Chapter 79: Welcome to Garam Fitness-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79: Welcome to Garam Fitness-1
Perhaps it was because I fell asleep feeling refreshed, but I woke up early the next day.
The faint morning sunlight filtering through the curtains acted as a spotlight for the desk clock on my bedside table. Under that brilliant illumination, the clock proudly displayed 7:00 AM.
I had some scrap knowledge about fasted cardio and whatnot, but since I didn't think I’d be doing any serious exercise today, I ate breakfast.
I had ordered groceries online before going to bed, and they had been delivered to my door in the early hours of the morning. With this, the refrigerator in this house finally welcomed actual food ingredients as its residents for the first time in a long while, rather than just pre-packaged meals.
I popped some bread into the toaster and cracked an egg into the frying pan.
The egg sizzled as it cooked, and with a clink, the golden-brown toast peeked its head out. Using a jam spreader that looked like it had never been used, I scooped up some strawberry jam and spread it thinly over the bread. Like the light makeup of a young bride, one side of the toast was dyed a soft red.
Placing the toast on a tray and sliding a sunny-side-up egg next to it, my breakfast was complete.
— Crunch.
As I took a bite of the crispy toast, the texture combined with the faint sweetness of the strawberry jam rose to meet my palate. After chewing thoroughly, I took two gulps of milk.
"Pfft."
While drinking the milk, I remembered the chat message I sent to Hana yesterday and spat a little bit out.
I had searched the internet to see if it was a meme that didn't exist in this world, but it seemed they used it here too. Since Hana is an internet broadcaster, she probably knows the meme. It was likely just the shock of seeing a man in his forties use it so fluently that got to her.
I considered blocking her in case she started acting up on KakaoTalk, but surprisingly, there’s been no word from her yet. Maybe she hasn't sent anything because she assumes I’ve already blocked her. It doesn't matter either way, since I have no intention of contacting her first.
I pressed down on the center of the egg with my fork, and the yolk burst, flowing out. After licking the fork clean, I placed the egg on the remaining toast and took another bite.
I have no intention of ending my "revenge" on Hana here. I plan to torment her as pettily as possible. For instance, like yesterday, by donating a large amount of Coins to a BJ who is her rival.
What else is there? It seems I used to give her a lot of money and gifts privately besides Coins; I’m curious to see how she’ll react once those are cut off. If she ends up struggling financially and comes to me for help, I vow to treat her as humiliatingly as she treated me.
— Munch.
With that resolution, I stuffed the last piece into my mouth and gulped down the rest of the milk.
Now, it was time to go work out.
*
The Myeongseong Building, where Garam Fitness is located, is a twenty-minute walk from my house. It was a distance too close to drive but awkward to walk, yet I boldly chose to go on foot.
As my old PT trainer used to say, getting to the center is part of the workout. Since I have nothing but time anyway, walking a bit more like this might burn at least one more gram of fat.
"Haa... haa..."
My body was definitely lacking exercise; by the time I arrived in front of the Myeongseong Building, I was already out of breath. This is getting serious...
I couldn't afford to be gasping for air during our first meeting, so I caught my breath in front of the building before getting on the elevator.
Why didn't I take the stairs?
Shut up.
The elevator reached the sixth floor, and I stood before the entrance of the gym, which was shrouded in a dim atmosphere. A light fixture that had reached the end of its lifespan was emitting a very faint glow, creating a somewhat eerie vibe. At this rate, even prospective customers would run away. I should tell Ho-cheol to get the lights fixed.
When I pressed the door button, the automatic door rattled open. There was a desk right in front of the door, which seemed to be where new members registered. Outdated dance music was blaring loudly inside the center, and I peeked around here and there, looking for the President.
I couldn't sense anyone else's presence in the center besides my own. Even if it was morning, the lack of people was...
Just as Ho-cheol said, it was on the verge of going out of business.
"Is anyone here?"
I went looking for a man with a hulking physique, but no such person was in sight.
— Clang, clang.
However, I heard the sound of iron coming from where the racks were positioned in the distance, so I walked toward it.
"Oh..."
A woman wearing an Adidas three-stripe tracksuit top and skin-tight leggings was doing squats while wearing large headphones.
"How many plates is that? One, two, three..."
Four 20kg plates on each side. Eight in total. That meant a woman was doing squats with 160kg (excluding the weight of the bar)...
It was a sight I hadn't often seen even in my original world, so I decided to watch quietly.
The woman took a deep breath, held it, and slowly lowered her body. Once her hips were low enough, she rose back up without using any momentum.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Even from a distance, I could see the contraction and extension of her glutes and thighs working perfectly. After completing a total of ten reps, the woman racked the barbell, looked around, and locked eyes with me.
"Ah..."
I was caught red-handed peeking. If she felt violated, I was in a position to be thrown behind bars. Furthermore, with my pot-bellied middle-aged body, it was the perfect physique to be misunderstood.
While I was worrying about how to make an excuse, the woman took off her headphones and approached me. It had been a while since she’d dyed her hair, as the roots at the crown of her head were black.
"Hello. Are you here to register as a new member?"
I was waiting for her to ask why I was staring, but she said something completely unexpected.
"Uh... I am new, but... Ho-cheol..."
As I stammered out Ho-cheol’s name, the woman tilted her head for a moment, then her eyes widened as she pointed a finger at me.
"Ah... Ah!!! President! Hello!"
The woman bowed ninety degrees, greeting me energetically.
This was my first meeting with Garam.