Grandma's Blessing (1)
Analysis broadcast.
At that word, Lee Gyeongbok recalled the ti he had co-hosted "MasterDissection."
'Back then, I really reaped the benefits.'
At the ti, since his na hadn't gained much recognition, he was able to benefit from Geno's fa.
But things were different now.
'Still, it's not a relationship where I need to weigh profits and losses.'
He didn't sense any ominous feelings, so he figured there wouldn't be any problems. After a brief hesitation, Lee Gyeongbok spoke up.
"Analysis? How exactly are you planning to run it?"
Regardless of his spiritual energy or relationship with Geno, he needed to at least grasp how the broadcast would proceed.
"If it's sothing I need to appear on, it'll be tough. Today's my day off from streaming."
He wouldn't mind showing up himself, but today happened to be his one day off per week.
"Of course, I already figured all of that out in advance. Not you—I'm planning to invite Eclipse."
"Ecl?"
"Yeah. I'll point out questions and talking points on behalf of the viewers, and Ecl answers them. That's the format."
Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes in thought.
'For sure, ecl wouldn't refuse. And his skills are rock solid.'
Geno wasn't bad at gas, but when it ca to the Elden series, there was no one like Eclipse.
If Eclipse handled the analysis, the credibility of the broadcast would surely go up.
"And also, I planned this because it's your day off."
"Huh?"
"There's no broadcast from you today, right? Where do you think all the Purple viewers will go? When the 'Purple withdrawal' hits, I'll sweep them up."
At that, Lee Gyeongbok let out a laugh.
"So you're just openly strawing viewers?"
"Of course! Hey, haven't I said it repeatedly on my broadcast? That I'd benefit a little from your popularity?"
Geno's reply ca with a playful laugh.
Lee Gyeongbok genuinely liked this side of him. Better to be upfront than two-faced.
"All right. It's better than so other lecca swarming in. Hyung, make up for my withdrawal while I'm gone."
"That's what I'm saying! Good thinking! Thanks, man. Anyway, congrats again!"
"Yeah, thanks. Now, go get so sleep. You have to take care of yourself at your age."
"The nerve of this guy... I was about to sleep anyway, punk!"
They both laughed as the call ended.
Lee Gyeongbok stretched lightly and started on his breakfast.
'Let's see... today...'
He reviewed his schedule for the day. Normally, he would finish his morning workout, et with friends for etings, and then start his broadcast, but holidays were different.
'Juho said he's got a family gathering.'
Park Juho, eager to make the most of his rare holiday, had chosen to spend ti with family. It was important to make an effort after his mother's remarriage, so it wasn't the ti to ask him out.
'Byeonghun said he's definitely resting.'
Choi Byeonghun declared an off day to recover from fatigue now that he was finally free from work.
He was sure to catch up on sleep or watch Netflix. They could hang out, but sotis one just needed ti alone.
'Feels awkward to take a break.'
After finishing his al, Lee Gyeongbok made a protein shake and pondered.
'A month ago, I never even imagined this kind of life.'
He'd only started streaming as a test at Choi Byeonghun's suggestion, but the channel grew much more quickly than expected.
And as a result, he had fully stepped onto the path of a strear.
'Co to think of it, I haven't really rested even once.'
A month was a short ti, but in that span, he'd sprinted without a single chance to rest.
Now, taking a break felt awkward.
'Maybe... I just don't want to rest.'
He downed the protein shake in one go and let out a dry, empty laugh.
He wanted to stream.
He craved the reactions from viewers, the affection and joy that ca through the chat window. That feeling was truly addictive.
His gaze then shifted to the brain scan capsule in his room.
'Should I just stream alone?'
Streaming itself wasn't too hard. Without Park Juho, it'd be a bit harder to manage the chat window, but the moderation bot could handle it.
But then Lee Gyeongbok shook his head.
'Nah, forget it. If I start, those guys will get notifications anyway.'
If he started streaming, both friends would get notified and inevitably co running—even if he tried to go solo.
He didn't want to wear out his friends for his own selfish desires.
"Then... what should I do..."
Out of habit, Lee Gyeongbok started doing the dishes. Thinking back, he recalled how he had spent his holidays back when he was an office worker.
Back then, he would squeeze in a workout whenever he could. But he always felt that the equipnt at ho wasn't enough, so on days off, he'd head to the local public gym for a proper workout.
"Maybe I'll visit the gym for the first ti in a while."
He smiled faintly.
The thought of moving his body in real life, not just VR, felt pretty good.
* * *
Public gym on a weekday morning.
Most of the users were middle-aged or older, retired folks, and a handful of young people who looked like college students.
But there weren't all that many people.
'Not much has changed.'
Lee Gyeongbok scanned the public facility, making a quick assessnt.
Nothing much had changed in the past month—everything looked just as he rembered.
'Well, there's not much reason for it to change.'
You could enjoy a variety of sports in the public gym. They had not only a basic fitness center, but also futsal, basketball, volleyball, and foot volleyball courts, plus a swimming pool.
Of those, Lee Gyeongbok made his way to the small boxing gym attached next to the fitness center.
'There are quite a few people here even on a weekday morning.'
The gym wasn't very large—just so punching bags and a ring for sparring, really.
There were more people than he expected, but luckily, there was still a punching bag available.
Lee Gyeongbok let out a chuckle at the sight of the punching bag.
'I used to imagine that jerk while hitting this.'
Back when he was at the company, he'd let out his stress by imagining his annoying team lead and pounding the bag.
'Compared to back then, this is heaven. Absolute heaven.'
Thinking about how hard things had been back then compared to now—with physical strain, ntal stress, and even lousy pay—made him laugh.
People who didn't know the story glared at Lee Gyeongbok strangely.
"Public gyms are open to just anyone, and that's the problem."
"Hey, leave him alone. He's a total newbie. Bet he won't even show up tomorrow."
So among them snickered and mocked Lee Gyeongbok—all because his flabby hoodie hid his figure.
"He'll probably hit the bag a couple of tis and head right ho."
"If that's all, that's lucky. But he'll probably sprain his wrist and whine."
"At least watch Q-tube before you co, man."
They laughed and shot mocking looks his way.
anwhile, Lee Gyeongbok put on his gloves and loosened up.
'Every gym has people who just ss around without working out.'
He was mildly irritated by a few people, but Lee Gyeongbok didn't bother with them.
He started by lightly tapping at the punching bag.
'Looks like a rookie to .'
When he was young, his parents had taken him to countless hospitals because of the backlash from his spiritual energy, but eventually, they turned to Grandma for help.
'Gyeongbok, you need to exercise.'
He'd started working out in the first place because Grandma had pushed him to do so.
And it wasn't just for health.
"If you want to survive, you have to learn to control your divine power. Gyeongbok, don't worry about the people around you. Learn how to focus on yourself first."
More important than health was the direction of his consciousness.
Once he started working out properly, he learned how to focus on himself.
From posture to breathing and controlling strength, he beca used to concentrating solely on himself as he trained his body.
Thanks to that, his spiritual energy didn't leak out and the backlash eased—and so did the physical ailnts.
"If your vessel cracks, the contents spill. Gyeongbok, you especially have to beco a bigger, stronger vessel. That's the only way to live, you hear ?"
The light thudding sounds gradually grew louder. What started as light jabs picked up tempo.
Lee Gyeongbok began to focus solely on himself, just as in the past.
"Hey, look at him."
"Huh...?"
The chains of the punching bag began to squeak. The bag was swinging harder.
The people who mocked him—including those who hadn't even paid him any attention—paused and turned to look.
But Lee Gyeongbok's attention was elsewhere. He poured all his concentration into the swinging punching bag.
"Holy... look at his footwork!"
"Is that the Dempsey Roll? No, maybe it's weaving?"
With every powerful arc, the sound of glove on punching bag rang clear and sharp.
Lee Gyeongbok demonstrated not just jabs and straights, but even worked his footwork and threw in hooks and body blows.
His varied combinations left the onlookers' eyes wide.
"Wow..."
"Is he a pro?"
No one mocked him anymore.
Everyone seed so absorbed by his movents that they couldn't look away. The people here, especially those interested in boxing, recognized his skill level.
"Uh, hey... let's just go ho today."
"Yeah... yeah..."
The ones who had initially scoffed backed away, sneaking out and glancing around as they left. Thanks to the angry stares from the others, they slipped away.
They must have heard their comnts, no doubt. This ti, they ended up looking like the fools. They probably wouldn't show up here anyti soon.
"Hoo."
Having worked up a good sweat, Lee Gyeongbok grabbed the still-swinging bag to stop it.
A smile crept onto his lips. The exhaustion of actually working out in reality felt refreshingly pleasant—a different kind of satisfaction from his routine in-ho workouts.
But it didn't last long.
'Gyeongbok, the divine power you have inside is too much for a human body to handle.'
The thought of Grandma ca to him, along with her warning. He'd believed there was no backlash in virtual reality, but that wasn't all-powerful either.
'Is this really okay?'
Even the brain scan capsule had displayed warning ssages. Though he'd solved things for now with a custom model, it wasn't sothing that could be relied upon forever.
'If only Grandma were here, I could at least ask...'
Even if she didn't have a solution, she would've offered so helpful advice. But now, he had no one to turn to with problems related to spiritual energy.
"Haa..."
The mont Lee Gyeongbok let out a short sigh, his smart link buzzed with a call notification.
"Huh?"
After checking the caller ID, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened. He hurriedly took off his gloves and dashed outside the gym.
"Hello?"
〈Oh, Gyeongbok? It's .〉
"Oh, yes, auntie. How have you been?"
As soon as he answered, Lee Gyeongbok felt a little awkward. His caller was Aunt Yang Gyuri.
〈Nothin' much, really. But have you been all right? Anything happen?〉
"Sorry? Happen? Like what?"
It wasn't a video call, but he shook his head out of habit.
"No, nothing special happened..."
〈Really? Are you sure you're not lying? Anyway, let's et today.〉
"Huh? Today?"
〈Why? You got sothing better to do? I'm busy too, but I really need to see you today.〉
Getting suddenly summoned today caught Lee Gyeongbok off-guard.
'Why is she like this all of a sudden?'
He wasn't even that close to her—close enough to call, but not this close. He thought about making an excuse to get out of it.
But her next words made him abandon that thought.
〈Your grandma ca to in a dream and told I had to see you today.〉
"... My grandma?"
She was calling him out, saying his late grandmother appeared in a dream? If anyone else had said it, he'd have laughed it off, but this person was different.
Because she—
〈That's why I closed the shrine today. How could I ignore a ssage from the divine mother? I'll ssage you the place, so co straight away, okay?〉
"Yes, understood."
'Yanghwa Bosal,' the shaman who had directly conducted his grandmother's spiritual ritual—soone who inherited the spiritual line.
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