A Man's Lower Body Is His Life

"AAAAAHHH!!!"

"Stop screaming and brace your core! Push it up! Up!"

"AAAAHH!! No, no, I can't!"

The crushing weight of the heavy iron on my shoulders made my legs tremble like a newborn foal.

From behind me, my classmate Jinwoo stood like a towering mountain, gripping my waist like a merciless drill sergeant and bellowing like a lion.

"One more! Tuck that ass in!! Plant your feet and drive!! Puuuush!!"

"Ughhhhh......!"

In the agony where my vision blurred yellow and it felt like the veins on my forehead would burst, I barely managed to rack the barbell before collapsing onto the floor like a discarded sack.

My thighs felt like they were literally on fire.

"Haa, haa, haa...... Dude, I'm actually dying......"

I had sacrificed a perfectly sweet weekend morning to follow this fitness-obsessed maniac Jinwoo to the neighborhood gym for one simple reason.

Because I felt like I had to start doing something.

Ever since Seola and I began that absurdly lewd filming, I had come to painfully understand the limits of my average stamina.

If I was going to buy proper equipment and commit to long, intense nights, I needed a serious hardware upgrade myself.

As the old saying goes, a man's lower body is his life.

So I'd come to Jinwoo asking for some hardcore training, but this was reaching the point where I genuinely feared for my survival.

"Quit whining. We're just getting started and you're already tapped out? Catch your breath. It's my turn."

Jinwoo lightly stepped over my panting form on the floor and approached the rack. Then he began smoothly sliding massive 20-kilogram plates onto each side.

I watched through ragged breaths, my eyes gradually widening in horror.

Clank. Thud! Clank!

The plates stacked higher and higher until the barbell was bending slightly under the monstrous load.

Wait... this crazy bastard is squatting 180 kilos at twenty years old?

The monster who probably consumed more protein powder than textbooks shouldered the 180-kilogram beast like it was nothing, took a deep breath, and began.

Inhale—!

Up!

Despite the weight that looked like it could shatter knee joints, he moved like a Terminator—smooth, controlled squats without a single tremor.

The muscles in his thighs bulged violently, veins standing out like cords ready to burst.

It was on a completely different level from me, who had been begging for mercy after just a few plates on an empty bar. This was true, overwhelming lower-body dominance.

"Hoo...... Hoo......"

After finishing his light warm-up set, Jinwoo racked the bar and grinned at me.

"Stop lying there and get up. We've got another set."

With my legs cramping, I crawled across the floor and muttered in a tiny mosquito voice.

"......Please. Just kill me."

After two hours of hellish lower-body training, I collapsed onto a bench outside the gym, my legs shaking like a newborn calf.

Every breath scraped out of my throat with a raw, metallic rasp.

Jinwoo, wiping sweat with a towel beside me, glanced down and let out a short laugh.

"You've got more grit than I expected. I thought you'd run away halfway through."

"......"

I was so drained I didn't even have the energy to argue.

I just stared blankly into space. As I finally caught my breath, Jinwoo suddenly asked something unexpected.

"Hey. Are you looking into cameras?"

"Huh?"

I whipped my head around in surprise. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's not like I was secretly peeking at your phone. I just saw you searching lenses and bodies during the rest between sets."

"Oh, uh... I ended up needing some stuff."

"I know a bit about that gear. What's your budget looking like?"

I hesitated for a moment before carefully stating the amount I could manage.

"F... four and a half million won?"

"450??"

Jinwoo stroked his chin, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Hmm, that should get you a decent body. But putting together top-tier lenses on top of that might be pushing it."

Wait, why does he know so much about this? What the hell?

I had assumed he just ate chicken breasts and lifted weights all day, but his camera knowledge rivaled a professional's. I could only blink in astonishment.

"Dude, are you into video or some—"

Just as I tried to ask out of curiosity, Jinwoo cut me off cleanly and made a refreshing offer.

"Hey. Instead of wasting time researching new ones, why don't you just take one of mine? I've got an extra sitting at home unused. One thing's for sure—that spec is way beyond what 450 could get you, even used."

"Huh?"

"I'll bring it to school tomorrow, so take a look and decide. Don't waste money on the wrong thing. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm heading out first!"

Jinwoo slung his bag over his shoulder and strode off with his usual brisk steps, not even waiting for my reply.

"Wait, hold on...!"

I reached out dazedly toward his broad back as he walked away. But right then, a strange figure scurried up beside him.

Someone with a small frame and strikingly vivid purple hair fell into step beside him quite naturally.

......Huh?

A strange sense of déjà vu flashed through my mind. I couldn't see the face clearly, but that familiar back of the head definitely looked like someone I'd seen before.

With my legs still shaking too badly to stand, I could only stare blankly until the two figures disappeared around the corner of the alley.

The next day, in the school lounge.

"Here, take a look."

The heavy bag on the table opened to reveal a massive black matte camera body and a cannon-like lens that exuded pure grandeur.

"......Whoa."

Even someone like me who knew nothing about cameras could tell at a glance—this was no ordinary piece of equipment.

The red ring around the lens and the complex dials screamed high-end professional gear.

But unlike the quality of the item, my expression wasn't bright at all. In fact, my brow was deeply furrowed.

I get that the gear is insanely good, but if I accept this right now, what happens to my weekend department store date with Seola?

I had been—very, very slightly—excited about using the camera research as an excuse for a proper date this weekend. Now that perfect pretext was threatening to evaporate before my eyes.

"Ughhh......"

As I clutched my bangs in deep contemplation, Jinwoo sitting across from me asked with a puzzled look.

"Why? Not to your taste?"

"Huh? Oh, no. It's not that......"

"Then what is it?"

"Haa...... It's just... not that simple."

I couldn't exactly say, I was planning to use the camera excuse to sneak off for the weekend with my secretly cohabiting childhood friend, but now the justification is gone and I'm torn. I could only sigh like a man who had seen the end of the world.

Jinwoo, who had been quietly watching my lukewarm reaction, suddenly wore a strange expression.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and with a face that said he understood everything, he casually tossed out:

"Hmm...... Then just go have fun. Does hanging out really need a reason?"

"?!?! W-what?!"

My heart sank. I stared at Jinwoo with wide, horrified eyes.

Did I ever mention Seola to him?

Whether cold sweat ran down my spine or not, Jinwoo casually zipped the camera bag shut and slid it toward me.

"Take it for now, try it out. If you really don't like it, just give it back. I'm not asking for money right away."

He stood up abruptly, clapped my shoulder, and added:

"But don't keep it longer than a month. Decide whether you're buying it or not before then."

With that meaningful tone lingering in the air, he left the lounge without giving me a chance to make any excuses.

All that remained on the table was the heavy camera bag and me, utterly confused.

"......Haa. Well, I guess I'll take it for now."

I struggled to sling the heavy bag over my shoulder and left the lounge.

Back at the apartment, I first searched on my phone to identify the terrifying piece of equipment Jinwoo had dumped on me.

As I typed in the model name and scrolled through community reviews, one peculiar pattern stood out.

Wait a second... this model is used a ton for cosplay photography?

Not landscapes or sports, but specifically optimized for shooting cosplay subjects? The vivid purple hair I'd seen following Jinwoo outside the gym yesterday suddenly flashed through my mind.

What the hell is that guy into? Did he take too many punches to the head while boxing?

As reasonable suspicions began piling up, a chill ran down my spine.

No. If I keep thinking like this, it feels like he'll somehow read my mind and beat me like a sandbag. Let's stop digging into his personal life here.

I shook my head vigorously to clear the stray thoughts and returned to the search bar to check if this camera would work for the kind of "video" we intended to shoot.

"What are you doing?"

"Ack!"

Seola's voice suddenly coming from behind made me jump. I reflexively whipped the massive camera bag behind my back.

Or at least I tried to. Obviously, there was no way my back could hide the ridiculously large bag containing that cannon of a lens.

"......You think that's hidden?"

Seola's icy, incredulous voice pierced the top of my head.

"I... I guess not?"

As I broke into a cold sweat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and laughed awkwardly, Seola crossed her arms tightly and jerked her chin at the bag sticking out behind me.

"What is that?"

"I don't know either......"

"......Haa. You have this annoying tendency to piss people off sometimes."

She sighed deeply and pinched her brow.

"No, I literally just got it and was looking it up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on my phone to see what it even is."

"......You have this tendency to piss people off!!"

Finally exploding, Seola shouted and raised her fist.

Before she could hit me, I frantically waved my hands and explained the whole unfair situation—how my classmate Jinwoo had forced this expensive camera on me from the gym all the way to the school lounge.

"Why the hell would he give that to you???"

After listening to my entire complaint, Seola asked again, looking completely baffled.

"I don't know either! He just tossed it at me saying to try it and decide. So I was checking if this model would work for our purposes......"

"......"

At my defense, Seola kept her arms crossed and stayed silent for a moment.

Her gaze wandered through the air for a long time. Then she lightly kicked the floor with her toe and muttered in a tiny voice.

"Then this weekend...... should we watch a movie or something?"

"Huh?"

At the unexpected word, I responded dumbly. Seola's face instantly flushed bright red.

"I mean, you know...! If we're not going to the department store to buy a camera, we'll have time this weekend! If you don't want to, just say so!"

She glared at me with wide eyes. I finally caught on and nodded frantically.

"Oh! No, I want to! I want to! It's been forever since I last saw a movie...... Let's go together. But first, we should figure out if this camera actually suits us and set it up properly."

"......Yeah. That makes sense."

The sharp edge in Seola's attitude from moments ago melted away at my agreement. She nodded shyly, scratched the back of her head, and added in a mosquito-like voice.

"......Sorry. For suddenly snapping earlier."

"Huh? Oh, it's fine."

I watched quietly as she avoided my eyes while apologizing.

The usual Baek Seola would have coolly brushed off whatever I did with a casual do whatever you want. But ever since she brought up the movie, her emotions had been all over the place.

Why does she keep glitching out like this lately?

It was a mystery. I tilted my head inwardly and turned my attention back to the heavy camera bag on the desk.

Ding—.

A cheerful notification sound broke the silence from my phone.

Right before our little scuffle, I had posted a casual question on a large anonymous community asking if this camera was suitable for indoor video shooting.

"Oh? The comment on my earlier question just came in."

"Let me see, let me see."

At my words, Seola forgot her earlier huffing and scooted right up beside me, her face full of curiosity.

!

As she leaned in close to look at the screen, a cool yet strangely sweet blackberry scent wafted past my nose.

The sudden closeness made my heart skip a beat.

What is this? Am I glitching out too?

I had just been wondering why Seola kept malfunctioning, but now it seemed my own condition wasn't normal either.

I cleared my throat, trying to act as casual as possible, and turned on the screen. We pressed our heads together in the cramped room and read the long comment together.

"......"

"......"

A suffocating silence fell between us after reading the comment to the very last line. Only the glow from the phone screen cast a bluish light on our stiff faces.

The word "girlfriend" had stabbed into my eyes for some reason, and I suddenly felt the urge to explain myself.

"G-girlfriend, huh. What, ahaha."

I laughed awkwardly while looking at Seola beside me, but she didn't really respond. She just slightly lowered her gaze.

Her strange reaction made me even more flustered.

"I mean... right?"

"Yeah...... sure."

Seola shook her head quickly and looked down.

I fiddled with the still-lit screen for no reason, then muttered something very quietly without even realizing it.

"......Well, maybe she could be my girlfriend."

"!!!!"

Seola's head snapped up as she stared at me. Her eyes, now as wide as a rabbit's, locked directly onto my face.

The realization hit me like cold water. I quickly cleared my throat and turned the screen off.

"A-anyway......"

I cleared my throat again and looked at the heavy camera on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floor.

"According to this senior's rather intense advice... it means the camera Jinwoo gave us is perfectly suited for our purpose—capturing intense movements under dark lighting."

At my words, Seola glanced down at the camera bag too and gave a small nod with a complicated expression.