HLSEBT - 77

“One breathing apparatus means one between the two of you, but it doesn’t mean one of you shouldn’t use it.”

Yoon Tae-ha listened calmly to Kim Doo-eon’s instructions as she put on her protective gear.

Kim Doo-eon seemed pleased with her composed demeanor and added further explanation.

“The textbook method is to take turns. But if one person can hold their breath longer, they can fully yield it to their partner.”

She lightly bounced in the pool water up to her chest, loosening up. Cheon Geon-young was already near the set piece.

This was the second time, but the situation had changed.

If it were an unfamiliar guide, she might have handed over the breathing apparatus from the start and gone solo.

But would that man allow it?

Before walking toward the students, Kim Doo-eon gave one final reminder.

“There’s no restriction on how you do it. If you think it’s impossible, signal immediately.”

“Understood.”

Nodding, Yoon Tae-ha headed toward the set piece.

Cheon Geon-young, who was already on the set piece, extended his hand. She grabbed it and entered smoothly.

The instructor’s hat had changed to green.

“Nice to see you all.”

The two nodded in greeting. The green hat still featured the cocky sun character wearing sunglasses, seemingly purchased during a trip to some resort. He might have liked it so much he bought it in every color.

“I’ll explain briefly. There’s only one breathing apparatus, but it holds slightly more oxygen than before. It’s large capacity.”

He emphasized “large capacity,” seemingly trying to reassure them.

“The process is the same. Once submerged, one of you will wear this when signaled. I’ll designate the exit window.”

Designated window.

She expected it would be intentionally designed to not open easily—perhaps with an extra lock or mechanism.

“It’s a battle of who can calmly handle variables. You seem to understand perfectly, so there’s nothing more to say.”

“Yes.”

The two answered simultaneously without looking at each other. The instructor tilted his head, observing their disciplined posture, which surpassed even his active-duty days.

“And no communication before entering the water.”

He belatedly added.

“I should’ve said that earlier. But you two naturally kept quiet...”

A short silence enveloped the three on the set piece.

But the time to breathe comfortably wasn’t long.

“Are you ready?”

At Kim Doo-eon’s question, the surrounding instructors responded. Yoon Tae-ha double-checked the shape of the breathing apparatus held by the instructor in front of her.

With no time to discuss, she had to predict how Cheon Geon-young would act.

“Let’s begin.”

As the seated instructor’s voice rang out, the two, securely fastened by safety belts, tilted sideways.

The gloomy sky was briefly visible before their field of vision quickly shifted to the pool tiles.

Water began flooding in faster than before.

Yoon Tae-ha braced herself for the man beside her and took one last deep breath. Cheon Geon-young followed a beat later.

Pressure dulled her ears. Water filled her nose.

No matter how many times she experienced it, the whirlpool battering her chin felt unbearable. Her neck lolled loosely.

Even with protective goggles, her vision blurred. Though rain fell outside, the water today seemed murkier.

Yoon Tae-ha counted numbers as she descended.

Last time, the instructor handed over the breathing apparatus around 10. That’s why she never ran out of air when alone.

But now, the instructor leisurely swam around with the apparatus, like a happy seaweed.

The count passed 50.

“Is he joking?”

Being tied down while descending into the set piece was entirely different from diving freely.

Blinking, she held her breath again and again.

Should she use telekinesis to push the pool water upward?

A fleeting mad thought. She clenched her fist tightly, then released it.

Just as she thought human limits were being tested, the instructor approached, grinning annoyingly behind his sunglasses.

After a moment’s hesitation, the instructor reached out, seemingly intending to hand the apparatus to Cheon Geon-young.

It worked out well. Thinking that, she quickly began unbuckling her belt. Having done it once, she wasn’t flustered.

As she fumbled with the rings, a solid torso appeared. It was Cheon Geon-young, who had been sitting next to her just moments ago, tied to the same rope.

In the blink of an eye, he placed the breathing apparatus in her mouth. Apparently, he had already undone his holster and safety belt.

She reflexively inhaled the oxygen. Her painfully inflated chest settled.

The instructor, watching them, laughed, creating bubbles. His beard swayed happily amidst the froth.

Once the designated window was assigned, Cheon Geon-young immediately charged forward. Meanwhile, Yoon Tae-ha freed the remaining rings and escaped successfully.

Screech. The set piece emitted a strange sound, having lost its companion to sink with. Outside the window, the instructor, without an oxygen tank, swiftly passed by.

As Yoon Tae-ha approached quickly, Cheon Geon-young signaled her to turn two flat, mushroom-like screws.

While she turned them, he lifted a heavy lever.

The window opened instantly.

Cheon Geon-young pushed her feet, sending her straight out through the window. After signaling to pass the breathing apparatus, it seemed he had no intention of trading it.

Exiting should have ended it. But instead of heading directly to the surface, she turned back as soon as she left the set piece.

And turning back proved wise.

“What the—!”

Two instructors circling nearby were pressing down on Cheon Geon-young’s shoulders, hindering his escape.

He was sinking.

Yoon Tae-ha swam downward with incredible speed, faster than ever before.

She kicked both instructors’ shoulders. Perhaps she miscalculated her strength—they floated away limply.

Simultaneously, Cheon Geon-young firmly embraced her shoulders and waist. Her cheek pressed against his chest. He hugged her so tightly that her mouth, holding the breathing apparatus, felt bruised.

Using his hips and thighs, the man propelled upward rapidly.

As the two surfaced simultaneously, cheers erupted. Some sounded like screams, others like shouts of joy. Most reactions were ecstatic.

“They’re up!”

“No way we can do that... What kind of people are they?”

They returned under the gloomy sky.

Still, he held her waist tightly. Even through the slippery swimsuit, she could feel the pressure of his fingers.

Whooosh.

He exhaled deeply, twisting his body before letting go.

Removing the breathing apparatus, Yoon Tae-ha received a congratulatory tap on her helmet from Cheon Geon-young.

The trapped water inside spilled out, making her drink some unnecessarily.

“Cough, cough! Ah, blargh!”

“Sorry, sorry...”

His genuinely panicked voice. Though unseen, his eyes surely twinkled with amusement.

Unlike the tense underwater scene, the two swam leisurely back.

Hong Eun-soo was grabbing Hwang Seong-bin’s collar, shouting, “Can you do that? Do you think you can?”

Kim Su-chan clapped wildly, forgetting his role.

Through a camera one instructor brought underwater, the students watched their every move closely.

Kim Doo-eon helped the two emerge from the water.

Though soaked, Kim Doo-eon looked quite pleased.

“You saw the video, right? Do it like that.”

Puffing out his chest as if he’d succeeded in the training himself, he turned away from the rising set piece.

The massive scrap metal emerged, spitting out water.

The instructors Yoon Tae-ha had kicked also returned to the surface.

They pointed at her and gave a thumbs-up.

She realized one of them was the instructor who had shared the oxygen apparatus with her during the first training.

“You showed a model answer. Textbook-level footage. I’d consider copyrighting and using it.”

Kim Doo-eon then introduced a few variables he hadn’t mentioned when Cheon Geon-young and his partner entered the water.

“Why didn’t you tell us that?”

Yoon Tae-ha spoke incredulously. Cheon Geon-young chuckled and shook his head.

Told to rest, they went to where the sunbeds clustered.

Still slightly panting, Cheon Geon-young watched as she quickly fetched a towel and water bottle.

“Want water? Should I fetch warm water?”

Water was everywhere, and she’d just drunk plenty of it.

Cheon Geon-young personally removed her helmet as she held the water bottle.

“Still wearing it?”

“I forgot.”

“Did you drink a lot of water earlier? You were coughing.”

“I’m thirsty, so it’s fine.”

“At first, you didn’t seem to think so. Your gaze was murderous...”

Murderous? She pointed out his inappropriate word choice. When she protested that momentarily staring couldn’t be twisted like that, Cheon Geon-young laughed.

The students paired up again to begin training.

The two claimed a spot on a single sunbed, sitting side by side. They lacked the energy to retreat to a corner.

Sitting closer than usual, they didn’t notice the proximity.

Watching a guide kick their partner’s thigh above water, Yoon Tae-ha frowned as if feeling the pain herself.