JADE 29

Jin Sejun, realizing his cheeks had been frozen for too long, forced the corners of his mouth to lift.

“Even a perfect Alpha like me can get hurt.”

“Have you ever heard of crocodile tears?”

“I’m not an idiot either, you know….”

“Whatever.”

“I’m going to have lunch with a friend today.”

There was no answer, perhaps because his feelings were hurt. Jin Sejun was about to flare up, demanding if it was right for him to act this way when he was the older one and the vice director, but he remembered his own slip of the tongue and shut his mouth.

That man is a Beta. And a Beta who used to date an Omega, at that. So it’s possible he felt a similar sense of humiliation to what someone else might feel if Jin Sejun had talked about fucking them.

‘Other people are dying to get fucked. He doesn’t even know how lucky he is.’

That’s how it was on social media, if not in real life….

…Could it be that he ran off because he didn’t want to get fucked in the ass? If I asked him to fuck me, would he say okay?

This was a very un-Alpha-like thought, and it was ridiculous, not to mention he had no intention of doing it. It was just that he was a romantic Alpha who readily yielded to someone he thought was his.

After gulping down some cold water, he was suddenly drained of energy.

‘Ah… I’m tired.’

Really. He even wanted to drop everything at the academy and go back to the hospital to resume his boring daily life. It would be a series of days where nothing happened, but at least he wouldn’t have to get this worked up.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried, but Jin Sejun couldn’t seduce anyone, customer or not. Contrary to Kwon Joowan’s ignorant condemnation!

‘Well, if I look like I’d be good at it, that’s a relief….’

Whatever, as he thought about having to make an imaginary friend, waves of irritation washed over him intermittently. Without thinking too deeply, Jin Sejun grabbed lunch at a sandwich shop near the academy.

In the afternoon, Jin Sejun talked to Kwon Joowan as if nothing had happened, and he diligently went out for his morning workout the next day. At least now, it didn’t feel like his heart and lungs were about to explode like they did at the beginning.

During their usual coffee time, the two sat side by side, as they often did these days, and looked at the scenery in silence. But the atmosphere was very different from before.

Jin Sejun still threw out pointless jokes, but Kwon Joowan’s reactions had been curt since the previous day. It seemed he was trying not to ignore him completely, but it was obvious he wasn’t in a good mood.

‘Petty bastard.’

But isn’t it a bit ridiculous to apologize by saying, “I’m sorry for saying I was aiming for your ass”? It was absurd for him to act like that just because his feelings were slightly hurt, when Jin Sejun himself had endured his fair share of sexual harassment.

The sun was still setting early, and the barren hills and flowerbeds, where nothing had yet bloomed, were sparsely green. The early morning air was cold, but there were quite a few people in the park besides the two of them. There were also children playing with a ball.

Jin Sejun deliberately spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Did you kick a ball around a bit when you were in school? Do kids in American high schools kick a ball around during break time too?”

“….”

Answer me, don’t make me feel awkward….

The reason Jin Sejun had started hanging around the academy was to get on Kwon Joowan’s nerves. It felt like he’d done enough, so should he do more? Isn’t it because Kwon Joowan is so bad at refusing that he keeps coming out for workouts, except for the confession?

Should I just go home?

Just as he thought he was being ignored, Kwon Joowan answered haltingly, his gaze fixed on the children playing with the ball.

“First of all, since we had to move between classes….”

He stopped mid-sentence, shot up, and caught a ball that was flying fiercely toward them. If he hadn’t blocked it, it would have hit Jin Sejun in the head, who had been watching only Kwon Joowan.

“Uh….”

“Hey kids, you shouldn’t kick the ball toward where people are.”

“I didn’t know.”

Instead of throwing the ball back, Kwon Joowan held it like a hostage and approached them.

“Give me the ball.”

“You’ve been throwing wild pitches for a while now.”

Jin Sejun followed him awkwardly and stood next to Kwon Joowan. Kwon Joowan was already big enough, but when an even meaner-looking adult Alpha appeared, even the defiant child’s spirit faltered.

“A wild pitch is in baseball, it can happen when you’re playing soccer….”

Only the child whose shoulder Kwon Joowan was holding had messy clothes, and his exposed skin was covered in scrapes. At first, he thought, “What kind of crazy person picks a fight with an elementary or middle schooler at thirty-three just because he’s in a bad mood?” But seeing how he had observed them even from that distance, he really was like someone who teaches kids.

“Making one person be the goalkeeper the whole time is not cool. Right?”

Kwon Joowan’s tone was calm throughout. Just listening to his voice, you might think he was talking about a bird sitting on a park tree.

“Are you his dad, Mister? Leave us alone.”

“I’m not stepping in because I hate you or because I like him. It’s because that’s wrong and you shouldn’t do it. It’s shameful behavior.”

“Who do you think you are, Mister?”

“Me? A cheerleader.”

Jin Sejun hastily covered his face. If I laugh here, I’m real trash….

The gathered children threw the ball and ran away before Kwon Joowan’s lecture could continue. He thought he heard some harsh profanity, but it was best to forget it quickly.

But then, the kid who had been getting pelted with the ball glared at them with daggers in his eyes.

“Why did you butt in?”

“This is what you get for helping…”

“Teacher Jun.”

Right, I should leave it to the expert on kids. Jin Sejun made a zipping motion across his lips and crossed his arms again. Kwon Joowan nonchalantly brushed off the child’s clothes and spoke to him.

“We’re going to the cafe right over there, you want a strawberry frappe? I heard they have a new one.”

“Why should I….”

“You don’t like sweet things?”

“It’s not that, but why should I follow you? What if you’re a kidnapper, Mister?”

“Hah, look at this smarty-pants.”

The sound of Jin Sejun clicking his tongue echoed. Kwon Joowan paid him no mind, took out his money clip, and handed the child a business card with his company and name on it.

“I’m a teacher at this academy here. The cafe we were going to is right there, see?”

“Are you really a cheerleader…?”

“Yep. You need to replenish your energy after working out, so this Mister here feeds this uncle every day too. Let’s go.”

He acted so naturally that it seemed to break the elementary schooler’s will to resist as well. The child and Jin Sejun followed behind Kwon Joowan with similar expressions.

“I know this bastard is a decent guy, but don’t you go following anyone else who offers to buy you something. You’ll get in big trouble.”

“I don’t know, I’m already regretting it.”

Jin Sejun raised an eyebrow and replied lightly.

“You’re a smart student. Even if you can’t play soccer.”

“….”

Kwon Joowan, who had gone to their usual cafe, had the child pick up the ordered drinks himself. The three of them sat at a terrace table where many people passed by and drank their drinks in silence. The silence was broken by the child’s bold question.

“If you’re a cheerleader… do you wear a crop top too, Mister?”

“Pwahahahaha!”

As soon as he burst out laughing without thinking, Jin Sejun clamped his jaw shut and pretended to look elsewhere.

He had definitely tried not to laugh. In fact, when someone had said something like this during a blind date with Betas, he had even put on a straight face as if possessed by Jin Yiseo!

Kwon Joowan glared at Jin Sejun for about five seconds before sighing and answering.

“No, I don’t have to wear a crop top. This flippantly laughing Alpha uncle here also started cheerleading, and he would never wear something like that. But he looks really strong, doesn’t he? It’s a sport that requires a lot of strength and muscle.”

“Why are you dragging me into this?”

“You said you were an honorary cheerleader once.”

“Alphas do that kind of thing too?”

When the child asked in a confused tone, Jin Sejun answered.

“Student, cheerleading isn’t just about that.”

Kwon Joowan naturally expected an explanation about physical growth and teamwork. But at Jin Sejun’s following words, he almost spat out the coffee he was drinking.

“It’s the sport of Alphas among Alphas. You can naturally get to hold hands with Omegas.”

“What are you saying to a child who hasn’t even manifested…”

“Of course, regardless of your trait, if you work out hard, you become closer to your teammates than family.”

As Jin Sejun hurriedly added, the clearest glint of intelligence since they had met appeared in the child’s eyes.

“More than… family?”

“This Mister gave you his business card earlier. When you have time, come and watch. It’s close to here.”

“Mr. Jin Sejun, could you please not put such a strong emphasis on ‘Mister’?”

Jin Sejun lightly ignored the jab.

“I can’t teach you soccer, but I can teach you how to throw people.”

“Throw people? Like a missile?”

“Uh-huh. A space exploration rocket expressed with the human body, you could say. The highlight of cheerleading is throwing people.”

“No, if you put it like that, a basket toss…”

“You’re being really disruptive. Anyway, to sum up, cheerleading has the advantages of family-like teammates, a new hobby, and an improvement in basic physical strength. What do you think?”

“I’ll think about it.”

A smarty-pants who knows how to negotiate. Jin Sejun narrowed his eyes, then messed up the child’s hair, earning his irritation.

“Ah, seriously!”

“Even if you don’t come to the academy, we have morning workouts often, so you can run with us.”

“Soccer is more fun.”

“Hey, you never know until you try. This Mister and I are even researching the art of land-shrinking.”

“You look really suspicious, so stop it. And stop with the ‘Mister’ too.”

He was the one who called him Mister first, but he sure is complaining a lot. Jin Sejun threw the straw wrapper trash into Kwon Joowan’s palm and added.

“Discuss it with an adult around you.”

“….”

“About changing your morning workout routine.”

He may seem all grown up, but a kid is a kid. He didn’t know how much he could help a student from another family who didn’t even know the situation, but he hoped that even if it wasn’t Kwon Joowan’s academy, he would make other friends, a place of refuge.

Jin Sejun wasn’t an education major or a real teacher, and although he didn’t have friends now, during his school days, he was always in a position to win if he fought with someone, so empathy was impossible from the start. Also, at the academy, he bickered with the kids at the same level as his niece, so he had no intention of interfering further.

They were on their way back to the academy with Kwon Joowan after finishing their drinks and escorting the child to a suitable point. Jin Sejun felt awkward for somehow wrapping up the incident Kwon Joowan had started, despite knowing nothing about it. To hide his embarrassment, he needlessly poked Kwon Joowan in the side.

“You’re not going to charge him for a trial class, are you?”

“Do I look like that much of a scrooge…”

“Just in case. Then the picture would look too strange.”

Kwon Joowan, who had been staring blankly at Jin Sejun, let out a chuckle. Just with that, Jin Sejun’s mood lifted, and he started to skip lightly toward the academy.

It’s definitely more fun to be next to a guy who retorts and plays along. Rather than watching Kwon Joowan’s constipated face, wouldn’t it be better to just live a jobless life at home?

Also, his educator-like demeanor of not just passing by the kids wasn’t bad either.