Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Workout
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"Ha, hahaha...!"
"......"
"Ugh... I'm a pig... I turned into a pig...!"
Chae-yeon let out an awkward laugh, Mi-jin turned her face bright red with embarrassment and clamped her mouth shut while furtively averting her eyes, and finally, Eun-bi was busy blaming herself. The three of them were now standing in front of me, single file.
"I knew it."
"If you knew, you should've told us ahead of time! Wallet!"
Chae-yeon shamelessly shouted.
"Even if I'd told you not to eat beforehand, knowing it was coming, you wouldn't have listened anyway, right?"
"No! I probably wouldn't have! Hehe. Sorry!"
"Jeez......"
Her head shook without a moment's hesitation, making me sigh deeply.
"Oh! Unnie! That must be Heera unnie, right?"
Chae-yeon, who had been giggling, spotted Heera noona preparing for a proper workout with her usual stretches and scampered over.
"Uh, y-yeah."
"It's been a while! You've lost so much weight since then! You look even prettier somehow!"
"Th-thanks......"
Noona grinned broadly, looking a bit burdened by Chae-yeon's nonstop compliments but clearly pleased.
"And starting today, I'm gonna work out with you too, unnie, so take good care of me!"
"Work out...?"
"Yep! Working out!"
"Wh-why...?"
"Ugh. Wallet keeps feeding me stuff, so I ended up gaining weight."
Th-that...! She's pinning the blame on me!
"What're you talking about? I just bought what you asked for."
"That's the problem! Wallet! How can you buy everything just because I ask?!"
"Yeah, yeah. You're right. That's why I gained weight too."
Seeing Chae-yeon dismiss it all as my fault with that ridiculous nonsense, and Mi-jin nodding along with her eyes gently closed, made my head spin.
At least Eun-bi had some conscience, glancing back and forth between me and the other two, fidgeting uncomfortably.
Well, what did they expect, devouring every single thing I bought them just because I did?
"Hehe. Just kidding, Wallet. You're not mad, right?"
"I know. It's a joke. Since it's a joke, let's just get to working out."
"Yes, sir!"
Chae-yeon's face lit up with a bright smile, apparently convinced that Na-young's workout routine talk last time had been a lie.
Well, with Heera noona—who looked like she'd collapse from exhaustion any second—somehow sticking to that routine this far, it was natural to underestimate it.
Actually, that was the reasonable assumption.
But Heera noona was already backed into a corner, with a whopping 100 million won on the line, gritting her teeth and pushing through. No half-hearted resolve could make that possible.
For example, with a lightweight mindset like thinking you could easily shed the weight you'd gained by pigging out on a sucker like me—especially alongside a friend who never gains no matter how much she eats.
No matter how much I explained or told them to brace themselves now, they wouldn't fully believe it.
They had to experience it firsthand. Then they'd surely start respecting Heera noona.
"Just follow me. Got it?"
"Yes! Teacher!"
"Yeah, yeah. Teacher."
"Got it!"
To my eyes, all three still had slim figures, but apparently they thought they'd ballooned up bad—their gazes toward Na-young were intense.
Already calling her "teacher" and viewing her as the savior who'd rid them of this loathsome flab.
"Before we start, we're gonna warm up lightly. Don't slack off, or you could get seriously hurt."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Got it!"
"One, two, three, four."
I started warming up slowly in front of them.
Their movements were awkward, but their effort to mimic me as best they could was admirable.
For now, at least.
"First exercise is......"
Once the warm-up ended, the real workout began.
"Huff... haa...! N-Na-young... I-I'm dying... This is too hard...!"
Chae-yeon's face, which had been blooming with smiles, was now etched with exhaustion.
Sweat beaded across her fair skin, and her parted lips had no time to close as she panted raggedly.
Mi-jin beside her was in the same boat.
Even without trying to hide it, she looked utterly spent.
But Eun-bi was keeping up better than expected.
Like she was used to it.
"Hmm... Eun-bi's managing okay, but you two are in bad shape."
"Ugh...!"
"......"
Chae-yeon took a huge hit from not measuring up to Eun-bi.
Mi-jin, well, didn't seem to care that she was doing the worst—she just caught her breath.
"N-Na-young... Can we take a little break?"
"Already? I went easy, but if you're tapped out this quick and want to rest... that's kinda problematic."
"Eek?!"
Chae-yeon couldn't believe this was "easy."
The workout routine Na-young had mentioned at the café last time was real after all. Quite the shock.
And seeing Heera noona—whose weight had to be at least double hers—still steadily doing her own routine despite slightly labored breaths made Chae-yeon pout.
Still.
"Just a tiny break... okay?"
"Yeah... okay. Short break, then back to it."
"Yay!"
It was their first time, so Na-young nodded reluctantly, and Chae-yeon promptly collapsed onto the bench like she'd been waiting for it.
"Mi-jin, come rest toooo......"
She called out to Mi-jin in a voice drained of all strength.
Judging that she couldn't go on either, Mi-jin plopped down right next to her.
"Wallet... If you knew it'd be this tough, you should've warned us......"
This selfish girl, blaming me again.
"It's just you—you two—who are the problem. What do you expect if you're dying from this much?"
"Ugh. Wallet's mean. You should comfort me right now. Then I'd be as head-over-heels for you as Na-young, unable to escape. Right, Mi-jin?"
"Yeah... You really don't get women's hearts. You just blew a golden chance to snag two more girls."
"Hehe. Yeah, yeah."
Just stop talking.
The more they chatted, the more my head throbbed.
I turned my gaze to Heera noona and Eun-bi, who were still working out with Na-young, and did some stretches of my own.
I didn't need cardio for dieting—I was after strength training, and there weren't many options here for that.
Maybe some barbells and plates, or a pull-up bar?
All they had were light machines for seniors who'd never really exercised and lived busy lives.
So I usually did home workouts with the equipment I'd bought.
But I'd wrapped up everything urgent, and with nothing pressing outside, I dropped to the floor for some push-ups.
"Hup. Hup. Hup."
I breezed past 10, then 20, 30 in a flash.
"Haa."
After hitting 40, I could've kept going, but workouts are about consistency, not overdoing it, so I took a break.
"Whoa, Wallet. I see you in a new light!"
"Yeah... Cool."
For some reason, Chae-yeon and Mi-jin's cheeks flushed even redder than before.
"You think so...? Ahem."
The praise tugged my lips into a grin up to my ears.
Should I do a few more?
"Ah...! Wallet! Why don't you teach us your workout instead?"
"Me?"
"Yeah! Na-young looks busy watching Eun-bi unnie and Heera unnie!"
Sure enough, Na-young was fully occupied coaching the two.
I didn't have much else to do anyway, so no reason to refuse.
But first, might as well finish strong—100 push-ups total.
I cranked out 60 more, then led the two to the machines.
These machines wouldn't help much with fat loss, but for them right now, it was better to make it fun and spark interest than drill them relentlessly.
Exercise is like that.
The truly effective stuff is rarely fun, and even when it works, the results are subtle. These machines, though? Surprisingly entertaining.
"I know this one! Waist twister, right?!"
"Probably."
"'Probably'? Trainer! How can you be a trainer if you don't even know this?!"
Trainer now, huh?
"Chae-yeon, you first. Hop on."
"Aye, aye, sir!"
Chae-yeon stepped onto the plate.
"Like this. This right?"
She grabbed the handles and twisted her waist wildly with her legs.
"Yeah. But twist more."
"Like this...?"
"More."
"Ugh. T-too much, now what?"
She hit her clear limit and shook her head.
"Keep twisting."
Her body and mind instinctively rebelled, thinking it wouldn't turn, but force it, and it would.
"Hng... Oh...! Trainer! What're you touching?"
I placed my hands on her waist, and Chae-yeon scolded me in a sweet voice.
"Twisting it."
"Huh?"
If she thought I'd play along with the joke, she was wrong.
"Hnnngh!"
I gripped her waist and twisted sideways.
One leg buckled from the pain.
A moan of agony burst from her lips as her whole body trembled faintly.
"Haa... haa... I-it hurts...!"
"Your flexibility sucks."
"Hing... Trainer's meeean."
Tears actually welled up in her eyes—it must've really hurt.
Sorry as I felt...
"Other side."
"Eek! Tr-Trainer! I'm dying! I'm seriously gonna die! Hey, hey! Ji-hoon! Hnyaagyaa!"
Only after I'd wrenched both sides did Chae-yeon finally get to step down.
"......!"
The moment she did, I grabbed Mi-jin's shoulder as she sneaked a glance and tried to bolt.
Her body jolted, sweat pouring out.
"Get on."
Her pupils shook wildly, unable to stay still.
"Mi-jin... I can't be the only one......"
Chae-yeon leaned against a tree, clutching her waist seductively, a smile playing on her lips.
"G-gently... please."
A moment later.
"Hrngh!"
In the end, Mi-jin got her waist deliciously wrenched too.