First class after midterms where we were notified about a group project through XXChat.

Everyone just sat anywhere waiting for the prof when the TA climbed up to the podium first.

He glanced at the students up front, counted heads, then clapped his hands and started talking.

"Everyone. After today’s class, there will be time to meet up with your group members, so don’t rush out; please wait a bit."

A lifesaver TA, blowing away worries about how to meet and contact group members with one announcement.

Everyone nodding in agreement, looking pretty satisfied with that setup.

Class finally starts after the professor walks in, and two hours of incomprehensible words and sentences fly by.

"Okay, that’s it for today’s lesson. The TA will announce today’s progress assignments later, so please do them diligently."

Relieved faces at the end of a boring class, mixed feelings about more assignments piling up.

After the professor left, the TA came back up and started assigning spots.

"Group 1 here, Group 2 next to them, Group 3... like that, and once you’ve exchanged contact info, feel free to leave."

Right after he finished, chaos erupted with everyone scattering.

In the mix, I found my spot with Group 6, where a dude with a 5:5 parted perm and dyed brown hair, and a somewhat pretty girl with shoulder-length black hair were already sitting.

Both had that insider group vibe, visually.

Curious, I struck up a conversation with the dude.

"Hi, are you in Group 6?"

"Oh, yeah, that’s right."

With that, I took the empty seat, and soon felt everyone's eyes on us.

The last person on the roster, who hadn’t arrived yet; I knew who it was without looking.

When they finally showed, the center of attention greeted us with a slightly hoarse voice.

"Hello."

"Hey! Ah-young, you made it!"

"Hello!"

"…Hello."

The reaction was totally different from when I arrived.

I mean, wasn't it supposed to be?

Shrugging it off, the girl introduced herself first.

"Hello! I guess we’re all from the same department, but I’m Seo A-rin, a junior in Electrical Engineering. Let’s work hard!"

"Hello! I’m also a junior in Electrical Engineering, Jang Min-hyuk. Nice to meet you."

As introductions went around clockwise, it felt like my turn, so I went ahead.

"Hello. I’m Park Woo-jin, a junior who just returned from leave. Nice to meet you."

"Hello. I’m Shin Ah-young, a junior in Electrical Engineering. Nice to meet you."

After the formal greetings, everyone whipped out their phones to exchange contacts.

Then, Jang Min-hyuk added everyone on XXChat and invited them to the group chat for our project.

"We’ll get the problems to solve by the end of this week, so let’s wrap it up for today and meet up later?"

"Sounds good."

I readily agreed, and others nodded without much opinion, soon scattering to their own paths.

With things to do myself, I grabbed my bag and headed straight to the gym.

"Hello~"

"Hello."

As I entered, the receptionist greeted me automatically.

I grabbed some cool water from the dispenser in the lobby and asked a few questions.

"Is the gym manager around by any chance?"

"Yes, the manager is practically a fixture here unless he’s busy. He’s here almost every day."

"What about Yoon Hye-yoon?"

At that, the receptionist gave a sly, amused smile.

"Heh...she’s here, alright. But hey, if you’re interested in Hye-yoon, just give up already."

Surprised by the turn in conversation, but curious, I listened intently.

"Guess how many guys have hit on her over the year and a half she’s been here? A whopping 20 guys! She gets hit on consistently every month."

"Oh, that’s more than I thought."

"Yeah, and they were all rejected right through the early stages until the rumors of her being 'fortress-like' spread. That’s when the hitting on slowed down."

Impressed by her notoriety, even though I heard it through the grapevine rather than directly from her.

But since I've already 'consumed' the virginity myself, I quickly lost interest.

"I know my place, so I’m not particularly interested. Anyway, I'm going in now."

Leaving the eager receptionist behind, I headed to the changing room.

Changed into my training gear, did some stretches, and then headed to the main gym area as per the manager’s advice to warm up first.

Ran on the treadmill for 10 minutes to warm up.

"Whew...feels like I’m warmed up enough...let’s go see the manager."

As expected, I found the manager somewhere in the gym working out.

I approached him at the bench press where his massive muscles were in action.

"Hello, Manager, I'm here."

"Oh! Good to see you being consistent! Let’s start with the upper body today?"

He greeted me casually as if we were old pals, right from the next day after I registered.

The manager stood up and pointed towards the dumbbells.

"Let’s start light, pick up the 5kg dumbbells. I’ll watch your form, let’s do 10 reps for 3 sets!"

As I started lifting, music flowed out of the manager's pocket.

He motioned for me to continue while he answered his phone.

"Hello? Oh, that? Wasn’t that resolved? ...Alright, I’m coming."

After hanging up, he looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.

"Umm... Something urgent came up, so I won’t be able to watch over you today... How about I ask Hye-yoon to help you out? Just follow the routine I’ve laid out?"

"Won’t she be busy working out herself?"

"No no, not at all. No one in the gym would refuse to help a beginner."

With that, he went off to find her, and soon, a bustling Hye-yoon appeared beside me.

"Hehe, heard I’ll be watching over your workout today?"

"Yeah, something urgent came up for me, so just follow the route and she’ll check your posture."

"Easy peasy, don’t worry."

She seemed eager to help, perhaps a little too much.

What do gym regulars think of beginners, anyway?

Before long, the manager left, and there she was, serious as ever about gym stuff.

But every time, whether it’s Shin Ah-young or her, when they get into something, they go all in.

Guess that means they really enjoy it.

"Alright! So, 5kg dumbbells, 10 reps for 3 sets, right? Stretch your arms and lift them slowly up to shoulder height! Let's start!"

She gave feedback promptly if my posture seemed off.

"Slower! You’re too fast. Don’t bend your back, and keep your legs shoulder-width apart!"

If my posture didn’t improve, she’d come closer and adjust it with her gentle touch, a sweet scent of sweat wafting over.

'Think I should mess up my form on purpose?'

With a slightly wicked thought, I corrected my form as I finished my sets.

Since I had worked out the day before, it wasn’t too hard, but my muscles were still sore, making my arms shake a bit.

As I massaged my arms, she spoke.

"Does your arm hurt? Why don’t you try some leg work? You’ve probably heard of squats. I’ll demonstrate."

She stretched her arms forward, slightly spread her legs, and slowly bent her knees.

"Keep your core engaged, back straight, and imagine you’re sitting back into a chair slowly..."

She was wearing leggings again today, so her figure was quite apparent.

I pretended to watch her form but really circled around her to get a better view.

From the front, you could almost see the imprint of her undergarments, her toned thighs and hips seemed like they were about to burst through her leggings.

I wondered if she noticed me staring.

As I moved to her side, I saw her chest protrude and her waist so thin compared to her hips.

From the back, while not as large as Shin Ah-young's, her butt and the curve of her back were still a work of art.

After a full circle, I genuinely clapped and complimented her, causing her to smile shyly.

"Oh, you shouldn’t clap for that, Woo-jin. You’ll get it soon enough with a few tries."

She still seemed pleased, moving up and down a few more times to demonstrate.

Does she realize how attractive she is?

Worth clapping for, really.

"Alright! Now you try. I’ll correct your posture if needed."

I remembered her stance and tried to mimic it as closely as possible.

"Keep your gaze forward, push your hips back...slowly...yes!"

As she did with me, she circled 360 degrees around me to check my form but suddenly stopped in front.

I wondered if something was wrong and looked up only to find her eyes fixated on one spot.

Following her gaze, it landed squarely on my crotch.

A noticeable bulge there, although I wasn’t aroused.

"Uh, is this how I should be doing it?"

"Oh, yesyesyesyesyes!? Ah! Yes, you got it right away. Hehe.."

Hye-yoon quickly turned away, her face slightly flushed as she complimented me.

I stood up straight and then repeated the squats more pronounced now, and even though she seemed not to be looking, her eyes definitely were.

"How's this? Does it look okay?"

"Uh..um...maybe... spread your legs a bit wider!"

She stuttered a bit, perhaps feeling hot as she began to fan herself with her hand.

"Um...I'll just run to the bathroom real quick. Keep repeating that and stay put!"

She couldn't hide her flushed face and hurried off.

After a while, she returned and we resumed with the dumbbells and squats until the workout session was over.

"That's it for today. I've got things to do now, so you can stay and workout more if you'd like."

"I think I'll just practice the form a bit more before I go. Thanks for all your help today."

"No problem. I enjoy teaching. See you around."

She left first, and I rested for a while then continued to workout for about 20 more minutes. But with my legs and arms shaking, I decided to give up and head home.

Drenched in sweat, I headed to the locker rooms, which were separated by gender.

Just as I was about to enter the men’s side, I bumped into Hye-yoon coming out of the women’s.

Hadn't she said she had something else to do?

She was startled to see me.

"Uh...oh!? You stayed longer than I thought?"

"Yeah, I lost track of time practicing."

"Ah..right... Should I wait for you then? We're heading the same way home."

"It’ll just be about five more minutes for me to shower. You can go ahead if you want."

"I'll wait then. Take your time."

I quickly showered and when I came out, she was waiting in the lobby.

I signaled that I was ready, and we left the gym together.