ATGRA 53

Was he lying to reassure me? In the past, I would have believed whatever Jung Pureum said, but now that he had become so cunning, I couldn’t trust him easily.

“Really? I’m going to ask Jung Saebom, you know.”

—It’s true… It was a little difficult to control at first, but it’s fine now.

I was a bit curious about how it had gotten better. I switched the call to speakerphone and sent a series of messages to Jung Saebom, asking if it was true that Jung Pureum was okay.

Jung Saebom replied with the single word [ok]. It was a reply so cool it was insincere, but she wasn’t the type to lie about something like this, so it seemed what Jung Pureum said was true.

“Still, it’s a relief that your pheromones have stabilized. What did the coach say? Did he let you come back without a fuss?”

—He said a temporary stabilization would be a problem, and told me to manage it with more care. I’ll still have to go out at dawn if I want to practice on my own, though.

“That’s really great. I knew you’d get good at controlling your pheromones quickly since you’re a fast learner.”

When I first heard about it from the lady next door, I thought he was having a hard time controlling his unstable pheromones. As expected of Jung Pureum. A praiseworthy kid, anyway.

—So, hyung, you’re coming back now, right?

“Huh?”

—You said you’d come right back if I could participate in the national team tryouts again. I worked really hard. Because I missed you…

Hearing that he worked hard because he missed me made my heart feel ticklish. This cute thing. When I go back, I’ll sentence you to be fed beef by hyung.

“I thought it would take a little longer, so I’m glad. I thought I was going to die from the difficulty of resting without doing any work for four days.”

My mood brightened at the thought of packing my bags and heading up to Seoul tomorrow. My grandfather and parents would be disappointed that I was leaving so soon, but I didn’t want to stay at my family home any longer.

Indeed, you can only maintain the best relationship with family by keeping an appropriate distance and seeing them occasionally. I had to get out of here quickly to avoid hearing any more nagging about marriage and arranged dates.

—If you tell me the bus schedule, I’ll come pick you up.

“Pick me up? What pick me up? I’m not a kid.”

—It’s because I want to. That way I can see you sooner.

I booked a ticket to Seoul right then and there.

We had a lot to talk about from not seeing each other for just a few days. As we were chatting away, my mom knocked on the door. Like a guilty person, I was so startled that I dropped my phone.

“Son, Mom’s coming in, okay?”

“Wa-wait! I’m still on the phone!”

“What kind of work-related call takes an hour?”

The phone clattered loudly as it rolled on the floor. At the same time, the door was flung open. There was no respect for privacy.

—Hyung? Are you okay? There was a loud noise.

…On top of that, it was on speakerphone.

I despaired at the call status, which I had changed to send a message to Jung Saebom. On the glowing screen, the three words “Jung Pureum” were visible.

Anyone could see it wasn’t a work-related call. My mom looked back and forth between the phone and me, then smiled meaningfully.

“Son?”

“…”

“I think you and Mom need to have a little talk.”

I hastily hung up the phone.

If I had left it, Jung Pureum might have been subjected to a three-way confrontation via video call. Absolutely not! Who knows what kind of strange things my mom might say!

Jung Pureum stared blankly at his phone, confused by the suddenly disconnected call.

Because Moon Yeonghwa had put the call on speakerphone, Jung Pureum had also been able to easily overhear the conversation between Moon Yeonghwa and his mother. However, it wasn’t easy to grasp the exact situation.

He sent a message, but Moon Yeonghwa didn’t read it right away. Still, since he had booked the bus ticket right away, he would be able to see Moon Yeonghwa again tomorrow.

The past four days, during which Moon Yeonghwa had used his pheromones as an excuse to avoid him and gone down to his family home, had been hell for Jung Pureum as well. Not being able to see Moon Yeonghwa was one thing, but a new problem named Lee Seolwoo had emerged.

Lee Seolwoo was the face model of H University, where Jung Pureum was a student. H University, which emphasized equality and opportunity, had selected Lee Seolwoo as their omega model.

Only Jung Pureum didn’t know this fact. Even though his face was plastered right next to the main gate of the school. The physical education department was closer to the back gate, so he rarely had a reason to use the main gate.

Jung Pureum had also received an offer to be a school model, but he had declined, citing that he was busy with training. To be precise, he didn’t have time for anything else because he was busy punching his attendance card at our clinic…

A good personality, articulate, and the face model of the school.

Despite being an omega, Lee Seolwoo was an incredible social butterfly. Indeed, he was someone the discerning Moon Yeonghwa would likely take a liking to. With a friendly personality and a pretty face.

But to Jung Pureum, Lee Seolwoo was not normal. The more indifferent Jung Pureum was to him, the more Lee Seolwoo burned with passion.

You’re the first alpha to be this uninterested in me. Jung Pureum was suddenly in the middle of understanding the feelings of a commoner female lead in a drama who gets relentlessly pursued after slapping a chaebol once.

Even though he had run away without giving his number, Lee Seolwoo had easily found out Jung Pureum’s personal number a few hours later. From what he heard, he had a wide network and knew many people in the physical education department as well.

On top of that, he was skilled in social maneuvering. He seemed quite accustomed to quickly saying what others wanted to hear and earning their favor in a moderate way.

Thanks to that, Jung Pureum’s personal information was sold to Lee Seolwoo for free.

[Mr. Jung Pureum]

[Please give up now]

[and have a meal with me it’s my treat]

Blocking his number was useless. He must have had so many friends, because a message would come from a new number every time.

…Is this, perhaps, stalking?

Jung Pureum tried to recall Lee Seolwoo’s appearance. Even among omegas, Moon Yeonghwa was on the taller side, but Lee Seolwoo was small and slender. He was an opponent Jung Pureum could subdue with one hand if he put his mind to it.

Who would believe him if he said he was being stalked by such a small and weak opponent?

Jung Pureum sighed. If he had known it would be like this, he should have just insisted he was Moon Yeonghwa’s boyfriend until the end. At least he seemed to be the type not to bother someone who was already in a relationship.

Still, being pursued by Lee Seolwoo wasn’t entirely a bad thing. It was mentally exhausting, but because Lee Seolwoo periodically approached him on campus, Jung Pureum’s pheromones had stabilized significantly.

Due to intermittent exposure to a dominant omega’s pheromones and Lee Seolwoo’s constant contact from different numbers, Jung Pureum had no room to worry about anything else. Only the obsession to see Moon Yeonghwa as soon as possible burned within him.

He couldn’t endure this state any longer. The conviction, I can’t live like this!, transcended his anxiety, and as a result, Jung Pureum’s pheromones stabilized so quickly that even the team doctor was surprised.

The upperclassmen at school were also surprisingly helpful in this regard. Since they were all naturally born alphas, they would readily teach him their own secrets for pheromone control when asked.

The coach questioned him, asking if he had met a new omega because his pheromones had stabilized so quickly, but Jung Pureum was truly innocent and desperate. The national team tryouts… if I can’t participate, it’s death and nothing more.

Jung Pureum, who had always seemed relaxed, was now obsessed with the national team tryouts. That fact seemed to be quite satisfactory to the coach.

With the team doctor’s consent, Jung Pureum was given back his right to participate in the national team tryouts. And it was a bonus that as soon as he got the coach’s permission, he called Moon Yeonghwa to inform him of this fact.

[I’m not contacting you with ulterior motives]

[but because you seem to be having difficulty controlling your pheromones]

[I’m trying to help]

Instead of the awaited Moon Yeonghwa, messages kept coming from Lee Seolwoo. It was another new number. Jung Pureum was about to press the block button with a vacant mind, but for the first time, he sent a reply.

[My pheromones have stabilized. I appreciate your concern about my lack of control, but it’s uncomfortable when you keep contacting me like this.]

[If you continue to contact me, I will have no choice but to take action. I hope we can avoid any unpleasantness.]

It was a reasonably polite reply. Just in case Lee Seolwoo’s feelings were hurt, Jung Pureum also sent an emoticon of a dog apologizing.

It was a sight that would have made Moon Yeonghwa collapse from high blood pressure if he had seen it. Jung Pureum was decisive when it came to drawing lines, but as an elite athlete, he was steeped in social decorum.

Excessive use of cushioning words, responding with a smile first… Despite being a twenty-year-old university student, he seemed like someone who had worked in the service industry for about three years.

Perhaps this business-like attitude of Jung Pureum’s worked, because Lee Seolwoo finally stopped sending messages. It was a real relief that he had at least a minimum of common sense.

“It’s probably better not to mention this to hyung…”

I wish tomorrow would come quickly.

While picking up Moon Yeonghwa, it would be nice to subtly bring up the contract and go on a date. If he just changed his wording a little, Moon Yeonghwa wouldn’t even know it was a date.