It Meets You Where You Wait • Yeonbin

Four

"You ready?" Taehyun asks.

Soobin smiles. "Yeah. Whistle nice and clean." He holds up the silver instrument from where it hangs off his chest.

It's his first day on the job, Tuesday, only one day after he'd arrived. He guessed it would be a learning curve, but really, the job seems tame and exactly like every other swimming job he's had. The pool isn't bustling and filled to the brim, but it definitely requires him to keep a watchful eye; there's at least a good thirty people in the area and another batch in the diving section, and a decent handful in the children's area. Soobin wonders where all of these people were last night, when he'd driven to the empty diner, and passed only four other drivers on his way.

He's been sitting at the top of his lifeguard tower for the last hour or so, eyes milling about the townspeople swimming. Across the pool, Taehyun waves and smiles, which Soobin returns.

The sun is out and beating down. It's sticky heat, the kind he finds the most unpleasant of all, and it's heavy on his shoulders. His water bottle sits on his side, filled with ice, but he's more tempted to just put the ice on his forehead and let it melt than anything else.

Soobin lifts himself from his seat, deciding to make rounds around the diving area.

He passes Yeji on his way, who's monitoring the kids' pool, and tosses a warm smile. Yeji terrifies him, mostly because the first time they'd interacted, she had obliterated him in a swimming race across the pool. It was impressive, because Soobin was a good swimmer, who had medals from all of his wins shoved in a box in his room back home, who had plaques with his name engraved on them that once lined his grandmother's walls; Soobin is a good swimmer, who specializes in 100 meter breaststroke, and he's fast— but the girl had defeated him in one go.

It was more than anything a push to keep training, because he hopes to one day catch Yeji.

Once he reaches the diving boards, he finds Beomgyu sitting at the edge of the pool, dangling his feet and staring out at the divers.

"Aren't you usually up in the receptionist's area?" Soobin asks. He maneuvers himself to squat down next to Beomgyu, reaching over to splash water on the concrete so he can stay there without burning the soles of his feet.

Beomgyu hums and smiles. "Yeah, I probably should be. But it's hot. You can't imagine how miserable it is to sit there in a lobby on your phone all day."

"I'm sure it is. I'm guessing you don't do a whole lot of pool birthday parties, huh?"

Giggling, Beomgyu replies, "No, actually. I guess the bowling alley is just cooler to ten year olds."

Soobin smiles. "It's the pizza. We should really be marketing our snack bar better."

"Soobin! No swimming after you eat, you're unbelievable!" Beomgyu laughs, kicking up water.

Soobin snorts a laugh. He supposes as a lifeguard he probably shouldn't mention the sheer amount of times he's stuffed his face with lunch only to jump back into the pool with Kai.

There's a moment of silence, and Beomgyu goes back to watching people cannonball off of the diving boards.

Soobin watches him follow the swimmers while they resurface, and turn back with glee to smile at whoever they're with, for braving the feat of the tallest diving board. Beomgyu keeps a small, gentle smile on his face while he does.

"You don't want to get in the water yourself?"

Beomgyu turns his head to look at him.

Soobin likes Beomgyu the most so far. He's always been the most approachable, though a bit quiet, and a bit taller than his personality. But regardless, he's the only one Soobin didn't feel a nervous prick on his neck around.

"No— I can't swim, actually."

Which is odd, because he works at a pool. But he's actually only a receptionist, so it's not that strange, Soobin supposes.

"Really? Have you ever tried to learn?" Soobin asks. He'd be more than willing to teach Beomgyu.

"Ah, not really. I don't mind just watching people swim. Taehyun likes to say it's because I'm scared but I've just never been a fan of water," Beomgyu replies.

"Oh, so it's a phobia thing?" He asks.

Beomgyu pauses, like he's never been asked that before. He gives a little smile.

"Not so much of a phobia as it is a precaution."

Soobin furrows his brows. "Precaution? What's that supposed to me—"

"Yo, Soobin!"

Breaking Beomgyu's gaze, Soobin turns to see Taehyun waving him down as he walks toward them.

"Hey! What's up?" Soobin asks. Taehyun bounds over.

"I'm about to take my fifteen minute break! Can you cover the main section? There's a few kids waiting to take their swimming test so they can go on the diving boards, too." He says.

Soobin rises up and shakes his legs out from his squat. "Sure, no problem. Enjoy your break!" He smiles.

Soobin goes to follow Taehyun back out, and gives Beomgyu a wave and a smile.

Beomgyu smiles back, and then goes back to kicking the water and watching people dive— though he's now got a frown on his face.

Taking his place back on his tower, Soobin watches Taehyun wander off into the main building. He doesn't know where the guy goes on his break, more than likely buying something from a vending machine and finding a nice spot to doze off— not that Soobin does that— but he hopes it's at least less sweaty than out at the pool.

The pool closes at 7 PM. Now nearing 3PM, it's been a long day, with even longer to go. Earlier, right after the pool opened at 11, a kid had thrown up his breakfast next to the locker room. Soobin didn't have to clean it, thankfully, and they'd given that job to Yeji, because she opened.

So as far as first days go, it could be worse. It's a lot of wandering and looking around, and listening for signs of struggle. He stops more people from running than he does actually saving them.

He deliberates driving home on the weekend to visit Kai, even though it's only Monday. He misses the guy. He hadn't gotten a chance to FaceTime him yet, but probably would on his break in half an hour.

Soobin is halfway caught between watching a teenage girl fight her younger brother and wondering if his phone is even charged, when he feels a prick in his neck again— like he's being watched. In the way that his grandmother used to say that one could tell if another was talking about them because their ear burns, Soobin feels someone looking at him.

He scans the pool, because everybody is minding their own business, Yeji is still with the kids, and both Beomgyu and Taehyun are nowhere to be seen, which leaves only—

Yeonjun. Soobin spots him, floating in the water underneath Taehyun's currently empty lifeguard tower. He's got his back against the wall, arms both raised up to rest his elbows on the concrete edge.

The boy doesn't look away when Soobin catches him staring. If anything, he looks harder. His angular eyebrows are pulled back, eyes narrowed slightly, fingers drumming on the edge of the pool. His pink hair is pulled back into a haphazard ponytail, and he gazes unapologetically at Soobin.

It's mildly nerve wracking. It feels like he's being studied.

Soobin chances it, raises his hand in a small wave at him. Yeonjun's fingers stop drumming the concrete, still. He's still pretty, and his lips are still naturally pouty, and Soobin is about four seconds from his entire face turning red with how flustered he feels.

Yeonjun smiles. Or he smirks. Soobin has never been able to tell the difference.

He doesn't wave back, but the acknowledgement is good enough. Instead, he turns to lift himself out of the pool, back and arm muscles working to lift him from the water, and then shakes his hair to rid it of water. Without looking back, Yeonjun walks away, towards the main building, and disappears inside.

Soobin decides then he will absolutely go home this weekend. Some sense of normalcy would be appreciated.

But as far as first days go— it could be much worse.