163: Chapter 163 The Girl's Courage

When Shin Se-kyung woke up, the sunlight outside the window had already filtered through the gaps in the beige curtains, casting bright bands of light on the floor.

She lay on the bed for a few seconds, stunned, before her consciousness fully pulled away from her dreams, and the scenes from the garden last night flooded into her mind.

The aroma of the barbecue, the warm yellow string lights, the evening breeze, the white wine, and those eyes of Song Tianhao that were exceptionally deep in the night, along with the words he had spoken.

"I want to wipe away that dust with my own hands and see just how dazzling she was always meant to be."

Shin Se-kyung's cheeks began to burn again.

She buried her face in the fluffy pillow, screamed silently, and kicked her legs under the quilt unconsciously.

After a while, she calmed her breathing, sat up, and raked her messy long hair.

The living room was quiet.

When Shin Se-kyung finished washing up and walked out of her room in her sportswear, she found Song Tianhao already sitting at the dining table, with a cup of black coffee and an open newspaper in front of him.

He was wearing a simple grey sports T-shirt and black sports pants, his hair still slightly damp from a shower, with a few unruly strands resting on his forehead; he looked much younger and more casual than when he was in his usual suit and leather shoes, but that composed aura remained.

"Awake?" Song Tianhao lifted his gaze from the newspaper and looked at her. "There are sandwiches and milk on the table. Eat, rest for half an hour, and then we will begin the final training session."

His tone was calm and natural, a completely different person from the man in the garden last night who had uttered words that bordered on a confession.

The little romantic thoughts in Shin Se-kyung's heart were instantly diluted, replaced by a subtle sense of relief that things were "as expected."

He was still that calm and self-possessed President; perhaps those words last night were just his usual way of encouraging her?

"Yes, President." She replied, walked to the other side of the dining table, sat down, and picked up the still-warm ham and egg sandwich, eating it in small bites.

The milk was hot, and the temperature was just right.

The two finished breakfast in silence.

Sehun appeared promptly at 8:30, carrying a gym bag, and nodded to Song Tianhao: "President, everything you requested is prepared."

Then he placed the bag in the corner of the living room.

"Hmm." Song Tianhao put down his coffee cup and said to Shin Se-kyung, "Go change into your swimsuit. The temperature is good today, perfect for Swimming."

It was the last time.

Shin Se-kyung took a deep breath and nodded.

Half an hour later, the two stood by the pool again.

The sunlight was brighter than the previous two days, and the pool water was azure and sparkling.

Shin Se-kyung wore that dark blue one-piece swimsuit, with a white sun-protection cardigan over it, and her hair tied into a neat bun.

She did her warm-up exercises, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the pool water.

Today, she had to swim across alone.

No kickboard, no assistance, just her.

Song Tianhao had also changed into Swimming trunks, with a loose white T-shirt casually thrown over them.

He didn't get into the water immediately but stood by the pool, watching Shin Se-kyung finish her entire set of stretching exercises before speaking: "Last day, let's do a final assessment."

Shin Se-kyung paused, looking at him.

"The assessment content is very simple." Song Tianhao pointed to the other side of the pool. "From here, swim to the opposite bank. The straight-line distance is about fifteen meters. No aids, you can catch your breath midway, but you must complete it independently."

His gaze landed calmly on Shin Se-kyung's face. "Can you do it?"

Fifteen meters. On land, it was just a dozen steps. But in the water, where she had to rely on her own limbs and breath to move forward, in the water that had once almost swallowed her, these fifteen meters felt like a chasm.

Shin Se-kyung's heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. Her palms were slightly damp.

But when she met Song Tianhao's gaze, there was no questioning, no urging, only calm anticipation and a sense of absolute trust—Song Tianhao believed she could do it.

This trust was more powerful than any encouragement.

She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and nodded, her eyes becoming determined little by little: "I can."

Song Tianhao nodded almost imperceptibly, took off his T-shirt, revealing his toned upper body.

He got into the shallow end first, then turned around and reached out to her: "Come down, let's warm up first and get used to the water temperature."

Shin Se-kyung took off her cardigan and stepped into the pool.

The cool water washed over her calves, thighs, and waist.

She took the kickboard Song Tianhao handed her and began the final warm-up exercises.

She kept paddling and kicking, catching her breath.

Under Song Tianhao's guidance over the past few days, her movements had become much more standard; although not yet elegant, they were at least coordinated and efficient.

Song Tianhao watched from the side, occasionally speaking up to correct subtle angles.

"Deeper with your arm entry."

"Don't lift your body too high when breathing; just keep your chin against the water surface."

"Right, just like that, maintain the rhythm."

His voice was steady, carrying a power that calmed the heart.

Shin Se-kyung adjusted according to his instructions, once, twice, her body gradually relaxing, and the fear of water was suppressed bit by bit through repeated practice and growing confidence.

The warm-up lasted for about twenty minutes.

Song Tianhao signaled that it was enough.

He let Shin Se-kyung go ashore to rest a little and hydrate.

"Are you ready?" He asked, having come out of the water himself, water droplets sliding down his solid chest and abdominal muscles.

Shin Se-kyung tightened the cap of her sports water bottle, looked at the blue water sparkling enticingly in the sunlight, and then looked at the pool wall on the other side.

Fifteen meters.

She nodded, her voice clear: "I'm ready."

"Good." Song Tianhao stood by the pool, not entering the water, only locking his gaze on her intently. "Remember what I taught you. Maintain the rhythm, control your breathing, look at the bottom of the pool, and watch your direction. If you feel something is wrong, stop immediately; I will be by your side."

The last sentence was a reassurance.

Shin Se-kyung walked to the edge of the pool and stood still.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, felt the air fill her lungs, and exhaled slowly.

She quickly ran through the key points of the movements in her mind.

Then, she opened her eyes, the last trace of hesitation in them gone, leaving only clear determination.

She leaned forward, arms straight and tucked against her ears, and leaped into the water in a standard starting position.

"Splash—!"

The splash wasn't big.

After entering the water, she immediately started kicking, her body gliding forward like a fish, followed by arm strokes and turning her head to breathe.

Once, twice.

Muscle memory was activated, and the movements were smooth and natural.

She could feel the sensation of the water flowing over her skin, could hear the short, powerful sound of her own breathing when she inhaled, and could see the pattern of the tiles at the bottom of the pool receding rapidly through her goggles.

The start was very smooth.

Even smoother than any time she had practiced.

Confidence was growing.

The pool wall on the opposite side was approaching at the edge of her vision.

Ten meters, she had almost swum halfway...

Just then, a violent, tearing pain came from the back of her right calf without warning!

A cramp!

Shin Se-kyung's brain "buzzed," and all the smooth movements instantly distorted.

The pain made her instinctively want to curl her body, her kicking motion went completely wrong, her body lost balance, and she choked on a mouthful of water!

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

The feeling of suffocation struck instantly, and fear descended like cold seawater.

She thrashed around in a panic, her hands and feet completely unresponsive, her body began to sink, and the water light before her eyes became blurry and distorted.

I'm going to drown!

This thought burrowed into her mind like a poisonous snake.

Just at this moment of despair, a figure broke through the water like a swordfish, rushing to her side with astonishing speed.

A powerful arm firmly supported her under the armpit from behind, lifting her upward, while a steady, powerful voice sounded in her ear, penetrating the sound of the water and her own panic:

"Relax! Shin Se-kyung, don't move! It's me! I've got you!"

It was Song Tianhao!

The moment she heard this voice, Shin Se-kyung's almost collapsing nerves were gripped by an invisible hand and forcibly stabilized.

It was him.

The President was here.

He had caught her.

The fear was still there, the pain was still there, but the overwhelming sense of suffocation and helplessness was largely dispelled by the solid support from behind and the steady instructions in her ear.

She forced herself to stop struggling in vain, and her stiff body relaxed slightly under Song Tianhao's guidance.

Song Tianhao supported her with one hand through her armpit, while the other hand paddled, and his legs kicked powerfully, moving her quickly and steadily to the nearest pool edge.

A few short seconds felt like centuries to Shin Se-kyung.

Until her back touched the hard pool wall, Song Tianhao turned her around and helped her sit down in the shallow area, where the water only reached her chest.

Only then did she start coughing violently, tears mixing with pool water streaming down her face.

The cramp in her right calf hadn't fully eased, and the throbbing pain made her frown and her face turn pale.

"Don't move, let me see." Song Tianhao's voice was right above her head.

He knelt on one knee in the pool water in front of her, the water level at his waist.

He reached out and grasped her cramping right calf, his palm warm, and began to press and stretch with moderate force.

"Here, the gastrocnemius muscle; it lacks stretching, and added with sudden cold or heat stimulation or tension, it's easy to cramp."

He explained while skillfully helping her relieve the spasm, his voice devoid of much emotion, only professional calmness. "In the future, before Swimming, you must warm up thoroughly, and the time must be sufficient."

His fingers pressed precisely on the spasming muscle, with an irresistible force, stretching and kneading along the direction of the muscle fibers.

The pain subsided rapidly under his professional treatment.

Shin Se-kyung bit her lower lip, trying not to cry out, but the tears couldn't be controlled.

Half was from the pain, and the other half was intense shame and frustration.

The last day, the final assessment, she had messed it up.

At the time she shouldn't have made a mistake, she had made the biggest fool of herself.

And she had let him see her in such a pathetic state.

"I'm sorry, President..." Her voice choked, with a heavy nasal tone, her head hanging very low, not daring to look at him, "I'm sorry, I messed up, I'm so useless..."

Large tears fell into the pool, creating small ripples.

Just then, an abrupt "beep-beep-beep" alarm sounded from the direction of the Villa, breaking the heavy silence by the pool.

It must have been the Villa's intelligent security system, which had misjudged the violent thrashing in the pool just now as a danger and automatically triggered an alarm.

Song Tianhao didn't even turn his head, but raised his voice and said to the air: "Cancel alarm! Misjudgment, manual confirmation of safety!"

The alarm stopped abruptly.

He refocused his attention on Shin Se-kyung.

The cramp in her calf had basically eased under his pressing, leaving only a slight soreness.

Shin Se-kyung was still sobbing softly, her shoulders heaving like a child who had done something wrong.

Song Tianhao looked at her wet face, filled with self-blame and sadness, was silent for two seconds, then suddenly spoke, his tone the sternest Shin Se-kyung had ever heard:

"Who said you messed up?"

Shin Se-kyung was startled by this stern tone and looked up, looking at him through tear-blurred eyes.

Song Tianhao was still kneeling on one knee in the pool in front of her, soaked through, water droplets sliding down his black short hair over his chiseled jaw, dripping into the pool.

His gaze was sharp, locking onto her tightly, word by word, clear and powerful:

"A cramp is a common physiological reaction, it's not your fault! It's your body giving a warning, not a problem with your willpower!"

"You swam very well before, very standard. Posture, breathing, rhythm, all very good. You proved that your learning results over these three days are effective."

"When encountering an unexpected accident, in the moment of greatest fear, you were able to stop struggling immediately after hearing my instructions, cooperate with the rescue, and remain calm—this in itself is a success! A crucial ability!"

He reached out and wiped the mixture of tears and pool water from her face with his thumb, the movement not particularly gentle, even a bit rough, but deep in his eyes, beneath that sternness, was undisguised affirmation.

"Shin Se-kyung, listen clearly." He looked at her slightly dazed eyes, his voice softening a bit, but still carrying unquestionable power, "You passed today's assessment."

He paused to make sure she was listening.

"And, you passed in the best way possible. You proved that even in the worst-case scenario, you can protect yourself to the maximum extent, and, you have learned to trust your partner."

Shin Se-kyung was completely stunned.

Tears still hung on her eyelashes, threatening to fall.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound.

Her heart felt as if it had been gripped by a warm, powerful hand; it was sore and swollen, yet a surging heat rushed from it, coursing through her entire body.

It wasn't blame. It wasn't disappointment. It wasn't "You messed up."

It was "You did very well." It was "You proved your ability." It was "You passed," and it was "in the best way possible."

Those voices of self-doubt, that shame and frustration, melted away rapidly in his stern yet certain words, like ice under sunlight.

In their place was an even more surging emotion.

Relief, lingering fear, and an indescribable tremor of being completely accepted and affirmed.

Tears welled up again, but this time, they were no longer just from pain and self-reproach.

She nodded vigorously, choking back sobs, unable to form a complete sentence, and could only repeat: "Mm, thank you, President... Thank you..."

Seeing that her emotions had stabilized slightly, Song Tianhao withdrew his hand, stood up, and took the opportunity to pull her out of the water.

"Can you walk? Does your calf still hurt?"

Shin Se-kyung tried moving her right foot and shook her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore, just a little sore."

"That's normal; it's always like that after a cramp."

Song Tianhao helped her walk up from the pool, brought a large, dry bath towel to drape over her, and handed her a bottle of blue sports drink. "Drink slowly, take small sips, and replenish your electrolytes and fluids. That's enough for today; you've done well enough."

Shin Se-kyung wrapped the towel tightly around herself, took the drink, and sipped it slowly.

The slightly sweet liquid slid down her throat, washing away some of the tension.

She sat on the lounge chair by the pool, watching Song Tianhao walk to the other side to pick up his own towel to wipe his hair and body.

Sunlight fell on his broad back and well-defined shoulders and arms, the water droplets reflecting shimmering light.

After a while, Song Tianhao also put on a bathrobe and walked over, sitting down on the lounge chair next to her.

He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the calm pool surface, his voice returning to its usual steady tone: "Remember today's feeling."

Shin Se-kyung turned to look at him.

"Fear, the sudden pain, the suffocating panic..."

Song Tianhao said slowly, as if stating an objective fact, or perhaps conducting a lesson, "Then the relief of being saved, the warmth from physical contact, the calmness brought by instructions, and the subsequent shame, lingering fear, as well as the relief and grievance after being affirmed."

He paused, then finally turned his head to look at her.

Sunlight fell into his eyes, reflecting a deep, bright light.

"These emotions, too complex to be accurately described in words, their sequence, the changes in their intensity, the specific reactions they trigger in your body when they interweave..."

He leaned in slightly, his gaze locking onto her somewhat stunned eyes, "are the entire inner workings that the character in your movie should portray when she falls into the cold Han River and is rescued by the male lead on the verge of death."

Shin Se-kyung held her breath.

"You have it completely now." Song Tianhao leaned back, his tone certain. "Not through imagination, not through mimicking techniques, but because you have experienced it truly and completely. Your body has remembered that feeling, and your emotions have imprinted that process."

"When you get to the set, you just need to recall today, and then, release it."

He picked up his glass of water from the table next to him, took a sip, and said no more, leaving her time to process it.

Shin Se-kyung sat there, wrapped in the warm bath towel, holding the cool drink bottle, but she felt as if she had been struck by lightning, numb from head to toe.

She had always thought that this Swimming lesson was just to help her overcome her fear of water and complete the drowning scene in the movie. A task that had to be done.

Only now did she truly understand Song Tianhao's intention.

He wasn't just teaching her to swim. He was using the most direct, cruel, and effective way to make her "become" that character.

He was letting her experience everything the character would go through in advance, in a safe and controlled environment. Not just the falling into the water, but the extreme fear, helplessness, and sense of near-death before and after, as well as the complex emotions after being rescued.

He had turned a "failed" assessment and an accidental cramp into the most valuable lesson and the most authentic experiential material of her acting career.

This was no longer simple teaching. It was a form of guidance that bordered on the "Tao."

She looked at Song Tianhao's calm profile, her heart surging with emotions too complex to name. Awe, gratitude, shock, and a trace of indescribable palpitation.

This man... how many more unexpected shocks and gifts could he give her?

Time flowed slowly in the silence. The sunlight was warm, making her skin feel hot, and gradually drying her hair and the water on her body.

Shin Se-kyung slowly finished the sports drink. The blue liquid sloshed in the transparent bottle, refracting shimmering light. The soreness in her calf had also basically disappeared.

She put down the empty bottle, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the soft fuzz of the bath towel.

Then, she looked up at Song Tianhao, who had stood up and seemed ready to end today's training, and suddenly spoke, her voice still slightly hoarse from crying, but exceptionally clear: "President."

Song Tianhao stopped and looked at her.

Shin Se-kyung threw off the bath towel and stood up. She was still wearing her wet swimsuit, her hair half-dry, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks and neck, looking a bit disheveled, but her back was straight, and a flame of near-stubbornness burned in her eyes.

"Can I... try one more time?"

Song Tianhao didn't speak, just watched her quietly.

Shin Se-kyung met his gaze, not flinching at all, and repeated, word by word, her voice firmer: "That didn't count. It was interrupted by an accident; that wasn't the complete process. I want to, by my own strength, truly and completely, swim from here to there once."

She took a deep breath and added, her eyes pleading yet filled with unquestionable determination: "Just once. Please? You can just watch from the side. If I can't make it halfway, then you can save me."

The poolside quieted down. There was only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the faint sound of birds in the distance.

Song Tianhao's gaze lingered on her face for a long time, sharp enough to pierce through her skin and reach her heart.

He saw the persistence in Shin Se-kyung's eyes, saw that unwillingness to give up, saw the desire to truly "complete" it. It wasn't spite, nor was it showing off, but a well-considered, clear-headed persistence.

A few seconds later, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Good," he said, his voice steady. "But you must warm up thoroughly; there can be no more oversights. And," he emphasized, "I will be within arm's reach. If anything is wrong, stop immediately, or give me a signal. Understand?"

"Understand!" Shin Se-kyung nodded vigorously, and a bright radiance instantly burst forth on her face, a radiance that even outshone her slightly red-rimmed eyes and messy hair.

She immediately walked to the empty space nearby and began to stretch seriously and meticulously.

This time, she did it more carefully than any time before, and it took longer. Every movement was pushed to the limit, ensuring every muscle and every joint was fully warmed up. She took extra care of her right calf, stretching and massaging it repeatedly.

Song Tianhao stood by watching, not urging her, nor giving any more instructions, just watching with a calm gaze, like the strictest proctor, and also like the most reliable guardian.

Ten minutes later, Shin Se-kyung stopped and turned to the pool. She walked to the edge of the pool and looked again at the 15-meter-wide blue water. Sunlight danced on the surface, sparkling like scattered diamonds.

She turned her head and looked at Song Tianhao in the water. He had already entered the pool and was standing near the starting point where she was about to enter, the water reaching his chest. He wasn't leaning against the pool edge but was floating in the water in a posture ready to act at any moment, his gaze steadily locked on her.

In that gaze was silent trust, guarded protection, and a clear boundary. You can go for it, but the safety line is here.

Shin Se-kyung's heartbeat was steady and strong. She took one last deep breath, closed her eyes, and expelled all that fear, tension, and distraction from her body. When she opened her eyes again, there was only a clear, limpid focus, and a sense of burning her bridges behind her.

She bent over, arms extended forward, her body tensed into a smooth straight line, and then, she leaped lightly into the water.

"Splash—!"

A slight splash, entering the water, kicking, gliding, stroking, turning her head to breathe. Shin Se-kyung's series of movements were fluid, as standard as a textbook.

She no longer thought about "whether she could swim there," no longer calculated the distance, no longer worried about accidents.

All her attention was focused on the interaction between her body and the water, on the propulsion from each stroke, on the feeling of fresh air rushing into her lungs with each breath.

Sunlight filtered through the clear pool water, wandering over her body, arms, and legs, casting shimmering, golden spots. The water waves gently wrapped around her, supporting her. She was like a fish that had truly found its water-nature, moving steadily toward her set goal.

Song Tianhao was in the water about an arm's length away, following slowly at a speed almost parallel to hers. His gaze never left her, observing her every subtle movement, assessing her state, and prepared to respond to any sudden situation at any time.

Five meters, ten meters... the pool wall on the other side became clearer and clearer.

Shin Se-kyung's breathing began to quicken, and her arms and legs began to feel tired, but her movements did not deform in the slightest.

She gritted her teeth, maintaining the rhythm.

The last three meters, two meters, one meter...

Finally, her fingertips touched the cold, hard pool wall.

She touched it!

She surfaced, gripping the edge of the pool with both hands, gasping for breath, her chest heaving violently.

The sunlight was a bit dazzling, she squinted slightly, her face filled with unbelievable ecstasy, a huge sense of relief, and a strong sense of pride welling up from the depths of her heart.

She did it! By herself! No accidents, no interruptions, from the start to the finish!

She turned her head abruptly to look beside her.

Song Tianhao was in the water beside her, less than half a meter away. Water droplets slid down his chiseled cheeks; he didn't speak, just looked at her, and then, smiled at her.

It wasn't a big smile, just a slight curve of his lips, but those eyes that always seemed deep and calm now clearly reflected her shadow, and a layer of genuine, unreserved appreciation and relief rippled out. That gaze was warm and bright, even more dazzling than the sunlight in the pool.

Shin Se-kyung looked at him, looking at herself in his eyes—soaked, messy hair, but with shining eyes—and smiled too. As she smiled, tears welled up without warning, sliding down her wet cheeks and mixing into the pool water.

But this time, it was pure, extreme joy and pride. These were the most satisfying tears after overcoming fear, overcoming accidents, and overcoming the once-cowering self.

The water waves gently rippled, lapping against the pool wall, making faint sounds. The sunlight shone warmly on the two of them, steaming up faint water vapor.

They just stayed like that, one leaning against the pool edge gasping for breath, the other floating in the water, separated by less than half a meter, in the shaking, broken sunlight, quietly looking at each other.

The world seemed to quiet down at this moment. Only the clear sound of each other's breathing remained, and the heartbeats that seemed to faintly resonate in the water.