Ace
"Hah... hah...!"
Harsh, ragged breathing filled the stairwell. One powerful step after another. Sweat beaded and fell in heavy drops.
The blond-haired young man who had climbed to the third floor turned slowly, shifting the cement bag off his back and handing it over to the man waiting there.
"Alright, alright~ Let's keep at it."
Another older guy coming up behind him passed his load to the man waiting on the third floor and said the same.
This is seriously brutal...!
The young man wiping the sweat from his forehead was none other than Min-hyeok. Following Seong-min's advice, he had come out to the construction site and was now hauling cement bags up the stairs on his back for all he was worth.
At first they had to get everything up to the fifth floor, so they split the work — half the crew carried from the first floor to the third, and the rest took over from the third and finished the climb to the fifth.
"Pretty rough, huh?"
Seong-min, who had somehow already come back down from the fifth floor, asked Min-hyeok as he mopped his brow.
"Dude... this is actually insane."
"That's Gombang Work for you."
"More importantly, are you okay, hyung?"
"About what?"
"You're carrying from the first floor all the way to the fifth by yourself."
It was true. Everyone else worked in relays — first to third, then third to fifth. Seong-min alone was shouldering each bag from the ground floor straight up to the fifth.
"Just working hard."
"Hyung, what kind of organism even are you?"
"What, do I look like an alien?"
Even hauling to the third floor was brutal enough. Seong-min was doing the full five alone. But the truly staggering part came when they went back down together and Seong-min scooped up another cement bag, bracing it with both hands against his back.
Is that for real?
Because the moment the bag settled against him, Seong-min took off as if he were out for a casual stroll — striding forward at a brisk clip and starting up the stairs without missing a beat.
"Whoa... Seong-min, you're something else!"
"Take it easy~ You're gonna collapse at that rate!"
Even the veteran crew members watched in open astonishment as Seong-min powered his way up to the fifth floor with energy to spare.
By the time Seong-min was passing the second floor and hitting the third, Min-hyeok and the other guys were still only just reaching the first or second. The difference in hauling speed was nearly double.
In what felt like an instant he blew past the third, then the fourth, and reached the fifth, where he set the cement bag down on the floor.
"Seong-min, you alright?"
Team Leader Jeong, who had already dropped off his own bag on the fifth floor and was wiping sweat from his brow with a towel, asked with genuine concern.
"Yes, sir. Manageable."
Then he headed straight back down toward the first floor. Kang, coming up the other way, shot a sidelong glance at Seong-min as they passed, then finished his own climb to the fifth and unloaded his bag.
"Boss, did Seong-min bulk up while we weren't looking?"
"Impressive even to you, huh?"
"Impressive doesn't cover it — it's ridiculous. He's flying solo from one to five faster than I can go from three to five."
It went beyond surprise. It was pure shock. This wasn't the first or second time they'd done Gombang Work with Seong-min. After the accident, today was the first time in a while they'd hauled together again — and his stamina and strength were on another level.
"Come to think of it, Seong-min's build looks better than before, doesn't it?"
"Looks like he's been putting on muscle since the accident."
Even so, what he was doing was extraordinary.
Once they had stacked the right number of bags on the fifth floor, they started hauling for the fourth — loading up outside and carrying them in. From this point the outside crew only needed to hand off at the second floor. Seong-min, of course, climbed all the way to the fourth on his own.
"Hoo... hoo-ooh..."
Ragged breathing echoed through the stairwell. Everyone was pouring sweat, grinding through the cement bags. And among them, the one who stood out without even trying was Seong-min.
No matter how good your stamina is, it usually dips a little as the hours wear on. Seong-min showed none of that. He kept the exact same pace, bag after bag.
He's actually insane...
Min-hyeok, getting his first taste of this work today, kept gasping out admiration even as sweat poured off him — watching Seong-min blow past him and charge up the stairs again and again.
How is that even possible? Is hyung's stamina just monster-tier?
It was a sight he could barely believe.
Thanks to Seong-min, they got half the bags onto the fourth floor and even the third a full hour ahead of schedule.
"Thirty-minute break, then we move the rest~!"
At last — the sweet rest they'd been waiting for. After thirty minutes they would finish the remaining half on the third floor, then the second, then clear whatever was still stacked outside onto the first.
At the word "break," everyone gathered outside. From the bags laid out in the rest area they pulled water bottles and sports drinks and drank deep.
"Tough, huh?"
"I'm fine."
"You look like a slacker type, but you were working pretty hard out there."
"Got a knack for Gombang, you think?"
"Here, you drink something too."
"Thank you."
Everyone had kind words for Min-hyeok as he accepted the sports drink and drank. Then, from across the way, they spotted Seong-min coming down to the first floor with the team leader.
"Whoa~!"
"Seong-min!"
"What the hell happened to you?!"
"You been hitting the gym or something since last time~?!"
They all shouted at him, faces lit with excitement. They couldn't help it — the stamina and strength Seong-min had just displayed were straight-up monstrous.
"Hyung, that was seriously incredible!"
Min-hyeok was every bit as fired up as the rest.
"Thirsty, right? Here, drink this~"
Hwang held out another sports drink.
"Thanks, I'll take it."
Seong-min accepted it and drained a long, cold swallow.
"Alright, Seong-min. Spill it. What the hell happened?"
Team Leader Jeong Gi-bok asked the question on everyone's mind the moment he joined the group.
"I've been taking care of my body. Going to the gym, too."
"I knew it...!"
"Figured as much."
"Still — you get this much stronger and fitter in that short a time?"
"I work out hard myself just to keep doing this job, and I still can't touch Seong-min."
"Come on, man. You and Seong-min the same? This kid's clearly..."
"Clearly what?"
Everyone looked over, curious.
"He's got good genes."
"Genes?"
"You know the type. People who put in a little effort and their muscles just take off, body improves way faster than average. Seong-min's one of those."
"Ahh~!"
"Is that actually true?"
With every eye on him, Seong-min gave a wry smile.
"Guess so."
"Man..."
"That's wild!"
"Anyway, looking at the pace we've got going, we should finish an hour and a half to two hours ahead of schedule."
"An hour and a half to two hours..!"
"Isn't that wrapping up way too early, boss?"
"That's all thanks to Seong-min. I'm going to go tell the contractor — you guys rest up."
While Team Leader Jeong stepped away, praise poured over Seong-min all over again.
"Thanks, Seong-min~!"
"Because of you we might knock off a whole hour and a half early..!"
"You can keep hauling at that pace the whole way?!"
They all looked at him, faces full of hope. Seong-min finished his drink and nodded.
"I think so.."
"Ooooh...!"
"You can?! For real?!"
"What a blessing~!"
Gombang Work was brutal. The faster you finished and the sooner you rested, the better. Finish early or finish late — the pay was the same. From the contractor's side, finishing early was even better. Moving slow and dragging it out wasted time; knocking it out fast saved it. So finishing more than an hour ahead was a win for everyone.
Thirty minutes later, they got back to work and started moving the remaining cement bags.
"He wasn't kidding...!"
Just as he'd said, Seong-min kept the exact same pace hauling the rest. They finished the remaining half on the third floor, then the second, then cleared everything down to the first.
They had cut the job short by about an hour and forty minutes.
There was nothing left to do but clap and heap praise on Seong-min all over again.
Team Leader Jeong told the contractor the work was done. Maybe because it had finished even faster than expected, the contractor who came by checked the fifth floor, then the fourth, third, second, and first — and looked genuinely stunned.
After Gombang Work wrapped and they were resting, Team Leader Jeong finished talking with the contractor and called everyone together.
As promised, it was time for the day's wages. The envelopes were thick, each holding the agreed 250,000 won for the job.
"You worked hard too. More diligent and stubborn than I expected."
"I have to give it my all..! Thank you for thinking well of me."
"Nobody's great at this from day one. But I liked your attitude."
Compared to the seasoned veterans, Min-hyeok was clearly short on stamina and overall ability — but even so, Team Leader Jeong and the rest of the crew had taken a liking to him. Min-hyeok had pushed through the hardship and seen his share of the work through to the end. They could see the effort and the gritted-teeth grit in him.
Last of all, Team Leader Jeong held an envelope out to Seong-min.
"Seong-min, I put 300,000 in yours. Special."
"Three hundred?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you today, the work went smoother and finished faster. Everyone okay with giving Seong-min an extra 50,000?"
"Of course~!"
"Seong-min deserves more, no question~!"
"Fifty thousand? I'd throw in another hundred and not feel a thing~!"
"There, you heard them."
"Then I'll gratefully take it."
And so Seong-min alone received 300,000 won for the day instead of 250,000.
"Hyung, the way you worked wasn't just legendary — it was legend..!"
Min-hyeok said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Just like that, Gombang Work ended well ahead of schedule.
"When you get home, slap on some pain patches and rest."
After saying goodbye to everyone and parting ways, only Seong-min and Min-hyeok were left.
"Whoa... hyung, now that I've actually done Gombang Work, it's no joke."
"Tougher than you thought, right?"
"I'm saying this as pure fact.. if I'd started with this instead of parcel loading, I don't think I could've made it."
The intensity was the kind where bolting halfway through wouldn't have left anyone with much to say.
"That's why everyone was praising you. Next time there's work, they'll slot you in — so be grateful."
"Yes, of course... haha.."
Min-hyeok laughed awkwardly. That was how hard Gombang Work had been. But he had no intention of quitting. The harder it was, the more solid the day's pay — and today he'd earned 250,000 won. More than that, though he didn't say it out loud, he didn't want to show Seong-min a disappointing side of himself.
They walked together as far as the nearby bus stop and then split up. They were catching different buses.
Riding home, Seong-min smiled to himself.
Stats going up really does make the work easier.
The stamina and strength that had left everyone stunned and amazed today were purely thanks to raising his stats. So if he kept leveling up and pushing those numbers higher, he'd be able to show an even faster tempo than this.
300,000 won. Not a bad haul.
Almost as much as two days of parcel loading. In high spirits, Seong-min headed home.
"Noona~ I'm back!"
Min-hyeok pushed open the front door and called out as he stepped inside. A-reum opened her bedroom door and came out onto the living-room floor.
"Whew... I'm dead."
Min-hyeok dropped onto the floor with a long sigh.
"Min-hyeok... was it hard..?"
"You mean today's work?"
"..Yeah..."
"Don't even get me started, noona. It's a whole different animal from parcel loading. How brutal it is... I'm telling you, if I'd bailed halfway through, nobody could've blamed me."
Fanning his shirt with one hand, Min-hyeok rummaged in his pocket and pulled something out.
"Ta-da~"
He held up the envelope.
"This is what I earned working my ass off today.. Noona, you know how much this is?"
A-reum shook her head.
"A full 250,000 won. Parcel loading paid 170,000, but one day of Gombang Work and I walked away with 250,000. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yeah.. Min-hyeok.. you're amazing..."
"Hehehe..."
At A-reum's praise, Min-hyeok grinned like a mischievous kid.
"Noona, did you eat lunch?"
A-reum nodded.
"Then I guess I'll just eat by myself."
"Noona will make it for you... Min-hyeok, go wash up.."
"Really?"
A-reum nodded again.
"Alright~ Then I'll shower and come out. I'm all sticky from sweating so much. And also... I saw something incredible today~!"
A-reum blinked at him.
"You're curious too, right, noona?"
A-reum nodded, looking curious.
"Then... I'll tell you while I eat after my bath. Oh, and one more thing — that amazing thing I saw? It's about Seong-min hyung~!"
A-reum's lips parted slightly.
"Hehe... Noona, it's about Seong-min hyung, so you're even more curious now, huh?"
A-reum didn't nod. Instead, a faint flush rose in her cheeks.
"Look forward to it, noona~ I'll tell you while I eat."
Min-hyeok kicked off his shoes, stepped up onto the floor, opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank. Then he went into his room, grabbed a change of underwear, clothes, and a towel, came back out, and disappeared into the bathroom.
While Min-hyeok washed, A-reum went into her room, unfolded the small table, and set it out. Then she laid out side dishes for him, a steaming bowl of rice, and a portion of kimchi stew — a full meal.
A-reum sat with her legs neatly together and gazed quietly toward the bathroom beyond the doorway, where Min-hyeok was showering.
Her cheeks were still faintly pink.
And in her eyes, something like anticipation.