◆◇◆
As they ascended to the second floor of the gymnasium, they ran into Luke, who was emerging from the locker room. His coat was still on, indicating he had just arrived.
“Oh…!”
Luke, struggling to decide on a greeting, initially raised his hand to welcome them. However, just as he was about to speak, Jaekyung briskly walked past him and entered the locker room. A dejected “Ah” escaped Luke’s lips as he noticed that Jaekyung’s attitude had grown even colder than the day before.
No matter how wrecked Jaekyung’s social skills might be, he would never be that cruel to someone he knew.
Jiheon was caught in an awkward spot, unsure if that guy acted colder because Luke liked him, or if he was saying something for nothing.
As much as he felt sorry, Jiheon greeted him twice as warmly.
“You arrived early. Did you get a good night’s sleep?”
“Ye-yes!”
Luke quickly brightened up again.
“I slept well! O-Oliver said he wanted to check the, uh… the ‘water temperature.’ Earlier, uh, he….”
Luke seemed to have trouble finding the right words and laughed to smooth things over. Jiheon chuckled at the awkward pause, but Luke seemed to pick up on it and spoke hesitantly.
“Jaekyung was, from your house, Honey? Together?”
Taken aback by the unexpected question, Jiheon replied with a slightly embarrassed tone.
“Why do you ask……?”
After saying it, he worried that his tone might have come across as confrontational. Luke seemed bewildered and stuttered as he attempted to make an excuse, clearly not expecting Jiheon to question him.
“Ah, yester—yesterday, I met Mrs. Shim. We had a meal together.”
“Oh.”
Jiheon muttered quietly. Right, he had heard that Mrs. Shim was planning to meet Oliver in the evening.
“O-Oliver asked why Jaekyung didn’t come, so Mrs. Shim said that, he was with, with Honey, and she said that Jaekyung is at Honey’s house some-sometimes….”
Luke seemed even more embarrassed as he stuttered more than usual. Jiheon felt sorry for him as he struggled to continue speaking and responded:
“Ah, yes. Sometimes, he sleeps at my place. Jaekyung occasionally comes to my house after afternoon training since it’s close to the gym. And since I have to pick him up early the next day anyway, there are times when he just sleeps over and we leave together in the morning, just like today.”
“I see…….”
“Sometimes, really just sometimes. It doesn’t happen every day.”
He emphasized this point repeatedly.
“I was so tired in the morning when I had to wake up early. That’s why.”
As he explained, Jiheon couldn’t help but wonder why he felt the need to make excuses and why he felt so guilty. However, when he saw Luke’s face brighten slightly, he realized that he did a good job of making excuses.
“Honey, you and Jaekyung are close… I envy that strong f-friendship. I want to be close with him too.”
Luke’s shy voice resonated with regret. Wrapped in a camel-colored coat, he kept his head down, making him appear younger than his actual age and smaller than his actual size.
Jiheon, feeling quite sad for no apparent reason, responded in an even more exaggerated tone.
“You two are already close enough to have meals together. Not many people on this planet have had the opportunity to share a meal with Jaekyung, you know?”
“Hahaha.”
Luke let out a hearty laugh and then quickly lowered his head again. His red ears were both sad and cute.
Suddenly, Jiheon thought of Jaekyung, whose face had turned bright red up to his ears after kissing him for the first time at the swimming pool before. Jaekyung had pressed Jiheon against the wall as if he was about to devour him, then abruptly grasped him by the collar, causing Jiheon to close his eyes, bracing for any punch. But instead, Jaekyung had taken him by surprise with a sudden kiss. Jiheon had been even more surprised to see his bright red face and ears.
“…W-why?”
Luke suddenly blinked and asked. Jiheon widened his eyes.
“Huh? What?”
In a shy tone, Luke responded:
“Honey, you suddenly smiled at me.”
“Ah.”
Jiheon lowered his head, feeling both embarrassed and baffled.
“I was just reminded of someone when I looked at you, Luke.”
“Who?”
Luke expressed curiosity, and after a moment of contemplation, Jiheon responded with a smile.
“I’ll tell you when we become better friends.”
“Ah….”
Luke mumbled.
“I should go ahead.”
With these words, Jiheon made his way to the waiting room adjacent to the swimming pool, sensing Luke’s hesitant gaze behind him.
Luke probably assumed that the ‘someone’ was Jiheon’s boyfriend. After all, Jiheon had mentioned it just yesterday and repeated it today. No matter how oblivious he might be, Luke would eventually piece things together. It was up to him to decide whether that someone was Jaekyung or not.
‘Was it a bit childish?’
It wasn’t until later that Jiheon felt a twinge of regret. But he had made a promise to Jaekyung. He had assured him that the next time Luke asked, he would say he had a boyfriend. Of course he didn’t really say that just for that reason.
Deep down, there was something Jiheon wanted Luke to understand. He hoped that Luke would’ve sensed it and quietly let go of his feelings for Jaekyung, thinking, “I knew it, they have that kind of relationship after all.”
As long as Luke continued to show his feelings, Jaekyung would maintain his harsh attitude, and Luke would only get hurt. Jiheon didn’t want to witness anyone being hurt and intimidated before his eyes. Even if it wasn’t his fault, it made him uncomfortable, especially when he was involved in the situation.
But was that really, really purely the only reason? Did he really want to tell Luke just to spare him from getting hurt? If that was the case, shouldn’t he have concealed it even more? After all, that guy would be leaving Korea in a month. It might have been better to keep things hidden or assure Luke that he and Jaekyung weren’t involved in a romantic relationship. It wasn’t like they were officially dating or anything.
‘……I don’t know.’
Jiheon slumped into a chair in the waiting room, pressing his forehead. Until yesterday, he thought he could find a way to rationalize everything and move on. However, after realizing his feelings for Jaekyung, his mind had been in turmoil. He thought that all his considerations for Luke might have been nothing more than excuses—it was just his jealousy. It was painful to think that all the consideration he had for Luke was fake.
‘I don’t want to fall into self-loathing anymore.’
He gazed through the window at Jaekyung in agony. Jaekyung was warming up in his swimsuit, talking with Oliver.
Training soon began, and, whether fortunately or not, Jiheon had no time to dwell on things like self-loathing.
Because Jaekyung’s condition had become worse than yesterday.
“Don’t fixate on your stroke count. You’re becoming too impatient and your kicks are getting faster as well. Overall, your movements are out of sync with your breathing.”
At Oliver’s words, Jaekyung only nodded his head without saying a word. He completely agreed.
“Hmm, let’s taste your blood today.”
Dr. Gleason talked like a vampire and drew Jaekyung’s blood. The lactate level was 5.9 mmol/L, which was 0.2 mmol higher than the previous day.
“You didn’t do any weight training yesterday afternoon, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. I rested all day.”
“Hmm.”
Oliver sighed, crossing his arms. Dr. Gleason asked from the side.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not bad. I don’t feel heavy or have muscle pain.”
“There are many factors that cause lactate levels to rise.”
Dr. Gleason put away the blood collector and took out her tablet. She asked while checking Jaekyung’s chart she had recorded.
“How have your meals been these days? In terms of quantity and composition of your diet.”
“It’s almost the same as in Australia.”
“Sleep time is also the same?”
Jaekyung nodded, and then he remembered something.
“Recently, I’ve been waking up early in the morning. About twice.”
“For no reason?”
“Yes. I went back to sleep right away, but one time, my heart started to beat a little faster, and I thought, ‘What’s wrong, why am I like this?’ and then I fell asleep.”
“It’s a symptom that can happen sometimes without any reason, but… if it’s happened twice recently…….”
Dr. Gleason tilted her head in confusion.
“There must be a big difference in the environment compared to when you lived in Aussie.”
“But for that reason, the Pan-Pacific should have had a greater impact. Back then, the environment had just changed.”
Jaekyung explained.
“It’s been four months—almost five—since I came to Korea, so it’s a bit strange to be like this now.”
When Jaekyung expressed his confusion, Dr. Gleason nodded, agreeing that it was indeed unusual. But then—
“You’re taking your medication properly, right?”
The moment the word “medication” left Dr. Gleason’s lips, Jiheon’s heart sank.
There was only one medication she could be referring to, the one Jaekyung took daily to reduce his pheromone sensitivity.
“I am.”
“Have you changed the type?”
“I won’t change it.”
Jaekyung replied as if it was obvious. Dr. Gleason kept tilting her head as she flipped through her tablet screen. Her expression looked like she was wondering what the problem was.
“For now, let’s just wait and see.”
Oliver finally spoke up, patting Jaekyung on the back.
“We still have plenty of time. No need to be anxious.”
“I’m not anxious.”
Jaekyung replied in his usual indifferent tone.
“Yeah. You’ve had your ups and downs like this before. It’s good that you don’t feel heavy or sluggish. Maybe it’s just your body adjusting to a new rhythm. Let’s not focus on stroke count today.”
Oliver tried to sound positive, but Jiheon knew it was mere comfort.
If Jaekyung were genuinely in the process of adapting to a new rhythm, he should be able to speed up a bit better than he did now.
After Jaekyung returned to the water, Jiheon had a brief conversation with Dr. Gleason.
“Ma’am, I have some work at the company, so I’ll have to leave for a while. Please call me if you have any issues.”
“Oh, I will. Don’t worry.”
Jiheon left the swimming pool building while being seen off by Dr. Gleason. Once in his car, he took out his cell phone and began searching for the nearest hospital.
◆◇◆
As they ascended to the second floor of the gymnasium, they ran into Luke, who was emerging from the locker room. His coat was still on, indicating he had just arrived.
“Oh…!”
Luke, struggling to decide on a greeting, initially raised his hand to welcome them. However, just as he was about to speak, Jaekyung briskly walked past him and entered the locker room. A dejected “Ah” escaped Luke’s lips as he noticed that Jaekyung’s attitude had grown even colder than the day before.
No matter how wrecked Jaekyung’s social skills might be, he would never be that cruel to someone he knew.
Jiheon was caught in an awkward spot, unsure if that guy acted colder because Luke liked him, or if he was saying something for nothing.
As much as he felt sorry, Jiheon greeted him twice as warmly.
“You arrived early. Did you get a good night’s sleep?”
“Ye-yes!”
Luke quickly brightened up again.
“I slept well! O-Oliver said he wanted to check the, uh… the ‘water temperature.’ Earlier, uh, he….”
Luke seemed to have trouble finding the right words and laughed to smooth things over. Jiheon chuckled at the awkward pause, but Luke seemed to pick up on it and spoke hesitantly.
“Jaekyung was, from your house, Honey? Together?”
Taken aback by the unexpected question, Jiheon replied with a slightly embarrassed tone.
“Why do you ask……?”
After saying it, he worried that his tone might have come across as confrontational. Luke seemed bewildered and stuttered as he attempted to make an excuse, clearly not expecting Jiheon to question him.
“Ah, yester—yesterday, I met Mrs. Shim. We had a meal together.”
“Oh.”
Jiheon muttered quietly. Right, he had heard that Mrs. Shim was planning to meet Oliver in the evening.
“O-Oliver asked why Jaekyung didn’t come, so Mrs. Shim said that, he was with, with Honey, and she said that Jaekyung is at Honey’s house some-sometimes….”
Luke seemed even more embarrassed as he stuttered more than usual. Jiheon felt sorry for him as he struggled to continue speaking and responded:
“Ah, yes. Sometimes, he sleeps at my place. Jaekyung occasionally comes to my house after afternoon training since it’s close to the gym. And since I have to pick him up early the next day anyway, there are times when he just sleeps over and we leave together in the morning, just like today.”
“I see…….”
“Sometimes, really just sometimes. It doesn’t happen every day.”
He emphasized this point repeatedly.
“I was so tired in the morning when I had to wake up early. That’s why.”
As he explained, Jiheon couldn’t help but wonder why he felt the need to make excuses and why he felt so guilty. However, when he saw Luke’s face brighten slightly, he realized that he did a good job of making excuses.
“Honey, you and Jaekyung are close… I envy that strong f-friendship. I want to be close with him too.”
Luke’s shy voice resonated with regret. Wrapped in a camel-colored coat, he kept his head down, making him appear younger than his actual age and smaller than his actual size.
Jiheon, feeling quite sad for no apparent reason, responded in an even more exaggerated tone.
“You two are already close enough to have meals together. Not many people on this planet have had the opportunity to share a meal with Jaekyung, you know?”
“Hahaha.”
Luke let out a hearty laugh and then quickly lowered his head again. His red ears were both sad and cute.
Suddenly, Jiheon thought of Jaekyung, whose face had turned bright red up to his ears after kissing him for the first time at the swimming pool before. Jaekyung had pressed Jiheon against the wall as if he was about to devour him, then abruptly grasped him by the collar, causing Jiheon to close his eyes, bracing for any punch. But instead, Jaekyung had taken him by surprise with a sudden kiss. Jiheon had been even more surprised to see his bright red face and ears.
“…W-why?”
Luke suddenly blinked and asked. Jiheon widened his eyes.
“Huh? What?”
In a shy tone, Luke responded:
“Honey, you suddenly smiled at me.”
“Ah.”
Jiheon lowered his head, feeling both embarrassed and baffled.
“I was just reminded of someone when I looked at you, Luke.”
“Who?”
Luke expressed curiosity, and after a moment of contemplation, Jiheon responded with a smile.
“I’ll tell you when we become better friends.”
“Ah….”
Luke mumbled.
“I should go ahead.”
With these words, Jiheon made his way to the waiting room adjacent to the swimming pool, sensing Luke’s hesitant gaze behind him.
Luke probably assumed that the ‘someone’ was Jiheon’s boyfriend. After all, Jiheon had mentioned it just yesterday and repeated it today. No matter how oblivious he might be, Luke would eventually piece things together. It was up to him to decide whether that someone was Jaekyung or not.
‘Was it a bit childish?’
It wasn’t until later that Jiheon felt a twinge of regret. But he had made a promise to Jaekyung. He had assured him that the next time Luke asked, he would say he had a boyfriend. Of course he didn’t really say that just for that reason.
Deep down, there was something Jiheon wanted Luke to understand. He hoped that Luke would’ve sensed it and quietly let go of his feelings for Jaekyung, thinking, “I knew it, they have that kind of relationship after all.”
As long as Luke continued to show his feelings, Jaekyung would maintain his harsh attitude, and Luke would only get hurt. Jiheon didn’t want to witness anyone being hurt and intimidated before his eyes. Even if it wasn’t his fault, it made him uncomfortable, especially when he was involved in the situation.
But was that really, really purely the only reason? Did he really want to tell Luke just to spare him from getting hurt? If that was the case, shouldn’t he have concealed it even more? After all, that guy would be leaving Korea in a month. It might have been better to keep things hidden or assure Luke that he and Jaekyung weren’t involved in a romantic relationship. It wasn’t like they were officially dating or anything.
‘……I don’t know.’
Jiheon slumped into a chair in the waiting room, pressing his forehead. Until yesterday, he thought he could find a way to rationalize everything and move on. However, after realizing his feelings for Jaekyung, his mind had been in turmoil. He thought that all his considerations for Luke might have been nothing more than excuses—it was just his jealousy. It was painful to think that all the consideration he had for Luke was fake.
‘I don’t want to fall into self-loathing anymore.’
He gazed through the window at Jaekyung in agony. Jaekyung was warming up in his swimsuit, talking with Oliver.
Training soon began, and, whether fortunately or not, Jiheon had no time to dwell on things like self-loathing.
Because Jaekyung’s condition had become worse than yesterday.
“Don’t fixate on your stroke count. You’re becoming too impatient and your kicks are getting faster as well. Overall, your movements are out of sync with your breathing.”
At Oliver’s words, Jaekyung only nodded his head without saying a word. He completely agreed.
“Hmm, let’s taste your blood today.”
Dr. Gleason talked like a vampire and drew Jaekyung’s blood. The lactate level was 5.9 mmol/L, which was 0.2 mmol higher than the previous day.
“You didn’t do any weight training yesterday afternoon, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. I rested all day.”
“Hmm.”
Oliver sighed, crossing his arms. Dr. Gleason asked from the side.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not bad. I don’t feel heavy or have muscle pain.”
“There are many factors that cause lactate levels to rise.”
Dr. Gleason put away the blood collector and took out her tablet. She asked while checking Jaekyung’s chart she had recorded.
“How have your meals been these days? In terms of quantity and composition of your diet.”
“It’s almost the same as in Australia.”
“Sleep time is also the same?”
Jaekyung nodded, and then he remembered something.
“Recently, I’ve been waking up early in the morning. About twice.”
“For no reason?”
“Yes. I went back to sleep right away, but one time, my heart started to beat a little faster, and I thought, ‘What’s wrong, why am I like this?’ and then I fell asleep.”
“It’s a symptom that can happen sometimes without any reason, but… if it’s happened twice recently…….”
Dr. Gleason tilted her head in confusion.
“There must be a big difference in the environment compared to when you lived in Aussie.”
“But for that reason, the Pan-Pacific should have had a greater impact. Back then, the environment had just changed.”
Jaekyung explained.
“It’s been four months—almost five—since I came to Korea, so it’s a bit strange to be like this now.”
When Jaekyung expressed his confusion, Dr. Gleason nodded, agreeing that it was indeed unusual. But then—
“You’re taking your medication properly, right?”
The moment the word “medication” left Dr. Gleason’s lips, Jiheon’s heart sank.
There was only one medication she could be referring to, the one Jaekyung took daily to reduce his pheromone sensitivity.
“I am.”
“Have you changed the type?”
“I won’t change it.”
Jaekyung replied as if it was obvious. Dr. Gleason kept tilting her head as she flipped through her tablet screen. Her expression looked like she was wondering what the problem was.
“For now, let’s just wait and see.”
Oliver finally spoke up, patting Jaekyung on the back.
“We still have plenty of time. No need to be anxious.”
“I’m not anxious.”
Jaekyung replied in his usual indifferent tone.
“Yeah. You’ve had your ups and downs like this before. It’s good that you don’t feel heavy or sluggish. Maybe it’s just your body adjusting to a new rhythm. Let’s not focus on stroke count today.”
Oliver tried to sound positive, but Jiheon knew it was mere comfort.
If Jaekyung were genuinely in the process of adapting to a new rhythm, he should be able to speed up a bit better than he did now.
After Jaekyung returned to the water, Jiheon had a brief conversation with Dr. Gleason.
“Ma’am, I have some work at the company, so I’ll have to leave for a while. Please call me if you have any issues.”
“Oh, I will. Don’t worry.”
Jiheon left the swimming pool building while being seen off by Dr. Gleason. Once in his car, he took out his cell phone and began searching for the nearest hospital.
