YHP 14

The one who had hauled Jeong-in out of the water with incredible strength quickly climbed out himself, using the pool wall for support.

One hand still cradled the back of Jeong-in’s neck to keep his head from hitting the ground, and he gently shook Jeong-in’s shoulder.

“Can you open your eyes?”

The sound of water and voice mixed confusingly. Jeong-in slowly blinked open the eyes he had been squeezing shut. As water droplets fell along the corners of his eyes, his blurry vision finally began to focus.

Round, dark eyes glimmered just inches before his face. When their gazes met, the person hovering over him let out a breath of relief, their tension visibly melting away.

“…It’s you again?”

How could this be possible? The one who had pulled Jeong-in out of the water was none other than that Alpha—Yoo Ho-jin. The person he had been certain he’d never see again.

“Move.”

Perhaps because he’d just been in the water, he couldn’t sense the Alpha’s pheromones, which made it less uncomfortable to touch him. Propping himself up on one arm, Jeong-in gave a slight push to the shoulder hovering above him. Ho-jin flinched, as though burned, and drew back. Droplets of water dripped steadily from the ends of his dark hair.

“Hah…”

Jeong-in sat up. His irregular breathing gradually returned to normal.

The very idea that he could rent out a university pool, shared by 14,000 students, and actually expect to use it alone had been a logical flaw from the star. Jeong-in ran a hand through his wet hair, briefly entertaining the thought of buying a plot of land nearby to build a private pool instead.

“I reserved this place until eight,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Drops of water trickled down the back of his hand as his neatly brushed-up forehead came into view. Ho-jin, who had been staring at Jeong-in with a dazed look, quickly lowered his head.

“Ah… I didn’t receive any separate notice, but you see, it’s just that… I really need to train today. Because, well… I can’t train at the athlete’s village due to some circumstances… No, never mind, I’m sorry.”

His voice began to falter, not matching his large build. Jeong-in, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interrupted him.

“You’re an athlete?”

Ho-jin, who had been mumbling excuses while staring blankly at the ground like someone half out of his mind, finally looked at Jeong-in. Then, with a nod, he smiled.

“Yes.”

Deep dimples formed along his damp cheeks, as if he’d never been trembling just moments before.

Jeong-in’s gaze shifted to Ho-jin’s soaked chest. Beneath the sports brand logo, faintly visible from the water, the Korean flag was firmly embroidered. Judging by the condition of the patch and the number of sponsor logos, he seemed to be not just an athlete, but a top-tier national representative.

No wonder his stamina and endurance were so impressive.

It was both amusing and absurd that this was all he could think of in the moment.

“Aren’t you cold? Shall I bring you a towel?”

“Don’t…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ho-jin was already sprinting away. Soon, he returned with a large towel and held it out to Jeong-in.

“You’re drenched. You’ll catch a cold.”

Unfolding the neatly folded towel, Ho-jin wrapped it around Jeong-in before he could object.

Startled by the sudden contact, Jeong-in instinctively shrank back, and Ho-jin immediately stepped back two steps. Then, kneeling on the hard tile floor, he smiled at Jeong-in once more. His muscular thighs, exposed beneath his wet track jacket, were bulging as if about to burst.

Jeong-in, wrapped in the large tower, slowly raised his hand to wipe off the moisture. The towel, soft and dry as if freshly pulled from a dryer, carried a mild, pleasant fragrance.

Normally, he would have simply climbed out of the water, shivering all the way to the locker room. Not for any particular reason, but simply because it was bothersome to carry things back and forth. But now, being enveloped in a warm, fluffy towel right out of the pool, he found the experience unexpectedly pleasant.

Jeong-in began to vigorously dry his hair with the thick towel. All the while, Ho-jin remained kneeling.

It wasn’t until Jeong-in’s hair was half-dried that Ho-jin finally spoke.

“Jeong-in hyung.”

Jeong-in, who had nearly buried himself in the towel, lifted his head. Ho-jin looked as though he had something to say.

For a moment, Jeong-in thought Ho-jin might ask why he had done what he did earlier.

He was prepared to snap back that it was none of his business.

“…You said I could call you hyung if we met again.”

However, he didn’t ask anything.

He didn’t ask why Jeong-in had thrown himself into the water, or why he had sunk without attempting to surface.

“That’s still okay, right?”

It seemed that even in this situation, such a trivial form of address was more important to him.

There was no point in pretending he hadn’t said it. Reluctantly, Jeong-in nodded. At this, Ho-jin grinned and dug into his pocket. His phone, dripping water, emerged in his large hand, which he extended toward Jeong-in.

They say three coincidences make a fate…”

“…What?”

“Now, please give me your phone number.”

Jeong-in couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. Although Ho-jin had technically saved him from drowning, his current behavior felt akin to demanding a reward for saving a life.

“Um… why isn’t this working?”

Ho-jin’s expression, previously cheerful, shifted to confusion as his phone refused to turn on. He tapped it a few times, and just as he was about to press the power button, Jeong-in grabbed his wrist abruptly.

“Don’t turn it on,” Jeong-in said. “When did you buy this phone?”

“Well… It’s probably quite old.”

Jeong-in quickly examined the state of the phone. He confirmed that it was an older model released by his aunt’s company. The problem was that the phone had been released seven years ago.

Unlike now, when performance development had reached a singularity and all sorts of internal functions were standard, back then, the concept of waterproof and dustproof was vague. This model could barely withstand light water exposure, let alone being completely submerged in a pool. There was no way it would turn on.

“If you turn it on now, the motherboard will fry. Don’t even plug it into a charger. Just take it to a service center. Though I can’t guarantee they’ll fix it.”

In a way, it was Jeong-in’s fault that Ho-jin’s phone ended up like this. Although he hadn’t asked for it, this stupid Alpha, who seemed to have a personality that couldn’t bear to see others in pain, had probably jumped into the water with a non-waterproof phone intending to save Jeong-in.

If he contacted his aunt, she could easily provide a latest model. But she already knew that Jeong-in had purchased a phone from another company just before the start of the semester.

What if she asked why he needed another device after just a few weeks? What would he say? Should he just make up an excuse, saying that after using it, he found his aunt’s phone to be much better?

“Hyung…”

Startled by Ho-jin’s voice, Jeong-in looked up. Ho-jin hadn’t pulled his wrist free but instead quietly let it rest in Jeong-in’s grip.

His gaze was so clear and pure that Jeong-in couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

It was a gaze so clean that it seemed untouched by the world—like a scholar immune to corruption. Even though he was smiling gently, his crescent-shaped eyes sparkled with intelligence, and his gaze didn’t waver at all. While his overall impression was soft and refined, perhaps due to this clean gaze, he somehow seemed to have a peculiar inner strength.

“…How can you be so smart and king at the same time?”

The absurdity of his comment snapped Jeong-in out of his thoughts. Jeong-in, who had been momentarily lost in admiration, sighed deeply and stood up.

“Bring me the repair receipt or something, and whether it can be fixed or not, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Um…”

Still kneeling, Ho-jin clutched the edge of the towel Jeong-in wore like a royal robe. Jeong-in turned his head to look down at him.

“Then I definitely need your number, don’t I?”

“010 1000 0921. Memorize it.”

“010… 1000… Wait, could you say it again?”

Jeong-in recited the numbers once more. Ho-jin then closed his eyes tightly and began to murmur those numbers. Suddenly, he asked brightly, “Hyung, is your birthday September 21^st by any chance?”

“… Yeah.”

Despite the sullen response, Ho-jin smiled.

“I think I won’t forget it now. September 21^st.”

Faced with his sparkling eyes, Jeong-in felt as if he ought to offer praise but found himself at a loss for words. After a brief glance at him, he turned to leave.

***

Left alone in the empty swimming pool, Ho-jin placed a hand on his thudding chest.

The pool amplified even the smallest sound, and the thought that his racing heartbeat might have been heard outside embarrassed him. Flushing red, he splashed his face with water before turning around.

Something felt off. As he was about to head back to the lane, Ho-jin stopped and glanced back at the path he had come from.

He realized he was standing much farther from the starting line—and even farther from the point where he always turned back in frustration.

“Oh…”

It suddenly dawned on him. For the first time in months, he had swum without overthinking.