Gym
Gym
University vacations are long.
Even after the trip to Japan, half the break still hadn't passed.
A three-month vacation felt far too long.
Since I had the time,
I wanted to do something a little productive.
Productive didn't necessarily mean making money.
The ad revenue from my Qtube and SNS had already put enough in the bank to last a lifetime,
so there was no particular reason or meaning for me to earn more.
Even if I lived solely as A-ra's trophy husband,
I wouldn't have any trouble getting by.
So, if I had to pick a productive activity outside of earning money,
it would be self-care or cultivating a hobby.
My active hobbies were cooking and collecting cards.
Ever since A-ra bought cards in Japan, I'd joined in that hobby too,
visiting stationery shops and marts to open a booster pack one by one.
But because my hobby was collecting,
I couldn't be satisfied just opening boosters. I'd occasionally buy ones with decent prices and collectible value from the secondhand market
and store them separately.
That was something I could do anytime, vacation or not,
so I passed on that.
So, self-care meant exercise.
Not long ago, I'd gone out early in the morning and jogged briskly inside the apartment complex.
The crisp dawn air, still slightly chilly despite midsummer,
and the slightly eerie atmosphere with the fog had been like a scene straight out of a movie.
At that time, I'd realized for the first time that exercise wasn't such a bad thing after all.
The downsides were having to wake up at dawn
and the window for feeling that particular mood was too limited.
So the conclusion I came to was simply working out at the gym.
But because I'd confessed to sneaking there a while ago,
going alone was no longer possible.
Well, not impossible, but
I didn't feel like going even if it meant lying to A-ra.
On the day I got caught, A-ra told me she'd show me what a rough woman was like,
and the play where she tied me up with cable ties...
It could only be described as shocking.
Being forced did feel good, but
A-ra had gotten so seriously into it that it was a little scary.
Anyway, maybe I should ask A-ra about it.
Since it was a bit awkward to just bring it up,
I bribed her with her favorite iced latte on a tray
and approached her.
"Here, have this."
"Thanks."
A-ra's eyes lit up as she held the mug and sipped.
I used to use sugar, but since it seemed unhealthy,
I'd started using stevia instead.
It was sweet like sugar but not bad for you,
so you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.
"Everything Seong-hwan makes really is delicious."
"Eve...even coffee..."
"Hehe, you're cute when you're embarrassed too."
A-ra, who'd just made a compliment so obvious it was almost embarrassing,
smiled brightly.
Then, she poked my cheek with her finger
and gently stroked it.
Seeing that smile and gesture made my face flush,
but amid the fresh atmosphere, I almost forgot something I shouldn't have.
"Noona, can I go to the gym?"
"The gym? Hmm..."
A-ra began to think deeply.
She wanted my stamina to improve, but she was caught in a strange dilemma
where she worried for no reason.
After mulling it over, she snapped her fingers like Thanos,
nodded, and spoke.
"I'll allow it on the condition that you go with me."
"I figured you'd say that, so I asked."
After my confession, I'd gone to the gym with A-ra following her lead,
but I'd never once pestered her to go myself.
Today was the first time I'd suggested going to the gym.
"The gym on the residential floor is fine, right?"
"Of course. An outside place would feel a bit pressured."
"Good thinking. Then let's change."
A-ra said it was good timing since she was feeling stiff anyway, and headed to the master bedroom.
Seeing her rotate her shoulders to show how stiff she was,
she must have been thinking of me.
***
A while later, we went down to the 5th floor and headed to the gym.
The 5th floor was a combined floor with the gym, bathhouse, golf practice range, and Soo-young Pool,
and once you swiped your ID card at the entrance, you could access all four at once.
It operated as an all-in-one facility with separate entrances to the changing rooms.
We swiped our ID cards and went inside,
heading to the front desk.
There, the front desk noona was always on standby, seated and handling tasks.
I wondered what exactly she did.
As if sensing our presence, she turned around quickly.
I gave a slight bow of greeting,
and the front desk noona smiled back and greeted me.
"Seong-hwan-ssi, it's been a while. You came with A-ra-ssi?"
"Yes, I barely got permission to come."
"It certainly is a slightly burdensome place for a man to come alone."
My having become famous was one reason it was burdensome,
but because it was a gym, there were many noonas who took off their tops and exercised,
so it was quite an uncomfortable place for a man like me.
Once before, I'd seen a noona with her top off,
her chest bouncing as she exercised,
and I'd run outside.
In that way, I chatted with the front desk noona after a long while.
Come to think of it, I'd heard this noona was a university student on a leave of absence, working part-time to pay her tuition.
"Here's your key tag and clothes. And two towels."
I received two towels and brown clothes.
For reference, men are supposed to receive two towels at the front desk and then go in
because no extra towels are provided inside.
One to dry my hair after showering,
and one for drying my body.
I didn't think it was insufficient,
but other men I'd occasionally overhear said it was far too little,
and indignant complaints would come up on the apartment community board demanding towels be stocked inside like the women's side.
They weren't stealing them, but I'd heard one person would use so many that
the laundry volume was over four times that of the women's side.
The facility offered it to residents at an almost free price,
but they were running a serious deficit because of laundry costs, so they'd apparently had no choice but to hand out only two at the front desk.
"Here are A-ra-ssi's key and clothes."
"Thank you. Then, Seong-hwan-a, see you inside."
"Okay."
A-ra and I each entered the changing rooms.
The contrast between the women's changing room, which seemed designed so the inside was almost visible,
and the men's changing room, sealed with a solid door, was enormous.
Every time, I wondered if it even needed to resemble that other world in this way.
I quickly changed clothes, tossed my clothes into the locker,
locked it with the key and strapped it to my ankle, then came out.
Maybe because it was a weekday, the gym had not a single person in it,
and the latest hits played at low volume.
Hey, this was a track from A-ra's last album.
"Hm-hmm... I can't let you go~ only look at me..."
Listening to music that felt like A-ra had composed and written the lyrics just to bind me,
I started to feel like I had to work out hard.
If I slacked off even a little and failed to complete my physique,
A-ra might eat me alive.
No, come to think of it, I'd already been eaten.
Humming a tune, I got on the stationary bike.
Since I wanted to build lower body muscles rather than upper body right now,
I'd mostly been doing only the stationary bike or treadmill lately.
I pedaled vigorously and started breathing quickly.
"Your form's improving and your posture's decent, huh?"
"It's because I've been working hard on the bike."
"Then wouldn't just buying an indoor bike for home do the trick?"
"Ah."
A-ra gave a wry smile.
I hadn't realized there was such a wise method either.
"But isn't it expensive?"
"These days stuff like that doesn't cost much. You could probably get one for a hundred thousand won."
"Hmm... Then I should buy one... Anyway..."
I scanned A-ra from head to toe.
Workout clothes that further emphasized her large chest on her slender body.
It was an outfit I could only describe as
suiting her surprisingly well.
"Okay, I'll go run on the treadmill, so you stay seated and keep biking."
"...Got it. So let go of me now."
No matter how many times I told her not to in public,
she'd cling to me, kiss my cheek, stroke my head, or caress my cheeks,
so I'd simply given up now.
I'd decided to let A-ra do as she pleased.
A-ra started the treadmill right in front, beginning to walk slowly,
then gradually increased the speed.
Maybe because she wasn't wearing a bra, I could clearly see
her chest bouncing even when she was just walking.
"Noona! You came without underwear!?"
"I came with it on, but if you wear it to exercise, it gets damp."
"Then you could have brought a spare."
"Ohh."
Scratching her head, having not thought of that,
A-ra started running again on the treadmill.
It was a relief that there was no one else in the gym besides us.
If there had been other men, I would have grabbed A-ra's wrist immediately and dragged her outside.
The sight of A-ra's chest bouncing
must never be seen by any man except me.
Should I see them, I'd have to strike their head and erase their memory,
or poke their eyes out and make them like 'Arin Stark'.
Unaware of my feelings, A-ra diligently continued running
on the treadmill.