DASH-Chapter 180

“How’s your shoulder?”

“It’s bearable.”

“I see. You did great. Let’s go straight to the hospital once we’re back in Seoul.”

While Jaekyoung went to the bathroom with a coroner to submit the final doping test sample, Jiheon waited in front of the doping control booth.

Perhaps because the selection competition had just ended, the hallways were very chaotic. Meanwhile, in the Competition Management Office next to the doping booth, there was a brief press conference scheduled for the athletes selected as Olympic representatives, so reporters were busy going back and forth.

KSC seemed to want Jaekyoung at the press conference somehow. Two days ago, Team Leader Lee had firmly stated that athlete Kwon Jaekyoung wouldn’t participate, insisting he had to go to the hospital right after the selection, that there was no time, and that they were truly sorry. Back then KSC said, “Yes, yes, we understand. Of course he should go to the hospital first,” but now they came and forced Jiheon again.

“Hey, can’t he just answer a few questions from reporters? It’s really just a moment. It won’t take long.”

“Sir, we need to go to the hospital right away.”

“Come on, the press conference won’t take an hour. Going now or in an hour won’t make any difference. There’s no need to rush to the ER right away. I saw him earlier, and he seemed fine.”

Someone from the Management department openly urged Jaekyoung to attend. Jiheon was so angry that he unconsciously showed a stern face.

“Sir, would you say that if it were your son?”

The man must have caught on, so he patted Jiheon, saying, “Hey, young man. Why are you saying that now? You’re making me sad.” Jiheon barely held back the urge to scold him and just said calmly.

“Then please just let us go, sir. Athlete Kwon Jaekyoung is in a really bad condition right now.”

When he ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) emphasized that the treatment couldn’t be delayed any longer, the man turned serious.

“Oh, really? Then you should get going. Hurry, take care on your way.”

“Yes, sir. I apologize.”

Jiheon once again apologized politely.

Team Leader Lee and Manager Yoon, who had just finished greeting the officials, said they would leave first.

Jaekyoung returned not long after. The coroner next to him, who had gone to the bathroom with him, was shaking his head as if he couldn’t get used to it no matter how many times he saw it.

Jiheon entered the doping booth with Jaekyoung, trying to avoid eye contact with the coroner.

Jaekyoung submitted his urine sample, signed a paper giving consent for the doping test, then turned around.

“Good job.”

“You too, hyung.”

As the two were leaving the doping booth, celebrating that the second selection round was finally ‘completely’ over, Jiheon heard an urgent voice.

“Hey, hey, Assistant Manager Jeong, wait a moment.”

Jiheon turned around and said, “Yes?”

Managing Director Choi of KSC gestured from inside the booth.

“You stay here.”

Jiheon made Jaekyoung wait in the hallway and then went back into the booth by himself.

“Mr. Choi, what’s the matter?”

“Uh, well.” freewebnσvel.cѳm

Managing Director Choi spoke hesitantly, looking very puzzled.

“The thing is, I think you need to undergo some tests.”

“We just submitted the urine.”

“No, not athlete Kwon Jaekyoung, but you, Mr. Jeong.”

“I beg your pardon? Me?”

Jiheon asked again, opening his eyes wide.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. There’s a complaint from another athlete.”

Managing Director Choi said, still puzzled.

“What complaint... are you talking about?”

When Jiheon asked in confusion, Managing Director Choi looked around for a moment, then approached Jiheon and spoke in a low voice.

“Before we get into that, let me ask you a question. Mr. Jeong, are you an Omega?”

“I beg your pardon...?”

Jiheon stiffened without realizing it.

“Sir, why are you suddenly asking that? What does it have to do with this situation?”

“About that....”

Managing Director Choi looked puzzled and gestured behind him. He loudly called over Kim Giseok, who was talking seriously with other KSC members, asking him to please explain in person.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jeong. We need to check the detected amount of your pheromones.”

At that moment, all eyes in the doping booth focused on Jiheon.

“Oh my gosh.”

Kim Giseok covered his mouth, as if he had made a slip of the tongue, then quickly approached Jiheon.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jeong. We’re in a hurry, so I couldn’t help but shout... oh god, what should I do with this?”

Kim Giseok repeatedly bowed his head and then asked again in a polite tone.

“We need to check the detected amount of your pheromones, so please take a test.”

“Why me?”

Jiheon asked quietly.

“My athlete stopped taking anti-pheromone medication because of his current condition. However, during today’s race, he had a pheromone reaction and it made him....”

“Yes, but I asked why I had to get tested.”

Jiheon interrupted Kim Giseok.

“You know you can’t demand a one-sided test like this just because I’m an Omega.”

“Of course.”

Kim Giseok nodded strongly.

“We’re definitely not asking you to take a test just because you’re an Omega, Mr. Jeong. That’s clearly discrimination, and I’m aware of that.”

Kim Giseok nodded repeatedly. Jiheon asked again, imagining blowing off that chin.

“Then why are you asking me to get tested?”

“Because I think it’s necessary under the circumstances.”

“Circumstances?”

Jiheon narrowed his eyes.

“Yes.”

Kim Giseok nodded strongly this time.

And—

“Mr. Jeong, you were in the first call room right before the race.”

“.......”

“My athlete told me he first felt the pheromone reaction while waiting in the first call room.”

At that moment, Jiheon realized. The reason Kim Giseok was so relaxed all day today. The real reason he was happy even before the race started and talked about it without even caring.

“As far as I know, there’s no Omega among the 400m individual medley participants today. And I am a Beta. So, thinking about the remaining possibilities, I ended up with this conclusion. I absolutely didn’t ask you to take a test just because you’re an Omega.”

What he aimed for wasn’t the results of Jaekyoung’s doping test. And, of course, it wasn’t about hiding Han Yuseong’s drug use either.

“Actually, I never thought you’d be an Omega until a little while ago. You’ve never revealed your traits, have you?”

What Kim Giseok had targeted was Jiheon himself. He blamed Han Yuseong’s poor performance on a pheromone reaction and took them to the doping control booth to shift the blame to Jiheon.

If the test was done on-site, the doping booth’s centrifuge equipment would be used, and the same people would conduct the test.

They must have planned this in advance to manipulate the detected amount of Jiheon’s pheromones. Whether he was using a chip or taking a pheromone suppressant, a very small amount of pheromone would still be released, so they just needed to change a few numbers to make it big enough.

“I should have confirmed your traits first before asking for a test, but I apologize for the wrong order. By the way, I wasn’t sure when I asked you for a test, but you turned out to be an Omega. You don’t look like that at all.”

Even if a test was carried out because of the complaint and it went to trial, by then people wouldn’t care about the results. All they would remember was Kwon Jaekyoung being accused of messing with another athlete’s race in the second selection round with suspected intentional behavior. It would be just that. Using traits and pheromones was a sneaky move. How dirty was this trick?

“Now, do you understand why I asked you to get tested?”

Kim Giseok spoke so calmly that Jiheon wasn’t even angry anymore; he was just impressed. How could someone be so clever in such a bad way?

The article about Han Yuseong who stopped taking anti-pheromone medication was a stepping stone for today. The reason Kim Giseok entered the first call room wasn’t to check on Han Yuseong’s condition; he did it to lure Jiheon in. If Jiheon had seen him do that right in front of his eyes, he wouldn’t have been able to resist following.

Suddenly, Jiheon remembered Han Yuseong sweating with a red face while Jaekyoung argued with Kim Giseok.

Jiheon had thought it was because Han Yuseong’s fake new record was exposed, but that wasn’t the case; he was already experiencing a pheromone reaction. Since using stimulants could lead to doping, he probably had contact with another Omega just before to cause a natural pheromone reaction. He endured 20 minutes in the call room in that state and eventually made it to the race.

“Well, I mean, Mr. Jeong is using a chip right now, isn’t he?”

Managing Director Choi belatedly intervened, perhaps feeling sorry for Jiheon who had suffered such humiliation out of nowhere.

“If you use a chip, no pheromone will be released. Am I wrong?”

Kim Giseok’s mouth curled up at Managing Director Choi’s words. Jiheon understood the meaning of that smile. Sure enough, Kim Giseok spoke in an exaggerated tone.

“Now that I think about it, if you’re using a chip, you can track your pheromone levels with the linked app. If you are uncomfortable with getting tested, you can check it out.”

Kim Giseok acted all generous and asked Jiheon again.

“Mr. Jeong, do you have that app installed?”

Jiheon deliberately replied sharply, trying to suppress his laughter.

“Why should I tell you that?”

“Well, you can just get tested, then.”

“I don’t want to do both.”

“Mr. Jeong, we have now officially raised a complaint to the competition management and asked for a test to be conducted.”

Kim Giseok still spoke politely.

“The competition management judged that our complaint and demands were reasonable, so they would like you to undergo the test, Mr. Jeong. You are free to refuse, but if you do so, we have no choice but to file a complaint with a higher authority. Why bother making things complicated? We also cared about your position and decided to end it with an app verification instead of a blood test.”

In response to Kim Giseok’s speech, Managing Director Choi tried to console Jiheon.

“Yes, yes, just show the app and get it over with. It’s not comfortable for you either, Mr. Jeong.”

Jiheon clicked his tongue and gave an uncomfortable look but eventually answered reluctantly.

“I don’t have the app installed.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not using a chip.”

The people who were watching the situation with bated breath suddenly became agitated. Even those who had been sending out blatant criticism towards Kim Giseok just now looked at Jiheon as if asking, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

Even though they didn’t say it, they seemed displeased, thinking Kim Giseok was subtly humiliating Jiheon based on the fact that he was an Omega. But when they heard Jiheon wasn’t using a chip, their thoughts shifted to, ‘Oh...? What the hell?’

It was at that moment.

“What’s going on?”

Finally, Jaekyoung made his way through the crowd and approached Jiheon, as if sensing the tense atmosphere in the booth.