DASH-Chapter 20Vol 2. : Side Story -
“It’s already tight enough.”
“There’s no time. I need a training menu that pushes me past my anaerobic threshold. Otherwise, I don’t think I can hit the record I want at the Olympics.”
“You still have time. Two months left.”
“I mean I have less time now to focus solely on my own training.”
When Jiheon asked what that meant, Jaekyung clammed up. Then, as if trying to cover it up, he mumbled,
“It’s just... I lost a lot of time because of my shoulder. That’s all I meant.”
They were talking about the next two months—what did the past have to do with anything? The explanation didn’t add up, but Jiheon didn’t press further. When Jaekyung deliberately dodged something, it meant there was a reason.
What weighed on Jiheon’s mind was exactly that reason. Was I the one disrupting his training? he thought. Is he having trouble focusing because of me, and that’s why he can’t say anything directly?
Because even Jiheon himself knew his condition hadn’t been great lately. It had improved a lot compared to the worst of it, but the emotional ups and downs were still there, and his physical condition fluctuated with them. Maybe his stamina was starting to wear thin too. The weather was getting hotter by the day, and his belly was getting bigger by the day—and while a one- or two-hour walk helped his mood, it didn’t do much for endurance.
Swimming would help, but he still couldn’t bring himself to go back to that pool. So Jiheon kept going on walks every day. It was still better to walk than not to, and when he managed a full two hours, it gave him a sense of accomplishment. Other than how hot it got and how much he sweat, there wasn’t much downside to walking. Ah—leaving Kwon Jaekyung behind was a bit annoying, though.
“Hyung, are you going out for a walk? Can I come too?”
Jaekyung asked that every time Jiheon got ready. Even though he knew the answer would be “no” every time, he always asked.
It wasn’t like Jiheon had excluded him from the start. When Jaekyung had first come back from camp, Jiheon had even invited him along. But after having his photo taken thirty times in one outing and hearing “Kwon Jaekyung! We’re rooting for you this Olympics!” at least twenty times, Jiheon started walking alone without fail.
Normally, people might’ve just passed by like, Oh hey, it’s Kwon Jaekyung, but with the Olympics coming up, everyone made a point of stopping him. They even said stuff to Jiheon like, “Must be tough in this heat,” or “When’s your due date?”
Jaekyung offered, “I’ll wear a hoodie. If you want, I’ll wear a mask too,” but unless he could hide that height and those shoulders, it was pointless. Besides, word had already spread that Kwon Jaekyung lived in the neighborhood. Even if he wore a mask, people would probably say, Hey, look, it’s Kwon Jaekyung wearing a mask.
So Jiheon had told him to please, just stay home and behave—for my sake. Jaekyung looked a little hurt but still said, “Okay, hyung. Call me if you get bored.” And then he always called first, before Jiheon could. They talked for nearly half the two-hour walk, and when Jiheon got back home, Jaekyung would come running out like a puppy waiting for its owner.
“Where did you go today? Did your feet swell? Was Jini well-behaved?”
He’d help Jiheon undress when he struggled with his sweat-drenched clothes and would seriously say things like, “Hyung... do you know how sexy you look all sweaty like this?” And when Jiheon came out from the shower, not even fully dried off, Jaekyung would drag him to the bed under the excuse of a massage and start touching him all over.
Of course, Jaekyung had always been attentive. But lately, Jiheon kept getting the nagging thought: Do I look so unwell that he’s afraid to leave me alone now? freewebnøvel.com
In the end, it was just insecurity.
It wasn’t like Jiheon moped around in front of Jaekyung. On the contrary, he tried hard to seem energetic. But he wasn’t confident. No matter how much you tried, things like that always showed through—and Jaekyung was unnervingly perceptive.
So when Jaekyung said something like “I don’t have enough time to focus on my own training,” Jiheon couldn’t help but worry even more.
But fortunately, two days later, the Olympic roster was announced—and Jiheon realized his worries had all been groundless.
The freestyle relay 400m had been added to the events—and Jaekyung’s name was listed first.
So that was why he’d gone to the second camp—to synchronize relay timing. And his remark about lacking training time had meant that—balancing team practice with solo work.
“We submitted our request to FINA late. There was a chance we wouldn’t get the spot. I didn’t want to say anything until it was confirmed and end up disappointing you.”
Jaekyung explained why he’d kept quiet about the relay and said, “Hyung, if you were upset, I’m sorry.” But Jiheon didn’t even have time to feel upset.
Jaekyung. In the relay. Not just any event—freestyle relay. With his juniors following behind.
Jiheon couldn’t believe it. He stared at the roster all day, checking it over and over.
“This is insane...”
He kept mumbling, laughing, mumbling, laughing—until Jaekyung, who had been watching all this, finally asked, “You’re really that happy?”
“Of course I am.”
All the anxiety and worry melted into pure joy. But even more than that—he was so proud of Jaekyung it almost hurt.
“How’d you even think to join the relay?”
“I’ve got to win eight gold medals.”
Jaekyung always said that when Jiheon asked, but Jiheon knew better—it wasn’t just that.
“This’ll be a great experience for your juniors, too. They’ll learn a lot.”
"You’re ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) seriously amazing. Such a cool senior," Jiheon said as he ruffled Jaekyung’s hair, and Jaekyung got flustered, grumbling, “Aw, come on...” Then, as if guilty, he added,
“Anyway, so... I have to go back to camp next week. We have to train with the confirmed team lineup.”
The national swimming team was set to begin its final pre-Olympic training camp the following week, lasting two weeks.
“Obviously you have to go,” Jiheon said with a laugh.
“Camp is part of the job. If you made the team—even without the relay—you should be at every camp.”
From now on, go to all of them. No skipping. Jiheon tapped Jaekyung’s thigh as he said it. Jaekyung, of course, didn’t reply.
Jiheon, riding the high from Jaekyung’s surprise announcement, had more energy than he’d had in months. It was ridiculous—when he was down, even seeing others smile made him want to cry, but now, even if someone called him crazy, he was happy.
He felt giddy all day. Just hearing someone say “Kwon Jaekyung” made him grin. The packed lunches he’d grown sick of suddenly tasted amazing—so much so that he impulsively ordered another full month’s worth. He laughed at random timing while watching variety shows—moments no one else found funny.
While he was at it, Jiheon even browsed all the sports forums. Normally, he avoided them—if there was even one hateful post among a hundred compliments, it ruined his day. But now? He felt like he could read a hundred hate posts and still smile at one good one.
Of course, given the timing, there were no hate posts. Everyone was too busy praising him: Stop looking for “personality” in a god, God doesn’t need personality anyway, But Jaekyung’s divine personality is flawless too, etc.
One thread was full of people misremembering middle-school Jaekyung sobbing after a failed relay at the Asian Games—even though, in reality, he’d stared at the scoreboard looking absolutely pissed.
Another thread was all, Look at him looking after his juniors now that he’s gonna be a dad, He’s totally changed, At this rate, if they have two kids, he’ll do mixed medley too, Let’s all send him tonics—start the tribute fund.
Thanks to this unexpected gift from Jaekyung, Jiheon was in the best mood he’d been in for months. He hoped he could stay like this until the baby was born.
To do that, he needed stamina—but unfortunately, the weather had gotten so hot at night that he often had to cut his walks short.
Determined to push through, Jiheon started walking again. Without overdoing it, he gradually increased his time. On the day Jaekyung left for camp, he managed a full two-hour walk for the first time in a while. The next day, he pushed himself and walked for two and a half hours.
That night, he got a leg cramp—the first time in over a decade.
On the fifth day after Jaekyung had left for training camp, Jiheon went to the hospital for a check-up.
This appointment included the very same gestational diabetes test that had forced Jiheon onto two months of packed meals. He submitted his blood and urine samples, and while waiting for the results, he spoke with the doctor about his recent symptoms. When he mentioned that he’d had two calf cramps over the past three days, the doctor nodded knowingly.
“It’s about that time, yes.”
“Even though I’ve been exercising so diligently...?”
“Yes. Unfortunately, this isn’t a matter of weak muscles. It happens because the uterus has grown and is compressing the nerves. That’s why I recommended swimming over walking.”
“There’s no swimming pool near my place.”
Jiheon lied.
