My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend is Too Pretty - Chapter 116

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

◈ My Platinum-Blonde Childhood Friend Is Too Pretty ◈

Chapter 116: 44. Working Out with My Girlfriend Before Enlistment -2

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Lee Hyun-ho, twenty-eight years old, gym rat and personal trainer.

He showed up to the fitness center that day the same as any other, finished his daily routine without a second thought. With no games he was into and no girlfriend to speak of, lifting was the most important thing in his world.

After his workout he showered, popped into the office to fire off a few messages to his PT clients, and stepped back out, only to be flagged down by the part-timer at the front desk, her voice hushed but buzzing with excitement.

"Oppa, oppa! The new members who just signed up are insane!"

"What? Did a celebrity show up?"

"Not a celebrity, I don't think, but... seriously, they're wild!"

"Is it a girl? If it's a guy, don't bother telling me. I don't care."

"The guy looks like he might sign up for PT? He registered on the spot, so it seems like he did his homework before coming in."

"Wait, that changes things completely! Where are they, where?"

"Take a look for yourself. I just assigned them lockers so they went to change their shoes... oh, they're coming out!"

"What could possibly be so amazing that you're this worked up....... huh?"

Hyun-ho couldn't finish the sentence.

A man and a woman emerged from their respective locker rooms almost simultaneously, and the words just dried up in his throat.

It wasn't only him, either. Glancing around, he could see that most of the other members were already sneaking looks in that direction.

This was a time slot full of serious gym rats, the type who never paid attention to anything except their own routines, and even they had stopped.

'Damn...'

He got it, though. He understood completely.

"If I do end up getting PT, do I just go alone?"

"I don't need it. I don't like strangers touching me. I'll just run on the treadmill while you do your thing."

"Listening to my songs?"

"Then hurry up and record more. You'll need at least an hour's worth."

"Hmm... maybe I'll drag Jeong-woo hyung in sometime soon."

"No duets. Just your voice."

"What about a duet with the two of us? Want to record one together?"

"...One song would be fine, I suppose."

The two of them were chatting warmly in front of the mirror along the wall.

The guy was unreasonably good-looking and the girl was strikingly beautiful, but if that had been all there was to it, they wouldn't have pulled attention the way they did.

What made people unable to stop looking, what made them look again, was unmistakably that platinum-blonde hair.

A color that could never come from a native Korean. That snow-white skin. Those blue eyes.

And a body that was obviously incredible even under a loose tracksuit.

Anyone who caught them in their peripheral vision looked again, and when they looked again, the exotic features combined with flawless beauty created something so perfect it stopped people cold.

Everyone had set down their weights and was staring.

That was how the atmosphere had become what it was.

'She's gorgeous...'

Hyun-ho understood, and he was just as caught up in it as everyone else.

It surprised him that she spoke Korean so well, but these days it was easy enough to figure she'd grown up here from a young age, so that made sense to him.

And honestly, it made her even more appealing. No language barrier to worry about.

But then.

Just as he might have said it was love at first sight and no one would have questioned it, the man beside her entered his field of vision.

And Hyun-ho conceded.

'I lost.'

Just flat out lost.

Anyone could see the guy was good-looking. The part-timer at the desk was already squeaking quietly about how absurdly handsome the man was.

But what caught Hyun-ho's eye before any of that was the body. Even through a T-shirt, the guy's frame was perfect.

Consistent, dedicated training was more or less equal-opportunity, but inequality still existed. The natural breadth of someone's shoulders. Body proportions. Some people were simply born with beautiful bone structure. People who weren't could still correct for it through exercise, but when someone like that also worked out, you could only throw your hands up and admit defeat.

As a gym rat, Hyun-ho had zeroed in on exactly that, and it was what sealed his concession.

On top of that.

"You'll shower at home, right?"

"That's why I picked a place close by. Of course."

"Then I'll fill the mini tub when we get back. Let's get in together."

"Hmph. You know the temperature I like?"

"Hot but not scalding? I know, I know."

They were keeping their voices low out of consideration for the people around them, but the gym had gone so unusually quiet that their words carried anyway.

'That lucky... hah... what's even the point of working out... no, wait, working out is still the greatest thing. But still.'

A wave of envy hit Hyun-ho harder than anything he'd ever felt before, something like a dull ache caving in behind his ribs.

Even so, he had a job to do.

"Yun-ju, should I be the one handling these two members..."

"......"

"...Stop staring like that. Looking won't make him your boyfriend."

"Sob..."

Hyun-ho scolded the part-timer, who had started tearing up from sheer envy.

Honestly, the number of people who actually stuck to a proper routine after signing up for a gym could be counted on one hand, so he had no idea how committed they'd turn out to be.

But if they had the will for it, he planned to give it everything he had.

Leaving a body like that untrained was, in Hyun-ho's book, practically a crime.

* * *

Elli's 100% serious plan for my KATUSA enlistment had officially kicked off, but we were still the same couple who'd been burning hotter with every passing year for over a decade.

So even before we signed up at the fitness center.

"You're not going to wear anything too form-fitting, are you?"

"Why, would you want me to?"

"Absolutely not."

"What about at home?"

"Want me to go get your leggings right now? Haven't seen you in them in a while."

"Hmm."

"I'll help you put them on."

"You'll put them on me?"

"Have to take them off first. Can you lift your leg?"

"Do that later. Shopping first. I'm buying clothes to wear to the gym. Something that doesn't show off my figure."

"Matching couple outfits?"

"Do you have to ask obvious questions? Get ready. We're heading out."

"Yes ma'am."

Using that as an excuse, we went out on a date, bought matching training outfits, came home, and I got to put Elli in the leggings she'd been living without for a while, since she'd switched to shorts and dolphin pants lately.

"Elli. The color of your leggings seems to have changed. Wonder why~"

"...Be quiet."

And naturally one thing led to another, and we ended up having sex too.

After all that sweet, cozy time together, we finally stopped by the fitness center near our place and signed up on the spot.

Elli had done a thorough search and picked the one with the best reputation and the most decent-looking facilities.

"For a three-month membership the cost would be..."

"We'll just do one month."

"Of course. I'll process payment for one month each for the two of you."

One month to start, and we'd figure out the rest from there.

Then we sat down for a consultation to discuss PT. Fortunately there was a trainer with a gap in the schedule, so we were able to talk through everything quickly.

"Ah, so this is for KATUSA ACFT prep?"

"Yes. I want to focus on the deadlift mainly. Is that possible?"

"Absolutely. You really just need to nail down the warm-up routine and proper form, and you're good to go."

"That's a relief. I've never set foot in a gym before, so I had no idea what to expect."

"Every member's different so some people find it harder than others, but in Do-yoon-nim's case, your baseline is about as good as it gets. And your body weight is more than sufficient."

He looked solid just from a glance, and the trainer's words, delivered with obvious confidence, put us both at ease.

"At this level I could cover everything in a single PT session. You're only going up to sixty-five kilograms anyway, so honestly you could probably pull it right now."

"I should still do the PT session though, right?"

"Yes. For your safety, I'd consider at least one PT session mandatory. Since you're hinging at the hip to lift heavy weight, one wrong move and you can seriously hurt your back."

"Got it."

"A friend of mine prepped for KATUSA, so I know a bit about it. Honestly, once you pass the selection, they'll work you hard at Nonsan anyway, so you don't really need to be doing much here. The Nonsan fitness test is probably going to be tougher, if anything. Still, knowing your deadlift form before you go will make your life easier."

"I see..."

"And hey, did you know? There's an event called the ball throw, and it's a surprising trap. Seems like nothing, but apparently a fair number of people fail because they've never done it before. I'll throw in some tips on that too. My friend told me a few things."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

His face was angular enough that he gave off a slightly intimidating first impression, but he smiled as much as he could and was completely upfront, which made him a genuinely kind trainer.

Elli seemed to like his honesty too, giving a small nod.

"That works out well. Since we're already signed up, you can learn the form and spend the rest of the time building up your stamina. We can even go running together."

"That sounds good."

It was less intense than I'd been bracing for, which was a relief. It meant I could put more time into studying English instead.

Following the trainer's advice, I decided to book one PT session for my own safety. A bad injury could wreck my back, and if that happened I'd be devastated, but Elli might actually cry.

Conveniently the trainer had a couple of free hours right then, so we got started immediately.

"Alright, Do-yoon-nim. Let's start with the warm-up..."

* * *

"I'm dying..."

"Is it that rough?"

"Way harder than I expected. I think I'm going to be sore all over tomorrow."

I'd spent a full hour on pre- and post-workout exercises and deadlift form correction. After that I rested a bit and picked up some tips, and even after all that I still felt like something was missing so I kept moving around a little longer.

By the time we got home, I was completely wrecked.

It was probably because I'd been using muscles I don't usually engage. That kind of thing gets better the more you keep at it.

Same as when Elli and I had sex for the first time and I'd been sore for a bit after, but now that we do it every day it barely registers at all.

My body would toughen up.

"I'll run the bath. You rest."

"No, I've got it. Lying around when I'm exhausted like this would probably make it worse."

"Alright, then."

I dragged my aching body to the bathroom. The mini tub we'd bought right after getting back from the Busan trip was waiting, and I started filling it with water.

In the meantime Elli gathered a change of underwear and clothes and set them outside the bathroom door.

"Lee Do-yoon, take your clothes off. I want to start the laundry before we wash up."

"Okay."

At her word I left the showerhead running into the tub and stripped down. I headed to the washing machine with the bundle of clothes, and Elli happened to be walking that direction too, pulling off her own clothes as she went.

-rustle

And right at that moment.

Right in front of my eyes, she slipped off the last thing she had on, her underwear, lifting one foot slightly and stepping out of it.

"......"

The view from behind was impossibly sexy. I was pretty certain I'd never in my life win against Elli's peach of a backside.

I thought I'd be happy being pinned beneath it for the rest of my days.

"Elli, here."

"Give it. This goes in separate... these can all go in together."

Elli sorted the laundry with practiced ease and loaded the machine.

When she straightened up afterward, I moved quickly, slipping my arm around her waist.

I pressed against her, arm resting on skin that had gone faintly sticky with sweat, which somehow made it even more intoxicating.

Looking down at her body, chest so full she couldn't see her own feet.