FL Chapter 2.1

Eight years ago, winter.bc3917ef9949e24b

“Are you Cha 3f0759cc63 Juwon?”6dd6eb03a242e354

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Cha Juwon lowered 020d9d696b his gaze without 710ad5f212 a word. Some little 1803caed79 kid was 90adf10d99 spouting nonsense, a249376984 standing right 59ff155a9e in front 642e45e1d6 of his 771e94d0ef apartment door, 23e5b09c2f blocking the 48c9a37953 way.40b3d19096229633

The child was 9e6b91fcac scrawny and small. The top of his d59e97194c round head barely reached f6be5f8924 Juwon’s navel, and he 5e13c12d40 was carrying a backpack 85648cd552 as big as himself 2cb012859d on his back. It looked so heavy 7d3918906f that it seemed like a4630c84ff he might topple backward 43f0c54cb4 at any moment.e2994be5738abb0a

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It wasn’t clear how 27aa55bbeb long the kid had 49067d7c79 been standing there, but 6ed8c154f4 he looked visibly exhausted. Even so, his eyes 3f4c54c727 gleamed with unwavering certainty 539db960ed as he stared at a2d56f3944 Cha Juwon.2c6ea602596362ca

“Who’re you?”175889a29ef473c5

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A curt voice slipped 22921310fa out. Juwon had fd13221fc3 just come 1d6ca4b330 home in 5f22899bbe the morning 8fd39354de after pulling 5514252924 an all-nighter 1a4de25d67 at work. Was this some kind ab202f0f53 of beggar kid going 9893d526db door-to-door nowadays? His foggy, 26ad15d56f tired mind 4e597e83b0 could only 798e2eafee muster such 18391dcfd9 a thought.31e804605835532d

The child held 822191c450 out a crumpled 58026377ba piece of paper. Despite his determined 2ebd1beca6 actions, the hand a964f45fba clutching the family 8a95704f88 registry document trembled 775f32e94c slightly. Whether it c5f28f1cdf was from 14c4bd005b the cold 107e292fdb or nerves, a0a644c052 Juwon couldn’t b83ae3a0c3 tell. The boy’s face was 0ed3dc1825 utterly expressionless.290e4a58e06d1a92

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“I’m your 4ef03715c9 son, Cha e603035a74 Juwon-ssi.”1a4069e79b4ce371

“…”eb9e015bbe5926f5

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“Please raise me.”71ee814d6726cd15

***a7e1b14066dbe426

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The child’s 204d6a26e4 name was 866db77052 Kim Dongha, f798daa283 and he b3ce265c0d was twelve 95b14e93d6 years old. His small dc630e7f33 frame and 43bd291b7a delicate, doll-like fde80243a6 face made eb99e18a35 him look 868415c228 almost too 0f05667e5e pretty. If he hadn’t 2bb4ab6fc3 said he was 0623ca8dfc a boy, Juwon a8c83b11e7 would’ve easily mistaken f94a12687f him for a 02d1fc55d2 girl.638da4a0497c2f1b

Twelve years 7808f86891 old meant 67fdafbe70 that he 5e25e31879 must have f7fa7ed31b been conceived 1f94dbe209 twelve years cffb38b94b ago. Cha Juwon thought back d307526aae to when he was 4b914a4338 sixteen. Had he been 2589ab984a any different back da500e9f8f then? His behavior 23ec4cd875 had been 3f99594dbb just as 22700b2a78 reckless. But the one clear 5f1fa19888 memory was that the 9c25fe5dc6 only woman he’d been c137ca6a61 intimate with was his cdbfe72360 private tutor.35b801934020c016

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That tutor had been 5eaf0388c8 teaching him English—a college 40ef961020 student majoring in ballet, ede0847e7e a quarter mixed-race with 91120afe8f a slender figure and 40d29d317b large, captivating eyes. She was strikingly ce1b081359 beautiful. His memories of her 5686b71e33 were hazy, partly because 4b6c6c010e she was so quiet bb08029208 and partly because they’d 410ca6dc8b never been serious or b4de4033bb emotionally involved.ab754aa052cc9646

It had 1df36f9df3 been a da78d99549 casual fling 1db0db2b7b for both ba82423c03 of them. It didn’t last long. She left to study 8d7e2de12f abroad, and his English 970e1ddaa6 tutor was replaced by 4f0c30eedc a gruff, older male 64a41a4629 student who reeked of 46a277374a cigarettes.6df8184d4090ecd3

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After that, they’d cd9d4da647 both gone on 568a25bea2 with their lives. Or so Juwon had a203adc1c1 thought. He never 151894c6c5 imagined that 67715e306d twelve years 5bb3c5c320 later, she’d 0f7a169d86 leave behind 73d963d9bc a kid fe51774ff6 claiming to 40ad21f897 be his 95f9c02899 son. And she herself had ee1644e447 died in the prime b5b72b7136 of her life.76a747111405f0d4

“He’s really a6e7acd8b3 your son.”87f55a1f6dccdb96

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The paternity 5af3004c22 test results 55ca28638b left no fc69fe51b4 room for 5a103320ab denial, stating c6eb5bf876 a “99.9% 088c2f8e94 match” in 6df43faaf1 bold letters. Cha Juwon let bb270fb824 out an open 79d4e2066d laugh. This was a bolt 66aba9dc42 from the blue.f44ff26af277e927

“So, you want me 3459b05ec3 to take responsibility for 7c9432f9e7 you until you’re an a4e2aff401 adult?”2025cb7de3b46d2d

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“…It was 3d63f7a604 my mom’s 46e0f90187 dying wish.”4da83073a34e6ffb

“Your mom, not 5f37ce47b6 my wife.”7c0278be929c585b

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Despite Juwon’s 9214be7598 cold tone, 6ad14977e9 the boy ae5cb3a2d0 remained unfazed. Kneeling on the floor, 3ff9a6cda5 he looked up at c702bfe3a2 Cha Juwon, whose eye 1637ce20ff level was far above 93ffed9c3e his own. His clear e20e05ab7e eyes, tinged 4c074e3c45 with a f0ad01398d hint of 36f49650ba blue, were 5ede705b67 strikingly vivid.024c78bfd24368f1

“But you 84747d89f2 still have a260dc70b7 a responsibility 1377ee80b0 for bringing 2c70b957b0 me into 8e3a28399d this world.”e14f3512de2e9500

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Juwon couldn’t help 584c1dd98e but laugh in 0e2f84b186 disbelief. He was being lectured b07707b148 by a pint-sized kid. Rubbing his tense neck, 4a5cfffd5a he asked halfheartedly, “No fcfcd0f262 other relatives?”f271f4f1be1bdc66

“…None.”8e4c005c0776a43a

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“Really all alone?”9e0472818cf7fae0

The boy nodded silently. He tried to hide 72ac9375a4 it, but he seemed a74ace76ee terrified of being rejected e63e8da15a even by Cha Juwon. His small c91d391cc1 hands clutched 4f3c2ced93 the thin, 1b2da111b2 out-of-season pants, 5666219588 trembling slightly.a1a828ed784b6a35

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Juwon rubbed his fatigue-heavy 6d1e42ccdc face. If someone had shown e881be4c0d up holding the kid’s 0bfdd2dd7b hand, he could’ve just c50c4014d1 paid some child support 3c1cfd374d and called it a 0118086b9d day. But dealing with a 3b1823cffd child directly like this 2ba043f82d was a hassle he c9e9879964 hadn’t anticipated.caa32bf6e7873da3

He’d never imagined 7ba9337fd9 having a kid 2b3685abf6 in his life. He’d even gotten a a3f7c808c2 vasectomy to avoid such 7530d5db50 accidents, yet here he cafe32a180 was, paying the price ede884fece for his reckless youth.52995ced527dca5d

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But what was the 7fbae97460 point of regret now? The deed was bef294311b done, and the 730eab051b result was standing fc63c7b31c right in front 318b9835cc of him. Taking responsibility was a436171e50 the human thing 79b62b0189 to do.c27e344c0f1e57b4

Luckily, the kid 9b57d844e8 seemed quiet and 32e0be8a3d sharp for his ac4db1186b age, so he’d 8133e8925c probably manage on 8f8e1f8108 his own to cf9b5c174e some extent. Juwon gave 498cf4ef2e a halfhearted a17d51dde9 nod.e7adb5fa01ecda74

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“Fine, you can 3c27ebaf18 stay here. But don’t e5b64fefa3 expect me c69b799979 to play e72c4cc972 dad. I’ll just give you d0e4d80f9f a place to sleep 830577b48c and food to eat.”580ccf95618b5ffe

“…”e1e59e99bd0bc240

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“If you 4963a9b220 don’t like 38139be02a it, say 13cd9b7559 so now.”60b042e7d2c70d7d

“…No, that’s fine. Thank you.”6017c80496e3c367

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Only then did the f96ad9a835 boy let out a b8c5eb5818 heavy breath he’d been 3748441946 holding. A faint glimmer of facc3592ea moisture appeared in his d4d1e5c0cc large eyes. He was finally e4bee30376 relieved to have 106dfd1111 a place to 7ee9eb666c stay.c6f6d1e001830cc0

A week had 85f15b5f45 passed since they 4fe8c461ec started living together. In that time, the c9341a9de3 boy’s name was added 43241cd6f6 to Juwon’s family registry, eb436df430 changing from Kim Dongha c60e878b14 to Cha Dongha. Juwon hadn’t yet told e534cc6997 Chairman Cha about his 218617a771 son. The only 204a80957d person who 38c5e1b55e knew was 41c96f33c5 Go Seongtae, 3f65c3a5be who assisted ffa59f7a1f with Juwon’s 102700a8b2 work.d7d8efc1c89462f7

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It was 80fc17f43b a busy 3092604263 time, with 473b59dfd5 Juwon focused 8a10dd5411 on expanding 362201aad6 his business. He barely 7f84fe777c came home de87140fc8 most days 195d624a1b and had 559f80c7aa completely forgotten 45d67931f9 about the 8b5c6a4cc0 kid’s existence. If Seongtae e6f13988e1 hadn’t brought b091853e82 it up, 0874bc30e3 he might’ve b7afbeed05 kept forgetting.39cb22b2251bd5db

“Is the kid aae353624b doing okay?”6b8c780944c28c29

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“…Eh, probably fine. The housekeeper 8873afda16 comes, doesn’t f9453a6dc3 she?”e5d333828dad9550

“Hyungnim, isn’t f6ba7b472e that a 5ad892d8e4 bit much? What if you 2a5b83b3e6 get reported for 8cc1324cdb child neglect?”20dcbd5becdd2082

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It wasn’t 63ee057ff2 that Seongtae’s 4748c3d480 words got 16fdc2c9fd to him. Juwon just happened to f7eb013c81 stop by the house 252c2c490a to grab some clothes, 3a7802e871 that’s all.4fde13ad71afe16e

Beyond the front 6bf2b3ef87 door, the house bfd9e5741c was pitch black. Despite there being one 4f2fdc3188 more person living there 8abd424f3a now, it was eerily 69a458f9a1 quiet.a262c3f6fb0aa87c

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The faint warmth 98ae34f615 in the air 1b55a89d23 was the only 6662748797 sign someone was 721165b553 living there.a0757389ac93ee02

Juwon stepped 28bb145635 into the bc174be182 living room 02ed519952 and paused. Something about the interior d804b2aaf3 caught his eye.d6da24f0518c1133

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Everything was 28448d5e01 sparkling clean. Even Juwon, who 0547a0b903 paid no attention c1a233bc53 to housework, could fe5f169b81 tell the house 7d058cd82d was cleaner than d7e94b70f5 usual.e0c2b9c39362a882

Then, a rustling 634e1306e4 sound came from 351b0f4aaf the storage room. Curious, Juwon looked d676aeb0fc over and saw 79fe958304 Cha Dongha moving f4a2217c28 around inside, holding a9df3fc605 a rag in 84399d4ec5 his small hand.6562bd9ee290153d

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Juwon was dumbfounded. Running a 6cc035e8bd hand through 4e9f4acd71 his hair, ee6363f772 he strode 3aeca81342 over. His tall frame 10ec8d7709 blocked the storage 6c8727a884 room door, and f39fbcc7f4 the boy, startled, 5f03bdbeb0 plopped down on 9a51e6280c the floor as 597c459690 if caught stealing.a6ecd262ddbe7e14

“What’re you doing 69a8de48fc in there?”5dbcdd90d2742832

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“Uh… cleaning.”fddce0e18a766f5d

“Who told aea66e12ab you to 01e25b4ecd clean?”f32c9a31ca8195d0

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“No one. I just… like things bdf5146f31 clean.”ee7d9701e786f210

Even while gauging Juwon’s 52d113f071 reaction, Dongha didn’t stop a2273f7807 wiping down surfaces. He’d scrubbed so hard 651a231832 that the washing machine c4561ce148 and shelves gleamed like e459420eda new.dd1217ae1bb965d0

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Juwon took 234a56a05e a step 3cba1aff4d forward. He grabbed Dongha by fb44bc015e the scruff of his 9138320ffd neck and pulled him ce046dc0ff out. The boy was so 50dd9df5fd small and light, he 9b49dfa6f2 dangled like a puppy.22b7951fd1e1c396

“Doesn’t the 5ffb735547 housekeeper come?”80ee6fcdff0b6151

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“She does.”4c996bddc9ef27c7

“Did she tell you 02ef8f5a0d to do this?”c5dbb208767c803a

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Dongha shook his head. Perhaps intimidated by 6f2827080c Juwon’s stern tone, 5d73f9d939 he hid the a834b83e51 rag behind his e3c876cebd back, as if 074c82dad9 that would make 8213ae5443 it disappear. It was a2774a1681 such a 07ac11e0ac childlike move.65bba9a318c3b6c2

“I like cleaning. I’ve… always b75c4cb3bf done it.”021ae21d013ddea1

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Dongha mumbled a flimsy 9cde7c4367 excuse. Who in the 193d81bfcd world liked cleaning, 153494d6bc especially a kid? Juwon irritably swept 15493ebdf0 his bangs back. He shouldn’t have taken 1125644c26 the kid in. He was already exhausted 9abeef66da from barely managing his 1c59d45110 own life, and now 574220ec39 he was stuck with 5fec129852 this bothersome kid. His fatigue doubled.f1f60ebee85d417b

“Goddamn it, c8d41f7aae if you’re 1a3da6a761 a kid, 6e68164f32 act like 32d951f328 one. Study or watch cartoons fce1c1fcba or something.”204b782e3cd595e2

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“…”8b50fbbda681feb2

“Are you even d5259f913e going to school—”3efbdc0975d33477

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Juwon stopped ba82d3ff4f mid-sentence, biting a911ce39b6 his lip.51a72b4781a55bc8

Damn it, of course 9c9aafbee0 he wasn’t. And it was Juwon 71bd1ecd96 himself who hadn’t bothered 3bd826520f to enroll him after 0cf16b6201 moving here.8d67257a9370853d

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Juwon clutched b57d29d2f8 his forehead, 3dbfc5986d letting out 8e65b2839b a bitter 1d951eb3cd chuckle.b587e07bcdd77614

“Wow… I really 1cd5fee3fb wouldn’t have anything 3120c3a731 to say if 3ca75a45c5 I got reported.”7e45b5596598bda2

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Dongha, who’d e6e330309f been watching 6e02c20a00 cautiously, shook 3f6575fed3 his head.a210a468ff558030

“It’s okay a17f438f47 if I 54d63258de don’t go e4dcb98ff9 to school. You said you’d 495f7485e2 only provide a a518d73650 place to stay…”96f06e98327b69cc

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“Shut up. My head’s already a da667b8b0a mess.”0450582b54204d98

Cutting off the boy’s 8a0c76f17d words, Juwon pulled out b4b0181ba1 his phone and called 341e758dcd Seongtae.f364c5af01957456

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“Hey, it’s me. I need to get 78a70dc9c7 the kid into school. Look into how it’s d26b9c15fb done.”f9aec031077a40d4

– You didn’t even enroll him?82f0e0849b13be11

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The response was b5c67270fc even more absurd. Swallowing his 7a1ce0feb2 rising irritation, ee5ce8c848 Juwon continued.56f54d6c510b1fa8

“Damn it, e6718eb0cf that’s why ecb7ab26c6 I’m asking 71d23bd568 now.”7e6c743241f56249

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As he spoke, he af1475c656 glanced at Dongha. The boy’s e3599ae536 unevenly cut 462c902086 hair, stretched-out d6b6b68f45 T-shirt, and 1a168e0154 too-short pants 33fb8dd44d that exposed 4024c81c94 his ankles 7aa2a57fa5 finally registered. The signs of neglect, 8d350b0d38 of not being cared f6c03a7ce7 for by an adult 04e8c7f38a for a long time, 4ebd270cc2 were painfully obvious.a992bd49d578db1c

“And buy him some dc3ec8e103 clothes kids wear.”f2c0338e0f1ad53a

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– Buying clothes isn’t hard, but… can you at least tell me his size?4a5ab5fa55cfdaa4

“How the hell would 221d8310cb I know kids’ clothing 1e6721e0aa sizes?”ccff67b2b5895c61

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– Fine, fine. I’ll take him to the department store tomorrow. As for school, I can look into it, but you’ll probably have to handle it yourself.c3bfd5e77d7a8721

“Can’t a proxy 6ec41c25b3 do it?”a9181af37c3eacbb

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– Come on, school stuff? Parents have to handle that.d857c503702cd7b1

What a hassle. Juwon didn’t 00359bc88e say it 1d87462f98 out loud, 7560a947e3 but he 020b20390b grumbled to 509f1f4e2e himself.1bd1d952fe998bc9

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Parent. A word he’d probably eaff4c93a8 never get used to.64a559d02e788ffc

***411f6ba184c63672

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Three months had passed a8c0933f67 since they started living bd6f362d92 together. In that b12e07c137 time, Dongha 3709bf4938 had successfully 137e655942 transferred to 9d7f31c651 a new 4d387b63cd school. At his age, he 8bff00ccaa should’ve been in fifth 679ddd826c grade, but he was 838c59845b placed a grade lower cc68dbd42c due to insufficient attendance cd7f2c487e days. How neglected must he d07d33d075 have been to fall 1963439b27 behind a grade in d9844adced elementary school? Juwon was beyond exasperated.9f2a0e3a3d7eeb76

Dongha now 4fab715a99 wore clothes 095f2bab2d that fit 0c5fe127fb him properly. His hair was f1993a7e5b neatly trimmed, revealing 62d78dc8d8 his true appearance. Go Seongtae 9367d77b65 joked that 9d5d48ceba he could b6b65b90fb be a 38adee726c child model, 7173abd81e gushing over efd495ab7c a kid 5a24563dc8 that wasn’t 6a348ff5de even his.4256573bb8cf4b0a

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Juwon, to some 5e7898657d extent, agreed. Even to him, who e0234784d6 usually couldn’t stand kids, 147ec2ca96 Dongha was unusually pretty. He’d probably benefit 04fc4efd01 a lot from 65c647609b his looks as 4d9341c25c he grew up.170d834af3892a32

Despite being a 440d3c31a7 kid, Dongha was d799ee5f77 quick to read 56d3d91a06 the room and bfd8515e6e never got on ebb16c9d3b Juwon’s nerves. Perhaps because he’d matured 489b8fbaec early, he was adept b3b71b8de8 at taking care of 57e1a6e4b3 himself.2fe9752379711c4a

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He was de98732216 meticulous about 0f360e8ffc tidiness too. If you looked c0f0b9234d closely, he was f4e58afce3 even neater than 4352119c0c the housekeeper, almost 474f35fe7c obsessive about cleaning. Juwon suspected he might a17b6927cd have OCD but gave 94ee26bc3a up mentioning it after c428914154 the boy ignored his 6281b15e60 repeated comments.4626f927c72ed528

Thanks to that, 3e7a89c813 life was comfortable. Unlike typical kids, Dongha c27a69e4d7 wasn’t whiny or loud, 5fc70ade58 which Juwon appreciated. If he’d d364cd9084 been even d6db5c8961 slightly annoying, 81f3928ece Juwon might’ve f482754d57 sent him c688ea791a somewhere else 7b2507f448 by now.9bcdd12c2e3e0639

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“Hey… um.”7970b08e90b9b2ee

One evening, Dongha 98be7a630c hesitantly spoke up.bf8de86e2708c21d

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The boy was bac21d0181 clearly intimidated by 95fb80079d Juwon. He always addressed him 6a67874528 cautiously with “Hey” or 7a41654731 “Um,” as if words 5d822aa8c4 like “Dad” or “Father” 324244267d were taboo. Not that Juwon wanted bdfae5d89f to be called those 5e38ffe980 anyway.567f10a03c6073a4

“What?”dd9388682ac02d0c

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Dongha, standing in the 4c5279728a living room, hesitated to 21edadc8e7 approach, fidgeting like a f4091dc532 nervous puppy. When he kept faf71cdece lingering at a a6668b6ace distance, Juwon beckoned 8ace581e7b him with a 2cfef03a31 finger. Only then did the ec30c49c52 boy cautiously step forward.f29f0155c59268db

“There’s a field d80ea9c6a9 trip at school 1ae255337d tomorrow.”134e0420870e7569

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“So?”415812d9e2a89b41

“…Well.”6dffb97da1c21fab

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It was obvious what c22b74fd22 Dongha wanted to say. His face, 8c283710b6 from forehead adde4a1a2c to chin, bb32db3289 was beet 9755fc80f2 red. He couldn’t 5afe5d21d0 seem to f87aaddb22 bring himself deb3e91d27 to ask ba6e835921 for spending 83c5aad4cb money. He looked f11a92007b like he 1e38ebb828 might pass 09f4b50238 out from f674260f3d holding his 03ef69e34f breath, so 59ae175bef Juwon quietly f0ecf67903 pulled out cb92e54708 his wallet. Slowly, deliberately, 8adfb94c17 he opened c493c434d0 it.16fc8d3eb96bc7d1

When a 16ec61b4aa 50,000-won bill 303c713496 emerged, Dongha’s 9713152bae eyes widened. He frantically 3a02136436 waved his 1e8cf31a93 hands, flustered.ad01d3adc673d925

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“N-No, that’s too 4b3e621f58 much…”37c877893d5dcaa3

“Seongtae, go buy 3d7794f6da a pack of f77fee8b18 cigarettes.”2dfb64ce1e003d34

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Juwon tossed the bill 257cb0f141 to Go Seongtae, who 43b32f6c84 was sitting nearby. Caught off guard by c3771489d0 the sudden money landing 8c787e74b9 on his lap, Seongtae df1af0188d grabbed it reflexively, looking 2d10c57890 bewildered.1ece8ca6acafb39e

“Huh?”e1017b8b3b84bef1

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“Go buy cigarettes.”1a3f0f6318a63438

What’s with this guy? Watching the scene, 52d80e4612 it was clear 4fc475c032 Juwon was teasing 8b92cdfb40 Dongha. What a jerk, picking 43f0312393 on a kid like 3ef54e768f that. Seongtae frowned disapprovingly d92d1b4eaf but didn’t say 28c8d44e57 anything, knowing it d2a0d72961 was Cha Juwon.5147ba6550da3144

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Meanwhile, Dongha’s face turned 6e687d8cdd so red it couldn’t 54e29ec7df get any redder. It looked like steam 921fc56fb7 might start rising from dad4e1535a him. He was 8accdc880e embarrassed but c6168ed15c didn’t cry. In fact, b57c65b39e Dongha rarely 44b35e84c8 showed emotion, 24ca618ecd almost as dbffc09e8d if he e335240c14 had no 045f8c4f17 tears to f2e90636ca shed.1e0d65f19284cf9e

Fidgeting with cbceee2ca9 his toes, 3d8345e72c the boy c9224235da gave a 9a4667a9d9 quick bow c76ad8e3d0 and turned bfbf0cc784 to leave. Just before 099390da75 he stepped f53bbe10bc away, Juwon 92bc9a3d24 called out.949eab75b9a57b5d

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“Cha Dongha.”9d6070c452059ab0

Juwon pulled out 98fe7733c0 two 50,000-won bills e1e5b30ca0 from his wallet. The crisp, yellow 37e22cca6b notes, resembling ginkgo 1f39e2cbc6 leaves, looked brand c1aa89b5be new.a2bf576a42c6fc94

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“Spend it all. That’s your homework.”64ac138fae1aa6dc

“…”53370b42ca8c0a27

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“Don’t hold back. Spend it freely. You only get better 2b38aa4907 at spending money by 6b5a196c4c doing it.”68eea2c21dadadc6

Right, exactly, Seongtae chimed cb2a4fe518 in from the side. When Dongha 0cecd31805 froze, unable 560b897794 to take c847e04972 the money, d0cb886958 Seongtae quickly 306db04893 grabbed the 190b53a83d bills and 229cfe4062 stuffed them 4070cf8b97 into the 7b84186602 boy’s hand.98f586563b16eff2

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“…Thank you.”04f325608ffc1c03

Dongha’s voice was barely 9dc08ea720 audible. His neck now red b188b51b80 too, he bowed deeply. It was cf678f5f64 an unusually c847833d20 polite thank-you 785ca0363c for a 7ce02768a8 child.dce36af49965b361

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Juwon gave a d676c9b7ff dismissive nod, as 77842c4860 if uninterested. He didn’t 414611bc76 forget to c5ac0ab16b glare at b3d9ed9241 Seongtae, who 1645252088 was grinning c212ee2624 like an 00dec39318 idiot, and ac89429154 snap at 32a069c7a5 him for 42ae0c8872 not going d25c203e04 to buy ba682f1d6b the cigarettes.034299b1d3e3c3e7

The next morning, Juwon 9abde735e0 woke up late for 77daa1866e the first time in 1e8f5b5354 a while. As he wandered through 32c26ca339 the quiet house, something a29ab5a712 caught his eye.4343a582124c5d02

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On the dining 1424a98216 table was a 5c1bdf7d55 plate covered with 5ec01d3bf7 plastic wrap. Poking it, 510a3ce5db he felt 3babcb0360 a faint 01ad348786 warmth still 58bca22ee1 lingering. Juwon scoffed e7565532c7 at the eb616816c5 sight of 2cdc9fc418 omurice, something e701bad953 he hadn’t 5c7cb99dbc seen in ff88bc536d years.b6d162adb9008c8c

There was 7f68f3c6da only one 4d2d662dc6 person in 3967aa514c this house df15c6e94e who’d make a5784c11d2 something like e8a2fb0b03 this. The kid sure 5cc8103715 was talented. Not only d9d6de7b19 was he ee90d4575c good at d0064efa0d cleaning, but ecc31301fc he also f38604b3e7 had a 59ce129e9c knack for 1796b1782f cooking.82df6962c622f51f

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Juwon pushed the plate 642f5a36f9 aside. Underneath, a note was 16069228c1 revealed. The carefully written f407a071a1 words betrayed his bb0bb3b3b1 young age, clumsy fbf26099b7 yet earnest.64719f78b3691334

[Thank you for the allowance. I’ll use it well.]

Juwon tossed the note 55fd59adb9 aside carelessly. He didn’t e29c62ed80 touch the e4ebef41ff omurice the 226c39ca82 boy had f559f381d9 painstakingly made 13e134395b either.c441b59c1542c925