Absurd, Jae-min let out an empty laugh. Of course, he was a potato only to Jae-min’s eyes blinded by jealousy—objectively, Hyun-woong was decent. No, actually he was beyond decent with above-average looks. Having lost objectivity, Jae-min’s face scrunched up deeply.
‘Should I work out too?’
Long ago, when he was dating a high school senior, she’d advised Jae-min, ‘You should absolutely never build your body. That absolutely doesn’t suit your pretty face.’ It was advice given with quite a serious expression and tone, so Jae-min had carved that advice into his bones and vowed to absolutely avoid bulking up.
But now that firm resolve wavered a bit. Jae-min opened a map app and searched for gyms near his home. When he clicked on the nearest gym, a discount promotion banner appeared.
“Personal training…”
To properly build his body in a situation where he didn’t know how to use equipment at all, a trainer was absolutely necessary. But one-on-one lessons were predictably too expensive. Even with the event discount, the price was substantial.
He looked into other exercises too, but as expected there were no amounts that looked easy. Jae-min pressed his forehead with the feeling of swallowing bitter water.
If he could go back a few months, he wouldn’t be anxious like this. If he’d decided to work out back then, he would have cared less about the price than now. The anxious feeling of whether he should exercise wouldn’t have arisen either.
Perhaps… if it had been Jae-min from a few months ago, he might not have broken up with Yun-ji, or even if they’d broken up, he might not have been this stressed.
Actually, in the end, all problems came down to money. Two months ago, Jae-min had been fired from his part-time job. It was work performing on stage, but when the performance venue struggled and closed down, his wallet naturally thinned. And Jae-min’s nerves thinned along with it, so his sensitivity had reached its peak.
‘What exercise in this situation. I should look for a part-time job.’
Jae-min stopped searching, spitting out a curse instead of a sigh. Then he entered SNS again. This time it wasn’t for any particular purpose but more like a habit.
Just because he’d looked up exercise a bit, the ghost-like SNS algorithm uncannily displayed exercise-related ads. Among them were some familiar ones.
‘Buffalo Muscle Buster! We fill your lacking confidence. Essential supplement for bulk-up.’
Jae-min narrowed his brow at the hot pink design so intense it hurt his eyes. It was exactly what Hyun-woong had received as a gift in the lecture hall earlier. Whether it was really a trendy product these days, there were tremendously many reviews and event participation comments. Jae-min skimmed through the reviews that were no different from testimonials with a lukewarm gaze.
“Bulking up even more from there?”
Hyun-woong getting even bigger than now. Only cartoon-like scenes came to mind of t-shirts unable to withstand his body mass bursting with a pop. Letting out an empty laugh, Jae-min got up from his seat.
Though it was an empty lecture hall, he couldn’t hold out here for the entire free period. Thinking he should go eat or something, he moved his steps when his phone vibrated long in his pocket.
Quickly taking out his phone and checking the caller’s name, Jae-min’s eyes widened. It was contact from someone he obviously hadn’t met recently, and he didn’t even know their contact information was saved in his address book. Jae-min answered the phone in bewilderment.
“Hello. Uncle?”
―Oh, Jae-min. How’ve you been? It’s not class time, is it? Do you have time to talk with Uncle?
Jae-min blinked. No matter how close a relative, since they barely had occasion to meet except on holidays it was just awkward, but Uncle was strangely cheerful. At the really uncomfortable feeling, just as Jae-min was about to lie that he had class soon, the other person brought up the main point first.
―I heard you’re not working these days. Do you want to do a part-time job?
“I do!”
At the words “part-time job,” Jae-min answered without even breathing. Uncle laughed heartily and added in a slightly lower voice.
―Help Uncle with his work a bit.
“Uncle’s work?”
Jae-min traced back Uncle’s past news.
Uncle, Lim Yong-seok, his father’s younger brother, was someone who’d been called eccentric all his life. When he was very young, he apparently said he’d become an inventor, but after graduating college, his actual job had consistently been as a businessman.
Of course, among businessmen there are people who get lucky and succeed in business, but Yong-seok wasn’t that kind of fortunate person. He’d witnessed several times his father complaining to his mother, saying “It looks like Yong-seok’s business isn’t going well again.”
He seemed to have folded several times and started new things. Jae-min became curious whether this work was going somewhat well. Jae-min readjusted his grip on the phone.
“What kind of work are you doing?”
―Uncle’s doing medical business these days, you know.
At the pleased voice, Jae-min’s eyes widened. It was an industry he couldn’t have imagined.
“What? Is it work I can do?”
―Of course, you can do the work if you come and learn just a little.
“Is that possible? I’m not confident.”
―Originally it’s a position I couldn’t give you even if I wanted to because there was no opening. But this time one employee suddenly quit. They’re only coming until next week, but I haven’t found a replacement yet. Just please help until I find the next person.
It was tempting. But no matter what, the ‘medical’ field felt like it had high barriers to entry in many ways. Of course, since it was a relative’s introduction, there’d be no stress finding work, and adaptation would be easy. But if he made a mistake at a medical institution, wouldn’t it be too big of an accident?
‘No matter how much money they offer…’
Jae-min, who had been seriously racking his brain, hesitated. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard yet how much he’d be paid.
“The hourly wage is…?”
―Hmm, we’ll have to discuss more about how many hours a week you’ll work. But I’m thinking of depositing 3 million won a month based on 3 times a week, 4 hours a day.
3 million? Jae-min’s eyes lit up. That much money for these hours. These were unheard-of conditions. Gulping down his saliva, Jae-min gripped his phone tightly.
“Really? When and where should I go?”
―You’re interested? Great!
Yong-seok laughed heartily from the other end of the phone.
―I’ll text you the address. Let’s meet next Wednesday.
⁕⁕⁕
A few days later, Yong-seok sent just a single line of address via text. He’d thought he’d send the message right on the day they talked, but it had been quiet for a while so he’d thought he’d forgotten. Jae-min was checking the location on his map app when he suddenly narrowed his brow.
“What kind of medical institution has no sign…?”
He checked the actual building using the street view function, but no matter how he looked, he couldn’t see a sign that said ‘hospital’ or ‘clinic.’ The location was also somehow in an alley rather than on the roadside.
It was all very suspicious, but since he was going to work there rather than receive treatment, his suspicion didn’t last long. When he told his father he’d decided to help Uncle with work, his father only advised him to work hard without showing any particular signs of worry.
He concluded this must be an old photo taken before Uncle opened. It was when he’d nodded and lowered his phone.
“Watch out for the ball there!”
Jae-min quickly turned his head. A basketball was flying toward him. It wasn’t a threatening speed, so Jae-min lightly dodged and reached out his hand. The ball that had bounced once on the ground landed in his hand.
“Here.”
He threw the ball back toward someone whose face he recognized from the group.
“Thanks!”
The man who lightly caught the ball glanced around briefly, then raised his hand toward Jae-min again.
“We’re short one person, so do you want to play basketball with us?”
“I’m good.”
Jae-min, who immediately refused, hesitated and looked around. Come to think of it, the figure who used to catch his eye without even trying to look wasn’t visible.
‘Why isn’t that bastard here?’
Hyun-woong wasn’t there. Last time, he’d definitely been mixed in with this group playing basketball. Jae-min, who had scanned the basketball court with a frown, moved his steps again. He wasn’t curious enough to actually ask.
But he discovered Hyun-woong in an unexpected place. Jae-min had business at the building next to the central library and was heading there, and when passing the library’s main entrance, the door suddenly opened and Hyun-woong popped out.
The moment their eyes met, Jae-min felt that Hyun-woong was somewhat different from usual.
When thinking of Hyun-woong, one of his characteristics that came to mind was his clothing. In spring weather still far from summer, Hyun-woong always wore a shirt draped over a tight t-shirt. Even the girls talking about Hyun-woong in the department group chat said they’d never once seen him neatly button up his shirt, but today was different.
Wherever he’d bought such large clothes, he was wearing a shirt in a size that had room even for Hyun-woong’s frame, with all the buttons fastened up to the neck. He’d almost not recognized him in the excessively neat outfit.
“…What the?”
