The Heavenly Demon Will Give You a Massage – Chapter 5

Chapter 5

‘Did I use too much strength?’

The first customer, Nam Woohyeon, left the room, and Kang Taehan thought about what had just happened while cleaning up.

‘I got lost in concentration without realizing it.’

Originally, he had planned to just do a moderate massage according to the manual he was first taught.

But the moment he entered the room and saw the man’s condition, his body moved on its own.

Where the problem was, where and how to treat it.

A rough picture of the overall treatment process came to mind, and his hands moved accordingly.

He was so focused on that, he couldn’t even pay attention to his speech from the middle of the massage.

…No, was it not from the middle, but from the very beginning?

Originally, this would have been an easy task, but it seems his concentration has also declined as his body has returned to its original state.

‘If I’m not careful, I could get a complaint.’

A service worker who speaks informally to a customer.

Even Kang Taehan, who had lived in Murim for sixty years, remembered that this was common sense.

“Wait a minute, Taehan!”

As Kang Taehan finished cleaning and came out, Manager Hwang, who was standing in the lobby, called out to him.

At first glance, his expression was stiff, making it difficult to understand his intentions.

“Did something happen?”

“Something happen? You bet! Hahaha.”

But the next moment, the corners of Manager Hwang’s mouth curled up, and he burst into a hearty laugh.

“This, it seems Taehan’s skills are no joke? The customer earlier asked for Taehan’s name, took a business card, and seemed like he was going to become a regular!”

Taking a business card.

And asking for the name of the person in charge.

Both were signs of a high intention to revisit and indicators that the customer was highly satisfied with their visit.

Frankly speaking, it’s a massage shop attached to a sauna.

Most customers stop by after taking a sauna, and it’s quite difficult to secure regular customers.

Therefore, it’s important to make a good impression on the first visit, and this is such a positive response.

It was literally a result beyond expectations.

“To be honest, I was a bit worried, but it seems like it was for nothing. Just keep doing what you did today.”

“I understand.”

Kang Taehan also smiled brightly.

He had been worried as well, but it felt good to hear that it went well.

He had also saved face for Choi Seonghyeon, who had recommended him.

“Oh my. I’ve been keeping a tired person standing for no reason. Go in and rest.”

Manager Hwang suddenly said apologetically.

He had just remembered that Kang Taehan had finished working and come out.

“Then I’ll go in and rest.”

“Yes~”

Kang Taehan bowed his head and headed towards the waiting room.

Manager Hwang quietly watched his back and then let out a small exclamation of admiration.

“Wow. Is he really the same age as Seonghyeon? He doesn’t seem like a student.”

Working in a sauna, you see countless people, and naturally, you develop an eye for judging people.

Manager Hwang could also roughly figure out what kind of person someone was after a brief conversation, but…

This student named Kang Taehan was hard to define.

He had a different depth, an unusual aura.

Either way, he definitely didn’t give off the impression of an ordinary college student.

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“Hooo.”

Meanwhile, Kang Taehan entered the waiting room and leaned back on a chair inside the locker room.

This was the most secluded place here.

‘I need to release this soon.’

Kang Taehan sat cross-legged on the chair.

His hands rested lightly on his knees.

He slowly closed his eyes as if feathers were landing on them, and focused his consciousness on his inner body.

The excessive amount of Life Force that had been accumulated in Nam Woohyeon’s lower dantian.

It had been stagnant in one place, hindering blood flow, and now it had been transferred into Kang Taehan’s dantian.

The Star-Absorbing Great Method.

It was a martial art technique that absorbed the opponent’s Qi, the first fortuitous encounter Kang Taehan had in Murim, and the technique that had allowed him to survive by the skin of his teeth.

‘I never thought I’d be using this again.’

The Star-Absorbing Great Method can be used even without internal energy.

No, it’s actually easier to use when you don’t have internal energy.

After all, the principle is to empty your own dantian and suck in the opponent’s Qi using the difference in pressure.

However, the Star-Absorbing Great Method only absorbs the opponent’s Qi.

This means that a separate process is required to make the absorbed Qi your own.

If you directly absorb the Qi, it can cause harm, and if the compatibility is extremely poor, it can even lead to Qi Deviation, so caution is needed in its application.

…Well, it was something he had experienced all too often in the past.

Kang Taehan slowly raised his hands.

And he channeled his internal energy into both hands.

His own internal energy, which he had moved to his middle dantian, into his right hand.

And Nam Woohyeon’s Life Force, which he had absorbed into his lower dantian, into his left hand.

After feeling both hands filled with Qi, he drew a large arc with each hand, forming a Taegeuk pattern as he brought his hands together in the center.

And slowly, with his hands completely relaxed, he brought his palms together, only using the force of attraction between them, naturally forming a clasped hand position.

Wudang Sect’s Great Clarity Mental Method.

Shaolin Temple’s Tendon Changing Classic.

This was Kang Taehan’s internal energy manipulation technique, created by utilizing the principles of these two mental methods to refine and harmonize his internal energy.

The two energies gathered in his hands harmonize through the principles of the Great Clarity Mental Method, are refined and purified at the center of his body using the principles of the Tendon Changing Classic, and are finally merged into one through the clasped hand position.

Then, the refined internal energy is channeled back into the dantian, and that’s the end.

Kang Taehan slowly opened his eyes, which he had kept closed until then.

“Hooo.”

Kang Taehan exhaled a long breath.

It had only been 2 minutes at most.

Only that much time had passed, but Kang Taehan’s entire body was drenched in sweat, and his energy was depleted.

If the amount he had absorbed had been even twice as much, he would have collapsed from exhaustion midway.

‘But… It’s not a bad result.’

The Qi he had absorbed from Nam Woohyeon.

Of course, compared to his time in Murim, it was a meager amount, barely comparable to a grain of sand.

However, for the current Kang Taehan, it was a feast.

The Life Force that had accumulated in Nam Woohyeon’s dantian to the point of affecting his blood flow.

Of course, an ordinary person’s dantian couldn’t be that large, but it was still roughly 1.5 times the amount of internal energy Kang Taehan currently possessed.

Of course, there were losses during the absorption process, and the Qi was somewhat impure due to being stagnant for a long time, but even so, Kang Taehan’s internal energy had instantly doubled.

“Massage… It might not be so bad after all.”

Modern times were an era of abundant nutrition and where dieting was a virtue.

There might not be only customers like the one he just had, but they wouldn’t be rare either.

Then there would be plenty of opportunities to accumulate internal energy like this.

Get paid and accumulate internal energy. It’s killing two birds with one stone.

“Hey Taehan! What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Choi Seonghyeon appeared, opening the locker room door.

He hadn’t been in the waiting room before, so it seemed Choi Seonghyeon had also finished his massage and just come in.

“I was resting.”

“Why are you resting here when it’s cool outside?”

“I left my smartphone in my clothes.”

Kang Taehan said, holding up the smartphone he had placed beside him.

It was a decent excuse that he had just come up with.

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The part-time job wasn’t bad, just as Choi Seonghyeon had said.

He would spend time in the waiting room, help out with small tasks when they arose, and go out to give a massage when his turn came.

This was the cycle.

“Master. Will you continue to work here? If so, I would definitely like to visit again…”

“This was by far the best massage I’ve ever had.”

Kang Taehan had seen two more customers after that, and the overall satisfaction level seemed decent.

Even though his speech had switched to informal midway through, just like the first time.

‘I felt like their attitude subtly changed before and after the massage.’

Was it because he was young for a massage therapist?

There was a customer who had frowned when Kang Taehan first entered.

But after the massage, they naturally addressed him with the honorific “Master.”

And that wasn’t all.

All three customers he had seen today seemed subtly more respectful after the massage.

‘Well… It’s fine as long as there are no complaints.’

Anyway, it was alright as long as it ended without any problems.

Kang Taehan shrugged and came out after changing his clothes.

It was time to get off work.

“Good work, Seonghyeon.”

“Haha, I worked hard today.”

“We had a lot of customers. So, how about working the evening shift too?”

“Nah… That’s not happening.”

Choi Seonghyeon immediately waved his hand at Manager Hwang’s words.

Manager Hwang chuckled at his reaction.

“How about you, Taehan? Any thoughts on the evening shift?”

“I have somewhere to be.”

“Hmm… If you work until evening, I can increase your hourly rate.”

“Oh, really?”

“Not you.”

“Aw… Why not!”

He had subtly tried to make a deal, but it wasn’t Kang Taehan but the unexpected Choi Seonghyeon who took the bait.

Kang Taehan just smiled.

“Thank you for the offer, but I really have something to do today. Let’s talk again tomorrow.”

“Alright. You worked hard today… Here, this is your bonus for today.”

Manager Hwang said, taking an envelope from his pocket.

“You’re paying in cash right away?”

“Haha. We only do this for the first day’s bonus. It’s a way of saying let’s work well together in the future.”

Kang Taehan bowed his head and received the envelope.

He had heard the bonuses were quite generous, and the thickness he felt in his hand didn’t seem bad at all.

‘This is good.’

He had been barely scraping by with transportation costs, so he was grateful to be paid in cash right away.

“So, how was your first day at work?”

“It wasn’t bad. I’m glad I came.”

On their way out after receiving their pay.

Kang Taehan answered honestly to Choi Seonghyeon’s question.

“Haha, right? I knew it would suit you. Manager Hwang seemed a bit anxious at first, but he seems to really like you now.”

Choi Seonghyeon said with a grin.

Kang Taehan also smiled at the sight of him rejoicing as if it were his own accomplishment.

“Huh? Aren’t you going home?”

“I’m going to stop by somewhere.”

At the fork in the road where the subway lines split.

Choi Seonghyeon only then remembered upon hearing Kang Taehan’s answer.

“Ah, right, you said you had something to do.”

“Did you think I was lying?”

“Usually, when someone says that at work, it means they want to rest. Anyway, see you tomorrow.”

Choi Seonghyeon waved his hand and entered the station.

Kang Taehan waved back a couple of times and turned around.

He happened to glance at the subway map in front of him.

‘The express bus terminal… is this way, right?’

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to board here, but looking at the map, it seemed his memory wasn’t wrong.

‘I hope he’s doing well… No, nothing must have changed.’

Despite his thoughts, he couldn’t help but feel worried.

Although not much time had passed here, for Kang Taehan, it was his first visit to his father in sixty years.