Return of the Genius Photographer

Every morning, we wake up not knowing what the day has in store for us.

That’s why life is so mysterious and enigmatic.

But right now, there was one man who knew his immediate future better than anyone else.

His name was Junie Antonio.

He was Woojin’s teammate and one of the members participating in Art Unity.

― Bright College Years!

As usual, the Yale alma mater played as his alarm.

It was 8 a.m.

Though diligent as ever, Junie had already woken up before the alarm went off.

But for some reason, he just lay there, not bothering to turn off the ringing alarm.

‘Ugh… I don’t want to go work out.’

Junie lay still, lost in thought.

It had already been five days since he met his mentor, Albert.

Junie had expected to engage in artistic exchanges with a respected Yale alumnus.

But for the past five days, all he had done with Albert was exercise.

‘Oh man… my arms.’

He barely managed to lift his aching body and began getting ready to leave.

Deep down, he just wanted to take the day off and rest…

But Albert’s words were too terrifying to ignore: “If you’re late, 100 squats. If you skip a day, 500 more squats.”

‘I’ll shower after the workout…’

After a quick wash, Junie headed straight to the gym.

“Junie! Right on time!”

The spacious gym near Yale’s back gate.

As Junie trudged in weakly, Albert greeted him as if he’d been waiting there all along.

A towering, muscular Black man nearing 2 meters in height.

Junie, who had never considered himself small, looked like a child next to him.

Albert Evans was a powerhouse.

He looked more like a fitness trainer or rugby player than a photographer.

In fact, Junie hadn’t even seen Albert touch a camera in the past five days, making him wonder if Albert was even a photographer at all.

“Junie! Should we destroy our legs today?”

“Huh? We did legs the day before yesterday…”

“You’ve had a full day of rest! Time to push again! For big guys like us, legs are the most important!”

Albert emphasized his point by flexing his thighs.

His muscles seemed to twitch with a will of their own, as if they were alive.

Seriously…

Who could possibly stop this man?

Junie couldn’t help but feel that upsetting Albert in any way might lead to dire consequences.

Sure, Albert was cheerful and good-natured.

But his intimidating muscles were terrifying.

“500 squats, go!”

At Albert’s command, Junie reflexively began moving.

His flabby belly jiggled weakly, betraying his lack of enthusiasm.

But there was no way Albert, the muscle fanatic, would notice.

‘Fu… Fuck…’

Junie cursed under his breath but didn’t dare say it out loud.

He didn’t have the courage to be honest with a man who swung 50kg dumbbells like they were candy canes.

All he could do was follow orders…

― 498!

― 499!

― 500…! Ughhh!

“Albert, I’m done!”

“Don’t stop! 10 more!”

“510!”

“10 more!”

“Ughhh! 520! My legs are cramping! Please…”

“Squeeze out every last drop of strength! Push like your life depends on it!”

“5… 525!”

―Thud!

Junie collapsed face-first onto the floor, completely spent.

“Now rest.”

“Huff, huff! I don’t have any strength left, Albert.”

“But how do you feel? Refreshed, right?”

Junie nodded weakly at Albert, who looked at him with satisfaction.

His thighs screamed in pain, but the sense of accomplishment made it feel not so bad.

He was starting to think he might be getting used to the workouts.

“Alright! Three-minute break, then let’s destroy our chest!”

“Huh?”

“We did legs, so now it’s time for upper body!”

A shocking statement hit Junie’s ears.

“W-wait, isn’t this the end? We’ve been doing one thing a day, and I did way more squats than last time…”

“You’re keeping up well, so we need to increase the intensity. You can do it!”

A bolt from the blue.

He’d felt like he was about to die earlier, and now this was just the beginning…

Feeling dazed, Junie mustered the courage to ask the question he’d been wanting to ask all along.

“Albert… what does photography have to do with working out?”

What did this intense training have to do with the Art Unity exhibition?

He couldn’t figure it out.

―Clang!

Albert, who had been deadlifting 200kg, set the barbell down and looked at Junie with a serious expression.

“Junior, don’t take photography lightly.”

“Huh?”

His chest muscles bulged as if they were angry.

“Compared to this training, shooting is war.”

“Shooting?”

“Yeah. To capture the perfect moment, you have to carry heavy cameras around all day. That’s the fate of a photographer.”

His chest muscles twitched with every word.

“So you have to stay tense. If you can’t handle this simple workout, you’re not cut out to be a photographer.”

Junie, feeling overwhelmed, averted his eyes from Albert’s muscles.

“Look at me.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t look away like a coward.”

“No, it’s not that…”

But Albert seemed to have misunderstood.

Junie couldn’t bring himself to say that the muscles were intimidating, so he just nodded.

“For a photographer, stamina is life. Remember that—take care of your body.”

“Okay…”

Junie answered gloomily, feeling like he hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted.

“Let’s go! Should we start with chest press?”

He missed his friends.

***

After my friends got their mentors, I found myself settling into a new daily routine.

“Ugh… I think I’m going crazy. Isn’t it a problem that a human body can twist like that…?”

“Muscles… I never knew human muscles could move like that…”

“I don’t even want to think about it…”

That routine was listening to my friends’ complaints.

Every evening, they would gather in the dorm’s first-floor lounge, venting about their day as if competing over who had it worse.

“Woojin, listen to this.”

Junie, slumped in his chair like he was lying down, spoke up.

“Today, I did 525 squats… How does the number keep increasing by 200 every time we meet?”

He tenderly rubbed his trembling legs as he spoke.

“I never knew there were so many types of exercises. At this rate, I might actually turn into a monster like Albert…”

“Hey, but you’ve been working out so much—how come you’re not losing weight?”

At that moment, Malcolm poked Junie’s belly and asked.

“You’ve been exercising nonstop for five days. How are you still the same?”

His voice was filled with curiosity.

Junie, looking embarrassed, scratched the back of his head and muttered.

“Ahem, maybe it’s because of all the exercise… My appetite’s been crazy lately. Pizza’s never tasted so good.”

“Weren’t you already a pizza fiend before the workouts?”

“I-I don’t know!”

At Junie’s outburst, Malcolm shrugged and started his own story.

“Lately, I feel sick just looking at the color green.”

He stuck out his tongue as if even saying the word “green” was unbearable.

“Ugh! I even had a dream today where I was wearing a gi, lying in a field of goats, eating grass.”

Come to think of it, even Malcolm, who was usually cheerful, had grown noticeably gloomier since meeting his mentor.

“No… I’m the worst…”

As Malcolm finished, Anna, who had been quietly listening, began her own lament.

“I never thought I’d see so many naked bodies in my life. How can anyone shoot in those situations without changing their expression?”

Anna didn’t go into as much detail as the others, but it seemed she was also struggling quite a bit.

“Maybe I drew the short straw…”

The mood grew somber. Lately, this had become a familiar scene.

“It’s okay. You said you’re taking a break tomorrow, right? Even one day of proper rest will help.”

As I tried to comfort them, Junie suddenly spoke up, stuffing his mouth with a snack he’d pulled out of nowhere.

“By the way, you still haven’t gotten a message?”

“Yeah, it’s been almost a week. Have you heard anything?”

“Right, now that you mention it, we haven’t heard from you. If it gets any later, won’t you have to prepare for the exhibition alone?”

Their concern was palpable.

Even though they complained and vented every day, at least they were learning something.

They’d probably start shooting properly soon.

But since I hadn’t even had my first meeting yet, it was natural to worry.

“No, I got a message too. I’m meeting them tomorrow.”

I smiled faintly as I answered my friends.

“Really? I hope they’re a good person.”

“If they tell you to work out, just say you’re sick.”

“I hope they’re not a vegetarian.”

With that, my friends each offered a word of encouragement before getting up and leaving.

I also stood up and headed to my room.

I’d heard a lot of rumors, but this would be my first time meeting Dali Akus.

I was incredibly curious about what kind of person they were.

***

The next day.

I arrived at the meeting spot on time and looked around.

The message had clearly said to meet here, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see anyone waiting for me.

‘Are they not here yet?’

I sat on a nearby bench and waited for a while.

“Hahaha!”

“So you’ll take our photos too?”

“Of course!”

Across from me, I saw a man chatting happily with some women.

He was surrounded by women, engaged in lively conversation.

But…

‘Wait, isn’t that Dali Akus?’

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Dali Akus, the person I was supposed to meet.

‘Are they colleagues?’

I thought he’d be alone, but apparently not.

“Hello. I’m Woojin, your mentee.”

I approached and greeted him.

“Oh, we’ll get going now.”

“It was fun.”

The women bid farewell to Dali Akus and left.

“Were they colleagues?”

“Huh? I’ve never met them before.”

At my question, Dali Akus shrugged and answered nonchalantly.

What kind of person is this…?

“You know my name, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Just call me Dali.”

Dali, whose arms were covered in Chicano-style tattoos that looked like something Mexican gangsters would have, stood up and shouted before I could even introduce myself.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Where else? We’re going drinking.”

“In the middle of the day?”

“Is there a set time for drinking? Just follow me.”

“W-wait…”

Without waiting for my response, he started walking away.

His figure was already getting farther away.

At that moment, the words my friends had said last night flashed through my mind.

“My mentor is definitely the worst…”

“It’s the worst…”

“I don’t want to go…”

It seemed…

“Guys, I think I got the short end of the stick…”