“make sure you’re not missing anything!” your mom shouts from the kitchen as you and your little brother prepare to go to the nearby swimming pool club. you rummage through your bag to check everything your little brother might need for his lesson that is starting in thirty more minutes. swimming glasses, swimming cap, and a towel. “everything is here mom," you replied to her as you zipped the bag tight, rechecking for one last time. 

you held your little brother’s hand and walked with him to your front porch, making him sit down to wear his shoes so you could help him tie it. your little brother is already seven years old yet he can’t tie his shoes on his own; you always about it because you could do it yourself by the time you turned six. “thank you, big sister,” he says with a grateful voice and a big smile on his face. “you’re welcome.” 

you locked the door behind you after telling your mom that you’re off to the swimming pool club, a place that you’ve frequently visited ever since you were a little girl. your parents used to bring you there a lot; even paid for a membership. since the swimming pool club was only ten minutes of walking distance, your parents allowed you to walk there on your own after you turned twelve. 

the weather today is amazing; the clouds are shading over the roads and trees; no direct sunlight is hitting you and your little brother; making it perfect to spend a day at the swimming pool. you’ve also brought your own swimming suit in case you wanted to dip your feet inside the water as well. just thinking about the cold water under your feet is making you giddy. you happily walked to your destination as you and your little brother are singing to hakuna matata; since the lion king just dropped a week ago and it was your favorite movie.

upon arriving, the security in the front gates greeted the two of you; noticing the familiar faces that frequently visit the swimming pool club. “hey, you two.” your little brother waves at the security as you search through your bag for the club membership card. “how’ve you been? long-time no see!” you smiled at the girl at the receptionist as you handed the card; letting her stamp a point on the provided space. 

“university has been tiring. it’s my last semester and there’s just too much to do,” you say, accompanied by a sigh after it. “yeah, i get it. i don’t think i'll survive after this semester.” she hands you the membership card and taps your shoulder. “but I did hear there’s a new cute swimming instructor,” she reveals with a cheeky grin on her face. “do you want to see his id?” your friend goes through the id cards placed in the cabinet just behind the reception desk, trying to find the said man’s id. 

“no, you silly!” you grabbed your little brother’s hands, running away in embarrassment. “go get a boyfriend so you can be less stressed!” your cheeks redden visibly and your palms become sweaty; your little brother complaining about it almost immediately. you tell him to be quiet and just continue to walk. “she’s so stupid,” you muttered mostly to yourself. “what’s stupid?” your little brother asks, eyes twinkling with curiosity for the definition of the word. you curse internally. 

you struggle to find the right answer; whether you should lie to him about what it means; or tell him the truth and make sure he doesn’t use the word to anyone. your mom is going to give you a scolding if he ever uses that kind of language in front of her; you were doomed, you thought. “stupid is when someone isn’t being smart!” your eyes look up to look at the source of the voice; meeting an angelic pair; lips softly grinning at your little brother. your heart jolted. 

“hi, what’s your name?” something in the way he speaks to your little brother makes your heart melt; the way he focuses on your little brother’s face and does adorable gestures at him to make him laugh. your little brother’s expression gleams in happiness; already enjoying the presence of the guy in front of the two you. “i’ll be your new swimming instructor. are you excited?” your little brother nods enthusiastically. “i love swimming!” something tells you that you're going to enjoy taking your little brother to his swimming lessons from now on. 

the black-haired guy chuckles and ruffles your little brother’s hair. you see him wearing colorful bracelets and rings, causing your chest to flutter. “shall we go?” the swimming instructor walks off goofily. your little brother runs beside him, laughing and already enjoying himself without even starting the lessons yet. he's already holding his swimming instructor's hand. looking at the size comparison is making you pout. you trailed behind your little brother before you walked to the poolside and call him over to put sunscreen on his body. 

“you like him already?” your little brother nods and turns around so you could apply the sun protector on his back. “can you hurry up, please?” you giggle. “okay, okay!” you finish up by handing him his swimming cap and swimming glasses, helping him wear them both before he walks off to the others who have gathered around the swimming instructor. you swallowed your saliva at the view of the man wearing a tight fighting two-piece swimsuit that hugged his chest well. 

you were ogling at some guy’s chest and arms; it made you feel bad. he turns around and you see the defined curve of his as well. you roll your eyes and mentally face palm yourself. this is not how a 21-year-old should act, you thought to yourself. “let’s start the lesson by introducing ourselves!” the swimming instructor starts first. “my name is byun baekhyun. You can call me teacher here, but uncle baekhyun if we ever meet outside!” he claps excitedly and encourages others to acquaint themselves on their own. 

your little brother raises his hand and starts. h introduces himself with confidence and a big smile on his face. everyone paid attention to him and it brings so much pride and joy to you. after he finishes, the kids after that follow. a girl much shorter than the others is the last one to speak; standing just beside the swimming instructor and hiding and sticking behind his back like glue. she talks in the softest voice ever, which you found really cute. “i’m soyeong.” 

“i came here with my daddy,” she finishes as she latches on closer to the swimming instructor; holding his right hand with her small hands, her tiny fingers managed to only hold two of his fingers. “let’s all have fun together!” the other kids cheer after she said that, making baekhyun laugh. you wonder where soyeong's dad is. maybe he's waiting at the lobby? 

the small group of kids; consisting of only ten 7-9-year-olds; including your little brother, makes a straight line inside the shallow pool to start stretching together. “we’re all going to count to eight and stretch. are you ready?” baekhyun high-fives each of the kids and shouts one to eight; doing stretches with an exaggerated expression that makes kids laugh.

you make a mental note to yourself. maybe you should make your little brother come to swimming practice everyday? just so you could see baekhyun all the time? that seems very try-hard. and borderline stalker-ish. you winced at where your thoughts are going. there's no way baekhyun is single. look at him! he has a very sweet smile, he's good with children, and you can't help but bring up his looks to the picture. he's handsome, for god's sake.

after a little bit of stretching baekhyun tells the kids to grab a drink, to hydrate themselves before “the real deal”, he says. the kids run out of the water to where their bags are, concerning you since the floor was wet and it could be too slippery for them to run on; you walked towards your little brother; handing him a water bottle whilst reminding him to not run. “it’s okay, i’ll take care of your son,” the swimming instructor proudly exclaims. 

. were you that old looking? yes you probably looked stressed out and tired from university but you do dyour skincare everyday dilligently and it should help with the aging at least… do you need to sue the company? “what does mean?” did you say your thoughts out loud? you glance at the swimming instructor and find him laughing wholeheartedly; which kinda weirds you out because it’s the kind of laugh you’ve never heard before. he also realized you weren't replying him at all. 

“it means poop,” you scoffed. your little brother scrunches his face in disgust and goes to his friends, leaving you behind with the swimming instructor. you exhaled loudly. “i’m sorry i thought you were his mother,” baekhyun says before scratching his head awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. “no it’s fine, it’s a big for siblings,” you replied with a shrug. “i’m baekhyun,” he introduces himself to you, with a bit of a hesitant attitude; which is totally precious in your eyes. he seemed genuinely sorry. 

you told him your name and your age; 21; close to graduating; which catches baekhyun off guard. “and your brother is?” you answered him that he was seven years old. baekhyun takes a peek at your lips before he looks at the kids, noticing that most of them have finished drinking, so they told them to get in the water again and wear their inflatable arm rings. “well, you can feel free and sit near your little brother if you want.” 

you nod as a response and sit by the pool, dipping your feet inside of the shallow pool; loving the familiar cold temperature of the water. baekhyun finally begins his lesson; hands on the sides of his hips; eyes looking at each of the kids. “first things first. we’re learning how to float!” pretty basic. you remember this was the first thing you learned as well. 

baekhyun approaches one of the kids and turns him around so he floats on his back, telling him to close his mouth since no one would want to accidentally drink chroline water. all the other kids followed suit; learning how to float and how to kick their legs to move forward. your little brother gets the hang of it immediately, bringing a tiny smile on your face. must run in the family to love swimming so much, you concluded. 

-

the sun was setting and it was getting a bit dark. soon enough, the lesson finishes. the kids’ are slouching; small bodies tired from all the exercising. some are still in the water just talking to each other; and you try to find your brother but he seems to be talking with the girl that is very fond of the swimming instructor. you wanted to approach them but stop dead in your tracks when you see her crying; cheeks stained with tears. 

“she’s crying again, isn’t she?” once again the swimming instructor pops out of nowhere, causing a mini heart attack to happen. he notices your little jump and it eases his heart a little bit. you don’t know if he’s talking to himself or at you; his eyes are focused on her yet he’s not walking towards her at all; just standing beside you like you’re friends. 

baekhyun was about to approach them but stops once again when he sees your little brother and his daughter get up; little hesitant steps; your little brother’s hand entertwined with hers; trying to comfort her. “are you okay?” you ask, kneeling to get your eyes at the same level as hers. she’s sniffling; you shouldn’t find it cute but you always coo at your little brother whenever he’s crying. 

she could only nod and hide behind your little brother even though he wasn’t that much taller than her. “daddy, i’m sorry i cried again,” she mutters with the gentlest voice; biting on her nails. daddy? baekhyun is her dad? a thousand thoughts are starting to swarm in your head. but you push them all aside to focus at the sobbing little girl. baekhyun joins and kneels beside you, twirling his daughter’s long hair with his index finger. “princess, i wouldn’t be mad at you for crying.” he wipes a tear from her cheeks and pulls her into a hug. . your heart flipped. you're so wrong for thinking like this. you try to avert your attention elsewhere. 

“do you want ice cream?” she slightly turns around; still in her dad’s embrace; nodding slowly. “may i, daddy?” she bats her eyelashes at him. she’s already smiling at least, which is a good thing. “okay, princess.” you stood up to get a little bit of money, handing it to them. they ran to the little store attached to the swimming club; holding hands as they laughed happily. 

“i'm sorry, i'll give you the money back.” baekhyun tries to find some money from his gym bag; rummaging through his wet clothes, towels, and other stuff inside it. he’s already wearing an oversized white shirt with chains dangling from his neck and black shorts. fairly simple; but suits him very well. he runs his hands through his semi-wet hair, tucking the long strands behind his ear. 

you notice that he wasn’t wearing any wedding ring, but a colorful one made out of multiple-colored beads; which is extremely cute. “it’s okay, it’s only a few dollars,” you start. “did your daughter made those?” you continued, pointing at the rings and bracelets. at least it would make you think about other things other than him already being a married man. he smiled fondly. “yes, she did. for my birthday.” 

this man is married with a beautiful daughter; you can’t have any type of fondness towards him at all except as your little brother’s swimming instructor. but it’s hard when everything he does makes a smile creep on your face without you realizing it yourself. not when the simplest things he does makes you giggle. 

“daddy, do you want some ice cream?” his daughter asks, handing him a scoop of ice cream. baekhyun opens his mouth and points inside it; signaling her to feed him. she happily does so before baekhyun kisses her cheek as a thank you. “thank you, princess.” god, you wanted to squeal so hard. i’s like he was too good to be true. whoever his wife is, she must be happy. 

“teacher, thank you for the lesson today!” your little brother bows before holding your hand to walk outside, not forgetting to wave at his new friend; the cute swimming instructor’s daughter. “see you next week!” he shouts back. when you glanced back at them, you could see that his daughter is already sitting on his shoulders, arms expanding as if she’s an airplane. she waves at your little brother. you catch baekhyun's eyes. he gives you a small wave of goodbye before you turn return it and smile a little to yourself. 

you were about to freak out since you he wouldn't be able to catch you do it due to the cuteness when your thoughts were cut off by your friend that is still sitting at the receptionist desk. “told you he was cute!” you roll your eyes. “yes he’s cute, but you never told me he had a daughter!” your friend gasps in disbelief. “i thought that was his niece!” 

well, you thought wrong, you almost wanted to say.