I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

The gym run by Director Nakayama was located about ten minutes away from my house in a shopping district.
The monthly membership fee was 10,000 yen, more expensive than the other gyms nearby, but there was a reason for the high price.

Director Nakayama personally walked around the gym, offering free coaching to members.
Considering that most gyms rely on personal training sessions for revenue, what Director Nakayama did was practically volunteer work. But he himself didn’t seem to think much of it.
He would simply laugh it off and say that he’d made enough money when he was young, and now he wanted to focus on training the next generation.

Anyway, that was the kind of place it was—one I could trust and keep coming to.
Ding! Ding!
“Oh! Welcome, Kim-kun! Your muscles are looking fantastic today!”

As I walked into the gym, Director Nakayama greeted me with a bright smile from the front desk.
I complimented him back, saying his muscles looked in good condition as well, and then introduced Goto Kazuya, who was hesitating awkwardly near the door.
“This is Goto Kazuya. He said he wanted to work out with me, so I brought him along. Would it be possible for him to do a three-day free trial?”

Director Nakayama’s eyes sparkled as he stepped forward.
“Of course! It’s a request from Kim-kun!”
Then he started kneading and feeling Goto’s body from top to bottom with great interest.

“Did you play any sports when you were younger? Your muscle balance seems pretty well-developed.”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I did track and field for about a year in middle school.”
“I see. That’s why your hamstrings are well-developed. You’ve got a good base.”

Director Nakayama stood back up with a satisfied expression and gestured with his chin.
“Then go get changed in the locker room first. We’ll start with a basic fitness test.”
“Yes, sir.”

I led Goto, who was looking around the unfamiliar fitness club with fascination, toward the locker room in the corner.
***
After changing into the gym clothes provided by the facility, we stepped back out to find Director Nakayama waiting by the door.
“Let’s start with a light jog.”

He led us over to the treadmill area.
Without hesitation, the director put Goto on a treadmill and said,
“In our gym, we customize training menus to match each person’s fitness level. So first, we need to find Goto-kun’s limits.”

As he said that, Director Nakayama pressed the speed button to 12 km/h.
“Now run until you feel like you’re about to die.”
“Excuse me? I think I misheard—?”

But the treadmill countdown started mercilessly.
3, 2, 1…
Beep!

The belt began to move, and Goto, caught off guard, began walking.
But since the target speed was 12 km/h, the belt quickly accelerated.
With no time to warm up, Goto had no choice but to start sprinting in a panic.

“Wha- wha-wha-what is this?!”
“If you talk while running, you’ll bite your tongue! Shut your mouth and run!”
At Director Nakayama’s stern command, Goto made a miserable face but shut his mouth and ran.

From our early morning jog together, I already had the sense that Goto Kazuya had fairly good stamina by default.
He clearly didn’t become the head of a biker gang for nothing. While he looked flustered at first, he soon began running steadily.
He ran at an awkward pace—faster than a brisk walk but slower than an all-out sprint—and after about eight minutes, his face turned bright red as he shouted,

“How do I stop this thing?!”
“Press the emergency button in front of you.”
Thud!

As soon as he pressed the emergency button, the treadmill stopped abruptly, and Goto scrambled off.
He collapsed onto the gym floor and began panting heavily.
“I—I thought I was gonna die…”

Director Nakayama gave a short laugh and said,
“What a baby.”
When the director told Goto to go drink some water, he staggered over to the water dispenser like a zombie.

Once he was far enough away, I asked the director,
“So? Think he’s worth teaching?”
Director Nakayama nodded with a satisfied look.

“Not a bad foundation. Especially strong development in the lower body. What did he used to do?”
“He was a biker gang member. But he said he quit because he wanted to learn how to work out from me.”
“…If I train him properly, he might not reach your level, but I can turn him into something decent.”

Looks like the director really liked him.
Well, whether he’s liked or not and whether he keeps going to the gym are totally separate matters.
He’d only just finished one cardio exercise.

“The treadmill is merely the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings… Kukuku. Now then, shall we move to the next stage?”
***
After drinking plenty of water and resting while seated, Goto had recovered enough strength. Director Nakayama then led him to the free weights area.

Generally, free weights aren’t recommended for gym beginners.
Improper form or trying to lift too heavy can easily lead to injury.
But today, it was just for basic fitness testing, so under mine and the director’s supervision, Goto Kazuya’s “Big Three” measurements began.

“First off, Goto, do you ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ know what the Big Three lifts are?”
“Big Three? What’s that? I was the third-gen boss, if that’s what you mean.”
That answer made it clear he had no idea, so I held up three fingers and explained.

“They’re commonly known as the Big Three: Squats, Bench Press, and Deadlift.”
Of course, just being good at those doesn’t automatically mean you’re good at working out, but they’re great for measuring basic strength.
“Let’s start with squats.”

As the director and I took Goto to the free weight area, the macho guys who knew our faces began to discreetly back away.
A neighborhood gym is like a wild jungle—when someone with a clearly better physique shows up, others instinctively give up their spot.
A world of survival of the fittest!

I loaded the squat rack with a barbell and two 10kg plates.
That made it 40kg.
Plenty for a warm-up if you've never done compound lifts before.

Having no idea what he was doing, Goto blindly followed us into the squat rack.
Under the professional guidance of Director Nakayama, he properly racked the barbell onto his shoulders.
“Hup!”

He took a short breath in and then squatted down and stood up again—about three times.
“Looks like 40kg is no problem.”
The director nodded and signaled to me with his eyes.

Reading the cue, I added more plates.
Now it was 60kg—the average for a non-athlete.
“This much is easy, sir!”

But Goto sat and stood up with ease, eventually working up to lifting 100kg.
“Hoooh. Now it’s getting interesting.”
Muttering to himself with intrigue, Director Nakayama immediately moved us over to test his 1-rep max on the bench press.

***
In the end, Goto Kazuya’s recorded numbers were: Squat 100kg, Bench Press 80kg, Deadlift 120kg.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected someone without proper training to be able to lift that much.

Once all the basic fitness tests were complete, Goto Kazuya struck a triumphant pose and asked, full of spirit,
“Osshaaah! Hyung-nim! How did I do?!”
Director Nakayama clapped his hands with a pleased expression and said,

“You pass. You’re welcome to come to this gym from tomorrow.”
When Goto Kazuya was working out, it was like watching an untamed wild horse.
If he met the right teacher and trained properly, he could build an even better body than he has now.

Just like when I first met Director Nakayama.
Anyway, now that Goto had earned the director’s favor, there was no need for me to hover over him.
So I was about to quietly slip away to do my own workout, which was the reason I came here in the first place, when—

“Ah, Kim Yu-seong.”
Just coming into the gym, Fuma-senpai had changed into her workout clothes and stepped out of the locker room.
“Hello.”

As I bowed my head in greeting, Goto, who had been standing next to Director Nakayama, came up with shining eyes and asked a tactless question.
“She’s super pretty! Is she your… y’know?”
He wiggled his pinky finger as he spoke. Hearing that, Fuma-senpai blushed and vehemently denied it.

“W-what?! Yu-seong and I aren’t like that!”
“Ehh~ They say strong denial is strong affirmation. From what I can see, you two totally are~”
Fuma-senpai, stunned, pointed at Goto with an exasperated look.

“Kim Yu-seong! Who is this rude guy?!”
It really felt like two people who should never meet had met—and I could feel the headache coming on.