What a beautiful day it was. Simply perfect. The sun was shining brightly. Many people in their swimsuits were visiting the sandy beach. A few lifeguards sat in their towers, watching over all the people who chose to get into the water. There were men and women, plenty of children. Everyone was having a good time. Even the lifeguards were enjoying their jobs. Surely, this was a happy day for all.

One lifeguard in particular was enjoying the shade of the large umbrella that shielded him from the sun atop his tower. This lifeguard was Bang Yongguk, quite popular with the men and ladies alike. His toned body and lightly-tanned skin made him quite a catch. If he was a fish, everyone would be sinking their hooks into him. Of course, the other lifeguards weren't bad-looking. Not at all. Yongguk just happened to catch more attention.

As he let his gaze scan over the occupants of the beach, he noticed just one lonely person, a man sitting a rather good distance away from everyone else. This man was not wearing the proper beach apparel. In fact, he looked like he had no intention of going near the water at all. The man was sitting on the sand, drinking what appeared to be beer. The waves crashed upon the shore, barely meeting the man's feet.

This was one of the things Yongguk had to see. As a lifeguard, he wasn't only responsible for helping people who might drown or get carried away by the waves. He also needed to keep an eye out for behavior that could cause any sorts of problems. Climbing down from his tower, Yongguk looked toward another lifeguard and put up a hand to silently let the other know that he would be right back.

As he made his way across the sand, Yongguk politely greeted the people he passed, excusing himself from any further conversation though. He didn't want to be rude. He was quite a friendly person. However, he had a job to do. Yongguk reached the lone man and noticed that there were three empty beer bottles beside him, a fourth one in his hand that was half empty."Excuse me, sir. You really shouldn't be drinking here. It's not safe to drink so close to the water."

The man peered up at Yongguk with hooded eyes. He looked so tired, like he might not have slept for days."I see no problem with it." he slurred.

With a sigh, Yongguk knew he had to use a more authoritative tone with this man."Sir, please take your drinks to one of our shacks or leave the beach."

The drunk man took a swig of his beer then rose to his feet, rather unsteadily."Whatever, man." He wasn't here to cause trouble, so he wouldn't argue. He just gathered up his bottles and stumbled away.

Yongguk watched the man until he was out of sight, relieved to see him leave the beach. Making his way back toward his tower, he made a stop by another lifeguard."Hey!" he called up to the lifeguard.

"Yongguk, you good?" The lifeguard came down from his tower and leaned his back against it."You get that drunk to leave?"

"Yeah." Yongguk rubbed the back of his neck."You know who he is, Himchan?" There had been an off-putting aura about the guy.

Himchan nodded simply."I guess you don't know since you're still fairly knew to this beach."

"What don't I know?" Yongguk thought he had been told about all the usual troublemakers when he got the lifeguard job at this beach. So if that guy wasn't one of the troublemakers, who was he?

"His name's Min Yoongi." Himchan stated."About a year ago, he came to this beach with his mother. She got a leg cramp while swimming and ended up drowning. Yoongi was unable to get to her because he couldn't swim. After that, the number of lifeguards was increased to make sure something like that wouldn't happen again. It's getting close to the anniversary. So I'm sure he'll be back."

Yongguk suddenly felt sorry for the drunk man. He must have come here to drink and think about his mother. He probably blamed himself for her death. If only he had known how to swim, he might have been able to save her.

---

Many days passed, and each day, Yongguk found himself asking a very drunk Yoongi to leave the beach. Each time was worse than the previous. Yoongi was drinking more, starting to talk back. Yongguk and Himchan ended up having to escort Yoongi off the beach a couple times. Yoongi would slur drunkenly at them. Sometimes, he would be difficult to handle. Other times, he would grin widely and call Yongguk handsome.

Then, one day came that confused Yongguk. Yoongi was nowhere to be found. He hadn't shown up to the beach today. And quite frankly, Yongguk had gotten used to seeing him. He missed the drunk man. He had grown a bit fond of his senseless slurring."I guess he's not coming today. I wonder why?"

Himchan shrugged his shoulders a little as it was getting close to time for them to close the beach. Most people had already left. There were just a few more people to usher off the sand."Well, today's the day, Yongguk. The anniversary. Maybe he's staying home to mourn."

That didn't seem right. Yongguk would have figured that the anniversary would be the day they would struggle the hardest to get Yoongi off the beach. He wasn't here though."I suppose." Once everyone else was off the beach, Yongguk and the other lifeguards left as well. It was getting late, the sun already set.

"See you tomorrow, Yongguk." Himchan said as he headed to his car.

"Yeah, see ya." Yongguk didn't drive though because he lived nearby. He didn't see a point in driving such a short distance. Making his way along the sidewalk and venturing away from the beach, Yongguk found his mind wandering to thoughts of Yoongi. He was concerned. The man had been sent away from the beach for the past several days. But the one day that seemed like the one he would try to fight for his right to be on the beach, he didn't show up. What could be the cause of that?

On his way home, Yongguk noticed someone familiar walking toward him. There was no mistaking him as he staggered with each step, a bottle in his hand. As he came closer to Yongguk, the strong smell of whiskey assaulted his nostrils."Yoongi, you shouldn't be out here in this state. Why don't you go home?"

Yoongi stopped and nearly lost his balance, grabbing onto Yongguk's arm with his free hand to steady himself."I'll, uh...I'll go home..." he slurred."I think it's, eh..." He glanced around before pointing ahead."It's this way..."

"Would you like me to walk with you?" Yongguk offered. He didn't want Yoongi to get lost in his drunken state or end up passing out on the street.

"No, no, handsome..." Yoongi took a swig of his whiskey then wiped his mouth with his forearm sloppily."I'll make it..."

This didn't set well with Yongguk, but he couldn't just force Yoongi to let him tag along. However, there was something he needed to ask the man. He was curious."Why do you drink on the beach?" He wanted to know the full reason of why Yoongi would do something so unsafe.

Yoongi glanced at his whiskey bottle then turned a grin to Yongguk."Maybe I'll get drunk enough to try to swim..."

Maybe Yoongi needed some liquid courage to even think about swimming after what happened last year. That was what Yongguk thought."Just make sure you go home. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay, whatever..." Yoongi walked past Yongguk to continue on his way.

Yongguk watched the drunk man stumble along for a couple minutes before returning on his path home. Something about this was bothering him. But what was it? When he reached his little house, Yongguk stepped inside and kept scrambling through his thoughts. What was it about Yoongi that worried him so much right now?

It took several minutes, but it finally struck him. Yoongi hadn't been at the beach today. He was going there now. He had been walking in the direction of the empty beach. Saying that he might get drunk enough to swim was just a more subtle way of saying he planned to drown. And going home...He was going to his mother.

With these conclusions in his mind, Yongguk ran out of his house and down the street as fast as he could. He had to get to the beach before it was too late. He ran with all the speed he could muster, but he felt like he wasn't going fast enough. He had a really bad feeling.

Reaching the beach, Yongguk hurried across the sand, searching for Yoongi. He had to find him."Yoongi!!" he called, hoping to get a reply. He cupped his hands around his mouth to send his voice further."Yoongi!!" He was scared. There was no response. Something stopped Yongguk dead in his tracks. Lying on the sand, so close to the waves, was a whiskey bottle."No, no, no." This wasn't good. Not good at all. Turning his gaze to the water, Yongguk scanned the waves."Yoongi!!" Yongguk saw him, floating and bobbing in the water. Aside from the motions the waves caused, Yoongi wasn't moving.

Yongguk ran into the water, swimming once he got in deep enough. He went straight for Yoongi, making sure to come up behind the drunk man. It was important to never approach a drowning person from the front. Slipping an arm around Yoongi, Yongguk hooked it beneath the drunk man's chin. Then, he started swimming toward the shore, making sure to keep Yoongi's head tilted to help his face stay out of the water.

Once he got Yoongi out of the water, Yongguk carefully laid him down on the sand."Yoongi, wake up!" He tapped the man's cheek, getting no response. Putting his hands together in the center of Yoongi's chest, he began giving compressions. After enough compressions, Yongguk put two fingers under Yoongi's chin and gently tilted his head back. With his other hand, he pinched Yoongi's nose. Covering the drunk man's mouth with his own, Yongguk blew twice. Then, he listened for a breath. Nothing.

"Come on, Yoongi! Don't die!" Yongguk went back to the chest compressions. After the compressions, he gave more breaths into Yoongi's mouth. When he was about to give more compressions, his eyes widened when Yoongi started choking."Yoongi!" Yongguk helped Yoongi roll onto his side, seeing him vomit up a large amount of water and whiskey."My god..! You're okay..!"

Yoongi coughed some more before breaking down into sobs."Mom..." he whimpered."I saw her..."

Yongguk carefully pulled Yoongi up into his arms, cradling him."I know you miss her. I know you want to be with her." He held the sobbing, drunk man close, rocking gently."But it's not your time yet. You'll be with her again, but when the right time comes." As Yoongi sobbed, Yongguk silently vowed, from this day forth, to take care of Yoongi. He would take it as his own responsibility to make sure Yoongi was okay. For as long as Yoongi may need him, Yongguk would be there.