"So..." Han started as the group got together for the meeting by the end to discuss the end of term event that was planned. Apparently there was going to be a Traditional Asian Art Gallery opening up in the near future, along with a number of cultural events happening nearby to bring in clubs like theirs. "Do any of you have questions about the end of term event? We're all really excited to be the first class to visit such an event."
Drake shook his head, he got a pretty good idea of what was going on, and he was pretty excited about it as well. Not every day you got to enjoy something like that. He still however found himself looking at Chong-Hui, who seemed to be a little bit uneasy. He was shifting around a bit, as if contemplating something. However he evidently decided to just postpone discussing it until later.
When their event ended for the night, Drake found himself talking to Karen. He had not done quite as well as Chong-Hui, but he'd put his heart into it and he could tell the others saw that. "So, Karen, what are you doing the rest of the night?"
Karen seemed to find herself looking at Drake in detail for a moment as if evaluating him before answering, "Oh, not much, just running some uh...some tests for a science class, and looking through my answers for something else. What're you gonna be doing?"
Drake answered, "Well, I didn't get in my daily workout yet, had to do some chores before I came in here for my gramps back home. So I'm gonna head over to the local gym and get in my daily exercise..."
"That's great, I love how committed you are to a routine," Karen started and said, "I wonder if you might---" She seemed surprised as Chong-Hui walked over and seemed to wait to say something. "---Would you like to say something, Chong-Hui?"
Chong-Hui seemed to blink for a moment and then nodded, "Oh...ah, yes, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. I was wondering, Drake, if I might be able to do the workout with you tonight. I was hoping to tone my muscles a bit more."
"I dunno man," Drake started, "I usually take a pretty intense pace. I don't want you to be left behind or injured at all..."
Karen seemed to like the idea and said of it, "Don't worry about it, as long as you two are open about what you're feeling able to do, I think things will go well enough. I'm hoping to see you two with the fruits of your labors."
Drake looked over at Chong-Hui as Karen walked off and the Korean teen looked back at him, both feeling substantially weird right now, and both thus deciding to take things to the gym and hope that it got less odd. The whole way there in Drake's car, Chong-Hui was looking at the passenger side window mirror, as if quietly contemplating something. "Was I always...?"
"What?" Drake asked, curious, it sounded like his passenger had just mumbled something almost unconsciously.
"N-Nothing, nothing, Drake. Look...oh look, we're there!" Chong-Hui belted out as Drake stopped the car, and seemed to stare at him for a moment as if wanting to ask something...but then both of them decided to just head in and deal with it as it happened. The sky was almost entirely submerged in the darkening hues of mid to late evening as the two of them headed inside of the gym and clocked in for the next few hours...
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On two treadmills next to one another, Chong-Hui and Drake were exercising, Drake was feeling kind of funny as he was exercising - while Chong-Hui was feeling more relaxed but at the same time it seemed his head was cleared up. Drake swore his muscles almost seemed swollen larger than usual even though all he'd done today was cardio so far. His chest seemed to puff up more and his shoulders pressed out to a greater extent, while he could see more striations in his arms. It was weird...
...But not as weird as the line coming from Chong-Hui.
"Was I...always like this, Drake?" He asked in the midst of their cardio, "Always, y'know, Korean?"
"Why would you ask THAT?" Drake inquired in turn, and said, "Yeah of course you were always Korean. I uh...I think..."
"You think." Chong-Hui seemed to internalize this and watched Drake a little before getting back to his exercise. But before long their 25 minutes of cardio was all done, leaving it to them to go and do their chest and arms for the rest of the workout.
The entirety of the way through, Drake was firing on all cylinders, and he was ceaselessly impressed with the effort and exertion from Chong-Hui - guy seemed typically thin and wiry, but it did not take much to show the strength in those thin muscles. He struggled along, but struggled hard, working every single moment to do the exercises and keep up expertly well with Drake.
On Drake's part the weirdness about his muscles seemed to just continue. He at one point peeled up his shirt, which was feeling curiously tight whereas before it had been nicely loose, and saw his abs were looking more sculpted than they had ever looked before. To a degree that Drake was almost worried, thinking if he had somehow accidentally ingested some sort of steroid. There was literally no other explanation.
But he figured he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth - his body was looking damn fine today, though one thing that did worry him significantly longer was his skin. It almost looked like he was a bit paler than usual, though not enough to change the fact he was very obviously black.
By the end of the workout, Chong-Hui and Drake were feeling incredible, and Chong-Hui wanted to indulge in this again. And for his part Drake only felt too happy to say yes to basically becoming his Korean friend's workout partner. After dropping Chong-Hui off at his place, Drake headed home, tired as all get go and thinking about what to do.
His mind was racing with the day's events - he didn't know whether to be worried or excited about his muscular development, but settled on excited after stripping naked for a shower and seeing the full effect of whatever this was. He basically posed and showed off for himself in the mirror, enjoying the feeling of strength surging in him...