My body stretches at every move. My mind focuses on the cool sensation that strikes my fingertips as it goes into the air before it slices through the water. I lock my elbows and keep my hand straight as it pushes through the surface; my feet kicking hard so I move forward. I continue my freestyle , keeping stability at bay as my body automatically responds to the quick alternating succession of my arms. I hear nothing and my mind is keeping its peace, only hearing the water whip past my ears.

I tense my body before curling it and making a hard turn then pushing my feet vigorously off the wall as I complete a few more lapses. I kick even harder for the last lap, increasing my tempo with every until my heart pumps fast enough to ring my ears. When my hand finally feels the edge of the pool, I pop my head up and relax; afloat in the water while I continue to keep my feet kicking.

The dim lights hanging from the ceiling warms my cold face. I breathe hard but my senses are still actively looking for the adrenaline rush. I turn around as I near the other side of the pool to swim back to where I started. The pool area on the gym floor was much quieter than the enormous pool within the spacious recreational space outside. When Shindong told me that there is a lap pool here, I didn’t expect it to be placid and remote. 

Unlike most lap pools, Alcatraces didn’t fail to stick to the art deco design. They kept the state of the art facilities in line with the theme of the whole resort. The majestic iron door leads its patrons to a different recreational experience. 

I rest my back under the pool’s gutter and swallow the silence with the tamed waves drowning my body. I close my eyes to try to remember details of my dreams last night but I am miserably failing at it. Even right after waking up, I could hardly remember the souls meeting in my dreams. Much to my senses, it appears peculiar that I’m annoyed at that fact. Frustration wraps my head like a swimming cap clinging to each ear. I breathe in and feel the water above my head as I curb each breath. Bubbles run out from my nose and I savor its painful gratification, carefully taking pleasure as it takes me higher until I can’t hold my breath any longer.

I pop up and chase heavy breaths, my chest rising and falling hard. I push my hair back with both of my hands and slowly open my eyes. The tall figure I recognize is standing right across me from the other side of the pool. My lack of breath was routed by the pounding in my chest. I stare back, drowning not in water but by disarming eyes. In his sweatpants, white shirt, and his hands both resting in his pockets. I gasp as I take in a beautiful person whose hair looks like someone has just raked their fingers resulting in an elegant recession of its strands. 

Although I’m standing on my feet, I keep losing balance. There’s something about Chul that’s throwing me off every time I see him. His stare never fails to strip me of all the secrets I tailored to protect my body.

“I’ll see you around.” His voice is deep and soft. He leaves a sly smile before turning around and starts walking away.

“What do you mean?”

“I say what I mean, Jungsoo.”

He leaves. He pulls out his hands from his pocket and gracefully pushes the huge iron doors that lead him outside. I watch until his body vanishes… like how I did the first time we met.

I’m feeling more exhausted than when we were outside the whole day, trying to learn archery. Donghae was persistent on us trying it that we could say we just threw away the money we paid to play the sport. Archery was unknown to us and there’s no denying that we assayed ourselves trying to figure out if we have an innate talent for it. 

I push myself off the pool and quickly wrap the towel around my body. I dried my torso and proceeded to dry my hair as I muffle it with the thick towel the resort provided. 

With my stomach grumbling, I hurry to change my clothes to eat downstairs. Shindong and Donghae are both in the confines of their rooms after getting wasted even before the sun starts setting. I tried ringing both of them thrice but they didn't answer. But considering the exhaustion we all went through, I understand why they got intoxicated that easily. 

"Good evening, Sir." A housekeeping staff greets me as I alight from the staircase that leads to the dining hall.

"Hi, good evening," I reply.

It's pretty empty compared to how it was last night. More tables are now vacant and there's no usual dissonance blaring from the dining hall. Before I settle on a table, I've decided to get myself some food first. I pick up assorted fruits, mashed potatoes, and bolognese to silence my stomach's cry for food.

With time to kill, I asked if I could still wander around the archery area. It stands on the edge of the cliff that's very intriguing to me. The staff allowed me, saying that recreational spots are open for viewing twenty-four hours a day. When I arrived, the yellow lights are all , facing different directions to illuminate its incredible setup.

I hear a rattling sound and footsteps from the entrance and when I turn to look, Chul is holding his bow and arrow—sort of a different kind than what we used. He's oblivious to my presence as he keeps his focus on his paraphernalia. When he raises his head, he's astounded to see me there.

"Wh-Why are you here?" He asks, stopping in his tracks.

The wind blows a little harder and my ears didn't miss its soft sound. I take a step backward and sharply look at him. 

"You do archery?"

He fumbles with his arrow and its container. He slips the lace to his torso so it clings on his back. He barely nods at me when he walks past me.

"How'd you know this place?" His voice dips which you could hardly hear the excitement if not for having a quiet surrounding.