Chapter 11: Heo Da-young - An Office Worker Drenched in Fatigue (Revised)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 11: Heo Da-young - An Office Worker Drenched in Fatigue (Revised)
“Who is it?”
Standing at the door was a woman who looked utterly drenched in fatigue.
She was carrying a briefcase and wearing a professional suit consisting of a blazer and a form-fitting H-line skirt. From her sheer black stockings to her low-heeled pumps, she was the quintessential office worker.
Specifically, she looked like an office worker who had been buried under overtime for days—no, months.
Even at a glance, her demeanor was incredibly prickly. She had the kind of vibe where she might slap you if you so much as poked her.
“You’re the one who sent the text, right?”
She held out her phone. The screen displayed the message I had sent out.
“This is a gym, isn’t it? It said fatigue recovery was possible, so I came to check it out. Is it true?”
Fatigue recovery, metabolic stimulation.
I had used those phrases because the system recommended them, but... did she really come all this way for that? At this hour?
“It is, but… isn’t it a bit late? It’s almost midnight.”
“What does that matter?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s only natural to work out at the gym after getting off work.”
“Oh, ah… I suppose so.”
“Are you closed? If so, I’ll come back another time.”
“No, no. Please, come in.”
I hurried to open the door. There was no reason to turn away a customer who had gone through the trouble of coming here. I was in a position where I needed to grow my clientele as much as possible.
“It’s… smaller than I thought.”
“Haha, yes. Well, I only opened recently. Also, I only take one client at a time.”
“Only one person at a time?”
“Yes.”
“Aha…”
She nodded as if that finally made sense.
“Please, have a seat over here.”
I pulled out a chair for her. The woman sat down with a slight pout. She immediately crossed one leg and leaned her body to the side. It was clear she had quite the personality back in the day.
“So, shall we start with a consultation before you register?”
“Fine.”
I looked the customer in the eye. Her skin was parched, her dark circles were deep, her eyes were sharp and upturned, and there was a deep furrow between her brows. She was an office worker brimming with anger and stress. Even without using the system, I could tell just how exhausted she was.
[Heo Da-young]
[Member Level – 3]
[She is suspicious of you as a trainer.]
[She will not listen to you easily.]
[Persuade her.]
[Concern 1 – Stress from her boss and workload; resulting flab]
[Concern 2 – Fatigue from excessive work; collapsed nutritional balance]
[Concern 3 – Parched skin and stubborn dark circles]
[Recommended Exercise – Member’s level is too high.]
[Satisfaction: -15/100]
It’s a total mess.
That was my first thought. Her profile was filled with descriptions that showed just how much she was being ground down by work. Wait, is that a minus sign? Her satisfaction was at -15. She was a much more difficult customer than Miju.
“Why are you staring so hard? Is there something on my face?”
Heo Da-young touched her cheek.
“Oh, no. It’s just our shop’s policy to check the client’s condition and provide the appropriate treatment.”
“Oh, really? But I don’t see an InBody machine or anything. I heard gyms usually have those.”
“No, we don’t use those. We have our own methods.”
Why worry when I had a system better than any InBody? However, the customer didn’t seem to agree.
[Satisfaction has dropped.]
Her satisfaction dropped in an instant. She certainly had a short fuse.
“Well then, let’s hear it.”
Her tone was as if she were judging me. My pride was slightly stung. Her provocative way of speaking actually stimulated me; until a moment ago, I had been trembling just at the thought of dealing with a woman, but now I felt strangely calm.
“Alright. Looking at you, I think I can diagnose your problems.”
I took a breath and began to speak.
“You’re very tired, aren’t you?”
“Of course. I’m buried in work every day.”
“You’re exhausted, but you have nowhere to release that stress. No matter how much you sleep, you feel heavy every morning. You try to wake yourself up with coffee, but the effect wears off after a few hours. Then, even a tiny bit of nagging from your boss ruins your mood completely, and you’re stuck with daily overtime and company dinners…”
I wove a story based on the concerns I saw through the system. It was the classic plight of the office worker. I fumbled my words a bit, but I felt proud of myself just for saying all that.
“It must have been very hard for you.”
Heo Da-young’s eyes wavered. She even whispered a small, “How did you…?”
“Well, anyone can see you look tired at a glance, right?”
She was still aggressive, but she wasn't as hostile as she had been at first.
[Satisfaction has risen.]
That one line explained a lot. It meant she was being persuaded by my words. My confidence surged.
“Of course. But I’m the only one who knows how to solve this.”
“You can solve it?”
“Yes.”
I’d said it. I’d gone and said it. To be honest, I didn’t know how. The system wasn't telling me because my level was too low. But my pride wouldn't let me say I didn't know. I wanted to show this prickly Heo Da-young, who was trying to judge me, that I could do it.
“Hooh…”
Heo Da-young tried to keep a straight face, but another message popped up saying her satisfaction had risen. It worked.
“Would you like to try a session? I’ll give you the first one for free as a trial.”
“F-Free?”
“Yes. If you aren’t satisfied, you can cancel immediately and leave.”
I didn’t know where this confidence was coming from. Part of me just wanted to see this through since I’d already started. Something would work out. And if I failed? I’d just lose one customer. What was the point of having the system if I gave up just because it didn't tell me everything?
“Hmm, alright.”
“The gym wear is over here. You can change into this.”
“Fine. Your service is quite good.”
Another notification appeared saying her satisfaction had risen. After Miju’s visit, I had prepared a few extra sets of gym wear. My wallet was lighter, but it felt rewarding.
I can’t have her wearing the same clothes Miju wore.
I thought to myself while Heo Da-young went into the changing room. What should I do? I’d made the offer, but now I had to figure out how to handle it. What would be best? How could I raise Heo Da-young’s satisfaction? How could I get rid of her fatigue?
Then, a thought occurred to me.
It was a ridiculous plan. It was truly absurd, but now that I had this system that made people believe a regular house was a gym, wouldn't it be possible?
Hypnotherapy.
You see it on TV sometimes. People use hypnotherapy to relieve mental pain and burdens, and they come out looking refreshed as if everything has been solved. I would apply that. If I could make her perceive the exercises she learned from me as something that removes fatigue toxins, it might actually work. Was it the plastic effect? No, the placebo effect.
“This might work.”
I didn't know if it would actually happen, but...
It’s better than doing nothing.
I had to try something. As I let out a sigh, Heo Da-young stepped out of the changing room.
“Excuse me, I think the size is a bit small?”
“Oh, is it?”
I turned my head and—oh my.
The gym wear was skin-tight on her, revealing the curves of her voluminous figure. You know what they say: curves in all the right places. Heo Da-young had exactly that kind of body. The slight flab was a minor flaw, but it was the kind of weight any ordinary office worker would have.
“I-I’m sorry. But that’s the only size we have.”
“Ah…”
[Satisfaction has dropped.]
As expected, her satisfaction fell. Satisfaction is such a fickle thing.
“Still, now that you’re dressed, let’s get started.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Since it’s your first day, we’ll keep it light.”
“Alright.”
I went through some stretches with Heo Da-young to prepare for the workout. Every time she stretched, her prominent figure caught my eye, but that was a separate issue.
“Now then, let’s b-begin in earnest.”
“Yes.”
“This exercise is excellent for fatigue recovery. It’s a workout where the energy generated every time your muscles move removes the fatigue toxins accumulated in your body one by one.”
I spouted utter nonsense. Kinetic energy removing fatigue toxins? Who would believe that? In any other situation, it was bullshit that no one would buy. But it was different here in this gym. When I was in this gym as a trainer, the customers followed my words as if they were law. They accepted them as common sense.
Wouldn't this be possible too? And if the brain perceived it that way, wouldn't it affect the body? That was the logic behind my plan.
“There’s… an exercise like that?”
“Of course. It’s a method used by famous trainers. I guarantee it as your trainer.”
“Is that… so?”
“Yes. Once you try it, you’ll think differently.”
Heo Da-young’s eyes went slightly vacant. The moment her focus drifted, I felt certain that this plan was working.
“I see…”
“Since you have fatigue built up throughout your entire body, shall we try the best full-body exercise?”
“What is it?”
“Push-ups.”
“Oh, okay…”
Unlike her cold behavior from before, Heo Da-young followed my instructions meekly.
“Just follow my lead. I’ll correct your form if it slips.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Heo Da-young placed her hands on the floor. As she did, her large breasts curved downward following the pull of gravity. Her buttocks rose slightly, creating a rounded silhouette.
“Keep your back and hips in a straight line.”
I pressed down on her hips to adjust her posture. They were soft.
“Now, go down. One.”
“One.”
“And up on two.”
“Twooo.”
She was as out of shape as I was. She struggled even with a single rep.
“Nnggh!”
“Keep your posture straight.”
I held onto Heo Da-young’s body as her form kept collapsing. I bent her arms when they tried to lock and stabilized her thighs when they tried to buckle. Even though I was touching her quite a bit, Heo Da-young didn't seem uncomfortable. It was as if she accepted it as perfectly natural.
“Trainer, this position is so hard…”
She let out a groan.
“You can’t stop. We have to get rid of that fatigue. Think about the exhaustion from yesterday, the memory of your boss scolding you, and find your strength!”
“Kaaah!”
Heo Da-young straightened her arms with all her might. Her body trembled, and her breasts and buttocks swayed like waves.
Wow.
It was the first time I realized a person’s breasts could jiggle like that. Those violent breasts that had been hidden under her office suit were truly… impressive.
No. Get a grip.
I exhaled, trying to calm my racing heart. However, I couldn't help my eyes from drifting toward her breasts, which were dancing like pendulums. Maybe I should buy those sunglasses.
Having forced my eyes away from her chest, my own posture became a bit awkward. My privates had stood up defiantly on their own. I helped Heo Da-young with her workout while trying to calm my "little friend" who was desperately trying to assert its presence.
“Alright, just one more!”
“H-Hmph!”
“Really the last one!”
“H-Hnnngh!”
“The last!”
“H-Haaaaah!”
“One more for good measure!”
“Traineeerrrr!”
To be honest, I was also getting a bit of revenge for her earlier prickliness.
“Haah, haah.”
“You did better than I expected.”
Sweat was pouring off her body.
“That’s one set of push-ups done. Let’s move to the next.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes. This time, it’s jumping jacks.”
Heo Da-young started to protest for a moment but soon took her position.
Jump.
“One, two, three! One!”
Heo Da-young jumped in place to my count. And accordingly… her large breasts bounced up and down.
“One, two, three! Two!”
Jump.
“One, two, three! Three!”
They bounced. Up and down. It was dizzying. My eyes were definitely not following her chest. Definitely. I had to focus on calming my privates, which were trying to make another claim for attention.
*
“Huff, huff.”
Heo Da-young panted, catching her breath. Her thick glasses had slipped down the bridge of her nose, slick with sweat.
“How do you feel? Don’t you feel refreshed? Your body is tired, but your mind feels clearer, doesn’t it?”
I asked as I handed her a towel and some water.
“Haah, haah… Just, haah, a moment…”
Heo Da-young drank a good amount of water before she finally spoke.
“I think I feel refreshed. It’s like the fatigue from earlier was a lie.”
Actually, I knew even before she answered. Why? Because the deep furrow between her brows had vanished. Heo Da-young’s expression was much softer now.
“I’m glad. I’m happy you’re seeing results.”
“No matter how many supplements I took, I never felt this kind of effect…”
Heo Da-young muttered to herself, looking at her own body in surprise. But it wasn't enough yet.
[Satisfaction: 47/100]
[Revisit Rate: Undecided]
Because her satisfaction was only at 47 and her revisit rate was still undecided, I needed something to seal the deal.
“Actually, I have one more thing prepared for fatigue recovery. Would you like to try it?”
After a moment of thought, I spoke to Heo Da-young.
“What is it?”
“A massage. A facial massage.”