Hot Enough to Scorch the Roof of My Skull
“What the hell..?”
Bae Yujin had only stepped outside the lodging after hearing we were going out for dinner, and she was already on the verge of fainting from sheer shock at the utterly impossible situation unfolding before her.
It made sense that the staff from Neo Gym might be here. They’d known our vacation schedules overlapped. Fine. If I bent over backward and gave them that much, it also made sense that they’d run into me, since I was the one who’d asked about the lodging in the first place.
But—
“T-the owner..?”
The manager from Neo Gym introduced Doyun as the owner.
Was that even right?
They always said reality could outdo drama, but this was too much. Even if this happened in a drama, viewers would tear it apart for being absurdly contrived.
The guy she’d thought was nothing more than her PT client was actually the new owner of a nearby gym.
How was she supposed to process that?
Not just me, either—the rest of the gym staff were all stunned. They hadn’t exactly been strangers to Doyun.
Even the owner looked shaken.
Leaving aside our shock, the manager from Uto Gym kept talking as if nothing had happened.
“By the way, where are you headed?”
“Ahem. We’re going out to eat.”
“Ah, I see. We’re heading to a popular Michelin place here on Jeju Island too. Where are you going?”
“...Do I really have to tell you where I’m going to eat?”
“I was so happy to see you that I must have asked about even the smallest things.”
The owner’s irritation was obvious.
Yeah, he was definitely wounded in pride. Michelin, my ass. He probably wasn’t taking them to a proper restaurant at all—more like some old man’s comfort-food joint.
And on top of that, they’d be splitting the bill.
The staff who’d been eavesdropping on the conversation muttered their complaints in low voices.
“We even have to split the taxi fare, but they’re saying the owner’s paying for everything over there..”
“I’m so jealous. Michelin, my ass. We’re probably just going to a restaurant that matches the owner’s tastes.”
“Seriously, I hope Uto Gym comes back to life and ruins their owner.”
“If that happens, I’d quit without even looking back.”
Honestly, I understood their resentment. I felt something similar myself.
My mood was already lousy, and being compared to Uto Gym only made it worse.
“Well then, you should be on your way. I’m sure we’re both busy with our schedules.”
“Indeed. Michelin restaurants care about reservation times, after all. Then I’ll be going first.”
As the Uto Gym manager walked away, our eyes followed him.
Out of envy.
And then—
“Shit, what is that? Don’t tell me they’re taking those cars?”
“No way. They rented all of them..?”
“Whoa, those were the cars the Uto Gym staff were riding in?”
“Their welfare is insane. Damn.. should I start looking for a transfer?”
Where the Uto Gym staff were headed, a row of sports cars was lined up side by side.
Two people per car.
And before they set off, they even popped the tops open, as if to show them off on purpose.
But the absolute best of them all was—
“Wow.. that guy must have insane money.”
“That car doesn’t even have a rental plate.”
“A Ferrari, holy crap..”
“That guy’s on bad terms with our owner, right? So maybe he did it on purpose earlier...”
It was the red sports car Doyun climbed into.
A Ferrari.
A supercar famous enough that even I’d heard of it.
Just as I stood there dazed, a KakaoTalk message arrived.
***
We arrived at the restaurant.
I hadn’t been the only one pleased by what had happened earlier.
The manager and every single staff member were grinning from ear to ear.
And not just because of the lodging, the rental cars, or the Michelin restaurant, either.
It was a different kind of smile entirely.
We sat down in the reserved private room, and the staff immediately began thanking me.
“Thank you, Boss. Thanks to you, I feel like all the grime I’ve carried around for years has finally been scrubbed clean!”
“I admire you! When we get back to Seoul, I’ll work my heart out for the gym!”
“Thanks to you, Boss, I’m getting to experience something truly special! It’s enough to make me want to call you hyung, no matter our ages!”
“What do you mean hyung, that’s way too rude.. Can I call you Master instead?”
I answered with laughter instead of words.
Truthfully, I was practically drunk on happiness too. Earlier, when that tasteless trainer and the owner from Neo Gym had been twisting their faces like they’d bitten into shit, I’d been so delighted I almost handed out bonuses on the spot.
Once the food came out, everyone enjoyed it with satisfied smiles on their faces.
Then a question came from across the table.
“Boss! I have a question!”
“Go ahead.”
“Earlier, you seemed to know the people from Neo Gym. May I ask why?”
“I already told the manager, but... I actually have some business with Trainer Bae Yujin...”
They all seemed like they knew one another, so I used her name casually. They nodded and reacted with surprise, as if to say, So that’s what happened.
Then another one chimed in.
“Come to think of it... Trainer Bae Yujin really is gorgeous.”
“I hope she ends up getting together with our owner.”
“Those bastards were definitely jealous of our owner. He’s so impressive they were afraid Trainer Bae Yujin would be swept off her feet.”
“He’s handsome enough to begin with.”
It seemed like everyone had gone blind all at once.
Even I had trouble believing that one.
To be blunt, I wasn’t exactly handsome.
Especially compared to the buff trainers at the gym.
“After dinner, I think everyone can spend the evening however they like. Those who want to do something together can join in.”
“May I ask what the schedule is?”
“We’ll be taking a large yacht out to look at the night sea, and whoever wants to fish can fish, while whoever wants to drink can drink.”
“I-I absolutely want to join!”
“We’ve prepared two yachts, so don’t worry about space. Each one’s big enough to hold more than fifteen people.”
After we finished eating, I checked the list of people joining the evening plan.
Not a single person dropped out this time either.
I wanted my sister to come too, if possible, but she still hadn’t replied.
And then—
“Um... Boss...”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you something carefully?”
“Like I said earlier, just speak comfortably.”
“One of my friends happens to work at Neo Gym, and I was wondering if it’d be okay for him to join tonight’s schedule... I got so excited earlier that I bragged about it, and now he’s begging me to ask just once because he wants to come too...”
One of the staff asked the question cautiously.
Looking around, it didn’t seem like he was the only one who’d been asked.
Which was even better for me.
I could throw cold water on those two tasteless Neo Gym bastards.
The moment they came tonight, they’d be forced to watch the rest of the schedule from the sidelines while the resentment in their guts festered even deeper.
“Go ahead and tell them they can come. Anyone else who wants to join can come too. I’ll need to have a proper talk with the owner, of course, but we’re basically neighboring gyms anyway.”
“R-really? Is that okay?”
“Of course. Honestly, it felt like we had a few too many chefs compared to the number of people in our gym, so this works out perfectly. Let’s enjoy the yacht party properly.”
“T-thank you!”
As they enjoyed themselves at the yacht party, the same thing might happen again tomorrow too.
I sincerely hoped this vacation would become the worst one imaginable for those tasteless bastards.
Even if it didn’t, that was fine.
Once we went back and time passed, their days would only get worse anyway.
***
After confirming that the Uto Gym staff had left for the Michelin restaurant, the Neo Gym staff had no choice but to watch their seething owner’s every expression.
He was the kind of man whose attitude changed depending on his mood.
“Honestly, the reason this gym doesn’t run properly is because I spend money this way. You people really have no sense at all. What are you all standing around for? Call a taxi!”
“Y-yes!”
“I’ve been able to make good use of money in the right places, and that’s why all of you have been able to get PT clients and earn so much!”
“...”
What an annoying bastard.
They got into taxis and headed for the place he’d mentioned.
At this point, it didn’t even surprise them that they were expected to pay the full fare themselves.
Maybe they’d already abandoned even the tiniest shred of hope.
They arrived at the restaurant.
As expected, it was the kind of place old men ate at—spicy fish stew and all that.
“All right, everyone order whatever alcohol you want. I’ll pay for the drinks.”
“...”
“We’ll have a fire pit out here tonight, and anyone who wants to can do some night fishing too, so let’s enjoy ourselves properly. I’m going to show those bastards exactly what real fun looks like.”
“...Yes, sir.”
After dinner, they drank a little just to fit the mood.
None of them wanted to get drunk here, either.
Then—
“Hey, hey. Let’s somehow skip the evening plan.”
“Why?”
“You know I’ve got a friend at Uto Gym, right? They rented a yacht for a dinner cruise tonight... I told him to let me in. He said anyone who wants to come can come.”
“...Seriously?”
One of them brought back news from Uto Gym.
After hearing it, everyone’s hearts began to flutter with excitement.
The image of the Uto Gym staff leaving in sports cars flashed back into their minds.
What if they were supposed to be enjoying that too?
One by one, people started gathering.
And by the time evening finally arrived—
“What the hell? Where did everybody go!?”
“W-well... they all said they were sick and that it would be hard for them to attend.”
“What, did all of them take something together or something..?”
Only two people showed up for the schedule.
And those two were the people who were on especially bad terms with the owner because they’d grown friendly with the trainers.
They hadn’t even passed the word along.
Bae Yujin, the trainer the owner had wanted so badly, wasn’t there either.
The heat surged all the way to the top of his head.