Chapter 93: Park Soo-won. 47 years old. Professor. Married man.
TL: Aniea
'...Why the hell isn't it working!?'
Kim Eun-ha was overwhelmed by intense frustration and self-loathing when her body didn’t move the way she wanted.
She had no issues doing other exercises, but she felt utterly embarrassed that she turned tone-deaf whenever she tried to dance.
'...I’m so stupid.'
Kim Eun-ha wanted to cry.
To be honest, if she were alone right now, she would’ve cried out of sheer frustration.
If there was one thing to be grateful for, it was that the only person who witnessed this disgrace was Kang Woo-ju. But even that wasn’t much comfort to Kim Eun-ha.
'...Look how bruised it is.'
At first, she practiced wearing formal shoes and high heels, but because she kept stepping on Kang Woo-ju’s foot too many times, she eventually practiced barefoot.
However, even without shoes, her sense of rhythm was terrible. As mistakes piled up, she unconsciously tensed her toes, and Kang Woo-ju’s foot unintentionally suffered for it.
“...Are you okay?”
“No. It hurts like hell.”
Ashamed by his honest reply, Kim Eun-ha lowered her head deeply. Just then, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
Tap, tap-
Wondering what it was, she lifted her head slightly, and Kang Woo-ju, who had come right up to her face, tapped the bridge of her nose lightly.
“...What are you doing?”
“Revenge.”
“I’m not in the mood for jokes, you know?”
“Hm. Was that too weak? Then how about I settle it with a forehead flick?”
“...Whatever.”
Siiigh-
Kang Woo-ju grinned mischievously at Kim Eun-ha’s response. It didn’t seem like he was joking, as he began cracking his fingers in the air to warm up.
Swoosh-
Then Kang Woo-ju suddenly reached out his hand. With his left hand, he gently brushed back her hair, and brought his right hand to her forehead.
'...Ugh.'
Faced with the imminent threat, Kim Eun-ha instinctively closed her eyes.
Normally, she would never allow such humiliation, even if it meant throwing Kang Woo-ju to the ground. But the image of his bruised foot kept flashing in her mind, and so she quietly accepted her punishment.
“Here I go?”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha didn’t answer. She just tightly shut her eyes, bracing for the painful impact soon to come.
She knew Kang Woo-ju never went easy in moments like this. She tried her best to steady her trembling body.
“Seriously, I’m going?”
“...Stop dragging it out.”
Kang Woo-ju seemed to be enjoying her nervous reaction. He was so irritating, but Kim Eun-ha endured it with patience.
“Thre-e-e.... Tw-o-o....”
“Ah, just hurry up...!”
“One!”
Eek-!
At Kang Woo-ju’s sudden shout, Kim Eun-ha flinched and let out a shrill cry as her body tensed up.
Smack-
The impact came a beat later. It fell far short of what she had braced for, it felt like nothing more than a light touch of his finger. Cautiously, Kim Eun-ha opened her eyes.
"Ah. I missed."
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha squinted at Kang Woo-ju with narrowed eyes. He shrugged and continued speaking.
“You dodged that one, Eun-ha ssi. Let’s try again?”
“No.”
“Aww-”
Tick, tick,
Kang Woo-ju flicked his fingers in the air as if disappointed. But Kim Eun-ha knew well that it was an act.
He never intended to hit her hard in the first place. He was just acting like that because she had looked so sorry.
'...So irritating I could die.'
Maybe it was thanks to his effort, but the guilt that had been weighing so heavily on Kim Eun-ha’s heart a moment ago melted away like snow.
All that remained was a twisted affection that made her want to mess up his annoying face and a bit of gratitude.
“Let’s try it again.”
“Huh? But....”
At that moment, Kang Woo-ju readily held out his hand to her. Kim Eun-ha quietly stared at the offered hand.
It wasn’t that she disliked Kang Woo-ju, but she knew that if she took that hand, she’d probably end up stepping on his foot again.
As if he had read her mind, Kang Woo-ju didn’t rush her and just waited patiently. So Kim Eun-ha very carefully took his hand.
“Eun-ha ssi, you trust me, right?”
“...Huh?”
She tilted her head at the sudden question, but only for a moment. Then she felt a foreign hand wrap around her waist.
Whoosh-
Before she could even grasp the situation, Kim Eun-ha was forcibly pulled closer by Kang Woo-ju’s strength.
The first sense to react to their sudden closeness was her sense of smell. The perfume she had once chosen for him blended with Kang Woo-ju’s natural scent, creating a unique fragrance.
‘Dark chocolate....’
Perhaps because he had sweat a lot during practice, the scent was richer and sweeter than usual, tickling her nose.
Normally, the smell of sweat should be unpleasant. Strangely, though, she found herself wanting to lean in closer.
Ah-
As that fleeting moment passed and her nose quickly adjusted, a small sigh of disappointment escaped her lips.
“Eun-ha ssi, try placing your left foot on top of my foot.”
“...What?”
She was too stunned to respond right away, and before she could react, Kang Woo-ju playfully wriggled his right foot underneath hers.
Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Kim Eun-ha slightly lifted her foot, and as if he had been waiting for just that moment, Kang Woo-ju’s foot settled completely under hers.
Ugh-
Kang Woo-ju slightly furrowed his brows, likely due to the bruise on his foot. Kim Eun-ha quickly tried to move her foot away.
“Stay still.”
“...W-what are you doing!?”
“I’m going to teach you the steps.”
“There’s no way this will... Whoa!?”
Before she could even finish her sentence, Kang Woo-ju firmly lifted her foot.
At the same time, the hand on her waist gently applied pressure to guide her movement.
It felt less like dancing and more like he was trying to flip her over, but ironically, that sensation awakened Kim Eun-ha’s dormant motor skills.
To avoid falling, Kim Eun-ha instinctively moved her back foot. The sequence of movements flowed smoothly, forming a rather natural-looking path.
“...Huh?”
A puzzled hum escaped Kim Eun-ha’s lips as she realized what had happened. She didn’t quite know how she’d done it, but somehow, it worked.
“See? I told you it would work.”
Siiigh-
With a mischievous smile, Kang Woo-ju moved again. The method was the same as before, but this time the steps continued in a sequence.
Keeping one foot atop Kang Woo-ju’s, Kim Eun-ha began to follow his lead.
Huff- Hoo-
Kang Woo-ju’s breathing tickled her ears. Even after multiple movements, his steady and even breaths showed just how stable he was.
Kim Eun-ha matched his pace. She didn’t force herself to resist his rhythm but followed it like flowing water.
“Where did you learn to do this?”
“I learned it in school.”
“From whom?”
“Park Soo-won. 47 years old. Professor. Married man.”
“Pfft- What kind of answer is that?”
"It's not exactly a pleasant memory."
Kang Woo-ju shook his head with a mechanical expression, completely devoid of emotion. It certainly wasn’t the kind of scene one would want to imagine.
But for some reason, a strange sense of comfort welled up in a corner of her heart. Thanks to that, Kim Eun-ha felt herself relax.
“He must’ve been a very passionate professor.”
"Female students were out of the question from the start, male students with good basics were also out. Among the remaining people who hadn't formed groups yet, I was probably just the person least likely to cause controversy."
“...That’s impressive in another way.”
“Well, it became an unforgettable memory. At the time, I was mortified, wondering if I really had to go that far just for grades. But now look, turns out it came in handy.”
Hehe-
Kim Eun-ha stifled a laugh as she moved her foot.
One, two.
Then one, two again.
With every step she took following Kang Woo-ju’s lead, the motions became more familiar to her body.
The dance steps she had only memorized in her head were now becoming ingrained in her body, and the timing was starting to align.
She had now practiced enough to step off Kang Woo-ju’s foot, but Kim Eun-ha lingered a little longer.
She wasn’t ready yet.
She told herself she couldn’t step down until she was perfect.
She focused entirely on the moment.
“.......”
“.......”
Silence had fallen around them at some point.
But it wasn’t uncomfortable.
His unwavering breath.
The occasional hint of chocolate scent.
The strong heartbeat transmitted through their touching skin.
All of it tickled her senses like a chatty whisper.
The rush of sensations became too much, and Kim Eun-ha had to close her eyes midway.
“...Eun-ha ssi?”
She didn’t answer. Not with words.
She feared she might say something she didn’t truly mean.
Instead, she quietly let herself follow Kang Woo-ju’s movements. Through every motion, she conveyed her feelings.
At least for this moment.
She would entrust him with everything.
***
"...This is dangerous."
Lying alone on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling. My body felt as heavy as lead from continuous practice, yet my eyes wouldn’t close.
The moment of dancing with Kim Eun-ha just a while ago replayed like a panorama before my eyes.
Kim Eun-ha, who quietly closed her eyes and entrusted her body to me. A side of her I had never seen, someone who never let go of control, now completely yielding.
"...Dangerous."
I almost reached out instinctively. I wanted to touch her hair, which gave off a faint scent of peach.
Of course, being a healthy man in his twenties, this kind of thing wasn’t entirely new to me. But today, it was particularly intense.
'...It’s torture, really.'
When I first accepted the contract Kim Eun-ha offered, I was sure there’d be no issue at all.
I had always kept my distance from “women” and was confident I’d have no contact with them going forward.
I planned to live a celibate life anyway, so if I could get money and opportunities on those terms, it felt like a bargain.
'There’s a reason they’re paying so much.'
The human heart is fickle. Once I had enough to live on, I started noticing other things.
Most issues I could brush off due to my lifelong habits, but problems related to Kim Eun-ha kept escalating like an escalator.
'...Eun-ha ssi really is beautiful.'
Objectively speaking, yes. And not just moderately, she was so stunning that most celebrities would pale in comparison.
And that wasn’t all.
She was one of Korea’s top chaebol. Even putting inherited wealth aside, she was capable and attractive in her own right.
I can confidently say the suitor candidates we've seen so far are just the tip of the iceberg.
If you gathered all the business cards of men who had pursued her so far, they’d probably fill a truck.
‘I didn’t mind before, but....’
Lately, we had been spending more time together because of the theater. More than anything, the increasing physical contact had stirred something primal.
There’s a reason people refer to sports and performing arts departments as “the animal kingdom.”
Put attractive men and women in their twenties together in a small space, and it’s stranger if nothing happens.
"...Get it together."
Slap-
I lightly slapped my cheek and got out of bed. I thought cooling off with some water and falling asleep quickly would stop me from having unnecessary thoughts.
Gulp, gulp-
I came out into the living room and gulped down a glass of cold water, which helped settle my stirred-up emotions.
“You’re still up?”
That’s when Kim Eun-ha walked out from the corner. She must have just showered; she was drying her hair with a towel as she approached.
She wore a relaxed pink silk pajama set that caught my eye. I thought to myself, even pajamas look stylish on someone so beautiful.
She must have been thirsty too because she naturally came up beside me to pour some water. The gentle scent of her shampoo wrapped around me.
“That’s the cup I was using.”
“You’re not a middle schooler, why worry about that?”
“...It’s a hygiene thing.”
“Hm? That’s a weird reaction.”
Noticing something odd, Kim Eun-ha looked at me with a mischievous smile.
She deliberately made eye contact with me while swaying the cup in her hand side to side.
“Indirect kiss?”
“I said it’s about hygiene.”
“You didn’t brush your teeth?”
“Of course I did.”
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Gulp, gulp-
Kim Eun-ha drank the water with exaggerated gusto. Since the cup had a handle, and we were both right-handed, our lips had touched the exact same spot.
Honestly, we were well past the age where such things should matter, but the fact that she had used the term “indirect kiss” made it linger in my mind.
“...I’m going ahead.”
“Oh my, are you really embarrassed!?”
"Just do the dishes."
“So you’re not denying it? Hoohoo.”
Sigh-
I didn’t answer. It was obvious that replying would only drag things out further. Instead, I let out a deep sigh and returned to my room.
Afterward, I lay back on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling again, lost in thought.
‘...Ugh.’
Whenever I closed my eyes, Kim Eun-ha’s lips kept appearing in my mind, and in the end, I ended up tossing and turning all night.
*****
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