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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Now that I’d been accepted to college, I needed to find a place to live.
The problem was that by mid-February, all the cheap and good places were already taken. No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find a decent place to live near the university.
“I don’t want to commute though…”
Since I’d decided to change, I wanted to completely change my environment as well. I’d been cooped up at home until now, so I wanted to develop some independence.
After a moment of contemplation, I sighed and opened my banking app. Hmm, good thing I made my hobbies productive. This should be enough.
“Let’s just get a nice place.”
With my parents’ support, I should be able to live comfortably for a few years. I have to go to the military anyway…
Thinking that far, I suddenly had a realization. At my current weight, wouldn’t I be considered a “pig soldier”? ( derogatory slang for overweight soldier)
“Damn, suddenly I don’t want to lose weight.”
Current weight: 103kg.
It would be a waste of the 27kg of fat I lost over the past year to gain it back.
I wonder if I can get out of it with my history of depression?
·
By raising my standards a bit, I was able to find a place easily.
Less than a week after receiving the college acceptance call, I found a place and moved in.
“This is my home.”
Wiping away the sweat from moving, I looked around the room.
A 430 sq ft (13 pyeong) studio apartment with a separate kitchen, fully furnished.
Quite luxurious in size and amenities for a college student’s place. Probably about twice the size of the average student apartment.
Then I got a phone call. It was my mother, restless at home.
·
“Son, are you sure you don’t need any help?”
“I’m fine. There wasn’t much stuff. I’ve already moved everything, so all that’s left is cleaning.”
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For the record, I moved my belongings with my own car. My father bought me a used car as a college entrance gift. I got my driver’s license right after the CSAT.
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“What about money? I’ll send you more if you need it.”
“No, you already paid the deposit. And you gave me allowance for the monthly rent.”
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Even though I said I was fine, she gave me half a year’s worth in advance. She seemed worried but also very happy that her son was going out into the world.
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“Even with that, there will be a lot of expenses in college life.”
“You know I have money saved up. I also saved the allowance you gave me.”
·
While I’m not exactly rich, I have more money than most people my age. This was all thanks to my productive hobbies.
Video editing and illustration.
Out of my many hobbies, these two helped me earn money. They were also the reason why my parents had at least a little faith in me, despite me being cooped up at home for five years. They must have been relieved that I wouldn’t starve, since I’d been earning money since I was seventeen.
After the call with my mother,
I started organizing my belongings and cleaning the room.
“Phew. That finished quicker than I thought.”
I left the bulky items like figures, dakimakuras, and wall scrolls at my parents’ house. Most of my light novels too. The room felt strangely empty without the things that were always there.
But it couldn’t be helped. I needed to maintain a certain level of normalcy in case I brought friends over.
“Friends… I wonder if I’ll be able to bring any over?”
I haven’t had anyone I could call a friend since middle school. There is one person who’s somewhat close…
I opened my phone and checked KakaoTalk.
[Yoo-shi: Damn, no one’s better at drawing NSFW stuff than you. This latest piece was seriously hot. I’ll order more.]
[Yoo-shi: Kang Cheol, do you know about the fetish called Amaurophilia? It’s a darkness fetish, where people prefer to have sex in situations where they can’t see. That’s why they use blindfolds.]
[Yoo-shi: Recommended video ACT-132. They say that when you’re blindfolded like that, your other senses become more sensitive because your vision is blocked. Next, I’m going to order a character wearing a blindfold and handcuffs. Other BDSM tools can be included, so do some research in advance.]
Yoo-shi is one of my illustration clients. A regular customer who, from the early days when my drawings were still rough, recognized the “aesthetic of arousal” and paid a hefty sum for my illustrations. Now, we’ve become close enough to chat personally.
The surprising thing is that Yoo-shi’s chromosomes are XX. In other words, this regular NSFW client is a woman.
I stared at the KakaoTalk messages about porn recommendations and BDSM discussions with a strange feeling.
“…Can I even call her a female friend? Does it not count since I don’t know her face?”
Actually, her being a woman is just based on her claim. I’ve never seen her face, nor heard her voice.
A Schrödinger’s female friend.
No, wait, to comfortably call an online friend a friend, shouldn’t we meet at least once in real life?
Lost in this dilemma, I thought for a moment before shaking my head. It’ll work out somehow. I can’t possibly not make a single friend in four years of college.
“Okay, let’s crush this workout.”
First, I need to become human.
Lose weight, look like a person, become a freaking awesome social butterfly, and enjoy college life.
·
A week later.
I gained 7kg and weighed 110kg. That’s 1kg per day.
“Living alone is too comfortable…”
I’d been ordering late-night snacks while gaming until dawn without my parents’ watchful eyes, and my weight ballooned.
“Was the nak-gop-sae I ordered last night the final blow?” (Nak-gop-sae is a spicy Korean stew with small octopus, tripe, and shrimp)
Stroking my plump belly, I felt the gravity of the situation. At this rate, I would soon become a 130kg pig again. I couldn’t let that happen after a year of effort to achieve a human-like appearance.
Why is losing weight so hard and gaining weight so easy?
If there is a god, they must have made a design error when creating humans. Damn it, when are zero-calorie chicken and pizza coming out?
·
6:00 AM.
I woke up earlier than usual, put on my workout clothes, and stepped outside.
The February dawn air was still chilly enough to make me shiver. I hadn’t realized, being cooped up inside.
“Has it been a week since I last stepped outside after moving?”
Despite my intention to change my environment, I was naturally reverting to my hikikomori lifestyle…
Newly remorseful, I headed to the place I’d looked up beforehand. There was a stream about 10 minutes away from my apartment, good for running.
“Huff, huff! Huff, huff!”
I started running along the stream, regulating my breathing. I’m a black belt in Taekwondo, you know. When I was younger, I even got scouted by various sports clubs. Even if I’m out of shape, I should be able to run all day…
“Gasp, wheeze!”
I bent my knees and gasped for air. I hadn’t even run for three minutes, but my sides were aching, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst. It was an unfamiliar sensation since I had only done home training and never any cardio.
“…My body is this much of a wreck? Even after losing 27 kilos?”
Well, I gained some back, so it’s 20kg now, but still!
I couldn’t give up here, not with my pride on the line.
I started running again.
“Huff, wheeze! Huff, wheeze!”
Maybe it was because a pig was huffing and puffing while running. I could feel the stares of people around me. Normally, I would have run home immediately, just to escape those stares.
But as I ran like my life depended on it, I was so exhausted that I didn’t really care about their gazes. I could taste blood in my mouth; where would I find the mental capacity to worry about others?
Walk, run, walk, run.
After desperately repeating this, I sat down on a bench, completely spent.
“Ugh, I’m dying. I should have brought some water.”
The body that had been shivering from the cold was now radiating heat. I was sweating profusely, even surprising myself.
I’ll have to order a workout tumbler when I get home.
I was thinking that when,
“Do you want some water?”
I turned to see a beautiful woman with a healthy glow offering me a half-empty water bottle.
What? Is this some new religious solicitation?
‘I don’t believe in Shincheonji.’ (Referring to a controversial Korean religious group)
I wanted to say that, but I was too flustered to speak. It had been so long since I’d talked to anyone other than my family; talking to a strange woman was a hurdle too high for me.
Seeing me speechless and flustered, the woman gave an awkward laugh and placed the water bottle on the bench.
“You looked thirsty. Keep up the good work.”
She gave a small bow and returned to the track.
She seemed to be in the middle of her run along the stream. She was quite fast and quickly disappeared from sight.
“What a… unique person.”
Do people normally offer water to strangers just because they look thirsty? I would be too flustered to say anything even if they asked me for water.
Anyway, I was parched, so thank you.
I opened the cap and emptied the bottle in one go. I hope she didn’t put anything in it… After quenching my thirst, I headed straight home.
‘I hope I see her again.’
I remembered her ponytail swaying from side to side as she ran. She kind of resembled an anime character I like.
·
After that, I started jogging along the stream every morning. Cardio definitely made me feel more energized.
While running, I would often encounter the woman I saw on the first day, but we didn’t really talk. Just exchanged nods. Whether she enjoyed exercising or was maintaining her figure, she was always running there.
‘It feels like I made a friend in the community.’
Even though I didn’t know her name or have a conversation with her, a strange sense of intimacy was building. Even though it had only been a week.
February was coming to an end.
March 1st, Friday, was a national holiday, and classes started on the 4th, after the weekend.
Today was February 26th.
Current weight: 104kg.
Thankfully, my weight, which had ballooned to 110kg, had recovered somewhat. Since I’d gained the weight quickly, it came off quickly too. At this rate, I might even reach a two-digit weight by the start of the semester.
I went on an online community forum, as usual. The difference was that I was searching for a specific topic. With the start of the semester approaching, I had another worry besides my weight.
The worry started with the university freshmen group chat.
The chat, which had been quiet since we hadn’t met each other yet, suddenly came alive when someone wrote:
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[Hey guys, anyone free on the 27th?]
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[It’d be nice to get to know each other before classes start. Anyone want to meet up near school?]
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[I’ll create a poll, so click if you can come. You don’t have to click if you can’t make it.]
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[Attend/Absent]
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