By Zephyria 
Including Choi Hwan, who had caused a scandal, Moon Gyeon-woo had also once taken Yeon-rok to the research institute, claiming he was his name partner. Yeom Cheon-ho had similarly brought Yeon-rok to a banquet and announced him as his name partner.
Because the social circles of the three men barely overlapped, it had managed to remain hidden until now. Yeon-rok felt it wouldn’t be strange if, one day, someone questioned, “Who are you, to be the name partner of this person and that person too?”
“Ha! I wonder who exactly was the one failing to behave properly.”
Choi Hwan criticized him triumphantly, but this time, Moon Gyeon-woo couldn’t find a retort. He seemed to be searching his memories intensely, biting his lip, trying to identify the suspicious individual.
“Gyeon-woo Hyung, I’m okay… It’s not your fault that Choi Hwan is the way he is or that there was a stalker.”
Just as he had with Choi Hwan, Yeon-rok was trying to soothe Moon Gyeon-woo when Yeom Cheon-ho tossed a letter onto the center of the table and spoke.
“In short, it means Yeon-rok-ssi has gained several enemies due to our karma. We must strengthen his security from now on.”
The two men seemed indignant, but they only let out deep sighs and couldn’t deny it.
However, since it was already in the past and he didn’t feel particularly aggrieved, Yeon-rok decided to keep a low profile as much as possible. Yeom Cheon-ryul, Choi Hwan’s malicious fans, Moon Gyeon-woo’s stalker… combined with a streak of bad luck, an absurd accident could happen anywhere, anytime.
‘I need to train my body a bit.’
Suddenly, the fortress-like house Yeom Cheon-ho had built to prepare for the future felt cozy. After the indoor garden fire and the attempted kidnapping—or rather, the “not-quite-confinement” in the bathroom—this house had truly become an impregnable fortress.
The next day, Yeon-rok ate a heartier breakfast than usual. He also diligently took self-defense lessons from the bodyguards. After a filling lunch, he headed to the gym.
“Oh?”
Surprisingly, Yeom Cheon-ho was in the gym today. Yeon-rok ran toward him, genuinely glad to see him.
“What brings you here? Why aren’t you at the office?”
“I felt my body getting a bit sluggish lately, so I pushed back my start time. I wanted to get some exercise in,” Yeom Cheon-ho replied with a smile while in the middle of high-intensity weight training. His black T-shirt was made of a tight material, clearly revealing his toned physique. It was just as Yeon-rok was scanning that firm body—usually hidden beneath a suit—as if possessed.
“…What’s this?”
With perfect timing, Choi Hwan entered the gym. He beamed upon seeing Yeon-rok, but his face immediately crumpled when he saw Yeom Cheon-ho.
“Why are you playing around here instead of going to work?”
Even after being told he was “playing” in the gym, Yeom Cheon-ho simply smiled and continued his pull-ups. After grumbling, Choi Hwan also began his workout.
As Yeon-rok jogged slowly on the treadmill, he noticed that the two men had quite different workout styles. Perhaps to build the stamina needed to endure overwork, Yeom Cheon-ho ran on the treadmill for a long time until he was completely out of breath. After that, he focused on lower body and abdominal exercises, whereas Choi Hwan focused on exercises to train his upper body. Being an actor, his goal seemed to be creating a visually appealing physique.
For Yeon-rok, who usually just ran for a bit and did a few pull-ups or push-ups, seeing the two of them working so hard and sweating profusely inspired a sense of ambition.
‘Choi Hwan is working particularly hard today too.’
I want amazing muscles like those two… With that thought, Yeon-rok peered curiously at various pieces of equipment. Yeom Cheon-ho, who had approached him while taking a break to drink water during his run, spoke up.
“Are you interested in other exercises? If so, would it be alright if I gave you some recommendations?”
“Oh, yes!”
The equipment he recommended was the leg press. As Yeon-rok lay back in the correct posture and moved his legs, Yeom Cheon-ho provided detailed coaching from the side.
“Your knees should move outward. Keep your hips from lifting off the seat and push with your entire foot… Yes, lift it up like that.”
After trying the movement once, Yeon-rok realized something. Isn’t the weight too heavy?
“Um, the weight…”
“Ah, the weight seems appropriate right now. You’re doing great.”
Because Yeom Cheon-ho said that, he had no choice but to continue. He had intended to just go through the motions, but he realized the man was counting reps beside him. After struggling through about thirty reps, Yeon-rok bolted upright. While Yeom Cheon-ho looked on with a lingering gaze, Choi Hwan stepped in this time.
“How about trying this too?”
In truth, Yeon-rok had wanted to rest from the moment he finished ten reps of the leg press. However, facing Choi Hwan, whose eyes were sparkling for the first time in a while, he couldn’t say no. He sat in the pec deck fly machine he recommended. As he slowly pulled the handles, Choi Hwan touched various parts of Yeon-rok’s body to guide him into the correct posture.
“Keep your arms in a straight line with your chest like this, and keep your wrists below the shoulder line. Good. Just keep that posture.”
After pulling the handles once with all his might, Yeon-rok had a similar thought as before. This is too intense.
“I… the weight…”
“Yeah, it’s perfect, perfect. Two… three… a bit slower, put strength into the muscles here. Four… As expected, you do well since you have basic stamina.”
Groaning, he managed to finish thirty reps. Thinking it was finally over since he had done both lower and upper body exercises, he quickly climbed off the machine, but Yeom Cheon-ho handed him a towel and asked.
“What is your fitness goal, Yeon-rok-ssi?”
“I just… well… I want to build enough stamina to run away when bad guys appear… and if possible, I’d like to put on some muscle.”
Yeon-rok answered honestly while catching his breath. Then, ominously, Yeom Cheon-ho gave a beaming smile and said:
“Then you definitely need to do lower body exercises.”
“What…?”
Yeon-rok realized too late that he had given the wrong answer.
“It’s a shame to stop now; shall we do a bit more? Let’s just do a few simple squats.”
Unable to refuse the proposal of the still-difficult Yeom Cheon-ho, Yeon-rok had no choice but to follow. Despite saying “just a few simple squats,” Yeom Cheon-ho led him to a Smith machine for weighted squats. It looked menacing just by looking at it. After doing them while screaming internally, Choi Hwan dragged him away this time.
“To have a good body, you really have to destroy the upper body.”
With that, he sat Yeon-rok down in a piece of equipment that looked like a torture device. He said it was some kind of chest press machine… the name of the machine no longer mattered. Yeon-rok felt like he had been under torture for a while now. He felt like he could spill every safe password he had, even if he didn’t have a secret base. In fact, he did.
“The safe password is 123123! Please save me! Save me!”
Thinking it was a joke, both of them just laughed. Naturally, he wasn’t trying to be funny.
The two of them repeatedly targeted his lower and upper body, thoroughly destroying Yeon-rok. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed an odd sense of competitiveness had flared up between the two, so he eventually escaped halfway through. And the next day, Yeon-rok lay bedridden with severe muscle pain. For the next few days, he didn’t go anywhere near the gym.
After being tortured between Yeom Cheon-ho and Choi Hwan, Yeon-rok began to gradually avoid the three of them entirely. Dealing with Moon Gyeon-woo and Choi Hwan was already difficult enough, but now that Yeom Cheon-ho was joining in, he could no longer guarantee the safety of his body or mind.
If there was any silver lining, it was that lately, Moon Gyeon-woo had been working overtime as often as Yeom Cheon-ho, returning home in the early hours of the morning. However…
“Gyeon-woo Hyung, are you okay? I think you’re overdoing it.”
Coming down to the first floor, Yeon-rok was startled to see Moon Gyeon-woo’s pale face and immediately grabbed his hand. Surprisingly, despite his physical state, Moon Gyeon-woo seemed to be in a fairly good mood. He was holding a freshly brewed coffee in his hand.
“I’m fine. The overtime will be over soon anyway.”
“Right. Get some rest for the time being. And cut back on the coffee.”
Mrs. Park was an expert who closely monitored the diets and eating habits of the four men. Not long ago, he had heard her express concern that Moon Gyeon-woo drank too much coffee. Rubbing his solar plexus absentmindedly, he nodded obediently.
“Alright. I’ll cut back on the coffee. Thanks for worrying about me.”
Moon Gyeon-woo disappeared into his room like a ghost, leaving behind an exceptionally clear smile. Worried that he might collapse, Yeon-rok looked at the closed door with a concerned expression.
“Anyway, what should I do today?”
Looking around the house, not only Yeom Cheon-ho but also Choi Hwan were gone.
“Should I watch a movie for a change?”
Though he always enjoyed being around people, he needed time alone during periods of exhaustion like this. Entering the media room, Yeon-rok put on a drama he had been eyeing.
Suddenly feeling a bit empty by his side, he briefly considered bringing Yeondu. Come to think of it, it had been a while since the attachment doll had left its spot by the bedside. However, too lazy to go back up to the second floor, Yeon-rok instead leaned comfortably against the sofa with a cushion.
After binge-watching an eight-episode drama, a significant amount of time had passed. Even though Mrs. Park had provided hamburgers and popcorn for him to snack on while watching, he felt hungry. Yeon-rok took a sip of flat cola and headed toward the kitchen, licking his lips. Then, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
Someone was drinking alone in the kitchen. Since Moon Gyeon-woo used to mope here whenever he was heartbroken, Yeon-rok murmured softly, “Gyeon-woo Hyung?”
But unexpectedly, it wasn’t Moon Gyeon-woo; it was Choi Hwan. He was sipping alcohol, having brought a salad to serve as a side dish.