Chapter 310 : Afraid of Losing Muscle
Chapter 310: Afraid of Losing Muscle
<Afraid of Losing Muscle>.
A segment on YouTube hosted by singer Lee Jonghoon, who was famous throughout the entertainment industry for taking fitness seriously.
What had started as a modestly popular series featuring various home workout routines had gradually grown in scale until it began inviting celebrity guests.
Since Kang Siwoo watched the channel from time to time, I was already somewhat familiar with the content.
<Afraid of Losing Muscle> had earned quite the notorious reputation for inviting celebrities who worked out and putting them through a brutally intense one-day training session personally led by Lee Jonghoon.
To get straight to the point—
I didn't like exercising.
If it weren't for Seo Ian constantly dragging me to the gym because he insisted he could never go alone, I probably would've never even set foot inside one.
That said...
Disliking exercise and being good at it were two different things.
In other words—
I was fairly confident.
“Oh! Hello!”
Lee Jonghoon's clean neighborhood gym.
The moment we stepped through the entrance, a gentle-looking man greeted us.
Kang Siwoo bowed slightly with a somewhat nervous expression.
“Allow us to introduce ourselves. Shine bright!”
“Hello, we're Stardust!”
“Haha, there are only two of you. No need to greet me that formally.”
Laughing, Lee Jonghoon patted Kang Siwoo on the shoulder.
The only time I'd met him before had been in a music show waiting room.
Back then, he'd simply felt like a kind senior.
Seeing him here in a gym somehow felt completely different.
There was an overwhelming aura radiating from his jaw-dropping physique.
Setting those thoughts aside—
The filming officially began.
In a voice every bit as booming as his build, Lee Jonghoon spoke.
“Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Afraid of Losing Muscle! I'm Lee Jonghoon!”
“Waaaaaa!”
“Today we've got two guests who don't exactly match this gloomy gym atmosphere.”
“This is actually our first time inviting idol guests.”
I didn't know that.
“Huh, really?”
“Yep. You're the very first.”
When Kang Siwoo let out a surprised exclamation, Lee Jonghoon smiled and continued.
“So I'm really looking forward to today.”
“First of all, Siwoo—anyone can tell you're one of us.”
“As for Seohan....”
He trailed off for a moment.
“You kind of give off... herbivore vibes.”
“That's right! Seohan's in charge of the Herbivore Line in our team!”
Was it really that obvious?!
Feeling strangely exposed, I awkwardly muttered,
“Hamsters aren't herbivores....”
“It's okay.”
“After today's workout, you'll understand how a gazelle feels.”
Lee Jonghoon burst into hearty laughter as he looked at me.
I had no idea what a gazelle's feelings were like.
Nor did I particularly want to open Pandora's Box to find out.
Unfortunately...
I was already here.
In that case—
“I'll prove I'm a rather tough gazelle.”
“Nice!”
Just as Lee Jonghoon exclaimed in admiration—
“Mmm~.”
Kang Siwoo stood behind us, watching with a warm, satisfied smile.
For a second, it felt like a parent attending an open classroom.
Clearing my throat, I quickly avoided his gaze.
With sparkling eyes, Lee Jonghoon asked,
“Seohan, is there any exercise you've personally wanted to try?”
“Hmm....”
“Or maybe a type of workout you're confident in!”
“It's fine.”
“We're doing every category today anyway.”
“...Excuse me?”
I had no idea why he'd even asked.
Since I wasn't confident in upper-body workouts, I chose the safest answer possible.
“Cardio?”
“Ah, cardio-focused!”
Lee Jonghoon's eyes gleamed ominously.
“I just thought of something.”
That was the look of a lion spotting a lone gazelle out on the savanna.
Slowly stroking his chin, Lee Jonghoon smiled and nodded.
“We can work your legs too while we're at it.”
“Strong legs are essential for dancing, right?”
“R-right?”
It wasn't until a little later that I realized—
I was literally being dragged away by Lee Jonghoon.
“Alright!”
“Here we are!”
I found myself standing in front of a machine that looked terrifying at first glance.
I'd heard its name many times at the gym.
And if possible...
I'd always wanted to avoid it.
The machine boasting an absolutely absurd incline—
The Stairway to Heaven.
“This?”
“Yes!”
“......”
My steps toward the machine suddenly became incredibly heavy.
Grinning mischievously, Lee Jonghoon added,
“Since you've lived such a good life, Seohan...”
“I'll send you to heaven.”
“Wait a second.”
I'd rather stay on Earth!
“How about an easy one-hour session?”
“...Excuse me?”
After adjusting the machine for a moment, Lee Jonghoon smiled and waved.
“The train to Heaven is departing~.”
“No, I'd like to get off.”
“Have a good trip, Seohan!”
Kang Siwoo also chimed in with a bright smile.
Lee Jonghoon patted my back before stepping away.
“Here we go.”
Whiiiiiir—.
As the machine started moving with a mechanical hum...
I became absolutely certain something had gone terribly wrong.
I was in serious trouble.
.
.
.
“Huff... huff.”
My legs were trembling.
It felt like I literally couldn't breathe.
They called it the Stairway to Heaven...
Was I about to go there for real?
If this was such a life-threatening situation, I thought Kim Woochan's status window should've warned me.
“Aaaaaah!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs before desperately asking Kang Siwoo,
“Hyung, has it been an hour yet?”
“Twenty minutes....”
Kang Siwoo's expression was completely serious.
The fact that he wasn't joking shocked me even more.
Frowning, I stared blankly ahead.
My thoughts became increasingly complicated.
Should I run away?
Idol walks off set during filming.
I could already picture tomorrow morning's entertainment headlines accusing me of having an attitude problem.
But...
Survival came first.
Turning to Kang Siwoo again, I asked,
“Has it been an hour yet?”
“Twenty-one minutes...”
“That can't be right.”
Sweat poured down my face like rain.
If I'd known it'd be like this, I should've lived a slightly worse life.
Maybe I'd ended up on the Stairway to Heaven because I'd been too nice.
“Sir...”
“My legs won't move.”
“They're moving just fine!”
“That can't be right.”
Seriously.
There was no way that was true.
Panting desperately, I asked Kang Siwoo again.
“Has it been an hour ye—”
This time...
He answered before I even finished.
“Twenty-two minutes, Seohan.”
“Save me!!!”
I'd once heard someone say...
The treadmill had originally been invented as a torture device in the nineteenth century.
If that was true—
Then surely the twenty-first century's torture device was the Stairway to Heaven.
“Haa... huff.”
“Can't this thing stop?”
“The fact that you're still talking tells me you're perfectly fine.”
With a serious face, Kang Siwoo carefully assessed my condition.
Meanwhile...
Lee Jonghoon was laughing his head off.
They're evil.
Shaking my head weakly, I looked at Kang Siwoo.
This time I hadn't even asked—
Yet he answered anyway.
“Twenty-two minutes and thirty seconds, Seohan.”
“......”
“The fact that you've gone quiet makes me think you're really not okay now.”
I didn't even have the strength to talk anymore...
Before I knew it...
My legs were mechanically continuing their endless climb.
Ten minutes later—
Lee Jonghoon asked,
“So?”
“How do you feel?”
“I feel like I've reached heaven.”
Strange....
The heaven I'd seen when I died wasn't like this....
“Haa.... Hah.”
I decided to think of this as the second chance at life I'd been given.
Ah.
This time...
I'll make the most of it.
“Do Seohan looks like he's dying.”
My arms and legs flailed limply through the air.
Chuckling, Lee Jonghoon pressed a button.
“Then let's stop at exactly thirty minutes.”
The stairs gradually slowed...
Before finally stopping.
Freedom from the Stairway to Heaven.
“I...”
“I want to run away....”
Stagger.
In the end...
My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.
[Do Hamjji Working Out (Rare!)]
The members said Seohan hates exercising.
Apparently Ian drags him to the gym all the time, but everyone had only ever heard rumors and never actually seen it.
The funny thing was Seohan himself always seemed super confident about working out, so I was confused.
Then it finally got revealed on Lee Jonghoon's YouTube.
(Hamster being dragged away because he doesn't want to work out).jpg
(Hamster ascending the Stairway to Heaven and achieving paradise instead).jpg
I swear this was the exact moment Do Seohan's system overloaded lol.
"We're only getting started."
Why is Lee Jonghoon teasing Seohan so funny? ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Seohan's seriously gonna cry.
-Why does Do Seohan look like one of those inflatable tube men that's lost all its air? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└That's EXACTLY what he looks like ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Aww, baby Seohan ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Thirty minutes straight on the Stairway to Heaven? No wonder Do Seohan almost collapsed ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Guess that workout confidence wasn't real after all....
└I nearly lost it watching Kang Siwoo calmly climb the Stairway to Heaven like he was out for a morning jog.
└The Husky Type was born for fitness;;;
└Kang Siwoo is insanely strong.
-Seohan's private message after filming was even funnier ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└What did he say??
└Can't spoil it but... "It was the hardest day of my life...." (filming)
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I'm dying.
└I thought Double즈 had made him roll around in a mudflat again, but they literally sent him straight to heaven.
└That's even crueler ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Honestly it sounds more painful than the mudflat ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
.
.
.
The moment the <Afraid of Losing Muscle> appearance clip was uploaded to YouTube—
The Stardust members gathered in Double즈's meeting room.
Preparations for the third full-length album were in full swing, leaving plenty to discuss.
We had to finalize the title track.
Start recording.
Film the music video.
There was already a mountain of work waiting for us.
Yet...
I was in terrible condition.
It wasn't intentional...
But every time I opened my mouth, a scream came out instead.
Dropping my forehead onto the table, I let out a low groan.
“Ughhh... ugh.”
Director Song Jinha, who had just entered the room, heard my cries and looked over in confusion.
“What's wrong with Do Seohan?”
“He says it's muscle soreness.”
Director Song Jinha clicked his tongue before shaking his head.
“Well.”
“At least you'll get healthier.”
That's just cruel. Seriously.