Rafayel's Oceanside Exchange (Tender Moments)

[00:00.97] Rafayel and I pick up our tickets at the entrance of the aquarium.

[00:07.86] Rafayel: "We will be permanently closed starting from the 20th of this month. Thank you for your continued support..."

[00:15.30] Rafayel:So today's the last day.

[00:17.43] Me: Yeah. The lines were always so long here back then. Can't believe the place is no longer popular.

[00:26.72] Rafayel: So this is what you meant by "bidding farewell" to your friends?

[00:30.71] Me: Yeah, I used to visit this place every week when I was a kid. All the fish recognized me. I need to give them a proper send-off!

[00:38.15] Rafayel: It's been a long time since you were here. I don't think they'll remember-

[00:42.13] Before Rafayel can finish, a tropical fish in the glass tank appears right in front of us.

[00:47.20] Me: Oh-- A colorful fish!

[00:50.11] I place a finger on the glass, and the small, colorful fish approaches it in interest.

[00:55.16] Me: See? It's not scared! It definitely remembers me. I even raced it when I was a kid!

[01:00.74] Rafayel: How?

[01:02.60] Me: Like this!

[01:04.46] I "line up" next to the fish in the tank. As soon as it swims forward, I also set off from the "starting line," my arms making breaststroke motions as I go.

[01:13.22] Rafayel: Mmm... nice. That fish is no match for you.

[01:17.49] Me: The race is no longer fair, though. When I was a kid, my strides barely crossed half a marble tile!

[01:23.60] Rafayel: You grew up... but the fish grew up too.

[01:27.85] You won, fair and square.

[01:32.64] He says, placing an origami fish he folded with his ticket into my hand.

[01:34.22] Rafayel: Here's your prize.

[01:35.55] Me: It's so cute!

[01:38.76] Origami fish in one hand, I give him my ticket.

[01:40.08] Me: Make a bird for me.

[01:46.20] Rafayel points at a small, silver fish that's darting around in the water.

[01:49.66] Rafayel: Race that one then. I'll make you a bird if you win.

[01:53.39] Me: ...No way, that's one of the fastest species of fish in the world.

[01:57.64] Rafayel calmly stuffs the ticket back into my pocket.

[02:01.61] Rafayel: All right, come back when you're brave enough to take on the challenge.

[02:02.94] Me: Hmph!

[02:06.66] Suddenly, a gigantic shadow appears before us in the tank.

[02:08.78] Me: Ooh, a flying carpet fishy!

[02:13.84] Rafayel: Flying carpet fishy? Was giving fish different nicknames your hobby as a kid?

[02:17.12] Me: Well, it's flat, seems soft to the touch, and looks like it's always flying around. Isn't that just like a flying carpet?

[02:20.57] Rafayel: It's got a name, you know. It's a flying mobula. Also known as a flying ray or a devil ray-

[02:27.21] Rafayel: ...Let's just call it a flying carpet fishy.

[02:30.94] Rafayel: I never actually touched one, but since it lives in the ocean, you're probably right in that it's soft.

[02:37.05] I poke his face.

[02:39.17] Me: Yeah... Definitely soft.

[02:41.82] Rafayel: Remember, fish from the ocean's depths can be very aggressive.

[02:46.07] Rafayel frowns slightly, and I poke him two more times for good measure.

[02:50.06] Me: Really? Do they bite?

[02:51.93] Rafayel grabs my hand and opens his mouth. I try to retract my hand, but Rafayel holds onto it and pulls me forward.

[02:59.38] Rafayel: Let's go. Your other friends are waiting.

[03:02.83] Rafayel and I are surrounded by shimmering blue waves. With the gurgling of the oxygen pumps and schools of fish swimming by, it's as if we were walking under the sea.

[03:11.34] Me: This place is exactly like how I remembered it. Nothing's changed.

[03:15.06] Rafayel: But you're all grown up and haven't been here in a long time.

[03:18.78] Rafayel: Instead of the fish forgetting you, it's more likely that you've forgotten them.

[03:23.31] Me: I didn't forget. It's just I grew up. And now that I'm an adult, I know the ocean is where they belong.

[03:29.15] The underwater tunnel seems almost endless. The marine animals swimming on the other side of the glass seem so close... yet so far.

[03:39.00] I place my hand on the glass, trying to communicate with the fish in the tank.

[03:44.31] Me: Rafayel, what is it like to live in the ocean?

[03:45.64] Rafayel: The ocean and the aquarium... are completely different worlds.

[03:50.95] Rafayel: There are reefs and corals, and all sorts of fish swimming about.

[03:56.00] Rafayel: We can tell time by the tides, and admire the everchanging lights and dancing shadows on the water's surface.

[04:03.97] Rafayel: All fish are born to love the ocean.

[04:07.15] Rafayel: But the aquarium is nice in its own way. There are endless dangers lurking in the ocean, so the fish may have a hard time relaxing.

[04:15.92] An enormous shark glides above us. Its gleaming teeth look extraordinarily sharp.

[04:21.50] Rafayel: Maybe the aquarium isn't so bad after all.

[04:24.96] Rafayel turns to look at the tank on display at the end of the corridor. The worker there is surrounded by schools of fish, feeding them.

[04:32.67] Rafayel: All living beings can sense the emotions of one another. If humans treat fish with kindness, I'm sure they can tell.

[04:41.44] Me: You're not these fish, though. How can you be sure that they don't crave freedom?

[04:45.70] Rafayel: Well, you're not even a fish. How would you know what these fish want?

[04:49.69] Me: You...

[04:51.01] Me: I guess you're right.

[04:52.88] Rafayel: Let's keep going?

[04:54.21] Me: Okay.

[05:01.12] The aquarium may not be a big one, but it still takes us half the day to explore it.

[05:17.61] Me: It's their last day, yet they're still talking about seeing us again...

[05:23.71] Rafayel: Doesn't that mean you'll have a chance to meet again, though?

[05:28.23] Me: Will we really meet again?

[05:30.36] Rafayel: We can just ask them and see.

[05:32.48] Rafayel suddenly taps three times on the glass pane.

[05:35.68] Schools of fish, as if summoned, swim over to us.

[05:39.12] The whirlwind of colorful arrivals forms an amazing scene in front of my eyes.

[05:44.44] Me: Rainbow fishy!

[05:46.82] My rainbow fishy, instead of joining the other fish, swims in my direction and stops in front of me, fins wagging.

[05:54.26] Rafayel: It seems to have remembered you. Guess it considers you a friend because of all the races you had.

[06:01.18] Rafayel stands in front of the glass tank, eyes covered in a stunning cerulean.

[06:08.10] And then, his gaze, which seems to hold an entire ocean, focuses on me.

[06:15.79] Rafayel: They said... "We'll meet again."