episode_0019

The next evening, I gathered the necessary items for exercise and headed to the center with the kids. I don’t know if families often exercise together, but I felt satisfaction in doing something with my family, and the kids joined without showing any signs of discomfort about doing something with their parents.

Anyway, we went to the center, completed the kids’ membership registration first, and then headed to the changing room to exercise.

Well, it’s obvious, but as soon as I entered the women’s changing room, I couldn’t help but turn my head. It was evening, so there were quite a few people, and I wasn’t used to seeing women changing clothes yet.

“Mom, what are you doing? Come in quickly.”

Da-yeong, who followed me in, pushed me forward when I stopped.

As we awkwardly entered the changing room, scenes of female members changing clothes became more vivid.

It was more primitive than embarrassing. Goodness, if it’s like this now, I might die of embarrassment if I ever have to go to a public bathhouse.

As I hesitated, Da-yeong, who noticed my hesitation, took my hand and led me.

“Keep your head down. Follow me as I lead.”

Thanks to Da-yeong’s consideration, I managed to find a secluded locker where I could avoid facing them and started changing.

First, I took off my t-shirt and pants. I read on an internet post that it’s common to change into sports bras but keep the panties on, so when I tried to put on pants, there was a problem.

“Huh? Da-yeong, what’s this?”

When I showed Da-yeong the inside of the pants, she tilted her head.

“Well, if the mesh looks exactly like panties, is it a substitute for panties? Should I take them off and wear them?”

Thinking it seemed right, I was about to take off my panties.

-Tap, tap.

Someone tapped my back, and when I turned around, it was a familiar face.

“Oh?! It’s you!”

It was one of the mom bugs I encountered at the mart not long ago, whom I educated. It was her.

“Excuse me. Unnie, is this your first time at the gym?”

“Ah… it’s my first time.”

At first, she seemed sarcastic, but soon her face turned astonished.

“Huh? No way, can you get this body without exercising?”

She glanced up and down at my bare skin, looking indignant.

“Wow… really good genes… Unnie is totally born with a silver spoon, seriously. I’m so jealous.”

Well… she was like that from the beginning, but it’s amazing how honest she is about her feelings.

“Mom, who…?”

Da-yeong asked me while looking at her, but to prevent myself from saying anything unnecessary, I quickly spoke first.

“Hello. You’re her daughter, right? I heard you had a daughter, but it’s my first time seeing her. Nice to meet you. I met your mom by chance at a cafe recently and we got along well. We found out we both enjoy watching the same drama. Right, Unnie?”

Saying that, she whispered something in my ear.

“Let’s get along nicely, okay?”

Not wanting to cause any trouble, I responded to her lie.

“Oh, sure. But you’ve been here? Wow, what a small world, right?”

Fortunately, has she completed changing into workout clothes by now? Even so, my response didn’t seem awkward.

Luckily, Da-yeong didn’t sense anything strange and greeted her.

“Oh, hi.”

“Oh, Unnie. What did you say your daughter’s name was? Da-yeon?”

Seemingly catching that I called Da-yeong just now, she smoothly asked the question.

“She’s Da-yeong. Jeong Da-yeong. Oh, our son also came with us; I should introduce him later. Haha.”

“Oh, right. Da-yeong. I’m Choi Jin-hee. You can call me Jin-hee ajumma. It’s better if you call me Unnie.”

Da-young was talking to me, but her eyes seemed to be glancing at me as if there was a reason for deliberately attaching her own surname and letting me know her name.

“Yes. Aunt Jin-hee.”

After finishing the greeting like that, while Da-young turned around to take off her clothes, I whispered in Choi Jin-hee’s ear.

“I’m Jung Do-yeon. You can just call me Jin-hee, right?”

Choi Jin-hee nodded hesitantly. As I moved away from her ear, Choi Jin-hee asked me.

“By the way, where do you exercise to lose weight, sis? I mean, you’re at an age where you need to take care of yourself, right?”

“Oh, well… I’m getting older too, you know? I have to take care of myself.”

I couldn’t exercise because my shoulders felt heavy due to my chest, so I evaded the question by saying that I had to take care of myself.

“Well… didn’t you say you were 39, sis?”

At Choi Jin-hee’s words, everyone in the dressing room focused their attention on us. Eyes scanning up and down diligently. And astonishment.

“Anyway, since it’s your first time, let me tell you. If you don’t want to create an embarrassing situation, it’s better to just wear panties under your clothes. Honestly, it’s about hygiene too, but in cases like using certain equipment lying down, your underwear might show through the pants.”

Imagining such a situation based on Choi Jin-hee’s words made me dizzy.

“I see. That could have been a disaster. Thank you for letting me know.”

“It’s nothing much. It’s common sense to go to the gym a bit, but well, since it’s your first time. Oh, and who wears what the gym provides these days? It’s usually worn by older ladies or something like that.”

Despite the embarrassment, as I looked around the dressing room, most of the women wearing clothes were not wearing gym clothes provided by the center but were mostly wearing leggings and crop tops, or sweatpants with simple t-shirts.

“Oh, usually people bring their own workout clothes to wear.”

“Of course. Even if you wear what they provide in terms of shirts, it’s better to wear your own pants. Because those pants have less elasticity, so people like you, who are plump, might occasionally tear them apart during intense exercise. Due to lack of elasticity. Anyway, starting tomorrow, just bring sweatpants or something like that. Oh… the gym is making good money. How much profit would they make if they attract just one member like you?”

“Hey, Jin-hee. I know you’re joking, but… saying things like that in front of a child…”

Only then did Choi Jin-hee turn to Da-young and cover her mouth.

“Oh, sorry. Auntie got a bit carried away, huh?”

“Haha, it’s okay. I would have been in big trouble if I hadn’t known and just wore pants. Thank you for telling me.”

“Oh~ The child is so polite and well-mannered. Is it because she takes after her aunt?”

Indeed, the best compliment for parents is often compliments about their children. Choi Jin-hee’s words made me feel really good.

“Haha, it’s nothing. I’m grateful that our kids are growing up well.”

Then, turning around, I took off the sports bra I was wearing to put on another one.

“Eek! What, what is this? How is your size…?”

Realizing that I had never shown my bare chest to anyone except Da-young before, and now showing it to a foreign woman, I felt extremely embarrassed. Even Da-young had only shown her size when she went to buy a bra and had never shown it otherwise.

“Oh, um… that’s… uh…”

“Hehe, how is it? Isn’t my mom’s chest really pretty?”

“No, I mean… this size, this shape. And on top of that, why pink…? Seriously, this is cheating, sis.”

I felt embarrassed and quickly covered my chest with my arms, but those who had already seen it were admiring it.

It was not like a critique session.

“Wait a minute, looking at Da-young, you seem quite big too, what’s your size?”

“I’m a C cup. But it doesn’t show next to my mom. Hehe.”

Upon hearing this, Choi Jin-hee made a somewhat despairing expression. No, even though she was at least a B cup or larger and seemed to have taken care of herself through exercise for a long time, it seems that those who don’t have it tend to envy those who do.

“Ah, yeah. This is a genetic issue. Yeah. That’s how it is….”

She muttered with a somewhat defeated expression, which somehow felt intimidating.

Anyway, I quickly changed into a sports bra and put on workout clothes. But…

“Hey… It’s really violent. Those breasts. How can you wear workout clothes and still flaunt them like that?”

Dayoung also changed her clothes and nodded sympathetically at Choi Jin-hee’s words.

“Well… even though she’s our mom, she can be a bit much.”

I thought they got along well, but feeling embarrassed that it was directed at me, I shouted.

“Oh, come on! Stop staring and let’s go work out!”

Saying that, I headed to the changing room first. Dayoung followed me out, and Choi Jin-hee also came out, apparently ready for the workout.

“Eonni, since we met like this today, want to work out together? It’s my first time, so I need someone to teach me. By the way, I used to be an athlete, so I’m pretty good at teaching.”

He seemed like he had been doing sports for a long time. I didn’t know he used to be an athlete.

“Oh, I have PT sessions scheduled with our kids. Um… I have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and no classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.”

“I see. Let’s do it together tomorrow then. Dayoung, what do you think?”

Dayoung nodded in agreement to Choi Jin-hee’s question.

“I’m fine with it. It seems like it’ll be fun to work out with an older lady.”

In truth, I didn’t want to be close to a woman who might cheat. After all, my mom left my dad for cheating, so I couldn’t like a woman who cheats. But as Choi Jin-hee asked me to keep it a secret, I couldn’t just expose her for cheating! It seemed like she had good intentions, but I couldn’t make a judgment.

Anyway, forcing things could make it awkward, so it might be better to find a natural way to distance myself.

“Anyway, let’s have a good PT session today. Let’s plan to do it together tomorrow.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Haha, sounds good.”

And so, after parting ways with Choi Jin-hee, Da Bin joined us in front of the men’s changing room, and we headed towards the area for bodyweight exercises where Trainer Kwon Young-soo was waiting.