Sandeul sighed heavily. In the twenty minutes since he had arrived at the beach, he'd judged every person in his vicinity while secretly eyeing them and trying to memorize their brave oceanic techniques. Sadly, he'd never learned to swim, but here he was taking the initiative for once in his life. He just didn't enjoy people very much. Not to mention he'd spent half the summer trapped in his room, and his parents had practically abandoned him here so he could actually do something "productive."

On the drive over, they complained about how pale he was getting, while everyone else was outside enjoying the sun. And while he racked up on sunscreen, he grumbled on about what great parents they were for never teaching him to swim in the first place.

He took a reclusive seat at a seemingly deserted spot at the bank of the ocean where the little clumps of seaweed liked to gather and sway, while the smallest form of the waves lapped against them. He smiled with glee and joined the little pieces of seaweed happily. He convinced himself that he didn't need to be as ambitious as a fish being pushed by the currents, when the seaweed looked perfectly happy here.

He relished in his micro-aquatic company for a few sweet moments, but just with Sandeul's luck, his first bought of peace for the day had to be disrupted by the top of the food chain.

First, some obnoxiously happy guy had trampled over and thrown his visibly-delicate daughter, Eunsol, he'd learned from his eavesdropping, into the clutches of the dark waves about a foot deeper into the water past Sandeul's outstretched legs.

She had shrieked and Sandeul's heart dropped, he had even leaned forward on instinct in a desire to save her before he was jarred back by his ever-present fear of open water. If she had to die, he would live on with a guilt stricken conscience knowing that he couldn't even man up at the one moment he should have.

But she was laughing, Sandeul noticed, appalled. And when her father swam in after her, she kept asking him to throw her again, again, and Sandeul thought he was going to be sick at what kind of twisted person the one he had wanted to risk his life for had turned out to be. Animals, they were.

And don't get him started on the freaking twelve-year-olds that had boogie boarded right through the boundary of his zen circle, which he had promptly taken care of.

Now, finally, he had some peace and quiet, and maybe, just maybe, he'd find the courage to let go of the shore and feel as free as Eunsol had. If she could swim, then so could he, right?

He had almost reasoned with himself, too. When he showed up.

"Are you okay?"

Sandeul's inner ramblings were cut short, or on momentary pause, while he shot an "of course, why wouldn't I be?" over his shoulder at the nameless large shadow being cast onto him from behind, wanting to get rid of the stranger and quickly return to his solitary peace.

The stranger chuckled. "Well, you've been somewhat short of terrorizing the children. They said you told them this was your beach time and they weren't allowed to play here. In fact they quoted you saying, 'get lost, it’s the duck's wading hour.'"

Sandeul flushed. "Well, I'll have you know, they were very rude to me and they splashed at me and called me a pale pretty boy!" Sandeul sputtered back. "Isn't that a kind of ordinance violation to relaxing beach goers?"

"Well it is a public place. And that’s not exactly punishable. They were just harmlessly joking with you anyway." Sandeul could hear the smirk in his voice.

"What are you? The lifeguard?" Sandeul scoffed.

"Actually, I am."

Sandeul's eyes went wide as he whipped around finally to be met with sturdy legs at his eyelevel, until he tipped his head back to look up at the looming figure before him.

And maybe he shouldn't have, for this new face was even more blinding than the 90 degree sunlight and burned his skin more effectively in an embarrassingly uncontrollable blush.

"Don't you have a job to do, then, Mr. Lifeguard?"

"It’s Shinwoo," he corrected. "And not really. Unless someone’s drowning, then I really just sit there."

"Well aren't you a good citizen.." He responded under his breath.

"So what’s yours?" Shinwoo asked suddenly.

"What?" He squinted up at Shinwoo unattractively.

"What’s your name?"

"Oh.. It’s Sandeul." He eyed the taller suspiciously. "Why do you even care?" he muttered.

"Just wondering," he mused back. "I'm also wondering why you've been sitting here for an hour. I mean, enjoying the sun is fine and all, but don't you want to get all the way in the water?"

"No, not really, and unless you really wanted to have to do your job, you wouldn't want me too, either."

"What? You can’t swim?" Shinwoo raised a curious brow.

"Um... Yeah, no," Sandeul sighed. "That’s why I'm here. Trying to learn, using the hands on, yet indirect approach."

"Well you do know the ocean is the worst place for someone to learn to swim, right?" Sandeul stared up at him questioningly. "You should learn in a pool, where you have a gradual amount of measured water where you can test your comfort zones until you feel confident enough for free-range swimming. Also, 43% of deaths caused by drowning occur in natural water like what you're sitting in now."

Sandeul blinked, shifting ever so slightly out of the death trap he had so willingly dipped into. "... I have the dumbest parents ever." He thought aloud as he looked down in shame at his water submerged thighs.

Meanwhile, Shinwoo went on rambling passionately about bodies of water. Sandeul had the feeling he liked talking about water a little too much for Sandeul's preferences. "I grew up with 9 foot backyard pool, luckily, but thats not enough for me anymore. I long for the natural unknown depths that call me with their sweet, oceanic song." Sandeul secretly shot him a judging look.

"Say, if you want me to do a job so bad, why don't you let me teach you?" Shinwoo asked after a beat. Sandeul looked at him like that was the worst idea in history, which was probably accurate in relation to Sandeul's hesitance for adventure anyway.

"What? I'm completely capable. I wouldn't have this job if I wasn't," Shinwoo further reasoned. Sandeul's face still looked apprehensive. "Come on, what do you have to lose? I'm even offering you this for free, when I'm making like 20 bucks an hour teaching my regulars."

"Fine?" Sandeul answered/questioned, mostly led by the desire to get him to shut up.

"So yes?" Sandeul nodded before he could bring himself to regret his decision. "Great." Shinwoo grinned and pushed himself up to standing, dusting himself off. "Well for now I have work that I need to look like I'm doing, so I'll meet you here when I clock out, at three or so?"

"Okay.." Sandeul muttered, slightly let down that Shinwoo was leaving him so soon after he had just started to enjoy the company, not that he would admit it. But there was also the promise that they would meet again in a couple of hours, that had his heart suddenly hammering because, holy , what did he just agree to?

While Sandeul was having an inner-meltdown, Shinwoo was busy stretching and looking glorious in all his height and flawless long hair tucked into a perfectly disarray ponytail as he checked his watch. "That gives you enough time to eat something and get some shade, which I highly recommend since you've been sitting here over an hour now."

Sandeul hummed in acknowledgement and attempted to further bury himself in embarrassment.

"And you should get out of the water, you're probably wrinkling up as we speak."

Sandeul's eyes widened as he yanked his hands out from the water where they had laid at his side. With a shriek he launched himself out of the water, nearly rolling in a backwards summersault as he did so. Shinwoo laughed and hiked back up to his post in his shaded sanctuary.

He really enjoyed watching Sandeul down in the sand, short lived as his secret pastime was, but he was finding himself quickly falling for his quirky personality and admitting it now, maybe moody beach-hoggers were just his type.

And maybe Sandeul didn't hate all humans, he'd pondered after some kid ran up and handed him a quaint, home-cooked bagged lunch that he was told was from Shinwoo, which wasn't hard to guess for his name was written there clearly on the brown paper.

[AN] So yeah, I'm probably going to write more in this verse. i kind of wrote this in 20 minutes and fell in love the words wouldnt stop i tell you this was supposed to be a drabble??

Oh yes, the obnoxious father of Eunsol is modeled after Baro, btw.