Chapter 72: Diving Accident
by GideonZion went in first, and only then did I finally manage to calm down. I was still worried about the others, but I tried to soothe my anxiety by hurrying.
Phew…
I’d been pretending to be fine, but I’d always had a trauma from nearly drowning during a childhood trip to the beach.
I’d only agreed to learn this for the shoot, but my body felt heavy and sluggish, as if weighed down by my own worry.
They said this was the deepest pool in the country, and the color of the water below looked completely different. It was a dizzying depth.
“Instructor, this is way too deep,” I said.
“Today, we’re just going to get you comfortable with the water. Don’t worry too much. As long as you don’t push yourself alone, you’ll be fine.”
But the fear of the deep water was so overwhelming that I couldn’t hear a word the instructor was saying.
“Alright, grab the rope attached to the buoy and slowly come on in.”
I was glad there was a safety rope, even though I was going in without any gear.
“My feet can’t touch the bottom… I’m terrified,” I murmured.
“That’s the most common fear for beginners,” the instructor replied. “You’ll get used to it gradually.”
I’ve always been sensitive to the cold, and the tension only made the water feel even chillier. My breathing was shallow, my anxiety was spiking, and my head started to spin. I lifted my head to catch my breath, and there was Zion, sweeping his wet hair back as he approached.
“Are you okay, Sunbae?”
Water droplets traced the line of his forehead and ran down his face. Even in a wetsuit, his raw, sexy aura was impossible to ignore.
How is he hotter in a suit than he would be naked?
It was his magic—the ability to turn any setting into a photoshoot. Zion stepped closer, his eyes searching my face.
“You look scared.”
A single droplet of water traced the sharp line of his jaw. For a fleeting moment, the air around them seemed to slow down.
This kind of gentle concern while he’s soaking wet… it’s cheating.
“Ah, Do Zion! It’s been a while.”
The instructor recognized him immediately, as if she’d been waiting for him to appear. “How have you been?”
Zion offered his hand without hesitation, and the instructor shook it with a familiar ease.
“Of course I’ve been well. Do you two know each other?”
“He’s a close senior of mine,” Zion explained. “We’re working on the same project this time.”
Zion usually seemed to get along with everyone regardless of their rank or relationship, but in truth, he drew a very clear line around his inner circle. In other words, his standards for who he considered “close” were incredibly strict and the wall he built around himself was high. Because of this, he rarely used the word “close” when introducing others.
Fans called this “being chosen.”
I feel like I just got chosen…
“Ah, I see. I was actually going to ask if you were a celebrity, you’re so handsome.”
Thanks to Zion, Jubin’s shyness around the instructor gradually faded. Just resolving that alone seemed to cut his fear of the water in half.
“Please take good care of my senior,” Zion said. “He’s not very fond of the water.”
“A healthy fear of water is actually helpful,” the instructor replied. “People who aren’t afraid of it at all are the ones who get into accidents.”
Zion naturally turned his gaze to Jubin. “Sunbae, if you get scared, we can take a break. Okay?”
Jubin nodded, his expression much more relaxed. The pheromones wafting from Zion seemed to warm his body, which had chilled in the water.
Zion, a pro-level swimmer, left them to train in the deepest part of the pool.
Watching his broad back, Jubin exhaled deeply. A surge of motivation to do well washed over him.
“Just relax. The most important thing is your breathing. The theory you learned is important, but we’ll go slowly, at your own pace.”
Perhaps because he was finally relaxing, the instructor’s words were starting to sink in. With a professional’s touch, he spoke in a gentle tone, instilling a sense of calm in Jubin.
“Inhale for four seconds… and exhale until you feel completely relaxed. That’s it. Yes, you’re doing great. Water isn’t scary. With the right training and practice, it can become your friend.”
Can water really become a friend?
Looking at Zion, Jubin thought it seemed possible.
Of course, the fear was still greater than the trust—his feet couldn’t touch the bottom—but slowly, he was beginning to feel more at ease in the water.
“Now, we’re going to try a static breath-hold. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Jubin took a deep breath and replied.
“Don’t open your mouth wide and gulp air in all at once,” the instructor explained. “Purse your lips and build up the breath steadily, from your belly up to your chest.”
Just as Jubin was finally getting used to the water and trying to learn how to breathe, a pool staff member came running toward them from a distance.
“Instructor, I’m sorry to interrupt your lesson, but a member just backed into your car. You should go check on it.”
“What?!”
The color drained from the instructor’s face.
“Is… is it bad?”
“…Ah, well… yes, it’s pretty bad.”
The instructor’s face turned whiter than Jubin’s, who was still trembling before the water.
“Oh, I only borrowed that car for today…”
Of all the times for it to be a borrowed car.
Jubin tightened his grip on the rope, his attention turning to the instructor, who looked like he was about to burst into tears.
“Go on, hurry.”
“But…”
“I’m fine. I’ll just practice on my own.”
The instructor’s eyes darted frantically. He was torn between leaving a beginner alone in the water and the urgent need to check on his borrowed car—all while being unable to just end the lesson he’d only just started.
“I’ll be back. I promise, I’ll be really quick!”
“Yes, please go.”
“Don’t swim any deeper!”
I wasn’t planning to anyway, Jubin thought.
The instructor sliced through the water, practically launching himself out of the pool. He sprinted away, completely ignoring the slippery floor.
“He’ll be back soon…”
Jubin wanted to stay put, gripping the rope tight, but the water was so freezing he knew he had to get out.
He drifted forward, step by step, as if swept away by a current, until he found himself completely alone.
“Ah…”
When he turned his head, he realized he’d gone much further than he thought. The rope was no longer connected.
He had clearly drifted far beyond the beginner’s course.
He hated the cold water, and the creeping fear of sinking made his breathing erratic again.
Whether it was the sudden tension or the low temperature, his muscles were starting to stiffen.
“What do I do…?”
Waves of panic washed over me. The instructor had warned us not to go too deep, but the depth marker on the wall was already well above my height.
Stay calm. Just stay calm…
I tried to steady my breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly to maintain a normal rhythm. But the icy water against my skin and the rhythmic splashing in my ears made my body freeze.
Gasp.
The tension seized my muscles, and I sank beneath the surface.
Pffft!
I clung to the rope, struggling to get my head above water.
Just then, my toes locked up, refusing to move. A sharp, stiff pain shot through my foot as my toes curled inward.
“Ugh…!”
I gripped my cramping leg with both hands, trying to ease the pain, but in the struggle, I let go of the rope.
Puh-haah, gasp…
My head plunged back beneath the surface. The more I struggled to survive, the more the cramped muscle seized, sending a sharp, electric pain shooting through my leg.
The agonizing cramp seemed to drag my entire body down into the abyss, pulling me toward the bottom of the deep end.
I thrashed my arms, trying to swim upward, but the resistance was overwhelming.
The shimmering surface of the water above was pure terror.
A childhood trauma replayed in my mind. Just like back then, the underwater world I stared into was a dark, suffocating blue.
No matter how hard I fought, the distant floor seemed impossible to reach.
The sounds around me grew dull and distant.
It felt as if the water itself was trying to kill me.
I’m scared.
The breath he’d been holding finally burst from his mouth and nose.
I can’t breathe…
He was sinking. Endlessly.
Regret was useless now. He shouldn’t have told the instructor he was fine. He should have listened to Zion and taken a break.
This was the price of his stubbornness. The bubbles he’d coughed up drifted toward the surface, growing fainter and more distant.
Is it already too late…?
Just then, someone seized Jubin’s upper body in a firm grip and hauled him out of the water in one swift motion.
“Sunbae!!”
A harsh light pierced through my eyelids. My consciousness slowly flickered back to life.
The warmth beneath my back and the cozy weight of the blanket covering me made it hard to tell where reality ended and a dream began.
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling raw and scratchy. I had a vague memory of coughing up water, but I couldn’t piece together what had happened.
When I finally managed to open my eyes, I saw the blur of a fluorescent light. The smeared glow shook and swayed before gradually focusing into a single point.
My wetsuit, which should have been soaking wet, was almost completely dry—except for the cuffs.
My head still felt heavy, and my body was completely drained of strength, but none of that mattered. My mouth—no, my entire body—felt as if it were submerged in a sweet fragrance.
Just knowing I wasn’t underwater anymore was enough.
“Sunbae? Are you awake?”
Zion was looking down at me, his face pale with worry. I wiggled my toes and felt the distinct texture of the blanket. Thank God, my senses are still sharp.
I’m alive…
“…Where are we…?”
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