Ch.37037. Health

After finishing up the leftover pizza, the two of them sat side by side in front of the monitor.

Suhyeok was the one who took the mouse.

“There are specific people who take on this kind of outsourced work, you know?”

After a quick search, Suhyeok accessed websites offering illustration and graphic design services and scrolled down rapidly.

“I think we just need to pick one from here that has a reasonable price and matches the feel you want.”

“Hmm…”

Juyeon, who had taken the mouse from him, stared intently at the screen.

Would it really be worth spending more money…?

From the beginning, she hadn’t started streaming to make a lot of money.

She’d started dreaming of having small, cozy conversations with people.

Even her microphone was an item she had saved up for diligently from her own pocket.

“If I do this… how many subscribers might I gain?”

“I can’t say exactly how many you’ll gain, but at least it’ll reduce the number of people who click on your stream and immediately leave.”

“…That’s it?”

“I’m not joking.”

If there’s a legendary Doraemon in the PowerPoint world,

Then wouldn’t Yeoni be the legend of the streaming world?

Despite giving herself the cute name “Yeoni,” why did she have a banner that looked like it was covered in random pieces of colored paper?

Suhyeok clicked his tongue at Juyeon’s lack of aesthetic sense.

“Okay then. You choose for me.”

Juyeon pushed the mouse in front of Suhyeok.

“Huh? You want me to choose?”

“…Yeah.”

Having already been told her sense was terrible, she didn’t want to spend money on another terrible choice.

Suhyeok carefully examined each page one by one.

He started by narrowing down the candidates.

This one is too much.

This one is pretty, but the price… my goodness…

Why does this person’s quality vary so much between projects?

After window shopping with Juyeon for about an hour,

The clock had already passed 10 PM.

“Choose the one you like better between these two.”

Suhyeok presented the final two candidates to her.

“Hmm…”

Both were excellent.

The prices were roughly similar.

One was densely filled with cute, intricate details, while the other had a simple but not empty cleanliness to it.

“I think I like this artist better.”

Juyeon pointed her index finger straight to confirm her pick.

“Really? I also thought number 2 would suit you better.”

“N-number 1 is too flashy…!”

They smiled at each other.

Indeed, they seemed to be on the same wavelength.

“Alright. I’ll go with this person then.”

“Okay. Good.”

Having finished what they needed to do and with the hour growing late, Suhyeok was about to get up.

“Hey.”

Juyeon spoke to his back as he picked up his bag.

“Next time… could you also help me choose songs… for my stream?”

She wasn’t sure if Suhyeok’s advice would actually help, but Juyeon found this time together quite enjoyable.

It had been a while since she’d spoken so comfortably with someone.

Having someone listen to concerns she’d been mulling over alone also helped ease her anxiety.

“I’m not sure if I can help since the music I listen to isn’t exactly mainstream…”

Suhyeok scratched his head with an awkward smile.

Having been completely immersed in band music, there was no way he could properly handle Juyeon’s setlist.

“W-well, if people are coming to watch a small streamer like me, they’re probably already outside the mainstream anyway, right?”

“Aren’t you being too harsh on your few subscribers?”

Suhyeok burst into laughter.

“A-anyway… what I mean is… I’d appreciate your help…”

With slightly flushed cheeks,

Juyeon spun her computer chair around to hide her face.

“Sure. But if this fails, it’s not my fault, okay?”

“Got it.”

She thought, how much worse could it get? On average, she barely had 10 viewers.

“Alright then. Friday… wait, don’t you have to go help your juniors tomorrow or something?”

“No, I went on Tuesday.”

“Then let’s meet on Friday.”

Suhyeok, now with his shoes on, waved as he grabbed the doorknob.

As the door slowly closed, the sound of footsteps going down the stairs faded away.

Two glass cups remained on the table, not yet cleared away.

“…That was fun.”

For Juyeon, the time spent with her first invited friend was more enjoyable than she had expected.

* * *

7 AM.

Arriving at the school gym, Suhyeok was still half-asleep.

7 AM in the first place…

It’s way too early…

Even though he hadn’t been to the military yet, he felt it was a sin to wake up this early.

“Hey! Lee Suhyeok!”

From a distance, Choi Gang, dressed in his usual sportswear, waved his hand.

Short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Considering it was just the beginning of April, it looked like a rather cold outfit.

“Starting today, I’m going to train you hard!”

“…Just enough so I can play the guitar, please.”

It would be a disaster if he sprained his wrist on the first day by showing off.

“Where’s Sohye?”

“She usually arrives around now.”

-tap tap tap tap

No sooner had he finished speaking than the 24th generation drummer, Ji Sohye, came running from the other side.

With a bright face as she ran, her expression became unmanageable when she saw Suhyeok.

Her running arms and legs stopped, and her facial muscles stiffened, barely moving.

“Hello, oppa.”

“Hi. Hello.”

‘He really brought Suhyeok oppa…?’

Sohye felt like another dark cloud had gathered over her already difficult love life.

She had tried various ways to start conversations, but exercise was the only thing Choi Gang responded to, which was why she started going to the gym.

But if Suhyeok joined in, where on earth would she find a chance to get closer to Choi Gang?

“Alright. Starting today, Sohye and I will teach you, so from now on, you two should come together!”

After completing the registration, Choi Gang led the two inside.

The place he took them for pre-workout stretching was the yoga zone, lined with large mirrors.

Choi Gang told them to follow him and began repeating a series of movements, apparently having his own routine.

“Now, mountain climbing! Let’s do two sets before we go!”

Lying face down, they vigorously crossed their legs.

-drip drip drip

Beads of sweat ran down Suhyeok’s long hair.

This is warm-up?

Are you serious?

Are you seriously saying this?!

Suhyeok, who had never done any exercise beyond breathing, was already exhausted just from 15 minutes of stretching.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

Choi Gang frowned.

Suhyeok’s fitness level was worse than he had expected.

“Haa… haa… haa… yeah…?”

“Do you know how long you usually have to stand on stage during a performance?”

“30 minutes…?”

That was his conclusion after roughly calculating 8 songs at about 4 minutes each.

“You have to stand for at least an hour with an instrument on. As the main guitarist.”

“During performances, you’ll also run around and jump.”

“And it doesn’t end there.”

“The stage lights are unimaginably hot, so your back will definitely be soaked with sweat!”

Choi Gang pulled the slumped Suhyeok back to his feet.

“I’m not asking for much.”

“But don’t you think you need at least enough stamina to perform?”

Suhyeok, who had decided to quit after today, wavered at his words.

A performance.

The band performance he had wanted so badly.

“If you lack stamina, there’s a high chance your timing will lag or your playing will become sloppy in the latter half.”

“Are you going to skip your solo on stage because your arms hurt?”

Speaking like a man from a motivational video, Choi Gang’s speech ignited a flame in Suhyeok’s heart.

“No, sir! I’ll do it!”

Answering like a child at a taekwondo academy, Suhyeok moved to the equipment following Choi Gang’s instructions.

In the end, Suhyeok exercised until he felt like retching before going home.

* * *

The 23rd generation members scheduled to supervise the juniors today were Suhyeok and Hana.

Hana, who had arrived at the club room first, was browsing social media on her phone.

Come to think of it, doesn’t Suhyeok use social media?

We’re not friends on Instagram.

-creak

As the door opened, in came her rather gaunt-looking classmate.

It was Suhyeok.

“Ha… Hana…”

Approaching her with an expression that looked like he might burst into tears, Suhyeok.

He collapsed in front of her as if his soul had left his body.

“What’s wrong? Did something serious happen…?”

“No… it’s not that…”

Having tasted Choi Gang’s hellish training, Suhyeok needed someone to comfort him.

He had said he would really try his best, but this was beyond what any human should endure.

After hearing everything that had happened that morning, Hana tilted her head.

“So how many kilos did he make you lift?”

“T-twenty-five kilos!”

As someone who had been going to the gym for quite a while, Hana couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on! You shouldn’t be like that over that weight!”

“N-no! It was really heavy, I’m telling you!”

Unable to tell him that she could lift that weight comfortably, Hana naturally placed her hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll get used to it as you keep doing it.”

“I guess so…?”

“But if Choi Gang is too hard on you, let me know. I’ll tell him firmly not to be so tough.”

It felt good.

Because Suhyeok was relying on her.

After seeing him going around with just Juyeon all the time,

It seemed he was still more comfortable with her in some ways.

“Or if it’s really too much for you, you could come work out with me.”

Pretending to be casual.

Hana subtly cast her bait.

“No, you don’t need to do that because of me.”

“I’ve been going to the gym for quite a while, you know?”

If he was a complete beginner, she could teach him plenty.

She’d even had a few personal training sessions, so she could show him how to use the equipment…

“But Sohye said she wants to continue working out together.”

Though Suhyeok answered with a smile, Hana bit her lip once.

Ah.

Who is she now?