Chapter 81: Welcome to Garam Fitness-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: Welcome to Garam Fitness-3
It’s been about two weeks since I started working out.
Thanks to Garam’s precise coaching and my own persistence, I’ve finally gotten used to the routine—like hell I have.
I’m hovering on the border between life and death every single day.
Have I ever dreaded tomorrow this much since my time in the military?
The first two days were manageable. Since I had some prior experience with exercise, it wasn't hard to get the form down, even if my body was sluggish.
Of course, my range of motion was severely limited by all the fat.
With the single-minded goal of getting healthy as quickly as possible, I showed a lot of enthusiasm—adding to the fitness knowledge Garam shared or asking questions about things I didn't understand.
That was my mistake.
It was as if she had run into someone speaking Korean while alone in a foreign country. Garam was thrilled to finally have someone to talk shop with after all this time.
Like a massive puppy charging at its owner in joy, oblivious to its own weight, the intensity of the workouts began to climb steeply from that day on, as if we were on an escalator.
Just as I’m starting to adjust, the intensity goes up.
And it’s not a gradual increase, either. The weight goes up, and the sets increase.
My heart was the one that got hurt. Fuck.
But what’s even more annoying is that the workouts are actually effective.
Aside from muscle soreness, I haven't had a single injury.
In short, everything is perfectly fine—except for the fact that it’s grueling.
Having gone through several PT trainers in the past, I had no choice but to admit it by the end of the first week: Garam was a truly talented trainer.
There was one moment when I felt she was truly amazing, and that was about a week and a half after I started.
"Congratulations."
It was around 9:00 AM, right after I arrived at the center for my now-routine weigh-in.
It had been ten days since I started her PT. I had lost 4kg.
"Wow... it really came off fast."
"It’s because it’s the beginning. You’ve been eating light for dinner and working out since the morning, so it’s impossible not to lose weight. It’ll keep coming off well until about the 15kg mark, and then you’ll hit a plateau."
She spoke while recording my weight on the chart.
That day, she said she’d give me a reward for working so hard and gave me a less intense workout. For the first time in a long while, I was able to walk home properly.
Right. I should have just played on the computer for a bit and gone to bed.
Why... why did I have to order chicken?
Since I had lost 4kg, I felt I should reward myself, and ordering that chicken was the root of all evil.
When I opened the box containing half-seasoned and half-fried chicken, the pieces lay there, glistening with oil.
"Now this is sex."
I picked up a fried drumstick and shouted as I took a bite.
No, it’s not sex, you idiot.
Sex or whatever, if I had known how fucked I’d be the next day, I never should have eaten it.
The next day, Garam took one look at my face and spoke.
"Was the chicken delicious?"
"Yes... wait, what?"
Garam, who had been doing squats with 200kg—the weight having increased in the meantime—racked the barbell and walked over to me.
The sweat trickling down her forehead passed her cheek and chin, heading toward her collarbone.
"Member-nim. You ate chicken, didn't you?"
Looking at her staring intensely at me from a distance where I could feel her breath, I sensed a literal murderous intent.
I felt like if I tried to deny it any further, I’d be sent straight to the next dimension, so I just moved my mouth wordlessly and nodded.
"Phew... I guess we’ll have to make up for that chicken today."
"H-how much...?"
"You don't have any work anyway, do you? Don't you just go home and rest after working out?"
"Well, that’s true."
"Then let’s just work out until evening."
That day, I regretted not kicking her out of the building.
*
Two weeks of being put through the wringer like that.
Having barely finished Garam’s program for the day, I was sitting at the center’s info desk, repairing my exhausted body and worn-down spirit.
Slurp, slurp.
I was holding an Iced Americano in one hand.
She said drinks without milk or syrup were fine, so I was allowed to have Americanos.
The fitness center was still empty, but Garam was busy.
She’d head out occasionally to post flyers.
She swept and mopped the center morning, noon, and night.
Once a week, she even inspected the machines in the gym.
The machines themselves were old, so there seemed to be a limit to how much maintenance could do, but she was doing her best with the environment she was given.
Usually, when I finish my workout, I kill about four or five hours sitting in the center before heading home. There’s nothing to do if I wander around outside, and going home feels lonely, so I ended up just staying here.
Since I could occasionally chat with Garam, I had no choice but to pick this option.
I talked to her to soothe my loneliness, and while she listened to my stories, she would occasionally ask about money management.
"How can I earn a lot of money like you, Member-nim?"
"Well... I guess you need a bit of luck?"
It was a bit flustering to be asked such a blunt question.
Once, when she mentioned that running the gym was difficult and asked for my advice, I couldn't give her an answer right away. I looked into various things at home and told her the next day.
I don't know if my clumsy advice meant a lot to her, but she bowed ninety degrees and thanked me.
"Time to head out."
When she didn't return from posting flyers even though it was getting late, I threw my Americano in the trash and stood up.
It was already 4:00 PM. I figured I’d walk home, rest a bit, make dinner, and go to bed.
"What stream should I watch today?"
Lately, I’ve been watching variety gaming streams on OceaniaTV. They’re perfect to leave on like a radio, and if I lie in bed with a stream playing, I fall asleep in no time.
As I walked out of the building muttering to myself, my phone vibrated.
"Is it Ho-cheol?"
I thought it might be a text from Ho-cheol, who was on vacation—when I gave him the time off, he cried and thanked me—but when I opened it, the message was from someone unexpected.