The First Crack in Her Armor
After that first meal with Seo Haeun, I kept my word and didn’t speak to her for three full days. If we passed each other, I’d just greet her politely. I worked out far enough away that I wouldn’t bother her. But once the screen is gone, there’s no avoiding the sunlight. From a distance, I watched as Seo Haeun continued to suffer under her trainer’s watch. And every now and then when I glanced her way, I noticed she was starting to look back at me more often.
“Hello.”
“…Hello.”
March 14th. White Day, but I hadn’t prepared any candy. That didn’t mean I had no plan at all. Dragging things out longer would have been fine, but if I left her alone like this, she’d probably quit the gym just like all the other female members who had passed through before.
Like before, I walked right up beside her, set my things down, and began stretching with a shameless expression.
“Annoying, right?”
“…Pardon?”
“That guy. He’s annoying.”
“…Yes.”
I didn’t even have to name him. She understood exactly what I was talking about. Having a shared topic of conversation meant it was that much easier to build intimacy.
“If I brought my girlfriend to the gym, I’d see that kind of thing all the time, so I’d just train her myself. Guys like that really piss me off.”
“It wasn’t like this at the gym I used to go to. This is a bit much.”
“It’s the person that’s the problem, not the job. Can’t be helped.”
I openly glared at the trainer who had been loitering nearby again today. Then I stepped onto the treadmill right beside hers and continued the conversation. Don’t touch her. She’s my prey. I let the hostility show clearly in my eyes without saying a word.
“By the way, didn’t you say a few days ago that you’d report me if I talked to you?”
“…There’s someone else I’d report. So I’ll let you off, Mr. Kang Juhyuk.”
“You sound like you’ve actually done it before. Now that I think about it, last time you also…”
“I have. Back in high school. Some weird guy kept following me.”
“What did he do?”
“…He was on the baseball team.”
“Ah.”
I had been paying too much attention to the annoying fly buzzing around her, so when the word slipped from her mouth, I couldn’t hide my surprise. …So this woman had openly hated baseball players since way back then. There was a reason for it. With a face and body like hers, it wasn’t strange at all that she’d have at least one stalking experience. Still, hearing the familiar word come out of her mouth caught me off guard.
“Well… just like you said, Mr. Kang Juhyuk. It’s the person that’s the problem, not the job.”
“Right.”
It felt like I had caught a glimpse of the soft flesh beneath her prickly, unfriendly attitude. Even though the story wasn’t pleasant, my hands and feet tingled with excitement. The more I learned about her, the more holes I could dig into. And from the way she spoke, it didn’t seem like she had much dating experience either.
“I’m going to work out here today. If it bothers you, I can go somewhere else.”
“It’s fine. Do whatever you want. It doesn’t bother me.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“For not reporting me.”
“…What are you even saying, seriously.”
And I could confidently say that no one was more familiar than me with toying with inexperienced people.
The next day, the 15th. I went to the same spot as yesterday and set my bag down with heavy sighs. My clothes were the same as usual, but my hair was a mess. I had rubbed my eyes so much they were bloodshot. It was no wonder Seo Haeun looked startled when she saw me.
“…Hello.”
“Ah… hello.”
I greeted her in a voice that sounded like it was crawling on the floor, then climbed onto the treadmill with labored breaths. I walked at the same sluggish pace as my voice, clutching my phone in both hands and constantly checking KakaoTalk.
“…”
I shoved the phone into my pocket, stared at the ceiling, pulled it out again and tapped at it, stared at the floor, let out heavy sighs, and finally stepped off the treadmill after just ten minutes. I sat on the bench, clutched my forehead with one hand, and kept fiddling with the phone. I opened my photo gallery. Looked at a few pictures of pretty girls. Deleted them. Restored them.
“…Fucking bitch…”
“…Um, excuse me.”
“What.”
“Ah… never mind.”
I had been putting on such an obvious show of I’m so depressed~ that Seo Haeun, looking almost frightened, spoke to me first. But I brushed her off. Then I left my stuff lying there and headed straight for the bathroom. I splashed water on my face, rubbed my eyes until they were even more bloodshot, and trudged back to my spot.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Y-yes?”
“For snapping at you earlier…”
“No, no, no. It’s okay…”
The sight of me, who had been so sly and shameless, suddenly falling apart overnight seemed to throw even Seo Haeun—who had never shown me any kindness—into considerable confusion. And that made sense. If I were her, seeing a muscular guy nearly 190 centimeters tall and close to 100 kilos sniffling like a little girl right beside me would definitely get on my nerves.
“…Did something happen, Mr. Kang Juhyuk?”
“Well… it’s nothing… Nothing you need to worry about, Ms. Haeun…”
But there’s no stupider answer than telling someone who’s already worrying about you not to worry. ‘Don’t mind me.’ ‘It has nothing to do with you.’ The more you push them away like that, the more satisfying it becomes for the other person when you finally, reluctantly open up.
“…Is it… something with your girlfriend? Ah. Sorry, that was out of line…”
“…It’s not out of line. …It’s fine.”
To give her the satisfaction of being ‘the kind of person who can empathize with and comfort others,’ it was better to drop heavy hints and let her figure out the answer herself. After all, half the reasons people fall apart are money and the other half are relationships. I had never once seen someone bawling because they fought with a friend. I had seen it a few times when someone’s friend ran off with their money, though.
“…Ah, I can’t do this. I’m sorry. I’ll head out first.”
“…”
“…But damn. That guy’s probably going to do it again… Haa. Why is everyone around me so weird?”
“…”
“Ms. Haeun.”
“…Yes.”
“Can I just sit on the bench for a while?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll just sit here. Until you finish your workout. …I don’t feel like moving right now.”
“Y-yes. Go ahead.”
And I had never seen anyone heartlessly tell a crying person to get lost, either. They say a woman’s tears are a scam, but a man’s sigh works pretty well too. The moment I gave off the vibe that I might head up to the rooftop if left alone, anyone nearby had no choice but to get caught up in it. Unless they were completely indifferent. And this woman already hated me.
For about thirty minutes, I fiddled with my phone meaninglessly while secretly watching Seo Haeun work out. I had to control my emotions, so I tried to clear my mind, but I couldn’t forget the way her plump ass jiggled. Even if I had actually broken up with a girlfriend, the sight would have made my lust boil over. I knew what kind of man I was, which was why I usually avoided dating.
“Um… Mr. Kang Juhyuk.”
“Ah, Ms. Haeun.”
“I… I finished my workout…”
“Ah… Right.”
The way Seo Haeun fidgeted like she had discovered a live bomb was quite the spectacle. Her attitude suggested she would grant me any request, which stirred something wicked in me, but I knew her face would twist the moment I actually said it, so I swallowed it down.
“Um, so… uh.”
“…Thank you.”
“No, no, no, I didn’t do anything…”
When I bowed deeply to thank her for giving me something nice to look at, she waved her hands in a panic, so I bowed even lower. Without waiting for a reply, I gathered my things and headed to the shower room without finishing the conversation. I left my phone on the bench.
“Ah, wait…”
Seo Haeun, who had quickly noticed, called after me, but I pretended not to hear and stepped into the shower. I stayed under the water long enough for her to finish washing up completely. I took my time soaking my body, sprayed on some cologne for the first time in a while, and fixed my hair. It still had a raw edge, but it looked decent enough.
“…Ah, Mr. Kang Juhyuk.”
“Ms. Haeun?”
“You left your phone earlier…”
“Ah…”
When I came down to the first floor, Seo Haeun was waiting for me in the same hoodie she had been wearing. She held out my phone. I made a completely dazed face, as if I couldn’t even manage to say thank you, and stupidly took it while staring blankly at her.
“…Are you really okay?”
“I’m okay… …No.”
“…”
Curiosity. Confusion. Worry. …That was enough. Seeing that much emotion in her eyes was plenty satisfying. There was no need to push the push-and-pull any further.
“…Ms. Haeun.”
“Yes.”
“I feel like drinking. Would you mind watching over me?”
“…Pardon?”
“If I drink alone, I’ll probably… drink way too much.”
“…”
Whether I was playing the tragic male lead or the benevolent female lead, the line was the same.
“…Ah, never mind. Never mind. I’m sorry. That was a ridiculous request…”
“It’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“…If you stop coming to the gym, that would be inconvenient for me too. I’ll have one drink with you to help you pull yourself together.”
“…Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
This was enough. The days of staring at those huge tits and only licking my lips were over. Today would be the end of that.