Fortunately, there was no repeating the same mistake. Next, he even put the snorkel in his mouth and practiced breathing in and out through the long tube, and he soon became familiar with it.
“This end part is designed to automatically block when it goes underwater. Slowly try putting the goggles in the water first.”
Following Yuwon’s kind explanation, Sungjin slowly put his head into the water. A clean scenery on a completely different dimension from what he saw above the water’s surface unfolded before his eyes.
Wow…
Though he didn’t vocalize it since he had the equipment in his mouth, exclamations burst out inside him. Around underwater structures like rocks, coral reefs, and seaweed, numerous colorful fish were swimming.
Until now, he had only seen this in documentaries, but this was the first time seeing it directly with his own eyes. He thought such a splendid underwater world could only be seen in tropical regions, the Mediterranean, or near the equator. To think this was a scene that could be seen in our country too.
Sungjin was so excited that he forgot to breathe and plunged his head in to look at the underwater world, then urgently lifted his head as his breath choked up.
“Puha, heup…”
Without even having time to think that he just needed to breathe with the snorkel in his mouth, he took off the goggles first. Seawater dripped down his face. Sungjin swept back the hair stuck to his forehead and barely drew in a breath.
“Whew…”
Once his momentarily quickened breathing finally calmed down, he felt a gaze looking at him. Before the embarrassed Sungjin could say anything, Yuwon asked.
“Are you okay? Did something happen?”
At Yuwon’s question, which seemed a bit flustered, Sungjin immediately shook his head in denial.
“Ah, no! I’m fine! I just forgot to breathe for a moment, haha…”
“……”
Yuwon narrowed his eyes for a moment as if he didn’t understand what he was saying even after hearing it, then soon nodded as if he understood.
“You mean you didn’t get a cramp or get hurt anywhere?”
“Yes! I’m fine, I’m fine…!”
Sungjin’s face turned red at the thought that he had done something foolish that even a child wouldn’t do. He needed to quickly go back into the water and cool his face.
“I’m fine, so go back in! I’ll go in too!”
When Sungjin shouted spiritedly, Yuwon nodded and put his goggles back on. Then, continuously checking Sungjin’s reaction, he went into the water first.
Sungjin checked Yuwon’s location, then carefully arranged his hair again so it wouldn’t get caught before entering the water. Yuwon, familiar with this kind of thing, had already taken off his life jacket and put it up on the boat, diving comfortably to a deeper place than himself and swimming as if it were his own home.
He really looks like a mermaid…
Sungjin floated near the surface with his head submerged in the water and admired Yuwon swimming. Even though most of his face was covered by the goggles, that beauty wasn’t hidden. Rather, the sunlight pouring from the surface created water shadows over that pretty face, making it seem like a scene that could only be seen in a dream.
Sungjin was captivated by that unreal appearance more than any beautiful scenery underwater and almost forgot to breathe again.
When it seemed like Sungjin was just lying still looking in his direction without breathing properly, Yuwon tapped his own snorkel with his fingertips. Only then did Sungjin snap to attention.
Ah, right.
When he urgently inhaled air before running out of breath, he felt much more comfortable. He still didn’t know what kind of situation this was, but for now, Yuwon didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking him. To a third party, there was no difference from his attitude toward a wild animal rather than a person, but for the moment, Sungjin could also relax a little at the appearance that seemed to have no hostility.
Whew, after confirming that Sungjin had slowly inhaled and adapted to the water, Yuwon suddenly swam toward him. Even the sight of parting the water with his arms was like a mermaid.
When Sungjin flinched and faced Yuwon, he suddenly extended his hand toward Sungjin.
“……?”
When he just watched quietly, unable to understand what it meant, Yuwon raised his opposite arm and tapped it with his hand. Ah, he wants me to hold on. After hesitating for a moment, Sungjin grabbed Yuwon’s arm. Then Yuwon very skillfully swam through the water and headed to a place a bit away, taking Sungjin with him.
Is this okay? Haven’t we gotten too far from the yacht? If we stay underwater too long, won’t it be troublesome because there won’t be enough footage? Just as all kinds of worries arose, where Yuwon headed, there were tropical fish of such brilliant colors that were hard to believe they lived in Korean waters, swimming in schools.
Wow…
Sungjin blankly watched the school dance of tropical fish like a five-year-old child again. It was so beautiful that he almost forgot to breathe again.
It was a strange feeling. While he had been curled up inside his house, other people had been going around enjoying this otherworld. Rather than feeling resentful about that, he realized anew how narrow his vision had been.
Of course, some experiences could be vicariously satisfied through videos or photos containing others’ experiences in this era of developed media, but actually coming and experiencing it versus just watching on a screen were really things in different realms.
When Sungjin unconsciously reached his hand toward the school of fish, perhaps feeling threatened just by that, the fish quickly fled. Then, when Sungjin was surprised again and withdrew his hand, they leisurely returned to their place. That immediate reaction was fun.
Yuwon quietly watched as if observing Sungjin repeating the same action several times. Then he suddenly put his hand on Sungjin’s arm again.
“……?”
Did he do something wrong? Did he look like a badly behaved child who bullied weak animals like puppies or kittens? When Sungjin looked at Yuwon with a surprised face, shrinking back, Yuwon pointed to the school of fish and then extended his hand toward them.
What is he trying to do? Just as a question mark appeared in his head, Yuwon gathered his fingertips and moved them as if crumbling something.
“……?”
Is it some kind of hand signal? But I don’t know what that means… Just as Sungjin tilted his head in wonder, the fish that had fled in horror when he reached out his hand gathered around Yuwon’s fingertips. It was as if he had cast a spell.
When Sungjin looked back and forth between Yuwon and the school of fish in surprise, Yuwon curled up the corners of his mouth while still holding the snorkel in his mouth.
By what principle is that possible? As Sungjin kept looking around in fascination, turning his head quickly, Yuwon extended his hand and clasped Sungjin’s hand. Then he made him do the motion of gathering his fingertips and lightly rubbing them, just as he had done a moment ago.
Then, just like before, the fish began to gather around Sungjin’s hand.
“……?!”
What is this that they’re rushing like this? Some fish even poked Sungjin’s fingertips with their snouts. When Sungjin widened his eyes like a rabbit and looked around, Yuwon laughed loudly again.
The eye shape that curved beautifully without distorting at all even through the goggles was more lovely than anything else. If only he didn’t say strange things with that pretty face, it seemed like he would give his liver and gallbladder away while forgetting whatever past there was between them.
What brought Sungjin, who had been having such foolish thoughts, back to his senses was Yuwon discovering something, looking at Sungjin, and pointing to the surface. Following Yuwon, who went up to the water first, when Sungjin also raised his head, the production staff were waving their hands from on the boat.
“Please start wrapping up now and we’ll return to the resort~.”
“Ah, yes!”
When Sungjin urgently took off his goggles and threw them while answering, a person suddenly surfaced from far below the water’s surface. Looking closely in surprise, it was a staff member holding an action cam for underwater filming in their hands.
“Ah.”
I wondered how they would film if we stayed underwater for a long time. They were filming everything on their own.
Sungjin became embarrassed again thinking that all his foolish reactions had been captured on camera. However, since being embarrassed now couldn’t turn back time, he soon gave up and climbed onto the deck following Yuwon.
“Wh, whoa…”
Because he had been floating continuously in seawater, when he came up out of the water, his body felt heavy like a mermaid who had just acquired legs. It was a sensation he was feeling after a very long time.
When Sungjin sat down heavily on a chair with a bewildered expression in surprise, Yuwon took off his goggles like a pictorial. The moment the face that had been covered was revealed under the dazzling sunlight, Sungjin almost lost himself staring at his face again.
To such a Sungjin, Yuwon asked with a fairly satisfied-looking expression.
“How was it? Fun, right?”
Sungjin reflexively nodded his head vigorously. Immediately after, regret flooded in wondering if he had responded too foolishly, but it was already too late.
