DASH
*
Chapter 28
─ It’s always been like that. When I saw an Omega, I’d feel that tingling in my chest. Of course, I didn’t go around grabbing people and asking, Are you an Omega? every time, so I can’t say it was one hundred percent accurate. For all I know, some of them might have been Alphas or Betas. But as far as I could confirm, they were all Omegas.
─ So you felt that with me, too?
─ Yeah. That’s why I kept wondering, Is he? Or isn’t he? And the more I thought about it, the more interested I became.
The reason those words stuck with Jiheon, even now, wasn’t just because of how novel they were but because the situation itself had left such a strong impression.
The idea that she could identify an Omega even when pheromone production was suppressed by a chip was not just fascinating—it was downright shocking.
If it happened now, he’d probably shrug it off and say, ‘So what? What’s the big deal?’
He might even reason that it just meant some Alphas were sensitive enough to react to even trace amounts of pheromones. After all, pheromone sensitivity varies from person to person, so it would make sense that their reactions would, too.
But that hadn’t been the case back then. All he could feel was bewilderment and confusion.
In fact, Jiheon had lived up until then without understanding he was an Omega. No, it was more accurate to say he hadn’t realized what it was like to be an Omega.
And Jiheon wasn’t alone in that regard. In fact, it was the norm these days. Unlike in the past, when people realized they were Omegas after experiencing their first heat during puberty, things were different now. These days, people have been undergoing trait tests since elementary school, and if they were determined to be an Omega, they would use a chip right away.
The chips prevented pheromone release, so naturally, there was no need for them to go into heat, and there would be no Alpha sniffing around, saying, “You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”
Moreover, there was no way to check the uterus in one’s belly, making that notion entirely implausible.
Hence, even if someone wasn’t initially aware they were an Omega but later had a lover or got married, and they removed the chip for pregnancy or other reasons, they’d experience their first heat belatedly.
As a result, there was an analysis that suggested that the aftereffects of a first heat were more severe in modern times compared to the past. That was because intellectual levels had risen, and more individuals were well-educated. So even if they intellectually understood the symptoms of heat, they struggled to fully accept them as part of their own reality.
Those who thought, ‘Surely humans can’t regress to that level anymore. Others, maybe, but not me—never me,’ often suffered the most profound shame after going through the so-called “loss of reason, leaving only primal instincts.”
Especially, the later in life one experienced their first heat, the more intense the shock seemed to be. In severe cases, the psychological impact even led to depression, which had become common enough in recent years to prompt the rapid emergence of specialized counseling clinics.
Anyway, apart from what people said, Jiheon had no intention of having children, so he saw no reason to remove the chip. This meant he could avoid heat altogether and would likely go his entire life without ever fully confronting his nature as an Omega.
Moreover, his appearance was far from the common Omega image most people held, so he never became a target of uncivilized discrimination. This was why he’d lived believing “he wasn’t all that different from a Beta.”
However, the moment he’d heard his girlfriend’s words, he realized that belief had been his own illusion.
The idea that an Alpha could recognize an Omega even with a chip in place unsettled him deeply. No matter how much I hide it, am I still just an Omega? Will I always remain a potential object of Alpha desire? Even in an age of advanced medical science, is this the one thing that can’t be overcome? Like gravity—an inescapable law of nature?—these gloomy thoughts were like a perpetual whirlpool he couldn’t escape.
He found himself even more afraid because he had long dismissed it as something that had nothing to do with him. Those negative thoughts couldn’t leave his mind no matter what.
Consequently, it was difficult for Jiheon to treat his girlfriend the same way as before, and in the end, they broke up shortly after.
Over time, the initial shock began to fade, replaced by a strange sense of defiance.
‘Is it really like that? Is it true that Alpha and Omega are destined to feel attracted to each other regardless of the pheromones?’
Jiheon found himself questioning this fundamental notion. He wanted to deny it and confirm it at the same time.
It was around that time that Jiheon began frequenting bars and clubs. He gave up on serious relationships, opting instead for occasional hookups with partners he met on nights out. He would rarely refuse anyone who approached him with interest, but he’d consistently inquired whether they were an Alpha, Beta, or Omega after the intercourse.
Most were Betas, a few were Omegas, but Alpha were almost nonexistent. In fact, he’d only encountered two so far.
Yet, even if Jiheon had to think whether there was a noticeable difference in sex with those two Alpha, there was actually nothing of the sort.
Oh, there was one person who kept saying things like, “This feels amazing, I’ve never felt this good before, I’m going crazy,” throughout sex. However, that was likely nothing more than what anyone would say out of pleasure. Perhaps that person said the same to everyone he slept with.
In the end, one thing Jiheon had learned with certainty through these experiences was that he definitely enjoyed being the bottom rather than the top.
◆◇◆
Being a member of Kwon Jaekyoung’s exclusive management team, one of the most significant tasks entrusted to Jiheon was none other than being his training assistant.
Being a training assistant meant handling all other tasks so that the athlete could focus solely on training. In essence, serving.
Usually, this serious task was assigned to new employees or junior team members. However, since there was only one member of the team in charge of Kwon Jaekyoung—and since Spoin made it in a rush—Jeong Jiheon had to take charge of becoming the training assistant.
Of course, despite this designation, Jaekyoung wasn’t the sort to burden him with numerous tasks during training, so all Jiheon actually did was work as his driver.
In the morning, Jaekyoung engaged in weight training sessions with a personal trainer he had hired for one-on-one training.
On the first day, Jiheon had spent about fifteen minutes watching from the sidelines before the trainer turned to him with a sheepish expression and said:
“Mr. Jeong, having you watch like that makes me nervous. I feel like I’m under surveillance. Why don’t you join in and work out with Jaekyoung instead? You look like you could use some muscle.”
To emphasize the point, the trainer even rolled up his sleeves and grinned. Jiheon took that as his cue to exit the gym and never ventured back up to the third floor again. This unintended consequence allowed him to work comfortably on his laptop in the lobby throughout the morning.
Following Jaekyoung’s weight training routine, the three of them—Jiheon, Jaekyoung, and the trainer—would grab lunch together. There weren’t many good restaurants around the gym, so they often ended up at a nearby fast-food joint.
Jaekyoung ordered a menu consisting of only sugar and fat combinations such as Oreo shakes and ice cream without hesitation, even though his trainer was giving him a stare. Seeing the lack of reprimand from the trainer, it seemed they had a prior agreement about not intervening in Jaekyoung’s diet.
Actually, for Jaekyoung, his diet didn’t matter much. Not just him, most swimmers were like that. Swimming burned so many calories that they had to eat a lot without having to calculate the carb ratios. Even if Jaekyoung scarfed down 7,000 to 8,000 calories a day, he would shed weight instead of gaining weight. But he had to enter the water two hours after eating, so he usually had a light lunch and ate a lot in the evening.
By “light,” we’re talking two Big Mac sets, one spicy chicken burger, ten McNuggets, and a shake or ice cream depending on Jaekyoung’s mood. At least he skipped the soda and left half the fries untouched, so he seemed to be paying attention to his sugar and carbohydrate intake. But all efforts were wasted when he ordered ice cream and shakes.
Following lunch, he would take a short break before starting the afternoon training at the pool from 3 o’clock.
Jiheon’s role wasn’t much different even during afternoon training. Apart from measuring the lap times at Jaekyoung’s request, all he did was wait in the waiting room while doing his work.
The waiting room had a glass wall for guardians to observe the pool situation during elementary or preschool classes. As a result, Jiheon had no choice but to keep his eyes on the pool, even if he didn’t want to.
With only a month and a half before the competition, Jaekyoung didn’t stay in the water for long. It was called tapering, in which players significantly reduced their training to protect their condition as the competition approached. Especially in the week leading up, Jaekyoung mainly focused on starts and turns, conserving his stamina as much as possible.
That was why Jaekyoung was never in the water for more than two hours a day. However, since the competition was still a month and a half away, he said that he would move in breathable moderation once every two or three days to maintain his tension.
Of course, Jaekyoung’s idea of that “breathable moderation” was a whole different story. Others wouldn’t quite agree, including Jiheon. He found that kind of training anything but “breathable moderation.” It felt more like “violently heart-bursting”.
This was such an example. As part of EN2 [1], Jaekyoung often swam around 3000m freestyle, and of course, he didn’t just swim. Every time he reached 100m, he would get out of the water and dive back in from the starting block.
In fact, it was one of the most traditional training methods. Jiheon had done it back in his active days too. Most swimmers probably went through it at some point, and more often than not, it was done as punishment after being scolded by a coach. It was such a difficult and painful training—no, it was more like torture than training.
Jiheon first got slapped with this brutal punishment in middle school. Of course, it wasn’t 3000m back then. The goal was 1000 meters, and instead of swimming 100 meters at a time, it was 50. And every time he reached 50m, he had to get out of the water and dive back in.
He pulled through the first 500m. But around 600m, he was gasping for air. By 800m, his legs were trembling so badly that getting out of the water became so difficult.
As soon as he barely reached 1000m, he crawled out of the water, throwing himself onto the tiled floor. It felt as if his heart would explode. Unable to lift a finger, he lay on the floor gasping for breath, and tears flowed from his eyes as he felt pain as if his lungs were about to be ripped apart.
But Jaekyoung did 3000m. Not 1000 or 2000, but a full 3000. Just watching it made Jiheon frown and break into a cold sweat. In fact, he couldn’t bear to watch past the 2000-meter mark. The memory of his own pain from that drill was still too vivid, etched deep into his mind.
Of course, Jiheon was the only one suffering. Jaekyoung himself seemed rather unfazed. He’d breathe a bit heavy, but he stayed strong till the end. Basically, he managed that “breathable moderation” pace as he had hoped for.
Jaekyoung’s friend and rival, Noah, once called him a merman in an interview. Now Jiheon could understand why. Jaekyoung’s stamina was insane, like a swimmer compared to a monster. He was truly beyond human limits.
Note:
[1] EN2: means Endurance 2 in Energy Systems. Each system is defined by the source of fuel and how that fuel powers the muscles, one of them is endurance. Endurance training involves performing exercises at a moderate-to-high intensity for an extended period of time. (back)