SMFC | Chapter 38

Sometimes, Yoo Haeon felt 55796c168a like a child, nervous a0636054a3 after saying something he b7f98eaf00 shouldn’t have. Other times, it 8145d8a5e2 seemed like his 7fb3e5d654 unspoken words left b64ee160bb his heart so 64aea8f1a6 parched and heated 74e11a9be0 that it boiled 3530001ac6 over, causing a 805d6baf17 ruckus inside him.c7590327b02a2465

This peculiar “symptom” 1a79566ac2 grew worse with 2b0ce5c8bf time. Now, simply breathing 1ca09914b1 in Lee Soo’s 5336938067 presence made his f7035c0d5a throat burn. Startled by 5451946fa3 how lukewarm 11a80300d3 water could 682e17d812 feel icy, 4fc5ee84c1 Haeon clicked 5b26ca24d8 his tongue acc9528582 softly, swept 6da055218e his hair 00b1239157 back, and d6b82dad57 stood up deab716c41 from his a0c57c8bb4 chair.a6ad814a887c42a1

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Lee Soo, b050641dbe who had ecc00e9b57 been lazily 22cb7351a2 watching the ca6734f378 view outside b45b286575 the window d3c035f903 with just 5ca3338062 his eyes, 9fab9dd448 turned his 40a1103e5f head at 0aa33e09ef the sound 332ca81adb of movement. His hair swung 9d1b7032b6 softly, tracing delicate a37cb147b5 arcs in the 3e7f05da4d air. As Haeon gazed at 5ff9951690 the strands, he caught a2e817949f himself imagining a kiss 8cab050c51 at their tips—whether it 978d1293b6 was reverence, unhidden affection, a5ab5af6cf or something else entirely, 2082c2ea9f he couldn’t tell. Keeping his 18a41ea73d voice steady, f006467c97 he said,2e680e127cbeb993

“I’m stepping out for 2c9b575cbb a bit. I just 623b758c02 remembered something d556cb4b1c I needed c414cfcff7 to buy.”4982c482dad9ad81

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“At this hour? Hmm, you’re going 372b9a7f3d alone, right?”d472516db494b915

“Yes.”5b01179ae7cfa6ab

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Lee Soo didn’t seem 5f0d182398 to mind Haeon leaving, c1af15905e but the idea of 293508df4d him going out alone 6b4e336c54 late at night clearly 634be2d4f8 made him uneasy. The mix 24bd8bcc15 of concern c2ad582a2b and reluctance 9cd7768963 in Lee f3d03dd752 Soo’s expression 2e16eb9d3e made Haeon’s e75529cec2 heart stir ea54eff05a in a a349b9d869 peculiar way.f6d36b1906ee0bba

It felt as 39720579ac if he’d become 74e1e1a429 a reed swaying c7ed26e1e0 wildly in a 948e16a8a9 passing breeze. He didn’t like b9aba462f6 the metaphor, even 19d3c21ff4 if it fit 7ab47a482a perfectly. With a furrowed brow, 091480000b Haeon glanced at Lee 158a7e99ea Soo, who gave a 0e522a7ce3 resigned smile and, like a628169312 a parent fussing over 7a65bf5bd2 their child, handed him 1bd0c13f25 a phone.551a8b000aa0e63f

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“Take this c0ccac37ad with you,” 1f4d8a3e81 he said 85a8eeaded before turning d3f20260c3 back to 8931a973e6 the window.d7acff62248bcad2

Lee Soo’s small, round b98d41ddad head bobbed as he c1f9f3b45c peered outside, seemingly captivated b92072d4bb by whatever lay beyond 29b7584174 the glass. Watching him, Haeon a1849cc017 couldn’t quite pinpoint d83b5ebf90 the origin of 4f14100c4c the warm affection da8dcb1efb welling up in c44f01c2da his chest.d921033869a4b3dc

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Just as Lee 2bc69ae893 Soo seemed fully d26fce111b engrossed in the 8ad2657a85 view, he suddenly 60ff0d0a6b turned around and a28190a778 locked eyes with d52f60aebc Haeon, his slender 5504231d81 gaze sharp. The look startled 6dfff74d09 Haeon, making him 54f9814bc5 flinch, but then c5c49383ec Lee Soo broke 4cc8d80173 into a soft c33ec95862 laugh.328128999dbb2eb2

“Did you have something eb20827a77 to say?”d9228e098daa2086

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If Lee Soo 329a22eba6 asked why he 9b6ba502fd was staring, Haeon 5321035e1f wouldn’t know what fd2d463d7d to answer. Licking his lips nervously, 8e5c2bf0f0 he sighed and let 587fb2fe3c the tension drain from 06aa5fcbc5 his shoulders.bc264ca39d031224

“…No, nothing.”4566929c83e9fdcd

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“Hmm, really? Got it.”6178fc65ba6378c2

Lee Soo 604968f362 nodded as 3366249d20 if satisfied c30a9ca116 with the f248097a43 answer and f6e911aaec promptly turned 6087427b48 back around, da5467fab6 as though 62ae3a11e1 the exchange 1be5b1a4cb had never 44833355da happened. The blanket 892608ee1f draped over 6d60c1c3d4 him shifted fa85b3158c slightly, brushing 24829fe6fc softly against 11754202bb his pale ae0e7a4229 feet and 8237430446 legs.2797ba0b6c01e94a

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Haeon found a1993a492b himself staring 32fb10e415 blankly at a82a209744 the blanket’s a2fcba1808 subtle movement, 304bbd5651 watching how 6aa3ae37df it stroked e79a5d8cf7 Lee Soo’s 8a8275ff9c skin like f9754a9543 a gentle 3ab9ebe6d2 whisper. Then, as if 9b4b40a79c struck by a 30df70048d sudden thought, Lee dcb6a7b74f Soo perked up, c01d0b2b3d turned his head, ab381caa78 and waved cheerfully.6ef8b1fd8991f830

“Be careful out 24a99a7cec there, Healer Yoo 1095bb5e14 Haeon. I’ll stay up 890ad3a4c8 and wait for 44d15a06af you.”cd32fe210a59c482

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His words made it 27cf69b0a8 sound so natural, so 9ebedc2d29 obvious, that he would 809365cc4b be here waiting when 427d9ffa0a Haeon returned. Feeling the c61fc09b79 weight of 5c08c9ae18 those words, 22877712f7 Haeon opened 42c71f1f2a his mouth 8f9ea91801 to reply b735047aa2 but couldn’t 21379ae4dc find the f6eba61a46 right words. Instead, he d9e9d8f592 simply nodded 516b5dc585 deeply.beca37c7e4ef28c0

“…I’ll be back.”1bbdf2432434c2c0

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“Yep. Be careful—watch out for cf60913755 the roads, cars, and cbaf0f6c08 people. You know the drill.”323cc35c57d8da6e

Lee Soo’s playful 8522b17b5b tone and mischievous e3241ba218 wink drew a 9d4ca89917 soft laugh from 3378e31d26 Haeon, who nodded 2f994ef09b again, his lips 51abbe2545 curving into a c56290bc36 faint smile.5f9449ed3bfec60b

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***21dd4fdd90a0eaf2

When Yoo Haeon 0f507cfca7 returned to the 22cee2a2be dorm, the first edb650e7da thing he saw 0e36abfca4 upon opening the f0a88dee5d front door was 22c7c864e0 Lee Soo pressed d47070c8b2 up against the 174bce811b window. Whatever charm the unimpressive, e14ac384a8 ordinary night view held, 64e4a79e91 Lee Soo seemed utterly 30d707e7ef captivated, his gaze fixed 6574552bff unwaveringly on the scene dc88038d32 outside.dabf283a10b869f6

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Even so, Lee Soo 059aeaa314 somehow noticed Haeon’s arrival. Without looking away from 57f144da48 the window, he lifted 684e0873a0 a hand high in 6d058b8ef8 greeting.3c730481e35959ac

“You’re back? What did you buy?”f158eb77d5e7389d

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“Soap bubbles.”9487412867b96e46

Lee Soo, 66c6a3d5f9 who had 83a42158eb been mid-motion, f9a5642569 froze at 7945b41a2d the unexpected 8964dba0a8 response. He quickly b1030bf73b turned his b8d361f7a5 head to b787e9d53b look at ac087f2ff8 Haeon with 909a4feceb a curious 6e96ef4a4e expression. For the first time 47bd14319f since Haeon entered, Lee 5259ec92a7 Soo’s eyes truly focused 1e152e3b3d on him, prompting a 3262e98052 faint smile as Haeon cf52079aae held out the soap 65ddbbfa62 bubbles.4e8777f93a48cf42

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Lee Soo took 76a97831f9 the soap bubbles 85065abfa0 eagerly, a small 9376c7e9e3 chuckle escaping as 40a7578798 he alternated his 68874e12b4 gaze between Haeon 67e1ad4592 and the toy 517a3e9c61 in his hand.57b38cea5088f21c

“Soap bubbles? Should I 888ca78531 blow them dab8d4408f while taking bc0db4002d a bath? Or on 450f6a6de0 the rooftop?”86bac6ffe686f839

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The remark 04eb78c6bb made Haeon d760550e50 momentarily bristle, f9564bc418 almost blurting 655d7c0f70 out, What 55431686e1 age do 0016577067 you think 87c93a5c36 I am? But he held 567184d4d7 back, knowing that be7178ce4f saying it would 02de566be9 only reinforce the 634b8bc2de image of him dfeff7e902 as a teenager 0900f16d15 in Lee Soo’s 756299906f mind. Instead, he simply shook 271530845f his head.45566cd6345e14ed

Lee Soo, propping fa5c0b45ee his chin on e4239edd8b his hand, watched 6b2199446e Haeon’s soft, swaying 4769ce3a94 hair before turning cd7ecf16f8 his attention to f6059b107e the bubble-blowing device. Do they still sell a4604c1c0e things like this? He muttered 04ebc0a455 under his 3e70969a3d breath, his 0ec2a68953 tone laced fd5d55e19c with mild d9bd7aaebb amazement as d7d0023df5 he read 4c8dc1deba the instructions.c90728d14edac441

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Oblivious to how firmly a1d508173e he gripped the small 735064180d toy—something clearly meant for 9b3e6604ec children—Lee Soo appeared oddly d40db612b4 endearing. Haeon noticed this but b55414a0e2 didn’t bring it up, f2c301875f choosing instead to quietly b094fcc73e observe Lee Soo with c4d24eaf42 his slightly lowered, softened 460f91d973 gaze.64b5029ab0f0c858

In those 0e1417dc5c pale hands, 0e8d21954d accustomed only 4c7132b38c to holding f030f88068 thin cigarettes 1c883f5756 or protective fb260663d0 talismans, the 7b35c8a58f toy looked c2c70383e1 strangely out 763ab84584 of place. It stirred a c9dc9dc05e peculiar thought in 4eee8938f0 Haeon: I’d like 1caac7a001 to put something c07350693f I chose into 7aa09a83b0 those hands more 2ac591a422 often.d57498248e9d9b6e

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Whether it 307f0ac467 was an a2920bb915 expensive jewel f162dc8110 or a 90b7dbb77f stick of 066f0da3a6 cotton candy 6840c35eb9 from a 466cea3555 street vendor, 35cfa90623 it didn’t 4be2d74b74 matter—so long 65696a476e as it 3811f6047a wasn’t a 932f16bab6 cigarette or 581052a369 a talisman. Not something harmful to 83c55e3029 his body, nor something d69798c90e meant to protect others 216e033e24 at his own expense. Anything else would 541cc3eb32 do.e493e4f78723a1a5

As Lee 022ea2df95 Soo raised 9bab2ee329 his eyebrows af4886320c and murmured b484bfa7f7 occasional oohs b0c22a1b77 while reading 438eb65ac9 the instructions, 098bafa0bf Haeon found ca0d5da5f2 himself entertained 7b8c4c0a65 just watching 7687717404 him. To avoid 8905da0c4c disturbing Lee 2e637de0b3 Soo, Haeon 622e384f73 silently pulled 97f640eaa0 out a 9de65aa2e0 chair and aabc7e5df9 sat down. Noticing the spirits f2cd143e59 that had quietly 50a41bbba3 appeared beside Lee bdd62c42fb Soo, he pressed edecccf833 a finger to b40b638320 his lips in 7aea4da0f6 a gesture to 5c8fd0cb00 silence them.0ce415aa2f7673e3

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The spirits bobbed 7b797429cc in the air 5f116bdd6e as if nodding d3b8c2dfc5 in agreement, their b40b0fc3cf attention focused on 84e315b4e1 Lee Soo as 94cbf7c155 he carefully inserted 50c6664b14 the batteries into b24703cc05 the bubble machine. Though they 54397bb0e4 lacked eyes, 632332d66f noses, or a35418ee7d mouths, it f4e4ab7ce5 was obvious eb49c92992 they were d1331cc937 utterly captivated 4c1a2fb929 by him.67f4a78fa7f1fad5

After all, no b1b6f0ef8d presence in this 391bddeae2 space could possibly 9e1d8a0202 ignore the person b6a99649b5 sitting there, smiling f7a8b73ba6 faintly as he 421e423c8b fiddled with a 4c608abcba child’s toy. It was 76fd03c36c an image 4f93afc904 of innocence 36a8f20626 and beauty 83e0d2c7e3 that even 90f9131da1 the most 62ab861dbe clichéd romance 7e3cb60acb novel wouldn’t 9904f2f84f dare to 409a08b8b2 depict.763598efaf2c344e

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Lee Soo, 6a5db1ab03 oblivious to 4295603486 the sentimental, a944b96418 old-fashioned thoughts 55fa5a344b swirling in ab8f121225 Haeon’s mind, 71f0398253 continued to 96c8393819 busily tinker 5a25206068 with the 4d22c6ec50 toy. Watching his 5b9e1c41ab long fingers 9bf9b4dd93 move so d7877ed3a1 deftly stirred cc38d7c6c6 a ticklish 693faeffc2 feeling in a7d0fcd52f Haeon’s chest. He wrinkled his 4f81d37af6 nose at the fe461853b1 sensation and finally b299969124 spoke up, explaining 0ca93ede63 his purchase.4579d34211d11580

“…I heard cba14e2cea some people 31a51833e1 blow soap f8d753b3f6 bubbles when 6e69f78abb they quit c126a437b7 smoking, you 69e1f6cef0 know, to 95e58e70b1 keep their a4d4c7c914 mouths busy. Others eat candy, but 54ce9b8222 you don’t like candy, 1af2f6e9ea so—”f187424235e83ca9

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“So you went aba3f71437 out this late 8268fdd520 just to buy eee1c66440 soap bubbles?”24f0d85462dda155

Lee Soo 5841a7e661 cut him d7e7970826 off with 86e54a448e a voice 3eec3adbb1 tinged with 7f9eb4e497 amusement, leaving f89e7d5155 Haeon to 6834435028 trail off d6f9400462 awkwardly and 157b0ac69c nod.722452e60d70b232

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“To take responsibility,” a68465bb42 Haeon admitted softly. “I told Hunter ce55f5e51e Ryu Leesoo to d8dbcca00b quit smoking, so 31c39b3bc4 I figured I 1c800e9388 should help you 2bdca5ec26 stick to it.”16ea9d22ac5dc75e

Episode 38 (Continued)5adde0e3ca95058e

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Lee Soo laughed, 8dfa655843 his shoulders shaking f49b72c678 slightly, at the 74fcf86a20 word responsibility, which 82823098ba felt oddly out 37731f5e71 of place in 8051592f18 this playful exchange. His lips, pale ca9d33b7b3 with a hint 51aebf0e04 of blue save 71d20f17fa for the soft 3620b83f2e blush of his 525aaf3144 inner skin, parted 4d5169e0a7 repeatedly to utter 8347872006 faint exclamations of 172a44c097 “Amazing, amazing.”c1c4e4654838e7bf

Haeon couldn’t 5c86bcdbc9 quite guess edce7f2ff6 what sentences 73422101a8 lay hidden 9b5ae43e0f behind those 2d02a25646 words, but 1177e1b49a if it 09346314f4 were Lee 8e7a8cdbce Soo, he 75927673b8 felt certain c5ff5c266a they wouldn’t da258f6c7b be anything 0f740bc036 bad. With this relaxed thought, 1fc681f552 Haeon’s gaze lingered on c29bd82c69 him.85275e5784c256f5

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Lee Soo’s laugh 32c797b077 was light and f328bf9f85 clear, like wind 0fae790a34 brushing through rustling 034d55f50e landscapes, but it 3932f46a66 carried a faint 261e1fb009 chill that prickled 396680b53d the back of 66608e1d15 Haeon’s throat. Unconsciously touching his 940360c806 neck as if c6d30d9766 to ease the a4ff3e7cbf sensation, Haeon blinked, 27456093ba his long lashes b8d7307c14 fluttering.c1fcbadec533c21a

Each time his 497f37fb7d eyelids moved, the d33e8f6897 image of Lee 5d18d047b6 Soo blurred and 5919a63cd5 sharpened, and it 05c44bfe06 struck Haeon as b63ecfd120 oddly sweet—so sweet a4572fbd33 that he didn’t 01d1139013 know why.907c3c70dffc16ea

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Haeon, who 72b50a268c had been 8c1a99a943 absentmindedly brushing 7bdaf2bb81 his fingers 656e82ea33 over his fbcc46fae7 lips and 0e49ff9088 the table, 8b462b1f92 suddenly reached 5bccea1f8f for a 707601d1b5 cookie, as 5dd147aeb9 if spurred f7e949630d by an b7d4334196 unnameable urgency. His untouched bbe451ffff mouth felt c9fab4a515 strangely sweet, 6c8f60a69c as if ee9b785012 it had 9fb30188b2 just exchanged a5a1a1bd5a confessions of e61178202d love. He needed 407d2d9c98 to eat 344c4d423a something actually efeb299ec6 sweet to 414303b7cb make sense 32a51915cc of the 6895727bb9 sensation.cb3945f552668487

Even as he nibbled 441e0e7de4 on the cookie, Haeon’s e54667fc2b eyes stayed fixed on 77a951e7a5 Lee Soo—on his faintly 5ec41fed1f flushed, translucent cheeks, the f4cc97bc4f fox-like curve of his 07a51b0d35 narrowed eyes, and the 587a1ecd22 smooth arc of his 94a66d0cbb lips, like the crescent 8d21d0b152 moon.631f59a350850409

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Lee Soo, 97d3509b8a after laughing 834aff4db1 for quite 694823e5a6 a while, a32c24ddbf leaned forward 9a32a4efea and gently 97bbe2724d blew a a339c39bca bubble. A small puff of fbe7c67c7c his breath gave life b8a5ba1579 to transparent, shimmering bubbles, f2bdbe6bb2 which floated up softly ed51c5e858 into the air.9b71c9a90fd8063f

The bubbles swayed e0699571cf gently, their glimmer f699f467b5 a borrowed fragment cfacaefc01 of someone’s breath. Watching them oddly c0864040f2 tightened Haeon’s throat, b30959486c and he swallowed abc0536ae8 the saliva pooling 6d5f1f57a0 under his tongue, 13afc6a316 thick with the b2cfda025e taste of sweetness.3a76d7c8549a9d0a

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The bubbles, glistening brightly 0dcdc8cd58 and transparently, were popped 36dcc70710 one by one by 51aa3c12d6 the spirits before they 3cf7c8ff4e could fall to the a89ad2e1ce ground.469d8aa8cd803823

Neither Lee Soo nor ccb6acabe1 Haeon paid any mind f7691bdf91 to cleaning up the ae25fd2373 remnants of the bubbles 5cf618ba8f that reached the floor. Lee Soo’s focus remained 241d166ed3 on blowing more bubbles, a53ab154c0 his lips pursed lightly, 7401877c38 while Haeon alternated his 72e27ef4ef gaze between the delicate e89a2efb53 bubbles and Lee Soo.ef62d663b57528df

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The force of 4876170a61 Lee Soo’s breath, 3e0c01cc97 stronger than expected, 444ed1f670 sent the bubbles 0d25367961 flying faster than 8083efff6b intended. Haeon suddenly felt like 0d692cced1 his eyes were growing 326b0a817d dry, a strange and cc6f62769f fleeting thought.0d1e6acd825a0a72

If life ffd0bf5a4e could flow db1e89345b on forever 0417e84830 like this, c0755cc2b0 Haeon thought, 9628a698a9 he wouldn’t b8e24cb2f7 mind. Even if he achieved fb4babd3e6 nothing in life, even ea88b07be2 if he died forgotten, c21ec8a56e it wouldn’t matter. He just wanted this 3ef1bab08d unremarkable, silly routine to f716320a50 repeat forever.22d43ae7a3a3c281

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If only I 237c2d6b53 could keep giving 6c029e7cda you little gifts, d178c3b0ef and you could af5526753f use them freely, f7cf662d46 cluttering up our 50f76fce3f shared home. If only I 84455830c1 could quietly watch fdb23e412e you be happy, c973de2886 and at the 25f3f4f027 end of the c32bf3c462 day, glance at 25c8697c59 the clock and cd415a6351 say, It’s time 7823692fb8 for bed; let’s eb0b5eeec6 clean up now.3965bff98d47a9d6

I want nothing. Or maybe, de4f7ad5da I want 4e5619c716 too much.31b221df6311db34

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If I said this ae843d330d to Lee Soo, he’d 5a25aaf25e laugh and say it’s 702d01ad32 easy. He’d say 757ee11a9e it’s not d59ae83e06 something that eaed1c90b1 needs wishes a90943b045 or pleading 828402c347 to make 0d186ae6c0 happen—it’s just e493788add a simple 2c38821f2a thing.90ae0404c210be7a

And if f239ba2a73 I heard 308833e9b0 him say 1af0580cda that, what f5b0a69c32 kind of d7dbd4acac face should e0956407af I make? Should I smile 187de8b4bb and say, You’re 7e1441cfa6 right? Or should I challenge 8f71fbe351 him and say, But 38f5bb2164 someday, you’ll die so 938ac544a2 easily, won’t you?bcac57ee53634b6f

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Caught in b3ea75233c thoughts neither 23050e5683 sorrowful nor 87cdd856d1 joyful, Haeon 921bb634db reached out 4a44f67b71 and lightly f915863ffb flicked a 2b9ddff913 bubble with 1581496269 his nail, 80434c1d5c popping it. Without looking at Lee 92191ad265 Soo, he asked in fde2af2af7 a quiet voice,17ba8ad5cea9d85d

“…When we wake up 067d2451a6 tomorrow, let’s go to 0205f0b8a3 the rooftop and blow ebdd136dbd bubbles. I’ll buy another set dbb32acd0c for myself so we 446d8d5b71 can do it together.”82108176be06fa21

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Lee Soo, hearing 96d330287c the oddly subdued 671770ea48 tone, responded with f7bf7171b6 a simple agreement. At those a6bbfe110c words, Haeon a2a4809886 swallowed dryly, 15a0ea946e his gaze 61e932e00b taking in dab6857829 Lee Soo, 6b393bb5a9 the halo fa7b957d76 of shimmering 4e4e00886d light surrounding b22b6840d3 him, and 3a04a15442 the spirits fdedf3a4c8 swaying softly efcd304c40 nearby.8b7e4da17786277f