Let's Exercise Together
A few days passed, and Saturday rolled around.
I got dressed in my usual jogging gear and headed out, just like always.
But today's jog was a little special.
Normally, I'd pop in my earphones, listen to some music, and take it easy.
But not today. Today, I was jogging with someone special.
To meet her, I even showered before heading out, despite the jog ahead.
If I sweat, I'll just shower again, I figured.
So, dressed in my workout clothes, I headed to our meeting spot...
"Seonwoo oppa~!"
Someone called out to me and came running over.
Someone... it was Na-eun.
But what was she wearing? Something was definitely off.
What do I mean?
Even if it's spring—and getting warmer by the day—that outfit was way too stimulating for me.
A tank top and black leggings, perfect for jogging, sure. But combined with Na-eun's killer figure, it was explosive.
"Oppa, hi~!"
"...Hey."
"You always wear stuff like this for workouts, huh?"
Na-eun chatted casually as she looked at me, and it felt almost cruel.
I was dying inside, but she seemed totally oblivious to her own outfit.
"...Na-eun."
"Yeah, oppa!"
"...Never mind, nothing."
I shook my head.
Hey, if she likes it, what can I do?
Plus, it was early morning. Fewer people around to notice.
So her outfit probably wouldn't cause any real issues.
"Alright, let's warm up first?"
"Already?"
"Yeah, gotta stretch before running or you'll get hurt."
I started rotating my wrists and ankles, loosening my neck.
Na-eun mimicked me exactly, stretching the same way.
The not-too-long, not-too-short routine wrapped up...
"Okay, Na-eun. Ready to run?"
"Ah... yeah!"
"I'll pace it for you. If it's too much, say so—we can walk."
"Got it...!"
Time to jog with Na-eun.
Two things I learned jogging with Na-eun...
"Haaah... haaah... Oppa, wait... just a sec... slower, please..."
One: Her stamina was way worse than I thought.
And two: Never look at her body while jogging with her.
Never. Absolutely not.
It was a total minefield. Just glancing felt sinful.
"Haaah... haaah... haaah..."
Na-eun panted, slumped on a bench under a tree.
I sat beside her, watching.
"That tough?"
"N-no...! Not at all...!"
"Good, glad to hear it."
I'd already slowed way down to match her—much slower than my usual pace.
If even this was too much, I'd have been stumped.
She looked a bit overdone, sure.
But she insisted she was fine, and I didn't want to push harder during our first session together. This felt right.
"Good job."
"You too... oppa... great work..."
"Now let's head home, shower, rest a bit, then study."
"Study...?"
"Yeah, study."
Despair washed over her face the second she heard.
Fair enough. She must be wiped. A girl who never exercises suddenly running? Brutal. Nearly 2km, too.
Not straight through—we walked breaks—but still. She looked like she'd sprinted 3km flat-out.
Exhausted. Beat.
But we had to study. The whole point of jogging was building stamina for studying.
Skipping study for exercise? That'd be putting the cart before the horse.
No way. I'm her tutor, after all.
"Tell you what, I'll grab you an ion drink."
"They have zero-sugar ones, right...?"
"Yeah. But the zero ones don't taste great."
"Still... get me a zero one, pleeease..."
I nodded right away.
"Got it. Zero it is."
Na-eun flashed a tired smile, then wobbled to her feet.
I stood with her, and we slowly walked toward home.
...Even walking, that outfit taunted me.
Her super-revealing clothes hugging her curves.
Embarrassing, shameful, guilt-inducing. I averted my eyes again.
We walked slowly; I dropped her off first.
"See you soon, Na-eun."
"Yeah, oppa... see you..."
She bowed slightly and headed inside. I watched her go, then went home for a quick shower.
Toweled off fresh and fluffy, I hit the convenience store.
Grabbed her zero-calorie ion drink, then my usual one.
Two bottles in hand, I strolled to Na-eun's place.
When I arrived...
"Oppa, you're here...?"
Na-eun looked utterly drained.
The jog must've taken it out of her.
Guilt hit me—not the "shouldn't have looked" kind, but "did I push too hard?"
To shake it off, I tossed out a topic changer.
"...Come to think of it, didn't Seung-min ever make you exercise?"
"Oppa? No way...?"
That was weird.
Seung-min got me into this. He was prepping for PE uni, got bored solo, dragged me along.
But never suggested it to his sister? That musclehead?
...Yeah, I'd probably skip my sister too. We never do stuff together.
Closest was her learning games from me when she got a boyfriend. Or watching movies.
Anyway, she looked wrecked, so I handed over the drink.
"Here, drink up."
"Thanks~"
She took it with both hands, fumbling the cap.
"Nngh...!"
...Couldn't open it? That weak?
She's almost an adult. I took it, popped it open easily.
*Pop*
Handed it back, but she just eyed me sheepishly.
"I'm just... tired from the workout... couldn't open it..."
Blushing, glancing away. I didn't mind.
Just apologized.
"Sorry. Shouldn't have made it so tough."
Seonwoo oppa apologized to me.
For making the workout too hard.
I shook my head. Fast.
Yeah, I'm bad at exercise. Stamina's weak. But I chose to do it with him.
"Why apologize? I said I wanted to."
Yeah, it was me.
I wanted to show him a prettier me, a harder-working me. So I suggested it.
Not hoping for an apology.
"Still..."
"No 'still' about it. Don't apologize. I wanted to do it with you."
That side of him frustrates me sometimes. Apologizing over nothing.
But I love it anyway. That's why.
I love his silly, kind heart. Frustrating, but the thoughtfulness underneath? Adorable.
So...
"We'll do it again next week. I wanna exercise with you."
Even if he says stuff like that.
I love Seonwoo oppa.
Always. Always. Always.