Story
"Hyung, you know that National Geographic documentary from a few years back?"
"What about it?"
"The one that blew up on pure hype, claiming a Multimale was some kind of next stage of evolution."
"Evolution's pushing it. Come on."
"What was it they said... The heart of it was that the sex imbalance had dragged on until nature itself was in crisis, and a new kind of individual had begun to appear—one that could keep the species going."
"......You could see it that way, I guess."
"There was some logic to it. The evidence was just thin, so it slowly fizzled out."
"Why?"
"For that argument to hold, Multimale registrations would have to keep climbing. Instead they've barely managed to hold above a certain number. For decades. For centuries. Like the KOSPI stuck in a trading range—it jitters a little, but it's only just hanging on. Anyway, hyung, don't worry so much. If you just go on the way you have been, that alone ought to be enough. Though, shouldn't we be getting your autograph while we're at it?"
"What autograph."
"And also, hyung."
Changsu glanced around and dropped his voice into something sly, and it nearly gave me goosebumps. I lifted my gaze anyway and looked at him.
"What?"
"......Like you said. I, uh... I tried it."
"Oh. Yeah? In two days? That's a real decision."
"She kept pestering me...... And I figured she seemed all right, so. She's got manners. Doesn't even swear."
"How was it?"
"......I didn't know she'd be that happy. I'd never seen that look on her face."
"Right? Ah—don't go into detail. I don't want to know. If nothing else, think of Yeona's mom's dignity and watch yourself."
"......But if you won't listen, how am I supposed to get the next round of advice......"
I hurried my eyes off Changsu's reddening face. I needed to scour them clean under the lights, and fast. Still, he'd answered me when I talked, and I did want him happy. I opened my mouth.
"There's nothing more for me to tell you. From here on, whatever comes of it is entirely up to your own will."
"My will?"
"Let's be exact. What did you actually feel?"
"Just... I didn't know she'd be that happy over something I was doing for her. I don't know. She looked... c-cute, even. And her hand in my hair felt all right......"
If his caresses had actually carried her all the way to the peak, he wouldn't be putting it like that. Maybe it was fortunate for him. Go too spectacularly right at the start, and he might have ended up repulsed instead.
"From what I'm hearing, it was just her chest."
"Y-yeah. A little kissing, and......"
"Was it all right?"
"......I don't even get why that's supposed to feel good. It was kind of a hassle, and the sensation wasn't great, you know? But the way she looked at me is going to stay with me a while."
"Then that's enough. Connection is the whole point. Go slow—only as far as you can accept. And the most important thing is talking."
"Ah, right. Talking. Talking."
"Yeah. That's how the two of you make a story that's only yours. If I step in, I'd just be getting in the way."
"......Hyung. Where do you even learn lines like that?"
"Don't nitpick."
"No, it's because it sounds cool."
"Anyway, from now on, ask when you're stuck or in a bind. The parts that felt good—leave those as memories that belong to you and her."
I barely swallowed the rest of it: and I don't want to hear them. Something about Changsu's face was off, though. He kept checking my reaction, so I narrowed my eyes at him, and he scratched his head before he answered.
"It's just... Yeona's mom suddenly asked why I'd gone that far for her, and I ended up telling her about you."
"......And you say that like it's something to brag about. You should've just told her you did it because you like her."
"......That thought never even crossed my mind. Anyway, she says she's grateful to you."
"......Yeah?"
"Yes. She says I'm the first person since Yeona who's put his mouth on her. Get this—this morning I was rushing out the door and she asked me to eat with her and Yeona. I told her I couldn't yet and ran."
"Sounds like it's going well, then. Keep it up from here. Got it?"
"Yes. I'm honestly starting to think I might just date her. I keep seeing the look on her face when she asked me to eat together."
"Yeah? You like her?"
"Yes. It's exactly the warmth I pictured...... Even if we had kids, two would be nothing."
"What does she do?"
"She's a plastic surgeon. Has her own clinic."
"Damn. But if she owns the place, does she even need someone to watch Yeona? She ought to be out right on time."
"She says she's way busier than you'd think. Surgeries running late into the night are common, apparently."
"Is that so. Anyway, do right by her."
"I will. Next time I get stuck, I'll ask."
"Sure."
He did seem to be taking an interest. Of course he would. As long as you're human, the feeling of giving someone satisfaction with your own hands ought to feel good—that's normal. Changsu still looked like he had a little resistance left in him, but it would ease, bit by bit.
"Shinwoo."
Rahi came over just then, hair still wet, calling my name. I got up and held out a hand as she approached, and she sat down beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Dry your hair before you come over. You'll catch a cold like that."
"I'm fine. Today was a little rough, and this feels cool."
"Even so. You'll ruin that pretty hair. Come here. You have a towel?"
"......Yes......"
She flushed at that, opened her bag, and held a towel out to me. I took it, and as she folded her legs and offered me her head, I started working the towel through her hair.
"You worked hard today. Busy?"
"You had a hard day too, didn't you, Shinwoo?"
"Not really. Learning the lay of the neighborhood was nice. Got some driving practice in."
"You couldn't work out today—what should we do? Want to get a little in before we go?"
"No. You already showered. Tomorrow. We can take today off. Weren't you tired?"
"It was busy, but this much is nothing."
"And Eunchae?"
"She's talking with Yewon right now."
Wondering if something was wrong, I shot a glance toward the office and asked. Eunchae hadn't been here long; it could just as easily be friction from a clash of temperaments. I hadn't forgotten the kids were still young. That sort of thing had to be caught at the start, before a misunderstanding had time to settle in.
"Why? Something going on?"
"Well, the interior people came by this morning about the yoga room."
"Ah, they said they would. And?"
"Eunchae wants the yoga room bigger, set back inside where it stands out the moment you walk in. Yewon says kickboxing is still the main draw, so the yoga room would be better along the windows."
It seemed to me their positions ought to be reversed. I kept drying Rahi's hair and muttered.
"Feels like the yoga room should be the main space. We're going to phase the kickboxing out eventually anyway. Even now it's less a kickboxing gym than a boxing gym—no. A boxing daycare."
Rahi let out a soft laugh at daycare and answered.
"If the kids are going to take to it, boxing's the better side."
"True. Hitting the mitts was pretty fun."
She smiled as if that pleased her.
"I'm glad. I don't think we'll be able to shut kickboxing down after all. We took in over thirty people today alone. At that level we're basically a solid mid-sized gym."
"Then we're almost at the limit, aren't we?"
"Yes. I figure we could maybe take another twenty, but I said we just shouldn't. The kids get restless if we do, and we can't watch every one of them. Sooner or later there'll be kids who don't fit, too."
The taekwondo studio I'd gone to as a kid came back to me—a gym packed tight as a crate of bean sprouts, musty protective gear, rundown gear, and a master who took more than a month to learn my name. Those memories were still with me. You couldn't just wave kids off.
"Good call. Never let the quality of the training drop. Neglect a kid and that memory lasts a lifetime."
"I know. I have memories like that from when I was little, too. Still, these kids definitely speak a little differently, so teaching them is satisfying."
"Yeah?"
"Yes. The manners are one thing, but there's a kind of ease to them."
"Hold steady like this for a few months and Yewon should have the money to open her pilates studio. After that the profits only go up, so tell her not to chase the money too hard. Not even paying rent is already something. No—I'll talk to her myself."
"It'll be fine. Yewon's so happy right now she could die."
The look Rahi slid toward me was full of gratitude. That happy probably included me. She just wasn't going to say it with Changsu sitting right there. I set the towel down. A towel alone couldn't finish the job. I folded it and held it out, and she smiled shyly, took it, and tucked it into her bag.
"Thank you......"
"For what. It's not even the first time."
"......Your hands always put me in a good mood......"
"I feel good every time I touch you, too."
I watched her tie her hair up and asked.
"What about you, then? No layout you want?"
"I don't care either way. Moving the ring a little isn't going to stop me from training."
"So you just came out?"
"Yes."
"How long's the work?"
"If we use glass instead of panels, they say two days at most."
"It's yoga, so glass would be better. But that fast?"
"That's what they said. So we settled on the weekend for the construction, but those two still haven't decided. The crew said that with the schedule and the materials, we have to tell them by tomorrow."
"Leave it. Yewon has to be the one to decide now."
"I think so too. Today was so busy I'm only telling you now."
"You did fine. Part of it is that I was too busy to come in."
"Excuse me. I've got a request too."
Changsu tapped my shoulder, and I turned my head.
"Do you have any idea how much we're already spending? You've got all the room you need so long as the kids have somewhere to stand."
"That's true. It's just been on my mind."
"Something you want?"
"Put some mats down in here. Even yoga-mat thickness would look right. Easier on the kids' knees, too."
"All right. I'll mention it tomorrow. We're short on yoga mats as it is."
"Okay. That's all I need. Doesn't look like there's a debrief today, so I'll head out first."
"Sure. See you tomorrow. You worked hard."
"You too, hyung."
He'd seemed to be trading messages with someone the whole time we talked. One look at the smile spreading over his face and I had a fair idea who. I huffed a short laugh and waved him off, and he left the gym grinning.
"Shall we head out too? Let's just say goodbye first."
I got up off the floor, and Rahi carefully caught my hand and whispered.
"I already said goodbye. Let's just go."
"Still."
"......We haven't even had five minutes together today."
The words caught me off guard. My eyes went round as I looked at her. Rahi sulking was something entirely new. She flushed under my gaze as if she were embarrassed, but the moist eyes that stayed on me turned something in my own chest soft and warm. She looked at me as if even this little stretch of time were too precious to waste.
"You're right. Let's go, then."
"......Okay......"
I glanced once at the office, then slowly drew an arm around her shoulders. We'd only ever held hands or linked arms; I'd never held her like this. Her shoulder was soft and yet firm, and the way she yielded into the circle of my arm, fitting there without resistance, was slender and delicate.
"Ah......"
"Uncomfortable?"
"Ah, no...... It's warm......"
"Cold?"
"A little...... I love the way you smell, Shinwoo."
She laid her cheek against my chest as if she'd missed it, and I rested my chin lightly on the crown of her head and whispered.
"Me too. My Rahi smells good."
"......Today was hard, wasn't it?"
"No. The weather was just a little strange."
"I know. Morning still feels like spring, the afternoon's summer, and the night......"
"Practically winter. You all right?"
Through a thin windbreaker, and the tank top—or bare shoulder—beneath it, her warmth came through just as it was.
"......Your arms are warm, so I'm fine."
"I like that you're warm, too."
She smiled softly at that, and when I saw her hesitate, unsure where her arms belonged, I quietly took them and wound them around my waist.
"Ah......"
"Try it. It might feel awkward, but I want to feel your hands."
"......Okay...... I... I like it too......"
Her breasts met my side and gave softly under the press of it, and a little heat gathered low in my stomach. The posture still seemed unfamiliar to her; her body had gone slightly rigid with nerves. But this was a sight I could only have now, so there was nothing regrettable in it, and nothing uncomfortable. We made our slow way out of the gym, and the moment we did, the cold air closed around us and the sweet mood between us broke apart with it.