Mrs. Shim said, waving her hand at him. But Jiheon had meant it. Her style was youthful, her skin glossy, her complexion even brighter than before. She actually looked better than she had back then. I suppose she always looked good, even then. With a son like Jaekyung, she’d probably smile all day, soaking in the compliments and envy.
“Now, if you’ll come this way,”
Mrs. Shim said, leading the three toward the living room table. It looked more like a residence than a regular hotel room.
“Jaekyung is getting some treatment right now. He’ll be out soon,” she said, motioning toward a door that was firmly closed. That made Jiheon’s chest sink. He had secretly hoped that Jaekyung had left for training. He’d had a bad feeling ever since he overheard that Kavva guy on the phone in the lobby.
“I understand how busy you must be. Thank you for taking the time to meet us,” Taejin said with a bow.
“I mean, it was Jiheon—that is, Mr. Jung—who called. I could do no less,” she said.
Yujeong smiled and commented.
“Mr. Kang, you owe him a nice meal for this.”
“Of course I do,” the CEO said with a grin. Mrs. Shim smiled at both of them before turning back to Jiheon.
“I’ve known Mr. Jung here for quite a long time. It was because of Jiheon—I’m sorry, I keep calling you Jiheon—or rather, Mr. Jung, that we ended up switching to a different swimming center. Jaekyung insisted on training at the same center as Jiheon, so we moved to Ilsan, the whole family.”
If Ko had been here, he would’ve shouted right away, What? And you said you weren’t close? Ha! Jiheon gulped, deeply relieved that the man wasn’t here today. Kang smiled, clearly pleased, and replied.
“Mr. Jung here was quite the star back then—especially after winning that medal at the World Swimming Championships.”
“Yes, it was rare for any swimmer from our country to medal there, and he was still in high school at the time. Footage of the event kept airing on the news, and Jaekyung was set on training at the same center.”
“I’m sure Mr. Gwon would have done great no matter where he trained,” Jiheon said quickly, jumping in just as Mrs. Shim finished.
“He was born with great physical talent, sure—but it was his work ethic that really stood out. Even back in elementary school, he trained relentlessly. Even adults can’t keep up with that,” he said, praising Jaekyung. He was desperate to turn the conversation away from himself and to Jaekyung.
“Absolutely. Talent and hard work—that's the perfect recipe for world-class success,” said Taejin, nodding firmly.
“That’s right. I always hoped he’d try medley swimming too—and when I heard he’d won gold at the Asian Games, I knew he’d pulled it off. Among swimmers, the medley gold is seen as the real crown. It means you’ve mastered everything,” Jiheon added.
“Speaking of which, Jaekyung only got into medley swimming because—”
Mrs. Shim had just begun, but the sound of the door opening cut her off. A middle-aged man walked out with the therapist.
Mrs. Shim stood up from the sofa as the man approached.
“Mr. Choi,” she said with a smile.
The middle-aged man in the suit walked over to the table.
“This is ProEdge’s CEO, Mr. Kang Taejin,” she added, turning slightly toward him. The man who had been addressed as Mr. Choi held out his hand with a greeting.
“I’m Choi Sunghyo. I’m working as Mr. Gwon’s manager at the moment.”
“Kang Taejin,” said Taejin, shaking his hand with a brief bow. He then gestured to the people next to him.
“This is Lee Yujeong from our Management Team, and this is Assistant Manager Jung Jiheon from the Marketing Department.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Choi said, shaking hands with Yujeong first, then with Jiheon.
“I believe we met ten years ago, Mr. Jung.”
“Oh, really?” Jiheon said, already feeling uneasy. Unfortunately, he was right to be.
“Yes. Do you remember the dinner with the executives of Korea Aquatics after the World Swimming Championships? I was there, too.”
“I see.”
“Didn’t expect to run into you again.” Then, tightening his grip, he added with a smile.
“I’m relieved to know you’re with ProEdge, Mr. Jung. It makes a world of difference, having an agent with professional swimming experience. You were a national athlete too. So I’m sure you understand Mr. Gwon’s position better than most, and can support to him in all the right ways.”
Just then, Mrs. Shim returned from seeing the therapist off. With a small smile, she nodded at Choi’s predictable praise.
“That’s what I like about this arrangement, too.”
The CEO began to grin—he knew full well it was all just talk, but he couldn’t help it.
“Yes. Mr. Jung here is more than capable. So then, where is—”
“He’s changing. He’ll be right out,” Choi replied.
And just as he said it, the bedroom door opened—and Jaekyung stepped out.
Jiheon was surprised the moment he saw Jaekyung. He’d known Jaekyung was tall, of course—but standing face-to-face, he felt even taller than expected. Jiheon himself was 184 centimeters, thanks to his job, he liked to think he was immune to tall people by now. But when someone’s over 190, the angle at which you have to look up just… changes. The last time they met, it had been the other way around—and somehow, that made it even harder to take in. Jaekyung had been nearly ten centimeters shorter, and Jiheon had looked down to meet his eyes, just like Jaekyung was doing now.
Their eyes locked.
Jiheon turned his head—naturally, almost instinctively—avoiding the gaze. He needed a moment. Jaekyung’s face was what hadn't changed. And that only made the dissonance worse.
No, it had changed. Of course it had. But somehow, it hadn’t. The dark brown eyes, the thick lashes, the sculpted bridge of his nose. Even the lips—pressed into a firm, silent line—were exactly as Jiheon remembered.
And yet the boyishness was completely gone. His features were still beautiful, still delicate in a way. But the overall impression he gave now was strikingly masculine—full of presence, full of force.
“Gwon Jaekyung,”
Jaekyung spoke briefly, pushing his tousled hair back with a rough hand. His voice was just as languid as his face.