The final competition - the all-around for 200 meters - began after nine o'clock in the evening. This is Kwon Jaekyung's last competition at the current Pacific Championships, which promises to be the culmination of the sporting event. The media inflated interest in this event, calling it the next main confrontation between him and his eternal rival Noah Kenny. The interest of the audience was huge, and the tickets were sold out long ago. The TV channels that bought the broadcast rights have been happily announcing the upcoming stream for several days. The whole country will watch this intense struggle with bated breath in front of the TV screens. But as soon as the swimmers started, there was no time left for worries at all. Everyone expected that in the first 50 meters of the butterfly, Noah is traditionally in the lead. But this time was different: Jaekyung started furiously and immediately took the lead, leaving Noah no chance. And in the next segments of crawl and breaststroke, the gap between them increased tremendously, and at the final stage of freestyle, which is his main one, Jaekyung was ahead of Noah by almost 10 meters. In the end, as promised, he won by more than 4 seconds, winning the gold medal and breaking his own world record in this discipline set two years ago. It was also the first time in Pacific Cup history that a single swimmer won six consecutive gold medals. Immediately after the end of the competition, preparations for the award ceremony began. While the organizers were hurriedly setting up the podium, Jihong headed to the waiting room for the athletes. Walking down a corridor filled with other coaches and finalists, he was stopped many times to be congratulated. Probably, everyone believed in Jaekyung's victory, and therefore there was not the slightest sign of dissatisfaction on their part, only thumbs up and exclamations: "Well done, Jaekyung, keep it up!" Jiheong shook his hand in response and expressed words of support for Noah: "Jaekyung has become such a great athlete in many ways thanks to Noah. We owe him a lot. Just recently we had dinner together, he is a wonderful guy. Convey our congratulations and gratitude to Noah."

After finishing the formal exchange of pleasantries, Jihong was about to enter the room when suddenly he heard a voice behind him: "Hyung, Jihong-hyun!"

Turning around, he noticed Mrs. Shim walking with a young man.

"Hyung, do you remember me?" the guy asked with a smile. Jihon was confused for a moment, but then exclaimed, "Oh.."

Jihon was speechless. Meanwhile, Jejun laughed and, leaving his mother, ran up and hugged him tightly.

"It's unbelievable, it's been ten years!" he said happily, holding him in his arms.

"Yes, really!"

"Hyung, you look amazing!"

"Oh, who would say!

At Jihon's words, he only laughed loudly. But these were not just compliments, after 10 years, Jaejoon has really changed a lot. He became more friendly and smiling. Yes, he is not so tall, but at least their height is equal to Jihon's.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be working with Jaekyung. When my mother told me, I just didn't believe it!"

"That's how it happens in life, no one knows how the connections between people will develop. And what are you doing now?

— I study in England.

"Wow, that's great.

But then Mrs. Shim chimed in: "He came just a couple of days ago. Actually, he's supposed to leave today, but I persuaded him to stay."

"I wish I could stay longer, but my studies don't allow it," Zhe Zhong sighed. "Tomorrow we must fly."

"I see," Jihon nodded puzzled.

Staying to watch Jaekyung's last swim, and even postponing the flight for the sake of it, was unimaginable a decade ago. Then he would rather resent the fact that he was forced to change his plans. However, it seems that during these ten years, Jaejoon has matured. Perhaps the separation helped him get rid of his inferiority complex.

Will it help to improve relations between them? Mrs. Shim seemed to hope so, so she brought her son here...

The moment Jihong was thinking about this, the door opened abruptly and Jaekyung appeared on the threshold. He saw his brother, but as always, the bulldozer's face remained impassive.

"What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Shim immediately glared at him sternly.

"Why do you say that?" Do you think Jaejoon came here just like that? He's here to congratulate you.

"You shouldn't," Jaekyung said dryly. These were not words of embarrassment, but real annoyance and irritation. To which Jejoon only grinned.

"He canceled the flight on purpose to congratulate you. At least say thank you.

However, Jaekyung did not pay attention to his mother's reproaches: "I didn't ask him to come."

"He's just embarrassed," Jaejoon said, giving Ji-hon a gentle nudge on the shoulder. "You know, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Jihong agreed.

"Jihon, we want to have dinner together. Please join us. You haven't been to visit us since you moved in, have you?"

Jihong, slightly embarrassed, stole a glance at Jaekyung. It seemed that he was preparing to say something, but now his expression was more like waiting for what Jihon himself would answer. And indeed, he found himself in a difficult situation. In the afternoon, he promised Jaekyung that they would go to the bar, and thereby made him happy. And now there is a somewhat ambiguous situation. Of course, he doesn't need to say something like, "Madam, I'm sorry, but Jaekyung and I already have plans. So it's better to spend time with the eldest."

It is enough just to refuse, referring to other cases. But then Jaekyung would probably find an excuse to screw up, too.

But... For the first time in years, Mrs. Shim had the chance to dine with her children. Always worried about their strained relationship, she, like a mother, felt guilty. Moreover, the eldest son deliberately postponed the trip to see the youngest.

"That's right, hyung. Come with us. I want to hear a story about how you work with Jaekyung. It seems incredible to me," Jae-joon added, hugging him by the shoulder.

To which Jihon, laughing, tried to get out of it: "It's not very convenient. At your family dinner, I will still be superfluous."

"No!" retorted Jaejoon.

Jihong looked back at Jakyong, who still hadn't changed at all.

And feeling a dry mouth, he turned away.

"Of course, come with us. On a day like this, you can't just leave," Mrs. Shim coaxed, almost begging. Jihon knew that if he refused, he would feel guilty later. So he decided to compromise. After all, you can drink on any other day. "If it's not too much trouble, I'll join you."

"Wonderful!" she replied happily.

She was about to address Jaekyung, but he said sharply, "I'm not going." And he slammed the door with such force that everyone in the corridor turned around.

"Oh, what is this..." muttered, clearly confused, Mrs. Shim.

"Oh, don't worry. The door in this room closes with difficulty, you have to make an effort," Jihon reassured her with a smile. And then he turned to Jejun: "Would you like to sit in our seats? From there you can clearly see the stage."

And then Jihong turned to Min: "I will go after Jaekyung. See Mom and Jaejoon off, please." "Of course," the Mins quickly fell out, directing them down the hallway.

Jihon followed them until they were out of sight and then turned.

"Jaekyung, I'm coming in

...

Sighing, he opened the door and hurried in.

"Hey, if you're changing clothes, you could have warned me."

The guy silently continued to search for something in his bag, completely ignoring the interlocutor. Probably, he was looking for a white light jacket with the sponsor's logo for the award ceremony.

"Here it is

He took it without saying a word, and began to dress.

Jihong sat down and tried to speak as gently as possible, "Jaekyung-ah, your brother is leaving for England tomorrow."

"So what?" retorted Jaekyung indifferently, zipping it up.

"We could meet them and then have a drink.

But Jaekyung didn't even let him finish, "I don't care."

"Your brother came for you and even canceled the flight.

"So what?" I didn't ask.

"But your mother—"

"Let them have dinner together." They had already seen each other without me.

"How can you say such a thing?" retorted Jihong jokingly.

"It's none of your business," snapped the stubborn guy, whose anger was too obvious. "I haven't seen him for several years. I didn't even talk to him on the phone. He's a stranger. Why should I cancel my plans for him? He finally blurted out all his feelings.

Jihong understood him perfectly. Not all brothers are closely related to each other. If Jaekyong's older brother had become someone else, then these arguments were quite logical. But still...

"Your mom wants that.

"Why do you care about my mother's feelings?" If she gets upset, I'll settle it myself.

"How can I calmly look at how sad he is?

"Hyung, you don't understand what I'm talking about?" You need not worry about my mother. I'll take care of her feelings myself. You must think only of me.

Finally, he expressed his intentions, knocking Jihon off his feet with his sincerity.

Hearing nothing in response, Jaekyung continued to insist on his own.

"Do you understand me?" I want all your thoughts to be clogged with me. Not about my family, not about other athletes or colleagues, but about me.

If it was a request from an athlete to an agent, Jihong could consider it. But here everything is somewhat different. The agent must take care of all aspects, including those that the athlete cannot control himself. Jaekyung's demand violated the very essence of their professional relationship.

"I didn't make a contract with you to take care of them.

Jihong suddenly remembered Lee Yujeong's words that not respecting the boundaries would only lead to big problems. Then he thought that it would not affect them. He believed that he kept the necessary distance. But now he fully realized his mistake.

"Jaekyung, I'm doing this for you.

"I don't need it.

"Hmm, maybe it's for the best that our conversation won't take place. Given the way Jaekyung has reacted now, chances are he won't understand my intentions," Jihong thought dejectedly.

"I should be your only reason to worry. I don't want you to pay attention to other people for me.

Perhaps this was the best moment to set boundaries once and for all. And it should not be missed.

— Jacken…

The guy silently sawed him with his eyes. Clear brown eyes beckoned to them. Jihon squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, putting his thoughts in order, and then stated, "Even if you don't need it, I have to."

Jaekyung frowned, not wanting to hear anything.

— ...

At this point, Jihong decided to put a confident point: "This is my duty."

— ... Taking care of those things that athletes cannot figure out on their own is one of these tasks.

Jihong felt his heart sink, but he didn't want to let it go: "I have to worry about your surroundings too."

"Do you understand what I mean?" he asked softly, but only silence echoed in his ears.

"Jaekyung," Jihong called to him again, but they were interrupted by a loudspeaker announcing the imminent start of the award ceremony.

"Okay," the guy's dry voice finally rang out. "Then get on with your work." And I'll take care of mine."

With that, he left the room, slamming the door shut.

Jihon remained where he was, listening to the retreating footsteps. When they calmed down, he still didn't move, staring at one point.

As soon as the award ceremony was over, Jaekyung packed his bags and left the Olympic camp. He simply informed the coaching staff of his departure without saying goodbye to the Spoin staff. When the agitated Minu tried to call him, of course, he did not pick up the phone and simply turned off the phone.

Of course, if an adult has disappeared for a while, this is not such a problem. But the matter was complicated by the fact that he had neither money nor bank cards with him. He had no friends in Korea either, and he did not bother to find out the address of his new home. Attempts to find out which hotel he was staying in were also unsuccessful.

"Come on, he'll find his way on his own," the woman grumbled.

Jihong had never seen her so angry.

And it was clear why. She canceled the flight to have dinner together. Naturally, she had a glimmer of hope for an improvement in the relationship between the brothers. But... Everything did not go according to plan at all. Moreover, Mrs. Shim also flies to England, feeling that she needs to devote more time to her first son. And Jaekyung's absence only increased her anxiety.

"Maybe he'll come home when we're gone," she suggested.

But Jihon thought otherwise. If Jaekyung had just wanted to avoid meeting his mother and brother, he would have stayed in the Olympic village and returned home after the closing of the championships, when they would no longer be in Korea. Thus, all these actions were directed against Jihon himself. Of course, he couldn't tell Mrs. Shim about it. He watched in silence as her anger turned to sadness, unable to do anything.

"Don't worry, we'll get in touch with him before you leave." He will definitely appear at the closing ceremony.

"Will he really show up there?"

— Of course. After all, these are national competitions.

"Really?" she asked, surprised. "He rarely attended such events. Usually I specially chose a flight to fly away immediately after the performance."

"However, this time it will be different," Jihong assured her with a smile.

"It turns out that he listens to you. It's a shame we didn't sign with Spoin sooner.

Mrs. Shim's half-joking tone made Jihong feel a little embarrassed.

"I don't think it's because of me. After all, the tournament itself is of great importance to him.

"But... He really doesn't care, even if it's his last championship

Jihong would have liked to contradict her, but he could not. Instead, he left under the pretext of contacting the hotel administration again.

He walked into the room where all the Spoin employees had gathered.

"Minu, can you call the hotel again?"

— Yes, of course.

….

After some time, Minu returned, but the result remained the same.

"Okay, leave it as it is," Jihon added. It was clear that the guy hadn't even come there.

Against the urge to smoke, he took his cell phone out of his back pocket and looked at the newly added contact. And then he sent a message:

[Are you with Jaekyung now?]

The answer came instantly:

[I do.]

Jihong breathed a sigh of relief, it was good that he had exchanged numbers with Cha Sung-hyun.

[Will you go after him?]

[No, let him stay with you for now. Make sure he shows up at the closing ceremony in two days. Please.]

[How cruel :-(]

Jihong turned off the screen and returned to Mrs. Shim: "He's at a friend's now, don't worry."

She sighed and came to her senses, but soon her voice sounded angry again: "Give him a good slap when you meet him. How could you set everyone up like that?"

— Yes, definitely.

Jihon immediately agreed, although he did not plan to do so. Moreover, he will not come there himself.

That same evening, Jihong informed Lee Yu-jeong that he would no longer supervise Jaekyung. Since he had finally made the right decision, she was happy to invite him to attend the closing ceremony.

"No, I won't," Jihon said firmly.

He didn't want to face Jaekyung again. It will be better if they both begin to get used to the new conditions: the guy will have to work with other employees, and he will have to return to the office.

He never showed up for the ceremony, and neither did Jaekyung.

But this celebration of life was broken by the news that the great swimmer, who won 6 gold medals in a row, ended his career.