"Anyway, you can't just give me an answer now? It's still very curious," Cha Sung-hyun said as he exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke. Jihong looked at his opponent for a moment.

"Well, since you're asking—"

"Oh--?"

Jihong, crossing his arms over his chest, calmly continued: "Athletes usually arrive at the camp about a week before the competition and stay there until the end of the competition. And during this time, regardless of whether their partner or spouse is visiting, sex is not allowed. Especially the day before the competition."

"Seriously?" Why?

"Because it reduces endurance

As Jihong explained prosaically, Cha Sung-hyun put a cigarette in his mouth, blurting out with a hint of disbelief, "Aren't you kidding?"

— I don't know why you are so surprised. Coaches are quite strict about this issue. Some national teams even limit the number of times athletes masturbate

— Какого черта. Ужасно глупо

In fact, Jihong shared his opinion. Although it made sense to ban excessive sex, limiting the satisfaction of physical needs is a violation of human rights. In truth, it was closer to an omen than a conclusion based on scientific research.

— Your industry is also nasty

Cha Sung-hyun threw the cigarette butt on the ground, not hiding his disgust.

"What are you doing here?"

The voice behind him made Jihon instinctively turn around. Jaekyung, who had just come out of the gym, walked towards them.

"Why didn't you call me?"

Jihong couldn't fully understand why Cha Sunghyun looked so smug.

"Did you want to make a surprise?"

Hearing his friend's playful remark, Jaekyung stared at him in annoyance. It was not as if he had run into his lover.

'Is he acting like this on purpose because I'm here?' thought Jihon.

Could Jaekyung even say, "Call me when you need me" on the phone, with such tenderness as before? After all, this guy isn't a robot. He's an ordinary person, so it's only natural that his behavior would change around someone he has feelings for. In fact, Jihong admired the fact that the guy was able to control his emotions so well. He is even glad that the athlete is trying to open up to the world, but the fact that the recipient of such efforts is Cha Sung-hyun was very upsetting. He didn't want Jaekyung to give his heart to such a selfish person. He knew it was his choice, but there was still nothing he could do about his own feelings.

"Jaekyung-ah

The words came out without a chance to stop. Jihon tried to express his opinion in a low voice.

"I think it's better to go straight to the hotel today

Jihon first intervened so openly, which greatly stunned the interlocutors.

"The hyunnim manager is worried, what if you get overtired. Are you really tired? Then I'll just come back alone.

The man, feigning anxiety, offered a choice. However, if they had planned to meet elsewhere from the beginning, Jaekyung would never have sent Cha Sunghyun back after all, he had come a long way to pick him up.

"I'm not that tired

"Seriously?" So you don't mind, do you? Then let's have dinner

Cha Sung-hyun was delighted, and then turned to Jihon and sneered, "Later, I'll take Jaekyong to the hotel. There's nothing particularly bad about his condition, right?

— No, I don't

Jihong insisted on his own, which made the athlete look at him with bewilderment.

"Hey, hyunnim. Why?

Cha Sung-hyun grabbed Jihon by the sleeve while playing cute. Seeing him having fun, Jihong felt that the actor would blurt out all the details of their unpleasant conversation as soon as the guys were alone.

"Get in the car quickly

Jihong pointed to a company car parked on the side. The actor watched what was happening for a while, and then jokingly added.

"Jaekyung, we've seen each other so often lately that hyun-nim is jealous

"It's not funny at all

Jihon was stunned for a moment by the guy's severity, flinching slightly. It would be one thing if he just didn't hide his annoyance, but Jaekyung remained completely unfazed.

"Hey, what a reaction," Jihon muttered unintelligibly.

The guy tossed his hair back and turned to Cha Sung-hyun, "It won't work today, I'll see you later."

He then glanced at Jihong and added, "Let's go, hyung."

                                                                                                    ***

Everything ended well, but what happened then became a huge problem...

"Why did you do that?" asked Jaekyung, fastening his seatbelt.

– There is only a week left before the competition

"But I'm fine. I wasn't going to drink, it's a regular meeting

The guy continued to stare at Jihon when suddenly the mobile phone rang.

"What?"

Jaekyung quickly picked up the phone. It was probably Cha Sung-hyun. Jihon, hiding his anxiety, drove out of the parking lot. He tried to hold his breath, hoping to catch a hint of the actor's voice breaking out, but to no avail. The only thing he could hear was the hum of the air conditioner. Sometimes Jaekyung would reply, "Yes, I think so" or "yes." However, Jihon failed to grasp the meaning of their conversation. If Cha Sunghyun had even a modicum of common sense, he would be more cautious. Jihon also wanted to discuss many things, but he restrained any impulses. However, Cha Sung-hyun is not that patient. His personality is a prime example of a lack of tact. And the motto in life may be the following: "This does not concern me, I just do whatever I want to satisfy my needs."

Most likely, he is in a complete rage. And he decided to blurt out everything that came to his mind. And indeed, as soon as Jaekyung put his cell phone on the dashboard, he immediately began interrogation: "Hyun, what did you talk about?"

"I only asked him to take a little more care of you, allowing him to focus on the upcoming event.

"I'm not so tired that I don't have lunch with him, and alcohol is forbidden

"But sometimes being morally exhausted is even worse

Jaekyung was silent, calmly studying Jihon with his eyes. Faced with this steadfastness, Jihon mentally pleaded with him, "Please. If you have something to say, just wait until the competition is over."

"Hyun, are you doing this because you think I like Sunghyun-hyun?"

However, he was far from being the most generous person. Yes, no matter how selfish Cha Sunghyun was, he couldn't compare to Kwon Jaekyung. He is one of those who will follow his desires, even if it leads to death. From this point of view, they are really a union made in heaven.

— No, I don't

"But I heard a little different from Sunghyun-hyun

Mistake. Cha Sung-hyun is much worse. A four-year-old is more mature than this intended adult. In the end, Jihong took a deep breath.

"Are we going to talk about it seriously now?"

"If not now...

– Let's wait until the end of the championship, and return to this topic later

— No, I don't. I don't like the fact that you misunderstand me

"Misunderstanding? Before Jihong could ask a question, the guy immediately seized the initiative.

"There's nothing between us

"I know. You mentioned this before

— Hyung, he has a lover.

"Yes, I know that... Wait, what?

"You've seen him. The man in the passenger seat the day before yesterday.

"Wait... Isn't he a manager?" exclaimed Jihong in surprise.

— No, I don't. Hyun, watch the road or you'll get into an accident

Jihong quickly focused on driving, gripping the steering wheel tighter in shock. A calm voice rang out next to him.

"We've never met in private. The three of us were together when we were photographed in a pub. Reporters simply cut him out of the frame.

"Then what the hell?" Why do you keep seeing each other even though you are fully aware of the risks?

— To shift the focus of attention

Jaekyung's tone remained reserved, "In this way, people don't have any suspicions either."

It turns out that this is just a trick to distract others.

"Haha......

Jihon laughed, speechless. Be that as it may, Cha Sunghyun's mindset is truly selfish, he didn't take other people's situation into account at all. However, Jihong couldn't understand why Jaekyung ran to his aid every time.

"So why do you agree to this?"

"I owe him

"What do you owe him?"

"Just something

Jaekyung cut him off abruptly, hinting that there was no point in trying to find answers any further.