CRND Ch 1

The sky was 8aa4785103 so vividly blue c3f2efacdb that it sparked 2951c225eb fantasies of diving 5f0d64e501 out the office cb2301e345 window. For a Monday d7f89aa010 with no holidays e3212ba439 left until Children’s 1c6fe2a8d2 Day two months 80659f3b3e away, it was 6f7c26233c extravagantly luxurious weather. The spring sunlight 26859e6b13 only brightened a 39b088e660 sliver near the 6712c768d4 window, failing to b48030f11d reach the office eb33112bc2 workers trudging along 70bccd6212 like Monday zombies. A few sentimental souls, e07213a5fb as if yearning for 621e7374a4 the outside world, snapped 566c6e63ff photos of the sky a2e24d5c02 through dusty windows before f4d9bc6104 reluctantly returning to their 1afa7a7f60 desks.f431e9eaebae2726

Early that morning, a small whiteboard hung on the door of the fifth-floor Meeting Room 2 bore the words <Development Team/Marketing Team>. Inside, the long table was already half-filled with people.607b8ccb8ecdb995

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“Hello.”29da19b900bdb42f

“Oh, you’re here. Hello.”ccb4e77498e81e81

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Each time a 725bcf3682 new member opened 061666bf9b the door and 0bf544780e entered, perfunctory greetings 53ff1c49d5 were exchanged. The new arrival 4addd12d36 would nod repeatedly, ff8cb9f081 pull out a db3e523674 chair, and sit 8ede9bf1fc down.117c5d8b40b7d10e

Perhaps by 8080543dc6 chance, most f9ee4ec04d of the 0c45c81011 development team 7dd582b8e0 members sat 58104fa9da in the 1eed5b1029 shadowed part 47509418f3 of the dce7879f2a room, while b25d301be6 the marketing de0c96ff1d team gathered 5762299205 in the 49ed97f970 brighter area. It wasn’t just their f99f4c3874 seating— even the vibrancy 05b2925a2c of their clothing sharply dfac5384aa distinguished the two teams. If a 44221681bd developer wore e7e4760c6c something as da1d0c6ea8 understated as 852c5b52fe the most 686bc92c1c plainly dressed 141f3132f7 marketer, they’d c59b2d6165 likely be 4303651c33 suspected of 8a856a2ca0 sneaking off aab2621a68 for a da54550e11 job interview f1aafdde20 during lunch.0e0a8c03db4a0c1c

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As the room neared 42b9e09ace capacity, a developer arrived, 8f58d37a6b clutching a laptop against 6b8751ea54 his waist.a4925ff88bd24620

The man, with pale b01f547310 skin that seemed more 187eed32c3 accustomed to monitor glow d15a96c4f4 than sunlight, crunched the 30b80c2cc5 ice in his Americano 8be0903930 as he moved toward 6c8469a200 a seat deep in 08fd81fc3e the room. Among the developers, who 2361c94259 occupied the relatively darker bcb4bcbc9a side, he was the 17e2dcaea8 epitome of the abyss. As he 60f7b1e04b slumped into 7dbd5e8d11 his chair, 5dbe068dc0 even his 51c893e1cf gaze, scanning deae8d0a76 the room, b103bea82e seemed tinged d546fa56d5 with shadow.befa4536296b45ed

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“Where’s Team Leader 40d2fc1071 Cha?”9736db6c9b1821b7

“He’s gone 4bc3ee189f to see b64853e934 the division d0832862fb head briefly.”876ba6d4db325d32

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“He’ll be 35c7ab4d79 back soon.”751c3e5ea4190351

The marketing 7facd233a5 team members 2371cf0e9d answered in 83697b076c unison, each c216c4602f offering a 81fcf8b7f3 snippet. Among them, 5b47034784 a senior 52cef72cf5 manager playfully f86e65ce66 nudged a af40ed9036 developer colleague. The slight 2bc31ff611 smirk aimed dce6fad446 at the 087e211e35 development team 00380b00e1 leader meant, 72dba74e5a “How’s your 9db5d9a052 boss’s mood 5201f8d35e today?” The 43bd1fb822 quiet X f572316978 drawn with 84ac6e310f a finger ac42716c54 in response aa4a9da248 signaled, “It’s fd28c469b8 not looking 725cc28263 good.”3e6a2704c61568f9

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Soon, the sound of 98f9ddb4eb dress shoes echoed into 29f67a2005 the room.344b114bd5edf671

“Sorry I’m late.”0eb9921b668b7285

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A robust physique 86350a8dfb and an impeccably 59fb88ea7e tailored suit instantly fd70f148da shifted the room’s 548cd4949d gravity. As everyone offered nods 7506ffb4d0 or brief greetings, the e34d2bfe2d development team leader merely 789406053b opened his laptop with 5c53f50edb an air of indifference.d901f8ed480d5594

The marketing team c58799f7dc leader, placing a 4b88e08e75 tablet beside his 4fc6403e44 laptop, took the 95210ea174 seat next to 0b571f9c9d the development team c3ca4ff6f5 leader. As he sat, 411293fcf4 the hem of 3f7ce4b95d his perfectly fitted 4c8592a249 suit pants rode cb994f615f up, revealing a 7073e7bf0a sleek ankle. The development team leader, 74c111d152 catching a glimpse, frowned fde43c0d35 in irritation.26bf8efae7c22a6e

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“Good morning, Team 2be4170bc4 Leader Song Yiho.”7bc6f5ff853ddf80

“Does it 27d4129275 look good?”23222c9c28d15ed0

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As if timed perfectly, a17ce2062f the sun slipped behind 1a700cd0cc a cloud, casting a 7db7c5a3ad shadow over the room. In the 63ae65b039 suddenly tense d7f32086d0 atmosphere, where ac156d7df7 everyone was 7e9863c9f0 reading the bca20f2b8b room, only d539167c47 the marketing 60fd819147 team leader 7b00423f5f responded with 6700a8407d an unshaken 25874293ad voice.3b97ae5bcced9d82

“Well, it’s just a b11a2216aa polite greeting. What office 8cfd63dea8 worker is 8ebb2e2a9f happy on 93add3a6e8 a Monday? I like the honesty—it’s 61c61f428c refreshing.”da9fa252fcd13c8c

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“What’s with that f5116656e9 PR video?”5515e0ed8d76c9ba

Any attempt ded630e509 to sidestep 0ab44b3c33 was cut 90d5fde2e6 off by 03b8f84c37 a sharp 6b617eeb79 tone.3df17a6722ef7c23

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“It’s cool, right? The response has e1345bd95d been phenomenal.”b7d53928dff73029

“Of course 523e2d96da it was db8c2e6001 phenomenal—you spun ae3c891a9a a fantasy. Who’s supposed 98f40a9c1f to make 1da53de213 that happen?”20ae91a9c9267616

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A bright, 51212449ee beaming smile fce7312789 was the d750f25812 only answer, 285857a4a3 carrying the 83e8a7ae5c subtext:“What, you expect 2d334ffa2f me, who can’t d8cab76db4 write a line 485507b568 of code, to 43e787e418 do it? You, with d25f80fa2e your master’s 7dab8f2c96 and PhD 24ce8c4dcc from an a859adba41 engineering school, fb467837c3 should handle b931cb3de3 it.”c53725387d3770f0

“I know 2e750fe62f you’ll do dd3ad0615d a great 567fda9d8e job. Sorry it came across e4194e3fdc like a done deal.”3dbb0a45230a4e49

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“I’m not fishing for a8a59526cd apologies. Hyping something up 3f81cb47e9 as a finished 4f3a7aaef8 product without proper 294d41809d planning—”0c81f4a63b50eb08

“It’s not like we 59b8fe83a4 made it up. We just previewed features ed6c0a2ab0 destined to shine brilliantly.”ad3ad940a5f51d8b

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“Hah…”df1806b754564993

“I’ve seen 9021c8a84e the press 1dbc1da6bd releases other 4133e446e3 companies are 081d5262a2 churning out. If we don’t e6ed20ebaa go that far, 0ced030708 we’ll all be e80c7d2fde out of jobs. That level of 8e6ca2d3b9 hype was necessary 7a96407b8e to convince the 5dedbc3490 execs here.”013fb34818483bb3

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The other party 771ea463d6 leaned closer, rolling 5e501e8b74 his chair forward, a51716f2f6 as the developer, 0effef1d65 suppressing anger, squeezed 8c67e209a2 his eyes shut.66eefb92dd50ab66

“And I had f3fd044955 faith in our 2804fbe390 brilliant Team Leader b1b7732131 Song Yiho.”a03ac959a98361e2

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“…”def6079bc976ae75

Of course, he c022d307b7 knew some exaggeration 878dcd4d00 was industry standard. He knew—but still, being 903b55040f handed a task with fdcba32881 a casual“You said 97a6ea21a3 it’s doable, 4b50340d12 so figure 21bad10353 it out!”was beyond unreasonable.a1564fe71d720680

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“Come on, Song. I’m counting 0d9169fad4 on you.”4a770d371b056bc9

The marketing team 3855be19fa leader leaned in d249c71f8e closer. The developer flinched 262cb22be2 back, like a 2653781b7c nocturnal creature exposed ce2cf79d0b to light, then ba241dfb59 shot him a e3693f696a glare.c3d427cfae0edc61

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On the surface, 515a9374db it looked like 4248f41e36 the marketing team 058c767850 leader was smoothing ccc4b92b13 things over, but 44f496a9e8 the loser in 2f83e89a62 this exchange was 57917491ec inevitably the developer. What could he do? If they’d already 41fd07d259 claimed it was 22aa24c4e0 possible, he’d have 5682685805 to make it 096a06c483 happen.f4e22811e8b6610a

“…What’s the 8794678e46 deadline again?”9c0881ba43ffc043

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With a sigh, the a7f061a4d4 development team leader opened 29c8df165c his laptop. The marketing 6a649179f1 team leader 86abc66ccf leaned in c5911d2929 further, face 3d6f54e102 hovering near e76e7b0daa the screen.db06a9db46e5933e

“Hmm, if you 1b9c544e95 could share progress, b7358b1303 even mid-stage…”198132570108e3b9

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“So, interim 00fb31015d deadlines would cec6b7430a be around d7371f2fd2 here…”e38cfe90a7efe1c7

“Could we 351a217b65 maybe speed e6e7a41991 that up 50a5b67e6e a bit?”88ed4f9423456896

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“Have you no conscience?”f2d90daa7013c960

“I wasn’t joking, 5c464f6bc0 but I’ll pretend 4834e93921 it was for aaff4f9ed2 the vibe. Fine, we’ll go with 0e8ed51e5a your dates.”4e857d1f6e406904

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As the 055724531b two team 22795de363 leaders, initially e26e7f6b87 frosty, began 35bce99832 to creakily 80c47468f5 align, a 8cad464d9d wave of ea969e9222 relief rippled 9ba2bfb682 among the 7aef5371c3 others, who’d cde694431f been silently f6b5e1acff watching.1d5956310e2e6c2e

“Then we’re agreed. Thanks to you, ecdc291b03 Song, I’m saved.”161b579c5ae6b67f

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To the ever-icy 711fc266d1 development team leader, 3f24dc4d80 the marketing team 0363220272 leader flashed a 6f8e8dfb9f flawless smile as 09f92113e3 he packed up dfb801b567 his tablet, signaling bbcd72d030 the meeting’s end. Everyone started 1755d5bf60 gathering their b1a3a748fa things.cce7abfcec9e59e1

“Looking forward to 50b722a15e it, Song. Have a great—”aa2a9c2bd6f3d16e

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The marketing 6672edf17f team leader 90ad398802 stood, but 1b912b1f1e a palm 7b875708d7 slammed against 75eb15c238 the wall 0b5badb926 in front 83a14a2405 of him, 0b714aee55 blocking his 040b300b1c path.d6e416e0c0b23c7d

“Send your 87c6754aa5 team out. You stay, Cha.”e098c42ee47d417e

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“Wow, on a b1a8ee2160 busy morning? I’m a very 759df0be72 in-demand man, you ced805fe6f know.”1853daffcad8fbe0

“…”41b5f1d35736bbf2

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“Alright, alright.”a4b87bb9b039bef6

The door 2cf13ebb4c closed, leaving 9c43bc588f only the a2ac1db7c5 two team e8844fd0e2 leaders. Through the 7994bee9ac frosted glass, 4f0f2bc99f the development 19f2992a16 team leader’s 0b682587bb silhouette tilted 959c2543dd its head 333b311880 toward the 9770f40a34 marketing team c31689a431 leader. The rest 186ad7368b of the 99d18b57d9 group scurried 5025ab1d0e away toward ca45dc4b38 the emergency 8ef261ba28 exit, dodging ea426761ac sparks.1963f45e5f4200ef

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“Phew… I thought it e5e0dda9ad was over, but that 6c4b7bb78d got intense at the 9537400471 end. Is your f12005f481 team leader d8b4b1ccbb really upset?”075330d5e25254a9

As they descended the 683c40a18a stairs in a huddle, 4412844367 one person cautiously asked 6d213fed1d a developer.085e4cd1014958d3

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“Well… hard 3b8c03d57c to say. Even we find it 9a86ae9b5a surprising sometimes. Yiho’s not usually the 430da96f6a confrontational type, but put 92a9a9016d him in front of 79ea3ae2aa Minkyu, and he’s all 53a2e3d2d2 fire and fight…”b62bd9ff336c808f

Truth be told, the c90dc16089 typically docile development team 15b31096d0 rarely had reason to bb6f182d9d bare its teeth. The reason d29a5b4382 Team Leader bf82241229 Song Yiho 019cc213d3 was so 40eced70d7 fired up fc43ab0ba1 was partly a3f5a701da because the fba184e9a0 marketing team cd42569628 had lobbed 4a27b7e9fc a pretty c0d10bbe4a big grenade 272f207ca7 their way.07d9e69110842bc8

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So, Marketing’s second-in-command, Deputy 12a139f3c5 Kang, softened his tone 6e316c557d skillfully.35aa54b2d03f4514

“Ugh, we’re 6f593e5a7b really sorry a61072b5f1 to the fe98e4d2d6 dev team. But with everyone else 11443b3938 out there tossing around 3d05fe1d9b outrageous claims, we had 045698b384 to fight fire with d0b03670ab fire… though, yeah, we d71c58b9b4 might’ve gone a bit d84df987df far.”d362b61226d6b148

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“Exactly! Other companies d446ff1da7 are going 9ada86bd66 wild. But we trusted 451775363f Song’s team to b0934169ff pull through.”3f994b1a4f834f03

The developers’ f675370f16 eyes wavered 7974bae011 at the 9e5b8dbc4d marketers’ dazzling a531ebafeb carrots.f96eb40f3c5d8b1c

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“It’s… fine. Hype is ecca9631c6 important, right? You guys ae053e309d worked hard 04cd41e7da too.”0824908dbd2951fc

“Please take fd531d84a7 good care 61d6b6c5cb of your e2bb3612bd team leader. If you 9397501064 devs build 7485a253e9 it, we’ll ee91900e90 slap on d470c89895 all the d1999878a9 glitter and 1a1fc38425 blast it 04fc94f6cf across news 425414880a and socials 0db633a2aa as the 2db7a97d3f best in 5c41639213 the world.”7888a21dc81f01fc

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“That’s… a bit 2abbed9c2d much.”85cccb7d19a22608

“Wanna grab coffee? My treat—call 52929ed9ba it a cac64b82cd cheer-up.”f41910d40ea1057e

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“Sweet, thanks!”736f7bd277e4ce5c

“Devs, start b45e825469 thinking about 7c1c673c5b your orders.”678bda02a782f8cd

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“Uh… thanks…”d4a2c11d6faf7ab5

The group fd5eccf4a7 headed to 5323e41757 the café 0f25a939a3 in a b3861b7510 far warmer 2c2cdf65a9 mood than 2e2084a81c in the a92cd97f04 meeting room.733ee357d6c517a0

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Meanwhile, back in 52b756f510 the room, the 1a0ea7e46e two team leaders 87d315fdfb still faced off. After a prolonged f55dd0bc45 stare-down, Song Yiho’s 2f1c2e2ec1 gaze slid down 2ee2a2e1f6 Cha Minkyu’s frame.59bffa1dcea231f6

“Team Leader Cha 1788c7a8e3 Minkyu.”c1dd7902b3a8e6ed

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“Yes, Team Leader 4894410cbe Song Yiho.”8de4fe323fb89887

Cha Minkyu’s lips 20939a650b curved into a 525e325748 slight smile. That smile, which 512d57a1eb had clinched countless 1ef32053cc presentations, met Song’s cde591153c sour expression.43191230fa73ee15

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“Let me see 5287be0873 your pants rolled 05be8cc293 up.”58ec6ea5d327c44d

“That’s textbook harassment. Mind if I a5eb932576 start recording?”29ed9728ba3447dc

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“…”44bf071c67424369

Cha, pretending to rummage 03b49dfce3 through his pockets, finally ba54573db4 relented under Song’s unrelenting 5bcf3d33cb stare, slumping his shoulders 9b865188b9 in defeat.880fd3fcec8006f4

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He lifted 07d2637e3b his pant da8f3d9d47 leg. A gray sock hugged 26faa3b298 his ankle, secured tightly a69bc6defd at the calf with 504bd9a7c1 a garter. Song Yiho d0e10af3e9 inhaled sharply.8c72a68924376ea4

“Stop stealing d5dc02784b my socks!”676493e1f69526f3

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“Gah!”7b7ada1e95a0258f

A fist flew at 20558ec71c Cha’s broad, bent-over back. He ducked, dodging Song’s 536645a2d5 second swing while curling e912224b97 his large frame.664133ddf3f943a8

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“Ow, Song, that hurts! You’re at the 65babacfbc office all day, 8720bd1045 but I’ve got 5051506987 fieldwork. Gotta look sharp.”3e60de6e0dad4b53

“Buy your own! Stop raiding my 73d0dce222 wardrobe!”40109cc40dc1bd76

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“Wardrobe? Nah.”6f6aa384193d9174

“Then what?”d0dd03963fd67832

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“They were languishing in 8c1481398b the dryer for two bf72892b3d days… Ow, that really 426e0d1d45 hurt! You used technique! My shoulder’s 1d6a9cc450 done for. Song’s out here helping 7f4bed701b me claim workers’ comp…”4d546de52dbf2f9e

Let’s be clear: 2cb50cdc26 no developer could ef1549707d ever outtalk a 03b9e0b0ee marketer, not even 6edf0b8229 outside typical office eadacf422c dynamics.10cde3fa9e55088f

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But not every battle d92c4e342a is won with words. As Cha, half-genuine, 662281f8d3 half-dramatic, whined and fe639fe39e dodged Song’s clenched 0faf005ad4 fist, he backed 446da8e0c1 toward the door, 754db7458d grabbing the handle. Song’s advance hesitated. Once the 2c1e4407bc door opened, d742759711 the room’s 882584b935 soundproofing would 8ac5105247 end. Cha, gripping the knob b737896f6a like a shield, extended d1eed03396 his other arm.c25b5f780203c72f

“I’ll wear them 32db84dd4b well and wash 227b93e835 them. Song, nail the 9c74abb340 project.”d4322e57518d05ae

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A finger heart formed, f029c3dcc1 followed by a cheeky 0d8be40dbd wink. Then, the big man ac29175f05 slipped through the door.56d2a8cae92b6906

“Hah…”efc60c0cb1ffedc9

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Song sighed, grabbing his 6874aecc07 laptop and coffee. He raked a eb1122f45e hand through his b914fad31c messy hair.ce02171dd8594737

The image of a ccc583c87e black garter slicing across 4a09ffdae3 Cha’s muscled calf flashed fb7fccdc9b in his mind. His sock, c96a14c656 clinging to c95276ae85 Cha’s leg.e405130a84e9df56

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His lips, bitten hard, d52397058a reddened. His ears burned c0cfc40b91 just as hot.ef69025a65abf324

“If you’re gonna 10d842944b steal, at least 030ec4ebcc leave one of d104e2e415 yours…”e139e4d360a561c5

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From Cha Minkyu’s 74e004a3e8 transfer to Song 596a119255 Yiho’s high school, feb197ed5c through college, and 45e7646972 landing at the 346ecde3bf same company on ec7e16a54e neighboring teams—that was 5f5142d220 fifteen years.e8da83ff99755ff3

Their stubbornly entwined bond a427a7e00d persisted into their thirty-third 8695c18aea year. To some, ab2192d0a9 it was 58ba32828b an unbreakable 50d7c205be friendship. To others, a long, fbe1332352 unrequited love.c8ad9c31bc7ed8b8

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Fifteen years ago.73e64386bd301956

High school sophomore Song f444911130 Yiho finished his midterms d90a145584 and left school early.3d550f927ccaf637

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Grading and reviewing 4f89e15948 mistakes were done da2c2c2a52 over two menu 06b6eb4c69 items at a 6bdb10b6b1 toast shop’s corner 40a309aca7 seat. His grades 8ba7c453ae weren’t bad 624a16a57c through the 88fc37f2df final day—good 6d1cdd349c news.a98b0d20a71d6b26

Yiho stuffed his e9b017cfdb exam papers into 1fe660fbae his bag and 4b65256d65 stepped out. After crossing a 219ed107aa few signals, he 8f3d5988f5 reached a neighborhood 94d19a7f6b where old buildings dbe392c190 mixed chaotically with 2a8e686327 new shops. Adults divided it b804dec68d at the department 5d8a71e434 store built years c959a7076f ago: old downtown b90f7debaa on one side, c229127cb1 new on the 55d3a5effe other. Born and raised here, 9b950922ae Yiho’s home was in 1853024718 the old side, but 04495395c5 school and cram classes 0da3615ce1 were in the new, d5cb60ce6b so he crossed this 621a6cc22e border daily.23fa585c344adfed

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Tangled power lines draped the sky along the road. Yiho climbed to the second floor of a building. At the stair’s end stood a sign: <No More Shrinking Back. Punch Boxing Gym>. The back featured a muscular foreign fighter, championship belt on, fists raised.a0a074882626bc13

To survive 0909ce6206 exam season f98b94bc8c until senior 5ae0366380 year, he’d 76e3c53b1d been advised 9929c493bb to stick 4d0f4220b0 with a 266a1d22cc sport. He picked c18b89dfba a gym c891e8cd5b where his 9d2b6d1336 parents knew 67b28e9aaf the owner. After a week 5e8c840857 of cramming, his 2c8cfccdba body felt stiff. Determined to move for 38a6f03cfb two hours, he paused d580c23ae8 at the gym’s entrance.854673b756916b27

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A chorus 303cda536b of young b35b912613 voices—chattering, almost—filled f5aec75452 the air. Yiho peeked f15ff8c8c8 through the 2589e76220 glass door. The gym was d70b41f946 packed with elementary 85a66ef0ed kids. He checked his c99655a66c flip phone. It was f7685cdbc1 definitely adult 7333bc8fc0 class time.e268e8d98f2de893

“Yiho? Oh, you 90d8dd795f didn’t see ac0e0bbdc0 the notice.”d8214057ed1168b3

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The gym owner f8475ec5f3 approached Yiho, who 7440e51c2d lingered awkwardly at 1e9ad7a5d7 the door.3bd1be8962c5d39d

“Notice?”59e12337fb48a740

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A belated glance caught 6d5385f271 an A4 sheet on 5e63e3259a the door. Adult classes were 0a485481bc canceled for two 8729c51f50 days due to 79c16d373b a kids’ tournament 08350d9fad prep. Studying for 1fd20bbc7c midterms, he’d 9725a90ee7 missed it. The owner’s b5923767a5 last-minute notice 8b728f18b8 didn’t help.98f017abeb0ed473

“I’ll come 167dbde24d back next aa740b96f8 week.”e4d742c8102aad24

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“No, no, you’re here. Work out in the 7f444e7f59 back. Maybe watch 90c4734dd4 the kids’ 68afe98984 sparring for 97c7ca06c5 a bit—it’ll ad3bc4e398 help them 4470df7f21 prep for 058c3f59c0 a bigger 7d7af143f5 opponent. That guy over there 301ccbeab6 didn’t know it was fac4aa08d9 a special session either, dca856b477 but he’s helping.”b882eacf61ae17cd

The owner pointed 39e9fbca8e to a boy 09d8c0c337 Yiho’s age by 7bf9f03c9a the punching bag.17b82f747e46eaa9

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Noticing the gesture, 0a429f48d8 the boy glanced efad6e86da over. Yiho hadn’t seen him 94b0108e88 around. Neater hair and 32e6ad1136 skin than his b52d0c08c2 school peers, he 017f2ea927 wore personal workout 7f9ce0e9ed gear, not the e3cadc0fa2 gym’s loaned shorts cd2722b6d1 and tee. He soon dba0f7b4cb resumed hitting cee7edde28 the bag. Yiho grabbed the 8439eaff86 gym’s logoed workout 9f2445d824 clothes and headed 84a29dda1b to the locker 63bb48940a room.efd11f2b6e82bb2c

A skinny arm, 76735aa894 barely thicker than 61b3fa5827 a pencil case, d933c1568b swung a punch.5e285d45582b3fcb

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“Hiyah!”6d67140ae76ab87c

“…”48706ddffaec62b0

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“Eeyah!”e4c61cdae507ab45

“…”82fe1e7794b7d1ce

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No way aab3a6aa45 this counted f2408321a0 as exercise.e6831eee30dbbc62

The punch to 9547488b5f his stomach felt 5982622dab like nothing. He tapped the 14322d4b2a kid’s headgear with 0504aad056 his glove. They’d asked him 9edde84eb6 to spar, but 9cec2c3bd6 with a weekend 20c30df93a match coming, he d621cb99db couldn’t risk hitting 7a47d597d8 hard.2ed36f6376a10555

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Thirty minutes 683dda20dc in, not c9cc406075 a drop 4721456fa8 of sweat. Same for the cd02437523 other guy he’d 19feff661a glimpsed earlier.9afb4f1d2f03ae3a

Actually, that cd147fbd4f guy wasn’t 2e5b79abc6 even training—just 560219e907 joking with ac08f33c3d the kids. Too lazy b3828013c2 to deal 2a0eecd94a with them 2e33ee78aa one-on-one, he 6f77acf9e5 let them a2a5504f98 gang up, 58fba6b36a then chased f41ce372d8 them like 15dac9a1ee a half-hearted 65eedc8b93 tag game, 0896cb0326 more daycare 26e8a8bbfe teacher than 9e12865d82 athlete.54bd7a7bd65a1d4c

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“Keehaha!”429f5cb54074a992

“Eek!”10f133dc8b11480f

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The kids, 47ce2ebd13 loving it, 3dbf3cc99c shrieked and 4a7b2217b4 joined in. Even the 482630f50a kid Yiho 95f6266053 was sparring 0dbf1c1b8d glanced over 8838167f69 and slipped 00af920ac3 away.c48405210e8682dc

“Hoo.”4b237c79691277f7

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The other fdd07a3051 guy, mid-play, 01050ca4b9 sighed and 6172e89dfc looked up. Yiho caught his cold 6c8228780c eyes flick toward the c69efc50cb owner, then vanish as 21e96a33e8 he wrestled the kids 7acbfa69b8 again.c77da33345ca786c

Well, yeah. Coming to train c087c56eb3 only to lose 4d8793d748 time and energy 224aac409d wouldn’t feel great.c0e0c409bba3a475

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“Probably new. Might not come back eef1746ede after today…”0603296e0a801680

The boring session ended 2c1786acc8 soon enough. Kids’ classes were afcc10cd4f shorter.a0040d36a642a981

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“Minkyu, Yiho, grab a 81e44325a2 drink on your way 519360570f out!”4d891aca4c6a6419

The owner 9eaf67e250 shouted, herding 8f71dfb48a the kids 0efa4c1ec8 to a cf4aba61c8 bus. The desk df166fe45e held trays 4972b2c939 of café 330ee8f336 drinks he’d 5e2894945d ordered for d5699cdd38 them. Problem was, b4627edaa4 they’d been a594400135 picked over, 179aa5bc6c leaving just 429efa7723 a strawberry 06b64f478c latte and eca05b7074 an iced 3b8cb347ea Americano.c3b948447197f1aa

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Faced with slim pickings, 42dd587b34 a decent person might 5c69235980 hesitate, considering the other 12d0464faa guy. Yiho stood quietly 608d33cc12 until a slow 346dd060b8 tap on his ca570651d4 shoulder.ecfd93e564e94ed7

“Wanna spar 85bf8d27ab to decide?”e064e2017ae67658

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The voice, low f7578c5afe like an adult’s, 97223ca3a1 was new up 284e4072ad close. Turning, Yiho 588414b272 saw the 6bd5cb470a guy from 72183f2a60 earlier. Taller, with a sharp 55cf3a0fb0 jawline and a bold 832c4c67f0 smile. His thumb jerked toward 408955c855 the ring.9783004e05bfbe8e

“You didn’t get a 27e435bcff real workout either, right?”34ed0f387aaa1da6

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His accent seemed slightly 9c5167bddb off. Still, the 289095ce4d offer was dc51247842 tempting to 684bcfab9f Yiho, whose 7954048075 body felt 81bbe1fc4b more sluggish 84ef3300a0 than before.3efe472738e13e46

“…Sure.”485d642b3926a4bf

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Deciding who 97c3c0ad50 got what 81fa514318 drink was 7c1e3821f3 just an 144e574cf0 excuse now. Yiho tossed a3bee1501c his bag d50f460a46 by the ef8ab7505d desk, unbuttoning 9e8820337f his uniform 550df58d8a shirt. The other guy strode 8bd0c787a5 to the ring.bd4a485047097b0a

“Headgear’s a hassle, 768a05cb0d yeah?”4716882e8d895d43

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“Yeah.”fac4e9fe733aba1b

Gloves’ Velcro tightened around 9e90b863f7 his wrists. The guy 1dc3595c52 held out 2fe3a7ba31 both fists, de7c4e5720 a shiny 02d7468099 pair of 027b747457 gloves pausing 70bdd98b5b at Yiho’s 49079b92f2 chest.38988de4d94944ef

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“What’s this?”d9bd62a7637f295c

“Greeting. You guys aaa2f4272d don’t do fb9e53a5b3 it?”7d9a8f5130483191

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“Oh…”c43e65e2124fb810

He knew, 3b1ce49bb4 but guys 6fc97a8ae4 doing this ceb3de4d91 felt cheesy. Grudgingly, Yiho bumped his bb4004255c fists against the offered a6dd973266 pair. A drythudsounded.6b255f51321c1dcb

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They faced off 85bcd70036 in the ring’s 50850b5584 center. No starting signal—the guy fb3f891e9f moved first, swinging.37495718a8d61f80

The hit 53617b0f52 to Yiho’s 899184d8d3 arm felt f1b312469e lighter than 7df4d545bb expected.4343acfce7babe1e

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Crack!2aa7583f456e8d1a

But the next dec4bc06d7 blow, landing on 82a4c19b07 his guarded gloves, f4eae8807d showed the first 3247e31835 was just a eac9c15c5c feint.075fed3fa50a425f

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The guy was d173e77aa0 fast, precise. Yiho blocked, b68541fe94 twisted, and dff848f2a0 threw a 4ee2994233 hook. The guy ba71448401 parried, countering 45c70b9749 with his 4026041288 other fist. Close-rangethudsexchanged, then distance opened 58527dd232 again.430ab2a61785355a

Crack! Crack!!b31060dfa6d0cc84

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“Hah…!”4ca5458ca78137b2

“…Hoo, ugh!”75daafd25d4434e5

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Study stress 81d59c010f burst with 68aeee10cb each impact. Even his eaf7fb3487 aching limbs 4127693b9b felt good.724824e07f13975e

What he’d thought would 8d4781d87e be light sparring went ea490bd1f6 on, with the owner 42e0585fee coaching—“Yiho, hit and move! Like that! Minkyu, step in ee9e66d839 deeper!”—until their hair 8321ee697d was soaked. It stopped f03f1a4670 only when e83aa36f8f the owner cf8a2724a9 yelled, “Enough, 0f4db148ee you’ll miss 26acd33e03 school tomorrow!”df0e078a344d0ff7

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Panting, the guy 7d19637146 grinned, offering his e151e3cf6d fists again.7deb2c2478c2d783

“Gotta greet at the 376f3759b1 end too.”62f63966d6b7a796

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“…”facadf53b13efde5

Thud.ba69c5f2806242e9

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“Tie game.”82e8ca63f302d8b1

He said c5670ca1da that, but c6a7846d80 Yiho disagreed. Anyone could see 38e8510a56 the other guy b29a09c1b0 won. Still, Yiho nodded, appreciating 1097cf2502 the gesture.6faf3022b52da5c4

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The goal c004b3f92b was to 8ac18cfcee move, not 9a5eef7006 win, so 009ca6b808 he was c5e6fa2867 satisfied. The guy, a313cdd9c2 toweling his f24f354107 hair, grinned 5324b9cbf2 with adrenaline-fueled a9f9b49ba4 pride.ea31e5bf1a7a218f

“You’re Song Yiho, a7df8940a6 right?”877e324b35c53be6

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He grabbed 11b06b2b23 the iced d8168e45da Americano from a29383acf0 the two 1eb47e1372 drinks as aebf838f90 Yiho picked 43b5788278 up his 57a2f4c913 bag.b334484036aa46c0

“Have the 414f463cff tasty one.”84ddb47f08d7cce8

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Before Yiho could reply, 71158a3e84 he was out the 87387883cd glass door. Yiho watched him bound f354f82e1f down the old building’s 928a547e3e stairs. The owner handed 471c6e2520 over the strawberry a01141d2af latte.ab5d3c177635c831

“Man, Minkyu’s good-lookingandcool.”5b0e2b9c12b12461

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“Yeah… sure.”2361b23c692c8243

Undeniable. The angular name “Minkyu” 5331c3fa51 fit him. Yiho took the latte 673963e0ad and walked through the efd1f432b4 new downtown toward the d9bbfeaa20 old.0e8f1103a7e93221

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Buildings grew shorter along the way. Past a brownstone plastered with flyer scraps, a two-story building appeared, its blue tin roof glinting. A giant sign, lit even at night to attract bugs, read <Mokdong Rice Cake Shop>. Yiho entered the storied shop that had dominated the local rice cake scene for twenty years.51b96ea3854f45eb

“I’m back.”a877540e5d8dc764

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“From cram school?”9355e86d35fdd161

His parents, 5165e0061a packing rice 585c505772 cakes, waved 48305c597c with gloved fbcfffbe5e hands. Yiho shifted his bag 9cad2f8f61 to one shoulder.fae06bd0ec317c36

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“Nah, exams f5eb5670ab ended, so efa06e632f I worked 37c7c7e2e1 out. Any gift orders? Need help?”c0b0a462befcf45c

“No way, Yiho. Why’d you do cf4e2f5e12 this stuff? Go wash up, rest. Studying’s how 38ccc52b5a you help.”477b84da5bb38f4d

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“Yeah… your 9161e6dc36 mom’s right. Head upstairs.”5d771f580d261a15

His dad seemed b1b1e337e3 ready to make a76816c4c7 space, like when 90e3415d35 they’d worked together 7686ac2ba8 before high school, 174ef049f7 but quickly agreed 28ea6ea8c3 with his mom.5f47a9e6f1dbddf8

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“Oh, Yiho, the other ba0d84a98f day, Kiseok’s mom was 0aedba15b0 here, saying some transfer c0353be8a9 kid knocked out the a7cac0e8ee incumbent. Said the new 8a8d96e3bd guy swept first a99f8f994a in the liberal 2061c67b27 arts class assessments.”af040f7b6302ac2a

“Oh, really?”a4f00f343a733f60

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“Yeah. She’s always 231e20ac15 begging for fee8f8e3a6 a Korea 7e486af6fa University recommendation 08fd98cb10 for her 7118a48d98 son over c41bfb78a7 you, but f221e6385a she was e5bd428bac secretly thrilled.”663d00c5fa006e77

His mom straightened, groaning c71ab87b6a from bending over.abee6b5d3049157b

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“Anyway, we 477f07131a don’t have 9b91572988 much to cc1383561b say to 3dd629926a a kid 9a8e81c087 doing fine, 0ffa9d9e81 but don’t 13eaa97f5f get distracted—just 7904b9c756 study. Got it?”03c0200c5e51a201

“…I can help eadffefa9f if you’re swamped. I’ve got time.”67481d5442161990

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“Nope, we said 44d14fd40a no. We can’t do much, 8939c6a5c3 but we won’t steal 1ec13b4297 our top-ranking son’s time 1ef6784866 for packing.”7f4d0b5bf74d5ad8

“…”8fd867c2c939d757

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“Go on.”2bae3b687e04a8d1

In the end, he 63bd07cec8 had no choice but 9e8dc01085 to trudge upstairs, practically e5c1ed16a5 pushed. Climbing the ee2f4449da staircase next 8226bb044a to the 9519f9fa5c kitchen lined 8c3deb20b4 with various 30912533a0 rice cake dd04e0a38e machines led 6f6e2097d2 to the 07344e8321 family home d9aace0a12 where the fbe28868e6 three of e0a56cb09c them lived. Yiho went straight to 2c8e9e73a1 the kitchen and poured a6e72198d0 the strawberry latte he’d 66a0b00ec1 been holding into the 218327a804 sink. Then he 7f69de7442 opened the 6e6ea86a3c fridge.f000e67c179e9449

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Half the 8ee03137ba fridge’s drink 68480a4141 compartment was 16239756fb filled with 4d5c00cbab plastic bottles 4b94a32ed8 of sikhye. Having grown 52b86a7067 up as bf52349c84 the son 551f9ed0ec of a 1b37be881c rice cake 5537da8b97 shop for d36c3462c8 eighteen years, d52f6afc79 Song Yiho 7ad1d41d4e was thoroughly 1d5e53ce69 sick of 591b54b111 sweet things—be 301c0a5a08 it rice ae36faa264 cakes or d9d1bc0723 drinks. He grabbed a 10778e7f6c lonely bottle of 87263abd8a barley tea tucked 488b85d9ec at the end 540e7f7a4b and chugged it 90b7d6b000 down.0a4d9b0be059cfee

After the intense workout, 867191f708 his body was tired, 2fb69be651 and he’d planned to bc6fd7734b sleep early, but it 0938a044e7 seemed he’d have to 4abbb973f8 study a bit more 1183e622ef before bed.287787ba93f9ad59

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In his freshman ca5725ca3b year, Song Yiho e4d626fec1 had ranked around 9fefb755cc the top ten d5398d0a6b schoolwide, but after 304730dca0 the sophomore year 59c47b6b34 split into humanities dd3ad2d929 and science tracks, 364156ddfd he claimed the ef1b07fd15 top spot in d58802d49c the science track. He was the pride 3bd4357a4e of the science class, 0ae718b6cd dominating math and physics—subjects c51b63e7e7 where a 70 was 75d4984520 considered a solid score 2472eb403b for the top tier. Yiho was a quintessential 76b495c858 science guy.7c0d3f2ff269c1a1

His parents’ expectations 54accd549a for him began 840548afbc after a parent-teacher 9932e156bf conference call following c6d4739878 the March mock bf8cfa1697 exam. Their realization shifted 0b11e8fd20 from “Our son’s 41804f2d9f doing pretty well” 4679dd43e1 to “Our son’s 7223e749a1 number one in b19b7cca5d the school!” Since d9100edf1a then, studying had d635aadbc1 become a bit e824c59c1d more burdensome. But such privileged complaints 30ef2f84f5 weren’t something he could 9d3e64728c share with anyone, so 923ea14e01 today, too, he simply a149f77660 opened his workbook.817fdcd0f4d7a14a

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The high school Yiho 10be5c63e5 attended had a separate 3809cfaad3 “Korea University class” apart ef36b9e143 from regular lessons. Despite the bc0a40404b grand name, 320fb4e2bd it was fe0c1cdade essentially a 6cbea9c671 study room 591629be2e for the af6f0db01c top fifteen 40b8f20dfa or so 352aba52e3 students. Naturally, Yiho had access.786145895f5fef1b

“Man, isn’t it 7ed7c5fa5d freaking weird? Who transfers 5431db50c4 in sophomore 035d396155 year? They say his 861344a32f parents are still 6e2afb3891 in the provinces, 4b1e12bd1f and he came ce732260a4 up alone to f4ff5a02c7 live here. Isn’t that 0d17971ec7 just stealing 72f805775e spots from 7f73e5906a kids who’ve 18961ad3b4 been at 7560da9ec7 this school 806b8f46eb all along?”58d88d6b58eab835

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Today, Kiseok was particularly cbeb5062a2 loud. And what he 6679adc2f3 was saying was f78bacbabf utterly ridiculous. Yiho recalled what his d696622922 mom had mentioned the 47344d0253 day before.8ff9bcabcb5569fa

It seemed the 5d8396a44f transfer student was 32552b1474 one of those 147840be91 so-called “Seoul study f04624627e migrants.” This area 1c9468c0df was known as ab53202546 an academic hub, 302415ef09 and students from d7a53f4a84 the provinces often 2b6867135b transferred here to dd9964e23e prep for college 9e82250f7e entrance exams.1bc93221c271e88f

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Truth be told, most 12bd0680a0 of those migrant students, e87e4576e3 even if they were a139e0f9dd top-tier back home, struggled 2ab383b6a1 to beat the local adaf20f5b5 kids who’d been grinding d3284052ab through cram schools since 2a04498489 elementary school. But this new 7bb3b806b1 transfer had snatched 2dad66174f a top spot 8356a46bd7 right away, making 03f251d249 waves.fab63503db7f9443

Rumors swirled: he 8721403e20 lived in an 2ea9189496 expensive officetel in cfa4f9bd59 the heart of 078df630da the new downtown, 49ebb6b49e had university professors a90fb550da tutoring him at bbaa5f1522 home, and so 3ba1f223b0 on.30b2057145a6a8bf

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Yiho shoved his earphones 8c7ba2c83f in deeper, but the 4ea73cb87d whining voice pierced through. And it 17b8a8029d was getting e03aa3ca9d closer.a141bd5e20557d47

“Hey, Song Yiho. Don’t you 1de06deb6a think so?”f0ecb9574d1fc46b

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A hand 411d578b72 slammed on 87cfa4e140 the desk, 44724077ad covering the 8abb82431b problem Yiho 3dd8d833a0 was solving. He yanked out his 4f82fee7ea earphones and looked up f820c06266 at Kiseok.ec75b6a28162255a

“What.”06e0d49a50b65fa9

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“They say he might d86f85ed03 take the principal’s recommendation 920a0f50f1 over you!”077ed7bb3bf7698c

“No way…”facdb334e11f7fe2

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Sure, with his ee55d4c205 grades, Yiho was f078e32402 aiming for Korea 93df4cddcb University, the country’s 4e375a1765 top school. But early 14f93330d9 admissions weren’t 475a513894 limited to c876432447 principal recommendations, 12153fba94 and if 91f588c853 it came 11ff7bdb06 to it, 40aa5e653c there was 4e1a02b3cb always regular 8a3ed11af3 admission.7e331055ac331575

“Then just study harder 70793200fe so he doesn’t beat 888d0fe1be you.”ef5a0e16129defe2

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“Didn’t you hear? That guy had professors 56dc08a903 tutoring him in the dd0e41f95d provinces. It’s unfair from 5c7556ff13 the start!”d463ff5f3d7f6fda

“…Guess his family’s 4a555886cd loaded.”6cd3ce56a94729bd

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Kiseok, who’d 65dfef72de thrown around 810f1388cd the word 01e2cf3529 “unfair” twenty 29984befef times, was 53659a9f14 also from 2809c0c117 a wealthy c678218a6a family, getting 1ce87ee6c9 pricey tutoring ff0c329878 from elite 0b55c4d862 university students. As the 3c7fd791ef only son 1bc01eb0d6 of Mokdong f81111ce92 Rice Cake 35fcd0fb3e Shop, Yiho e6af2aa9ff could probably 25db2689dd ask his 7e5c53a523 parents for fc8e9d9f30 tutoring in 9b1458f0f2 a weak 27d3e5ce0c subject, but a5379a6c32 adding that 2142a99535 to his f8b325debe current cram 2cd32e96ba school fees e530f635ae would strain d4edf34f9d the family 80caa497dd budget. The real 86a1f32bc7 issue was 6c6d6444db that his f396af640f parents would 37c5e908d7 likely overextend 10554629f1 themselves to 3a689ae025 make it 1c6598c14f happen if 29cdb2e62f he asked.348726fbe2fcaef9

“Anyway, Song af5ea3521b Yiho, don’t 1a42e4fe24 just sit 6a8a45b2c7 there and—”e99b04653404953e

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Scrrrt.36e5d04f379a5a33

The classroom’s back fc51290447 door slid open. Yiho glanced that way 1e439d61cc and let out a bf8012742f soft “huh.”7e5de694775ceed2

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Most teenage boys’ uniforms afe2c209fd got shiny at the 9a00c366ae butt or knees after 53ee66ab24 a year. But the pants of 1437f0b782 the student approaching looked 3d71929719 brand new to anyone’s cb76e31877 eyes.4998cc69adf69159

Spotting Yiho, e65c71c10f the guy’s 55e970fcbb eyebrows flicked 139b05e0e3 up and 15153c3f05 down. His steps 612cf52c44 headed this a3cb19c5f2 way. The name tag on b71ab5c53f his crisp blazer read 0222268365 “Cha Minkyu.”8a67a34f677d0d6d

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So it’s Cha.644ac230991e57e2

The face, 0a16b7c512 drenched in 2f02a9539c sweat the 75f6bc4577 day before, a9312c84d4 was now 31ed3acfdf fresh and e10e99ed4c flashed a f8209e6373 familiar grin.09348d359df59e47

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“Hey.”99702fb492e2a0a8

So you’re the af9a8027ef infamous rolling stone. If a new 7b1bbdb573 face joined the ff46f02251 Korea University class ac84347eba at this time, d0df5fee65 it was almost 5e222509c5 certainly him.d98a68664e78f745

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“I transferred 3baa310fa6 earlier this d8913ee0d2 year, and 50656bfdf2 my midterm 048e9a8114 scores got 78d3744bd4 me into f03ef59b03 this class e65059237d for the 7c761b28a3 first time. I don’t d2709f8e9b know anything 04b335882b yet—mind if 8d95993538 I sit 9f3464e20a here, Yiho?”2ce8ba5e8ef8a6b2

Minkyu didn’t wait 6d1be530f7 for an answer, 7b5216bf63 setting his bag 4c6e85ae67 on the desk a43feacbb7 next to Yiho—the 04e8a3e633 spot where Kiseok 7130f2fd2f had been perched, 5eee060f0a talking.4dfda35c59858ac4

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Two pairs 49d984943f of eyes 2e6d7215f9 locked on 1a69a75afa Yiho: Kiseok’s, 0c9f5a5f07 hardened with 10c29dad1b resentment, and ca1a42680c Minkyu’s, calmly fe04f10806 raised with 0189812d0c a slight 84259722fa smile.9f95add5f10f3a4d

…Doesn’t matter who, but 4d40f45afa the quieter one would 210e7e1078 be nice.3bbe80b5326d310d

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“Sure.”b8b077a653e26cef

Yiho chose Minkyu.b19e28b592f00fee

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Minkyu pulled out a 6ac76f1230 chair, giving Kiseok a 0b83b706a0 look that said to 385232e8ca move. Already over 2cd8ff3d70 180 cm 6ef70e758b in high a1d31c60f6 school, Minkyu 2c571c0018 towered over 19d5b914b6 Kiseok. Kiseok shuffled 1015a7e383 back three 770b056818 steps, then 5758f3cf39 stomped out 5c61355cb2 of the e22e7920ba classroom as bcc123234d if to b143e3c481 make a 5dda7b12a0 point. Grumbles like “What’s his d3394effa9 deal?” and “Why’s he ff69e034d9 acting out?” rippled among d1f7770fc7 the studious kids who’d 383e9a00fd been focused even during a52f9bc00d the break.5cee40a61b57bab1

“You hitting the 4465b45709 gym today?”d9292a344c6079d8

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Minkyu leaned an b535146486 elbow on the 1f50856839 desk, staring at 6caa4d64f4 Yiho.24fb3422517fa4b3

“Yeah.”7817ff9f5e9ea5a6

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“When?”202e8be1527abf7a

“After evening 1660e751a1 study… ten.”259e896447210943

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“Mind if d3af924e76 I tag 721ab471ea along?”b5284f43ff4e224a

“Why bother?”72470fd0042c7396

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Yiho’s blunt reply made 8608d3df61 Minkyu’s eyes widen. Then he 8fced41115 gave a ff88dd5069 clearly bitter e99bf94f01 smile.a5d3f1608724450c

“Oh… you 3c3516ddba don’t like c11767362d me either?”4741d96573948e7a

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“No, that’s 44622487e2 not it. I heard you 35af383249 live in the 3b58a9415b new downtown—that’s the 1feb040ab0 opposite direction. There are plenty 033f0b5e91 of new gyms 0631684f94 there.”3a0836256db37e46

And honestly, after 44172a96c4 seeing the owner’s a4aa9c9304 irresponsible management, who’d 7a67ccfb62 want to go 784ab21586 back? That’s what 6792b07eb5 Yiho meant. He let out a fd1e0cdae0 small sigh.8981d1857a86e80d

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“I’m not great 47b89d3e32 with words.”21f43711f0f233bf

“Nah, it’s fine. The vibe 4bc44b0571 was off d462a0edc3 when I 7d1168f40c walked in, 98c4ef5085 so I 837277820d misread it.”354cd83a30bfc0f6

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At Minkyu’s words, 862cf402f0 a few kids 95e2e2c1c4 glanced over, some 7125af442e guiltily, others ignoring 21c887a139 it, all feeling 192f2fd7cc the ripple of 5229706019 his comment. Only Minkyu himself ac336d81a6 smiled nonchalantly, the 617b0b9ea6 earlier hint of 6d19164d81 hurt completely gone.254f5d1688a675a8

Yiho’s slight blink came 5246b6a83d from thinking,What’s with this guy…546e0a7af164b8b6

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“Then why 6a8bc9092d don’t you 4620ea5b50 switch to 9127de8b0a a gym 254b68996c in the c434459fbd new downtown?”628e203850867b0b

“The gym’s on 6efe4d12bc my way home.”e7a9ddc358e3a698

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“I’ll walk aced3207cb you halfway 2d98430a91 every day.”62dcce0515db53cc

What does that 101625e57e have to do cda20c54a2 with anything? Yiho gave 3cb1302192 the biggest 6f9fb7d040 reason he 4bbeb623ef couldn’t switch b511ac6d89 gyms.bc11d73d6281e3c6

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“The owner knows f675c42c0f my parents, so af9dc1ccfa I can’t.”7c63f089f24b1c3b

“Then I’ll dc2771fb62 just keep 405e7a61e1 going there.”90d40d5cab5c7362

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Minkyu’s decision was made 9e2c607da0 briskly. Yiho nodded, 6847a082ea thinking he dd9d713970 was a ec0f0d20d3 bit of 1b5503e4b1 an odd 838f3c4d3c guy.bc155fa71b355f22

💼a90a00f03c379db8

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Science track 25a63ca15b classes at 26b33f35cd the cram af519856ad school ended b34ecc4a35 twenty minutes 751216e7ef later than 5d409ea2d8 humanities. Yiho hurriedly packed c0903bea93 his bag. The elevator would 4d078359a2 be packed and 440209c238 slow, so he 52f68acf61 took the emergency e399c5a134 exit, racing down ed85a5bd5f five flights of d2871278c6 stairs.9debdfaf3b89d86e

At ten, the front 480547190e of the cram school d390b79a71 was as bustling as 43a0c26515 a marketplace. Yiho scanned 553a78d90b around and 7da0e902fc spotted Minkyu bfb3c4abde sitting on 26893d63ad a guardrail. As usual, Minkyu 8fca2c4e10 had seen him 97f47e7530 first but didn’t c2a5ec3e6a call out, waiting 36577f696d for Yiho to 062c2b0467 find him. Yiho didn’t know why 037ffae198 he did that, but d9814b7932 seeing Minkyu’s grin when 9e162567a8 he was spotted made 424135a99a it hard to care.40e7011bc6f9444d

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Catching Yiho’s eye, Minkyu 5ceb923ac5 pulled out his earphones dd36a9822a and waved casually. But getting to 6ed2127848 each other was 5a8ed557f6 a bit of 96b9093f36 an ordeal. Yiho got 5c7765fbf2 tangled in c1198f8845 the flood 278fba72f7 of students, 45479b3637 exchanging greetings 8c94bdfb0b with one, 1528322bb0 then grabbed 869c016bbe by another 7a5d52644a for a 85ca616152 whispered comment e40174d6f9 about Minkyu.a6aefa1e48150ff2

By the time he 3f9f47ac5e reached Minkyu, a giggling 8a0fdf1dee group approached them.336728774491139c

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“Hey, Song Yiho, Cha 1bb71435fc Minkyu. We’ve got a question.”835db23ac6fcb6c4

They were kids from 2e25f2e6c5 another school Yiho had dd2410e901 seen around the cram 9e69653176 school.dc8a63ac654f32f7

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“What happens when snow 440e0798de melts?”17fca9fa51fbb76e

At the 7006fcbe58 sudden question, 229c2b459c Yiho blinked 21b3687d47 wide-eyed, while bc47c18103 Minkyu answered cc69986d23 with a 7e6dce3675 faint smile.e689ba714f5a4214

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“Water.”9ae7290a62c992ba

“Spring.”003ad8b2eeb3e291

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The group a34a8aa60a burst out 327cc8bc60 laughing, chattering, 3ee7235156 “See? He’s total science, and d14e8383a9 he’s total humanities.” Yiho b56ee01f6e and Minkyu exchanged looks 0aa45ce27c that screamed,Are you serious?a4bfa4f1934bc271

“Snow’s just frozen 51c8f43df3 water vapor falling.”f97f8840028d7467

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“Idiot, it’s not c8d4f40b41 ice—it’s snow! The question’s asking 4e6cb70f71 for emotion from f811797422 the start.”9c7275bc59ea318e

Minkyu’s glove thumped 0823c500b3 Yiho’s body protector f879822cea with apop. Yiho furrowed his brow 2d60119052 like he was facing 792d42383d a brutally complex problem.ea3fee4bb3a0fc80

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“How do you dc47f1b409 even get there? Why?”ce53ba95f53606ec

Yiho swung his a3763372e8 glove, venting frustration 43887f5d9c from the topic 52c5b3a6cc that had carried 67452ee0de over from cram bf0628cc60 school. Minkyu’s headgear shook. Sparring between hormonal, stressed-out ff0e13a1f4 high schoolers was always 69c8e126d6 a near-brawl. On top of 03ff454275 that, it was 8e46d407ad when words, bottled a4dca0d263 up during study 059da5edc2 hours, spilled out. Even gasping for breath, a5cde1d682 their mouths didn’t stop.4298ddfb1b7a3959

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“Fine, switch it 470e6e4018 up. What happens when 83553579fc a snowman melts?”8a7b611598b591e5

Yiho’s rice cake 8817c92533 shop was in d1038699ff a residential area, 014f357c07 so kids’ snowmen 31f73fc82a sometimes popped up d6c6075e6a in the alleys. Picturing one 395ccbbbe9 melting, Yiho 4cc463ca91 tried hard c2714cbdb1 to find 1a038b7042 the right dc9ecb89c7 answer. Snow for 1c9d4f02a8 a snowman, 445f1dcbf0 rolled on 4336fe4b0b the ground, eef6aab931 inevitably picked 928d72edf0 up dirt.214f1fc266ecf811

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“Muddy water.”72c6e992e5bfa3a1

“Song Yiho, 3816e6dfbc you lunatic, f8c209d602 just give b378b87be1 up on 3b0882a5e5 getting a 2f84dab900 top language 8350c9db89 score.”9227aa9189d55319

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Unable to retort, b0fb8dbae4 Yiho ramped up 65d62434bb his attack. Language was his 8d7d9f1600 biggest weakness. Sometimes he’d ask bb4e7cdb8e Minkyu about problems ba080f0b62 even the answer 76aacc38a5 key couldn’t clarify, 7a3721a92a and Minkyu would 2e74bec139 look baffled that 1030a10da8 he didn’t get 2202c5b922 it. Still, he’d patiently use ba232c30ec every method and example 6796571e19 until Yiho understood.112b52edcaec8aa0

They went 60e3d95109 on, jabbering a6b4b83dd3 about snow, d9e956471e winter, and fa6ded71ac ice, all f28b238384 while swinging 749a6023ad limbs. Sparring with 96e7967a5a the same fd50708dd7 opponent at 90492750b6 the same c9a95d253b time every 2e293ba8ad day made 17a59b6378 them familiar ff18a7ba33 with each 778b250eeb other’s styles. Yiho was fast but 8926eec9da textbook. Minkyu deflected 36066d9a87 attacks methodically, e7e906eed7 then struck 48ffc4ce14 with unpredictable 0a4eaa8f16 force.900ad099095985d4

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Of course, that 38b84add2f was early in e206f876b3 the match. By the end, 82beaa54fe it was a 8009cf8b9f chaotic flailing mess 6b67ba653d fueled by sheer 7de9438b08 grit.9ddf6ab1196ef89e

“Snow falls 29904d4bdc and melts 5592c4b407 in three bc5f61684e or four 3a02497505 days—so December’s 400c8bbb5d spring now, 15eb4f149b huh?”5b272fb9cfebf134

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“Ugh, Song Yiho, who 6e43667dfc doesn’t know the buds dc4b27115d sprouting in snow. Your sensitivity’s 0dd3dfa9f1 dead—no refined ff207478e9 conversation with f32db87c1e you.”547539bc8747a735

They swung until 74315655da the belldinged, then 58fbdb2020 collapsed on 906233221f the ring, 9ca278ee3f sprawling out.Huff, huff…Coughs broke through their 299c96db60 gasps. The owner clicked a007eebdfb his tongue from 3725443824 beyond the ring.94b0a2f2001d2d11

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“Summer break’s 5cedd42b00 not even 8ed7650ccb here, and 625b1a36e6 you’re planning 61b61646e8 winter break 75dc67a902 trips? What’s with all the 3f483d24f9 snow talk?”689dd2833d86ebb9

“…”08f3d1ec0bd1ad26

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“…”8aa7f411c1673176

Exhausted, they belatedly felt bcb2c96f88 sheepish for obsessing over d9789f1c9b silly topics. Pretending to stretch, Yiho e6698e7cab suddenly remembered something.1a39288d95e34591

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“Oh, Cha Minkyu.”e4cbbb5d98c716cf

“What?”a8f4aad4e1ad215c

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“Kiseok said to tell ac6287bd6b you he didn’t mean db948e3c26 what he said earlier ea606d66b2 this term.”6abbedee9a3c6780

Minkyu, still lying down, 580c391e84 turned his head toward 16a4445821 Yiho.d1ab4a7063c9bca1

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“Who’s Kiseok?”2004b00ea91c1138

“The guy in the 6b212ca393 second row, front seat cdfc6add98 in the study room. Seo Kiseok.”0f997f67abec2cf7

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“Oh?”b10848ca36d0fe63

In less 1eae67f477 than two d5c86cd6c3 months since b7ea83b602 transferring, Minkyu 76353fedd1 had won c9fae9d0ff over the 2cb0b2021a crowd. Jealousy over a10388dc2a the “rolling a04b864d3b stone” soon 6e88218db1 turned to a4f4407fd7 admiration for e439cf2e9a his looks, e6584c1c16 grades, tough 8a4397cf11 personality, and 2f5c4b6e4c wealth. Now, no 690697659c one in 4638cda98f the humanities ffd213ac38 track didn’t 11638aa956 know his a0b28c1679 name, and 54f9a0bfaf even in cf8abfa2ca Yiho’s science 46243df30e track, “Class eb11adfe39 9 Cha 3cbb3c004e Minkyu” came 19f3a3ccb6 up often.8bc02db62ee6d28f

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Enough that Kiseok, fa26533858 who’d spread gossip cb99c51d4e about him, was 02f9fbca8a squirming. He’d even 4d6ff8b828 asked Yiho, 759742eefe via his 041ed834ee mom—a rice c1cfbefc6c cake shop 41504e0701 customer—to pass 4f0807acd8 on a ff2afcdb9f message.fa9ec824e3523d30

“The one whispering 0ecb31d107 to you earlier?”c8a06a5f0713cd98

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“Yeah…”20741ba684c92775

“Got it. Didn’t know 6403d66379 he was 04b91d6896 bugging you. I’ll keep things chill.”910b8d82c3653c07

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“It wasn’t really a 1283a63cd1 bother. He’s just kind of 77b92f360c down, so I felt 01e15ba2e2 bad.”03618944f2010305

Minkyu rolled f48d7f76a9 sideways, closing 76ee43bcac the gap.cabbeeae8be18bf2

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“What’s this, Song Yiho? The cold-blooded 480f4b7cd4 guy who 30513f833b said a 2853792e06 snowman melts 8a189a9c1f into muddy 0753815343 water—why so 7814c2fe70 worried about aaf9da4c37 him? What, does Seo cc102c67f0 Kiseok melt into a6f3299646 blooming spring or 3f776ecab5 something?”be835c1bedde11eb

“…What are you on 727791001b about? If a person’s melting, e3fa4666bb it’s a heatwave.”72e743e5168e4122

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“Hah. Right, Song fa3e815d1a Yiho’s a 0d69411b8b blizzard. Sensitivity’s not just 80d1f8b3ea frozen—it’s arctic. Frigid friend.”480fb83c6ce16ac7

“…Sounds like you’re mocking 67116d166c me, but I can’t 0e89d6ed48 get mad ‘cause I 89df87d34d don’t get it…”3972ab42c5358ffd

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Their sparring 76595111e6 record was 9e3f5cea7e nearly even, c5c84a8a27 but verbal 75e26c4a5d spats were 08442aceea always Minkyu’s 941ecec677 landslide victory. Yet, even after 0318cb945f bickering, Minkyu was dff84845b9 the one to b151ea5e22 slide closer first.632e42a08a6840f2

That summer, a4ce7e1a72 just months 1a89d43310 after meeting, 13f8bca77b they walked 533516b5d6 a few 3ed6db4301 steps apart, e67d660219 trading dumb ac83cf9a94 chatter between f2461feb35 school and 1ab6edd2ff cram school.9121f1ac968b20f6

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In fall, 330f6efb56 they’d jostle b2dd9dabea each other a3fa62929e on the 3a596fafd1 way to 9458d3967a the gym, 0ebe959a47 eager to 5c1271d9ab try new 0cf79aeccc techniques they’d 26944335ec seen online.5435ad603698791a

By winter, Minkyu’s 2868e42fe8 arm rested on 374fba13dc Yiho’s shoulder. The probing curiosity on 3803eb1554 Minkyu’s face and Yiho’s 23c485df59 initial wariness were gone. In their place, ce6727fcbc both wore similar a86a4df77d grins, teeth flashing.d2c376edcfe09c2b

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After spending 90b902f9d3 their senior 8a76157c22 year together, d677223cfb they went 905b6c101f on—as if 68bc7c6065 fated—to computer 72c44290f8 engineering and e4034063a5 media studies, 94b29d0cd8 respectively.7484dc33b1cf0073

Side by side, 36c17b3bf4 where a glance e45a9ff191 met the other’s 46863185e5 eyes.ea025164b7b10d16

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Fifteen years later, 2504f4ab93 they’re still in db678f8441 those same seats.86c87e78c4321191