The Towel

"……Kickboxing."

I watched in silence as Rahee dropped her gaze, coloring with embarrassment. Was this one of her jokes? Her face didn't say so. And then it came back to me—I had told Lee Hyunji, but I had never said a word of it to Rahee.

"I told you. Hit me, and I'm not settling."

"Ah—! I-I didn't say anything because I was afraid you'd tease me just like that……. Wh-why would I ever hit you, Shinwoo……."

"For all that, your hands and legs are awfully soft."

I ran my fingers over Rahee's hand, but it was still silky, without a single scar. I had guessed it might be some other discipline. A striking art was the last thing I had expected. Only when I traced the back of her hand more carefully was there the faintest catch at the tips of her fingers. Was that what a callus left behind?

Rahee flushed for a moment beneath the hand that kept wandering her skin while I tilted my head, then quietly caught my hand and drew it into her own.

"……I got sick of it, and I stayed away for a long time. I wasn't any good, and I was injured, too. And I hated it—hated being told, every single time, that my chest was so big all I ever did was get hit."

"That's ridiculous. Who says something like that? Where else are you going to find a treasure like this."

The absurdity of it had me stroking Rahee's beautiful breasts before I knew what I was doing. They were a treasure I was terrified of letting sag even a little under my own greed—I had to work up the nerve just to get her bra off—and touching them like this felt like a luxury I could hardly stand to spend. Rahee smiled as if the words pleased her, let a small moan slip, and went on.

"Haah……. And anyway, a career with no titles isn't enough to coach on."

"Does that gym actually have people?"

"Not really. It's completely old-school……. You know Spartan training, right?"

"……Places like that are still hanging on?"

"I know. The coach there used to be my coach, but she passed away last year."

"I'm sorry. And then?"

"So the coach's daughter ended up inheriting it……. She—hn—she's my ch-childhood friend……."

I had kept toying with Rahee's breasts without thinking, and she curled in on herself for a moment. By then her nipples had stirred awake and were tickling my palm. At the tremor in her voice I slowly took my hand away, and Rahee carefully reached out, caught it, and set it back on her chest. I kissed her quietly under the look she gave me, then asked.

"……Your friend asked you to help?"

"Yes. My f-friend…… haah, she quit when we were little. Pilates and yoga…… nnh, that's what she specializes in……."

So she had been handed a gym and nothing else. She could have turned it into a pilates and yoga studio. Ah—that meant there was no money. Fair enough. If it had only been a matter of pocket change, she would have done it already.

"No budget for a remodel, then."

"No. It isn't that I don't understand……. I'd help if I could actually be of use, but my experience is so thin…… I might only get in the way."

"Hm. Where is it?"

"A little far. You have to go all the way to Anyang."

"There's a bus, so getting there shouldn't be hard. What's the pay like?"

"Well, hnn. Things are that tight. She says I can take twenty percent of the net……."

I scratched idly at my cheek. In the end the gym had to do well. I didn't know what the dues were, but if she was going to manage even a basic living, the net would need to clear something like ten million won a month. Without the gym's fixed costs, though, I couldn't really run the numbers.

Hm. I wouldn't call it confidence.

It wasn't as if there was no way. Not certainty—more the feeling that it was worth a try. Nothing to lose, either way. Just then Rahee's hand settled carefully on my chest. I sat with that warmth a moment, then asked her.

"……Once members start coming in, is she going to run every one of them Spartan?"

"Ah, no. She—hn—took so much of that from the coach herself. I think she means to run the place reasonably."

"Not bad. Anyang, though. Every day would be rough."

"……Haah…… what……?"

"It's too far for me to go every day."

"……A-are you coming too, Shinwoo?"

"Obviously. What, you were going to train by yourself and leave me out? I may have to rethink this whole keeping-you-around arrangement……."

"N-no! It isn't that! I was just so happy…… happy, that's all……."

"You're my trainer. Got it?"

At the whisper, Rahee began to look up at me with damp eyes. Moved by a line that wasn't even much of one—how was I supposed to find that anything but cute.

"……Yes. Haah……."

"……Want to?"

"……Yes……. Hold me…… please."

Our legs were already tangled, slick with arousal, pressing deeper into each other.

"Ah……."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A ringtone cut the heating air in a single stroke, and Rahee let out a moan that sounded almost regretful. It wasn't my phone. It was hers.

"I-I'm sorry……. You can ignore it, it's fine……."

"It's all right. Go on, pick up. I told you there was no rush."

"……Ugh, seriously……."

I smiled and gave pouting Rahee's cheek a light pinch. As if she already knew who that ringtone belonged to, she dawdled her way up off the bed. Once she was standing she stroked her lower belly, then walked toward her long puffer with regret written all over her. I took in the sight of her from behind, and got up off the bed myself.

"I'll shower first, then. Take your time on the call."

"Ah, okay……."

I meant to give her the room so she could talk in peace. The urge to tease her crossed my mind, but if I did, she might genuinely spend the rest of the day flat on her back. I brushed a hand lightly over the backside of Rahee—sighing, still hunting for her phone—and left the bedroom.

Only after she heard Lee Shinwoo go into the bathroom did she let out a small sigh, pull on the panties that had fallen to the floor, and look at the screen. The name Go Yewon drew another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sigh out of her, and she answered.

Rahee murmured it while her hand rested quietly on her lower belly. The warm smile that rose without her noticing was beautiful enough that it was a shame no one was there to see it.

That was the moment.

"Rahee! There's a towel on the dresser in the bedroom—bring me one!"

"……Ah. Ah, okay!"

Rahee hung up, let out a small sigh, and got up to look for a towel. She gathered a few neatly folded ones from the top of the dresser, and the moment she moved to step away, the sensation slipping down from below turned her face red.

"Thanks."

"Ah, it's nothing."

"I didn't interrupt, did I?"

"It's all right……."

Rahee swallowed hard at the sight of my body, still wet, and she was cute enough that I stroked her cheek and whispered.

"Want to shower together?"

"N-no! Ah!"

"Come here."

I took her wrist gently and drew her in, and when she came along without resistance I held her. Then I kissed the lips of the Rahee looking up at me.

"Wash up and come out, then. Let's get breakfast out."

"……Okay."

I stroked her like that for a moment, then slowly let her go. I had seen her hand on her lower belly this morning, and I wasn't enough of a bastard to torment her over it.

"Take your time."

"Okay……."

"Disappointed?"

"……A little……. Ah, n-not about showering together……."

It seemed to be the morning itself, the thing that had been catching fire before the call. I smiled and stroked her cheek.

"It's not as if today is the only day we have."

"……Right."

I stroked that cheek once more and stepped out of the bathroom. A smile rose at the sight of her standing dazed inside, towel in hand. I left her closing the door, regret written through her whole body, and toweled the water off myself.

……Yeah. Just as I thought.

I had already seen it in the bathroom mirror, but by now I could be nearly certain the body was different. Not a dramatic change—only enough that I myself would notice. I hadn't even worked out yesterday. The extra softness at my waist was as good as gone. What I had instead was the feel of springy muscle, like Rahee's. My backside in particular, gone slack and shapeless from nothing but sitting, had firmed up a little.

I get the gist.

When the body was hurt or needed to recover, the Special Internal Energy restored it, and when there was nothing to restore, the body itself seemed to change. I still had no idea why something like this had appeared in the first place. Nothing major had happened yet, but that didn't make it easy to let my guard down.

……Starting now really was the right call.

On top of that, I couldn't simply enjoy a face and body that kept changing. Taken one day at a time it was nothing only I would catch, but once several days of change stacked up, set against how I used to look, the difference was already something I could feel for certain.

I didn't even need to dig through my phone for an old photo. A change like this, and people who used to know me might well notice. For now I could still bluff it as skincare, or as having started to work out, but I had to prepare for the chance that it kept going. I didn't particularly want to hear, later, that I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had work done.

They'll get used to it.

The easiest way was simply to leave a record that I'd never had the time for surgery or procedures. It was still uncomfortable and awkward, but using social media to keep something like a diary would be enough. Pay a little attention from here on, and the proof would pile up on its own.

Hm. Trunks ought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be fine, right?

I got dressed, picked out a T-shirt and a pair of trunk briefs for Rahee to put on when she came out, and set them down beside the bathroom. Then I pulled a cup from the capsule machine and sat in the computer chair. With the sound of her shower for background music, I opened a browser. I had plans with Bae Jihyun today, and I meant to look over her YouTube before I went.