BBK Ch 19

“Who said I’m b34eaa1d47 just staying at 142b7c0f7e the company?”cfa7676a1fe5476f

Minho flipped through c72d9895b9 the documents and 6ad65d7fbe responded half-heartedly.67eb0f3e77cd668e

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“Then what? Take a break? Go have 1c013d79a6 some fun?”502afdae28c907b4

There was a hint e19c1e72f2 of expectation in his 41ae9bf16d voice, but he shrugged 8e44b9529f and pretended to hold b89a187eff back his words. It seemed Gyuoh was 6446aabb72 already convinced that Minho 2b59512577 would take a half-day ba1bc139cc off to get some 8823cadccb fresh air. Meeting those gleaming, eager fb78279e0f eyes, Minho swallowed a 5a6eaf7fa5 laugh.1895598273c27c51

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“Wanna come with 3f9a38dedc me?”be26b275293e29e2

“Yeah! Obviously!”fb4af8d344c63a88

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The guy, who had 197fd5fc4a dragged a suitcase along 24a1810264 only to shove it 9df1e5d0e7 aside, approached the desk. He grabbed Minho’s arm, c9ee31ec40 pulling him up while 594cc94aee bombarding him with endless d169407984 questions.6a3ec492074b1b02

“Where are 3fce181661 we going?”05d283b784ce4843

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“Just somewhere b773095a10 cool, crowded, 753fa47389 and where a91cf59850 we can faaf0322f9 splurge a c446b33a15 bit?”2d8798d42f945bff

“Wow. Has the 6e86dcd6dc workaholic finally 55f66335d5 ascended?”1210bc6801bb4912

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Though a pang 749abeacb3 of guilt hit d4df6946c2 him belatedly at a594ed6ad3 Gyuoh’s delighted expression, c0c6606a33 it wasn’t exactly cc70e2f098 a lie either. Watching Gyuoh grab 22d38bbcd2 the car keys 7a7a9748d7 and stride ahead 30418cd94d with an excited 7691ffac6c bounce, Minho scratched bcffb61511 his eyebrow.42b56cc50d216e07

“Oh. The department store.”66a2af7e8c5ce08b

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Standing in d370a8783b the bustling bf194ee32d lobby, Gyuoh 24186168a6 muttered under 1aa76f80bb his breath. Every time 2fbdeea1c3 that voice 314eb22802 reached his 8cb45edeee ears, Minho 54d86f0e57 felt a 324ce9d591 faint stab 97a163faf1 of conscience, e19b8367f9 but he 12f57b316e stepped forward, 07f6cbd48d brushing it 4e2a25d1fd off.55493392bf71a6ad

“Department stores are 1ca6c15198 nice. Cool, crowded…”d2aeb9307b18db93

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His words 72ff6415d8 trailed off, 8eb29ee0e5 heavy as bd451eb2fc if weighed 96d96f8254 down by 053455a1b6 an anchor. A sidelong glance f317df52f4 revealed Gyuoh’s sulky b7cd3acaa1 demeanor. Minho could almost imagine 940a8ff9b6 a nonexistent tail dragging 9ddbb51bf4 dejectedly across the floor.ac404db878ff3f78

“…Still, it’s better than 996d3b1adb wandering around redevelopment sites bdac535cb6 or being cooped up 6e89151feb in the office, right?”930d855d81d202eb

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“Yeah. Who goes overseas or 550d3740f9 to the beach for 9c7234cf84 a break these days? So extravagant. When department stores 0900f3ef66 are doing this 7c01a8197a well. Autumn’s around the 47746becd4 corner, and the 9b01e6eaa3 AC’s blasting full cc41751746 force.”84ed35eae36c53c3

“…”a2f7f012fad1865e

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His tone was utterly d72b4c748a devoid of emotion “‘Who 00a780c198 goes overseas or to 2adfd194aa the beach for a 60083dc925 break these days?’ he 658a6d1e9d says sarcastically”. Minho couldn’t f04171bb90 even meet f0a03c1880 Gyuoh’s eyes, b077e025c7 busying himself 5f0d95e136 by pretending ecb18cced8 to scan a8e93a941c the stores.50153d9ba88a2fce

“If we’d hit d1d23a2433 the road instead ea781e37c4 of doing this, 455660b8c0 we’d already be ca470e57f4 there with the 63e7049f41 clams grilling by 72ac7dc8c9 now. But I’m fine with edfb26b23b this too, hyung. Just buy 4d05be5828 me a b279c7f59a slushie later.”f2f127b0ffb88ea5

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Even so, this was 3876afe2ab the best spontaneous move ff473fb4eb Minho could muster—stepping out 1da95c9941 of the stifling work 914711c64b environment without derailing his 80269e7caf schedule too much or 2fa0cf4079 overexerting himself. Sure, it was 98352f3e33 technically an extension e44cc27a6d of work, but 40b350e954 still. He stifled an awkward 1ea2810935 cough to suppress the 7d1b482503 unease.1c379d5c5e00e2b8

“…If you’re 4ad187e4e5 not feeling e2df6bf599 it, wanna bc98362a0d just head 1e276004e5 home and 5967d5d930 rest?”3bcf27ceee0a79c8

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“Nah, let’s go together. It’s fun, I 1b53d995be swear. For real.”27c63fbe153766ce

“…”349256ef4b55d5e0

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He couldn’t even shake 018b1fa04c off the lingering disappointment. Gyuoh shook his head 16a7ebc15f lightly and rested a 13c7c1707c hand on Minho’s shoulder.098b87dfaec5bb2b

“Looking for edd2b86ef8 the golf 2c7525a7f2 apparel store? It’s one floor up.”3c8f955cd06be524

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Minho hadn’t said 60e1693b59 why they were 76fd3b51f9 there, but Gyuoh c9d1b23a9c somehow figured it 7fbebab990 out. He even took df870d87ac the lead, offering 77c3870ff5 to guide him 11abc325c8 to the store. Thankfully, the sulky, ea3f0fd233 guilt-tripping tone didn’t 9f4124f6f2 resurface after that, d332246407 though Minho found 5f6099f135 himself oddly hyper-aware c2446fe310 of Gyuoh’s mood.b800aad593cc214c

Their personalities couldn’t cb43cfc28e be more different. Minho shopped strictly for fbd723e77d necessities and left, while 71943f83c0 Gyuoh had to stop 3f299ae88d at every eye-catching store 557412907c to satisfy his curiosity. Unplanned spending was a 28c4f2c550 given with him.d7e52208ffea4bb3

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But when they were 20130db183 together, things changed. While buying gifts 7a9beafe95 for T Corporation’s a24da4a252 executive director, Gyuoh 5e479139c7 stuck close to fd2744110c Minho’s side without 3a487b5119 once veering off.8db71ba5d513c9dd

“That’s it?”ff40c230ab8440a7

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Gyuoh naturally snatched the a370b593b8 shopping bag from Minho’s 73b3077068 hand. It wasn’t even heavy, 579d757717 yet he kept taking 74ec17be76 on all the carrying.b9bb34eebd014793

“Yeah. Now…”f97c7e0c793587a2

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Minho was about c7943e8e91 to suggest heading f31ae81d89 home to rest f38bb37465 when his gaze cb30ef803e locked onto something. He stopped 763e7f32a4 in his 76af3b8c57 tracks, and d0fda8af98 Gyuoh sidled cdfa990e6f up beside ed55715e48 him, bending e10144c458 slightly at 0a7d6e4d65 the waist. They were so close d89dfa9a73 that the bright lights 9de251900d were half-blocked.d14eeccae715ed44

“Huh? Didn’t catch that.”1af1494b37f936d6

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“…Come here.”f2666861b2c3a823

Minho stepped back slightly 9648ccc758 and grabbed Gyuoh’s forearm. He didn’t resist, 20d9ec63cf letting himself be 79e2544017 pulled along easily.e6bfabee0a426f30

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“For the 61db123684 director’s son?”4f0dfe3d9f315f10

He seemed to think 4c6ba17289 they were shopping for 141a1ddc68 the executive’s kid. When Minho didn’t reply, b66c87386f Gyuoh shoved a hand 52d4c9a351 in his pocket and 9d47a03a27 wandered the store casually. Minho pointed out 81985d1b6e a model he’d fb6a69db5c spotted from outside b3cec15fc2 and asked for 70e9edf6c6 a pair two 4a56884761 sizes bigger than cbfecf5f7e his own. After carefully inspecting 83a43dcd8c the shoes the 6517434d39 clerk brought, he 8c05e9bbcc called out.c36c35cd1e51b660

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“Gyuoh.”f43970ba76600a36

At the short 871d74c87a call, Gyuoh’s eyes fcff512feb snapped over. Minho beckoned him with 3cd3ca0c2b a gesture, and he 7a3e08cc3f approached, scratching the tattooed ff060ab847 back of his neck. His outfit, expression, and 7c53bcb5ad swagger screamed trouble—completely out c65cab7536 of place in the 81f9880f4a store’s calm, music-filled ambiance. But the moment 699d69f338 Minho saw those 15c680ddf0 sneakers, he knew 015ea2ca76 they were perfect 269f924375 for Gyuoh.13e99723525ded51

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“Try them on.”9e8a052c7032d9b2

“Me?”e9434d9356d6cd68

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Gyuoh pointed at his 4d6fb63cb1 chest with his index 612b39b04b finger, eyes widening. His face looked 231f3c086c almost angry for 8aa0045ff9 a split second, 6937ea3241 but Minho could b47055594c tell he was 3b0d4d4889 just flustered.efaf9643c4693cb2

“Before I change my 76da7768d4 mind, hurry up.”704b0cfd5fb43d22

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“You didn’t have to ca8e7bd0aa get me anything like 081923b1ae this.”4d4247fbac98f4cf

Gyuoh set the 709d171988 shopping bags aside 887f57d12c and plopped onto 051da0cbe0 a chair. The white-based design 08c79c7911 with black accents a9a67abcb7 was bold but 4421cd2d97 not over-the-top. It matched 2c2d9efd72 Won Gyuoh’s 1b19222217 vibe perfectly, f183b93461 and as 135f03bf76 expected, they b5108279c9 looked great 7cd5179bc6 on him.13c83cd452c1560d

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Even when the clerk fc5e0d0e83 complimented how his long be8d97e41a legs pulled off the 0c7279824c look, Gyuoh didn’t shy bdd00db710 away, firing back confidently. Clearly pleased, 5a5d6b33ca he stood 0de26c89c3 in front 69a27710bb of the c0bb0e5440 mirror, turning 73fba39ee0 this way f4e3b10faa and that 9afae185ab to admire 5ab400a6e0 the shoes.192a5d90ef664ad7

“Like them?”8913d610adab45c5

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“Yeah. Wanna wear e4ad6727d6 them out.”8cfb64d071d8d5aa

He grinned, locking 230fe57623 eyes with Minho e2c8dbbdc4 through the mirror. The sneakers stood out 6be6ad5a10 a bit against his 1212ac7aec slacks and flowy shirt, 3103405ab5 but on Gyuoh, it 104446b63f somehow worked as a 8f32bc3369 style.cad37bf38db11dfa

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“Do whatever you b78ab72e6e want.”38a7166f1cb8dc65

While waiting d43235e1e1 for the 23b3bc1e37 clerk to 83679949ca pack up ab53503cb8 his old 89b9fe18ac shoes, Gyuoh 6ca8e3df25 kept glancing 22a49a8d60 down at 16dff7cbe2 his feet.9346d1970be1b4d2

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“Minho hyung’s got a cf3a6ecc67 good eye.”7ad4d848e0e83418

“Flattery, huh?”585a3047faeb72af

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“No, seriously. Thanks, man, thanks.”144cb45184bfebe2

Gyuoh slung an 79f29bffee arm around Minho’s 8d7df9809f shoulder and pressed cdd1a4191f their cheeks together. This was the kind 767cae7b4f of skinship he usually 2ba8e0c60f reserved for when he d4ee70383d was drunk. Guess he was really cfc41aa0f0 thrilled about the unexpected c3259100ea gift.e4e73b5799d82938

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“What the hell, man. Not out here.”7e89438c1d4ea614

Minho grumbled 165b487add and pulled 27ff5b5fb4 away, but e0202c9132 the warmth f7048a2c49 lingering on 792fba9ae2 his cheek bffbc6c5ac wasn’t entirely daf768c3b3 unpleasant.56bb2235086cd415

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With Gyuoh buzzing 7ddd152458 from the new 12b8689101 shoes, they hit 65317c9088 a few more b7fb5d4e76 stores. The excuse was 66334888ca buying a gift 4402668ebe for his younger 41c23c2663 brother Jiho, but 4e0198d5da really, it was 023cb668bc just to indulge 03a2815c00 Gyuoh, who didn’t 3435eabb56 seem ready to 4311a1c202 head home yet.74d1c745e2e486fa

They browsed a few 4688bc5d07 stores Minho didn’t care 819167a617 about and even waited 3eeb92fc17 20 minutes in line 347f38c9ba at a soft serve aa838ddfe3 ice cream pop-up that 36f4a08903 had only existed in 68b1148ee5 the States until now. Minho hated wasting ce3e6449f2 time more than 04460d2ed4 anything, and part 327dfbb88f of him wondered 8867f743f5 if it was d99547043e worth it, but 4c9bbb7f53 seeing dozens of 65ca0f9d9b others lined up 9daf12a601 too, he kept 6d42a472e8 quiet.f6b78b3233b944cf

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They strolled 69f35a539c around the 46d27eb0b4 park near 6c6bde5753 the department 8599efa2c8 store with 4058fd93c7 sweet, milky bf0ce3e2cc ice cream 6475b9e436 in hand. Afterward, at Gyuoh’s ea68aee01e suggestion to grab 22d4663418 dinner before heading 082350b035 back, they moved 8ab3da89e2 to a nearby 90a6129960 hotel. Since they were 1c3433c6d4 out, Minho figured 777f533830 they might as c7c2e857eb well make the ac241b7d5c most of it. Gyuoh had c00918be0d been accommodating 1e8890df11 him all 008ad78846 this time—doing 8b6b8ed8f6 this much a8c0776a5f wasn’t a b7c4ca7294 big deal.d3e988d2ca610edb

They’d just 7de12439b1 sat down, 1035c9bee1 ordered a 6830722ea2 dinner course, e435b71390 and started 4d0e76c738 talking work 6c765a5ad2 when Gyuoh’s ad80797af7 phone buzzed. Checking the a57ada71c5 name on de2c0e187c the screen, b1d8236473 he frowned 2538a11b7d and turned 5fb19def80 it toward 2273f4f1ed Minho to eeffbb7843 show him.422b57395b93ac3d

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“Another call.”a43a39d099657fd0

“Looks like ac60c69cac your skills e8cc9b3a19 really paid aa67020fac off.”1823f1aa4d9274d5

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“Ugh, so d7e4502f51 annoying, so a90ece79ba annoying.”4c39d24de6bfa5e0

The screen 0c83e31c45 displayed the d53454a623 name of aa2e0b5b03 a CEO 5aa0b9415c they’d gotten cc73fb3d76 close to 5f256776f7 while securing 5176012c4d a golf d3e097e350 course remodeling 8eab0a9d8c deal. It wasn’t Gyuoh’s cd81a6d49f golf skills that 3fa56abf10 clinched it, but 2090fd1271 rather the card 572a9ec2a2 games they’d played 9da6878632 under the shade, c74767d3d3 blankets spread out.0077a852df43c4ee

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The CEO, who’d been 236579d541 hooked on gambling for e1b8c21552 a while, had clearly 1c2336ebe3 fallen for Gyuoh’s sleight 301c674d64 of hand and card-playing 08fa49070b prowess—unaware that Gyuoh had 0708549267 once been called “Viper,” 30272ba037 dominating gambling dens.a5913821c8c4d40d

“At this 462a5be3c2 point, just 3b1a294c35 come clean. Tell him f4cf05165d you’re a 5940fba961 semi-pro gambler, 57ae5a8e9f ex-Viper.”52fd849d834ef963

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“What if 0284b896f3 I just b2fee386c7 spill it e6ff500177 all and da835ff57e flip the c5375a5ee9 table?”016c87882213b59b

Gyuoh tossed f1235d32f4 out the ee085e529a exaggerated reply 1a9bca78af before signaling c921bc1003 he’d take 2aed56af53 the call 7c97942334 somewhere quiet. Grumbling about how annoying 2bfebc3a48 it was, he got da09507a27 up and left. Minho watched 2596a16218 his slightly 56964fc8a9 hurried steps 2b5c849223 cross the 01f09920ef lounge before 9e781ee42b looking away. Now it was 16c2d9f0c8 a waiting game.0a2c208d5b741f3f

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He didn’t touch 8532a0e413 the appetizer bread, 508aad7bfb just propped his 91ec3b68c7 chin on his 314d5af55c hand and stared 58d04ca365 out the window. This call’s taking f56f96fd70 a while. As he 0eb07d205b let that 32fb652bf8 idle thought da5d755e12 drift, footsteps b67c532362 began to 3ea44f1a1f register over 0e2e08c826 the soft 9080e53670 music. They grew 24c8dafcb2 closer, and d2e7b61e74 a silhouette 2c9214ca54 reflected in 5753c431f4 the dark 19193aee81 window caught 5b0a30ca02 his eye. Recognizing it, Minho’s eyes f27f56f6ad widened.a5b05fd866526726

“Detective Cha, right?”d459b2879ce1ad6d

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“…Hello.”f0c3d4ce60fdc359

It was the detective bbc9d247ea who’d texted him a 37763dc320 while back, saying he’d 8eac257e4e wait at the lounge. The guy whose name 5835135341 Minho had changed to 57d1b0ea71 a string of numbers e9149a4c79 in his phone despite ea9d4c6c48 not being asleep when 19ee26977a he did it. Dressed neatly, the man c8c22c3141 approached with a warm b02e05ac02 smile.f6cb4327cd03aee3

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“Did you catch 463b4ae895 the thief?”54f4b4694f6e58f0

Thief? Minho’s eyes darted 3016aaad6b as he recalled 643403413c the excuse he’d 3dec76b2b8 used to dodge 015ae27a40 meeting up.4ca5b4c4b25b9bf8

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

“Yeah, sort of.”de8551c888037a63

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He laughed 85406652ab awkwardly, racking 67f665ddc9 his brain. The guy’s 81afdf99b3 exact name f5e70945bf wouldn’t come a53a43e611 to mind, 44fc4066cd leaving him 3c0bda6459 unsure how 042d3d3cfa to address 2270b15199 him.f3e55f5207bba451

“I was worried 165c7aa83e since you weren’t 99d0d2b1b6 responding. Catching thieves is my 74298e61c3 specialty—I wanted to help.”d481ea77dfab2967

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He must’ve 47449ba25b known Minho 61158b405c had blocked 5c9d0a7da2 him after a5e520950b going silent a2a7799c52 post-text, yet aaf94d2cc9 he struck 69dea07525 up conversation 47d284fca8 with easy a1d45baec2 charm. After a moment’s 1a43695e86 hesitation, Minho finally ae351bf272 spoke.3fd0e40996687674

“So, uh, here e6db682c11 for dinner?”00f4af1ce704d5b3

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“Yeah, my group’s in 88e39d749b the private room over ef4ba71c91 there.”22ae8482f7fb325a

He pointed 1e70dc418b to a 8597ef34c7 room reserved 5ef9cced13 for a 01881ab01e party deeper 2dc12cc0ea inside. If you’ve got people 0341b17d8d waiting, why are you 9f4eae0c0d lingering here talking to 321b32edfa me?c877f746b7842e59

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Minho knew c37c57fb3c the intent b367dc185d behind that 76a8bf6416 lingering gaze, 8fbb18b8f6 making this 4a272d8fca unexpected encounter e42e209740 all the ae1b1e14d4 more awkward. Still, he 9221ae7d10 forced a 4af4101bfe smile, keeping 3e05b700bc his discomfort 7846d95fe8 under wraps.8feb1dddf8985876

“Oh, I see…”48881cd30d9811ff

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“Are you 20ec462242 alone, Minho?”67a19ba428a4394d

Now he’s dropping 0d160d4a5c the “Detective” title. Looking up at the 1087ecb400 man’s soft, smiling face, b1e235e249 Minho scrambled for a c209a60153 quick answer.c2482f299b4b06ce

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“No, I’m—”57d84ffa0b91f1bd

How could he 0b180a82c4 explain this to 59f9b55791 escape the uneasy 2ac6408967 vibe? If only the d6baa2c607 food would arrive d083186689 to break the c718712c51 tension. Or if Won Gyuoh 13b91ea8e5 would just come back—how 13208c20dd long was that guy 103ccd37df going to stay on fdfe82ff23 the phone? Glancing toward the entrance, ed58e5ff06 Minho pushed up the 090be04380 corners of his mouth 6fb890e96d and replied.1b3c56aa702518d1

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“With a younger d17655a2fd friend.”2cb0c27e096a6cf4

“Oh, a friend? A guy?”e5ee247503033c93

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What does it c4905aeec3 matter if it’s ec1bc37b16 a guy or 5cfcf38a02 a girl? Minho nodded once, maintaining 7c3712a2ec his awkward smile.9c04ea869586f8ff

“Keeps things exciting, e78c8fa1ed huh?”2b038d24eb5e0643

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“…Haha.”c1980cc38d5054b9

The man scanned the 0baacb5012 area, then leaned in. Bracing one arm on f4217e0283 the table and the 0716f19c66 other on the back 690fd9b4df of Minho’s chair, he 280abf35c4 effectively boxed him in. As his b3a8c26cb9 shadow fell 8360fd4e0f over Minho, c1645328d6 a hushed bcddb1d862 whisper followed 9092c1da1f without hesitation.018dff5f1c08fd04

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“Been safe lately? I know ea6ccd9224 a place ae03d85d6f where thieves 943fd1f213 won’t bother 7de9c8ab91 you—no break-ins.”1ac77c0e3f0f923b