6 AM.
The day begins at a slightly late hour that could hardly be called dawn.
Unlike me, Samajak seems to enjoy her morning sleep, so carefully escaping from the bed, I threw a towel around my neck and quietly left the dorm room.
One hour each day.
Before heading to the academic building, I do basic physical training in the common playground of the dormitory.
I’ve heard that most people start their day with meditation or breathing exercises, but I prefer to move my body like this.
It makes the day feel fresher.
Here, the main focus is on modern bodyweight exercises.
Sit-ups, squats, lunges, climbing, push-ups, and so on.
Though ancient China had training methods like Iron Wire and Mabo, I thought modern exercises designed by scholars might be better for the body than such brute training.
However, modern bodyweight exercises look quite peculiar in this world, which might be why I quickly became a sort of attraction at the dorm playground.
“Huuk, huuk, huuk, huuk.”
50 push-ups in 5 sets.
50 sit-ups in 5 sets.
50 squats in 5 sets.
When I first started, even doing one set would leave my muscles cramping and immobile, but that’s all in the past now.
Thanks to two years of consistent bodyweight training, I can easily finish many repetitions in just an hour now.
As I was sweating profusely from my morning workout, I sensed movement nearby.
“Good morning.”
It was Dokgorin, dressed comfortably.
“Good morning.”
Having returned the greeting, I wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead with the towel and asked.
“What brings you here so suddenly? You usually sleep in longer in the mornings.”
Dokgorin shrugged and replied.
“Now that I’ve entered the academic building, I thought I’d try changing my lifestyle a bit.”
“Really?”
She had decided that, so what could I say?
Dokgorin looked around the playground with her arms crossed and asked.
“Have you been exercising in the mornings since entering the academic building?”
“You and Master both said that the basics are important, so I figured I might as well work hard on this.”
Even now, with my level of skill, I could certainly be seen as a prodigy among my peers, but since everyone around me seems to be geniuses, I find myself training even harder.
When I mentioned this, Dokgorin chuckled softly and said.
“You don’t need to rush. Everyone has their own pace.”
“Pace?”
“If the person next to you walks quickly, and you try to keep up, you’ll stumble and fall before long. This is usually called ‘following the flow’ in our language.”
“Following the flow….”
I didn’t expect to hear that term now.
But I understood well enough what Dokgorin was worried about, so I nodded and assured her I wouldn’t overdo it.
“By the way, how long will you be exercising?”
“Oh, I’m almost done. Just some finishing exercises left.”
“Okay? Then I’ll wait over here.”
As she said that, Dokgorin sat down on a nearby long bench.
I felt a bit uneasy seeing her just sitting there after coming all the way to the playground, but honestly, since I was focused on my own workout, I decided to ignore it.
*
After finishing my hour of morning exercise, I noticed Dokgorin watching me with interest and she asked.
“Chilbok, where did you learn those exercises?”
“Oh, this?”
I was about to respond nonchalantly when I suddenly hesitated.
I couldn’t explain it as future workout methods directly.
“It’s an exercise introduced in a book that came from the West. Apparently, Westerners divided muscle training by body parts like this.”
As I posed to emphasize my arm muscles, Dokgorin responded with a sound of amusement.
It was her way of showing she was finding it entertaining.
I hadn’t expected her to show interest in this, so I began talking about bodyweight exercises that I knew.
I’m not an expert, but at least I was glad to find a common topic to discuss.
As I rambled on without realizing how much time had passed, suddenly—
“Ah! There you are!”
A familiar voice erupted from not far away.
I flinched!
And at the sound of that voice, Dokgorin shivered.
But ignoring that, Namgoong Ruby, Dokgorin’s roommate, came running with a wave.
“Rin! I was looking for you!”
“…….”
Dokgorin looked at me with a desperate expression.
It turned out she hadn’t come out to change her lifestyle but to escape Namgoong Ruby’s attention.
However, Namgoong Ruby had already arrived, and it was too late to run, so Dokgorin was neatly caught in her grasp.
“What made you suddenly come to the playground? You usually sleep longer.”
“…I wanted to see Chilbok.”
“Oh, I see! Then I guess I can’t help it.”
Namgoong Ruby said that with a giggle.
For some reason, her smile reminded me of a cheerful golden retriever.
“Well, it’s about time for breakfast, so let’s head back! Rin!”
As she said that, Namgoong Ruby linked arms with Dokgorin and started leading her towards the girls’ dormitory.
“I’ll see you in class.”
I sent a silent prayer of sympathy for Dokgorin.
*
After the last class president election, Namgoong Ruby and Dokgorin became friends.
In reality, Dokgorin didn’t particularly want to be friends, but since she had made a promise with Namgoong Ruby, it was almost forced friendship.
However, Dokgorin is a natural introvert.
She’s like moss that wilts instead of thriving under the sun, so excessive attention becomes toxic for her.
Namgoong Ruby, who shares a room with her, has an inherently bright personality, so even when Dokgorin tries to push her away, Namgoong Ruby has a strong resolve not to be cast aside.
Moreover, as the saying goes, you can’t spit on a smiling face; no matter how harshly Dokgorin acts, it seems she develops pity for Namgoong Ruby, who approaches with a smile.
“Sigh… If I had known, I would’ve used my unique ability to win.”
Dokgorin muttered with a gloomy expression.
Well, she endured a week of Namgoong Ruby’s teasing, so it’s somewhat understandable, but using a special ability in a friendly match seems ethically questionable.
For Dokgorin, her unique techniques taught by her mother, Tang Miryeong, and her grandfather, Tang Hochang, are just as essential as her household martial art, and during the last fight, fighting with her limbs half-tied was pretty much the same thing.
Of course, even considering that, Namgoong Ruby’s current skills likely far exceeded her expectations, making it quite a regrettable duel for Dokgorin.
“By the way, where did Ruby go? She was right next to us just a moment ago.”
When Tang Sosu inquired, Dokgorin sighed deeply and said.
“I don’t know. Why are you asking me where she is in the first place?”
“Well, because you share a room, and you’re the vice president?”
It made sense when I heard that.
Perhaps that’s why Dokgorin fell silent for a bit, but hasn’t the saying been that a tiger comes when you mention its name?
Suddenly, the classroom front door swung open, and Namgoong Ruby entered.
“Attention everyone! The indoor unarmed training time overlapped, so the first period today is a humanities class!”
It seemed she had just gone to the staff room, possibly called by the teacher.
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Today’s first period is supposed to be taught by Geomhu-senpai!”
“Who decided that it should be humanities?!”
Various colorful reactions erupted among the students.
But Namgoong Ruby beamed with a smile and added.
“By the way, the teacher mentioned that there won’t be any indoor unarmed training today, just so you know.”
Then everyone went quiet as though nothing had happened.
“Sometimes humanities isn’t so bad.”
“Just because we’re warriors doesn’t mean we can neglect our studies.”
“I should at least memorize the Three Classics if I want to brag about being from the academic building, right?”
The sudden change of attitude was definitely chilling.
In any case, having fulfilled her role, Namgoong Ruby returned to her seat, humming a tune.
Just to note, her desk is diagonally in front of mine.
It’s a classroom set up like a university lecture hall, so there aren’t any assigned seats, but she sits as if it’s a matter of course.
“Well then, let’s do our best in class today!”
Namgoong Ruby said, clenching her fists.
She even turned back to say that, which made me think she really does like Dokgorin a lot.
Nevertheless, I believe there’s no one more suitable for the role of class president than Namgoong Ruby, and I opened the textbook distributed by the academic building.
