Loser Cha Eunju (1)
After finishing her evening workout and heading home, Choi Marie sank straight into the bathtub.
With the feeling of washing away the day's fatigue, she quietly let her mind drift back to the face of the prospective academy junior she'd met just a little while ago.
"...He seems pretty decent, actually."
She already knew he was diligent—she'd had no choice but to watch him show up for training every single day for two weeks straight without missing once. And the way he'd addressed her so politely, calling her "senior, senior" from the very first meeting, had been rather pleasant, too.
He listened well, he was respectful, and at the same time he wasn't the annoying sort who'd refuse her favors or make things awkward.
But above all, what she liked best was that admirable attitude of his—saying he needed to build up his stamina even though he was applying to the Combat Support Department.
'Because I don't want to end up being a burden to my teammates later on. If my poor stamina meant I couldn't keep up with the combat-focused members, that would be a real problem, wouldn't it?'
As a shieldbearer, Marie's raw ability was unmatchable among her peers—no one in her year came close. But what had always dragged her down were the team assignments that paired students across departments and squads.
The swordsmanship and spear-wielding students, who were at least physically on her level, had gotten better. The problem had always been the Magic Department and Combat Support kids.
Every time she thought about those people who, despite being hunters, never even built up basic fitness just because they'd be stationed in the back—people who didn't even put in that much effort—Marie's teeth would grind in frustration.
So sick of watching that sorry display, her habit was to charge out and try to do everything herself, and because of it, her team combat simulation scores were always rock bottom.
And once word of that habit got around, hardly anyone wanted to team up with her anymore, which was why her relations with students from other departments weren't great.
'They're the ones clinging to my ankles. And every single time, they blame me.'
In that light, what about this junior named Lee Seonho? Even though he was still only a Combat Support applicant, that mindset of his—wanting to build his stamina before even enrolling—appealed to her immensely.
She hadn't yet heard what his ability was, but he was headed for Combat Support regardless, so there was a chance they'd end up doing team assignments together down the line.
Honestly, it didn't matter much even if his support ability turned out lacking. As long as he had enough stamina not to drag on her ankle, that was plenty.
As long as he was far less insufferable than the other support-track kids. If so, then maybe her team combat simulation class—the one she'd failed—would finally pass.
"He'll get in... won't he?"
A junior who trained that diligently surely wouldn't be slacking on his entrance exam prep. Without a doubt, he'd pass.
Which meant that around this time next year, they might be sitting in the same class—so reserving him as a party member in advance didn't sound like a bad idea at all.
...After all, her reputation with other departments was already in the gutter, so from this year on, she'd have no choice but to mingle with the new freshmen anyway.
-Splash!
"...Yeah. I'd better get him working as someone's teammate as soon as possible."
Resolving herself with that thought, Marie rose from the bathtub and began preparing to meet Lee Seonho the next morning.
The morning of the day after she'd promised Lee Seonho a protein shake.
"Good morning, Senior Choi Marie."
"Oh, the junior's here? Here, take this and drink it first."
"...Sorry, what?"
"Figured you should start drinking it from today, so I already mixed up one serving. Drink this and we'll get going."
"Ah—yes."
...This was somewhat unexpected.
Choi Marie had shared protein shakes with Seo Woojin in the original story, but she'd never mixed one herself and handed it over like this.
Had two whole weeks of my groveling in front of her paid off that well? Either way, there was no reason to refuse her goodwill.
"...This tastes pretty good, actually. I thought protein shakes would taste really weird."
"They all do these days. Oh, but when you buy your own from now on, don't go picking any weird flavors—just get chocolate unless you've got a reason not to. I've tried them all and chocolate's still the best."
"Understood. I'll buy chocolate, just like you say, Senior."
"You can just keep that tumbler. They throw in a free one every time I order protein, so I've got more than I need. And this is the rest of the shake tub—take it home with you later."
"Got it, Senior."
...She's really taking better care of me than she did in the original story, isn't she?
The claim about tumblers piling up with every protein order probably wasn't a lie, but even accounting for that, this was treatment exceeding anything the original protagonist ever received.
Had that little conversation—deliberately staged to farm a bit of favor—worked better than expected? Either way, things were moving along quite nicely.
Judging by the look in her eyes, it wasn't romantic interest so much as the gaze of someone who'd just discovered a usable Combat Support junior... but that was bound to change soon enough anyway.
"Starting today, I'll run beside you and keep an eye on your form the whole time. Your written exam is in two weeks, right? When's the practical?"
"The practical is the week right after the written exam."
"Then let's aim to put on 10 kilograms within three weeks. Muscle-focused, as much as possible."
"...Is that even possible with just running?"
"With your willpower, Junior, it's more than possible. And with me watching over you the whole time, there's nothing you can't do."
"Ah, yes..."
...It felt like she'd gotten friendly to a degree beyond strictly necessary, but hey—if I wanted to devour Choi Marie, I'd have to put up with at least this much.
Two weeks passed after I was semi-forcibly roped into Choi Marie's short-term intensive training.
During those two weeks, I was essentially dragged around by Marie as she forcibly taught me how to exercise. Not just running until my lungs burned, but bodyweight strength training on the pull-up bars and balance beams along one side of the walking trail as well.
Since the original Seo Woojin had endured the same muscle training, I simply followed along obediently. As for keeping my sanity, I managed it by cycling through Runner's High and other self-suggestions whenever the grind got to me.
-Sway, sway.
"Alright, Junior! Just ten more laps and then we rest! And after that, a hundred squats!"
"Haa, haa, haaah...!!"
Every time I caught sight of Choi Marie's chest subtly bouncing beside me as we ran, or her hips when I collapsed in exhaustion and they just happened to drift into view, my lust would come boiling up.
Which, in turn, became the willpower that let me endure this hellish training.
'I swear, I will make you mine, Choi Marie. No matter what it takes.'
When that day came, no matter how much she begged me to stop, I'd keep pounding away at her.
I pictured Choi Marie whimpering obscenely on a bed, begging for mercy, and somehow clawed my way through every brutal item on her punishing schedule. The results of that hellish one-on-one training were, quite naturally, carved into my own body.
"There really is an effect, huh."
After finishing my second week of muscle training with Marie, I stood before the mirror to find arms and legs that had, more or less, put on actual muscle.
It wasn't the body I was ultimately aiming for, but it was substantial growth for two weeks' work. My strength had visibly improved too—enough that I could feel the difference compared to before I'd met Marie.
Probably thanks to pairing efficient exercise with a steady intake of protein shakes.
I offered Marie a silent word of thanks in my heart. At this level, at least, I wouldn't be getting branded a "skeleton" or a "walking corpse" by the other heroines at the academy, rousing their wariness.
...Not that gratitude changed anything—I was still going to devour her.
And so, having spent a month in this transmigrated body, the day of the Cheonmu Academy written exam had finally arrived.
I'd already told Marie yesterday that I couldn't make morning training because of the exam, so today I headed straight for Cheonmu Academy the moment I stepped out the door.
The next four years. To that place brimming with the heroines I was going to devour.
The atmosphere at Cheonmu Hunter Academy, which I visited early in the morning, was fairly chaotic. Nearly a thousand aspiring hunters had gathered to take the written exam, so it was only natural.
That wasn't even the full count of applicants, either. It was, after all, Korea's number one hunter academy—so anyone with even a plausible shot at getting in had taken to filing an application to Cheonmu Hunter Academy at least once.
As I understood it, the exams were split by department and held over three days. Today, the third day, was when the written exam for my Combat Support Department took place.
According to the instructions in the text message, the Magic Department's written exam was being held the same day.
'If I'm lucky, I might run into Cha Eunju.'
Shut-in or not, even she wouldn't hole up at home on the day of the academy's written exam.
If I was going to build a connection with Cha Eunju anyway, starting today was the best possible move. A certified indoor type like her would never set foot outside on her own initiative except on a day like this.
I was planning to pair with Cha Eunju all the way through the practical exam, too, so this was groundwork for that as well.
Personally, I was confident I could pass the practical exam through skillful use of Suggestion alone, regardless of whether my partner was Cha Eunju or not... but if I wasn't paired with her, there was a fairly high chance she'd fail.
'I absolutely cannot let my woman fail to even get into the academy.'
Even that dipshit Lee Seonho from the original story had managed to get her accepted. There was no way I couldn't do what even that guy could.
Since I'd arrived early, I'd already checked my own exam room well in advance, so while I waited for Cha Eunju to appear, I looked up her exam room as well, just for good measure.
I needed any excuse at all to open a conversation with her—any hook at all was a fishing line that had to be cast. Unlike Marie, with whom I'd already begun building a connection, Cha Eunju was a character for whom the very first step of that process was the hardest.
'My exam room is Hyeseong Hall, Room 305. And Cha Eunju's exam room is...'
...Same as mine. Hyeseong Hall, Room 305.
The moment I confirmed Cha Eunju's exam room, a faint smile crept across my face.
I'd hoped we'd at least be in the same building, but I never dreamed things would fall together this neatly.
Had they been in the same room in the original story, too? Maybe this was exactly where it started—the reason Lee Seonho ended up paired with Cha Eunju in the practical exam.
One thing was certain: conquering Cha Eunju had just become far easier than planned.
'So her exam room is the same as mine. Still, let me wait a little longer.'
It would be ideal to have already built some rapport before we even entered the exam room.
In fact, if we'd been chatting outside and then happened to discover we shared a room, it might feel like destiny to her.
Granted, there was a chance Cha Eunju had arrived earlier than me and already gone inside—but given her personality, I'd put that possibility at close to zero.
'Found her.'
Speak of the tiger and it appears, as they say—a head of purple hair came wriggling anxiously through the crowd and caught my eye.
A stature small enough to get slightly buried among the other women, and a chest so absurdly oversized it stood in complete defiance of that height.
Dull, half-lidded eyes glazed over as if she were already under hypnosis, golden irises, and that sloppy tracksuit swallowing her whole body—without a doubt, this was the Cha Eunju I remembered from the novel.
"Excuse me, just a—"
"Sorry, coming through!"
"Once you've checked your room, move along, please!"
"Um, one moment... um..."
There she was, floundering in the crowd, unable to even locate her assigned exam room on the posted board.
...As an excuse to strike up a conversation, the opportunity couldn't have been more perfect.