Miracle Hand
I had to think this through carefully.
Putting my hands inside her underwear without letting things turn sexual? No matter how I looked at it, that wasn't going to be easy. But one thing was certain: the moment I touched those brilliantly multicolored spots of light, I would be able to see her future.
The advantage of my ability was that it applied almost the same way to everyone. I had already seen Gu Somin's bleak future, so the instant I glimpsed Han Seoyeon's, I would know exactly how to change it. Once that happened, she would start thinking of me as some kind of shaman—or maybe a prophet.
I would have thought the same thing in her place. If someone correctly named recent events I had never mentioned and then laid out the precise causes that made a certain future inevitable, trust would form whether I wanted it or not. Fixing one little dog and knowing every last one of her secrets were two completely different levels of intimacy.
That was how badly I wanted my hands under her underwear.
It's not because Han Seoyeon is pretty and has a great body! Really, it's not..!
I hypnotized myself again and got back to work.
"I'll apply more oil."
"Which oil are you using?"
"It's a handmade oil we produce at our shop. Only the director knows the exact formula."
"Hmm. Is that the same director Mikyeong used to praise?"
"Probably. She handled everything herself until I arrived."
"Oh~ So you're saying you're better than the director?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
She must have found the blunt answer amusing, because Han Seoyeon lifted her head slightly from the table and watched me start on her legs, letting out a soft snort of laughter. She seemed to think I was an odd one.
Sometimes she looked at me as if she had me completely figured out and was rolling me around in the palm of her hand; other times she stared as if she couldn't understand me at all, or simply found me fascinating. That meant I was still on trial.
I worked diligently at the red spots on her legs, determined not to disappoint her. Then she said something that made my ears prick up.
"Have you heard of the Miracle Hand?"
She spoke calmly while leaving her smooth legs entirely in my care. What on earth was she thinking, bringing that up?
"Yes, I've heard the name."
"Apparently there's someone whose massages are incredible. They say when that person works on you, it isn't just one day that changes—it's the whole year ahead. I don't actually believe that sort of thing."
In a way it was the perfect description. Not a single day, but the future itself... In that case, weren't the multicolored spots of light I could see something like the basic forms of the Miracle Hand?
Hands that rewrote a person's life. Was that what people meant by Miracle Hand?
The assumption that my hands—something I had only ever described in words—might actually be the Miracle Hand was starting to feel real.
"I heard you got rid of the wrinkles on Mikyeong's neck."
"Yes. It wasn't difficult."
Hearing that suddenly made something else stand out. Maybe it was her pride, but Han Seoyeon had no purple spots at all... Park Yuyoung hadn't had any either, but I had assumed that was because the blue spots took up so much space that the purple ones simply hadn't shown themselves yet.
A person with no complexes whatsoever? Looking at Han Seoyeon's face and figure, the idea didn't seem completely far-fetched.
"Do you think you might be the Miracle Hand?"
"Excuse me..?"
The question came out of nowhere, and it lined up so perfectly with what I had just been thinking that I was briefly thrown.
"Exactly what I said. Do you think you're the Miracle Hand? If you're going to massage me, I figure you need to be at least that class."
This time I answered without hesitation.
"I'm just an employee at a shop. Making each of my clients' days feel refreshed is my job. Changing a whole year? Wouldn't that just mean seeing me every day for a year?"
"What? Pfft!"
"So yes—I believe I can become the Miracle Hand too. I've never once had a client leave unsatisfied."
"That's only because people don't spit in your face to your face."
Han Seoyeon hummed and looked up at me with the same amused expression as before. That arrogant face of hers. Somehow I could already picture her looking up at me exactly like that during sex. No—what the hell was I thinking right now? Snap out of it, Kang Junhyun. The woman in front of you is a complete lunatic.
"If you really were the Miracle Hand, you wouldn't stop at this level."
"I don't know what you're hoping for, but you should keep in mind that a male masseur's work has natural limits."
I delivered the line as smoothly as if I had rehearsed it. It wasn't hard. The same principle had applied with Park Yuyoung: for any more intimate contact, I needed permission.
"Limits? What kind of limits?"
"Well, as you know, we haven't signed a contract yet. Once you contract with me, we can expand the boundaries of physical contact more freely."
"Ah, so you need to touch deeper inside?"
"It's the same idea I mentioned earlier—that regular sex is beneficial."
"Hmm... I don't have any problems in that department at all... Strange."
"I find it strange too. Either you have a problem you simply aren't feeling, or it's something sensitive you're hiding..."
"I swear I'm not hiding a single thing. Pfft... Why would I be scared of saying something just because of you?"
This woman really knew how to phrase things beautifully. Fuck. Working in the service industry meant swallowing every last bit of this kind of humiliation...
"Well, if that's the issue, then don't worry about it and touch whatever you want. Ah—but! You already know you can't cross the line too far, right?"
"Of course. But you still have to sign the contract."
"The contract... I was planning to do it if today's massage was satisfying."
"Trust me. I promise a massage you'll never regret. Be honest—looking at everything so far, is there even one thing that hasn't been satisfying?"
"No, well... it's not that... It's just that nothing feels particularly special."
So that was it after all. A woman who refused ordinary massages she could get anywhere. People said the richer you got, the more insufferable you became, and she was living proof. Not an easy woman at all.
I thought a little longer, then spoke.
"Then there's nothing I can do."
"..?"
"If you change your mind, contact me then. Today's massage ends here. Continuing any further seems pointless."
"No... I told you you can touch without worrying..."
"No. I take principles seriously. If you don't trust me, there's no way forward. But I will say one thing clearly. If you leave yourself in my hands, I promise you the world's finest massage—the Miracle Hand you mentioned. Not just one day, but a massage that can change a whole year of the person receiving it."
"..."
As I wiped my hands on a towel, Han Seoyeon stared at me for a long time. Then she started spitting out words I could barely bring myself to repeat.
"I said you can stick them inside and feel around all you want."
She had even switched to informal speech.
"Do whatever you want as long as you don't put your fingers in. Still won't do it?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, but I won't."
"Haha... You know, Teacher. When I decide to trust someone and sign a contract, I drop at least ten million won as a baseline. And you're still just going to walk out?"
"Yes. If you won't trust me, it doesn't matter how much money is involved."
I locked eyes with Han Seoyeon for a moment. She had sat up, clutching the towel over her chest so hard that the sides of her breasts spilled out completely—proof of just how full they were. The small towel covering her lower half had shifted and folded as well, barely concealing her sex; the way it almost covered her made it far more erotic than if she had simply shown everything. Fuck. It was setting my endless imagination on fire.
The real problem was that Han Seoyeon knew exactly how seductive she looked right now. She knew, and she was trying to use it.
We held each other's gaze for what felt like a full minute before she finally let out a short laugh and turned her head. She rose and slipped into her robe.
"Fine. Do it that way. I'll transfer today's fee to your account."
"Understood. Then..."
"Wait."
She called me back just as I turned to leave. When I stopped, Han Seoyeon stepped around in front of me and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
"?"
Caught completely off guard by the kiss, I stared hard at her pretty face. She giggled.
"Just a thank-you. A thank-you. Why are you acting so surprised? It was an honor meeting a skilled masseur. Take care."
"Ah... right..."
I couldn't hide how unsettled I felt. Who wouldn't have been?
The moment I stepped into my shoes and reached the front entrance, though, I realized something was wrong with my body. One little kiss and I was this hard?
While I waited for the heavy weight in my lower half to settle, Hodu came running back from his walk, spotted me, and charged over in a frantic scramble.
Woof woof—
He was barreling toward me so fast I was debating whether to dodge when the big dog chained in the yard suddenly barked savagely. Hodu whimpered and slowed at once.
Whine...
He dropped his head cutely and carefully licked the top of my foot.
"He did the same thing on the way out. He got so excited he started barking, but the second Choco barked at him to shut up, he went quiet."
"Choco? That pitch-black Doberman is named Choco?"
"Yes... It doesn't really suit him now, but he was still a cute puppy when we named him. I'll head back inside then."
"Alright. Good work."
I watched him go with a twinge of pity. Ever since I had peeked into Han Seoyeon's secret room earlier, the butler of this house had looked truly pathetic.
Carrying a small piece of bad news, I headed in to work at Meobal S.