Shin Yongseop's Challenge
"Shin Yongseop is here? Why?"
"Why do you think? I already told you. That guy was always going to show up here eventually, looking for any way to take you down."
But why today of all days? Today was the day of an important contract.
Choi Wonjae clearly knew that too, which only made him look more rattled. He scratched his head and said to me,
"I told them to let me know the second you walked in. So let's just finish the contract quick and go deal with Shin Yongseop."
But right then, footsteps came down the stairs from the upper floor. I looked that way without thinking and watched a pair of feet descend, step by slow step. Time itself seemed to stretch and crawl. Even without Choi Wonjae saying a word, I knew whose footsteps those were.
Knees came into view, then everything above the waist.
I'd pictured some soft, chubby middle-aged guy. Instead, he was a tall, striking man.
"Looks like you're here. You're Kang Junhyun, I take it?"
I just stood there staring, unable to answer right away.
"Uh... well..."
With the plan already falling apart, Choi Wonjae started stammering too.
Looking thoroughly at ease, Shin Yongseop stopped right in front of me and planted both hands on his hips.
He was wearing a suit just like mine, only his was a much lighter beige tone compared to my black one. When he set his hands on his waist, the back of the jacket flared up and settled again.
"Is what Kang Junhyun said true?"
"...Excuse me?"
"What you said in the interview. Was it true?"
"Which part are you referring to?"
"So it is true, then."
Shin Yongseop finished speaking and furrowed his brow.
Even I didn't know why I'd done that. All I had to do was say it hadn't been sincere — easy as anything — and yet the words wouldn't leave my mouth.
Had I wanted to push back without even realizing it? Against this flawless-looking man standing in front of me?
"Shall we see what you're made of today, Director?"
"What I'm made of? How exactly?"
"We're at a shop, so we pick a method that fits. When masseurs test each other's skills, what else would you need? Staff going out shopping, for instance — no matter how you look at it, that shouldn't be happening."
Shin Yongseop flicked a glance at the shopping bags Iseol and I had brought in.
"Ah, those are..."
"Not my business either way. Sounded like you were talking about some kind of contract earlier."
Choi Wonjae and I both jumped at the same time.
Even with sharp ears, there was no way our conversation should have carried all the way upstairs. Had he planted a bug or something?
"And this would be the person in question?"
Shin Yongseop looked Han Seoyeon up and down once.
"We've met before, haven't we? Han Seoyeon... is that right?"
"Shin Yongseop? The one from TV?"
"Yes. Pleasure. I massaged you a few times before. You neglected to mention you keep a dog at home, so it became difficult to keep taking your appointments after that."
"I didn't lie... I simply didn't bring it up."
"Well, no need to dwell on the past. Since this lady has already received my massage, comparison should be easy. Is there any other woman here who's been massaged by Kang Junhyun?"
The only women at the counter right now were Han Seoyeon and Shin Iseol. Shin Yongseop clearly already had his target picked out and was just waiting for an answer. I was starting to get a pretty clear read on his personality.
He stared at Shin Iseol for a long moment until she looked up and their eyes met. Startled, she hunched her shoulders and glanced around nervously. She'd clearly been thinking about something else entirely.
"M-me?"
She answered without really knowing what was going on, but she wasn't wrong. It had been a short massage, but a massage was still a massage.
"Perfect. Here's what we'll do. Kang Junhyun massages Han Seoyeon, and I massage this young lady. Thirty minutes each, then we switch. That way the comparison will be clearer than ever. After that, the two women each cast one vote for whichever masseur they preferred."
Shin Iseol, who had been listening quietly until she finally grasped the situation, snorted.
"If we do it that way, of course I'm going to side with Teacher Junhyun. I work at this shop."
"Ah, but the order will be random. We'll be doing back-side massage only, and neither of you will know which of us went first. No little tricks like showing our faces or saying anything out loud — we'll prevent that with video recording."
"Ah..."
"Video recording? Why would we agree to something like that?"
"Some shops actually film for safety reasons. There shouldn't be any problem at all — unless, of course, someone's in there performing acts of a sexual nature."
I flinched. Shit.
Come to think of it, weren't all the massages I'd been giving basically sexual in nature? Even if I barely stayed on the right side of the line, my touch was still erotic enough to make a woman think of sex.
That was right. Maybe what I'd been doing wasn't real massage at all.
Shin Yongseop had learned everything properly from the ground up, all the way up to advanced joint-treatment techniques. After taking a public humiliation from someone like me, of course he'd be furious.
Honestly, if anyone here was the crazy one, it was me — and that wouldn't even be strange.
Cold sweat flooded down my spine. If I embarrassed myself here, I'd lose Han Seoyeon too, right on the verge of the VIP contract.
What right did I have to go toe-to-toe with Shin Yongseop? He was a masseur recognized by the entire country.
"Kang Junhyun."
While I just stood there, Shin Yongseop stepped in closer.
"You look like you can barely stay on your feet. Why not drop the mask before you get exposed?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Choi Wonjae answered for me.
"Ha. Can't even speak without a spokesman, you greenhorn? Look at him. His face has gone white, the vein at his temple is standing out. Pulse racing, breathing shallow. Sweat's about to break any second from the nerves. And a brat like this dared challenge me? I'll make sure he feels today's lesson in his bones."
"Hey, Shin Yongseop. If our Junhyun is clearly not feeling well, shouldn't we be saying we'll settle this another day first?"
"Haha. That's rich. A minute ago you people were acting like you'd kill for a signature on that contract. No — before that, you were out shopping at a luxury department store, weren't you? Fascinating little shop you've got here. Avoiding a match because you're under the weather? If I take that to the press and the men's care magazine, I think we'd get a very entertaining situation."
"I'm telling you, he's not in good shape..."
"No, Director."
I decided I had to cut their conversation short.
I was the one who'd started this. And more than that, a thought had stopped me cold — that every miracle that had happened to me so far had been passive. Things done to me.
How long was I going to keep needing other people to bail me out?
I had to overcome this hardship myself.
Of course, when it came to pure technique, I was clearly beneath Shin Yongseop. That much was a given.
But I had an ability that was mine alone.
Not something that changed a single day's condition — something that could rewrite an entire year.
I trusted my hands. I looked down at them, then lifted my chin and met Shin Yongseop's eyes straight on. The gaze burning under those thick brows drove straight through my chest, but I held firm.
"I'll do it. That match. But I have a condition."
Shin Yongseop grinned like this was getting fun and folded his arms.
"And that is?"
"No video recording. I don't want to show my ability to other people."
That much was true.
Since my massage ability had no real foundation, to an expert's eye my movements would look like nothing more than aimless groping. And that wasn't all. What maximized my ability was communication with the other person. Gu Somin had already proven that massage alone wasn't enough to change the future.
"Then how are we supposed to know whether you'll pull some trick or not?"
"I give you my word that will absolutely not happen."
Shin Yongseop started to say something more, then peered steadily into my eyes. Apparently deciding I meant it, he nodded.
"Well, if you're going to put it that strongly, I'll leave it to your conscience. Shall we begin the match, then? But it won't be any fun without stakes, will it? Kang Junhyun — tell me what you want from me if you win."
"..."
I thought for a moment.
My odds of beating Shin Yongseop were slim. Just as he'd said, unless I pulled some kind of trick, winning would be hard.
But that didn't mean I planned to roll over and lose.
I intended to wring every last drop out of my ability and flip this whole board. Two people receiving massages — that meant a tie was possible.
But on the off chance I actually won?
"Teach me your chiropractic techniques."
"...What did you just say?"
"I said teach me your chiropractic joint-treatment techniques."
"Puhahaha! And you think learning them means you could actually do it? For the record, don't go throwing around the word 'treatment' without a license. You'll get the shop shut down."
I had no idea what he meant. Confused, I looked at Choi Wonjae, who quietly nodded. So Shin Yongseop was telling the truth.
"In Korea, who can sell medicine is set by law, and the only people who can perform treatment are doctors. Doesn't matter what certificates you hold. I never go around saying I treat people. I just say the results are good. That it feels refreshing. That I practice chiropractic. That's it. I don't teach my techniques to people who can't use them properly."
"That's something I can figure out as I go, starting now."
When I said it firmly, Shin Yongseop looked mildly surprised.
"Then let's hear what Shin Yongseop wants if he wins."
He glared at me again like he wanted to devour me whole.
What could this man possibly want from me if he won this bet?
No — thinking about it, the answer was obvious.
"Go on camera and say it. That you're not even worth the dirt under Shin Yongseop's toenails."
He looked perfectly put-together on the outside, but inside he was as petty as a little kid.