GAHYUN LEE

After hours spent, I'm practically wasted both physically and mentally. I just couldn't wait to go to sleep after a nice hot shower, my muscles feeling sore.

With pruned fingertips and exhausted expressions, we walk into the shower stalls to find there's already a couple boys there.

They're all shirtless, laughing and splashing water at each other playfully.

Without hesitation, Taehyung starts stripping. He looks overtired, and I feel the exact same way as I try to scoot past the boys into a stall.

Then one of them stops me.

"I haven't seen you around." He says, and I hate having to look up. His eyes skate across my figure, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Aren't you a bit too delicate for a male diver?"

My throat seizes up instantly. Feet freezing to the ground, I just look at him with wide, surprised eyes. Had he guessed? Had he guessed I wasn't— male?

"Hey. Leave him alone." Taehyung pushes himself between me and the boy, eyes narrowed. "You—"

The boy smirks, as if ignoring Taehyung's presence there. "You're almost like a little girl. Can't even strip in front of us, huh?"

He knows.

Does he know?

Then Taehyung pushes his shoulder hard into the boy. He stumbles back, crashing backfirst into one of the shower stalls.

"What the hell!" He yells, quickly scrambling back up to his feet. All I can see is Taehyung's broad back, and I can't help but feel a sense of safety.

"Hyun-ah." He calls, and I look up as he motions to one of the stalls. "Go change. I won't let them bother you."

My expression grateful, I quickly duck my head and hurry past. The moment I close the door behind me, I hurriedly press my ear against the thin wood.

I couldn't let Taehyung get in trouble because of me.

But I release a relieved sigh when I hear the boy grumble and back off, leaving the stalls entirely. Only then can I undress comfortably, slipping on a baggy white shirt and dark medium-length shorts.

"You okay?" Taehyung peeks up at me when I carefully step out of the stall with my slides on, looking around to make sure they were gone.

"Thanks so much." I breathe out in relief, and he stands up. He'd dressed into a gray hoodie and black shorts, hood pulled low over his hair.

"Don't let them get to you." He mumbles, falling in stride with me. How was I supposed to tell him that the things they were saying were nothing short of the truth?

I was a girl.

"I'm fine." I exclaim, my nose turned up. He chuckles, patting my head. His hand is so large it literally wraps around the entire top of it.

"So sleepy." I groan as I crash into bed, burrowing into the blankets with sore and heavy muscles.

"We have dinner in an hour." He reminds, and I groan back lazily.

"Wake me up then."

_________________________

When I finally blink my heavy eyes open, I sit up sleepily. My gaze flickers to the clock— it's already nighttime, and I was hungry beyond imagination.

Then I hear water stop running in the bathroom, and Taehyung emerges from the door. He points at the nightstand, and my eyes go bright at the plate.

"I brought some food for you— I swear, Hyun-ah— if there was a fire or something, I'd have to carry you out with my hands. You wouldn't wake up."

I blush in embarrassment, before muttering a thank-you and beginning to stuff my cheeks full with the food.

"What would you do without me?" He says, relaxing on his bed as he watches me chew on a burger. "You remind me of my younger brother— I always had to take care of him."

"Your younger brother?" I exclaim, still chewing. "Is he like me?"

"He's dead."

That's when I choke, bursting into a series of uncontrollable coughs. Taehyung quickly reaches over to rub circles on my back, clearly not expecting my reaction. His eyes are wide.

"I'm sorry— I didn't mean for that to happen."

"No, I'm sorry." I say, completely flustered. I'd never been in this kind of situation before— what was I supposed to say? And I— I reminded of his younger brother?

"It's okay. Thank you though." He smiles lightly, but I can see sadness in his beautiful eyes.

"Sorry if I'm— uh, being too insensitive." I pipe up, and he looks at me curiously. "But what was he usually like? I guess— so, like what did he do?"

He leans back on the headboard of the bed. "I remember he used to come over to my room every night because he had nightmares. He'd just hug me from the back."

I swallow.

Isn't this literally pushing it? Maybe he'll even think I'm weird— crazy even.

But when his phone rings and he turns his back to me to answer it, I quickly dart out of my bed. Then I wrap my arms around his back.

I feel him freeze.

I do too, terrified now that I've done it.

But then he relaxes, and I almost sigh out loud in relief. Awesome— that actually hadn't ended up by him practically throwing me out the window.

He smells like sunlight and waves.

It calms me, and I touch my forehead to his smooth, broad back. The material of his shirt feels soft against my skin, and I feel so at ease considering I'm in a situation that'd usually have me panicking and freaking out.

I still can't believe I actually fall asleep, though.

_________________________

"Hyun-ah! Wake up!"

Someone's shaking me, and I mumble sleepily as I frown. I wanted to sleep  more— and I still felt so tired—

"It's already eleven in the morning." My eyes snap open when I recognize the voice as Taehyung's, and he sighs out in relief as I sit up confusedly.

I'm on his bed, my bed on the other side looking totally unslept in.

"Thank God. You woke up." He exclaims, his cheeks slightly red for some reason. Maybe it was just from the morning sunlight.

"We need to practice." He says, expression serious. "The instructors cut the due date short— it's not due next week anymore."

"It's due in two days."

"What?" I sputter in shock, rushing to grab my stuff. "They can't just do that! That's illegal."

He laughs. "It's not illegal. They're the teachers, they do what they want. But still, it's not fair."

He's already dressed, his hair perfectly straight and looking soft. His dark towel is clutched in his hands, and I rush twice faster to get ready.

In record time, I'm out of the bathroom with my wetsuit on and my towel slung messily around my neck.

"Thanks for waking me up." I flush, running my fingers quickly through my bed hair. It's probably sticking up in all places— it wasn't perfect like his were.

"No problem."

_______________________

"That choreography was so good!" I say excitedly, before a smug expression comes on my features. "I wonder who came up with it."

"I did." He says innocently, and I gape at him before he bursts into laughter. "Just messing. I'm just glad it's nearly perfect— just a bit more practice and it'll be good for tomorrow."

"I didn't know you were such a perfectionist." I sigh, remembering how he'd made us go over each and every single thing about a million times.

The shower rooms are empty when we get there, and I can't help but be happy about that inside.

I'm almost done showering when his surprised voice suddenly echoes from the stall next to mine, and soft cursing.

"What's wrong?" I call out, and Taehyung's frustrated, deep tone answers me back.

"I think I forgot my towel back at the pool." He sighs, and I hear the water stop running in his stall. "Great, I'll be dripping water everywhere."

"You want me to go get it? I'm almost done dressing—"

"No, it's okay." His voice echoes back, and I hear the swing of the door as he tugs it open. "I'll see you back in our room, Hyun-ah. I'm probably going to have to shower again."

Everything gets quiet with Taehyung gone, and I quickly tug a shirt over my body. I'm about to leave the stall room when the door swings open, and I automatically step back inside the stall.

My mouth goes dry.

It's them.

Those boys from yesterday.

Clutching my bag tightly to my chest, I hear talking sounds and realize they're talking right in front of where I am. I stay put, hoping they'd go shower soon and I could slip out then.

But they talk for so, so long.

What am I even doing? I ask angrily to myself when I realize how stupid this is. Just walk out of there and walk out of the door. It's not even that hard.

And why was I hiding in the first place? I wasn't afraid of them.

Finally getting a good grip on my mind, I step out of the stall. I refuse to even look in their direction as I walk to the door, not acknowledging their presence.

"Hey, it's you."

Ignoring the call, I just keep walking. But then a hand pulls me back, and I hiss between my teeth.

"You can't just ignore me like that." My eyes instinctively look at the floor when the same one who'd talked corners me to the wall. But then I realize I have to look confident, not scared like this.

But when I look up at him with blazing eyes, one of his friends laugh.

"You're actually kind of right. He does actually look like a girl— so small."

"I'm not a girl." I hiss back, my eyes flickering to the door. They laugh, so different from Taehyung's warm, amused laugh.

"Then prove it." He says, drawing back with a smirking smile. "Lift up your shirt. We're all the same gender here, yeah?"

"You can't fucking make me."

"Cursing now doesn't make you look any scarier, you know." He says, and I just stare at him like I could kill him. "If you won't do it yourself, I'll do it for you."

I really, really don't want to let it show, but I'm absolutely terrified right now.

When he reaches for the hem of my shirt, I hit his hand away. My eyes are darting for an escape, but every option looks hopeless.

"There's nothing to be so worried about if we are all the same guys, right?" He says lightly, raising an eyebrow. "Hey. Hold him down."

"Stop! You can't make me do anything!" I yelp, my words slurring together in panic as hands pin my arms above my head.

Dammit, they're strong.

I kick wildly when he comes closer, but it barely even touches him. They're divers— agile, trained, athletic. And they were all taller, bigger and stronger than me.

His fingers clamp around the hem of my shirt, and draws the material upwards until it reveals my pale stomach.

My breath thuds in my chest, my features twisted in horror.

Then the door slams open.

The moment my widened, terrified eyes meet with Taehyung's shocked ones, he instantly hurls the towel in his hand towards the one who's holding me.

Considering it's a towel, it slams into him pretty hard.

"What the hell are you doing to my roommate?" He growls, his furious eyes tinted red as he rushes to tear me off from them.

His fingers close around my hiked shirt, pulling it back down as he pushes me behind him.

Then he slams his fist into the face of the boy who'd been holding me, knocking him out. It's like I've gone mute when Taehyung draws back again, his lips pressed tight with anger as he grips a fistful of the other boy's collar.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" He growls, and I try to even my breaths as he slams the boy into the tiled wall. The boy was bigger than me, but Taehyung was bigger than him.

Now he looks terrified, and it disgusts me to see how he's so frightened against someone bigger than him but doesn't hesitate to harass someone smaller.

With a disgusted hiss, Taehyung throws him to the ground. When he turns to me, his hold is surprisingly gentle considering how harsh it was a second ago.

"I'm sorry for leaving you." He whispers, and I just shake my head with my bag clutched tight in my arms.

"It's not your fault. T-Thanks for coming." A slight stutter in my voice betrays my anxiety, and Taehyung's hand tightens on my shoulder.

Then he suddenly stops in his tracks, before turning back with an angry hiss.

I'm quick to grip his sleeve.

"Wait, where are you going?"

His jaw flexes in anger, and there's a look in his eyes that I don't recognize at all. It's something I could never expect someone like him could make— someone always smiling and laughing so softly.

"I should've left him half-dead on the floor."