DASH

Jihong had imagined in advance how everything would go during the recording, and he could already feel the sweat on his back from the exertion. The thought of having to endure this state for the next three hours seemed unbearable to him. The only thing that held him back was the need to check the script and make sure that there was nothing superfluous in it.

Fortunately, the text turned out to be simple. Experienced screenwriters, realizing that it is risky to entrust the lines to non-professionals, gave the bulk of the dialogues to presenters and experts. Jihong and Jaekyung were left with only a couple of questions about preparing for and participating in the Olympics.

The rest came down to watching videos and short answers to questions. And even this mostly fell on Jihon's shoulders - everyone was well aware that there would be only monosyllabic "yes" or "no" from Jaekyong. Television people could not allow the program to fail because of this.

In addition, the recording time was greatly reduced. Usually, such filming takes five to six hours, especially for New Year's specials, but Jihong immediately made it clear that they don't have that much time. Therefore, we decided to record the introduction and conclusion, watch excerpts from the footage and add a few comments.

At first, Inyeop was indignant, stating that they behave like superstars who can do anything. But when the editing was only partially ready by the day of recording, and the lines had to be invented right on the spot, he did not say another word.

When the recording began and Jiheon and Jaekyung entered the studio, they were immediately greeted by the host, a famous humorist who has become the face of many popular shows. His benevolence and ease of communication immediately inspired Jihon with confidence: it was enough just to answer questions, he would take care of the rest.

Gradually, the rest of the participants gathered: an actress known for her sharp tongue, a young comedian and two idols - a guy and a girl. The second presenter was the last to appear, and the recording began.

The script was almost not needed. The presenters easily controlled the conversation, and the panelists picked up the topic so deftly that Jihong didn't even have to open his mouth.

Everything went something like this: "You know, you are very handsome," the presenter unexpectedly noted.

Before Jihong could say anything, the panelists had already burst into comments: "Exactly! Of all the managers we've had, you're the nicest!

"Yes, yes!" When I entered the studio, I thought: "Oh, what, the actors were called first today?" And therefore, you are a manager? It's unbelievable!

"He has the appearance of an actor!"

"Yes, that's true. He reminds me of someone... I don't remember who...

Everyone chatted incessantly, without even looking at the script (however, there was nothing of the kind anyway). The conversation went so naturally that Jihong began to get nervous: what if someone mentions Cha Sung-hyun's name? But the participants in the filming turned out to be real professionals.

At the right moment, the host delicately changed the subject: "So, according to rumors, our manager became famous for his beauty during his sports career. Let's watch a video of those times.

As soon as he finished the sentence, a video from Jihon's World Championship competition appeared on the big screen. It was a recording of the broadcast of the final swim. As soon as the young face of the guy appeared, the participants of the program perked up again: "Oh my God, how young!

"Just handsome!"

"Is that him in high school?" In the first or the second?

— In the first one.

"Were you seventeen then?" Wow!

Before the studio participants had time to calm down, a new image appeared on the screen - the award ceremony, followed by a fragment of the interview.

Screenwriter Choi, who happily announced that she had a lot of materials, did get hold of rare shots, including a photo for a magazine that Jihong himself had already forgotten about. When he saw the picture, he lowered his head, barely holding back his embarrassment, and Jaekyung, who was sitting next to him, was carefully examining everything with a serious expression, as if he was preparing to immediately request the originals.

"Kwon Jaekyung, you were still a schoolboy then, weren't you?" The host asked, noticing how he was intently looking at the screen.

— Yes, in the fourth grade.

At the same time, photos of his childhood appeared, apparently also taken in elementary school. Among them, only one was in swimming trunks, the rest were in casual clothes. Most likely, Mrs. Shim specially selected the cutest and most beautiful pictures of her son.

Her efforts paid off: as soon as the photos were shown, the female part of the studio screamed in unison.

"My God, how cute!

"What a baby!"

"The face is quite childish, and the height is already impressive.

"It feels like photoshopped.

"But what a beautiful face!

"Look at those long eyelashes!"

— It seems to be similar to the current self, but still completely different.

Surprised participants added comments one after another.

Jihon himself was curious. Jaekyung from ten years ago turned out to be something very special. Accustomed to his current image, he had long ceased to think about what he had looked like before. And now the memories came flooding in, leaving a strange and elusive feeling.

"What a good guy he is, how could he grow up like that?" thought Jihong with incomprehensible pride. But immediately other thoughts overwhelmed me: "How could I even ... with this child..." This caused both embarrassment and guilt. Jaekyung's pictures seemed so touching and cute that Jihong could not take his eyes off, especially from the photo of the boy in a sailor's uniform - he could barely restrain himself from exploding from the surging emotions.

The presenter, who noticed how this picture stood out, asked: "When and why did you wear this uniform?"

"I don't remember," the grumbler replied with sincere bewilderment, clearly puzzled.

Hesitating, the host glanced at the clue: "It seems to have been a school choir competition. Did you participate as a class?

"Maybe," Jaekyung nodded uncertainly, his brows furrowed.

"Don't you remember anything at all?"

"No," he said firmly.

"But that wasn't that long ago!" The presenter continued, making the studio laugh.

"Young, but my memory is already bad!" Others picked up.

"Okay, do you remember anything else from the fourth grade?" The female presenter asked.

"Of course," Jaekyung replied without hesitation. – I watched the video of the hyun's performance at the World Championships.

"Do you remember that?" The hosts were surprised.

Jaekyung nodded.

"After that, I decided to go swimming.

The studio immediately gasped in unison: "So you're a fan of Jihon?"

"No, no," said Jihon hurriedly. "He was already swimming then, so it's not because of me.

But Jaekyung, as if not hearing, added, "No, it was because of him that I decided to become an athlete.

"Really?" Why? Was he so cool? The presenters clarified with a smile.

"Yes, he was incredibly cool," he confirmed with the same serious look.

While the confused Jihong tried to stop him, the host had already asked him: "Did you know that Kwon Jaekyung already admired you back then?"

"Why are you asking something that is not in the script?" thought Jihon, but keeping calm, he tried to get out of it: "No. Then Jaekyung and I exchanged maybe a dozen words.@@novelbin@@

"Really?"

— Yes. Even when I started the conversation, he answered only monosyllabically. I thought he didn't like me," Jihon turned everything into a joke.

But instead, the participants only added fuel to the fire: "Oh, I was just shy!

"I couldn't say a word because of my excitement!"

"When you like someone very much, it happens!"

Jihong realized that everyone was amused by the situation itself, which, in their opinion, created an interesting plot. The problem was that Jaekyung was extremely serious now, and that made everything even more awkward.

"Yes, I wanted to communicate with him, but... In general, I am not one of those who start a conversation first. When you first approached me, I couldn't even give a proper answer. Shy.

And he said it absolutely evenly and confidently, as if he did not understand the meaning of the word "shy".

"Really?" And what did he say to you then? The host immediately jumped in.

Before Jaekyung could reply, the host intervened, "Wait! Before Kwon Jaekyung answers, let's ask our hero! Do you remember what you said to him the first time?

Taken by surprise, Jihon hesitated: "Well, I think I praised him for swimming...

"Is that true?" The presenter immediately turned to Jaekyung.

"No," he said curtly.

"Then what exactly?" What did he say to you ten years ago?

Jaekyung glanced at Ji-hon for a moment and calmly said, "So that I don't open the door like that.

There was silence in the studio for a moment, and then there was a chorus of surprised exclamations: "What?

"Did you reprimand him?"

"A fourth-grade boy?"

"What a severity!"

The participants in the program immediately began to tease Jihon. And he flushed with surprise: "I... Did I really talk to a child like that? But why? Why did I do this?"

"No, he didn't," Jaekyung explained, seeing Jihon's confusion. "The door was broken, and I didn't know it and tried to open it. Hyun just helped me. And he asked not to touch her.

"Oh, because it was dangerous?"

— Yes.

The host and the rest of the participants nodded almost in unison. Even though the misunderstanding had been resolved, Jihong still didn't remember anything. It must have been written on his face, because Jaekyung added with a slight sly smile, "He also asked me if I was in middle school. Although I was in the fourth grade of elementary school.

"You must have been tall, so he thought you were older," the program participants concluded, and Jaekyung nodded again.

And then he turned to Jihon, "Hyun, you probably don't remember. You were extraordinarily kind then, and you treated everyone with care. He helped everyone... Therefore, I am unlikely to remember all these little things.

Jihong blushed again at this sudden praise. One of the comedians who participated in the program jokingly remarked: "Oh, look, he's trying to get out of it!

It seems that this is his stage image - to make fun of the guests and escalate the situation.

"No, really," Jaekyung muttered, not realizing that it was a joke, and not knowing who the man was. "We were not close, but he said a lot of good things to me. He praised me for the way I swim, worried that I would not get injured. He was the first person to tell me that I could win a Grand Slam.

"As a joke?" The comedian asked, still smiling.

— No, seriously.

Jaekyung looked at the man in annoyance, as if asking, "What kind of stupid jokes?" He did not perceive the humor of entertainment programs at all, and in his look you could read: "Who is this man and why is he talking all sorts of nonsense?" It seemed that he was about to say: "What jokes? Even then I was called a genius. And hyun never jokes about such topics."

Jihong hurried to intervene: "Kwon Jaekyung already had incredible results back then. And he trained very hard. I thought he had every chance.

"Our manager has a trained eye!"

"As they say, a master sees skill from afar!

Fortunately, the hosts supported him. Jihong decided that from today on, he is their fan.

"You must have been very proud when he actually took the Grand Slam," the host said.

How do you assess your contribution to Jaekyung's achievements? The comedian shouted immediately. "Only honestly!"

"Zero percent," Jihon replied without hesitation. All the participants expressed their disapproval in unison.

– But you have already worked together during the Pan-Pacific Championship. Didn't you ever think that it was thanks to your support that he achieved such results?

"No," Jihon snapped. "Given Jaekyung's abilities, it's only a matter of time before a Grand Slam is achieved. He would have won a gold medal in any company. We were just lucky to have worked together during that period. We did not affect his victory in any way.

He wanted to end by adding something like, "We are doing everything we can now to make him do his best in the upcoming Olympics," but Jaekyung suddenly said, "We are not just lucky to work together." I came to this company because of hyung.

The host asked in surprise: "That is, you initially knew? Didn't you sign a contract and then accidentally discover it there?

— No, I wanted to cooperate with his agency. I also took the Grand Slam thanks to his words. He said I had to try, and I kept going, even when I wanted to give up. Jaekyung suddenly fell silent. A strange tiredness appeared on his face, which had just been calm.

"That's why he said so much, although no one asked him," Jihon thought. Obviously, these few phrases had already tired him.

Jihong hoped that Jaekyung would stop there. The host will sum up the results himself, and he just needs to be silent.

But unfortunately, Jaekyung seemed to have other plans. With a look of deadly boredom on his face, he stubbornly continued, "And the fact that I trained in Australia is also essentially thanks to Hyung. After he won a medal at the World Championships, there was a program that sent talented children to Australia. Something like "Let's raise new Jung Jihons".

"Wow, that's right," the host exclaimed, picking up the topic a little belatedly.

— Yes. That was the first time I went to Australia, and their training methods suited me very well...

"What an amazing story!

"yes," Jaekyung replied dryly.

"Of course, my achievements are my merit, but if it weren't for hyung, I probably wouldn't even have started," he suddenly summed up, looking at Jihon. "So, half of my success is his merit. I sincerely believe in this.

Since Jaekyung was not looking at the camera, but at Ji-hon, the rest of the filming did not dare to intervene. Everyone fell silent, waiting for Jihon's answer. The situation became even more awkward due to the fact that the bulldozer suddenly ceased to look bored, an unusual tenderness played in its gaze.

Jihong didn't know what to say in such a situation, and only chuckled awkwardly. Fortunately, the presenter, addressing the camera, said in his usual joking tone: "Viewers, did you hear? You can only see Kwon Jae-kyung on your screens thanks to our Jung Ji-hong! Let's all applaud him together!

The participants of the program began to applaud. Jihong thought about when to ask Inyeop to cut out this fragment, but out of a headache, he decided to leave these thoughts aside.

The long and painful recording of the introductory part finally ended, and they were given a short break.