Chapter – 39
Sniff. Jian wiped her tears and climbed down from the bed.
Her body was sweaty from struggling, and her face was a mess of tears and snot. She wanted to wash herself. They say sadness is water-soluble, so maybe taking a shower would lift her spirits a little.
She trudged toward the bathroom attached to her bedroom.
Meanwhile, the homeowner, Yoo Geon, who had gone on a happy date alone, lay on the bed feeling lonely before finally getting up.
After a quick, careless meal, he blasted music in his car and drove aimlessly.
“Hah, this is useless.”
He thought the only way to relieve his frustration was to get his heart racing. Without thinking, he turned the car toward a place.
It was the gym where he had once enjoyed practicing MMA (Mixed Martial Arts).
“Ah, CEO Cha. Hello. Long time no see,” the instructor greeted warmly.
“Hello,” Yoo Geon returned the greeting. He explained that he had come for a sparring session.
“However, the showers are under maintenance due to the city waterworks. Is that okay?” the instructor asked before matching him with an opponent.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Yoo Geon replied. Not being able to shower immediately was inconvenient, but waiting a bit wouldn’t kill him.
It had been a while since his last visit, so Yoo Geon warmed up thoroughly, reviewed his basics, and then went into sparring with the assigned opponent.
Despite the gap, Yoo Geon’s movements were still sharp and powerful.
“They say to see if someone is really a good person, you should have them date a bit first, right? Even if you don’t, you’re supposed to know they’re good?”
He deftly dodged a fast punch.
“Then they say you could remain single for 10 or 20 years and still be fine? What, like some virtuous lady?”
He slammed his knee into a gap at his opponent’s side.
“…Damn it. I love you. That’s all from me.”
He also tried a rapid series of punches strong enough to trap his opponent’s movements.
“Damn…”
Despite his perfect physique, innate athletic ability, and sharp judgment making him more than a match for the gym’s fighters, his heart felt even tighter.
“CEO Cha, it’s really a shame. I’d recommend you debut as a professional athlete if it weren’t for your work. You’re such a talented individual,” the instructor said as Yoo Geon, flushed and shirtless from the sparring, drank some water.
Yoo Geon replied with a simple, “Thank you,” and gulped the water down. Every swallow made his prominent Adam’s apple bob. Some of the water spilled down his chin and neck.
“…If this were printed on a banner outside, it might help recruit female members,” the instructor and nearby members silently thought.
Yoo Geon, having emptied the water, wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
“Is it that my exercise wasn’t enough to clear my mind?”
He sparred several more times, but the expected relief didn’t come. If anything, he became even more annoyed.
Not being able to shower immediately due to the maintenance also added to his discomfort. With nothing gained even at the gym, he drove home, only thinking of getting cleaned up.
Jian washed her body with warm water and fragrant body wash. Thankfully, it seemed to improve her mood considerably.
After finishing her shower, she tried to dry off and put on her bathrobe.
“Ah… I didn’t bring my bathrobe or underwear…”
Upset, she flopped onto the bed, still soaked in sweat, tears, and snot. Her only thought had been to wash herself, which is why she’d forgotten to grab her robe.
Sighing, Jian wrapped a bath towel around her.
‘I wonder if Yoo Geon has returned yet?’
Even though she was modestly covered, she didn’t want to run into him like this. Her emotions were still unstable, so it was best to avoid any awkward situations.
She tried to peek into the bedroom through the door crack, carefully unlocking the bathroom handle.
Just as she was about to open the door…
‘Huh?’
Instead of the tiny crack she had hoped for, the door swung wide open.
Yoo Geon returned home and entered the quiet living room.
‘Is Eun Jian in her room, or is she in the bedroom?’
He hoped she was in her own room. Recently, he often found himself stealing glances at her, and just watching her made him smirk.
But right now, he didn’t want to meet her. He felt that he might get grumpy and act impulsively.
Climbing upstairs casually, he found the bedroom empty.
‘She must be in her room then.’
He felt both relief and a strange sense of disappointment.
Yoo Geon went to his dressing room to get underwear and home wear. Eager to shower, he strode toward the bathroom. The light switch was on.
‘Is Eun Jian here? But I don’t hear anything.’
Sometimes, they both forgot to turn off the lights, so Yoo Geon grasped the handle without much thought.
If Jian had been inside, she would have locked it, he reasoned.
However, the door opened.
‘Ah, right… just forgot to turn off the light…’
Thinking it was nothing, he pushed the door fully open—and was met with a shocked Jian inside.
Even with a towel around her, her wet hair, bare face, and body curves were exposed in a highly sensual way.
“Ah…!”
Jian stepped back in surprise. Yoo Geon was equally startled.
There had been no noise because she had already finished showering. He intended to apologize later, but for now, he tried to close the door and leave.
“Uh…!”
Jian slipped on the water on the floor as she backed up and wobbled.
“Eun Jian!”
Yoo Geon reached out for her. He managed to grab her arm quickly, but…
“Ah…!”
They both lost their footing on the wet floor.
‘This is bad…!’
Using his quick reflexes, Yoo Geon pulled Jian into his arms, spinning midair to make sure his back, not hers, hit the floor.
‘Couples… all of you, just shatter! Fall backward in front of your girlfriends, you happy jerk!’
As he fell backward, staring at the bathroom ceiling, he remembered the curse he had flung at Min Sung earlier.
Why…
He wasn’t in a couple. He wasn’t happy.
So why was he falling backward like this…?
Min Sung… that bastard…
Boom! He silently blamed Min Sung as he landed on the floor, Jian in his arms.
“Ugh…”
A low groan escaped Yoo Geon, taking the impact on his broad back. The hard bathroom floor hurt considerably.
Jian’s heart skipped a beat. She felt nothing thanks to being cushioned by him, but Yoo Geon had taken the full brunt of it.
Trying to get up while struggling atop his large frame, Jian placed her hands on his chest.
‘Huff…’
She froze. She realized too late what she was touching.
Her hands were on Yoo Geon’s chest…
The hardness pressed against her cheeks, making her fingers itch mischievously.
‘What am I doing! Yoo Geon fell hard because of me, and now I’m letting my mind wander?!’
Jian reined in her urge and quickly pulled her hands away, finally focusing on Yoo Geon to check if he was okay.
