Chapter 81: The Pastime of the Elite

After the meal and the short yet long conversation, the members of the Elen family dispersed.

"Writer Yoo."

Mindo-yoon, dressed sharply in a suit for work, walked up beside me.

"I can't look after you today. Instead, I've arranged an attendant. I've already informed the attendant, so you just need to follow along."

Out of nowhere, he told me nothing about the day's schedule, only that I was to trail after this attendant.

He said it flatly, as if compromise was out of the question.

"Where to?"

I couldn’t just not ask.

I needed to confirm what kind of schedule awaited me.

"You’ll know if you just follow."

With those words, Mindo-yoon suddenly chuckled.

For some reason, he looked like a child unable to hide his mischief.

He gazed at me with the bright face of a child who’d just gotten a new toy.

‘Ah, maybe, to him, all of this is just a game.’

The pastime of the chaebol.

That phrase suddenly came to mind.

When would Mindo-yoon have ever done something like this?

Perhaps the current situation was actually quite entertaining for him.

It was an uncommon experience, likely adding a burst of vitality to an otherwise monotonous routine.

I could tell at a glance that he was enjoying himself.

"Hmm, understood. I’ll do as you say."

There was no point insisting otherwise; it would get me nowhere. I just nodded as if it was nothing.

No more questions, no more arguing—I decided to just follow.

"As expected, I like it. Heh. See you this evening."

Leaving only those words behind, Mindo-yoon walked out of the house without the slightest hesitation. Left in the silent mansion were just me and the employees.

"Writer, I’m Lee Youngho, the manager who’ll be looking after you today."

A moment later, a man introducing himself stood before me.

His name was Lee Youngho.

A short, summery sports cut suited him; his features were bold and his expression sharp, yet he was neat.

He looked about 180 centimeters tall, with a very solid and handsome build.

"Ah, yes. I look forward to working with you."

My information must have already been passed on, so I didn’t bother introducing myself further.

I simply bowed politely in greeting.

"Your outfit for today has been prepared in your room."

"My outfit?"

"Yes, I’ve matched everything to the schedule from this morning."

"......"

I was speaking of sometime before 6:30 a.m.

It was still not yet 7 a.m.

He’d had less than ten minutes, and yet the day’s schedule was already arranged?

This guy is something else.

"Yes. I’ll go get changed."

Dragging along my bewildered feelings, I headed to my room.

"Work...out clothes?"

Inside, the outfit prepared was not what I expected.

Staring at the tracksuit stamped with a famous brand, my tightly wound nerves relaxed all at once.

I felt a bit deflated.

I’d thought something formal, like a suit, would be waiting for me, but thankfully, the clothes were perfectly normal, and I quietly sighed in relief.

I changed into the tracksuit with a much more relaxed heart.

"The first item on your schedule is exercise."

"Exercise?"

"Yes, that’s right. You need to maintain your stamina to work well."

Manager Lee gave a small smile and stepped outside the mansion. As expected, a luxury sedan was waiting outside, and with his help, I got in.

The car stopped in front of a building not far from the mansion.

It must have been a private parking lot, as several people moved quickly to remove traffic cones and make space for the car.

"......"

It was a much quicker operation than anything I’d seen before.

Is this the power of a chaebol?!

Or else.....

"This building belongs to the Elen family."

Perhaps reading my expression, Manager Lee told me who owned the building.

"Ah."

So that’s how it is.

I’d never actually ridden up to a building registered under my own name before, so I didn’t realize it, but thinking about it, I could be treated like this too.

Anyway, it was a fresh, new experience.

"This is Trainer Jung Minsu. You’ll be exercising here for an hour. I’ll be waiting over there."

With a brief introduction of the trainer, Manager Lee excused himself.

"Hello. I’m Jung Minsu, your trainer for today."

He was a tall man with broad shoulders.

Though his gaze was sharp, his tone was gentle, and his physique was already the sort that would appear in a gym commercial.

"First, we’ll start with an InBody measurement."

When my feet and hands touched the machine, it gave a short vibration, and the results were displayed.

Trainer Jung Minsu glanced up after grabbing the printout.

"Oh? These are pretty good results."

"Really?"

"Your muscle balance is great, and your body fat percentage is low. You must have been exercising regularly?"

"At home, alone. I’ve kept it up for several years. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, intervals—stuff like that."

The trainer looked down at the results sheet.

"187 centimeters and 75 kilograms. Almost no abdominal fat, and your lower body muscles are firm. You’ve managed yourself much better than I thought."

"Thank you."

I answered modestly, but in truth, exercise took up a considerable part of my life. I tried never to skip a day.

"You can handle a bit more intensity. This way."

With the face of a kid who’d found a good toy, the trainer dragged me to a separate space where no one else was.

We stretched for about ten minutes, then got ready to start the workout.

"Alright, squats—twenty reps, five sets. Starting with forty kilos."

As soon as he finished saying we’d start with the lower body, Trainer Jung Minsu brought out the barbell.

"Forty kilos?"

I instinctively repeated.

My legs already felt like jelly.

"You can handle this much easily."

Though he smiled, his eyes were anything but.

If a goblin could smile, it’d have that exact face.

Somehow, he looked like a tiger.

I took my position and set the barbell on my shoulders.

The moment my muscles started to strain, all other thoughts disappeared.

Three, four, five......

Just as my thighs began to ache, the trainer’s voice called out behind me.

"Keep that form. If you lose it, you’ll do another set."

Precise form. Honest repetition.

I gritted my teeth and lowered my body.

My legs started to shake.

Thirteen, fourteen......

Now, even keeping my balance was a challenge, and my breathing grew ragged.

"Don’t break your rhythm. Knees out."

This wasn’t human training.

To be exact, it was more like a kind of military drill disguised as “training.”

I was about to collapse, but he kept adding more weight.

"Three more."

As if he didn’t know how to count, he kept telling me I could do more, urging me to push harder.

By the time the squats were over, I was gasping for breath.

"Now, lunges right away."

But there was no rest allowed.

I became like a cow led to the slaughter, starting my lunges.

"Twenty steps forward, twenty back. Alternate left and right. Eighty reps total for both legs."

"Yes......"

I couldn’t even laugh anymore.

Each step felt like my thighs were ripping.

Turning backward, it felt like my calves were on fire.

The music playing in the fitness club was soothing, but to my ears, all I could hear was my own breathing.

For me, that hour was literally hell.

"Hang in there, Writer. That last rep is what brings change."

Goblin tiger.

He nodded in front of me, genuinely wanting to see me finish.

This wasn’t a chaebol experience—this was a hellish one.

I engraved in my mind that chaebols enjoyed suffering.

Afterward, I eased my sore muscles by swimming in the pool until I’d used up every last bit of energy.

Once my whole body felt limp, the next stop was a massage shop.

There, I got my muscles thoroughly loosened, then received skincare at a spa.

Lying down as things were applied, massaged, pressed—it might have been a healing routine, and only then could I finally relax my nerves.

"You’ll be having lunch here."

Lunchtime was at a five-star hotel restaurant.

As soon as I stepped through the entrance, the staff all bowed toward me at once.

They might not have known who I was, but just seeing Manager Lee’s face seemed enough for them to sense I was no ordinary guest, so as I passed, everyone bowed politely.

Even others in the hall fixed their gazes on me.

Like a zoo monkey under everyone’s gaze, I walked to my seat.

"So this is what it’s like to be a chaebol, to always be the center of attention."

Drawing people’s eyes, I replenished my drained strength with steak and salad that Manager Lee had ordered in advance.

I tried my best to eat as if nothing was amiss, but with so many eyes on me, I barely noticed the food going down.

I felt like I got a small taste of how chaebols must feel.

"Next, we’ll move to the salon."

The next destination was a beauty salon. Even the exterior of the building was remarkable.

According to Manager Lee Youngho, this was a regular spot for famous celebrities.

The price for one treatment was far more than you’d encounter at an ordinary salon.

‘But, why do I have to come to a salon?!’

My hair didn’t even need a trim yet, but I felt a weird “tingle,” and decided to just let the designer handle me since this was all for the experience.

Scalp massage, treatment, skin calming care—I received all of it, then got styled in a way I’d never tried in my entire life.

The style didn’t match my workout clothes at all.

I looked as if I should be walking the red carpet at the Busan International Film Festival.

"It’s a private shop—only people with invitations can enter."

After Manager Lee Youngho’s brief explanation, I stepped inside. Rather than fancy, the space was tidy and clean.

The walls were ivory, and the lighting was a bright white.

"Welcome. I’m designer Go Taeyoon."

A man with grayish hair and a neat shirt stood before me.

An air of both sophistication and eccentricity coexisted in him.

And yet, it gave off a distinguished charm that drew people’s eyes.

"This is the famous designer Go Taeyoon. He often appears in overseas collections and handles styling exclusively for several domestic chaebol families."

"Hello."

I gave a slight bow.

"I’ve already received your measurements, but I prefer to check personally. Please cooperate."

At his request, I quietly stretched out my arms and let him take my measurements.

Arm length, leg length, waist, chest circumference, and so on.

He observed me carefully, then picked out an outfit from the hanger and handed it to me.

"Try this on. It’s an outfit I prepared just for today."

What he handed me was a pale blue suit with a subtle sheen.

The color matched summer well; it was a shade I’d never worn before, and I felt awkward.

But refusing would be impolite.

I took the outfit and entered the fitting room to change.

The shirt was a thin, translucent white linen. The buttons stood out in a slightly deep navy and black shade.

The pants were a tapered fit, narrowing slightly toward the ankle.

The shape made my legs look longer and straighter.

The calves weren’t too tight, and the thigh lines had enough room to allow for easy movement.

Standing in front of the mirror, I examined myself.

‘Huh, sky blue actually suits me?’

I always thought these kinds of clothes wouldn’t suit me, but they looked pretty good.

The hairstyle I’d gotten at the salon matched perfectly.

For someone who’d only ever worn black or white clothes, this gave me courage to try different colors.

‘Wait, but why am I doing all this?!’

Then an odd feeling crept over me.

Rather than just an experience, this outfit and style felt like I was definitely supposed to go somewhere important.

"Manager Lee, where am I going today?"

Hoping this was just a simple experience, I tried to convince myself it was just my imagination and looked at Manager Lee.

My heart thumped nervously.

"At seven this evening. You’ve been invited to a party where the successors of the group will be gathering."

"Ah, what?!"

Why does my bad feeling always turn out to be right?

I stared blankly at the ceiling in disbelief.

Maybe it was because of today’s workout, but my legs felt weak.