AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart

Chapter 58

written by LoveCR2 -- 2005

edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017

 

"You might be my Teacher, but who appointed you God?" -- Jin Sun-Mi

 

 

ATHLETIC CLUB, SUBURBAN LONDON ...

 

What's with the towel?"

 

Min-Cho is doing stretches on the pool deck, watching Sun-Mi sit on the edge, dangling her feet in the water. She is swathed in a large white towel drawn closely around her, watching a couple of swimmers doing laps in the far lanes.

 

"You didn't tell me they won't allow regular clothes in the pool area," she complains. "I don't want you to see me dressed like this, it's embarrassing."

 

"What are you going to do then, once you're in the water?" he asks with a smirk and jokes, "Skinny dipping isn't allowed either."

 

Sun-Mi shoots him a scowl, and replies, "This is as far as I'm going. You said I had to get into the water, so I did."

 

"By that I meant to actually swim," Min-Cho argues, "not just splash around a bit."

 

"You have your interpretation, and I have mine," she declares frostily, "I said I'd get in, not how much," she makes the distinction clear.

 

"I'd hardly call that getting in, regardless," he protests her definition.

 

"Anyway, I just came for the eye-candy," she teases to change the subject, eying his broad, muscular shoulders and the perfectly toned six-pack above his dark blue Speedo brief.

 

"Eye candy?" he voices indignation. "You're ogling ME?"

 

"Don't they say, what's good for the gander is good for the goose?" she remarks smugly, attempting to copy his raffish expression when he'd commented on her legs. "Oh... in case you think I didn't notice, nice abs!"

 

He laughs and concedes, "Okay, turnabout is fair enough. I deserved that. But if you're not getting in, at least time me."

 

He hands her the stopwatch he's carrying, but then adds, "Let me do a few warm up laps first."

 

 

Min-Cho puts on his goggles and dives in. Surfacing a few lengths out, he swims slowly down and back. After another two laps, he grabs the gutter, poised to start...

 

Holding the stopwatch up, Sun-Mi does the countdown: "Ready? ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... Go!"

 

Min-Cho pushes off the wall and begins a vigorous butterfly down the lane, backstroking the return leg. Making an efficient flip turn, he breaststrokes down again, then pours on the effort with a powerful front crawl on the final leg home.

 

When he touches the wall, Sun-Mi stops the watch and announces: "2 minutes 35 seconds... Is that good?"

 

Sun-Mi has removed her feet from the pool and is sitting cross-legged on the edge. Min-Cho boosts himself out of the water and sits on the deck next to her.

 

After removing his goggles, he admits, "It won't win any prizes... You're sure you don't want to do a few laps, too?"

 

"I'm fine," she declines testily, annoyed at his persistence. "If you want to keep on swimming, go ahead."

 

"Teacher's orders..." he pulls rank, trying to encourage her.

 

"You might be my Teacher, but who appointed you God?" she bristles. "Just mind your own business!"

 

"Fine, I'll just mind my own business. I can cancel those driving lessons any time I want," he threatens.

 

"I thought we had a bargain!" she objects.

 

"Yup. Swimming for driving," he repeats his version of their agreement.

 

 

Angrily, Sun-Mi stands up. "All right, I'll get in the pool," she caves in.

 

She drops the towel, revealing the bright teal tank suit she is wearing, but doesn't look at him. Guessing that Sun-Mi is feeling self-conscious, Min-Cho decides to tease her a little, and lets off a low wolf-whistle of appreciation.

 

Sun-Mi glares at him, her face beet red, but he shrugs and jokes, "What's good for the goose..."

 

"All right, I deserved that," she acknowledges huffily, "but no more whistling, okay!"

 

"Got it," he nods. "So I'll just say you cut a fine figure in a swimsuit. I can't see what you're embarrassed about."

 

His compliment makes Sun-Mi blush a shade deeper as she realizes that she actually likes hearing that from him, rather than being bothered by his attentions...

 

"Just stop it, please," she requests.

 

 

Then she turns her attention to the water, looking down into the pool, poised to jump in.

 

But before she makes the plunge, she pleads, "Do I really have to do this?"

 

"We made a deal, right?" he holds to his position firmly.

 

"Tell me, do you have lifeguard training?"

 

"Yes, I'm NPLQ certified," he answers. "Why?"

 

She smiles as if making a flippant joke, "If I'm drowning, you'll rescue me, right?"

 

"Don't joke about things like that," he answers crossly, "Stop delaying, and just jump in!"

 

"I'm not joking," she replies in a calm, serious voice, as she bends her knees, preparing to jump. "Because I really don't know how to swim."

 

"What? ... Sun-Mi! Don't! ..."

 

But before he can react to stop her, Sun-Mi leaps into the pool. Completely caught off-guard, Min-Cho is scrambling to his feet when she surfaces a few meters away, arms treading water, gasping for breath.

 

Anxiously, he shouts to her, "Hold on, I'm coming!"

 

But as he speaks, Sun-Mi slips under.

 

He hesitates for a moment, hoping she will bob up again, but only bubbles of air breaks the surface...

 

Then, fearing the worst, Min-Cho dives in after her...