Chapter 56

“This is really strange.”

Chae Seoyun tilted her head with a puzzled expression as she placed the laundry basket she was holding on the living room table.

Her physical condition was too good for today.

Usually, around this time, she would start feeling tired and her lower back would ache, so she would have to rest with a cup of tea. But today, she didn’t feel like doing that.

She felt so comfortable and energetic that she didn’t feel the need to rest.

Of course, she had a hunch.

The massage she received from Kang Taehan the day before.

At first, it felt a bit stimulating, but after that, it was so comfortable and relaxing that she fell asleep without realizing it.

After she woke up from a deep sleep, her physical condition was at its peak.

It felt like she was experiencing what it was like to have a clear flow of energy in her body, and above all, she didn’t feel any fatigue or pain in her joints and spine.

And most importantly, the refreshing feeling wasn’t temporary.

Needless to say, that peak condition continued until now, the next day.

“I thought Taehan’s skills would be extraordinary.”

But no matter what, there’s a limit to what people can reasonably expect, right?

She was expecting something like his touch being refreshing, or her body feeling a bit more relaxed, but this was far beyond her expectations.

“At this rate, you could start a religion.”

If she exaggerated a little and added some dramatic flair, it would seem natural even if he acted like a savior.

After the massage, “I have taken away your pain, now rise from your place and run like a child.”

If he said that, the lying patient would jump up and chant Kang Taehan’s name.

‘That’s quite plausible.’

Chae Seoyun couldn’t help but chuckle at the image that came to mind.

It was quite disrespectful to Taehan, but it was just her imagination, so what did it matter?

“Can it really be cured?”

Suddenly, she remembered what her husband had told her about Taehan.

He said he couldn’t correct her pelvis and spine all at once, but with some time, he thought he could definitely fix it.

‘That sounds like a lie.’

That’s what she thought when she heard it.

Chae Seoyun tried not to express her pain.

She thought it was a burden she had to bear, since it was a chronic illness that couldn’t be cured anyway.

Even if she appealed to someone, nothing would change much, and it would only make the atmosphere around her gloomy and make her family suffer, so she had thought to endure it.

But to hear that it could be cured, she couldn’t believe it.

She stared blankly at her wrist, then moved it around, looking at it in amazement.

‘Well, it’s already getting better.’

Normally, there would always be a lingering ache, and every time her joint moved, it would feel like there was sand stuck in it.

But it was amazing to be able to move it around like this without any feeling of something getting caught, and without any pain.

“I’m home!”

At that moment, the door opened and the cheerful voice of a child was heard.

Her son, who turned eight this year, was back from school.

“Son, you’re back?”

“Mommyyy!”

As Chae Seoyun got up and walked towards the entrance, she heard the sound of footsteps, “dadada”, along with an excited voice.

And the moment Chae Seoyun turned the corner and came out to the entrance, she faced her son running towards her with his arms wide open.

‘Oh my.’

He was running with all his might and then jumping to hug his mother.

She instinctively flinched.

When he was younger, it didn’t matter, but he had grown a bit bigger now, and if he hugged her like this, it would strain her back.

As expected, her son ran up to her and jumped, clinging to her waist. However.

“…Huh.”

It didn’t hurt at all.

It didn’t even feel like her joints were strained.

She quietly looked down at her son’s face, then lifted him up to her chest with both arms, just like she used to when he was little.

“Wow, so high!”

Her son laughed brightly as if he was on a ride.

Looking down at his expression, she smiled as well.

“This is nice.”

Since her joint pain worsened and scoliosis was discovered, she couldn’t hug her son even if she wanted to.

He always loved to be hugged, so she felt sorry and guilty as a mother.

“This is really nice.”

She smiled at the small happiness she had regained, but for a moment, she had a subtle expression, as if she was about to cry.

“Mommy, lift me higher.”

“No.”

But Chae Seoyun didn’t overdo it.

It’s better to be more careful when your body is getting better.

She flatly refused her son’s request and put him back on the floor.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

“Hey, Seonghyeon.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Come here for a second.”

When Choi Seonghyeon turned his head, a man sitting in a somewhat secluded spot was beckoning him over.

Kim Seonghun, a massage therapist in charge of the Master Course along with Kang Taehan.

As Choi Seonghyeon approached him, Kim Seonghun lowered his head slightly and spoke in a quiet voice, shielding the sound with his right hand.

“Do you happen to know… what Taehan likes?”

“Huh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”

He called him over to a secluded spot and asked what his friend liked.

It felt like a college classmate had a crush on a girl in the same department and was asking, “What does she like?”

The situation itself didn’t matter.

But it didn’t quite suit a man in his mid to late thirties.

Choi Seonghyeon frowned without realizing it.

“Well, you see… these days, you’re learning all sorts of things from Taehan, right? About massage.”

Meanwhile, Kim Seonghun stuttered and answered Choi Seonghyeon’s question.

The image Choi Seonghyeon had of Kim Seonghun was that of a generous and easygoing person, but this didn’t match that image at all.

“I’d like to learn that too, but it’s a bit awkward to ask empty-handed, you know?”

Massage therapists each have their own little tricks and techniques, whether they’re learned through experience or research.

Asking about them can be a bit sensitive.

It depends on the individual, but some people might even find it rude.

That’s why he was trying to get a little brownie point before bringing it up.

But Choi Seonghyeon shook his head slowly when he heard that.

“Nah. If you give him a gift, Taehan would be reluctant. It’ll have the opposite effect, trust me.”

“Really? But wouldn’t he like something like Hanwoo beef?”

When Kim Seonghun said that after a moment of thought.

“No, I’m good. I have a lot of Hanwoo beef at home right now.”

Kang Taehan, who had approached them unnoticed, naturally joined the conversation.

Kim Seonghun made a flustered sound at his sudden appearance.

“Oh, Tae, Taehan! It’s been a while.”

“We see each other often, what are you talking about.”

“That’s true, but, ahem.”

Feeling awkward, Kim Seonghun cleared his throat for no reason.

It was Kang Taehan who changed the subject again.

“So, you said you wanted to listen in when I’m teaching Seonghyeon?”

“…That’s right. Would that be okay?”

Kim Seonghun nodded and glanced at Kang Taehan.

But as if to make his reaction meaningless, Kang Taehan readily nodded.

“Well, it’s not a big deal to share some massage tips. I wish you had just asked me directly.”

Asking about a massage therapist’s individual skills or techniques can be a sensitive issue.

This is because it’s the fruit of their hard work and also the foundation of their business.

However, if it was just a small part of the skills he possessed, or even something so insignificant that it couldn’t be called a skill, it didn’t matter.

‘If you’re asking me to teach you martial arts, that’s another story.’

Then he would ask for a formal nine bows, but he didn’t care much about the minor tricks used in massage.

If he had been going to hide it from others and only teach Choi Seonghyeon, he wouldn’t have taught him in the waiting room, but in a place where other people’s eyes couldn’t reach.

“R, really? Taehan?”

“Would I lie about something like this?”

Kang Taehan replied in a nonchalant tone.

Meanwhile, Choi Seonghyeon asked in a puzzled voice.

“But why haven’t you gone home yet?”

It was 7:10 p.m.

Usually, he would have left work by now and be on his way to the fitness club.

Kang Taehan shrugged lightly and replied.

“I have another client coming.”

“Client?”

At that, Choi Seonghyeon remembered what had happened last time.

He had wondered why Kang Taehan wasn’t leaving work, and then suddenly a beautiful female client appeared.

‘Could it be her again?’

He had dismissed his suspicion because it was a one-time thing, but if the same person visited twice, it wasn’t suspicion, but conviction.

Choi Seonghyeon suddenly looked at Kang Taehan with interest.

“Taehan, your client is here.”

Just then, Manager Hwang opened the door and announced the client’s arrival.

As if he had been waiting, Kang Taehan naturally headed outside.

Choi Seonghyeon also naturally followed Kang Taehan and peeked his head out towards the lobby.

“Hello, sir.”

However, the client who visited was a man.

He bowed politely to Kang Taehan and offered a handshake, supporting his forearm.

“I received great help last time. I wanted to thank you in person.”

“Don’t mention it.”

It wasn’t the beautiful woman from that time.

Choi Seonghyeon was about to turn around with a slightly disappointed expression when…

He looked closely at the man’s face again, thinking he had seen it somewhere before.

He wasn’t strikingly handsome, but his features were distinct and somehow familiar…

“Oh!”

He almost shouted the name that came to mind, Jo Chanhyeok, but…

Fortunately, reason prevailed, and Choi Seonghyeon immediately covered his mouth and returned to the waiting room, closing the door.

It was late evening, but the lobby was bustling with clients who had visited after work.

He seemed to have seen an article about Jo Chanhyeok’s panic disorder recurring recently…

If he shouted Jo Chanhyeok’s name here, he would be doing something terrible.

“I’ll have to postpone leaving work.”

At least he could get an autograph later.

Choi Seonghyeon looked around for a moment, then grabbed his wallet and headed to the stationery store to buy a notebook and a signature pen.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

“Let’s go inside first.”

Unlike Yoo Se-ah’s usual appearance outside, Jo Chanhyeok was in the lobby without sunglasses.

Kang Taehan was also concerned about the gazes of the people around him. So he guided him to a room inside.

“You don’t seem to wear sunglasses?”

“Ah, I usually try to wear them when I go out. But wouldn’t it attract more attention if I wore sunglasses in a jimjilbang?”

Hmm. That makes sense.

Kang Taehan recalled the time when Director Oh Jae-yoon of Hanha came to this place.

He didn’t recognize him at first, but he noticed him after looking closely because he was wearing sunglasses.

“Would you like to lie down on the bed? Head this way.”

“Okay.”

As they entered the room, Kang Taehan turned on the lights and pointed to the bed.

Jo Chanhyeok obediently followed his instructions and lay face down on the bed.

“How has your body been since then?”

“Ah, it’s been very comfortable. It’s like my head feels clearer, I guess you could say. It’s amazing.”

Jo Chanhyeok said in an impressed voice.

In fact, he had been maintaining that condition ever since.

Kang Taehan smiled and placed his hand on his back.

“Then, let me have a look.”

The weight pressing down on the center of his body.

And the warm energy spreading from there.

Jo Chanhyeok buried his face in the hole in the bed and let out a small sigh.

The warm energy seemed to melt away all the tension in his body.

‘This is already incredible.’

He didn’t know for sure, but it seemed like this was just the stage of assessing his body’s condition.

If this was a hospital, it would be like placing a stethoscope on his stomach.

To feel this comfortable even at this stage.

It wasn’t just a massage, it felt like a good healing session today.

Jo Chanhyeok lay face down, lost in thought.

“Hmm.”

Meanwhile, Kang Taehan finished his assessment and took his hand off his back.

And after a while.

“Then, let’s begin.”

With those words, Kang Taehan’s two hands gently gripped Jo Chanhyeok’s shoulders, and…

“Kuhhhh!”

A scream, more vivid than any he had ever made while acting, erupted from Jo Chanhyeok’s mouth, who had been lying quietly, thinking of healing.