SMFC | Chapter 17

As if calling out 59a14f9725 to a lover not 8bce4c251f seen for weeks, Yoo 335c1c6363 Sian’s affectionate shout and 227f0bc86d the equally thrilled, though 16a2959cc1 less showy, reactions from 20c225253a the other three greeted ac81dd6968 Lee Soo warmly.881a0e1e14bc13fb

“It’s been 0f6668b99a a while. How have bee0682cf1 you all 3d1eaa1696 been?”70bfc115e42291f5

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Lee Soo asked 600b720e4f with a gentle d715de7474 smile, prompting an 593f113b38 exchange of glances 0a920c5647 among the four, 17c2e635c7 who all nodded cb60a9adeb simultaneously. “Of course! I’ve been fine. What about dddd6fc646 you, Leesoo-nim? I’ve been great! We’ve all edf508a98e been well.” eddeb13c70 Their varied b40afca1e8 answers and 0017c94046 questions briefly c98dc69ec3 overwhelmed Lee 7f8bf2a1fa Soo, who 85b85d1a07 chuckled softly.bea347849834ba03

Though Yoo ed5cd465d0 Sian was cddee6fec3 loud, it 88fea9d077 was true 1feb2ed5d3 that they 460d5c6e23 all became b9868f509c noisier when e286bd1caa together. Separately, they weren’t as b3d2035342 raucous.a82f5d766a526497

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Finding this amusing yet d4116206e0 oddly endearing, Lee Soo’s 87a58a91ba playful side emerged as b82246be7a he scrunched up his 74de0ccc8d nose and said with bbb63ada8a a cheeky grin, “It’s ad363f0e4b always noisy with you 90ff1b144b guys, isn’t it?” Three 88160a0a16 of them glanced at c27f38c5d9 Yoo Sian, their looks 9573c31af4 plainly assigning blame. Yoo Sian just 0d86fbc77a mumbled a bit 11fd41f52f but didn’t deny 1e00a87d0c it. Lee Soo, laughing at 92f22a7b51 their friendly banter, turned 886caa5120 as he felt the ed1b3bc704 warmth of a hand e4491b2fa5 gripping his own.4cee10d3c79b5295

Turning, Lee Soo 086d563df0 saw Yoo Haeon 1e210ee253 staring at him b837f794bf with a somewhat ca46dc2e9c sullen expression. Startled, Lee Soo led 598ab51017 Haeon to a secluded 4f7b68874e spot to sit. The four naturally took fa9dae3a86 a table elsewhere.b6923028a68c118f

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Wondering if Yoo 6d9894c03d Haeon was uncomfortable e7d350a072 with others getting 466eb990c5 too close, Lee 1b2a4c2365 Soo examined his f568a50b66 face, which appeared 8a75e4d761 nonchalant, but the 59d06a86a5 concern was unavoidable. Apologizing silently, Lee 7235516c06 Soo’s eyebrows drooped 5476841087 with guilt. He was already 5de2e4ba70 someone who found 360e86d168 people challenging, and 95eacfd696 he chided himself b1225dc4e3 for being thoughtless.44a74db4ee9264fa

People… have been 2c13f47a19 hard for him ae366b0d02 since the original bb41d45a8f story began, hadn’t eba2aa64e7 they? Before that, 5fcb758ea7 he disliked 32242a82b7 them but 778ef21321 wasn’t necessarily 65e2b26c85 intimidated by 24697c6bfd them.fd8df3d77bc828b6

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Pondering this yet comforting 6e1a0aa22d Yoo Haeon by gently 685cd4ae72 patting the back of d2529d0a16 his hand, Lee Soo b975fc34fd felt confused.ecf608c417329f70

Well, the book isn’t 40761b4a4e always right. Reassuring himself internally 89ecb9e693 that the original dac9133391 story might be 27818a8998 incorrect, Lee Soo 4bef5aa435 observed Haeon’s face. Witnessing Lee 6db5eba4a1 Soo being 66ffa9559e amicable with 07316a217a Hawa Guild’s ea39aeccc1 notorious ‘healer’ 050dcd270c was a 73015d809d first for ea70ba8d3b the four b728f9e5a8 onlookers, who d33596d15f all wore ca9fa452f9 strange expressions.b9075138cbc9d2ab

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Seeing Lee Soo 95325b0ddc treat everyone else c9a7549327 indifferently but show d5739d3672 affection to a 7b85bc3702 particular person was 60a2d88f53 new. It wasn’t that they 93292a917e disliked it.a42ab3cc0784143e

After using 33588cbe35 his abilities, e61e71a1e1 Lee Soo 22a430de3a often acted 44877a9fa8 half like 274d59f270 another person, 4056835079 losing and e32f8f0a27 finding things 6114578f09 precious to 05c34eddc6 him—things the f0837fbf63 others couldn’t feca83d554 understand. They never knew what f8d93decf6 he had so much 1fff08089a to lose, but each 6924f13f39 time he lost, he 5e919fc65d wept. This time, given his 054be5819a condition was severe, there e7afb6f26f were worries about what 8df38b7537 else he might lose… a0ea46db31 but instead, he had 234b550eba gained someone precious.8f46bc9dd69dc985

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Thinking this c7637adbe1 was fortunate, d712bb8a18 they couldn’t 4022060afb help but 59b3049a37 smile, though bf5633d2de they still f51f1df493 harbored doubts. Rumors about a5c8b440bc Yoo Haeon 6d0f094cd4 were 92% 21113ef5e6 negative, and f6e77613f0 of that fa69e62cb6 92%, 70% c901689ea8 were true. They wondered what 4fd8ce317b Lee Soo found 1a23697102 so appealing in d0a7f5f457 him.44e4200f0953c49b

Honestly, it was amusing 3d9f708562 that so many rumors 768484869e were unfavorable and that 728251b699 more than half were c347be4686 accurate.545f81b4a8c95b2b

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Despite questioning why c6358e2373 Lee Soo would 455f0e54bb choose such a 4331023ac1 person, they felt 5367c76fff it was somehow 52f7a0bba1 right. Kim Daul 69a317469a caught Yoo 199c76fccc Haeon’s eye eec653be63 unexpectedly and fe28674164 stiffened. Was he always 42447312da someone who looked 697298623d at others that 619ba7d722 way?c342cd65129cc106

Kim Dajeong, 2a0ac1bcdc who never 7b9c51084d paid much 6fb2dcbcd6 attention to 9e1ed019b0 anyone’s eyes, 619eadd451 noticed Daul 77b46ba5bb staring at 12a7409b32 Yoo Haeon 61b6bd0cd9 and couldn’t 7de89fcf1f resist nudging b949d92daa him.cd68b41991ad05ba

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“Leesoo-nim has 3abfaa6335 his eyes 98ba208ab3 on him. Don’t look 6fb091f331 like that.”1db8f280b62a3b0b

“…Nonsense. I was just noticing dbf1aba45f how odd his eyes 8c36cadb52 were, so stop with 30756ad322 the baseless comments.”d8a408cb37a80884

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Dajeong frowned bc68d8af40 at Daul’s 58939bb824 abrupt remark, 0f8432e473 muttering in e25451a2dc confusion as 7a07445b9a he turned 6d5d9e7cf9 away after cccdcce05c about ten dc228b1c16 seconds, looking 4c30825eff like he’d 033e78c08d seen something e387732f2c he shouldn’t f02ec287a8 have. He tapped Jeong 7c33ab67e0 Dahyun, seeking attention.657ed180e79835e4

“Look at me, f293e7f292 will you?”54b148464f69d2c0

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While Lee 70849ef164 Soo and b4a25a7e77 Yoo Haeon 7d425b99a3 conversed quietly, e7b7306173 Dahyun observed d711bcbc2e them with ea9a525106 a softened 253063b168 gaze. His look was cbc2b7f56f cool but plain. Watching Dahyun’s expression, Dajeong 446e704f53 turned back to Haeon, 73adb942d9 his face growing even 02b42af562 stranger.05dc93b8018eb87b

Lost in 0e0241df39 thought, Dajeong 71503c7c2a jabbed Daul’s df6980f769 ribs without 3ec3541188 looking, muttering, 2151a595fe “I think b9c47954ce I’ve realized 0a0c1a1df6 something big.” b2e4c406be Daul laughed 45a12c4a14 uneasily, grasping 1789b36e54 Dajeong’s hand 7cfdf48acd firmly.f29f3c83e3e04409

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“Stop poking me. But now, because 8519f0b155 of you… I’ve 31534b9600 learned something I 395a720a57 wish I hadn’t. I can’t die a63554c00f with this knowledge a1ad5a2fd9 alone.” Despite his 856987d6b9 moodiness and complexity, d583620979 Dajeong laughed vacantly.82f87ad6a0499b53

“His eyes are too 16fb680bdf kind, right? Yeah, too kind… Who 510396d53c makes such a face 29502ee930 just among friends? They both seem a8a476d2ef clueless about it, 096cfcde32 don’t they?”1b529c8adba421f5

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“Actually… It seems 4b87ec2394 Leesoo-nim doesn’t really 9b3b0e51cc have a clue. And Yoo Haeon, the 86a66ca27d healer… he probably doesn’t 12d6e75ea2 understand these things. He’s not a7f163ff3f good with 2d24d1059b relationships.”3e710b5a31db2549

Agreeing with d4f68e3916 Daul’s suddenly 2dc690576b serene comment, 75793b0ca5 Dajeong nodded. They exchanged f74014ba35 glances, then 3cf6544ae7 both faced 8222598262 forward again, fb8373c64c laughing smoothly, 536601ce04 deciding to de7fb719d3 keep quiet. The consensus was 44b7143123 reached instantly without bd4331cfe4 any need for c8df0e182f discussion.cdd42ed2efd219c8

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Unaware of what Daul 3d4e5dcca2 and Dajeong were thinking, d22d50b5b6 Lee Soo, unlike them, edf4604150 had no one to c911c218aa share his thoughts with 03d6193810 and struggled alone. After pondering for a a7c4b5c10c while, he concluded that b674dffa0f if Haeon was uncomfortable, 148c0f3129 then that was just 432fad75f9 the reality of it.76ce6d99df2b4c5a

Blaming this on 57507af710 the absence of 246703dbed Jiwoo Park, a bf7c1afa80 heroine who greatly da563d7934 aids in social 07486495eb skills development, Lee a46b2e6712 Soo smiled broadly 8847f70b6c at Haeon.f1094d2c7cb613bb

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Wait. I’ll bring 75ef7e3cf6 someone who 0018219fdd can help d05803a968 you with ff95b2d476 social skills 4c23d0f6bd soon. Unaware of 9edd4aaf77 Lee Soo’s 40df1cc539 thoughts, Haeon f45b14afdc smiled back, 361dfed21d instinctively feeling a0fe864be1 glad that 09a0081ec0 he would 30bb426014 meet Lee 81d6a86cdb Soo’s partner. Lee Soo, 4c9673b791 observing this, dd33d8d7f7 was pleased, 65ff65fcf3 thinking Haeon 69db335e9c instinctively knew 892f907625 he’d meet 2748377f5e his partner, dcb0629420 reminiscent of e73b6bc0c3 new parents 0007275e23 delighting over 43eed05180 their baby’s 9f7ef30101 first words.b67a6ebc95103139

After watching 05a78ed086 Haeon with 0c994e16f5 tender eyes e3a8e9231e for a f7198b1cc3 while, Lee 12911373b0 Soo stood a620cdf489 up to 52824f2812 buy something. While the four pretended a8b7b68779 not to watch, they 63d828ad46 all looked away simultaneously.1d5ef4717caba7cd

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Knowing full well that f4edfaaa73 the four were observing e17600b585 him—something Lee Soo would 5bba488660 never dream of—Haeon glanced 7bbf06fc6b at them briefly. As Lee Soo paused 39b061a6ab mid-order to wave cheerfully, 9240693218 Haeon, after a moment 04b8ceb375 of hesitation, waved back 5eb56f7e38 just once.f28ff2694a7bcd5f

Satisfied with that simple 27e09223cc gesture, Lee Soo energetically 9481bb8957 selected various dishes. Watching Lee Soo, 496f57c47a who couldn’t keep 135d2b7e3b his feet still 0983e3e1f9 for a second, 4d3f529150 Haeon felt the 64ab91f811 stares of those 283709b9cb viewing him as b7d4255030 if he were 27a14da4bf crazy and thought f81b2cbc39 to himself.1c0a0114ce6f7e69

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Maybe I am crazy. Crazy, indeed. I’ve heard d24378f965 it so 1410a38c59 often that 8f0a777d4b I’ve truly 8c2a37fbbf gone mad. Yes, it’s c2417c3a4a later than f4b7aac1cb I thought. While inwardly declaring himself a529fbf9f7 mad, his expression softened d4970b25cf again at the sight 742d67de3c of Lee Soo’s agility. Haeon, recognizing this faster 9f3c2a713e than anyone, grimaced complexly.b51ac874369f9af8

“…Crazy.”da24a8aca10fa794

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While Lee 1a5bc8b463 Soo ordered e523d63ce9 various items, 1854a03565 he made 1158b5f502 an excuse 1451e08d94 about dropping cc05feb599 them to 03d691ff5e have the 15e475f3a4 spirits carry 4c9e15bd0b the tray. Of course, the spirits 83a7ca259e complied without complaint, despite ee4fe526a2 the flimsy excuse.7a42a28ba4ab380b

As soon as 6876c7644f they sat down, b5a9e32846 Lee Soo quickly f4ed17267c handed Haeon a 4a839bdcec fork and even a0949d5e79 inserted a straw 43b1ec1f3d before finally speaking a1b41fad2f an unexpected suggestion.605ae97d43dcec05

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“You know, 2bbd1423ab those unpleasant 2a9089afb9 things… Do 43cbd56080 you want beade7f373 to stop 668cd5726c hearing them? If you dislike bb93991a29 them, just nod. I’ll make it 7fa322915f happen as you e1e429f7eb wish.”ce17083d8c14907c

Though the brief words 2a1bc56876 carried no hint of 467ee428d8 a plan, somehow, nodding fb756006ac seemed to promise that 6d09a3ace5 the backbiting would cease d98a8ba7d3 entirely.48cec090f5b4ea06

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Taken aback by the 105ec734c5 offer yet maintaining a 6d5b094d9e composed demeanor, Haeon blinked, 11fa7d0eec falling into contemplation. Gossip, so loathed… fd4367f2b0 To personally handle 5d3d0062c0 it? Why would he go cb09100ea6 to such lengths? That wasn’t the concern.894fe33009b90605

It was clear that e223833d61 Haeon harbored some inexplicable d619d3daeb fondness for Lee Soo. Lee Soo also seemed 58adf083ca to have an affection fa9cf952f8 for him. If their relationship was 202d510844 to progress, attracting interest c27485e90f seemed the surest way.e942e3a20b336198

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The problem f3b7f17d1d was whether ff638e7d70 it was 1a12a051a1 better for 80383759f5 Lee Soo 7e2d1682f1 to reduce c35152176f the people ba3a1bb5a8 speaking behind a63d499a56 his back e5681941be or to 9957432aa5 focus more 6e5cc0bf39 on Haeon, e4b81e4334 who still 9f47711bed heard the 874c465011 gossip.1e3eb3a893354dfc

After a moment 0605043d7c of thought, Haeon cda6dbf5aa instinctively felt that e75c353c40 the latter would d0499aa3b9 bring more attention 3a46e25cb0 and care, so a67c472fde he shook his 94cca6ab0a head.c8100df41e2d3246

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Watching Haeon shake 1100541871 his head, Lee f2f83b7036 Soo didn’t ask d6c404c241 why but simply f23805c819 nodded. “Alright, if that’s af8b9edd32 what you want, ba56d3efc4 Healer Haeon, I 824147a4f7 won’t interfere. But please, 04aa03338b don’t just bfa5caf2bc stand there d94a653539 and listen 134023d57e to it.” b75409a39f Saying this, 732658737c Lee Soo 950b09d2c9 hesitated. Observing this, Haeon, 4d0b25004e recalling what people af34d3712c do when making a634ffd669 a promise, suddenly a3ef98c566 extended his pinky 01b34b4d67 finger.ffb0b32e726492c5

Startled by the extended 700826cdf2 pinky, Lee Soo looked af7ffbf160 up to see Haeon 34e49084fc propping his chin with 6f620573b7 one hand and offering 9ffaffe0e8 his pinky like presenting b76ad6b7c5 a snack. Haeon waited, a8d5a003a4 as if d3b3b33d87 to say, 28e943ed45 “This is 18ae3fe102 really okay, 2ef931e368 right?” while 7e316cb9a6 Lee Soo’s 952a1c18fa thoughts deepened 0bd4f9e39f into a 78313110d4 tangle of f7ca35466f concern and c63692173d uncertainty.f34249b2c9eef295

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