"Only once. I just need to win once," Noah said quietly. Despite the fact that he laughed, declaring: "First of all we are friends, and only then only rivals" - it looked like he was rotten from the inside.

"I have no right to judge him," Jihong silently watched as Noah carefully cut the steak with a knife, and finally took the initiative.

"I was also an athlete and I understand your feelings. But you can't beat Jaekyung that way

Jihon used the friendliest tone he could portray. He didn't want to provoke the alpha, on the contrary, he just needed to bring the asshole back to reality. The main goal is to put an end to this meaningless nonsense.

"Whichever method you try, it won't change the result. It is absolutely impossible for you to defeat Jaekyung right now

"Aren't you too presumptuous?"

"I have a reason for that: Jaekyung is in exceptionally good shape now. He is the current world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meter freestyle, as well as in the 200 meters in the individual medley. In addition, last year he set a new Asian record in the 100-meter crawl and 200-meter butterfly. His performances at the World Championships two years ago surpassed the results at the Olympics three years ago, and last year's were better than the previous ones. And, perhaps, they will become even cooler.

"Damn it. Then I'll do it next year. But why is he resigning? He doesn't even give me a chance

Visibly frustrated, Noah grumbled as he stuffed a piece of beef into his mouth. And repeating "why, why" in English meant that Jaekyung's choice puzzled him very much.

"Oh, that's right. I haven't discussed the postponement of the retirement announcement with Jaekyung yet," the unfinished task suddenly came to mind, causing Jihong to sigh. But at that moment, the door of the restaurant opened and Jaekyung walked in.

"What did the coach say?" asked Jihong, pulling out a chair to make it easier for the guy to sit down.

"He told me about the schedule for tomorrow. What were you two talking about?

Although the question was in Korean, Noah answered quickly: "I suggested that Hani have sex."

"Hey!"

Shocked, Jihong immediately blurted out, "No, stop spewing nonsense."

He unsuccessfully tried to stop Noah in English.

"If Honey somersaults with me, I'll give you the gold

"What nonsense?" Anyway, it's mine

Jaekyung reacted as if he had just heard nonsense from Noah. And then he immediately turned to Jihon, "I'm going to win. No matter what."

"I know

"So don't sleep with him

"Hey, do you really think I'm that crazy?" exclaimed Jihong incredulously.

"If anyone other than Noah makes you such an offer, don't give in

"Of course, I don't buy into that

He couldn't help but laugh nervously, being so stunned.

But Jaekyung, it seems, is not in the mood for jokes at all. His expression became more and more stern. It wasn't until Jihon noticed the three creases on his forehead that he realized how serious he was.

"Hey, calm down. He's just joking

— I am aware

Judging by the dissatisfaction expressed, he did not know anything at all.

"It's time for us to go, we have a training session today," Jihong quickly changed the subject, grabbing his mobile phone and car keys. Deliberately rubbing Jaekyung's back, he forced him to stand up with a deep sigh.

He then quietly turned to Noah, "You're going to take second place. The silver medal is more than 3 seconds behind the gold."

In the previous 200-meter race, Jaekyung was ahead of his opponent by almost 0.1 seconds. Although the gap was small, the medal rankings could change with a difference of only 0.01 seconds. As a result, if there was a gap of more than one second between the gold and silver medals, it will be remembered as a complete victory, a single race, a perfect game.

But now... A 3-second difference would literally be a crushing defeat for Noah Kenny, no matter how well he performed.

"Oh, I'm afraid," Noah mumbled, trembling theatrically. Naturally, he was pretending, but judging by the look in his eyes, there was some anxiety.

"Your foolishness won't justify the investment," Jihong struck the final blow, taking the score. "I'll pay for the food because I feel sorry for you."

After he paid, Jaekyung was already waiting at the car.

"You're going to the pool, right?" he asked, opening the car with a smart key. Jaekyung nodded and quickly took the passenger seat. Inside, the cabin turned into a sauna after an hour of exposure to the sun. Jihong turned on the air conditioner and advised, "Don't get carried away. It is not known who else will try to stir up the situation until the end of the championship. You're not going to deal with them one by one, are you?"

"I don't care if they get into a fight with me or not

"Just don't quarrel with anyone

The guy roughly fastened his seat belt. Jihong looked at him and did the same, adding, "I'm glad you avoided the skirmish today. Whatever Noah says right before the game, don't let it affect you."

"Okay

"Good. Even if Noah starts convincing you that we had a connection. Don't believe it, he's lying

As he started the engine, Jaekyung was silent. And then he muttered when the car moved.

"You're not going to sleep with him, are you?"

— Of course not!

Jihong smirked and jokingly grabbed Jaekyung by the collar, "Why should I? Seriously, what the hell am I in your eyes?"

"Hmm... A very mysterious person? Oddly enough, you're too responsible

"What?" Not at all

But Jaekyung, maintaining an oppressive silence, only watched him, and as soon as Jiheon drove out of the parking lot, he finally said, "Hyung, you are generous to others, but why the hell do you think so much about yourself?"

"What?"

"You value yourself too low," Jaekyung said without hesitation. - Someone who is not burdened with liability would not write a receipt to save the company. And probably I would just quit."

"Hey, you forced me... It's not for you to talk about it

In response to the angry remark, Jaekyung pretended to ignore everything and continued to stick his line: "And he will not intentionally attend rehabilitation and manual therapy courses just because he is going to join the agency. Such people are usually only interested in the size of the fee."

The athlete's words struck Jihon not in the eyebrow, but in the eye, and ridiculous excuses poured out of him: "It's just... helped me increase my GPA." Then, to hide his excitement, he checked the navigation to Incheon Stadium and added, "Since electives are mandatory, it's better to visit something useful. This has nothing to do with responsibility. Let's be realistic and use common sense. Why would I sleep with another guy because of you? I'm not that selfless."

«.......»

"What again?!", Jihon shouted, slapping the steering wheel in irritation. He hit him with his palms, since he was driving a car, otherwise he could have hit his head on it.

"What do I need to say to make you feel relieved?" he asked irritably.

Jaekyung sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "No, it's okay... but."

"But?"

"Better tell me who you are and what I am to you."

"What a little brat...", Jihong was close to blurting out a curse. Fortunately, with great effort, he managed to restrain himself: "Okay..."

Taking a deep breath, Jihong spoke calmly, holding back his anger, "I won't sleep with others because I believe in you. Even if I didn't, the gold medal is still yours. I'm sure you can do it, because there's no one thing that can throw you off balance. Is that enough?"

"Yes

He finally nodded and, freaking out from his facial expressions, was pleased with the answer.

"Hey, you're really tough

Jihong sneered and shook his head. It was hard not to laugh, given the absurdity of what was happening.

After a while, they arrived at the main stadium. And Jihong parked the car in the official parking lot behind the pool.

"If it weren't for the two days before the competition, I would have spanked you a long time ago

Jaekyung, unfastening his seat belt, decided to clarify, "Are you lenient with me for this reason?"

— Of course

"Then I'll seize the moment right now

"No...!"

Jihong quickly intervened and flew out of the car. Soon, the guy followed suit, climbing out of the passenger seat, and blurted out casually: "Hyung, I like you. Let's meet."