Jiheon, upon arriving at the parking lot, found Jaekyung leaning against the car and absorbed in his cell phone.

"Hey, do you really have conflicts with the federation?" asked Jihon, smiling wryly. Although the situation was not amusing, he couldn't help but laugh as he imagined the stunned face of the vice chairman as he watched Jaekyung leave the office.

"And why did you just leave?" Do you plan to never see them again?

When Jihong pressed the middle button of the key, the car was unlocked with a confirmation beep. Jaekyung, opening the passenger door, said bluntly, "I'll be leaving this year anyway."

"Still, they helped you to some extent," Jihon remarked as he sat in the driver's seat. And the guy fastened his seat belt, retorting with a mocking snort: "What help? All they can do is annoyingly circle around and steal money from my pockets."

As expected, Jaekyung is knowledgeable. And their machinations have long been known to everyone. No matter how disinterested Jaekyung was in his surroundings, he couldn't remain ignorant, because they used his name to enrich themselves.

– It is difficult for me to accurately assess the effectiveness of their work, but they never did anything on time: even applications for the championships. It is also annoying that they ask me to participate in relays every time.

"Really?" Do they insist on demanding?

— Of course

Jaekyung confirmed, taking off his cap and tossing it on the dashboard.

"I see...

Simply put, the relay he mentioned was a freestyle team race, with four athletes swimming separately for 400 or 800 meters. Of course, there is also an all-around in which each of the four techniques is performed, but since Korean athletes prefer this style, they often competed in classic swims.

Jaekyung previously participated in relays during his debut on the international stage. At that time, as a high school student, he won gold medals in the 200 and 400 meters. Since Jaekyung was positioned as a leading swimmer, many expected good results from the Korean team. However, in addition to the boy's outstanding abilities, the unsatisfactory grades of the other team members led to the fact that they did not even manage to make it to the finals. After that, Jaekyung refused such events. During the World Championships and the Olympic Games, he focused exclusively on the individual standings.

Jihong, of course, assumed that the coach had excluded him in order to avoid overtiring the athlete. After all, Jaekyung participated in many games. Given his stamina, it made sense to abandon the one where the chances of success are extremely slim. But, it turned out, they did not lose hope, they annoyed him. In addition, if you win a medal in the relay, then four athletes will receive it at once. That is why the federation was not going to give up easily and put pressure on him, probably saying, "Jaekyung, if you win, then your comrades will be awarded medals as well."

Jaekyung managed to cope with a huge workload. However, if it were another athlete, there is a high probability that he will lower his chances of winning the championship in the main event due to fatigue, crying and eating mustard [1]. In fact, after every Olympics, such revelations surfaced regardless of the sport.

"The federation ... They say they do everything for the athletes, but at the end of the day, their goal is to use them by stuffing their own bellies," Jihon muttered.

As soon as the engine roared, he continued in a cheerful tone, "But hey, I was ready to hear all kinds of curses today, but thanks to you, I avoided it, thank you." And casually reached out to pat the back of Jaekyung's head, whose shoulders shook and stiffened. Jihon was caught off guard and immediately stopped.

"So, where do you meet your friend?"

– Gangnam

"Really?"

Jihong sneered slightly dejectedly: "If you were going to Gangnam, then you should have taken a taxi from Banpo, it's faster."

"I'm already here, so it doesn't matter," Jaekyung remarked, leaning his elbow against the window frame. He rested his chin on the back of his hand and looked out the window, adding, "A little ride is not bad either."

Such an absurd statement made Jihon laugh. Fortunately, there was no congestion on the road, but in heavy traffic, the trip was more like a test. On top of that, Jaekyung had to go through an unpleasant encounter...

"Jaekyung-ah," Jihong couldn't help but call out to him. Instead of answering right away, Jaekyung turned his head and looked at him curiously.

"And you, probably...

"Maybe you made it all the way here, assuming what they would tell me, in an attempt to stop me?" the almost flying words fortunately stuck in Jihon's throat.

"Impossible. It can't be that Kwon Jaekyung would go this far for someone else...", he reassured himself.

"What did you want to know?"

"Oh... no matter. Is this the friend you talked to earlier?"

"Yes

"What's his name?" asked Jihon, but remembering the recent conversation and the phrase he had thrown: "The one you don't know", he abruptly fell silent, preparing for possible dissatisfaction.

— Cha Sung-hyun

Instead of being surprised by the fact that he had reported directly for some unknown reason, Jihong was more shocked by the content of the reply: "Cha Sunghyun? An actor?"

"Do you know him?"

"How could it be otherwise?" You made such a scandal.

Jihong was somewhat puzzled by his indifferent reaction, as if it wasn't about him at all.

"Is he really acting so cold even with his lover?" he asked himself as he looked at Jaekyung. However, he quickly realized that such a scenario could not be true.

"You have no idea how I feel every day, hyun," Jaekyung said with a slight sigh and an expression on his face that Jihong had never seen before. Jihong wondered who the hell he was talking to on the phone, who was causing him such emotions. And the unexpected truth lay on the very surface: "Beloved."

At the same moment, Jihong couldn't help but laugh at himself.

"What's funny?" asked Jaekyung, frowning slightly.

"No, nothing...

Is it strange that a young man is infatuated with someone? Jaekyung is now an adult, but it's hard to believe, because Jiheon remembered him as a child. So every time scandalous rumors surfaced, he always thought, "Yes, that's right. It can't be that he has already dated someone."

But the reality is different: Jaekyung is really in love and looks truly happy.

Now, Jihong realized his own naivety. Did he himself, working in a PR team, believe the media? Jaekyung is a sports star, and the other person is a celebrity. And as a couple, they cannot make a public confession that can stir up the entire public.

"And that makes sense," Jihong muttered, stepping on the gas to catch the traffic lights.

"The main thing is to beware of the paparazzi

"Why?" I'm not even a celebrity

"It's not about you. But in your popular partner. If you don't want to have a public relationship, you should be as careful as possible

"Public relations? Jaekyung's eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately clarified, "Who?" Me and that hyung?"

"Well, who else?"

"No, I don't have anything like that with him. Why did you suddenly bring up this topic?

"Huh?" Perhaps?

— You ask how my manager is?

"Hmph, well, if I ask you... it's true, right?", Jihong added in a somewhat ambiguous tone. He himself was not completely sure whether it was a professional question or a personal one.

"Then I won't tell you

"What?" Why?

"The contract says you have no right to interfere in my life, unless it interferes with my career

"Oh, really

Unable to fight back, Jihong muttered quietly, but after a moment's silence, he clarified, "Then what if I ask you personally?"

"Why are you interested?"

“... Jihong spat curses to himself, but summoned all his patience into a fist, continued, "Hey, you just don't want to talk, right? You don't need to force yourself. I won't bother you."

Jaekyung stared out the window for a while, and after a while, almost in a whisper, he said, "We don't have this kind of relationship."

                                                                                             ***

[1] "Crying and eating mustard": Used when a person is forced to do something against their will while pretending to enjoy it