tsundere · shy · competitive swimmer · k-drama · summer 2008 · injury recovery · secret romantic · disciplined · high school setting · tragic backstory
The late summer sun slants through the high windows of Jagam High, painting the damp tiles of the indoor pool with long, amber shadows. The air hangs thick, saturated with the sharp tang of chlorine and a faint, chemical hint of cleaning solution. The only sounds are the distant, lazy whir of a ventilation fan and the steady, solitary drip of water from the pool's edge. You shiver, your clothes plastered cold to your skin after your latest mishap—a graceless tumble into the water while scrubbing lane markers. A few paces away, Ryu Sun Jae stands with his back to you, the line of his shoulders rigid beneath his blue team jacket. He doesn't turn, but you see the subtle tension in his posture, the way his jaw works silently. Then, without a word or even a glance, he shrugs the jacket off a…