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"Chaisai!" Called an echoing voice, emitting from somewhere above me in the spacious room with little light around me.

Furrowing my brows, I paused in my steps and glanced around the empty area awkwardly, iced tea clutched firmly in one hand. "...God?" I spoke out loud in response.

The familiar laughter of Geunhae erupted from above, causing me to tilt my head all the way back and cast my gaze skyward. The aquarium employee I had become familiar with sat atop the sturdy platform stationed over the Open Ocean exhibit, equipped head-to-toe in scuba gear minus the mask, waving a hand down to me.

"Oh, hey," I greeted, taking a sip of my beverage as I cocked my head to the side lightly. "What're you doing up there?"

Geunhae chuckled and lightly tugged on the neck of her wetsuit to remove some trapped baby hairs from under it. "Yeah, one or two Saturdays a month I go down to clean the tank and do a headcount once everyone's gone. I work better when I know I'm not gonna be bothered by my coworkers," she explained.

"Headcount?" I parroted with a slightly raised eyebrow. "So you'd notice if one remora is missing?"

Geunhae scoffed sarcastically. "Of course. That's part of Jaya's bath process. Would you notice if your loofa went missing?"

"Loofa? What am I, eight?" I retorted jokingly, causing Geunhae to roll her eyes and laugh with a shake of her head.

"You are very different from a typical young woman, Chaisai," the girl sighed as if it were a tragedy, causing me to simply watch her blankly as she began spraying the inside of her mask and goggles with anti-fog solvent. "Invest in a loofa, from one lady to another."

Scrunching my face slightly, the only comeback I could get out before she dropped into the Open Ocean exhibit was, "Invest in an open mind, from one human being to another."

The amusement from our bantering slowly faded into the silent atmosphere of the empty aquarium as I inched towards the thick glass wall to observe Geunhae as she worked. I couldn't see the familiar Great White named Jaya anywhere so she must have been swimming further beyond the waters of the enormous tank as Geunhae began disposing of any waste or algae with professional equipment.

Smaller schools of fish curiously circle Geunhae from time to time though she paid no mind to it, surely used to the behavior by now. Occasionally a dolphinfish or a tuna would gracefully glide by my line of sight before disappearing into the depths once more, causing me to wonder just how many gallons of water filled this tank.

Taking a seat on one of the benches just a few feet from the glass, I relished in the wonderful silence surrounding me as I admired the tranquil beauty of the aquarium while alone. I was grateful for such a kind soul as Geunhae, offering me access to the aquarium after it was closed. She didn't know anything about my reasons for loving silence or me preferring this to a party on a Saturday evening, but Geunhae was intelligent and intuitive. I believe on some level, she was aware of my need to be alone with nothing but silence, hence her zero hesitation to get to cleaning the tank as soon as I arrived.