Top Star By Luck [EN]: Chapter 7

7. Episode 7

“…….”

A neatly arranged underground gym.

Everywhere, white-haired giants were silently lifting weights.

Arms bulging as if they would burst at any moment.

A back so wide it was practically a field.
A lower body that looked like it was dragging tree roots.

These elderly men with their almost monstrous physiques were engrossed in their workouts, paying no attention to Lee Min-ki’s arrival.

‘Did I come to the right place?’

His mind faltered.

He had looked up information about this place online.

It was described as a gym run by the owner, and the monthly fee was relatively cheap at 30,000 won.

That’s why he came, but…

‘I didn’t expect it to be like this.’

He didn’t know who to talk to.

There was no one at the counter.

Everyone was so absorbed in their workouts that he couldn’t bring himself to speak, and he just stood there blankly at the entrance.

Clang!

A sound like a bomb exploding came from somewhere.

Startled, he turned to see that someone had dropped a bar they were holding, causing the noise.

‘That scared me.’

But what was even more surprising was that no one even glanced in that direction.

The owner of the barbell.

Even within this bizarre gym, that old man flaunted an exceptionally extreme physique.

Reminiscent of an ancient Greek sculpture.

“Hoo.”

He let out a hot breath.

The gym felt cramped.

No, it felt like *he* was cramped.

It was a moment of feeling overwhelmed as a living being, before even considering person to person.

He turned his head and looked at Lee Min-ki with a fierce gaze, and then…

“Oh my!”

He exclaimed with an uncharacteristic exclamation.

With a bright smile on his face.

* * *

A sofa and a small table set up in the corner of the gym.

“Oh, young man, how did you find this place?”

There, the monster who had been dedicated to pumping iron until just now—no, the gym manager Kwon Joon-yong—said as he placed a coffee cup down.

“Make yourself comfortable. Oh, this isn’t just regular coffee, it’s sugar-free cold brew, so don’t worry about the sugar content. Haha!”

“Ah… yes.”

He had never seen anyone mention sugar content while giving coffee to a guest.

But something was strange.

This manager, contrary to his overwhelming visuals, was overly kind in his attitude towards people.

‘Are his inner and outer selves different?’

But his threatening forearms, in contrast to his smiling eyes, were distracting.

He could probably tear a tire if he flexed.

He was cautiously sipping his coffee when Kwon Joon-yong’s eyes lit up and he said,

“But coming all the way here means you’re a customer looking to register, right?”

“Yes, but I was thinking of considering it a bit more…”

He was about to say that he needed to think about it more.

Kwon Joon-yong clapped his hands and said,

“Ah! I see! Then there’s nothing we can do! You’ve come to our gym at just the right time!”

Lee Min-ki flinched as he stared intently and said,

“Did you come after checking how much our gym’s monthly fee is?”

“Yes, it’s 30,000 won per month.”

Instantly, Lee Min-ki thought.

Come to think of it, 30,000 won per month was too cheap for the facilities. Was there something hidden behind it?

Why, there are many such places in internet stories.

They write it as cheap on the surface, but in reality, it’s a price with conditions attached.

‘Like a discount price only given if you pay for 12 months in a lump sum.’

Suspicion grew rapidly.

“It’s perfect timing. You’ve come at just the right time. Our gym is also having an event right now, so the price is actually different.”

As expected.

The real price was different.

Kwon Joon-yong took out a pamphlet and showed it to him, saying,

“If you pay for 6 months at once.”

It was the moment when suspicion turned into certainty.

“I’ll give it to you for 20,000 won a month. How about it?”

“So the price is…”

Lee Min-ki was about to refuse the negotiation.

“Pardon?”

He realized he had misheard something.

Wait, what did this person just say?

Did he say 20,000 won a month?

Not 30,000 won?

“We don’t usually do this, but we’re having a discount event right now.”

“An event?”

“Besides, it’s winter now. The timing is perfect. If you work out hard for exactly 6 months, I can somehow make you hear the words ‘bodybuilder’. You have to take your shirt off and go to the beach in the summer, right?”

“…….”

Lee Min-ki just sat there listening, but Kwon Joon-yong was excited and continued his monologue.

“This place is different from other gyms. These days, PT [Personal Training] shops and everything else only care about money, but we don’t have those extra charges. They call it a traditional gym run by the owner, and I’m always here to do everything for you. Haha, you’ve completely lucked out.”

Subtly, the title changed to ‘member’.

“Besides, many people misunderstand, but famous gyms aren’t necessarily good~ They all force you to buy overseas direct supplements. They’re always trying to sell you things during classes. We don’t have any of that.”

This person talks a lot, which doesn’t match his taciturn appearance.

Moreover, he was desperately and forcibly trying to hold onto him.

‘I can’t even get a word in.’

He just kept talking to himself, so Lee Min-ki couldn’t find the timing and just listened quietly.

Was that how Kwon Joon-yong took it?

“Ah, I’m in a good mood today!”

He glanced around and shouted cheerfully.

“If you pay today! Towels, workout clothes, and lockers are all available as a service!”

More conditions were added.

He didn’t say anything, but the conditions just kept getting better.

Kwon Joon-yong wasn’t satisfied with just this, so he spread out his fingers and added.

“Eish, I’m in a good mood! The first month is free. How about it? You won’t find these conditions anywhere else.”

He wondered if it could get any better, but it did.

At that moment, an old man appeared next to him, showing off his bulky muscles, and said.

“Hey, Manager Kwon. Aren’t you being too nice to the new guy? This is discrimination against members.”

“Are you the same as this person?”

“What’s different?”

“The number of bowls of rice cake soup you’ve eaten is different.”

It seemed like he was giving preferential treatment only to him.

At this point, even if Lee Min-ki’s mind was hardened, he couldn’t help but notice.

‘Is business not doing well here?’

There was always a reason why gyms were giving things away.

A gym, by nature, is better off having at least a few customers than none at all.

The worse the business is, the more often the owner’s labor costs are considered non-existent.

Washing towels and workout clothes is labor cost.

Personal lessons are also labor cost.

That’s why he was throwing out offers that would cut into his own flesh to Lee Min-ki.

In fact, Lee Min-ki’s prediction was not far off.

Kwon Joon-yong was really showing his blatant greed to him.

‘What kind of gym is this? It’s not even an old folks’ home, and only useless old geezers come here every day, so new people can’t even set foot in here.’

Business was not going well.

And it was all because of the old men who resided here.

Having each member be a select few might be good for a PT shop, but for a gym like this, it was close to a curse.

In the midst of all this, a young member came to the gym after a long time.

He couldn’t miss it.

‘Looking at this young man’s face, he looks promising, and who knows what might happen if I train him.’

Moreover, he looked quite handsome just by looking at his face.

Was it just his face?

His frame (skeleton) also showed potential. A small head and decent shoulders.

It was a flaw that he was skinny, but in other words, he was this good even though he was skinny.

If he stacked muscles on top of that, his body would quickly come to life.

A good face at the right age.

Starting with this person, he had to somehow increase the proportion of young members.

‘I have to force him to take a body profile, even if he doesn’t compete.’

He would hold on to him by force.

While Kwon Joon-yong was hiding his rotten intentions, Lee Min-ki’s mind was also racing just as much.

‘If I think about it, it’s not bad.’

At first, he was so shocked by the gym full of old people that his brain had no time to breathe.

But as he had more time, he gradually started to see his surroundings.

‘Just by looking at the bodies of the people here, I can tell that they know how to work out well. Looking at the trophies and commemorative photos, it seems like they have a history as athletes.’

This gym wasn’t famous for no reason. It was just that they couldn’t do marketing.

Because the sign outside looks quite shabby.

Also, there are many grandpas with bulky muscles.

Women might be uncomfortable and not come, and why didn’t men come?

‘Because there are no female members at all?’

There was credibility.

But for Lee Min-ki, the age or presence of the opposite sex of the members was not important at all.

His goal was to make a good body itself.

Moreover, the director in front of him desperately wanted him to register.

‘Anyway, looking at the gym fees, there are no other options, and if they even give me personal lessons, I’d be very thankful.’

Professional trainers usually charge around 40,000 to 50,000 won per session for PT.

I don’t know if he’ll teach me as well as PT, but as long as there are no customers, there’s nothing to lose.

Good.

At this point, Lee Min-ki, who had made up his mind, opened his mouth.

“Then, what about supplements?”

“Ah, you have to order protein yourself. If possible, through overseas direct purchase.”

Ah, as expected.

He thought that they weren’t giving everything away.

“I have a leftover container in the warehouse? I’ll give it to you, so eat that until the delivery comes.”

No, that’s not right.

They were giving everything away.

He wouldn’t get this much anywhere else.

Lee Min-ki gave up on worrying any further and said.

“So, it’s 100,000 won for 6 months in a lump sum, right?”

100,000 won for 6 months.

First, let’s try to come regularly at least twice a week.

Just as he was thinking that, Kwon Joon-yong smiled brightly and said.

“I can give you an additional 10% discount for cash payment.”

“…….”

* * *

First day of exercise.

Kwon Joon-yong didn’t know if he was good at teaching, but he was definitely good at pushing people.

To put it simply, his bones were aching.

[Eight, nine, ten, eleven, eleven and a half, eleven and a half and a half, eleven and a half and a half and a half. Your wrist is bent. Let’s invalidate this and do it one more time! It’s doable, right? Just four more sets like this and we’re done!]

He was strangely passionate.

It was his first workout, so he couldn’t complete the sets and his body couldn’t move, but Kwon Joon-yong didn’t let him go.

[Okay, I’ll assist you, so just focus on your posture. Ah, your posture is perfect right now. Can you hear the muscles rejoicing?]

[……It feels like it’s burning?]

[That’s a sign that the muscles are growing.]

If he couldn’t do it, he would hold his body and force him to digest it.

That way, he filled the first day with 2 hours of back and arm exercises. He even made a meal plan to fit his food expenses.

After completing the schedule, he was seeing stars.

‘Being passionate is good, but if I work out like this every day, I won’t have any stamina left.’

He was an aspiring actor, not an aspiring bodybuilder.

If his whole body was creaking, he wouldn’t be able to act properly.

He was staggering like a puppet on his way to work.