Richard laughed at that — a tired, honest laugh. "That's the spirit."

Later that afternoon, the first round of the preliminary heats began. Swimmers gathered near the pool, stretching and adjusting their caps. The sound of whistles and splashes echoed across the vast hall.

Dayo stood by the edge of the pool, rolling his shoulders. Richard came up behind him. "Remember what I said," the coach murmured. "Don't show them your full strength yet. Just do enough to qualify."

Dayo nodded. "Got it."

The referee raised his whistle. "On your marks!"

Dayo crouched, muscles tightening.

"Set…"

The whistle blew. He dove forward, slicing into the water like a blade.

His movements were smooth and precise. Each stroke carried power but restraint — just enough to keep him ahead without revealing the full extent of what he could do.

Although he still looked a bit amateurish from the way he swam — after all, it had not even been two weeks since he started learning swimming professionally.

From the stands, Richard watched closely, standing beside Martin and Alex. Martin scoffed. "Still the same old Richard. Your athletes are always rough around the edges."

Alex smirked. "I can already see a dozen mistakes in his form."

But by the time they finished speaking, Dayo had already touched the wall — first in his group.

Richard smiled to himself. "Well, the mistakes don't matter now."

Dayo surfaced, breathing hard, water dripping down his face. Richard approached and patted his shoulder. "Nice work," he said with a grin. "Exactly how I wanted it."

Dayo gave a small nod, his chest rising and falling steadily. The crowd cheered faintly in the background, but his eyes were calm. For him, this was just the beginning.

Martin looked at Alex and said seriously, "Watch out for that boy. I'm going to check more on him."

Alex looked a bit annoyed that his coach told him to look out for Dayo.

"Coach, this boy doesn't even have a proper form while swimming, why shou—"

Before he could complete his sentence, the look Martin gave him made him shut up.

"Are you the coach or am I the coach?" He paused, not waiting for an answer.

"I've known Richard for more than seven years, and he's never once made a mistake when it comes to an athlete. An example, even if we want to ignore it, is George Hall — the Olympic champion," Martin said as he looked at his young athlete.

Alex, who heard this, was a bit pissed but kept it inside. Everyone knew that George was an athlete trained by Richard, and even after he was fired, he didn't listen to anyone — not even Martin — until he retired.

Martin went out and made a few calls to get to know who Dayo was, and after hearing it, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he found out that Dayo was a pop star.

"Richard, what are you playing at? Has your standard gotten that low?" Martin muttered, walking back toward Alex, who was warming up.

"Hey, Alex, do you know an artist named JD?" Martin asked.

"Huh? JD?... Hmm, I think I've heard that name... Ah, yes, I remember — it's been a while, but I remember that he left the music scene, if my memory serves me right."

Alex looked confused as to why his coach was asking, since he'd known him for a while, and his coach didn't like Gen Z pop stars. "Why are you asking, coach?"

Martin smirked and replied, his eyes unfocused as if he was still surprised by what he found out. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you."

Alex was taken aback since his coach rarely used such terms when speaking with him. "Humor me, coach."

"That boy that Richard is walking around with is actually a pop star — JD by name," Martin said in disbelief.

"What?? No way!

A pop star wanting to swim professionally? Does he think this is a concert or an audition? Haha, this is the craziest thing I've seen in a while."

Martin muttered in a low voice, "That makes two of us."

"Well, that aside, remember — slow and steady. We're here to pump up your wings."

Alex nodded slowly at his coach's words. "Yes, coach," he said, though his mind was already elsewhere.

He knew why he was really here. The whole reason for entering this event wasn't just to compete — it was to build his confidence before the upcoming Olympic Championship. Every heat, every race was meant to sharpen him, to make him the next face of the national team — at least, that was what his coach told him.

He adjusted his cap and walked toward his lane. The water shimmered under the bright arena lights, and the sound of whistles echoed through the hall. When the signal came, Alex dived in cleanly, cutting through the water with practiced precision. His form was sharp, his turns perfect. When he reached the wall, he slapped it hard and raised his head, breathing heavily.

The scoreboard blinked his name — first in his group, without any doubt.

He smiled to himself. "Good," he muttered, climbing out of the pool. He could already imagine the headlines about his performance later that night.

As he toweled off, his eyes drifted to the far side of the pool.

There, he saw Dayo — or JD, as the internet once knew him — standing beside Richard, stretching quietly before his next round. Something about the sight made Alex pause.

He frowned, pulled out his phone, and zoomed in. The angle was perfect. He snapped a quick photo.

An idea formed instantly.

Opening his social media app, he typed:

"Am I the only one seeing this? Is JD, the pop star, actually competing in a national swimming event?? 😳🏊‍♂️"

He hesitated for a second, then hit Post.

Within minutes, the notification bar started buzzing.

Likes. Comments. Shares.

The post spread like wildfire.

At first, it was disbelief:

"LMAO, this can't be JD. Photoshop maybe?"

"Nahhh, there's no way the singer's in a swim meet."

"Wait, hold on… that face does look like him though??"

"Is JD making a comeback as an athlete now?"

"I thought he disappeared from music. What's going on?"

Some fans dug up old clips from his music days, comparing his build.

Others argued it wasn't possible — that JD had no social media anymore, no verified account, no official statement.

But the image was clear, and the resemblance was undeniable.

Within hours, the post crossed a hundred thousand views, then two hundred.

Different blogs and fan pages began to repost it with captions like:

"JD spotted at a national swim event? 👀"

"Pop star JD — from the mic to the pool?"

For the first time in years, JD's name began to circle the internet again.

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