Chapter Text
Sakura arrived early. She always did. Ten minutes early, just enough time in case something went wrong.
She stood outside the gym with her phone in hand, pretending to scroll. Just tapping, swiping, killing time.
It was not too cold, thankfully, but she still zipped her dark blue hoodie up to her chin and tugged her white cap lower. She looked out of place. Like she'd wandered into the wrong save file.
She hated touching grass.
She hated gyms. Not in a dramatic way. She just did not belong in them.
Gyms were for people who liked getting sweaty. People who wore the right clothes and moved with purpose.
Sakura sat for a living. She sat and talked and played games and tried not to think about her posture. It had worked out fine so far.
Until.
She had been off lately. Not bad. Just oddly off. The kind of off that made even her favorite games feel like chores. That was alarming. Gaming was her refuge. It was also her job. Which yeah... That was probably part of the problem. It used to feel easy. Now it felt difficult, heavy in a way she could not explain.
She needed to shake it off. Whatever it was.
People always said exercise helped with that. Endorphins. Mental health. Balance. She did not really know what any of that meant. She just knew she needed the vibes to vibe again.
But gym?
She would rather shoot her foot than willingly walk into a space this intimidating. But she had to do something about her mood. And honestly, it would probably make decent content.
Her phone buzzed and she flinched like she had been caught doing something illegal.
Oh shit.
She had forgotten to ask permission for the game she wanted to stream next week. She typed out a quick message to her manager, reread it once, then sent it before she could overthink it. The time glared back at her from the top of the screen.
2:55 p.m.
She took a breath that did not really help and pushed the door open.
The gym was a gym.
Which meant it was full of women.
So many women. Some stretching. Some chatting. Some already sweating like they knew exactly what they were doing. Different bodies, different faces, every one of them looking like they belonged here in a way Sakura immediately did not.
It is fine, she told herself. Women are my specialty.
She cringed at her own thought, but it gave her a tiny boost of confidence anyway.
It lasted about two seconds.
By the time she reached the reception desk, that confidence had slipped right through her fingers. The young receptionist looked up and smiled, and Sakura's brain simply shut off.
"Hi," the receptionist greeted.
Sakura opened her mouth.
Nothing happened.
It felt like all the words she had prepared had been accidentally deleted.
Undo. Undo!!!
She stood there in silence, thinking only one thing.
I’ll survive.
How was it that she could talk to thousands of people for hours on stream but could not manage a single sentence in real life?
"Um," she managed, at least producing sound. The receptionist waited patiently. "I'm..."
Sakura was still standing there, mouth half open, when someone stepped in beside her.
"Oh. Sorry."
The voice was bright. Too bright for her ears. Sakura flinched on instinct.
A woman in a black zip up jacket had moved forward, ponytail slightly crooked, a clipboard tucked under one arm. She was pretty, annoyingly so, and she looked like she belonged here in a way Sakura immediately clocked and resented.
"I think she's checking in," the woman said to the receptionist, then turned to Sakura with a wide, earnest smile. "Right?"
"Oh. Yes. I mean. I was. I am."
The receptionist's smile did not falter, though her eyes flicked between them with mild curiosity. "No worries. First time?"
"Yes," Sakura said too fast. Then, quieter, "Unfortunately."
The woman laughed, a quick sound like it escaped before she could stop it.
"You'll be fine. Everyone looks like they want to die on their first day."
Sakura glanced at her. She looked normal. Cheerful. The kind of person who said things out loud without rehearsing them first.
"I don't," Sakura said. Then, realizing how that sounded, added, "I mean. I do. A little."
The woman grinned wider. "Haha... Honest already."
She turned back to the desk. "Eunchae, I can show her around after."
Eunchae raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you... Wait. What's your name?" She slid a form toward Sakura.
Sakura swallowed. "Miyawaki Sakura."
There was a pause.
Not dramatic. Just half a second too long.
Eunchae's fingers stilled. Her eyes flicked up, brief and sharp, then back to the screen.
"Okay," she said smoothly. "You can sign here." Then, to the woman beside Sakura, "Yeah. She's with you."
Sakura exhaled without realizing she had been holding her breath. Heat crept up her neck. Now she was committed to interacting with another real person. Her ears buzzed. She had already hit her limit for the day.
Beside her, the woman tilted her head. "That's a really pretty name. Sakura."
Sakura stiffened. "It's... Yeah. Thanks."
"Sorry," the woman said, still smiling. "I'm Chaewon."
She held out her hand.
Sakura hesitated, then took it.
Chaewon's grip was warm. Confident. The exact opposite of her own.
"I'll survive," Sakura said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I mean," Sakura gestured vaguely at the gym. Everything. "This. I'll survive."
Chaewon stared for a second, then laughed. "'Course you will."
She leaned in slightly, voice dropping like she was sharing a secret. "If it helps, I promise not to let you die on your first day."
Sakura nodded. "That's reassuring."
It was not.
But Chaewon beamed anyway and turned toward the hallway. "Locker room's this way."
Sakura followed, heart beating too fast.
And it had only been five minutes.
Training started ten minutes later.
Sakura had changed into gym clothes that still felt like a costume. She tugged at her sleeves, then stopped when she realized everyone else here was wearing less fabric and doing just fine.
"I'll survive," she muttered to her reflection.
Chaewon clapped her hands once.
"Okay. So," she said, standing in front of Sakura with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely liked this place. "We'll start easy. I don't believe in traumatizing people on day one."
"That's generous," Sakura said. A chuckle almost escaped her.
Chaewon nodded. "I try to be a good person."
They started with stretches. Or what Chaewon called stretches, and what Sakura privately labeled as unfamiliar acts of violence.
"Feet shoulder width apart," Chaewon said. "Relax your shoulders. No, not like that."
She stepped closer and lightly touched Sakura's shoulders, adjusting them. The contact was brief, professional.
Sakura still flinched.
"Less tense. You look like you're bracing for impact."
"I am," Sakura replied.
Chaewon laughed under her breath. "Okay. Fair. But you can really do this."
She circled Sakura slowly like she was inspecting a project that had potential but worrying foundations.
Sakura resisted the urge to curl inward.
"Posture," Chaewon said gently. Then again, firmer, pressing two fingers between Sakura's shoulder blades. "You're folding in. Like a shrimp."
"A shrimp?"
"Yes. Very bad posture."
Sakura straightened immediately. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Chaewon said, then added, "But also don't do that again."
"…Okay."
Sakura glanced at the clock. Forty five minutes left.
They moved on to squats.
Chaewon demonstrated with ease, lowering herself smoothly and popping back up like gravity was optional.
Sakura watched with dread. And unfortunately, appreciation.
"Your turn."
Sakura bent her knees. Everything in her body protested.
Chaewon's face twisted. "Oh no."
"Oh no?" Sakura echoed, already sweating.
"Your knees are doing a thing," Chaewon said, crouching in front of her. "They're collapsing inward. That's bad. That's how you anger the gym gods."
"...I don't want to anger anyone."
Chaewon placed her hands lightly on Sakura's knees, guiding them outward.
"Like this... Engage your core."
"I don't know where that is." Sakura's face heated instantly.
Maybe it was the effort. She quietly moved this under perks of going to the gym and refused to think about it.
Chaewon paused. "Okay. Pretend someone is about to poke you in the stomach."
Sakura stiffened immediately, hand flying to her midsection.
Chaewon laughed. "Wait, I wasn't actually going to poke it... Here."
She gently moved Sakura's hand aside and pressed lightly against her abdomen. "This. This is your core."
Too close.
Sakura froze. She briefly considered pretending to pass out.
She glanced toward the door.
She could leave.
She should leave.
But she had paid for this session.
And Chaewon was watching her with this focused, earnest expression, like Sakura's success actually mattered to her.
Somehow, that made it worse.
"Again," Chaewon said. "Five more."
Sakura stared at the floor. "I don't think my body was designed for this. Like. At all."
Chaewon tilted her head. "What was it designed for?"
Sakura thought of her desk. Her chair. Her microphone.
"Sitting."
Chaewon laughed, then quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry. That was mean. But also, yeah. That makes sense."
They worked through it slowly. Painfully.
Chaewon corrected her constantly. Hips. Knees. Shoulders. Each comment half judgment, half encouragement.
"You're doing great," Chaewon said, then frowned. "But also terrible. In a fixable way."
"I want to go home," Sakura said flatly, knees ready to give up.
"I know. But you're here now. You showed up... That counts for something."
Sakura did not answer. She just lowered herself into another squat, thighs burning.
At some point, Chaewon turned away and bent down to grab a water bottle.
Sakura's brain betrayed her.
Oh. Ohhhh…
She immediately shook her head, mortified with herself. Ninety percent of her body hurt. This was not the time.
"Done. Take a break," Chaewon handed her a towel and the bottle. "Hydrate."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet," Chaewon grinned.
Training continued. Unfortunately.
Resistance bands came next.
Sakura did not understand what muscles were supposed to be working. She only understood that her arms were shaking and that Chaewon was watching her very closely.
"Okay, stop," Chaewon said.
Sakura dropped the band immediately.
Chaewon stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"Your shoulders are hiking up again."
Before Sakura could react, Chaewon gently pressed down on one shoulder, then the other.
"Relax," Chaewon said. "You're holding tension here."
Sakura nodded. She did not relax.
"Breathe."
Sakura inhaled too sharply.
Chaewon chuckled.
"Sorry," Sakura said quickly. "I'm bad at existing."
"That's okay. So am I."
Something in Sakura's chest did a quiet, traitorous thing.
This was bad...
"I used to hate squats," Chaewon talked as they trained. "I cried once. In front of a mirror. Very humbling."
Sakura snorted before she could stop herself.
Once? I think I'd be crying every day.
Chaewon lit up. "See? Totally normal."
Sakura looked away, suddenly very invested in the floor.
She started noticing Chaewon in pieces:
Her voice when she corrected her.
The way she frowned when Sakura's form slipped, like it offended her personally.
The way praise came quietly, almost accidentally.
"That was better," Chaewon said at one point. "You're not hopeless."
"That's… encouraging?" Sakura asked.
Chaewon smirked. "I meant it nicely."
"I know."
By the end, Sakura's legs felt like borrowed equipment. She sat on the bench, breathing hard, staring at her shoes.
Chaewon crouched in front of her. "You okay?"
"I'll survive," Sakura said automatically.
"Sure."
Sakura shrugged, taking a long drink of water.
"You did good today," Chaewon smiled. "Really."
Sakura nodded, avoiding her eyes.
This was a mistake. Not the gym.
The noticing.
She stood, grabbed her bag, and bowed her head slightly. "Thank you for the session."
"I'll see you next time," Chaewon said easily.
Sakura walked out with her heart beating faster than it should have, annoyed at herself for replaying Chaewon's smile over and over.
Next time.
-----
Chaewon waited until the door closed behind Sakura before she let herself relax.
She rolled her shoulders once, then twice, exhaling.
First sessions always took more energy than people thought. Especially with clients who looked like they were one mild inconvenience away from vanishing into thin air.
She grabbed her clipboard and wandered back toward the front desk.
Eunchae was leaning on the counter, scrolling on her phone. She glanced up the moment Chaewon approached.
"How was it?" Eunchae asked.
Chaewon paused. "Mmmm… Tough."
"She's pretty though," Eunchae said, not even looking guilty about it.
"Huh?"
"Don't act surprised. You noticed." Eunchae smirked.
Chaewon scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. "I don't know about that."
Eunchae raised an eyebrow. "You spent the whole session hovering."
"That's my job. Her knees were doing weird things."
"Mhm. Sure." Eunchae went back to scrolling.
Chaewon leaned her elbows on the counter. "You know I like 2D girls."
Eunchae laughed. "You say that every time."
"Because it's true. They don't have posture problems."
"She did well though. For her first time."
Chaewon paused, then nodded. "Yeah. She did."
She looked toward the door again without realizing it.
Next time.