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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The day after the club get-together.
Trrrrrring—!
The moment the alarm went off, I shot up from my bed.
“Hwaaam.”
I let out a yawn and mechanically started getting ready to leave. We’d had the get-together just last night, but since I hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol, I wasn’t too tired.
‘I really wanted to drink, though…’
Seora Noona had confiscated my alcohol. She said she wouldn’t be drinking either, so I should just bear with it. I was a little annoyed that she had to be like this even at a club outing, but since I had my own guilty conscience, I obediently did as she said.
Still, I ate all the beef I wanted, so I took comfort in that. Seora Noona is the best. A rich Noona is the absolute best.
‘The weather’s nice. It’ll be summer soon.’
Even though it was 6 a.m., the air wasn’t very chilly.
Today is May 11th.
Summer was slowly approaching. In just a little while, the hellish heatwave would begin, as if spring had never existed.
In any case, the weather today is fantastic. It was cool, and a gentle breeze tickled my cheeks pleasantly. It was the perfect day for a run.
When I got to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, I saw someone who, as always, had arrived before me. She really is a diligent Noona.
“Seora Noona!”
“You’re here? Should we start running right away?”
“Yep.”
“Since we had the get-together yesterday, let’s run a bit more than usual today.”
“…Yep.”
“Oh? That response lacked enthusiasm, didn’t it?”
“Not at all! You’re just imagining it!”
“Haha. Alright, let’s go.”
Seora Noona took the lead and started running.
Today, Seora Noona was wearing a short-sleeved top and loose-fitting training jogger pants. Because the top was short, her waistline would peek into view every time she ran.
‘Whoa, those erector spinae muscles.’
My eyes were automatically drawn to her defined spinal erectors.
Before I started working out, I would have simply admired her thin, firm waist. But now that I’d started to enjoy exercising myself, the finer details were what caught my eye.
Anyway, after panting our way through the run along Cheonggyecheon, we headed to the gym.
I was receiving personal training from Seora Noona twice a week. And today was a PT day.
“What are we working on today?”
“Today, let’s do a check-up before we work out.”
“A check-up?”
“You’ve already used the restroom, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then step onto the InBody machine.”
“…What?”
I flinched and asked again. It was because I had something to hide. Beads of sweat began to form on my back.
Seora Noona said with a smile, “I said, step onto the InBody. It’s been about a month, so it’s time for a check-in.”
Somehow, her smile felt terrifying. Was it just my imagination, or did she seem angry?
I swallowed hard and stepped onto the InBody machine.
‘Please, please let it have gone down.’
I hadn’t been following my diet properly lately. It all fell apart when I started eating late-night snacks with friends during exam season. I hadn’t given up on it completely, but honestly, I’d been slacking off since then and sending her fake diet logs. Terrified that I might have gained weight, I had been avoiding the scale for a long time, so I didn’t even know my own current weight.
Beep!
The InBody measurement was complete.
[Weight: 93.7 kg]
[Body Fat: 23%]
[Skeletal Muscle Mass: 42.3 kg]
‘Oh! It went down!’
I cheered internally. I was worried about the off-chance I might have gained weight, but I had lost nearly 3 kg compared to a month ago, and my body fat had decreased by over 3%. At this rate, Seora Noona wouldn’t find out about my—
“Hmm.”
“……”
I turned to look at Noona with a bright expression, only to freeze on the spot. Her brow was furrowed in displeasure.
‘It went down, so why…?’
Isn’t losing over 3 kg in a month a lot?
But that was just what I thought.
“Cheol-jin, you haven’t been following your diet properly lately, have you?”
“Wh-What?”
“Considering your workout volume and the diet I planned for you, you should have lost about 6 kg, you know? But you’ve only lost half of that.”
“……”
I hung my head low.
‘She knew everything.’
I was guilty as charged, so I had nothing to say.
I felt ashamed of myself for cheating on my diet while receiving personal training…
In truth, Ahn Seora knew that Kang Cheol-jin had been slacking off recently.
‘Look at this kid. Sending me fake diet logs.’
As a PT, she planned her clients’ meals and received reports for every meal. But recently, Kang Cheol-jin’s diet photos had become increasingly repetitive.
‘He can’t fool me.’
Ahn Seora had already been working as a trainer for two years.
The number of clients she had cared for in the past, combined with her current ones, exceeded ten. Naturally, there had been clients before Kang Cheol-jin who tried to pull a fast one. As she gained experience, she had become more than used to the tricks clients used to bluff about their diets.
If you don’t nip these tricks in the bud, things get exhausting later on. Among problematic clients, there were even some who, despite not following their own diet, would blame the trainer for their stagnant weight.
Of course, she didn’t think Kang Cheol-jin would do that.
Still, this was a good point to help him strengthen his resolve again.
That’s why she had him do a surprise InBody test today.
The result was as expected.
No, it was better than expected.
‘So he didn’t let go of it completely.’
What was particularly good was that his skeletal muscle mass had increased, albeit slightly, even while he was losing weight. It was proof that he was achieving a lean mass-up. If he could ride his beginner’s luck, it seemed possible to increase it by another 1 kg even while cutting before the competition started. He really had a naturally gifted body.
But now wasn’t the time for praise; it was time to reinforce his determination.
Ahn Seora decided to point out what he had done wrong first.
“I tried to be understanding during your exam period. But looking at these numbers, it doesn’t seem like you kept up with your diet properly even after exams ended. Is that right?”
“Yes…”
“You never reported it to me when you weren’t following the diet, did you?”
“No…”
“What did you eat? Tell me honestly.”
“Well… tteokbokki, jjajangmyeon, and tangsuyuk, too. B-but that was only during the exam period. Afterwards, it was just things like grilled meat. Oh, and I did increase the amount of rice I was eating a bit…”
Ahn Seora stared at Kang Cheol-jin for a moment before relaxing the atmosphere and letting a smile grace her lips.
‘There’s no need to only use the whip.’
The whip and the carrot is a teaching method with a long and storied history, but it’s something you have to adjust depending on the person.
In Ahn Seora’s eyes, Kang Cheol-jin was a model client who didn’t need a harsh whip. He was the type who would get back on track on his own if you just pricked his conscience a little.
“Still, you did well to eat meat instead of fast food. If you had eaten greasy and sugary things instead of meat, you might have actually gained weight.”
“Y-yes…”
“Cheol-jin, the competition date has been announced, you know?”
“The competition?”
“Yeah. September 27th. Including this month, we have a little less than five months left. It’s a pretty big competition for amateurs.”
There was an amateur competition at the end of September specifically for ‘first-time contestants.’ The schedule was tight, so they would have to get pretty strict with his management from now on. This was the main reason she had him do an InBody test today.
“Isn’t… isn’t that too short of a time frame?”
“Hmm, actually, it’s not that short for a competition prep period. Of course, considering your experience and current weight, it is on the shorter side… but it’s definitely possible.”
“……”
“I told you before, Cheol-jin, but you have real talent. Your skeletal muscle mass is over 42 kg even though you only did home workouts, and your natural muscle shape is beautiful.”
“……”
“But no matter how gifted you are, you have to put in the effort. If you want to place in the competition, we need to get serious with your management starting now.”
After saying that, Ahn Seora smiled brightly and held out her hand.
“Let’s work hard together, Noona and you. I’ll really, truly help you.”
I stared silently at Seora Noona’s outstretched hand.
“Cheol-jin?”
When I remained still, Noona tilted her head.
Instead of taking her hand, I bowed my head slightly.
“Noona, I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t think I can do the competition.”
“…What?”
Seora Noona’s expression clouded over with confusion. Soon, with a flustered look, she spoke as if trying to soothe me.
“Uh, hey, is it because of what I said? That was just to help you strengthen your motivation to work out…”
“N-no. It’s not that. Cheating on the diet was my fault.”
“Then why…?”
I couldn’t bring myself to meet her wavering gaze and said, “It’s embarrassing, but… it’s just too hard to hold back from eating. Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to enter a competition.”
“…Cheol-jin, you’ve worked so hard until now. Isn’t it too much of a waste to quit now?”
“Oh, I do enjoy working out. And I’m going to keep losing weight.”
I took a breath and explained my reasons in more detail.
“You said the competition is in a little over five months, right? To build a competition-ready body in that amount of time, I’d have to be incredibly strict, wouldn’t I?”
“…Well, yes.”
“Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to be that disciplined. It’s hard enough as it is… I don’t think I can handle preparing for a competition while juggling school and club activities. I’m sorry, Noona.”
“……”
“Th-the discount you gave me on the PT sessions, I’ll deposit the difference separately. And I’d like to continue getting PT from you in the future, paying the full price.”
As I said it, I felt a little regret. I should have never agreed to do the competition in the first place.
It wasn’t like I was short on money, but when she offered a half-price discount, I answered without thinking.
Seora Noona closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them.
“Okay, I understand what you’re thinking. Oh, and you don’t have to give me the discounted amount separately. It’s fine.”
“But still…”
“It’s really fine. It’s not like it cost me any extra money. We get paid based on performance. Ah, but from now on, I can only give you a 10% discount, okay?”
Seora Noona said, giving me a playful wink.
Ever the diligent one, she led the workout with passion, even though I had given up on the competition.
“Your form is breaking down. More power!”
After the strength training, she didn’t skip the massage she always gave me.
However, as she massaged my muscles, she spoke in a voice dripping with lingering regret.
“Cheol-jin, I’m just so disappointed. Would you mind thinking it over again, slowly? It’s just such a waste, really.”
“……”
“This might be an amateur competition, but it’s a pretty big one. And since it’s restricted to ‘first-time contestants,’ there’s a real chance of placing.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Okay, thank you. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all.”
I couldn’t bring myself to refuse her a second time, so I deferred my answer. But Seora Noona probably knew the truth—that my heart wasn’t in it anymore.
After the workout, I trudged home.
Shwaaaaaaah—!
Even a shower couldn’t wash away the uncomfortable feeling in my heart. I felt terribly sorry for refusing her.
‘Noona seemed really disappointed.’
She pretended to be okay, but her expression was anything but. She might have been fine about the discounted money, but it was obvious she was disappointed that I had given up on the competition.
But I still had no intention of competing.
‘Honestly, there’s no real benefit.’
An amateur bodybuilding competition.
Of course, I would be happy if I won an award. Even if I didn’t, I’d be incredibly proud of myself for enduring the hardship and building my body.
But that’s where it ends.
It’s not like my career path is in fitness, so a prize-winning record like that wouldn’t help me at all.
And what about the fact that I have to diet anyway?
The intensity of training for a competition versus not is incomparable. The intensity of the diet would be different, too.
Frankly, I think it’s enough to lose weight slowly, like I’m doing now. After all, it is steadily coming off.
To be a little more honest, I had, to some extent, become satisfied with my current state. Because I no longer looked like a ‘pig.’ The me in the mirror no longer looked as shabby as before.
This change was partly due to the actual weight loss, but a large part of it was because I had regained some self-esteem.
I had made good friends since starting college.
I had been with several women.
Would that have been possible if I were really a fat, ugly pig?
‘It was probably possible because I’m at least average-looking.’
…Maybe even above average. I had been told I was handsome from time to time, after all.
In any case, now that I was satisfied with my current state, my motivation to work out had dropped. I was no longer as desperate as before.
Of course, I’ll keep working out.
If I had it my way, I’d take it easy, but I was terrified of letting my guard down and returning to my previous state.
However, I didn’t want to go through more hardship than this just to enter a competition. That was my honest feeling.
“Sigh. This is weighing on my mind.”
My conscience hurt for backing out of the promise I’d made to someone who had helped me for months. I’d have to find another way to repay Noona.
It was then, as I was lying in bed, rolling around, unable to shake the uncomfortable feeling.
Katalk!
“Who is it? Hana?”
Come to think of it, her picture hadn’t arrived yet today.
Lately, Hana’s morning routine was to send me a nude photo of herself.
I checked the notification.
“A-reum?”
The moment I said her name.
Vzzzt! Vzzt!
A call came in from A-reum.
– Kang Cheooooool
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