I made it back to my room but there wasn't much I needed to prepare.

I didn't bother packing extra clothes since I was gonna wear the basic gym gear they provide.

I just grabbed a pair of undies to change into and threw out my textbooks from my bag, then headed back out into the hallway.

There was Yoon Hye-yoon, slightly smiling at me.

Seemed like she was happy I came out quicker than expected.

"Yeah, gotta get back at it after the weekend. It’s good to take a break, but not starting Monday."

"Ah.. I was kinda short-sighted. Suddenly felt like hitting the gym."

I just nodded along, figuring as long as I did a bit of a workout, she'd leave me be.

I wanted to rest after a quick workout, so I passed by her and pressed the elevator button first.

Thunk!

"Let's go."

“It’s nice to see you being proactive.”

And just like that, we both cheerfully headed to the gym.

As soon as we stepped outside, the hot air nearly choked me.

I didn’t expect to suffer twice the agony just by stepping out after already feeling crappy when I got home.

Trying to conserve my energy, I kept quiet on our walk, but she must've been bored 'cause she started chatting.

"What classes did you have today? You said something about electrical engineering, right? Something with electricity?"

"Of course, electricity. It’s all about designing circuits and stuff with semiconductors."

"Sounds brain-breaking just listening to you. Guess that's engineering for you."

"How about you? Didn’t you say English Literature?"

"Ugh.. we really just do English here. Stuff like pronunciation or translating books. Still a sophomore, so haven’t learned much yet."

"Bet your pronunciation is awesome."

"I practice watching American dramas. Just listen to a sentence and repeat."

"Good for you."

Chatting passed the time, and before I knew it, we were at the gym building.

Being a 5-minute walk was a blessing with this weather.

As we entered and opened the gym door, the usual receptionist greeted us.

"Hello."

"Welcome! Oh!? Together today? What’s going on... maybe?"

"Hey, it's not like that. Just bumped into each other and decided to come together."

I’ve noticed before, but this lady sure loves stirring things up.

Better keep my distance to avoid the hassle.

I changed and went inside, and there was Yoon Hye-yoon waving at me from the treadmill.

I approached and she started pressing the buttons before me.

Honestly, I was sweating just from the walk, so I cautiously asked.

"Do we really gotta run after walking here in this heat?"

"It’s basic, you know. Barely walked anyway. Let’s run at least 10 minutes to get warmed up."

A thorough death sentence.

Still, I got on the next treadmill thinking I could handle it slow for about 10 minutes.

"Pant... pant..."

It had only been 4 minutes, but my body was already sounding the alarm.

Glancing over, Yoon Hye-yoon was running effortlessly.

At this rate, sticking around her would land me in the ER, so I decided to bail.

Beep.

The belt stopped, and as I mopped up sweat and stepped down, she spoke.

"Done already? Feels like it’s been less than 5 minutes..."

"The heat earlier got me heated up fast. Gonna try something else."

"Hmm... since I dragged you here, I'll stick around today. Show you some new equipment too."

After hitting the stop button, she looked around briefly before walking off.

"Ah! That’s perfect. It’s easy even for beginners so you won’t feel pressured."

I just stood there blankly as she looked back and spoke again.

"Come on, follow me. Not often I offer help, you know?"

Seems running away was a mistake.

Had no choice but to endure.

We reached a machine with ropes attached.

She went ahead, grabbed the rope and started explaining.

"This is called the pushdown. Just grab the rope and pull down. Looks easy, right?"

"Definitely seems simple to operate."

"But you gotta maintain proper posture to get the effect, so watch me and learn the right way."

She pushed her chest out and tucked her butt back, looking kinda like a duck.

She began pulling the rope, and her arms flexed impressively.

"Keep your elbows close to your body. Just pull down with your elbows still. Try it."

Honestly, it looked easy, but when I grabbed the rope, it wasn't.

Thought I was pulling lightly, but it felt so heavy?

"Push your chest out more... keep your back tight and pull down all the way!"

Whether she knew my struggle or not, she kept firing instructions every time I pulled.

Somehow, I finished 10 reps and my arms were tingling.

She looked unsatisfied as she looked on. I mustered up the strength to do another set, then just collapsed onto the floor.

"First time’s always tough. Let's leave it at that for today."

"Um... if unused muscles get worked, it's natural to feel this way. Maybe switch to lower body for a bit?"

It felt like she was just saying that, but I figured it'd be better than more upper body torture.

I saw a machine with a metal plate attached to a seat, something I’d seen others use before, so I roughly knew how it worked.

"This is the leg press. I'll demonstrate first, so watch closely. Sit down and press your hips against the seat."

She positioned her legs on the plate, knees bent.

She had said to watch, so I took the chance to ease my sore arms and check out her form.

Her toned thighs and the curve of her chest were a bit of a distraction, lessening the pain.

"Lift your hips slightly and spread your feet a bit when you push."

The way she lifted her hips seemed like a posture for something more intense, and I couldn't help but get a bit excited.

Unaware of my gaze, she demonstrated a few more times before stepping off the machine.

"Now, give it a try. I’ll watch."

Getting on the machine, I felt the warmth and the faint scent she left behind.

I mimicked her posture and slowly began to push my legs.

"Don't fully extend your knees. It’s hard on the joints, just a slight bend is enough... There! You’re doing well."

I hadn’t done many reps, but she complimented me.

Good thing I paid close attention.

"Let’s add a bit more weight. You should be able to do about 10 reps comfortably."

"What? 10 reps? And you’re increasing the weight?"

"10 is practically the minimum, you should be able to do that much."

Her daunting remark silenced any objections I might have had.

Shortly after, she smiled and said, "This should be manageable for a beginner. Just spread your feet a bit more and start!"

"Ugh!"

A different kind of pressure made my thighs tremble.

Normally, I might have managed, but I was feeling weak today, making it painfully hard.

"Um... I'm really struggling today, can we reduce the weight a bit?"

"Again with that? Alright, I’ll reduce it a little. But no complaining this time."

"Yes..."

After what felt like an eternity, the session ended, and I just lay back on the bench, taking a rest.

I tried massaging myself a bit, but it was hardly enough to soothe my muscles.

Sweating profusely and moaning a bit, she must have noticed I looked different than usual and tentatively asked about my wellbeing.

"You seem to be having a tough time today. Are you not feeling well?"

"My whole body is sore and in pain."

Realizing the situation, she helped me off the machine and laid me down on the floor.

Then she began massaging my legs and thighs together, apologizing as she did so.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were just making excuses earlier. If you were really in pain, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have pushed so hard..."

Her gentle touch as she massaged me helped calm the tremors.

Maybe because she knew her way around from the training, she seemed to effectively target the sore spots.

"Ah... I feel better now. Just need a bit of rest."

"Are you sure you’re okay? I'm sorry. Let's stop for today and you go home and rest well."

"That would be best. I’ll head home first. See you later."

She kept repeating apologies, perhaps feeling guilty for having dragged me along.

It seemed like she was worried I might quit working out because of this.

I said goodbye, but she lingered nearby, not wanting to leave.

Then, as if she had a good idea, she suddenly ran off somewhere.

"I’ll spray this on, just hold still."

She came back with a spray can labeled as pain-relief spray.

Quickly opening the can, she sprayed it all over my legs, and the cool sensation helped me feel much better.

She went a bit overboard with the spray and then asked again.

"Can you make it home alone, or should I call a cab for you?"

"It’s only a five-minute walk, I think I can manage that much."

"I’ll walk with you then. Just in case you collapse on the road..."

It seemed a bit overprotective, but I appreciated her wanting to take responsibility.

She was visibly anxious, not knowing what else to do.

"Come on, just help me a little, okay?"

So we left the gym and started heading home.

She gently wrapped her arm around my back, supporting me.

"Are you really okay? I feel so bad. I didn't realize it was this hard for you..."

"I'm really fine. If you keep apologizing, I'll feel even worse, so let's just leave it at that."

Though I meant what I said, it sounded like I was telling her to stop bothering me.

We walked quietly, my energy completely sapped, until we reached my house.

"Take care then. Get some good rest..."

"Thanks for the help. See you later."

"Okay..."

Once she left, I made a beeline for the bathroom to wash up quickly and then collapsed onto my bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out cold.

Ding-dong!

The sound of the doorbell woke me up.

It was probably the delivery I had ordered before, so I closed my eyes again.

Ding-dong!

The bell rang again.

I was too exhausted to care, but then I heard knocking.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Woo-jin, are you there? Woo-jin?"

~~~~

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