TWELVE 107

“Phew, phew…”

My breath was rising to my throat, and my head was dizzy. I glanced at Gi Seoin. He looked perfectly fine. It seemed as if he hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat, in stark contrast to me.

“Haa, ah, it’s hard…”

A complaint slipped out of me without my realizing it. I felt a gaze on me, and sure enough, Gi Seoin was watching me.

He reached out and stopped my treadmill. Then, he stepped off his own machine as well. I felt like I might tumble if I tried to step off immediately, so I just held onto the handles and reduced my speed.

“Ah…!”

Soon the rail stopped completely, and I sat down as if collapsing.

“Drink.”

While I was catching my breath, I snatched the water bottle that appeared before my eyes and gulped it down. I wiped my mouth and looked at Gi Seoin. As expected, his face was clean.

“You don’t look tired at all.”

“I matched your pace.”

Gi Seoin was only speaking the truth, but it was a reply that bruised my pride slightly.

It hadn’t even been a month since I started exercising with Gi Seoin. It naturally makes no sense to match the pace of someone like Gi Seoin, who has exercised consistently for a long time, all at once. I knew that, but the difference was just too extreme.

Still, I had been arrogant enough to think I could keep up to some extent since I’d earned my living through physical labor. I hadn’t realized that manual labor and exercise are completely different fields.

“If you match me, aren’t you getting no exercise?”

“It’s better than not doing it.”

“Ugh. You’re being a bit of a jerk.”

I was half-joking and half-serious. Gi Seoin smiled as if he already knew.

In any case, I couldn’t stay sprawled out forever. When I raised my body, he wiped my sweat-soaked face with a towel. I reflexively checked my surroundings. There was a reason for that.

‘It’s so good to see two handsome young men hanging around.’

‘The ladies here come out to exercise after hearing rumors about the young men.’

‘Oh my, why would you say that! You’re such a busybody.’

‘Haha… thank you.’

Inadvertently, Gi Seoin and I had become a pair that drew attention at the residents’ gym. It wasn’t just empty flattery from the ladies to make us feel good; we heard similar things quite often. At first, I wondered if it was just my imagination, but there were actually people glancing at us and watching us more than a few times.

The problem was that Gi Seoin acted exactly the same as when we were alone, whether people were watching or not.

“I’ll wipe it.”

It was the same now. When I tried to take the towel, he…

“Stay still.”

He gave a mock scolding and wiped my face excessively meticulously and carefully, as if washing a baby.

For two grown men to be stuck together with one wiping the other’s sweat like this—honestly, if anyone else had done it, I would have thought it was strange too.

“People are… watching.”

I muttered quietly enough so others wouldn’t hear. Of course, his reaction was that it didn’t matter.

“Let them watch.”

“If people misunderstand…”

“It’s not a misunderstanding.”

That’s true. It is, but…

“You have a social position too…”

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to kiss you.”

“Hey…!”

It was probably a joke, but a chill ran down my spine because it felt like Gi Seoin really might do it. If the gym were somewhere far from home, it might not have mattered, but since this place was only used by residents, it was quite troublesome.

I’m sure people wouldn’t know who I am and wouldn’t care, but Gi Seoin was different. He was a somewhat famous figure whose profession and family relations would pop up along with his photo if you typed his name into the internet.

In the end, due to this threat that wasn’t quite a threat, I had no choice but to stay still until Gi Seoin finished wiping my face and massaged my stiff muscles. If it were him, he was more than capable of actually kissing me.

We finished exercising and were inside the elevator going up to the house.

“It bothers me.”

Suddenly, Gi Seoin spat out those words. I looked at him.

“What does?”

“The people.”

He gave a short answer and stepped out of the elevator doors that opened right on time. It was only after entering the house that I asked again.

“What about the people?”

“There weren’t many people using the gym when I went to exercise alone,” he said, tossing off his T-shirt. “But since Woo Seungkyung started going, people are gathering.”

“No, that’s probably just your imagination.”

“People are saying it openly—that they started coming to the gym because of you.”

“They said it was because of both of us, not just me…”

“I don’t like it. I’m going to go wash up.”

Complaining, he disappeared into the bathroom. It felt as if ‘My mood is unpleasant’ was written on his receding back.

Why is he being like this today?

He wasn’t like this even on the day we were caught by the ladies and heard all sorts of things, so I was curious about the reason for his sudden irritation.

Could it be because I told him not to wipe my sweat since people were watching…?

While I wondered if it could be such a childish reason, I also nodded to myself because I knew how sensitive he gets when it comes to matters involving me.

Anyway, whatever the reason, I should probably soothe Gi Seoin’s sulky mood. It would be such a waste to stay down when it’s finally the weekend. But how should I soothe him…

After thinking for a moment, I imagined going into the bathroom and washing with him.

I felt like it would be resolved immediately, but on the contrary, my own mood might become gloomy. Because it was certain that even if I seduced him openly, he would only act pleased and wouldn’t lay a finger on me.

Now that we’re even exercising together, does it make sense that we can’t do anything beyond kissing because of my body?

Could it be that he’s making excuses because he actually doesn’t want to?

It’s true that he likes me, but maybe he didn’t really like the idea of having sex with me…

The branches of my thoughts spread out recklessly, and I cut them off so they couldn’t spread any further.

Judging and misunderstanding Gi Seoin like this was an action that left scratches on our relationship. It’s a lesson I learned after making the same mistake several times.

So, I concluded that I should just put it into action first.

Mustering my courage, I opened the bathroom door, and Gi Seoin poked his head out of the shower booth and smiled broadly at me.

“Are we washing together?”

Somehow, I have a good feeling today.

“Is that okay?”

“Come here.”

I turned slightly, took off even my underwear, and approached him. Gi Seoin lowered the showerhead, checked the water temperature, and then wet my body.

I had marched in boldly, but actually being naked in front of him made me feel embarrassed for no reason again.

“Aren’t you… finished washing?”

“I’ll just wash one more time.”

On the contrary, he seemed relaxed enough to even act sly. Since, above all, he looked to be in a good mood, it meant I had achieved the goal of barging into the bathroom in one go.

“Then I want to wash you too. Give me the towel.”

“Don’t do it, it’s tiring.”

“Hey, if I’m tired from just this, I should be hospitalized. Give it here.”

I took the shower towel from his hand as if snatching it.

Come to think of it, there have been quite a few times when Gi Seoin washed me, but there hasn’t been a single time when I washed him. This might be… a golden opportunity.

“You haven’t even properly started washing yet.”

But as he said that, Gi Seoin took the shower towel back from my hand. Just as he said, I had only just started washing, so I had no excuse to take the shower towel back.

Well, it’s not like I can’t seduce him without a shower towel.

Suddenly, a sense of stubbornness boiled up.

“Can’t we kiss before washing?” I said, wrapping my arms around Gi Seoin’s waist and pressing my body against his. “Should we kiss a hundred times and then wash, then?”

It was effective this time too. He pulled the corners of his mouth up to his cheekbones and leaned in to kiss me. At first, it really started as a kiss, but in an instant, our lips were deeply interlocked.

His tongue slid into my mouth. I cheered inwardly and tilted my head. The tips of our noses bumped and bent before finding their place.

And that was as far as it went.

The guy who finished the deep kiss very calmly started making lather on the shower towel again, regardless of whether my breath was ragged or whether there were changes in my body.

“…Gi Seoin.”

When I called him, he only moved his eyes to look at me. Seeing his clear face made me feel even more wronged for some reason.

“Are we not doing anything other than kissing?”

“We’re not.”

“Why not?”

I ended up saying it like I was throwing a tantrum, but well, it was true that I was throwing a tantrum.

“I want to. Let’s do it.”

“No.”

Rejecting me flatly, he began to speak while gently rubbing my shoulders with the shower towel.

“Your shoulder is just starting to get better. At times like this, we have to cherish it more.”

“Nothing is going to happen just because we do that.”

“What if it does?”

He grabbed my shoulders and made me turn around. His careful touch brushed my back.

“I told you it won’t.”

“If by any chance my actions delay your full recovery, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“Wait, it’s that serious?”

“Yes.”

At Gi Seoin’s firm answer, my desire to pester him further vanished.

“It’s not like you’re some kind of monster… it won’t happen.”

I insisted to Gi Seoin that recovery couldn’t possibly be slowed by just one session of sex, but honestly, I did think there was a possibility in my heart.

So, I couldn’t pester him any more to do it when he said he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if my recovery hit a snag because of sex. He seemed like the type who would truly blame himself and lose his appetite entirely.

In any case, today’s attempt was also a failure, but I did want to clearly convey my feelings to him.

“I want to do it with you. I’ve felt that way the whole time.”

At that, the hand washing my waist paused for a split second. I looked back at him. His expression was no different from usual, but…

“Seungkyung, I mean…” he said in his characteristically quiet tone. “Put your heart into your rehabilitation and exercise while you can. Don’t regret it later.”

“…Why do you talk about having sex later like it’s a declaration of war?”

In any case, I did answer that I understood. I also vowed not to provoke Gi Seoin anymore. I really should exercise hard too. Judging by Gi Seoin’s stamina and the desires he must have suppressed as much as I have, it seemed like I ought to.