episode_0031

“Are you okay? Why have you been acting a bit spicy lately? Many people broadcast in that kind of style. It’s popular. I got permission from the director.”

Hyo-bin was desperate to get my approval. It’s rare to see her like this for some reason. Well, of course, I’ll give my permission.

“I respect freedom of expression to the point of excess, even though I may not know about rock. Experiencing the downside of freedom is better than being controlled. Have fun with it.”

“Really?! Yay. Thank you! I’ll give it a good lick.”

On a side note, the word ‘lick’ just doesn’t sit right with me.

“Just make sure to do it well within the boundaries that won’t make the viewers uncomfortable. I think you’ll do well, but…”

“Well, that’s my specialty. Thanks again! Oh…”

She bowed slightly in gratitude.

“Thank you, Laria.”

“Haha. Did you pass it on to Minji?”

“Thank you for allowing me! I was worried about what to do if it didn’t work out…”

It seems like she’s relieved a burden off her chest, looking more excited than usual.

“Sis, I’ll help you with the posture. I haven’t learned professionally, but I picked up a few things over your shoulder.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

Since becoming a woman, not only singing and playing instruments, but also working out at the gym has changed a lot. Of course, I can’t lift as heavy as when I was a man, but there’s something different about the way I carry myself.

When I see myself trying to do a pull-up with my arms spread out, I can’t look in the mirror properly. Well, I’ll gradually get used to it.

“Oh. Good posture. Do you often do pull-ups?”

“Yeah… Ugh! I feel like my voice gets stronger after doing pull-ups, so I do it every day. Even on busy days, I do it on the monkey bars at the daycare playground.”

“Interesting. Does it stimulate your core? I vaguely heard that your core is related to singing. But why can’t I sing?”

“You do it confidently.”

“Haha! Confidence is the key.”

After a few light-hearted attempts, she gracefully came down.

“Wow… Beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“But Se-ah, your clothes. Aren’t you uncomfortable wearing a short-sleeved shirt and training pants?”

Not visible?

I know. I heard that you need to see the muscles moving. I don’t go to extremes like adjusting my diet, so I don’t do that.

“Maybe. It could be.”

“Are you wearing a sports bra?”

“Yeah.”

I tried not wearing it once when I used to be a man. I thought my shoulders were going to tear that day, and I came back empty-handed. Since then, I always wear a sports bra before working out. Luckily, it was in the closet.

“Then, can’t you just work out wearing a sports bra? There’s no one around.”

“Well, I’m not sure yet.”

Even though there’s no one around, I feel particularly embarrassed, especially after becoming a woman.

“Oh, you’re a Confucian girl. Is it because you’re a teacher? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you wear a skirt except for formal occasions. I’d like to see you in a different skirt. It would definitely suit you.”

There’s a reason for that other than that. But come to think of it, the skirts in the closet are probably the only ones left from when I was a man. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have money to buy new clothes. It must be the influence of running an unpopular indie band.

“I don’t have many clothes to wear.”

“Then when should we go shopping for clothes! I have so many clothes I want to recommend to you. There are really pretty no-brand clothes these days, not just expensive ones.”

It seems hard to refuse this.

“Maybe…”

“Sure, sure! I’ll pick out something really pretty for you. But, what’s your bra size, unnie? I’m not being nosy, I swear.”

Although it sounded quite nosy, it wasn’t difficult to answer. Instead of just saying it, I showed her the tag with the size on it.

“75E.”

“Wow… as expected. Even when you wear a sports bra, you can’t hide that volume.”

Thanks to her, I still haven’t gotten used to the feeling of my chest being tightly squeezed during workouts.

“I really feel the difference when it comes to celebrities. Unnie has the biggest chest in our team. Second is Goeun unnie, third is me, fourth is Soonsu, fifth is… um. Oh. Our cute maknae Minji.”

“Are you really going to ask all of them that?”

“I didn’t ask Minji in case she gets hurt. But I should also mention on the broadcast that unnie is the queen of chests.”

“Sure. I’ll make sure to mention it in passing.”

“Hehe.”

“Hehe? I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the mischievous laughter that reminded me of internet chat rooms. The next exercise was seated knee-ups, where you sit, lean your upper body slightly back, and pull your knees towards your chest. This exercise is also good for the core and abs.

“This one might stimulate the stomach, so you might want to raise your hand a bit. Let me check for a moment.”

“Huh?”

“What’s the big deal between girls?”

“Well, I guess so?”

It’s not a big deal with the same gender. If you think about it weirdly while working out, that’s what’s weird. But she suddenly lifted her t-shirt up to show her stomach.

“You have to see the skin to confirm. I’m not a weirdo. But unnie, your skin is really white… how can a person’s skin be…”

“You sound like a weirdo.”

“Hehe. Just kidding. Looks like you’ve been working out hard. It’s not easy for the lower abs to slightly show, especially for women.”

“Well, compared to you, it’s nothing.”

“I only worked out. You did music and worked out, so…”

Was she really impressed?

She was about to work out, but suddenly lifted her top to show her stomach. She’s truly an unpredictable character. When I suddenly saw her firm stomach up close, I had to look away.

“Look.”

If she worked hard and I don’t look, it would be impolite. I looked back. It’s definitely firm. I thought it wasn’t ordinary since our first meeting, but seeing it up close, it’s really impressive.

“I need to step up my game. I’ll catch up. Oh, by the way! Do you want to touch my stomach? Did I really work hard on it? With the diet and all.”

“Um…”

“What’s the big deal between girls?! You’re so shy, seriously.”

“Well, I guess?”

Not knowing much about female culture, I hesitantly placed my hand on her stomach. As soon as I gently placed my hand, she let out a sigh.

“Wow…”

“Why, why?”

Embarrassed, I stopped my hand.

“Keep going. It’s just that your hand is so soft, unnie.”

“Okay… it’s really firm. I didn’t think I could do this much.”

“Hehe. Then. I really worked hard.”

And maybe this was a buildup to comfortably touch my stomach, as she immediately placed her hand. The give and take was becoming natural even on the stomach.

“Now try it.”

Breathing in and out, focusing on my breath, I lifted and lowered my knees one by one, lightly, after one set, I took a breath.

“Are you doing well? Did someone teach you before?”

“No, I just watched videos on the internet.”

“Really? Often, incorrect postures get stuck when you do that, but you did well. It’s not easy for straight abs to just come out.”

Pressing and pressing.

To see if the stimulation was working, she even pressed my stomach.

“Okay. That’s it.”

“Y-yeah.”

Exercising, perhaps. Suddenly, my face is turning red. It must be because of the workout. After exercising several times with Hyobin, I wiped off the sweat flowing all over my body.

“It’s already lunchtime. You worked hard, unnie.”

“You too.”

“Should I give you a massage? It’s actually quite important to get a massage after working out.”

“Just shaking it off is fine.”

The essential course at the gym, shaking it off.

She also seems to know it well as she smiles brightly.

“That’s good, but with a massage ball or foam roller… Since we don’t have those here, I’ll just lightly loosen it with my hands.”

“Don’t hurt me.”

“Of course not. You’re the eternal leader of our palette. Lie down on the bench press chair, please.”

As if being led by her, I lay down on the bench press chair. How strong my body is, I wonder how strong my muscles are, and maybe I’ve become weaker.

Press, press.

Focusing on the leg muscles, the calf area. She presses on the tense areas. Without realizing it, a strange sound escapes me.

“See, it’s not properly loosened.”

“Uh… you’re right.”

“What’s with that voice?”

“No, no…! Just a little gentler…”

“I’ll be gentle. Guest. Personally, I’d like to do it a bit harder.”

“What do you mean?!”

“Hehe.”

Lowering the intensity of the massage, I can now comfortably speak.

“Are the children at the daycare center growing well?”

“Yes. Some of them are at the age to lose their baby teeth, so I think we’ll have to pull them out later.”

“Oh, it reminds me of the old days. I was playing tag and suddenly my tooth got pulled out.”

“Did you cry?”

“No. I actually laughed.”

“That’s so like you. Really.”

“When we were young, did we also give massages to each other like this? I received a lot of massages from my mom and dad when I was young.”

Thinking about massages, I recalled similar experiences.

“Sometimes. When the children at the daycare center are anxious, I hug them, pat them, and massage their arms and legs. When they have indigestion, I pat their backs to induce burping.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Pat, pat.

Following Hyobin’s rhythm, this time I received a massage while lying face down.

“It seems like you do a lot of dishwashing, cleaning, and laundry. We have the same tense areas.”

“You can’t deceive your muscles.”

“True. Where’s the honesty as strong as the muscles? I only develop as much as I work, and if I slack off a bit, I immediately lose it…”

She continued to touch my hands as she spoke.

“Through exercise, you can roughly understand what kind of person someone is by having a conversation and touching their body. You’re a really good person, unnie. You’re my role model.”

“Me as your role model? What an honor.”

“Exactly, except for music. I can’t keep up with you in music. When I asked the vocal teacher, she said not to follow you. She said it would be a disaster for an ordinary person to try.”

“Is it that bad? Well, it does seem that way…”

“Now you’re admitting it.”

After the massage, only the shower remained. However, we couldn’t both go in at the same time because the shower room here was quite small.

“You go first. I’ll watch something on my phone while waiting.”

“Okay.”

“By the way, do you know about Kirinuki? It’s a video that a fan voluntarily uploaded.”

“I know. That Kirinuki video went viral.”

“You saw it. Oh, that was amazing. The fan from my past life… it was touching.”

She approached me and showed me a channel.

[Channel Name: YouTuber Ttum!Bugi]

[Channel Owner: TtumTtumBugi]

[Subscribers: 310,000]

“Who is this person? 310,000 subscribers…”

“Our Korean Kirinuki, no. I bet she’s someone who can be counted on worldwide. The editing is really well done. If Kirinuki’s videos are uploaded on this channel, success is guaranteed.”

“Amazing.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. But with that said, not just anyone can become a YouTuber or a content creator. It seems like only those with real potential are doing it. In other words, there are people who have an eye for talent…”

There are so many different people in this world, and just as many different channels.

“But Kirinuki, if it’s a fan video channel, doesn’t it mean there’s no profit? And if there’s no profit… why put in so much effort?”

“That’s how sincere YouTubers are. But these days, no videos have been uploaded. The latest video was from 2 months ago.”

“If it’s a non-profit channel, maybe they’re too busy with a side job. I remember being like that when I was running a band…”

“If that’s the case, then it’s a relief. I was really enjoying watching their content.”

However, upon closer inspection, it seems that the latest video was not from 2 months ago.

“Huh? There’s a new video just 1 minute ago?”

“Really? What’s going on?”

And the owner of that video is…

[The Divine Sun Goddess Laria Appears!]

It was me.