Wendy had always loved swimming. It had allowed her to empty her head after long days at school. Even if it made her muscles ache the next day, it was always in just the right amount for it to be satisfying instead of painful. She had joined a club at some point. Joining in some competitions against other clubs every now and then even.

However, it wasn’t until Wendy had seen Seulgi, that she had decided on actually pursuing it professionally. Seulgi was the same age as her, she had discovered quickly enough. Yet, from the very first time Wendy had seen her on tv, it was as if they were worlds apart. As if Seulgi was shining. Surrounded by a glow, Wendy could not take her eyes off. Her aura. Her professionalism. Her technique. It had blown Wendy away. The girl had been so young, and yet she was placing records that had remained unbroken for years. It was crazy. Wendy had idolised her as a teenager. She had been looking up interviews. Following every match closely just to root for the girl. Much like the rest of the country. Seulgi was well loved. She had quickly become the nation’s pride. For a good reason.

Wendy had grown up wishing she could be like her one day. Even if she had always known it’d be impossible. Still, it had been something to strive towards. A goal. A dream.

And sometimes dreams did come true.

As an adult, Wendy wouldn’t say she idolised Seulgi anymore. It had matured into something different. That awe was still there, but not as much originating from a teenage crush anymore. Instead, Seulgi had been rooted into her heart, more out of respect and an understanding of shared struggles and experiences. Even if Wendy knew it was maybe presumptuous of her to assume they were anything alike without ever having met the woman in the first place. At least a big part of their lives had revolved around the same thing. It was enough of a connection.

Wendy had actually become a professional swimmer, after all. Just like Seulgi. Even if, of course, she was still on an entirely different level than the woman. Even if Seulgi had already been at the top since years ago. But people’s careers progressed differently, right? There was nobody like Seulgi after all. And maybe being at the top, wasn’t all that anyway.

Or that’s wat she kept telling herself to justify not standing out.

Honestly, part of her had always been jealous of her teammate Soyou. Soyou was the best of them, which meant that, on the rare occasion, she’d even get to compete against Seulgi. Just like she would that next weekend.

Wendy had been so jealous. And yet now? She was dreading it.

‘Soyou has unexpectedly fallen ill. We want you to take her place. Consider it a chance to prove yourself.’

The pressure, almost enough to make her want to vomit. Because no matter how big of an opportunity this was, how much she had been counting down to this day… She would rather not show up now. Because competing against Seulgi? She would look even worse. Incompetent. She wasn’t good enough yet for this. She probably never would be. What was she supposed to say though? What was she supposed to do?

“Okay.”

The word had left eventually. From that moment on, she had barely slept anymore. Nerves eating her up. Pure anxiety. For better or worse, it was only a few days before the day was there.  Days filled with swimming, swimming and swimming some more. Her muscles were aching. Probably no longer in the good way. But what was she supposed to do? Not practice like crazy before going up against the woman she respected most in the whole world?

Even dressed in her swimming suit, all her hair collected underneath the swimming cap, she still felt as if things were unreal. Her gaze focussed upon the entrance. Watching other competitors come in. Their coaches. Press. Cameras. Everything and everyone. Making her nerves go through the roof in the sheer anticipation of that one woman.

Yet when finally, Seulgi was there, actually in the same room as Wendy, the latter had to avert her gaze. Because she didn’t want to make the woman uncomfortable by staring. Because it would make her more nervous. Or maybe just because she didn’t feel worthy. She forced her feet to move. Towards the first lane where she was set to swim. Not surprising. By now, Wendy knew the worst swimmers were put at the sides here for some reason. Probably to have the best ones in the optimal camera angle or something.

Her feet were padding against the floor, calves still hurting from the excessive practice the previous days. But it was all bland, compared to the feeling of pure awe at the thought she’d be in the same pool as Seulgi. It was crazy. Unbelievable!

Only when Wendy had reached her spot, did she dare another glance to her right. Casually. Hoping it wouldn’t show just how big of a fan exactly she was of Seulgi. As if not everybody in this room was. Either way, she knew nobody was paying attention to her anyway. Nobody would notice. She was nobody. The replacement of the best swimmer on an already mediocre team at best.

Not like Seulgi, who even carried the country at the Olympics. Honestly, any competitions she would compete in nationally, were a joke to her in a way.

She let out a breath, allowing her eye to search a little further, not catching sight of the woman anymore. She had been so distracted by her search, she flinched when there was a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. There’s a slight change in formations. We need you to move to lane two, please.” The man was wearing an in-ear, clearly following instructions given to him.

Lane two? Okay… She nodded, shuffling a little bit to the right. It didn’t matter to her.

He left pretty much immediately, informing others of their new positions. Wendy took the opportunity to glance to her right again. She found the other competitors lining up as well. One by one. Shaking their arms as if to loosen the muscles. All wearing similar bathing suits and swim caps and even tiny goggles by now. Making them unrecognisable. Still, Wendy knew she would recognise Seulgi. Nonetheless, she didn’t find her anymore. Strange.

She brought her own hands up, taking a hold of the goggles hanging around her neck to pull them up over her face and ready herself for a match she already knew she would lose. In a way, it maybe took away a bit of the pressure and stress, she supposed. It was just strange there was no Seulgi. Another glance to her right. Carefully taking the time to scoop out the other contestants, one by one. Nothing. She even counted them. It fit. Everyone was there. But no Seulgi.

She returned her gaze to in front of her. Finding the crowd getting more silent and focussing upon them as well. It wasn’t a big crowd. Not like soccer matches or anything. But still, it was always too much. Wendy liked swimming. Not in front of people. She could see how that was problematic given it was part of the career she had chosen for herself.

It was only purely by chance she glanced to her left, really. But it was enough to have her muscles flinch. Because right there, ready to swim in lane one, was Seulgi. Wendy felt her heart pounding. Her hands getting clammy and getting dry. If she were to stretch her arms sideways, she would be close to touching Seulgi. The woman she was only just ‘meeting’ for the first time now. Her idol. Her very reason for being here. It made her head spin.

The woman was wearing a simple black bathing suit. Pretty high cut, leaving her muscled thighs entirely up for display. Wendy could tell the muscles were tense. More so than her own maybe, even. She was wearing her characteristic yellow bath cap and was adjusting her goggles as well.

Why was she swimming in lane one? As the best swimmer here? This wasn’t right.

Wendy saw the woman let out a big sigh, a hand coming up to her face so the pads of her fingers could rub over her forehead. She looked agitated. Even if it was hard to tell through the goggles.

It was so weird. Because Wendy had never ever met her. But she had seen her so many times, over the span of so many years, that she felt as if she was familiar with all the small quirks the woman had. She felt too familiar. And yet….

Wendy couldn’t help but avert her gaze again. Because she realised, she had been staring. She did not want to make Seulgi uncomfortable. She did not want to be a creepy fan. Still, knowing Seulgi was standing right next to her? It drove her crazy.

She heard some splashing as her fellow contestants started jumping into the water. Her own body followed on automatic pilot; brain too pre-occupied to steer it now. This was a dream. It had to be.

Wendy’s hands held onto the side of the pool once she was in, planting her feet against the wall. Ready to push off it as she had done a million times in the past few days to practice. Her legs knew what to do even without her say-so. Yet, even now, she couldn’t help but look at Seulgi again.

The woman was in the same position as herself. And yet somehow, it still looked entirely different. Seulgi’s entire form was different. The muscles in her arms now obviously just as tense as the ones in her legs. Body folded so naturally yet forcefully Wendy could almost feel the tension in it. The power. Ready to let go. Like the feather in a pinball machine shooting the ball all the way to the other side of the pool. It was inspiring. It made Wendy press her lips together, swallowing the ‘good luck’ she had almost wished the woman. Because Seulgi didn’t need luck. She hadn't become who she was through luck. It was all talent. There was nobody like her. In the whole world. Wendy moved her gaze back to the wall in front of her, letting out another shaky breath.

She wasn’t here to win. That’d be impossible. But to be able to swim next to Seulgi like this? That was enough of a win for her.

The start signal seemed to ring in her head. Once again, her body reacted without her mind even being aware of what was happening. Her legs stretched, pushing off the wall with the greatest force she could muster. Her body started waving through the water. This was what she loved most. The start. As if she was finally free to escape. Like an arrow having been strung in a bow for so long, finally able to fly in the wind. It was freeing. Even if today, it felt a bit different.

She automatically started counting along in her head. One, two. One, two. Matching the count to the perfect tempo of her arms she had established through her many practices. All the while, trying to keep her breathing as steady as possible. Only when she reached the wall at the far end of the pool, did she glance to the side for a split second, to see Seulgi already turning elegantly to start the swim back. If anything, Wendy was surprised she had managed to kind of keep up with her. That didn’t seem right.

She copied the underwater tumble as best as she could, once more pushing herself off the wall with her feet and through the water like a cannonball. Arms going back to the established tempo. One, two. One, two.

Until at some point, about mid-pool, she hit something with her hand. It disoriented her. Had she not been going straight? Had she somehow swum into a wall? Wendy knew that she couldn’t hesitate. She couldn’t stop. Because every second lost, was a stain on her team. But… something beckoned her to do so anyway. She looked around, finding she was still in her lane. Competitors still moving their arms as if their lives depended on it.

At the same time though, Wendy could immediately tell something was off. The crowd murmuring and gasping. That’s when Wendy felt it again. Not against her arms this time, but against her foot. She looked down to find a shape sinking deeper and deeper. Like a rag doll. Even through the rippling water, Wendy could see the yellow bath cap.

It was all she needed. Without thinking about it, she flopped her body to dive down, hands pushing the water behind her at a force grander than she had been using before. She reached Seulgi quickly enough. Hands closing around an arm and holding onto it. Trying to pull her up. It quickly became obvious Seulgi wasn’t actually conscious though. Her body heavy and unresponsive.

Wendy’s heart was pounding. She swam even closer, her arms closing around Seulgi’s middle next. The water pushed down heavily upon them. Wendy forced her body to twist, eyes cast upwards to see shapes moving along the side of the pool, someone jumping in. Muffled voices. But none of it mattered. The only thing that did matter was that she had Seulgi and she needed to get her up.

It was tough. Heavy. But she forced her legs to work as her arms remained firmly locked around Seulgi’s waist. As if she was afraid she’d accidentally let go of her. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, until her head was above water and the sounds of panic started seeping in. Wendy forced her painful arms up, to also have Seulgi’s face above the water. Her arms and legs were burning. The person that had jumped into the water had taken a hold of the woman now as well, helping Wendy get her to the border of the pool, where more people helped to pull her out.

Still, Wendy couldn’t bring herself to let it go. The situation. Seulgi, just for a second, enough to push herself out of the pool. Then her palms were upon the woman’s arms again.

“She isn’t breathing,” she founded herself stating to herself and the people around them.

“Call an ambulance,” she heard someone yell across the pool.

Wendy moved her hand towards Seulgi’s wrist. Finger pads pressing down to find a pulse. When she found nothing, she tried the same along . A panic started rising up within her, clenching around her chest when she didn’t feel a pulse there either. Her hands were fully acting out of their own accord, for which she was grateful considering her brain seemed to be shutting down. They moved themselves over the black bathing suit as she positioned herself upon her knees next to Seulgi’s body. Fingers lacing together over her heart. Arms stretched before pushing down. Wendy felt panicked. Confused. But she knew she had to do something.

Same tempo.

One, two. Three, four.

She refused to have been put in the same room as Seulgi, finally, for the first time in her life, just to have her die. Like a cruel joke from fate.

Thirty.

Wendy wasn’t even aware of everybody around them now. She pulled at Seulgi’s chin, using her other hand to close up Seulgi’s nose before connecting their lips. Two breaths. Let go.

Fingers folding back over her chest.

She only reached fourteen this time, before Seulgi’s body convulsed. It wasn’t pretty. Still, Wendy could only feel relieve as the woman’s body to its side, puking up water.

Wendy’s hands reached out again, unsure of what she was going to do at all, before she felt herself being pulled away by her shoulders.

“Out of the way!” Wendy felt as if there was a haze in front of her. A haze in which only Seulgi was sharp, with everything and everyone else just an unimportant blur. Still, she eventually recognised that the ambulance must have arrived. Seulgi was in the hands of professionals now. She would surely be alright.

She found someone squeezing her shoulder. “You saved her.” But she couldn’t even hear it. Her heart still pounding and her brain only now catching up with everything that had happened. She found her breathing coming faster and faster. What the had just happened!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

She had been sitting upon one of the small diving podiums with a towel around her shoulders for a while now. Her view messed up from all the flashes of cameras, that had now long since been dismissed. Seulgi wasn’t here anymore either, taken to a hospital already. She had dropped her swimming cap and goggles somewhere along the way. Her short, blonde hair honestly felt like straw at this point. But none of it mattered.

Wendy only felt weak. Panicked. Worried. She still wasn’t sure what had happened. Hwasa, her manager, but foremost her friend, was softly massaging her shoulders. “You did good. It was the only thing you could do.”

Wendy knew why she was saying it. Because Wendy knew for a fact her coach was fuming. The match had still been finished. And evidently, she had ended last place along with Seulgi. Their team had dropped further in the ranking. Wendy had barely been listening to him talking about how ‘saving competitors was not her job and somebody else would have done so instead while she should have done what she had been sent here for’.

“Honestly, the match will probably be redone. I am sure of it.” She didn’t sound sure though. But honestly, it was the last of Wendy’s worries. In fact, she had literally only one worry right now.

“What will happen to Seulgi?”

Another squeeze, “she will be okay, I am sure. Thanks to you. You should be proud of yourself.”

Wendy nodded, not feeling proud. Because any human would have done the same. It wasn’t a choice. For anybody. Even if Wendy knew, that for Seulgi, she probably would have risked it all. More than for anybody else.

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