Gym Humiliation and Ganghwa Puppy Plans

"I can do it too, right? ... Fuck, I'm not a patient."

In the end, I got handed off to a trainer with the title of "rehab specialist." He took my body composition results, glanced at me once, and his expression shifted to that same pitiful look the guiding female trainer and gym owner had given me. Yeah, go ahead and laugh it up. It was already too far gone to clear up the misunderstanding. Even if I said now, "It's just that my stamina sucks," they'd probably just look at me with even more sympathy.

They could only stare like that for now. No matter how much of a jelly body I had, I'd prove I wasn't that bad.

"Alright, Member Areum. We'll start today with some light bodyweight exercises to wake up your muscles. No straining yourself, got it?"

The trainer said it in such a gentle voice, like he was talking to a baby just learning to walk. It grated on me hard... but Heh, just you wait. I nodded without a word.

But apparently, my demeanor looked different to him.

"No need to be so tense. It must be hard to move your body freely, so we're not jumping into tough stuff right away."

... Fuck. That's not it.

"First up, some stretching and flexibility work. Before the real exercises, it's like sending a signal to your muscles: 'Hey, we're about to move, so get ready.'"

Hmm, stretching. Important stuff. After this body change, there were a few surprising things, and one was my flexibility—or lack thereof. It was insanely bad, even compared to when I was a guy.

"Guh... guhuh...!"

"Bend a little more!"

"Gaaah...!"

Yeah. My flexibility was shockingly nonexistent. Hell, I could probably bend a broken tree branch more than this. No gut fat or anything—why the hell wouldn't my body fold forward?!

"Good job. It's tough at first, but stick with it consistently, and it'll definitely improve."

"Huff... huff... R-really? Think I can do it?"

I'd heard flexibility was mostly innate, but could effort make a difference?

"...Of course! As long as you don't give up, you will do it! I'll make sure of that!"

The trainer answered refreshingly. So, one day I'd be able to stretch my legs out and grab my own feet? ...Hmm, but was that a touched expression on the trainer's face? Nah, must be my imagination.

"Next, let's try a few simple bodyweight squats. Just like this—slowly lower yourself, then slowly stand back up."

Hmm, that much? Easy. I confidently bent my knees. But regardless of my will, my legs started trembling. My upper body pitched forward, ass sticking way out in a ridiculous pose.

"Try lifting your upper body a bit more and straighten that back!"

Ugh. That's what I'm trying to do...! I screamed internally. His demo was rock-solid stable, but my body just hilariously crumpled and unfolded over and over.

Finally, he called over a female trainer, who grabbed and stabilized my shoulders and hips from behind. Only then could I manage a few decent-form squats.

"Huff... huff..."

My breath came out ragged on its own. I'd felt out of shape, but not this bad. How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the hell had I been camping all this time...?

"That's enough for today. You did amazing for your first day! For a cooldown, just walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes. Absolutely no running—just walking."

"Ah, yeah... Thanks for your hard work..."

"You worked really hard too, member!"

The trainer beamed at me like I was such a good kid. It was humiliating, but with him so thrilled, I couldn't complain.

I got on the treadmill as instructed and started walking slowly. One thing I'd overlooked: 10 minutes of walking should've been nothing normally. But dragging my shaky legs made it way harder than expected.

No running? Don't worry—I might not even survive the walking. For "light rehab exercise," by the end I collapsed flat on the gym floor.

My whole body was soaked in sweat, gasping for air. It must've looked pathetic because the original guiding female trainer handed me a glass of water.

"You did great today! Not giving up was so cool. Oh, and heads up—you'll have some serious soreness tomorrow, so don't freak out. Definitely stretch. We'll see you three times a week, right?"

Her smile saying "three times a week" looked downright demonic.

Back home, I showered and crashed straight onto the bed. Maximus stared up from the floor, begging for cuddles, but right now even his few hundred grams felt too heavy to lift.

...But I couldn't just leave him alone. I dragged myself down to the floor. This limp, drooping sensation all over—classic pre-soreness, huh?

Then the trainer's voice echoed in my head: 'Three times a week for sure...'

A sigh escaped me. But memories of the humiliating "patient" treatment and those disastrous body comp results flooded back. Yeah, no way I could quit from embarrassment. I'd escape this human jelly state by next year, no matter what. Not buff, but at least average...!

I stoked my resolve while petting Maximus. But it didn't last. Suddenly, I remembered I hadn't planned this week's camping yet.

"...Where to this time?"

Camping was my hobby, but also my job—content creation. Miss a week, and views drop. Weekly camps were non-negotiable.

Sighing, I hauled my leaden body up, ignoring the screaming muscles, and zombie-shuffled to the computer.

I pulled up the map and scanned nearby spots. Hmm, Gapyeong's too frequent... Namyangju, Uijeongbu, Paju... Too basic. Anywhere good?

My mouse slipped, and the map zoomed left.

"Hm? Ganghwa Island?"

Ganghwa Island... Not bad? Coastal roads, seafood markets... Oh yeah, they had extreme sports spots: ATVs, karts, luge, ziplines. Leave in the morning, do activities all day, hit the market for food, then camp... Perfect.

I was smug about the plan when a white fluffball wagged at my feet, looking up. Ah, Maximus... What to do?

I'd planned to bring him camping, but searches said even walks were best from 3-4 months. At just 2 months, camping was too much. Too young for outdoors, especially winter cold. Glamping with heaters might barely work, but that's not my style.

Couldn't leave him home alone either. Pet sitter? Dog hotel? But I didn't want to dump our new baby with strangers.

Finally, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one person came to mind. Not a stranger, and someone who'd adore Maximus.

I pulled out my smartphone and dialed.

Ring ring.

The call ended; I set the phone back on the desk. Glad Im Nana said yes. Hmm, but I couldn't keep dumping him on her every camping trip... What now?