Chapter Text
“Y/N!”
You look around to see your friend Yeona rushing across the gym floor toward you. “Hey, Yeona. No more clients for today?”
“This bike’s free, right?” Without waiting for your reply, she hops onto the stationary bike next to you and starts pedalling.
“Yeah.” Bemused, you watch her quickly accelerate to a pace double yours. “What’s wrong?” She hasn’t even taken off the jacket that identifies her as a personal trainer at the gym, which she usually does as soon as she’s done with clients.
Instead of answering, Yeona glances over her shoulder in the direction she came. Naturally, you look as well, which makes her hiss, “No, don’t look!”
“What is it?” Your curiosity’s growing. “Did you run into your former boss or something? Or—don’t tell me, another client asked you out on a date.”
“Worse.” She pauses, then backtracks: “Actually, no, not worse. At least I didn’t lose a client this time. My paycheque is safe.”
You laugh. “Good. Money is important.”
“Yes,” she agrees, and finally slows her ridiculous pace to sit up straight and work her jacket off. “Okay, now that I’m thinking it over, it wasn’t so bad.”
“What happened?”
“I almost hit on a teenager.”
You stop pedalling. “You what??”
“Not so loud!” Yeona takes another fleeting look over her shoulder. “I think he’s still here.”
“Seriously?” You’re caught between surprise and hilarity. Usually, Yeona’s the one who gets hit on; her face and personality are both so lovely that she attracts people without even trying. But you can count on one hand the number of times she’s actively pursued someone else. “Give me the details, come on.”
She gives a disgruntled half-sigh, half-groan. “I was wrapping up with my last client when someone came over to use the power rack next to us. Turns out he knew my client, so they spent some time catching up. As I was about to leave, the new guy started loading up the bar, and—”
“And he started deadlifting your body weight, just like that?” you guess, starting to grin.
“Not exactly. You should warm up before you work out, you know,” Yeona scolds.
“Right, so after he warmed up, on went the 50kg plates.”
“He was barely taller than me and he didn’t look that beefy, so when I saw those weights—”
“You went, ‘be still, my beating heart!’”
“Shush!” Yeona sends you a stern glare that doesn’t diminish your grin one bit. “What I’m saying is, he didn’t have the typical gym rat profile, so I was surprised, and interested. That’s it.”
“Okay, okay. So you spoke to him?”
“I asked him how long he’d been lifting, you know, typical gym small talk. And he said—” Yeona winces and leans toward you, lowering her voice. “—he said he picked it up during his last year of high school… two years ago.”
You blink, then burst into laughter. “Yeona, that makes him at least twenty. Twenty is not a teenager.”
“That’s barely legal! Don’t laugh so loudly!”
You try to stifle your chuckles. “Was he good-looking, at least?”
“Ugh, I don’t even know. My judgement’s clearly off if I can’t tell a twenty-year-old when I see one.”
“Point him out to me.”
“No way. That’d totally negate the point of me running over here to you.”
You promptly stop pedalling and twist in your seat, craning your neck to get a view of the weights area. It’s pretty quiet on a Saturday evening, and right away you spot the one person who’s currently using a power rack.
“Yah, stop it!” Yeona whisper-yells.
Ignoring her, you squint harder. He’s wearing some name-brand tracksuit and a baseball cap low on his face; it’s hard to tell what he looks like… until he starts his next rep. Up tilts his face, and you get a good look.
You whip back around.
“Hey, Yeona.”
“What?”
“That’s a K-pop idol.”
“What? Are you sure?” She nearly turns to look as well, but manages to stop herself. “Which group? Do I know them? Damn, why are K-pop idols so young these days?”
“I’m like 99% sure that’s Choi Jongho, from Ateez. If it helps, he’s the maknae.”
“Oh, that group with the smoking-hot clean freak? Wait, no, that’s Monsta X. I can’t keep all these English names straight.”
You smother a chuckle. “Both those groups have smoking-hot clean freaks, actually. And don’t worry, ‘Ateez’ isn’t really English.”
“Eh?? Well, it’s definitely not Korean.” This time Yeona does turn to look again. “That actually makes me feel better, though. He probably thought I was just a fan, instead of a creepy old cougar.”
“Plus, now you can say you’ve met a K-pop idol.”
“Ah, yes, my goal in life,” she says dryly, making you laugh; you know how jaded she is about the K-pop industry. But she listens to the song recommendations you send her anyway—one of the many things you appreciate about her.
“It makes a great story, at least. ‘That time I accidentally flirted with a K-pop idol’...”
“More like ‘That time I flirted with someone ten years younger than me like a gross old man’.”
“Hey, gross old men do it on purpose. You did it by accident.”
“True,” Yeona concedes with a chuckle. “All right, whatever, let’s forget it. Come on, I’ll race you.”
“We’re on stationary bikes! There’s no racing.”
“First one to 10 kilometres?”
“You’re a literal gym trainer! This is unfair!”
*
Next Saturday evening, you arrive a bit later than usual to see Yeona already out of her trainer jacket and lifting dumbbells in the free weights area while scowling at herself in the mirror.
“Yeona?” You head straight for her. “What’s wrong?”
“Hm? Oh, Y/N.” She scowls through one more rep, then lowers the dumbbells with a sigh. “I think I lost another client today.”
“What? Who? What happened?” You take the dumbbells from her hands and follow her as she folds herself down to the mat gracefully into a cross-legged sit.
“It’s the client who was friends with that idol from last week, you remember?” Yeona grimaces. “During our session today he was asking me questions about my convo with the twenty-year-old.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” You furrow your brow. “I thought you only talked to Jongho for a short while.”
“I did! But my client was all like, ‘Did you know Jongho was an idol? What did you talk about? Jongho said he’s going to come back to this gym, did you ask him to come back?’ It’s like he thinks I’m a sasaeng fan.”
Literally as she speaks, you notice a familiar ball-cap-and-tracksuit ensemble enter the free weights area behind her. It looks like Jongho has, in fact, come back to the gym.
“...Hmm.” You keep half an eye on him as you ask Yeona, “How did the conversation end? What makes you think he’s not going to continue training with you?”
“Well, when I told him I barely said anything to the idol guy, he really didn’t seem to believe me. He ended the session early.” Yeona slumps a little. “I feel bad, but at the same time I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
“You didn’t,” you tell her firmly. “Your client’s totally misunderstanding here.”
“Even if that’s true, it’s not like I can say that to his face. He might get offended and quit training with me anyway.”
Looking at Yeona’s despondent expression, your mind starts to work. “What’s your client’s name?”
“First name’s Suhyeok. Why?”
“Just wondering.” And gathering information. “You do still have next week’s sessions with him booked, right?”
“Yeah, but who knows if he’ll keep it.”
“Okay. Then I think you can wait to see if he brings it up again next week, and if he does, ask him more directly what his concerns are regarding Jongho,” you suggest. “And in the meantime, try not to worry about it. This is definitely his problem, not yours.”
Yeona lets out another small sigh, but musters up a smile. “Thanks, Y/N-ah. I appreciate it. Ah, I feel like I’m always making you listen to my problems.”
“Oh please, not at all,” you reassure her. “You know I like to hear about your interesting life.”
She laughs a little. “I’m glad, then.”
“At least you can head home early for once, right?” You smile.
“Yeah, I think I will,” she agrees. “Sorry for not keeping you company.”
“My legs are more than happy to take a break today,” you joke, and see her off to the staff room.
Now. Time for action.
You make sure Yeona’s fully out of sight before relocating Jongho. He’s back at the rack, powering through deadlift sets with the occasional pause to add plates. After checking that no one’s in earshot, you make your move.
Jongho looks up at your approach, face glowing with exertion. He sets the bar down, and his wary eyes track your footsteps until you stop a distance away.
“Excuse me,” you say politely. “Do you have a moment?”
“Yes,” he replies, tone just as neutral. “Can I help you?”
“I was wondering: do you happen to know Suhyeok-ssi? He’s a regular here.”
Slight surprise disrupts his wariness. “Er, yes.”
“Great.” You give a small smile. “He’s a client of a trainer here, Lee Yeona-seonsaengnim. He was asking her a few questions about you, and I think he’s concerned about your privacy being respected here at the gym, as you’re an idol.”
His eyebrows lift. “...I see.” He sounds uncertain.
You forge on: “Can I ask whether Yeona or anyone else has disrupted or bothered you at this gym?”
“No,” he says, tone lilting up almost like a question. “Not at all.”
“Great,” you repeat, widening your smile. “Then could you convey that to Suhyeok-ssi yourself? I think that should clear up his concerns around your interactions here.”
“Uh. Sure, yes.”
“Glad to hear. Thank you.” You bow. “Then, I’ll be going first.”
“Ah, yes.” He doesn’t move, just stands there and watches you as you retreat a few steps, then turn your back and head for the cardio machines.
*
For the rest of the week, you’re not sure if you did the right thing. Would it be possible that Yeona’s client might freak out even more if Jongho told him about a stranger approaching him at the gym?
The next time you visit the gym, you automatically scan the gym floor as you enter to see if Yeona’s working today. You almost miss her, because she’s not on the floor—she’s at the front desk with her client Suhyeok, standing and talking. And from what you can tell, they’re both smiling.
Relieved, you set up for your own workout, keeping an eye on the front. Suhyeok leaves after a few more minutes, and Yeona stays at the desk, still smiling into the air.
You hop off the elliptical machine and beeline over to her. “Yeona!”
“Ah!” She jumps. “You scared me.”
“Sorry! It’s just that I saw Suhyeok—is everything okay? What did he say to you this time?”
“Oh.” Yeona ducks her head, an unfamiliar gesture from her. “He… uh, I don’t know how to say this.”
“He didn’t quit as your client, at least, right?”
“Well, kind of.”
“What???”
“He… told me he never really wanted a personal trainer, but he signed up for sessions because he was interested in me.” Her smile turns sheepish. “And now he wants to stop being my client so he can ask me out.”
“Oh my God. And you said yes?”
“Uh, yeah, I said yes.” She ducks her head again, but you can see her smile clear as day.
“Ahhh, Yeona!” You cheer and pounce on her with a hug. “Finally, you’ve chosen love over money!”
“Yah!” Laughing, she returns the hug. “Ugh, do you think this is a bad idea?”
“No,” you say firmly. “Not if you’re happy.”
“Thank you.” She gives you a heartfelt squeeze.
“Okay, now tell me exactly how this all went down,” you say as you pull back. “How did he end up confessing?”
“Honestly, I was worried throughout our session because he was quieter than usual. But then he stopped at the front desk as he was leaving and then just… said it.” She laughs. “Man, was I surprised.”
“But happy,” you say. “Right?”
“Yeah, I think I’m interested,” she says, almost like a confession, and you know it kind of is—it takes someone special to interest her, that’s just the person she is.
“Oh my God, I’m so happy for you.” You can’t suppress a little hop of glee. “This is like a romance novel, straight-up.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she says, chuckling.
“Please, I’m already maxed out on endorphins and I haven’t even worked out yet.” You give another hop on the spot. “Come on, you can give me all the details while we’re on the bikes.”
“All right, all right, but there aren’t that many.”
“That’s what you always say every time someone asks you out, and you’re always wrong, you know.”
She’s wrong this time too, of course. Turns out Suhyeok was actually jealous—jealous!—of Yeona’s passing interest in a twenty-year-old idol’s 100kg deadlift, which was why he bombarded her with questions, and why he decided to confess. As Yeona describes her sheer bafflement at his jealousy, you laugh so much you nearly slip off the seat of your bike.
“There’s something else I’m confused about, too,” she notes. “I feel like Suhyeok thinks I spoke to Jongho about how he interrogated me, because he said Jongho told him that he hadn’t been bothered at the gym. But I didn’t, so why would Jongho tell him that?”
Uh-oh. You can’t decide whether to reveal your meddling or not. “Maybe it was an unexpected change for him,” you suggest quickly. “Going to a gym without being bothered, I mean.”
“Maybe.” She frowns, but you keep your expression innocuous, and she lets it go.
You change the subject: “By the way, do you know how old Suhyeok is? If he’s friends with Jongho…”
“I know he’s finished college and has a job, so that makes him at least…”
“Twenty-two?”
“Oh my God, that’s so young,” she moans, making you laugh. “Maybe I need to rethink my interest.”
“Come on, there’s nothing wrong with a nice noona romance.”
“Are you kidding me, literally everything goes wrong in dramas with noona romances.”
“Well, good thing this is your real life, then!”
*
When you see Jongho at the gym next Saturday, you’re feeling generous enough to give him a friendly smile. He looks taken aback, and you realize he probably doesn’t remember who you are. Oh, well, whatever; he doesn’t need to. He’s done his part in launching Yeona and Suhyeok’s relationship.
The two of them have started working out together again, now as dates instead of training sessions, and you’re happy to give them space. Without a workout buddy, though, cardio machines are drop-dead boring alone, so you decide that now’s the time to try tackling one of your weaker areas: resistance training.
You set up in a corner amidst the weight machines, surrounded by mirrors and buff men. After going through a few quick stretches, you seat yourself at a lat pulldown machine, set a beginning weight and start your set.
…Okay, weight machines are pretty boring alone, too.
When your phone buzzes in your pocket, you gladly release the bar to check who’s texting you.
Yeona: I’m coming today!! Sorry I haven’t been around
You: please girl no worries at all, spend time with your boo!
Yeona: I know you don’t like doing cardio alone :c
You: that’s why I’m doing weights today~
Yeona: oooh look at you branching out
You: (tbh they’re kinda boring too)
Yeona: 😂 I mean you know I don’t disagree
“Excuse me.”
You look up from your phone, still grinning to yourself, to see a man standing in front of you with his hands on his hips.
“Ah, yes?” You straighten.
“Are you done using the lat pulldown?”
You blink. “I’m not done, actually.”
“Oh. Looked like it, with you on your phone.” He juts his chin out. “You know you can text elsewhere, right?”
Seriously? He’s getting on your case for one minute of texting? There’s almost nobody else on the machines around you; it wouldn’t kill him to wait a few minutes while using something else.
You narrow your eyes at the guy. “You know what, go ahead.” You put your phone away and stand up. You’re not interested in dealing with assholes today.
The guy steps in your way, making you stop in your tracks. “Are you going to clean it before you leave?” he demands.
You nearly roll your eyes. “Yes, I’m going to clean it.” Sidestepping him and his aggressive stance, you head to the cleaning station to grab some paper towels and cleaning spray.
When you turn around, there’s Jongho watching you from a nearby machine.
Your eyes meet. He twitches, almost a flinch. Uh, okay. You turn your back on him and return to your machine.
The obnoxious guy’s nowhere to be seen now, to your surprise; you figured he would’ve stuck around to make sure you cleaned every inch to his satisfaction. You wipe down your machine, toss the paper towels and head back to the cleaning station to return the spray bottle, avoiding looking in Jongho’s direction.
Your phone goes off just then, and you pull it out again.
Yeona: I’m here! Where are you?
Instantly smiling, you look up and scan the gym floor.
There she is, looking adorably short next to Suhyeok by the front desk. She’s looking at her phone, so you text her back: Weights! Look up!
She does so, and you beam and wave. Her face lights up; after a quick few words to Suhyeok, she leaves him to hurry toward you.
You meet her halfway with a hug. “Ah, look at you, all glowing and happy. I leave you alone with a boy for a week and this is how you change?”
“I missed you too,” she laughs. “How were the weights?”
“Ugh, I barely got one set in before some guy chased me off because I spent too long texting you.”
“What?? Rude.” She shakes her head. “Well, I’m here now, so any gym dudebros have to deal with me.”
You chuckle. “It’s fine, really. I’m more disappointed by the fact that weight machines are just as boring alone as cardio machines.”
“Right, so I might have something for you that could make things a bit more exciting.” Yeona brightens her smile. “Want to hear it?”
“Are you finally going to ask me to become your client?” you joke.
“No, it’s better! I think.” She turns her head to look across the gym. “Suhyeok has it, actually.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
Yeona turns back to you. “So, Suhyeok has this friend. The guy’s a gym nut like you, he takes his fitness seriously, aaand he’s single.”
“Lee Yeona, I don’t think I like where this is going.”
“Just meet him, all right?” Yeona appeals. “Suhyeok says he’s a good guy. And I want you to have the opportunity to meet as many good people as possible, you deserve it.”
“Aish.” When she puts it like that, you can’t say no. “Okay, where’s this gym paradigm?”
Yeona twists again to locate Suhyeok. “Oh—there he is!”
You turn to look as well, and see Suhyeok approaching, accompanied by…
The guy who complained about your texting.
Quickly you pivot to face Yeona and lower your voice. “Yah, Yeona. That’s the guy.”
“Eh? Which guy?”
“The one I just told you about, the guy who was complaining—”
But before you can finish, Suhyeok arrives with his asshole friend in tow.
“Hi, noona,” he greets you brightly. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hey, Suhyeok-ah.” You make eye contact with his friend and see the moment he realizes who you are.
“And, ah, this is my friend, Kim Iltaek. Iltaek-hyung, this is Yeona-noona’s friend, Y/N.” He gives the guy an encouraging elbow nudge.
Not that Iltaek needs the encouragement, given that he’s currently staring wide-eyed at you in a manner that is honestly just rude. Isn’t he going to have at least a tiny bit of remorse for his rudeness earlier?
“Wait, do you two know each other already?” Yeona says with interest. “Was this meant to be?”
You break eye contact and turn to her. “Yeona, this is the guy who complained about me texting on the weight machine two minutes ago.”
Her eyes bug out. “Eh??”
“What?” Suhyeok looks back and forth. “What do you mean, noona?”
“Look, I didn’t mean it like that,” Iltaek speaks for the first time. He sounds like he can’t decide whether to be appeasing or defensive.
“Didn’t mean what?” Yeona asks, her eyebrows rising to match yours.
“What happened?” Suhyeok asks you anxiously, like he can see his stock with Yeona falling due to his poor taste in friends.
You give him a false smile. “Iltaek-ssi asked me to vacate the lat pulldown because I spent a minute texting instead of working out.”
“I didn’t ask you to vacate,” Iltaek retorts; seems like he’s chosen defending himself.
“Not exactly,” you agree. “I think you said something like, ‘You should text somewhere else’, yeah?”
“Hyung?” Suhyeok’s frowning at him now too. “Did you actually?”
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, all right? Whatever I said, I didn’t mean it like that—”
“He did.”
The four of you look around. It’s Jongho, to your shock, coming over to join the conversation.
“Oh, Jongho-yah,” Suhyeok says, looking just as surprised as you are. “You’re here?”
“You have questionable friends, hyung,” Jongho says to him bluntly.
“Excuse me?” Iltaek puffs up. “Who are you?”
Jongho ignores him entirely in favour of dipping his head in greeting toward you and Yeona. “Hello.”
“You heard him?” Yeona checks.
“Yes.” He nods.
Yeona clucks her tongue and sends Iltaek a look full of shade. “I see.”
This is getting a bit too dramatic, so you turn to her and joke, “And you thought we were ‘meant to be’. You’re really bad at reading the room, Yeona.”
“Yah, I just had high hopes, that’s all.”
You give Suhyeok a friendly smile. “Yeona’s kind of slow sometimes, so be patient with her, okay?”
“Uh, yes, of course,” he says, still looking bemused by the situation.
“Who are you calling slow?” Yeona retorts.
You widen your grin. “Should I tell Suhyeok-ssi about all the times you totally failed to notice when you were being hit on?”
“Jeez, come on,” she sighs grumpily. “Why are we talking about me now?”
You wink at Suhyeok. “The important thing when dating Yeona is not to get jealous, okay? She doesn’t mean to attract so many people, she’s just that type of person.”
“Er, yes,” he replies, wide-eyed.
“Be quiet already.” Yeona swats at you.
“Hey, you don’t want to have to break up with Suhyeok-ssi here because he decided to throw another jealous fit, right?”
“I won’t!” Suhyeok declares immediately, edging a few steps toward Yeona and effectively blocking Iltaek out of the conversation.
“Good.” You reward him with another smile, and decide to wrap things up. “Then, I’ll let you two get back to your workout, okay? See you later.” You step around Yeona and address Jongho. “Thank you for the help.”
“Oh—no problem,” he says. To your surprise, he falls into step beside you as you move away from the other three, back toward the weights area. “I… wanted to say something before, actually. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help earlier.”
“Oh, no worries at all,” you reassure him. “I was fine.”
“That’s good, then.” He nods.
The two of you reach the power rack he was stationed at. You give him a parting nod and smile, but as you turn to leave, he speaks again.
“Ah, you could probably go back to the lat pulldown,” he says, a little quickly. “I’m thinking Suhyeok-hyung’s friend probably won’t be using it anytime soon.”
“To be honest, I find weight machines a little boring,” you confide with a chuckle. “But I’ll try giving it another chance.”
“Oh, really? That’s interesting. I actually really like weight machines.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” You glance him over. “By the way, I’m curious—is it okay for you to work out so often? I thought idols have to be careful with their bodies?”
His eyes widen and he stares. “I—yes, that’s true. Um, you know who I am?”
You stare back. “Didn’t I mention that the first time we spoke?”
“I mean, you said I was an idol, but—” He ducks his head a little. “I wasn’t sure if you knew who I was. You didn’t really act like you did, I guess.”
That makes you laugh. “Should I ask you for an autograph?” you joke.
Jongho chuckles sheepishly. “Only if you promise not to sell it.”
“I won’t ask, then.” You grin at him. “Don’t work out too much, okay? I’ll see you around, Jongho-ssi.”
“Wait!” he says loudly, then flushes at his volume. “Er, I don’t know your name. Suhyeok-hyung told me about Yeona-seonsaengnim, but…”
Oh. “It’s Y/N. Nice to meet you.” You offer your hand.
He takes it, saying brightly, “Nice to meet you! I’m Choi Jongho.”
You laugh again and release his hand. “I know.”
“Right.” He smiles again, shyly this time, and it’s honestly kind of adorable.
“Then, I’ll be going first.” You nod and take your leave.
*
A big project at work keeps you busy for the next while, and almost two full weeks pass before you get to the gym again. You finally manage to leave work before 6 PM one Friday evening, and head straight to the gym.
You’re passing through the weights area toward your usual stationary bike when someone calls your name.
“Y/N-noonim?”
You turn to find Jongho standing at a power rack you just walked past. “Oh—hey, there!”
“Hello! It’s been a while.” He’s all smiles as he sets down the deadlift bar.
“Ah, has it?” You smile in return.
“Yes, I’m used to seeing you here every few days… I mean, not that I was looking for you specifically,” he revises. “Er, it’s just that I usually see you and Yeona-seonsaengnim together, that’s all.”
You chuckle. “Got it. You’ve been coming to this gym for a while?”
“Mm, about a month or so? Ever since Suhyeok-hyung started taking personal training sessions here. There’s more weight equipment here than at our company gym,” he explains.
“I see.” Yikes, so idols have their own company gyms?
“Are you going to try the weight machines again?” he asks.
“Hm, I might.” You glance around and joke, “Looks like the area’s free of jerks today.”
“Yes, I haven’t seen Suhyeok’s friend come back,” Jongho says.
“Really?”
He nods earnestly. “I kept an eye out.”
“Wow, nice. It’s awkward when you don’t get along with another regular at the same gym.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“Not a lot, but it’s happened more than I’d like,” you admit. “So now sometimes I give a fake name when someone asks, just in case.”
Jongho’s eyes go round. “A fake name?”
“Yeah, something generic, like Hana or Mina.” You grin. “Don’t idols do that, when they don’t want to be recognized? They use credit cards with fake names and so on?”
Judging by Jongho’s furrowed brows, he doesn’t have any fake-name credit cards. “Er, so is Y/N your real name?”
“Oh—yes.” You laugh. “You heard Yeona and Suhyeok use it, yeah?”
“Ah, right.” He smiles sheepishly.
“Anyway, I’ll get my cardio in first. See you around, Jongho-ssi.”
“See you, noonim.” He waves you off.
The first day back at the gym after a while away always feels great, and you manage to do thirty minutes straight of biking. Satisfied, you decide to take a break and head for the water fountain to refill your bottle.
“Y/N-noona!”
You turn to see Suhyeok approaching with a wave. “Oh, hey, Suhyeok-ssi.” You glance around automatically for Yeona. “Yeona’s not working today, is she?”
“I can visit the gym without my girlfriend, can’t I?” He grins.
You smile in return. “Did you ask whether you could start calling her your girlfriend?”
“I’ll ask her next time I see her,” he promises. “Um, actually, noona, I wanted to apologize to you.”
“To me? Why?”
“Well, last time with Iltaek-hyung—I’m sorry for trying to introduce you two after he was rude to you,” he says in a rush.
“Oh.” You’re pleasantly surprised by his apology. “Nah, it’s okay. You didn’t tell him to be rude to me, did you?”
“Of course not!”
“Then you didn’t do anything wrong.” You shrug. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Can I make it up to you?” Suhyeok falls into step beside you as you head back toward the cardio machines. “Yeona-noona told me a bit about your preferences, and I think I know someone who might be a good fit.”
You give him a skeptical look.
“I know my judgement was off about Iltaek,” he hurries to acknowledge. “That’s why I want to make it up to you, noona.”
“You really have that many friends looking for someone to date?”
“This guy’s different, honest. I only thought of him after Yeona-noona mentioned how picky you are.”
“How old is he, sixteen?”
“He’s twenty-six, actually,” Suhyeok says brightly, undaunted by your sarcasm.
“Oh. I guess that’s a little better.”
“Right?” He grins. “So, do you want to try meeting him, or…?”
“Hey, Suhyeok-hyung!”
Both of you turn: it’s Jongho, his gaze flicking between the two of you as he comes over to join you.
“Oh, Jongho-yah, you’re here too?” Suhyeok greets him.
“Who are you introducing to Y/N-noonim?” Jongho says without any preamble.
“Hm? Ah, it’s one of my friends from work.”
“After last time, maybe you should lay off the matchmaking.” Jongho’s frowning.
“No, see, that’s why I want to make it up to noona. This guy’s much better,” Suhyeok assures as he turns back to you. “Noona, what do you think? Do you want more details, or—”
“Noonim, I don’t think you should meet a stranger,” Jongho interrupts, looking to you as well.
You almost take a step back from the sheer intensity of his gaze. “Uh—”
“Hey, he’s not a stranger,” Suhyeok says, brows rising. “He’s my colleague. I’ve known him for over a year.”
“How long have you known that Iltaek guy?” Jongho retorts.
“Iltaek? A few months or so, we met at this gym.”
“Only a few months, and you decided that you should introduce him to noonim? Doesn’t that prove your poor judgement?”
Suhyeok gives an exasperated laugh. “Yah, what is up with you?”
“Nothing.” Jongho draws up his chin. “I think you should stop matchmaking, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m just offering the option to noona.”
Both of them turn to look at you again.
“Ummm,” you say, eloquently. “I’ll… think about it.”
Suhyeok’s face lights up, while Jongho scowls.
“Great! Do you want to give me your phone number? I can send you his info.”
“Why don’t you just tell Yeona-seonsaengnim to tell Y/N-noonim?” Jongho quickly intervenes.
Suhyeok cocks his head, then turns to him. “Yah, Jongho.”
“What?” says Jongho, sounding a little too defensive.
For a moment, Suhyeok just stares at him, eyes slowly narrowing like he’s figuring something out.
You’re not sure why, but you’re holding your breath.
“…Never mind.” Suhyeok shakes his head with a bemused smile before turning back to you. “It’s up to you, noona. I can give you my number instead, if you want? And you can text me if you decide you want more details.”
“All right, I guess.” You pull out your phone.
Suhyeok puts in his number and hands it back. “Text me anytime, okay? I’ll wait to hear from you.” He glances between you and Jongho one more time. “Well, I’ll get going first. See you later, noona, Jongho-yah.”
That leaves you and Jongho standing next to your bike.
“Noonim.”
“Yes?”
He meets your gaze, fidgeting slightly. “My number—can I give it to you, too?”
Your mouth almost drops open. “Are you allowed to? As an idol?”
“I can give my contact information to friends,” he says, back to sounding defensive.
“Uh…” You tilt your head. “I think we’re more like acquaintances, no? Gym acquaintances?”
Jongho pouts, just a little. “But… I know your real name, and you use banmal with me. Aren’t we gym friends?”
“Should I use jongdaemal with you then?” you joke. When he pouts even more, you cave; it’s just too cute. “All right, all right. Here.”
His small pout transforms into a small smile in the blink of an eye as he takes your phone and inputs his number. “Please text me so I have your number, too, noonim.”
“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?” you double-check.
“I won’t!” he declares. “I’m allowed to have friends, you know.”
“How about you save my name as ‘Y/N-ajumma’, so nobody will think I’m your secret girlfriend,” you suggest, half-kidding.
Aaand his pout is back. “No,” he says firmly. “No, noonim.”
“Okay, ‘Y/N-halmeoni’ it is.”
“Noonim!!”
*
A few days later, you arrive at the café next to your gym on Monday after work for your first meeting with Suhyeok’s friend, Dongun. You picked the café because the barista knows you, which will hopefully provide extra security, and if the ‘date’ is a failure, then you can head straight to the gym and burn off your disappointment (and maybe scold Suhyeok if he’s there).
“Hello. Are you Y/N-ssi?”
You look up to see a man matching Suhyeok’s description. “Oh, yes. Hi. Dongun-ssi?”
The man smiles and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” You gesture to the chair across from you. “Please, sit.”
“Thanks. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
Just as you open your mouth to reply, someone calls your name.
“Y/N-noonim?”
Both of you turn.
“Oh, Jongho!” You’re startled; you’ve never seen Jongho in this café before. “Er, hi.”
“Hello.” His gaze moves from you to Dongun. “Is this…?”
“Uh, this is Dongun. Suhyeok’s friend,” you explain, and watch as his brows go down like storm clouds.
“Nice to meet you,” Dongun says cordially, holding out his hand. “You’re a friend of Y/N’s?”
To your amazement, Jongho completely ignores him. He pulls over another chair, plants it at your table and addresses you. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you at the gym, noona,” he says, sitting down with smoothie in hand like he’s been invited.
You stare at him making himself comfortable. “Jongho.”
He looks back at you, his expression so mild and innocent you almost believe he doesn’t realize he’s intruding.
“Excuse me.” Dongun speaks up.
Jongho shifts his head one inch to look at him sideways. “…Yes?”
“Well, Y/N-ssi and I… this is a date.”
In exaggerated slow-motion, Jongho widens his eyes and brings his hand to his mouth. “Ohhh. Is it?” He turns his head to look back at you. “Sorry, noona. I’ll wait for you at that table when you’re done.”
You frown after him as he carries his chair back to its original table and then sits there, facing your table. He makes eye contact, then raises his smoothie to his straw and takes a sip, unblinking.
“Uh, is he your friend?” Dongun asks you in an undertone.
“Yeah, he’s… a regular at the gym I go to,” you reply quietly. “Um, it’s right next door, and we’re usually both there around this time, so I guess he’s just going to wait to go together.”
“I see.”
“Sorry for the—” What? What is this? “—incovenience.”
“That’s okay.” Dongun shakes his head, pulls out a smile again and returns his voice to normal volume. “So, you like fitness, right?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right…”
You try to immerse yourself in the conversation, but it’s surprisingly hard with Jongho sitting a few metres away, sipping his smoothie with his lips pursed judgementally. Is he your date referee or what?
Dongun senses your distraction. “Should we reschedule another meeting? Maybe at another location?”
“Yeah, that’d probably be for the best,” you admit.
“Does this weekend work? I know a few nice coffee places around town—I can text you and you can pick one.”
“Sure, works for me.”
“Okay, I’ll text you then.” Dongun smiles.
“Thanks. And sorry about this,” you apologize, rising from your seat.
He shakes his head and stands up as well. “No need to apologize.” He offers his hand; when you take it, he clasps your hand in both of yours. “Looking forward to our next date, Y/N-ssi.”
“Me too.” You think you might be flushing, but you’re not sure.
“Then, I’ll see you later.” Dongun glances one more time toward Jongho, then nods to you and departs.
You keep a smile on your face until he’s out of the café. Then you drop it, turn and beeline toward Jongho.
“Hi, noona,” he says casually, like he hasn’t just crashed your date. Also, since when has he graduated from noonim to noona?
“Jongho-ssi,” you say through gritted teeth. “Why are you still here?”
He cocks his head and forms an innocent moue. “So we can go to the gym together.”
“I was on a date, you know.”
“But you were going to the gym afterward, right? Isn’t that why you chose this café? So, now the date’s over and we can go to the gym.”
…He’s not wrong. “Since when do you come to this café, anyway?”
He draws back, offended. “I’ve been coming here since I started going to the gym. Just because you’ve never seen me doesn’t mean I wasn’t here.”
Okay, not the point. “Never mind.” You turn, grab your bag and head for the door.
Jongho follows on your heels. “Noona. You don’t like coffee, do you?”
“Eh? What?” You glance back at him.
“Suhyeok’s friend. He suggested coffee places, but you don’t even like coffee.”
You stop walking. “Yah, were you listening to us?”
“I wasn’t trying to,” Jongho defends. “That guy just spoke really loudly.”
You sigh, turn and keep walking. “Whatever.”
“I’ve always seen you with smoothies from this café, never coffee.”
“I don’t usually drink coffee, but that doesn’t mean I hate it.”
Jongho sniffs. “If you ask someone out on a date, you should figure out their preferences first.”
“Eh? No, the point of dating is to figure out each other’s preferences.”
“Why are you defending him?”
“Well, why are you attacking him?” you retort.
For a moment both of you just stand there, looking at each other.
“Excuse me,” says someone from behind you.
You look around and realize you’re blocking the entrance to the gym. “Oh, sorry.” You quickly step aside and give a quick bow as they sidle past you.
Jongho clears his throat and hoists a small smile on his face. “Let’s work out, noona,” he suggests, tone lighter.
“Right.” You nod and lead the way inside.
“Want to try the weight machines today? I can give you some basic pointers, if you want.”
“Mm, we’ll see if I still have energy after my cardio.”
“How about trying the weights first? I read it’s better to do cardio after resistance training.”
“Really? I read the opposite,” you joke, and chuckle as he frowns at you. “All right, all right, I’ll take you up on your kind offer.”
“Great.” Out comes his genuine smile, still small but all natural.
It’s kind of funny in a cute way, taking instruction from a twenty-year-old idol on how to deadlift and bench press, but Jongho definitely seems to know what he’s doing. After fifteen minutes, you’re feeling more comfortable in the power rack than you’ve ever been.
“Yes, that’s it,” he says, watching as you set the bar down one last time. “Just remember your form, and you’re good.”
You sigh and shake out your arms. “I still like cardio better. You don’t have to watch your butt in the mirror the whole time.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he assures you.
“If you say so, Mr. Idol.” You stretch and then reach down to touch your toes. “Okay, that’s enough weights for me today.”
“Do you want to keep learning together? We can do short lessons like today,” Jongho suggests.
You stand up and regard him with some surprise. “Aren’t you busy?”
He ducks his head. “Ah, yes, well, it probably can’t be regular lessons, not like with a real trainer. But—if you want, I can text you when I’ll be at the gym, and if you can make it, you can let me know.”
You tilt your head. “I don’t want to impose.”
“You won’t be imposing,” he says hurriedly. “I’ll be coming here for my own workouts, anyway.”
“Mm, okay,” you decide, “if you’re sure.”
Jongho smiles. “But, you know, noona, for me to text you, you have to text me first.”
“Oh. Right.” You haven’t touched Jongho’s number in your contacts, beyond saving it as 최종호.
His smile fades. “Can I ask… why didn’t you?”
“Huh? Well, no particular reason,” you say. “I didn’t have anything to message you about, and I didn’t want you to get in trouble.”
“You gave your number to Suhyeok’s friend already.”
“Uh, yeah. So?”
Jongho blinks at you reproachfully. “Didn’t you only just meet him?”
“Sure, but he’s not an idol like you, right? His manager doesn’t care who’s texting him.”
“So it’s all because I’m an idol?”
“It’s because you’re an idol that I’m trying not to get you in trouble, yes.” You have to chuckle at the way his lips are starting to stick out. “Now why are you pouting?”
“I’m not pouting,” he immediately denies. “But you don’t have to worry about that, noona. I swear you won’t get in trouble.”
“I’m talking about you getting in trouble, Jongho.”
“Neither of us will get in trouble!” he declares. “I’ll prove it to you.”
“Eh? How are you going to prove it to me?”
“Just wait and see.” He tips his chin up defiantly.
“All right, but you better save me as Y/N-ajumma in your phone for the time being.”
“You’re not an ajumma.”
“Oh yeah? You know how old I am, Jongho-ssi?”
“…How old are you, noona?”
“Thirty.”
“Oh.” He blinks. “That’s not so old.”
“But still old compared to you, kid.” You reach out to ruffle his hair.
He ducks away, scowling, and nearly runs right into Yeona. “Oh—sorry, Yeona-seonsaengnim!”
“That’s okay,” she says cheerfully, “it’s my bad for creeping up behind you, and Y/N’s bad for trying to pat your head.”
“Excuse me?” You mock-scowl and step out of the power rack to give her a greeting hug.
She returns it with a big grin. “You know younger guys hate having their heads patted. Suhyeok makes such a fuss about it.”
“That’s because he’s your boyfriend and he wants you to see him as a man,” you point out.
“I’m sure Jongho-ssi wants to be seen as a man, too, right?” Yeona flips him a quick wink.
“Ummmm…” Jongho flushes.
You tsk. “You know your wink is too powerful, Yeona-yah. Give poor Jongho a break and save it for Suhyeok.”
Yeona chuckles. “Anyway, I’m here to tell you guys to free up the power rack, if you’re done using it. I think you’ve been standing here talking for ten minutes, and we don’t want a repeat of the Iltaek incident.”
“Oh.” Jongho looks around and proceeds to shepherd you away from the power rack.
“Yah, the only way we’ll have a repeat of the Iltaek incident is if Suhyeok whips out another one of his friends,” you point out as you let yourself be herded by Jongho. “Speaking of, Suhyeok said you told him about my ‘preferences’. Could you maybe not encourage your boyfriend to set me up with his friends?”
“Did he say that?” Yeona gives a delighted laugh. “Aw, cute. I told him you were picky, and he said he knew of someone who was picky, too. Guess he was sugarcoating it for you.”
“He didn’t look that picky,” Jongho says, almost to himself.
“What?” Yeona looks at him keenly. “Wait, have you two met already? Jongho-ssi, you were there??”
“I met him right before coming here, at the café next door,” you explain hastily. “Jongho happened to be there, too.”
“Ooh, I see. Did he ask for a second date?”
“Yes,” Jongho answers for you.
Yeona claps her hands together. “Nice! Your 100% second-date request rate remains untouched.”
Jongho looks from you to Yeona and back. “One-hundred-percent second-date request rate?”
Yeona’s more than happy to explain. “Back when we were both trying out online dating, Y/N had a 100% second-date request rate—every single guy she went out with asked for a second date.”
“Yah, that’s because men are desperate in online dating. You had a 100% second-date request rate, too, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“All I’m saying is, Suhyeok’s friend continues the pattern.”
“If you keep bringing up our online dating days, I’ll tell Suhyeok about your old dating profile,” you threaten. “You know he’d lose his mind.”
“All right, fine,” Yeona concedes with a laugh. “You’re going on that second date with the guy, right?”
“I mean, our first meeting was kind of cut short, so, yeah.” You shoot Jongho a side-glance.
“Cut short?” Yeona looks between the two of you. “Details, please.”
“Well, since Jongho was there, it was a little awkward.” You toss him another look.
“I was just waiting for you so we could go to the gym together.” Jongho doesn’t look repentant at all.
“Usually, people don’t wait for other people’s dates to finish, Jongho-ssi.”
He just tips his chin in the air again, the picture of defiance.
“Hang on, hang on,” Yeona says. “Jongho cockblocked you?”
Jongho’s eyes bug out.
“Please, there wasn’t going to be any cock,” you say, exasperated. “It was a first date, Yeona-yah.”
“Right, I mean cockblocking in the figurative sense.”
You glance at Jongho, then frown as you see his flabbergasted expression. “Uh, Jongho-ssi?”
“Oh,” Yeona realizes belatedly, “we should probably stop saying ‘cock’.”
“Oh.” You watch Jongho flush. “Sorry, kid.”
“…Not a kid,” he mumbles, but he definitely doesn’t sound confident about it.
“Anyway…! Y/N-ah, you better keep me updated on your progress, okay?” Yeona says overly brightly. “Oh, look at the time, I gotta go to my next client. See you next time, Jongho-ssi! Text me, Y/N-ah!”
Then she hightails it out of there, leaving you and Jongho next to the power rack.
You sigh and shake your head. “She brings up cocks and then just runs away.”
“Um,” says Jongho.
You look at him: his face is still awash with pink, he’s sucking his lips in nervously and he’s looking anywhere else but at you. It’s such a weirdly cute look that you burst into laughter.
“Was it that embarrassing to hear a pair of ajummas talking about penises?” you chortle.
“Stop it,” he mutters, putting his hands to his face.
“All right.” You pat him on the back. “I’ll go off to do my cardio and leave you alone now. Take a cold shower when you’re done your workout.”
Jongho finally looks round as you wave and head off. “Text me, noona,” he calls after you.
This boy’s priorities, honestly.