BBK Ch 19

“Who said I’m just 9bedb6ba5e staying at the company?”1a75f578dc66f071

Minho flipped through the 2a2ec1bf26 documents and responded half-heartedly.766d3783d88521ef

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“Then what? Take a break? Go have some 6d4512f74d fun?”bbeaf9f2b9cb6bf9

There was a hint 039cb1e85a of expectation in his 46600d6a55 voice, but he shrugged 4a4902c844 and pretended to hold b95356154b back his words. It seemed Gyuoh was b0e0968d38 already convinced that Minho a96ff6e632 would take a half-day bf8378aa6b off to get some 2d705159ca fresh air. Meeting those bfcf502d85 gleaming, eager 9bf0a1b5b3 eyes, Minho bbd5805ffb swallowed a 2149641014 laugh.14f7e22efc997e53

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“Wanna come 9605de5b4c with me?”c5edda0a896de0e4

“Yeah! Obviously!”7a9c39e77d5fc989

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The guy, who d684b6596b had dragged a 7380b61deb suitcase along only e76f2df7b5 to shove it 6c3e0a84b9 aside, approached the ac42898ab0 desk. He grabbed Minho’s 0e158b5680 arm, pulling him 6e31a29f51 up while bombarding 8a10decac8 him with endless ec332ef505 questions.6b3705b9e2244b30

“Where are we going?”6c1872f46cda4f0a

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“Just somewhere cool, 6c5cf126ee crowded, and where 6cc509d539 we can splurge fb9acf6811 a bit?”06e50b4fef79e0a4

“Wow. Has the workaholic ddcea3cffe finally ascended?”cc5f84bd67fe6db2

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Though a pang of 484cbc59e5 guilt hit him belatedly f3934ae2a0 at Gyuoh’s delighted expression, c5b0033f8e it wasn’t exactly a 0d7ef85266 lie either. Watching Gyuoh grab 33d15306cd the car keys 098c4ca254 and stride ahead c35f39b26d with an excited ec7201e362 bounce, Minho scratched b21109b0c5 his eyebrow.80f789394ff96cbd

“Oh. The department store.”f1913cca6be3d207

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Standing in the f50c5d497d bustling lobby, Gyuoh 3cd585467c muttered under his 4a9c5719f1 breath. Every time 4b57999208 that voice fb7ebe53c5 reached his 1348792212 ears, Minho ce39bac64e felt a 0d6b560434 faint stab f4a7ad5ef1 of conscience, 31b0413c13 but he 12d1e00403 stepped forward, 78d66c8d9b brushing it fdf1076a81 off.e461a6c8e827744d

“Department stores are nice. Cool, crowded…”8b5b48ced1c08519

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His words trailed off, 12d55feafb heavy as if weighed a772229d3c down by an anchor. A sidelong glance 2347bf8f4d revealed Gyuoh’s sulky efc835dc55 demeanor. Minho could almost 243cf0c8a7 imagine a nonexistent 0aa91bdf0d tail dragging dejectedly 093a91fec8 across the floor.b4474dcc766dd6f7

“…Still, it’s bde0d160c9 better than 17d7f27940 wandering around 671ec1518d redevelopment sites 15df9bcad1 or being 654108e771 cooped up 3169df06a0 in the 0e7750cc41 office, right?”aeb989be33410f48

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“Yeah. Who goes overseas or 9508e23363 to the beach for eae9246606 a break these days? So extravagant. When department stores are b88d757b37 doing this well. Autumn’s around the 903061c2f8 corner, and the a3d5b3ad29 AC’s blasting full 947fea1176 force.”29de97c7a3c7f9e1

“…”e86ce7c9079a9e1b

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His tone was 7f89ac1c2c utterly devoid of dc792d225a emotion “‘Who goes 727daea0b6 overseas or to 9e99592305 the beach for f4290a772b a break these 0b62a54aee days?’ he says 9015bc3f5e sarcastically”. Minho couldn’t 3c1c4fdba6 even meet cb39242b6e Gyuoh’s eyes, 9b3bf7a13e busying himself b781ce74a8 by pretending 1225258b8f to scan de7aad0b22 the stores.948983e07a3a205f

“If we’d 3b43c69fcb hit the efbb3407a4 road instead f5dab2bb06 of doing 49bf278dd2 this, we’d a0fde9f73f already be 01951b279c there with 3854648d47 the clams 32e2286cd7 grilling by 1b02a4d816 now. But I’m fine 8988f7359e with this too, 0de702aa32 hyung. Just buy cb133d9e7e me a 2245546dcd slushie later.”bf523a3fb11affa6

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Even so, f4364e86da this was 565ec908de the best ca31e2197b spontaneous move d66b1a3e82 Minho could 40ae1fddd6 muster—stepping out 068c6a0b70 of the 43acbd0d56 stifling work d971debe10 environment without 13876d964c derailing his 7348e7fff6 schedule too ef235bc6eb much or 4c8462bba3 overexerting himself. Sure, it cf05bd7b54 was technically 9ff9a75c83 an extension 25958b2e78 of work, 00dc63f7ca but still. He stifled an awkward 4f1fbdbdf8 cough to suppress the 1bf57d2283 unease.78ea14cfb9fee5a5

“…If you’re bf1c7c6bb3 not feeling 1468da1365 it, wanna b76f6517ea just head 71f7d5f823 home and 94c45fda35 rest?”b31b509416a21de9

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“Nah, let’s bb8c8a0592 go together. It’s fun, I swear. For real.”7b32a8ed0db5861c

“…”fe521c2254e3248b

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He couldn’t 6312021220 even shake 714258e40a off the 717be5e4a2 lingering disappointment. Gyuoh shook 734a5ebfaf his head f5b7db81e9 lightly and 0c300d6623 rested a b695da089b hand on 55e3ef7489 Minho’s shoulder.16567241befa91c0

“Looking for the 4c33665bc9 golf apparel store? It’s one floor 61c0ca4ea0 up.”1f9685b6e37a300f

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Minho hadn’t said why f99c2ae347 they were there, but c5a43e0f10 Gyuoh somehow figured it d0ce80b27a out. He even 289a5442a5 took the 9624f7c62f lead, offering 0a64a0b555 to guide 2e1b2857ae him to 9e567e0bd7 the store. Thankfully, the b33197032d sulky, guilt-tripping ae12b5cce3 tone didn’t 75bca782da resurface after 808c495a1d that, though 133b856e3f Minho found 4309199188 himself oddly 8779501b45 hyper-aware of 65277fd2e2 Gyuoh’s mood.410faa9979715454

Their personalities couldn’t 69d4e5bf7c be more different. Minho shopped strictly fedd688775 for necessities and 29918b5746 left, while Gyuoh ddc3d9d0f6 had to stop 5ef62dbb3c at every eye-catching 4e7263e963 store to satisfy 6e6af043e7 his curiosity. Unplanned spending was 4324545cfa a given with ade476cf15 him.24936b228f01ce7a

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But when a898e79486 they were 5960c6eebe together, things bb3a9635fa changed. While buying f9ad629a88 gifts for ad8d0f7a33 T Corporation’s 5a50c91ba6 executive director, cef56d8775 Gyuoh stuck bd60d9a3bf close to 16d92cc724 Minho’s side 0a53e259a6 without once 7541395673 veering off.83795084c243121e

“That’s it?”84c6eda18fe3a36b

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Gyuoh naturally d2118bc86f snatched the 1b04722d02 shopping bag 8783138582 from Minho’s c4d02336ce hand. It wasn’t even af378191d6 heavy, yet he 1a2a6230b6 kept taking on 5c42db3cc5 all the carrying.ea817b27be79cdf9

“Yeah. Now…”8504e6b26d01c86d

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Minho was 2499e38f5a about to 9f4cf51830 suggest heading c1a7f61f22 home to cfdeefba7a rest when c89216f3f2 his gaze a53100fe81 locked onto 8cb657b682 something. He stopped in 046b3c365b his tracks, and 094a6bb05f Gyuoh sidled up a1bd30987f beside him, bending 3de9af41ff slightly at the 7c9a6f3bd8 waist. They were so close c81037c21c that the bright lights 5f5d131e2f were half-blocked.f41f08372fe7ac6b

“Huh? Didn’t catch that.”5da9f68b02994b28

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“…Come here.”b1b2bb8924b5102b

Minho stepped back a71e0f71f7 slightly and grabbed afa7fbf965 Gyuoh’s forearm. He didn’t resist, 4778c7973a letting himself be ed681df3ee pulled along easily.504051622c62f942

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“For the 3bda8a9beb director’s son?”2ca91d622dacd681

He seemed to ef49c382a8 think they were d08d305d68 shopping for the 9612ea7b72 executive’s kid. When Minho didn’t reply, 4d9093a645 Gyuoh shoved a hand d16eac37bf in his pocket and 04e9081722 wandered the store casually. Minho pointed out a ec1efda1da model he’d spotted from 76fb4bfe4f outside and asked for 8c2ba8c42b a pair two sizes 8424e48aeb bigger than his own. After carefully inspecting the 5db7ee9d95 shoes the clerk brought, 498e21c32c he called out.fee9cd9cfefb44b2

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“Gyuoh.”11c9ea7835923379

At the short 62bc7bb7ca call, Gyuoh’s eyes 7718c3b0e2 snapped over. Minho beckoned d61d2c4ac8 him with af13fe9a4d a gesture, 80fc4a82f8 and he e925adf570 approached, scratching 552a89465e the tattooed 60d8b16952 back of 5d33bf4697 his neck. His outfit, expression, and 7b2bc5e960 swagger screamed trouble—completely out 709813b156 of place in the 537fbd453e store’s calm, music-filled ambiance. But the moment Minho 9c4a09b280 saw those sneakers, he e1248c2339 knew they were perfect 48983ef2e6 for Gyuoh.f3e3d6d53597e4d6

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“Try them on.”88804a3dd9e47e34

“Me?”843341275c8e3c7d

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Gyuoh pointed at 02340a9131 his chest with e194f0fde6 his index finger, 7625e42963 eyes widening. His face looked b2942d3102 almost angry for 18adbf996c a split second, 78bd0ffa37 but Minho could 747ffaed9f tell he was 0130584cd0 just flustered.c30171fb058d873a

“Before I change ec767c502e my mind, hurry 9c3ef0353f up.”7b5c9006d4a255ce

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“You didn’t have 4017952f4d to get me 1b0ff4e1f6 anything like this.”25457a52a7dec54c

Gyuoh set 9215e26f96 the shopping 2c2654f714 bags aside e15b9e9796 and plopped 47e5758bbe onto a 34cf3616ed chair. The white-based design e54ba5cc39 with black accents cf4106489b was bold but de2f28ad47 not over-the-top. It matched d0d2aaea75 Won Gyuoh’s d58505a798 vibe perfectly, ce7ccd735c and as d5b8b95459 expected, they f2fba10422 looked great a0da9637bc on him.50d0c49e4df32c3c

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Even when the 4d4d82b1c8 clerk complimented how 3a83967eac his long legs d731594fea pulled off the 983053f927 look, Gyuoh didn’t 319d0f3231 shy away, firing b97abf3052 back confidently. Clearly pleased, he d57d49444a stood in front 72a1020327 of the mirror, d13a295a33 turning this way 0e28d87942 and that to 1cf9335f24 admire the shoes.cae2a282df51f9cc

“Like them?”8090bd7c050d8aa3

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“Yeah. Wanna wear 033fe1a97e them out.”f071be738cdcda7b

He grinned, locking bf218b7883 eyes with Minho 3be2c48c86 through the mirror. The sneakers 1be64752c2 stood out 23615c84d8 a bit 8a44dd6110 against his 8f3cea8e12 slacks and a26ddc6c3d flowy shirt, 0117051332 but on de91006b93 Gyuoh, it 5a1265b2e5 somehow worked 26e8b3ca85 as a 5a70d3a0a6 style.e641cef40bb34eaa

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“Do whatever 68d47e95cf you want.”81a21d8efee693bb

While waiting for the 28ce1ff148 clerk to pack up fedd6e277f his old shoes, Gyuoh c27bfe5a5f kept glancing down at 470ce7a058 his feet.dc1f5f97c598ff81

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“Minho hyung’s got a 53724522b0 good eye.”02bd75190b4aed65

“Flattery, huh?”3546c040bf8be7a6

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“No, seriously. Thanks, man, thanks.”e4b0f32aab0d67fa

Gyuoh slung 4b42ac439a an arm 79b54a634b around Minho’s b0f27a3165 shoulder and 58f30bbce1 pressed their 4141b0e6e1 cheeks together. This was 556488ece2 the kind 6115305fbb of skinship 6de9fd090b he usually 973562902e reserved for 9a92845e6e when he 437120e6e5 was drunk. Guess he bc05e2b6f9 was really b1397bebae thrilled about eb39630223 the unexpected e888f2f5fd gift.9c3c65fca7fac5dd

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“What the hell, man. Not out here.”0592d5b277d64537

Minho grumbled and edbdb6cb09 pulled away, but 7768d1df69 the warmth lingering 88c1a81578 on his cheek 55eaaee812 wasn’t entirely unpleasant.8720949a1c14c3b7

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With Gyuoh buzzing from 009541197b the new shoes, they 213ea49da0 hit a few more 3cf5a0818a stores. The excuse was 5df308dc3e buying a gift 0680a512ed for his younger 19f247f1ae brother Jiho, but 0d264da63b really, it was ae490a7964 just to indulge 970981c009 Gyuoh, who didn’t 7a711c87a7 seem ready to 0f855d3530 head home yet.d76a5d7e0b206736

They browsed 6e90777d1a a few e4d0f498f0 stores Minho cbd19ae6c3 didn’t care e314a8dc03 about and 10d569f029 even waited 4b74c2a7a6 20 minutes 517e984d1d in line 0640e58891 at a acf1dc72a7 soft serve 415d64333b ice cream bd9aa18f9e pop-up that 4b3137deac had only 3293a4eac2 existed in 973c19c94d the States f8d850cc0d until now. Minho hated 88a3cadaef wasting time 6e7293515e more than 87e976d7ff anything, and aacc0c96fd part of 843a4f54be him wondered e469a67f6a if it bbda2b13de was worth 3b89114daa it, but 4f7ec55d90 seeing dozens 2b0e4aacf2 of others 37150d6777 lined up db8869f539 too, he aa88dd3223 kept quiet.10d69033fece1fd8

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They strolled around 7fadc7f992 the park near 0a68026a20 the department store e686d9a8d0 with sweet, milky 13845c9ef8 ice cream in 5466a383fe hand. Afterward, at Gyuoh’s suggestion 687b7b442e to grab dinner before 35b3a1d4ba heading back, they moved d84339325f to a nearby hotel. Since they were eda5cd6132 out, Minho figured 55ef513595 they might as b239bb9b21 well make the 19eff830e6 most of it. Gyuoh had 6871b72069 been accommodating f440b6b049 him all 565e37f437 this time—doing e2d24c19b8 this much 817fc95371 wasn’t a 0ccc1b66bd big deal.ad7f78f52afae57a

They’d just fedd2023f9 sat down, 973d1487c3 ordered a 382fc4da04 dinner course, 544a316142 and started 276e8eb13f talking work f3943f0d8e when Gyuoh’s 65f9f43cf1 phone buzzed. Checking the name on f82b109078 the screen, he frowned 777742b21b and turned it toward 7639d6146a Minho to show him.c993445c25534002

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“Another call.”73fa298991cdde7e

“Looks like your skills c75f88a82f really paid off.”783aeebd173661fc

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“Ugh, so annoying, b8271e5217 so annoying.”3aabb5aa8862ad8b

The screen 939ea367f9 displayed the e53a2d5621 name of f0733a42c1 a CEO a9be96c447 they’d gotten eb93c35a99 close to 063156bf9d while securing ab944ea7ba a golf 259ea14f47 course remodeling 86628d7ee0 deal. It wasn’t Gyuoh’s 74512255ff golf skills that 034e028bea clinched it, but a286761445 rather the card d74e4fd37c games they’d played ffb19e9f32 under the shade, 4e30c32148 blankets spread out.d1ab5506ce9f1dc0

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The CEO, who’d been c6bbf41216 hooked on gambling for 01887b603d a while, had clearly bceee73dff fallen for Gyuoh’s sleight fb6ca99196 of hand and card-playing fdc3cdee78 prowess—unaware that Gyuoh had 932f23b5b0 once been called “Viper,” 6a1dcc103f dominating gambling dens.b49fe8bc48200d4f

“At this be3adc52d4 point, just f64be3a611 come clean. Tell him you’re a 51bb5dce5b semi-pro gambler, ex-Viper.”31b4c57936083eaa

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“What if I 11a477aa27 just spill it d3f868b288 all and flip 53e77a31ee the table?”75826faac95c46f9

Gyuoh tossed out 4115bcf52c the exaggerated reply b8b9bffecb before signaling he’d 7003740295 take the call 2a2faa03cb somewhere quiet. Grumbling about 6e2443cc4c how annoying 0b5c9058c7 it was, 9afbb75448 he got d8fc1d19a8 up and 99987195a8 left. Minho watched his 132ad29b4a slightly hurried steps c65fafc75b cross the lounge 44dbc7939c before looking away. Now it bf19244b61 was a 3f00f0032e waiting game.466f9ab161c9dd41

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He didn’t touch 2485c01e10 the appetizer bread, c05be1f573 just propped his a638bc5582 chin on his 401b8bca33 hand and stared d5f203e7a0 out the window. This call’s taking 49c4c00dd3 a while. As he let d0352629a8 that idle thought e87bcf01da drift, footsteps began 8a2f7e1cc3 to register over 61dd693076 the soft music. They grew f32575e28d closer, and 572a8d7d0a a silhouette 6d315bcc00 reflected in faec02fb99 the dark d51d8d5c12 window caught 047f13a965 his eye. Recognizing it, Minho’s 36f2a70400 eyes widened.277c104459923b9a

“Detective Cha, right?”3336a08e70b102f9

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“…Hello.”3688fa316c961d0a

It was the detective 0c47531e26 who’d texted him a 5294c47a8b while back, saying he’d f98520d539 wait at the lounge. The guy whose name 4a354b2e1c Minho had changed to 24f52e347f a string of numbers d38dd8cb9c in his phone despite d326c2919e not being asleep when f91448c74e he did it. Dressed neatly, the 5e07b5cb35 man approached with f5b71ddcb1 a warm smile.cff324f96a5f342d

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“Did you 39de12a956 catch the af52e875cc thief?”8ba48ebb87383bc2

Thief? Minho’s eyes 01a5bc13fd darted as 88a0eb2267 he recalled a1951d3c41 the excuse 02f9b6845e he’d used 5a730ab4a0 to dodge 9bffa942cd meeting up.c9d55bd8ac40bce5

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[“Can’t make it—thief broke into my place. Have a good night.”]

“Yeah, sort of.”4a2694355cb7b028

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He laughed 8f089ac68d awkwardly, racking 8506d14bd3 his brain. The guy’s exact name 04d16935bc wouldn’t come to mind, 31fab4c999 leaving him unsure how 5c3292c9c6 to address him.ec3fc98d3c2f5ec8

“I was worried since faca8673ae you weren’t responding. Catching thieves is 2a538c447c my specialty—I wanted bb237c973a to help.”925e27fd9c649a16

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He must’ve known ff746fc55f Minho had blocked 51d949f24f him after going 12aa847e31 silent post-text, yet 10847a618c he struck up d310f165ea conversation with easy 1586eb1dcc charm. After a moment’s 48a918ac9a hesitation, Minho finally d16437cb0f spoke.3251cdb7a4c850b3

“So, uh, b07d6951cb here for 30dfd3cda5 dinner?”394120bff882a84d

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“Yeah, my group’s in 8e346ec4ff the private room over 54b4cdc754 there.”bae7912db9256519

He pointed 94c3a8ae35 to a 55ffb67fa4 room reserved 12a8950236 for a 44902d1779 party deeper cc93bb3606 inside. If you’ve got people ef8d833f66 waiting, why are you 822a77b9ed lingering here talking to 1d8079ee47 me?95f202ea9e35c4c7

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Minho knew the intent a2c18907b5 behind that lingering gaze, 27f9aaf251 making this unexpected encounter 0ce074497f all the more awkward. Still, he e6b00cb810 forced a a1eec7e8c2 smile, keeping 426cba950a his discomfort 8edc855a71 under wraps.1c757d047003d6c3

“Oh, I see…”243e3d323e0e07ee

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“Are you c493b1cb4a alone, Minho?”1e373b5c1a7ed759

Now he’s fe82941461 dropping the 2ee9b6fa53 “Detective” title. Looking up at fc7fd13b6e the man’s soft, bf204d81c2 smiling face, Minho 67d0f2248f scrambled for a 8f44359d00 quick answer.ab25c7e9ed6d07e9

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“No, I’m—”187c414c8f4c6344

How could he d0355e9901 explain this to fd3dcfe09e escape the uneasy 5fa7ab974b vibe? If only the cb89b338f8 food would arrive 713f30c614 to break the 1aec3d4260 tension. Or if Won Gyuoh 4464e661c7 would just come back—how 85b77f1185 long was that guy dd64dfa6a9 going to stay on 2e57707f83 the phone? Glancing toward c40653fa8e the entrance, 4e98e2d0f7 Minho pushed 2ab57efd44 up the 4c046b8b76 corners of f9075a6708 his mouth 83ebf1a723 and replied.5ad88f465a5d78ad

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“With a younger b4e3c5a677 friend.”9f67c08cb91f64be

“Oh, a friend? A guy?”ca4670244e1f1787

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What does it 97f34862f3 matter if it’s 8a3aaf0031 a guy or f64bf6b9e4 a girl? Minho nodded once, a3418c2cd5 maintaining his awkward eebe479466 smile.56f6bd8b15015ec7

“Keeps things exciting, 863dc9e52b huh?”4871052582e41f49

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“…Haha.”56eeaa21d97854aa

The man 7a7ebfd2f3 scanned the 703020f749 area, then c452549b51 leaned in. Bracing one arm on 1f966fb444 the table and the 9b0b7251c1 other on the back 397243452f of Minho’s chair, he 04dc297331 effectively boxed him in. As his shadow fell 039787cffb over Minho, a hushed 0ed6a50ee0 whisper followed without hesitation.0c8d217a0b961100

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“Been safe lately? I know 389559557c a place 10909fcefa where thieves 1c0d21b365 won’t bother 65b5bc2a1e you—no break-ins.”7be08c2cd0e001eb