After stopping the car, Jihong closed the window and said, "His name is Song Young-ho, a swordsman. He won a silver medal at the Asian Games last year, when I was part of the cheerleading team. He constantly asked questions, which is why we often crossed paths. But we are not very close."

— You seemed very close

"It's only because he's friendly

Jihong replied with a smile. Jaekyung stared at him for a while and then added, "Why the hell is he so friendly?"

"You ask why? He is your complete opposite," Jihon kept his indignation to himself.

"He is not shy and open

Jaekyung just smirked.

"Being friendly and flirting are two different things," Jaekyung muttered quietly as he turned to the car window. Jihong, in shock, continued to muse, "Is he talking about Yeonho? Is he trying to insinuate that Yeonho was flirting with me?"

He couldn't even object. The color of the traffic light changed, and the cars began to move. Jihong quickly stepped on the gas pedal. He wanted to focus on driving, but he couldn't. Jaekyung's words stuck in his mind. To be honest, Jihong also felt something similar. He felt that Song Young-ho had been paying too much attention to him after the Asian Games. However, everything came to naught as he continued to ignore the athlete. And the conversation in the elevator last week was just a conversation between a company employee and an athlete.

Yes, he could have asked about the guy's thoughts and feelings, but he did not elaborate. Any answer will be awkward in this situation, and the feeling of discomfort will only increase. Even now, Jihong could not find a place for himself. He decided not to aggravate the situation and focus on the road, driving away all unnecessary thoughts. Fortunately, the traffic was free, and he was calmly driving on yellow. It took less than 15 minutes to travel from the hotel to Chairman Cho's home.

"You're from Sport-in, right?" asked the building manager as soon as Jihong rolled down the car's window. Before he could correct it, the man directed them to the guest parking lot.

"Are you sure you won't go?"

"I'm sure," Jaekyung muttered without even looking at him, and crossed his arms over his chest as if trying to take a nap.

"Good. I'll just greet him and come back. Call me if anything happens.

The manager escorted Jihong to the house, where Chairman Cho was waiting for him. He exclaimed as soon as he saw the business card, "Oh, that's right, Spoin! Your CEO is Mr. Kang Taejin! I met him when he was still building a sports career. I can't say for sure if he's good at volleyball, but I remember that he's a wonderful person."

As the head of a well-known construction company in Korea, he still looked young and had a loud voice despite being in his seventies.

"I heard that Mr. Jung Jihong was once a swimmer too?" I was told that you are a medalist, and now you are helping a younger colleague.

At the man's words, Jihon nodded, lowering his head

"I was lucky enough to work with Kwon Jaekyung

"Kwon Jaekyung is talented, but dealing with him is quite a challenge. Difficult times await you," the chairman grinned. Hearing his meaningful comment, Jihong felt a little guilty and cleared his throat: "Unfortunately, Kwon Jaekyung was not able to join, because there is only a month and a half left before the championship." Jihong mentioned that the athlete is short on time, and he focused on training. And the chairman waved his hand, replying: "Don't worry, I understand."

"I'm not sponsoring him to visit me. The most important thing is victories and records. This is the best way to repay me. In fact, if I start giving my grandchildren 100,000 won for each greeting, they will be rich by the end of the day.

The elderly man spoke nonchalantly. At first, Jihong wondered if he was being sarcastic out of bitter resentment, but it seems that he wasn't. From a short conversation, he was able to make a small portrait of this man. The man had a calm and open disposition. That's probably why, even before Jaekyung won a medal in international competitions, Chairman Cho had already decided to sponsor him as soon as he learned that he had set a new Korean record in domestic competitions. In addition to Jaekyung, the businessman also sponsored a gymnast and a shooter. He was known for selecting and supporting promising athletes in less popular sports. He is a major market player, mastodon and business shark.

– Only between us, sport is, in fact, a business. That's why I only sponsor those who are able to make a difference. If they wear the logo of my company and go to competitions to win, this serves as both advertising and PR.

The hidden meaning of his words is very clear. He doesn't give money away for nothing, and hopes that Ji-heon can convince Jae-kyung to take part in the Olympics next year.

"Try to make it to the Olympics and take the Blue Dragon medal no matter what. He had already far surpassed the required score, but did not receive the award because the members of the federation played too much. Initially, they did not even nominate him as a candidate, considering that he was too young. But then they said that he needed to reach the Grand Slam to qualify. And now these crazy bastards have changed the scoring criteria again, announcing the need to win two Olympic titles in a row. Why didn't they recommend it sooner? They can't do anything right, and they're only interested in parasitizing athletes.

Cursing the federation, Chairman Cho concluded, "In any case, let him take part in the Olympic Games."

Although Jaekyung planned to end his career after winning the Grand Slam tournament, now everyone is talking non-stop about the fact that he should take part in the next Olympics.

                                                                                                          ***

When Jihong was in the parking lot, he found the guy talking on the phone. Perhaps due to the cap covering most of his face, Jaekyung didn't even notice his return. This allowed Jihon to witness a rather unexpected scene.

"It's not as good as you think. You have no idea how I feel every day, hyun," Jaekyung replied with a faint smile.

Though his voice was harsh and his tone was the same, his lips, barely visible under the visor, formed a soft line. A slightly forced smile did not express joy, but rather irony towards himself. In combination with a typically grumpy speech, this imperturbable appearance created the image of a calm man. Which was a real shock for Jihon. In his eyes, Jaekyung always looked like a child. This perception largely arose due to the invariably strict face of the athlete, on which exceptional dissatisfaction froze. Jihong hadn't expected to see such a mature smile. However, it evaporated the moment he opened the door. Jaekyung continued the dialogue with the person on the other end of the line in his usual impassive manner: "I'm hanging up. See you later." He put his phone in his pocket and said, "You're back quickly."

"Well, I told you I only came here to say hello." Mr. Cho is really cool

Fastening his seatbelt, Jaekyung added with somewhat meaningful overtones, "After all, he's the chairman of a big company."

"So, where are we going?"

"The meeting place has changed. My friend will let you know later, so I'll go where you're going, hyun.

"Good. Then let's go to the federation office

Instead of answering, Jaekyung nodded, taking off his cap and placing it on the dashboard, I then combed my hair back. Today, all his usual habits were perceived in a different way. Jakyon's chiseled profile and indifference remained the same as always, but they looked strangely masculine. Perhaps this is a consequence of a previously unfamiliar smile. When he remembered Jaekyung smiling during the phone call, he felt something strange: "I realized that he changes depending on who he is dealing with."

Perhaps Jaekyong has a side that even he never imagined. Jihong decided not to jump to conclusions and asked very carefully, "By the way, who have you been talking to just now?"

Jaekyung looked at him questioningly.

"I mean, you looked very happy

"Someone you don't know.

Jaekyung, putting his cap back on, crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the passenger seat, making it clear that he was not going to continue the conversation.

"yes. I won't interfere if you don't want to talk," Jihon thought. He felt a little guilty for his curiosity. Discarding unnecessary thoughts, he focused exclusively on driving.