The elevator doors slid open, and Eun Soo was the first to step out, her hand still tucked firmly in Hajun's.
Jin Woo followed close behind, watching as she slowly removed her hand from Hajun and turned to him with a hurried look.
"I'll… I'll go ahead first," she said, practically dashing toward the gym entrance as if she were trying to outrun the awkwardness from the lift.
Jin Woo stood there for a moment, finding her sudden escape quite cute.
Hajun looked up at his uncle and whispered, "Uncle, I think you made the teacher shy."
"I'm sorry, Hajun… I just didn't know what else to say to her," Jin Woo admitted with a quiet chuckle.
He then looked at the boy curiously and asked, "By the way, why haven't you told her that I'm actually your uncle?"
Hajun tilted his head innocently and replied, "She never asked."
Jin Woo sighed, shaking his head at the simple logic. "Fair enough. Let's just leave it at that for now."
Then Jin Woo and Hajun also entered the gym after presenting their resident cards at the front desk. The gym was buzzing with the energy of Saturday morning workouts.
More than half of the machines were in use.
"Woah, there are lots of people today. I think the people in our new building are really serious about health."
Hajun, who was beside Jin Woo, also nodded hearing his uncle's remark.
"Okay, let me send you to the kids' area first, then I will exercise."
After saying this, Jin Woo led Hajun to the secure, high-tech kids' zone.
"You play here for a while, and I'll come get you when I'm finished," he said, watching as Hajun happily climbed onto the trampoline.
"Okay, Uncle, I will be here."
Hajun, seeing his reaction, did not leave immediately. Only after he saw that the professional caretakers were watching the children did Jin Woo head to the treadmills for a brisk warm up.
After running on the treadmill for about half an hour and breaking a light sweat, he moved over to the weight area to begin his strength training routine.
Jin Woo smiled to himself as he looked at the rows of barbells and squat racks.
"Let's get started."
Unlike bodybuilders who focused mainly on appearance, Jin Woo preferred training like soldiers. He believed real strength came from functional movements that built power, endurance, and coordination all at once.
He began with heavy deadlifts. After a few warm-up sets, he steadily increased the weight until the bar was loaded to 150 kilograms.
Gripping the bar tightly, he drove through his legs and hips, completing four controlled sets of eight repetitions.
"Huff, huff, huff. It is really hard. Why am I so stubborn? Let's just not do more."
After the exercise, the thought of stopping came to Jin Woo's mind, but he quickly shook his head.
"No. It was already hard for me to get accustomed. I cannot stop in between."
Then, without taking long breaks, he moved to the squat rack.
Loading 110 kilograms onto the barbell, he performed deep barbell squats, keeping his posture steady and his movements controlled.
Eun Soo, who was running on the treadmill, looked at Jin Woo with surprise and thought to herself,
"Mr. Jin Woo is really fit. I did not know a lean body could have this much explosive power."
Eun Soo, while looking at Jin Woo, forgot she was on the treadmill and slowed down a little, which caused her to stumble.
She quickly took hold of both side handles to steady herself, stopped the treadmill, and looked around to check if anyone was noticing. Seeing that no one had noticed, she sighed, but her face became even redder.
"Eun Soo, Eun Soo, come out of your daze. Mr. Jin Woo has a kid. Keep yourself together."
Eun Soo tried to calm herself down.
On the other hand, Jin Woo had no idea what had happened. He started to do the standing military press.
With 65 kilograms resting across his shoulders, Jin Woo pressed the bar overhead for four sets of eight repetitions.
He then walked over to the pull-up station.
He performed strict weighted pull-ups. His movements were smooth and deliberate as he completed four sets of ten repetitions, his back muscles contracting powerfully with each pull.
Jin Woo continued his training for a long time and forgot about everything else.
Even so, his expression remained calm.
This was the kind of training he enjoyed from his military days.
Around the weight area, several gym members couldn't help glancing in his direction. The amount of weight he was lifting, combined with the relentless pace of his workout, was enough to make even experienced lifters pause in admiration.
He was in the middle of a set of lifts when a sharp, frustrated voice cut through the sound of the clanking iron.
"Why are you staring at my back like that?" a woman snapped from just a few feet away.
Jin Woo immediately recognized the voice and looked up to see a middle-aged man with a rough, unpleasant face bothering Eun Soo.
The man didn't back down, arguing loudly, "What are you talking about? I'm just exercising! Why would I be looking at you?"
Eun Soo looked stiff and uncomfortable, her face pale as she struggled to find the words to deal with the man's shameless attitude.
Jin Woo, seeing this, didn't hesitate; he dropped his weights and stepped over, standing firmly beside her. "Is everything okay here?"
Seeing a familiar face, Eun Soo's shoulders relaxed instantly, and she quickly explained the man's inappropriate behavior.
Jin Woo, after listening to Eun Soo's explanation, turned to the stranger and spoke with a terrifyingly calm voice.
"There's no need to waste time arguing," Jin Woo said. "Let's just go to the security office and check the cameras together."
As soon as Jin Woo mentioned the cameras, the man's face turned red and he began to stutter.
"Why would we need cameras? It was just a misunderstanding! If she felt that way, then I'm sorry," he mumbled before scurrying away.
Jin Woo did not let the matter rest. He looked toward the receptionist and said, "Call your manager. I want an explanation."
Seeing the serious look on Jin Woo's face, the receptionist nodded her head and called the manager.
A few minutes later, the building manager arrived to handle the situation properly.
Eun Soo explained what had happened, and after a quick review of the footage, they discovered the man wasn't even a resident.
He was an outside guest with a temporary pass, which the manager revoked on the spot, banning him from the tower forever.
After this, he looked toward Eun Soo and said, "Sorry, ma'am. We did not know that temporary passes could cause such troubles. From now on, we will not allow people with temporary passes to roam freely in the building."
Eun Soo, seeing the manager's respectful and sincere apology, let the matter end.
Jin Woo, seeing the matter ended, began to move toward his exercise station.
Eun Soo saw this and said, "Mr. Jin Woo…."