Chapter 29
Everyone needs a break.
Putting aside work efficiency, if you ignore and neglect the accumulating fatigue, at some point, either your body or mind will break down.
Especially for humans, the mind is more fragile than you think.
When something goes wrong with the body, corresponding symptoms appear or a warning called pain is triggered.
Signals like chest tightness or back pain that are worse than usual ring periodically.
However, the mind, the heart, is different.
There is no pain in the human heart to tell us about suffering.
Even if wounds accumulate little by little while colliding with the world.
Even if self-esteem is chipped away while bowing one’s head.
Even in the midst of gradually getting tired and losing vitality.
There is only a slight feeling of d*pression, and the person does not feel any particular symptoms.
And in that state, they even get used to it.
Then, when those things accumulate, fester, and burst.
Only then do they realize. That they are already at their limit.
At the same time, loneliness, emptiness, and frustration come flooding in… All kinds of pessimistic thoughts that cannot be explained to anyone pour in like a tidal wave.
It is not easy to get out of there alone.
Even an unparalleled master with great fame can easily fall into the path of ruin if they are not careful. This is the swamp of Simma, the disease of the heart.
It would be nice if there were good people around to help…
But it’s not like you’re going to get seriously ill right away, so you can endure it to some extent, and unless you express it, you’ll look fine on the outside, so it’s not easy.
‘This gentleman looks quite serious too.’
Kang Taehan made a pitiful expression as he looked at the customer lying in front of him.
As it was after work hours, most of the customers who came around this time were office workers who were mentally and physically exhausted.
But even considering that, cases like this are quite rare.
Kang Taehan lightly checked his pulse to confirm his condition.
As expected, his Simryeok had been depleted for a long time, and as a result, his Hyeoldo were tangled in a mess, barely performing their minimum roles.
‘He has lost his Simryeok, so the flow of his Hyeoldo is unstable…’
It is Simryeok that maintains the balance of the body and determines the direction of power.
Even if the body is full of vitality, if the Simryeok is broken, it is simply stagnant power.
Not to mention Hyeoldo, which belongs to a more sensitive area.
Naeryeok that has lost its direction simply wanders aimlessly.
It is not an exaggeration to say that a Murim person who has fallen into Simma suddenly experiences Qi reflux or Juhwaipma.
‘I need to loosen up his body first.’
The fact that the Hyeoldo in his body are twisted in some places, but because the flow is unstable, it also hinders grasping the detailed condition.
Kang Taehan started with the thick Daejuhyeol, and slowly began to loosen up the main acupoints and muscles with light acupressure along the Hyeoldo.
‘…It’s definitely different.’
Meanwhile, the customer lying on the bed, Kim Minyeol, let out a small exclamation of admiration at Kang Taehan’s touch.
It felt like he was pinpointing and loosening up the knotted areas.
It definitely feels good.
It felt like there was a window open on his back, ventilating the inside of his body.
It hurt with a tingling sensation every time the acupressure was applied…
But it was still tolerable, and after a short while, he could feel the surrounding muscles relaxing and becoming refreshed.
Kim Minyeol completely relaxed and slumped on the bed.
But only for a moment.
As soon as he relaxed, thoughts of work came back to him, and he felt a tightness in his chest.
Sigh. A small sigh escaped his lips.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“…Yes. A bit.”
Kim Minyeol replied with his face buried in the bed.
He hadn’t seen the masseur’s face because he had been lying down since he arrived, but judging from the deep voice and atmosphere, he seemed to have years of experience.
Lee Dongchan always called him “teacher”, and he definitely felt like that title suited him.
“Things haven’t been going well lately. I’m wondering if what I’ve been doing so far is right… It feels like I’ve taken the wrong path from the beginning, but there’s no way to turn back, so it’s frustrating.”
Was it because of the deep voice, or because his body was relaxed?
Kim Minyeol briefly poured out his complaints, something he usually didn’t do.
“Well, I guess that’s how everyone lives. I’m not the only one who’s struggling. I shouldn’t have said anything depressing.”
But he quickly hides his inner feelings again.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to be caught, but he doesn’t want to make the atmosphere depressing.
‘I think I understand why his Simryeok is depleted.’
When stress builds up in the mind, people instinctively try to release it.
It’s a kind of defense mechanism to get rid of harmful things in the body.
The most common and easiest way is to get irritated, habitually gossip, or grab a stranger and complain.
However, there are people who consider the position of others first and exercise restraint even in the midst of that.
Socially, it’s a very desirable appearance… but in the end, the unreleased stress remains and accumulates within the person.
Still, he doesn’t dislike these people.
If there was a person who was dull but considerate of others, and a person who was clever but only thought of themselves, Kang Taehan valued the former at least in terms of humanity.
“Everyone in the world has their own hardships. But that doesn’t mean you’re not struggling.”
Kang Taehan continued to check his pulse and spoke in a calm voice.
It’s a natural thing, but surprisingly, it’s something that many people forget.
“……”
Kim Minyeol closed his lips with his head buried.
He felt a lump in his throat, maybe because he was getting a massage.
“But I don’t think I can fully understand the hardships you’re going through. If I give you some advice, it will be unnecessary meddling. So.”
Unwanted advice is just nagging.
In the first place, most of the advice a third party can give is very obvious and unhelpful to the person involved.
The person who knows oneself best is oneself.
Therefore, in most cases, people actually know the answers to their own worries.
They just need someone to talk to and the courage to act.
So.
“I’ll just give you a little boost.”
The process of gently awakening the Hyeoldo and muscles was coming to an end, and Kang Taehan’s two hands came up on Kim Minyeol’s back again.
A lightly clenched fist. Thumb pointing downwards.
The next moment.
“Uh-huh?”
A scream mixed with bewilderment escaped Kim Minyeol’s lips.
Pain that was incomparable to before… and pleasure that was also incomparable, came at the same time.
‘I shouldn’t do it too strongly.’
Meanwhile, Kang Taehan was still controlling his strength.
Stimulating the tangled Hyeoldo too strongly due to the influence of Simryeok could have the opposite effect.
First, he targets three acupoints located side by side on either side of the spine in the center of the back: Cheonjong, Gohwang, and Gwelyeum, one after another.
These are the main acupoints that have a major influence on the upper body, especially the shoulders.
The shoulders, which had been tense and stiff from the momentary pain, naturally relaxed downwards as soon as the acupoints were stimulated, just like before.
In that state, he presses on both shoulders and goes down to the arms, opening the path straight to the Hapgok acupoint on the palm.
The stagnant Qi that had been accumulated in the body flows along the open Hyeoldo, and Saenggi, which had been trapped in the lower Dantian, begins to flow into the empty space.
Next, he works on the lower body, just like the upper body.
Starting from the waist, he goes down through the thighs and calves, opening the Yongcheon and Jokshim acupoints on the soles of the feet.
He has opened exits at the ends of both hands and feet.
He drives the stagnant Qi to the ends and pulls it out, loosens the stiff muscles and main acupoints, and induces smooth blood circulation.
As much stagnant Qi as has been removed, space is created, and Saenggi from the Dantian fills the empty space.
The flow of Qi gradually returns to normal.
As the flow slowly begins to circulate, the tangled Hyeoldo also gradually begin to return to their original positions.
If this continues, they will almost completely return to their original state.
‘I’m almost done…’
When he finished all the procedures and looked at the clock, it was exactly 30 minutes.
Kang Taehan looked down at Kim Minyeol, who was slumped on the bed with his head buried.
He had relaxed the muscles in his body and removed most of the stagnant Qi that had been accumulated in various places.
Now that the Hyeoldo were settling down and vitality had been restored, with time, his body’s self-healing power would naturally restore him to his original healthy state.
Of course, it wouldn’t all happen in a short period of time, but if he lost consciousness and his body focused solely on recovery, the story would be a little different.
If he took a short nap in this state, he would wake up with a lighter body and a clear mind, forgetting his worries for a while.
“Do you have any appointments after this?”
Tap, tap. Kang Taehan lightly tapped Kim Minyeol’s back and spoke.
But there was no answer.
Only his back moved up and down slowly with his breathing.
‘…I don’t even need to press the Shuihyeol.’
Kim Minyeol was already asleep with his head buried.
He hadn’t shown any particular signs during the massage, so he must have fallen asleep as soon as it ended.
That’s how tired he must have been.
Kang Taehan lightly pressed on his acupoints to help him sleep soundly, then turned off the lights in the room and went outside.
⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢
“Sir. Sir?”
“Keheuk!”
Kim Minyeol roughly raised his upper body with a goblin-like sound.
He couldn’t remember what happened right before he fell asleep, as if the film had been cut off.
‘I remember getting the massage…’
He had been half-awake even before that, but he couldn’t fall asleep because of the electric-like stimulation that ran through his body.
Then, as soon as the stimulation stopped, he fell asleep as if a thread had been cut.
After recalling his memory, Kim Minyeol scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
“You can take your time and come out.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
The employee bowed his head and went back outside.
Kim Minyeol sat blankly for a moment, then picked up the teacup the employee had left.
The warmth that was transmitted through his palm felt good.
‘…I feel refreshed.’
Refreshed.
The word itself was a common one he used very often, but he felt that this feeling was truly ‘refreshing’.
It was so refreshing that he didn’t even feel like sleeping more.
He was just blank because he hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, but his body felt clean as if someone had disassembled and reassembled it while he was asleep.
“…Oh.”
Then he took a sip of the tea and his eyes widened.
He was surprised once because it wasn’t the usual instant tea taste, and surprised twice because of the sweet and bitter, unfamiliar yet deeply flavorful taste that lingered pleasantly in his mouth.
“Ha… This is good.”
And the warmth that spread through his throat and throughout his body.
It felt as if the concept of vitality itself was permeating his relaxed body.
‘Wait a minute.’
Then he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
Lee Dongchan. The friend who came here with him.
But he had fallen asleep.
Kim Minyeol hurriedly gathered his belongings and went outside… but.
“Oh, you’re just coming out.”
He ran into Lee Dongchan, who was just coming out of the next room.
“What? You said you weren’t coming.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t coming, just that I didn’t want to see you go in. And how could I just wait until you woke up?”
“…Aha.”
Now that he thought about it, he seemed to have heard that the Artisan Course included sleeping time.
He just hadn’t paid much attention because he wasn’t interested at the time.
Kim Minyeol felt like he had lost out because of his unnecessary worry.
“Then can I finish my tea before I come out?”
“Do as you please. But more importantly.”
Lee Dongchan stopped Kim Minyeol.
His complexion had improved significantly in the meantime.
A subtle expression appeared on Lee Dongchan’s face, a mixture of two thoughts.
The thought that it was originally his massage, and the thought that it was good anyway.
“How is it? Are you feeling grateful to me?”
Since the latter thought was stronger, Lee Dongchan sighed briefly to organize his feelings and grinned.
