DASH-Chapter 150

While the whole world accepted their relationship as a given and speculated about the future of their unborn second-generation child, Mrs. Shim, Jaekyoung’s mother, remained silent.

It seemed only natural for others to express surprise and joy upon seeing such an expression on Kwon Jaekyoung’s face for the first time, as if he were saying, “I like you” or “I love you.” However, from Mrs. Shim’s perspective, it was the culmination of her son’s prayers spanning over ten years.

Even while watching the broadcast, there was a high chance that she would simply click her tongue and think, “Jeez, that punk is talking about his Jiheon hyung again over there.”

Sure enough, two days before the first selection round, when Jiheon went to pack Jaekyoung’s clothes, Mrs. Shim said to him:

“I watched the show. You must be in trouble because of Jaekyoung, Mr. Jeong, what should I do now?”

Thinking it was expected, Jiheon quickly responded with a smile:

“No, ma’am. Nothing happened to me.”

“Just looking at the articles, it almost looked like there were some dating rumors. Jaekyoung is a bit too much.”

Mrs. Shim finished her coffee and sighed.

“He’s been staying at someone else’s house for a few months just to make himself more comfortable, and now he’s making such a mess. I don’t know how people will react to his words.”

Jiheon sensed Mrs. Shim’s genuine embarrassment, leaving him unsure of what to do.

“Well, should I just take him with me from now on, then?”

Jiheon playfully joked, but it didn’t help.

“My gosh, just what did you even do wrong?”

Mrs. Shim waved her hand, not even hinting for Jiheon to take Jaekyoung, even in empty words.

“Enjoy your coffee, Mr. Jeong. I’ll get Jaekyoung’s clothes.”

With that, she set down her coffee cup and headed into Jaekyoung’s room. Left alone in the living room, Jiheon couldn’t help but pull out his hair.

In truth, Jaekyoung’s luggage was just an excuse. Jiheon’s real reason for coming today was to confess the truth. If Mrs. Shim had noticed something after seeing the broadcast and the article, he decided it would be better to tell her the truth as soon as possible rather than hiding it any longer.

But why? Jiheon had no idea how it would be received, making it even more difficult. He would have preferred Mrs. Shim to ask the usual questions like, “Are you two...?” to which he could respond, “Yes, that’s right, ma’am. I apologize for not telling you until now.”

Instead, Mrs. Shim apologized to him for her son causing such trouble, leaving Jiheon at a loss for words.

‘Maybe I should’ve asked Jaekyoung to break the news to her. Would it be better to let him handle it so his mother wouldn’t be so shocked?’

Jiheon ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) sighed with belated regret but then shook his head. There was no way Kwon Jaekyoung could ‘break the news without shocking his mother.’ Perhaps he would have unhesitatingly said, “I’m going to marry Jiheon hyung,” and left it at that. Even if that wasn’t the reason, it was his right to say so.

‘Haa, but seriously... what and how should I tell her?’

Jiheon brushed his face with his palm. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t find an answer. Regardless of what he said, from Mrs. Shim’s perspective, it would feel like a shock to her world or a betrayal of the trust she had placed in him.

Of course Jiheon was aware that Mrs. Shim liked him a lot, but it was all because he was her son’s sunbae and responsible for his management. He had no idea how she would view him as her son’s spouse.

As much as she cared for and trusted Jiheon as a person, she might feel more betrayed by the fact that he had developed this kind of relationship with her son behind her back.

In the worst-case scenario, she might demand a change in the company, saying, “I trusted you with my son, but what the hell is going on here? Is this how you manage your athletes? I’m so disappointed in you, Mr. Jeong.” Jiheon would have no response to that.

To avoid such a situation, he could keep things as they were and later announce the pregnancy, saying, “It just happened, ma’am. I’m sorry.” Even if Mrs. Shim didn’t like it, she might reluctantly accept it by saying, “I see, well, what can I do about it since it’s already happening like this?”

But Jiheon didn’t want to do that. It wouldn’t be fair to Mrs. Shim. He had already betrayed her favor and trust two or three times. He really didn’t want to do that. Despite the situation already unfolding this way, he wanted to handle his responsibilities honorably.

“You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?”

Mrs. Shim returned while he was lost in thought.

“Here you go. The toiletries and everything else are already provided there, so I just packed extra clothes and underwear.”

Mrs. Shim handed Jiheon the bag with her son’s things and then sat on the sofa across from him.

“By the way, is it just you going to Gimcheon with Jaekyoung, Mr. Jeong?”

The venue for the first selection round of the Olympics was Gimcheon, as in previous years.

“No, ma’am. Team Leader Lee and Manager Yoon are coming too.”

“I see. Everyone is working hard.”

Mrs. Shim picked up her coffee cup, smiling gently as she took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee and put it down.

“This is the first time I’m not following Jaekyoung’s competition. Even so, I’m not anxious, maybe because I have faith that you’ll take good care of him, Mr. Jeong. Please look after Jaekyoung for me.”

When people said, “I trust you, I’ll be in your care,” Jiheon would usually bow his head and say, “Yes, please trust me. You don’t need to worry.” But he couldn’t say those words today.

Jiheon looked at his clasped hands on his lap for a moment, then slowly raised his head.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Actually, I came here to see you today because I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Mrs. Shim asked again, lifting her coffee cup. Despite her words, her expression was serious, and it seemed like she wondered why Jiheon came in person when he could have just sent Minwoo.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s....”

Jiheon sighed briefly and then closed his mouth. After organizing his thoughts, he spoke as seriously and politely as possible.

“I’m really sorry for saying this so suddenly, ma’am. Actually, I’m courting Jaekyoung right now.”

Mrs. Shim, about to sip her coffee, paused. She blinked several times and stammered afterward.

“S-so, Mr. Jeong, you mean... you are dating Jaekyoung? You mean, you are in a...... romantic relationship with him?”

“Yes. That’s right, ma’am.”

Mrs. Shim gaped at Jiheon’s words. She hurriedly put down her cup and asked:

“Si-since when... did you start dating?”

“It’s been about a couple of months.”

After telling her, Jiheon wondered if it was too short a period to tell the parents. He regretted not saying it was right after the Pan-Pacific, but Mrs. Shim suddenly exclaimed.

“Really?? It’s been that long?”

“......I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”

Jiheon said, lowering his head. Mrs. Shim looked at Jiheon and mumbled, “Oh my god....” But then, she repeatedly said it again:

“Oh dear, oh my god... oh my god.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Jiheon apologized again. Mrs. Shim, hearing his serious tone, snapped back to reality and gestured for him to stop.

“Oh, no, don’t be. Don’t apologize. There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Mr. Jeong. I believe Jaekyoung was the one who confessed to you first and you accepted him. Maybe he bothered you with all sorts of excuses after signing the contract. I know him best.”

Mrs. Shim, bewildered, suddenly called Jiheon with a serious look and in a low whisper.

“Mr. Jeong, it’s... Jaekyoung didn’t pressure you into something you didn’t want to do, did he? Like saying he won’t go to the Olympics unless you go out with him or something?”

Jiheon thought he now understood why people say, “Jeez, I’m so surprised I might lose my baby,” [1] since a long time ago. That was exactly how surprised Jiheon was. He was really, really surprised. He had wondered who Kwon Jaekyoung took after to be so sharp, like a ghost. It seemed he inherited his mother’s intuition.

“No, ma’am. That’s not the case at all.”

Finally coming to his senses belatedly, Jiheon quickly denied it. If he said that it was him who asked Jaekyoung out first, Mrs. Shim might doubt it as a lie and become more suspicious.

“It’s true that Jaekyoung confessed first, and I initially rejected him because of my position.”

Starting with the indisputable fact, he intended to craft a somewhat believable love story by altering the sequence of events or the focus. However, he couldn’t think of anything suitable. Regardless of how much he reflected on his memories, all he could recall was them having sex. But he couldn’t say, “We started with a physical relationship and grew attached, ma’am,” nor could he say, “We shared steamy heat together, ma’am.”

In the end, Jiheon skipped all the details and went straight to the conclusion.

“Anyway, I really care about Jaekyoung, and I like him a lot more now. It’s the truth. Please believe me.”

Jiheon boldly pressed forward.

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“Oh, is, is that so...?”

Mrs. Shim stammered, seemingly taken aback by his sincerity. Jiheon quickly shifted to praising Jaekyoung, sensing her reaction was a bit off.

“Yes, ma’am. As you know, Jaekyoung may not be the best at talking, but he’s very considerate, kind, and has a mature way of thinking, right?”

Although Mrs. Shim had a questioning expression that hinted, “Jaekyoung is like that...?” she didn’t seem to mind the compliments about her son. She simply joined in, “Yeah, that’s right. He may sound a bit harsh, but he’s not like that inside.” Jiheon agreed, saying, “Yes, that’s right,” nodding vigorously.

“Even though he’s younger than me, I felt that there was a lot to learn from him. As we got to know each other more and more while we were together..., my, my feelings deepened. Not just as an athlete and a manager... but, uh, as human beings, helping and complementing each other’s shortcomings... a-and living with care...... I think that would be great.”

Somehow, he managed to keep talking, carefully choosing only decent, polite and genuine expressions that adults would like. He was very embarrassed while talking, so he had a few crises, but he tried hard to rationalize it by convincing himself, “What’s wrong with that? It’s not even a lie,” and earnestly conveyed his true and mature perspective on love.

Fortunately, the effort to choose his words paid off. Mrs. Shim’s expression softened as he spoke, and when he finished speaking, she even smiled with great satisfaction.

“I see... Oh my god, Jaekyoung with Assistant Manager Jeong... Oh dear, what in the world is this?”

The more Mrs. Shim thought about it, the happier she became, so much that she covered her mouth and giggled.

“Oh, yes, I somehow thought things would end up like this. Jaekyoung’s only had eyes for you all these years.”

While speaking with a smile full of emotion, Mrs. Shim suddenly lowered her head and shed tears profusely. Jiheon internally screamed, quickly grabbing a tissue from the table and handing it to her.

“Here you go, ma’am.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Mrs. Shim took the tissue Jiheon offered. While tears fell, she felt a bit embarrassed and chuckled.

“Oh jeez, what’s this? I’m being silly. I mean, I just suddenly remembered Jaekyoung watching your videos when he was in elementary school.”

‘A-aren’t you going too far, ma’am...?’

Jiheon was too embarrassed to say anything, so he just chuckled dryly. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Shim shared something cute.

“When he ate, he’d watch it while eating. I used to tell him that if he didn’t put the cell phone away by the count of three, I’d take away each of his side dishes, yet he kept watching until the end. Eventually, he’d only eat rice without side dishes.”

“Oh, really? Was it that bad?”

Jiheon smiled while asking, and Mrs. Shim immediately exclaimed:

“It was that bad! It didn’t happen once or twice. He’d watch it while waiting at the swimming pool and even dropped it in the pool. How many times did I have to change my cell phone?”

Mrs. Shim clicked her tongue at her son’s recklessness but then smiled again, her face full of emotions.

“My goodness. Who would have thought that guy is in a relationship with his Jiheon hyung. He’s my son, but he’s really gross, no, terrible, no, not that either, uh... what should I call it? Oh, right, he’s a Korean with great tenacity.”

Even as Mrs. Shim supported him, she tried to somehow convey her son’s persistent obsession. Jiheon felt like he had discovered a new commonality between Jaekyoung and his mother.