Su Ryeon enters the indoor sports center. During the day, the bustle of dozens of athletes honing their skills fills the massive space. Now, at past eight o'clock in the evening, silence echoes on the empty rooms. She greets the cleaning person and tries not to step on the wet path he's just cleared as she makes her way to the ping pong area. 

A clicking sound gains volume as she approaches. Tack, tack, tack. She crosses the door to the practising room, and looks up to where the noise is coming from. 

Logan is playing on a singles table, moving maniacally from left to right with an exhaustion his energetic movements can't hide. He's shed the layers of mismatched athletic gear, leaving a t-shirt clinging to his body as it stretches and pivots to execute the play. All around the table lies a myriad of small white balls, providing a silent audience to his match. 

He has his back her and doesn't hear her approaching until she's right next to him. 

"Su Ryeon Ssi", he's caught off guard, letting the ball fall to the ground. He takes off his earpods and looks around. "Did you get off work early?"

She gets closer and presses a light kiss on his parted lips. She senses a hint of salt. 

"Work has finished, babe. It's late". She touches his forehead, his whole face radiates heat from hours of practicing. 

"Oh", he checks his electronic watch, the numbers 20:14 flashing in neon green. "I didn't notice". 

"You've been here all day". He looks around, realising he's the last one on the floor. Everyone else has left, while he kept pushing himself all these hours. "You can't exhaust yourself the day before the competition". 

She touches his flushed cheek and he leans into her cool skin. He encircles her wrist and keeps it there. His eyelids are heavy, itching to shut. But he doesn't allow himself this momentary rest. 

"I need more practice to perfect a technique".

Before he has a chance to get the racket, she takes his face in her hands and pulls him down to her eye level. 

"You've practiced non stop for days. It's more than enough. Time to leave this beat up racket and rest up for tomorrow". 

"But there's-"

"There's nothing you can do now. You've learned a new sport to a professional level in mere weeks. A few more hours won't do you any good". 

"I know", he averts her eyes and twitches. 

"Then what's wrong?" 

He deflates. He looks up at the empty bleachers and a shadow passes over his eyes. 

"Everyone's gonna be there tomorrow."

"Everyone? It's me and the kids". 

"Exactly".

Oh. It's the kids he's worried about. 

"You've been playing with Seok Kyung a lot". 

They've installed a table in the garage and he plays with the twins every chance they get. Seok Hoon is persistent, while Seok Kyung is a fast learner and sore loser. They're having fun and it didn't occur to her that there's something they're bonding over without her. 

"You're worried they'll be disappointed in you if you don't win, after all these games". 

He nods. 

Moments like these, she's reminded how conditional his relationships were before, to leave him with the urge to prove himself in order to receive love. His family had placed the weight of their expectations on him, making him feel he had to be exceptional to earn even the smallest hints of affection. 

"Logan, you were their gym teacher once, but that's in the past. They don't care about how good you are in sports now. They see you as family". 

He brings his forehead to hers, exhaling deeply. Closing his eyes he searches for her lips. He doesn't need words to express his heart. His lips drag against hers and she tastes his relief. 

"Thank you". His palm cups her neck and deepens the kiss. His fingers stretch, trapping strings of hair that escapes from her low bun. She continues, not wanting to leave any room for doubts. 

"You don't need to win them a trophy. They see what kind of person you are every day. You are involved in their lives, take care of them, drive them around while playing their songs, talk about their day. Seok Hoon doesn't come to me for college advice anymore. He says you get him. And Seok Kyung is going to business school because she wants to use money to do good, like you. They see you rubbing my feet even when you come home from an exhausting day. Every little thing you do, every day, this is what makes them love you". 

Logan opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. There's a faint glint in his eyes, while they turn glassy. It strikes a chord deep inside him, being appreciated. His kind heart had been taken for granted for so long. 

He takes her hand on his and kisses her palm, the space between her knuckles and her finger, above her wedding ring. He's sealing a promise, that he'll keep on loving them as he does now. 

She pulls their joint hands bringing him closer, not minding his sweat covered skin. She extracts her hand out of his grip, only to bury it in his hair, messing it up. Black strands stick out, as if he was standing against the wind. Messy hair, sweat glistening off his body and flushed cheeks, now this is a version of Logan she can't resist. It takes her to passionate encounters in the middle of the night, her hands the sheets. Or his hair, as she guides him to her pleasure. His thoughts are steering in a similar direction, as he burns a path with his fingers from her neck all the way to her hips. He's searching for skin, his on her neck making her head fall back. She has a faint notion that this better wait until home, but then she feels the ping pong table digging on her back and Logan picks her up and puts her sitting on top of it. He doesn't break the kiss once while maneuvering her body. 

He's showing the same dedication he has to practising sports to learning how she wants to be touched. He aims to improve and eats up the feedback. 

"I suddenly have a very good feeling about tomorrow. What do you think?" He asks between kisses.

"I think you need a shower" she bites his lip and releases it slowly, "and... I think I'll join you". 

"We're leaving". He takes her hand as she chuckles at impatience. It didn't take a lot to convince him. They put the balls back, return the equipment and turn to leave. 

The custodian greets them with a smirk that implies the walls are not soundproof at all. 

____

Logan comes in third. He doesn't even see the medal, watching the twins cheer for him, holding a sign that reads "Fighting, Teacher-Dad!" next to a cartoon of him as Ho Dong in a sea of colourful hearts. 

Su Ryeon holds up a racket in the shape of a heart and winks at him. 

No matter what the scoreboard says, he has won. 

__The End__