NUTMEG 7

“My turn,” Wonoh began, lowering his long eyelashes to meet Minje’s eyes, which were slightly below his. Needlessly nervous, Minje swallowed dryly.

“Hyung, you are a beta, right?”

The corners of his mouth were pulled up into a cool smile, but there was no trace of laughter in his eyes. When he wiped away the smile he’d been wearing so well the whole time, the memory of their first meeting in his past life resurfaced. Minje quietly wet his lips. Choi Wonoh was probably thinking of only one possible answer as well.

“…Yeah.”

Only then did Choi Wonoh’s eyes curve beautifully. It was a smile so sweet, it was like something he had once seen in a dream.

“Minje’s hook is pretty good. Your power isn’t bad either.”

“Pardon? Ah, thank you.”

Cheon Minje slightly furrowed his brow at the impact against the glove and barely managed to answer the person in front of him. The gym owner, who had easily taken the hook with his shield, was all smiles as he praised Minje with his catchphrase, “Good, good!”

These days, after his acting classes and script readings, Cheon Minje would immediately come to this gym to learn basic boxing techniques. This was because in <Round and Round, Youth>, Cheon Minje and Choi Wonoh played eighteen-year-old high school students who poured their excess stamina and energy into boxing.

Although boxing was just a medium in the youth film about family love, Director Im hoped the boxing scenes in the movie wouldn’t look clumsy, and Owner Gwak Pilseung, who was training several aspiring boxers, was not a man who knew how to do things half-heartedly or take the easy way out. Director Im was very pleased with such an owner.

Thanks to him, Minje had to show up at the gym and dedicate himself to practice, starting with two thousand jump ropes until he was showered in sweat. He would be completely worn out until his arms and legs wouldn’t move, and only when every knuckle wrapped in his hand wraps was red and swollen would it finally be time for his part-time job, and he would be released.

Practicing at such a murderous intensity every day with a body that had no basic stamina, his arms trembled even after just two glasses of draft beer for the first three days. After the third week, his body slowly started to adapt to the amount of exercise, and muscles that suited Minje’s slender frame began to form handsomely on his previously skinny body. Minje marveled as he watched his body change into a different form from when he had lost weight to look more ‘omega-like’ in his past life.

From the beginning, people with secondary genders, regardless of whether they were dominant or recessive, were born with superior looks and physical conditions compared to ordinary people, which was why many of them worked in the entertainment and sports industries. This meant that Minje himself knew best that receiving compliments didn’t mean he had some great talent. However, being only human, there were times when he couldn’t help but feel good about the gym owner’s flattery, who would praise him, saying his skills were improving day by day.

“It’s just that Wonoh is so good, but Minje, for a beginner, you’re pretty good. You have a knack for sports.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. Why would I say something I don’t mean? If the movie flops, you should definitely come to our gym.”

The owner even winked one eye and said, “Got it?” When he winked, the large scar above his eyebrow twitched, making him look even more intimidating. When he was first introduced to the gym, Minje had been seriously scared of him; although he was a head shorter than Minje, his whole body was sculpted with rock-hard, solid muscles. In particular, his dark face, with half an eyebrow missing due to the scar, made him look like someone who did rough work to anyone who saw him. But after getting to know him a few times, he realized that, unlike his appearance, he was a very gentle and affectionate person.

“That’s not something I can just ignore. What did you say is going to flop?”

“Whoa, you scared me!”

“Ah. It’s Wonoh.”

As Minje greeted him with a small “hello,” Wonoh looked at his face and grinned. A little embarrassed, Minje took off his gloves and stood awkwardly. Wonoh, who seemed to have come after finishing a schedule, had light makeup on, and his brown bangs were styled with waves, making his aura seem softer than usual.

Today, Choi Wonoh was wearing a top and bottom from the sports brand he advertised. The white t-shirt was stretched across his broad shoulders, clearly showing his thick chest muscles, and it became looser and more spacious as it went down below his ribcage. The stretchy, functional material clung moderately to his lower body, revealing his long, hard thighs without being excessive every time he strode forward with his long legs.

They were surely just similar-looking sportswear, but the fact that he was wearing them was enough to draw one’s gaze. He probably didn’t know it, but that brand’s sales must have skyrocketed. Even the high school boys at the gym wanted everything Choi Wonoh wore and had on.

“Hey, you punk. Don’t you know ‘if’?! The conditional, you punk! If, by any chance, it flops, I was going to train Minje as a professional boxer. Stop smiling so menacingly, you brat.”

“I heard you’ve been going to English class lately, Owner. You’ve improved a lot.”

“Hurry up and change your clothes, and do something about your hair. Look at Minje. He said his bangs made it hard to work out so, what? He got them cut just right, didn’t he? You, you little punk, you’re a man, what have you put so much stuff in your hair for?”

Pilseung, perhaps feeling awkward after being caught saying something unnecessary, needlessly picked a fight with Wonoh’s long bangs. It wasn’t that he was being rough because he genuinely disliked Wonoh. Wonoh knew that too and just laughed it off. It was strange how even the gym owner, who seemed like a seasoned veteran who had been through thick and thin, often lost his composure and fumbled in front of Wonoh.

Just then, Wonoh, who had approached him, reached out and touched Minje’s shortened bangs.

“Hyung, you cut your hair. It’s pretty.”

At those words, Minje let out a small, dry cough.

Wonoh and the owner would never know, but he had no idea how much courage it had taken to cut just a bit of his hair.

Minje needlessly ran his own hand through the bangs Wonoh had touched. The shortened hair felt unfamiliar as it poked against his palm. If it hadn’t been for what Wonoh said, he might have never had such short hair his whole life.

He was naturally reminded of what happened in his past life.

‘Isn’t this bastard going to stay locked up in the dorm starting tomorrow?’

‘That’s hilarious,’ Junseop finished, snickering. Minje stared blankly at the long strands of hair falling to the floor with a thud.

It was a gathering after their official promotions had ended, to film their regular content. Junseop had recently been grooming his family’s dog himself and had taken out a small pair of clippers. It was then that Junseop, who was smiling mischievously while showing pictures of the groomed dog to the other members, called Minje over.

Minje swallowed dryly and cast a pleading look at the other members for help. As luck would have it, the leader was away for a meeting with Manager Kim, and the remaining beta members had always been bystanders to the two of them, so there was no one to help.

The relationship between Minje and Junseop had hit rock bottom since that day at the music show. Being branded as the ‘group that acts like omegas’ by his idol, Uncontrol, made Junseop start to hate Minje even more fiercely. At first, it was just his words becoming harsher, but when the group did better than expected and Cheon Minje, the omega, started getting the most attention after the leader, Junseop, who was a mess of what could have been an inferiority complex or jealousy, gradually began to torment Minje physically as well.

Because he would get scolded by Manager Kim and the leader, Junseop always made sure to bully Minje when they weren’t around. It wasn’t anything noticeable like violence. It was just lowly acts, like an elementary schooler giggling while setting fire to the tail end of a dragonfly whose wings had already been torn off. The other beta members, who didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, pretended not to see what they saw, and even the staff closest to them gradually came to condone the atmosphere.

Minje thought it was his own fault, that it couldn’t be helped. It was because he had snatched this position without any effort, and because he was a half-baked omega who had left a stain on the group.

Junseop said his grooming skills had improved a lot and that he would personally tidy up Minje hyung’s hair, then sat Minje down in a chair. Not knowing what was about to happen, Minje lowered his eyes anxiously. A buzzing sound was heard, zzzz, and his bangs, which completely covered his eyebrows, were shaved off with a thud.

‘…What is this? Lee Junseop. Is this your doing?’

Just then, the door opened and Manager Kim came in. The leader, who followed behind him, only frowned upon seeing the scene. Junseop stopped laughing and gave Minje a look.

‘I did it. But my hand, it slipped….’

‘Minje, you cut your own hair? All of a sudden? Whose clippers are these?’

‘Yes, I, uh, the clippers are Junsun’s, but I asked to borrow them.’

‘Lee Junseop.’

‘It’s true, Manager. Right? You all saw it, too.’

At Junseop’s words seeking their agreement, the beta members sitting on the sofa nodded in affirmation. However, Manager Kim didn’t let it go that easily.

But the more Manager Kim took his side in front of Junseop, the more anxious Minje became. He just wanted to get it over with quickly. It was something he just had to endure for a moment, anyway.

‘There’s no way Minje would cut his own hair. A kid who only likes long hair.’

Manager Kim softened the word to ‘likes,’ but there was no one in that room who didn’t know the underlying meaning was ‘obsessed.’ Minje shrank back, his neck flushing hot, and stammered on.

‘No, it’s true I did it. I, I did it to lose weight.’

‘What?’

‘If I cut my hair, I won’t leave the house… I’m not going to go anywhere, I’m just going to stay home….’

At Minje’s answer, Manager Kim narrowed his already thin eyes as if dumbfounded. However, Junseop and the other members had already burst out laughing. If he had pulled something like this during promotions, it probably wouldn’t have ended like this, but Junseop was no fool to do something that would interfere with their activities. For the time being, it was a break period to prepare for the next album. Seeing that the mood had lightened because they were laughing so hard, Manager Kim just said, ‘Well, if you say so, Minje,’ and let it go. Only then did Minje let out a sigh of relief.

Junseop didn’t miss the fact that Minje had made up something on the spot to smooth over the situation, and he told this episode as a joke on every variety show he went on. Needless to say, ‘Cheon Minje’s diet method’ was a real-time search term for a while.

Thwack!

The sound of his fist hitting the shield Wonoh was wearing dead-on echoed through the gym. It was the satisfying sound a punch makes when it lands right in the center. Wonoh, who must have gotten curious after hearing Pilseung praise Minje, had come out after changing clothes, put on the shield, and called Minje over. After taking a few hits, Wonoh looked surprised.

“Minje hyung, you’re really good, you know?”

“See. In some ways, his sense is better than yours.”

“Yeah. I think your jab is faster, hyung. Your footwork is good, too.”

Minje suddenly felt dazed being praised by Wonoh as well. It was understandable, as Wonoh, who couldn’t even come to the gym half as much as he did due to his packed schedule, was already at a level where he could spar with the gym’s amateur-level boxers. The owner, who had recognized Choi Wonoh’s potential in a single day, was amazed. That was why the offer to become a professional boxer if the movie flopped had sounded like a consolation just to boost his morale.

But strangely, there was weight to Choi Wonoh’s words. It was even more so because he didn’t seem like the type to offer useless comfort or lies. Minje awkwardly touched his shortened bangs.

“I think you have a knack for sports, hyung. You’d probably be a good dancer, too.”

With those words, Wonoh silently went through the 2,000 jump ropes and basic steps the owner had instructed him to do. It had been a week since he had seen him at the gym, but his form was completely flawless, as if he had been there yesterday too. He probably practiced consistently on his own even when he wasn’t at the gym, just as the owner had said.

Minje blankly followed Wonoh’s back with his eyes as he practiced, while re-wrapping his loosened hand wraps to be taut. People often called Choi Wonoh a diamond spoon. Minje used to think so, too. Choi Wonoh, who was rich and handsome, and born with talent thanks to his great parents. He thought that the reason he could dance well, rap well, and even act well was because he had inherited his parents’ talents wholesale. However, the Choi Wonoh he had seen up close for the past few weeks was a diligent hard worker, to the point where one would wonder if he ever slept.

He probably had outstanding natural talent, more so than others. And on top of that, Choi Wonoh even worked hard. How could anyone dare to beat a person like this? Minje shook his head slightly, recalling the leader from his past life who had always burned with a sense of rivalry toward Choi Wonoh.

Come to think of it, Choi Wonoh had said he seemed like he would be a good dancer, too. If that was true… could it be that the words of the choreography teacher, who used to praise him sometimes in his past life, weren’t just to boost his morale, but were actually true…? Minje fidgeted with the neatly wrapped hand wraps.

Just then, the area near the entrance suddenly became noisy. When he lifted his head, a group of five or six high school students, with pale dust caked on their pants as if they had just come from playing soccer somewhere, were standing at the entrance, pointing at Choi Wonoh.

“Holy crap, it’s really Choi Wonoh.”

“So the owner wasn’t lying….”

Pilseung leisurely approached the sun-tanned boys, who were repeatedly exclaiming “holy crap,” with a swagger in his step. His shoulders seemed a little puffed up with pride.

“You brats. This is the kind of man your owner is. Did you bring the meat?”

“Yes, yes. We brought ten geun. This is awesome, for real…. Owner, can we say hi, too?”

It was the time when the high school students who went to the gym were just arriving after school. The kids, who would only greet Minje awkwardly even though he was there every day, had their eyes shining as they looked at Choi Wonoh. It was obvious they were trying not to act uncool despite seeing a celebrity up close. One of the braver ones among them greeted him in a booming voice.

“Hello, hyung-nim!!”

“Hi.”

Wonoh lifted the corners of his mouth and smiled. The innocent high school students shouted, “Whoaaa!” Minje quietly watched the scene, which felt like déjà vu. The kids who had broken the ice were clamoring for autographs or pictures, but Choi Wonoh granted their requests one by one without any sign of annoyance.

Pilseung snatched a heavy black plastic bag from one of them and spoke to Minje in a passing tone.

“Minje, you want to eat with us? We’re having a pork belly party today. It’s the little guy’s birthday.”

He pointed with his chin toward the smallest kid. Minje blinked his eyes at the sudden suggestion. He inadvertently nodded when the question, “Minje, you drink, too, right?” followed as a matter of course. After learning that Minje lived alone, Pilseung would often look out for him like this during mealtimes. He was a good person. ‘But if I join a birthday party, won’t the kids dislike it…?’ he thought, and was awkwardly glancing over at the kids when it happened.