Chapter 112 – GOY 112
#112
The next day, I stood still, gripping the doorknob. Joo Seung-hyuk had told me I could go to the weight room on my own, but for some reason, I was nervous.
To be honest, I thought yesterday was a complete disaster. I had let my anger take over and poured it all out on him, completely forgetting the fact that I needed to stay on Joo Seung-hyuk’s good side.
And yet, unexpectedly, I was given a chance to leave the room.
‘Is it really okay for me to go out? He’s not going to change his mind now, is he?’
After taking a deep breath, I opened the door. In that instant, I was struck speechless.
A wide hallway, marble floors adorned with lavish paintings, antique arched windows, and a beautiful garden visible beneath them.
Because the room I had been in was so enormous, I figured the villa would be large. But this wasn’t a villa; it was a castle.
Was this truly an old European castle?
So, Joo Seung-hyuk spent his childhood in a place like this—no, actually in a castle.
I had assumed he spent his days being mistreated in an stolen contentannex unauthorized copyas the son of a mistress, but it seemed he had received at least the minimum treatment befitting the youngest son of a chaebol family. That was a relief.
“You’re out already?”
Joo Seung-hyuk approached me with a slight smile. He was wearing a black track suit. It was the same design as the one I was wearing, but perhaps because he was so tall and had such a great physique, he looked far more stylish than I did.
“The clothes suit you well.”
“No. You look a hundred times better than I do.”
“You look great too, Hyung.”
He lightly rubbed my cheek.
“Are you going to work out?”
“Yeah. I want to do it before breakfast.”
“Then why are you just standing here instead of going down?”
“I was going to, but I was surprised by how wide and lavish it is the moment I stepped out. I feel like I might get lost if I wander around blindly.”
“It’s big, but there’s nothing of substance to it.”
He took my hand.
“I’ll guide you.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He pointed to the room right next to mine.
“This is my room.”
“It was right next door?”
“Yes. Where else would I have put you, Hyung?”
He smiled. His gentle tone felt unsettling.
If I had tried to run away yesterday, I would have been caught instantly… As long as Joo Seung-hyuk was in the room right next to me, escaping wouldn’t be easy.
We headed downstairs.
The weight room had a modern atmosphere. Unlike other areas that were decorated to an excessive degree, this place seemed to reflect Joo Seung-hyuk’s personal taste.
I expected a villa’s weight room to be modestly equipped, but it was stocked with exercise machines that rivaled most professional gyms.
As I looked around the weight room in admiration, Joo Seung-hyuk spoke.
“Shall we start with some warm-ups?”
“You want to do them together?”
“Yes.”
This was my first time exercising with Joo Seung-hyuk.
“I’m… not very good at this. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine.”
He answered readily.
However, that expression didn’t last for even ten minutes.
“Hyung…”
Joo Seung-hyuk looked down at me, sprawled out on the floor.
“Get up.”
“S-Seung-hyuk-ah. W-wait, I… I can’t b-breathe, I think I’m dying.”
I had followed Joo Seung-hyuk’s movements exactly. And within ten minutes, I was wiped out. My entire body was trembling, and I was so out of breath that I could barely articulate my words.
“We haven’t even finished the warm-ups yet.”
“L-liar…”
Joo Seung-hyuk pulled on my arm.
“Hyung, just three more lunges.”
“I can’t, I can’t. You said three before and then did ten more! I didn’t want to say this, but Seung-hyeok, I think you’re really bad with numbers.”
Every time he said “just one more,” he never kept his word. Today was no different. He would say “just five seconds” or “just three times,” and he never once stuck to it.
“I know.”
“You know?”
“You told me before, Hyung.”
“I did?”
When did I say that? I had always thought Joo Seung-hyuk was bad with numbers, but visit our siteI had never once let it show outwardly…
As I retraced my past remarks, Joo Seung-hyuk pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I know you hate moving around, but I should have put some exercise equipment in your room instead of just books.”
“……”
If you’re going to regret something, could you please regret confining me instead of the lack of gym equipment…?
As expected, the thought process of an Obsessive Madman is hard to comprehend.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s not because I was stuck in the room; I’ve always been like this.”
Honestly, even if I hadn’t been confined, I don’t think my squat form would have improved or I would have been able to do more lunges.
“I know that, though.”
He does know…
As expected, since he had been watching me for seven years, there was nothing about me he didn’t know.
“Since it’s the first day, I’ll start with what I usually do.”
“Alright. What do you want to do?”
“The bike.”
If you come to a gym, you have to start with the bike.
When I answered confidently, Joo Seung-hyuk’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Ah, the bike. What’s next?”
“The treadmill, of course.”
“…And after that?”
Unlike the usually bold Joo Seung-hyuk, he seemed somewhat flustered.
Why is he acting like that? Is there something wrong with my answer?
“Uh? Dumbbells…?”
“You lift dumbbells too? How many reps?”
“About ten.”
As I answered while gauging his reaction, Joo Seung-hyuk’s lips pressed firmly together. I looked at him, feeling like I had done something wrong, and he slowly spoke.
“…Get up. We’re doing lunges.”
“Seung-hyuk-ah!”
Weren’t you going easy on me today? I called his name in surprise, but he pulled me up without mercy.
“Just five times.”
“You said three before!”
“Five times.”
Joo Seung-hyuk spoke decisively.
True to his nature as an Obsessive Madman, Joo Seung-hyuk was ruthless when it came to exercising.
After finishing the workout, he took me to the dining room on the first floor. It seemed that as long as I didn’t go outside the building, it was fine to wander [unauthorized copy]around other areas besides the weight room.
The dining room was also decorated to an excessive degree. In particular, the table was so large and long that it could seat twenty people.
Did they have parties here every day?
I felt like eating alone in a place like this would be incredibly lonely.
What was it like for Joo Seung-hyuk?
Did he enjoy parties here every day as a child? Or did he eat alone…?
While I was lost in thought, the employee I had seen yesterday brought the meal.
Her name was Yoon Jeong-yeon. However, I didn’t know any other information about her besides her name because Joo Seung-hyuk hadn’t told me.
“Please let me know if you need anything else.”
She had a Korean name and was fluent in Korean. Was she a Korean employee? There was a high probability she was from a nearby Koreatown…
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Hyung, hurry and eat.”
“Okay.”
I looked over the food laid out on the table. It was a feast even more lavish than usual, and eating while sitting at a table like this felt different.
As I took my first bite, Joo Seung-hyuk asked.
“How is it?”
“It’s delicious. It tastes even better after working out.”
“…I see.”
He paused before speaking.
He was probably suppressing the urge to say, ‘You spent twenty minutes whining and complaining, and you call that a workout?’
“From now on, let’s do this every day.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Okay.”
It seems he’s not satisfied with the nights and now wants to join me for morning workouts too.
That’s one more reason why I have to escape.
“Do you hate it?”
“No. Thanks.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“You gave me clothes, let me go outside, and gave me delicious food.”
Joo Seung-hyuk let out a short laugh.
“You’re not mentioning the workout we did together?”
“……”
No matter how much I had to walk on eggshells to get away from Joo Seung-hyuk, I didn’t want to mention that.
If I had exercised for ten more minutes, my life might have been in danger… Part of it was my terrible stamina, but Joo Seung-hyuk’s standards were simply too high to begin with. Today was the first time I realized that lunges were such a high-difficulty exercise.
Moreover, he possessed a ruthlessness that refused to count a single rep if the posture was even slightly off.
“I like that you come to see me every day.”
I subtly changed the subject.
“You like that I come?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Why?”
“I just like everything about it.”
“When do you like it the most?”
He didn’t accept my vague answer and asked again.
“I like it when you use formal language.”
I pondered how to answer to please him and decided to be honest. Joo Seung-hyuk was a sharp person. If I told a small lie and it was discovered, it could arouse unnecessary suspicion.
“You like it when I use formal language?”
“Yeah. I’m scared when you speak informally.”
“You’re scared of me?”
He asked something obvious. Did he really not know that?
“Yeah. I’m very scared. Actually…”
Startled, I pressed my lips together. No matter how much he said honesty was good, there was no need to go this far.
“It’s okay, tell me.”
He spoke in a soft voice.
Was it really okay to tell him? But I couldn’t just refuse to answer at this point.
“…Actually, I’m scared to even speak informally to you like this.”
“Why?”
“Because I feel like I’ll make a mistake. I’m worried you’ll be offended.”
“That’s the opposite of me. I like it when Hyung speaks informally. I get angry when you use formal language.”
Not just dislike, but actually angry? I couldn’t understand why he would be displeased even when I was trying to be polite.
“Why…?”
“Because when Hyung uses formal language, I feel like you’re going to leave me. That’s why I’m scared. I’m also scared when you cry.”
Seven years ago, while providing Guiding to Joo Seung-hyuk, I realized that this was a world inside a novel. Everything was confusing and terrifying, so I shed tears, used formal language with Joo Seung-hyuk, and terminated the exclusive contract.
Could that incident have remained as a trauma for him…?
It was already strange that Joo Seung-hyuk had been obsessed with me for seven years, but I couldn’t understand that it would be enough to leave a trauma.
Back then, Joo Seung-hyuk clearly hated me.
He even called me a beggar and said I was filthy… Why on earth did his heart suddenly change?
“Hyung, you don’t still want to run away, do you?”
Joo Seung-hyuk’s eyes gleamed coldly. It was a watchful gaze. He had not yet forgiven me, nor had he let his guard down.
“No. I’m not thinking that.”
“…I’ll believe you.”
Joo Seung-hyuk looked me straight in the eye. However, his gaze was far from ‘believing.’
Rather, it was closer to a warning that said, ‘You had better.’
If I were to run away and be caught again, I would be permanently confined with my social existence erased, just like the original Kim Joon.
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