DASH-Chapter 24Vol 2. : Side Story -

Half-embarrassed, half-relieved, Jiheon tugged his cap down lower over his face, but Jaekyung suddenly said,

"I just remembered something—hyung, you were tying your shoelaces back then."

"What? When?"

"When you came to open the door for me at the pool."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

There was a hint of laughter in Jaekyung’s voice.

"You were tying your shoelaces and saw me struggling with the door, so you didn’t even finish and just came over to open it."

"You're not making that up just because I don’t remember, right...?"

"I’m not."

Jaekyung frowned like, Come on, what do you take me for?

"And if I were making it up, I’d make it more dramatic. Like saying you asked for my number the moment you saw me."

"That’d just make me a lunatic."

Jiheon scoffed—why would he ever ask for a grade schooler’s number? Jaekyung replied confidently, "My face looked like I was in middle school."

"You even asked me if I was a middle schooler."

"I don’t remember that."

Jiheon laughed—just as he lost his balance and stumbled forward, grabbing Jaekyung’s shoulders for support.

"You did."

Jaekyung lowered his head again. He had quickly finished tying one shoe and carefully set Jiheon’s foot back down, then brought the other up onto his knee.

"That’s probably why it stood out to me."

As he untied the perfectly fine laces, Jaekyung said,

"If it were me, I would’ve finished tying my own shoes first. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed someone struggling with a door."

He retied the laces himself, tightening them with care.

"Anyway, even after meeting you again, I kept realizing—that’s just the kind of person you are."

"What, a busybody?"

Jiheon joked on purpose.

Jaekyung looked up at him with a smile.

"No. The kind of person so amazing, I couldn’t even imitate him if I tried."

"......"

"I think that every time I look at you."

The tenderness in his voice made Jiheon’s eyes sting again.

"What the hell."

Afraid the tears might return, Jiheon pushed Jaekyung away. Feeling a bit flustered, he readjusted his cap, looked around, even glanced up at the sky.

Luckily, while he was busy looking distracted, the tears receded. When he looked forward again, Jaekyung was already standing in front of him.

Jaekyung spread his arms wide and gently hugged Jiheon, careful not to press against his belly.

"I’m sorry, hyung."

"Sorry for what?"

"I haven’t been around much because of the timing."

"Don’t say you’re sorry again..."

"Oh, right. I don’t mean I did something wrong, I just mean I feel sorry."

"It’s not like it’s my fault the Olympics are in August."

Jaekyung said it so casually that Jiheon burst out laughing.

"God, you really—"

Jiheon gave his chest a shove. Jaekyung let himself be pushed back, laughing, then took Jiheon’s hand again and pulled him gently toward him as they reached the center of the street.

"Anyway, hyung, I can’t get morning sickness for you, but I can tie your shoelaces. So if you need my help, even for stuff like that, just say so."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Jiheon’s shoulders and whispered affectionately.

"Okay."

Jiheon leaned his head against Jaekyung’s solid arm.

"And once Jini’s born, I’m going to do everything."

It was something Jaekyung had already said dozens of times.

"Yeah, and for real, I’m not lifting a finger after I give birth."

Jiheon replied with the same line he’d already said dozens of times, too.

The two repeated, for perhaps the hundredth or thousandth time, their well-worn promises and made their way home together.

As soon as he got home, Jiheon showered and changed, then flopped straight into bed. Jaekyung, as always, offered to give him a massage, but Jiheon firmly refused. He knew perfectly well that in this situation, it would never end with just a massage.

"You’re still officially in training camp, even if you got leave. Let’s not break our code of conduct."

The moment Jiheon brought up an athlete’s code of conduct, Jaekyung must have decided that was game over, because he didn’t push further.

"Okay. Then I’ll just hold you. That’s allowed, right?"

"Yeah, sure..."

They’d already hugged and kissed plenty on the way home—if he said no just because they were in bed now, that’d sound ridiculous. So Jiheon gave him the green light, and Jaekyung immediately pulled him into a back hug like he’d been waiting for it. As he stroked Jiheon’s belly, he muttered to himself,

"Man, I was hoping to make Jini’s IQ hit 200..."

His voice was so genuinely regretful that Jiheon turned around to look at him.

"Jaekyung."

"Yeah?"

"Jini’s already a genius."

"......"

"If intelligence really increases based on how much the parents orgasm, then Jini will be able to recite multiplication tables and read books the moment he’s born."

Jiheon added that there was no need to worry about their baby’s brain development. Jaekyung, quietly listening, suddenly asked,

"Hyung?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I... really that good?"

His expression showed blatant anticipation, and Jiheon burst into laughter.

"You didn’t know? You’re really good."

Jiheon patted the big hand resting on his belly.

"You’ve got strength, technique, and physicality—the perfect trio."

"...You’re not talking about swimming, are you?"

"I am, actually."

"......"

"Or am I?"

Feigning innocence, Jiheon tilted his head. Jaekyung didn’t answer—he just slipped his hand under Jiheon’s shirt and gave his chest a firm squeeze.

"Yah! Hey, quit it!"

Jiheon ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) shrieked and barely managed to pry Jaekyung’s hands off as they teased and tickled.

"Stop messing around and behave. I have to go swimming early in the morning too."

"Oh, you’re going?"

"Yeah. It’s getting too hard to walk now."

The moment Jiheon said he was going swimming, Jaekyung calmed down and gently hugged his belly again. He stroked it quietly for a while, then suddenly buried his face into Jiheon’s shoulder and murmured,

"I don’t want to leave."

Hearing his honest feelings slip out like that, Jiheon smiled knowingly.

"That’s why I said not to come in the middle of camp."

"Ugh..."

Jaekyung rubbed his face against Jiheon’s shoulder like he was trying to burrow in. Jiheon reached back and smacked him lightly on the butt.

"Come on. Go. Train hard and bring me back seven medals."

"Eight."

"Oh, right. Eight."

When Jiheon told him to leave right now, Jaekyung looked at him with a wounded expression, like, You really want to kick me out this fast?

"I’m just worried. Even if you’re in a solo room, someone might’ve come looking for you while you were gone. If they did, they’ll find out right away."

"Why would they come looking for me?"

"Just, to talk or something."

"Why would they talk to me?"

"......"

Jiheon looked at him like, What the hell are you even saying? Jaekyung returned the look—What, isn’t it obvious?

"You don’t talk to your teammates...?"

"During training, yeah."

"Outside of training?"

"No."

His tone made it sound like that was completely natural.

"......Right..."

Well, yeah. It’s training camp, not a social club. At least there’d be no chance of him showing off ultrasound pictures and asking who the baby looks like.

Trying to comfort himself with that thought, Jiheon looked over—and saw Jaekyung eyeing him with narrowed eyes.

"Hyung... When you were in camp, did you go to other seniors’ rooms late at night to hang out and talk?"

That suspicious glint in his eyes was unreal.

"I didn’t."

"Really?"

"Really. There was this one super strict senior in my year, so we couldn’t even think about stuff like that."

Plus, most of the seniors didn’t like him anyway. When Jiheon said that, Jaekyung looked genuinely surprised.

"Seriously? Why?"

"I dunno. Probably for the same reason your seniors hated you."

"Because I had a bad attitude...?"

He looked like he couldn’t believe it.

"No, because I was younger but better."

When Jiheon said that, Jaekyung mumbled, "Ah..." and nodded like he accepted that logic. Suddenly looking pleased, he hugged Jiheon tightly again, pressing his face to his shoulder.

"You know what? Every time I find something we have in common through swimming, I love it."

"Even if it’s stuff like both of us getting our lips split open or being hated by our seniors?"

When Jiheon pointed out how tragically pathetic their common ground was, Jaekyung lifted his head and said,

"Well, can’t be helped."

"Medals are heavy, huh?"

"I wouldn’t know about crowns, but yeah."

His answer was so random that Jiheon laughed and asked, "What kind of answer is that?" Jaekyung finally stood up from the bed.

"They’re probably just as heavy as medals."

He looked like he was getting ready to leave. As he picked up his jersey from the floor, Jiheon muttered dramatically,

"Whatever. Right now, my belly is the heaviest."

As Jaekyung pulled on the jersey, he replied, "That’s because our biggest medal’s in there." Then, right after slipping the jersey on, he came over, kissed Jiheon, and said—gentle but firm, as if holding back regret,

"I’m going. Just stay in bed. Don’t get up."

Jaekyung left to carry the weight of his medals, and Jiheon soon fell asleep. At exactly 5 a.m., the alarm rang and he jolted awake. He got out of bed right away, not wanting to hesitate and lose motivation. Despite not having slept long, he felt refreshed—probably because, for once, he’d slept deeply through the night.