It is 2015 and Kim Taehyung had just experienced the pressures of being a K-pop idol. His group, BTS, broke through the Korean mainstream media and was enjoying commercial prosperity. But with that success came with a price. To escape the overwhelmi...
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The bulging orange eye of the Giant Pacific Octopus stared at Taehyung as he walked by the large glass tank that housed it. Its tentacles undulated in time to an underwater choreography.
Taehyung watched in awe as he moved through the Canadian Waters, home also to the wolf eel and prehistoric paddlefish among others.
How can such a bio-diversified collection be contained under one roof? Taehyung wondered to himself as he sauntered over to the colourful Rainbow Reef.
The concave dome of the aquarium above his head, when he entered the ninety-seven meter-long tunnel of the Dangerous Lagoon was impressive, as tiger sharks, large moray eels and giant sea turtles swam above.
Taehyung was momentarily afraid that the 2.5 million litres of seawater giving life to the creatures overhead, would become his death if the dome would crack under pressure. But he knew these fears were unfounded as many over-sized aquatic tanks had been built with the tensile strength of polymethylmethacrylate.
Sharp teeth eerily passing by the aquarium's edge were enough to give him goosebumps. He could not imagine why some people waited to go on a dive with tiger sharks when watching such beasts from afar was sufficient for him.
Taehyung ventured to the Discovery Centre where it housed a less frightening type of shark. He walked through various interactive exhibits, or more known as "touch tanks," where visitors can feel the skin of different creatures like smaller sharks, sting-rays, and horseshoe crabs. It was not in his interest to be up close and personal with sea animals, so he just looked on while staff members aided adults and kids alike as they patted the organisms.
He quickly left after a short while and visited other exhibits including Mother Nature's Art gallery, Ray Bay, Curious Creatures, Planet Jellies, Life Support Systems, and the Shoreline gallery where there was another opportunity to touch stingrays.
Taehyung thought this was probably his last chance to experience one of the wonders of the sea. He peered over the low partition that held the stingray at bay. He saw how relatively calm others were, as they placed their hands in shallow water. The creatures didn't bite or sting people as he feared, so he inched closer and carefully dipped his hand in the cold water.
The slippery, mucous membrane covering the stingray's body was cool and soft to the touch. As Taehyung petted the animal, he spied another set of fingers trying to do the same.
