DASH-Chapter 17Vol 2. : Side Story -

"Ugh, I hate that kind of thing so much! I really can’t stand it."

Deputy Manager Nam shuddered just from imagining it.

"I’m not a fan either... but I was never that bothered by it."

Jiheon had gotten used to it, since it happened so often whenever he went to the pool as a kid. He’d always thought, Well, it’s just attention, and could usually smile, answer politely, and even chat a bit.

But not that day. It was overwhelming. Even when he tried to smile and nod along—"Yes, yes"—his face kept stiffening up, and in the end, he left the pool only twenty minutes after getting in.

And once he got home, he felt even worse. Sure, he was mad at the few rude comments, but he couldn’t even understand why he left without swimming. He could’ve just let it go in one ear and out the other like usual and gotten in a few laps—so why hadn’t he? Some of those people probably didn’t even mean harm. He’d been so cold to even the well-meaning ones, and that bothered him more than anything.

He kept wondering: Should I avoid that time slot from now on? Maybe I should just quit swimming and try something else? The overthinking dragged into his sleep, and he ended up dreaming. He was swimming alone in an empty pool, but then his swimsuit started melting in the water and disappeared, leaving him completely naked. Panicked, he stuck just his head above water to look around—and suddenly the place was packed with people. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

And that shitty... absolutely fucked-up dream led to a restless night, leaving him in an even worse mood at work the next day. Then, in the afternoon, the worst fucking news dropped. Something had been left out of the appeal packet they submitted to FINA last week.

When Jiheon found out what it was, he felt the blood rush to his head. It was a copy of Han Yuseong’s athlete registration—one of the most critical documents. That was the Korean Sports Council’s responsibility. It was something they should’ve prepared ages ago and sent to the SPOIN agency. But the Sports Council had said, We’re busy right now, so we can’t get it done by your deadline. Just send us everything you’ve got, and we’ll compile it with what we have and forward it to FINA.

Jiheon had even rushed to get the documents together ahead of time just so they wouldn’t later pull some bullshit like, You guys sent them too late, or We didn’t have enough time to prepare. And now this—this was the screw-up they’d made?

Thankfully, the appeal had still been submitted within the deadline, so they just needed to prepare and send the missing document again. But that didn’t mean Jiheon wasn’t pissed. Apparently, the office manager had called Director Kang to apologize, admitted it was their fault, said they had no excuse, and begged forgiveness. That made it seem like it really was an honest mistake—but somehow, that only made Jiheon angrier.

"Of course you’re mad. That just proves they didn’t give a damn and handled it half-assed. Though, when has the damn Sports Council ever not been half-assed."

Exactly. That was how the Korean Sports Council always operated. Normally, Jiheon would’ve just clicked his tongue and gone, Of course it’s them, but this time, he couldn’t.

It had already been three days, and just thinking about it still made his blood boil. The frustration was getting so intense it was starting to sap his energy completely. Thinking about Jaekyung, who went all the way to training camp in part because of the Sports Council—even if that wasn’t the whole reason—only made Jiheon feel more bitter.

"You’ve been neck-deep in this for almost a month now, Assistant Manager Jeong. That’s a lot of stress. And you’re on a diet too. People get depressed when they diet. If not depressed, then at least irritable. Can’t be helped."

When Nam mentioned how dieting had ruined his own mood in the past, Jiheon finally thought, Oh, yeah. Maybe that’s part of it. It had been almost a full month since he started restricting his meals. The meal kits were convenient, but since they rotated the same menus weekly, he was starting to hit a wall.

That day, he’d been so sick of the usual taste that he went out to eat with Nam. After much deliberation, he ordered ox head soup, but it turned out worse than expected, and that only made him feel more miserable. He’d ordered the large size, planning to just eat the meat and half a bowl of rice, but the meat had a strong gamey odor and he could barely touch it.

His mood was already in the gutter, and now his meal was a bust too—it was draining. Usually, Friday afternoons were low-energy but high-spirits. This time, even that wasn’t there. Just thinking about spending the weekend house-hunting exhausted him already. They’d been looking at a house before, but due to the seller’s circumstances, the deal fell through. Now they were back to pounding the pavement.

⟪Sorry. Making you look at houses alone.⟫

Sure enough, Jaekyung said it too when they talked after work.

"What are you sorry for? It’s not like anyone could’ve predicted this."

⟪Still.⟫

"Enough already. Don’t say dumb shit. Just focus on training, asshole."

But you better accept it if I end up picking out a house made out of shipping containers. Jiheon joked to end the call and hung up.

When he woke up the next morning, the weather was gorgeous. Thanks to that, Jiheon’s mood had lifted a bit, and he set out for house tours with renewed determination. It helped that Jisoo, upon hearing he was house hunting, had insisted on tagging along to "see what expensive homes look like," which gave him some backup.

When they got to the meeting spot, the real estate agent waiting for them greeted them kindly. Since their move-in timeframe was limited to late August or early September, Jiheon had worried about whether there’d be any decent options—but thankfully, there seemed to be plenty of listings. When the agent heard Jiheon’s budget ceiling, her already smiling face lit up even more. She confidently claimed they could easily find something and even sign a contract today if he liked one.

"You’re looking to buy, right?"

"If the place is good, I’m fine with leasing too."

Jiheon explained that since this move was happening under tight timing, he was considering renting for two years first, then buying afterward. The agent nodded. "Ah, that’s a good plan too."

But of course, thinking of her own commission, the agent mostly focused on showing them sales listings. And given the budget range, all the places were great. While they couldn’t even dream of a massive detached house with a private pool like Jaekyung wanted—because nothing like that existed in this neighborhood anyway—they did view two apartment complexes with resident-only swimming pools. Jisoo kept marveling at each one, saying, "Wow, people actually live in places like this?"

Because they were all in the same area and in similar price ranges and sizes, the homes started to blur together. Jisoo strongly recommended a ground-floor unit in the third apartment complex with a private pool.

"If you’ve got a kid, ground floor is always best."

"Yeah, for apartments, it makes sense."

"You actually want a detached house?"

"I mean... apartments are easier, but I thought maybe it’d be better to raise a kid in a place with at least a small yard."

"But houses are harder to manage."

"Exactly."

While Jiheon drove, the agent—listening in—cut in.

"Want to see a house?"

"It’s not a standalone unit. It’s a two-story building—the owners live upstairs, and they’re leasing out the first floor. There’s a decent yard and the place is beautifully maintained. It’s right nearby, so we could stop by for a look."

"Oh, sure."

"One sec."

The agent made a quick phone call, and the moment she hung up, she turned the car around.

After navigating a maze of narrow alleyways, the car stopped in front of a grand-looking gate.

"Wow, you can tell just by looking—it’s a good one," Jisoo said, getting out of the car. She peeked through the iron gate and kept exclaiming how pretty the garden was. Jiheon waited, heart fluttering a bit. Soon, the gate opened, and an elderly man with white hair appeared holding keys. The moment he saw them, he frowned and asked the agent,

"Who’s signing the lease? This young lady?"

"No, it’s this gentleman here," the agent said quickly, gesturing to Jiheon. "But we’re just here to take a look first—"

"No kids."

The old ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) man cut her off before she could finish. The agent glanced at Jiheon with a startled expression and then hurried to argue.

"What do you mean, sir? The missus never mentioned that. Just the other day, we showed the place to a couple with grade schoolers—"

"I said what I said."

The man snapped again, cutting her off, then turned directly to Jiheon.

"No kids. They ruin the house."

His tone was nasty, and the look in his eyes was pure disdain, like the baby in Jiheon’s belly had already torn through the place.

The unfairness of it all made Jiheon speak up—even though he no longer wanted the house at all.

"Sir, if we’re only renting for two years, it won’t even be a child yet—he’ll still be a newborn."

The man looked at him like, So what?

"What can a toddler possibly—"

"No means no. The crying is loud. The neighbors will complain, and that’s a headache."

The man clicked his tongue in disgust. Jisoo looked like she was about to say something, but Jiheon held her back and spoke calmly.

"Understood. But sir, why are you speaking to me so informally?"

"What, you expect me to use honorifics with someone young enough to be my grandson?"

The man said, like it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard, and then openly stared Jiheon down.

"What, you think having a baby gives you the right to act all high and mighty? If the landlord says no, then it’s no. Why are you whining?"

"Cheeky little shit," he muttered under his breath—and slammed the gate shut with a loud bang.