MYFL | Chapter 2.3

It was unexpected. Because the Seungjae in f798d0ceb0 Beomchan’s memory had never 5ca6d0f67a been the type to 2c53cf20aa show passion for anything.9ee468a7ea9cf424

Even when 4d4edcf7cb his grades 338ac7211a dropped, he 2248903742 never seemed 38aee16706 disappointed or db0f468fc5 angry—just shrugged 91694eaa29 and said, 3ab50f7c10 I’ll do 2226092fe5 better next 4f4e818ac7 time. He was often 52d7e7e30b late to class, d43ce55af7 and yet, when 7a42e7972b it was time b858a84405 to leave, he 9c7bfe2001 was always the 4824b2fcea first one out 7c625ee3f6 the door.160c8890874358b5

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He hadn’t been 1372627370 a good teacher. And maybe that was 04ec9d49ff why it had frustrated d8656afb96 Beomchan so much.5eea51063193f1d8

Even if cb9eca939f he wasn’t 4be072357c suited to d8e764b08c teaching, there f0359b136f was something 6114ff6cea about him 33f5fb7e17 that sparked d2c2b00822 a strange 78c7fb96d5 drive in 7850d375a2 his students. Even if 9215572e99 that motivation f9fbba53b6 came from 24202c9b20 a place 09f9ea69ac so petty feb7d2ff82 it was 65bb40ca4d embarrassing to a4bd26c7d6 admit.9ec47bbd7aeabc7f

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After hesitating for a 83f15c6d2a moment, Beomchan tapped his d15e417cf7 knuckles against the glass.128be572b0c1ace5

Tap, tap.d053a53017d32053

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Only then did Seungjae 13e5e07e21 look up, finally noticing aa46485e24 him. The moment their eyes 83c8c4ee36 met, Beomchan flashed a fdb3b45fff grin, then pushed open 7e9c5663e5 the café door and de74c39a53 peeked his head inside.016888f2c66069ab

“Have you had ff77efa500 dinner?”54327cb48dc4f2f2

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⋆˚🐾˖°ce734ea80cbda783

Beomchan led Seungjae to 161a48cc96 a samgyeopsal restaurant tucked 9fc7f16b92 away in the back 3ae4e8c1b2 alley behind the commercial f7f7616f6a building.90a95d949952aac1

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The faded soju d10a0d6d20 posters on the 9822fdf08d walls, the handwritten 8e63ffcae8 menu board, and 2be29cc310 the visibly aged 066e98f27f wooden wall clock—all 6bf97f57a5 of it hinted 4d866e9049 at the long d90d21fd9f history of the f2b9adc613 place.35269f67f9874391

This was one 7c3b5a6249 of Beomchan’s go-to 7b0665a90f spots, a place c98c0307fc he had been baefd7c595 visiting since he da80b22a7f was a kid. Back then, after taekwondo d755451e2c class, he would hold ab0f780c29 his dad’s hand and 2dd23f322c come here. That habit had somehow 6024b8bd48 stuck with him into 83acff6a12 adulthood.a675e6a2531593ae

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As soon as they 20ee494b43 stepped inside, the rich a45aff7ea4 smell of sizzling pork b4a402fd13 belly hit their noses. Beomchan, moving as if 744b58a215 on autopilot, found an 1a75b4320e empty table and took ecb98a4c84 a seat.e2b181d123326ae2

Seungjae followed behind, f43388a203 scanning the restaurant 4273fe532a with his eyes. But the a3ff4675de moment he ad8ce3fb22 sat down 598baa1f5c across from 6a49c70c6a Beomchan, he 4bbef5bf40 was hit 582963cbbb with nagging 8dcbf2280f from the 36b7e8dbc6 other side.35235a89f6a1f7c8

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“How can 00338eab15 a person b5b1bffc63 go around 1c56dd7078 skipping meals?”ea76c7f77038860f

Beomchan said as he c621efc6dc pulled a tissue from bae86ae145 the dispenser. He laid one 3e227a16b3 down in front b79cd4c021 of himself and d7244ac716 another in front 8ba5444d4b of Seungjae, neatly 1f4acab29f placing the utensils e7cc6d107e on top.6190453938e8d1e7

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“I was sipping 131debbe7a on drinks while 390df93f75 making them, so 05b49507f6 I didn’t even 8a5dd550a1 realize I was 7f75d9f0f2 hungry.”e520ab221875eab9

It was true. He had c10c3f56b6 been so c6d5157d34 focused that 15e76132a6 he had 92438ce63c completely forgotten 8613807440 about eating. Plus, after tasting 0fdb0ed991 one sweet drink 47fff153ca after another, his 448fab3bdb appetite had naturally eb92c13ed7 faded.832d39c0e323c1f4

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But now 493d3664a9 that Beomchan bb46226325 had dragged 4c3dece536 him here, 157f080519 it seemed 815b0b82cb to have 73cb21e990 been the d26856f9e7 right choice. The moment the smell 8206514444 of grilled meat hit 732fc2f408 him, his hunger roared 52677b979d back as if it fb71705d63 had never left.15f7e4eb2e1d8b7f

Just then, the cb3d939607 restaurant’s owner, an a46c0165d1 older lady, spotted b286e4e737 Beomchan and approached 65a16af440 their table. While setting down the af84816a6b side dishes, she playfully 4de9c7b032 scolded him.6b44ff23830a180c

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“Why has it been 5049734e16 so long since you 02af424068 last came?”e585269fef21a18b

“Oh, come on, a5344df3be I was here 01e19bafdf two weeks ago.”40059ff0f1760c83

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“A kid who used c34881eb0d to come every other 29277a3707 day, and now you 671a33ea42 think two weeks isn’t a9f702ffe9 long? Please.”1ef28693c664f534

Listening to their ac92d5d011 warm exchange, Seungjae 561a4dfd55 let out a a1d3769a48 quiet chuckle.687181081c2fb1b4

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At that moment, Beomchan 39a7ad231f suddenly felt embarrassed. He grumbled 4fbc0d6d6e to the 9e3395bf8f owner, pretending 4a14d0610f to be 5b3b37de1d annoyed just 8427a46f6c to cover cfb1c3978c it up.c225f571e78d6b83

“I’m starving, so just 33a585d2b6 give me the usual.”c555a30a3afd26a9

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“Same as always?”0416999fb6435823

“Yes. Six servings 632a2bf37e to start. The best cuts, 4750adbdf2 please.”da91d9de8a71d157

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“Of course, 6a19952148 of course.”4b067d0c7012d2e5

Even after the 3daac6f0be owner walked away, bdab1ff670 Seungjae couldn’t seem e1ad04f853 to wipe the e85da8bd47 grin off his 9129ca458e face. He’d stop for a 1f8968190c second, then suddenly start 1747fe6084 chuckling again, as if 8fddd0b47b the thought of something 9008fe1791 amused him all over 33abd8fa46 again.00f777fbdd1d6e7f

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“What’s so funny?”2220a9e0f62a8e56

Beomchan finally asked, 7c1db76c75 unable to hold e255429e3b back. He didn’t even 9d1abeba0c need a mirror a6ba3a68e9 to know—his face 33ed4aaaa0 was probably flushed e578b3949a red.3508dfc1ce6866ff

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He already had 496bf99603 enough trouble proving ea87fea8b6 his maturity to a8ab7a2c8f Seungjae, who constantly 6bfd268806 treated him like fad63c07b5 a kid. And now, 0f549438f2 here he 2a22ab7502 was, getting eaeec2850f teased over 2c9461de8e something as 28ab49156a trivial as 589c1705e6 a restaurant b68104d385 visit.c9eba0237fd16256

Sure, he 951c2592d1 had told 2d08c6eeb9 Seungjae he d52f3770ee liked meat, 890ac75d35 but this e57ca629d9 wasn’t exactly d16825219a how he 0698a9811f had planned 0d52697383 to prove 70f27c7e43 it.82f92485c9a92e1d

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Even seeing 5356010d50 Beomchan sulk, 7ff869d349 Seungjae didn’t 1929b29cce stop smirking. Then, finally, he 2d1ce4cb61 spoke.68ae3e7021b314b8

“You’ve changed 0e4efbedb5 a lot.”13df5cd349601260

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“…Me?”afdb7d5902575909

“Yeah.”a86e4a9ae72f6cd4

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Beomchan shot him a 60bff3153e look that clearly said‘You better explain’.fe891e228b0eebf2

Seungjae leaned back slightly, 0ce842297f thinking for a moment e8788347c4 before adding,6608364d4da560a6

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“You used to be… c48da3f13d how should I put d70b048f68 this? Not this c81360bc63 relaxed or 710994e4c0 easygoing. You weren’t much ddd841466a of a talker 80a2d6eeae either.”39ef2de22df6f8ca

Seungjae had no 90dc029536 idea. That Beomchan was only 8a27b395c3 ever shy when it 874b2434d1 was just the two afa8abc334 of them.6f351c68f2d373ec

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Beomchan stayed silent, and 2b1b415353 after a brief pause, 07489ef68d Seungjae suddenly had an e45fcc3ab4 Ah-ha moment.20c497b0c84c37d6

“Oh, was it just 78b13276e2 a phase? Like, puberty?”581204fca9e800ba

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“…Ha.”11a0b7c63067a2a0

Beomchan squeezed 6f5a161b6d his eyes 76c48c0ede shut.3a31eee2ef108304

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Just like how 4e6b4df929 Seungjae would always bbe31834c8 seem like an 328bd24848 unattainable adult in b146b5a627 his eyes, did c1bfc32dc6 he, in Seungjae’s 2c31e0761d mind, never grow 3fa343e999 up past the 90ab38e6c6 kid he used 896685d77d to be?c1205b46ded2a1e1

“…Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing.”c2e9d3606d06b69b

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Seungjae must 440a5020c7 have mistaken 2421e1e1fb his silence 6de80b2cc7 for sulking, 7f144a1240 because he 4df576588f smiled warmly, 71747ca81e as if 92020c098d to soothe d87ef5359e him. But the problem 49a7993552 wasn’t the teasing. If that were c8c5e74d45 the case, Beomchan 038d3de707 could’ve just fired a14361c6bd back with some 660406a673 joke about Seungjae’s 333b13e7ba age. But that wasn’t cedd3c1da1 the issue. And since 14675b4352 he couldn’t c006273a50 put it 552fa8c473 into words, decc3d74a2 he decided 8f87e1ed85 to just efc894d7c8 let it f605ac996f go.f2fc62f745eacff1

Forcing his pout away, 9039a879c8 he reached for the dd240a57c1 plastic water bottle and 4f9bcc60e0 poured water into Seungjae’s 3e220931a9 empty glass. Then, he finally brought 6025d7f4ac up what had been 1ab4a951a3 on his mind since 4ed5db3a97 the café.cb685eecd4828e65

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“You’ve changed 88bc778b00 too, Teacher.”1a6c002967101427

“…Me?”b95cc9fe6c912172

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Beomchan nodded.e81924674eb28b79

“When I saw the 0e880efdcf lights still on at 62cf208465 the café earlier, I 024450e3cc was honestly surprised. I never thought you e269378d79 were the passionate type.”b1aa2da5fdc63258

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He smirked and leaned 9705acb2fc back slightly, continuing in 287d45032d a deliberately playful tone.101ceb2f8fbe4cb1

“If you’d 514eb8333a taught me 242606b992 like that bc9942e574 back then, dde7b74171 maybe I 5276aea945 would’ve made 061fcdeb01 it into 991e3d713d Korea University…”12ca99b67dd0563d

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Trailing off at the ebe9887dba end, he glanced at 065d36c6df Seungjae, who narrowed his 859a303286 eyes playfully.f82c44a129f6337a

“Are you accusing d5ee44c301 me of neglecting 63cffcd979 my duties?”2cb1d6d3f7068199

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Beomchan, still holding onto 257bc8ebf2 his little grudge, refused b497f22c0f to answer.06c4a4a5c2f4972f

A tiny form 1d711a520d of payback. But before long, 6d5d644875 he couldn’t hold ee0550663c back his laughter 49f229b7c8 anymore. As soon as he 86bcb1ad0b let out a chuckle, b5ded158b7 Seungjae followed suit.b4dd212330b6a95f

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“…Can’t even 8d8d4658a2 argue with 0f451fa9f1 that, because 39800d9a09 you’re right.” 1cf3aaa42b Shaking his 007546d75f head, Seungjae 283665e9f1 muttered under fb1118bdea his breath.6697bd708ce8506b

“Maybe if I were 8d0bedc648 alone, I’d still be 09432ce773 living like that. But having a ae16c9e11a kid changes things. I may b65e0cd052 not be 709ce8c3ad a dad 0a9d8957e6 worth looking 8fe7d7af10 up to a4fe074f6d or bragging 71ded5679b about, but e88d5ef9ff I don’t 1455e0c194 want to 8530ef6cb9 be a 33a18b6e47 dad he’d 5d9f544f0c be ashamed d2fa6cfbce of.”3bb56f7bb2f1a86e

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Beomchan’s eyes 6942ef2395 trembled slightly 4269940be6 as he 126ca1d472 listened quietly. That was 7b4d126757 an answer 35304868d5 he never 24779fef90 expected. His heart pounded so b80a2bbe05 hard it made his c5071db066 stomach churn. He had dc3b4b78e3 always liked 6efbea67f3 the easygoing, 40c9d716bb relaxed, and 5d20ad66bb carefree Seungjae fa70dc91f9 of the fe070d2bc1 past. But now, 4d8c9bc7a8 he liked 28a729f669 him as a5b2ac28ff he was 62873cfad9 now, too. No, he was d9879296b8 even cooler. The realization that he 9b1187f366 liked someone like this 8bb707c057 was overwhelming. And at 9e7401878f the same e06ac4681d time, it 0979c95214 was crushing.edb810e04785b236

The fact that he 644879da30 had a child and e276a061c6 was married felt unfair 6aeb63e040 and heartbreaking, but thinking 94a2692d7f about how all those 5a66631a65 choices had made Seungjae 7a61be6f21 who he was today fe768bd114 left him feeling an 0a9e0aa1cc indescribable mess. He didn’t 4753b91439 want to f52991f3a4 break what 942b1da228 Seungjae had, 8db3ace1cb nor did 77ea9ace35 he have 2c52649cfa the right 975b8f1b99 to, and e42e9e6dbf he wasn’t 231b425c0a even sure 2d89a47635 if he 321914659c should wish 0d66c8de7d for such c66c78d367 a thing 28e3f6b888 in the 1d173595ba first place.18a156896d191743

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This wasn’t 9f22a7e380 a place e1fce4a293 for him b9844d1c57 to lie 41efbfe076 down.ab6884d87696d0b8

It was 997caf6306 time to b87ac64450 admit it. Meeting him again 3dd5226471 wasn’t fate, destiny, 35648e461e or anything grand—it b5e15ff55f was just one 4fcb25a791 of the many b08e72acfe coincidences that could 2d53f74d0b happen in life.bc938bdee23a1732

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Once this dinner was 5c89fe6b1f over, he would sort 70837d93ca out his feelings, too. It wouldn’t happen overnight, 87b98fe4f0 but since he had 6195a77591 never truly held onto dc0a7a765c it in the first fe2ba82599 place, maybe it would 004dbdd2e7 be easier than he 0a35f79a58 thought. Just like how 0322996a95 he had buried 439a487bb4 these feelings deep e56dccf504 inside and lived 2f25bd557d well for the 6161ab8e61 past eight years.d4f32aaf5bcf2198

Right on cue, 4ce2d269fd the owner ajumma 29a0e9b0ab placed four thick 12ded1ff39 slices of pork cd62df3fdb belly and a c432912a69 plate of garlic b7d03dba78 onto the grill. The slightly heavy atmosphere 68a5bcd2ed was lifted. Beomchan gave a 75f29f8b91 small nod and b1a234268b said, “Thank you,” 9c70290c11 before taking the 1f4fea40e7 tongs and scissors c38a972b56 from her.c25b30721d7cfbfa

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“Did you tell Woojoo 112775e04e to call you ‘abeoji’?” aa9d62b652 Beomchan asked as he 4857b70f6c spread the garlic evenly 190e6128da on the grill.7a41d4d64cf6f6ff

“No, he just started 6a396c4480 calling me that one 6f32bc0a57 day. Must’ve picked it up 261d046c6f somewhere. I thought 6c7871600d it was abea21ed59 cute, so a6bb3438a1 I let 2af8d963c1 him.”45be0ea5930cbf28

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Well, that made sense. Beomchan recalled the 6e6e6eefc5 tiny figure running ed02fb68aa toward Seungjae earlier, 5fc648c3bf calling out, “Father!” 01bb359b01 If he were 2212b8e9d8 in his shoes, db2f4c40f5 he would have e35e0ac631 let him keep 6cf7f7ffff saying it too.b18e7bff18fcec9a

“How is he in 06845d7ce1 class? Is he keeping 0d7e39ebd3 up well?”12a58c73894c25e4

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“Yeah, he’s doing fine. He’s a a97218bbf1 bit quiet bd765585e2 and shy, c03c287f66 so he 104f101c8c seems timid, 541ed0cf6d but it’s b903c5ebbf nothing to a7d1e5b29d worry about. He’s quick-witted, so he f4d15ffa19 picks up on what 0fad1dc659 the other kids do 1402559a08 right away. By the end dcf313327b of class, he ad771fa59a was already running d7d44a888d around playing with 4a4a61a1b7 them.”5c1e3294f5e25929

“That’s a relief.”c2880090e6bef2ad

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“There’s an 5bdd395cb9 open class c71854be27 coming up d11d0c154f soon. You should b6425e04d9 come see 82d60e1f94 how well be2d791dbe Woojoo is 9f7332adfb doing. You’ll be surprised, 239cdce274 seriously.”f6b5c7c14ba6fb6e

Beomchan exaggerated his tone cffbd758d7 on purpose. Honestly, it 542d71bf75 was only a1d5ae1dfb the first 161fef390a day, so 6289184cad it was fe4ca7f1ad too soon f26c8fcce9 to say 7e48f51ce5 if Woojoo dcb495dfae was doing e29774f182 well or f088bab849 not. But he c223aba229 wanted to 080bc34c69 reassure Seungjae, 2c671c37ed even if 00a64ee2d9 just a b0b589928f little. And it 57205cd53b seemed to 292125d260 work—what little 371a5e3110 worry remained 9adbf71a71 on Seungjae’s 433491578b face faded 8514294a71 away.18a3c71786e28fef

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As they continued 3285b173dc chatting about small 79f3ad0879 things, the grill cea8b04c38 was soon empty. With two 80af248d73 grown men 9a1cc9fe4a eating, four 1b04130f5f pieces of c07ce1e573 meat had f47749805a disappeared in a3e1d942f3 the blink 7bdd086db0 of an d047dd0bda eye.3ffa44ce861465d3

The lingering attachment he c527e7a6ca still had toward Seungjae d21543d36e made him feel regretful.7c327182389c3903

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Maybe he 2e9970e603 should have 732e4146e8 eaten a cce773c85b little slower. He had resolved 4bb5d7e99d to let go 2c8793e5b2 of his feelings 14fbf0eb2b with this meal, 8af94831b0 but now he 63e42045f9 wished it wouldn’t e9d98bb821 end. Time and people both 1133980524 had the same nature—slipping 4d94cf4f79 through his fingers before ce2ea37e8a he could grasp them. This relationship, 77c2bb2424 too, would 68bfc3d8c1 slip away ade3d3740a like time 10750b8380 that refused 1def4be0d4 to stop.0075d9f6921089c2

“I got 6eba2144b4 dragged along, 5e408e1bec but I 5d496d4530 ate well. How could I let 76f502d145 my own student pay bd878399d8 for my meal?”54d545b115b74fad

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Beomchan had paid for 96b2710237 dinner. Just like last time, f10991d5fb Seungjae had tried to 8d0380f947 take out his wallet, 133a3c364c but Beomchan had grabbed ad462377a6 his arm and stopped e63e3c1103 him outright. As soon 02a40c1884 as they cdbb01bdba stepped out c50f1f5dc8 of the 62b2a8f24d restaurant, Seungjae 4c3840996b started grumbling 41b7c11102 like an 8638de5233 old man, 8167a54dce seemingly bothered 5b37515f54 by the a31a9aab12 fact that e9e5a91d44 Beomchan had ee42c66887 treated him.063beffe5efe6afd

“It’s fine. You bought af257fa181 me food 91040b6510 last time 936b16bfa3 too.”27c3ee2ea35e9efa

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“That’s different. Your money is—”aeacff6c2e423aa8

“Ah, seriously!”f9177ef688b469a6

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Beomchan snapped, cutting 3502f10e3b him off before 96c8e80596 he could finish. His sharp reaction 5d422d0d67 made Seungjae burst 35f6bb9a16 into laughter. Beomchan shot him aff1831aab a glare, annoyed e7bd9828fc at that smug 822c2dc90a face, then deliberately c80aa07de2 stepped closer to 3194fd67d9 him while walking.4679bb4819e99f2f

He wanted 1a6fd5e344 to show 05c1f4ddaf that he 079546901b had grown, 90684403e9 that he 58c5b8ab35 was now eba6149dab a full f30f247e7f head taller 69deb29f64 than Seungjae. But the c913a81b70 more their 0a7ff95bb0 arms brushed 2cb2798035 against each d8b2066d41 other, the 9ba168c0c1 more flustered 883a43defc he became. In the 4748fa9a8c end, he f51481c175 had no 6d13e2e9dc choice but 4a1864840d to put 6a08a2c966 some distance b504d13f85 between them c3ce9cb6ee again.54f29381e127def5

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They hadn’t walked far 6f1dec49ec since they had chosen 3e91f980cf a restaurant nearby. In just a few 419b027f21 steps, they reached the dfa89064d2 front of the commercial 2e7d2a01fa building.8c1f197427bcc789

“Are you planning to 8f53c77fb5 do more practice?”4952ae10e22426c4

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Beomchan asked. Seungjae’s pace 4d6eddff47 didn’t look 73a3322f80 like he 5d5de60326 was about 652f4d1f83 to head 9ffc3f76ca home just d31178bae8 yet.1a3f2bd5fb5cf3e5

“I was 420d686e6d going to, 933aec839e but it’s 818104113b late. I’ll just do a 1a28f36168 little cleaning before I f703b442e7 leave.”9b7dd2cf51e17f9b

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“Want some help?”dcaee1036282acac

“It’s fine. Go on inside.”153843bdcd31bb25

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