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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Whoosh!
The rain poured down, a refreshing torrent against the backdrop of the city.
The umbrella above us, a sturdy shield against the downpour, sheltered both Ga-ram and me.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter~
The rain hammered against the taut fabric of the umbrella.
The rhythmic drumming provided a strange comfort to Ga-ram as she fought back tears.
“Ugh…”
A muffled sob escaped her tightly pressed lips.
Her struggle to maintain composure, to appear strong, reminded me of myself.
Someone once said, though the meaning felt somewhat diluted now, that pain was the mark of youth, and wavering was the mark of adulthood.
As both youths and adults, it seemed we were destined to be hurt and shaken by the world.
That’s why I couldn’t offer her any words of comfort.
Her pain was hers alone, and I knew any attempt at empathy would come across as cheap pity.
All I could do was hold the umbrella.
That was all.
“Ugh… mm…”
Ga-ram continued to cry silently for a while.
“…”
After what felt like ten minutes, her breathing evened out, and the sobs subsided.
Despite my attempts to appear stoic, the dropping temperature was starting to get to me.
“Aren’t you cold?”
I was concerned about Ga-ram.
She was drenched, like a drowned rat, and probably freezing.
She was already shivering.
She was bound to catch a cold if we stayed out here much longer.
“Ga-ram, are you cold?”
She didn’t respond, so I asked again.
“…A little,” she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Do you want to go to my car? I drove. Or I can walk you to the bus stop, if you prefer.”
I didn’t want her to misinterpret my offer as an attempt to take advantage of the situation, so I gave her an out.
Whoosh!
The rain intensified, the wind whipping the umbrella back and forth.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay dry.
Having failed with its frontal assault, the rain seemed determined to attack from the sides.
Ga-ram sniffled and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
Whether from the tears or the rubbing, her eyes were red and puffy.
“Then… would you mind… if I went to your car?”
“Of course not. It wouldn’t be right to send you off on a bus in this weather. You’re soaked.”
We walked slowly towards the parking garage.
Back in the cozy confines of the car, the world felt a little less bleak.
The rain now beat against the roof of the car, the sound strangely soothing.
“Achoo!”
Ga-ram sneezed, and I turned on the heater.
Warm air filled the car.
“…”
“…”
A comfortable silence settled between us.
It wasn’t that we had nothing to say, but sometimes silence spoke volumes.
I watched the rain stream down the windows, and Ga-ram stared blankly ahead, her eyes still red-rimmed.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
She finally said, breaking the silence.
“Ask what?”
“Why I’m like this. Why I’m crying.”
She sniffled again.
I turned to look at her, and she met my gaze.
We had been laughing and joking during our workout just this morning.
This sudden shift to a serious atmosphere felt awkward.
“I don’t think I need to ask. It’s your business. It would be rude of me to pry if you don’t want to talk about it.”
My answer seemed to surprise her.
Her eyes widened.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if searching for the right words.
Finally, she spoke.
“You’re not like other older men, In-ho-nim.”
Was she calling me childish?
“I’m immature?”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant… It’s just that you’re easy to talk to. It feels like I’m talking to someone my own age. I know it’s a stereotype, but… older men usually say things like, ‘What’s wrong?’ or ‘Tell me what happened. I’ll fix it.’”
“I can’t say I’m completely different. Maybe I’m just… not very good at expressing concern.”
I felt a little embarrassed and looked away, scratching the back of my head.
I could feel her gaze on me.
“I see.”
Silence descended again.
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, my gaze drifting aimlessly around the parking garage.
“Do you feel better now?”
I asked after a while.
“A little.”
She replied, her voice slightly brighter.
I started the car, the engine humming to life.
“Where should I take you? Home?”
“No, I don’t want to go home.”
She said firmly.
Her tone caught me off guard.
“Then… I’ll take you back to the gym, even though you’re already off work.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I pressed the accelerator, and the car smoothly exited the parking garage.
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The sixth-floor hallway of Myungsung Building was still dimly lit.
“I’ve asked someone to fix the lights. They should be repaired soon.”
‘Once Ho-chul gets back from his vacation.’
She smiled faintly.
“Thank you.”
Ga-ram turned on the lights in the gym and headed towards the showers.
I sat at the reception desk, watching the empty space and waiting for her.
This lack of customers was a serious problem.
I was getting free personal training sessions, but this was Ga-ram’s livelihood.
She couldn’t survive without more members.
I wondered if there was anything I could do to attract more customers…
As I was pondering the future of a gym that wasn’t even mine, Ga-ram returned, her clothes changed.
She looked like her usual self again, the rain-soaked, distraught woman from earlier completely gone.
Growl~
Our stomachs growled in unison.
I hadn’t had dinner either.
“Do you want to get something to eat?”
“Sure. Do you have any… chicken breast here?”
“No, let’s order takeout.”
“Huh?”
Was this the same Ga-ram I knew?
Suggesting takeout?
I must have looked surprised, because she puffed out her cheeks.
“Do you think I eat chicken breast for every meal? I only do that during competition season.”
That was unexpected.
I had assumed she snacked on chicken breast too.
She opened a food delivery app and ordered from a familiar chicken restaurant.
“We shouldn’t overeat, so how about one chicken and a beer each? Half and half?”
“Sounds good. I’m not going to say no to that.”
Takeout authorized by my personal trainer?
It was practically a guilt-free meal.
“I’ll pay.”
I didn’t want her to spend her hard-earned money on me.
But she seemed to disagree.
She sat across from me and extended her arm.
“Let’s do this. Arm wrestling.”
“Arm wrestling?”
“Yes. It’s only fair. I’ll even use just two fingers.”
She held up her index and middle fingers.
“Huh… no matter what, I’m still a man. Just use your whole hand.”
“Really? No take-backs?”
“Do you think I’m that easily fooled? I’m stronger than I look.”
I placed my arm on the table.
Her hand gripped my wrist.
She was stronger than I had expected.
“Ready? We’ll start on the count of three.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
“Argh!”
I strained with all my might, trying to push her hand down!
“…In-ho-nim. Stop playing around.”
She thought I wasn’t taking it seriously.
Her face hardened.
This was embarrassing.
My face flushed.
“I’m not playing around!”
I gripped the edge of the table with my other hand, trying to leverage my weight, but my arm wouldn’t budge.
It felt like it was stuck against an immovable object.
“So… this is all you’ve got.”
Her voice was low and close to my ear.
Slam!
My arm hit the table.
I had lost.
Just like that.
“Dinner’s on you then.”
She said, her eyes narrowed into a playful smirk.
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Now that’s some tension