“You know it’s rude to stare, right?”

In a snap, Seulgi turned away from the gorgeous lifeguard and back to the sand castle she was making. She honestly blanked out when Sooyoung started ranting about how Joohyun’s little sister Jisoo along with their friends is spending her summer in Jennie Kim’s private island.

Who on Earth ing owns their private island?!

Like, are Jennie Kim’s parents the final boss in a crime syndicate or something?!

Funny how before Seulgi always tuned in when Jennie Kim’s name is mentioned in a conversation, but now she could space out at the mention of her name. It took time getting used to, but she had gotten so much better with it.

It’s not like they’re in a shabby place either. Their university which is smacked dab in the middle of Seoul had everyone talking about escaping to this beach four hours away during finals week.

This new beach may not be Boracay, but it’s still a great escape.

The shoreline is dotted with little food shacks that come alive at night. The beach got pristine white sand, crystal clear waters that go beyond what the eyes can see and of course her. Her. The long legged beauty perched on her lifeguard post like it’s her throne. Her. The one whose face is so divine that it’s distracting Seulgi from finishing the west wing of her castle. Her. Who should be in an issue of Victoria’s Secret catalog. (Girl would represent the Asian race quite well)

Seulgi highly doubts any private island have someone like her.

“I say you go for it, Kang Seulgi.” Her best friend Wendy spoke up before returning her attention on her girlfriend again.

Wendy and Joohyun have been canoodling under the beach umbrella, like the Nicholas Sparks kind of couple that they are. The cute couple has been together since freshmen year, but people always assumed they just started dating with how touchy-feely they are.

“Go for what?”

“Is this heat getting to you?” Sooyoung takes off her sunglasses to give Seulgi a dissatisfied glare. “I’m trying to start a conversation here, but all you could look at is that hot lifeguard since we got here.”

“You should pretend to drown.” The youngest in their squad, Kim Yeri woke up from her nap just in time to add that. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that Yeri is already 19 years old when she acts like the bratty 12-year-old kid all the time.

“She doesn’t need to pretend; she’s gonna drown.”

“Guys stop being mean.” Wendy, the mom, interrupted. “I think you should go for it, Seul. Just say Hi and see where you guys can go from there. You know if I didn’t say hi, I would probably not be with Joohyun right now.”

“Babe,” Joohyun groaned at the level of cheesiness her girlfriend could go. “Do you really have to go there?”

“What? I’m just stating an example!” Wendy scoots closer to her, giving her a friendly pat on the arm. “We’re going to be here for a week, and the first day is almost over. Regrets in life are not the ones that-“

“Oh boy here we go,” Sooyoung groans under her breath but that wasn’t enough when Wendy is on a roll.

There is a reason why Wendy is running for summa laude in her Pre-law major because she can talk people’s ears off and still win an argument.

“- we had done, but it’s the ones that we didn’t do. You don’t want to look back, ten years from now and say oh, I wish I said hi to that pretty lifeguard.”

“So… you think the lifeguard is pretty?” Joohyun cuts her girlfriend off, but the way her beautiful face looks so deadly, she might as well cut off Wendy’s throat too.

“What? No… I…I…” Wendy started to have those nervous tics again. “I don’t remember saying that.”

“So, you just think she’s pretty unconsciously?”

“No, no, no, no, no… That’s not true. You know you’re the most beautiful one in this world for me,”

Wendy smiled nervously, hoping it would appease her girlfriend. Bae Joohyun who has the beauty of Aphrodite, but the fiery temper of Ares just scoffed at her lover’s attempt.

Wendy turned her attention back to Seulgi, placing both her hands on Seulgi’s shoulders before putting the last punch to her pep talk. “This lifeguard might turn out to be special, Seul….”

Just when they thought she's finished with her speech, she ended it up by saying…

“She could be your Joohyun.”

Sooyoung and Yeri burst out laughing like hyenas on crack, if Joohyun weren't dying in embarrassment right now, she would have smacked the living daylights out of those two.

“Seungwan,” Joohyun visibly growled, calling her girlfriend by her Korean name to prove that she isn’t kidding. “If you don’t stop right now. I’ll break up with you this very minute.”

“I will… I will. But what do you think Seul? Are you just going to let it go?”

If Seulgi is going, to be honest, this was scaring her more than it should. She’s a Performing Arts Major for goodness sakes. She performed on stage and in front of hundreds of people. Seulgi could memorize and perform any choreography with knifelike precision, but asking her to go over and talk to someone? She already tends to say something idiotic, what more if she’s talking to a beautiful girl? She’s going to be a bumbling mess. That is crazy scary.

Even if she’s the second oldest in their gang, she’s the one with the least experience when it comes to love and relationships. What she had with Jennie was the closest thing she could call to a relationship. But even then, it was the younger girl who made a move. She and Jennie ended before they could even begin. Sometimes she thinks it was for the better, most of the time Seulgi thinks it’s for the worse.

But this… this is worth a try, right?

“There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!”

“Except your dignity and pride,” Sooyoung says in a deadpan tone while munching on some watermelon. “But we’ll be gone in a week, and it would just be like a bad dream or a nightmare.”

“Ummm I guess it doesn’t hurt to say hi,” Seulgi mumbled in an unsure tone.

“No, it doesn’t!” Wendy was beaming so proudly that her speech worked. “Now go for it.”

“B-b-b-but what I’m going to say?”

“Hi! Seulgi! Just say Hi.”

“No hold on,” Yeri dug inside the ice cooler and pulled out an ice, cold bottle of coke. “Here.”

She the bottle into Seulgi’s hand.

“Tell her, oh you look so hot. And then, she’ll go, excuse me what did you say?” Yeri said dramatically, which she probably learned from her Theatre Arts major girlfriend. “And then, you’ll go, here have a coke.”

All the girls stepped back from both the smoothness and cringiness of the pickup line.

“Oh! That’s smooth!” Sooyoung gives her fellow demon a high five. Yeri shrugs like the cool player that she’s trying to be.

“They don’t call me Player Rim for nothing.”

“No one calls you that,” Sooyoung said, ting on Yeri’s dream.

“I think I could do it.” Seulgi got up on shaky legs, cold sweat and it’s definitely not from the summer heat. “Saying hi would be easy, right?”

“Right!”

“Go unnie! Get your Joohyun!” Yeri yells out.

The last thing Seulgi heard was a loud smack and Yeri’s yelp before she walks over to the lifeguard post.

*

Mary, Joseph, Jesus and all the Saints and angels… Why is this so hard?

Seulgi brushed the sweat lined up in her forehead with the back of her arm. But she could swear she’s sweating bullets right now.

Each step made her feel like her Havaianas is sinking deeper and deeper in the sand. And is it just her? Or does it feel like she’s inside the oven cranked to 400 degrees with how suffocating it is?

Oh, thank God! She made it! Seulgi reached out for the lifeguard post like a marathoner crossing the finish line.

But now that she’s here what now?

Wait… she’s here, and SHE is here… sitting on her post.

Oh my God… what do I do again? What do I do? Seulgi clutched on the icy bottle so tightly, she could end up with a frostbite. She stood paralyzed in fear next to the lifeguard post.

If the lifeguard was so pretty from a couple of meters away, she’s up a whole notch when she’s this close. Her skin has this y sun-kissed tone, she got a jawline that could cut through timber, and her face has this fierce yet tempting look.

Seulgi can’t clearly see her eyes though because pretty lifeguard has her Raybans on. She wonders if she has double eyelids or a monolid. What if she’s cross eyed?

Seulgi would still think she’s the prettiest cross-eyed person she had ever seen.

The lifeguard peered down from her spot, and it took a few seconds to click for Seulgi that she’s looking at her.

“Oh! Hi!” Seulgi squealed. She turned her direction to her friends who were all pushing her to go, except for Yeri who was watching her with an anticipation for any disaster to strike.

The object of her present affection smiles before saying back, “Hi.”

The sound of that velvety soft voice, made Seulgi popped the cap off that coke and gulped it down to its very last drop.

That coke was enough to quench her thirst until she realized what she’s supposed to do.

Oh … what now?

“Ummm… Are you coke? Here’s hot.”

She looked back at her friends who are now smacking their faces in her place.

“What?”

“Ummm… ahh…Hi.” She started once again.

“Hello again.”

Seulgi ce again to her buddies. Yeri has that evil look now while Wendy is still looking like a proud mother at her. It wasn't helping at all, and right now, she could only rely on what her guts are telling her.

“Well, ummm… do you know what time it is?”

The lifeguard’s lips curved into an amused smile. And Seulgi was struggling to figure out if it was a good or bad sign.

“It must be party time?”

“It is?” Seulgi looks around, wondering where the party is at. “Where?”

The lifeguard’s face suddenly got flushed, “Oh, you really want to know the time?”

“Ahhh yes? Oh!” Seulgi’s eyes brightened up as she figured it out. “Oh! You meant the SNSD song, oh… now I get it.”

“Oh, it’s ummm 2:34.”

“Oh okay, thank you.”

Seulgi bowed down before almost tripping on the sand. Thankfully she caught herself before she ended up with a mouthful of sand.

She finally got herself steady on the ground, when-

“WATCH OUT!”

A soccer ball flew straight at the side of her face making her kneel helplessly on the ground.

“Oh God!”

Yup. God, why did you abandon me?

Seulgi could feel hot tears about to burst out of her eyes, and she has no idea if it’s from the pain or it’s from the embarrassment. At least her hearing is still good cause she could hear Sooyoung and Yeri laughing their butts off.

“Hey, guys be careful!” The lifeguard said sternly, and Seulgi wonders whether she would be all giddy or humiliated about it. “Let me get you an ice pack. Are you okay?”

Seulgi could only weakly nod, her protector landed with a soft thud on the sand before she tugged Seulgi off the ground.

Oh my God! She’s a giant! She barely made it pass this lifeguard’s chin.

Or I’m just really short.

“Here.” She offered Seulgi an ice pack.

“Thank you.” Seulgi bowed once again, before checking if any ball comes flying her way. “I think I’m going back to my spot now.”

“Are you sure? You’re not feeling lightheaded or anything?”

“Nope. I’m good. You’re awesome at your job. Fighting!”

Seulgi pumped her fist, and she sees the lifeguard’s awkward smile changed into a soft grin.

“Thanks.”

It was time for Seulgi to go back to her friends now, leaving her heart, dignity, and pride behind.

*

It took Sooyoung and Yeri a good 30 minutes trying to pry Seulgi out of their beach umbrella. Joohyun had to step in with her sharp glare, and within a few seconds, Seulgi was up, carrying her donut floaty as Sooyoung and Yeri skip ahead of her.

Seulgi has always been a half full kind of person, but even she had a hard time looking at the bright side of all this when she slipped, got hit and now got kicked out of their little umbrella. She was now waddling her sorrows away in the shallow parts of the water while Sooyoung and Yeri are doing their best imitation of WWE.

And to add insult to injury, Seulgi has a clear view of every guy and chick trying to hit on her beautiful lifeguard.

This college dude with the greasy hair was the 8^th guy who approached her post in the last 30 minutes.

Seulgi looked up just in time to see Sooyoung waving at her. Seulgi tilted her head to the side before waving back, not knowing what she’s waving at Sooyoung for.

She realized it a little too late when her toes can’t touch the sand anymore, that her snake of a friend just shoved her to the deep end.

“Ummmm, guys…. Guys!”

Seulgi started flailing around but was able to catch her floaty in time before she sunk.

Oh God… oh God… oh God… this is it. Her life is flashing before her eyes, and there’s not a lot of it.

“Ummm unnie, Seulgi unnie could drown.”

“Or she could finally get the girl, life is about taking risks, my friend.”

Sooyoung reassured her younger friend before waving goodbye.

*

“HELP! HELP! HELP!”

Joohyun and Wendy quickly looked away from their umbrella as soon as they heard that familiar bratty voice in distressed. They saw Yeri flailing over to the lifeguard station.

“HELP! MY unnie is in the middle of the ocean! The sharks are gonna get her! The sharks are gonna get her!” Yeri yelled out in terror. She was quite proud of her acting chops, her theater major girlfriend would be super damn proud of her.

The beautiful lifeguard gasped as she saw someone drifting away further and further by the waves. She was up in no time, throwing her shirt to the side before running to the beach.

For a few hot seconds, the tongue-tied Yeri completely forgot that she’s in a relationship.

*

“Hey!”

The lifeguard called out as she finally reached the floaty and the poor girl crying in fear.

“Help meeeeee! Please help me!”

“I got you. It’s okay. Now take deep breaths.”

Seulgi started hyperventilating, but she still has the strength to scream her lungs off.

“I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!”

“No, no you’re not. I got you; I got you. See? We are almost there.”

“I’m gonna die; I’m going to die!” Seulgi continues to cry hysterically as she tried to climb the floaty.

“Don’t… don’t… Don’t climb on me either!” The lifeguard told her, as she continued to pull her back. But it was too late, Seulgi clings like a possessive koala around the lifeguard’s neck.

Seulgi was too deep in her panic mode that she failed to realize that her pretty crush is carrying her in her back.

“Shhh… shhh… It’s going to be alright. I’m here now.”

But Seulgi was already a hot mess, wailing in the lifeguard's ear.

“Here you go, we are here.”

Seulgi fell on the sand, she instantly dropped to the ground, before bursting into more tears. Her heart started to calm down as she felt a warm towel wrapped around her.

“Are you okay?” The person asked as she tenderly dries off Seulgi.

Seulgi nodded before the one drying her off lowered the towel. And when Seulgi came face to face with her savior, one thought quickly took over her mind.

Oh wow… she has monolids.

“UNNIE YOU’RE ALIVE!” Yeri had jumped on Seulgi before she turned to the Goddess in a lifeguard outfit. “You save my unnie! How can we ever thank you? Ummm…”

“Eunae.” She bowed down. “Are you- are you okay?”

“Oh, she’ll be alright!” Sooyoung punched Seulgi a little too hard in the arm. “Did you see her abs? She got abs of steel. She could make it through everything.”

“Do you want to go to the clinic?” Eunae asked in concern.

“N-n-no… I’m okay.”

“Okay… if you need anything… be careful.”

“She will.” Yeri gives her a salute before Eunae bowed down again and walked back.

“Well, that went well.”

Seulgi begs to disagree.

*

“I would like to order your Tteokbokki while this beautiful girl right here next to me would like some kimchi stew. How about you Seul? Do you want to get anything? My treat.” Wendy offered, smiling at her best friend.

Seulgi looked more and more like a kicked puppy, answered Wendy with a light shake of the head.

“Well, more for me.” Yeri reaches out for the grill, picking up a piece of beef.

“I almost drowned,” Seulgi whined cutely, laying her head on the table.

“But did you die though?” Sooyoung reasoned out.

“Well,” Seulgi lifted her head up and frowned. “Ummm… no.”

“And that’s all that matters; tomorrow is a new day. We have to think of a new strategy tomorrow.”

“No. No more. I’m okay with this.” Seulgi raised her hands in surrender. She didn’t know what was worse embarrassing herself in front of the pretty lifeguard or almost getting herself killed.

“With what?”

“She gets asked out a lot, and then, there’s me who looks like an idiot in front of her. Twice in one day. It’s okay. I’ll just…”

“There there unnie,” Yeri reassured her by trying to feed Seulgi with a slice of pork. Seeing that Seulgi wouldn't go for it, Yeri ate it. “If you don’t get with it with the lifeguard, you can go with that hot girl checking you out over there.”

Seulgi snorted. She doubted the girl is anywhere close to how her beautiful lifesaver is. But it doesn’t hurt to look, does it? Seulgi slowly tried to glance that way, and the sight of the beauty almost made her topple down on the floor.

Right there, with her hair down in light waves instead of her high ponytail and her summer dress instead of her lifeguard outfit. Oh God, and just when Seulgi thought she couldn’t even get anymore prettier.

It felt like she’s about to drown again, but for an entirely different reason.

She had her eyes on Seulgi but quickly turned away when their gaze met. The pretty lifeguard turned back again, catching Seulgi blinking at her. She raised her hand in a shy wave, and Seulgi gulped nervously, and Sooyoung had to grab her arm to mechanically make her wave.

“Oh my God!” Seulgi covered her face when reality dawned on her. “She’s probably telling her lifeguard friends that I was that one who almost drowned while in a floaty.”

“And got hit by the ball. Don’t forget.”

Seulgi tried, it’s a good thing Yeri reminded her.

“Well, other than Seulgi almost drowning and her getting hit by a ball. I think the day went quite well. Right?” Wendy said, blinding everyone with her smile and positivity. “Right?”

Wrong.

*

“Yah Eunae!”

Eunae snapped out of her trance throwing Minjae an irritated scowl for the interruption. Her friends only giggled along in her expense before they looked over at the gorgeous China doll Eunae had her gaze on since they stepped in the restaurant.

“You know her?” Sumin asked while chewing thoughtfully on some beef.

“W-well, I kinda save her today.”

The girls exchanged amused looks at each other, knowing their best friend better than anyone. Jo Eunae is the hot lifeguard straight out of Victoria’s Secret catalog, with her gorgeous face and body. She has a pick of anyone she wanted, when she has vacationers, backpackers, trying to win her over. But she had always been so old fashion about love and everything else. Other than that, her life had always revolved around volleyball, school and during summer breaks, her lifeguard job.

This is the first time that Eunae actually paid attention to someone.

“How rude of her not to thank you,” Nahyun said with a hint of mischief. “Maybe you should remind her.”

Eunae just gulped before focusing on shoving the grilled pork around her plate.

“No, I’m good.”

“Oh! This is my jam!” Euijin announces as soon as the beat drop. She tugged on Eunae, trying to drag her to the dance floor. “C’mon let’s dance.”

Eunae hesitated for a bit before giving in. But while she's getting dragged, her gaze remained on the girl. Her friends are all on the dance floor, the cute couple dancing sweetly, while the other two is attempting to do some bboy moves. Eunae searched for her as the dance floor start crowding in until she finally spotted her on the table, her focus on her plate than dancing.

*

Sooyoung sat back next to Seulgi who puts all of her concentration on her plate.

“I can’t believe I almost drown you for this,” Sooyoung said in disappointment, before chugging down Seulgi's water.

Seulgi responded by chewing on the beef.

“Did you at least said thank you to her?”

Seulgi pulled the chopsticks off her lips as the realization struck her. She was too busy crying for her life that she didn’t even get a chance to thank her.

“I…I don’t remember.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for? C’mon!”

*

“Eunae,” her best friend Nahyun nudges her to look behind her, and she spun around to catch the cute girl from the beach right there.

Eunae tucked her hair behind her ear before smiling shyly at her.

“Hi again.”

“Ahh Hi. Umm… thankyouforsavingmylifeidontdeserveityouaretoobeautifulandyouareamazing.”

Eunae grinned awkwardly, not understand a word that Seulgi said after saying hi. Nahyun tugged her closer before whispering.

“Ask her to dance.”

“No.” Eunae hissed back.

“Eunae asks if you want to dance?” Nahyun went ahead and asked for her friend. Seulgi squinted her eyes trying to hear through the booming song.

“Huh?”

“She said she would love too,” Joy took over for Seulgi and shoved her to the deep end, just like how she shoved her this morning.

Eunae takes a step forward, leaning over Seulgi’s ear and whispers.

“What’s your name again?”

Seulgi was quickly paralyzed, embarrassed that she didn’t even know her savior’s name

“Oh my God! I didn’t even tell you my name!” She bowed down right in the middle of the dance floor.

“I’m Kang Seulgi and ummm you?”

“Eunae. Jo Eunae.”

*

If there is one thing to blame on why Wendy was ready to sleep right now, it was those long nights studying. It was barely 1 am, and she usually sleeps later than that during the semester. It must be her body's way of telling her to shut down because she could barely keep her eyes open right now.

Her girlfriend, who’s not a big party girl either looked like she’s ready to go.

“We are gonna go ahead, Sooyoung.”

Sooyoung who’s taking a 5-minute break from the dance floor answered Wendy with a eating grin.

“No-no-no… We’re going to sleep.”

“On top of each other?” Sooyoung threw a jab.

Wendy pinched the bridge of her nose; her positivity is running out quickly now that she's ready to sleep.

“Good night, Park!” Joohyun finally stepped in to shut up the taller girl hopefully. “Take care of those two. Speaking of- where’s Seulgi?”

“There.”

Joohyun and Wendy searched the dance floor and saw Seulgi standing awkwardly in front of tall beauty.

“Oh. I wonder what they’re talking about.”

*

“Ummm… so you’re in college?”

Paused...

“Yeah. Going to be a junior this coming fall. How about you?”

“Oh, you’re an unnie," Eunae said, smiling at Seulgi. "I’m going to be a sophomore.”

“You’re younger than me?” Seulgi’s mouth dropped. “Wow.”

“Why? Do I look old?”

A shiver ran straight down Seulgi’s spine when she realized how rude she sounded. She looked back up at Eunae, and she looked too adorable with that worried pout on her face. It took all of Seulgi’s will to not pinch her cheeks.

“What? No-no-no-no- it’s just that you’re so tall and you know sophisticated looking. You got that unnie look. But a young unnie, not an old unnie.”

“Oh okay.”

They exchanged awkward smiles again. The entire dance floor was getting packed by the second, and yet the two of them stood stiffly on the dance floor. Drunk college guys were closing in on them, and Eunae had more than her fair share of dealing with intoxicated idiots. She reached for the other girl, pulling Seulgi closer to her as one of the guys tried to jump in.

“It’s getting crowded, would you like to step out?”

*

The outdoor terrace was a welcome breather for the two. The music blasting from inside, sounded much softer now, as the waves crashing into the shores drowned out the sound.

The two were still basically strangers, whose lives were thrown into a crazy mix. Eunae was seriously gorgeous up close, and in one day she was Seulgi’s crush to Seulgi’s savior and now Seulgi’s crush once again.

But she was incredibly quiet, and Seulgi wondered if she’s the one who should say anything since she’s the older one.

“I should buy you a drink.”

“What?”

“Since you saved my life and stuff, I should get you something- like coffee.”

“N-n-no. no, thank you.” Eunae waved her off, looking adamant on not drinking coffee. “I’m okay. Thank you though. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I’m okay because you save me.”

Eunae smiled shyly before turning to her. “Do you like volleyball?”

“Huh?”

Seulgi turned to face the girl standing next to her. Eunae had a nervous look, while she anticipated for Seulgi’s answer.

“I watched Haikyuu.”

The worried expression on Eunae’s face changed into a sweet smile.

“I play beach volleyball. It’s more like an exhibition game but ummm… If you don’t have anything planned tomorrow maybe you could ummm… maybe watch. It’s really fun.”

“Oh yes! I would love to watch.”

“You would?” Eunae’s smile has gotten brighter.

“I would!”

“Unnie! You ready to go?”

“That’s Sooyoung… Thank you again.” Seulgi bowed down for what felt like the hundredth time.

“You’re welcome.” Eunae bowed back. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

It was more of a question than a statement, but Seulgi wanted Eunae to know that when it comes to her, her answer would always be a yes.

“I’ll see you.”

*

“We should like totally bust into their room and catch them in the act!” Yeri laid out her plans as the three of them ransacked the convenience store of every snack.

“That’s gross,” Sooyoung said before her lips curled into a devilish snarl. “But I like it. Hey, Seul?”

“What?”

“What are you going to do with all that?”

Sooyoung twitched at the sight of the poster paper and some colorful markers.

“Ummm… nothing.”

Seulgi prayed that Sooyoung would drop the topic right now, she wouldn’t know how to explain what she’s about to do right now.

“Oh okay,” Sooyoung shrugged before walking over to the counter, making Seulgi sigh in relief.

*

All it took was a few bags of chips, and Sooyoung and Yeri were instantly knocked out. She slowly climbed out of bed, before walking over to the table with her poster and markers and started drawing. It was around 2:47 am, but all it took was the vibrating of her phone to jolt her back to life.

Nini ❤

Seulgi turned her attention back to her poster, letting the call go to a miscall. She should really change her name in her phone contacts, especially nowadays that she’s regaining her heart piece by piece.

She could already tell what Sooyoung and Yeri’s reaction would be when they would see her poster. They would definitely make fun of it, but at the same time be the ones to cheer her on.

Seulgi pulled the poster up and even at 2 am, she could proudly say that she did a good job with this. A yawn was enough to signal Seulgi that it was time for bed. She laid down her poster, right across it in bold and highlighted letters, Seulgi affectionately wrote.

EUNAE FIGHTING!!!!! 

This is probably a little bit too early for this. Seulgi just met the girl today, and here she is making her a poster for her game. But what was it that Wendy said earlier? It’s not what you have done that you regret, but the ones you haven’t done.

And as Seulgi looked back at her poster, she perfectly knew that she doesn't regret a thing.

TBC