The Heavenly Demon Will Give You a Massage - Chapter 68

Chapter 68

“And first of all, the distance is a bit far.”

The Daeseong Whales are a team based in Busan.

Obviously, Busan is quite a distance from Seoul.

If I were to make a trip, I would practically have to devote the whole day to it.

Well, I could go down there and enjoy the sea while I’m at it…

But what Shim Taeyoon is talking about is not a one-time visit, but regular trips like with Hanha.

In fact, I only accepted the offer from Hanha because they were based in Daejeon. If they were in another region, I wouldn’t have considered it that deeply.

Daejeon is Kang Taehan’s hometown, and a place he goes down to three or four times a month even without work. Going on business trips to Hanha was more like a pastime for him.

“That’s… true.”

I can’t argue with him saying it’s hard because of the distance.

Kang Taehan is not a leisurely person, and as I just heard from the manager, he’s booked solid for weeks, not just days.

“And I’m going to be busy with business for a while, so I don’t want to take on more work. I’m sorry.”

“…I see. I understand.”

Kang Taehan’s voice was soft, but it carried a firm resolve.

Shim Taeyoon nodded and swallowed a sigh.

‘I guess it’s not going to work.’

An ordinary person would try to negotiate further, but with someone like Kang Taehan, especially when he’s already given a definite answer like this, dragging out the conversation would only be counterproductive.

‘I wish I had known sooner!’

After getting the massage, sleeping soundly, and waking up, Shim Taeyoon realized that Song Namseop’s experience was not a lie.

Just standing up from the bed, the difference in his condition before and after the massage was so drastic that it felt like his body wasn’t his own.

And that wasn’t all.

When he experimentally raised his arm and his shoulder didn’t hurt at all, he even pinched his cheek to see if he was still dreaming.

That’s why he was certain.

Hanha’s recent explosive performance was due to none other than massage therapist Kang Taehan’s massage.

If only he had known before Hanha did.

No, if he had come here right away when the story first came up at the meeting, or even when Coach Song shared his experience, maybe something would have changed.

‘It’s such a shame…’

If only the team could get just one… no, even if just a few players could get it, it would be a huge help.

Perhaps because of that thought, the deep regret etched on Shim Taeyoon’s face wouldn’t easily fade away.

“However, I don’t discriminate or treat customers differently when they come to my shop.”

In the midst of that, Kang Taehan casually spoke up.

Just as a doctor doesn’t discriminate between patients, it was a perfectly natural statement from a massage therapist’s point of view.

“I probably won’t be making trips to Busan, but if the players make individual appointments and come, it’s not my place to interfere.”

In other words, he wouldn’t go to them, but he wouldn’t refuse those who came to him.

At those words, life began to return to Shim Taeyoon’s dejected face.

“Oh… Is that so? Really?”

“There’s no reason for me to lie. It’s a matter of course anyway.”

Kang Taehan doesn’t discriminate against customers as long as they are respectful.

Shim Taeyoon had simply misinterpreted it as ‘I won’t give massages to Whales players.’

Meanwhile, Shim Taeyoon smiled brightly at those words.

The impossible and the partially possible were worlds apart.

‘When were the games at Jamsil Stadium?’

The Daeseong Whales are based in Busan, and there is a considerable distance between Busan and Seoul.

But, naturally, they have to come up to Seoul when they have games in Seoul.

So, if he made reservations in advance for those days, he could naturally have the players get massages before sending them out to the games.

‘If Jaeseong and Minjae can get back in form and we win all the remaining games…’

It’s entirely possible to climb back up to 5th place and make it to the postseason!

His heart began to race with excitement at the mere thought.

“Sir, would it be possible to make a reservation for two people on these two dates in the afternoon?”

Shim Taeyoon asked, pointing to two specific dates on his smartphone where he had the game schedule pulled up.

They were none other than the dates of the games in Jamsil.

“Hmm. I should have mentioned this first.”

Kang Taehan said, scratching his cheek with an awkward expression.

“I’m going to open my own shop soon. I’m not taking any new reservations, and I’m only accepting them on a limited basis if existing reservations are canceled.”

“I-Is that so?”

It was like giving him hope and then taking it away again!

Kang Taehan hadn’t intended it, but Shim Taeyoon’s excitement quickly subsided, and the corners of his mouth drooped once more.

“But just in case, ask the manager outside. There might be some cancellations.”

“Alright. Thank you for your time, sir.”

He knew that with this kind of massage, cancellations would be unlikely, but Shim Taeyoon got up from his seat, hoping to grasp at even the slightest chance.

“Oh, by the way, how can I make a reservation at the shop you’re opening?”

As if he had suddenly remembered, Shim Taeyoon asked, slightly bowing.

His voice was as serious as it could be.

“I’m not taking reservations yet because the exact schedule hasn’t been set, but would you like me to let you know later?”

“Yes. Please, please, please do.”

He emphasized the word “please” three times.

His voice was not just serious, but almost desperate.

“I’ll tell the manager to contact you.”

In response, Kang Taehan couldn’t help but smile as he spoke.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

Wednesday.

It’s a day that marks the middle of the week for others, but for Kang Taehan, it’s the start of his break.

Kang Taehan was driving on the highway for a long time, enjoying his day off.

However, unlike usual, he was headed towards Gapyeong, not Daejeon.

“Mr. Taehan, want a baked potato?”

And right next to him, sitting in the passenger seat, was Yoo Se-ah.

She was munching on a baked potato she had just bought at a rest stop, and while picking out a large potato that was just the right size for a single bite, she asked Kang Taehan.

“Sure.”

“But for that, you have to say ‘ah~’….”

Yoo Se-ah was speaking with a playful smile, but she stopped talking and momentarily made a flustered expression.

It was because Kang Taehan had already opened his mouth, saying “ah,” before she could even finish her sentence.

“You’re quick to act, aren’t you?”

“I can’t move my hands while driving.”

Normally, he could have placed the food on the passenger seat and brought it to his mouth using Object Manipulation, but it was a method he couldn’t use when there were people watching.

Kang Taehan answered and opened his mouth, saying “ah~.”

‘Is he just slow in this kind of thing, or is he being sly?’

At first, Yoo Se-ah thought it was the former, but these days, she was getting confused.

She was holding a toothpick with the baked potato on it, hesitating for a moment.

Even though she was the one who brought it up first, she felt shy in many ways when she was about to feed him.

“It’s cooled down a bit, but it might still be hot, so be careful.”

Then, finally succeeding in putting a whole baked potato into Kang Taehan’s mouth, she felt a sense of accomplishment for some reason and turned her head towards the window for no reason.

It was because she felt like her expression might look a bit strange right now.

“But why did you suggest going to Gapyeong?”

As the silence continued for a while, Kang Taehan was the first to speak.

At his words, Yoo Se-ah smiled awkwardly and said,

“I just wanted to go there once. Everyone goes to Gapyeong at least once for fun during their college days.”

Gapyeong is highly recognized as a vacation spot, and especially in summer, it’s difficult to even make reservations for pensions located near valleys.

Among them, college students often think of Gapyeong first when they talk about going on MT (membership training), so many of them have at least one memory related to Gapyeong from their college days…

“But this is my first time.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I was busy working part-time.”

Yoo Se-ah’s family wasn’t very well-off, so she had to work part-time along with her studies to earn some allowance for herself.

Moreover, before she had an agency, she had to take acting lessons and go to auditions on her own.

As a result, her campus life was remembered more for its hardship and busyness than for the leisure typical of students.

“During breaks or holidays, I would go to be an extra, and after classes, I would go to McDonald’s to serve customers.”

‘Would you like a Big Mac meal with your drink changed to coffee?’

Yoo Se-ah added playfully in a voice filled with laughter.

It was hard at the time, but now it was a memory she could call a fond one.

Because the experience back then was helping her a lot with her acting.

“This is my first time coming to Gapyeong for fun too.”

“Oh, you too, Mr. Taehan?”

“Yes. I’ve been here a few times, but…”

Kang Taehan said with a chuckle.

“What were you here for?”

“I did my military service here.”

“Aha.”

Yoo Se-ah, who had been asking questions with interest, made a bewildered expression.

She didn’t know much about it, but it seemed that men had a strange feeling of love and hate towards the area where they had served in the military.

“Then wouldn’t it have been a bit uncomfortable to come here? Like… like how they say they won’t even spit in this direction.”

“There’s nothing like that. Especially now… It was such a long time ago.”

Kang Taehan shrugged lightly.

It was literally sixty years ago for him, so it didn’t matter anymore.

He answered in a nonchalant voice and then spoke again.

“Rather than that, I feel a bit excited.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m glad I came to Gapyeong too.”

Since he was driving, Kang Taehan’s head was still facing forward, but one corner of his mouth was slightly lifted.

‘I’m sure it was a different kind of excitement…’

Yoo Se-ah pouted her lips for no reason and turned her head towards the window again, looking at the scenery outside.

⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢⟢

“Yes, I’ve just arrived.”

『Then please come inside. You’ll see the management office in front of the camping area. The staff there will guide you.』

“Is the management office that two-story building?”

『Yes, yes. That’s right. They’ll explain everything from check-in to how to use the facilities there.』

“Alright.”

Kang Taehan ended the call with the person in charge and put his smartphone back in his pocket.

“He said we can go in?”

“Yes. It seems like we just need to check in at the office.”

Kang Taehan nodded at Yoo Se-ah’s question.

They first headed towards the visible management office, carrying only their tents.

Check-in was nothing special.

It was literally just confirming that the person who made the reservation had arrived.

After being guided to the location of facilities like the water fountain and restrooms, they immediately arrived at their designated camping spot.

“So… what do we do first?”

“We have to set up the tent first. But…”

Saying that, Kang Taehan stared intently at Yoo Se-ah.

His gaze held the question, ‘Can you set up the tent by yourself?’

“Ah, don’t worry! This is a pop-up tent.”

A tent that could be set up by simply throwing it or with minimal effort. He had heard that even large pop-up tents could be quite difficult to set up, but this one was designed for single use, so there was no need to worry about that.

“Then I’ll set mine up first.”

“Don’t worry.”

At Yoo Se-ah’s confident voice, Kang Taehan smiled and started taking out the tent parts from his bag.

‘This place is definitely well-maintained.’

Kang Taehan nodded, pressing the ground around him with his foot.

Fine gravel was spread on top, and underneath, moderately firm ground provided support.

It was truly the perfect terrain for camping.

Spreading out the tent on top of it, Kang Taehan leisurely started assembling the poles.

It was the tent that Yoo Se-ah had bought him last time, quite spacious and large for single use, but Kang Taehan managed to set it up without much difficulty.

First, he set up the frame and the inner tent, and then covered it with the fly that acted as a canopy.

And now, as he was about to adjust the angles and hammer in the pegs to secure the tent…

“…Mr. Taehan.”

Yoo Se-ah, who had been fiddling with her tent, approached him and called his name in a very dejected voice.

“I think this is defective.”

“What is?”

“The tent itself.”

Was the pop-up function not working properly?

Kang Taehan, who had been sitting down to hammer in the pegs, got up and went over to her tent.

Contrary to his expectations, the tent was set up properly, but…

“How did you manage to tear this?”

“I didn’t tear it!”