Spooky Spin Class

There was only one rule: don’t open the door.

Yureum's hands brushed against the smooth handle of the door knob. She could feel the tormented spirits of anorexics and bulimics of past sessions vibrating within the metal, begging her not to step inside. It was almost as if the spin class beyond the door was like a real-life manifestation of fWinstagram's algorithm, playing on its members biggest insecurities about their bodies and making them feel like everyone else was fitter and healthier and happier than they could possibly be.

Yureum had never struggled with feeling like she was too chunky or plus sized. She had always been lanky and slender for her age, regardless of what she ate that week or how physically active she was. But ever since she got into a relationship with the fitness-oriented Min-hyuk, she started wondering if she needed to start incorporating some cardio to balance off all the post-dinner date bobas and the years of Moonbucks frappuccinos that she’d developed a habit for.

Suddenly, unbidden thoughts of her older sister Minji came to mind. She was now in well into her 30s, and it was starting to show in the extra pounds on her torso. Yureum wasn’t terribly surprised at this since they took after different parents physically, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she should start doing more cardio- lest her chemistry with her boyfriend of 4 years should start to falter.

Yureum was taken aback by these thoughts. She was already doing near-daily morning gym sessions with Min-hyuk, did she really need to enroll in another cardio class? Thinking back to her decision to uninstall the fWinstagram app, she took her fingers off the door and backed away.