10:00 a.m. – Moscow, Russia
Roughly five or six hours had passed since the group had gone their separate ways the previous night. A new day had begun at the base—even if there was no sun or moon to prove it. A simple digital time display on the wall was all they needed.
Whoosh...
The sliding door to one of the residential units opened, and out stepped Jody, dressed in a new sky-blue tank top over a black sports bra. She was heading to the gym downstairs.
"Being here's not bad at all. A gym to use every morning? Way better than that dry condo in London."
She padded quietly down the hall until she arrived at the elevator—only to find three familiar figures waiting there: the Barrett siblings and Mickey Mannix, all in workout attire.
"Oh—"
"Oh? checks phone Up early, huh?" Syd quipped.
"It's ten. That's early?"
Jody arched a brow.
"Honestly thought you'd be knocked out until noon. You barely got six hours of sleep."
"I recharge quick."
"Yeah, sure you do. Liar."
"You guys heading to the gym too?"
"Nope. We're dressed like this for a concert," Syd deadpanned.
Mickey: "First jab of the morning…"
Jody: "Yup. First jab."
The elevator arrived, and the four stepped inside.
"You guys really work out every morning?" Jody asked.
"…Yes," Roxxy replied while pressing the button for the gym floor. "It becomes part of your life once you live like us."
Clack clack clack!
Suddenly, the sound of someone sprinting toward them echoed down the corridor. Roxxy glanced out and spotted Sera charging their way—still in smeared makeup, but rocking a black, ultra-revealing workout set.
"Hey! Wait! Elevator! Don't go down yet—I'm coming with you guys!"
But just as she reached them—
Whoosh! Slam!
The doors shut in her face.
"…Huh?"
Roxxy stared, confused. She hadn't pressed anything—certainly not the close button. That was way too fast for the auto-timer. She looked down… and found the culprit: her dear older brother's finger still hovering over the Close Door button.
Syd wore a mischievous smirk.
"Hee~ hee~"
"…Seriously?"
"Let's go, people."
[ "HEY! HEY, OPEN THIS RIGHT NOW! SYD YOU SON OF A—YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE, DIDN'T YOU?! OR WAS IT YOU, MANNIX!? OPEN THE DAMN DOOR—!" ]
"Such a child," Roxxy muttered, swatting at Syd's hand. He dodged, but eventually relented and hit the button to reopen the doors, allowing a fuming Sera to step in.
"You dicks."
"…We can't go now," Mickey said seriously.
Sera blinked. "What? Why not?"
"…Weight limit."
THUMP!
He got smacked for that one.
Down at the gym, a bright red handprint decorated Mickey's face.
It wasn't too crowded—lucky them.
"Where's Toshi?" Jody asked while stretching with Syd and Roxxy.
"He passed. Not coming."
"Ah."
While Syd helped warm her up, Sera dragged Mickey to one of the machines near the others.
"Ouch that hurts…"
"No one asked."
"Wha… 😳"
"Starting today, I'm getting in shape," Sera declared heroically. "I'm gonna get a hot body just like I had before"
...Thirty minutes later:
"Huff… huff huff… huff…"
Soaked in sweat like she'd taken a shower, Sera collapsed after twenty minutes of warmup and ten minutes of high-speed treadmill running.
The sexiness of her outfit had completely evaporated. Now, she was just a steaming tomato.
"Ughh… why is this so much harder than it looks…?"
Everyone continued working out nearby, sparing her the occasional glance. She didn't care. And, true to form, she was the only one whining every ten seconds.
"Someone shut her up already…"
"Say that to my face, Syd!" she wheezed, too exhausted to lift her head.
A hand appeared in her view.
Mickey.
"Huff… Mickey?"
"You sprinted like that on day one? Of course this was gonna happen."
He slipped a towel under her shoulders and helped her up with ease.
"You warmed up, yeah—but who the hell sets the treadmill to full speed on their first try, dummy?"
"Hey! I watched a video last night, okay!? That's what it said to do!"
Jody, still on the treadmill next to her, spoke up.
"Sera… running fast doesn't burn fat faster. The key is to sustain your burn rate. Endurance trumps speed."
"Huff... What are you trying to say?"
"You should jog. Slowly. Steadily. See me? I've been going since the start."
Hard to argue. Jody looked tired, but nowhere near dead.
"Start with thirty minutes. And even then, you only burn about 200 calories."
"…Show me what that looks like."
Jody formed a small fist. "About this much pasta."
Mickey: "Or this much chocolate."
He made a tiny pinch.
"…What."
Ten minutes of death for a bite-sized snack?
"Ughhhh!"
"Did you even sleep last night? Your dark circles look like war paint."
"Say that again and I'll slap you, Mannix…"
She raised a hand, then dropped it. No strength left.
"Ease into it," Jody advised. "Your metabolism needs time to adjust. Eventually, you'll hit a point where your intake is less than your burn. That's when results start."
"…Mmm…"
Sera glanced at her stomach.
"And don't even think about skipping dinner."
"Eh!? How'd you know!?"
"Skipping meals only works short-term. Same with cutting sugar. It's not sustainable. You'll just end up bingeing or starving at night."
Jody leaned on her treadmill.
"I studied all this back in the States. Best method? Stack little wins, day by day. Don't cut sweets entirely. Just think before you bite. Ask yourself if what you're about to eat is worth it."
"…Wow…"
Sera nodded in admiration.
"How do you know all this? You a trainer or something?"
"Nope. Just read a lot. Lockdown gave me time."
And her body was the proof—fit, toned arms, strong core, solid balance. Nearly on par with Roxxy. If not for her leg issues, she'd look like a pro.
Syd pointed at Jody, then turned to Sera.
"Take notes. It's embarrassing you had to be schooled by the cripple."
Whap!
A towel smacked him in the face.
"Pft."
He peeled it off. Jody was grinning smugly from the treadmill.
"…Was that your first towel throw?"
She didn't reply. Just smiled and kept jogging.
"YOU MAD, HUH!? Hahaha!"
"She's running. Let her run," Mickey muttered.
"How does someone this annoying even have friends?" Sera groaned, eyes to the ceiling. But then again—he was like this with everyone. Maybe that made it fair.
"Oh, right…"
Jody hopped off her treadmill and grabbed her towel back from Syd.
"What's your Thai nickname?"
"Not telling." middle finger
She turned to Roxxy instead. "You have one, don't you?"
"Uh… yeah…"
She shyly placed her weight bar down.
"What is it?"
Sera hugged her from behind.
"Waaah—!"
Roxxy flailed like a kitten.
"Careful!" Syd shouted. "She's barely heavier than a lunchbox!"
"Tch! 💢"
Enough was enough. Roxxy pushed free, adjusted her shirt, and stood tall.
"…My Thai name is Karn."
"Karn?" Sera beamed. "Cute! No idea what it means, though."
Jody's eyes lit up. "So that's your nickname?"
"Yes… Phetai Wongphudi. Nickname: Karn."
"Wow. So… do people call you Karn or Roxxy?"
"A bit of both."
"Can I call you Karn from now on?"
"...I guess that's fine…"
Sera: "No choice. You get Karn, or Karn."
Roxxy: "Honestly, if you force-feed it to me now, I wouldn't even be mad…"
"Okay then—Miss Karn~ ❤"
Sera hoisted her again. Roxxy grimaced. 175 cm vs. 165 cm shouldn't feel this unfair.
"Actually… Thai names have rules."
"Oh?" Jody raised a brow. "Like what?"
"You add P' (older) or Nong (younger) before the nickname. Like Japan's honorifics."
"So I'd call you… Nong Karn?"
"Exactly."
"Call me P' then!"
"Wait—if I had a Thai nickname, what would it be?"
"Well, names change with trends. These days 'Jody' could still be 'Jody.' But five years ago, you'd probably be 'Jo'."
"Jo? That sounds like a dude's name…"
"Still super common in Thailand."
"…Kinda cool though. P'Jo. Has a ring to it."
Jody pointed at herself. "P'Jo," then at Roxxy. "Nong Karn. Is that right?"
"Yes…"
"And me??" Sera asked, bouncing.
"Sera… Hmm… Well, these days, 'Sera' is mostly found in international kindergartens…"
"Gimme a Thai one! Something authentic!"
"You're so picky."
"Shut up, Mannix."
"What about Mannix then?"
"'Mickey' is already a common name in Thailand. No change."
"Ughhh. Not fair…"
"Or you could just make one up."
"Like what?"
"Miss Piggy."
"YOU LITTLE SH—!"
"And what about Syd? What's his nickname?"
Jody was on a mission—and Roxxy knew it. This was her chance. Time for sweet revenge.
"No… Karn… Don't…"
Syd's eyes widened in fear as Roxxy grinned wickedly.
"Yes… Gift… Yes…"
He lunged to stop her—
"PAITOON WONGPHUDI'S NICKNAME IS—"
WHAM!
"GIFT!—mphh!!"
Too late.
"Gift?" Jody blinked. "Did she say Gift?"
Syd looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. Roxxy just smiled, triumphant.
Mickey leaned in, unhelpfully. "Yup. G-I-F-T. Gift."
"YOU TRAITOR!!"
"Aw, Gift. Like… a present?"
Jody stood proudly, hands on hips.
"This was your plan all along! You went around the world just to get my Thai nickname!"
Jody didn't answer. She slowly raised a finger.
"Nong Gift…"
Then pointed at herself.
"Say it, P'Jo."
" Fucking hell ..."
" Thai people just be put on namin' after anything huh?"