Chapter 1: The Gym is Now Open.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: The Gym is Now Open.
“Jae-ho, I need you to do these dishes.”
“Ah, yes, sir!”
A mountain of dishes poured in.
The owner dumped a pile of grill plates, caked with grease and charred seasoning, into the sink.
I just finished the last batch.
New work flooded in before I could even catch my breath.
I looked out toward the dining area.
“Three servings of pork belly for Table 3! Three servings of ribs!”
“Two more bottles of soju for Table 9!”
“Miju, change the grill on Table 7!”
The servers were rushing around busily, swapping out grill plates.
I worked at the most popular meat restaurant in the neighborhood.
My job was the dishes.
Specifically, the grill plates—the hardest part of the cleanup.
My arms throbbed.
It was grueling, lonely work, but it was manageable.
It was one of the few part-time jobs available to someone like me, who could barely speak in front of women.
I had tried being a server at other places before.
However...
‘Ah, w-well... you said... th-three servings of p-pork belly... right?’
‘That’s what I said, isn’t it?’
Because I couldn't even get a sentence out properly in front of female customers, I was fired on my very first day.
So, I had no choice but to take a job where I didn't have to face people.
“Jae-ho! These too!”
Clatter!
Just when it seemed like the work was ending, a new pile of dishes arrived.
I could feel the heat of the water through my rubber gloves.
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.
This is freaking exhausting.
Even so, the reason I liked this job was that no one stood over my shoulder giving me unsolicited advice, no matter how I worked.
In this moment of scrubbing grills, the only thing I had to care about was how well I cleaned them.
It was just a private battle between me and the grill plates.
So, I scrubbed like a madman.
“Whew, finally done.”
I wiped the sweat dripping from my brow.
By the time I finished, my clothes were always soaked through.
I smiled as I looked at the grills, now sparkling clean without a trace of grease.
It felt as refreshing as if I had scrubbed away the grime from my own soul.
I checked the clock.
It was already midnight.
The place was so successful that they closed at midnight simply because they ran out of ingredients. Apparently, they had to save some for the lunch rush.
The peak hours were over.
The customers had all left.
I could see the servers sitting down, chatting amongst themselves.
“Hahaha!”
“Hohoho!”
I could hear their laughter from where I stood.
Two guys and three girls.
Since the restaurant was large, there were four servers alone.
And there was Jong-nam, sandwiched between them.
Jong-nam, who was in charge of the kitchen, had finished his work long ago and was busy gossiping with the servers.
I’m jealous.
Chatting effortlessly with women... that was a level I could never hope to reach.
While I was envying the social butterflies, my eyes met Miju’s.
“Ah, Jae-ho, come over and take a break too.”
“Ah, n-no. It’s okay.”
Just saying that one short sentence made me breathless, and my face turned red.
Words never came easily to me when I was in front of a woman.
Choi Jae-ho, twenty-four years old.
I went from an all-boys middle school to an all-boys high school, then to an engineering college, and finally through the standard military route.
I’d only been back in society for half a year.
Now, I was working part-time to prepare for my return to university.
The ultimate "clueless guy."
The ultimate "outsider."
I was fine talking to men, but I couldn't even spit out a proper word in front of a woman.
That was why doing dishes, where I didn't have to encounter anyone, was comfortable.
“Ha, haha.”
Unable to say anything else, I just scratched my head with an awkward smile.
I stepped out of the kitchen to straighten my clothes, but then...
“Ugh, that smell. You should really wash up, Jae-ho.”
Yeo-jin, another server who worked with Miju, sneered while holding her nose.
The smell of the grease I’d scrubbed off the grills had seeped into my work clothes.
I didn't respond.
Nothing good ever came from picking a fight.
I tried to ignore it, but...
“Hey, it’s not like Jae-ho smelling is anything new. Just bear with it, Yeo-jin,” Jong-nam laughed from the side.
At his words, all the servers except Miju burst into laughter.
I wanted to say something back, but it wasn't easy.
“Good work, everyone. Have some of this before you go.”
The owner shouted as he brought out some fruit he had sliced himself.
“Ah, thank you, Boss. You worked hard too.”
“The servers worked hard, and especially our Jae-ho. Seriously, if it weren't for Jae-ho, it would have taken forever to get this place organized.”
The owner’s beard stood out every time he smiled.
He had so much facial hair that the restaurant was even named Tolbo's Meat House.
Setting the fruit plate on the table, the owner patted my shoulder with his large hand.
“Anyway, let’s rest a bit, eat some fruit, and chat before we head out.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Jae-ho, you always say you don’t have an appetite. That’s why you don’t gain any weight. You need to eat a lot and exercise.”
“Ha, haha. Is that so?”
“Why don’t you take this opportunity to start working out properly?”
Before I could even answer, Jong-nam cut in.
“Boss, how long do you think Jae-ho would last? He’d probably give up right away.”
The surrounding area got noisy again.
The owner, sensing the atmosphere, clicked his tongue.
“Well, if you’re not hungry, don’t force yourself. You can head out first.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I gave a quick bow.
After rushing to the changing room to swap clothes, I practically fled the restaurant.
“Sigh, fuck. Who does he think he is?”
I spat out a curse along with a heavy sigh.
Jong-nam.
He was the most popular guy at the restaurant.
I’d heard that customers even asked for his number.
He was at the peak of popularity among the staff too, so that said it all.
He was tall, handsome, a good cook, and a smooth talker.
“He is impressive, I guess.”
Enviably so.
“Whew.”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
The world is unfair.
Some people are handsome and charming, so women flock to them.
Others can’t even say a word and get called pathetic.
The world is a real piece of shit.
I had started this part-time job to somehow gain some confidence.
Was it just my imagination, or was my "outsider" nature actually getting worse?
“Whew.”
Maybe I really should try working out, like the boss said.
I looked down at my scrawny body.
I was born with a constitution that didn't gain weight easily.
No matter how much I ate, I stayed thin—people even called me a "dried anchovy."
Would it get better if I exercised?
If I at least had a good body, wouldn't that be one more thing I could use to appeal to people? Just as I was thinking that...
“Jae-ho!”
I heard a voice from behind.
Miju was running out of the restaurant toward me, out of breath.
She hadn't even changed out of her work clothes.
“Huff, huff.”
Miju’s chest heaved as she caught her breath.
“Um... about what Yeo-jin said earlier... don’t let it get to you.”
“Huh? Oh... that?”
“You don’t smell weird at all. In fact, I think you’re amazing. Being able to immerse yourself in one task like that... I think it’s cool.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. So don’t be discouraged. You worked really hard today.”
Miju smiled brightly.
She really was a girl with a beautiful smile.
The kind of bright, energetic person whose mere presence was comforting.
She was the exact opposite of me.
“Thanks. For the encouragement.”
“Hehe. Oh, I should get back. The others are waiting for me inside.”
“Right. Get home safe.”
I managed to squeeze out those few words.
“Okay! You get home safe too! Get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Miju waved as she ran back toward the restaurant.
I shyly raised my hand toward her receding back.
See you tomorrow.
Why was that one sentence so hard to say?
After saying goodbye to Miju, I headed home.
Maybe I really should start working out.
*
“I actually did it.”
I stared at the gym equipment I had bought on impulse.
Dumbbells, a barbell, kettlebells, and even an AB slider.
I felt the delivery driver cursing me with his eyes when he brought them, but I did my best to ignore it.
Anyway, I’d made the plunge.
I figured if I was going to buy them, I might as well get good ones, so I bought the most expensive items I could find.
I really flexed.
But could you even call this a "flex"?
Flexing by buying exercise equipment.
Well, I guess it was.
A flex for the sake of my body.
“But where am I going to put all this?”
I looked around my apartment.
It was about 900 square feet.
Two rooms, a living room with an attached kitchen, and a bathroom.
It was a spacious place for one person to live in.
I didn't even have a common TV.
The living room had almost no furniture, giving the whole place a cold atmosphere.
Putting them in the bedroom felt wrong.
It was awkward to put them in the study, too.
That left only the living room.
“Yeah, if I’m going to do this, I might as well do it in a wide-open space.”
If I kept them where I could always see them, I’d be forced to use them.
That was the plan.
Since I’d started, I had to see it through.
“But...”
How was I supposed to work out?
I had spent my entire life avoiding exercise.
Now that I was actually trying to start, I didn't know where or how to begin.
“I think they did it like this on TV...”
I picked up a 5kg dumbbell in each hand.
They were surprisingly heavy.
“Whoa, this is heavier than I thought.”
I felt the solid weight.
I tried to mimic the movements I’d seen men doing on Nutube.
Though my form was clumsy, I counted them one by one.
“Huff, huff.”
I felt the muscles in both arms tightening.
“Wow, this really is a workout.”
I hadn't even done ten reps, and my arms already hurt.
If I keep doing this, will I become a muscular guy too?
Just as I was imagining the muscular men I’d seen in the media...
Ding!
I heard an alert sound.
I thought someone was ringing the doorbell, but...
[Conditions have been met.]
[Gym Level 0 has been opened.]
“Huh?”
A message appeared before my eyes.
What is this?
