Chapter 67: Jealousy Over An Egg

The two men first entered the gender-segregated bathhouse area, where they first took a shower to clean themselves, before going to plunge into the large tubs of hot water.

After scrubbing and washing their bodies, Ji-Won and Seo-Jun went on to try the steam rooms next. There was such a large number of thematic kiln saunas based on the preferred temperature, that they could barely decide on just one. As such, they took turns, going from the one with the lowest temperature, until finally reaching the hottest. 

An hour later, after having soaked in hot water and steamed their body inside the salt and mineral kilns, both men were thoroughly exhausted. Yet, at the same time they were also filled with a sense of tranquility. Even Ji-Won had lost his initial reluctance and began enjoying himself a little bit.

"See, I told you that going to this kind of place can help us unwind and relax our stressed out bodies." Seo-Jun said, shooting Ji-Won a smug grin.

The two of them were now sitting in a corner inside the large communal area. 

The room was very spacious, allowing for a large number of people to get together. Since this was the only place inside the bathhouse that allowed for both genders to mingle together, it provided enough space for a lot of activities.

People could either form groups to chat and eat in the large communal area, or lay down and rest inside the specially designed sleeping rooms. There was also a large TV on the far-side wall, as well as a bar near the entrance. The place served boiled eggs and cold rice water.

Feeling hungry after all that sweating and bathing, Seo-Jun and Ji-Won bought several eggs and two bottles of rice water. 

On their way back to their previous spot, Ji-Won spotted the figure of someone very familiar. The sight of that person caused his steps to falter and he almost bumped into Seo-Jun who was walking in front of him.

"Hey, watch where you're going. The floor can be quite slippery." Seo-Jun warned, then he continued to mutter to himself. "One would think that walking around barefoot on a wooden floor is safer than using socks, but it appears it can still be dangerous. If we trip and fall here, not to mention how painful it would be, just think about the embarrassment we would feel at being seen by so many people."

Completely unaware that his friend wasn't even listening to him, Seo-Jun continued to talk to himself until they finally took back their previous seats.

In the meantime, Ji-Won hadn't lost sight of that person, like a sniper locked on his target.

Standing at the bar, just a few meters away from him, was none other than Park Su-Jin. She was wearing the same 'uniform' the sauna provided, but it was the one reserved for women: pink shorts and T-shirt. She also had a pink towel wrapped around her neck.

After watching her buy a bottle of rice water from the bar, Ji-Won's eyes followed Su-Jin as she crossed the large open area. A little while later she stopped in front of two other people. 

With a jolt of surprise, Ji-Won recognized one of them. He had seen that young man before on a late night, after a team drinking party.

At that moment, Min-Jun was gesturing for Su-Jin to sit down next to him. A young woman reached out a slender hand and snatched the bottle of rice water from Su-Jin's hands. 

Su-Jin beamed at the two, then quickly sat down between them. All three of them began cracking their eggs, while laughing and talking. They all looked quite cheerful and happy, even while hitting each other on the head with boiled eggs in order to crack them better. 

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Seeing Su-Jin's delighted expression, even as Min-Jun chose an especially large egg to hit her forehead with, caused Ji-Won's eyebrows to furrow. He unwittingly clutched at his own egg tightly, causing it to crack.

Seo-Jun glanced towards Ji-Won and unexpectedly saw his expression growing darker. He followed Ji-Won's gaze, curious as to what had made his friend glower like that. 

Just as he was about to give up the search, he instantly recognized Su-Jin. Then, he saw the other two people Ji-Won was looking at. 

At first, he didn't think much of it. But then, something clicked inside Seo-Jun's mind and began to snicker.

Wearing a sly grin, Seo-Jun slowly turned around to face Ji-Won, holding a particularly large egg in his hand.

"Are you jealous?" Seo-Jun asked out of the blue.

"Yes." came Ji-Won's automatic reply.

In truth, he wasn't really aware of what the other man had asked or what he was saying. He was still staring absentmindedly at Su-Jin and her companions. 

The next moment, though, Ji-Won felt something hard hit him right in the middle of his forehead.

The sudden pain drew a soft yelp out of him.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?!" Ji-Won hissed, glaring at Seo-Jun while massaging his forehead with his free hand.

"You said you were jealous. I thought you meant the egg cracking part." Seo-Jun replied, shrugging sheepishly. "Or perhaps you mean you were jealous of something else? Su-Jin and Min-Jun's relationship, perhaps?" Seo-Jun added, his devious grin becoming wider.

Ji-Won glowered at his friend, but chose to remain quiet. 

It wasn't that he was feeling jealous because of Su-Jin's boyfriend. Really, it was more than that. He felt envious of the connection, the familiarity they shared. She looked happy together with the other two and, for a split second, it made him feel lonely. 

As Ji-Won thought about that, his eyes roamed around the room, looking at everyone gathered there attentively. They were all family, friends or colleagues, people who knew each other and cared about one another. At least, that was how Ji-Won saw them.

Not having a proper family or friends for so many years had apparently gotten to him.. Slowly and unexpectedly, a feeling of longing budded in his chest, taking him completely by surprise.

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