DASH-Chapter 170

The method of causing inflammation in the joints was pretty simple. A mix of a proliferator and a high concentration of glucose was injected into the damaged area, and then inflammation happened quickly due to osmotic pressure, causing a reaction.

However, that didn’t mean a full-blown reaction happened right after the medication was injected.

On the day Jaekyoung got the injection, he tilted his head and said, “It feels a bit sore, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the injection.”

The next day, he frowned and said, “It definitely hurts more than yesterday... but I think I can still bear it?”

But on the third day, he suddenly got humbled and told Jiheon:

“Hyung, you’re amazing. How on earth did you endure this?”

“I told you I’m good at enduring pain.”

“I heard you can’t pull out a tooth without anesthesia.”

“......How many times have I told you that no one can do that? Didn’t I say it was torture?”

As if finally realizing Jiheon’s expression was right, Jaekyoung muttered:

“Oh, right. That’s it. I feel like I’m being tortured right now.”

“Hey, what kind of torture is this?”

Jiheon said as if it was nonsense.

“It’s because you’re not used to pain. You’ve never been through this much pain. I heard you’ve never even had a cold or been beaten by anyone. Me, on the other hand, I trained while getting beaten by my coach. The toughness I have now came from that time. You should count yourself lucky that you trained in Australia, you brat. Saying you’re weak for only having this much pain, while I had to go through the hell of knotting, and that too with someone as huge as you....”

Jiheon scolded Jaekyoung with all sorts of words.

Of course, it was all just a joke. Jiheon also knew. The pain Jaekyoung was going through now couldn’t be compared to what he had gone through ten years ago.

Although his injuries had been more severe, the overall condition of Jaekyoung’s joint was much worse. Severe inflammation was artificially caused in the place where it was on the verge of rupturing due to shock. No wonder it was painful. Even worse, the inflammatory phase usually reached its peak on the third and fourth day. It would only hurt more tomorrow.

Sure enough, the next day, Jaekyoung no longer talked about torture. Even when he opened his mouth to speak, his shoulder started aching, so he just couldn’t speak at all.

Jiheon brought Jaekyoung out and settled him on the living room sofa because his shoulder had visibly swollen overnight, making it tough for him to lie down on the bed. Jiheon placed a cushion on his back, adjusting it carefully to avoid the swollen right shoulder, ensuring Jaekyoung was in the most comfortable position, and had him lean against it.

“How about this? Is it okay?”

“Mm... I think it’s okay.”

Sitting a bit away to avoid disturbing Jaekyoung’s posture, Jiheon said:

“The fact that you’re feeling pain now is proof that you’re getting better. It means your immune cells are fighting hard.”

“I guess so.”

Jaekyoung said, closing his eyes.

“I actually like some physical pain during training. Because its toughness—”

“Is proof that you’re going that fast.”

Jiheon interrupted Jaekyoung’s words. Jaekyoung looked at him with wide eyes, as if asking how he knew.

“You told me this once before.”

When Jiheon said this with a smile, Jaekyoung closed his eyes again as if to say, “That’s right.” It seemed like he couldn’t remember when he had said it. Jiheon didn’t know if it was because he was in so much pain that he didn’t even have time to remember things like that.

Jiheon gently swept aside Jaekyoung’s sweaty bangs from his forehead.

“Well, maybe things have changed nowadays..., but in sports, one thing always holds true—you can’t beat those who put in the effort and work hard.”

When Jaekyoung felt the cool touch on his heated forehead, he visibly relaxed, looking more at ease.

“Wait a second.”

Jiheon stood up, grabbed the ice pack from the freezer, and placed it on Jaekyoung’s shoulder.

“Feels cool, right?”

Jaekyoung just raised an eyebrow without saying a word. Jiheon touched his cheek briefly and picked up the cell phone on the table. But then, Jaekyoung suddenly opened his eyes.

“Hyung, should I just go home?”

“What? Why?”

Jiheon asked, surprised.

“I just feel like I’m bothering you too much. You barely slept last night because of me.”

Jaekyoung admitted with a hint of shame in his tone.

“And even if you don’t show it, having someone sick around you makes you worried and stressed. I might be like this for a while, so maybe it’s better if I just go home. You shouldn’t have extra things to worry about right now.”

In the end, the key was in his last sentence. Just three months ago, Jaekyoung might have outright rejected such an idea, maybe even making up excuses to receive care from Jiheon. However, Jiheon was pregnant now and needed extra care because he had experienced all kinds of troubles in the early stages. Jaekyoung felt sorry for being sick at a time like this.

“Well... no. If it’s because of Genie, it’s okay. Genie seems to have strong nerves and handle stress well.”

Jiheon almost said, “I guess Genie is strong because he is like me,” but then he remembered the vice chairman, realizing it might upset Jaekyoung.

“Anyway, don’t worry about Genie. I’m feeding him well, putting him to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) sleep, and caring for him properly.”

Jiheon nodded, then added suddenly:

“Hey, more importantly, which house are you talking about?”

“What else, in Nonhyeon....”

Speaking like it was obvious, Jaekyoung belatedly closed his mouth.

“Ah.”

“That’s your mother’s house, no?”

Jiheon said, ignoring the pretense.

“Mm..., yes. That’s my mother’s house.”

Jaekyoung nodded enthusiastically, as if forgetting his pain.

“Yes, my house is here.”

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t hold back his smile, looking genuinely happy.

“Yeah, so where are you going?”

“Alright, I won’t go.”

Jaekyoung replied quickly. Jiheon chuckled at him, and as he nodded, he picked up the fallen ice pack and placed it on Jaekyoung’s shoulder again.

“Anyway, it’s only right for your spouse to take care of you when you’re sick. It’s embarrassing to rely on your parents when I should be the one looking after you. I don’t like that.”

“Hyung....”

Jaekyoung was so overwhelmed by emotions that he couldn’t continue his words. He had always heard Jiheon say, ‘You’re my athlete and I’m your agent, so it’s my job to take care of you,’ but now, with Jiheon saying, ‘It’s the duty of a spouse to take care of each other,’ he seemed to no longer have regrets.

Looking at Jiheon with wet eyes, Jaekyoung finally spoke as if making a promise.

“When Genie arrives, I’ll take really good care of you, hyung.”

“No, just send me to postpartum care.”

Jiheon declined with a smile.

“What...? You said spouses should take care of each other when they’re sick?”

“That’s the right thing to do, but I prefer to just leave it to the professionals.”

“.......”

“Send me to postpartum care.”

Jiheon reiterated with a smile. Jaekyoung was about to say something but closed his mouth. He nodded slowly, but his face seemed to be heartbroken.

Five days after getting the injection, Jaekyoung’s pain finally started to subside. By the sixth day, the swelling had noticeably gone down, and on the seventh day, he could move his arms without significant discomfort. This indicated that his immune cells were diligently removing damaged tissue.

“The recovery speed is much better than expected.”

Reviewing the MRI scan results, the doctor expressed satisfaction. The effectiveness of the prolotherapy depended on the body’s regenerative ability, and the results varied greatly from person to person. Of course, younger and healthier individuals tended to have better results, especially someone like Jaekyoung.

“I think getting an injection once every four to six weeks should be sufficient. In the meantime, let’s focus on the physical therapy.”

Initially, the doctor had recommended Jaekyoung to get injections once a week or at least once every two weeks. Seeing the cycle was immediately adjusted, it seemed that his condition had significantly improved.

However, this improvement was only in the short term. Jaekyoung’s joint was still damaged, and complete tissue regeneration due to the effects of prolotherapy would take at least two months. Of course, overworking the joint during this period would only slow down the recovery process.

“But that doesn’t mean I can’t join the selection round.”

As usual, Jaekyoung seemed unfazed.

“And how many athletes have perfect joints, anyway?”

Jaekyoung increased the intensity of the low-frequency therapy device using the remote control.

“I’m okay. I still have two weeks left. I’ll focus on stretching and weight training this week, then get into the water next week. I’ll minimize my strokes as much as possible and focus on kicks and turns. That will do, right?”

Jaekyoung sat on the bed in the treatment room, looking up at Jiheon. When Jiheon stayed silent, he sighed shortly and called him.

“Hyung. It makes no sense to skip the season with this kind of injury, especially before my last Olympics.”

“Jaekyoung-ah.”

“And, hyung, I’m a champion.”

Jaekyoung added without giving Jiheon a chance to speak.

“They say I’m the best swimmer in the world. It’s not the Olympic finals; it’s just a domestic selection. This kind of injury won’t hinder me.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jiheon spoke calmly.

“Even if you take a break until the day before and jump straight into the race, you’ll beat the qualifying time as long as you’re in good condition on that day.”

“But what’s the problem?”

“The problem is your condition on that day.”

Jaekyoung clicked his tongue briefly. He wanted to say it was an unnecessary worry, but given the current situation, he knew it wasn’t entirely baseless. So, he refrained from saying that and just clicked his tongue.

“You’re not completely healed yet. You just relieved the pain, and your shoulder is still not in good condition. The pain might come back during the race.”

“Well, I’ll just endure it.”

His tone conveyed a sense of confidence, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Yeah. If you endure it with your resilience and strength, you’ll manage to finish the race somehow. But then you might have to withdraw from the rest of the races.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Jaekyoung sighed and swept up his bangs.

“Let’s reduce the number of your events.”

Jiheon suggested the best compromise he could think of.

“I wouldn’t say this if you were in just three, no, four events. But you’re signed up for eight events this time, and two of them are individual medleys.”

“So?”

Jaekyoung looked up at Jiheon, his eyes saying he wouldn’t listen no matter what Jiheon said. Despite knowing that, Jiheon kept calm.

“Let’s just go for the 100m freestyle and 400m individual medley. Or compete in three events, including the 50m freestyle.”

“Are you telling me to fly all the way to Australia for just three events?”

Jaekyoung laughed, finding it ridiculous.

“There are many athletes going to Australia just to compete in one event. Actually, almost everyone does. Most people compete in just one event.”

“I’ve never done that before.”

“Jaekyoung-ah.”

“There’s nothing else to talk about. I’m only speaking based on my own terms.”

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Jaekyoung spoke plainly.

“I don’t know if I will fail, but I don’t understand why I can’t try when I can. I don’t want to give up before giving it a shot, even if it means I might fail.”

Just then, the timer on the low-frequency therapy device beeped. Jaekyoung turned it off with a remote control and removed the electrode pads from his shoulder.

“I know my physical condition best. And I also know my skills and abilities best. I can do it.”

Jaekyoung said as he got up from the bed.

“And I have to do it.”

Jaekyoung left after saying those words.