JADE 15

From what I peeked at the first day I came to pick up my niece, they were teaching older, co-ed kids here. That group of students was post-presentation in age, so I think I caught a glimpse of an alpha.

I’d been refraining from watching the practice studio, worried that if I stared too much, it would look like I was interested in more than just tormenting him—no, to be honest, I was worried I’d pant like a dog in heat looking at things like Kwon Joowan’s well-defined muscles or his dripping sweat.

When we were in our “something” phase, the weather was quite cold, and Kwon Joowan mostly wore long-sleeved jerseys or modest shirts and outerwear, so I only recently realized how good his body was. Of course, I could tell even with his clothes on, but it was a world of difference from seeing him in a short-sleeved shirt.

Our “something” is already over, and these days I’m just childishly tormenting him, so why am I like this? Is it because I got a direct look at the dick I’d only ever imagined?

It was quite strapping, and even in that regard, for a beta, the guy was as close to an alpha as one could be. Then again, if its compression ratio was low, Jin Sejun might win out after an erection.

Furthermore, for someone with such a nerdy appearance, he had a considerable amount of hair leading down from below his navel, which also made me want to see his lower half in its entirety.

I was never turned on by this type, so what is happening? Is it like a change in taste, the way you start seeking out things like fernbrake salad as you get older, which you wouldn’t have given a second glance to when you were young?

No matter how alpha-like he seems, he’s a beta, so this isn’t an abnormal sexual desire yet.

While having these useless thoughts, the image of Kwon Joowan’s smiling eyes from earlier wouldn’t leave one corner of my mind. To put it nicely, Kwon Joowan was a handsome man steeped in melancholy, but honestly, perhaps because he was a bit gloomy, his charm when he smiled was considerable.

No, it was incredible!

‘Well, he must still have some bewitching qualities for me to still be stuck here like an idiot.’

Bitten by a dog… actually, I didn’t even get bitten, but it would have been coolest to just say that’s what happened and forget about it.

Why are people so damned attractive when they’re explaining their area of expertise? It was like that earlier when Kwon Joowan was talking seriously about cheerleading instead of suppressing his irritation or acting glib; honestly, it was the sexiest I’d ever seen him.

He seemed so clumsy and unconfident at first, but now, it was even harder to understand than before why he had been so lacking in confidence.

Just hearing him talk makes me want to fuck him this much; if I actually saw him working out, all hell would break loose. My rut would probably explode that very day, wouldn’t it?

So it was a good thing I didn’t watch….

While Jin Sejun was lost in all sorts of thoughts, the children picked up their pom-poms. Jin Yiseo, being a relative beginner, hadn’t made the team that would present on the open class day. I’d overheard she was aiming for a competition, so she was probably gritting her teeth and stretching at this very moment, wasn’t she?

She was so much like the young Jin Sejun, always looking for a fierce challenge. Of course, I’m not like that at all now….

A silence fell just before the music started. Jin Sejun chided himself, thinking that if he just glanced around, Kwon Joowan would think him pathetic, so he had to focus, and he twisted his whole body in anticipation.

But the moment the music started, that resolve became unnecessary, beginning with the children, who had been stuck to the floor, launching up as if on springs.

Jin Sejun would occasionally watch things like ballet or opera to pretend he had some cultural refinement. But he was fundamentally an ignoramus in such things, so this was the first time he had seen a group dance this up close.

‘Should I call it a dance? It seems like gymnastics, too.’

The children, who had looked flexible but endlessly delicate, were rooted to the ground before soaring up in formation. They would do a pirouette like in ballet on one foot planted like a solid root, then strike poses that felt feral. At times, their movements were so disciplined that the pom-poms looked like boxing gloves.

As Kwon Joowan had said, the performance was very short. But it was powerful.

Only then did the feet in their apricot-colored shoes and their hair, tied back or slicked back tightly so not a single strand escaped, come into view.

Just watching Jin Yiseo do the splits made her look nimble, but there were levels above that; the performance of the skilled children of a similar age was on another level.

It was a moment when these kids, who usually shrieked like monkeys and bickered over nothing, looked like artists, like athletes.

As Jin Sejun clapped so hard his hands made smacking sounds without him realizing, the children, who were catching their breath, grinned, showing their teeth. Jin Sejun found himself laughing along at the sight of the gaps where some of them had lost their baby teeth.

“Hey, Yeryeong was flying out there! You too, Jinha. Why didn’t you tell me you were so good?”

“Because Jun-teacher is a dummy!”

“That’s right, I’m a dummy.”

“Dummy, dummy, Jun-teacher is a dummy! Slacker!”

“I didn’t tell you to curse at him that much, you know?”

You guys really like the word dummy, huh. Just as Jin Sejun easily lifted the three or four kids hanging from his arms, Kwon Joowan opened the practice studio door holding a dry mop.

Meeting Jin Sejun’s flushed face, a slight smile touched the corners of his lips.

“Looks like you had fun watching.”

“Doesn’t Jon-teacher have a class? What’s with you always coming to wipe the mats?”

“My event doesn’t have many students.”

If I listen to Kwon Joowan explain his event here, I’ll get a hard-on. Having made a quick judgment, Jin Sejun ushered the children out and pushed Kwon Joowan’s chest.

“…Give that to me. A person who works out shouldn’t waste his strength on pointless things.”

Even after he snatched the mop away, Kwon Joowan followed him into the practice studio instead of leaving. Jin Sejun glared, wondering if Kwon Joowan was planning on monitoring him, but he lost all his strength at the sight of the laughter crinkled all around his mouth and eyes.

When he started wiping the mats limply without picking another fight, Kwon Joowan began to interfere with the cleaning, just as Jin Sejun usually did.

“You really must have been impressed. It’s not just a cute event like you thought, is it?”

The proud look on Kwon Joowan’s face, of all people, was unsightly, but the life in it was cute…. Jin Sejun mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

“Um, they were like ballerinas doing the haka and gymnastics.”

“I suppose it could look that way… you know the haka?”

“I know what you think of me, but I’m not an idiot. Surprising, isn’t it?”

“Yes… it is surprising.”

“Hey.”

“You really watched so intently. Actually, the coach for this class majored in artistic gymnastics. It’s not easy to do cheerleading that isn’t action-focused for long in this country, so even for me….”

Stop, stop! I desperately want to hear Kwon Joowan talk about himself, but that’s just too damn hot on a human level…. I can’t make a scene in a place where kids were just moments ago.

Jin Sejun beat his surreptitiously rising lust and curiosity to death and cut him off.

“I have many other surprising sides, but since Mr. Joowan rejected me, you’ll never know them.”

“……”

I thought he would retort with that neat face of his again, but this time I succeeded in shutting him up. Watching the smile slowly fade from Kwon Joowan’s lips, Jin Sejun tasted a sense of self-loathing along with his disappointment.

So you know how to be embarrassed. You have to know shame to be human. The difference between a beast and a person is knowing shame!

Of course, typically, an alpha like me gets treated like a beast more often than a beta like you.

Fortunately, not a single one of those thoughts came out of his mouth.

“Why are the teachers here so handsome?”

“Hahahaha. I suppose you could call that one of our competitive advantages.”

The next day, the day of the open class, Jin Sejun once again reported for duty at the cheerleading academy. Given the usual atmosphere of the academy, even Jin Sejun, who didn’t own a single pair of jeans, had purposely bought and worn casual clothes, but today was different.

As it was a venue to meet potential customers, he put on a stylish suit for the first time in a while, styled his hair up as he did when he went to the hospital, and even wore glasses, exuding a gentle aura that would be likable to anyone.

The other teachers were in their usual attire, so he did stand out quite a bit. Still, perhaps because he looked professional, the first-time guardians directed almost all their questions, whether they were serious or idle, to Jin Sejun.

What’s more, Jin Sejun had even driven his car around the nearby academy districts and residential areas since the day before, handing out flyers for the open class and holding small information sessions. He did the same that morning.

He did it all in secret, too, so as not to burden the academy staff. For Jin Sejun, it was a remarkably humble move.

“The idea of learning cheerleading as a sport is probably very unfamiliar. Even I, at first, thought cheerleading was just what they do to cheer at baseball games.”

This time, it was truly the case of a dog from a village school reciting a poem he’d properly learned, not just skimmed. Perhaps because he himself had been a layman, Jin Sejun’s explanation was well-suited to the audience’s level of understanding.

Then again, with his handsome face and confident attitude, he would have drawn attention no matter what he said.

“Cheerleading is a comprehensive exercise that includes dance, and it’s a team sport, so it can have a positive influence on growing children, both physically and emotionally. Also, the flexibility and strength built in childhood have a certain homeostasis, so even if they take a break from exercising, they can recover it quite well.”

Since the open class primarily promoted the academy’s main event, pom dance, and broadcast dance as a side offering, Kwon Joowan had taken a step back.

Normally, he would have stepped up and actively explained things, but Jin Sejun was captivating the crowd so smoothly that there was no need for him to intervene.

“No matter how much they say it’s an era of fending for oneself, humans are social animals, aren’t they? If your children understand how cooperation between people works when they become leaders, they will be able to navigate the various difficulties they encounter in society well.”

Though, at some point, he did start to feel like a snake oil salesman.

A single performance is more effective than a hundred words. After watching the elite team’s performance, the gathered crowd rushed to sign up.

The academy’s staff were all good at their jobs, but there was no one who could run their mouth as shamelessly as Jin Sejun. Even the director, who originally managed the front desk, was an expert at managing children and consulting on various matters, but she was too earnest to gild something and sell it off in a flash.

Even at the moment when the people were flowing out like an ebbing tide, Jin Sejun made eye contact with each and every person and smiled. No one could say that Jin Sejun had not contributed to this successful open class.

‘Jun-teacher,’ who, for someone who supposedly came to waste time every day, often bought meals and did a fair bit of chores…. The hero of the open class was, surprisingly, not enjoying this success.

‘Gaining a good first impression is this easy, so why did I get rejected by someone I was even in a “something” with?’

Unlike people like Kwon Joowan, who became more charming the more you got to know them, it seemed the more people got to know Jin Sejun, the less they liked him.

The academy staff, oblivious to his gloom, excitedly decided on a place for a company dinner. The head director had given a stern warning that Jin Sejun absolutely could not be absent, so Jin Sejun had no time to chew over the flip side of success—his own personal loneliness that no one gave a damn about.