DASH
*
Chapter 39
Honestly, Jiheon thought that whoever Kwon Jaekyoung liked would just be Kwon Jaekyoung himself. Given his temperament, he wouldn’t hold back on his habit, doing whatever he pleased, regardless of how much he liked the other person.
But Jiheon didn’t realize he could say such a praiseworthy thing. It turned out he was the type who matched everything to the person he liked.
“What? Was it unexpected? Are you surprised that Jaekyoung really said that?”
Cha Seonghyeon asked, a grin on his face. Without waiting for Jiheon’s response, he took a drag of his cigarette and continued, “How is that so surprising?” and tilted his head.
“Hyung-nim, don’t you know the relationship between me and Jaekyoung?”
“I know.”
Jiheon answered calmly.
“How could I not know? Your company practically made a statement that you two are close friends, Cha Seonghyeon-ssi.”
Cha Seonghyeon seemed to pick up on the sarcasm. He brushed off some ash from his cigarette and said, “I see,” and covered it up with a chuckle.
“Other than that?”
The way Cha Seonghyeon asked, with his eyes smiling, seemed like he was tempting Jiheon to spill what he actually knew.
In the end, Cha Seonghyeon admitted it himself—that their relationship wasn’t just friendship.
Jiheon took a moment to think. He needed to choose his words as carefully as he could.
“Jaekyoung seems to follow and like you a lot.”
“Hmm, that’s true. He likes me.”
Cha Seonghyeon nodded. He placed the cigarette between his lips and let out a hearty laugh.
“Jaekyoung really likes me.”
He added belatedly, “Especially my face.”
He playfully blew smoke in Jiheon’s direction.
Jiheon didn’t have time to think whether he was in a good or bad mood anymore. He simply wanted to end this troublesome conversation as quickly as possible. Yes, he shouldn’t have started this conversation in the first place. Now he couldn’t get out because he had brought it up first.
In the end, Jiheon patiently continued the conversation.
“If you’re aware of this, it would be nice if you could be more considerate.”
“Why should I?”
Cha Seonghyeon asked back promptly.
“Is it because the competition is just a week away? I’m sorry, hyung-nim, but that’s his situation. I’m just moving according to my own terms here. Jaekyoung isn’t a kid; he won’t come running if he thinks it’s tough.”
“You’re right.”
Jiheon briefly nodded his head and continued:
“But sometimes, you need to understand the other person’s situation first. That’s what being considerate is all about.”
“Why should I be considerate?”
‘No, why the hell are you saying this now?’
The harsh words soared up to his throat. At this point, Jiheon was almost bursting out in anger, not just at Cha Seonghyeon but also at Kwon Jaekyoung. Why did he have to like someone who was so selfish and incapable of decent communication?
“Because the competition is just ten days away. It’s a very meaningful competition for Jaekyoung.”
Jiheon calmly pointed out.
“As you may know, it’s the competition where Asia’s first Grand Slam is at stake.”
“And it’s also the final competition in his career.”
Cha Seonghyeon responded, as if he knew everything. It was even more absurd that he was aware of this, yet Jiheon decided not to find fault with it. He said:
“Let me be clear. I have no intention of arguing about the relationship between the two of you.”
“Sure, because you don’t really have a say in it.”
Ignoring Cha Seonghyeon’s laughter, Jiheon continued.
“But, you know, just yesterday there were a bunch of articles because of those photos. So, please refrain from seeing each other until the competition is over. It’s just about being considerate of Jaekyoung’s competition and condition. It’s not that big of a favor, is it?”
“It certainly isn’t.”
Cha Seonghyeon agreed with a nod.
“But I don’t really see the need for that.”
He still stood his ground. He crushed the cigarette into the ashtray and put it out.
“As long as Jaekyoung is fine with it, does it really matter? I think you’re still treating him like a kid, hyung-nim. He’s a grown-up now.”
Saying that, Cha Seonghyeon took out a cigarette pack from his jacket pocket. He immediately lit another cigarette, took a slow drag, and blew out the smoke, all while saying, “Right, hyung-nim?” with a chuckle.
“Jaekyoung is not a child, and he’s not your child either, hyung-nim. If you want to play mother, save it for when you’re ready to actually give birth to his kid.”
Despite the friendly smile on his face, his tone carried a sharp edge. It seemed like he had decided to let his annoyance show, as he’d been slightly confrontational since earlier.
“Hyung-nim, you’re an Omega, so technically you can give birth yourself.”
Even so, Jiheon thought that was taking it a bit far.
“Right?”
Cha Seonghyeon quipped, cigarette dangling from his lips. Jiheon couldn’t feel anything because he could see that this guy was determined to provoke him.
What this guy wanted was for Jiheon to get angry. He didn’t know how this guy knew, whether Jaekyoung told him or whether he wanted to argue with him with a straight face.
“I’m a non-maritalist and child-free person.”
Unfortunately, Jiheon had no intention of doing what this guy wanted.
“Come on. Don’t be like that.”
Cha Seonghyeon said, cigarette moving as his eyebrows furrowed.
“Birth rates are a mess right now. You could contribute by giving birth to at least one.”
“Then maybe you should give birth to two instead of me, Cha Seonghyeon-ssi.”
“Oh, if I could’ve had any, I would’ve gone for three.”
Cha Seonghyeon spoke quickly. Judging by the look on his face, he seemed to be a Beta.
“It’s a bit unfair. If not a Beta, I wish I was born as an Omega. But no, I had to end up as nothing more than an Alpha.”
“……You’re an Alpha?”
Jiheon inquired, a bit taken aback.
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
Cha Seonghyeon asked, shrugging his shoulders. He put the cigarette in his mouth with an expression of “Well, now you do,” on his face. He exhaled smoke into the air as if he was aiming at the sky.
Cha Seonghyeon was assumed to be a Beta on the internet.
“When I first signed up with the modeling agency, I told them I was a Beta. It’s annoying when people start speculating about whether I’m an Alpha or Omega. But well, I don’t produce pheromones, and I’m not going to get pregnant, so I’m pretty much like a Beta.”
Seeing as he didn’t seem to care about accidents that would happen if he reacted to pheromones, it looked like he was diligently taking medication to lower his pheromone sensitivity. Or maybe he was just naturally low-sensitive from the start?
Apart from that, Jiheon could now understand why rumors had spread about him pretending to be a Beta when he was actually an Omega. Despite the calm and taciturn image he showed on TV, his manner of speaking and behavior in personal situations were apparently quite easygoing. Of course, in Jiheon’s eyes, this embarrassingly friendly tone seemed a bit of an acting.
“Anyway, Cha Seonghyeon-ssi, let’s go back to what we were talking about.”
Jiheon said with a tone that he didn’t like it. But honestly, it was a pretty good story.
“From your perspective, it might seem like an overprotective move, but it’s the norm around here, especially during competitions. All results really depend on the athlete’s condition, so all the staff members go all out to keep the athlete in the best condition. And during this time, it’s not just the athlete who gets touchy; the staff gets sensitive too.”
“Come on, it’s not like you’re a mother of a high school senior who’s about to take the college entrance test or something.”
At Cha Seonghyeon’s words, Jiheon couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, because that expression is spot on.”
Cha Seonghyeon shot him a look with his brows raised as if asking, “Seriously?”
Jiheon nodded in agreement because it really was like that.
“When the college entrance test is coming up, high school seniors take mock tests according to the actual exam. The athletes are the same. Their daily routines play a big role in their physical condition. So, when they’re heading to a big event like the Olympics, they eat, sleep, and train according to the game schedule for several days in advance. If there’s a preliminary round at 10:00 and a final at 9:00, they’ll wake up at 6:00, do some warm-ups, train at 10:00, grab a simple meal, catch some sleep, then hit the training again at 9:00, and so on.”
“Wow, that’s some serious attention to detail.”
Cha Seonghyeon smiled, bringing his cigarette to his lips.
“Yes, it’s all in the details. Even the tiniest things can hugely impact their condition and ultimately affect their performance. During the competition, the athlete will feel like walking on thin ice. We never even talk about their rival athletes skipping a few practice rounds, fearing it might stress them out. We don’t mention the rival’s injuries or saying they’re sluggish. We just let them focus on themselves. That’s the job of our management team.”
Cha Seonghyeon remained silent, puffing on his cigarette with a smile that seemed to be pondering something. After a while, he tapped the ashes into the ashtray and said:
“I’ve got a question. Hyung-nim, are you going to unconditionally endure it if you think my actions on the night before the competition will affect Jaekyoung’s condition?”
“Of course.”
Jiheon looked at him, wondering what he was on about.
“Then, what if Jaekyoung suddenly throws some ridiculous request? If it’s Jaekyoung’s wish, would you just agree to everything without refusing, even if you don’t want to?”
“It depends on what the request is, but if it’s doable—”
“For example, what if Jaekyoung wants to have sex with you the day before the finals?”
“Cha Seonghyeon-ssi, are you drunk?”
Jiheon asked, concern flickering in his eyes. “Are you driving under the influence?”
“What? No way!”
Cha Seonghyeon shouted, his eyes wide.
“There’s no way I’m going to drive drunk in broad daylight.”
He quickly looked around, checking if anyone overheard, then looked at Jiheon with a puzzled expression.
“You can’t just say stuff like that, hyung-nim. Drunk driving is a serious crime. It can’t even be compared to dating rumors.”
“No, I know that.”
Jiheon reassured him, trying to calm him down.
“I asked because what you said made no sense. I was wondering if you were a bit drunk.”
“What? Was it nonsense?”
Cha Seonghyeon laughed, asking if what he just said was too much. Then he put the cigarette into his mouth and mumbled to himself with a slightly sad expression.
“I was asking you a serious question.”
‘Which part of that is serious?’
Jiheon thought with an expressionless face. If this guy was seriously sober, Jiheon would be even more concerned.
He wasn’t even drunk, but he said something like that…….
But Jiheon’s bigger concern was Jaekyoung rather than Cha Seonghyeon. To be precise, he was worried about Jaekyoung’s eyes on men. He wondered if the kid couldn’t see anything beyond their faces.
Faces didn’t last forever, and even the handsomest jerks faded with time.