Chapter 570: Diet(1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 570: Diet(1)
Diet.
It’s a word that almost every modern person has agonized over at least once.
With so many people interested in health or aesthetics, it’s a topic that follows you like a shadow throughout your life.
Of course, those who are naturally thin don't care much about dieting.
Instead, they focus on building muscle. It’s the polar opposite, yet a similar kind of struggle.
And here we were.
In that sense, Choi Jin-ah and I could be considered the same.
“I’m gonna kill it. Fat… I’m gonna kill you dead.”
The very next day after returning from Japan.
Early in the morning, Choi Jin-ah stood in front of the entrance in her workout gear, muttering to herself.
I wasn't sure exactly who she was planning to kill. Since she said she was going to kill the fat, I wondered for a moment if that meant she was planning to kill herself.
“Woo-jin, you’re here?”
She stopped her muttering and nodded with satisfaction when she saw me coming out of the front door.
“Let’s go kill it together.”
“Kill what? I’m not trying to lose weight; I’m trying to build muscle.”
“……I think you need to lose some too, Woo-jin.”
“Hey, I told you, I’m fine.”
Let’s be strictly accurate here.
I might have gained a little more weight than before, but it wasn't to the point where I needed to lose it.
On the contrary, I planned to turn that weight into muscle and work on building up my stamina.
“Well, whatever.”
Regardless, she seemed happy to have a comrade to work out with.
She hopped up and down in place, her motivation burning bright.
From what I know, people who burn that hot at the start usually fizzle out quickly.
But honestly, my body was like a fireball right now, too.
“Phew! Let’s go! Jjin-a!”
“Okay, Woo-jjin-a!”
We shouted.
Just as we were about to head out, since Senior Ju-hee was already waiting outside—
“……What are you two doing?”
Choi I-seo’s voice came from behind us.
Choi I-seo was coming out wearing a blue tracksuit, her hair tied back short.
“Are you working out too, I-seo?”
“Oh?!”
When we welcomed her, Choi I-seo gave a small smirk.
“You know I like exercising. Since you guys are doing it, I figured I’d start back up slowly. I’ve been resting since I had Seo-woo.”
The more members in the workout crew, the better.
It meant more people to share the suffering.
I couldn't be the only one suffering, could I?
Watching I-seo put on her old running shoes, I narrowed my eyes and made a suggestion.
“I-seo, let’s buy you a new pair of running shoes. Those are too worn out.”
“Hmm? These are fine. They’re still usable, so why buy new ones?”
“Did you forget your husband is a chaebol?”
“What does you having a lot of money have to do with me buying new running shoes?”
Choi I-seo dismissed me, telling me not to talk nonsense.
I knew she’d say that.
Even though her husband was a chaebol, Choi I-seo hadn't changed much from before.
Heh.
But Choi I-seo wasn't the only one who had grown accustomed to handling me. I, too, had become an expert at handling her.
“Aw, come on. Let’s get a pair of couple running shoes.”
At my suggestion, Choi I-seo, who was about to head out, stopped in her tracks. She glanced at me with a flicker of interest.
“……Couple shoes?”
“Yeah! Couple running shoes!”
Choi I-seo loved that kind of stuff.
This was my personal trick for getting her gifts and the way that made her the happiest.
At my words, Choi I-seo let out an awkward cough. It was a mix of having to take back what she just said and a slight complaint that she was being won over too easily.
“……Fine, okay. I’ll look into it.”
Despite that, Choi I-seo didn't refuse and accepted.
“Can’t I get a pair too?”
Choi Jin-ah chimed in from the side, but Choi I-seo walked out as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Faced with that silent pressure not to butt in, Choi Jin-ah pouted and asked me, “Buy me a pair too. I can wear them when I work out with you.”
“……Should I wear one of yours and one of I-seo’s as a mismatched pair?”
“Can you do that?”
As if.
When we stepped outside, Senior Ju-hee was already there, warming up. I naturally expected her to be in a black tracksuit, but for the first time in a while, she was wearing her Dragon Padded Jacket.
“Isn't that hot?”
Senior Ju-hee smirked at my question.
“It’s thinner than it looks. Besides, I’m not the one exercising; I’m the one making you exercise.”
“…….”
“…….”
Choi Jin-ah and I swallowed hard at the same time.
That was a declaration of intent.
She was returning to her persona as Captain Ju of the Dragon Padded Jacket to work us to the bone.
* * *
“Huegh! Hueeegh!”
For a second, I thought I was going to throw up.
Choi Jin-ah, panting and struggling, looked like she wanted to collapse right then and there, but Senior Ju-hee narrowed her eyes.
“What are you doing? You’re just getting warmed up. Keep running.”
“I—I really feel like I’m gonna die!”
“You’ve only been running for ten minutes. Ha, your stamina has really gone to trash.”
Senior Ju-hee clicked her tongue and sighed.
She was teaching us according to our individual styles. I was working on sprints to build stamina and endurance.
Choi Jin-ah was running at a slow but steady pace.
As for Choi I-seo?
Choi I-seo was running steadily and fast. Watching her still circling the track was impressive at first, but now it was just absurd.
Is she really a mother?
Of course, she was still young, but who would look at her and think she was a mom? They’d believe she was a physical education major.
Anyway, I was taking a short break. I was increasing my cardiovascular endurance through short bursts of intense, fast running.
“Phew, here I go again.”
Seeing me stand up to run again, Senior Ju-hee actually looked a bit embarrassed.
“Usually, I feel good when I see someone working this hard. But right now, it feels a bit strange.”
“That’s—pant—because! Wheeze! Ju-hee Unni is—pant—gonna get it tonight—! Wheeze!”
Choi Jin-ah muttered something, but I ignored it and just ran. I timed it to match I-seo as she completed a lap and ran right alongside her.
“How many laps is that?”
I-seo answered while regulating her breathing.
“Six.”
“……Aren't you tired?”
“I am.”
“Then take a break.”
“It’s not exercise if it’s not tiring.”
Even while running like that, Choi I-seo kept answering me. She could have easily been annoyed, but she kept responding.
“Urgh.”
If anything, I was the one getting exhausted from talking while running. My breath grew ragged, and the strength left my legs.
I almost stopped for a moment, but hadn't I just started running?
Driven by a strange sense of pride, I forced myself to keep up with her.
Choi I-seo glanced at me and smirked.
“By the way, Woo-jin.”
“Wheeze! Huh?! What?”
“Why the sudden urge to exercise?”
“Ah! Ha?!”
Come to think of it, I hadn't told the girls why I was working out.
“Did something happen in Japan?”
Judging by the way her breath hitched slightly, I-seo was definitely feeling the strain too.
I said as I struggled to keep up, “That’s, pant! Because—!”
“Phew, phew. Tell me later if it’s too hard.”
“Sex, pant! Stamina!”
“……?”
Choi I-seo glanced at me and slowly came to a halt. Thinking she had misheard, she asked again.
“What did you say?”
“Pant! Pant! I felt like I lacked stamina for sex. And muscle strength.”
“……Am I supposed to praise you for that? It feels like I just heard someone say they’re studying hard so they can go commit a crime.”
“Haa, haa. You should praise me. I mean, it’s for our lifestyle, after all.”
When I replied while standing there panting, Choi I-seo looked at me with a complicated expression.
“But why so suddenly? You’re fine as you are now. In fact, if you build more stamina, I think I’m the one who won’t be able to handle it.”
“Phew, I want to try out a bunch of different positions. Look at this.”
Exhausted, I pulled out my phone. When I showed her an image of a position I had enjoyed with Oh Yun-ji, her face immediately crumpled.
“You want to do this?”
“No, I tried it, but it was exhausting.”
“You tried it?”
Choi I-seo looked even more incredulous.
“With who?”
“Yun-ji.”
“Hah.”
Truly speechless, Choi I-seo looked at the phone and made a clear declaration.
“I am absolutely never doing that. Just so you know.”
“…….”
“Why that look?”
I don't know what my face looked like, but she seemed to have read my mind.
I gave her a lewd, mischievous grin and replied, “Usually, when people say that, they end up doing it later.”
“…….”
“I’ll just pick I-seo up and—!”
At my words, Choi I-seo suddenly started running.
Straight toward me, that is.
* * *
“Jin-ah, look at that.”
Min Ju-hee spoke to Choi Jin-ah, who had collapsed from exhaustion after barely running at all.
“Yes?”
What was it this time? Choi Jin-ah looked toward where Min Ju-hee was pointing with a groan.
There, she saw Kim Woo-jin and Choi I-seo sprinting like madmen.
“Wow.”
“See, Jin-ah? That’s how you exercise. Look how hard they’re working.”
“I guess so.”
Seeing them like that strangely made her feel motivated.
The thought that she shouldn't just sit here like this welled up inside her, and Choi Jin-ah stood back up.
“You’re right. The moment you give up is the end!”
Wasn't it the same when she was learning the violin? There were so many moments she wanted to quit, but she eventually succeeded.
Choi Jin-ah caught her breath and prepared to run again.
“Yeah, that’s the spirit. Look at them. I-seo and Woo-jin. I-seo is grabbing Woo-jin by the hair and—.”
Min Ju-hee stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly at the two.
The moment she saw Choi I-seo grab Kim Woo-jin, trip him, and start pummeling him—
“…….”
“……I don't feel like exercising anymore.”
The passion for exercise that had been burning in Choi Jin-ah just a moment ago died instantly.