AN; I feel that after last chapter I definitely need to mention I know nothing about swimming hah! Sorry about that. 
Nonetheless, here's chapter 2. Hope you'll enjoy it! Next one is the last one. 

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It had seemed surreal after they had parted. Because Wendy spending a day with Seulgi? That couldn’t be right. That’s the stuff that would happen in her childhood fantasies. Before realizing it would never happen. Until it had? It was confusing.

It hadn’t even taken a day before pictures of the two of them together had spread. It had caught Wendy off-guard. And frankly, it had made her immensely uncomfortable. Because she hadn’t seen anybody at all. Along the entire thing. No cameras. She hadn’t heard anything. Yet there were pictures of them sharing a meal. Of them taking a walk. And even of them in the pool! How was that even possible? Was this the Seulgi had to deal with on a daily basis?

Wendy wasn’t sure she’d be able to. It felt like an invasion of her privacy. It wasn’t right.

“This is crazy, Wendy!” Hwasa had voiced what she had been thinking. Although, from the smile on her face, it was clear Hwasa felt differently about it. “Your popularity is going through the roof!”

Wendy could only frown, “I haven’t even been swimming.”

“The people don’t care. They care about you. The heroine who saved Seulgi from drowning. And now that you two were seen hanging out? ! Fans are going bat.”

“But why?”

Hwasa shrugged, “who knows? Who cares? People love seeing their favourites interact, I guess.”

Favourites? How did that word encompass both her and Seulgi? They weren’t even close to being on the same level.

“I have arranged a few interviews for you, by the way. The demand has been huge!”

“Interviews? About what?”

Hwasa rolled her eyes, playfully poking her shoulder, “what do you think?”

Wendy sighed. “I don’t want to be interviewed about Seulgi. That’s like leeching off her success.”

“Uhm… Yeah. What’s the issue with that? You saved her life. The least she can give in turn is some of her popularity.” Wendy could say Hwasa was being playful, so she ended up merely rolling her eyes instead of going on the full-defensive.

“Also, there’s more competitions for you lined up. People want to see you compete.”

Now that, Wendy could live with. She looked forward to swimming. Always.

She couldn’t respond though, before her phone started ringing. Another unknown number. She dismissed the call.

“Seriously though, I think you should get a new phone number. Seems like one of your acquaintances also wanted to ride your popularity by leaking your number or something.”

Wendy pulled up her nose. “But it’s so much effort.”

Hwasa dropped down in the couch next to her, throwing her arm around her shoulders. “This woman. She can save someone’s life but changing her phone number…”

Wendy chuckled, dropping her head upon her friend’s shoulder. “Please, cancel the interviews…”

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

It had been over three weeks since then. With the calls still pouring in. With the journalists still clamping onto her at every competition. With articles still appearing whenever she’d check her socials. Her friend had even conducted an interview about her cat. Just because Wendy had taken a picture with it. This was madness! Beyond madness. Why wasn’t this hype flying over already? How much longer would she have to deal with this stuff?

‘Wendy receives private lessons from Seulgi after saving her life’ was the main thing that kept popping up. With those same pictures she hadn’t been aware of being taken. The worst thing about it was that whoever had invaded their privacy was actually getting rich off it. Disgusting, really.

She had only just thought it when her phone started ringing again. She had turned the sound off. Even the buzzing at this point! But the screen lighting up would still catch her eye. Especially, since it was that same number ending in 52 again. Whoever they were, they never gave up.

Wendy didn’t even think about it. She pressed the green button. Pressing the phone against her ear. Not saying anything.

“Uhm… Hello?”

“Please, stop calling this number.” She was aware she could just block them. But for some reason, she just felt bad about that. Sometimes she wished she was less soft-hearted.

“Please, hear me out. I’m not a journalist.”

“Right. You’re a tele-marketeer who doesn’t give up on selling me a more expensive internet subscription, am I right?”

A huff on the other side of the line. “No. I am Seulgi’s coach.”

Wendy frowned. Taking a second, “and I am the queen of Spain.”

A sigh. “Look, just listen, okay? I wouldn’t have called you a million times if I wasn’t at the end of my rope here. Seulgi hasn’t been in the water at all since the accident.”

Wendy didn’t say anything, merely frowning.  She didn’t have to apparently, the man’s voice saying what she was thinking right after, “only with you. In those pictures I saw you together in the water. How did you get her to do that?”

Wendy scoffed, “I asked her?” And gave her steak instead of damn salad. But maybe that was better kept to herself.

“Well, then she must like you more than me. Can you please talk to her? Her career is over if she doesn’t get over… this… whatever this is.”

Wendy scoffed, “her mental health is more important than her career. She’s been traumatised.”

“I don’t get paid to deal with trauma. I get paid to have her swim and keep her at the top of her game. She’s never been lower.”

“And that, is definitely not my problem.”

A grunt, “fine. Think you’re so high and mighty now, huh?” And with that the call dropped. What the hell was that? Who the hell did this guy think he was?

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

Wendy had put on a pair of gloves, and still she felt cold. In summer, she’d always claim she was more of a winter person. But then in winter, she’d start doubting that statement again. She balled her fists, eying the stitches of her gloves stretching at the motion. They were old. She should probably get new ones.

“Hey.” Seulgi was wearing a wool hat even, with matching scarf tucked into her long coat. The hat had made her bangs curl in a strange yet cute way.

“Hey,” Wendy responded. It felt like ages since she had seen the woman. So long it should be awkward all over again. But strangely enough, it wasn’t. “You okay?”

Seulgi frowned, “no. My nose is freezing off.”

Wendy chuckled. Even if Seulgi was taller and probably better than her in every way, somehow, she was still more cute than intimidating. “Let’s go in then.” Wendy pointed behind her. The very same swimming pool as last time. She wasn’t here because of Seulgi’s stupid coach though. She was here for Seulgi.

The woman hummed, red fingers immediately fumbling with keys to get the door open.

“Sorry to call you over on such short notice,” Wendy spoke, watching the huffs of air leave visibly as she did.

“Don’t be. I’m happy to get out. I’ve been going a bit crazy at home doing nothing.”

Once inside, the silence dawned on them again. But so did the warmth. This was good. Wendy finally shrugged off her gloves. “Doing nothing?”

Seulgi shrugged, “I don’t feel quite ready for matches yet.”

Wendy hummed. “Full disclosure, your coach called me. If that was really who he was.”

Seulgi sighed, “was he a jerk about me not entering the pool?”

“I dare say he was an absolutely head, even!”

Seulgi chuckled, “then yes, it was definitely him.” She also took off her hat and scarf. Her slender fingers ran through her bangs, unable to fix them at all. Still, the way they curled so messily now, was strangely charming. Cute.

Wendy could only join in with a laugh of her own. “Well, he was almost begging me to get you into the water.”

“So, that’s why you called me then.”

“Definitely not. I don’t care about that jerk. But I do care about you. So, I wanted to check up on you. I hope that’s not creepy.”

“Of course not. It’s really sweet of you.” Even if Seulgi’s cheeks had already been pink due to the cold, Wendy was sure they had gotten a bit redder still. She was so pretty. Like an angel.

“Yeah? I just figured you might want to talk to someone or something. Not that I am therapist material but… Well, sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone outside of the people who know you best. To a stranger, if you will.”

“You’re not a stranger though.”

Wendy pushed her hands into the pockets of the coat she was still wearing, finally continuing to walk further into the building. “Well, no, but we have only really met once, so close to it.”

“I suppose.” Seulgi traced behind her. As if the roles had been switched this time.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but… why won’t you swim anymore?”

“I suppose I am scared? I don’t know. Maybe I just really don’t want to.”

“Suddenly?”

“Not suddenly. I haven’t been enjoying it for years now. But I am good at it. There’s nothing else I am good at. So, it’s an easy choice. To do it to make a living, I guess. But after I almost drowned, well, it puts things into perspective.”

That had made Wendy halt. She had turned towards the woman, somewhere in between the changing stalls and lockers.

“You don’t like swimming…?”

Seulgi averted her eyes, shrugging. As if she was embarrassed about it.

“I didn’t mean to sound judging. It’s just surprising. That’s all. Maybe you just lost the fun somewhere along the way.”

“Yeah. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll get back into it.”

Wendy frowned, “but it does matter. What you want and like does matter. Say, do you have more spare swimming suits lying around?”

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

This time, Wendy had brought her own swimming suit. She had patiently waited for Seulgi to appear. Unlike last time, there was almost no confidence to be found. It was heart breaking, really. Still, Wendy tried her hardest not to let it show.

This was about having fun. Nothing more.

Seulgi, however, didn’t even walk all the way towards her. She stopped somewhere along the way. Obvious hesitation winning out on whatever it was that had her listen to Wendy and change into her swimming suit in the first place.

“Look, Wendy. I appreciate what you’re doing. Really. But I just can’t. Sorry.”

Wendy shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. Trying to act as if she wasn’t worried about Seulgi whom she didn’t know yet and still knew through and through already in a way.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not forcing you to do anything. You do whatever makes you feel good.”

She could see Seulgi was torn, however.

Wendy watched her for a while. In the dark. After the previous time, both of them had apparently silently agreed on no longer turning the lights on.

“Tell me how you feel, Seulgi. What exactly is stopping you right now?”

“I’m scared,