Having stumbled upon a surprisingly decent quest so swiftly, it seemed I wouldn’t have to squander much time in the world.
Typically, quests in this world are linked in chains of at least three or four, so all that remained was to appropriately boost my stats in the field and proceed along the questline.
‘…It should be fine, right?’
Thus, Mado and I agreed to meet again in the world approximately three days later, after we had both completed our respective job advancements.
I had been quite flustered when I was suddenly ejected from the carriage, but apparently, it was simply another device malfunction.
At that point, I wondered if she shouldn’t just replace it, but meddling in her affairs to that extent felt inappropriate.
After all, strictly speaking in terms of broadcast years, Mado was practically a senior far beyond my standing.
She would surely manage on her own.
Ding!
“First floor,” a voice announced.
I turned off my smartwatch display and stepped into the elevator.
As previously planned, I was visiting the gym I had registered at some time ago.
‘…My body hasn’t moved enough.’
In truth, aside from my visits to the center, I had engaged in virtually no outdoor activities.
Lately, my diet had also consisted of increasingly unhealthy foods, to the point where I could feel my body deteriorating in real time.
Consequently, I could no longer postpone it.
After all, if my body wasn’t healthy, I couldn’t possibly continue broadcasting, or anything else, for long.
“Fifth floor,” the voice chimed.
“Oh, you’re here, Kim Hyunwoo?”
“Haha, yes. Hello.”
The gym owner, who had been attending to duties at the entrance counter, greeted me warmly.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but it seemed her physique had improved even further in just a few days.
In my original world, a woman with that level of performance would, with 99% certainty, be using steroids.
Yet, things seemed different in this world.
While I hadn’t studied endocrinology and couldn’t ascertain the exact reasons, it was said that women of such a build were indeed possible here.
Conversely, men generally appeared to be smaller in stature, leading me to wonder if some sort of balance (TL Note: ‘Tangpyeong,’ referring to a policy of impartiality or balance, often used in historical contexts) had been achieved.
“Your physique seems to have improved even more.”
“Oh, really? Hehe. It’s rare for a man to compliment me on this.
Everyone usually says too much muscle looks scary.”
“It’s nothing but impressive.
My muscles have all withered away recently…”
These weren’t mere pleasantries; her physique was genuinely worthy of respect.
I wasn’t someone with long experience, nor had I trained with such intensity.
If anything, my own physique seemed rather meager in comparison.
“Oh, come on, Kim Hyunwoo, your physique is excellent.
I have a friend who’s a trainer at a men-only gym, and even there, you’d probably be hard-pressed to find anyone in better shape than you.”
“…I doubt it’s *that* extreme.
But thank you for the compliment, all the same.”
Though likely laced with exaggeration, a compliment always lifted my spirits, especially when it came from someone I respected.
“Since you mentioned you used to work out a lot, I probably don’t need to teach you anything new.
But if you have any questions or encounter any issues, please don’t hesitate to tell me immediately.
I’ll resolve them right away.”
Her wink, delivered with a playful grimace, was slightly overwhelming yet reassuring.
‘Perhaps to genuinely inspire confidence when offering protection, one truly needs this kind of physique…’
A certain small girl from somewhere spontaneously came to mind, prompting a small chuckle.
“Ugh—”
First, I began to gently loosen my body with some stretches.
Having been inactive for a while, I was concerned about potential injury.
My body wasn’t naturally flexible, so groans of effort escaped me involuntarily.
I repeated these stretches several times, gradually loosening up.
“…?”
Suddenly, a strange sensation prompted me to turn my head.
‘Was it a lingering gaze, perhaps…?’
These days, I made a point to cover my face in crowded places, which somewhat mitigated it, but it was still a sensation I frequently experienced.
However, when I looked around, I saw only people diligently engaged in their own workouts.
‘Am I just being overly sensitive?’
While I acknowledged that plenty of things had made me sensitive, this felt different.
I deliberately shook my head, then resumed my stretching.
“Ugh— Hmph—”
From injury-prone areas to my limbs, once I’d fully warmed up, my body felt noticeably lighter.
It was as if an immediate urge to work out surged within me.
“Alright.”
‘I’ll start light.
Back day today.’
I settled onto the lat pulldown machine, adjusted the weight, and began my workout gently.
“Hooah, hooooh!”
Even though it was a weight I usually handled with ease, the stimulation to my back muscles was surprisingly intense.
Clearly, my strength had diminished after not working out for a while.
Lost in these thoughts, I increased my repetitions.
A pleasurable sensation accompanied the pain, and I felt my body pleasantly warming up.
‘This is the feeling.’
With a soft *thud*, I released the grip and smiled.
It was a sensation I had genuinely missed.
I often told myself I wasn’t quite a ‘gym rat’ (TL Note: ‘Helchang,’ a Korean slang term for someone obsessed with working out), but after several days of continuous rest, this feeling struck me anew.
As I indulged in that contented smile, I once again felt that familiar ‘gaze’ from earlier.
‘…What is it?’
However, just like before, a scan of my surroundings revealed no one looking at me.
It was rather perplexing.
Still, I didn’t dwell on it.
Even if someone *was* looking, it wasn’t a major issue; it wasn’t as if I would wear out from being stared at.
‘Just focus on the workout.’
And so, I continued my workout according to my usual routine for about an hour, frequently exclaiming in admiration as everything seemed to click exceptionally well today.
“Kuaaaaaah…”
With a final groan, I lowered the dumbbell, marking the end of my last set.
Afterward, as I wiped the sweat-drenched spot with a towel and prepared to stand up, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
“Excuse me, by any chance…”
The voice from beside me didn’t startle me much, and I replied calmly.
“Ah, yes.
Did I perhaps make a mistake?”
It was a woman with short hair, whose appearance perfectly fit the description of a ‘cat-like face’ (TL Note: ‘Goyang-isang,’ referring to a face shape with upward-slanted eyes, a small nose, and a sharp chin, often considered attractive and chic).
This person was the source of the lingering gaze I had subtly felt from the beginning.
I had realized this midway through my workout.
Initially, I thought she was merely checking when a machine would become free, but her gaze kept following me.
“No, no! It’s not, it’s not that at all…”
Her face flushed crimson as she waved her hands dismissively, then offered me something she held.
Unthinkingly, I accepted the item she thrust into my hand.
As our eyes met again, she abruptly bowed her head deeply and began mumbling incoherently.
“If you… yes.
If you’re interested… please, take a look!”
With another quick bow, she abruptly turned and scurried away in the opposite direction, her movements stiff and awkward.
Her hurried retreat was remarkably frantic.
‘…What was that?’
‘She seemed a bit odd.
Despite being perfectly pretty.’
With that thought, I examined the item she had pressed into my hand.
“…Hmm?”
‘Surely it wasn’t some kind of confession note, absolutely not—’
As I checked, I found it was a business card.
[ ENB Entertainment Director Lee Songha ]
‘An entertainment company?’
Moreover, it belonged to someone far more significant than I had imagined.
The sheer unexpectedness of it left me even more bewildered.
****
The ENB Entertainment headquarters, nestled in Nonhyeon-dong.
The CEO’s office within was a place no ENB Entertainment employee ever entered cheerfully.
Given the CEO’s nature—one to take action herself—summoning employees to that office typically meant either dissatisfaction with their work or a problem had arisen.
“…Wow, so you just handed him a business card and ran away?”
At the sight of her silent nod, CEO Lee Songhee pressed a hand to her forehead, erupting into a disbelieving laugh.
“Wahahaha, this is truly absurd.
Forget about whether talking to men is difficult or not, this is—”
“I know, alright!
But what am I supposed to do when the words just won’t come out?”
Lee Songha, initially bristling in defiance, soon buried her face in her hands, letting out a groan.
“Augh, damn it.
I’m not an idiot…”
“You *are* an idiot.
At this point, you’re practically a super idiot.
An entertainment director, a *woman* (TL Note: The original Korean uses ‘nyeon,’ a derogatory term for a woman, used here by the speaker in exasperation towards her sister), who can’t even do PR and runs away?”
“No, you *had* to see him for yourself!
I mean, sure, there might be handsomer men if you just look at faces, but he was tall, had a great physique… overall, he was just a little unreal.”
“Then, you idiot (TL Note: Again, ‘nyeon,’ a derogatory term for a woman, used exasperatedly by the speaker towards her sister), you should have gotten more information!
And isn’t he even in this industry?
You’re practically drooling over him.”
“He’s not.
I usually know everyone in the industry.”
Lee Songha once again recalled the shock of encountering him in that old gym.
He was a man almost flawless in every aspect.
Just his appearance alone ignited a desire to immediately train him in acting or singing and mold him into a celebrity.
Furthermore, though their interaction was too brief and awkward to even be called a conversation, his words and tone suggested his personality wasn’t bad either.
“Well, we do go to the same gym, after all.
Maybe he’ll even get curious and contact me first… There’s still a chance.”
“Looking at you now, I doubt it.
You’re acting like someone who just saw their first love.”
“First love, what are you talking about?
It’s not *that* serious.”
Lee Songhee eyed Lee Songha, who was waving her hands in dismissal, with suspicion.
There was good reason for her gaze.
Indeed, she had personally witnessed her sister, back in middle school, completely lose her mind over some boy from a nearby all-boys school.
Naturally, that ended in a bad breakup, and Lee Songhee suspected that ever since, her sister had found it even more difficult to converse with men.
“Tsk, well, anyway.
If you came all the way here to tell me about him, even after failing to properly convey your message, then he must be genuinely promising.”
“Oh, almost certainly.
Even if he acted terribly, like a dog (TL Note: ‘Baeryeongi,’ refers to extremely poor acting, often humorously likened to a dog’s untrained movements), he’d still gain popularity.”
“…Alright, I still trust your eye for talent.”
ENB Entertainment was currently renowned as one of Korea’s top five entertainment agencies.
The significant role played by Lee Songha was crucial to how two relatively young sisters could become a legend in the entertainment industry.
“Then bring him in first.
If I also get a good feeling, I’ll try to sign him no matter what.
Though, we’ll have to give up if he’s not interested.”
“Yes, I will.”
Lee Songha nodded, making a silent vow: next time they met, she would speak confidently, without trembling…
Whether that vow would be kept, however, even she couldn’t guarantee.
