Part One

It is that time of the year, the one and only time of the year that fills the entire student body of Baekcheon University with extreme excitement and anticipation.

The Baekcheon University annual swim meet.

Mostly, it is the female population that anticipates this event, due to all the eye candy they get to feast on. The guys, on the other hand, enjoy betting on who’s going to take home the trophy.

Undoubtedly, the title of swimming champion isn’t an easy one to attain. Yet, every single year since a certain someone joined the school, the honorable award has gone to him and him alone.

Park Jimin.

“Breaking his own record for the second time, and setting a new record for the third time in three years, Park Jimin has once again emerged champion of the annual Baekcheon swim meet!”

In an instant, the camera lights flash, girls shriek in delight and guys howl, either in relief or defeat. The emcee holds up Park Jimin’s arm, still dripping wet with pool water, while he stands tall and proud, his defined body glistening under the lights of the indoor swimming space. He squints a little at the camera lights flashing left and right, his eyes darting to all four corners of the hall.

He is already used to all the popularity he receives as the school’s renowned swimmer, and having snitched a victory yet again, he only wants one thing. He only wants one person see him in his glory.

Unbeknownst to the spectators and to everybody else in the hall, he is searching for someone.

Jung Nahee, you promised you’d turn up, where the hell are you?

One year earlier

Jung Nahee places her earphones in her ears and rests her head on the table, closing her eyes tiredly. The noisy bustle of the classroom isn’t enough to disturb her.

But the noise grows louder for some reason, filled with excited girly shrieks and low manly hoots. Annoyed, Nahee looks up to check for the source of the noise.

Oh.

It’s just the class cheering for Park Jimin, the school’s most honored swimming champion, who happens to be in the same class as her.

Much to her surprise, he clinched first place in the Baekcheon swimming meet that happened last week for the second time, beating out his own record in the previous year. It isn’t easy to clinch first spot in the first place, but being able to keep up his standard and remain champion shows that he really is something else. No one has ever been able to do that before.

Though Nahee is impressed and admires him secretly from afar, she doesn’t have the energy or state of mind to be fawning over the school’s swimming star; so she throws the hood of her jacket over her head and turns her head over to the side, turning up the volume of her music so that it is blasting in her ears.

Despite the loud music in her ears, she can hear the sound of a chair being scraped back. Though surprised at first, she ignores the sound. There’s no way someone would want to sit next to her.

Just as she’s about to slip into a dreamy state of unconsciousness, she feels something poking her elbow, shaking her arm back and forth.

A voice jolts her awake.

“Jung Nahee, wake up.” Whoever it is, it’s probably a male, because the voice is deep and low. Not to mention that Nahee can feel his warm breath ghosting over her ear, startling her. She snaps out of her reverie completely and sits upright, rubbing her half-open eyes.

“P-Park Jimin?”

The said male, sitting right beside her, smirks and says, “I guess you’re not used to hot guys waking you up from your sleep. Anyway, in case you were too busy sleeping to notice, Mrs Lee is here.”

Nahee looks up and sees Mrs Lee writing out some equations across the whiteboard and sits up straight immediately. Indeed, she hadn’t noticed the teacher’s presence at all.

“Ah, um, thanks,” Nahee stutters nervously and averts her gaze.

Park Jimin smiles, and it isn’t the kind of smirk that guys usually use to turn girls on, but Nahee recognizes it as a real, genuine smile. His eyes turn into little slits, disappearing into his grin.

“You’re welcome.”

The rest of the period passes by smoothly, ending when the bell rings. Nahee lets out a sigh of relief and picks up her backpack, ready to proceed to her next class.

But before she can leave, a firm hand closes around her wrist.

“Yah, don’t run away so fast. Am I that terrifying?” Park Jimin asks, still keeping his fingers enclosed around her wrist.

“No, it’s not that! It’s just, I have a class to get to.”

“Ah,” Jimin says, smiling, “I just wanted to give you something.”

He opens up Nahee’s palm and places a small slip of folded paper into it, before finally letting go of her wrist and turning the other direction to walk out of the classroom.

Curious, Nahee unfolds the tiny slip of paper and stares at the hasty handwriting scrawled across it, rereading it a few times to make sure she got the meaning right.

Come to my practice after school. - Park JM

Nahee takes a deep breath as she nears the outdoor swimming hall, clenching her fists by her sides.

Averting her gaze from the shimmering depths of chlorine, Nahee makes her way over to the bleachers, climbing the short flight of stairs to the top level. She tries to distract herself as much as possible by taking her homework out of her backpack and setting it on her lap, her eyes skimming over the first page.

She doesn’t want to be anywhere near the presence of the pool. She decides that if Park Jimin doesn’t show up within the next fifteen minutes, she’s leaving.

As she works on her homework, she is acutely aware of the whispers surrounding her: Jung Nahee has never once stepped near the school pool, so why is she here now? Did she come for someone? Is she scared of the pool or something? How weird.

She tries her best to ignore the whispers and focuses on her work.

Suddenly, she feels a solid presence next to her. She looks to the side and sees that Park Jimin has taken a seat next to her.

“Hey,” he says, smiling slightly, “I’m glad you came.”

    Nahee forces on a smile. “Why did you want me to come?”

Jimin rubs his neck shyly and says, “Because I’ve never seen you come see me practise before.”

“What?”

“I’ll be honest with you. Almost all the girls in class, or maybe even in the entire school, have come to watch me practise at least once. But you never once did.”

Nahee’s eyes widen. “How’d you-,”

“It’s not just me though. It seems like most people know you don’t come to the pool often. Is there a reason behind it?”

Nahee looks down at her interlocked palms sitting on her lap and shakes her head slowly. “Nope, no reason.”

At this, Jimin smiles and grabs her hand. “Then come.”

He brings her all the way down the stairs and makes her sit in the very front row, the one closest to the pool. Nahee’s eyes widen in alarm.

“P-Park Jimin, I-,”

“Since I asked you to come watch me, you should at least get a front-row seat.”

She can’t do anything but sit down in great reluctance and stare at the pool, gulping at the sight of it. She doesn’t even notice when Jimin walks to the side of the pool and takes off his shirt, leaving him only in swimming briefs and giving the small group of spectators a great view of his abs. Immediately, a series of ‘oohs’ can be heard all around, but Nahee doesn’t register them.

Her focus is fixed on the large, intimidating pool of water