It's Tuesday morning. For a short time period after waking up, Hyunjin thought about trying coffee. His eye lids are close to falling down. It's their second training in Australia and again, the Australian team swam next to them. Hyunjin barely looked over to them, tried to ignore his surroundings like he always did, at every other competition. His strength is damaged through the lack of sleep he had the last month. Still, he couldn't give the strange Australian swimmer the satisfaction of winning against Hyunjin. So he swam faster, pushed farther, put more energy into it, to the point he felt like he would faint if he left the security of water buoyancy.

"Good training boys. Swim your last lanes. Hyunjin, I want ypu to stay with me afterwards."

Hyunjin sighs, diving into the water and letting himself float while lazily trying some strokes. Normally he would swim the last lanes faster and more... dynamic. But even tho he wants every lane he can get, he isn't dumb enough to swim himself into unconsciousness.

"I can see you want to win, but Hyunjin, we already won being here! We are the first relay team of our club to swim an international competition. In general, we are the first swimmer of our club to swim an international competition. I want you to sit down for at least half an hour this evening and calm down. Get your mind together and appreciate being here. I want you to swim good, but I also want you to stay alive and enjoy being here. Because it's something special an we already got so far!"

Hyunjin did sit down and think for half an hour. He really did. It just did not change the fact that he found himself in the lane around eleven pm again. And it does not take long for a gorgeous boy around his age sitting down on his place on the starting platform again.

"Did you know a wild dolphin can jump over four meters high out of the water?"

Hyunjin ignores the boy like the last few times. He took a turn swam the next lane of his warm-up. As soon as he dived into the water, the voice got quieted out. He can't hear an much too alluring voice spilling random facts. He turns again and gets ready for hearing something about a dolphins diet or anything in this direction. It made him stop for a minute, when everything stayed quiet. He looked up, but no annoyingly stunning guy sat at the podium, grinning down on him.

"Searching for me already?"

Hyunjin looks to the side. The boy was laying on the water, looking at him, smiling cheekily.

"No worries! I missed you too, honey!"

Hyunjin rolled his eyes and dived under the surface, hoping he hid his burning, red cheeks fast enough.

He floated up again, his eyes straight to the end of the lanes.

"Race me!", Hyunjin pressed out.

"Hmm?"

"Swim against me."

The guy stayed quiet for a bit. Hyunjin could feel his star eon his cheek.

"Okay, yeah, sure. Let's 'race'."

They both lined up at the start of the lane. Hyunjin counted down and they started racing. Hyunjin felt the water around his body, loved the soft feeling and felt strong. He felt like he was the man of his body, like he could do anything. He swam faster, took a turn and swam back. Then he clapped on the boarder.

"Close, but a good one.", the warm voice made him feel cold. The water seems like spikes. He turned and looked into the eyes of the Australian boy.

"You won.", Hyunjin stated matter of factly.

"I wouldn't say I won. That would mean you lost and that would take the fun out of it. You know? When we play with losers. Wouldn't make that much fun..."

"We don't play, stranger. We race!"

"Same thing if you ask me. Playing in an adulting way."

Hyunjin bits his teeth together.

"Again!"

"Sure thing."

This time the water felt cold around Hyunjin. To him it seems like it is amking him slower, which it is. He doesn't see that it carries him, but he feels that his body is pressing him down. When he clapped the boarder, the boy is already waiting.

"You seem stiffer."

Hyunjin ignores the statement.

"Again."

...

"You get slower. Feel the water."

"I know how to swim. Again!"

...

"Lose up a bit."

"Another one."

...

"Dude! Have fun. If you swim the comp like thta, you will lose and faint!"

"Shut up! You don't know me! Again!"

"It's right, that I don't know you, but I know enough swimmers who overworked themselves and sunk!"

"Another lane!"

"Take a break!"

"I said again!"

The boy shutted his mouth. He looked at Hyunjin with stiff facial features. Then he left the lane.

"Where are you going? Are you running away? Scared you would lose?"

"I just won enough. Hyunjin, you should-"

Hyunjin dives under the water. He doesn't want to hear it AGAIN.

Still, when he came up again, he couldn't stop glancing at the strange boy, strapping on his backbag, fully clothed again. He started walking out, but before he cae to the door, he once again turned back to Hyunjin to say: "You know, you maybe don't want to listen to me or your coach, but you shouldn't be so stiff. Have fun, relax and enjoy it. Winning is going to be a lot easier that way."

Hyunjin stares at him without any emotions or movement in his face. His eyes dead, not annoyed, but he tries to look uninterested. The strange boy nods as an ending to his speech: "Alright, see you, Hyune." The boy in the water felt something weird in his tummy at the nickname. Just now he realized that he never told the other boy his name or the other way round.