Chapter 66: Going To The Sauna
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Feeling awkward because of his own foolish behavior, Ji-Won disguised his earlier movement by quickly bringing his hand in front of his lips. Then, he cleared his throat softly.
While he had been standing there in a daze, Su-Jin already wrapped the white ribbon around Ji-Won's hand, covering the scratch entirely. There were small traces of blood across the white fabric, but other than that everything seemed to be alright.
Ji-Won pulled his eyes away from Su-Jin's face, settling them on his injured hand instead. Afterwards, he stared at it for a full minute without saying anything.
"I'm sorry." Su-Jin whispered softly.
Her voice pulled Ji-Won out of his stupor and he once again looked up at her.
She had pulled away slightly and was now staring at her feet dejectedly.
Despite his previous irritation, Ji-Won's emotions had taken quite a different turn, and he unexpectedly felt a smile forming on his lips. Somehow, seeing her embarrassed look made him feel more forgiving.
"It's alright." He said quietly. "I understand that gravity is your archenemy, but you should really be more careful."
"Yes." She replied in scarcely more than a whisper, still looking down.
At that precise moment, Yeon-Ah came running into the backyard, causing Su-Jin and Ji-Won to leap further away from each other.
"Ah, here you are." She said breathlessly, looking from Su-Jin to Director Kang. "Everybody is getting ready to leave."
All three of them went inside where, indeed, Seo-Jun and Team 2 were saying their goodbyes.
Afterwards, they all proceeded towards the front entrance, the children following them in a long trail.
"I will come again soon." Ji-Won told Director Cha, shily accepting a hug from the old woman.
The rest of his team waved at the little ones and quickly got inside the car. All except for Seo-Jun who lurked behind his friend, either grinning foolishly or making funny faces at the children.
Just as he was about to leave, Ji-Won was stopped by the same little girl who had taken Su-Jin to Director Cha's office. With a tender smile on his face, Ji-Won bent down and picked the little girl up.
Su-Jin caught the scene and her lips curved into a small smile. But, a second later, she froze in place.
To her dismay, Su-Jin saw the little girl lean closer to Ji-Won's ear, whispering something.
'She couldn't possibly tell him about… that, could she? Not after I specifically asked her to keep it a secret.' Su-Jin thought frantically, staring unblinkingly at the two.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won's eyes flickering towards her for a split second, before turning back to the little girl.
Registering that small gesture made Su-Jin's heart rate increase. She anxiously saw the man lowering down the girl, then patting her head gently.
In her agitated state, Su-Jin kept her eyes locked on Ji-Won's face. SHe was desperate to see even a shadow of a reaction, but to no avail. Regardless of what he had been told, Ji-Won's expression didn't betray any emotion. His features remained steady and serious.
Meanwhile, Ji-Won and his chirpy friend were now just a few steps away from the car.
"What's that on your hand?" Seo-Jun asked him, suddenly noticing the ribbon around Ji-Won's hand.
"Nothing." Ji-Won replied absent-mindedly.
"It has blood on it. How can it be nothing?! Let me see."
Seo-Jun continued to pester his friend all the remaining way to the car. When he made a gesture to touch the ribbon, Ji-Won smacked his hand away.
"You're not allowed to touch it." He snapped.
"You are acting very strangely." Seo-Jun remarked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"And you are acting like an idiot. Let's go. Everybody is waiting for us."
And with that, Ji-Won quickly strode towards his car, completely ignoring his friend's inquisitive stares.
~~~
After returning to the company, everyone got out of Ji-Won's car, taking other means of transportation to reach their homes.
As a consequence, Ji-Won soon remained alone in the car with just Seo-Jun to keep him company. The two men were just about to continue their trip towards Ji-Won's apartment, when all of a sudden Seo-Jun got an idea.
"There is something I've wanted to do ever since we returned to Korea." Seo-Jun unexpectedly said, turning towards his friend.
"And what is that?" Ji-Won asked in a rather uninterested tone.
"I want to go to a sauna." Seo-Jun replied with a gleeful expression on his face.
"A sauna? Are you serious?!"
"Yes, why not?"
"You're being silly. Go home and take a bath if you want to wash yourself." Ji-Won snapped.
"How can you be so narrow-minded?"
"Narrow-minded? Me?" Ji-Won cried out indignation.
"Yes, you. Going to the sauna is more than just washing your body."
Hearing this, Ji-Won let out a cold snort.
"Oh yeah? And what is so magical about it, if I may ask? What is so... Soul awakening to sit around with a bunch of strangers and sweat?"
"It's not just about that. It's also about community and connection, something you definitely lack." Seo-Jun concluded, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "So, stop arguing and let's go!" he commanded, wholly disregarding his friend's lack of enthusiasm.
'Ugh, for some reason, I have a really bad feeling about all this.' Ji-Won thought to himself.
Indeed, as soon as he heard Seo-Jun ordering him to drive to the sauna, he began having an ominous feeling, like something bad was about to happen.
In the end, the friendship between the two men was stronger than some unfounded premonitions. As such, Ji-Won decided to push aside his nervousness and headed towards the sauna first.
Ji-Won wanted to choose a place that was both near his home and less crowded. But Seo-Jun picked a different place.
It was one of the largest public bathhouses and saunas, located in an area where there were mostly family houses. It wasn't very far from Ji-Won's apartment, but it wasn't very close either. Looking at the address on his phone Ji-Won estimated that it should take them around half an hour to get there by car.
Once they got to the place, they paid and left their shoes near the front desk. Then, after receiving their locker keys, they went inside to change their clothes into the blue T-shirts and shorts offered by the bathhouse.
"Ah, so this is the famous 'bathhouse uniform' they all talked about on the internet." Seo-Jun cried out in excitement.
Ji-Won, on the other hand, remained silent. At the sight of his friend looking so gleeful, almost like a little kid during Christmas, Ji-Won's impassive face quickly took on a mask of contempt.
"Is going to a public bathhouse at the age of twenty-six really a reason to be so happy? Are you still a little kid, Seo-Jun?" Ji-Won coldly chided his friend for being immature.
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Feeling awkward because of his own foolish behavior, Ji-Won disguised his earlier movement by quickly bringing his hand in front of his lips. Then, he cleared his throat softly.
While he had been standing there in a daze, Su-Jin already wrapped the white ribbon around Ji-Won's hand, covering the scratch entirely. There were small traces of blood across the white fabric, but other than that everything seemed to be alright.
Ji-Won pulled his eyes away from Su-Jin's face, settling them on his injured hand instead. Afterwards, he stared at it for a full minute without saying anything.
"I'm sorry." Su-Jin whispered softly.
Her voice pulled Ji-Won out of his stupor and he once again looked up at her.
She had pulled away slightly and was now staring at her feet dejectedly.
Despite his previous irritation, Ji-Won's emotions had taken quite a different turn, and he unexpectedly felt a smile forming on his lips. Somehow, seeing her embarrassed look made him feel more forgiving.
"It's alright." He said quietly. "I understand that gravity is your archenemy, but you should really be more careful."
"Yes." She replied in scarcely more than a whisper, still looking down.
At that precise moment, Yeon-Ah came running into the backyard, causing Su-Jin and Ji-Won to leap further away from each other.
"Ah, here you are." She said breathlessly, looking from Su-Jin to Director Kang. "Everybody is getting ready to leave."
All three of them went inside where, indeed, Seo-Jun and Team 2 were saying their goodbyes.
Afterwards, they all proceeded towards the front entrance, the children following them in a long trail.
"I will come again soon." Ji-Won told Director Cha, shily accepting a hug from the old woman.
The rest of his team waved at the little ones and quickly got inside the car. All except for Seo-Jun who lurked behind his friend, either grinning foolishly or making funny faces at the children.
Just as he was about to leave, Ji-Won was stopped by the same little girl who had taken Su-Jin to Director Cha's office. With a tender smile on his face, Ji-Won bent down and picked the little girl up.
Su-Jin caught the scene and her lips curved into a small smile. But, a second later, she froze in place.
To her dismay, Su-Jin saw the little girl lean closer to Ji-Won's ear, whispering something.
'She couldn't possibly tell him about… that, could she? Not after I specifically asked her to keep it a secret.' Su-Jin thought frantically, staring unblinkingly at the two.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won's eyes flickering towards her for a split second, before turning back to the little girl.
Registering that small gesture made Su-Jin's heart rate increase. She anxiously saw the man lowering down the girl, then patting her head gently.
In her agitated state, Su-Jin kept her eyes locked on Ji-Won's face. SHe was desperate to see even a shadow of a reaction, but to no avail. Regardless of what he had been told, Ji-Won's expression didn't betray any emotion. His features remained steady and serious.
Meanwhile, Ji-Won and his chirpy friend were now just a few steps away from the car.
"What's that on your hand?" Seo-Jun asked him, suddenly noticing the ribbon around Ji-Won's hand.
"Nothing." Ji-Won replied absent-mindedly.
"It has blood on it. How can it be nothing?! Let me see."
Seo-Jun continued to pester his friend all the remaining way to the car. When he made a gesture to touch the ribbon, Ji-Won smacked his hand away.
"You're not allowed to touch it." He snapped.
"You are acting very strangely." Seo-Jun remarked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"And you are acting like an idiot. Let's go. Everybody is waiting for us."
And with that, Ji-Won quickly strode towards his car, completely ignoring his friend's inquisitive stares.
~~~
After returning to the company, everyone got out of Ji-Won's car, taking other means of transportation to reach their homes.
As a consequence, Ji-Won soon remained alone in the car with just Seo-Jun to keep him company. The two men were just about to continue their trip towards Ji-Won's apartment, when all of a sudden Seo-Jun got an idea.
"There is something I've wanted to do ever since we returned to Korea." Seo-Jun unexpectedly said, turning towards his friend.
"And what is that?" Ji-Won asked in a rather uninterested tone.
"I want to go to a sauna." Seo-Jun replied with a gleeful expression on his face.
"A sauna? Are you serious?!"
"Yes, why not?"
"You're being silly. Go home and take a bath if you want to wash yourself." Ji-Won snapped.
"How can you be so narrow-minded?"
"Narrow-minded? Me?" Ji-Won cried out indignation.
"Yes, you. Going to the sauna is more than just washing your body."
Hearing this, Ji-Won let out a cold snort.
"Oh yeah? And what is so magical about it, if I may ask? What is so... Soul awakening to sit around with a bunch of strangers and sweat?"
"It's not just about that. It's also about community and connection, something you definitely lack." Seo-Jun concluded, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "So, stop arguing and let's go!" he commanded, wholly disregarding his friend's lack of enthusiasm.
'Ugh, for some reason, I have a really bad feeling about all this.' Ji-Won thought to himself.
Indeed, as soon as he heard Seo-Jun ordering him to drive to the sauna, he began having an ominous feeling, like something bad was about to happen.
In the end, the friendship between the two men was stronger than some unfounded premonitions. As such, Ji-Won decided to push aside his nervousness and headed towards the sauna first.
Ji-Won wanted to choose a place that was both near his home and less crowded. But Seo-Jun picked a different place.
It was one of the largest public bathhouses and saunas, located in an area where there were mostly family houses. It wasn't very far from Ji-Won's apartment, but it wasn't very close either. Looking at the address on his phone Ji-Won estimated that it should take them around half an hour to get there by car.
Once they got to the place, they paid and left their shoes near the front desk. Then, after receiving their locker keys, they went inside to change their clothes into the blue T-shirts and shorts offered by the bathhouse.
"Ah, so this is the famous 'bathhouse uniform' they all talked about on the internet." Seo-Jun cried out in excitement.
Ji-Won, on the other hand, remained silent. At the sight of his friend looking so gleeful, almost like a little kid during Christmas, Ji-Won's impassive face quickly took on a mask of contempt.
"Is going to a public bathhouse at the age of twenty-six really a reason to be so happy? Are you still a little kid, Seo-Jun?" Ji-Won coldly chided his friend for being immature.
Feeling awkward because of his own foolish behavior, Ji-Won disguised his earlier movement by quickly bringing his hand in front of his lips. Then, he cleared his throat softly.While he had been standing there in a daze, Su-Jin already wrapped the white ribbon around Ji-Won's hand, covering the scratch entirely. There were small traces of blood across the white fabric, but other than that everything seemed to be alright. Ji-Won pulled his eyes away from Su-Jin's face, settling them on his injured hand instead. Afterwards, he stared at it for a full minute without saying anything."I'm sorry." Su-Jin whispered softly.Her voice pulled Ji-Won out of his stupor and he once again looked up at her. She had pulled away slightly and was now staring at her feet dejectedly. Despite his previous irritation, Ji-Won's emotions had taken quite a different turn, and he unexpectedly felt a smile forming on his lips. Somehow, seeing her embarrassed look made him feel more forgiving."It's alright." He said quietly. "I understand that gravity is your archenemy, but you should really be more careful.""Yes." She replied in scarcely more than a whisper, still looking down.At that precise moment, Yeon-Ah came running into the backyard, causing Su-Jin and Ji-Won to leap further away from each other."Ah, here you are." She said breathlessly, looking from Su-Jin to Director Kang. "Everybody is getting ready to leave."All three of them went inside where, indeed, Seo-Jun and Team 2 were saying their goodbyes.Afterwards, they all proceeded towards the front entrance, the children following them in a long trail."I will come again soon." Ji-Won told Director Cha, shily accepting a hug from the old woman.The rest of his team waved at the little ones and quickly got inside the car. All except for Seo-Jun who lurked behind his friend, either grinning foolishly or making funny faces at the children. Just as he was about to leave, Ji-Won was stopped by the same little girl who had taken Su-Jin to Director Cha's office. With a tender smile on his face, Ji-Won bent down and picked the little girl up.Su-Jin caught the scene and her lips curved into a small smile. But, a second later, she froze in place. To her dismay, Su-Jin saw the little girl lean closer to Ji-Won's ear, whispering something.'She couldn't possibly tell him about that, could she? Not after I specifically asked her to keep it a secret.' Su-Jin thought frantically, staring unblinkingly at the two.Just as the thought crossed her mind, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won's eyes flickering towards her for a split second, before turning back to the little girl. Registering that small gesture made Su-Jin's heart rate increase. She anxiously saw the man lowering down the girl, then patting her head gently. In her agitated state, Su-Jin kept her eyes locked on Ji-Won's face. SHe was desperate to see even a shadow of a reaction, but to no avail. Regardless of what he had been told, Ji-Won's expression didn't betray any emotion. His features remained steady and serious. Meanwhile, Ji-Won and his chirpy friend were now just a few steps away from the car."What's that on your hand?" Seo-Jun asked him, suddenly noticing the ribbon around Ji-Won's hand."Nothing." Ji-Won replied absent-mindedly."It has blood on it. How can it be nothing?! Let me see."Seo-Jun continued to pester his friend all the remaining way to the car. When he made a gesture to touch the ribbon, Ji-Won smacked his hand away."You're not allowed to touch it." He snapped."You are acting very strangely." Seo-Jun remarked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously."And you are acting like an idiot. Let's go. Everybody is waiting for us."And with that, Ji-Won quickly strode towards his car, completely ignoring his friend's inquisitive stares.~~~ After returning to the company, everyone got out of Ji-Won's car, taking other means of transportation to reach their homes.As a consequence, Ji-Won soon remained alone in the car with just Seo-Jun to keep him company. The two men were just about to continue their trip towards Ji-Won's apartment, when all of a sudden Seo-Jun got an idea."There is something I've wanted to do ever since we returned to Korea." Seo-Jun unexpectedly said, turning towards his friend."And what is that?" Ji-Won asked in a rather uninterested tone."I want to go to a sauna." Seo-Jun replied with a gleeful expression on his face."A sauna? Are you serious?!""Yes, why not?""You're being silly. Go home and take a bath if you want to wash yourself." Ji-Won snapped."How can you be so narrow-minded?""Narrow-minded? Me?" Ji-Won cried out indignation."Yes, you. Going to the sauna is more than just washing your body."Hearing this, Ji-Won let out a cold snort."Oh yeah? And what is so magical about it, if I may ask? What is so... Soul awakening to sit around with a bunch of strangers and sweat?""It's not just about that. It's also about community and connection, something you definitely lack." Seo-Jun concluded, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "So, stop arguing and let's go!" he commanded, wholly disregarding his friend's lack of enthusiasm.'Ugh, for some reason, I have a really bad feeling about all this.' Ji-Won thought to himself.Indeed, as soon as he heard Seo-Jun ordering him to drive to the sauna, he began having an ominous feeling, like something bad was about to happen.In the end, the friendship between the two men was stronger than some unfounded premonitions. As such, Ji-Won decided to push aside his nervousness and headed towards the sauna first.Ji-Won wanted to choose a place that was both near his home and less crowded. But Seo-Jun picked a different place. It was one of the largest public bathhouses and saunas, located in an area where there were mostly family houses. It wasn't very far from Ji-Won's apartment, but it wasn't very close either. Looking at the address on his phone Ji-Won estimated that it should take them around half an hour to get there by car.Once they got to the place, they paid and left their shoes near the front desk. Then, after receiving their locker keys, they went inside to change their clothes into the blue T-shirts and shorts offered by the bathhouse. "Ah, so this is the famous 'bathhouse uniform' they all talked about on the internet." Seo-Jun cried out in excitement. Ji-Won, on the other hand, remained silent. At the sight of his friend looking so gleeful, almost like a little kid during Christmas, Ji-Won's impassive face quickly took on a mask of contempt. "Is going to a public bathhouse at the age of twenty-six really a reason to be so happy? Are you still a little kid, Seo-Jun?" Ji-Won coldly chided his friend for being immature.
