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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Two weeks had passed since I started working out.
Thanks to Ga-ram’s expert coaching and my unwavering perseverance, I was finally getting used to—yeah, bullshit.
I was teetering on the brink of death every single day.
I hadn’t dreaded the next day this much since my time in the military.
The first two days were manageable.
I had some prior workout experience, so even though my body was out of shape, I could still manage the basic movements.
My range of motion was limited, thanks to all the excess weight, but still.
Driven by the desire to get healthy quickly, I had eagerly absorbed Ga-ram’s advice, asking questions and even offering my own (limited) knowledge.
That was my mistake.
Like hearing a familiar voice in a foreign land, Ga-ram was thrilled to finally have someone to talk to about working out again.
Like an oversized puppy excitedly jumping on its owner, she had ramped up the intensity of my workouts exponentially.
Just as I was starting to adapt, the intensity would jump again
And it didn’t increase gradually either.
The weights went up, the sets multiplied.
– Isn’t this too much too fast? Won’t I get injured?
– Well, yes, increasing the weight too quickly isn’t always helpful. It can lead to injuries.
– Then why are you adding 10kg to my squat? That’s 10kg more than yesterday.
– I think you can handle it.
– But…
– Okay, break time’s over.
– Wait, Ga-ram…
– Don’t worry! I’m a professional. I won’t let you get hurt!
My spirit was already broken.
Fuck.
The most frustrating part was that it was actually working.
I was sore, but I hadn’t sustained any actual injuries.
In short, everything was great, except for the excruciating pain.
Having gone through several personal trainers in my previous life, I had to admit, by the end of the first week, that Ga-ram was exceptionally skilled.
There was one incident, in particular, that solidified this realization.
It happened a week and a half into my training.
“Congratulations!”
It had become routine to weigh myself as soon as I arrived at the gym around 9:00 AM.
Ten days into her training regimen, I had lost 4kg.
“Wow… that’s a lot.”
“It’s because you’re just starting. You’ve been eating less for dinner and working out every morning. It’s natural. You’ll probably lose weight quickly up to about 15kg, and then you’ll hit a plateau.”
She recorded my weight on the chart.
To celebrate my progress, she took it easy on me that day.
For the first time in a while, I was able to walk home without feeling like I was going to collapse.
I should have just gone home and relaxed.
Maybe done some work on the computer.
But no… I ordered fried chicken.
I had lost 4kg! I deserved a reward!
That was my logic, anyway.
I opened the box, revealing glistening pieces of half-yangnyeom, half-fried chicken.
“This is what sex is all about,” I declared, taking a bite of a drumstick.
No, it’s not, you idiot.
Sex or no sex, I should have known better.
The next day, Ga-ram greeted me with a knowing smile.
“Did you enjoy your chicken?”
“Yes… why?”
She was squatting 200kg.
She racked the barbell and walked towards me, with sweat dripping from her forehead down to her collarbone.
“Member-nim. You had fried chicken, didn’t you?”
She stood so close I could feel her breath on my face.
Her eyes bored into mine, and I felt a sudden chill.
I had a feeling that if I denied it, I would be transported to another dimension.
I gulped and nodded.
“Well… we’ll have to make up for that today.”
“H-how much…?”
“You don’t have a job, right? You just go home and relax after our sessions.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Let’s work out until dinner time.”
I regretted not kicking her out of the building that day.
Two weeks of this torture.
I had barely survived another one of Ga-ram’s workouts and was now slumped at the reception desk, trying to recover both physically and mentally.
Slurp-slurp~
An iced Americano in hand.
Unsweetened drinks were allowed, apparently.
The gym was still empty, but Ga-ram was busy.
She went out to put up flyers, cleaned the gym multiple times a day, and even inspected the aging equipment once a week.
The equipment was old and worn, but she did her best to maintain it.
I usually spent four or five hours at the gym after my workouts.
I had nowhere else to go, and my apartment was too lonely.
Besides, I could chat with Ga-ram.
I talked to stave off the boredom, and she would occasionally ask me for financial advice.
“How did you make so much money?”
“I guess… I got lucky?”
Her blunt questions were a bit disconcerting.
She had also asked me for advice on running a gym.
I didn’t have any answers, so I did some research at home and gave her some tips the next day.
My amateur advice seemed to mean a lot to her.
She had bowed deeply and thanked me profusely.
“Time to go.”
Ga-ram had gone out to put up flyers and was taking longer than usual.
I tossed my empty cup in the trash and stood up.
It was already 4:00 PM.
I could walk home, relax for a bit, have dinner, and then go to bed.
“What should I watch today?”
I had been watching variety game streams on OceaniaTV lately.
They were perfect background noise, and I usually fell asleep listening to them.
As I was leaving the building, my phone vibrated.
“Is that Ho-chul?”
I thought he might be texting me about something—I had given him some time off, and he had been practically in tears with gratitude—but the message was from someone unexpected.
— Hana: Oppa, are you free?
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