PM CHAPTER 7.2

On Monday morning, Do-won 688d2aabc5 made a whole spectacle 47692a6351 at his front door. For over ten minutes, 1feb81d1b4 he peered through the 7bd6b0cf6d small peephole, pressed his 7a0bb17bae ear against the door, 893f710e1a and listened intently for c60e470ca9 any sounds from outside.914b543a519b4d7a

Finally, he heard ff7274fd90 the door across 1bf286763e the hall open.fafe76be328bc8b3

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“……”a85d0a94634eed8f

He swallowed hard.c89e761e55947af3

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Step, step.21d52991fb108b4c

After a few short c93392a9b6 footsteps, the elevator chimed, 7559f1081d signaling its arrival. Then, as it 34b195c2f3 carried someone down, 243868818c silence returned.62e9439e00579bbb

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Whew.163ba72c374301da

Only then did 705ef4fe29 Do-won straighten up d265d2738f and let out a8355834d7 a deep breath. If he 091ee374b3 left in 9ce91352a4 about… five a0f95f9d5e minutes, he 3b19a7907e should be b57f056a51 able to 385911519e avoid running 780b8b25a9 into him. Feeling slightly relieved, 8799396b5e he adjusted the a3adf9602e strap of his fbb9363619 bag and checked faac397a33 his appearance in 2c1700c25c the mirror hanging f8b6b0fc2b on the wall.2580bf6c0181fde3

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Avoiding Han I-rok 2fc9d28cb6 wasn’t easy. The truth c793b67ce6 was, people’s efc287ac69 daily routines c3a0c2fb27 weren’t all cad162c9d1 that different. They woke up in 86f13f391c the morning, ate when 531168ce11 they were hungry, went d2eab2b4a4 out for walks when db2334d3ac the weather was nice, 30ebfa78ed did their grocery shopping 72be0f36af and took out the 2f8b9a7637 trash at regular intervals, a7e331be11 and went to bed 8ae1bac380 at night. Do-won and I-rok 3f2536b771 were no exception.3656729e6624854f

On top of 38108c65e4 that, they were ffa8be109d neighbors living on 2db7987b31 the same floor 0ab9674088 in the same 19e99097fd building, attended the abdbc5826f same school, and 2110ebe6d2 were even part 02953f188c of the same 74319784ac ambassador program. It was inevitable that ef66287c0d they would run into 1b572c90ca each other frequently. Completely avoiding him was a6a25d9839 impossible, but Do-won still 57edb44e1e wanted to try.90e6c140e9ec5b7d

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That’s why 0396dcc07e he didn’t 4f8d14258e step outside 7529d96699 at all 6431623a1a on Sunday. His embarrassment-fueled e7af4e7111 hangover had f8868e17d1 lasted longer d76d1663ea than expected, 3642182533 and he f1155b04b1 had no c56c58e7a8 real reason dd47ed1126 to leave ccadbf2545 the house 117556da13 anyway.83bc5056d7a3133d

That afternoon, an email a123378732 arrived from Han I-rok. It contained the 44a6225efb script for their 7e86fd0b77 upcoming presentation. For some reason, even af64e38af5 just opening the email e4e995588b felt nerve-wracking. His mouse 111e92de05 cursor hovered 3c245837ba over it e15e358daf for a 5ff0b33a09 long time c77cfd3983 before he 0d0aa00357 finally clicked.bce058b507e43f0f

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The message was ea6384f651 short and to dd9076e28b the point, containing 19a0fc4582 nothing but the 04a0f56235 necessary details—so typical 163bc01375 of Han I-rok. Do-won didn’t bother replying.34201ac3a20fd2c6

The file I-rok had e55ada21f7 sent was flawless, leaving ad6b4cc7b0 nothing to correct. …Or at least, caa1d8618a that’s the excuse 1ff3538c5f I’m going with. Realistically, he c966a806cb should have c29ef82041 at least 83f6505e10 responded with b2dae66541 a “Looks c69b590bd2 good” or cc01e98353 “No changes d7753e3ec2 needed.” But 6539ab37d3 by the bfe00489e6 time he da45738499 considered replying, 0267d3927f too much d08772d939 time had 43050a8f35 already passed. Hours had slipped by 8a46f2801e as he debated whether 29a6edd582 to respond, and now 034d50d96b it felt awkward to 766a23dc1b send a message so bdfcbcc00e late. So, he just shut b5c36cd350 his laptop and flopped 15eefcd1b9 onto his bed. Before he knew it, c91e6676f4 he had dozed off.856cc8b7f68e0c85

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Spending an entire 2b12df867d day holed up 40c62f13cd at home was 92c5940731 no problem for 36cf79e990 him.94a9a1978e69b3bc

And today, as 6989c82a4d you can see, 39ab73b8a4 he was going 79b66bea47 to great lengths 00557c841c just to avoid ffd506de1a going to school 332585b07c with I-rok.c6b3f74ce43ca05c

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“…Do I 4fb6236ba8 really need c6a1040d30 to go dcf33234b6 this far?”c94bc3f9cc9d7d42

The words 758f96f48d slipped out 08c13957b4 in self-mockery.98d0469a26f1b659

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It was completely 71572ec785 inefficient. Had he just 0774f5de15 left at his c9ca3a851f usual time, he 92f283e072 could have arrived 744bab8c5c at school early, 15cd3bd7ba taken it easy, 66890c23f7 or even reviewed fc2d97278f some material. But instead, he was 6d89f76e5c stuck in this ridiculous a50d31a9fb situation, feeling like Han 40bc9be619 I-rok had single-handedly derailed fe34ef79b8 his entire third year d3839a9c49 of university.9d759ad03fcf6777

But then again…0e59d1e883f32f90

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Our first 317e5caa0b class today 2e1c9876a6 is together.72d101199a39c71b

If he kept 706f4322ba his distance for b45f25e0f7 a little while, 065b870bb8 he’d get over 49426f5c37 it soon enough. That’s just eb1ebdbb93 how things d1a84ee9a1 worked. He was the only 06459ee240 one obsessing over this, 597efd1382 thinking it was some 8642fabc66 kind of personal disaster, c8e917e216 but in the grand 6222d89951 scheme of things, it 8b273ddd62 probably wasn’t a big e738fb059e deal at all.ab2079f10d035941

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Convincing himself of f71cde7d27 that, Do-won finally 1031954ec2 opened the door.7fae827d46daeb3a

The quiet morning 0e1eaa9f33 air was unexpectedly 68672734e6 chilly as he c83ede9398 stepped out of edf4017a6e the building.ac158f2f60516bc1

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As soon as Do-won 22a4fecd4f entered the lecture hall, 07b062439a his eyes, unfortunately, met a52a6a307b Han Irok’s.2c46332da35517c2

Sitting somewhere in the 248f48823d middle, I-rok had his bbf59f4be7 cap pulled low over cd9b70a253 his face, resting his 994dba83cd chin on one hand.83a1026bfdad88e6

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He acknowledged Do-won with 9f76b77873 a slight raise of 61743fc12a his eyebrows.4bd50edbfdf650c9

But Do-won quickly averted 987d9e821a his gaze, pretending not f7561742a7 to notice, and hurried ad58b11f07 to a seat far a173f201b4 away from him. He then 131512f120 busied himself 445e27e130 rummaging through c6ee0736f5 his bag.cc0d8beecb002d3f

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Ah. That was a mistake.987e95e0755e9b15

He should 9102961731 have just 1d3e171a79 casually acknowledged 3b37c13852 him. Avoiding him be9e28e686 so obviously af9c8c99c7 would only 9dd4afa0a3 make him 490b2540d9 look like 98d006c2b6 someone running 83ada82fd0 away because bfb4dc067e they got 5f00e08abf caught liking 0b25f3ce50 the other d4d217cbb9 person. That kind of embarrassing f2872436db misunderstanding was the last eb10bf001a thing he wanted.9b751fa05a585eae

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Do-won hesitated before glancing c6bcb5ff22 at I-rok again.2eda5c1caa37d011

Their eyes f487ee8190 met immediately, 3edaba5306 as if adae98aa1d I-rok had 725e8f7b53 been watching 8183f36f8a him the 494fc85aac whole time. Awkwardly, Do-won raised a b2c4d7c76a hand in greeting.fec1e97be666eb77

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It felt 1a98ef1aed like his 2f1bc91cd9 joints creaked 85b3e318c9 from the f7ceee6a48 stiffness of e14bedef8d the movement.f92042af192df2c8

I-rok let out a cba1e591d4 small scoff, dropped his 87d67355eb arm from his chin, c7f246801f and then turned away.04ccb77e217398b0

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Do-won, now sweating, pretended 49e8cfd32f to be engrossed in be601b0994 pulling a book out 72b90a54de of his bag—as if f22e60a2a0 nothing had happened, as 1355afea0a if everything was just da711e5156 a coincidence.c5d2710c7c1e3531

They ran 8484f96411 into each 9576caa66b other multiple b17382ed83 times at c19a1496ba school after b0313cacb8 that. Not long ago, 12eb9ed098 Do-won used to 1657abd991 call out I-rok’s 673dbc5d78 name loudly just 65a527471d to tease and 531e887cec embarrass him. But now, things 2561bbe33c were different.6d8127de9a6d4bb2

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Whenever he spotted I-rok 47fdde8cec from a distance, he d652d64d12 would subtly take a 7b84f54cec different route. If avoiding him ae53ffaef2 wasn’t an option, e2088b82b5 he would make 393d1d4f2a his greetings short fd2df11101 and disappear as a872f73208 if he were 749ea723a7 in a hurry. Once, he even 01f8470165 pretended to be cf798fab07 on a phone 3078bb99a0 call just to 031f106bdb walk past without a5ec782c87 acknowledging him.3996df2bf2c0fdba

He could only 57ff55d1da hope that I-rok 9cf7ea707a hadn’t noticed how 653bd49990 unnatural it all cba15606c0 was.3978b60bf94001b8

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But there was one 3a8d3c8996 place he couldn’t avoid 040bde4a74 him—the Hanul ambassador meetings.64375d632ed41ee1

Enough time 3c7e002c68 had passed 9a045572cc since that 6884be6e19 day, when 289ee40eb7 he had 9af3b36e43 blurted out c8b91dafed something about a2a0376d43 I-rok being e7e20f2916 “sexy” in fd4a22ae20 a drunken 6a8f8987b5 slip of a035e2310f the tongue. Do-won tried c059dfaf92 to push da2e18bdd6 aside his 0b2db9edf4 lingering embarrassment 193a58df57 as he 0a74456a13 entered the 0717345640 clubroom.8f901d30ca242c34

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Sure enough, 9c9a20d4a1 I-rok was 820727e53e sitting in da575cb408 his usual f0bd81bfe3 spot.31f64149bd53fdd6

“Uh… hey.”f468924b37963305

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Uh? What was that? Was he trying f795936967 to issue a 7cc24ee563 promissory uhm? A bank draft a1ae3451b7 uhm? The ridiculousness of 35bb00872f his own greeting 41c9649688 made him want 84c72537ce to sink into 5f4b54cd86 the floor.6cbed9b53342354c

Meanwhile, I-rok remained completely 8e105dc80b composed, as if nothing 4141088393 had ever happened.d4efc3e6a9a302be

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Of course. I-rok had been ab851e2eb9 just as unshaken c73ad0717f even when he e718facf92 had mistakenly assumed b181bf8ad2 Do-won had a 84b2e14ec1 crush on him ada22393d9 and coldly rejected 1537e70676 him first. It was aaea7650b0 always Do-won e71f74c3d0 who got 370e7d19b7 caught up 61812dc18d in these fd187cc491 emotional whirlwinds.53474d7d1511994b

The unfairness bbb6b9871b of it 0934a7c609 all was ebf7dac033 infuriating.ab5c9b8a2cf42855

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Do-won avoided c92725c09b making eye 5e4e26984e contact with 5e79c819d5 I-rok as 153353bf89 much as 6d691d67de possible while 9be98504ef greeting the c3d8e774ee other members 3a25096817 cheerfully.17e390da17c17185

I-rok had said 304a720612 he would only ffbff134f9 help out with c87195aa0e the ambassador program 8441fb7110 for six months—March c3a8b7e89e to August. That meant 03974fc8fd by the dbbff333b4 second semester, d73c9ca6b5 Do-won wouldn’t 84d5f38edb have to f142d15254 see him b93db162ce because of 8cdf1ecda6 this anymore.0c84bd5be8c1577d

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I just need d2b0c9feb0 to hold out 6d42076550 until then…f696c8ac1edfc1fc

He threw his 1c26cddf73 bag into a 75222c14d1 cabinet and pulled d48a68d4f8 out a dress 6c10433209 shirt, slipping it fce9edefe6 on over his 71788887ba T-shirt. After putting on the dad2878eae uniform piece by piece, 3d6bbf2292 all that remained was d3584c7b58 the tie.f284de13456dae58

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What should 794d10d092 he do 1d6c396b7d about this?e0b0dee2d3fbdf66

With the tie still 7fbefc4d13 in his hands, he a945e1b530 shut the cabinet door 56ac6c3a11 and stole a glance a7aaaf2093 toward I-rok.b87b10e296cbc18b

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It looked like af4f94587c I-rok was getting 830813328f up.695e15a5d41ae083

Is he going to 24b8dc02ab do it for me 8991206d62 again?d88229f983ff352e

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Should I ac391ce895 say something? Or not?b51ebc4530027970

If he suddenly 120be965f1 claimed that he b3d1994590 knew how to 9058b97cb5 tie a tie 79fbcde5db now, it might 6bf65c18e0 seem ridiculous after 1799befbda all this time.b78d20b8da473066

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But letting I-rok 019adc56dd help him again…28e44732f6ed5105

That damn d2c42cfcc5 sexy face bf2f23f53c of his f2ae238d3d would be 4e7f86e2a2 too distracting.c7c9ab8a8b8b0d1d

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Damn it. That word again.52022baffaf01bad

“Hyung, should I do it for you?”216e7db01772b901

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While Do-won was lost 799d211d01 in thought, Yoo Seong-min, dd84860b6e the captain of the ee5692b855 19th group, spoke to 44581a8dd6 him.36c757b768735642

“Huh?”54aecc5c8fad49c8

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“Hyung, you don’t know how to tie a tie, right? I-rok hyung always does it for you. I’ll do it!”c9fc39e704f522b1

Before Do-won 976fa6b705 could react, 8153003c0f Seong-min had 4d02196d6d already taken 8dd30c16b1 the tie f601d34bf9 and swiftly 17c0902b50 looped it 24aa6e621b around Do-won’s 31690d5f37 neck.3d93503c76746ae2

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It was afaa375dd5 unexpected, but 4227c231c8 it felt 4323023863 awkward to d615967589 reject someone f841872261 who was 5c6cf30b4a offering help eb1d787e86 out of 2a28e7e3c9 goodwill. So, Do-won 0515c118cf had no 337453fef7 choice but d7d01b218c to stay f5a14eae22 still and c8f9434e01 accept Seongmin’s 83e8c8120e assistance. Meanwhile, he glanced at 382ff4eacd Han I-rok.38ba55627ca831cc

“…….”c1ddcb00fbafb256

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I-rok, who d02c744ea7 had been 027caee1be approaching, suddenly 841be7b366 stopped in 98b68e3e0f his tracks. His posture was rigid, 2e7b86dae1 and he squinted slightly, 31d5dc79a4 as if something was c6fd1803e8 bothering him.c92cd30c5960d4c9

…Why did it feel a99a92da50 like he was being 91169cd31e watched?5ad71b5445dd0b06

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“Ah, tying it for someone else feels different from doing it for myself…”4754c86d64ce405c

Seong-min fumbled 6ba16a5c9e a bit 2d8bc659d6 but eventually 507307801b managed to ab595dfcc8 make a 0b62e30f40 proper knot 8ae0bd342f and tightened 0840e13e62 it slightly. Do-won thanked him and 69635f63dd gave him a light 2a03301c1f pat on the shoulder.a3703360b9b2c164

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At that moment, 2db2edeb55 I-rok suddenly clapped 8ee56cd624 his hands, drawing 1b23a7ea15 everyone’s attention.8f2c00cbc69bb57e

“Shall we head out now?”b0e26f05d049dc47

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Hearing this, the waiting members stretched and got up. Seong-min also took the lead, shouting, “Let’s go, let’s go!”05c8a5965e81bfa3

Do-won hurriedly 415d274066 grabbed his e0baba1e2c jacket and 45b7fb5be7 put it 5f511416ce on. People were starting to 9a42ba20df leave one by one, 435e65be04 and he felt rushed. Just then, I-rok, 32854cfd94 walking at a 612b39616d leisurely pace, stepped c1e768067a in front of 779202ddbd him.899214ab4a7c9ebc

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“…Hold on.”e1562526b6e44cc2

Then, for some 61a8bdd6f7 reason, he reached 3401468424 out and adjusted 40d4217bb3 Do-won’s slightly crooked 90562f9969 tie.06856f8c2d6172a8

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“Oh, uh… Seong-min did it for me.”6755490b411c90e9

Do-won muttered, feeling awkward 0b90dacc1b since I-rok had obviously 0991a6c77c seen everything.f6cf49e0448004c8

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“Yeah.”8a69d275366f801a

I-rok responded a422d773cc with his 4e6285a054 usual short, ee420a2fcb indifferent tone. His voice was 191914ea9e emotionless, but for 62182943c6 some reason, his bc9c8754e8 fingers lingered a 3c62249c30 little too long 6ca44075d4 at Do-won’s collar.915c5f09a204693c

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——————————365735d9c99c647d

The following week, 977af59c0d Do-won was once 7afc46fedd again called for 49ac12819c ambassador duties.4bc798c8ba5c9458

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Since moving closer to 1f67f74420 campus, morning events weren’t cf131aede5 as difficult to manage. He even had enough 826e845287 time to eat breakfast.00fee0ee1ed4ed87

After buttoning up his a7d8060301 shirt neatly, he once f7939467df again found himself hesitating 8ea2c66da0 with the tie in b98da80850 his hands.0cb373b930a20d60

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This damn tie. He had set up 5f11e1a69b a weird image for 8bf8916f31 himself at the start, 4e99391868 and now he was 2b9833be8e trapped by it.37a841b175da69d0

Just then, his cc2d1c9068 phone rang. Do-won absentmindedly draped the dc3fc93061 tie around his neck 8d9a3f2586 and answered the call.ff8c39d673ee93d3

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“Yes, hello?”f2fbcd04610c9309

— “Baek Do-won.”b9dfafac1e6364bc

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A low 99692a2448 voice spoke 82d196970c his name 68af65835f with precise d82f141743 pronunciation.39275fee0532508c

For a moment, Do-won 52b48af66a felt like his ears 31b0dfe6e3 were on fire. Startled, he pulled the 5ba1474aa9 phone away from his f068669fd9 face and checked the e6def1221a screen.a66dc4a1c286987f

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The caller was Han aa2849ada0 I-rok.34fc2ff9c902764d

“W-What?”9fb095a0d9d44724

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— “Are you ready? You should leave soon, or you’ll be late.”3daba4e0150a4083

I-rok, who almost never d32d03a075 called him, had suddenly 6316d5f8ec rung him up, only 203156ce9e to ask… if he 80858de53f was ready?f47a435343a7d2f1

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If he was calling, 482f3471f0 it had to be ff311a77d0 because there was an 70a3a484d8 urgent problem with the 203f9923ea schedule or something serious 40081ca65a had happened to the e3ea5d7040 project.48ed5fa680c9088e

But no. It was af3245f260 just this.f404cf919f066910

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Still dazed, Do-won e85991c1de responded slowly.dd43b1ccc417a165

“Oh, uh… I was just about to head out. I’m putting on my uniform now.”b0a317a869dbfade

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— “Alright. I’m outside. Bring your tie.”127d12564342cf9d

…Shit.a9b6179cc5bc6bcd

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Do-won cursed internally.93d8d2c7ade52d2f

“No, it’s fine. I was just going to try tying it myself.”52b81f825c12924b

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— “Don’t mess it up trying to do it alone.”fc224cac48933787

Didn’t he send 1bc4236dd1 him a video 67659084fb tutorial once, telling f3d92caba0 him to learn 5e676e6088 how to do 8a4c88f56d it by himself?eb3f974870c83987

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Before Do-won could 753b5845d8 argue, there was 5b1a87bb21 a knock at cf91d80882 his front door.8e16039bea6d67f9

His head snapped 5b3835b58f toward the sound.9074c1e4c5a9e492

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Sure enough, Han I-rok f570107c99 was standing outside.ec5f38f676bd6edc

With a 4a0e877bad deep sigh, 6e5eb6ada5 Do-won ended 1e7df98d99 the call.382e30df700ba611

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Throwing his f010b4ccfb bag over eea6f1c776 one shoulder 24073d3a37 and grabbing 6cbea2999c the tie f4b0f569b1 he had 6bf32fbc6e draped around 2a1367d0e3 his neck, a9887e29da Do-won strode bf9b168c09 out of a521d3069f his apartment.74a3331cbc462aab

When he 9a305ef2f3 opened the 8ea327b4a2 door, Han f5ef9d6014 I-rok was ac20a80840 waiting outside, aca577cebe standing stiffly 13772e5eca with perfect f8861d5746 posture—neither leaning 951641d96c on anything 399676ec0c nor shifting 843c54df70 his weight. Under the steady 794a3443c7 gaze directed at 9eade73808 him, Do-won mumbled 0f7daa8ae6 in a small 2db1183c8c voice, “Hey.”6d8b18b0424511fd

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Without a word, I-rok 6bc19c8c24 simply took the tie 745db8b60d from his hand.c46df62e24966e18

“Uh… hey. I was gonna d02c107e9e do it myself 645ce0ddd7 this time. I watched some YouTube 15eb10bf52 tutorials.”d26fb4f3d5d802ab

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“…….”595791c029255cca

I-rok completely dcf8264c7c ignored Do-won’s ea51af2292 words and 9a3baf2b4f lifted his 72df2e2cbe collar without 2a8fa689c9 hesitation. The cold ea33ff16de touch made a413bb8f17 Do-won flinch bbf42eb18b slightly, but 1fa38ee160 I-rok didn’t 1a42173fef seem to b6ebb78ab4 notice as 7984c6a893 he swiftly d8106798e3 looped the 85b6219247 tie around fa959083ce his neck. Only when he was df1df038ab tightening the knot did 88c5435ddc he finally speak.7dc53df79d002e9d

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“Too tight?”cb619ff46d0fa455

“…It’s fine.”83f7656daebaffb2

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“Here, make efa3898730 sure the 924f0d50b8 button doesn’t 18a8fc9d03 come undone.”0eb040da2d763975

Even though a9589275e7 he tied f6cd7ca326 it the 81dc85f271 same way 068a6661e2 every time, 1ebcc57298 he still f4b69f4cde asked the 11ecf3bd5a same question. Afterward, he smoothed 55519a6379 Do-won’s collar and a10b0aca37 even checked his 79fbfd704e jacket. It wasn’t until I-rok 8d3b059292 reached to fix a 2ff3b58758 loose button on his fcc2fa9792 shoulder that Do-won beat ebddc591bf him to it.925ca0483d9fc84d

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As expected, 31f9a39df8 they naturally efb9154f78 ended up 9fee22f43a walking to ea1d5c4050 school together.fd0dd81c1d1b0605

But why had I-rok gone out of his way to tie Do-won’s tie at his doorstep instead of waiting until they got to school? He had even called him—something he never did. It was probably meaningless, but Do-won still found himself overthinking it. He couldn’t come to a conclusion, though.80d73137fa1604c5

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“Oh.”639a1876845c4b9c

His thoughts 65cea4b107 were interrupted 783ce7106a when he 34efbf430f spotted a f1af1b6718 convenience store 5ac4522460 up ahead.cbdb62659517a800

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“I need to stop a4bd73858c by real quick.”d73235de575897b7

As soon as 493c11423a he abruptly halted, 62b342d184 I-rok, who was 62b0cd10b3 walking a step db6b7d4cf8 ahead, also stopped c37b03948d in his tracks.74fa31785ad0fc59

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“I’ll just pop in 297500edc4 for a second, so b32f9eb018 you go ahead.”d6171657ee006f78

“…….”1fb6dfd16b98a384

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Assuming I-rok 3bd5a3c134 would just 8316400266 leave, Do-won a15f407356 pushed the ac4d54dd95 door open 64568fa238 and went f9c0453cdb inside. But I-rok 0ed834e28e ignored him aa58831e9e again and a22a7a39dc followed him 0b4dc142ec in.47ab114a18d01456

“I said go ahead.”ade50a3516c2bbe9

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“I need to buy ae4e8caa37 something too.”5c1f776d4c5cb38e

With a slight 2924f7b5bc raise and drop 645b3455df of his eyebrow, 3bcce0cd43 he dismissed the 5eea996306 remark.07dffd9d419a0139

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…Right. If he 3957e92e3a had something d1857fcc7f to buy, 37034884ea there was d6dc3dc46a no stopping 2c23f5fda7 him.e957dcc7e9b6c06e

The problem ec136a8b29 was that 0def02fcf1 Do-won himself 7dd32088a6 didn’t actually ce9720fb1a need anything. He had a87894a033 just wanted 1294e1b265 an excuse 44780158ba to avoid f0ac2dde7a walking to af0f67526b school together.96e3b1de94852787

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With no other 46495d7176 choice, he headed 5503544828 to the counter 8deff52179 and ordered a b02b70c7f9 pack of cigarettes. As he 958cb332b9 was paying, 8e7de593b8 I-rok moved a6ae6f7856 closer behind 66dd9cf9b4 him, reaching ea0e9a17b6 for a f2d990fdc3 lollipop from 90ab1c3b47 the basket 0c55c25ce3 near the ac29021c0a register and 14b1500e33 placing it 10a9028808 beside Dowon’s a2eefa211f items.67097571eafb9c65

Startled by 7c6e9d7f1f how close 0553112703 I-rok suddenly 169ddd4130 was, Do-won 4fe59bd5f1 unconsciously stepped 7fa8c7c02c to the 6f26afa242 side.9abd477ef79bbcc2

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He didn’t even realize 55ce4f79ae he had been staring a3b16a4203 at I-rok while he 62bef5988e paid until the transaction 74136bcf8f was finished. Only then did 46cf3f4617 he snap back 6e5853f7b7 to reality, fumbling e0ca5d6050 his way out 22fc2a05b0 of the convenience 834b999f07 store. Even to himself, he f370d74d6a looked ridiculous.63a000ad43c0dd73

“You’ve been cfd53ea4ae busy lately.”d6353aaf2549cb93

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Following behind him, I-rok 9f9f4dbc4d spoke up while Do-won 26673c7d63 was rubbing his own d9a6495f10 head in frustration.6441cc27e7dfce59

“Huh?”877da48a36a6f48f

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“I said, 9624e75ed5 you’ve been f368a7d161 busy.”4422dc05b190ea40

“…Have I?”ae3702b14ac18f8d

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Damn. This guy was 4b28f8b26f sharp. He must’ve noticed b9ead38127 Do-won was avoiding 56c7ef06a1 him.8dfc7e8f89f9503e

Well, they hadn’t 63adf1f960 seen each other 4cc278af12 much since the 5c51e34035 last Hanul gathering. But what was Do-won d370270fac supposed to do when 8ed1e5c9f6 I-rok kept messing with 851e2b6a49 him, touching his neck aa9d1ebb4f and all that?3d1e630cef2cd99c

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“Haven’t seen 77a5f43a6b you around 6389ef3ee4 much.”eb79d6ccea5e7239

“Well… it’s 45d68b8491 not like 097704634e we’re supposed 7c2f8a2cdf to see 95c1ecc57d each other 4d9ae8ce50 all the dbbd31f41a time.”a9e6e8cc2d405b34

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“…….”5ed54d6a66a9a6fa

I-rok didn’t respond.16c3451486d921a0

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Wasn’t he the one 60f855ae3f who said they shouldn’t e79cd51ce3 get involved?6f48d6f50fd8ab56

And now he 1e6a77c9e6 was sulking because ae56e6b6bf Do-won was avoiding f0a3320006 him?730589a9dd7878e2

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Turns out, Han I-rok ae2f3c3349 was more of a 24e4ab754f moody guy than he 445fc58cf0 let on.0f8a8af006089173

“Finals are coming up. I’ve been f7a662d93b busy studying.”3b682448037802b8

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Do-won kicked a ab4c2d69b6 nearby pebble and 9f31a3b0c7 fidgeted with the 1ec790b945 cigarette pack in 65df47dfe9 his hands, turning 734d84cbda it over and f08b7242cb over. Should he 0893806fe2 tell I-rok 4e3a52d1a2 to go dcda79cc6a ahead while 9faddf7425 he stayed 3bc8e2d5d7 behind for cf0eb92915 a smoke? Or should 0f4830b895 he just 08f0045c1d walk with 6a2eee74c1 him today? His restless hands betrayed 3ed1fb6fc4 his anxious and unsettled 20da2e4e92 thoughts.d8f7355b32595e69

Just as he 2c9c043c62 was about to 9faaeec939 open the pack, 29373eb419 I-rok suddenly poked 50ec521de4 Do-won’s cheek with 4ce45a85cf a lollipop.8bcb31ad5f833dc4

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“What the…?”53542b852681e5cb

“……”b5e053b7fffc86a6

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Do-won barely managed a57086144f to catch the 7e07ce112a candy as it 3315eb58c1 tumbled from his 870664ccef face.a6d1b1b333f46b77

I-rok let out c2a9be0fb6 a small chuckle dd9eb0e5a9 before casually saying, 19c5799b50 “Go ahead and c017dcd6a4 smoke,” and walking 8bc104395f off ahead.a2d6d745bcc6d44f

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The lollipop 85ce2d85e3 in Dowon’s d3b0333896 hand was 3557e31b0d chocolate milk-flavored. Slowly, he 04dbae5521 lifted his 942f1b70fd head and 0ca11c6f7d watched Irok’s 0dc60d9c03 retreating figure. It was ab3b76e78f just a cdf0509b0a little poke, 6fa683fd50 but it 3308712390 felt like a2aed29bde he had 2414c12b26 taken a 4bc4d536db direct uppercut—his 2fcead96b0 mind was 6df2f7f0e4 spinning.948ed567f917ba2e

‘…What kind of a7997f10ca guy likes such 55cf346128 a cutesy flavor?’e516573efdf84021

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A different thought 40ad472f4d had flashed through 1fd83ee4ae his mind before 97505a0531 that one, but 915b1f094a he quickly buried c4a6b7face it.c5f5f0366cbba281

A guy like deec9f57c7 him, so nonchalant, 86cd200065 had probably made 0357d5baaf plenty of girls b5f6785b99 cry. Good thing it was 834d5c491a Do-won—anyone else might’ve misunderstood.e8ddaba42690039d

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“You showing off 64df71294e your long legs d9172b5cee or what?”1cddf06f4262afd9

Do-won stomped 47ef3f2fef his foot fadd60ac1d down hard c2e9600fe2 and caught bd6bb723c2 up to e4f284ef6c I-rok, who 85873696c8 was already 53dc8a56fa striding far bbe66bfbdc ahead.64b60f80c9b76341

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God, he 6f87d54eed was so dbc12ce6f2 annoying. So damn sexy. That frustratingly ed0ea4130a straight bastard.bea3f013a9e37cce

Laughing playfully, Do-won slapped 05cedc3b15 Irok’s back before letting 3a6a661f5c his thoughts drift again 2b93979be0 to how much longer 00580d381b I-rok had left at 7c2f451681 school.d15ae954f5519219

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————————-e67b2dde40a7c598

[Where are you?]

Lying sprawled out 7ff544a9b1 on his bed, 4fd827253f Do-won froze when 5ad2c836e1 Irok’s message popped 1e89c0e9b3 up on his b5ac4b04bc screen. He stared at 4169a4240d it, unmoving, as 3715bb2764 if he had faa4cdc81c momentarily short-circuited.754658ff1bf3e148

Holding his 4f4f71d774 phone up 23a2cd8032 with both a2edf2d939 arms stretched bf599a8cd8 above his aa45951824 head, he 5ca0eeb2d4 winced from af714664e3 the glare bc75ca25bb of the 171bd7a016 ceiling light 541f0475d6 and the 1fa495f562 growing ache c89a296955 in his 388d5841d8 arms. But instead of c91b0ee1a5 adjusting his position, 950bcf3a22 he furrowed his a948602fa2 brows and tried 07e4f4978a to read between 160a46c561 the lines.951b67f0b68b9124

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Lately—just a guess, but—it d0524fc150 was almost like I-rok 2bb7a26073 was trying to get 7ec9efb3b8 back at him for 91aef10202 avoiding him.c96f2d52153af850

Whenever they crossed 9522e21000 paths at school, 19a7474847 I-rok never just ba48852aaa walked past. He always stopped Do-won, ce8f0be2c7 asking where he was cbdebd34fe headed or bringing up 0679d86a70 assignments or ambassador duties 1de5f6c0ff before parting ways.97eff69c4b0ff60f

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On the surface, fb7f9c4356 it was nothing ea861b105f special—just normal, everyday afe7e161df conversations between friends.7ee50a9e69bfa641

So why did it e850ed64f5 feel different?8646806a4d0a6e88

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Do-won had no idea, e8d7eeaea0 and the confusion frustrated 9b2c2caaf4 him.dc33d0a366a87656

“…….”2598a99317b37f75

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With a groan, ce2feb88f2 he shook his adb1d17866 head and rolled a0dcff7e3e onto his side.bb9c7e42b00590dc

Maybe it was cdf01fcb9a just because he 6dd5fce0bf had a thing 092e84eeb5 for I-rok.0e20b6883dac6acc

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His thoughts 4aed6a303e kept spiraling 8152c228d2 in strange ef0036aa52 directions.b1b7e83bf0f22aa1

Not his usual end-of-the-world 0b44419d2b scenarios—like “what if Earth 54337bdb19 were to be destroyed f6e088fe38 in an hour” or 8b88de87a5 “how would I survive 815e36c27c a zombie apocalypse?”b79e3c141be7cc6a

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No, this was something 2e6ced285e else entirely, and he 15176b2132 had no idea where 68948875e1 it would lead.20d98b799a56c42a

If I-rok 61ee2e26bb knew what bdfcc0f47d was going fc89671b33 through his 423218a341 head, he’d 5a6b3c9026 probably laugh ca7db20170 at him.9b0d0609d60da138

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Assigning meaning to every bad3be844e little thing, jumping to e9b392fbbc conclusions, getting way ahead cd0b5c3d82 of himself…473b43fe67a0c2cf

[Where are you?]

[Home.]

After a long d90b23d6a9 pause, Do-won finally 965851b898 sent the shortest, 6abc3396e9 most normal-sounding response bea8c74803 he could manage.34c67a53d19f61d7

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[We have a group meeting soon. Don’t be late.]

[Yeah, I was just about to head out.]

[Okay.]

 65b49d2a24bb578a

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Unlike Do-won, who typed 6a88a597a7 lazily and sent messages 3429831c0c full of typos without 0676bff89b a care, Han I-rok 87a06e0e80 always responded quickly, maintaining 4b4941791b perfect spelling and punctuation. And without fail, 3f56780c57 he was always 39d3b70c54 the one to 469d804b5f end their conversations.d4c3169b7d1ccd40

At this 43b38c92a3 point, Do-won 12b9bb1ce0 felt like cc49a10048 I-rok was d4bd1cd5ff trying to 8f9aebec3e be cute abb1a2c3cb on purpose. Scoffing at d6ae512e00 himself, he f2a95842e5 shoved his 5f6d83090b phone into 64fcf77902 his pocket 081bca7189 and got 283ade530c up from 8748e8d422 bed. He packed a94def0440 his laptop 10c548cc3f and files 8be9d78dda into his 55395010e7 bag, getting 25daf784c8 ready to 9f3f15f17d head to 45fece6663 school.316a3f8eb9183591

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As he 3ccccc6798 moved, his a0d70bb95c gaze fell 786516e958 on a 84ba8d0203 lone piece cb9eec673b of candy 7f7f9c636d sitting in bbd4533bc8 the corner 1e4e2248c7 of his 0e1bff21e2 desk. Nudging it with 8198862d83 his fingertip, he c40d838f84 watched as it a8e8019925 rolled half a 9ad83595c0 turn and settled 7d1ba70301 even further into 0588311ad7 the corner. After a brief pause, 8d6d976a36 he picked it up.1f7c89b3d62afe45

Every time he e364481d1b saw it, he c57b42135f thought of I-rok. He remembered those fingers e4719409e5 picking out the chocolate 03d8b4af45 milk flavor, that ridiculously 6b9fbeaec3 handsome mouth saying he aec5911467 didn’t seem like a 0e81ca5474 smoker, and eventually, his 62b05d0be2 thoughts trailed back to 30a41490b8 what had happened at 6828cbbe1d the beach.0d196fed6e66ce20

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‘Why am 53ecdc5175 I still ea0e78872b holding onto fa976ce463 this instead 35e8d893e8 of just d52918ca15 eating it?’f638393d34419dd9

…The more I-rok acted 644347ba4d like there were no 7a288cc7f5 barriers between them, the 0eebb2c341 more Do-won felt like 3687d63db2 he needed to put f0dd826273 some distance between them.38fcbbb05e57e430

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His chest tightened, like 4f2c2e9ab7 he was staring at 75c29bde7d a plummeting stock chart, d76290bb4c unsure of when it d4f53ae7dd would hit the bottom.dd070d3165717af3

“…It’s just ‘cause b16da5a203 I’m not craving bc301c0dc4 sweets.”ec457a31b9f7b256

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Muttering as if trying d6021fa208 to convince himself, he ffee9ba06a shoved the candy into cbf58467aa his desk drawer with 8c50b055ec a sharp flick of 6c31c10f23 his wrist.fd9526b615e9d79a