DASH
*
Chapter 35
Well, it wasn’t just today. Jaekyoung had always been in a good mood for the past few days. His stroke was excellent, and his records were even better. Jiheon couldn’t quite figure out why. Jaekyoung’s routine remained the same—practice, eat, rest, practice—but why did his condition suddenly improve so much?
There was no change in the meantime except that Jiheon went into the pool with him a few times.
However, that couldn’t be the reason. Whenever Jiheon swam, he made sure to stay out of Jaekyoung’s way. Jaekyoung focused on training as he usually did, while Jiheon did nothing but swim for about 40 minutes alone in the farthest lane so he wouldn’t disturb Jaekyoung. Well, the two of them never had a match or conversation either.
However, when Jaekyoung took a break during training, he would watch Jiheon swimming from afar.
Originally, Jaekyoung would usually cover his face with a towel and lie motionless on a bench by the poolside, almost like he was dead. After ten minutes of rest, he would dive back into the water.
But when Jiheon was there, Jaekyoung acted differently. He didn’t lie down at all; he simply stayed in the water. Leaning on the course rope or resting against the tile wall, his gaze was fixed on Jiheon swimming in the last lane.
Jiheon was tempted to ask what he was looking at, but he feared sparking a conversation that could disrupt Jaekyoung’s training rhythm. Thus, he remained silent.
Jaekyoung would observe him for a long time, but when the break was over, he immediately started training again and quickly focused on his movements as if he had forgotten Jiheon’s existence.
Jiheon had been concerned that he might hinder Jaekyoung’s training, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. If anything, Jaekyoung’s performance had improved, and his condition was impeccable.
‘But should I stop joining him in the pool for now? With only about 15 days left until the competition, it’s wise to minimize any potential distractions.’
It was at that moment.
“Athlete Kwon Jaekyoung, I think you can come out as soon as you’re done with the makeup!”
Just then, a staff member opened the door to the waiting room without knocking. He just shouted those words before disappearing.
“Looks like shooting’s about to begin.”
The makeup artist’s touch became more hurried. Finally, he finished his work, giving Jaekyoung’s lip color a final touch-up.
“What do you think? Perfect, isn’t it?”
Pride radiated from the makeup artist as he organized his supplies with a smile.
“It definitely is.”
Jiheon was surprised inside. The makeup was subtle; it just involved a light base for his lips and slightly darker eyebrows. But that alone changed Jaekyoung’s impression.
Jiheon had been worried that the makeup might over-feminize Jaekyoung’s already handsome features, but that wasn’t the case.
On the contrary, the boyish charm he usually had at first glance was transformed into a more mature, masculine aura.
However, Jaekyoung seemed somewhat uncomfortable when he glimpsed his reflection in the mirror. He seemed a bit startled.
And as soon as the makeup artist left the room, he voiced his thoughts:
“It feels weird.”
“Why? What’s so weird about it?”
“Everything just feels weird. Why the hell did he put colors on my lips?”
“If he doesn’t, your lips will look too pale. It’s fine.”
Jiheon replied with a smile.
“I’m sure you’re just feeling awkward because it’s your first time wearing makeup. From the side, it doesn’t look weird at all. In fact, you look cool.”
When Jiheon said that he liked it, Jaekyoung didn’t respond anymore. Though, he still had a slightly dissatisfied look on his face.
“Shall we get going?”
When Jiheon motioned towards the door, Jaekyoung stood up as if he had been waiting. He then removed the training pants he had worn over his swimsuit and left the waiting room wearing only his jersey. Jiheon also placed his bag and belongings in a corner and followed Jaekyoung.
Outside the waiting room was simply chaos. Reflectors and large lights were seen all over the poolside, as well as multiple cameras. The staff hurriedly moved around, often shouting; it was pure commotion.
‘Cleaning up after the shoot will probably take quite a while. Will we be able to leave by six?’
As Jiheon pondered this, Manager Yoon Kyuwon, who had been conversing with the brand manager, suddenly called out to him.
“Mr. Jeong! Can you come here for a moment and take a look at this?”
“Ah, sure.”
Jiheon responded and quickly made his way to where Yoon Kyuwon was standing. Then—
“Hey, watch your step. It’s slippery.”
Before Jiheon could react, he stepped on a puddle of water and started to slip.
It all happened in an instant, leaving him with no time to even shout. His arms flailed as he tried to regain his balance.
“——!”
Someone grabbed Jiheon’s wrist from behind and pulled him back with great force.
Jiheon, who had been bracing for an imminent plunge into the water, finally opened his eyes and found himself faced with warmth enveloping his back, instead of the cold water.
“Are you okay?”
Jaekyoung’s voice sounded more surprised than the look on his face. But that face, it was too close. It was almost nose to nose.
Jiheon felt even more startled than when he had slipped and quickly got to his feet.
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Be careful, it’s slippery.”
“Oh, sorry. I mean, thanks.”
Jiheon said gibberish.
“Wow, that really caught me off guard.”
As Jiheon barely managed to regain his balance and straighten up, Manager Yoon approached him with a surprised expression.
“Mr. Jeong, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
“Goodness. I thought my heart nearly dropped. Be careful.”
Jiheon smiled at Manager Yoon, who was sweeping his chest in relief. Embarrassed, Jiheon apologized:
“I’m sorry about that. You mentioned that I needed to take a look at something?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. The brand manager over there wanted you to take a look at this.”
Even as he spoke with Manager Yoon, Jaekyoung continued to hold onto Jiheon’s arm. Jiheon had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t even realized it.
When Manager Yoon finished speaking, he chuckled as he noticed:
“Be really careful, Mr. Jeong. Athlete Kwon Jaekyoung got quite a scare.”
Turning to see what he meant, Jiheon found that Jaekyoung was still holding onto his arm.
“Hey, Jaekyoung-ah. You can let go now.”
Jiheon smiled unconsciously in embarrassment.
“I’m not going to fall, you see.”
Jaekyoung finally released Jiheon’s hand with an “Oh.” He didn’t seem to notice that he was still holding onto Jiheon.
“Be careful, hyung, seriously.”
Jaekyoung’s words were tinged with frustration.
“Why are you doing that when you know the floor’s slippery?”
The anger was evident in Jaekyoung’s stern expression, even more than in his tone.
“Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
Although it was due to Jiheon’s momentary carelessness, Jaekyoung’s expression remained unyielding. Even the frown between his eyebrows seemed more noticeable, indicating that he was very angry.
To be honest, Jiheon didn’t entirely understand why Jaekyoung was so angry, but he did his best to make him feel better, since it was clearly his own mistake.
“But isn’t it kind of impressive how I managed to twist my body to fall into the pool in the middle of it all? If I had hit the floor, I might have ended up with a broken bone or two.”
Jiheon remarked, almost praising himself, which made Jaekyoung look dumbfounded.
“Why the hell would you think like that?”
And then,
“I won’t let you hit the floor, hyung.”
Jiheon folded his arms and let out a quick sigh. But at that moment, his heart was pounding incredibly fast. He felt so embarrassed by himself that he couldn’t respond properly. All he could manage was muttering, “Oh… okay….”
Trying to regain his composure, he attempted to say something, but he found himself at a loss for words and unsure of how to proceed. For some reason, he felt hesitant to meet Jaekyoung’s gaze directly, so he avoided eye contact.
Thankfully, the assistant director approached them and said:
“Athlete Kwon Jaekyoung, are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for a while now.”
The assistant director seemed slightly taken aback by Jaekyoung’s blunt response, then motioned for him to come.
Jaekyoung followed without uttering another word, but his face was already full of annoyance.
Walking quietly beside him, Jiheon secretly whispered to Jaekyoung:
“From now on, when they ask if you’re ready, just say yes.”
Jaekyoung glanced at Jiheon and mumbled, “Hmm.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just make sure you don’t slip again, hyung.”
Around 3 o’clock, the shooting finally started in earnest.
It was fortunate that the continuity was very simple. Since this was the first commercial for an athlete whose acting skill couldn’t be expected, they decided to forgo complex concepts and solely focus on swimming.
Thanks to this, Jaekyoung had to swim back and forth doing the butterfly for 30 minutes in the pool. Compared to his usual training, it wasn’t too demanding since it wasn’t meant to be a warm-up. They also had to redo the diving sequence about ten times to get the shot the director wanted, but no complaints were made, probably because it appeared to be part of his training.
Rather, Jaekyoung struggled most with the third shot. In that scene, he had to swim to the end, touch the tile with his hand, and then pull down his goggles while breathing heavily.
No matter how hard Jaekyoung tried, he couldn’t seem to genuinely display that “breathing heavily” demand here. Even when he swam 50m at full speed and touched the tile, he wasn’t truly winded.
The director eventually suggested:
“Jaekyoung-ssi, if you can’t breathe heavily, just pretend to be out of breath. You don’t have to be embarrassed because you’re acting. Think of it as showing how you look when you’re exhausted.”
This time, Jaekyoung really breathed heavily until his shoulders were shaking, causing the director to touch his forehead.
The difficult third cut was eventually resolved only after Jiheon, an expert on Kwon Jaekyoung, stepped forward.
“Imagine you’ve just finished an 800m freestyle. Let’s say you’ve gone all out without pacing yourself. I guess that should be enough.”
Jaekyoung seemed to ponder how he’d feel after an 800m race and then returned to the water. And after a while, the director observed Jaekyoung’s portrayal of “breathing heavily after an 800m race at full speed,” and muttered to himself:
“Yeah, that should do it. He’s got the hang of it.”
Perhaps due to his struggle with the third shot, the last scene featuring “taking off the swimming cap while wearing goggles around his neck” went much smoother.
Even while filming that scene, exclamations occasionally escaped the staff. And when they reviewed the footage, everyone was so excited and chimed in.
“This is insane, seriously. I’m not even kidding. He’s so damn cool.”
“Damn, Kwon Jaekyoung is crazy good. How does he have such thick hair?”
“Wow, damn. He’s got it all, doesn’t he? Seriously.”
Even Manager Yoon, who stood at the back with Jiheon, whispered:
“This is a huge success. There’s going to be a buzz when this airs.”
Jiheon felt the same way. To be honest, he had doubts while watching the filming, wondering if it would turn out alright. However, seeing the final result made him realize that his concerns were just pointless.
As anticipated, the last shot where Jaekyoung’s face was clearly visible was the best, but all the other scenes turned out great as well. Since the footage was pre-edited, watching the slow-paced shots without any additional effects still created a sense of exhilaration.