DASH

Chapter 80

The moment Kim Gi-seok noticed Ji-heon, his eyes widened.

— Oh, Mr. Chong.

He immediately broke into a wide smile and came up to say hello: "How are you?

Jihong was slightly taken aback by Kim Gi-seok's impudence, and Jaekyung, not at a loss, muttered discontentedly: "You came here to ask if I would like to join your religion?"

"Jaekyung-ah," Jihong hissed quietly and motioned for him to stop.

And then he glanced at the uninvited guest: "It's been a long time since we've seen each other. And he greeted him on purpose without getting up.

Even though he clearly understood the unspoken message, Kim Giseok was not at all embarrassed and replied with a cheerful smile, "Yes, it's been a month now.

And finally, he asked nonchalantly, "If you don't mind, we'll sit next to you?" Yoosung is late, but he'll be back soon.

"Go somewhere else." I do not communicate with sectarians. Jaekyung blurted out, angrily crushing his cake with his fork.

Passers-by could not help but cast a glance at them. A frankly menacing aura emanated from the grumpy guy. Because of this, Jihon hurriedly reached under the table and grabbed him by the thigh.

And Jaekyung, probably not counting the message, suddenly looked at Jihong and muttered, "What?" Why do you touch other people's thighs? Hyung, are you a pervert?

"Oh, you little asshole...!" cursed Jihong to himself and pinched the impudent man tightly again.

He tried to wrap his arms around the stone thigh, but his hand was actually numb. Still, he continued to say the words silently so that the grumbler could read them on his lips: "Stop it. Seriously."

After Jihong warned him, he once again turned to Kim Gi-seok: "Our table is too far from the food. Maybe you should find another place?

However, ignoring the polite refusal, the man did not even think of giving up: "No, no. I like it here.@@@@

And then he leaned slightly to whisper something in Jihon's ear, "To tell you the truth, Yoosung just finished the photo shoot. And it would be a little inappropriate to appear at an event in such an outfit, so I wanted to sit farther away.

Before he could finish speaking, the back door of the hall swung open, and Han Yoosung walked in.

When Jihon saw him, he understood what he was talking about. Han Yoosung's heavy styling and bright makeup attracted more attention than his clothes, hinting that he had just come back from filming.

Considering that most of the other guys are dressed in training suits, the contrast was striking. Han Yoosung is probably the kind of person who likes to be the center of attention, otherwise the situation would be awkward.

"All right, as you like." Jihon replied curtly.

"Oh, thank you. Kim Giseok smiled and waved to his protégé, "Yooseong-ah, I'm here!"

At the familiar call, Han Yoosung happily turned his head, but his expression immediately changed as soon as he saw Jaekyung.

And despite the outward anxiety and hesitation, he finally approached and greeted Jihon: "Hello, songbae-nim.

— Yes. Jihon stammered.

To be honest, after all the PR speculation, he couldn't have any sympathy for Han Yoosung. However, noticing the way the guy hesitantly sat down opposite him, Jihong felt a strange unease inside: "Well, yes, he's an ordinary athlete. Is he to blame for anything?" and belatedly added aloud:

"You look great today. Fresh from a photo shoot?

"Yes," Han Yuseong said shyly.

To which Kim Gi-seok quickly intervened, not hiding his smugness: "Yes, yes, he just arrived here from a photo shoot. He will be a model for a fashion brand.

And, without waiting for a counter question, he revealed all the details, including the brand and label.

To do this, it was necessary to choose disciplines strategically. This applied to most international championships, but especially the Olympic Games, because their schedule is so tight that two or three competitions often take place in just one morning.

For guys competing in multiple directions, the competition schedule and the distribution of forces are just as important as their physical shape.

Therefore, the federation decided that Jaekyung would abandon the 400-meter medley relay, which required the most expense, and instead perform in all the others where he could show good results, such as freestyle, backstroke and butterfly.

Of course, Noah didn't have to do that. Australia is traditionally a strong swimming power with a very powerful line-up of athletes, even the qualifying round is very tough there. Thanks to this, Noah was able to entrust other disciplines to his comrades, and he himself was able to concentrate on butterfly and complex relay. Therefore, he consistently finished second to Jaekyung, but invariably took gold in the 400m, where his main rival did not participate.

But it was very unpleasant to hear from Kim Gi-seok, who knows about Kwon Jaekyung's position: "If he wants to try, it's better to go straight to the 400m, and the result is not important" was very unpleasant. He, in fact, hinted that the 400 meters swim is the highest class, and Jaekyung, competing only in the 200, does not seem to reach this level.

Such an obvious censure unsettled Jihon.

"An athlete's medal is his reward," Jihong concluded dispassionately. "Regardless of where it is conquered.

"Oh, Mr. Jeong, your words make it a shame for our athletes who didn't get them," as expected, Kim Giseok immediately changed his shoes. - Medals are not everything, you know? After all, they shed sweat and tears.

But Jihong was not confused, as if he was just waiting for him to swallow the bait: "Do you feel sorry for those who do not participate in the 400-meter medley relay?" Even if they achieve stunning results in their discipline, they lose the "medal of merit" simply because they have a different specialization.

When Ji-heong said this without even smiling, Kim Ki-seok touched his forehead in puzzlement and said, "Oh, no, I didn't mean that..." Of course, it would be great to become a prize-winner. This is really the highest award. Especially when it comes to the Olympic Games. Isn't it like the Medal of Merit?

Then he continued in the same cheerful tone: "But in truth, it will be difficult for many of our athletes to claim victory. They have no choice but to show themselves. Therefore, whenever possible, we encourage them to take on more difficult tasks. I hope you understood me correctly.

He ended up using Han Yoosung as a shield. This was the most disgusting feature of Kim Gi-seok in Ji-heon's eyes. He tried his best to make people lose their temper, and when they answered, he humbly bowed down, impoverished: "Yes, yes, of course. Don't worry so much. , yes, I'm sorry. I was wrong."

It was not about pride. He was the kind of person who was willing to give it up in order to achieve his goals. But even so, Jihong could not accept how he could so deftly hit the self-esteem of his own protégé. He made derogatory remarks, pointing out their weaknesses, while pretending to be humble.

That was why Jihong sometimes felt sorry for Han Yusung, although he didn't seem innocent either.

"Mr. Kwon Jaekyung will be in the 200m medley relay again, right?" Ignoring everyone's dissatisfaction, Kim Giseok quickly switched to Jaekyung.

And, grabbing a bottle of water, he jokingly added: "Oh, what a pity. If our Yoosung had participated in it, it would have been...

"In both," Jaekyung finally broke his own silence, interrupting the annoying guy.

"Wh-what?" Jihong asked, surprised.

Jihong stared blankly at him as if shouting, "Are you really going to do this?"

Stunned, Kim Gi-seok froze. And Jaekyung, indifferently looking at him meaningfully, clarified: "I will take part in both the 200-meter and 400-meter races.

The dumbfounded man stared at Jaekyung, forgetting to even close his mouth and put the water bottle back in its place. And the unfortunate Han Yusong's eyes widened in shock.

But most of all, Jihon was surprised. He could barely control himself so as not to ask: "When did you decide this?"

"Wh-really...?" Kim Giseok said in confusion. He quickly put the bottle on the table and turned to Jihon. "Is that true?" Kwon Jaekyung will participate in them...?

Jihong looked at Jaekyung, who was sitting next to him, and confirmed, "Yes, that's right.

Although the voice sounded calm, such a storm raged in my head.

– The 400-meter medley relay? For real? What for? Why suddenly? Kim Giseok flickered, confused. "No, why are you suddenly...

While Jihong drank cold water in an attempt to restore inner harmony, and the annoying man stuttered, Kwon Jaekyung, apparently, decided to finish off his opponent completely: "I want it that way. What's wrong with that? And he took a piece of sponge cake from his plate.

"There will be a serious fight at the qualifying stage," Jaekyung smiled as if he was interested, and put a sweet dessert in his mouth.

Probably because of the nuts on top, there was a characteristic crunch every time he chewed. After swallowing the cake whole and slowly licking his lips, Jaekyung looked at Han Yoosung and said in an even tone.

"I'm looking forward to this moment.