My Alpha Era Began with Gongjindan Chapter 38

As expected, Jung Pureum immediately reacted to my request to teach me how to swim. I was taking him to the pool to train him, but Jung Pureum, unaware of my ulterior motives, looked genuinely delighted.

“Then shall we go buy swimsuits first?”

“Huh? Oh…”

“Great. I thought you didn’t really like the water, hyung.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. I just can’t float.”

I just didn’t seek out the water because I can’t stay afloat. And I was never free enough to go to the beach or a water park anyway.

I was dragged back to the department store by Jung Pureum. I still hadn’t bought summer clothes, and yet here I was buying a swimsuit first.

Jung Pureum strongly recommended a professional-grade swimsuit for me. The biggest advantage was that it covered the entire body.

I asked if a beginner like me should be wearing something like that, and Jung Pureum replied that as long as it covered my body, it was fine. What kind of non-answer was that?

But since I wasn’t keen on a revealing swimsuit either, I entrusted myself to Jung Pureum’s recommendation. Yes, you listen to the person teaching you.

It was the first time I realized there were so many swimming accessories. I knew about swim caps and goggles, but they sold everything from earplugs that attached to the goggles to Bluetooth earphones that could be used underwater.

If Jung Pureum hadn’t been there, I might have impulsively bought a few things. Those earphones were really tempting. I should get them as a gift for Jung Pureum’s birthday later.

Anyway, Jung Pureum was immensely excited about going to the pool with me. I was just going to make him swim…

“But why did you suddenly decide to learn swimming?”

“Uh?”

“You never really cared about it before. You don’t like exercising.”

That was true.

I still hate exercising. As an oriental medicine doctor, I acknowledge that exercise is good for the body, but I want to deny the human body that requires movement and sweating to stay healthy.

The reason I, who only wants to move just enough to sustain life, am going to the pool… is obviously because of Jung Pureum. I strained my brain to avoid blurting out, “I’m trying to get you exempted from military service.”

Saying that would probably make Jung Pureum terribly disappointed. I didn’t want to make the guy who was smiling with a sparkling face look sulky.

What if he said it was the worst, or that he hated me?

In truth, it’s not like the world would end if I heard those words, but I think I’d be a bit upset. He has no idea how much I think about him.

Suddenly, I felt a little annoyed at Jung Pureum. Come to think of it, it seemed like I was the only one paying attention to him. Clapping requires two hands, so why was I the only one getting so worked up after we slept together?

For no reason, I tapped his back, and Jung Pureum turned to look at me with that innocent expression. Seeing his face asking what was wrong, my anger subsided.

“No particular reason.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I just suddenly felt like learning.”

Jung Pureum, slowing his pace, sidled up next to me and linked his arm with mine. Such a casual gesture. He didn’t even ask if it was okay like before.

Instead of shaking him off, I secretly glanced at his face as he came closer. You idiot. I could be groping your chest right now. Getting this close without knowing the dangers of the world—you’re practically asking to be harassed.

“I was wondering if maybe you wanted to learn because of me.”

“….”

“Oh, I guess I was right.”

“…No, I’m not?”

“Really?”

Why was Jung Pureum so perceptive? I quickly pushed him away. My ears were burning.

To be precise, I wasn’t learning because of Jung Pureum, but because of his “military exemption.” I needed a justification to push him into the pool.

But the way Jung Pureum said it made me incredibly self-conscious. It’s absolutely not that I want to learn swimming because of Jung Pureum. It’s because of his future and my sense of duty as his neighborly older brother.

However, before I could even give my excuse, Jung Pureum abruptly pulled me into a hug.

He was so strong that I nearly got crushed to death. I pounded on his chest, telling him to let go. Even with all that hitting, Jung Pureum didn’t budge, as if it didn’t hurt at all.

Being held so tightly, our bodies pressed together without any gap, transferring body heat. Being held in that warm body made my face flush on its own.

“Hyung, your face is red.”

“…It’s hot. Let go, seriously.”

“I’m happy because you care about me, hyung.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve always cared about you.”

“Liar.”

Jung Pureum beamed brightly. It was truly a dazzling smile. Anyway, his face was undeniably stunning.

To avoid looking at that sparkling face, I buried my nose in Jung Pureum’s chest. Hmm, his body is even more amazing than his face… No, what am I thinking?

I hurriedly tried to pull away, but due to the overwhelming difference in strength, escaping Jung Pureum’s embrace was difficult.

I decided to just go with the flow. I wasn’t groping him; he was holding me. I was innocent.

“I’m glad that I’ve become… a somewhat special person to you, hyung.”

“….”

“Actually, I want to be the most special person. But even if I say this, you probably don’t get what I mean, right?”

The most special person? The most special people to me are my parents. Jung Pureum obviously can’t be my parent.

Trapped in Jung Pureum’s embrace, I breathed slowly. Well, he might not be my parent, but he could be a very special… kind of, neighborly younger brother.

Jung Pureum would probably say no, but I’ve actually been quite attentive to him since he was young. Even though they’re both neighbor’s kids, the way I treat Jung Saebom and Jung Pureum is like night and day.

And yet he’s happy just because I seem to care about him a little. It was so absurd it made me laugh. How many times have I taken the time to buy him meals and look after him?

With a bit of spite, I lightly kicked Jung Pureum’s shin. His body was so solid that Jung Pureum was perfectly fine, but my foot hurt.

When I kicked him, Jung Pureum noticeably became sulky and let me go. He whined that I really didn’t know anything. What don’t I know, man.

Once my body had heated up, it didn’t cool down easily. I walked ahead of Jung Pureum all the way home. If we walked together, he’d probably notice that my cheeks were still flushed.

∞ ∞ ∞

How… on earth do you float?

I clung to the kickboard like a lifeline and sank into the water once again. Help me.

The pool at the apartment community center, with a maximum depth of 1.5 meters, was quite crowded. From middle-aged ladies here for lessons to nimble kids zipping back and forth along the lanes, it was bustling.

And among all those people, I was the only one who couldn’t float.

“Hyung, hold on to me.”

It wasn’t that Jung Pureum lacked teaching talent. He was an excellent swimming instructor.

Even after a full hour of me being completely unable to float and just flailing around, he didn’t lose his temper once. That was the complete opposite of how I used to yell at Jung Pureum when I was teaching him math and he couldn’t solve problems.

Holding onto Jung Pureum’s hand, I tried once more to float on the water. But it was hopeless. I sank helplessly again.

“Wow, look at that guy. He’s really bad at swimming.”

“Amazing. How can he not float at all?”

Two kids who looked like elementary schoolers whispered about me. The middle-aged ladies also kept glancing at me and Jung Pureum. The ladies seemed to be looking at Jung Pureum more than me, no matter how you sliced it.

They had me in a full-body suit, while Jung Pureum had his top off. His lower half was similarly in a professional swimsuit, but his solid abs were clearly visible.

Even I, who had seen that body many times, couldn’t keep my composure, so it was even worse for the neighborhood ladies seeing it for the first time. I tried hard to ignore the distant murmur of “If I were twenty years younger…”

Even if you were twenty years younger, Jung Pureum would still be younger than you! The words rose to the tip of my throat. Maybe I was sinking even more because I kept getting distracted by those abs.

“Cover up.”

“Pardon?”

“Cover up.”

I ended up frantically groping Jung Pureum’s exposed chest. This kid had no idea how dangerous the world was.

But even while being harassed by me, Jung Pureum just laughed merrily, as if he was having the time of his life. He even said not to worry because he wears a full-body suit during actual training. I wasn’t worried, though.

In the end, without even learning how to float, I just watched Jung Pureum do laps.

There were too many people for him to swim more than a few laps, but even among the general public, Jung Pureum, as an athlete, was overwhelmingly impressive.

Even the swimming instructor teaching the middle-aged ladies took notice.

“Is that person an athlete?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Wow, as expected. His form is perfectly solid.”

Hearing the instructor’s praise made me feel proud too. I was glad I suggested coming to the pool together. Of course, I hadn’t learned a thing…

“Floating is the hardest part, usually.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If you can just float, you’ve already learned half of swimming.”

After swimming, instead of mocking my hopeless athletic ability, Jung Pureum comforted me with kind words. His attitude was truly gentle.

He added that I’d pick it up quickly if I tried again. But his offer to take responsibility and make sure I could float was a bit overwhelming. My whole body was already screaming; could I really keep this up?

Still, for Jung Pureum’s military exemption, I reluctantly nodded. At least I’d made him swim outside of training, so it was as good as achieving my main goal.

Jung Pureum used a dry towel to rub my wet hair. The feeling of his large hand massaging the back of my head was rather pleasant.

Half-leaning on him, I closed my eyes. At this rate, I was being helpful to Jung Pureum, wasn’t I? If this continued, I wouldn’t hold him back, right?

If I moved, I wouldn’t be able to use the pool at the apartment community center anymore. And Jung Pureum would surely be terribly upset.

Maybe if I just kept things as they were… it would be okay.

If I just exercised a little self-restraint, I wouldn’t end up harassing Jung Pureum. And even if I did harass him a little, I could just bring up the contract we’d signed and let it slide.