The time I met a mermaid at the Mumyeong City Freediving Center.
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The spring freediving member recruitment notice has finally gone up.
I've been swimming for two years but I'm still stuck at intermediate level. I like playing in the water, but swimming just doesn't feel worth the investment. So the moment the free trial notice went up, I applied immediately. And somehow, against fierce competition, I won a spot.
The Unknown Building in Mumyeong City is famous for two things: first, nobody knows how many floors it has; second, nobody knows how deep it goes. The freediving center of unknown depth in the building's basement accepts free-trial members exactly once a year, with no published criteria and no set number of openings. Rumor has it the odds are several thousand to one, and that even a world-famous swimmer applied and got rejected. But rumors always inflate things, so take it with a grain of salt.
The day of the free trial.
I'm standing in front of the diving pool holding fins as long as I am tall.
In front of that famous diving pool of unknown depth.
Unknown depth...
...
It was a lie.
The bottom of the pool, where crystal-clear water rippled, was lined with tiles identical to those at my regular swimming pool. There were even terraced steps built in for safety — it didn't look dangerous at all. Feeling deflated, I put on my gear and slid into the water.
"Don't exhale. Hold the rope and descend to the bottom slowly."
Following the instructor's directions, I gripped the rope and slowly descended.
Pinching my nose and focusing on equalizing the pressure in my ears as I went down...
Down...
Down...
...
Sparkle
Sparkle sparkle
...
Bubbles rising from the bottom were catching the light and sparkling.
I descended further into the sparkling bubbles.
Into the bubbles...
Deeper...
A shimmering fish visible between the bubbles
A glittering tail fin
Enchantingly sparkling long green hair dances in the water.
It sways before my eyes as if inviting me to grab it.
I reach out my hand.
Just a little more...
Just a bit...
More...
...
Got it!
I grabbed the hair as it shot forward and held on tight.
I was instantly sucked into pitch-black darkness.
I opened my mouth and screamed.
The scream became a blade that flew and — snip! — cut the hair.
Watching the green-haired fish disappear into the darkness, I blacked out.
...
"Ma'am, please open your eyes. Ma'am."
Bleurgh — hack!
I snapped my eyes open and reflexively sat up.
Water gushed from my mouth like a fountain.
"Congratulations. You have earned your Open Water certification. Welcome to the world of ocean diving."
