The Unexpected Gym Date

The fantasy-like progression of our semi-forced arrangement ended after only a few days. When I first received my favorite idol's personal contact information, my heart had fluttered. But an idol is just an idol. That’s my philosophy. I like idols strictly as a fan. Because of that, I sometimes use her as "material" to fantasize about doing this or that with her, but I never considered an idol as a romantic partner. Obviously. It’s impossible. We live in different worlds. You can tell just by looking at who they marry. When you look at their partners, they’re usually people in the same entertainment industry, famous figures in the arts, or wealthy businessmen. Very occasionally, a celebrity marries a regular person, but that is truly rare. Most of them form relationships with people from their own world. Not someone like me, who works as a mundane academy tutor.

That’s why, when asked if I would date my favorite idol if I had the chance, I could answer with a firm "No" without a second of hesitation. I was aware of reality and had resigned myself to it. That was, at least, until we became people who exchanged messages.

Though I say "exchange," it’s a one-way street. Su-a sends the text first. I reply to it. That’s how the conversation continues. It is two-way in the sense that we both send and receive, but it’s one-way in that Su-a is always the one to initiate. If Su-a doesn’t send a text, we have no reason to contact each other. I’ve thought about reaching out first, but there were a few problems. One is that I might be disturbing Su-a’s time. Even though La Stella has entered a rest period, an idol’s "rest" is just a term; it’s a period to prepare for the next album. After resting for about two or three weeks, they go right back to practicing singing or dancing. Since it’s been a little over a week since La Stella started their break, Su-a probably only has about a week left to rest. I couldn’t possibly steal that precious time.

The other reason was me. How am I supposed to start a conversation? It’s been ages since I last ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exchanged private texts with a woman. ...I don’t think I’ve done it even once since high school? After experiencing seven consecutive failed relationships and feeling cynical about dating, I became hesitant to approach women. I lost my confidence and gradually sank into a solitary life. After entering university, I stupidly thought about having a "campus debut," but I was already so deficient in social skills that making new friends or joining clubs was difficult. I didn’t participate in department life at all. So, during my four years at university, I never went to an MT, never attended a closing party, and never joined the school festival or sports day. Could someone like me skillfully hold a conversation with a woman alone? Impossible, absolutely impossible. Maybe if it were about idol fandom, but talking about daily life? That’s harder than the number 30 math problem on the CSAT. So, even though I wanted to talk to Su-a first, I couldn’t.

I do fantasize a little. What if we keep talking like this and hit it off? What if our relationship develops and we get closer? If it were in the past, I would have fantasized for a bit, felt the crushing reality of a 0% chance, and given up, but now it’s not quite 0%. Maybe 0.00001%? It’s incredibly slim, like the odds of winning the lottery, but there is a chance. A man and a woman exchanging private messages. You never know what kind of relationship that might develop into. For the first time in a while, my "pure romance" fantasy cells are trying to do their job. But...

It was really just mundane conversation. What I did today. What I ate today. That was the extent of it. To be honest, I expected some kind of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unconventional situation like in a webtoon or web novel, where an event would trigger to build up her affection. ...But there was nothing like that. I thought my daily life would change, but nothing did. Just the fact that I occasionally exchange texts with Su-a before bed. Of course! That is a huge change, but still! I suppose I had too high of expectations.

"Sigh..." Yeah, who am I to date an idol? It seems Su-a, who was interested enough in me to stalk me, wasn't as interested as I thought. She said she had things she wanted to ask, but she hasn't really asked anything. It must have been simple curiosity. I’m embarrassed that I even briefly thought she might like me. If she really liked me, she would have contacted me every day and asked me all sorts of things. I dreamed too big.

"Yaaawn..." The phone rang just as I was stretching to start my Saturday morning.

"Who is it?" Is there anyone who would call at this hour? Surely she isn't asking me to cover a lecture today, right? I handle the weekday middle and high school classes, and there’s a separate instructor for the weekends. And he has asked me to cover his weekend shifts a few times before. I checked the caller ID.

"...Huh?" A stupid sound escaped my lips. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked again.

The person calling me early in the morning was none other than Su-a. What do I do? What do I do? I paced around, clutching my phone. Should I answer? She had urged me to always answer if she contacted me. I had the right to refuse, but I had no reason to.

"Ahem! Ahem! Ah— Ah—" I cleared my throat and answered the phone.

"He-hello?" You idiot! I wanted to answer with a mature voice. I completely botched the very first greeting.

Come to think of it, I forgot one other big change. We agreed to speak informally. It was semi-forced. I refused to drop the formalities, saying I was more comfortable with honorifics, but I was persuaded by a single selfie of Su-a in her pajamas. How could I refuse that? It’s a selfie of Su-a that only I have! It’s the world’s only SSSSR, taken and sent by her personally. You couldn't buy it for any amount of money.

"Yeah, I just woke up." Surprisingly, she called less than 10 minutes after I woke up. It wasn't even 7:00 AM on a Saturday. Usually, one would assume people are sleeping at this hour, but Su-a called with perfect timing, as if she knew I’d be up. Must be a coincidence.

Today’s schedule. Lounging at home in the morning. After lunch, going to the gym to work out, and then lounging at home in the afternoon. Since I don't play games, I rarely use the computer. If you ask about hobbies for the weekend... I play the piano occasionally, but very rarely. Mostly to upload cover videos when a good new K-POP song comes out. I’ll probably spend the whole day lying in bed on my phone. Browsing YouTube, watching movies I saved for later, or catching up on dramas.

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"...Nothing, other than going to the gym at lunch." Ugh. Speaking informally is so awkward. It feels strange to talk like this after using honorifics like "Su-a-nim, Su-a-nim" and speaking to her like I do to my students.

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Wait, wait...!"

Click. It was almost a one-sided conversation. "...See me at 1:00?" A date was set by surprise. Independent of my will. ...Is this a date? A meeting between the opposite sex for the purpose of dating. It might not be for the purpose of dating, but generally, regardless of the intent, when a man and woman meet alone to hang out, it’s called a date. If it’s 1:00, that’s my usual time to go to the gym. So... a gym date...?

Because Su-a said her piece and hung up before I could ask anything, I couldn't tell if this was a date or not. I sent Su-a the location of the gym I attend.

"Why?" was the first question that came to mind. Someone like Su-a would be managed by a professional trainer. Looking at her firm, toned abs, it didn't seem like she needed to learn how to work out separately. And I’m not in a position to teach anyone how to work out. I’m not a total beginner, but I’m just at the level where I can work out alone at the gym without a trainer; I’m definitely not at an expert level.

Who you learn from is really important. If you learn the wrong technique, you might not see results no matter how hard you work, or you might see the wrong results. In the worst case, you could get injured.

Is there anything special? I work out just like everyone else. Dividing it into a 4-day split. Wednesday: Back. Thursday: Chest. Saturday: Legs. Sunday: Shoulders. I’m following this routine.

I can imagine Su-a pouting her lips, saying "Hiiing."

When would I ever get to work out alone with my favorite idol? Even if you happen to run into a celebrity at the gym, going to the gym with one is something that can't happen unless you're really close.

I still feel dazed. A gym date alone with Su-a.... Would I refuse? No way. It’s only natural that I’m so happy I want to scream.

"...Could we actually end up dating like this?" I thought that if we continued to develop our relationship in such a friendly way, I might be able to turn my imagination into reality. It felt like that 0.00001% chance had increased just a little bit. A normal Saturday morning. A special event I had been hoping for had finally occurred.