Catch: the start of the arm at the very front when you start to grip the water and move your hand and arm backwards.

The alarm went off and a groan escaped her lips. Without opening her eyes, she rolled on the bed and sat up, her light purple t-shirt all wrinkled. Rubbing her face with both hands, the girl got up slowly and stretched her arms out while yawning. After a moment just standing there still with close eyes, she sighed, as if accepting her faith and left her room, dragging her feet; her eyes were half closed and her back and shoulders slumped. Her arms were rocking aimlessly next to her body and her usually smooth hair looked like it had barely survived a tornado.

Arriving at her destination, she opened the door slowly, only to be greeted with a dark room. Barely stepping inside, she felt a wave of heat invading her.

“Why doesn’t he open the window?”, she mumbled to herself. Squinting –of sleepiness and because of the lack of light -, the girl approached a bed located on the left side of the room and shook whoever was sleeping there.

“Wake up!”, she said in a throaty voice.

“What?”, the boy lying down whined. He tried to roll away from her, but she grabbed his arm.

“Get up!”, she pushed it with no avail. Her strength was nowhere to be found, as she had just woken up and, instead of moving him, she ended up losing balance and falling on the bed.

“Get out! I need to sleep!”, the boy complained, and pushed her out of the bed. She fell flat on the floor with a squeak.

“Jihyun! Are you ok?”, the boy suddenly sat up and scooted to the hedge of the bed. Jihyun was lying on the floor, half crying and half laughing.

“I’m sorry, oppa didn’t mean to do that!”, he got up and helped her getting off the floor.

“I hate you. If I get a bruise, you’ll regret this day.”, she threatened while rubbing her sore right arm. “And I’ll never wake you up again.”

“Sorry.”, he smiled and patted her back.

With that, she left his room, heading back to hers while mumbling about how stupid he was.

Jihyun looked at her clock and whined. 5:15 could be read on the small white screen. Who had she hurt on her previous life to deserve such faith?

Opening the blinds she was greeted with the most amazing view: the dawn. Waking up early during the summer had its advantages.

“Clothes.”, she told herself as if to not forget. After mindlessly wandering for a second, she found what she was looking for: her backpack. Looking inside, she mentally checked to see if anything was missing, besides a change of clothes.

“Swimsuits, caps, goggles, slippers, stuff, towel.”, she mumbled as she touched every item to make sure everything was there.

“Just another day of practice.”, she shrugged to herself and opened the closet, from where she took a pair of jeans, a light pink t-shirt and underwear. After folding them and putting them inside the backpack, she took yet another swimsuit from her closet, as well as a pair of black sport shorts and a blue t-shirt with a white logo on the back.

“Nam Jihyun, hurry up! I’m hungry!”, her brother called from outside of her room.

“I just need to get dressed.”, she informed and hastily went to her bathroom, to wash herself and get dressed.

After putting on her black and light green swimsuit, she combed her hair. Jihyun looked like an average Korean girl. She had a relatively good skin (despite the constant aggressions it felt due to chlorine and constant washing, smooth long dark brown (almost black) hair and bang and her eyes were brown.

After making sure her hair looked good and not like it just had been run over, she got dressed and headed out.

She checked the time before leaving to room. 5:30.

“Finally!”, her brother said, rolling his eyes and Jihyun mimicked his action. He was just outside her room and they headed to the kitchen together.

“You shouldn’t act like that after pushing out of the bed!”, Jihyun mocked. The boy instantly smiled, his eyes growing into crescent moons and his nose wrinkling.

“You’re okay now, right?”

“Not thanks to you.”, she answered as they arrived. A tall man was already there, cooking something that smelled wonderfully.

“I already packed you some snacks and lunch.”, he said after turning around.

“Where are you going dressed like that Nam Woohyun?”, the man asked, eyeing the boy from head to toe. Jihyun turned to face her brother, as she hadn’t looked at him properly.

“It’s for my fans dad!”, Woohyun laughed. Despite going to practice as well, Woohyun wasn’t donning the usual sportswear athletes wore. Instead, he was wearing dark green pants, a white v neck shirt and a blazer.

“It’s hell out there and you’re wearing a blazer?”, their father asked, raising a brow.

“I want to look good!”, Woohyun whined like a child, closing his eyes and fists.

“Your practice starts and 6:45, do you really think your ‘fans’ will be there?”, the man asked, making quotations marks.

Jihyun couldn’t help but laugh. Woohyun was part of the water polo team and while he wasn’t the best player, he sure was the M.V.P of the team. Most girls from the club had a “thing” for him, as he was always charming, throwing smiles and sweet words at every female.

“Dad, his fans also start practice at 6:45.”, Jihyun said and sat on the table, ready to eat. Woohyun followed.

“Are you taking the car?”, his father asked.

“No, Howon is picking us up.”, Woohyun answered with his mouth full. Howon was Woohyun’s teammate and friend.

“How’s your schedule today?” Jihyun asked while taking a spoonful of rice.

“Water until 9 am then gym until lunch time. After lunch we’ll be discussing matters about the team and strategy and then water until 6 pm.”, Woohyun answered.

Jihyun puffed her cheeks.

“What?”, their dad asked, now sitting at the table and eating with them.

“She doesn’t have a ride home and she doesn’t want to take the subway.”, Woohyun mocked.

“Why?”, the man asked.

“I leave practice at 8 pm.”, Jihyun informed annoyed. Woohyun wouldn’t wait for her because usually, he would go hang out with his teammates, and Jihyun hated riding the train so late. Since she lived Seongbuk and trained in Seocho, she had to change lines and plus the bus ride to her house, she would take almost an hour getting home.

“I can’t go pick you up, sorry.”, her father shrugged and took a piece of food to his mouth, eating it with glee. “I’m a really good cooker.”, he praised himself.

“I’ll find a ride home.”, Jihyun said as she checked mentally who would drive there.

“Then let me know.”, her father smiled.

They finished eating quickly, since neither of them could stuff themselves and then packed food and water.

“Howon is here, let’s go.”, Woohyun took his backpack and Jihyun did the same. After biding goodbye to their father, they both put on some shoes and got out.

As they arrived at Howon’s car, Jihyun smiled and opened the back door.

“Hi oppa!”, she greeted as she got in.

“Hey Jihyun!”, he waved his hand and winked his eye, making Jihyun smile. Of Woohyun’s friends, Howon was the closest to Jihyun, also because he and Woohyun knew each other since forever.

“Wassup?”, Woohyun asked in English as he sat at the front. In Howon’s car he would always ride shotgun.

“Woohyun, why are you dressed like that?”, Howon eyes his friend and Jihyun laughed, while Woohyun sighed, preparing himself to explain his best friend of how much he needed to impress his fans.

The car ride wasn’t quiet, as always. The boys were constantly saying nonsense and bickering, while Jihyun laughed. After 30 minutes they arrived at Seocho Aquatic Club, a white building with the club’s logo, S.A.C, painted in blue on top of the main entrance.

Jihyun’s eyes sparkled. No matter how hard it was to wake up at 5 in the morning, no matter how much it cost to train 12 hours a day, no matter how many sacrifices she had to make, Jihyun knew for sure swimming would always make her happy.

Jihyun had been swimming since she was three and she had been a competitor swimmer since she was six. Now, with nineteen years old, she was more than sure swimming was her life.

Howon parked the car in the club’s private parking lot and the three headed out.

“Shoot! I’m late!”, Jihyun gasped when she saw the time. She had to be on deck at 6:30 and it was already 6:35.

Woohyun laughed but Jihyun didn’t spare him a moment, as she ran to the lockers, greeting everyone hastily.

“Look who’s late. Again.”, she heard a known voice just before being able to enter the women’s locker room and turned around, prepared to get scolded.

“I’m sorry!”, she bowed to the tall man that was in front of her. Choi Dongwook. He was one of the swimming coaches and was in charge of training the female team (which Jihyun was part of).

“Tell that to coach Mingyu.”, Dongwook said and pointed at another man, who was already at the deck, along with other coaches and lots of swimmers.

“I’m sorry.”, Jihyun bowed once again and saw Woohyun and Howon appearing from behind Dongwook. Howon gave Jihyun a sad smile as if saying sorry.

“Hurry up.”, Dongwook said and left. Jihyun didn’t even blink and immediately left to the locker room. Sighing, she knew she would be penalized, as the tardy ones always were. Practicing until later, no rest time or helping cleaning were some of the punishments late swimmers usually received. Mingyu was the head coach of the swimming team and he was extremely strict when it came to practice. Otherwise, he was actually a caring and fun man.

After taking her towel, cap, goggles and slippers, she left running, her bangs and hair getting on her face.

“I’m sorry I’m late!”, she bowed at least ten times as soon as she entered the deck. As she scanned bluntly through the people already there, she scolded herself, as it seemed everyone was on time except her.

“You’re ten minutes late.”, Mingyu pointed out.

“I’m sorry.”, she bowed again bewildered. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment and she could only imagine how red they were.

“Go on.”, Mingyu eyed Jihyun and shook his head, as if telling the girl to get next to the others. Jihyun could see Jaekyung, one of the assistant coaches, laughing quietly and she felt even more embarrassed.

“I apologize.”, Jihyun bowed once again, ready to join her teammates, but with all the haste and distress from arriving late, she stumbled on her own feet, dropping everything she was carrying.

“Shoot!”, she whimpered, feeling her cheeks burning even more. She felt awful, fully humiliated. Bending down, she started picking her stuff.

“Here, let me help you.”, she heard an uncannily familiar voice saying softly. A hand stretched and she looked up to see who it was. As she saw who her helper was, Jihyun’s eyes widened.

“Lee Jaehwan?”