YHP 44

It took less than 5 minutes to put down his bag and change. Ho-jin crossed the empty locker room and went straight into the attached shower room. After lightly washing his body, he didn’t hesitate and grabbed the door to the swimming pool.

“I can do it.”

Stopping for a moment, he said to himself as a habit.

It had been a long time since it became part of his routine to give himself a suggestion one more time just before entering the water. Regardless of whether he could actually do it or not, as soon as the words he remembered fell, his body reacted with tension as if it had been waiting.

Adrenaline rushed up and the things in front of him began to become a little clearer. Ho-jin shook off his distractions with one last sigh and soon opened the door. He saw water spread out in the vast interior.

Jeong-in was standing in the middle of it, looking down at the water.

“Hyung.”

He looked somehow precarious. Ho-jin quickly approached him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“…Ah.”

Jeong-in, who had been looking down at his feet without blinking an eye, finally raised his head.

“I was wondering how often they clean this place.”

“Ah…. I don’t know either. I’ll ask the facilities team. First, sit here.”

Ho-jin glanced at Jeong-in and moved the towel. When he patted the thickly piled towels, Jeong-in sat quietly in the seat Ho-jin had made for him without refusing. Looking at him, he handed him the tracksuit top.

“Wear this too.”

“Okay.”

The swimming pool at night is quite chilly. He didn’t show it, but he must have been cold, because as soon as he received the clothes, he immediately put his arms in them, which was so cute that he laughed again.

When you look at it, Jeong-in doesn’t seem to have any resistance to being helped by others. He uses the towel as it is given to him, and wears the clothes as they are given to him. He never said anything when Ho-jin opened the door for him when he got in and out of the car or entered somewhere. Of course, from Ho-jin’s point of view, he was just grateful for the nonchalance. If he hadn’t, he would have had fewer opportunities to talk to him or make eye contact.

“Hyung, you really shouldn’t come into the water today.”

After checking that he had zipped up to his neck, he asked Jeong-in.

“Why?”

Jeong-in raised his eyes and looked at him. Thinking about how he could be so pretty, Ho-jin smiled foolishly.

“It’s cold, and you’ll get tired quickly.”

“…”

In the sound of splashing water, Jeong-in was silent for a moment. He quietly looked at Ho-jin and then turned his head.

“Okay. Go exercise.”

“Yes.”

Ho-jin smiled and turned around. It was at that moment.

“And…. Come all the way to the end today.”

Jeong-in suddenly opened his mouth.

“Yes?”

“Don’t stop in the middle, come all the way to the end no matter what happens.”

“Ah….”

Anyway, the problem is at the start. In a situation where even the first few strokes are not working properly, there was no point for Ho-jin to go all the way to the end of 50 meters.

“Yes, Hyung.”

But there was nothing he couldn’t do if Jeong-in told him to. Ho-jin slowly started walking towards the starting platform.

The farther he got from Jeong-in, the more the warm energy buried in his heart faded little by little. By the time he finally reached the starting point of the lane, his heart was chillingly cold.

After briefly watching Jeong-in’s figure, which had become as small as a dot, Ho-jin started with his usual stretching routine. He loosened his muscles by pulling on the rope hanging on the wall and warmed up the injured area by applying appropriate stress.

Soon, the time to enter the water finally arrived.

“…I can do it.”

He stood on the starting block. He bent his waist. He glared at the water surface that was so close.

Facing a moment that was no longer joyful, exciting, or happy, he cast a spell on himself once more.

“I can do it.”

He had to.

He gritted his teeth and jumped into the water.

The whole world became muffled with the bubbles. Enduring the chilly water temperature, he moved forward and lifted his head to breathe. The world outside the water flipped busily. He went back into the water.

The underwater world seen through his goggles was utterly still. The other lanes, except for the one where Ho-jin was, were naturally empty. It was the perfect environment for having random thoughts. Soon, the process of swimming inevitably came to mind. How to move his fingertips, arms, and legs. How many breaths he should take and how many strokes he should make to reach the end of this lane. Theories and numbers that he had learned and mastered throughout his life filled his head, and soon his vision darkened.

Had he come about 20 meters now? It no longer mattered. It was the moment he was about to gather his breath to stop.

‘Come all the way to the end today.’

Jeong-in’s words came to mind. He already knew that the record would be disastrous even without measuring it, but as long as Jeong-in ordered it, he had to go all the way. Ho-jin put his head out again and took a breath enough to endure the remaining distance.

“…….”

25 meters, 30 meters, 35 meters.

The water felt heavy.

40 meters, 45 meters.

In fact, he really wanted to give up around here.

Not just today’s 50 meters, but everything in the future.

‘No matter what happens, come all the way to the end.’

He endured and moved a little further. Finally, the wall came into view. He stretched out his arm and touched the wall. Ho-jin, who came out of the water, pushed his goggles up onto his forehead and let out a rough breath.

“Haa….”

He slowly raised his head.

The wide surface of the water was filled only with the ripples created by Ho-jin. As if everything in the world had evaporated without a trace, leaving only him alone in this place.

“Good job.”

But the loneliness was only temporary. There was someone waiting for Ho-jin outside the water.

“…Hyung.”

It was a place far away from the last lane where the towel was laid out. Jeong-in, who had appeared before Ho-jin’s eyes, who had been expecting the usual boring and desolate scenery, held out a white hand with a calm face, wondering when he had come all the way here.

“You said it’s hard to go all the way without thinking.”

Ho-jin blankly looked up at that hand.

“You’ve done half of it.”

“…….”

“I don’t know what you were thinking while coming, but you came all the way. So you’ve done half of it.”

Jeong-in was still holding out his hand. He slowly took that hand. Following the slight pulling force, he climbed up, touching the wall, and came out of the water.

“If it’s hard to go without thinking, go while thinking about something else.”

Jeong-in said.

“That’s how I endured it.”

Then, he turned his eyes and looked at the distant water that Ho-jin had just come out of. It was a calm and muffled gaze, like the scenery deep under the water.

“Things I don’t want to think about… I erased them with other thoughts.”

“…Hyung.”

He was suddenly afraid of the eyes that looked like they would jump into that water at any moment. Ho-jin quickly grabbed Jeong-in’s arm and turned him back to him.

“I will. I’ll go while thinking about something else.”

He put on his goggles again.

“I think I can even do 100 meters this time.”

“Okay.”

Jeong-in smiled. Ho-jin bent down at the end of the lane without a starting block. He briefly looked at the turning point beyond the distant water.

He took a long breath. With the next breath, he jumped into the cold water. As soon as he finished the dolphin kick, he made his first stroke. He made another stroke with perfect power and angle, and the water opened up. He followed it relentlessly, striding forward.

He once again recalled the image of Jeong-in standing behind him, protecting him. Then, even the wall that loomed so far away was no longer scary.

---

Ho-jin moved forward at a rapid pace and finally poked his head out once.

Jeong-in stood still at the end of the lane and looked at him. Ho-jin’s figure, which had disappeared under the water surface distorted by the strong waves, soon reappeared. It seemed like he had touched the opposite wall and turned this way in the blink of an eye. Jeong-in took a couple of steps back. Nevertheless, his bare feet were soaked in the cold water.

‘It’s cold, and you get tired quickly.’

Had it always been like this until now? While saying that he was okay and that it was nothing, was he actually cold and tired every time he went into the water?

If so, was he perhaps exhausted? Now that he had achieved a big goal, did he really just want to rest?

Was it burdensome for me to urge him to go to the competition?

“…….”

He had been distracted for a moment. He saw Ho-jin’s figure, who had quickly returned to the end of the lane.

He was about to say that he had done well and should rest a little now. Ho-jin, who had quickly crossed the water, kicked off the wall as it was and headed back to the other side.

“Uh….”

The water rippled in circles along the path he had passed. The waves created by Ho-jin were surging in every corner of the huge swimming pool.

Jeong-in silently watched him. Ho-jin came back once more without stopping. Then, he turned around again for the next lap.

The speed increased after passing 200 meters. However, the precisely matched tempo did not falter. It seemed that everything was still under his control. Jeong-in recognized that this was just a leap for the final spurt. And as expected, a rough spurt began after passing 300 meters. He could feel him exerting all his strength to draw out the maximum he had, without calculating anything.

“…….”

And it really looked hard. It was something he hadn’t felt when he only watched it on the screen like someone else’s business.

“Haa, haa….”

The 400-meter race ended quickly, and Ho-jin stopped, touching the wall. He took off his swimming cap and submerged himself in the water once before wiping his forehead.

“I did 400 meters.”

Jeong-in quietly looked into his eyes.

There was no sign of fatigue. He was much more energetic than when he had only run 50 meters. Raising his sparkling eyes, Ho-jin smiled innocently as if asking for praise.

“Yeah.”

He was relieved only then, worried that it might be burdensome.

Jeong-in once again reached out his hand and pulled him out of the water. Even though he had only held him briefly, Ho-jin easily got out of the water with his own strength. He faced Ho-jin, who was dripping water and standing on the floor.

“Yoo Ho-jin.”

After all, you are not someone who can stop here.

Jeong-in smiled and opened his mouth.

“Let’s go to the competition.”

It was not difficult to urge him twice. It was because he knew so clearly that Ho-jin needed this moment.