The Nature of Possession – Chapter 80

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Perhaps it was the satisfaction of getting the last word, but I slept soundly and woke up early the next morning.

The soft morning sunlight, filtering through the curtains, illuminated the clock on my nightstand.

Under this makeshift spotlight, the clock proudly displayed 7:00 AM.

I had vaguely remembered reading something about the benefits of fasted workouts, but I wasn’t planning on doing anything too strenuous today, so I decided to have breakfast.

The groceries I had ordered online the night before had been delivered to my doorstep sometime during the night.

For the first time in a while, the refrigerator was stocked with fresh ingredients instead of pre-packaged meals.

I popped two slices of bread into the toaster and cracked an egg into a frying pan.

The egg sizzled merrily, and the toaster popped, revealing two perfectly golden-brown slices.

I used the pristine, still-new-looking jam spreader to apply a thin layer of strawberry jam to the toast.

Like a bride’s subtle blush, a rosy hue spread across the surface of the bread.

I placed the toast on a plate and added the sunny-side-up egg.

Breakfast was served.

Crunch~

I took a bite of the crispy toast, savoring the subtle sweetness of the jam.

After a few chews, I washed it down with a couple of gulps of milk.

Pfft!

I nearly spit it out when I suddenly remembered the message I’d sent to Hana yesterday.

Worried that it might be a meme unknown in this world, I had searched the internet—turns out, it exists here too.

Hana, being a streamer herself, probably understood the reference.

She was probably just shocked that a forty-year-old man had used it so casually.

I briefly considered blocking her on KakaoTalk, in case she decided to retaliate, but then I realized she hadn’t contacted me at all.

Maybe she assumed I had already blocked her.

It didn’t matter.

I had no intention of contacting her anyway.

I poked the yolk with my fork, and it oozed onto the plate.

I licked the fork clean and then scooped up the remaining yolk with my toast.

My petty revenge wasn’t over yet.

I planned to continue tormenting her in small, subtle ways.

Like donating large sums of money to her rivals, for example.

What else could I do?

I seemed to have given her gifts and money privately as well.

I wondered how she would react when those stopped.

If she ever came crawling back, begging for money, I would make sure to humiliate her just as she had humiliated the previous owner of the body.

Chomp!

Lost in thought, I devoured the last piece of toast and finished my milk.

Time to hit the gym.

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Myungsung Building, home of Garam Fitness Center, was a twenty-minute walk from my apartment.

It was too close to drive but a bit far to walk, but I decided to walk anyway.

My old personal trainer used to say that getting to the gym was part of the workout.

I had plenty of time, and the extra walk would burn at least a few calories.

“Huff… puff…”

I was clearly out of shape.

By the time I reached Myungsung Building, I was already winded.

This was bad.

I couldn’t make a first impression while gasping for air, so I took a few moments to catch my breath before entering the building and taking the elevator.

Why not take the stairs?

Shut up.

The elevator doors opened on the sixth floor, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

The flickering fluorescent lights cast an eerie glow, creating a rather ominous atmosphere.

It was enough to scare away any potential customers.

I made a mental note to tell Ho-chul to get the lights fixed.

I pressed the button on the door, and it slid open with a clunky groan.

The reception desk was right inside.

This was where new members would sign up, presumably.

Dated dance music blared from the speakers.

I wandered around, looking for the owner.

The gym was deserted.

Even for early morning, it was eerily empty.

It was just as Ho-chul had described: on the verge of bankruptcy.

“Hello?”

I had been expecting a burly, intimidating gym owner, but there was no one in sight.

Clang, clang-!

The sound of metal on metal led me to the weightlifting area.

“Oh…”

A woman, wearing an Adidas tracksuit top and tight leggings, was doing squats with a large headset covering her ears.

“How many reps was that? One, two, three…”

Four 20kg plates on each side of the barbell.

A total of 160kg (not including the bar itself).

A woman squatting 160kg…

It was a sight I rarely saw, even in my original world.

I decided to watch in silence.

She took a deep breath, held it, and slowly lowered herself.

Her form was perfect.

She went down until her thighs were parallel to the floor and then pushed back up without using any momentum.

One.

Two.

Three.

Even from a distance, I could see the muscles in her glutes and thighs contracting and relaxing.

After completing ten reps, she carefully placed the barbell back on the rack, turned around, and our eyes met.

“Uh…”

I had been caught staring.

If she felt even slightly creeped out, I would probably end up in jail.

And with my middle-aged, out-of-shape body, it wouldn’t be a good look.

As I was trying to come up with an excuse, she took off her headset and walked towards me.

Her dark roots were showing, indicating it had been a while since her last dye job.

“Hello. Are you here to sign up for a membership?” she asked.

I had been expecting a “Why are you staring at me?” but her question caught me off guard.

“Uh… I’m new here… Ho-chul…”

I stammered and mentioned Ho-chul’s name.

She tilted her head, then her eyes widened, and she pointed at me.

“Oh! Oh!!! You’re the landlord! Hello!”

She bowed deeply, her voice full of energy.

That was how I met Ga-ram.

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[T/N: Here go again ]

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