The Genius Idol is a Joseon Scholar - Chapter 7

[User: Yu Gunja]

[Appearance: B]

[Singing: D]

[Dancing: C]

[Charm: A]

[Choose where to invest your points.]

“Hmm…”

Gunja was deeply engrossed in thought as he gazed at the status window that had appeared in front of him.

Enhancing abilities through the status window was something Gunja was already familiar with. Hadn’t he experienced his singing and dancing skills rapidly improving when he completed missions assigned by the status window 300 years ago?

However, having this choice was something new. It seemed that even the operation of the status window had changed while he was skipping through time.

First, he decided to postpone focusing on Charm since it had received a high rating of ‘A.’

As for Appearance, it was rated ‘B,’ but he couldn’t be certain if this assessment was accurate when it came to his looks. Just recently, hadn’t the nurse evaluated it as an ‘S’ grade?

S, an S-grade… Me, an S-grade…

Thinking about it again made him gloomy. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he would need to improve by a whopping nineteen grades from an A-grade to attain an S-grade. Gunja stood in front of the mirror, examining his appearance from various angles.

“Am I really that ugly…?”

His facial features didn’t seem particularly flawed, but perhaps it was due to his overly straight eyebrows and nose bridge. Or maybe in this era, having large, clear eyes was considered more attractive. It could even be due to his fair and moist skin.

While Gunja had chosen the path of becoming a skilled singer, it was still quite disheartening to be considered ugly. He made an effort to hold his head high and gather his thoughts.

“There must be a path for the less attractive.”

Gunja had decided to focus only on music now.

Therefore, improving his ‘D’ grade in singing seemed like the wisest choice.

Through this audition, he realized why his singing grade was ‘D.’

His voice, as an idol contestant didn’t fit the voice of an idol.

Trainer Jang Minhyuk had clearly stated that.

Gunja knew that the songs he was familiar with and the songs in the world of idols were clearly different. Having been exposed to idol songs from the hospital until now, Gunja had a vague sense of the difference.

“If we consider idols as the standard, it means my skills are still minimal.”

Music belongs to the people who listen to it. If helping people is the path of a scholar, then above all, one must first consider their demand.

If he wanted to become an idol, he needed to learn the ways of idols.

First and foremost, he needed to improve his singing grade.

With determination, Gunja moved his finger toward the status window.

[Selection complete.]

* * *

[User: Yu Gunja]

[Appearance: B+]

[Singing: D]

[Dance: C]

[Charm: A]

Yu Gunja, who had decided to become a talented idol.

His choice was his appearance.

“Hmm, well, well.”

Standing in front of the mirror, Gunja appeared rather satisfied. Something had certainly changed, even if it was subtle.

“You can improve your singing with hard work, but appearance? There’s no clear answer.”

Of course, he had heard that there was something called plastic surgery in this era, but he considered it an affront to the precious body given to him by his parents.

“How could I possibly wield a knife on this body my parents gave me?”

“Ugh, absolutely not.”

Gunja had learned the art of self-discipline already.

Seeing the improved appearance rating, he felt a sudden surge of motivation. Gunja quickly left the room.

The previous owner of this body had spent all his time lazing around and neglecting physical training. That’s why he couldn’t even sing a short song without running out of breath.

If it were 300 years ago, he might have carried water buckets and plowed the fields to build his physical strength.

But the training methods of this era were different. He had heard that there were teachers in places called gyms who could efficiently train the body.

He had only one month until the intensive training began, so he needed to get his body in shape before then.

Gunja confidently headed to the gym.

“Oh…”

The gym was filled with bizarre-looking metal contraptions that Gunja had never seen before. He even saw a woman screaming on top of a contraption that looked like a torture device.

“More, more, more!”

“I can’t do it!”

“Yes, you can!”

Gunja wondered what they could have possibly done to deserve such intense punishment.

“What did I do wrong? I didn’t eat tteokbokki!”

“You did eat it!”

“I made a mistake, I didn’t do it!”

“You did it!”

“In that case, do two more!”

“Aaahh!!”

The horrifying screams sent chills down Gunja’s spine. Eating tteokbokki at night was clearly a grave sin. He vowed never to do it.

With that firmly etched in his mind, he approached someone who seemed to be a staff member.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, yes, come on in.”

“I heard you can train your body here.”

“Ah, you came to register for personal training. Just wait a moment.”

After filling out some paperwork, the staff member introduced Gunja to a personal trainer. A tall man with a solid, broad chest approached, beaming, and extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’m I-ah-rong!”

I-ah-rong, what a truly charming name.

I-ah-rong firmly shook Gunja’s hand with his pot-lid-like hands, laughing heartily.

“Wow, you’re handsome! I’m jealous!”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

It seemed like it was a good decision to improve his appearance rating. Gunja felt a sense of pride at I-ah-rong’s compliments.

Before starting the actual workout, I-ah-rong asked Gunja various questions, seemingly trying to know more about his work-out experience before coming up with a plan.

“Mr. Yu Gunja, do you have any experience with working out?”

“Experience…well…”

He started wielding a sword at the age of five. The following year, he began shooting a traditional Korean bow called “gak-gung”. People don’t know this, but shooting a “gak-gung” requires a considerable amount of strength. Once, he even took down three of his father’s bodyguards with his bare hands.

Anyway, Gunja had never lost in any physical activity he had ever participated in.

“Well, it’s been about twelve years.”

“What? No, you seem to have better endurance than me?”

Ia-rong looked surprised and scanned Gunja’s body up and down.

“Really? Did you take breaks here and there…?”

“Anyway, my experience is like that.”

“Yes, I understand. So, do you happen to have a three-rep max record?”

“A three-rep max record?”

[T/N: 3RM is a term used in the fitness world to describe the maximum amount a person can lift 3 times. In other words, the person’s three rep max.]

A three-rep max record? Is this person asking if I have the record of my family’s three generations?

Of course, I do. If you’re from the Munwon Yu family, having a family genealogy is a given. I don’t know what it has to do with exercise, but Gunja answered sincerely.

“Yes, I definitely have it.”

“Oh, then how much weight do you lift for your three-rep max?”

“What?”

This time, Gunja didn’t feel too good.

His father, Yu Juwon, and his grandfather, Yu Cheongwon, were both scholars born with extraordinary talent in their respective generations. Although they hadn’t reached high official positions, if they asked how much he lifted, he would easily be one of the best in the entire province.

“Probably the best in Gyeonggi Province.”

“Oh, in Gyeonggi Province? Not just locally?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“No, it’s not that… Wow, you must have some serious functional muscles.”

“Hmm.”

“All right, should we start exercising right away?”

I-ah-rong adjusted the workout level according to Gunja’s level.

12 years of endurance training, and the best in Gyeonggi Province for three-rep max? At this rate, Gunja should be teaching I-ah-rong.”Well, first, how about a simple warm-up on the machines?”

“Wait, isn’t this a torture device?”

“Haha, you have a good sense of humor. Please sit down for now.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Sitting in a torture device counted as exercise. Gunja couldn’t understand, but he was brimming with confidence.

He had never really engaged in physical activity anywhere. It couldn’t be that different from modern exercise methods.

“All right, sir, let’s get started!”

“Sounds good!”

****

10 minutes later.

“I’ve confessed to my sins!”

It didn’t take long for Gunja to repent for his wrongdoing.

“How many did you do?”

“Ugh, ugh…”

Gunja, who had collapsed on the floor, groaned in pain. This is really hard to endure, regardless of the scholar’s dignity or anything else.

“Wait, just a moment…”

“Sir, hurry up!”

He should have realized it when he saw a woman being tortured for eating tteokbokki. The gym was the modern equivalent of a torture chamber.

The controversy over “samdae” (three-rep max) was also all a misunderstanding by Gunja. According to Teacher I-ah-rong, the “samdae” referred to the three fundamental exercises in the gym.

He almost misunderstood a good person for no reason…

“Oh, why aren’t you getting up quickly-.”

No, it doesn’t seem like a misunderstanding after all. This I-ah-rong was definitely a devil.

After barely finishing the workout, now Ia-rong will even manage my diet. If this isn’t the embodiment of a devil, then what is? Gunja let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh-.”

Nevertheless, when he left the gym, his body felt the strain, confirming that it had indeed been a rigorous workout. Since his body was far from accustomed to exercise, this might be the fastest way to get in shape.

On the way home, as he walked through a subway passage, a large sign caught Gunja’s eye.

“That is…”

[Happy birthday to the always shining you!]

[Yu Haeseong]

A smiling face on the bright billboard. Gunja definitely recognized him. Yu Haeseong, the one who became an idol after passing the final round of “Idol training simulation” last time. He was like a senior to Gunja in terms of being a contestant.

It’s a device to celebrate his birthday. In that moment, a bitter smile crossed Gunja’s lips.

For the men of the Munwon Yu clan, birthdays were a countdown to death. None of them made it past their thirtieth birthday and achieved fame.

Every time his birthday came around, his grandfather, Yoo Seongyong, sternly reprimanded Gunja.

“You only have fifteen birthdays left. By then, you must become an honorable scholar. That is your only worth.”

Perhaps because of this past, Gunja didn’t find his birthdays joyful. Instead of celebrations, they were days of being chastised.

Could he ever receive genuine birthday wishes one day? Thinking about it made him a bit envious of the bright, smiling face in that shining sign.

Will he ever be able to receive genuine birthday wishes? Thinking about it, he felt a little envious of the bright smiling face on the billboard.

“It’s enviable…”

If he appeared on “Idol Training Simulation,” it might be possible. Of course, he would have to gain popularity.

But right now, he had neither popularity nor recognition. Since he was starting from the bottom, he would have to work harder.

If he persevered, he might eventually receive such a wonderful birthday celebration.

That’s what Gunja thought, but…

“Oh? Hey, isn’t that person…”

“The one who rode a horse to the audition for ‘Idol Training Simulation’?”

“There was a commotion on the community forums about that.”

“Oh, that crazy scholar?”

Contrary to his thoughts, Gunja was already gaining a subtle level of recognition.

“I saw that picture on Twitter too.”

“Hey, open it again.”

“Just a moment… Hey, you’re right!”

“Wow, he’s so handsome.”

On the day of the general audition, Gunja had raced down the road on a white horse.

In a modern society where social media is highly developed, such a crazy act would undoubtedly catch someone’s attention.

If he had appeared on a program like “The Game,” where passionate fans gather at the filming location, even more so.

“Hey, he looks even better in person, doesn’t he?”

“But why is he in front of Yoo Haesung’s ad?”

“I don’t know, maybe he’s practicing taking proof shots.”

“What should we do? Should we get his autograph?”

“Wouldn’t that be a bit strange?”

At that moment, the eyes of the girls and Gunja met.

“Hmm?”

Why are they looking at me with such surprise?

But as a habit, Gunja casually smiled at them.

‘Even though I don’t know who they are, I hope they have a good day.’

“Wow!”

But then, the girls who saw Gunja’s smile blushed and approached him hesitantly.

‘What’s going on? And why are their faces so red? Is something wrong?’

Finally, Gunja and the girls stood face to face at close range.

*******************

It’s been a while since I last added a chapter, I did say I’ll be on hiatus till November because I have like 5 assignments pending… but here I am. I hope ya’ll enjoy the chapter.

why is it so hard to find a job sighhh.

?(???)?