"Ugh, that hurts." Muttering tiredly, Ho-sang was organizing his things with a sore body, getting ready for work.
His groaning was due to the fact that he had trained last night. Since reaching the same physique he used to have was a goal in mind, he didn't waste time and started working out at home.
He intended to join a gym, but for now, he'd stick to calisthenics to get his body used to it first.
After finishing getting ready, he left the house and headed toward the train station.
...
"Am I in an anime world?" Ho-sang muttered to himself after noticing the various shades of hair and eye colors on the people passing by the store.
And not just them—he himself had brown eyes and naturally dark bluish-gray hair, which was obviously weird considering black was the norm where he was.
"Although, I think instead of an anime world, it's more like a webtoon." He commented while his eyes followed a woman with dark purple hair and eyes of the same shade walking past the shop.
He remembered that even the bitch on the train had different colored hair and eyes—she was a redhead with blue eyes.
And while he knew that because of the k-pop industry it was common to dye hair and wear contacts, that was something idols did—not your average white-collar worker.
"And that opens the door to another possibility... what kind of world is this." Running a hand through his hair, the possibility that this world was some kind of interdimensional portal world crossed his mind.
After all, if he were to follow the transmigration pattern, this world could be the kind with the Solo Leveling trope, with him being there before the start. It could also be a zombie apocalypse world or a tower trial one, like The Second Coming of Gluttony.
If not that, then maybe a school gang world like Lookism.
There was no way for him to know. He also didn't know any story with a character named Go Ho-sang. This world could just be a regular alternate world too.
In the end, it was just a passing thought. Whatever it was, he'd just live his life until then.
Snapping out of his daydream, he finally approached a customer so his manager wouldn't come over to nag him for standing around.
Putting on his professional smile, he approached a male customer. "How can I help you, sir~?"
...
"Damn, this body really needs training, huff."
Already home from work, Ho-sang was struggling to carry a bunch of shopping bags into his room.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he placed his hands on his hips and looked at what he had brought. "You were really seen as a naïve idiot, huh?" He said, referring to the old Ho-sang.
And the reason for that was because last night, while he was training, he got a message from one of Ho-sang's old college classmates. The thing was, he had never been close to that girl—the most interaction they had was the occasional greeting.
And given how attractive and popular she was, it was the classic nerd-and-popular-girl scenario, meaning a girl like that wouldn't talk to Ho-sang for no reason.
If it were the previous him, he definitely would've already started daydreaming about what it could mean, even if he had his doubts.
The old one, despite being kinda delusional, at least had self-awareness.
So, with Ho-sang's past, it was almost a hundred percent certain that girl wanted something. So he did the obvious—he asked her directly what she wanted. He could even tell from the messages how thrown off she was by his bluntness.
But in the end, after insisting that she just say it already, she admitted she needed his help with something. Curious about what she wanted, he agreed to meet her at a restaurant to talk, and there he'd decide what to do.
...
With his hair slicked back but with a few strands falling on his forehead, and wearing a simple black shirt and shorts, Ho-sang looked around the restaurant curiously while sipping his tea.
In front of him, Jo Ga-hee stared at him strangely and suspiciously, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"You know, staring at me like that isn't going to magically make me understand your problem. You're gonna have to say it." Stopping his scan of the place, he finally focused back on the girl in front of him.
She stayed silent, and only after a while did she speak. "Who the hell are you?"
Ho-sang simply stared back without changing his expression. "What do you mean, who am I? I'm Go Ho-sang."
"No, you're not." Ga-hee shook her head, clearly confident in her words. "You're not like this."
Ho-sang raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
She suddenly pointed loudly at him. "Exactly! Like that!"
Ho-sang shook his head. Of course, he totally got what she meant—his mannerisms, the way he spoke and acted were completely different. Even someone who wasn't close to him could tell if they'd seen him before.
"Whatever, people change over time, in case you didn't know. Anyway, why do you need my help?" Not wanting to continue the topic, he went straight to the point and took a sip.
Still eyeing him suspiciously, she muttered a low "you can't just change" like what he said didn't make any sense.
She ended up shaking her head and finally put on a more neutral expression. "Whatever, fine. I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
Her face turned a little red, and she awkwardly clasped her hands together as she spoke. "I need you to buy my products."
Looking past her, Ho-sang noticed a few bags on the chair beside her. "So that's what this is. Why?"
She seemed even more embarrassed as she gave an awkward smile. "I-I'd rather not say."
Ho-sang just kept staring silently, his expression unchanged.
She kept looking at him, getting more and more timid with each second, but after a full minute of silence from him, she started to get irritated. After two minutes, her lip was visibly trembling.
After almost five minutes of nothing but him staring at her stone-faced, she finally snapped.
"Arrgh! What the hell is your problem! Why are you staring at me like that!?" Her blushing face vanished like magic as her shy act melted away—her expression was now pure annoyance. She simply couldn't accept that that idiot wasn't blushing and acting like a fool like he was supposed to.
'Huh.' Calmly blinking, Ho-sang could practically guess the kind of person this girl was. 'I guess she's not used to seeing someone she saw as a loser not act like one. Another bitch.'
Ignoring her question, he asked back, "Tell me why you want me to buy them and I'll think about it." He took another sip of his tea after saying that.
Ga-hee gritted her teeth in frustration. She really hated how calm that idiot was. Realizing she didn't have much choice, she finally admitted, "I ended up joining a store as an affiliate to sell their products. I just didn't expect the place to be on the verge of bankruptcy so soon."
She sighed, sounding resigned. "I couldn't sell to anyone else, so I want you to buy them."
Lowering the cup, Ho-sang continued, "So in other words, you don't want your investment to go to waste and you need the money, right?"
Ga-hee didn't respond. Her face soured at his words, which only confirmed what he'd just said.
"I see. I can do that." His words made her smile immediately. "But on one condition." And her smile disappeared just as fast.
"What? Just so you know, I'd rather die a thousand times than do anything with you, you pervert." She made a disgusted face and backed away, arms instinctively covering her chest.
Ho-sang just chuckled lightly at her words. "Don't worry, you're probably already too used up for my tastes."
"What the hell do you mean by that, you idiot!?"
Ignoring her furious face, he continued. "What I want is simple. I want you to pay me back."
"...What?" Ga-hee was so caught off guard that she forgot what he said for a second.
"You need money, right? Just see this as a loan from me. You just have to pay me back later." Ho-sang smiled calmly at her.
She blinked. "Are you stupid? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Her expression was like she was talking to someone mentally challenged.
But again, not reacting to her words, Ho-sang kept smiling. "Your call. Yes or no?"
Ga-hee stared at him, frowning. She didn't want to accept it, but she wasn't really in a position to say no. Her mouth twisted in a pout along with her scowl. "Fine, I accept."
"Great, in that case..." Ho-sang picked up his phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it at her. "Could you say that out loud and clear, please?" He was still smiling.
"What the hell is this for?" She frowned even harder.
"It's proof. In case after I pay you, you decide not to pay me back. I'll take this to court and sue you for breach of contract." He pointed the phone camera straight at her face.
"What!? That's not even legal, what kind of bullshit is that!? If I accepted, of course I'm gonna pay you back!" Ga-hee clenched her fists and teeth as she glared at him.
"Glad to hear that. Now, please." Despite agreeing, Ho-sang kept the phone aimed at her and waited.
Ga-hee bit her lip in anger. She had a huge urge to slap that smug loser's face. "Fucking loser." She muttered through gritted teeth, but still did what he asked.
...
After that, he left with the bags while she stormed off, looking at him like he had just kicked her dog.
Honestly, he found it hilarious, and considering she was a bitch who looked down on the old Ho-sang just for being a nerd, this was just karma in his opinion.
Treat others like crap, and you'll be treated the same.
Picking the bags off the floor, Ho-sang carried them to the couch and took a quick look at the contents before continuing with his routine.
Opening them one by one, he found various devices with questionable purposes, including some supplements.
Picking one at random, he decided to try it out. Grabbing the device, he saw it was a machine designed to tone the abs.
Laughing at how sketchy it looked, Ho-sang followed the instructions and plugged the cables into the power strip before wrapping the belt around his stomach.
Pressing the power button on the strip, the belt on his stomach began to vibrate.
"Oh? Maybe this thing isn't as useless as it looks." Feeling the vibrations on his stomach, Ho-sang lowered himself to the floor and began doing push-ups.
It was actually kind of relaxing having his muscles basically massaged by the machine. "Yeah, not bad." Squatting down, he nodded in satisfaction, until he noticed the power strip slipping off the couch.
He reached out to grab it but wasn't fast enough.
As it hit the floor, a spark shot out, making Ho-sang freeze instantly.
Staring tensely, he stayed perfectly still as a bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead. But seeing that no other spark followed, he reached for the belt on his stomach.
But as if it had been waiting for that moment, the sparks came back. Ho-sang barely had time to widen his eyes before a burst of electricity exploded, electrocuting him.
His body convulsed violently, his jaw clenching so hard his neck veins popped out, foam dripping from the corners of his mouth as his eyes stared blankly ahead.
He felt the electricity rush through his entire body, a mix of numbness and chill dulling his senses, but he focused on one very specific part.
That numbness was strongest in his dick and balls, like they were swelling more and more.
And the feeling gave him a very bad premonition. 'My dick and balls!... They're gonna explode!'
Unable to hold it anymore, he screamed with everything he had. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"