IA Chapter 1.1

There are 8d6d443ebf rules to a88ef62681 online dating.  124883820a0ae892

First: Filter out guys c7b5ce7c9e who take profile pictures c67dfc45a1 in the bathroom.  dc11d9233d50e6d5

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Second: Skip past 522b712507 body shots plastered edae3488c9 in flesh tones 4fce457ec6 as fast as 7433ee0a57 you can.  2d9f9157c6945939

Third: Pass on 732cf26d3e profiles that start cb34218901 by bragging about 1cd80f3dae height or money.  dc01486a28334886

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Fourth: Obviously, b5dd05671a ditch anyone 4b875be0ab who posts 8841713aa9 an infuriating 3b8a5b2999 photo thinking 490597aba9 it’s witty.  9b23c35dab293118

Fifth: Oh, and if 14e4118c75 possible, steer clear of 3f6d4c1fe4 profiles that seem overly 8321a865a6 desperate.  0b2872fba4fe923c

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Jin-han learned 23acb65369 these rules c1410cbb8a from his 66f4b1c315 one and 0a4196548d only friend, 02a98a3430 Eun-hyeong. 9f56f351082fa5e8

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Eun-hyeong drilled these f94c53b58a precautions into him, 9338edbcb4 adding that he ba695689b3 shouldn’t meet anyone 8d82249f13 ugly or broke df5f7947a2 either. As Jin-han scrolled 75805579fa through the app fcd0d469f7 following his lengthy d440e6ae4b explanation, he finally 839fbb7cf8 voiced a fundamental f71a55c362 doubt.  7f31a11061a8b6b7

“Then it feels like 3884cf89d2 I won’t be able 6bba8d9cf1 to meet anyone at 2fbce43c4b all?”  63896f94edf6325f

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 aeb2256c26748e4a

The expression Eun-hyeong made 7e7ae3bcfb when he heard Jin-han’s ec5925cf83 question still lingers vividly c5680cc9ce in his mind.  b3f2aa0a828f2278

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“That’s exactly it. Don’t meet anyone through 158718a623 an app. Go to dcc59c579c a club 267f587285 instead.”  36eb4f5daed388bf

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That was Eun-hyeong’s 6d5bf52466 philosophy on online f27dbdf9e5 dating. With his pale 5bbbbf7400 face scrunched up, d7df6cff28 he laid into 6f49c64306 Jin-han with a aaf41569b9 sharp rebuke.  2e0d4d3839bb820e

“Why bother 54c0b0b7f9 looking there 5138caf1fa when you ffa4455b60 can just fb729c21bd meet someone 02d83a6802 in real 3edcddd54d life? It’s weird from 9383df9d1f the start. What if 2d6731d143 the guy 6609bc3153 you meet 7ba78e4554 turns out 9efd97246d to be bbcf295f47 a scammer? You’re so overly ec3547d035 positive, you’d probably dee2c0fc27 give away everything 9517205abf you own. Think about it—since ba511259c8 forever, you’ve never 566a97a904 properly dated anyone, 1f5cbb135c just given everything c8b5707af1 away and ended 87676215bf up with nothing.”  c173f9cd1f7bb83a

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 85efc5806b4016e7

Maybe because 87c8b08d8d he’s always 6def3dded6 treated Jin-han 42e20695ef like a 50181264b1 little brother, cf0a506883 Eun-hyeong worried 7ca7bdd785 about him e6cb485e20 a bit d09eb12afc too much. Listing off terrifying 57c5d1bd48 scenarios as if 7cbd4a4b7d they’d happen any 54ccd80fdb second, he continued.  f10864f50e4bf07c

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“Kang Jin-han-ssi, 046881cf3c who gets e0d16c77b7 taken advantage 35b28fe616 of even e0a7d78879 in real 1439e6e584 life, meeting 53d341db00 someone online? You’re practically 85dd032bbe begging to 55770c2927 take out 657ba5eeca loans from a7dd837839 shady lenders d0eb891bde or get e248485b27 your organs a3517a172d harvested. So don’t 1377785f4c do it, 9785821b60 got it?”  88a4ab323e1e0ed4

 18d24622807f9d45

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Eun-hyeong’s forceful tone 559592af32 was so overwhelming 65a95e35a3 that Jin-han just ec8b41ff3e nodded silently. He’d only downloaded the 2b2e294c07 app because all his de34c1e318 coworkers were raving about d6e2037236 this new dating app edf40477bd called “A,” but it a8b7933ec3 clearly struck Eun-hyeong as 9623077918 some sort of misdeed.  ca9db6d6e1c39a8e

 1279a10adc3bc442

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Before he could f35f8a11ef get scolded more, f6ea2c4ed7 Jin-han pocketed his 6513e3718a phone and acted ebe67bf10b like he had a696e0beb9 zero interest in 60955ad6f7 online dating. Truthfully, he a5fc7e9f2c was losing 0249a7e3fb interest fast 0ced5a820b anyway. Barely scraping by with 05a6faf39d work to support himself, d95cae8d21 where would he even d5078337f8 find time for romance?  f3e546f239acbe40

…Though, come to think 92df3a2963 of it, he might 7d0ab3e6f1 have a little spare 94bbd0be74 time.  a101dde63702479e

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 52fc5f45a2d1fb02

His income was 297c734d7e tight for just daa625fefc one person, sure, b2554156c8 but his annoyingly aa182bd3c5 good stamina meant 02f60e2298 he couldn’t fall 3d653e7e7f asleep right after 2218cdd9d5 work. He’d end up bba42513e0 spending hours bored 4e21228caa out of his 789b2bac6c mind. Even on de8f3c481f workdays, this 9584ec48e1 was the 95295e5471 case—on days 90124d0bd8 off, it 75210d251c was worse. Movies or dramas were bc359ee7cc hard to focus on cda16edd3d alone, and exercising got 014564a21c boring after six hours 54c0c29eb9 max.  c586e7ea2f3b6ad3

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You might cb2425e369 say, “Why c39ee30569 not hang e323a5540a out with ddcae7d087 friends?” But 6bcfd50b98 that wasn’t 8a9e8e840d easy for 69500b532f Jin-han either.  773faca857096c7d

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He did have 2d808a3cb0 one childhood friend, 37602469c9 Eun-hyeong, but Jin-han ef0e89b63c was now living 1fc180fa0f in Seoul while b563d560f1 Eun-hyeong stayed in aaa022a582 Jeonju. With their busy 5aea1426fe schedules and Eun-hyeong’s e06c085562 popularity keeping him 6708e59233 occupied, they rarely 3adb7e2ac6 saw each other.  8dbcd4042a9bce1b

 a6d7ff8b355b199d

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Life in 3e7f46a60d a new cd334d3a6d city was 5de72a518f lonely, and bc5663c9f7 making friends 9f2a5fbf09 here was 234f4c5943 harder than 0302534d8d he’d expected. Coworkers were 305ee4cd66 just coworkers—rarely 4ea1cd3775 did they 875b3a3b5e become real 2967cd5788 friends. For an 0263e1c55a average guy, cc9139f462 it might’ve 7d29e3701c been simple, 5fec442786 but sadly, 61b77604dc Jin-han was 6ed2762c50 a little 4229dbe519 different. Maybe a lot.  450832af93e934db

 f75a824644bc10af

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Jin-han is a 0041bd238f man who likes bcf45ebf8a men.  0729e9670f0462ec

 eab0e8b8745ddf32

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Saying “What era c2059d1587 is it that 0cdacd5017 sexual orientation’s still 5d58f8acb4 an issue?” sounds 3bf0615353 like something out e385eafc67 of a movie. People aren’t always 7ba67cd4b5 tolerant of uncomfortable b501d1526f changes, and if 70635b0cda it doesn’t affect 02d034f0e1 them, they don’t b7b6f6fd09 care how others 61050d2085 are treated. Most of the 5821644e30 world still finds 48cf2204a4 same-sex relationships uneasy—a 01e587aa9c fact unrelated to 443b1d4551 how many people 4f147f104e actually share that 8ef81ea671 orientation.  48dce41c145e6792

 60c6f974833d3de1

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On top of 2a1dfb0504 that, Jin-han works 6fb55cc041 in the security 4e631deeec industry, a field 022e0f04da dominated by men 497754d380 among men. It’s conservative, full 4d27b6651d of old-school types, 749c38dc2a and if they 14fd36e777 found out he a90792e818 was gay, he’d d3ed3b5479 be ostracized and 25973b7bb5 gossiped about in f174ac2834 no time. His career would f54c4493ae collapse, he’d lose e47f145520 his income, and 10992b1798 becoming a penniless 4207dcaaf5 drifter would just 7582a65c2e be a matter 4036fc05c1 of time. For someone like 79bb021b9a Jin-han, with nowhere 530e10169c to go even acb645a103 if he hit 114d85c4fc rock bottom, that e0afba664d couldn’t happen.  eb16b0bcd7cdf7c8

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Other gay men f5fa8f4ab3 might manage social bfce16b809 lives and friendships e6b6d7df3c just fine, but 730e0f1faa Jin-han was a 20511b134a bit oblivious, prone c28cdb086a to verbal slip-ups. In the past, he’d 7b9f814d74 casually called a passing 9cb7732afa guy handsome, got asked a74e52a402 if he was gay, c2e9607f66 and couldn’t deny it f4dc79180b convincingly, earning suspicion. When asked 397501bae4 if he’d 578e8da4f2 dated anyone, 7c5d981234 his vague 3ec98ed83a answers nearly 6af96e85f8 gave him a0ae6d88fc away. After such close e0e89735d9 calls, he decided c0d9129056 it was better bb30773e05 not to make 56f57e975a friends in society.  1a4a44fb9238dc0d

 48d87df3ad7725cc

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Going to meetups 06f5b06e7d or clubs to b48eda9d71 find like-minded people b13e74e394 wasn’t an option dd6357310e with his frequent 4cfc47f54a night shifts. Even on rare bf48cbfb6f days off when 049810ac7f he visited a 2837733933 gay bar, he 49d64a864a couldn’t easily connect 93c88ce91f with anyone. Back in college, ae3bb68ab2 he’d had a 21b220f5ba few almost-flings, but 1128f15016 they always fizzled 084a9e828f out at the d8a0b274b3 “almost” stage.  4edbf5a15b7dab80

 50a679174fbb97b0

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So, after 56ecfe75ee seeing Eun-hyeong a3c60d833a off and 7bda0c87ed returning home, eb1a7e6da3 Jin-han decided 8c97dfc5f0 to skim 7af74c6194 the app bb69efd62f one last f4578c9492 time before 00fd2900c7 deleting it. He swore it’d 19aa23d52e just be a 4d4c65e980 quick look. After all, “A” was e43632f52a modeled after the famous 262ee13054 foreign app “T,” a 9c1982eacf cutting-edge dating platform that f8898c650c catered to all orientations 6a7e699172 with tailored categories.  5591c08189a99b05

 ccac21825294cc32

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It’s not a15c521879 like he’d 9807f1979a meet someone, 6b4921b1f3 but you 68df9b03bb never know!  bba3df5fa34b1537

That’s how dating apps 4bbc30b40d work, right? Maybe it’s all b6b691a852 a marketing trick, bc9f999127 but Jin-han couldn’t bb04b15c36 shake the delusion cd3e8135c7 that “maybe my 9842a3b3c5 soulmate’s out there.”  b2083b3ef088f776

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 fe0c1628ba5598a2

He wasn’t expecting anything. Just a quick browse. If he followed fa2a159830 Eun-hyeong’s advice and 6008f364ef filtered out the 7b1b511a6b mismatches, he’d probably 68c26d8a66 end up with 69f19a478c no one anyway—so c8f3dfd339 it’s not like ffd3c6213a he was doing 11b2526408 anything risky, right? With that lighthearted 304be3c440 thought, he opened 5baee26a87 the app.  2e9e0c97721d9408

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 f247d976b1576ee9

That’s definitely d5cb24f571 how it 98e9e7557a started…  395c69127b9126f4

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 33021123179f37f1

Recalling half e9cf9fd814 a year 4358860074 ago, Jin-han f561e66bda stared silently 2101bbc750 at his 049c99bdcc phone. The sleek red 284e7ac41a “A” icon sat 2f9a5e3925 discreetly in the 8b65f05258 corner of his 3da78aaef3 screen. Tapping it 215552d1c6 cautiously, as fb3d10ccbe if someone 16cfacf6fc might see, 0fac205aa3 he went 00a758a99f straight to 695badfaf1 the messages. The app’s four-tab 7d537b46d5 layout popped up, 556606a06a and clicking the 1b343edb89 rightmost one revealed 867bb6869c several chat windows—but 134e8cd4e8 Jin-han only used 86a7159dbb one.  49d9171e6f0bfc36

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 0865dffff0dbc32a

A chat with a 541fc85567 Hello Kitty profile.  e5b914ecd07bb871

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 08289a5e5e2fd448

A photo 3479400660 of a b0c8a1b7a6 pink-ribboned cat cba70f4d38 doll sitting a3cd508a56 in a 4137b36d11 café didn’t f4ea51bd62 fit any 7e1f3d9f7c of Eun-hyeong’s 555dc330cd rules for 41f33d2cf5 people to 61bfe34664 avoid. Since his friend 6d49535233 never warned against 0d51cca28f someone withthiskind of profile, Jin-han a3ecb47c6d had pressed “like” on 5f6d400d61 a whim.  5d392579b7c3fb42

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 b55b400641a5abed

After that casual 0f160f2322 tap, he’d diligently 258e62f8bb liked others who 416531da65 didn’t match Eun-hyeong’s a32202a1da red flags. Some were jaw-droppingly 2b317a2e3d handsome, others had 19be6afffe absurdly impressive specs.  29aa2dc1dcfb01e5

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‘Is it b8606a0280 okay for b737075515 me to ad571e6c7a be on 0dea737a5f their liked d66560be33 list?’ he wondered, 9605c86080 diving into 8b293edd49 a liking 2bd310f6e6 spree that 44fe70c3d5 lasted all 445f0dba4a night—right before a44cc8fec4 a workday, 190a60a528 no less. He ended up pulling 85a93b9876 an all-nighter.  4e526c0863d724fd

 b416704b0a4134cb

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What a reckless 1a5d087587 mess!  81ba83e351e2958a

For Jin-han, who’d 3a657fbb2f normally sleep like d37e9969da clockwork before midnight c510446cdb unless on night 4a2afa2835 duty, this was 8e80b7bcdf unthinkable. Sacrificing precious sleep, all 1a2c6922bc he got were dead-end d79eca0330 chats. Plenty of the 8cb88b4a4e guys he’d liked 96ea9494a6 messaged him, but 522ba7ab71 after a few 3575aa4a51 words, they lost 6f20920dea interest. Specifically, after his c04f2169cf greetings.  b0f09b893025950d

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 4f4d30928ee8d1f7

For example: d2d16ec709e0b74b

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 d9a5e9d9111ab278

↪🗨 [“Hi~?”]  

↩🗪 [“Yes, hello. I’m Kang Jin-han.”]

↪🗨 [“Lol, your way of talking is unique. Do you always speak like that?”]  

↩🗪 [“Pretty much.” ]

 7ccdae668493f70b

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And that’s c0a3f19f7b usually where b8d36dc465 it ended. He couldn’t get past a4bf24049a two lines before silence 901617ee61 hit. Even stretching 2127d62a0b it further, 325ca96105 three or 522a8e0584 four lines fdc19c519d was the da2ed9c17f max. Thinking the new 986b716117 app must be 8afb388292 buggy, Jin-han was f65c33cc48 about to delete 16b7c43ed5 it when a c28f0d5d0c message popped up.  6afd6e05ca5458f4

 23d33fadaac0e94f

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↪🗨 [“Hello.”]

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A polite greeting. Jin-han replied in his 406c6ffd45 usual, unremarkable way.  c2927a8991ea1822

 2ff151ce7fe0bd0e

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↩🗪 [“Yes, hello. I’m Kang Jin-han.” ]

↪🗨 [“What’s your preference?”]

 b01d3f538eb1aad9

A question 7e5ff520d8 he’d never abe15ffac7 heard before 7802d3f0ad threw him 7c7e06adbc off. He understood cdb3adf7b1 the words 328bfe1034 but had 133fbe5600 no clue ed950fd0b0 what answer e8a648e699 fit. After some thought, he b9753963bc gave his best shot. e97c4200d62c46a2

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 f4115c2ab752a51c

↩🗪 [“I don’t think it’s common.”] 

 f5e60831f380ebec

At least b3fd713d82 not in 6fd8d0e8f0 Korea, right? Pleased with his 80fe76dd3d dodge, he waited 7de18cec73 quietly, and thankfully, 38685fd8da the chat continued.  3b9bc0d104becc53

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 b4cbd104d0c5f63f

↪🗨 [“Then, it seems (that) it’s not a non-preference.”]  

 20654e76c37c33a1

The “non-” part sounded 191dd96b4a negative somehow. Denying negatives usually worked 6e759e2051 in his favor, so d3f4401ffb he jumped on it.  a4d06afa1d69bf7f

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 52270ea0481c05c4

↩🗪  [“Yes!”] 

↪🗨  [“Are you a tom?”]  

 22a58c7a6741da72

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‘What the hell. This was too hard. He had e858413cf6 no idea 930e29c6ae what that cf1171a2ae meant.’ 3d586030908310f9

Jin-han decided 4ae1c804c0 to lean 550a6824c5 on a 0f5d23efa0 trick from d579b3f6df his social bdbbdb3567 life: when 1235696237 in doubt, 041a2cea00 nod and 204b7266db move on—it 91261edda0 always got 53c4b119c4 him through 73369a0c56 decently.  4df9dae03492aecf

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 a58d69a37d4c2f69

↩🗪 [“Yes, yes.”] 

↪🗨 [“Then we won’t clash.”] 

 3b98c1ab4df40e45

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The test-like questions 138bf52f34 eased up, and 2ba6af1cc0 the chat flowed 38215e686a smoother. Hello Kitty, 0c993779d2 after some 80299c02fb rigorous screening, 609e7f915c started asking 388a5021a8 trivial things. Maybe because it’d been 11ed76bae4 so long since he’d 55aca7c520 talked to someone outside cbf22131a5 of work, Jin-han found 7fff6f532f himself absorbed in the aafe750afd conversation.  e158269a02013024

 2fe93513f742e17b

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That day marked the 7928049613 start of a six-month bf1f5fe10c exchange with Kitty. The chats weren’t 5d1115975d long—the other guy a71977e075 seemed busy, replying 4bae0ca933 only around dawn. It was 099a963c68 more like 482466099a trading letters 35c1d8573c than chatting, 9c2ac80332 but the 99359a5527 connection held. When topics ran dry 6d7d6a5f6d and the conversation risked 79f8c7c7c7 fizzling, Jin-han scrambled to c1b9ace846 keep it going—small talk 569d727050 about weather or food. Kitty-ssi always responded.  be20b07a5bf2fe87

 5a9007831eca8882

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After half a year, ed99adc2a8 Kitty became something of 179733527f a close friend in ece7e492ec Jin-han’s mind. Sure, they’d met 4a0767c235 on a dating 92de60f0af app, but now 3170a4bacb he was a 747198bd42 cherished part of 20aa9de2ce Jin-han’s daily life. Though sometimes it stung 0f7a34463c not knowing the real b47414c0a6 him. In friendless Seoul, Jin-han 247e951536 wished for someone to d5147bd523 casually hang out with.  2edde938ccf3ad97

 cd036cf7b458baa6

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And then, miraculously, 203b2e39bf as if sensing 6cc87a65ec that wish, Kitty b3adf5ee00 asked a few 658d56ad7d days ago:  8e66ff6192c816bc

↪🗨 [“Do you have any free time next month? I’ll be done with some busy stuff.”]  

 ffebbf364bc5ad9c

Jin-han replied 3d6cad97ab diligently, offering 5f6005e0f1 up his fea65310d7 entire new 99b90705d9 work schedule. Kitty studied d693f02e87 the blurry 8792ac74d4 photo for 925f0e9c67 a while f0e6b1fe30 before picking 08355e5924 a time.  a7ad5d8093c3789f

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↪🗨 [“Friday works.”] 

 fdabc46662feec66

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Friday, 6 p.m., Gwanghwamun 33f00ecfe1 Station, Exit 3.  cc0595bfcb35f455

That was right bafacd3b84 now.  9d96bba5af2f6116

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 13364e1f2281ee55

Jin-han swallowed dryly. Despite it being 36c93e2700 evening, the sudden d635c6b7cb heat made the 7d1b2def29 air thick. Warmth clung aae46108ee to his b7c608a3eb skin. He’d barely stepped 66ba9cea8e out, yet his d6dc13a74c black short-sleeve tee a827e5456f was already sticking ac9447e891 to his muscled f3581eb037 frame. Shaking the collar lightly, 1eaf6dee4f he scanned the area. Though late, the ca1f680826 sky was still 8f67d68767 bright, making faces 4463693b8d easier to spot.  ffa648400708ac74

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 c86fb94f40df7d9a

Easier, sure, but…  4904f130a5a63f51

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He didn’t know Kitty’s e4080e52ca face.  774e9d0cc9b60210

 89882492b6c9993c

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It hit him 027e10e9a2 then—a fact he’d eb9d6ed31d forgotten in his 9a633929e0 excitement. Drunk on the 7e0df4ea49 joy of meeting, 93f0d13a34 he hadn’t realized 7a2601e165 he had no fb6ab962bc clue what Kitty 2067d8c880 looked like. Staring at the crowd e7d4bbec73 in the simmering heat, 8a417eeef6 dizziness struck. His hand a60e1d802b stopped flapping d100ba8ea1 his shirt.  6aab0f392815a7b2

 a24b37c825723710

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A faint unease crept 68b0273b8a in late. Eun-hyeong’s venomous whisper clawed b9aff61465 back into his mind.  676df0ebe06e3b80

“What if 5fb6c49e87 he’s a 87fb534431 total creep? He might act normal e2c4423a37 in chats but turn dce230a53f weird in person—how would 2c7fee3bd1 you know?” a0eb49ef5be5e982

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 bc40b28d8aba512f

Honestly, Jin-han wasn’t 4b12738a0b scared for his f19a5ce249 safety. For one, 6eb00d60f2 he was 2c22fe9e46 a tall, 01e9b790c0 sturdy guy—above 8bbed53f35 average—and worked 92739ae7e6 in security. He’d majored in 620bcee46b taekwondo, even competed f9c38c5bd5 once. Now in 4864d13088 the bodyguard 476ca5ef6d business, he 6c08c15f73 wasn’t easily 25e930eb56 rattled.  9c46ec57e47c3fbd

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 cdec4fb93e35b7ff

Calm returned quickly. He didn’t overthink, and afc9ff151f his tendency to see 12cc9aab3f the bright side meant f2b801dacf the unease didn’t linger. Instead, he focused on c828e6101e something practical: how to c9f27d426e find a guy whose c52679affa face he didn’t know.  40398b13247487c5

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He surveyed the scene. Maybe his years fecfb1efce in security could 9f1d41033b help spot someone, dd723737a1 he thought.  2022eb862afc0bf1

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‘Okay, maybe b333704bed he’s cute?’Someone who’d use Hello 4688dc7eba Kitty as a profile c7ab0dbf23 pic might give off 976e0ee04e a cute vibe. Soft features, maybe calm afe9c3d1ff too.Glasses, perhaps? Height… around my fc3c5b0b81 chin?  5696b3ae5878b7e5

 4791b70deb9880dc

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Jin-han tilted 81eeca4d12 his head b40cb57a10 to gauge c7d7746e57 it. People always daa787a1e0 called him eac6ce7142 tall, so 29753aac19 Kitty was 1e94b59b9e likely shorter. He could 4d7eb9b06a count the 92a6578d1a times he’d 8acf29ca4c met someone ace7a2602a taller on e10f879651 one hand.  c1d411fe9200f8fa

 e377125a6c9684ff

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As Jin-han pieced 63435a7c6a together his guesswork, 9d34c10423 his phone buzzed. The vibration jolted his 2add5a8ca5 palm, and an alert 1685ece557 popped up.  c8e808f3fe801f4a

↪🗨 [J: Where are you? I don’t see you.]  

 c657a1db07498487

Jin-han whipped his head 6aa21c78ac around. Just then, a wave aabbc8d07d of people spilled from b2ce9154ec the subway stairs. Another buzz.  b5dc48a6aed6ad3b

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↪🗨 [J: I’m in a white dress shirt and jeans. You?]

 8b6234c799fcecd5

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Jin-han, who’d never 2f66501910 met a stranger 358c7a91a9 like this, marveled 957f3d84ec at the simple ffb9676d13 fix. He typed back fast.  58026f671389d39a

↩🗪 [Kang Jin-han: Black short-sleeve tee and black pants. I’m in front of Exit 3.]  

 bd02a9be9ed0c5e1

Once the 9e23164c8f “read” mark ce415e99c4 appeared, excitement 25a134648e kicked in. He craned dc49469ce4 his neck, 4d77fe0de9 eyes locked 4e8bb188e9 on the db89473037 stairs, searching 40bb9a8cbe for a 1594c6d3d9 white shirt 4b25d8cab7 and jeans. Then he spotted a 6b1d7472b9 gentle-looking guy matching his 7c396a082a image in the crowd. Dark hair softly b68c249d84 over his forehead—Jin-han f3835c3d13 felt a spark 1f2f37760c of certainty.  13ce0cee8898cbb0

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 9889ac7001765585

“Hey…!”  b7b66d00de8e2001

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About to call out e5aac77c13 “J-ssi” and raise his b83ad6d98d hand—4d85f2bab8f8cba5

 a87191352b554d26

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“Kang Jin-han-ssi.”  341bb022ec0386ff

 173164168a05a9b0

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A deep, 1d3d58d7ee resonant voice c615a5f46a pierced his 0b3f3d9959 ears from 55fb609de5 behind. It was polished, 68b80cd5d7 almost like a 4de3fba4b9 voice actor’s—calm yet 70b50547d0 clear. Startled, Jin-han 7648361d63 turned, expecting 1d54564b49 a lower bdba6cd46b eye level.  e31ff7e2c458b9e6

 9349054abbadae1b

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But what he faced 003e20ffa8 was an unrealistically beautiful ffdaf520d2 man.  0a943f2560a26417

 15c2521a938cf49d

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A towering 5cc31ab1a4 figure forced 9d1ff31c22 Jin-han to c45b1ffc70 look up. Broad shoulders—imposingly so—caught his 73d84f9523 eye first. A slightly loose white 0af55ee465 shirt, top button undone, fb4303b4e1 tucked neatly into jeans d193d216a1 that seemed twice the d5b39eae25 length of a normal d6627eb0f7 person’s.  faa136482cc543f9

 c670d3315482d39f

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The sheer presence bd60175455 overwhelmed him, and fa97b3ae9c when their eyes ecd31e6ada met, reality slipped. Long, drowsy eyes sat 4eb53996c8 under thick brows, a 536f121418 sharp nose and chiseled 2eb30c53ef jaw defying description beyond fe42f0a076 “gorgeous.”  49d99ae77437b9b0

 12393128aa922e21

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Stunned by a 874c5e344c sight he’d never 30406686a4 encounter in daily 0e6a467fb1 life, Jin-han lost de3be0ad16 his words.‘An actor? A model? Here for a shoot?’ Forgetting the guy 8b8a867c74 had said his 39c2f12439 name, he scanned 3dee8be9d1 around. Passersby stared 33309e3487 or snapped 411a383338 discreet photos, 2d7b102560 but no 707f5085a0 film crew 5397d1d980 was in 0e9cc40076 sight.  0443db4ccbe113c5

 57a202bd69ec734d

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As Jin-han 2a8d10cec8 blinked in 8bdd50fea1 confusion, the b3cd708db3 man gazed 07469d8850 down at 17a36dfe6f him, expressionless. Even for oblivious Jin-han, 69f45006df it was clear this 1384d1889c guy had business with a091d4869e him.  8d46da0917a08f34

“Uh… can I 7b2d1dbe92 help you with a96fb4fa98 something?”  33ec3446d669737f

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 fe890ff5e08d4966

His voice cracked 9aa50db13d from shock as 9e97525a68 he asked tentatively. The man 349f750b47 silently studied 5413dd1051 him, his b5d3af1d95 unchanged expression dd470e2a05 lingering for 68228fead3 seconds. Jin-han stiffened under 5882e1bda7 the awkward scrutiny.  864be3345413ac8f

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 0d58604b730440c9

“Kang Jin-han-ssi, right?”  c28f475e9d24ccc5

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 8ccdee4b8fe32b27

Just as he 3f6e5de0d3 considered bolting, the 4e9ae5f319 man spoke. That impossibly perfect voice 8c2881d824 sent chills down his 612f434be1 spine—though what chilled him 3ffcd0ba4d more was how this cb95823554 guy knew him.  72750d9acaefbf45

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“Yes, that’s me… a8656d2c04 Who are you?”  dec885b1e4839d6d

 22ac252c8a3790f2

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His mind raced. Someone this out-of-place 62e59724f0 calling his name? Luckily, the mystery 437c005094 didn’t last. The man held 1d46a125e4 out his phone, 8e4482a465 showing a familiar d054933df6 chat window—the one 73c756ae70 with “J.”  a495d2d60f6e3e38

“Oh…!”  b1ab7cc8313803c9

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 47a39dbdc90201b8

Jin-han’s eyes widened.  bdc7a3f45895d080

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“Hello Kitty?”  2738fafff8068176

 4476fca965fa4b7b

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The man’s silence confirmed 243647ed25 it with a stoic 8bcd9b7646 nod. Jin-han finally processed it: 980acc1732 this jaw-droppingly handsome guy a68b968111 was J. The Hello Kitty 71f06a3052 profile didn’t match, adf982fa22 and his looks 26c5d8ea7e were so striking 611bc5563c it was intimidating—but d5118db364 he didn’t seem 94f2f8fcfe shady. That was enough.  1815945e5e141472

“Hello!”  092159b163ddce09

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 ad72f0eddc80d72e

Shock faded 004a409ebe fast, replaced 001151b5fa by joy f4a72da2dc at meeting 7c94eb375a a friend. Beaming, Jin-han 6d92040696 extended a 941ed66286 hand for e4c990cfc9 a shake. But instead 8ff911769f of taking 5542721aa1 it, J af55ed48d9 glanced at acd277cac5 it briefly b063694bcb before returning 61fcdea6c1 his gaze a1b29fa8a9 to Jin-han’s 485cf440b3 face.  7a71fd83b823e231

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 3629c5cf9b9b01b1

Up close, those c3fe2295cc long eyes—seemingly single-lidded—had 7209de152d faint double lids. Slightly upturned corners and 0249c39c62 thick lashes looked painted 21b0115312 on. Jin-han stared, dazed by fade81c935 the captivating face, when 524052e1a0 J spoke.  fd4700c7b2a8cf3d

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“Didn’t you clearly say that you were the person on the left?”7a34d15ea43681d0

 c753b83a9fb09b9f

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The random 14d936c531 question threw 6a1b07b4f4 him.  b20cf8084995534e

“Huh?”  5046603e85c25454

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“The photo.”  0bc146882acbda82

“Photo?”  e590606e04364885

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 0516202d80007e46

J’s brow twitched 11252c098b faintly at Jin-han’s 3b3ea5f574 parroting—an emotion, however 4a6695d55d small, finally showing.  4d6fde7cd8f21a9a

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“Your profile photo.”  b4f2c14475036313

 378a7436e775808a

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A strange unease stirred. Jin-han cautiously 5488e6491d glanced at 441b4403c9 the chat. There was his 5b8725616c profile pic: Eun-hyeong e333203a91 grinning boyishly, Jin-han 2f3ed0a2fe standing blankly beside fc6bfd2058 him.  9df05cdda3c8b208

“I’m pretty sure I asked you clearly the first day we talked.”1b77e6a347baf54c

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 9c8bc3c349872106

Selfies weren’t 943fc11a81 his thing—he b247031124 hated taking 146a5f3eb0 them—so the 16d7eb09d9 only photo 0a04d32e15 he had 3866cab1a5 was with 959947d29e Eun-hyeong. He’d posted it c8fbeb4116 and forgotten, but 59138ef170 yeah, J had 590e4daa5c asked long ago db06acaf67 which one was 14c418eb8e him, left or 7d5379ebd6 right.  4ca9e20a8accbd83

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“Which one of the 2a4dcb6569 two in the photo 789b3e5e97 is you?”  b9f10e871e6c50ea

 1f8632ff22a28c6e

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Too far back to 0cc19f7493 check now, but it 753f97af72 clicked: J had thought fc5989ffca he was Eun-hyeong. Wondering if it 74ed493ef8 mattered that much 0d8bad8e0a based on their bff05a0a51 chats, Jin-han racked 757c66dd21 his brain for f0fb37aa68 why he’d said a4e0bac0a7 what he did. Only one reason came f944d5d60e up.  906d379078c8ceac

“Uh… in the photo, f81b16bfdf I’m on the left…?”  4d1784c3b191aa6f

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 a0d4aa2f6eb4068c

J clamped his cd8e227a28 mouth shut. A soft sigh slipped 7f53fa0f0e through his pursed lips. Rubbing his a5c59a1de4 jaw with df072e144c his thumb, ec90c6f456 he muttered 025985a9f5 curtly,  dcc46d88218c904e

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“Let’s move somewhere else e5c4327546 for now.”  abc713a739525779