ATGRA 78

Jung Pureum let the coach’s words about taking care of his body go in one ear and out the other. If it weren’t for the coach, his shoulder muscle would never have been strained in the first place.

It was obvious that if Moon Yeonghwa found out he was consistently receiving physical therapy, she would freak out and blame all these problems on Minjun TV’s surprise attack.

If that happened, she would start blaming herself again.

She would dig herself into a hole, saying Jung Pureum’s career was ruined because he got involved with her. Claiming she hadn’t even served in the military because she was an Omega, Moon Yeonghwa was too good at digging herself into a hole alone.

Therefore, he couldn’t let his guard down even for a moment.

Jung Pureum steeled his resolve, thinking of Moon Yeonghwa. To be frank, Moon Yeonghwa was a bit treacherous. He never knew when she might change her tune if a situation became disadvantageous.

Wasn’t that why he made her write a contract in the first place? Back then, Moon Yeonghwa didn’t even care about him this much.

“I think it would be better to reduce the training intensity until my shoulder recovers.”

Jung Pureum, who would normally have followed the coach’s instructions without a word, spoke up first.

The coach scowled at his words. It seemed he was bothered by the fact that Jung Pureum, who had always been obedient, had been voicing his own opinions little by little since the national team selection.

“Pureum, aren’t you going to the Olympics with the intention of winning a medal?”

The coach’s mouth, armed with gaslighting, revved up its engine again with a vroom vroom. If given the chance, Jung Pureum wanted to raise his hand and cover the coach’s mouth. Coach! In times like these, please just say you understand!

It had already been 10 years that he hadn’t been able to fire the coach, simply because he was the connection needed for the Olympics. On top of that, the coach was unnecessarily thorough in his self-management, so aside from his trashy personality, there was no pretext to kick him out.

He managed the athletes strictly and spoke harshly, but he never engaged in any physical punishment, so it was impossible to report him to the ethics committee.

“You can’t get good results by being lax. You seem to be full of yourself now that you have three event qualifications, but…”

“No, I am not full of myself and I am sufficiently tense.”

“And a guy like that wants to lower the training intensity?”

“Because I can feel that my shoulder is not in good condition.”

The coach narrowed his eyes. He seemed suspicious of Jung Pureum asserting his opinion in this manner.

“Jung Pureum, tell me honestly. You’re still seeing that Omega, aren’t you.”

“…”

“Aren’t you asking to lower the training intensity now so you can go do other things?”

“No, sir.”

It was true that he had changed his training time to go to the clinic a little earlier because he was worried about Moon Yeonghwa. And, though it was a secret from the coach, it was also true that he was consistently going to meet Moon Yeonghwa.

However, for now, Jung Pureum answered no.

In reality, he hadn’t been able to see Moon Yeonghwa often recently. He wanted to be out in front of the apartment building when she got off work, but lately, his training kept ending late.

“You, I’m going to be watching you until the very end. If you fail to manage yourself and become unstable somewhere again, you should know that you won’t be able to compete in the Olympics.”

The coach left the swimming pool after saying he would change the training routine starting tomorrow. The older athletes, who had been watching Jung Pureum get chewed out from behind the coach, stealthily approached him.

“Ugh, that bastard. His hair is running away because his heart is so twisted.”

“Every time he says a word, ten strands of that hair should fall out. That’s the only way he’ll come to his senses.”

“If that happens, that bastard coach will probably just shave his head and come back and do the same thing. He’s the type of guy who values running his mouth more than his own hair.”

The students, who had suffered from the coach’s verbal abuse as much as Jung Pureum, if not more, gathered and murmured amongst themselves. Amid the clamor, one of Jung Pureum’s peers opened his mouth.

“Hey, Pureum, how do you deal with that bastard without your expression changing one bit?”

“I’ve seen him since elementary school. It’s true he’s gotten a bit worse recently, but he was always like that.”

“…Ugh, it’s really trashy. Can’t someone replace the coach.”

“He’ll never be replaced. They say a high-up in the Olympic Federation is his family.”

“I’m so jealous of that nepotism pass, for real.”

Jung Pureum observed the other athletes cursing the coach in front of him. They say having a common enemy helps you get close quickly, and that was exactly right.

The older athletes, who had picked fights with him in all sorts of ways when he first entered school, had now started to be lenient with him because they were busy cursing the coach. It was a fortunate development, yet he didn’t feel particularly good about it.

“Hey, Jung Pureum.”

Just then, one of the older athletes placed a hand on Jung Pureum’s shoulder. As it happened, it was the sore one.

“If the coach keeps giving you a hard time, just pass one of the short-distance events to one of us. He’s making such a fuss because you’re competing in three events all by yourself.”

“That’s right. Jinhyung here has good records in the short-distance events too.”

The purpose of talking like this was obvious. It was pressure to concede one event, since he had secured three qualifications.

Jung Pureum laughed, ha ha, and shook his head.

“Ah, of course, Jinhyung sunbae is good too.”

“Right?”

“But I’m faster.”

“…”

“And I earned all the qualifications myself.”

The friendly atmosphere turned ice-cold, as if doused with cold water. One of Jung Pureum’s peers, awkwardly reading the room, stealthily backed away.

Jung Pureum thought all of this was truly exhausting. It would be more productive to just swim laps with Moon Yeonghwa at the apartment community center’s pool.

When he came out of the swimming pool for lunch, Jung Pureum encountered another being that made him tired.

“Oh, Mr. Pureum!”

“…”

“Wait, wait! Don’t run away!”

Lee Seolwoo, having spotted Jung Pureum, ran towards him at full speed. Jung Pureum was genuinely terrified. Didn’t this person say he was in the College of Business? Why is he in the Physical Education College’s student cafeteria?

“I’m not interested in you anymore, Mr. Pureum!”

Jung Pureum, who had been engaged in a chase across campus, barely managed to stop running at Lee Seolwoo’s declaration of, ‘I have another man now!’

Panting for breath, Lee Seolwoo stood before Jung Pureum and held up his left hand. A ring with a simple design was on Lee Seolwoo’s left ring finger.

“See? There are plenty of Alphas who like me, even if it’s not you, Mr. Jung Pureum. It’s just that I’m picky.”

“Ah, yes…”

“My, you acted so amiably in front of the Director, but you’re being a little cold to just me.”

However, Jung Pureum still found Lee Seolwoo uncomfortable.

The fear he felt when he suddenly received a message from someone he had never given his number to was beyond words. It seemed it would be difficult to feel any goodwill towards Lee Seolwoo even if he died and came back to life.

Regardless of whether Jung Pureum was lukewarm towards him or not, Lee Seolwoo, after some appropriate small talk, began to excitedly chatter about what he wanted to say.

“You were my type from the first time I saw you, Mr. Pureum. That’s why I even asked the Director to introduce us, but you really never know how things will turn out.”

“Yes…”

“My pride is hurt, so could you react a little more enthusiastically? No matter how much I liked you, I don’t hit on an Alpha who’s already taken. You’re having a thing with the Director, right?”

“That’s right.”

“…Wow, you were answering without any soul until a moment ago, but you only come alive for a question like this.”

Lee Seolwoo, who giggled, stood on his tiptoes, saying he had something to tell him.

“You’re competing in the Olympics this time, right?”

How did he know that? Jung Pureum looked at Lee Seolwoo, who seemed to know everything. Lee Seolwoo, still smiling, just shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had his ways.

“I just happened to hear it, but they said the university took some money, so they’re trying to send out another student for the short-distance event.”

“…Where on earth do you hear information like that?”

“Well, I hear it here and there. Everyone talks to me easily.”

Lee Seolwoo continued speaking.

The main point was that the University Athletics Association and the Olympic Federation were on different sides, leading to a power struggle over athlete participation, and since the coach was on the Olympic Federation’s side, the university was making him walk on eggshells.

Jung Pureum was amazed by Lee Seolwoo, who was rattling off stories that even he didn’t know. Whether those words were true or not, he was curious where he heard such rumors.

“They say you’re the only one with three event qualifications, Mr. Pureum. I’m telling you in advance because, if you’re unlucky, you might have one of them taken away. You’re welcome, right?”

“Yes…”

“Ah, soulless again.”

“Don’t talk about this at the clinic.”

“Your soul only comes back when we talk about the clinic… I won’t tell. I haven’t been going lately anyway. I heard there was a huge commotion with police cars there the other day.”

Jung Pureum, who had been in the middle of that commotion with police cars, pretended he knew nothing and backed out, saying, “Really?”

The information Lee Seolwoo brought was certainly interesting.

In the sports world, power struggles often occurred depending on which side one was on, and it was quite common for one’s own athlete to be forcibly sent to a major competition even if they weren’t a sure bet for a medal.

Jung Pureum was, so to speak, on the coach’s side, so he was on the opposite side of the University Athletics Association. The older athlete who had told him to hand over one of his qualifications earlier was highly likely to be on the University Athletics Association’s side.

However, Jung Pureum had not the slightest intention of having his qualification taken away because of someone else’s power struggle. One for dating, two for imprinting, and three to get married. The total number of gold medals needed was three. How could he possibly compromise on any of that?

It was an unfortunate thing for the University Athletics Association, but Jung Pureum had no intention of giving up any of his qualifications. Even if his shoulder were to be shattered, he had to see things through at this Olympics.