The constellation of the whale

- Wow, guys! You are now the stars of tik tok. Your video has gained over a million views in just 3 hours. Congratulations!       The young people who were fooling around on the ice in the indoor ice arena were interrupted only by the manager, Ahn Dong Hwa, who came. Chaeyoung is on Jimin’s back, and he rolls her around the entire perimeter of the rink. The elder was not surprised at all. They never detach from each other. - Wait a minute. Shouldn’t you be training all day? And where is your coach? — a man asks similar questions every time he sees these two forget who they are. And this happens often. -Actually, that’s what we’re doing, in case you haven’t noticed, hyun, — Jimin released Chaeyoung and drove up to Ahn. Even Cardi B could envy the confidence of the black-haired man. — And Coach Song went away for a while. Or rather, he drove away. — Okay. I checked out the joke. But then why were you riding Chen on your back again when I came in? - It strengthens my muscles, — the guy shows his biceps, and Chaeyoung behind is dying of laughter. Well, in no way can she calmly watch when the elder mocks their “supervisor”.       Dong Hwa, like a typical manager, had already raised his index finger in the air and wanted to scold his ward, but remembered why he had come here in the first place. So Ahn put his hand in his jacket pocket. And he also doesn’t really want to step on the ice, where, in fact, Jimin is standing.       No matter how many years Dong Hwa has worked as the manager of these skaters, he is afraid of embarrassing himself in front of them if he falls just by standing on a slippery surface. -Chaeyoung-ah, come here before hyung forgets his name, — Jimin likes to banter their manager about his age. And the younger one joined in this kind of jokes quite recently, so she jokes much tougher than her partner. Dong Hwa is already used to it.       Park stopped laughing to the grumbling of Ahn rolling his eyes and drove up to the side where the black-haired man was standing. - Why did I come at all? Oh yeah, — the man took his phone out of his jeans pocket and started looking for something. Young people are just waiting. — Here it is.       On the screen of the outstretched iPhone, the Parks saw their own video in tik tok with trending sound. EXO — The First Snow. Indeed, it has received an insanely large number of views. And how many likes and comments! - Less than twenty-four hours have passed since you guys created an official account in tiktok, and you have already gained so many subscribers. Congratulations! I think it should be noted, — that the man really admires young figure skaters. Whatever it is, these two will always achieve their goals. Even if this particular idea of creating a shared account in a popular social network all over the world, which belonged to a girl, did not have the goal of becoming SO popular. - Oppa, hold your horses. The working day is still not over.       Dong Hwa rolled his eyes a second time and exhaled slowly. “Breathe Ahn Dong Hwa. They’re just teenagers.” - I know that your training session will end at 19:00, so by eight I invite you both to a cafe nearby. I hope you won’t be late. As always. - You answered yourself, hyung, — Jimin winked at the manager and, grabbing Chaeyoung by the arm, drove to the middle of the rink. No one canceled the training, and the coach should be back soon.       Park Jimin is a nineteen-year-old professional figure skater originally from Busan. When he first started skating at the age of five, the guy told his parents that he wanted to be a figure skater. In the same year, he was accepted into a local club. And in February next year, the black-haired man is already graduating from school, so he plans to enroll in the South Korean National University. No matter how much the parents tried to persuade the guy to go to law, he does not intend to change his opinion. Figure skating is exactly what Park wants to connect his life with. It brings him pleasure, which is quite important. Being paired with Chaeyoung brings him pleasure.       Park Chaeyoung is only two years younger, but already impresses with her zeal to conquer the world with his talent. This young brunette has been skating since she was four years old: she skated in a single program until she was ten. Jimin is the girl’s first partner. He taught her a lot. For this, Chaeyoung is incredibly grateful to him.       Park’s parents are lawyers, so they had to move from Australia to Seoul as soon as she turned three. Back then, a little girl wanted to be like Kim Yuna.       Since Jimin turned sixteen, young people have been running their own YouTube channel. In three full years, they have gained a considerable number of subscribers: 4.5 million. On social networks, they share their lives with people, taking down vlogs from trips, walks and workouts. It turns out that this video format is very popular with viewers. The Parks also tried to upload several dance challenges, but all of them were deleted by Jimin on purpose by pure chance. Anyway, Chaeyoung saw it and decided to give up on dancing. But now that they have an official account in tiktok, the black-haired one just won’t get away with it. Only the brunette has access to it. Besides, people need to see this side of Jimin. After all, as the girl says: “You’re just unrealistically capturing attention with your movements.” - The training is over! You guys did a good job today. I hope your fuse won’t go away before the competition. See you tomorrow, — as Dong Hwa said, the guys finished training at seven o’clock sharp. Coach Song never detains his students, which is why he is clapping now, looking at the large electronic clock that hangs on the wall. - Thank you, Coach! Have a nice evening! — The Parks bow at full ninety degrees and, waiting for Song Kang to leave, exhale. - I’m so tired, — Chaeyoung, who is already sitting on the bench and opening a bottle of water, allows herself to be a little naughty.       They really practiced a lot today. The competition is coming soon, and they must not lose, because the “incredible duo” never takes a place below the first. - To be honest, I want to cancel my meeting with hyun and go to the dorm, — Jimin lands next to the girl and starts to untie the laces on his skates. — I don’t have the energy for anything at all. - Are you having headaches again? — the brunette doesn’t need to say unnecessary words, she will always understand the older one. “I don’t have the energy for anything at all.”       This phrase means that everything is bad. The black-haired man prefers to keep quiet about his well-being so as not to bother anyone. But last time, after he said that, they took him in an ambulance. The guy worked so hard that he fainted. He lay in a hospital bed for several hours, and was allowed to go home. However, after that, Park complained of a severe headache, which did not go away even after taking the pills. Chaeyoung and the manager were noticeably nervous at the time. - Yes, — the skater took off his skates and leaned back in the plastic chair. The whiskey is pressing hard, so he pressed his palms against them.       The younger one can only watch him suffer. Unfortunately, she can’t help in any way. - Maybe I’ll call the manager and tell him that the cafe is canceled for today? In this state, you hardly want to sit in a stuffy room. - It’s not worth it. I’ll lie down for a while, and everything will pass, — Jimin got up from his seat, helped take off the girl’s skates and lay down on an armchair. He put his head on the brunette’s lap. — You don’t mind, do you? — The black-haired man looked at her with one eye. - No, I don’t mind, — but Chaeyoung is only happy. She leaned back in her chair and ran her fingers through her partner’s damp hair. Head massage is the only thing that can reduce headache. Especially if this massage is done by Park Chaeyoung herself.       Closer to eight, the guys were already approaching the very cafe that Dong Hwa was talking about. He will be surprised when he sees that they are waiting for him, and not the other way around. Usually, this pair of skaters makes the manager wait for several minutes.       Now the two of them are sitting at the farthest table. Figure skaters are also celebrities, so they can be recognized. And also so Jimin can put his head on Chaeyoung’s shoulder, since they are sitting on the same couch. They left the place opposite for the manager. - It’s already 20:07, and he’s still gone. Now we’re going to take it and leave. Really, Oppa? — the younger one is indignant, burning a hole in the screen of her mobile phone.       The guy nods and smiles with his eyes closed, still sitting on a comfortable shoulder. - Tomorrow morning we have a workout and in a good way you and I should already be in the dorm, getting ready for the shower. But I’m a kind soul, so if that tardy guy doesn’t show up within ten minutes, we’ll leave. - Now do you understand how I feel when you are late?       Dong Hwa crept up so stealthily that the brunette jumped on the spot, and the black-haired man did not want to sleep. - Oppa-ah, why are you scaring me so much? My heart almost jumped out, — the girl can feel how fast her heart is beating. - Really hyung, why are you 10 minutes late?       The man laughed and sat down on a soft sofa in front of the teenagers. - I picked up the children from school because my wife is relaxing at the SPA, but they can’t get there themselves. You see, “the boys are very tired, and they don’t have the strength to walk to the bus.” Boys! Yes, they are already graduating from school in a few months! - Okay, oppa, don’t get mad. Jimin and I will forgive you, but only this time. Now choose what you’re going to order. - Are you buying a treat? - Of course not. You invited us, that’s why you’re paying, hyung, — this smile of Jimin makes the interlocutor snort and pick up the menu.       This is not the first time the guys have heard about the difficult life of their manager. Dong Hwa’s wife is an unemployed woman who does nothing but spend his money. (The salary of the manager of popular figure skaters is not small). But a man doesn’t even think about divorce, because he loves his wife. Ahn’s sons are twins. They graduate from school in February next year, but they still can’t do anything on their own. Simply put, the spoiled children of a spoiled woman. - Jimin, how’s your head? Are you taking the pills that your doctor prescribed for you? — already standing on the street, a couple of meters from the cafe and waiting for the guys' driver, Dong Hwa asked his ward. - I was sick right before leaving the sports center. Chaeyoung wanted to cancel the meeting, but I said it was okay. And the head massage from my beloved partner fulfilled its purpose, — Park patted the younger one standing next to her on the head with a smile and put his hand on her shoulder. — And I take pills in the dorm before going to bed. - You understand that… - Hyung, it’s okay. - Okay, Jimin, since you say that, I believe you. But if something happens that threatens your health, and Chaeyoung and I are not around, then immediately call Mr. Choi. He’s your doctor and he’ll be able to help. - Yes, I know. Thank you very much, hyung, for everything. You are really very important to this fool and me, — the black-haired man went up to the manager and hugged him tightly. Ahn, patting the guy on the back, shed a tear.       Chaeyoung watches them and agrees with every word of his partner. - Hey, Park Jimin! With this fool?

***

      A week later, all the staff and athletes of the sports center had a scheduled check-up with a doctor. Chaeyoung passed it at lunch and returned to the dorm with good results, and Jimin made it to the afternoon. He is currently in one of the wards. It seems that he has settled here for a long time.       It’s getting close to evening, and the younger Park is starting to worry about the older one. She can’t sit still when he’s not answering his phone. Even Gong Wu, who was the last to undergo this examination, has already returned home.       Praying that her beloved oppa is okay, Chaeyoung hears a melody coming from the kitchen. This is her phone. “Is it really oppa!?”       The girl, who had been sitting in the living room, ran as fast as she could for the gadget. - Oppa, you scared me so much! — the first thing the brunette said when she saw him on her phone screen. During this moment, she experienced several emotions: joy, tears and misunderstanding. - Where are you, oppa? Is this a hospital? -Chaeyoung-ah, please, just don’t worry, okay? I have something very important to tell you, — Jimin’s hands are shaking, his voice is shaking, and his eyes are watering. He tries to smile, but only something like a smile comes out. It hurts him to see the tears of the youngest, who is on the other side of the tablet screen.       It makes Chaeyoung nervous. What happened to her friend that he didn’t look like himself? Now, when she sees the pale face of the black-haired man, his wet eyes, she becomes afraid. Where is the Park she knows? Where had his smile gone, his endless jokes? - Oppa, what happened to you? - I’ll explain everything to you. Chaeyoung-ah, listen to me carefully and promise me that you won’t do anything stupid. - But… - Promise? — Jimin held out the little finger of his right hand to the screen so that the brunette could see him.       Chaeyoung held out her little finger in response. - I promise.       Clearing his throat, the elder drank some water from the bottle that had been standing on the bedside table next to the bed all this time. He tries so hard to delay the moment of his confession that he feels sorry for his girlfriend. Park takes a deep breath and pronounces with difficulty: - Chaeyoung-ah, I have glioblastoma. Stage three brain cancer. And it’s almost impossible to get cured.       And Chaeyoung is slowly digesting the words of a man dear to her heart. Having understood their meaning, she opens her mouth to say something. But instead of consolation, a loud sound like crying comes out, and tears flow from his eyes.       The girl seemed to feel that something was wrong with her partner. But Park preferred to hide her anxiety, fearing misunderstandings from others. So what is it now? So the premonition had been warning her all along? Chaeyoung can’t believe it. She doesn’t want to believe it.