Sunny was led to a colorful towel that spread under a parasol by a bright-eyed lady who was enthusiastically chirping away at how cool the lifeguard looked as she saved her life. A restless feeling arises in her mind as she remembers the dejected footsteps that her savior took into the whitewashed cabin.

But the reason why the lifeguard's posture seems dejected was unknown to Sunny. She ruled out the thought of exhaustion because one would walk slow steps rather than with slump shoulders.

"Do you think something bad is going to happen to that lifeguard?" Sunny asks the fussing woman.

The lady ceases her actions and her head to the side at Sunny while replying, "If anything, she should get rewarded for getting to you that fast. You didn't even need CPR!"

She then proceeds to nudge the blonde's shoulders in attempt to get her to lie down on the towel. Sunny does not move. The thought of receiving CPR from such a good-looking lifeguard causes blush to appear on her neck.

"Oh dear!" The lady claps her hands together and gestures to Sunny's neck with interlocked fingers. "You had just sat here for a few minutes and already gotten sunburned. No, this won't do. I'll go get some sunscreen."

She gets up and leaves Sunny sitting on the cloth to absorb as much Vitamin D as possible.

Sunny turns her attention towards the deserted steps to the cabin where her slight crush is currently located. The door opens and out comes a pale-skinned lifeguard with a grim face. The lifeguard sulkily walks down the steps and straight towards the parking lot, away from the loud shrieks and giggles of those who came to play.

Sunny watches the girl intently and decides to follow her to properly thank her. She stands up from the sand dotted towel and runs towards her savior.

"Hey!" Sunny yells.

As she walked, Taeyeon heard the loud call but brushed it off thinking that it was meant for somebody else. She was startled when she felt slender fingers latch onto her shoulder. She turned and found a panting blonde girl behind her, just her height.

"I called out for you, didn't you hear me?" Sunny gasped.

Taeyeon pats her back awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't think you were speaking to me."

Sunny exhales and straightens up before wiping her brow. "I'm Sunny, by the way." She extends her hand. "I wanted to thank you properly."

When Taeyeon meets Sunny's hand, she notices that the girl's fingertips had a rough texture compared to the rest of her palm. They shake hands, slighty.

"It's nothing to be thanked for."

"I insist. Allow me to take you out for lunch!"

One meal can't be that bad, right? Taeyeon thinks to herself.

No! She's going to keep talking to you.

But she seems nice...

Absolutely not Kim Taeyeon! You are not dragging yet another person into your problems.

As a last resort, Taeyeon offered the last argument she had to her other half... Free food?

The realistic Taeyeon was instantly silenced.

"Okay. I'll take you up on that offer." She nodded as Sunny's face brightened. "But another day. I have things to take care of right now."

Namely my rent and how I'm going to pay it without a job.

Sunny excitedly agrees to the plan. "May I have your phone number?"

Taeyeon contemplates for a moment. Thinking there was no harm, she handed the girl her phone. Sunny was never great at hiding her emotions and she nearly jumped with joy as the lifeguard accepted both requests.

As she turned the screen on, the first thing Sunny noticed was the background. It was of Taeyeon getting a piggyback from another girl but her face was turned away from the camera. They definitely seemed close. Oh how Sunny wished she was that girl giving Taeyeon the ride instead.

Sunny quickly saved her number into the outdated flip-phone and returned the object to its owner.

"Thanks, Taeyeon!" She waved vigorously and turned away, skipping.

When she made it back to the bright-eyed lady who was now freaking out over her disappearance, she slapped her forehead with a palm.

Oh stupid. I only gave her my phone number and didn't take hers. Sunny groaned. She'll call me back... right?

"Sunny! I can't believe you just left without any notice! I thought you were kidnapped!" The young woman pulled at Sunny's arm towards the towel that lay forgotten. "Here here, I will put on sunscreen for you. It's dangerous to burn in the sun."

❖

Taeyeon took a deep breath, calming her wild nerves. Hopefully, today was a good day for the woman she was about to negotiate with. She knocked on the door. Once. Twice.

No answer.

Letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding, Taeyeon turned to head home. I'll just ask tomorrow.

But as she took her first two steps away from the flat, the door swung open and an aggravated looking woman in a vomit-colored floral dress appeared.

"What is it this time, Kim?" The lady spat.

Taeyeon quickly turned around and gulped. Quickly assessing her situation, she saw that today was definitely not a good day for the landlady. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ms. Kwang. I see that you are not available right now so I'll just come back la-"

"You forced me off my couch to tell me that you'll 'come back later'?" Ms. Kwang's voice slowly rose in decibels. "Tell me what I need to hear or else you'll be repainting this whole building to keep your apartment!"

Thank you for the positive comments! I really appreciate them. :] I guess I'll continue with just as much effort! This update is WAY past due. I'm not feeling very inspired these days... Sorry!