Seung-ho was sitting on the edge of the pool while his feet were in the water. He tossed one of the snacks into his mouth and took a sip of his beer.

Hyo-bin was floating on his back in the water with his eyes closed. 

"Ya!" Seung-ho yelled at him. "Come and drink your beer, it's gonna get warm."

Hyo-bin pulled his knees to his chest and sank into the water with a backward flip. He swam along the bottom to reach Seung-ho and moved like he was born in the water and spent his whole life there.

He leaned back against the tiles and grabbed his beer. After taking a sip and setting the bottle down, he pushed himself up with his hands and sat down next to his teammate.

"This swimsuit is really good," he said.

"Yeah?" Seung-ho asked. "You can keep it."

"Thanks," Hyobin said. "It's kind of a shame this house with the pool is in Busan." 

"Why? Do you wanna come back?" Seung-ho asked.

"What? No, I meant you," Hyo-bin said.

"Yeah, like I care that much about swimming," Seung-ho said and took a few sips from his beer.

"Ya, Seung-ho. You'd care a lot more about swimming if you didn't have a pool like this." 

"You calling me spoiled?" Seung-ho asked, grinning.

"Yeah, because you are," Hyo-bin said. He was smiling.

Seung-ho took a few more sips from his beer and turned to Hyo-bin, then squinted his dark, monolid eyes at the water drops covering his face.

"Ya, I'm gonna ask you something," he said. "Are you fucking Soo-bin?"

Hyo-bin had just tossed a snack into his mouth. He opened his eyes wide and turned to him.

"Do you have a death wish?!" he yelled. "That guy is my friend, and he has a girlfriend."

"Yeah, of course," Seung-ho said. "She's a very pretty girl, she's a very smart girl, she lives in Busan, and they love each other. He just doesn't even have a single picture of her."

"Stop talking nonsense," Hyo-bin said. "He has no reason to lie. Besides, they're always talking when he's with me."

Seung-ho picked up his beer and hit it against his bottle.

"Does he know you're gay?" he asked.

"No," Hyo-bin said. "Nobody knows in the team. You're the only one who knows."

He took a sip of beer.

"Why, are you gonna go and tell everyone?" he asked.

"Why would I do something like that, asshole?" Seung-ho asked quietly.

"You punched my face in the pool just yesterday. Why wouldn't you? I could faint, bastard," Hyo-bin said.

"There were fifty people there. No one would let you drown. I wouldn't either, idiot." 

"Yeah, right? You always protect me," Hyo-bin said and stood up.

After he stretched his arms, he dove into the water. It only took him two seconds to glide across the bottom to the other side.

Seung-ho watched him move through the water, feeling pure admiration for his talent. He stood up and dove into the pool too. Then glided along the bottom and went right next to Hyo-bin.

"Two laps," he said. "If you win, I'll do anything you want. If I win, you're gonna do anything I want."

"Deal," Hyo-bin said.

They swam to the near edge together and climbed out of the pool.

After they took their positions, Seung-ho spoke loudly.

"One... Two..." he said, and he dove into the water immediately.

Hyo-bin dove into the water after him. He yelled "Asshole!" while he hit the surface.

Seung-ho was almost a full body length ahead. Hyo-bin pushed his limits and caught his swimsuit to pull him back.

Seung-ho lost his balance in the water.

"What the fuck?" he yelled.

Hyo-bin was laughing loudly while he swam past him.

Seung-ho caught his foot and pulled him down into the water. Hyo-bin turned around immediately and kicked him with his free foot.

They fought in the water instead of swimming. It took them three minutes to finish just one lap.

Finally Hyo-bin touched the edge with his hand.

"I win!" he yelled. "I always win!" he shouted.

Seung-ho pouted.

"You're an idiot," Hyo-bin said. "You could've even won if you didn't pull me everywhere."

Seung-ho dunked his head into the water and came back up. Then he grinned.

"But you had fun, didn't you?" he asked. "Let's get out, your lips are already purple."

—

Seung-ho looked in the mirror after he stepped out of the shower and sighed. Then he put on a hoodie and sweatpants and walked downstairs with his bare feet. 

Hyo-bin had insisted on preparing something to eat in the kitchen, and he looked completely absorbed in cooking right then. Seung-ho stopped on the last step and watched him for a while without making a sound.

Hyo-bin was very handsome. His wide shoulders unique to swimmers, his tall height, his smooth skin, his dark hair, everything about him looked attractive. And looked like he had lost himself in cooking. 

Seung-ho thought for a moment that Hyo-bin cooking in his kitchen and wearing his sweatpants felt exactly like a dream. He had thought they would never speak again just yesterday, but now it felt like they had erased the cursed years between them and returned to their high school days.

He cleared his throat to not scare him while he walked down the last steps.

"I gave you a hoodie, why didn't you wear it?" he asked.

"I thought the one I'm wearing now would keep me warmer," Hyo-bin said. "Ya, taste this."

Seung-ho looked at the spoon Hyo-bin held out.

"Take off Soo-bin's sweatshirt and wear my hoodie," he said. 

Then he leaned forward and tasted the soup on the spoon.

Hyo-bin was waiting for him curiously.

"So?" he asked.

Seung-ho frowned.

"Are you making dinner or a biological weapon?"

"You're such an asshole… Eat it or starve. I don't care," Hyo-bin said.

Insulting each other had been a perfect defense mechanism for them in the past, and they had never even thought they would punch each other over it one day.

Hyo-bin looked at him while Seung-ho checked the food he had prepared in a short time.

"Hand me the salt. You're just standing there," he said.

"I'm supervising. You look like you need help," Seung-ho said. "Ya, I told you to change Soo-bin's sweatshirt with mine."

"Haah, I think I'm gonna faint," Hyo-bin said, closing his eyes. "I won't change it, my ass is freezing anyway, leave me alone."

Seung-ho started to eat the carrots resting on the side fast.

"Stop eating before they're cooked!" Hyo-bin yelled.

Seung-ho stepped close to him and leaned toward his ear.

"I have to make sure they're not poisonous," he whispered. "My worst enemy is in my kitchen."

Then he pulled back.

"Ya, take that sweatshirt off."

"Aisshh, Seung-ho. Fuck you…"

Hyo-bin dropped the spoon in his hand hard onto the counter and pulled the sweatshirt over his head in one move. He left it on the chair.

"Are you happy, idiot?"

Seung-ho walked upstairs fast and came back with a hoodie in his hands.

"Thank you for listening to me," he said while he gently tried to pull it over Hyo-bin's head.

"Stop talking and give me carrots," Hyo-bin said and laughed.

Seung-ho opened his mouth to say "Soo-bin—" while he handed him the new carrots, but Hyo-bin turned to him and looked at him angrily.

"Yaa… I have a knife in my hand, stop talking bullshit about my friend, okay? We're not fucking and he's not in love with me. Go stir the soup on the stove."

They continued to cook calmly without talking for a while.

Seung-ho turned and looked at him.

"You're chopping those carrots like they owe you money," he said.

"I'm pretending they're your dick," Hyo-bin said.

Seung-ho did not know how to stay quiet.

"Is there anyone you like?" he asked.

"Why do you care so much about my love life, Seung-ho?" Hyo-bin asked. "What are you getting at?"

Seung-ho looked into his eyes.

"I wanna know who I'm competing with."