Chapter Text
Hongjoong pulled into the parking lot of his local swimming complex. The weather was hot and sunny, casting shadows beneath him as he climbed out of his car.
He slipped on his crossbody bag before heading towards the swimming complex. As soon as the sliding doors opened, he was hit in the face with the unmistakable smell of chlorine. The entrance was wide, decorated with leafy potted plants along the sides, and collages of people swimming dotted the walls. In the middle was a front desk where a petite woman was typing on the computer. She looked up from her screen when she noticed Hongjoong.
"Hi, I have a swimming lesson scheduled here today." He spoke kindly, handing her the confirmation letter that he'd printed out.
The lady began typing on the computer again before replying: "Kim Hongjoong right? For the Group Swimming Class for Adults?"
"Right, yes." He said with a shy nod, then glanced around him to see if anyone had been listening to them.
The truth was, Hongjoong felt embarrassed to take up a swimming class at his age. His parents just didn't have time to take him when he was younger. But after Hongjoong got a job and they moved into a new apartment complex that had an outdoor pool, he decided to learn how to swim. That way, at least someone in the family could utilise the pool.
"Here's your key card to access the facilities." The receptionist continued, passing over the card. "Information on where to meet your instructor should be in the email you received. Any questions?"
"Nope, thank you very much."
Hongjoong turned around and walked towards the sign that read: Swimming Pools This Way. He pushed past a door that led to the outdoor pool and was immediately hit with another wave of heat and chlorine smell.
The pool area had three sections. Towards the left was a water playground with orange and green slides leading down to a shallow pool. Children were splashing and playing while their parents watched them by the side. On the right was a large swimming pool, where the grown-ups swam. Hongjoong could see the poolside bleachers right behind the pool, they were painted in the same colours as the slides.
His scanned the area for the most important person - the lifeguard on duty - and he let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the guy with a yellow t-shirt and red shorts standing by the bigger pool.
After getting a good look at the new environment, Hongjoong went back to the main building so he could change and put his things inside the lockers. He slipped on a black swim top and matching trunks, then applied a thick layer of sunscreen to his exposed skin. He also slid a pair of goggles over his wrist. Before leaving the locker room, he checked his email for the location of the swimming class.
Hongjoong wasn't surprised that the scorching heat of the afternoon sun had worsened when he stepped outside. With a hand shielding his vision from the sunlight, he strolled across the complex to the grown-ups pool.
There, on the first row of the bleachers, was a small group of adults varying in age. Two girls that were roughly the same age as Hongjoong, an older female, and a young man who looked to be a college student. Hongjoong chose to settle next to him.
It wasn't long after he sat down that a new face greeted the group with a bright smile. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am Park Seonghwa, your swimming instructor for the next few weeks. You can call me Instructor Park or Seonghwa, whichever you prefer."
The instructor seemed to be in his mid-30s or so, with wavy black hair that complimented his soft facial features. Despite the crow's feet radiating from the corners of his eyes, the lack of facial hair made him look 10 times younger. He was dressed in a long sleeved navy blue swim top and bottoms that hugged his muscular build. The sunlight danced across his golden skin, perfectly capturing that 'sunkissed' look.
He was downright the hottest man Hongjoong had ever laid his eyes on. He was so focused on staring at this man that he hadn't realised the rest of the group was clapping to welcome him.
"Let's get to know each other's names first, shall we?" The instructor suggested, facing the woman closest to him. "Starting with you."
"Hi everyone, I'm Cherry. Nice to meet you." She spoke confidently. Her friend went next, followed by the older woman, the college kid, and finally, Hongjoong, who'd been busy trying to remember each name.
Cherry, Arin, Seohee, Jaeyoung. And Park Seonghwa.
"It's so nice to meet all of you. Now, before we get started, I'd like to explain a bit about what we'll be working on for the next few weeks. Since all of you are just beginning, we will start by building water confidence. That means learning essential skills on water safety like breath control and floating. Once we're comfortable with that, I'll go on to teach you some basic stroke techniques like freestyle and breaststroke. We will do this step by step together, so let's be thoughtful and help one another along the way. Is that alright?"
The soon-to-be swimmers nodded.
They listened as Seonghwa continued to elaborate on water safety and the rules they had to follow.
Finally, when Seonghwa was done talking, he directed his students to get a quick rinse before inviting them to sit on the edge of the pool so they could dip their legs into the water.
The cool pool water was the perfect temperature, not too hot or too cold as they warmed up to the feeling. Hongjoong watched as Seonghwa swiftly lowered himself into the pool. Since they were at the shallower end of the pool, the water line stopped just below his pecs. Then he reached his hands into the water and brought them up to soak his wavy hair with pool water.
One by one, the students lowered into the body of water, some of them hissing at the cooling sensation against their torso. Hongjoong could also feel the water spreading across his back, making him shudder. He was just glad that his feet could plant comfortably on the floor.
Seonghwa had them lined up in a row facing him while he explained the first exercise.
"On the count of 3, we're gonna submerge ourselves in the water for 2 seconds. You may put on your goggles now if you need."
Hongjoong picked up his goggles from the edge of the pool and tugged it over his head. It fit snuggly over his eyes, but made his vision turn a little blue.
Once everyone was ready, Seonghwa began counting from 3. On 1, they took a deep breath before lowering into the water. As the water enveloped around Hongjoong, he found himself enjoying the sensation, and 2 seconds later, he wished he didn't have to go back up for air.
"How'd it feel?" Seonghwa asked with that same cheerful smile.
Arin spoke first. "So good! It's fun!"
"I thought it was nice too," Seohee, the older woman, added.
"That's nice to hear. We're gonna do this exercise 2 more times, but instead of 2 seconds, we will hold our breaths for 3, then 4. How does that sound?"
The students were starting to be more responsive and energized as they prepared for the next round.
Thereafter, Seonghwa moved on to teaching them how to float on their backs.
It was easier said than done, and Hongjoong found himself struggling to trust the fact that the water could hold his weight.
"Don't worry, I'm holding onto you. Just breathe normally," Seonghwa reassured, one hand was pressed under Hongjoong's shoulders and the other under his back. "Keep your head up. Yes! That's it!"
Hongjoong tried his best to focus on his breathing instead of his flapping arms. His eyes were peeled so wide with adrenaline that he was glad no one could see them under his tinted goggles.
Soon, he started getting used to it. As he gained the strength to keep his face and shoulders above the water, his breathing steadied and his chest gradually began to pull him up towards the surface. He was still flapping and kicking his limbs, but more gently and at ease. He didn't even realise that Seonghwa had let go and was proudly watching him by the side.
"Well done, Hongjoong! Got the feel of it now, have ya?" Seonghwa asked, patting Hongjoong's shoulder.
"Yeah, it's pretty fun. It feels like I'm flying."
Seonghwa gave him a high five, before moving to help Jaeyoung.
Apart from the water that had found its way into his ears, Hongjoong felt great. Even though he simply learned to float on his back, it felt like an achievement. He felt so rejuvenated that he proceeded to talk to Cherry and Arin, who were leaning against the wall and chatting. They paused and smiled at him as he settled a few feet away from them.
"So...what made you girls sign up for this class?"
Cherry shifted closer to Hongjoong, ignoring the boundary he'd built around them. "To learn to swim. And because of him." She said, pointing at Seonghwa.
"What about him?" He was truly invested in whatever Cherry was about to say.
"You don't know? He's a retired Olympic swimmer! He won a ton of medals back then, and a few world titles. Recently, someone found out that he teaches swimming classes for adults here, so Arin and I signed up. It's a miracle we got him as our instructor.
Hongjoong raised a brow. "How do you know so much about him?"
"We went to the same high school that as him. He was the talk of the school. Everyone there knows his name. But, he tends to keep his life outside swimming private. Apparently, he's still single." Cherry said quietly.
Before Hongjoong could ask further questions, Seonghwa waved at them to return to the group so they could carry out the last exercise; jumping into the pool and floating up to the surface.
It was another thrilling experience for Hongjoong. As he came up for air, successfully balancing himself on the surface, he caught a glimpse of Seonghwa clapping for him. He thought about what Cherry had told him, that the instructor had been an Olympic swimmer. Although Hongjoong didn't know anything about the world of competitive swimming, he certainly found the instructor's level of experience to be reassuring.
With that, Hongjoong's first swim class came to an end. Seonghwa climbed up the ladder and out of the pool, helping his students who followed after him. They took a rest on the bleachers while Seonghwa did a quick debrief. It was then that Hongjoong realised he forgot to take his towel from his bag.
While the others dried themselves off, he sat shivering and hugging himself as the wind blew past.
"Hongjoong-ssi, you should dry yourself or you might catch a cold." The instructor said. His body was blocking the sun so Hongjoong got a proper view of him. His wet hair was dripping droplets onto the towel around his shoulders. His swimwear was fully soaked too, making his muscles even more defined. When the instructor placed his arms akimbo, Hongjoong couldn't help but notice his nipples poking through his top.
Hongjoong blinked, completely oblivious to the fact that he was staring at the instructor.
"Hongjoong-ssi, are you okay?"
"Huh- oh yes, I'm fine. I just uh, forgot to bring a towel. Sorry." He replied.
Seonghwa's facial expression changed almost immediately. It went from that vibrant smiley expression to a concerned look.
"Oh dear. Not to worry, I'll go get you a clean towel. Wait right here." Then he left the students for a brief moment.
He returned with a neatly folded cream coloured towel and handed it to the shivering man. Hongjoong quickly wrapped it around himself, sighing from the warmth at last. He didn't really care where the towel had come from.
"I thought all of you did great today. If you have any questions, you may check with me, if not, class is officially over. Thank you all for coming and I'll see you next week." Seonghwa concluded.
"Thank you oppa! See you!" Cherry spoke in a fake teasing manner that almost made Hongjoong snort from laughter. He considered asking her for more information about Seonghwa, but didn't in the end. Instead he picked up his goggles, waved goodbye to the others, and crossed the pool area to head inside the building.
He took a nice hot shower (despite the weather), before slipping back into his home clothes. After grabbing all his belongings from the locker, he left the main building and went to the parking lot to find his car. As he pulled away, he noticed three familiar figures standing by the entrance of the complex. He had no doubt that it was Cherry, Arin, and Seonghwa. From the looks of it, whatever they were saying was making Seonghwa uncomfortable. His thick eyebrows were upturned and he had an awkward smile on his face.
Those girls need to leave him alone...Hongjoong thought. He spared one last look at the trio before driving onto the main road.
It was a short journey back to his apartment. Despite being 27, Hongjoong still lived with his parents, simply because he didn't need to move out. He wasn't married or anything, so he continued to stay with his parents. Plus, this way, he could see them more often.
They'd nagged at him over and over again to get married and have kids, but Hongjoong had yet to meet anyone he liked. During university, he had a few crushes on his seniors who were all guys. He even dated 1 of them. But Hongjoong soon realised that he was constantly chasing after his ex's love and affection. He was getting tired of it, and so they broke up after just 2 months of being in a relationship.
After graduating, he tried dating apps, clubbing, and blind dates, but none of the men he met had an effect on him. Even after sleeping with them, he didn't feel anything towards them. He supposed they just weren't his type, and that his standards were too high. He knew he wasn't going to find a boyfriend anytime soon.
Hongjoong parked his car in the apartment carpark and took the elevator up to his flat. It was a two bedroom, perfect for him and his parents. They also had a small balcony extending from the living room that overlooked the swimming pool below.
The first thing Hongjoong did was wash his swimwear and towel. He hand washed the swimwear with soap and water, leaving it to soak for a few minutes. Then he grabbed the towel Seonghwa had given him. He was about to toss it in the washing machine when he noticed a dark lettered logo in the corner that stood out against the cream-coloured towel.
Swimars.
It sounded like any other brand of towels for swimmers or something. He didn't think much of it and carried on loading the rest of the laundry. When the washing machine began spinning, he flopped onto the living room sofa, scrolling through social media while waiting for his parents to return from their weekend stroll.
As he did so, an idea came over him. He typed Seonghwa's name in the search bar, hoping to find out more about him, but apart from fan accounts, there weren't any profiles that looked like his own. What was he thinking? Seonghwa was probably too old for Instagram, right? So he switched to Google and searched his name.
This time, he found a whole Wikipedia page on Park Seonghwa.
He's born in 1985?! He's 40?? He doesn't look 40, Hongjoong thought.
He scrolled through the page to read through Seonghwa's profile, from his school days to his achievements as a competitive swimmer. There were many pictures of him too. Most were of him receiving a medal, while others were of him standing next to other swimmers. Hongjoong found himself staring at a particular picture of Seonghwa waving at the camera after a competition; his upper torso was exposed, showing off the water dripping down his juicy pecs and abs. He had the same smile on his face that Hongjoong recalled from that afternoon. The man had barely aged, and even if he did, he aged like fine wine.
Feeling satisfied with the search on his instructor, Hongjoong switched off his phone and laid back on the sofa to take a short nap.