"And while I was waiting there...", Jihong looked in the direction where he had just been sitting. Trying to say something else, he just smiled.

"Anyway, I'm fine now

"Really?"

"yes, I'm here." If it was really hard for me, I wouldn't agree

With that, Jihong straightened his body.

"In any case, swimming after such a long break is really refreshing. All my muscles were fully warmed up

Both of Jihon's shoulder blades hurt a little, probably due to the fact that he was hanging from the cable. He stretched his arms wide as if stretching, and then slowly lowered them.

"Hyung, have you played any other sports?"

— Yes, sometimes I went to the gym in college

"It's just that you're not in such bad shape

— And what is your standard "not in bad shape"?

Jihon smiled incredulously

"I thought you'd be more flabby

"Oh, I don't usually gain weight

"I know. In fact, you're thinner than I thought

"It's because I've lost all my muscle mass

Jihong touched his forearm in embarrassment, and the guy clarified, "Hyung, you didn't have strong biceps before."

"And he has an excellent memory," Jihong mentally clicked his tongue and spoke belatedly, as if justifying himself: "I am like this by nature. No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to build muscle."

— Yes, some people are the same

For some reason, Jaekyung dutifully agreed and continued, "There's one Japanese swimmer, Kudo. I was surprised when I met him for the first time. He had great abs, but the athlete's arms were very thin.

"Oh, I'm also one of those who quickly develop abs. If I take a deep breath now, you can still see it," Jihong patted his stomach as he inhaled deeply. Perhaps only he felt a very weak relief.

"Hey, take a look," Jihong took the guy's hand and made him touch his stomach with a little excitement.

"You feel it, don't you?"

"No, where the hell is the press?"

Jaekyung suddenly pulled away without even feeling properly.

"Probably because of your thinness, hyung. You need to distinguish between the absence of fat and the presence of muscle

In the end, Jaekyung sighed in annoyance and turned away, but because of his harsh tone, Jihong didn't even notice that his ears were slightly red.

"Ugh, you're really merciless

Jihon complained, feigning sadness.

"It's not that I...

Jaekyung, grumbling a little, continued, "Just do sports, hyung. If you've maintained this level for ten years, a little training will get you back in shape."

— No, it is absolutely impossible. I haven't put on much weight, so I look pretty much the same as before.

"It's amazing that you haven't gained weight

Jaekyung looked lost in his thoughts, thinking about something, which made Jihong chuckle.

"It's just my body. You see, my father eats and drinks a lot, but he hasn't even got fat. The aunt suggested that all the food he consumed had an effect solely on growth and bones. And I am exactly a copy of my father

"Is your father tall too?"

"Yes, he's even taller and his physique is stronger than mine.

"I think because he's a soldier

"Where did you get this information?"

Jiheon looked dumbfounded, and Jaekyung replied as if he was stating a fact: "Everyone in the pool knew."

"Oh, that's right...

Jihon took off his swimming cap and grinned.

— Yes. He, being an omega, achieved the rank of officer. Although he did not achieve his goal of becoming the first commander of the regiment, he was discharged from the army with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Is it unbelievable?

Jihong ran his wet hand through his hair. He expected Jaekyung to agree right away, but instead, Jaekyung stared at him with wide-eyed eyes.

Jaekyung finally replied, "I didn't know... I thought your features came from your mother."

"In my maternal family, all the betas are up to my eighth cousins

Jihong put on his cap again, pulling on the edge of it, smoothed the top of his head, and then lowered it so that it was just above his eyebrows.

"Anyway, I grew up watching my father. I never thought I couldn't achieve something just because I'm an omega. The reason I gave up swimming was because I saw my limits. I made the decision to leave before I even knew my secondary gender. I just kept procrastinating, avoiding others. I really wanted to share it with you, I should have done it ten years ago...

Jaekyung glanced at him, blinking slowly, and said, "Why?"

"What's why?"

"Why did you say that ten years ago?"

"I don't know...

Jihon muttered. But in fact, he knew the truth.

"Just because I was afraid of falling in your eyes

He wanted to stand firm in front of his junior comrade until the very end. Jihon smiled and shook his head, "Now, I realize how stupid I was. But then I hoped that you would remember me as a person who gave up everything because he didn't become an alpha."

He expected Jaekyung to scold him, accusing him of being a coward. But oddly enough, the guy who always did not hesitate to express his opinion was silent at such moments. So, Jihon had no choice but to take the initiative.

"I know I've done all sorts of stupid things. And my pathetic side was still revealed. Even when I was leaving, I was trying to figure out how to make you less disappointed

"I never thought you were pathetic," Jaekyung retorted.

"Really?" I've always thought of myself this way

"Not for me

This time, Jaekyung replied without hesitation. His face was calm, but there was a hint of anger in his tone. Putting on his glasses, he added, "Also, even though I was angry with you for running away, I was never disappointed in you."

"Hmm...? Before Jihong could ask, Jaekyung disappeared into the water, as if he didn't want to continue the conversation.

Jihon watched the retreating back. Only after Jaekyung made a turn at the 50-meter mark did Jihong also start swimming. Warming up even more than the first time, he picked up the pace and made a lap, covering a total of 100 meters. And Jaekyung, who had finished earlier, remarked, "Have you made a dash now? Even at this speed?"

"I don't know, I'm a little out of breath

Jihon gasped for air. He genuinely struggled to catch his breath.

"Now I can barely cover 15 meters

"Do you have shortness of breath?"

"yes

Jaekyung stuck for a while, and then abruptly stated, "I came up with another wish."

Even in the midst of all this, Jihong serenely decided to clarify, but did not bother to correct his facial expressions, which seemed to scream: "Another matter!"

"What then?" Oh, please, not swimming. I have already done it today.

"No, not that

"Well, let's voice it

Jihon, still breathing heavily, took off his glasses. Jaekyung spoke as if he was waiting for the right moment.

"Hyung, quit smoking

                                                                                              ***

"Is he crazy? Jihong exhaled the smoke of his cigarette in irritation. "If I could, I would have stopped many years ago. Quitting smoking is not some trendy social media challenge. He acts like it's as simple as saying, "I'll try fasting tomorrow" or "I'll use less plastic." If everything is so easy, why is the government spending a lot of money to fight and help people?"

Jihon's frustration was virtually on the surface. He usually kept a low profile, but his plaintive speech had been going on for a few minutes, and assistant coach Nam finally tried to calm him down: "Does he really want that? Maybe he's just offering to cut back on expenses for your health, Mr. Chung. Your lover seems special."

This last comment only angered Jihon even more: "No, he's not my lover." And he quickly explained: "If it were so, I would probably just laugh."

The man raised an eyebrow, still holding the cigarette in his mouth, "Huh? He's not even your boyfriend, but are you ready to fulfill his request unconditionally? Why would you go this far?"

"I owe him something, and that's how I pay my debt to his whims

"That's exactly what is strange. If we are talking about repaying the debt, he would probably ask for something more profitable. And what does he care at all whether someone quits smoking or not? Did you often smoke in front of him?

"Never have I ever smoked around him

Jihon said firmly. He won't be able to do something like that in front of an athlete.

— Then what is the profit? After all, it will only benefit you

—… Do you like to watch me suffer from withdrawal?

Jihon's remark caused the assistant manager to bring the cigarette back to his mouth: "Your words sound like you're in a relationship after all."