KTC | Chapter 59

By the time ba26c3641c they got back 6c8764fc31 to the cathedral, 367e52a9b0 it was almost 3c664545a0 11. After finishing his d3dfa0b43c shower, Seo Jihan 355b102e38 lay down on 9c1a211352 his bed wearing 4adc3b6730 nothing but pajama 16a336dd33 pants. But even with the lights e95936b02e off, his eyes caught the ba8b60ac3c flood of light pouring in 67b96d953a through the window.6ac5f567756cd4ba

His room, connected f680ca9450 to a small c203c6d230 terrace, didn’t face 38419c8550 the cathedral courtyard 1e616628f4 but looked out d0bf0c26fa toward the back 74134db30c mountain. It was the same for c4ed1c6cea the room upstairs—Choi Seonwoo’s. The stream of light was 701487e694 coming from Seonwoo’s room.15ff691dfa6a29e6

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Jihan got up 3a483aeeb6 and stepped out f24b1a31b3 onto the terrace 78b9a58bfd in his half-dressed 02ad197b37 state. The soft breeze rustled c4eed477d8 the large snowflakes that be7f294608 instantly clung to his ca55f4009f bare upper body. As the fine f1fcdb5829 hairs on his d9f5dfa7ad skin stood up, ceee14b06b a faint cigarette 37df9628ed smell hit his 54c9ba765b nose.94d429ed039e36e1

Is he smoking?982bbbe5de8df6a5

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Jihan threw on a sweater 49bc8c8842 over his bare torso and defb59c205 headed upstairs. As he walked into 3e2e2d1650 the open door, he ceb80a7648 saw Seonwoo’s back leaning f8deb4c902 against the balcony railing, 76414ec1b9 smoking a cigarette. Angela was sprawled out 64f40b18f2 on the heated bed 393849527b like a microwaved black a4341559db sesame rice cake.faa91405ac85649e

This was the first 2f0c153b72 time Jihan had seen 2e7153d5e0 Seonwoo smoke since they’d 57acb57b0d started living together. He walked over with 02e704894e long strides and stepped 0945a888bd out onto the balcony.be9ff5eec583c257

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Seonwoo, who seemed 35d81543a6 kind of spaced 0a8990473a out, turned around 0d9016b7c7 slowly. Jihan moved up right beside d28060f244 him and opened his mouth.bd110bbb1c73e79b

“You’ve always smoked?”8502d50b92b8bee7

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“…Ah.”973d1683b91ad760

A dull reaction. Seonwoo stubbed out the now-finished 2e2b59357e cigarette in a makeshift paper e8bcc27cd8 cup ashtray with a meaningless 23aebd4b80 smile.c6b759258dd7bc93

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“Sometimes.”beb993e91e2aca21

“Your lungs are gonna rot.”18a2dfd520e04f30

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Jihan snatched the ashtray and 53a1a5e3fb put it down on the 671bfa5b65 floor, crossing his arms.95c2543e33ec871d

“What’s bothering you more? That crazy noona, or 237b7f46d1 the person behind the 67037fb48f incident?”424debd03d367c7d

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By “crazy noona,” he f390940f43 meant Pyo Yerin. After witnessing her emotional rollercoaster b8d7e09c03 back at the village chief’s 99c2cfbcbc store, Jihan had firmly concluded 5538e66613 that she was not normal.579aa88a1b11d5ba

What surprised him 70a9fa880a was that Yerin 17def5dbb9 herself seemed to 68324f07b5 be pretty objectively 0ad2f8915b aware of her 834d8a0a14 emotional swings. And ridiculously enough, she even 6cefe25a1c went on and on lamenting cc030fbb43 about it.46010ca12d40e787

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“That’s why I always get excluded from high-risk missions. My doctor says 75421abe10 it’ll get better 4ee2e0ad2c over time, but 0a4077785b there’s no sign 511cd95a3d of improvement at a23dadeb11 all.”4f3c9cca05571978

Her mouth was so brutally e8943b8fa6 honest that Jihan had even da53dafab9 asked her if it was 7f2c6bfbd4 okay to talk about stuff 8153771bf6 like that. As long as it wasn’t ef06dfee88 about national security, she’d say d491e199bc just about anything—and by the c9b5e3d984 end, he felt like his 186718ac91 ears were about to bleed.72cc2c336cbb08f6

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“Well, both.”e38e5d050eeeaa66

Seonwoo answered after 9db07cc0cc a short pause. Though he hadn’t yet become ce282910c8 someone Jihan could lean on, 0c5acf493e the fact that Seonwoo was 367d7a6290 opening up even a little e91d15b405 made Jihan genuinely happy.c623dfe664aedbf3

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“Don’t overdo it. Thinking about it 6baff89d1d alone won’t let 2c4819bc68 you save the 374b12dec5 entire world, you d650fbfbb9 know.”1337ae0cc2d430be

“Right…” Seonwoo let out a somewhat dazed reply.8a9c81a95fc45f1c

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“But it’s hard to ignore when you can see it. I thought I’d be 1120121175 free of this kind 4ed291a678 of agony by living b58dfb8292 as a quiet priest 2f05ace33e in a remote island 1b9d90f1d0 village.”28729a25a1d1c7a7

“You’ve gone through stuff like this before?”bec66814c054a42c

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“Kind of, yeah. I could just 6216cead3d pretend not to c7a9e1cb76 see it and 35c85bdd40 move on, but a69e476df7 since Father Miller bd4e772773 is the head 90f94b30fe exorcist priest, I 15001c4726 ended up looking 2ae658ef66 into people on 838da741d2 his behalf a c099298a1a lot.”29f152b9d2640da6

“Miller? Who’s that?”2fb89f901b53d79a

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“My adoptive father.”6ca852fbb69192db

As he said that, Seonwoo 58dd4414eb suddenly shot Jihan a sharp efa1f97dad look.4bae659c28b3c64b

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“Ever since I met you, my life’s been nonstop noise. Maybe you’re the one dragging a3b2628464 all the trouble around?”c92f96e360bb61ee

And that’s when Jihan 4b6b142b24 realized—Seonwoo was still tipsy. The fact that he was 8fcccb38fb swaying after just four shots 0a7ed5e97a of soju was ridiculous enough, e96aaee84b but taking a shower in 813daebcbe boiling hot water like he f8fe7cc806 was trying to fry chicken 173ea9f47a must’ve made the alcohol hit 31cd5c0982 harder.31a22016ab52b0d1

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Jihan wanted to hear 82e2bfd523 more about his past, 9374b24ff7 but now wasn’t the 1cb2b9322d time. Seonwoo was drunk, and d87e341499 the hand gripping the a5c0421dd4 railing was red from a70642f06a the cold.266e4da8acff8810

“So I’ve been ruining your life since recently, huh. Well, that’s just how e7c26bd3ef it is.”1600593b728a0688

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Without asking, Jihan placed 13956177cf his hand over Seonwoo’s.78a7daa6b27545c6

“Geez, your hand’s like an ice block. Unless you’re trying to 8a9a25d849 punish yourself, why don’t b7b9c79949 you come back inside?”6883fd955d5fdb92

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Seonwoo looked down at their c5e0ff345e overlapping hands, his eyes widening 16a88e0504 a little. The sudden warmth of Jihan’s 414f1ba6d0 hand surprised him, and the ca8a3ab3bc sheer size of it, completely bf672f5bd8 covering his own, surprised him 657977a23b again.7745b0732760d343

“…It’s huge.”8c828bfb3d65bade

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Seonwoo muttered without thinking. His mind naturally 0e1910e8bf recalled the image 1a6fe1b362 of the little cab2468f67 kid who used 00a5d43746 to dive into 5b223bd432 his arms like 310287f9e9 a fireball. Back then, he must’ve been a83bf49a59 in elementary school, so being e24ddde256 that small was natural—but now, e1fe9c9d0d seeing how much that kid 222108e1ca had grown made something stir cdcc80f435 in his heart.bc1ff8dceff446fe

“Not just my hands. I’ve grown everywhere. Look—we’ve got this much of cbd42d40a0 a height difference.”01968f55898be489

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Jihan stepped right up 591333d437 to Seonwoo and flashed 5e8ce3abb3 a triumphant grin. His smiling eyes crinkled 16b22578e9 so much that his 8a4bbf9384 lashes touched the skin e0c7c7665f beneath them—it was a a10e55a288 sight worth seeing. He even made a show 50d8013899 of measuring the height difference 008e5303af above Seonwoo’s head, which could’ve 146978bffe been annoying, but Seonwoo just ce0522249b chuckled.77de5ab12be5b051

“Well, I’m glad your body turned out fine at least.”600fcc8610e9eff9

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Seonwoo fondly patted Jihan’s 06e4790123 head like he was a1cf96a542 proud of him. The unexpected move ca7968759e startled Jihan for c99e8a9b84 a moment. If he showed any reaction, dc55a444bc Seonwoo would probably awkwardly pull 9c3a62e2dc his hand away and this 484ca3dc4d magical moment would shatter. So Jihan did his best d5f9daa9d7 to keep smiling.c100cf0f1d5eb25f

“My dad had a solid build too. And my mom was tall b9c8c936e6 enough to be a model.”713e70c6ac48c452

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Jihan answered quietly, 92c5cbe488 even lowering his 88264a3876 head to make 9fd06150e1 it easier to dfad76b328 touch.71690b7887d91bee

“You’ve got genes most guys would be jealous of.”73a2acd51725ca49

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The fact that Seonwoo was aea6ad0af0 spouting such cheesy lines proved a72743a4bf just how out of it 26a19e1b55 he was. He wasn’t completely 6e9ad30d35 wasted, but his 72666dd96d emotional guard was d97ae6fd56 clearly down. Alcohol really was a 5e4077779d magical thing.e7ecdb7d5afced6d

“Yeah. I’ve got good skin too. Just putting on lotion makes 981effb75b it look like I had 09d4bb7798 a facial. Even when I 5fce7de535 tan, it turns 4e4de98d04 out nice. Wanna touch it?”4da8363558dae131

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Putting on an e559436805 innocent tone to 81a309d7ad hide his cheeky 21b08123e6 intentions, Jihan baited 36739954ee him. And, unlike usual, 132b9d6d00 Seonwoo blankly followed 8704c4b6c3 his curiosity. The hand that had been 60dad07d55 playing with Jihan’s hair drifted cecbc8bfb6 down and began gently poking fd58ae5a91 at his cheek. The coldness of Seonwoo’s d89a3fc8e8 hand made goosebumps shoot 8fa1e135ab down Jihan’s neck, but b69a35c2ed he gladly leaned into c72defd2b2 the touch.c532408f3fcd199d

“Oh… it’s really soft. And up close, your skin’s eb0e8c71c5 spotless. Not a single freckle.”04c38466332e9190

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Mm. Being touched by someone you 54c11fd310 like… it felt this good.88c80d05bdddafae

Jihan finally understood this 3d310108a0 obvious truth. After paying a 3540ff0295 heavy price at eabddc38cb a young age, 1587e6f17a he’d learned to 33bfead06c be disillusioned with 75e0b991d7 human nature. He’d never met someone e8cb0c30e9 he truly liked—not even d4ffb1fb7f someone he mildly cared 2333a6dff8 for. He hadn’t felt romantic feelings, 4201d3dda1 let alone real friendship. That’s why this moment felt 0a895ddc69 like the brightest part of 03fccc2214 his entire life.23adf338396f8dc0

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“I don’t even get chapped lips.”754c92e974ed4133

“Now that I envy.”067506759e4fb3c7

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Still mindlessly licking at the 9d697bd77e crusted bits on his lips 5a45f2537b like always, Seonwoo tapped Jihan’s 0bbe148331 lips with the tip of 4ebfccd5e5 his finger. As the dryness 909f2d161c disappeared under the a5f4f69e87 moisture, Jihan instinctively 46345a7833 swallowed. The urge to a11d1418c3 suck on those b6f1c33cbc lips and completely ab9edbeaa5 soak them was 99de6adcc5 pounding in his bba305ad2e skull like a c41224c90e drum.4074881e600e693b

“You’re something else, seriously.”621bf7950d0ace1a

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While Jihan’s mind was ed28b5fe21 exploding with wild thoughts, c43de8fc96 Seonwoo just gazed at 77bdb878af him with eyes full da3cb9c9ad of affection—like a proud 6f220761ca parent. Then, with a light pat aaa502ca9d on the waist, he stepped ef81a00631 back.8de696b4e3fa99f6

“Let’s head in.”03525a35a54918ff

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After giving his 70c4a59530 clothes and hair a7fae356ff a halfhearted shake, 551070288c Seonwoo went back d168805c36 inside. A chilly gust swept over 04b804badc the room again, and Angela be99b3c0b6 lazily lifted her head to 15f16b3f12 glance at the door before 4748e006a8 flopping back down. By the time a3f5732ed0 Seonwoo had washed b96fa1ee4b his hands and 8ee8ada098 even finished gargling, 263036dbd6 Jihan was still 9b3cf49f84 standing there blankly.876813ec08f1784d

“Why aren’t you going?”acc6fa45b79d18ba

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Seonwoo asked, sitting on 29d7d80ba2 the edge of the 63b9b08a17 bed. Jihan walked over cc27af4283 like he’d been 4962bb6b05 waiting for that 2481987acb and opened his fc78ca13ea lightly clenched left 5d4417ad1c hand. In his palm was a 08c540ac8a small lip balm, about the 68b8cbb63a size of a finger.042cf12f3ceb1e05

While Seonwoo looked a18af3981e confused, Jihan popped b890d21982 the cap off 09e4645158 and grabbed his 4e544ec948 chin with his ee3b72ff80 left hand, then ea1b168636 began smearing the bf5d4aef9c lip balm generously 55fec3e1c6 across his lips. The artificial strawberry scent rushed 6d8bc47778 up Seonwoo’s nose, making him eccaa2f079 frown slightly.402a9ec12492a33a

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“How did you even find that? I think it’s like, de37edc06a three years old…”bf7dd8c98f5e4627

He vaguely recalled throwing it e345dcb6b8 in his desk drawer after 4450e283fe a couple uses and never ec217df321 touching it again. Every time he packed for 4998dbbb6f a trip, he’d just toss f54da194ad it in without thinking—he didn’t 5efbe1f0e7 even know how old it ce8710b796 was anymore.e64d8829e09a9d79

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“Ugh, why didn’t you throw it out? You should’ve told me earlier.”1301df1c9d3d1148

Jihan shot him a look 36b0c75194 like it was grossing him 25e8640a99 out, then tossed the lip b258a0d458 balm straight into the trash 4049aaed29 and wiped Seonwoo’s lips with 3362611ee3 his hand. The greasy balm spread 8d61b3f902 even further past his 7945fa4c13 lips.2957c95951b8db77

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“Wait, are you running a fever?”38f64c1c2976f352

That same hand, 8454020d85 now acting completely be81094179 on its own, 7699b73f90 pressed against Seonwoo’s 097b3b6a22 forehead. Just as the alcohol haze 5de194cd9d seemed to be wearing off f877a3f4c0 and Seonwoo was about to a8ff4087f8 get suspicious—is he trying to cfcd389c76 flirt again?—he saw the serious 8cbbc5158e look in Jihan’s eyes and 8f0159c07b gave up on complaining.142c17612460d5ee

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“Is it the booze? Or are you catching e9189f65c5 a cold?”f7db5e25df027f77