My Alpha Era Began with Gongjindan Chapter 72

Jung Pureum, unlike me who invites trouble even when standing still, easily won favor with anyone. It was a remarkable talent that money couldn’t buy.

But even that talent was useless in front of my grandfather. Though he came carrying a fruit basket and even a Go board, Jung Pureum was not easily welcomed by my grandfather.

“Yeonghwa. You should meet someone who will support you, not someone you have to support.”

“I can support Yeonghwa hyung too, you know.”

“Oh ho, how dare you interrupt when an elder is speaking!”

He’s my family, but my grandfather is truly a man of the old days.

My heart trembled at my grandfather’s effortlessly delivered boomer remarks. To me, he’s a precious family member, but to Jung Pureum, it must have been like a bolt from the blue.

Worse, my grandfather made the innocent Jung Pureum kneel down. Then he began a long-winded lecture on the proper demeanor an alpha should possess.

“So, what do your parents do?”

“Ah, Grandfather! You’re not supposed to ask that these days!”

“What do you mean, not supposed to! You have to know the family background to see the person!”

In the 21st century, a background check on a first meeting—what nonsense. If I had been in Jung Pureum’s shoes, I would have stormed out immediately.

“Hmm, both of them are former national representatives?”

“National representatives?”

“Yes, my father retired and runs a small business now….”

At the words “national representatives,” my grandfather showed interest. Jung Pureum, seemingly unbothered by my grandfather’s probing questions, answered each one with a cheerful laugh and composed replies.

No wonder he easily won favor with everyone. Once again, I was struck by Jung Pureum’s consistent kindness. It’s no easy feat to smile and brush off someone else’s rudeness.

Perhaps because of his excellent physical conditioning, Jung Pureum appeared calm even in this situation. I probably couldn’t act like Jung Pureum even if I died and came back to life. My natural temperament is just too hot-blooded.

“…And, I recently became a national representative myself.”

“Oh….”

“I promised that if I win a gold medal at next year’s Olympics, I’ll bond with Yeonghwa hyung and marry him.”

“…Ack! Why would you say that!”

I jumped to my feet without thinking.

Why would you say that! I couldn’t even guess how my grandfather would react. Aren’t you supposed to wait until things are more or less settled before saying something like that?

Sure enough, my grandfather looked at me with an expression that asked, “Is that true?” I frantically shook my head. To drop a bomb in such a gentle tone.

“Hyung, why are you shaking your head?”

“Hey, you….”

“Don’t tell me, this time you’re keeping your mouth shut just because you didn’t sign a contract?”

“Ahem, Yeonghwa. Explain yourself slowly.”

My grandfather made me sit next to Jung Pureum. I knelt in the pose of a condemned criminal and racked my brain.

“No, a gold medal isn’t like a sticker for good behavior—you can’t just win one because you want to.”

“So hyung thought I couldn’t do it….”

“Aaack! No, I… of course, I think you, Pureum, can do well….”

“You’re really making a spectacle of yourself.”

“Hyung, I’m fine. Even if hyung doesn’t believe in me….”

“I do believe in you! I completely believe in you!”

Our living room turned into a chaotic mess in an instant.

Jung Pureum rubbed his dry eye corners with a pitiful expression. By now, his fake crying was practically a habit. My grandfather watched us with a look of utter exasperation.

“As they say, blood will tell—Yeonghwa, you really put on all sorts of antics in front of the one you like.”

Antics. That was truly unfair. If we’re being technical, my grandfather had been completely wrapped around my late grandmother’s finger too. But I couldn’t commit the ultimate act of filial impiety by saying, “This is all because I take after you, Grandfather!”

I just smacked Jung Pureum on the back repeatedly.

“Hyung, that hurts….”

“What do you mean, hurts! And I said up to three gold medals would be hard—of course you’ll win at least one!”

“So even if you won’t marry me or bond with me, you at least want to date me….”

“No, that’s not what this is about!”

At my excessive denial, my grandfather nodded with an expression of full understanding.

“These days, an athlete husband isn’t bad either….”

“Grandfather, why are you joining in too!”

“Your grandfather is now convinced. So, my future grandson-in-law. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Hehe, Yeonghwa, you’re quite capable.”

“Future grandson-in-law, what future grandson-in-law!”

Whether I collapsed from a fit of anger behind him or not, my grandfather helped Jung Pureum to his feet. As soon as he stood, Jung Pureum took out apples and pears from the fruit basket and began peeling them with practiced care.

By any measure, he showed the makings of an excellent future grandson-in-law. I knew he was good at cooking, but his fruit-peeling skills were also top-notch.

“Taking a younger husband is also one’s destiny.”

“Just a moment ago you told me to meet someone who would support me.”

“He said he’ll win three gold medals—surely he can support you just fine?”

“Don’t worry, Grandfather.”

It was absurd beyond words. Was it really okay to flip sides so completely like this?

“Three children would be nice.”

“Three might be a bit tough on hyung….”

“I’m going crazy, really….”

As if he had never been wary of Jung Pureum, my grandfather completely turned around and even started playing Go with him.

“The wedding should be traditional. These days, the parking lots at wedding halls are terribly cramped….”

Leaving the two of them passionately playing Go behind me, I shoved only the beautifully peeled apples into my mouth. Setting aside my mother, even my grandfather had taken a liking to Jung Pureum in an instant. This was truly unexpected.

My grandfather stayed at my place all weekend. Jung Pureum, apparently unbothered, visited again the next day.

I did my utmost to stop Jung Pureum from introducing my grandfather to the lady next door. If that happened, it would inevitably become a full-blown petit formal meeting.

I did like Jung Pureum, but I still wasn’t certain about bonding or marriage. Truth be told, while I looked forward to dating Jung Pureum, I was also afraid.

Putting aside the age gap, I worried about being framed as an omega who seduced an alpha athlete. I could brush off any insults as life extension, but I couldn’t help agonizing over the potential negative impact on Jung Pureum.

“Yeonghwa. Come here and sit.”

In the evening, after Jung Pureum had gone home, my grandfather called me over. His expression, unlike his earlier triumphant arrival, was gentle and kind.

“Does my worrying about you sometimes feel hard on you?”

“….”

“When you get old, all you do is worry about your children and grandchildren. It must be frustrating and exasperating, but how many more years will you have to put up with my worrying?”

I had expected nagging about not eating properly. But this was something heavier than nagging.

As my grandfather said, ever since I presented as an omega, my family had begun to worry about me excessively. Because they all loved me, they wanted to protect me.

Everyone avoided talking about designations in front of me. On the rare occasions when a distant relative asked, “What’s Yeonghwa going to do as an omega?” my grandfather would lose his temper. My father, who had talked about immigrating to the US, went without saying, and even my mother, who worked as a Korean medicine doctor, temporarily stopped working and hovered around me.

In middle school, that was incredibly stressful. I felt a heavy burden within that family. Some might say I was being spoiled, but to me, it all felt like overprotection.

To receive this much worry over nothing but my designation. If you take away my designation, I am fully capable of holding my own as a person. But love tested my limits at every turn.

“We were also bewildered when an omega was born into a family that had only ever had betas. Because we had naturally assumed you would be a beta.”

No matter how much the world has improved, omegas are still targets of prejudice. Even among minority designations, they are a minority, and social perceptions of them are unfavorable.

My family knew that fact well. That’s why I was always afraid of failure. If I made even the slightest mistake, I felt like I would hear, “I knew it.” What can you expect, he’s an omega. Come back home quickly. We’ll protect you….

Thanks to that, I developed a herbal medicine that brings down a heat cycle faster than Gongjin-dan. Because I wanted to prove that I wasn’t at the mercy of my designation.

“Me telling you to get married is also out of worry for you. Not to mention myself, your parents will also have to leave your side someday….”

“I’m all grown up, Grandfather. I’m not at an age where I need someone to protect me.”

“But I can’t help worrying.”

“….”

“You have such a stubborn and strong personality that if someone tries to suppress you, you won’t bend—you’ll break clean off.”

My grandfather reached out and stroked my head. As his wrinkled hand rubbed my hair, I felt like I had returned to age eight, not twenty-eight.

I fidgeted and leaned my body into my grandfather’s embrace. He held me tight. Whenever I felt this loved, whenever someone cherished me so blindly, my chest felt tight.

Would I have received this much worry if I had been an alpha?

“What if you break a few times? Does that kill a person? Everyone keeps living while breaking over and over.”

“Yeonghwa….”

“I take after you, Grandfather—I’ve only accumulated more worries too.”

Suddenly, it struck me that my family’s worry about me and my worry about Jung Pureum’s future were quite similar. Jung Pureum must have also felt suffocated sometimes, just like me. Perhaps he too had felt stifled by the affection I gave him.

It is such a contradiction that because you love someone, you become unable to trust in them. Within that blind affection directed at me, I realized one clear truth.

I loved Jung Pureum as much as my family loved me. In the very same way that had weighed on me the most.