Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Motel Training Method (1)
Park, a place where people can take walks and rest.
Convenience store, a retail shop where you can quickly and easily purchase items.
Hospital, a place where sick people receive treatment.
Having adapted to the modern world to a considerable degree by now, Mu-yeong had memorized most common place names.
But a motel?
Tilting his head at a word he had never heard in his life, Mu-yeong asked.
"What kind of place is that?"
"Ugh……. How do I even explain this? So, um…… let's say it's a place where two people can do something together without being disturbed by anyone."
"You mean a private room?"
"Oh! Exactly!"
"But why would we need to go there?"
"Because no one else can see us……."
Yu Ye-rin's face flushed a deep red.
Unable to understand why she was acting like that on her own, Mu-yeong simply looked on with puzzlement.
Then Yu Ye-rin began firing off words like a rapid-shot cannon.
"Th-think about it. If you're going to train in martial arts, you can't have people watching, right? There's a private room for exactly that purpose, and right next to it, a spacious bathroom where you can wash off the sweat the moment it comes! And there's even a bed where you can lie down when you're exhausted!"
"……."
"On top of that, two Capsules are installed inside, so even when you're doing real-world training, if you want to use your Internal Energy you can log into Monster World too!"
"To think there was such a paradise?"
"It's called a couple's Capsule Room…… Ah, pretend you didn't hear that."
A picture formed in Mu-yeong's mind as he took in the explanation.
A spacious, private space, shower facilities to freshen up the body, and a rest area.
And on top of that, a place equipped with two Capsules all at once?
Perfect, isn't it?
To think I hadn't known about such a thing in the modern world.
A place this good had existed, yet I'd gone all this time without using it.
His eyes opened to a whole new world, Mu-yeong clapped his hands together with a smack.
"Let us go to this motel place at once."
"W-wait a moment! It's a bit much to go dressed like this first thing in the morning!"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Well……."
As Yu Ye-rin hemmed and hawed, Mu-yeong looked her up and down.
Short sleeves, sweatpants, an outer layer draped over her shoulders.
It was an extremely casual outfit, like someone heading out for a stroll around the neighborhood.
"Is it because you're not in your Martial Robe? That would certainly make it uncomfortable."
"Exactly! We're going to train, so going like this feels a bit off, doesn't it?"
"Modern clothes are more than enough reason for that. Then how about we do this?"
Mu-yeong raised a finger.
"Since we both live nearby, how about we quickly change and come back?"
"……Alright. Then shall we meet back here in about 30 minutes?"
"30 minutes? 15 minutes."
"20 minutes."
"Fine. Then I'll see you in 20 minutes."
Five minutes later.
Wanting to get to the motel even a second sooner, Mu-yeong had already arrived at the meeting spot early.
What kind of place will this motel be, I wonder?
His heart was already thumping with anticipation.
Unable to hide his excitement, he began wandering around.
Taking in the trees, the flowers, and watching the people pass by.
As he spent a peaceful moment like that, someone approached with a sha-sha-shak.
"Mu-yeong-nim. Shall we go now?"
Someone whispering softly as though they had done something wrong, tugging at his sleeve.
The voice was unmistakably Yu Ye-rin's, but the appearance was anything but.
She was bundled up to the point where it was hard to catch a glimpse of skin, wearing a mask, a hat, and even sunglasses.
"……You're not even in your Martial Robe."
"Shh!"
"What on earth is that thief-like getup? It's not even the least bit different from before, is it?"
"I'll explain on the way, so for now let's just move……!"
For the time being, he followed along as Yu Ye-rin led.
After a short while spent choosing only paths with no people, they arrived in front of a pitch-black car.
Squeak.
She got into the driver's seat, then opened the passenger door.
"Get in here."
"Is the place far enough that we need to ride this? I wanted to jog over and loosen up my body a bit."
"……A little? But for now, if you conserve your energy even a little on the way there, wouldn't that be better? That way you can focus all of it on training."
"I see. If I'm going to spend a lot of it at the motel, I should save some. That's a very important reason."
"Ahem!"
Watching Yu Ye-rin's earlobes turn subtly red, Mu-yeong tilted his head as he got into the car.
Soon the engine started, and a pleasant vibration hummed through his body.
Yu Ye-rin glanced at him furtively, then opened her mouth.
"You're curious why I'm dressed like this, aren't you? Both you and I are fairly well-known figures, so many people recognize us, which means we have to conceal our identities."
"……I don't see why that's a problem. If you tell people we're going to the motel together to train, wouldn't they all just think, 'ah, is that so,' and leave it at that? If it were me, I'd even clap and cheer them on."
At Mu-yeong's words, Yu Ye-rin paused mid-buckle on her seatbelt.
She let out an awkward laugh, then her eyes darted this way and that.
"W-well…… being close on a broadcast and actually doing something together in real life are worlds apart, you see. So if we get caught, it'll be a huge deal! Mu-yeong-nim, you absolutely cannot tell anyone that you went to the motel with me! Absolutely!"
Ah, is there some kind of sentiment I'm not aware of?
It seems there's something at play here that's different from Outdoor Streams and the like.
Mu-yeong didn't quite understand, but decided for now to trust her and go along with it.
Yu Ye-rin was an experienced senior when it came to broadcasts, and she wasn't the type to do anything underhanded or stab him in the back.
Buuuung.
And so, after about 15 minutes of driving.
They finally arrived at this place called a motel.
Looking up at the building, Mu-yeong was slightly taken aback.
……It's quite different from what I was imagining.
A single building, about seven stories tall.
Perhaps it would be different once they went inside?
He followed after Yu Ye-rin as she hurried toward the entrance as if afraid someone would see them.
A woman who appeared to be the owner rose from behind the desk.
"Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, yes, I made a short-stay reservation earlier through the app……."
"Are you Yu Ye-rin? The short stay is for three hours, and you'll be in room 605."
"Hold on."
Mu-yeong cut in.
He looked at Yu Ye-rin with a serious expression.
"Will three hours be enough?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
"Barely three hours—I think I'd go mad from how little that is. If I was only going to do that much, I wouldn't have come in the first place."
"Oh…… No!"
"It's fine, I was up all night yesterday but I'm perfectly fine. I'm capable of going all day starting now."
Pyusuuu…….
Yu Ye-rin's face turned a vivid scarlet.
The most it had ever been of anything he'd seen so far.
She kept opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish.
The motel owner, having heard the exchange, put on a business smile.
"Then shall I change it to an overnight stay? An additional 30,000 Won will cover it."
"How many hours does an overnight stay give?"
"Until noon the next day."
"Just right. That should be plenty of time to work everything out of my system."
Mu-yeong looked to the side with an expression that said, wasn't that the right call?
Swiik.
Yu Ye-rin, unable to meet his eyes, pulled her mask up to the tip of her nose.
She bowed her head deeply, and before the payment was even finished, she was dashing down the corridor.
Then she started jabbing the elevator button repeatedly.
That's a first, seeing her like that…… Is she really that eager to train?
She must have been properly inspired after watching the martial arts yesterday.
Well, it makes sense—the Forms had grown more refined and she'd even managed Plum Blossom Gradual Bloom, so that kind of reaction was only natural.
Just as Mu-yeong chuckled to himself and moved to follow, the motel owner called out very softly.
"Um, excuse me."
"What is it?"
"Are you a Martial Artist, by any chance?"
He nodded vigorously in response to the owner's cautious question.
"I am."
"Ah, there was no mention of that when checking the box in the app…… she must have forgotten. Here, this is a complimentary gift, please take it."
The owner handed over a white bag.
It had plenty of things inside, but it was semi-translucent so he couldn't see what was in it.
"And since it happens to be a weekday with nobody around, I'll upgrade your room. Instead of room 605, please head to room 705."
"Thank you."
"Of course. Enjoy your time."
Mu-yeong tucked the bag inside his chest and approached Yu Ye-rin.
Standing beside her, he spoke.
"The owner said she'd switch us to a better room since it's a weekday. Not room 605 but 705."
"……Really?"
"And when she asked if I was a Martial Artist and I said yes, she gave me this for free."
Mu-yeong showed her the bag.
When he unzipped it, a wealth of items appeared inside.
He took them out one by one and read the text on each.
"Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor. What's this? Feminine hygiene cleanser? I've never heard of—."
"Uwaaaah! Th-that one's not needed!"
Yu Ye-rin waved her hands frantically and tried to snatch it.
Mu-yeong dodged with ease and looked inside again.
There were about ten identically-shaped square packets.
And since there was no description written on the outside, he couldn't figure out what they were.
'What on earth could these be, for them to give so many?'
No matter how long he looked, he had no idea.
He pulled one out and showed it to Yu Ye-rin.
"What does one use this for?"
"Later……I mean no! There's absolutely no use for these today, so you can throw them away!"
Yu Ye-rin's flustered reaction was abnormal.
.
.
.
.
"Phew, that could have been a disaster."
The motel owner, who had aged ten years in an instant, thought back to the guests who had just disappeared.
The woman had been covered from head to toe so she wasn't sure, but the man had been unmistakably a Martial Artist at a glance.
So what usually happened when guests like this came here?
They left the place In Ruins.
Quite literally, In Ruins.
Their strength was several times that of an ordinary person, their stamina was immense, and their vitality was fierce.
A broken bed was the least of it.
That sound carried through the walls all the way to the next room.
Thanks to that, motel owners across the entire country had been tearing their hair out.
How to solve this? Was there any good solution?
The answer had been to create rooms dedicated to Martial Artists.
They built separate soundproofed walls, reinforced the beds to be far sturdier, raised the ceiling height, and even combined rooms.
A major overhaul, all for their sake—always full of energy and vigor.
If I'd sent them to the sixth floor as it was, it would've been a disaster. The renovated rooms start from the seventh floor.
The motel owner breathed a sigh of relief and glanced down the corridor.
Before she knew it, they'd gone up, and it was completely empty.
Normally she'd forget whoever came in no time at all, but the man's words just now had been so striking they stayed lodged clearly in her mind.
"Switching straight to overnight because three hours wasn't enough. Just how much are they planning to do? And coming in first thing in the morning of all times."
The motel owner tilted her head, unable to fathom it at all.
It was a morning in which the misunderstanding only grew deeper.
.
.
.
.
Mu-yeong and Yu Ye-rin entered the room.
Looking around inside, Mu-yeong let out a small sound of admiration.
"It's certainly different inside."
A spacious room, a bed that looked plusher than the ones at home if not quite as good, and a clean bathroom.
The ceiling was high too, which seemed suitable for swinging a sword.
It wasn't as good as a training hall, of course, but considering it was indoors, it wasn't bad.
Because a training hall was, at the end of the day, built purely for immersing oneself in training.
A motel, by contrast, had all manner of convenient facilities installed together.
If he weighed which of the two was better on a scale, he thought they'd come out about even.
As he looked around a little more, Yu Ye-rin stepped forward, pulling off her mask and hat.
She picked up the remote control sitting on the desk and lifted her arm.
Bbivik!
Cool air began blowing out from the air conditioner.
She fanned herself with her hand and exhaled a long breath.
"Huuu……. Now I feel like I can breathe."
"You seem like you've been here often."
"W-what's that supposed to mean all of a sudden? This is the very first time in my life I've been somewhere like this……!"
"It looked like you found the remote control right away for a first time."
"That's because before coming I searched on the inter—."
She suddenly pressed her lips tightly shut.
As if catching herself watching Mu-yeong's reaction, she turned her back with the bag she'd brought.
"I'm going to change my clothes for a moment."
"I'll wait."
Mu-yeong walked over to the bed sitting in the corner of the room.
A mattress that was a bit big for one person and a touch too narrow for two to lie down on together.
Two Capsules were installed, so why was there only one of these?
Was it a space constraint?
We'll have to take turns lying down, or split the space in half.
For now he sat down on the edge, then emptied the entire contents of the bag the motel owner had given him.
There was no reason she would have given this for no cause at all.
It was certain to be of some use for training, one way or another.
He tore open the packaging of the 'square thing' that had provoked the most intense reaction from Yu Ye-rin.
A round object with a pleasant smell emerged.
"How does one use this?"
He turned it over this way and that but couldn't figure out how to use it.
As he continued studying it, he slipped a finger into the center and it began stretching ssuuuuk.
"So this must be how you use it. Given how remarkably elastic it is, it seems like something to put on somewhere."
It was tacky yet clung snugly—so the purpose was a glove, perhaps?
Certainly, if he held his sword while wearing this, it wouldn't slip.
Having arrived at an understanding, Mu-yeong applied force and began pressing his fingers in.
Just as it was passing the middle of his palm—
Tuk!
The sound of something dropping.
He looked up to find Yu Ye-rin, now in her Martial Robe, standing there with her mouth hanging open.
"Wh-what are you doing……."
"Preparing for training."
Mu-yeong stopped what he was doing and held up his hand, which had been swallowed by the 'rubber glove.'
He shook it back and forth.
"Yu Ye-rin, come over here and put one on quickly."
"……Tuk!"
She let out a sudden strange sound, wearing an expression of extreme bewilderment.
Her eyes spun in circles as an awkward laugh escaped her, and then—
Unable to meet his gaze, she said quietly.
"Th-that's a condom……."