DASH

Chapter 87

Enho arrived at the gym an hour earlier. On the eve of Day X, he had not been able to sleep because of the excitement, and naturally, he hurried to inform everyone about it. As soon as Jihong entered the staff room, the guy immediately looked up from his lunch and ran up to him: "Hyung! Idea!!!

Without even looking at Jaekyung, he immediately hung on to Jihon.

"I was invited to participate in a popular show! When I got the call yesterday, I thought it was an April Fool's joke. Enho continued to chirp, jumping almost to the ceiling.

Feeling the withering gaze of the "escort" on him, Jihon carefully freed himself from the tenacious embrace.

"Yes, it's a good chance, so do your best." Ms. Li said that you have a great sense of humor and will do just fine. She has high hopes for you.

"Yes?" He opened his eyes in surprise, trying to grab Jihon again: "Then I'll definitely call her back!"

But at that moment, Jaekyung, who was standing behind, shamelessly squeezed between them and made his way to the table, deliberately hitting Yeonho's shoulder, causing him to stagger and be forced to step back.

"Are you okay?" Jihon asked anxiously.

"Oh yes, it's okay," he smiled back casually.

Meanwhile, Jaekyung sat down in front of where the swordsman's bag lay. And Jihong glared at him meaningfully, as if to say, "Hey, what are you doing?" But the stubborn man did not seem to pay attention at all and casually took a bottle of water.

Yeongho stole a glance at Jaekyong and gathered his courage as he approached him, holding out his hand, "You're Kwon Jaekyung, right? I will be glad to work with you today..."

To which Jaekyung suddenly raised his head and asked, "Are you relatives?"

"Wh-what?"

Jaekyong nodded at Jihon. And only then did Enho realize what he was getting at, and laughed: "Of course not.

"Then why do you call him 'hyung'?" Jaekyung said through clenched teeth.

Enho was taken aback for a moment, but soon smiled, "Oh, we're just close.

"Yes?"

— Well, to some extent. He muttered, scratching his head embarrassedly.

But that wasn't enough for Jaekyung, "How close?" Have you met anywhere outside of work? Have you been to his house? Or maybe you see each other every weekend?

An avalanche of unexpected questions fell on the poor guy, causing him to stutter helplessly: "Um, no, not so much...

"Then why do you claim to be close?"

Jaekyung didn't seem to be addressing him at all. Enho, with a slightly distorted face, looked at his opponent and then turned to Jihong with this look, almost shouting, "What's wrong with him?"

Jihon barely suppressed the urge to slap his forehead. So that's the thing! The strange anxiety he had been feeling all this time made sense. Of course, Jaekyung agreed to shoot for a reason! But, apparently, Enho was stunned by this turn of events. However, you should take advantage of the opportunity and finally dot all the i's. And maybe then Jaekyung will stop terrorizing Yeonho.

But as soon as Jihong thought about it, Jaekyung raised the bottle to his lips again and said, "There are people... They confuse ordinary corporate politeness with sympathy.

And having drunk the rest of the water in one gulp, he crumpled the plastic, and then added: "So that there are no misunderstandings, I am not talking about you.

As if he was afraid that he would be misunderstood. yes, of course!

Enho's nerves turned out to be steel. Instead of being embarrassed, he said defiantly: "And you... Are you blood brothers or are you so close that you allow yourself such familiarity?

As soon as he finished, Jaekyung had already burst into a laugh and threw a crumpled bottle on the table with a crash. Compared to you, yes.

Because of the relaxed tone of the interlocutor, Enho looked at Jihong in disbelief, as if asking, "Really?" In his eyes you could read something like resentment, like the kids in kindergarten who argue: "Which of the two of us do you like more? I, me?! But why then does he say that you love him more?"

Okay Jaekyung, who is 21, but Yeonho is a healthy 25-year-old forehead?!

Jihon dreamed of sending them both away and running away, but he knew that without him, they would cause chaos. Jaekyung was holding back because of Jihon, and if the two were left alone, the bulldozer would eat the poor guy alive. The only way to save both Yeonho and the situation as a whole is to play along with Jaekyung.

"Well, yes... Jaekyung and I have known each other for ten years," he replied as diplomatically as possible.

"Oh yes, you trained together, didn't you?"

"yes, we swam in the same pool.

"Wow!" So you've seen the hyun in swimming trunks! Wow, I'm so jealous! Enho blurted out enthusiastically, completely unaware of the atmosphere.

To which Jaekyung frowned, a silent question literally frozen in his pupils: "Is he completely brainless?"

And, grabbing a new bottle with a sharp movement, he said: "I saw him completely naked, so swimming trunks are a trifle.

"What...?"

"In the dressing room. Jihon hurriedly interrupted.

"Ahhh, that's right. Enho laughed, as if relieved. However, Jaekyung immediately objected, "But that's not true.

"Wh-what?"

"I didn't see him in the locker room.

"Then... Where is?

Without wasting a second, Jihong quickly approached Jaekyung and grabbed his shoulder, signaling him to slow down with revelations. The impudent man, glancing over his tense fingers, briefly explained: "In the shower.

Enho gasped softly, as if imagining something. Jaekyung gave him a bewildered look, and then, with a sly smile, added, "Our lockers were at opposite ends. We couldn't see each other in the dressing room.

And Jihon, watching the unfolding farce, was actually speechless. In that brief moment, he became so nervous that a cold sweat appeared on his back. Thoughts were mixed in his head: should I hit this guy right now or still appreciate that he somehow got out of it, and why his face, with such a naïve and sweet smile, seemed so charming to him. While Jihong was trying to balance himself, Jaekyung had already brought two sushi boxes and placed one in front of him and took the other for himself.

"Have a seat," he said matter-of-factly, pulling out a chair for Jihon. As he continued to stare silently at one point, Jaekyung grabbed his wrist and forcibly sat him down next to him. "Have a snack." When the shooting begins, there will be no time left for a snack.

Jaekyung even handed him chopsticks and water, but Jihong never touched the food.

"We need to talk," Jihong finally forced out and led Jaekyong to the next room filled with sports equipment. Slamming the door shut, he immediately asked, "Did you agree to Enho's participation just for this?"

"yes," Jaekyung replied confidently. "Do you think I wanted to act with him because he's cute?"

"Why do you do that?"

"What do you think?"

Jaekyung, as if not noticing the heavy sigh, waited. But he didn't have enough patience, and he exploded with a stream of complaints: "I don't like that he calls you 'Hyung', as if you're not his boss. It's infuriating that he's trying to make friends with you. And it's infuriating that he constantly climbs, imagining a non-existent intimacy between you.

Previously, Jihon would have retorted: "Why are you better? You're doing the same thing as him, why are you so?"

But these words did not come to his mind now. There were several reasons. Firstly, this is not true. Even if their behavior is the same, the meaning and sensations are completely different. Secondly, the phrase "How are you different from him?" obviously hurts Jaekyung.

And Ying Yeop's recent warnings have nothing to do with it. Of course, Jaekyung won't hold a press conference about a broken heart. But even assuming such an outcome, the last thing that would bother Jihon is public censure. He knew perfectly well that he could not give Jaekyung what he wanted. But if he is not able to give him the main thing, then he must do everything possible to protect him from any adversity and the slightest pain. This was the essence of contradictory but sincere feelings – in the cowardly desire to protect from suffering.

The fact that Jaekyung is worried about Yeonho is very upsetting. After all, this is not a situation that deserves his attention. Song Yeonho was not such a significant person for Jihon, and he himself did not care at all what he was doing.

But you can't put your thoughts in Jaekyung's head. He has his own point of view on what is happening. As soon as Enho began to behave frivolously, he inevitably lost his temper.

Ji-hong was tormented by the question: what did Jae-kyung find so special about him, since he wasted so much energy and emotions on him? It seemed to him that he was not worthy of such ardent love.

"Okay, I'll talk to Enho," Jihong finally gave in, sighing heavily

"Will you talk to him?"

— Yes. It's still my concern. But be more restrained, please.

"And what do you say to him?"

"I'll ask him to observe the chain of command. Enho has a head on his shoulders, so he'll understand.

"And if he asks why, what will you answer?"

— I will say that this is inappropriate.

"Well, he won't listen anyway," Jaekyung said reasonably.

— Are there any other proposals? Jihon quipped, leaning against the door and crossing his arms. — If you have any good idea, voice it.

"Oh, no. It's someone else's clothes.

"Even Jaekyung didn't like that.

"It can't be, it's not my size," Jihong showed the length of his sleeves, and complained feignedly: "Here, look.

They went clearly according to the script. It was a natural way to let the audience know that Jaekyung was sharing his clothes, and to reiterate that Jiheon is a former national team swimmer.

And then Jaekyung suddenly gave out a phrase that was not in the text prepared in advance: "I am 10 centimeters taller than you.

Of course, you don't have to follow the script strictly. On the contrary, since there is not much text, natural communication was required from the actors. But Ji-hong was struck by the fact that this was Jae-kyung's first unscheduled remark all day. Apparently, he felt out of place because of the close attention and cameras. Both in the car and in the hall, Jaekyung said only what was necessary. In general, it was in his character.

And with the coach, he discussed only working moments. Which corresponded to the image of a silent man. Not surprisingly, Inyep said at the time that they would make a video that looked more like a photo shoot. Given Jaekyung's temper, he did it for a reason.

"Oh, yes?" Jihon-ssi, is your height 184 cm?

— Yes. Something like this.

"I thought you were taller.

However, Jaekyung interjected again, "He has a good posture. And the proportions are excellent," thereby completely embarrassing Jihon.

"Hey, it's not for you to say such things. It's already awkward to stand next to you.

Despite all his desperate efforts to stop him, Jaekyung did not calm down.

"Of course, I'm tall, but your proportions are better: your face is small, and your limbs are long.

Suddenly, Jihon had déjà vu and stole a glance at Inyeop standing behind the camera. As expected, the producer clearly thought: "Here we go again...", judging by his almost skull-down eyes. And he muttered something silently like, "What a rake."

Jaekyung's attempts to put him in an unfavorable light continued. Instead of an exercise on a latissimus machine, which would not have made sense without a bare back, they chose a dip [1].

Jihong barely had time to make one attempt when Jaekyung immediately turned to Coach Yu: "Look at his technique! It's excellent, although he hasn't practiced for ten years.

After all those repeated "Hyun is so cool. Hyun is cool, isn't he? Hyun is gorgeous, isn't he?" The man could not stand it anymore and got angry:

"Hey, kid, he's a former athlete. Naturally, he must be able to do this. He hadn't trained for ten years, but he had been training for ten years.

But even after the reprimand, Jaekyung did not give up: "Not all athletes have a sharpened technique. Many people care about quantity, not quality. When I visited the pool in Ilsan, I sometimes crossed paths with hyung. Watching him do the exercises was much more rewarding than listening to his mentor's explanations.

And, in the end, staring directly at the camera, he said, as if addressing the audience: "Those who watch this show are the real lucky ones. Sitting at home, they will be able to see how hyun trains.

If anyone else had said such words about their manager, the audience would undoubtedly have taken it as a joke. In most cases, this would be the case. But not with Kwon Jae-kyung. He is not one to entertain the public, even if there is a need for it. And the residents of South Korea were well aware of this feature, and those who are not in the know will definitely understand after the transfer. Moreover, neither the intonation nor the expression of Jaekyung's face betrayed a hint of a joke in his words.

As a result, as soon as the break began, Jihong went to the roof where Inyeop was smoking.

"Please cut out all of Jaekyung's strange words.

Surprised by his request, Inyeop laughed: "Oh, how brave! Hey, what would you do if I wasn't a producer? You would have asked for it even then

— If you weren't a producer, I wouldn't even take part.

"Well, yes, that's right," Inyeop nodded, agreeing with the obvious. He took a puff and, blowing the smoke into the air, said, "Maybe we shouldn't cut it out?" This could cause a good response from the audience. Kwon Jae-kyung, who respects his manager, a former athlete, so much so that he seems to be blinded by him.

"Seongbae...

"Boy, that would be a lot more fun than watching him eat ice cream.

Jihong passed his hand over his face and went from plea to plea: "Seongbae... You are welcome.

Inyop, as if only now realized that he was not in the mood for jokes. And, shaking the ashes off his cigarette, he added: "All right. I'll cut out everything you don't need, don't worry.

"Really?" Jihon asked excitedly.

"Yes, yes, don't bother and work hard.

— ...

With a sigh of relief, he was about to leave, when suddenly Inyeop, coming to his senses, shouted after him: "Yes, and... If you cut it all out, there's nothing left. So shoot something else on camera. Do you understand, rake?

After a twenty-minute break, filming resumed. And finally, Enho appeared. He came a little earlier than the appointed time, as if he accidentally fit into the shooting.

Yeonho received loud support from Lee's leader, but he still could not relax: he was too inhibited and smiled stiffly. The poor guy even dropped the dumbbells, and when he lay down on the fitball, he immediately fell off it.

When the three decided to have a pull-up competition, Coach Yu, standing behind Yeonho, made an inappropriate comment: "Against your background, Yeonho really seems short. Although he is 180 cm tall.

And at that moment, the already most disheartened guy lost strength in his hands and fell to the floor, not holding on for even 10 seconds.

"Oh... Yeonho... Is it possible to air it at all? Won't his image be spoiled? Lee, who ran in for a minute and ended up delaying until the end of filming due to the depressive mood of her ward, gasped.

"On the contrary, such clumsiness can be a highlight," Jihong said, more to defuse the situation than out of genuine confidence. "A little confusion and naivety - many will find something cute in this.

Filming, which began at three o'clock, ended after eight in the evening. Jihong took a shower in the gym's locker room, washing off his sweat. When he came out, it was almost nine. Since the manager's work ends only when he delivers the star home.

On the way, they briefly discussed the Olympic Games, as provided for in the script. As you would expect when the topic was exhausted, Jaekyung closed his eyes, perhaps because the camera was still filming.

He sat there until he arrived. And, getting out of the car, he laconically said: "See you on Monday."

But as soon as Jihong turned off the camera installed in the cabin, Jaekyung suddenly opened the door and climbed back in.

"Why are you here again?"

Calmly fastening his seatbelt, Jaekyung gave out the obvious: "It's Friday.

"So what?"

"Tomorrow is a day off.

Catching the hint, Jihong sighed, "Well, it's tomorrow. It's not a day off yet, got it?

"Only a few hours left," the impudent man muttered with resentment.

"So take care of yourself in these two hours."

Leaning on his back, Jaekyung looked at him intently and, propping his chin on the back of his hand, said, "Okay. Then until midnight I'll just hold your hand, will I go?

"Go crazy." Jihon buried his face in the steering wheel without a sound. He remained in this position for quite a long time, and then abruptly turned his head and exhaled, "Hey, Jaekyung hyun.

[The Yaja Time boys are planning a :D]

To which the impudent man grinned.

"Jaekyung-hyun, do you have any conscience at all?"

"Conscience?" What is this? Jaekyung replied indifferently. And then he leaned into the driver's seat and asked again, "So what is it, Jihon-ah?" Hyun doesn't have it.

— ...

The tickling whisper made Jihon hover for a moment. And, to hide his embarrassment, he pulled the asshole hard by the ear.

"Do you really think it's okay to talk about it with a look like that?"

"Why not?" In addition, judging by the way you trained, your physical shape and endurance are at their best. And even if you train all week without a break, you will not care.

He grumbled in displeasure that he had taken so long to protect him, and Jihon could only sneer at this blatant audacity.

Jaekyong had no conscience at all, but also no shame.

"Aren't you going to go?" Do you want to have sex in the car?

... In addition, he has no patience at all.

And Kwon Jaekyung didn't have any social skills. This meant that he did not pay attention to those around him. Whether it was in the courtyard of an apartment building or right in front of the playground - if he wanted something, he just did it. And any further bickering will only lead to the fact that he will throw the seat back. Jihong was already tired, so he didn't plan to waste his energy on pointless arguments at all. Which is why he silently started the engine.

[1] Dip exercises are dip exercises in which the main load falls on the chest muscles, shoulders and triceps. Dips are basic exercises and can be performed both on special bars and using parallel bars or other stable supports.