“USA? Isn’t that a great thing then?”

“It’s not a bad thing, but… It’s not like going straight to the finals, and it’s not that difficult to qualify for the preliminaries.”

She said it with embarrassment, but Chae Eun-bi’s expression was bright.

A dream of becoming a professional that he couldn’t even try because of his back. Even so, I couldn’t give up completely and only regrets remained, but now being able to participate in competitions as a professional was like a dream.

“My back isn’t too bad either. Have you improved a lot?”

“sure. The stretching that my brother taught me every day… Ugh?!”

While she was loosening her strength, suddenly Kang Tae-han’s hands gently pressed both sides of her waist. I didn’t feel like I was pressing too hard, but a tingling sensation ran up my spine, like electricity.

“… But oppa’s massage is still stimulating.”

“Well, there are places where the aftereffects still remain… If you are in good shape, you can increase the intensity as much as that.”

Massage is changing to suit the original partner.

As she became healthier, the strength her body could handle also increased, and Kang Tae-han only raised the standard a little more to match.

He began to apply evenly all over her back, starting at her lower back and working her way up her spine.

Work that stimulates internal blood vessels and activates circulation from around the waist. In the process, the tired muscles are naturally released, and new vitality flows into the place where the takgi are removed.

“Ugh… Cheeky.”

A strange sensation spreads from his back following Kang Tae-han’s touch. It feels like the clogged blood vessels are opening and clear energy flows in from the outside.

To explain everything in one word… … .

Cool. A faint moan leaked from Chae Eun-bi’s closed mouth at the coolness that traveled up her spine from her waist to the peripheral nerves.

“No, something… ugh Does it feel a bit different from last time?”

I’m not sure, but it feels a bit different from the last time I had a massage. Aside from simply feeling relaxed and relieved of fatigue… It is ambiguous to describe it, but I felt energy flowing from the outside.

“You sure have good senses.”

When Chae Eun-bi hinted at it, Kang Tae-han smiled and said, He was in the process of injecting life into her fingertips and injecting energy into her acupoints.

To intensify blood flow a little more, pull out stagnant takgi, and at the same time revitalize the surrounding muscles.

The breathed vitality is recovered again, but a certain amount is inevitably consumed in the process, even if it is only a small part. That’s why I didn’t use it as much as possible.

“I heard you’re going to America, so I’m taking care of you.”

Kang Tae-han said in a mischievous voice, gently pressing down on her prestigious acupuncture points. At the same time, Chae Eun-bi could feel her physical condition clearly improving in real time. Would you say it’s full of life?

Besides, based on Kang Tae-han’s hand on his back, the feeling of warm water flowing in… It warmed the whole body from the inside and made it loose, bringing a strange comfort.

“… If I get good grades in America.”

In the state of being tired of that comfortable feeling, Chae Eun-bi spoke softly in a dreamy voice that was fully relaxed.

“I will talk a lot about my brother. Speaking in interviews… There is a real K-massage that is not a joke. I also found my dream again thanks to him… … .”

With the eyes half-closed and the tongue slightly loose, it is a situation where one step has already crossed into the land of dreams. Seeing her like that, Kang Tae-han burst out laughing.

“Then, since I have to do well in America, I need to give her a proper massage this time.”

“Already properly… I am doing… … .”

big… After that, she started snoring with her eyes completely closed.

Chae Eun-bi never expressed herself, but during her break, she went through a very tight rehabilitation exercise and training schedule to regain her lost senses and motor nerves.

‘The fact that the results came out means that I put in that much effort.’

A professional debut made almost simultaneously with his return, and a runner-up in the competition. Those achievements were something she was able to achieve because of her own efforts, and the traces of her efforts remained intact on her body.

The fact that I fell asleep like this now is part of the trace. Kang Tae-han looked at her with a happy expression, and then continued the massage.

* * *

Next monday.

“Taehan! Look at this.”

“What is it?”

At Yoo Se-ah’s words, Kang Tae-han walked slowly and slightly poked his head out.

“How about this? It’s a portable coffee machine!”

Yoo Se-ah picked up a plastic bottle the size of a water bottle and said with a bright expression. It was like a child looking for something in a toy store.

“Hmm… It looks pretty good.”

On the other hand, Kang Tae-han’s expression when facing the same object was quite different. It is like the eyes of an adventurer looking at equipment while traveling a long way.

“The weight seems right, and it looks comfortable to use.”

Although you need to bring your own coffee powder, you can make your own espresso anywhere with coffee powder and boiling water.

Equipment that is not absolutely necessary, but allows you to enjoy small luxuries without much effort. As if acknowledging its practicality, Taehan Kang nodded.

“Yes? Does it look okay?”

When Kang Tae-han spoke with a nuance that he acknowledged, Yoo Se-ah also smiled with a satisfied expression.

As promised last time, the two came to the department store to see camping supplies.

There was not much time left until the store closed because each of them met after their work, but Yoo Se-ah’s expression was always bright from the time she met Kang Tae-han.

“How about this? It would be nice to have a pillow too.”

I feel like I’m excited!

The tent I brought with me for the last camping trip was also defective, and there was an unfortunate accident that it suddenly rained in the evening… Even so, it remained a very good memory for her.

A landscape of a forest that is gradually getting darker. The surrounding atmosphere settled down calmly with a quiet silence, and the sound of raindrops rang from above the tent.

And if you turn your head, you can see the profile of Kang Tae-han over his broad shoulders and the two hands folded up and down. Warmth transmitted to each other through hands.

‘Whoop whoop.’

When I think of that time, Seah Yoo smiles even when things get a little difficult. Even though we were quietly holding hands, that alone made our hearts beat, beat, beat.

So, thinking that I was picking out things to share on the next camping trip, the memories of that time came to my mind and I felt excited for no reason.

“Sea, would you like to come over here?”

“What is it?”

This time Kang Tae-han called her. Yoo Se-ah approached Kang Tae-han with a slightly expectant face.

“You came today because you needed this.”

The place where Kang Tae-han is standing is none other than the tent corner.

Because the last tent was torn from the beginning, it was Yoo Se-ah who had to share a tent with Kang Tae-han. This is why I came here to look for camping supplies.

“ah… It was.”

However, an ambiguous expression remained on Yoo Se-ah’s expression. It was a face mixed with a slight negative feeling, such as regret or regret.

‘It’s a bit of a waste, but… … .’

Of course, the price of the tent is not a waste.

What she has in mind is the scenery of the day they were together. It was an evening scene with a sense of taste, but the reason the scene was special was that Kang Tae-han was sitting right next to him in the same tent.

It was never intentional that the tent was defective, but… In conclusion, I was satisfied.

‘But when you buy a new tent… … .’

Can we spend the night together like that again?

Isn’t it like the natural reason to be together is disappearing? It’s a bit forced, but in a corner of Yoo Se-ah’s heart, he keeps thinking like that.

If this is the case, I should buy the one with the highest defect rate as possible, but while thinking about that, I was interested in the cheapest price line… … .

“It’s a bit unfortunate, though.”

“yes?”

Kang Tae-han gave the first hint.

Perhaps it was because she was thinking a little foolishly, Yoo Se-ah asked in a confused voice.

“At that time, I really liked listening to the sound of rain in the same tent. There was also luck.”

Then Kang Tae-han said with a smile.

I’m not sure if everyone thinks this way… At least to Yoo Se-ah, it was a smile that was enough to make her breathless for a moment.

“Hmm, hmm. okay?”

Thanks to that, Yoo Se-ah’s answer was one beat late. She clears her throat for a moment.

“That doesn’t matter! Even if we use a separate tent, it is possible to spend time together like that.”

Yoo Se-ah, who had been feeling regret over similar content just a while ago, but said it as if it was not a big deal. However, contrary to her words, the corners of her mouth continued to wriggle.

‘I guess Taehan was thinking the same thing.’

The same scenery seen together in the same spot.

It was both a pleasure and a relief to her that Kang Tae-han had a good memory of that experience.

‘Because the reaction is so cute.’

Meanwhile, Kang Tae-han was still watching her with a smile on his lips. It wasn’t that difficult to read Yoo Se-ah’s mood.

He had been sullen until a little while ago, but when Kang Tae-han spoke, his lips were twitching as he shrugged his shoulders. At the same time, the ears gradually turned red, which was a very easy-to-understand reaction.

* * *

“Hey, it seems like I haven’t seen you in a really long time.”

Choi Tae-joon of the Hanha Hawks.

He was at a pub around the neighborhood, dressed in plain clothes that looked a bit laggy compared to his current fame.

“It’s been a while, huh?”

And the man who came first and sat down and waved his hand. He was none other than Kang Ju-wan, a rising star in the Korean soccer world who showed great success in the Premier League.

“Why did you contact me? You heartless bastard.”

“It’s not that there is no justice. What if I’m not in Korea? Then you should contact me first.”

“Originally, this kind of thing, dude, the better guy should contact you first!”

“Baby, you mean.”

Two friends from the same middle school. Moreover, because of the close relationship between their parents, they had often been attached to each other, whether they like it or not, since they were young, and they were truly best friends.

“Are you able to do your job today?”

“me? Don’t you know the season is over?”

Choi Tae-joon responded calmly as he poured beer from the pitcher into his glass.

“Then, was your job worth doing these days?”

“It wasn’t bad, well. Me and the team.”

Then he took a big sip of the beer he had just poured.

The unexpected performance of the Hanha Hawks at the end of this season was a cataclysmic event that baseball fans know.

If the initial results of the season had been slightly better, if they had won two more, neither more nor less, it would have been enough to put the name of the Hanha Hawks in the postseason for the first time in a while.

“Isn’t that not a bad level?”

“Haha. It’s a bit embarrassing to say with my own mouth~”

Exclaiming from the beer he just drank, Taejun Choi shrugged.

But there was a moment of silence after that.

Usually, when someone says something like this, it’s normal to ask back with ‘Are you worthy of a job?’

“… So, are you okay with your injuries?”

Choi Tae-joon asked in a voice full of regret.

It was better to ask directly than to pretend not to know and ask.

The story of Kang Joo-wan’s injury and sluggish performance. This was something that anyone who is interested in sports in Korea could not know.

“If it’s okay, would you like to be here now?”

At those words, Kang Joo-wan burst into laughter. At first glance, it looked easy-going, but inside it was a bitter smile tinged with a deep sigh.

The condition of the knee ligaments, which had been a problem since before, was deteriorating. In the meantime, he even suffered an injury to his left ankle while playing the game.

The opposing player’s tackle came right into his feet, but as he fell, the ligaments in his ankle stretched.

At least there is no hindrance in my daily life now, and I was able to participate in practice, but… However, the old feeling never returned.

“Still, asking right away like this makes me feel at ease.”

Kang Joo-wan said that in a bitter voice and then emptied the beer in the glass at once.