Hyunjin looked up from her spot on the lake shore, rising her sunglasses, barely awaken from an impromptu nap. She could hear playful yelling, splashes of water, and the vague sounds of music coming from the camp’s sound system. 

It wasn’t that Hyunjin didn’t like the summer camp she’d been sent to. It was just that she simply didn’t know how to swim, and wasn’t in the mood of being made fun of being unable to swim for the third year in a row in a different place. As such, she stayed on the shore, watching, napping, and occasionally, reading whatever comic books a girl left behind, too tempted by the water to stay dry with her.

A loud whistle resonated in the grounds, and Hyunjin’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up, seeing the swim instructor approach, blonde hair green-ish thanks to the pool hours at the camp, whistle on her lips as she walked fast.

“No attempted drownings, girls!” She called, stopping by Hyunjin’s side, so close Hyunjin could feel the warmth of her skin (maybe perhaps that was Hyunjin’s imagination; it was a warm day, after all), and then, looked at Hyunjin, a bright smile taking her features as a chorus of “yes, counselor Jung!” came from the water. “Hyunjin! Hey, not feeling like swimming?”

“Maybe another day, counselor Jung.” Hyunjin replied, sitting properly, hugging her legs. Her face felt warm; was it the sun, shining brightly and making counselor Jung shine even brighter?

Counselor Jung pouted, childishly, and sat by her side. Hyunjin fidgeted, nervous, heart skipping more beats than it could be considered healthy. She had the slightest of the crushes on counselor Jung.

She was nice. That was all. She would never be interested in Hyunjin. That was okay.

Was it?

“Call me Jinsol, it’s just the two of us right now.” Counselor Jung said, hugging her legs, winking at Hyunjin, who blushed more than ever. “So, not a big swimmer, huh?”

“The lake water makes me feel weird.” The lie came smooth, easy. Jinsol (that felt weird on her mind, disjoined and off) looked at her quietly.

“The pool is open at all hours, except midnight to seven.” She recited, smoothly practiced, and Hyunjin fidgeted more.

“I’m, uh, allergic to chlorine.” Another lie; this time, less smooth. Jinsol didn’t seem to notice, though, so point to Hyunjin. 

Jinsol, instead, pouted, sighing, a hand going through her hair. It smelled vaguely like pool water. Hyunjin wanted to braid it.

“Aw, really? What a shame.” She sighed again, resting the side of her face on her knees, and smiling at Hyunjin. Jinsol, it seemed, was made of purely smiles and happiness, the chlorine a glue. It felt oddly comforting, like a well-worn blanket. “Nothing’s better than some water at the end of the day.”

Hyunjin shrugged. Jinsol kept smiling, and sighed.

“Well, since I can’t convince you, why don’t you tell me a little about you? You’re the most closed of the campers, so the other counselors and me feel like you haven’t been adjusting well.” She leaned in, conspiratorial, so close the smell of chlorine was almost overpowering. Almost. “Don’t tell counselor Jo I said that, though, we’re not supposed to.”

“I’m fine!” Hyunjin squeaked (squeaked! Like a child! Jinsol’s proximity caused her to be so childishly in love), twirling a strand of black hair on her finger. “I’m just, y’know, quiet. That’s all.”

She wasn’t; Hyunjin knew this. She was more social, but the camp was a new thing, and new things made her nervous. The proximity of water - and the expectation that she was to join the murky depths - did not help.

Jinsol looked at her, eyes peering for a moment, brief, opening her pink lips to speak something, when screaming came from the lake. Her head whipped to the water, and she rose up in one fluid motion, practiced, smooth. Hyunjin took a moment to drink her presence.

“Guess our talk will have to wait another moment, huh?” Jinsol said, eyes focused on the girls, hand on her whistle. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Jinsol did not wait for an answer; she messed up Hyunjin’s hair and left, already whistling, loud and too close, and soon yelling for the girls to break it up.

Hyunjin watched Jinsol’s back, and sighed, hiding her head between her arms to hide the blush that dusted her cheeks. Her head burned, warm and pleasant between the tresses of dark hair, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure if it was the waning sun, fading into night, or just the memory of Jinsol’s touch on her skin, brief as it was.

She knew, logically, that Jinsol was just being nice - she was being paid for it -, but it didn’t stop her heart from beating faster than ever.