I'd Take A Bullet For You

Waiting For You

There is a small gym located a few floors beneath her office that is open for twenty-four hours and looks a bit dodgy. It may have something to do with the owner who looks in dire need of a long shower, but Seri finds him amicable enough to spend a few hours of her day there after her shift. She alternates between doing yoga and running on the treadmill, takes a shower, and then leaves for home. Her schedule has become such a routine that the owner does not even have to look up from his computer screen to hand her a locker key when she comes in. After six months of feeling like she had her own private gym, the illusion breaks the moment Ri Jeong Hyeok steps inside one night and decides to lift weights in the corner as she is running on the treadmill by the windows.

For the first few weeks, the two of them try to ignore one another. They stick to their own exercise regimen religiously and make sure not to make eye contact when they pass by each other. But the place is so small that she has repeatedly bumped into him one way or another especially in the narrow hallway between the two shower rooms.

The door of the ladies' room is exactly adjacent to the gentlemen's. There are times she is coming out of the shower room exactly when he is going into the other room or vice versa, and it becomes a whole situation where they apologize and give way to one another. Seri hates it. Several flushed apologies later, she learns to stop and look before stepping out of the door. She succeeds in avoiding him for a few days. Then a day after, she succeeds again in not bumping into him in the narrow hallway but proceeds to run into him at the next corner.

After catching her before she falls backwards, Jeong Hyeok begins to chuckle at their situation, and she is very aware of the warmth of his hands holding her arms. "We have got to stop doing this," he tells her. Their eyes meet – his smile disappears – and for the first time Seri understands what the ladies in the office are talking about. He might actually be the most handsome man in the city.

"Are you all right?" he asks in concern.

She shakes herself out of her stupor and flushes at the thought of him hearing what had just gone through her mind. She refuses to be one of those girls fawning over him. "I'm fine, thank you," she answers and gently extracts herself from his grasp. She might have been imagining the flash of disappointment that crossed his expression, but the possibility of it makes her heart skip a beat.

Stop it, she tells her beating organ.

"And I agree," she adds, hoping her voice doesn't sound too squeaky. "This place is too small to have so many blind corners. I will talk to the owner about it."

He smiles, a wide one that shows off a deep dimple on his cheek, and she feels the room temperature grow a little too warm for her liking. He tells her to have a good night. She nods her farewell and proceeds to half-run towards the exit. In her haste, she forgets to return the locker key and runs back to leave it at the counter, refusing to bump into him one more time.

Afterwards, she keeps replaying their conversation in her head and keeps coming up with better replies each time. It was their first ever interaction, and she talked about blind corners. What a dork. And talk to the owner? What will he do? Have the whole place reconstructed for his two customers? She tries not to bang her head against the train door on the commute home.

Things begin to change after that awkward encounter, and Seri unexpectedly finds herself looking forward to seeing him more each day. One night, he decides to join her by running on the treadmill beside hers, and she finds out about his wicked sense of humor that has her in stitches. They slowly and unconsciously begin to adjust their routines based on what the other does. He teaches her about weights and tells her how the right form can help tone any body part she wants. She teaches him yoga and has to hold back a laugh every time he loses his balance. Then, a few weeks in, he starts waiting for her to finish taking a shower. He walks with her to her train station and watches her get on before going home in the opposite direction.