the ripples around their bodies, the water splashing between them, the soft, warm huff of air that hits Soobin’s face as Yeonjun laughs in response.
“You’re funny,” Yeonjun whispers. Soobin’s eyes flutter open.
“What do you mean?”
Yeonjun shrugs, tucking a piece of Soobin’s dripping hair behind her ear. “You’re just… cute,” Her nose scrunches. “And we’re really stupid, aren’t we?”
“Uh, yeah.” Soobin stammers, cheeks burning an even brighter shade of pink. “Did… did you know?”
“Obviously, I had an idea,” Yeonjun replies, like it’s the most simple thing in the world. “It’s okay, though. I like you too.”
Soobin’s eyes widen. “You do?”
“We just kissed, Soobin.”
“I don’t know, it could’ve been a ‘heat of the moment’ kinda thing.”
Yeonjun’s eyebrow quirks. “Was it like that for you?”
“No, but–”
“Good. It wasn’t like that for me either.” Yeonjun’s hand traces up the back of Soobin’s neck, ready to dive back in. “Wanna do it again?”
Soobin doesn’t say anything, just nods frantically.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟
“I don’t understand why you chose today, of all days. It’s not even that nice out,” Beomgyu whines.
The late August sun had grown gentler now, occasionally shining through the clouds with a comfortable warmth. In Soobin’s opinion, any day was a perfect day to visit the pool–even another rainstorm.
As if right on cue, a mother and daughter collect their things, leaving two pool chairs open; one in the shade, while the other sat perfectly in the sunlight.
Soobin turns to her friend, but Beomgyu passes by in a blur, already dashing towards the sun-drenched seat.
“Hey!” Soobin yelled. “Wait up!” She took off, sprinting as fast as her long legs could carry her (Which, honestly, was not that fast), until a piercing whistle sounded off from across the pool and a familiar voice yelled–reprimanding, but no weight in her words.
“What have I said about running on the deck?”
Soobin froze, whipping her head around at the voice–one that Soobin could recognize from miles away. “Yeonjun!” She exclaimed, leaping to catch her girlfriend in her arms. “I missed you.”
“Hi, baby.” Yeonjun snorted as her arms wrapped around Soobin’s waist. “Didn’t you see me like, two days ago?”
“Don’t care,” Soobin says between pecks on Yeonjun’s lips. “Still missed you.”
Beomgyu groans, somehow already laid on the lounge chair like she’s been there for hours. She pulls her sunglasses over her eyes, as if those could actually blind her. “This is why you wanted to come? Can’t you see her like, whenever you want now?”
“Yes, technically,” Yeonjun says, peeking over Soobin’s shoulder. “But I’m still working all day.”
“Then just get a job here,” Beomgyu mutters, uninterested. “Work at the concession stand or something, then you can stare at her from across the deck.”
Soobin turns to Yeonjun, eyebrows raised in a way that says could I? And Yeonjun snorts, catching her gaze. “I think we could work something out. Which proper certification, you could become a lifeguard, you know.”
“Great idea,” Beomgyu deadpans, “Put the girl who just learn how to not drown in charge of peoples’ lives, perfect.”
Honestly, it’s a bad idea, objectively stupid, really
But then she looks at Yeonjun. She’s already watching her with that soft gaze, and as she tucks a hair behind Soobin’s ear and echoes, “Perfect,” the whole thing sounded genius.
“Perfect,” she repeats proudly. “Let’s do it.”