Chapter 36: And Spring (3)
Chapter 36: And Spring (3)
A gym at six in the morning.
This was the time usually frequented by office workers squeezing in a workout before heading to the office.
Among them was a man visiting for the first time today.
His name was Jung Hyun-woo.
He was a twenty-five-year-old rookie actor.
As expected, morning is the best time for a workout.
He was a newcomer who had only managed to snag a supporting role in a cable drama once. However, he was the type of actor who lived every moment thinking someone might recognize him.
That was Jung Hyun-woo.
In any case, maintaining one's physique was essential for an actor. A "muscular body" had practically become a basic requirement for male actors these days.
"Wow, the equipment here is really clean."
He knew the place had been open for a while, but it was exceptionally well-maintained. He had chosen this gym simply because it was close to home, but it was much cleaner and more to his liking than expected.
"Huh?"
As he walked along, inspecting the machines one by one, something caught his eye.
It was a woman with long black hair tied high in a ponytail.
Or rather, perhaps she should be called a girl.
She looked to be in her late teens.
Whoa.
The man was startled twice upon seeing her.
Once by her jaw-dropping beauty.
And again by the weight of the barbell and plates sitting in front of her.
Wait, what?
She had a beautiful face with elegant eyes and a calm expression, paired with a slender, delicate frame.
Jung Hyun-woo was an actor, after all. While filming his cable drama, he had met several actors and idols who were considered quite pretty.
Yet, the girl before him possessed looks that could easily overshadow them all.
Because of that, the barbell in front of her stood out even more. It was a weight that a girl like her shouldn't have been able to lift at all.
That looks like... roughly 200kg?
People might half-boast on the internet, saying, "I pull two hundred on deadlifts," but that weight is no joke. Even those who work out quite a bit can't hit two hundred easily. Deadlifting two hundred is something only those for whom exercise is a daily ritual—those who have truly fallen in love with chasing heavy weights—can even attempt.
Surely not.
The man intended to just walk past. He didn't think for a second that the weight at the girl's feet belonged to her.
However, the moment the girl's hands gripped the bar, the man moved reflexively.
He moved to tell her to stop because it was dangerous.
"Is this your first time here?"
But his intervention was thwarted as someone grabbed his shoulder.
"Pardon?"
"No, it just looked like you were about to stop her out of surprise."
At first, Jung Hyun-woo wondered, Is this someone who recognizes me? But he quickly felt intimidated by the man's words. First of all, the man was a giant, easily over 190cm tall, and he was a natural-born gym rat armed with muscles from head to toe.
"Ah, well, shouldn't she be stopped?"
"Hmm, well, normally, yes. I felt the same way at first."
The man said this and gestured toward the girl.
Then, the girl gripping the barbell took a slow breath and began her deadlift.
"…!"
The moment he thought she was applying force—up.
Clank.
And then she set the barbell down smoothly. Usually, when people lift like that, they drop the bar to avoid injury. But the girl set the barbell down gently.
"Her strength is unreal."
"…What? How…?"
"I couldn't tell you how. She's just like that."
The man was someone who had watched Seo-yeon ever since she first came here. He was Bang Yong-sik, the trainer at this gym who looked after Seo-yeon's workouts.
He narrowed his eyes at Jung Hyun-woo, who continued to stare at Seo-yeon in silence.
"But still, aren't you staring a bit too much?"
"Huh? Oh, n-no! It's not like I have any weird intentions."
It was true that he was initially shocked by the deadlift. It was also natural that he was stunned by her beauty. But there was another reason Jung Hyun-woo kept looking at the girl.
"It's just… I feel like I've seen her somewhere before…"
Jung Hyun-woo muttered and looked at the girl again.
Long black hair, a strangely sharp impression. He was certain he was seeing her for the first time, yet he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Where have I seen her?
"Ah, that's possible. I don't know the details… but I heard she did some child acting back in the day."
"Child acting?"
Hearing that she was a child actor made him feel a surge of familiarity. He was an actor himself, even if he was just a rookie.
With looks like that, she's definitely perfect for acting.
If that were the case, he thought it might be nice to help her out a bit. If a girl like that became his junior, every day would be a joy.
He decided he should come to the gym every day from now on. Jung Hyun-woo smiled to himself at the thought.
*
Huff, huff.
Seo-yeon runs.
The distance from the gym to the high school is a full 3km. It's a distance that could be considered quite far if one doesn't take the bus, but Seo-yeon ran this distance every day.
After all, she could cover it in under ten minutes even if she just jogged.
Ding-dong!
"Welcome."
The convenience store clerk froze upon seeing the girl enter as the bell chimed.
She's here!
A female student who stopped by every day at this time. She had long, straight black hair and light brownish eyes.
At first, it was hard to even meet her eyes. It was a strange atmosphere, or perhaps just the feeling of being overwhelmed by someone who was too beautiful to look at directly.
But even that becomes something you get used to if you see it every day. To some extent.
"That will be 3,000 won."
Two vitamin drinks. Quite an unusual choice for a high school girl.
As the clerk thought this and handed them over in a bag, he felt the student staring intently at him.
"I-Is something wrong?"
He bit his tongue in surprise as he answered.
Then, the girl spoke with her usual expressionless face.
"No, I just feel like I've finally gotten used to you."
"Wh-what?"
When he asked back in confusion, the girl gave a small smirk.
"Just kidding."
Because she usually had such a stoic face, the man froze for a moment at the sight of her smile, which suddenly turned radiant.
She smiled like a blooming flower. That was exactly the description that came to mind.
Ding-dong.
As the bell rang again, the clerk slumped down. He naturally sank into his chair. It wasn't intentional; his legs had just given out.
"Wow… that's insane…"
It was another day where he realized that a face could truly be a weapon.
*
In the world of TS stories, stopping by a convenience store is a classic cliché.
…Well, I doubt many people stop by every single day like I do.
I remembered that clerk because he always worked at this time. Since he always looked so startled, I played a little prank today, but…
He looked pretty overwhelmed…
Should I skip that place and go to a different convenience store for a while? Looking back, I felt a bit embarrassed for no reason.
"Ju Seo-yeon."
As I was walking with those thoughts, someone called my name near the school gate.
Same kindergarten. Same elementary school. And same middle school. And now, we'd even ended up at the same high school.
The one and only Lee Ji-yeon was calling me. This girl hadn't changed a bit in over ten years.
"You did something weird at the convenience store again, didn't you?"
"I did not."
"Liar. I saw you."
Why was she watching that? No, if she was watching, she should have talked to me then instead of waiting here.
"There you go again. You love being put on a pedestal by others, but you act like you don't."
"N-no, I don't."
I tried to make an excuse and looked away. Of course, Lee Ji-yeon just gave a short click of her tongue and didn't even pretend to listen. Lee Ji-yeon was now reacting the way my mom used to.
Our Seo-yeon, you really like being praised by others, don't you?
My mom had said that once, and it seems that trait hasn't changed over time.
Well, it can't be helped. The 'me' from my past life didn't know what 'this feeling' was like. Joy, or the thrill of being admired by others. I was very, very vulnerable to those sensations.
On the other hand, I'm also heavily affected by negative emotions like sadness or despair, but I can endure those with my rock-solid mental strength.
In short, I'm a human who is vulnerable to pleasure but resilient to pain. That is the seventeen-year-old Ju Seo-yeon for you.
"…If you're going to be like that, why don't you just make your comeback already? Your puberty phase is over."
"I'm going to."
I said that and habitually reached into my bag for my glasses… before putting them back. I hadn't really worn them since starting high school, but habits don't die easily. Those glasses were something I wore to blur my impression.
My middle school years were quite eventful…
Through elementary school and the beginning of middle school, many people recognized me even though I tried my best to hide that I was the child actor from The Moon That Hides the Sun. If I had been an ordinary kid, and if Lee Ji-yeon hadn't been there, I think my school life would have been quite grueling.
"…Hmm, come to think of it, you don't wear them anymore."
"Well, hardly anyone recognizes me now."
Actually, it's more accurate to say no one does. It's already been ten years. My appearance is quite different from when I was a child. I've grown up to be even prettier and more beautiful, after all.
As I entered the school, I could feel the gazes around me. This wasn't just because of my looks. It was an effect of Lee Ji-yeon, who was by my side, having recently appeared in a drama. It was a cable drama, but since cable dramas have been taking a lot of risks lately, the viewership ratings had climbed quite high.
"Hehe."
As if noticing my gaze, Lee Ji-yeon gave a cheeky smile. Her triumphant attitude was very annoying. In many ways.
If she keeps this up, she'll definitely keep acting.
This was obviously a good thing, but for me, it was quite troubling. But there was nothing I could do about it. My heart is so troubled…
"Ju Seo-yeon."
Whatever she took my gaze to mean, Lee Ji-yeon patted my shoulder.
"If you're jealous, just make your comeback."
"…I'm going to."
After entering high school, I thought it was about time to start my activities. The era of terrestrial TV, OTT, and various internet broadcasts was approaching.
Oh, and VTubing as well. My strong will toward becoming a VTuber hasn't been broken yet.
However.
The dilemma was what to do. My comeback project. Countless works flashed through my mind.
"Broadly speaking, are there two…?"
Well, even if I wanted to join other projects right now, it would be hard to even get an audition. It's different from when I was a child actor. At the very least, the opponents I have to fight now are adult actors. To get a role, I needed a corresponding career. Being the child actor from Taesumdal is a good career, but the hiatus was too long. Rather, that was a title better used after making a comeback.
"Two?"
"Yeah, though I'll have to audition first."
A child actor who took a long ten-year break. There aren't many things someone like me can audition for. I have to show something first to create a ladder to climb higher.
"Why don't you just ask the KMB Drama Director?"
"No, that's a bit…"
I have no desire to create unnecessary controversy. In an age where even small things can easily spark a scandal, doing something like that would surely earn me the ire of senior actors.
"Well, fine."
Lee Ji-yeon nodded at my words.
"So, what are those two things you mentioned?"
"Oh, those are…"
Just as I was about to answer Ji-yeon's question.
Ring-ring-ring, ring-ring-ring-ring-ring!!
The bell signaling the start of the first period rang. The footsteps of the students walking around became hurried and fast.
"Ah, I'll tell you after school."
"What?"
Lee Ji-yeon tried to grab my sleeve in a hurry, but I was faster. Since I had been late once before, I was sure to get a lecture if I was late again.
"Hey, Ju Seo-yeon!!!"
Leaving behind Lee Ji-yeon's voice calling me loudly, I quickly ran into the classroom. Opening the back door of the classroom, I gave Lee Ji-yeon a light wave.
See, you shouldn't have nagged me about the convenience store.