My Alpha Era Began with Gongjindan Chapter 79

But as always, life never goes as planned.

“Are you sure you’re resting properly from training?”

The team doctor looked at Jung Pureum with a worried gaze. His expression was filled with concern, incomparable to the time when his pheromones had been unstable.

These kinds of problems sometimes arise when you train consistently. Jung Pureum felt his right shoulder. Just in case, he’d even gone to a large hospital for tests, but nothing unusual was found.

Even the large hospital couldn’t identify the cause, yet the pain persisted. During normal times it was fine, but as soon as he entered the pool, his right shoulder throbbed with pain.

Not knowing the cause, both the team doctor and Jung Pureum were at their wits’ end. Even when they increased the frequency of physical therapy and took care not to overexert, the relief was only temporary.

With the most important part for a swimmer—the shoulder—aching, his performance naturally declined. The coach grew more furious by the day, and as the training camp approached, Jung Pureum also became increasingly anxious, whether consciously or not.

“These cases happen sometimes. Stress manifesting physically.”

“But I don’t have anything stressful….”

“You might think that. But you never know. The human mind is more delicate than you think—you might be feeling pressure without even realizing it.”

Jung Pureum stared at the team doctor like an alien who had just learned the word “pressure” for the first time.

The team doctor looked back at Jung Pureum with a sympathetic face that seemed to understand everything. Apparently, he thought Jung Pureum was in pain because of the pressure of having to win a gold medal under a coach like that.

The swimming pool had become utter chaos lately. Just as in any arena where ranks are divided by performance and years of accumulated effort can be nullified by a single mistake, scheming and maneuvering were rampant here.

Even Jung Pureum, who had no interest in taking sides or forming groups, had noticed that the internal movements at the pool had been suspicious lately. Not only Lee Seolwoo, but even Kim Yongha, who had been cut from the university sports association line, had given him a hint to stay on the coach’s good side.

Kim Yongha had seemed like he might be quitting drugs, but after being cut from the university sports association line, he’d completely relapsed into dependency. It was because of the anxiety that if his records kept failing, he wouldn’t be able to compete in any meets.

Talented young athletes all felt similar anxieties. The one fostering this atmosphere was none other than the coach. He constantly ran his mouth saying there were plenty of athletes like you, and it was hard to remain unaffected after hearing that repeatedly.

Perhaps Jung Pureum too, without knowing it himself, had been continuously influenced by this environment. And now it was manifesting as physical discomfort.

It was entirely possible, but the timing was terrible. Jung Pureum slowly rotated his right shoulder backward. He didn’t feel any particular pain. It was a bit stiff, but not as bad as when he was in the water.

“Problems like this are trickier than pheromone instability.”

“….”

“Consistent training is good, but I recommend resting for a few more days before entering the training camp. If the coach agrees, at least three days of rest would be….”

“That might be a bit difficult.”

“I figured. The coach has been, well, a bit sharp lately….”

Sharp was an understatement—he was downright venomous. Jung Pureum recalled the coach, who had been foaming at the mouth lately, asking if he thought he’d win a medal by slacking off.

Whether the rumor that he’d had a huge fight with the department head was true or not, the coach had been completely unhinged since the day he was summoned by the department head.

As if he couldn’t see anything else, he constantly threw fits about insufficient practice—telling such a person that he wanted to rest three full days was not a good choice. Expecting rational judgment from the coach in the current situation was foolish.

Moreover, some seniors who had learned that the department head was on the opposite side of the coach had begun lurking around him, trying to get their hands on the short-distance entry by provoking the coach. Knowing they wouldn’t hear anything good, but unable to let go of their greed, these bastards had the coach’s shouts playing as background music in the pool all day long.

Jung Pureum swept back his dripping wet hair with his hand. There was less than half a year until the Olympics now. Once he entered the training camp, half a year would pass in a flash.

After entering the training camp, he wouldn’t be able to move around freely like now, and since he wouldn’t be going home, he wouldn’t be able to see Moon Yeonghwa either. Jung Pureum was worried that Moon Yeonghwa might change his attitude again in the meantime.

After Minjun TV’s attack, our clinic had undergone major renovations to change security companies. While changing the security company, they also redid the interior, hired more contract staff, and created a period to catch their breath.

Moon Yeonghwa had been truly busy working ever since. The clinic was actually busy, and keeping his body occupied was the best way to avoid the low-self-esteem thought that Jung Pureum had gotten hurt because of him.

Jung Pureum too had been digesting excessive training loads, so the frequency of their meetings had noticeably decreased. It was the sorrow of busy modern people.

Whenever they barely managed to see each other, Moon Yeonghwa wore an awkward expression. Each time, Jung Pureum trembled inside, fearing that Moon Yeonghwa might say, “After all, even if you win a medal, you and I won’t work out.”

Even though he’d heard Moon Yeonghwa say he liked him, his unrequited love had been too long for him to be confident in that affection.

Jung Pureum left the medical room and warmed up again. After light calisthenics, he immersed himself in the pool, and the lukewarm chlorinated water helped clear his mind somewhat.

If he found out his shoulder hurt, Moon Yeonghwa would surely change his attitude this time.

Jung Pureum was anxious about all of that. It was easy for him to give Moon Yeonghwa reassurance, but ironically, it was difficult for Moon Yeonghwa to give him reassurance. Moon Yeonghwa’s past track record was largely to blame.

What if hyung stops seeing me as a romantic interest again….

Even Jung Pureum, with his thick-skinned personality, couldn’t help but feel unsettled when he thought about that.

“Jung Pureum!”

At that moment, the coach standing outside the water called Jung Pureum’s name irritably. The sharp, coarse shout made Jung Pureum feel anxious… but the coach had no interest in Jung Pureum’s psychological state.

“Move faster! If you keep this up, in short-distance you won’t even make it past the preliminaries, let alone win a medal!”

Jung Pureum ignored his painful shoulder and swung his arms to pick up speed. The uncomfortable sensation continued, but there was no choice but to endure.

∞ ∞ ∞

Something is wrong with Jung Pureum.

“The clinic feels empty lately.”

“It kind of does, right? Pureum’s been busy. You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

“He’s a national representative—what can you do. The Olympics are so important.”

I let Kim Miyoung and Nam Jungyoon’s conversation go in one ear and out the other. They were right. Jung Pureum had been really, truly, incredibly busy with training lately.

Not only did he leave at dawn, but sometimes even after I got off work, he seemed to be stuck at the pool. When that guy, who used to frequently wait for me in front of the apartment, was nowhere to be seen, my chest felt empty without me even realizing it.

Don’t be fooled by the familiar Jung Pureum—remember that he’s a national representative. No matter how much I tried to internalize that fact, it only made sense in my head; there were many parts I couldn’t fully accept.

First, yesterday when Jung Pureum came to meet me, there wasn’t even a single hug.

Amazing! The opponent was Jung Pureum, and he didn’t hug me. Plus, he had a face full of thoughts. I asked if something was bothering him, but Jung Pureum naturally just shook his head.

Second, Jung Pureum has been overly watching my cues.

It’s not new for him to read my mood. Jung Pureum is a detail-oriented person, so even if it weren’t me, he tends to observe the people around him. But lately, this has been a bit much. Like a dog afraid of being abandoned by its owner, he’d ask all sorts of psychological-test-style questions.

‘Hyung, if I weren’t this good-looking….’

‘What’s with that sudden statement as if you’ve objectively realized you’re handsome?’

‘Then you wouldn’t have even felt attracted to me, right?’

‘You’re making me out to be a looks-obsessed person without any basis.’

If I were a little shorter, if my body weren’t like this… citing all sorts of conditions, Jung Pureum asked, “Would you still like me even then?”

If it had been once or twice, I might have thought, is this some psychological test trending on the internet? But by that point, even I, whose nickname is “Eyes-On-The-Spot,” got the feeling. The feeling that something was wrong.

Finally, Jung Pureum’s subtly unstable pheromones put a period to my suspicions. Lately, his pheromones had been especially strong, as if his rut cycle were approaching.

It didn’t seem unstable enough to be a problem, but as someone who had once chosen to return to the main house because of Jung Pureum’s pheromone instability, I couldn’t help but pay attention to his condition.

But I absolutely didn’t have the courage to ask, “Hey, are you going into rut soon?” If I asked that, it would seem like I really only wanted his body! What if he has no such thoughts and I look like someone trying to pounce on him according to his cycle?

So time passed without me properly asking about Jung Pureum’s condition. I started feeling anxious, wondering if Jung Pureum might actually be going through a rut cycle.

“Jungyoon.”

“I’m busy right now, sunbae.”

“I saw you drinking yulmucha with Kim Miyoung just a moment ago—what’s busy.”

“You’re going to ask another strange question. Since that ‘what do you think love is’ question, I’ve decided not to answer your questions seriously.”

“That’s not it. Do you think I only talk nonsense all the time?”

“You do talk mostly nonsense, though.”

“Oh ho!”

Another childish argument ensued. Being with Nam Jungyoon made me feel like my mental age was regressing. I didn’t even fight this childishly in college.

“I just called you over to ask about the rut cycle.”

“Rut? Because of Pureum?”

“….”

“Aha, so the kid won’t tell you about his cycle?”

Nam Jungyoon, who had been huffing with me, quickly changed his expression. Seeing his sly grin, I understood why Lee Seolwoo wouldn’t even look at Nam Jungyoon.

What’s the use of looking like a macho man when he’s such a weirdo… I silently cursed Nam Jungyoon a little. But he’s my only vice director, so I should endure it.