“Anyway, thanks to you, I’m receiving a lot of contact these days. Thanks to Taehan, I was able to create a network that I didn’t have before.”

After setting the smartphone she was holding to silent mode, Yoo Se-ah turned it upside down so that the screen could not be seen and spoke in a playful voice. Kang Tae-han smiled and jokingly responded.

“Then, shall we use Se-ah as a promotional model for the store? That way, I don’t think I’ll have to talk about it.”

“Haha, that might not be bad.”

Yoo Se-ah burst into a small laugh at Kang Tae-han’s words and carefully drank a sip of coffee. Then, as if thinking of something, he tilted his head and slowly opened his mouth.

“uh… Maybe it’s not as bad as I thought?”

“… It’s a bit difficult to take jokes seriously, right?”

“No, it’s not that I’m a PR model.”

Yoo Se-ah shook her head at Kang Tae-han’s words.

Of course, Kang Tae-han’s mention of a promotional model was a joke, and Yoo Se-ah accepted it as such. It was just that I came up with a different idea.

“I just thought that it would be okay if I also uploaded a Cheonma Massage certified SNS. Then people around you will see it and make a rough guess.”

It’s definitely a plausible story. However, there was a little ambiguous part, so Kang Tae-han tilted his head and opened his mouth alludedly.

“Well. But Se-ah isn’t good at social media, right?”

“It’s not even like that. In the past, I often went here and there and uploaded a lot of things.”

To be more precise, before meeting Kang Tae-han, the proportion of time spent on social media was quite large.

At that time, what should I say, there was sometimes human loneliness, or there was often a sense of futility… … .

Celebrities live in the public’s interest and love, but paradoxically, it is difficult to form a personal or human relationship.

The emptiness that comes from there is hard to put into words.

However, there was a time when Yoo Se-ah was actively involved in social media activities, as there was a feeling that it filled up those parts even a little bit.

“I see. I don’t think I’ve seen Se Ah touch her smartphone so many times.”

“Whoops. It seems that the fortress is a bit out of hand.”

“okay? Are you tired of doing that?”

“That’s true too, but more than that… … .”

Yoo Se-ah stared at Kang Tae-han while hesitating, and smiled softly.

Any action always has a cause.

Conversely, if the cause has been addressed, there is no reason for the behavior to continue. After meeting him, the emptiness I often felt had long since disappeared.

What fills the place instead is excitement and excitement.

Just looking at it like this often makes me laugh.

People around her said that if she met a normal person, she would only feel the gap between them and it would easily end in disappointment, but at least it was difficult for her to understand. Because I’ve never felt that way before.

“More than that?”

“No, I won’t talk.”

However, it is a bit embarrassing to say such words directly. She put a mischievous smile on her lips and slowly shook her head from side to side.

“Hmm… It is against the law to interrupt while talking.”

“A girlfriend like me can cheat a little sometimes.”

Saying that, Yoo Se-ah deliberately turned her head toward the window. The corners of her mouth, looking sideways, were still playfully raised.

“… Oh, come to think of it, I had something to say.”

“Why, Taehan-ssi, are you going to hang up too?”

Yoo Se-ah said as if she could see clearly even without saying anything. Either way, Kang Tae-han brought the drinking straw to his mouth and continued talking.

“It’s nothing else, you said that you started developing another massage chair this time.”

“… Did you?”

“That’s because they said they’re collaborating with Aple this time.”

“Eh, if it’s Aple, is it the Aple I know?”

Yoo Se-ah had been listening cautiously, pretending not to be interested in it, but no matter how much it is, when such an unexpected keyword appears on the mound, you have no choice but to show interest.

Collaboration between a massage chair and Aple.

Besides, the massage chair is a product that lovers are participating in the development of. It was a topic that I couldn’t help but be interested in.

“It’s probably the Aple you know, Sae-ah.”

In response to Yoo Se-ah’s reaction, Kang Tae-han smiled and nodded lightly. Then Seah Yoo repeatedly threw a question as if urging him.

“How do you collaborate with Aple?”

“That’s what I hear… Oh, was this still classified?”

Kang Tae-han paused for a moment, paused, then tilted his head with an ambiguous expression. Then Seah Yoo tucked her lower lip in and put on a slightly sullen expression.

“If you hang up while talking, I’m curious, so what do you do?”

“Iknow, right. It happened that way.”

“lie. I brought it out with this in mind from the beginning.”

Kang Tae-han burst into laughter at Yoo Se-ah’s hot voice. Seeing Yoo Se-ah react as she thought was cute.

* * *

A multi-purpose sleeping room located inside the lounge of Cheonma Massage.

Originally, it was just a welfare space, literally a sleeping room, set aside for tired employees to take a nap, but now it is more often used for other purposes.

Its use is none other than the practice of massage. Since Kang Tae-han started giving massage classes, masseuses who were looking for a space to practice separately naturally gathered here.

The space is separated by curtains, and there is a bed, so it’s a perfect space. As a result, it is now used as a massage practice room.

“Hmm… … .”

On the other hand, there were quite a few masseuses gathered in front of this place, whose only name was the sleeping room. To be precise, the crowd was gathered in a circle as if there was some kind of spectacle.

“I really appreciate your acupressure skills, Mr. Jonghwa.”

And the person standing in the sleeping room is none other than Kang Tae-han. He looked at the masseuse who had just been massaging Chief Hwang’s shoulder, and gave a short compliment in a calm tone.

“Thank you, Director.”

“I made a few mistakes at the waist in the middle, but it wasn’t a big mistake.”

At Kang Tae-han’s words, the man, Lee Jong-hwa, was shocked at the moment.

He knew what he was saying was a mistake. In fact, when I was acupressure on my waist, I had to press another spot right next to the acupuncture point a couple of times because I had misjudged the standard.

However, in other words, it is just such a mistake. Even that was corrected immediately and the massage started properly again.

It’s a level that is hard to notice unless you’re the one who presses it. Even the person receiving the massage is hard to notice unless you are really sensitive.

But, not the parties themselves, but a third party who was watching from a few steps back figured it out? It was a story that honestly made no sense.

‘The director is really great… … .’

However, if it was Kang Tae-han who brought up the words, it would be understandable. It was still nonsensical, but the story would be a little different if someone who said it didn’t make sense.

“It’s been a long time. Anyway, the conclusion of the review is… … .”

Kang Tae-han slightly turned his gaze to the side. There was Choi Seong-hyeon holding a clipboard and a ballpoint pen in each hand.

“I think you’ll be fine taking the artisan course.”

“Is that true!”

“yes. That’s enough.”

Kang Tae-han speaks with a smile, and Choi Seong-hyun circles the paper on the clipboard as soon as he hears it. Masseur Lee Jong-hwa reacted with excitement, and other masseurs around him began to applaud.

“Hey, the bell is going up for the fifth time.”

“Because Jonghwa was originally good. There are many visitors.”

“Honestly, it deserves to be acknowledged.”

This event is none other than the Artisan Course Judging.

Even if it’s just a screening, it’s not that grandiose that it’s just done in the sleeping room, but at least it was the most talked about among the general masseurs of Cheonma Massage.

‘From now on, masseuses can apply for a promotion review once a month. If you have any thoughts among the general masseuses, please let me know.’

Kang Tae-han made an announcement like that around last week, and since then, the evaluation has been going on like this.

The reason for conducting the review was simple.

General masseuses also received training, and now their skills have improved a lot, and there was a considerable gap between individuals.

In fact, it was natural.

Even if you are the same general masseuse, there are new masseuses who have just joined, while there are also masseuses who rarely have time to rest due to the large number of customers.

Of course, most of the masseuse’s income is performance money, and there is a difference in the amount of money taken as much as the difference in skills and the number of customers they visit.

But apart from that, it’s a matter of will.

In fact, since they said that they would be judged for the artisan course, a more motivated atmosphere had formed among the masseuses than before.

“Please wake up, Chief.”

“Ah, was there only one species today?”

“yes. You worked hard.”

“It’s me, I’m doing what I always do, what.”

Director Hwang was lying on the bed like a mannequin for demonstration.

He slowly got up, twisting his hips from side to side and turning his shoulders. He opened his mouth again in admiration.

“Ah, it definitely feels good.”

“Yes?”

“yes. Well, I can’t analyze things like Taehan, but… Some people feel different even if they move their bodies a little after a massage like this.”

So far, Kang Tae-han has uploaded two people to the artisan course.

Kang Tae-han selected them according to his own strict standards, and Director Hwang, who received a massage every time like a mannequin, recognized them. It’s hard to pinpoint, but there was a difference that was felt from the point of view of the recipient.

“But can I raise it to an artisan course like this?”

“why? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

“It is, but… I wonder if we need more stringent criteria. After all, there is no choice but to be a little different from the existing artisan course managers, such as Seonghyeon and Taejin.”

Kang Tae-han crossed his arms at Director Hwang’s words. Then he shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.

“What… I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Just as there is a gap between general masseuses, it is natural for there to be a gap between artisan masseuses. In fact, even among the existing three people, there was a considerable gap between Choi Seong-hyun and the two.

If you say that you have to catch up with all the gaps to become a craftsman, then at least a few years will pass before you can choose the fourth master course manager.

“Even if it’s an artisan course in the first place, I think Mr. Jonghwa is doing better than when we first came up.”

At Kang Tae-han’s words, Seong-hyeon Choi spoke as if helping.

As he said, there were quite a few general masseuses who were better than the three people who were in charge of the previous artisan course. If you look at it by the standards of the time, you can see that almost half of the masseurs are qualified for the artisan course.

“And how long can the three of us take the artisan course? Later, Mr. Seong-Hun or Mr. Tae-Jin could drop out as branch managers, and Seong-Hyeon would have to go back and forth.”

“… Well, that’s it too.”

It was something that was going on because of that in the first place.

Even if the business is expanded, there should be no disruption to the services of the existing business. It is truly the foundation of the basics, but it is also a part that is not followed as well as expected.

And in order to keep it in Cheonma Massage, there is a little lacking in the structure so far.

Of course, the reputation of Cheonma Massage was no different from that created by Kang Tae-han, but not all customers came just for the Cheonma course.

“and… I think this motivates other masseuses more.”

“That makes sense.”

At Kang Tae-han’s words, Chief Hwang nodded repeatedly, then turned his gaze to the side and looked at the resting room.

Usually, masseuses voluntarily participated in classes and practiced, but they were definitely showing a more active appearance there these days.

* * *

A large-scale sports facility located in Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.

This so-called Jincheon Athlete’s Village is a camp facility and comprehensive training center where national athletes from each sport are gathered and trained.

In a way, it is a place that can be said to be the most competitive scene in the sports industry, where the best sports players in Korea are gathered.

“ruler… Shall we do this much for today?”

“Is that okay?”

“If you feel better, I think you can do it this far.”

However, the recent atmosphere at the training ground was more relaxed than fierce. It’s not a loose atmosphere. Quite the opposite.

Although the training schedule itself seemed to be a little relaxed, the atmosphere between the players was always tense, like a tight rope.

The reason for this conflicting atmosphere was simple.

Because there is not much time left until the Olympics.

For them, this is the moment when they reap the fruits of four years of hard work, or perhaps a lifetime.

So, even in this short period of time, I want to improve my skills by training more, but if I move my body excessively and get injured or ruin my condition, it will be the end.

Therefore, the training schedule is made with the aim of not missing the feeling until the day, rather than improving the skills.

However, you can’t let go of the string of tension. As a result, such a strange atmosphere is formed that looks loose at first glance, but is full of tension.

In the athletes’ village where such an atmosphere flows.

“You were the manager, right?”

“Ah yes. you’re right. Thank you so much for coming all the way today, Director.”

“no. Thanks for sending the bus, I came here comfortably.”

A man had just arrived and was greeting the people who had met him in the parking lot. Team leader Woo shook his hands as if telling the man not to say such a thing.

“Ayu, the director took time out for our players, isn’t that natural? If you feel like it, I can pick it up myself.”

“This is a gross exaggeration.”

Team leader Woo Dae-seok showed his back with exaggerated gestures as if he were not saying empty words, and the man, Kang Tae-han, smiled and burst into laughter.