An Outing, and a Visit

"Ahh... that was a good sleep."

Seong-min woke, still sitting up, and stretched lightly, working the stiffness out of his upper body. A glance at the time told him it was already past ten. It was the weekend, and with no courier unloading shift today, he had slept the sweet, deep sleep of a man with nowhere to be.

The Physicality stat really does make a difference once it hits thirty. Waking up feels cleaner somehow—more refreshed.

Whenever he raised a stat, Seong-min paid close attention to what changed in his body. That awareness mattered. Understanding how the Status Window reshaped him let him plan his next moves with purpose. From pushing Physicality higher, he had drawn three clear conclusions.

First was the straightforward one: it boosted cardiorespiratory endurance and raised his baseline stamina. That much he had expected just from looking at the name of the stat.

Second was the recovery effect—deeper sleep that actually wiped fatigue away. Compared to before, he simply felt less worn out after a night's rest.

Third was muscular endurance. It wasn't only general fitness. The stat slowed the buildup of lactic acid, delayed muscle fatigue, and raised the staying power of his muscles themselves. Even when his strength started to flag, it held longer than it used to.

In short, Physicality improved endurance and recovery across the whole body. That was why he could handle workouts and brutal labor more easily than before. Courier unloading and gombang work demanded grit and mental toughness as much as raw power; without solid foundational stamina, strength alone meant nothing. Knowing that, Seong-min still thought putting points into Physicality from the very beginning had been the right call.

He rose, folded his blanket, and set it aside. After a quick trip to the bathroom to relieve himself and splash water on his face, he opened the door, slipped on his slippers, and stepped out of the rooftop room.

"Good thing Auntie woke me, or I'd still be out cold."

Without her, he might have slept even later.

"Weather's nice."

Another bright, clear day—exactly the kind he liked. He rolled his waist to loosen it, stretched once more, then opened the Status Window. Three points sat unused. He had forgotten to allocate them the night before.

Seong-min distributed them at once.

Level forty. Martial Power at twenty-nine.

One more point and Martial Power hits thirty too.

His plan was simple: push Martial Power to thirty, then keep pouring points into Physicality. Working out hard and grinding through heavy labor made that stat essential—and both of those activities fed his level growth in return.

What I've learned raising Martial Power is that if you want real strength, that's the stat you invest in.

Just as he had predicted, ten points into Martial Power had made him noticeably stronger. The proof was at the gym: weights that had once been a struggle now went up, even if the rep count was still low. After that, every further increase showed—on Thursday he had managed more reps than on Wednesday.

And it wasn't only raw power. In the shower, studying himself in the mirror, he had watched fat seem to melt off while the muscle underneath grew sharper and more defined.

Martial Power reshapes the body—muscle, fat, overall build.

If he wanted that classic six-pack, chocolate-bar physique people talked about, Martial Power was the path, not Appearance. That was what careful observation had taught him.

So does Appearance change the face, then?

He hadn't tested it yet, so he couldn't be sure. What he did know was that for reshaping the body itself, Martial Power was the one that delivered—burning fat, carving clearer muscle, building a better frame. That was the conclusion ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a man who watched every point carefully.

"Seong-min~ What are you doing up there? Aren't you coming down?"

Auntie's voice rose from the stairs as she came looking for him again.

"Ah—sorry. I got lost in thought for a second."

He cut the musing short and went downstairs with Hye-suk.

"Looks like a real spread."

Stepping inside and heading for the kitchen table, he found a full breakfast laid out—fried eggs and an array of side dishes, all looking delicious. The soup was a clear bean-sprout broth, and he knew she had made it specifically for his hangover. Bean-sprout soup was rich in asparagine, good for clearing the aftermath of drinking.

"The table was already set and you still hadn't come down, so I went back up to check on you~"

"Haha... just thinking for a bit."

"What were you thinking about so hard?"

"Work, and a bunch of other things..."

"Well~ You're at the age for plenty of worries and plenty of thoughts~"

Seong-min lifted his spoon and carefully tasted the clear bean-sprout soup. The broth was neither salty nor heavy—clean and light, easy on the stomach.

"Ahh~ This is good. Feels like the hangover's already lifting."

"Hohoho~ One spoonful and the hangover's gone? Really?"

"Must mean Auntie's cooking is that effective."

"All right, all right~ Just eat and get your strength back."

The white rice looked freshly cooked, and every side dish was excellent. Hye-suk started eating as well, then watched Seong-min keep smiling and grew curious.

"Something good happen?"

"Of course~ Waking up after drinking and getting a hangover breakfast like this—it feels like I'm being treated like someone important. I like it~"

"You should know I don't put out a spread like this for just anyone~"

"Oh, I know. That's exactly why I can't stop smiling~"

Eating with real pleasure, Seong-min suddenly spoke up as a thought struck him.

"Auntie, do you have any plans today?"

"Today?"

"Yes."

"No, nothing special. But I've got laundry to run... cleaning, housework—there's always something."

"Save that for tomorrow. The weather's perfect and it's the weekend. Want to go out with me?"

"Go out?"

"Yeah~ What do you think?"

"You spring an outing on me out of nowhere and I'm a little flustered. Besides, shouldn't you be going out with friends your own age? Would hanging around with me even be fun?"

"Come on~ Don't say that. We can go out and have a great time together. And honestly, I'd be honored~"

"Honored?"

"Auntie, you're a real beauty. If anything, I'm the one who should be grateful you'd spend time with me."

"Hohoho~ This kid never runs out of lines."

She covered her mouth and laughed demurely, but Seong-min hadn't said it just to please her. Hye-suk truly was a refined beauty—slender face, soft elegant lines. She was forty-seven, yet her looks could easily pass for late thirties. He would never say it to her face, but if she ever worked at one of those establishments that only took mature married women, she would be the kind of beauty who got chosen first among a room full of attractive ones. It wasn't only the refined face. Hidden under her clothes were full, generous breasts, a narrow waist, and a figure that would more than earn first pick. Of course he couldn't tell her any of that—it was only a private comparison.

"What's so good about going out with an ordinary ajumma like me~"

To Seong-min, that sounded like pure humility. If Hye-suk counted as ordinary, then every middle-aged woman in Korea must be a top-tier beauty.

"If anything, the second you let your guard down, half the men out there would be all over you."

"Don't say mean things~"

"I'm not being mean. I'm serious."

"Fine, fine~ Just finish your food."

Even so, his words clearly pleased her—the smile at the corners of her mouth never quite left.

"Ahh~ That hit the spot."

Seong-min sat back, thoroughly satisfied after a solid meal.

"Was it all right?"

"It was delicious~! Auntie's cooking never misses. Hehehe..."

"Well, of course my cooking is good~!"

She put on a little air, and Seong-min looked at her. For a moment their eyes met.

"Hahaha!"

"Hohoho~!"

They both burst out laughing at the same time.

"Wait on the sofa~ I'll bring coffee."

"No way~! I should help. You just treated me to a great meal."

He stood, gathering the dishes he had used.

"Wouldn't you agree, madam?"

"Very well~ Then I'll leave the table to this fine gentleman of the house."

"Leave it to me~ I'll clean it up spotless!"

"Hoho~ Stop playing around and just put them in the sink~"

Trading light jokes, Seong-min helped clear the table, then moved to the living room and sat on the sofa. He flicked on the TV with the remote, flipped channels, and left it on a variety show. Turning his head, he looked out the window. Not a single cloud hung in the sky.

Weather's really perfect.

Ideal for going out. The bright sunshine felt wonderful.

Push Martial Power to thirty, then keep raising Physicality all the way to fifty.

After that, he planned to put a few points into the other stats and test them one by one.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

First thing I should test is Appearance.

Raising Martial Power changed the body's build—shoulders opening up, overall balance improving. That suggested it affected the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skeletal frame as well, though he would need more time to be sure of the full transformation. Wondering if it touched height, he had measured himself right away: still 177 cm, not even a tenth of a centimeter off. So Martial Power did not affect height.

I'll check that once I start putting points into Appearance.

Appearance covered the face, of course, but overall height was part of looks too. Seong-min knew that well, and he intended to watch carefully for any secondary effect on his stature. Raising each stat one by one and studying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the changes it brought was, in its own way, fun.

Hye-suk finished the dishes and came in carrying two cups of coffee.

"Auntie, want to watch this?"

"This?"

He held up his phone and showed her a movie.

"It's a comedy-action that just opened. People say it's worth seeing."

"All right, then. Shall we?"

"Great. I'll book the tickets."

It was nearly eleven. Coffee, getting ready, the usual fuss—booking the one o'clock showing made the most sense.

"Reserved for one o'clock."

He showed her the confirmation.

"Are you really okay going out with me?"

"What's wrong with Auntie? Anyone can see you're a real beauty. Not being okay would be the weird part."

"Seong-min, you're far too good at saying things just to make me feel nice~"

"It's not flattery—it's true. If you said you liked me and wanted to date, I'd say yes on the spot."

"Hohoho~ Don't say strange things~ You should be dating a girl your own age. What's so good about an ajumma like me~"

"Aren't you being way too humble about yourself?"

He meant every word. Hye-suk had the kind of refined beauty you saw in those "friend's mom" fantasies—exactly that type. So when he said it, it wasn't empty praise to make her happy. He genuinely thought she was beautiful.

"That's why it feels strange, honestly."

"Strange how?"

"That a beauty like Auntie is living alone."

"You're right... I find that strange myself sometimes."

She smiled as she said it. They talked about this and that while finishing the coffee, then Seong-min went back up to the rooftop room to get ready. He climbed the stairs, punched in the door-lock code, stepped inside, and headed straight for the bathroom. He washed his hair under the shower, brushed his teeth, and cleaned up. After drying his hair with the dryer, he pulled on jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt—simple, ready to go.

"This should be fine."

He checked himself in the mirror and nodded. Sneakers on, laces straightened, he locked up and went back downstairs. Inside, he slipped off his shoes and sat on the living-room sofa. Auntie was nowhere in sight—probably still in the bedroom.

A moment later the door opened and she appeared. Seong-min couldn't help the sound that left him.

"Shall we go?"

She wore a bright two-piece outfit with a handbag over her shoulder. Coffee-colored stockings completed the look, and the whole effect drew real admiration—her figure, and the way her usual refined air now carried a clear edge of sexiness.

"What are you doing?"

He was still sitting there staring, and Hye-suk looked puzzled.

"Auntie, you're seriously too pretty. Is that even fair?"

"I put a little effort in. Does it look okay?"

"Okay doesn't cover it... I want you for myself."

"Hohoho~ Want all you like, but I'm afraid I can't allow that~"

"I know, I know. Hehehe..."

Grinning shamelessly, Seong-min stood. Hye-suk turned and walked toward the entrance, and the hips hidden under the two-piece skirt, the clean line of her waist, and the coffee-colored stockings below were all intensely sexy. He had always thought she was beautiful, but seeing her dressed up like this drove it home all over again—Auntie Hye-suk was a genuine beauty.