Chapter 100: A Life-or-Death Push and Pull-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: A Life-or-Death Push and Pull-3
>>Garam: You’re sticking to your diet, right?
I was just about to tear into a fried chicken leg when a text arrived from Garam.
Did she have some kind of uncanny intuition, or was she watching me from somewhere? Either way, I was just glad she hadn't placed a video call.
>>In-ho: Yes, I ate a while ago and I’m already in bed.
>>Garam: Ah, you did say you’ve been going to sleep early lately.
>>In-ho: Yes.
I popped the drumstick into my mouth and bit down. The juices exploded against my tongue along with the crunch of the crispy batter.
Ah, this is the life.
Some say there’s no need to eat something when you already know what it tastes like, but it’s precisely because you know the taste that you keep coming back for more.
— Ringing...
I was about to fully savor the food that was currently pushing my senses of smell and taste to their peak when it seemed Garam had more to say.
Why call when a text would suffice...?
I hastily wiped the grease off my hands with a wet wipe and slid the screen to answer.
"Hello?"
Since the story was that I’d just crawled into bed, I answered with a slightly groggy, husky voice.
"I hope I didn't wake you?"
"No, it's fine."
So please, just make it quick.
"It’s a bit awkward to work out while our center is being remodeled, isn't it?"
"I suppose so."
"But we can't just stop exercising. How about we meet up and work out together, like we did today?"
"Uh... sure, sounds good."
"Let's start with a morning jog on an empty stomach. I think running at Han River Park would be perfect."
The difficulty level of my workouts was suddenly spiking. Waking up early was hard enough, but doing it on an empty stomach?
"Uh..."
"Oh, come on. You haven't been able to exercise properly the last few days."
She wheedled, her voice taking on a playful, nasal tone.
"Fine, fine. I'll be in front of your place by 8:00."
My chicken is getting cold! Let's wrap this up!
The savory scent of oil had my mouth watering uncontrollably.
— Vroom.
The sound of a car drifted through the phone.
"Garam, aren't you at home?"
"Ah, I stepped out for a moment to take care of some business. Regarding the remodeling."
So she really was diligently looking into things. I’d been inwardly worried because she hadn't seemed very interested, but this was a relief.
"You're busy."
"Haha, I guess so. There was some heavy lifting to do. Anyway, I just finished up and I'm heading home now."
"Right. Get home safely."
"Yes, see you tomorrow."
The call ended with her polite farewell.
*
The next day unfolded much like the one before.
After picking her up and finishing our jog at Han River Park, we headed into a salad shop for breakfast.
She’d said we were only going to jog, but then she’d produced a pair of sandbags out of nowhere and made me do lunges. My thighs were screaming.
After eating the same flavorless grass as yesterday, we headed to the cafe I’d been frequenting lately.
Garam had brought the laptop she used at the gym, saying she needed to look up contractors for the remodeling.
With nothing particular to do, I skimmed through the reports Ho-cheol had compiled while browsing a magazine provided by the cafe.
For a while, the two of us focused on our respective tasks.
Of course, Garam kept glancing at me the entire time she worked, but I was just glad she wasn't clinging to me or rubbing against my arm.
She’d been so clingy at the bowling alley yesterday that it had been quite awkward.
Seeing her behavior change after I politely expressed my discomfort made me think there was still hope.
Good. If I keep drawing clear lines like this, she won't do anything strange.
I felt a surge of satisfaction as things seemed to be going according to plan.
"Excuse me, I'm going to go wash my hands for a moment."
After typing away at her laptop for a long while, Garam headed toward the restroom.
I stood up to stretch, trying to work out the kinks in my stiff neck and shoulder muscles.
I hadn't realized it because I was so focused, but we’d already been at the cafe for two hours.
As I stretched my body, I heard various pops and cracks from my joints. Is this what it feels like to get old?
Even now, in middle age, it was difficult to move my body; I was already terrified of how uncomfortable it would be if I ever possessed the body of an elderly person.
Wait, why am I even thinking about possessing someone else?
I just need to hold out here and die. Come to think of it, I didn't know what happened if one died of natural causes.
Maybe a natural death was the condition for ending this damn dimension transferring.
"Hmm..."
In the end, to test that hypothesis, I had to stay alive.
Let's try to live a good life.
"Um... excuse me, sir."
I was busy twisting my waist and stretching when a cafe employee spoke to me.
Thinking I might have done something disruptive like yesterday, I whipped my head around to find a petite woman who looked to be in her early twenties.
"Yes?"
"Oh, this is a new cake we’ve just started carrying. The manager asked me to hand out samples to the customers and get some feedback."
The employee held a tray, and on it sat a slice of chocolate roll cake that looked incredibly sweet.
"Ah... yes, thank you."
Looking around, I saw the same cake placed on every table.
I guess cafes did things like this nowadays.
I’d briefly felt embarrassed, thinking I was getting special service for being a regular.
Just as I reached out to take the tray, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the employee's arm.
"Eek!"
Garam, who had returned unnoticed, was gripping the employee's arm with crushing force.
In the chaos, the tray fell and hit the floor with a loud clatter.