Chapter 79
"Hey, this is my house. You go back to yours."
I wanted to add, I can't live with you without vaccinations, but held back.
The wild beast glanced at me warily for a moment before ignoring me and heading out the entrance. At least it seemed to understand.
Han Yaseong tossed a few more logs onto the fire and stepped outside. The cold was still biting, but with the sun up, it felt a touch warmer.
As he stretched in the morning light, the wild animals gathered again. They were clearly hooked on human food.
"Nothing today. Eating that stuff every day will give you all adult-onset diseases."
He waved them off emphatically, and the beasts scowled before scattering in different directions. Now they'd have to forage for their own meals in the forest.
Han Yaseong headed to the stream for a drink, relieved himself to detox, and returned to the temple ruins.
He'd dubbed the wide clearing with its shattered ancient pillars the "temple." This was where he'd done all his kick training so far. For some reason, it felt more effective here than anywhere else—maybe just his imagination, but practicing amid the broken columns gave him a real boost. Could be the lay of the land, the soil, or some latent spiritual energy...
That was why he mainly trained here.
"Alright, time to get started."
He already had a plan. To build speaking muscles, he needed full-body work—but first, foundational muscle.
He'd seen old TV clips of the big three lifts. They were basics; consistent practice alone could forge a solid physique.
His routine: 1,500 push-ups, 1,500 squats, 1,500 deadlifts a day. Bench press was out, so push-ups instead. A month of that supposedly turned you into a beast.
But the volume was insane, so he slashed it to 500 each daily. Two months should yield results. He couldn't go overboard anyway—gym trainers might notice, and he needed to bulk up gradually, without drawing eyes.
Han Yaseong dropped into push-ups.
"One, two, three..."
Sweat poured as he chased battery life.
"Yes, you're doing great."
It had been five days since starting at the upscale Apgujeong gym. He'd shown up daily for an hour of steady work. He'd even gotten familiar with the male trainer who'd guided him initially.
As Han Yaseong lay back bench-pressing, the trainer watched with approval. The midday lull left few members, so the trainer popped over occasionally to check form.
Finishing the set, Han Yaseong sat up, wiped sweat with a towel, and asked, "Why's it so empty here?"
"Members don't come much this time. It's lunch hour."
He usually hit noon to two, when the gym was deserted—peaceful, sure, but he'd hoped to spot celebrities. No luck.
"Evenings are packed. Big stars too. Even QNA's Lee Cho-yeon comes here."
"QNA's Lee Cho-yeon?"
"Yeah, six months strong."
Han Yaseong's surprise drew a smug grin from the trainer. Lee Cho-yeon was the hot idol-actress right now, one of the "nation's little sisters" in showbiz.
He knew her from media and TV but wasn't a fan. He preferred cool, sexy types over cute and innocent. She had the cute part down but lacked sultriness. He favored her bandmate Han Chae-ah instead—big tits helped. She was blowing up as lingerie model for college girls.
"She comes Wednesday and Thursday nights mostly. Wanna see? Swing by then. She's stunning—lights up the place. Heh, guys swarm those nights."
The trainer chuckled at men's pathetic ways, but Han Yaseong was over it. He'd ogled plenty with Choi Yujin. No more sleazy peeking.
Except Kwon Seo-ha. Gotta see her. First crush in ages—had to ogle till she got a boyfriend.
Chatting distracted him from training. The young trainer, bored without clients, spilled gossip; Han Yaseong ate it up and half-assed his sets.
Chaebol heirs, pro athletes, celebs all registered—though nine in ten ghosted. Slim foreign beauties too, from multinational firms, hitting dawn or late nights.
Time flew; an hour gone. Trainer moved to new arrivals; Han Yaseong caught up on missed reps.
Mid-set, someone tapped his back.
"Huh?"
"Hehe, working hard?"
Senior Choi Yujin. Rocking flashy, sexy leggings—black bottoms hugging perfectly—hair ponytail, grinning like a kid.
"You come here?"
"Told you I'd drop by sometime."
First in-person since the gym card and phone handoff. Texts and calls, sure, but five days apart. Felt like a month in the other world.
She eyed his body, stunned. "You've been grinding. You're filling out."
"Yeah? Doing push-ups at home too."
"For real? So toned. Gotta hit your place today."
She poked and prodded, impressed. Five days, and upper body, arms—muscle popping. Previously solid but soft; now edges sharpening.
Choi Yujin, muscle fetishist, felt her pussy throb. But he shut it down.
"Stay away for a bit."
"Why?"
Shocked—shouldn't he beg? "Don't come" made no sense.
"Focusing on training. Can't with you around."
Sex with her would kill motivation. He knew it. Full belly, no grind. Hungry spirit for a reason.
Her body was training's worst enemy. Nights fucking would drain his drive—red fruit hangover vibes.
"Okay, I'll steer clear."
Rejected but thrilled, she smiled. Saw his resolve. Weak-willed guys disappointed her; she'd wilt too. But breaking free? Trustworthy. Not average dude.
Still stung a bit. "Kinda bummed. Was gonna hook you with a free day pass for your hustle."
"Gah!"
Han Yaseong froze. Free pass—heaven tonight!
"Uh, th-that..."
"Too bad. Heh, keep at it. Pilates and swim for me—you head out."
She waved, ass swaying in leggings as she left.
He fought a raging hard-on, pure regret.
"Fuck..."
Missed chance. Rare opportunities. A month-ish celibacy in the other world amplified it. Workouts vented some lust, not all.
Guess jerk-off to instructor femdom porn. Free pass day? Train Choi Yujin.
Red ropes eyed online. Bind her nude, bed-bound, ravage away.
For that, Han Yaseong lay back on the bench, gritting his teeth, sweat pouring thick.