My Alpha Era Began with Gongjindan Chapter 110

But things we desperately wish for usually don’t come true.

“Are there really that many people getting married in December?”

“Usually May is the most popular.”

“…But why, exactly?”

We can’t even book a wedding hall….

“It’s because a lot of people want to get married on a snowy day. And they say this year is a good year for marriage.”

“Not considering the guests at all….”

“Originally, in these things, the feelings of the couple come before the guests. Since you’re getting married in December anyway, I’d like you to have a snowy wedding.”

The news definitely said that the younger generation these days avoids marriage, but seeing December’s large wedding halls fully booked, that must all be lies.

The wedding halls the planner actively recommended weren’t easy to book. Even when there were vacancies, the rental times were often awkward.

Besides, both sides of the family—Jung Pureum’s and mine—had a lot of guests. Even though I’m a loner, my family are social butterflies. Just inviting my grandfather’s acquaintances alone would overflow most wedding halls.

Jung Pureum, being an athlete, also had an abundance of guests to invite. Even if he wasn’t close with them, in the sports industry where connections are everything, he couldn’t not invite his seniors and juniors.

On top of that, because he won three gold medals, all sorts of reporters contacted us asking if they could film the wedding, so we turned it into a private ceremony. But just looking at the number of guests we’re inviting, it’s practically a public wedding.

So we couldn’t even fit into small wedding halls with openings. With so many guests, the parking lot was a problem, and seating for the meal was a problem too.

Why is marriage so complicated? If I had my way, I’d just have a secret wedding with Jung Pureum alone.

“If hyung is okay with it, I’d be fine with a small place.”

“I’d like that too….”

“No way, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, so it has to be big!”

“That’s right, if you do it small, you’ll regret it later.”

“Couldn’t we just have a big vow renewal later….”

“Is a wedding when you’re old the same as a wedding when you’re young? They’re as different as heaven and earth.”

Marriage is originally a large-scale family event. The couple’s opinions are important too, but in matters like this, my mom and the lady next door had the strongest influence.

As I prepared the wedding with my mom’s help, my mom and the lady next door had already become acquainted even before the formal meeting of the parents.

To be honest, I didn’t think they’d get along. Both are precious to me, but separated from that, their personalities are too different.

My mom is a somewhat overly enthusiastic, girlish type, while the lady next door is the type who emphasizes following rules, like an athlete. Besides, ‘in-law’ relationships aren’t usually easy to get close. There’s a saying for a reason: when an in-law buys land, your stomach hurts.

But what do you know?

From their first meeting, as if they’d been struck by lightning, my mom and the lady next door liked each other immensely. It was amazing that a drama-addicted Korean medicine doctor and a former shot-put athlete could become this close.

For me, it was a good thing. If my mom and mother-in-law get along, that’s one less thing to worry about.

But they got along so well that I kept being left out. My mom laughed that her in-law was a hundred times, a thousand times better than her stepmother group friends who introduced crazy guys like Park Seongjin, but I couldn’t possibly laugh.

“I talked with my in-law, and she said February next year might be fine too.”

Because, since they’d become so close, they postponed the wedding date without consulting Jung Pureum or me.

Rationally, it was the right thing to do. There was already so much to prepare, and it’s true we rushed the wedding too much. This isn’t something you can just gloss over like covering a game board, so if we postpone to February, our wedding planner will be really happy.

But I’ll be unhappy….

I felt needlessly anxious. Even if we postpone to February, it’s only a two-month delay, but those two months felt like an eternity.

“February is a bit… isn’t it?”

“Why? It’ll be warmer than December.”

“That’s right, the invitations aren’t even out yet. A two-month delay is hardly a delay at all.”

I subtly hinted that I didn’t want to postpone, but my parents seemed to have already made up their minds. Weren’t they the ones saying we should get it over with quickly? How can they change their minds so fast?

Of course, I don’t intend to just gloss over one of life’s biggest events either. The proposal was a bit of a mess, and the marking was done in a flash, so at least I wanted the wedding to be decent.

“Pureum, what about you?”

“About postponing to February?”

“Yeah.”

“If hyung is okay with it, I’m okay with it too.”

What a mature answer. If Jung Pureum, who’s much younger than me, is fine with it, I can’t exactly shout, “No! I want to do it sooner!”

I closed my eyes tightly and nodded in agreement. Besides, unless someone else’s wedding openly falls apart, we couldn’t find a proper venue anyway.

Once the decision was made, my mom and the lady next door said they had things to do and quickly took their leave. Probably to go look at more gifts at the department store.

These days, my mom’s hobby is putting together a set of dishes for our new home. Even the lady next door, who knows my cooking skills, eagerly bought kitchenware, saying Jung Pureum could do the housework.

Sometimes it feels like the people around me are more invested in my marriage than I am. Even though right now, I’m probably the one who wants to get married the most….

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Is getting married in February really that bad?”

“No, it’s not that….”

Objectively speaking, December and February are pretty much the same. Both are winter, and the chance of snow is similar. As long as it doesn’t get pushed back to May. That’s really too far. May bride and all that—I can’t wait that long.

“It just feels weird because two months turned into four.”

“…Maybe I should have insisted on doing it in December.”

“We couldn’t have anyway, since it’s hard to book a hall. And we can’t do it in a small place.”

Jung Pureum bent down and pulled me into a hug. The familiar scent of soap slowly relaxed my tense body.

“Why do you feel hot? Are you sick?”

“I’m not sick. I just….”

Whether it’s wedding blues or something, I’ve been a bit on edge lately. No appetite, mood swinging back and forth.

I was already used to getting physically sick when stressed about one thing, so I didn’t really notice, but with Jung Pureum by my side, I could definitely feel that I’d become more sensitive than before.

It’s all Kim Soyoung’s fault. I blamed the innocent Kim Soyoung. Then soon, I resented the <Catch Man> production crew and fixed panelists. If they hadn’t plastered those pink subtitles everywhere, I wouldn’t be this pissed off.

“…Why do you like me?”

If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have asked such a pathetic question!

But there’s a limit to blaming others.

I decided to admit it. Seeing myself not only jealously possessive but also testing Jung Pureum, I was clearly not in my right mind.

At my question, Jung Pureum’s eyes went wide. He seemed not to have expected me to ask something like this.

“There are too many reasons.”

“Pick a few and tell me.”

“Hmm, first of all, you’re pretty.”

Jung Pureum must not look in mirrors. I immediately demanded other reasons.

“And you have a good personality.”

“Me? I’m really quite cowardly.”

“Yes. Of course, you are a bit cowardly, but….”

“So it’s not really a good point….”

“I think you have more good points. I like that you don’t easily hate others, and that you always do your best.”

Do I? Seeing how I’ve become bothered by Kim Soyoung, I seem to hate others quite easily.

“You say you’re smart, but you’re a little bit stupid too, and that’s cute. You’re doubting what I just said, aren’t you?”

“…No?”

“I like that it’s obvious when you lie.”

I thought I was a born liar. There are still so many people treating me like a con artist, but apparently, I’m not good at lying… Does my lying show that much?

In a way, it seemed Jung Pureum knew me better than I knew myself. To hide my awkward expression, I buried my face in Jung Pureum’s chest.

Even though I was the one who asked, hearing my good points like this felt strange. When people compliment me, they always say I’m smart or I work hard—no one’s ever said I have a good personality.

Hearing it like that made me feel like I was a good person. As expected, keeping someone who’s lost their objectivity close by is good for mental health.

“Hyung likes me too, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then tell me why you like me too.”

How could I do something so embarrassing?

I hesitated for a moment. It was fine when I asked Jung Pureum, but when he asked me back, I felt shy.

Reasons I like Jung Pureum?

In my head, I could easily rattle off a hundred. Great body, good personality, handsome face, good at sports, good at housework, good education, and three gold medals… Unlike me, Jung Pureum is a guy who lacks nothing.

So it was a bit hard to say out loud. It would be like exposing how I really think of him. I resisted, saying I didn’t want to tell him.

Then, Jung Pureum grabbed my chin and lifted my head.

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

“….”

“I’ll keep this up until you do.”

In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth. How could I avoid Jung Pureum’s face attack? It wasn’t easy to win against Jung Pureum, who had no intention of losing.

“…First, you have a great body.”

“So number one is the body, huh.”

“And you’re handsome. Honestly, among all the alphas I’ve seen, you’re the most handsome.”

“That’s a real relief. Honestly, there are too many weird alphas around hyung. Except for Jungyoon, they’re all strange.”

“Nam Jungyoon is strange too.”

“Good. Keep thinking that way from now on.”

“What’s that supposed to mean….”

“Keep telling me the good points.”

“…You have a good personality too. Whenever I see you being good to adults, I feel like I’m a thief. Nine out of ten people probably think you’re too good for me.”

“That can’t be. We’re both not too good for each other.”

“….”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask why you’re feeling anxious?”

I like this about Jung Pureum too. Unlike me, he’s really perceptive. Jung Pureum must have consumed all my perceptiveness for himself.

Even though I didn’t explicitly say I was anxious, Jung Pureum quickly noticed my state. Saying “Anxious? No way?” now wouldn’t be worth a damn.