DASH-Chapter 25Vol 2. : Side Story -

Jiheon washed his face half-heartedly and headed straight to the pool. After wrestling with his full-body swimsuit, he finally made it inside—unsurprisingly, it was nearly empty this early on a weekday morning. Maybe five or six people per lane. Most seemed to be office workers squeezing in a swim before work, dead set on squeezing out one more lap before they had to leave.

As always, the advanced lane had the fewest people, so Jiheon headed there. Two people had arrived before him; they glanced at him when he entered the pool, but didn’t say anything. One of them, though, kept throwing looks like he was thinking, “Why is a pregnant person here? Should I say this lane’s for advanced swimmers?”

Don’t worry, sir. Jiheon muttered internally as he adjusted his goggles. He double-checked his swim cap, waited for the two ahead [N O V E L I G H T] to swim far enough, and then calmly pushed off.

The moment he sank deep into the cold water, he felt incredible. Sure, the buoyancy pushed his body up immediately, but that wasn’t a bad thing—no, it was even better. It made his body feel lighter. All the weight that pressed down on him on land was gone in the water.

Jiheon was so moved, he nearly cried. He’d come to the pool two months ago too, but back then he hadn’t even managed a full lap, so he hadn’t felt this moved. Plus, his belly hadn’t been this big then, so the sensation of freedom hadn’t hit as hard.

Now, two months later, the pool felt like a space that washed away all that anxiety in one stroke. No leg cramps, no back pain, even after several laps. At first he’d moved carefully, self-conscious about his belly, but after a couple of laps, his body loosened up. Once he stopped feeling the weight, it got to the point where, in the middle of swimming, he actually forgot he was pregnant. The only time he remembered was during flip turns—when he twisted and kicked off the wall, he could feel the baby inside get excited and start kicking around. Is it like riding a roller coaster? he thought. After that, even Jiheon started enjoying the flip turns.

Since it was the first day back, he swam 1000 meters of freestyle only. He stopped twice to avoid pushing himself too hard, so it took him about 40 minutes.

As he crossed the lane rope to exit the pool, a middle-aged man in the intermediate lane gave him a thumbs-up. Jiheon smiled and returned the gesture before climbing out.

"You see? I told you—swimming’s the best."

The doctor looked delighted to hear that Jiheon had started swimming again.

"It’s not just great for pregnant people—it’s good for everyone. It’s easy on the joints, and in the summer, there’s no better way to cool off. I mean, what’s not to love?"

"How long have you been swimming, doctor?"

"Me? Never swum a day in my life."

"......"

"But everyone knows how good it is! Who doesn’t know that?"

Completely unfazed, the doctor went on and on: keep swimming, it’s the best, keep it up, don’t stop.

And Jiheon really did keep it up. Unlike walking, he could feel his stamina noticeably improving, but more than anything, he just loved it. Being in the water made him happy, so rain or shine, he went to the pool. As he approached the end of each workday, instead of thinking I should get home and rest, his mind went I need to go to bed early so I can swim tomorrow morning. It was like being transported back to the days he’d first fallen in love with swimming.

Hopelessly hooked again after a decade-long break, Jiheon went to the pool every single day—except during the Olympics when he stayed in Australia. And even with his massive belly, he managed to eat well, sleep well, and stay in good condition all the way up to his due month.

Eventually, he gained so much confidence in his physical state that he started thinking, Maybe I can try for a natural birth...? But both mothers immediately shot that idea down. Their reasons were identical: When I gave birth to you (or Jaekyung), I nearly died. And your kid’s probably even bigger than you were.

Especially Shim Yeo-sa, who went through full labor and still ended up having a C-section with Jaekyung—she practically begged Jiheon to just schedule the surgery. He obediently agreed, and exactly one month after the Olympics ended, Jini was born. They simply used the fetus nickname as his legal name: Jin. Kwon Jin.

Why does he have so much hair?

That was Jiheon’s first thought when he held Jini in his arms. Seriously, that was all he could think. Then came, He’s so wrinkly. Well, he was soaking in amniotic fluid for a long time. And lastly, He’s really red... but that’s probably normal? Can’t be a heat rash already. Hope he doesn’t develop eczema later. While he was thinking all that, the nurse took the baby back. Jiheon was injected with anesthesia and passed out cold.

He woke up in recovery, with Jaekyung sitting beside him.

"Hyung."

Jaekyung rushed to him the moment he opened his eyes. His face looked so serious—he was pale as a ghost—and Jiheon’s heart dropped in an instant.

"Jaekyung, where’s Jini?"

Jiheon was tense, his first words a frantic question.

"Where is he?"

"He’s in the nursery."

That meant he was fine. Jiheon knew that, but he still asked again.

"He’s healthy, right?"

"Of course."

Only then did Jiheon sigh in relief.

"Then why does your face look like that?"

When Jiheon said he’d scared him, Jaekyung gripped his hand tightly and said in a shaky voice, "I thought you weren’t going to wake up..."

That startled Jiheon all over again.

"What...? Was I out that long? How long’s it been?"

"Since the surgery ended? Like, fifteen minutes."

Ha, shit. Jiheon almost cursed out loud.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

That wasn’t that long, so why the panic? But Jaekyung’s expression stayed stiff.

"Just the idea of you getting surgery at all—it’s scary. You never know what could happen."

Now that he really looked, Jaekyung wasn’t just pale—his lips were white, and even his voice was hoarse. Anyone would think he had been the one to give birth. Honestly, Jiheon wasn’t sure if it warranted that much anxiety, but at least now he was sure Jaekyung wouldn’t be suggesting a second child anytime soon. That was a relief.

Finally relaxed, Jiheon basked in the sense of completion.

"You saw Jini, right? What’d you think?"

"He’s huge."

"God, don’t joke. My stomach hurts."

Jaekyung looked panicked. "I wasn’t joking..."

"I mean it. He’s really big. 4.6 kilograms."

"...Whoa. That is big."

Jiheon had been wearing headphones during the surgery, so he hadn’t heard the weight announcement, and holding him hadn’t made it obvious either.

"Isn’t that like a one-month-old baby?"

"Yeah, his head’s bigger than the other newborns’ by a lot."

The ultrasound had predicted a generous 4.3 kg, and he’d come out heavier, even though he was born two weeks early.

The C-section had been the right call. Jiheon was seriously grateful to their moms.

"I took a video for you."

Jaekyung pulled out his phone and played a clip, holding it up for Jiheon to see. The screen showed Jaekyung holding the baby awkwardly. Jiheon’s dad must’ve filmed it—his voice could be heard saying, “Look over here. Wow, this kid’s got great genes.” The moms kept exclaiming things like, “Spitting image of Jaekyung! Looks just like him!”

"Does he... look like you?"

The moment Jiheon mumbled that, Jaekyung jumped on it.

"Right?! I don’t know either. I think they just said that because I was holding him."

Then, Jaekyung subtly let slip that he hoped the baby looked more like Jiheon. When Jiheon replied, "Honestly, I think he doesn’t look like either of us...", Jaekyung steamrolled right over it: “He has to look like you. You gave birth to him! How could he not look like you?”

Anyway, seeing Jaekyung—so huge, yet cradling the tiny baby so gently—was adorable, and Jiheon ended up watching the 2-minute video on loop. (Of course, he couldn’t hold the phone himself yet, so Jaekyung had to keep holding it up for him.) Not long after, a nurse arrived to move him to his hospital room via rolling bed.

After being moved into the hospital room, it didn’t take long for the anesthesia to start wearing off—along with it came the real pain.

Jiheon had read plenty of personal accounts and mentally prepared himself, but the reality hit far harder than he’d imagined. Even with the pain buster drip, it was unbearable. How did people endure this before painkillers were a thing? Every time a fresh wave of pain surged, Jiheon clenched his teeth and pictured his mom. When even that didn’t help, he would take a slow, shallow breath and call out:

"Jaekyung."

At which point, Jaekyung, visibly tense, would answer right away.

And Jiheon, one hand pressed against his forehead, would calmly declare,

"Be good to your mom."

"...Yeah. I will..."

They repeated this exact exchange about eight times in the span of a day.

Unbelievably, the pain only got worse as time passed. Not being allowed to eat anything all day added hunger to the suffering, which made it even harder to endure.

"Jaekyung."

"Yeah, I’ll take care of my mom, I promise."

Jaekyung answered instantly, like he’d been waiting for the cue.

"...What? Hey—no. You’re supposed to be good to me. Why are you suddenly talking about your mom? Are you screwing with me?"

Jiheon, who hadn’t meant to, snapped suddenly. Jaekyung looked startled for a second, then lowered his head and replied solemnly:

"...I’m sorry."

"I was wrong."

Not a single word of explanation—just a full-on apology, flat-out, with no excuses.