The Beast Awakens
Min-ah, nestled in my arms, flashed a satisfied smile as she spoke.
“You’re usually so gentle, but in moments like this, you turn into a total beast?”
Her fingers gently scratched across my chest, expressing her contentment. In times like these, I felt like I was enough of a man for her, and it made me happy. The sticky discomfort that had clung to one side of my chest since morning slowly melted away under her touch.
“Well, who told you to be this pretty? Even if I just wanted to let you sleep, how could I?”
“Hehehehe. Pervert. Such a pervert.”
Min-ah playfully narrowed her eyes and gave my chest a light smack. I caught her hand and pressed a quick kiss to the back of it.
“Oppa. But was I really that heavy?”
“Huh? Heavy? What are you talking about?”
When I asked back, genuinely confused, she shot me a sharp look and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Earlier… on the sofa. When I got on top…”
“Ahh…?”
I’d only been joking, but it seemed Min-ah hadn’t taken it that way.
“You weren’t heavy at all. Did you forget I carried you to the bed?”
“Nooo… it’s not that… but in a month or two I’ll have to wear a wedding dress…”
Unlike her usual self, Min-ah didn’t finish her sentence. She kept circling around the point, sneaking glances at me. The tips of her fingers, which had been idly tracing my chest, hesitated ever so slightly.
“What about the dress? You’re slim and perfect just the way you are.”
“When I went for the dress fitting, my upper arms and the lines were more exposed than I expected.”
Min-ah tapped my chest lightly with her fingertips, as if to distract herself.
“Maybe I should start working out?”
“Suddenly?”
“It’s not sudden… I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”
“Really? Then should I look into the gym right in front of our house? I’ll sign you up.”
At my suggestion, Min-ah slowly lifted her head and gave it a small shake.
“Actually… the center our team leader goes to is right next to the company. It’s super famous—celebrities go there too.”
The moment the words “team leader” left her mouth, the image of that foreign luxury car from the underground parking lot this morning flashed through my mind, along with Min-ah sitting in the passenger seat. My chest tightened involuntarily, but Min-ah didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“The team leader is a VIP member there, so he said he could get us a big discount through his connections. He mentioned recently that self-care is part of the job for sales staff…”
After chattering on enthusiastically for a while, Min-ah checked my expression and added in a shrinking voice,
“Never mind. I’ll just work out by myself in the neighborhood. It’d be too much trouble to go all the way to the company area…”
If I told her not to go, it would make me look too narrow-minded. She wanted to exercise. And she was doing it to take care of herself before the wedding. It would be strange if I tried to stop her. If I said it was fine, Min-ah would feel relieved. And I’d feel like a decent person too.
“Yeah, yeah. That place would definitely be better than some neighborhood gym.”
“Really? Oppa, you’re seriously okay with it?”
“Of course.”
“Wow! My oppa really is the best! Hehe. It’s too late today, so I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
An excited Min-ah kept planting kisses on my cheek. I clenched my fist tightly against the inexplicable anxiety and forced a smile.
“Oppa! Over here!”
I headed to the gym right on time for Min-ah’s quitting hour. I figured I could use the exercise too. As a freelancer, my body is my asset. I need to take care of it myself. It definitely wasn’t because I was worried someone might hit on her.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here. Let’s go in.”
Min-ah, who had hurried over with quick steps, smiled brightly and linked her arm with mine. We’d seen each other this morning and it was only evening now—could she really be that happy to see me?
“The team leader said he already talked to the gym. When I told him we’d be working out together, he even clapped for us.”
“Oh… really?”
I wasn’t thrilled to hear about that team leader again. And I wasn’t thrilled by the way Min-ah’s face lit up every time she talked about him either.
“Let’s hurry inside. I’m hungry. After we work out, let’s grab dinner before going home, okay?”
“Is it okay to eat after exercising?”
“They said on TV that eating after a workout is still part of the workout.”
She chattered away as we climbed the stairs. When we reached the second floor and pressed the button, the door opened.
“Welcome. Is this your first time here?”
“Ah, yes! We’d like to sign up.”
The reception desk was sleek and clean. Instead of price charts on the walls, there were autographs from famous people. From inside came the clink of weights and the whir of treadmills. The moment we stepped in, it was obvious this wasn’t some ordinary neighborhood gym.
“If you two could fill out these forms and hand them to me.”
A female staff member with her hair neatly tied back handed us each an application form.
“Ugh… do I really have to write down my weight?”
“Um… yes. A lot of women feel embarrassed about it, but we ask for management purposes…”
Watching Min-ah write down her weight with a deflated expression actually lifted my mood a little.
“Min-ah. Isn’t that your weight from three months ago? You should put what you weighed this morning.”
“Ugh… shut up, oppa.”
We were joking around while filling out the forms when the three letters for “Recommender” made me freeze.
…Was I even allowed to write that? I don’t even know the guy…
“Oppa. You have to write the recommender’s name to get the discount. Write it down. Choi Gyeong-rok.”
“You talk about him like you’re singing his name every day. I already know it by heart.”
I was hesitating over three simple letters when Min-ah urged me from the side. In the end, I wrote down the recommender’s name and handed it in. The female staff member’s eyes widened.
“Ah. Are you both acquaintances of Mr. Choi Gyeong-rok?”
“Yes! He’s our team leader.”
When Min-ah answered in a bright voice, the staff member smiled right away.
“I see. We’ve been informed. Please wait a moment. I’ll show you to the consultation room.”
The consultation room the staff member led us to had glass walls that offered a clear view of the weight zone inside. My own reflection in the glass and the silhouettes of men lifting barbells with muscles that looked ready to burst created a strangely stark contrast. My shoulders instinctively hunched a little.
“If you’ll wait here, your dedicated trainer will be right in.”
After the staff member set down two cups of cold green tea and left, Min-ah looked around the consultation room and beyond the glass with open curiosity.
“Wow, oppa. This really is a place celebrities come to. It’s covered in autographs.”
“Yeah. Definitely different from a regular neighborhood gym.”
I answered half-heartedly and took a sip of green tea. The door opened with a heavy set of footsteps. Thinking it must be the trainer, I turned my head—and the green tea sliding down my throat suddenly felt stuck.
“Oh? Team leader? Hello!”
Min-ah jumped up from her seat first and greeted him with a delighted voice.
There stood Choi Gyeong-rok, wearing a navy tight-fitting short-sleeve performance tee and training pants. His broad shoulders and arms that looked like they might rip the shirt filled my entire field of vision.
“You’re here, Min-ah? Ji-eun told me you’d arrived, so I stopped by to say hello.”
Choi Gyeong-rok wore his usual relaxed smile as he naturally stepped into the consultation room. His gaze passed over Min-ah and landed on me.
“Ah… Hello. I’m Kang Min-woo…”
Without realizing it, I stood up awkwardly just like Min-ah and offered a greeting. This man had an aura that overwhelmed other men.
“You’re Min-woo, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. This is our first time meeting in person.”
Choi Gyeong-rok smiled warmly and extended his hand. His large, calloused palm firmly enveloped mine. In the handshake, which carried just the right amount of pressure, I felt a strange sense of display, and my fingertips tingled.
“I hope I didn’t make things difficult for you by suggesting you start exercising, Min-woo.”
“N-no, not at all. Exercise is good. I like working out.”
It was hard to meet his eyes. And it wasn’t just because of the veined forearms.
“I see. If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living?”
“Ah… I’m a video editor. I edit for YouTubers…”
“Oh. That’s great work.”
It wasn’t a mocking tone. If anything, it sounded respectful. But it still made me feel inferior. After all, I was the one lacking in both social status and actual income.
“I know someone a few connections away who does similar work. I’ll introduce you later.”
“Yes. I’d appreciate that.”
Gyeong-rok turned his head to look at Min-ah. I wasn’t the only one who found it hard to meet his eyes. The usual cheerfulness had vanished from Min-ah’s face. When his gaze landed on her, she subtly tightened her grip on my arm and gave an awkward smile.
Was she nervous because he was her boss…? It felt strange seeing her so different from the way she acted at home.
“Did you only come today to register, Min-ah?”
“Ah… no! I’m going to work out a little with oppa before we leave!”
Min-ah answered with her spine perfectly straight. The way she stood at attention—so unlike her usual self—left me staring at her in a daze. The Min-ah who acted endlessly spoiled in front of me was maintaining this oddly tense posture in front of this man, as if every fingertip was under his control.
It felt uncomfortable. Much more than I had expected.
But Min-ah didn’t even glance my way. She simply kept her large, shining eyes fixed on him, waiting only for his lips to part.