DASH-Chapter 4Vol 2. : Side Story -

On the third Friday of April, Jaekyung finally escaped from the hospital. Considering his originally scheduled discharge date was the fourth Monday of April, he’d only left three days early—but he still looked thoroughly pleased. He seemed genuinely happy just to be able to spend the weekend at home.

Technically, Jaekyung’s attending physician had granted the discharge on the very day Jiheon inquired. It was Jiheon who’d delayed it by two days, throwing out every excuse he could think of—he needed to clean the house, the bed was a mess, there was nowhere for Jaekyung to sleep if he came today, and so on.

Jaekyung, conceding those two days, added one condition of his own: Jiheon had to be the one to pick him up from the hospital. No later than 5 p.m. He didn’t mind if it was earlier, but under no circumstances could he be late.

He acted like something terrible would happen if Jiheon missed the time, so Jiheon arranged with his office in advance and left early to pick him up. Jaekyung wasn’t waiting in the hospital room or even in the lobby—he was already outside the building, and the moment he spotted Jiheon’s car, he strode right up and got into the passenger seat.

“The hospital’s not going to collapse. You could’ve taken your time.”

“Another minute and I think my mind would’ve collapsed.”

Jaekyung tossed his bag into the backseat with a dramatic complaint. Jiheon waited for him to fasten his seatbelt before pulling out of the lot.

“So why’d you insist I come by five?”

“So we can stop by the department store on the way.”

That reminded Jiheon of how Jaekyung had been looking up department store hours a few days ago.

“Why? You need to buy something there?”

“I want to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) look around.”

“Which department store? Just any one?”

“No, the one where I got my suit last time.”

There was a luxury department store right nearby, famous for its designer brands, but Jaekyung wanted to head to the one near their home instead. Did he already have something in mind?

Jiheon drove on, vaguely uneasy, until a sudden realization hit him like lightning.

“...Hey, wait. You’re not thinking of going to that baby goods store again, are you?”

“I am.”

Jaekyung answered so confidently that Jiheon was twice as flustered.

“Hey, come on, why... You’re going there already? That’s something you do when the baby’s almost here—closer to the due date.”

“I’ll go again then too.”

He told Jiheon not to worry, but Jiheon had nothing left to say. He thought about how Jaekyung had barely been able to tear himself away from that baby store last time they’d gone shopping for a suit. Honestly, it was a miracle he’d held back this long. Jiheon figured he should be grateful Jaekyung hadn’t rushed over to the department store the moment the pregnancy article went public.

“Well, if you want to go, then go.”

Jiheon let out a resigned sigh—and quickly added before Jaekyung could speak:

“But I’m not going in.”

“Where?”

“The store.”

He said he’d wait at a café nearby and told Jaekyung to go browse on his own. Jaekyung stared at him with furrowed brows for a long moment before turning his head and muttering:

“Whatever you want.”

To get straight to the point: Jiheon didn’t get his way. Because of Kwon Jaekyung.

Even the way Jaekyung unbuckled his seatbelt upon arrival had been suspiciously energetic—and the moment he stepped inside the store, he tried to grab everything in sight. Baby clothes, bottles, toys—anything even remotely cute or pretty, he picked up and hugged close.

Watching nervously from a distance just in case, Jiheon saw Jaekyung heading toward the checkout and immediately rushed into the store.

“You should get that after the baby’s born. And that—you need to wait till the last month when you know the baby’s size. If it doesn’t fit, it’s a waste. That one too... by the time the baby’s born, it’s probably going to be out of style. Do you even know how trendy newborn stuff is? You want Jini to be the only one in the postpartum care center wearing some outdated bib? What’s this, shoes? What if he’s got giant feet and ends up needing size 200mm? I mean... just saying, hypothetically. Anyway, let’s buy this stuff later—after the baby’s born.”

Jiheon kept repeating later, later, trying to dissuade him. Jaekyung got irritated.

“You said you weren’t coming in—why’d you follow me in and start interfering?”

“It’s just such a waste to buy all this now. If we get the wrong stuff, it’s money down the drain, and forcing ourselves to use stuff we don’t even like is just worse. Plus, we don’t even know yet if it’s a boy or a girl. Isn’t buying clothes and shoes a bit much?”

He coaxed Jaekyung gently, telling him to wait a bit longer and come back together to buy everything properly. Only then did Jaekyung reluctantly return the armful of items to their shelves.

Still unable to completely let go, he wandered the store for a while before suddenly lighting up. “Hyung, come here for a second! Jiheon-hyung!” he called out loudly. Jiheon, hiding in a corner of the store, had no choice but to approach with an expression of feigned calm, pretending not to notice the stares.

“Hyung, did you buy this?”

What Jaekyung held up was a stretch mark prevention massage cream.

“No, I don’t have any stretch marks yet.”

“What’s the point of putting it on after you get them? You have to prevent it.”

Jaekyung looked at the store clerk like, Right?, and the clerk beamed as she nodded.

“It’s important to prepare the skin early and keep it firm and healthy. It says right here that it’s recommended from the third month of pregnancy.”

She pointed to the instructions on the back of the package.

“Oh... you’re right.”

“There’s a big difference between using cream and not using it.”

As soon as the clerk finished her sentence, Jaekyung pulled out his phone and showed Jiheon an image he’d saved. It was a comparison photo showing the skin of people who used the cream versus those who didn’t. The difference was clear.

“...Then should I buy it?”

No sooner had Jiheon said the words than Jaekyung swept all the cream on the shelf into his arms.

“Hey, how many are you buying?!”

“Huh? I figured I’d go through it fast.”

He held up a 150ml tube. “Feels like it’ll be gone in one squeeze.”

“No, no. Just buy one. You might react badly or it might not suit your skin. If it’s okay, you can always buy more.”

Jiheon put all the other creams back on the shelf.

“The ingredients are good, so the chances of a reaction are low, but... yes, it’s more reasonable to start with just one.”

The clerk, who had just lost her easy mark, nodded with a faintly regretful smile.

“Oh, and this oil—if you mix it in, it’s even better.”

She grabbed another product and held it up—not to Jiheon, but to Jaekyung.

“It’s a natural oil. When mixed with the cream, it spreads better and adds moisture. Just mix them half-and-half and massage your chest, belly, thighs, and hips for at least ten minutes every day.”

She explained everything directly to Jaekyung. Maybe because she realized he was the one footing the bill, but it still felt strange. What made it worse was Jaekyung’s intensely serious face as he nodded along, taking it all in like gospel.

In the end, Jaekyung left the store proudly carrying one 150ml massage cream and three 50ml bottles of oil.

The moment they got home, Jaekyung went straight for the shower. His private room at the hospital had a shower, but the water pressure had been pathetically weak and the space too cramped—it had clearly been inconvenient. Trying to wash with only his left arm must’ve made it even harder. He’d complained that even when he did shower, it didn’t feel like he had—so today, he’d clearly decided to go all out. The second they entered, he stripped off his clothes and headed to the bathroom.

Among all the people Jiheon knew, Jaekyung was easily the cleanest guy. He showered twice a day after training, and before competitions, he even waxed regularly.

But grooming and skincare were two different things. Jiheon had never seen him apply any lotion or toner—not once.

This time was no different. He showered so thoroughly, but when he came out, he just patted himself dry with a towel and left it at that. Watching him throw on a t-shirt and shorts while still half-damp, Jiheon spoke in a worried tone.

“Jaekyung, put something on your face. You’re always at the pool—aren’t you scared of what it’s doing to your skin?”

“Putting stuff on makes my face feel suffocated.”

“Still, you should. Your skin will dry out.”

“It’s not that dry, though.”

Jaekyung patted his own cheek with his palm. That soft, wet slap slap sound lured Jiheon’s hand to his face without thinking. Even knowing how much time Jaekyung spent in the pool, it was still shocking how moist and smooth his skin was.

“That’s just because you’ve got oily skin. Everyone your age does.”

Jiheon kept up the nagging.

“But I’ve never had acne—not even once.”

Apparently Jaekyung had assumed “oily” meant greasy and gross, and quickly tried to correct him. Figures—his metabolism was so fast there was no chance for waste to build up.

“Whatever. Just use skincare. Once you’re older, your face won’t produce oil like this.”

He pointed toward the bathroom. “Go. Put some on.”

Jaekyung hesitated like he had something to say... but eventually left the room. About ten seconds later, he returned.

“I put it on.”

“Put some on your body too. You’re soaking in chlorine all day. It’s worse for your body than your face.”

“....”

Jaekyung looked like he wanted to argue again—but instead, he turned and went quietly back.

“I put it on.”

This time it took about 40 seconds—probably because he’d actually applied it everywhere.

“Dry your hair properly, too.”

Jiheon warned him that slacking off on hair care just because he had thick hair now could lead to hair loss later. That’s when Jaekyung, who’d been silently listening, finally called out in a quiet voice.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“...Are you just doing this because you don’t want to do it right now?”