My Alpha Era Began with Gongjindan Chapter 47

After my conversation with the auntie next door, I deliberated over and over. I have my own work to do—I can’t neglect our clinic just for Jung Pureum’s sake.

But no matter how I thought about it, it seemed like I had to be the one to back down.

I’m the one who made Jung Pureum an Alpha. I’m the one who got Jung Pureum on the coach’s bad side. I’m the one who caused Jung Pureum to receive the participation ban… At this point, it’s three strikes—I’m the root of all evil.

Moving failed because of the murderous Seoul housing prices, and storming into Jung Pureum’s school to grab the coach by the collar is also impossible. I already tried infiltrating once and only made things worse.

Now the best course of action I can take is simply returning to the family home. Not permanently—just until Jung Pureum can safely participate in the national team selection trials.

‘Pureum’s pheromones have been relatively stable, considering they manifested through abnormal means.’

The auntie’s words in front of the elevator came to mind.

‘But lately, I hear he’s been acting up. To the point where it affects other Alphas…’

I don’t know about the rest, but this one is truly my fault.

In animal ecology programs or biology documentaries, you often hear narration like this: During mating season, males begin to be wary of other males… and so on. Oh my, the aggressive male is starting to attack nearby males!

There are rare cases where Alphas become unstable in their own pheromones due to the influence of an omega’s pheromones. Omegas, of course, are mostly like that due to the hierarchical nature of their secondary gender.

Anyway, that kind of case is quite rare among Alphas. It almost never happens unless a superior omega deliberately uses pheromones to suppress an inferior Alpha.

If not that, then it means that between a couple who aren’t imprinted, the Alpha is so concerned about the omega partner that they’re overly vigilant of their surroundings.

Usually even this is rare. In this day and age, if you date, you date, and if you imprint, you imprint—Alphas who get anxious over an Alpha-omega relationship are extremely uncommon.

Since I’m an inferior omega, the reason Jung Pureum’s pheromones became unstable is probably the latter. Even if he pretends otherwise, my going to the school must have stimulated Jung Pureum.

Actually, unstable Alpha pheromones aren’t a huge problem on their own. Alphas have such robust constitutions that it wouldn’t negatively affect their health like it does mine.

The real problem is that Jung Pureum isn’t an ordinary person—he’s an athlete.

If his pheromones become unstable, it affects all the other Alphas training alongside him. Their rut cycles get pushed forward, or they become overly sensitive toward each other.

Even if he’s not competing immediately, problems with condition management are serious. Plus, swimming pools are spaces that are difficult to isolate independently.

There are three ways total for Jung Pureum’s pheromones to stabilize again.

One, form an imprint with an omega. That’s absolutely out of the question. He’s only twenty years old—what kind of imprint at that age? What madman in this world would choose a lifelong partner just for pheromone control?

Two, live like a monk, as I once did. It’s a bit slow, but if he drinks herbal medicine that suppresses rut cycles and spends about three years just stabbing his own thigh, his pheromones will stabilize—no, become completely dormant. But Jung Pureum doesn’t have that kind of time. If he’s going to spend three years on that, he might as well just go serve in the military.

The last method is for the cause of Jung Pureum’s pheromone instability to disappear entirely.

But after turning this way and that, the cause was me. Unless Jung Pureum had been secretly frolicking around with some other omega, the one who’d been directly involved with him was me.

This is why my heart had been pounding so much, afraid I’d ruin his future. Hearts are supposed to beat, but whenever I stood in front of Jung Pureum, it was chaos. I thought it was a heart attack, but it turns out it was a dual combo of worry and anxiety.

I need to get away as soon as possible.

No matter how much the coach burns with love-hate toward Jung Pureum, once Jung Pureum’s pheromones stabilize, he’ll have no choice but to lift the participation ban. It would benefit his own career too. If he still won’t let him compete even after the fundamental problem is resolved, that would be overstepping his authority.

Fortunately, my body hasn’t been in good shape lately, so I can just claim it’s for recuperation. The clinic is busy, but both Kim Miyoung and Nam Jungyoon have often said like a mantra that briefly covering for the director is better than dealing with a dead body.

“You’re here today.”

Amid all this, Jung Pureum, oblivious to my complicated feelings, kept faithfully visiting the clinic.

I was absolutely dumbfounded. The national team selection trials are about to go down the drain, and he has the leisure to come see me. If I were in his shoes, I’d be beating the ground in grievance and holing up for at least three days.

Actually, if I were in Jung Pureum’s situation, the coach wouldn’t have gotten off unscathed. I’d have raised all kinds of hell until he gave me back my participation spot.

But Jung Pureum looked calm, unlike someone who’d just lost a huge opportunity. Does this kid have no ambition? I’m about to explode with frustration.

“You ambitionless brat…”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you even angry?”

“Ah, so hyung found out too.”

Jung Pureum rubbed his cheek with an awkward expression. He said it was disappointing, but he could just aim for the next opportunity—followed by more easygoing talk.

The person himself, Jung Pureum, was that nonchalant, while I was dying of anger. God, Buddha, and the God of Omegas! Your poor little lamb is about to die of suppressed anger!

“I’m really fine. The Olympics aren’t the only competition…”

But other competitions don’t grant military exemption!

I don’t necessarily want to pressure Jung Pureum into always getting first place. No matter how competitive this world is, someone as kind, cute, and sweet as Jung Pureum doesn’t need to obsess over rankings.

But it’s different when military exemption is on the line.

Athletes already have short careers as it is! I can’t let his golden time—and his even more precious body—be wasted in a place like the military.

“I’m not fine.”

I stood up abruptly from my seat.

“Jung Pureum, you’re banned from the clinic for the time being.”

“Excuse me?”

“Even if you come, I won’t be here anyway. I’m going down to the family home. So from now on, focus only on the national team selection trials.”

“…Excuse me?”

From behind the dispensary, Kim Miyoung and Nam Jungyoon were watching my conversation with Jung Pureum with great interest. I heard Nam Jungyoon mutter, “What’s the director doing now?”

I offered my condolences to Nam Jungyoon. Suffer a bit while I’m gone, vice director. A vice director is supposed to take over the director’s duties anyway. I’ll give you plenty of incentives, so I shouldn’t feel too bad about it.

“Let’s each have our own time until you become a national representative.”

Jung Pureum’s eyes widened. He seemed to have realized that my words were sincere.

Jung Pureum desperately grabbed my arm, but I coldly shook his hand off. I heard Kim Miyoung lament, “National representative, what’s so special about that…”

What do you mean what’s so special! National representative is national representative!

With people around him being this laid-back, it’s no wonder Jung Pureum has no ambition. This is unacceptable. An Olympic gold medal is the only legal way to get military exemption in this divided country!

I decided to harden my resolve.

Now was the time to keep my distance from Jung Pureum for his future. At least for now, becoming a national representative was the most important thing.

While I was preparing to go down to the family home, Jung Pureum truly tried every method to stop me. I told him to use that time to go grab the coach by the collar instead, but he wouldn’t listen.

It got so bad that Jung Saebom actually approached me first, saying she was going crazy from the stress of her brother and telling me to just stay put instead of going to the family home.

But right now, the most important thing was Jung Pureum’s national team selection trials. To live sanely in Korea, success matters more than people.

―So, you’re coming down for a bit for recuperation?

“Yes. I won’t be staying long.”

―You used to never show your face even during holidays when I asked you to come down briefly. Is your body in that bad shape?

“…No? I’m perfectly healthy, just a bit tired. There was a lot of work recently. It’s been resolved, though.”

The moment they find out my body is actually damaged, I’ll have to negotiate with my grandfather.

I repeatedly emphasized that my blood pressure is normal at 120 over 80, and that although my muscle mass is a bit low, overall I’m a perfectly healthy adult male.

―…Fine. While you’re coming down, at least say hello to your grandfather.

But my mother heard my words with one ear and let them out the other. Telling me to say hello to my grandfather ultimately meant stopping by so he could check my pulse.

My vision was already darkening. Visiting my grandfather is a mandatory course when I go down to the family home. It’s not an event I can skip.

I greatly respect him, and I truly love my grandfather, but sometimes he’s overwhelming. It’s like being suffocated by excessive love.

“Sigh…”

A sigh naturally escaped. This is why I avoided going to the family home whenever possible…

But this was the best I could do to take responsibility for Jung Pureum’s military exemption. It’s not like Jung Pureum is the type to just threaten the coach and get his way.