DASH

Chapter 2

At the moment when the host spoke, a wave of applause swept through the visitors of the pub. Even though it was only halfway through the performance, the crowd clapped enthusiastically and rejoiced, as if Kwon Jaekyung had already won a gold medal and proudly wore it around his neck.

[We now move on to the breaststroke section, with Kwon Jaekyung leading the fourth lane, followed by Noah Kenny of Australia.]

[There is almost no gap between them now.]

[Noah Kenny's main style is butterfly, and Kwon Jaekyung's is freestyle. Interestingly, both chose breaststroke as the least confident swimming technique.]

[This is common among swimmers. If breaststroke is not their primary discipline, many will consider it the least confident style due to its relatively slow pace compared to the other three. Therefore, when athletes state, "I like breaststroke the least," it is often implied that they are good in all styles.

[Oh, wait. Noah Kenny picks up speed.]

With an insistent shout, the host abruptly interrupted the ongoing commentary.

[Noah Kenny suddenly began to accelerate. Intercepted... leadership... Oh, it's changed. Noah Kenny is the first to take the touchpad at 150 meters on the fifth track. The second place was taken by Kwon Jaekyung from South Korea. 0.02 seconds behind.]

Sighs were heard everywhere. Those who had previously been overwhelmed with happiness, as if Kwon Jaekyung had already won a gold medal, now felt the deepest sorrow, as if they were losing.

"Oh, why is he so bad?" - at the table where the college students gathered, the guy shouted furiously, apparently trying to attract the attention of the students.

Jihong stopped and smiled at the student's bold provocation. After all, Kwon Jaekyung had already surpassed Noah Kenny and regained the lead by the time the student shouted. It was hard to notice, and the host didn't seem to be able to react quickly. Although the difference was almost indistinguishable, Jihon managed to figure it out, although even the host didn't have time to record it. Obviously, the gap will widen with the upcoming 50m freestyle, which is Kwon Jaekyung's preferred technique. And indeed, when Kwon Jaekyung and Noah Kenny appeared out of the water at the same time, Kwon Jaekyung pulled ahead by more than a meter. The sudden shift in ratings left people confused, causing confused exclamations like, "Huh? What just happened?"

[Kwon Jaekyung! He's taking back the lead! Noah Kenny is catching up to him!]

Relieved to hear the presenter's explanation, the astonished crowd burst into applause.

[Kwon Jaekyung leads the freestyle, it's his main sport!

[He has already achieved a significant breakup.]

[It's getting bigger and bigger!]

[Hurry, Kwon Jaekyung, it's your time to make swimming history and rewrite South Korea's heritage!]

In a breathless voice, the host let out a scream, and in the next instant, Kwon Jaekyung's hand touched the touch panel. At the same time, both the host and the commentator let out a shrill exclamation.

[Gold Medal!]

Cheers of delight reverberated throughout the pub, filling the air with jubilation.

[Gold medal! Athlete Kwon Jaekyung won the gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley, which was both a historic achievement and a first for South Korea!]

[1 minute and 54.17 seconds! His personal and new Olympic best.]

[He had previously set a new Asian record in the preliminary round, and now he has broken the Olympic record in the final!]

[He surpassed him by more than half a second.

While the scenes of the start of the swimmers were played on the screen in slow motion, the host and the commentator were talking animatedly, exchanging stories. Before announcing the final results, they carefully watched the video one last time. Since a late start could lead to disqualification even after the race, it was impossible to relax until the very end. Finally, the long-awaited final result appeared on the screen. After the video review, the result remained unchanged: Kwon Jaekyung from South Korea won the gold medal, followed by Noah Kenny - silver, and Phil Abramson - bronze. After confirming Kwon Jaekyung's gold medal, the pub erupted into applause again. From time to time, calls were ringing, signaling a new order. It seemed that everyone in the room was looking forward to Friday night, immersed in the wonderful story of a stunning young athlete who wrote a new chapter in South Korean history.

Of course, the table around which Jihon's colleagues, members of the PR team of the Spoin sports agency, gathered, was no exception.

"Wow, Kwon Jaekyung is amazing, really"

"Incredible, truly mind-blowing"

"Why is Mr. Nam so proud?"

Assistant Manager Yoon added, "Not the Asian Games, but the World Championships?"

"I told you so. Was it 7 years ago? It was the World Championships in Berlin."

"Wow, that's amazing. Kwon Jaekyung hasn't won a medal at the World Championship yet," the general department staff shouted excitedly.

Jihong was embarrassed, quickly waving his hand, and replied, "No, he missed that year on purpose. You misunderstood."

Jihong repeated, placing accents: "He didn't take the medal because he didn't participate. He will win and win the gold medal next year. He will probably win all the competitions."

To Jihong's desperate explanation, Nam replied, "In any case, Jihon-ssi is still the youngest medalist in South Korea. He took the medal when he was in the 10th grade. Even if Kwon Jaekyung takes part next year and wins the gold medal, this record will not be broken."

"How does Mr. Nam know about this?"

"Jihon and I are the same age. He was very popular on Facebook as a handsome high school swimmer."

When Jihong asked this embarrassedly, the staff squealed, "Oh, he was embarrassed, embarrassed!" In the moment, he felt happy.

"I heard he was interviewed in a magazine, so I bought it and read it with friends."

"No, but why is Mr. Nam so proud?"

"Oh, please give them to me," Nam Seungmyung, ignoring the words, began to place the side dishes that had just arrived on the table. As soon as all the additional snacks were placed on the table, a colleague asked, skillfully cutting a German sausage with a knife: "But why did you give up swimming?"

It wasn't very polite to ask an athlete why he quit the sport. However, there were so many similar situations here that no one was bothered by it. Assistant coach Yoon was also a volleyball player, and Nam Seungmyung practiced archery until middle school.

"I was injured and I thought it was worth leaving."

"Oh, I see. There is nothing we can do about the injuries," the officers did not ask for any details, as if the answer was expected.

"It's a pity. If you had continued, you might have done better than Kwon Jaekyung."

"By no means. It's completely impossible" - when Jihong smiled and said that it was unrealistic, Managing Director Guo suddenly intervened: "Why not? You can't know for sure. Our rookie is the same height as Kwon Jaekyung. Come to think of it, how tall are you?"

"My height is about 180 cm," Jihong replied, deliberately lowering his voice.

"Really? I'm 180, but you look so much taller than me. Is it really 180?" the assistant manager specified.

Before Jihong answered yes or no, Managing Director Guo tapped on the table and added, "Aigu, you're so tall. Then, our rookie, you're the Alpha, right?"

When Jihong didn't answer and just smiled, Managing Director Guo tapped on the table again and continued his speech: "It must be true! Silence is a sign of agreement. Yes, I knew it as soon as I saw you." Managing Director Guo nodded vigorously. Assistant Manager Yun spoke in an overly harsh tone to him, who drew his own conclusion and was satisfied: "Mr. Guo, these days, you shouldn't ask about such a thing until you are told yourself."

"Why? Is it discrimination or something?" asked Managing Director Guo wryly.

"It has been like this for a long time. You know it's okay to report sexual harassment these days, don't you?" As one of the few omegas among the employees in the company, he paid attention to such situations.

In response, the managing director sighed in exasperation, muttering under his breath, "Aigu, what the hell. No, I'm not saying anything about the omega, I'm asking, is it Alpha, does it look like sexual harassment?"

"That's right. It's better not to touch on such topics at all," Assistant Manager Yun filled Managing Director Guo's glass and said that. And Manager Guo grumbled to the last: "Aigu, what a pain."

Nam Seungmyung's gaze rested on him as if he wanted to shoot him with a gun, but he soon took a deep breath and turned his head to the wall where the screen was installed. Instead of explaining it in detail, Nam Seungmyung seemed to immerse himself in the positive visuals. It was indeed a wise decision. Just in time, a replay of the previous match was broadcast on the screen. The entire carefully edited video sequence focused on the gold medalist and the highlights of the performance.

"Beep," the signal rang. And the young champion jumped into the pool without hesitation. Gliding through the water with the grace and swiftness of a mermaid, he surfaced, leaving a trail of shiny white foam in his wake.

"What can I say, he... Before and after the medal, he was still handsome."