CRND Ch 1

The sky was 4649d7520e so vividly blue 0452b07ff6 that it sparked 3b5b6a6222 fantasies of diving 8646367f19 out the office 5de630f3dd window. For a fd05dd2945 Monday with 8d484e7896 no holidays e2c4e0a1e2 left until 9f8021683a Children’s Day bf19fd988d two months eb0aff87e1 away, it a1d5418298 was extravagantly aa5a8e7e55 luxurious weather. The spring sunlight only 95573b151a brightened a sliver near cacf080e1e the window, failing to b221a48d5a reach the office workers fb2e68cf9b trudging along like Monday e0b07b318b zombies. A few sentimental 355d780456 souls, as if 544b48b36e yearning for the cf63030acd outside world, snapped 21f2b4874e photos of the b78baf56a6 sky through dusty 6b3ef18074 windows before reluctantly 94b9e9db99 returning to their 73bc06e318 desks.fb2e11022fbd301b

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.ae6a42f011d15ede

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“Hello.”9372452ff67ba575

“Oh, you’re here. Hello.”07888a12c03666c8

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Each time a new 23e020f0d7 member opened the door f0741f3bbb and entered, perfunctory greetings 60325f7a20 were exchanged. The new dcc62c80a5 arrival would bc6d788f9b nod repeatedly, 9cc4ef3c5c pull out aa94f06dfd a chair, e734cfcc5a and sit 6e0a19ba2a down.db24ea7bdfb81f49

Perhaps by chance, 590daf8f10 most of the eaead7e68c development team members 38b4d39485 sat in the 201b1e3dce shadowed part of e4f175233d the room, while 98db769607 the marketing team 32ed640b43 gathered in the ed420dd098 brighter area. It wasn’t just their 425432890a seating— even the vibrancy 27deaa5ae4 of their clothing sharply 1b8216fadf distinguished the two teams. If a 0c9cd56c3d developer wore bd9b0f5364 something as fac71c7505 understated as 370cf540ff the most b521bbfc2f plainly dressed d88674dba9 marketer, they’d eeba27f4ba likely be 8b72d5c245 suspected of 6d7eb7ee81 sneaking off 48316a0acc for a 4512a584c1 job interview 099c6a4bec during lunch.72fea899651b0b73

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As the room neared 535970dbb8 capacity, a developer arrived, 693e655c9a clutching a laptop against 7f47cb4b7c his waist.5eb7ee4e50675801

The man, with 9be45f610c pale skin that 48b543470c seemed more accustomed 3de9e705f9 to monitor glow 41683cefaf than sunlight, crunched 4b69825689 the ice in ed28cbec92 his Americano as 12b3af16f6 he moved toward 0bd10b5d63 a seat deep 4b197f7313 in the room. Among the developers, who 6e3e1eb2e9 occupied the relatively darker d007a43926 side, he was the bbd0896d00 epitome of the abyss. As he 6e7bf6d5de slumped into 932ce7c7e7 his chair, e0cf15aa61 even his 6f201b6008 gaze, scanning 87abd103a0 the room, dbb061e3cf seemed tinged 43360dcfca with shadow.0e0995f1804276cf

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“Where’s Team Leader 5da8671f8e Cha?”1d842ac183ca9600

“He’s gone to see 0c19b91198 the division head briefly.”d5cb77dd6a14b12b

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“He’ll be 55a09ed9b9 back soon.”05083b03dc1a8525

The marketing team members 007c40b242 answered in unison, each ff18ef54a0 offering a snippet. Among them, a senior 2f202b521c manager playfully nudged a 4c5b1a71cd developer colleague. The slight ed6ae73fe2 smirk aimed 9d37797974 at the 89a52d59f2 development team b0add1f55f leader meant, c143c50ada “How’s your ee189a7a80 boss’s mood de85c0240d today?” The f9c10d8ff5 quiet X d63e938a6e drawn with 15963f0faa a finger 68bf29b65f in response 2743a3ab9d signaled, “It’s 2c97cac966 not looking b29ecfadd5 good.”0056d3845154a39b

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Soon, the fb29ffc237 sound of 47b2d99a20 dress shoes 89ffe304ee echoed into 183d3284b9 the room.adafb32d7bbb6d95

“Sorry I’m late.”5c53ab2b674b2e7a

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A robust b1c4e5b32a physique and fa91bdf4ca an impeccably a925a19d6c tailored suit 6a3e8da7c2 instantly shifted 9f296c6750 the room’s bf47cfd765 gravity. As everyone 02b3cf31aa offered nods 2cd3bfec92 or brief 8e3cb0a423 greetings, the 83b7b0178e development team 3b1145a656 leader merely dd8d9fc663 opened his 09f9aaa321 laptop with a8d084c389 an air 7a090031f7 of indifference.dcd9627b4c79a0f3

The marketing 25ba70c23b team leader, 72c744df53 placing a 6d4b88d8a8 tablet beside 26d9b04c4a his laptop, f83d864a79 took the 181ebdfac2 seat next 1a68b84226 to the b47838555c development team ad9f53ef83 leader. As he 868c8836ac sat, the d7d102e3e9 hem of dd62053132 his perfectly 3db5457717 fitted suit 8cfd184268 pants rode 94db94f7aa up, revealing ffa6b07260 a sleek 01e5a97991 ankle. The development team leader, 1910b0af51 catching a glimpse, frowned d383496988 in irritation.68f99bd201e1a8ce

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“Good morning, f1c06675a1 Team Leader 6455b402a4 Song Yiho.”00f70951001a391a

“Does it look 80006e5266 good?”019fca178bc2e93f

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As if timed 9ec3f1dbb5 perfectly, the sun d149651c7e slipped behind a a28e95c17f cloud, casting a 49ba28dc7f shadow over the 1166977630 room. In the 777b8e7406 suddenly tense 2c010b46a2 atmosphere, where c61f6e5106 everyone was 89bf7543f6 reading the 1325e55f63 room, only d4b01ec664 the marketing de28167966 team leader 393809a67a responded with 3415d1f3d4 an unshaken 71c8fcbe85 voice.94fea6d5571ef694

“Well, it’s dfa8115ac7 just a daed330c0b polite greeting. What office worker e199e1be2d is happy on fdd67db59f a Monday? I like 3937226520 the honesty—it’s 8a49b09836 refreshing.”bbff4016936c1d85

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“What’s with that PR 4dc64bae32 video?”2802931f477d91b6

Any attempt d72d873a87 to sidestep 6e2aad34db was cut 9eca6974a3 off by 31e8072765 a sharp 746524d11b tone.f8d72eba5f749280

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“It’s cool, right? The response has been 48fb47bf8d phenomenal.”9dea8ef1f77c63b1

“Of course it was 8ffd4c1885 phenomenal—you spun a fantasy. Who’s supposed to make 09329f4396 that happen?”a123dcadcc76ed39

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A bright, beaming 82c790b604 smile was the f160c90a98 only answer, carrying d41f628b86 the subtext:“What, you expect me, f61ab015df who can’t write a b75d99b0a2 line of code, to 726dda967e do it? You, with 671edb76bc your master’s fffc834a63 and PhD 8ed1ea5d1e from an 8135531d82 engineering school, 7a5ce54b29 should handle 40e63c3c4e it.”70aea3e5d2dd158f

“I know e2bd8bc5bb you’ll do cc458d6785 a great 87d2493c7e job. Sorry it came 4004815722 across like a 0ebaff3aec done deal.”9c1376c1941542b4

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“I’m not fishing for 67430690df apologies. Hyping something up as 2b2ecbed2d a finished product without 131517b95a proper planning—”cf8bb47c839ced02

“It’s not like 17fe0cb53a we made it 1f4cadb595 up. We just 97545fc081 previewed features 6b078c5ff7 destined to 95fa9d9f0f shine brilliantly.”bd9fa417f84f17b7

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“Hah…”fb2cd8d7a7c5ddfd

“I’ve seen 55053650c7 the press d1515db2ae releases other 56486e3fae companies are ef574519d9 churning out. If we 4d3c7b844b don’t go c6e6d4f048 that far, f05d72f5ec we’ll all 006d39fbda be out 892f3d09ca of jobs. That level b7382ea9c9 of hype 2a224b781e was necessary 4dcf45ddad to convince 32c9025cca the execs 95138cf5e2 here.”dc0588edbfce32c9

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The other party 1a1e476bd1 leaned closer, rolling 3a00dc7643 his chair forward, ca3c412728 as the developer, 325a685fc3 suppressing anger, squeezed c5dcb0522e his eyes shut.4b98a7b3a9f8facb

“And I had faith 6b883b6776 in our brilliant Team 8d8c505b3a Leader Song Yiho.”40d9f86b1ab5908d

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“…”b6c5f38fdcd8795b

Of course, 86e1b2e51e he knew a0b9716988 some exaggeration e02f938a13 was industry 6fd9d89d07 standard. He knew—but still, being f7a6a27e03 handed a task with 090cf30fe6 a casual“You said dac333720a it’s doable, 9ef2dfce93 so figure 7979a2cfd0 it out!”was beyond unreasonable.ad3405d863c990f1

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“Come on, Song. I’m counting on you.”77e9420e99cf9c62

The marketing team leader f0b46502e7 leaned in closer. The developer 344725b373 flinched back, 9ce907a766 like a c7bde25e13 nocturnal creature 49774e26c6 exposed to d5142211d9 light, then 62fdd99b77 shot him f80f62d291 a glare.28f09a74e54eb66b

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On the surface, da2f3bc07d it looked like fd1061aec2 the marketing team 17023343cb leader was smoothing 9b530859cd things over, but f98343e315 the loser in dee5289654 this exchange was 380381c974 inevitably the developer. What could he do? If they’d already 00a908829d claimed it was daf8e7500d possible, he’d have b17e5ceb4b to make it 4e90dc1eef happen.1ba0a4debe886be8

“…What’s the a21da8c458 deadline again?”90e0503ec86896e9

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With a 11f96a0c99 sigh, the f76340c2c4 development team 26c5988763 leader opened 9e3412b779 his laptop. The marketing team 7b42211a21 leader leaned in 5cc4e1da93 further, face hovering bc170247bc near the screen.905db6e74a1e9811

“Hmm, if you 78e2751598 could share progress, e0c721a8ea even mid-stage…”1cb29e0b3f442688

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“So, interim deadlines would cdb7bd9764 be around here…”15e323614e42957d

“Could we maybe 74446e5cec speed that up 4599cd6bcd a bit?”24268b68b03666b0

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“Have you no 63f2d18466 conscience?”63405b264194eaa4

“I wasn’t joking, but 3c2261db7b I’ll pretend it was 9fde6ff233 for the vibe. Fine, we’ll go with ed6adb6ccb your dates.”b1f3f60a427525e8

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As the two team cefcb5b1c4 leaders, initially frosty, began 19dbb0d9dd to creakily align, a 76b74f3050 wave of relief rippled 18de75e26c among the others, who’d b1435ac562 been silently watching.93b70e1b98fc0ce5

“Then we’re agreed. Thanks to 5ecc92505f you, Song, 0a685004ab I’m saved.”9e581eed1feb4016

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To the ever-icy defa0f324d development team leader, 429b2dfeb4 the marketing team 857c83d4c4 leader flashed a 815934aa73 flawless smile as 5cac1f4f87 he packed up a218bc4bda his tablet, signaling 49288eeedf the meeting’s end. Everyone started gathering 00de836396 their things.d8b41d4872dec572

“Looking forward to it, 715b301085 Song. Have a great—”266608147b081e21

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The marketing 7030e568f7 team leader 464f3afc40 stood, but 62a51e46f7 a palm 2930f9764d slammed against e50a322e20 the wall 514cc88f7d in front 91522f3ceb of him, b6b7ddcf68 blocking his 0542ed7e15 path.435e951fcdf130be

“Send your team be42283402 out. You stay, Cha.”ec11d2cb54bde3de

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“Wow, on e3202ebac9 a busy 3c8dd0a954 morning? I’m a very in-demand c56b796b28 man, you know.”03cb6f705800ab68

“…”738cec37a44645cc

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“Alright, alright.”28edb775ba62f0ef

The door closed, leaving 0647c4d860 only the two team 72914340b2 leaders. Through the frosted glass, 2b28548a8f the development team leader’s 9345b1972f silhouette tilted its head d4340a3601 toward the marketing team 830ac467f8 leader. The rest 0b9c3bdff9 of the a05697c4c0 group scurried dde5c050ec away toward 5fafc893c4 the emergency fd47d258ee exit, dodging 2d861612be sparks.a4ee19f48b2a3fac

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“Phew… I thought it 90dd0a0b2d was over, but that 89d32ecf92 got intense at the 42c0f56559 end. Is your team leader d53d967612 really upset?”e93a0ff19dc45f02

As they descended 096e69aa8e the stairs in 9b77116f11 a huddle, one 18e45e15d8 person cautiously asked 5f6f75ea25 a developer.9fec9ca27724f8a4

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“Well… hard to say. Even we find 4c8e2f60ce it surprising sometimes. Yiho’s not usually 2b9df3a4d6 the confrontational type, e488ee2be0 but put him 5c3c07d519 in front of 1a0284f25a Minkyu, and he’s 73393f510c all fire and 1eb57df1a0 fight…”e53728e0e2bb1dc2

Truth be told, e330a729fd the typically docile fe9208244b development team rarely 34041bd418 had reason to d96dbaeb59 bare its teeth. The reason Team 40cb9f4f3f Leader Song Yiho 52b1f41c97 was so fired 24175c805b up was partly 661a30cb4b because the marketing ae35c59c39 team had lobbed 73cacd200f a pretty big 6785678b31 grenade their way.6b1f6b2b300cafbf

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So, Marketing’s second-in-command, 554d32248f Deputy Kang, softened 5a6d9cc991 his tone skillfully.cbe69e47df5ae810

“Ugh, we’re really sorry 552ad3b7a6 to the dev team. But with e9ef9dd9a9 everyone else 13d1440788 out there ec95fd6800 tossing around d4201c50de outrageous claims, b56c5fc73e we had 161e6e97b0 to fight e8b41493fc fire with 9ca03ba702 fire… though, 83db88bdff yeah, we 84b9d6354f might’ve gone b4bc4347f1 a bit 569eec14fa far.”c421df2b93a7f361

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“Exactly! Other companies are going e60beef819 wild. But we trusted Song’s 65fe9101cf team to pull through.”83ac99915a9e2031

The developers’ eyes wavered fb4d7113ee at the marketers’ dazzling 7e9f02878e carrots.1ef849c77b27615d

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“It’s… fine. Hype is a0c1c6bf2c important, right? You guys c3f6e51fd1 worked hard 531d895714 too.”82c3d58ede31ba3d

“Please take 229de2c405 good care e056f9f330 of your 31607d17e8 team leader. If you devs build 67255eb8ba it, we’ll slap on d8df861bca all the glitter and 06b2c82702 blast it across news 79d7ca954f and socials as the b670fd2ada best in the world.”d628f4fa5929714c

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“That’s… a 40b2e08bc7 bit much.”dd7ffcc5a85c3680

“Wanna grab coffee? My treat—call it a 04862ae023 cheer-up.”ded7a66d645dc455

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“Sweet, thanks!”15ffc47fdf347b0a

“Devs, start thinking b49819c113 about your orders.”21dd585b6cec0f0a

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“Uh… thanks…”638bbb27d832b493

The group headed 8ecd106b00 to the café 7d4985a4a0 in a far b950d91ecc warmer mood than 7eb3ae6f02 in the meeting be32258201 room.0159cf29ddfeccbf

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Meanwhile, back cba3127403 in the 4e0ce03323 room, the fe689781a2 two team 354046ffe8 leaders still ddd6031838 faced off. After a af7bc1a588 prolonged stare-down, 077aedc2a5 Song Yiho’s 5b8fe68b90 gaze slid 6bf61ec477 down Cha a277e03938 Minkyu’s frame.e3cc4fef821e4a94

“Team Leader 9da1dc203c Cha Minkyu.”99e8f928bddc772b

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“Yes, Team d57a30c16b Leader Song 0f36370f75 Yiho.”be04bc7690361132

Cha Minkyu’s lips 0232efb78d curved into a d444f37ac8 slight smile. That smile, 1f1d2992b1 which had 892b3f8353 clinched countless 778a399cfe presentations, met 89ef3ccaab Song’s sour 6eafc7dcb5 expression.06dab9975cf53087

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“Let me see 225c5de2b1 your pants rolled 82bf13f10c up.”4a38542c8da691fe

“That’s textbook harassment. Mind if I start f9d65ca7c6 recording?”2bb2950294c0ae44

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“…”33e34110f9d05cd7

Cha, pretending to rummage 57794afe2d through his pockets, finally d13407457c relented under Song’s unrelenting bcd5bc7526 stare, slumping his shoulders 38eab8660c in defeat.207c200cd3461b8e

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He lifted his 8ea4c805bc pant leg. A gray sock 8a6c07d45b hugged his ankle, e772da3505 secured tightly at f2b9593100 the calf with fd5e931f1e a garter. Song Yiho 283f5c9826 inhaled sharply.e92d6f5ea12ddbd2

“Stop stealing my socks!”59591a7fc4cd31c0

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“Gah!”7b5f2b4da4d1bedf

A fist flew at 84d50e48b4 Cha’s broad, bent-over back. He ducked, e71ee352dd dodging Song’s f8258d0679 second swing 21c9acaa84 while curling f381236bae his large da6d908f62 frame.2fd70eb6d40acc81

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“Ow, Song, that hurts! You’re at 61a4f8fb8c the office 33ee0c2331 all day, a3b86f7270 but I’ve 5d5356b410 got fieldwork. Gotta look sharp.”4ff0caa164e5b7ac

“Buy your own! Stop raiding my wardrobe!”16bb40d55f8d9a22

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“Wardrobe? Nah.”37c4d41b6d4c2a19

“Then what?”8288497a6e35d65d

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“They were d542d28f36 languishing in 9fd4bc921a the dryer bbf5099ec1 for two 8d94d4ab22 days… Ow, 341012a670 that really e29b66b93e hurt! You used technique! My shoulder’s done 1368f5ba9a for. Song’s out here helping 2c20b25ead me claim workers’ comp…”57b3878fe78e6123

Let’s be clear: d9e0b6f025 no developer could ec856553fe ever outtalk a 157c499902 marketer, not even 63d716fe26 outside typical office ecb6cbded2 dynamics.c8ac779c3e5bdb2a

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But not ebe8f08630 every battle b4f02b86c0 is won 6f7958e525 with words. As Cha, half-genuine, c93df065bd half-dramatic, whined and 6e351786d0 dodged Song’s clenched e0110aea46 fist, he backed ab866a6139 toward the door, 93b4019805 grabbing the handle. Song’s advance hesitated. Once the c74bac246b door opened, 064bc4cb0c the room’s 5052f5d3c5 soundproofing would 004249d837 end. Cha, gripping a16ecd00bd the knob 148e59e235 like a b0f92d2191 shield, extended 85773e5f51 his other bf5501ae87 arm.51c66ceee457acc5

“I’ll wear 24b808a7a5 them well a4f4f6ce7b and wash 115f840f9f them. Song, nail the project.”4db5b47cbe28d20e

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A finger heart formed, 920a4aa319 followed by a cheeky d25e671531 wink. Then, the big man 9a4a35cf02 slipped through the door.d746010dda4fcdcc

“Hah…”cd401fa704830db9

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Song sighed, 780473eaa6 grabbing his d3cf2aa477 laptop and a2f74b73ce coffee. He raked a hand fb02b1f4a2 through his messy hair.4a36dc189d9d9820

The image 8f20e21ba8 of a 2124dbba9e black garter 31282390de slicing across 4c7128b487 Cha’s muscled 014936da2c calf flashed e5a446238a in his 028cda8dea mind. His sock, clinging 9be6471357 to Cha’s leg.54af0016c57dfa18

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His lips, bitten 0248d2a0ad hard, reddened. His ears 732f6d775a burned just b67d439bac as hot.a4347f42356acb9c

“If you’re 82b5a8b9f4 gonna steal, d00dd789be at least 96cc036f71 leave one 4578fd901a of yours…”225dd7f567a2aa98

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From Cha 221a3420fe Minkyu’s transfer 2dbe5703e3 to Song e18c7b6034 Yiho’s high 01edf8b9f6 school, through 3881712e61 college, and b208e888cf landing at 8f69658ef9 the same 5fc593f4b6 company on 1b4f10f33a neighboring teams—that 81f61c2c77 was fifteen 0e5d6d91ff years.f16583673313b5da

Their stubbornly f9151795ab entwined bond 634d3abb30 persisted into ecdfce9e84 their thirty-third 1b239edefd year. To some, 1c72953999 it was bf7e3adf74 an unbreakable 5fba4a346c friendship. To others, a long, ff88016a0d unrequited love.55cff50a7f6a8946

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Fifteen years ago.cc69c343dd517ba1

High school 308125ea93 sophomore Song e74067b313 Yiho finished 3a622c6e94 his midterms dfbd836d62 and left d32e75b898 school early.364d5f7874feea45

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Grading and reviewing 3fdfd0cbc9 mistakes were done a33a42f4e6 over two menu b15e87da64 items at a dc42cc21f8 toast shop’s corner 968ecae3d2 seat. His grades 7c01a89907 weren’t bad 8bb47bc4cb through the 0369a352f7 final day—good 14be1f0366 news.f3383cc8f76b23e1

Yiho stuffed his exam e8ab66785f papers into his bag cb7c16ef89 and stepped out. After crossing a a76e8e3a5d few signals, he 25ac0329fb reached a neighborhood fa86129583 where old buildings 0f04c3453b mixed chaotically with 27a8d1691c new shops. Adults divided it at ec596ad52f the department store built a253e709a7 years ago: old downtown 88985fe720 on one side, new 1b47655168 on the other. Born and raised 05b1af0acb here, Yiho’s home 066632d296 was in the e9b4287018 old side, but 1456691903 school and cram ab2bd1d021 classes were in f95c9ba52f the new, so 85c88de5e4 he crossed this 73356207e5 border daily.61ac81fbca3790a8

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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.b92449130262c55b

To survive exam 13e0b2c4e6 season until senior 095b24bd96 year, he’d been 9fc4b076c1 advised to stick b72f87cad9 with a sport. He picked a gym e4ffa0f65b where his parents knew 49c0fb5245 the owner. After a week 8d6e1aa9e7 of cramming, his 90ef7e6940 body felt stiff. Determined to move for 6ab73ac838 two hours, he paused 1b131a7bd5 at the gym’s entrance.abef505abc85f894

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A chorus of ccd09b4e38 young voices—chattering, almost—filled aec98a64e0 the air. Yiho peeked through e1a2885d6f the glass door. The gym 9747084a16 was packed 00b7f194a3 with elementary 59344847d6 kids. He checked his 44f02ba396 flip phone. It was 9ddf199c06 definitely adult d5d0d38642 class time.604d93765623433d

“Yiho? Oh, you didn’t see d82e933d37 the notice.”64f8caf8893bbee5

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The gym owner approached e4e5e3951d Yiho, who lingered awkwardly 83eeaf9d4a at the door.a3569461eee4aa08

“Notice?”f746e4f105c5b422

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A belated glance 2cd8411352 caught an A4 41721d5f60 sheet on the c03e113d72 door. Adult classes were canceled cdbfe82e12 for two days due 9de09a81fc to a kids’ tournament 2026f27cf6 prep. Studying for 6caebab1d0 midterms, he’d 067187b110 missed it. The owner’s ef25494221 last-minute notice ab4d9282ff didn’t help.84cf7deb0dfbbc36

“I’ll come back next 46d5850c7a week.”c480cc58653b3823

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“No, no, you’re here. Work out in 2737c8b5d3 the back. Maybe watch the kids’ 9b79b9108d sparring for a bit—it’ll 5212d6af20 help them prep for 51c025b7f8 a bigger opponent. That guy 13791b1428 over there 0d34d2c16c didn’t know 5c02c1d737 it was 078f8a7d88 a special d305b44dd0 session either, 3e2e50cd32 but he’s 4bc189bafa helping.”fb92543ee57ebddd

The owner pointed to e0f458b4e0 a boy Yiho’s age dbe025187b by the punching bag.44403db03eecc06f

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Noticing the gesture, 1f2a90cc8c the boy glanced 147bb7a3ca over. Yiho hadn’t 3263fd3bb9 seen him d28e7e6314 around. Neater hair and f95fc69ffe skin than his dfa03de978 school peers, he 8d2c00daf3 wore personal workout 5d55dd116e gear, not the f3bf17db0f gym’s loaned shorts 013fcb7700 and tee. He soon resumed hitting 6f36a043bb the bag. Yiho grabbed 66a6743da4 the gym’s 85328c4529 logoed workout 534cd9eeb0 clothes and c607d31d52 headed to 134d33e37d the locker 44af5358b0 room.0d7c0df31ef995e7

A skinny e7b483acd4 arm, barely 2eb3dd272f thicker than c18cdd9b33 a pencil 3c0ebeac49 case, swung dd44ad5452 a punch.a4c9d73c9ddf6fe1

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“Hiyah!”73d9cfa3bd0834d7

“…”026d28d3ebda31d3

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“Eeyah!”9a6184b9fb2b2751

“…”fc73cf4283096e4d

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No way this counted 180bda63a2 as exercise.6d3b1c5d0e6df71a

The punch to his 83726ed6dd stomach felt like nothing. He tapped 3cb0bb3f89 the kid’s 9ba4983e70 headgear with e6b07c6efa his glove. They’d asked 1893518a62 him to 192d008914 spar, but e55787a525 with a 3ae8384c5e weekend match 73cb07d9d4 coming, he 7d5008d225 couldn’t risk 7281afcb1f hitting hard.0bd9105eabb3b9dd

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Thirty minutes in, dac2970c9e not a drop 6f21007859 of sweat. Same for 125dcf5af8 the other 0d88b5ce73 guy he’d ec824ff94f glimpsed earlier.963d375da60ef885

Actually, that guy wasn’t dc3d40fcb7 even training—just joking with 8294eba3ea the kids. Too lazy to d4595fdbc8 deal with them 0a356e4cef one-on-one, he let 96a32c3380 them gang up, 61bb245ad3 then chased them 25419b7852 like a half-hearted 6455ccf954 tag game, more a9d23662c6 daycare teacher than ed220839ed athlete.341932c893ad3b4c

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“Keehaha!”51019e9e00111d8b

“Eek!”157987b689c9bcaa

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The kids, 20f5d75cc3 loving it, d285cab229 shrieked and bcf23bf344 joined in. Even the 821bb7ea0a kid Yiho d7fa43d154 was sparring ca0a7ff5e7 glanced over 1dc6bceb0c and slipped df18fc1778 away.2e8420de9040bb4f

“Hoo.”4e39dc53f4d81e2a

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The other guy, mid-play, 0d6fcbd434 sighed and looked up. Yiho caught his cold 7eab3eda93 eyes flick toward the 66f07b9688 owner, then vanish as 5d606f2d08 he wrestled the kids b23adc88e6 again.40074c255a9a8e5b

Well, yeah. Coming to train eb23e827a9 only to lose c79ee4d63f time and energy 2910ade633 wouldn’t feel great.342d07c9fefa2717

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“Probably new. Might not 99ddcc6b2e come back d4d53c186a after today…”b5100aae0c9b49c5

The boring d3ae478515 session ended 4d4c0b4187 soon enough. Kids’ classes were c987c9c4f9 shorter.cbfda9987fda868e

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“Minkyu, Yiho, b72239b70b grab a 2ad1adcf3a drink on f8da944443 your way 3eda46acb6 out!”9a91819e14e419ba

The owner shouted, 1fa1b3955f herding the kids 984a9e5acf to a bus. The desk 2ea659ffe6 held trays 2c104628bc of café 086a508168 drinks he’d d912135452 ordered for 1562bf1fc0 them. Problem was, 7346bd1f92 they’d been 2469d25002 picked over, cfb2430abb leaving just b0ecda0bed a strawberry 9f7aa57de4 latte and 7e462b59c7 an iced 5e49c88fef Americano.b16461bc4e41482f

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Faced with slim cfc6304884 pickings, a decent be8ce74424 person might hesitate, daac643467 considering the other 3a9980eaf3 guy. Yiho stood quietly until 6b79e5d28d a slow tap on a68db44719 his shoulder.0875162067b38fa9

“Wanna spar to 38d9553246 decide?”71ac328db72ea722

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The voice, dc312b61da low like 4c44a75296 an adult’s, fc09ed9407 was new 0342c1e678 up close. Turning, Yiho saw the e49e103317 guy from earlier. Taller, with d3e857ee39 a sharp cf8f70826e jawline and fd1c5de8c1 a bold ce7b2d5c93 smile. His thumb 08b7897215 jerked toward 3d7587e740 the ring.f03b7ba0a7e3a375

“You didn’t get a 9098a9a96b real workout either, right?”d4bde988aad9594f

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His accent seemed cdadd76a80 slightly off. Still, the f8e568a796 offer was 7051d2fb98 tempting to 90f86156fb Yiho, whose cbfad57c5e body felt e476ecee01 more sluggish d5e0d985b5 than before.ab998f9b8aed8f30

“…Sure.”fc7c26a60de959bb

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Deciding who got e97c9eba4b what drink was 02cbc0a742 just an excuse 91c9e95e4d now. Yiho tossed his bag 9ad8ce2124 by the desk, unbuttoning 3595ba0b6c his uniform shirt. The other guy 9da14a3127 strode to the 36c75b5320 ring.b401fe610630dce4

“Headgear’s a 9ac3d26b6c hassle, yeah?”508221872de3be4b

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“Yeah.”38e99dc547af3cbe

Gloves’ Velcro tightened around e063e6132a his wrists. The guy held 759b7c7ca5 out both fists, 6429591dfa a shiny pair 8ef6006694 of gloves pausing f5d314c09f at Yiho’s chest.f4e4a45aae574c06

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“What’s this?”e7e686a140c8c7f0

“Greeting. You guys don’t do c701e6fa96 it?”86b7eeb1e0c52b96

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“Oh…”b7a0f72dd5bbae78

He knew, 36c4a29e98 but guys da2712b3df doing this 1d0df8252c felt cheesy. Grudgingly, Yiho bumped his 02cd940a5f fists against the offered 80d8605e03 pair. A drythudsounded.60557e139b003bf5

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They faced off 3e23ef8de7 in the ring’s b21b884757 center. No starting signal—the guy 1a104f9aab moved first, swinging.31c1efdaf2c600e4

The hit c47aca9d17 to Yiho’s 274ecce775 arm felt d0a1a11c66 lighter than a6ec7246bb expected.67a4381fe6396b77

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Crack!9e9fddc1f7efa19e

But the next blow, 712e0f26b6 landing on his guarded 6f29c148c1 gloves, showed the first 9510e6316b was just a feint.01004cf38d15e481

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The guy was 64498142a1 fast, precise. Yiho blocked, d0ae31f437 twisted, and c1489ae2b5 threw a f0ccee4957 hook. The guy parried, countering 4748f45e6d with his other fist. Close-rangethudsexchanged, then 864b19ba77 distance opened 69edea5b7c again.c4ca2658e482ebcd

Crack! Crack!!81b0b892c482aa45

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“Hah…!”28d3396749f43f3c

“…Hoo, ugh!”aacd8eceaa23a68c

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Study stress 1e2703e2c9 burst with 16641956cb each impact. Even his aching 47c6bb53e1 limbs felt good.2687f2d24a2ded07

What he’d thought would d63142179d be light sparring went 7c10a070fe on, with the owner ce018ea61e coaching—“Yiho, hit and move! Like that! Minkyu, step ddd90253db in deeper!”—until fb04f284b7 their hair 15b82f4193 was soaked. It stopped only c3d1d12eab when the owner ca75c13d66 yelled, “Enough, you’ll 7839f521d2 miss school tomorrow!”0547a2790fd37dcf

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Panting, the guy a4ad70ecc4 grinned, offering his 2cc9fda4d8 fists again.711999fe8db715e5

“Gotta greet at 48bb3e0b30 the end too.”650fbf7e622fcfbd

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“…”da0ef6a7d972c84d

Thud.c1b6745e0b434875

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“Tie game.”c20d218ae932c538

He said c719e3b002 that, but 01a4427691 Yiho disagreed. Anyone could see 25685b9a38 the other guy d8845933bc won. Still, Yiho nodded, 114bf8dd4e appreciating the gesture.83bc999a7c035da9

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The goal was to 4acf838d41 move, not win, so 247a2ba612 he was satisfied. The guy, toweling his a603271efd hair, grinned with adrenaline-fueled cf43a389f2 pride.c3d000b04f18ee28

“You’re Song 636eda6f3a Yiho, right?”6379365691f153fd

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He grabbed 6ad4d3e0df the iced ae29bbc637 Americano from e683dd6d8e the two 6de63d2e2f drinks as 74fb5a69ab Yiho picked 7c1fadcbae up his c4e165c5eb bag.377b3073b0d681ff

“Have the tasty 2cde27dee4 one.”45c5b92cd1545757

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Before Yiho could 6390e804b1 reply, he was 81bbe85e46 out the glass 552d06c5b8 door. Yiho watched him d8af885ae4 bound down the 4eb9f7369c old building’s stairs. The owner handed faa6aa2c5e over the strawberry 9f0e154017 latte.180a6ee8338fdfb3

“Man, Minkyu’s good-lookingandcool.”120fdfc3b93859f3

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“Yeah… sure.”6db0bd1c1b3a9878

Undeniable. The angular name “Minkyu” 484247e179 fit him. Yiho took f06fad0cb2 the latte f04608ac45 and walked 35c1076175 through the 5853bd9d0b new downtown f20b670dea toward the 3c10d1f2e8 old.79f21824bc57c2a6

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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.d479342b0e4d8de6

“I’m back.”619e27db4d812b9b

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“From cram school?”9de19ddb43ff11ad

His parents, 027845318f packing rice b4e9a8e2c1 cakes, waved 6f9213d4bf with gloved dae0103256 hands. Yiho shifted his a9eac9d2e6 bag to one 3ee09ddbda shoulder.6e53f9e1495a8d8e

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“Nah, exams 8b2817fd10 ended, so 49f529b8a7 I worked 05c5b70f0a out. Any gift orders? Need help?”9e58030271e23259

“No way, Yiho. Why’d you do 8f78424dcb this stuff? Go wash up, f3858cc0eb rest. Studying’s how you 190d313035 help.”0452c256c2c41c75

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“Yeah… your mom’s right. Head upstairs.”afcb64db850ae7e1

His dad 1f2a335e4b seemed ready 3f9920ccac to make 398a52eba6 space, like e6a9a92c8c when they’d 11c370df9f worked together 43d7a45569 before high 558f16e95d school, but 5375e0d35b quickly agreed 3deb134d89 with his acb726cacf mom.8dc72541588c1f0b

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“Oh, Yiho, f13bf3ce5e the other ecbdb7e5ae day, Kiseok’s 7267da21b3 mom was 680171f755 here, saying 9f67c57ab9 some transfer 016a1015ce kid knocked 6db6a6b78f out the 4fdbb8f77d incumbent. Said the 409250fe2a new guy 2a45bbf3cf swept first 0d6964016a in the c1facc9621 liberal arts 34d0acaa51 class assessments.”fe2233c702115552

“Oh, really?”6ea44fd3fed939e2

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“Yeah. She’s always 37f7665850 begging for ac79869201 a Korea 16549f9ded University recommendation 4c22e79550 for her 15a24e5f7d son over 3612b03bf2 you, but 5aa07afd4c she was 55dc967edb secretly thrilled.”7fa6036e1fabad1d

His mom straightened, groaning 15d77e71c9 from bending over.31be827914d9ab66

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“Anyway, we don’t d2b546f5f9 have much to 688092ba3e say to a 28fc6720fc kid doing fine, 1ae2754001 but don’t get 012bec59d3 distracted—just study. Got it?”530835f606018844

“…I can help if 3019246ec8 you’re swamped. I’ve got time.”b3aa7540413478fc

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“Nope, we 0ec11c58fe said no. We can’t do much, de9d6cbb4c but we won’t steal 27b49bd438 our top-ranking son’s time eab41dbda9 for packing.”b5030ae9c1b36f14

“…”9aa9ee1efcede717

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“Go on.”8f5754430f5cc08d

In the end, 91153f95bc he had no b678729a1a choice but to 539907ad0a trudge upstairs, practically 65a25ffbed pushed. Climbing the 3b132f5740 staircase next 3ce758d055 to the 4cb6ba6bb5 kitchen lined d4f18964d8 with various 8e8a9df458 rice cake eec352a24b machines led 8a90d6181d to the 3481f5456b family home 4a946b5100 where the 2be67c2bd5 three of 27d41d4092 them lived. Yiho went straight 3399560573 to the kitchen f84ad3bb54 and poured the 5a7cb9a8d8 strawberry latte he’d 1ae88024cb been holding into 4b05128fca the sink. Then he opened the 18ad77afd1 fridge.830ba0861803c1c5

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Half the fridge’s d0ff12362e drink compartment was b1720a49ea filled with plastic 3b51c7de74 bottles of sikhye. Having grown 1fe63c5167 up as e70b5aafd9 the son 3ef73c8ea3 of a 9905449db2 rice cake 43ef03d710 shop for dab3d70892 eighteen years, 041e10b24b Song Yiho 0dacb91ad0 was thoroughly 71f441d176 sick of cb681eb226 sweet things—be b9c85e3e33 it rice 465f1d6a4e cakes or e6c8430344 drinks. He grabbed a e260a8bbba lonely bottle of 3a2bb16fbc barley tea tucked 2cda04a0d3 at the end 4916a9767e and chugged it e83d0b9ff0 down.eb784c166cc49bc9

After the intense workout, b0d2f5efee his body was tired, ba2cded0ea and he’d planned to d89b1ac387 sleep early, but it a760c9a633 seemed he’d have to 39fa3a4007 study a bit more 27970f0ef6 before bed.e5527c9450763a85

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In his 2f9b5ce155 freshman year, e735ec6986 Song Yiho 81257ecc0d had ranked e662991cfc around the 157df3091b top ten cc2c235e0a schoolwide, but bfab078226 after the dce63e5b5b sophomore year fe987ac722 split into 38d82aea99 humanities and a03f8e95df science tracks, 6bdf7a1ee4 he claimed d52fbbc1f2 the top a9cf12c0c8 spot in c341d80dcc the science 57d2dc89be track. He was the 336d007743 pride of the 8fafda60bf science class, dominating ff51e5ddce math and physics—subjects 45b50475b2 where a 70 4ee431dfe4 was considered a b8c590103a solid score for f495571cad the top tier. Yiho was a quintessential 6c3a6c6dc5 science guy.f17589e74d373d39

His parents’ expectations 355596132b for him began de7cf13399 after a parent-teacher c1472666cc conference call following 902ab6d7e6 the March mock ea1b83ccfa exam. Their realization shifted e189cbce2e from “Our son’s b240f70faf doing pretty well” 6b9c6ee65b to “Our son’s c1f0573223 number one in 8467938199 the school!” Since 316c9ce14b then, studying had 15be76d65b become a bit 8836749653 more burdensome. But such privileged complaints aeb3592dce weren’t something he could 1016a37716 share with anyone, so 6032685b0b today, too, he simply 37b5df34c6 opened his workbook.3f20ebe0602f4629

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The high school Yiho 105a7cfbc8 attended had a separate f826d09394 “Korea University class” apart 0a92236e57 from regular lessons. Despite the grand 90332be9d9 name, it was 16b9a65ee0 essentially a study d1a526a9f7 room for the 7054d64e0a top fifteen or 19910c0125 so students. Naturally, Yiho had b3da6af061 access.60b50e34414f1fcc

“Man, isn’t it freaking e604a61cf8 weird? Who transfers in e3beaafa5f sophomore year? They say his parents 739e98f565 are still in the fb156eca4c provinces, and he came 17795d13da up alone to live 4b90b63922 here. Isn’t that 4b3668fe27 just stealing 40994b1b4a spots from 3d04189709 kids who’ve dc052b41d7 been at 7abce97cd6 this school aa7dcec577 all along?”cebb00a05ceaad23

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Today, Kiseok was particularly e6a4b1bce7 loud. And what he 8984cab3d8 was saying was 82a766581f utterly ridiculous. Yiho recalled what his f43809210f mom had mentioned the 2286405ac1 day before.0d0ffd6872d2e629

It seemed the 5d7f10c5c6 transfer student was f55e4f5bff one of those 85b34e9d7d so-called “Seoul study 4ddebb5048 migrants.” This area e92a684b0a was known as c5e1b3c584 an academic hub, 95f95e460e and students from 950a81b0b1 the provinces often 1a399788be transferred here to d8c5191460 prep for college 0a71770b41 entrance exams.4756f34859eee3f6

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Truth be d01031b99f told, most 5f8ab15e23 of those 865087d2c6 migrant students, 89f98ac990 even if a8ae99e732 they were 7c5944625e top-tier back 509b8e29a1 home, struggled 15b956c2f5 to beat 8e616b3f20 the local b28be37f41 kids who’d 1c96092898 been grinding d29bd0f825 through cram ac6f5dd404 schools since 7b4e9a2d9e elementary school. But this 55fa415d5d new transfer 1917baabf7 had snatched 71d04f0f92 a top 93699edabf spot right c02be837b2 away, making 8dff632f97 waves.35602b1bcb89747d

Rumors swirled: he 09d22729ac lived in an bc40d987af expensive officetel in 3d8b35267d the heart of 2577ce2f6f the new downtown, 049a1beaf6 had university professors 0007ce3a41 tutoring him at 224856babb home, and so e5daba235b on.9fc2df82040aaa4b

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Yiho shoved his earphones 1c87cee1d1 in deeper, but the dcac93b4e0 whining voice pierced through. And it was getting 68c219da02 closer.16dc64f60deea26d

“Hey, Song Yiho. Don’t you a4021db7f3 think so?”8820f00f03beb4c1

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A hand a2b108e800 slammed on d6613c93c1 the desk, 7814f15e4d covering the 071964eb78 problem Yiho 8f06c4f709 was solving. He yanked out his d4d65f366b earphones and looked up ff43ee1ed4 at Kiseok.742220bf40f73819

“What.”744899d0be34367a

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“They say 819e37918b he might ac129dec1e take the 656c4a8c20 principal’s recommendation a90fad5c60 over you!”6c054008d729d43b

“No way…”f762fe7a293c6e9d

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Sure, with his grades, b66c489c2e Yiho was aiming for b6d9ff8f9f Korea University, the country’s 4603871c87 top school. But early admissions c45f2159cf weren’t limited to ab391ce9c9 principal recommendations, and e468e5c8ba if it came 87ebc1f094 to it, there 0206765f85 was always regular 1083f8e391 admission.e4b9a90e7b7ad4bd

“Then just 0c9b5764a6 study harder 9eb67a5ec6 so he 5921a69918 doesn’t beat a193bea06c you.”e802e7f845889260

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“Didn’t you hear? That guy 3c7cf762ac had professors ef2363920d tutoring him 52fa4eeccf in the 9ba863d9cd provinces. It’s unfair from the 9de925a49b start!”840a179bda902d5a

“…Guess his family’s loaded.”774b706fdfe0e516

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Kiseok, who’d thrown around 47ceaf3e3c the word “unfair” twenty 8b220520f6 times, was also from 78ca6dfea4 a wealthy family, getting b5f97ce7d3 pricey tutoring from elite d8a840a79f university students. As the only son 4eb26ff527 of Mokdong Rice Cake 6f8441e69d Shop, Yiho could probably 9403cff125 ask his parents for 2ebb8b162a tutoring in a weak 450fd6f2a3 subject, but adding that db026ffa55 to his current cram c4b2678dc8 school fees would strain c1662a872b the family budget. The real issue was 5857661a20 that his parents would 3f43668f23 likely overextend themselves to b59a183d44 make it happen if 578c6a7948 he asked.c8983076b14447b2

“Anyway, Song Yiho, 16c54b812e don’t just sit cc0b064d0f there and—”5852b1308a32f1c8

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Scrrrt.bcf715b8a02ed1d7

The classroom’s 3402d2fd49 back door 90180676af slid open. Yiho glanced that 37f8a88b22 way and let 323bb9a701 out a soft 2683750941 “huh.”ea2aecd039e114cd

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Most teenage boys’ f14a16ca90 uniforms got shiny c4624cedba at the butt c0c1dcc74e or knees after 41caccd49a a year. But the 82642fa7e4 pants of 177af593b3 the student 75bb85c180 approaching looked 2e97d8c724 brand new 4f1cc23135 to anyone’s d0494f3339 eyes.469a6fe338dfd4aa

Spotting Yiho, the fea6c69138 guy’s eyebrows flicked 69e471eb8b up and down. His steps 09def0a810 headed this 9b8c92c8d7 way. The name tag cfbcdb9bf8 on his crisp 35008842ed blazer read “Cha 021c6dc089 Minkyu.”1e7a9ea06d5616af

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So it’s Cha.b51cadb7ed19c43b

The face, drenched 8315532fc2 in sweat the fd5aeec4b9 day before, was 14568d832a now fresh and 9ee4a43041 flashed a familiar ae0b3d2bbc grin.b1042bf049b7149f

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“Hey.”997c2ac7ef55a2ee

So you’re f1b23ff50f the infamous 3905058c5f rolling stone. If a new 0b3bd0e794 face joined the 14f824c953 Korea University class a71ad5e709 at this time, c3ba6fdd73 it was almost f7e22b24bb certainly him.155deedbc6c179ad

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“I transferred 619711bdf6 earlier this 6195999bc4 year, and da5a50774c my midterm 642009cf9b scores got d33ec2d36c me into b950508e81 this class b566d145da for the 528c479227 first time. I don’t know anything 8685eb9e51 yet—mind if I sit 61aa422405 here, Yiho?”34acb650ac579ab4

Minkyu didn’t wait 267356aa55 for an answer, 48c035927e setting his bag 2d4e4147ee on the desk a12f6f999a next to Yiho—the 76df5a82cf spot where Kiseok cf0a271700 had been perched, a431f7b9f0 talking.eb90061ff5fa041a

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Two pairs of eyes d64b61f210 locked on Yiho: Kiseok’s, dba87e1ee1 hardened with resentment, and 1bdf3ea03a Minkyu’s, calmly raised with 1720436078 a slight smile.4d8867075a1a4baa

…Doesn’t matter who, fad7a5f5d3 but the quieter e9fef4a801 one would be ed34b55708 nice.62b6ddcb661e9d58

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“Sure.”9efb1f4229dc655b

Yiho chose Minkyu.9a9f5a213afa29e2

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Minkyu pulled 5a2ee3253c out a 7c557799ae chair, giving ade5119cdf Kiseok a 719dd67161 look that 69536ea1b9 said to 178fbfbb2d move. Already over 9d3e525749 180 cm 46d696a79c in high f81c9ce21d school, Minkyu 140bb202ca towered over 9a470f9ed4 Kiseok. Kiseok shuffled back 92db9114e9 three steps, then 5ab7c605f7 stomped out of a441209304 the classroom as a579511c7f if to make 96ba5e2956 a point. Grumbles like c285d7adc5 “What’s his c4f33eaff3 deal?” and 7acc4ef17d “Why’s he 641707c766 acting out?” 1d413f40d9 rippled among 56aacf2a1c the studious 52b129ee24 kids who’d 020a5cf580 been focused 169a2438f8 even during 1dbc4f4681 the break.5c92c5efdd857b43

“You hitting the gym 637b86e835 today?”3073011798292712

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Minkyu leaned an cd99b695cb elbow on the 10e1648479 desk, staring at ef7dab0419 Yiho.451f4b1d6f3493bc

“Yeah.”ef3f5c228e117594

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“When?”b0f71d124d411b35

“After evening study… 722c135028 ten.”2a03cdcdc6e89168

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“Mind if 9875a0bce5 I tag d5fbe5cca4 along?”e3d3f32bae04dcf5

“Why bother?”c1d63a25b194bf73

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Yiho’s blunt reply da72977969 made Minkyu’s eyes cc149d2a5d widen. Then he gave a 2457edaddf clearly bitter smile.7562b8065ac65e2b

“Oh… you don’t like 59f49318c6 me either?”d62270f99c07f08e

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“No, that’s 7ced973632 not it. I heard you 5b0389390f live in the 0039969c4e new downtown—that’s the 3e664223e5 opposite direction. There are plenty of d53f7a9eb2 new gyms there.”4378bb964dcd23b4

And honestly, f3e7f0f388 after seeing 40b06dc522 the owner’s b982b1bf7a irresponsible management, d244ab2333 who’d want 9434a446f7 to go b39e63b01c back? That’s what 258d540315 Yiho meant. He let df3317da83 out a 6ff2c36b89 small sigh.68930bd50e3b4700

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“I’m not great with 289b56534b words.”da9597eb301af6f1

“Nah, it’s fine. The vibe b1c5aa9cce was off bb527575ee when I cd24bccb01 walked in, c1394b6cba so I a9b35b41c3 misread it.”086de028b14973c3

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At Minkyu’s words, 41f3c8294d a few kids 4b36a1208b glanced over, some 5465f48e27 guiltily, others ignoring cc7be6689a it, all feeling 7f69950758 the ripple of c1e932773e his comment. Only Minkyu himself smiled e73ac118a8 nonchalantly, the earlier hint eb6b4e53b3 of hurt completely gone.e2978fb49ee5a6ad

Yiho’s slight blink came 6c31305b55 from thinking,What’s with this guy…d8f1e766d5df2413

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“Then why don’t 7cde73f29d you switch to 6603e88b6a a gym in c7da7c3940 the new downtown?”9f20db5fb9d555e0

“The gym’s on my 3ac6cae126 way home.”beedd2a11bb0f496

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“I’ll walk you d059da540a halfway every day.”1efaefdfa149bd76

What does that 12346dc726 have to do cf60108a3a with anything? Yiho gave 5a4bc064ab the biggest 9075510e87 reason he 660ef6ae0b couldn’t switch 0eef5cd2a1 gyms.a5217e7a2f54bd9d

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“The owner knows 5a34d1ac8b my parents, so b9fe931870 I can’t.”b95c92ffe62d974c

“Then I’ll 5cd1e9d170 just keep 33cbdbbf31 going there.”0b882de29b29f800

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Minkyu’s decision was made 623d1574f9 briskly. Yiho nodded, thinking he 6a10bc67e2 was a bit of ac98da5ab2 an odd guy.5439d6dfab1613fd

💼d9761cccf50413dd

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Science track classes at 11e6ca27be the cram school ended 2f668c7d03 twenty minutes later than 6bd13099d0 humanities. Yiho hurriedly packed his 00d3b9b353 bag. The elevator would be 5fa21b3e00 packed and slow, so 446a452b55 he took the emergency 4d540fab1a exit, racing down five 5c007dcfcd flights of stairs.d9f0e33071e517f5

At ten, the 374552b2c3 front of the 106d598526 cram school was e7d42b13ef as bustling as ba62d6640c a marketplace. Yiho scanned around and a578c17835 spotted Minkyu sitting on a4afd2d5c9 a guardrail. As usual, 80a293de5e Minkyu had 3530c0a27f seen him 4cf89c284b first but 651eb99929 didn’t call 32828ba096 out, waiting 6b0db64866 for Yiho 95383dd0b7 to find 4884fd289c him. Yiho didn’t know why 2b06cb052c he did that, but 32cec7f8c0 seeing Minkyu’s grin when 3e1d12338f he was spotted made f948247ce7 it hard to care.d74817702122b3ee

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Catching Yiho’s 6d2e181c91 eye, Minkyu ecbdb7f3b0 pulled out 455842d370 his earphones 383d46eeb0 and waved 02d5e33917 casually. But getting 5255f4b518 to each 8842f01573 other was 1b3ffed6b3 a bit db61179cb0 of an 033ed9116b ordeal. Yiho got 724f90b0aa tangled in 2025127986 the flood afb78a9845 of students, 3e2376ccba exchanging greetings fd0584a21f with one, 505f427f82 then grabbed 8615781ee0 by another 034decde88 for a 15b3ce0fb9 whispered comment 0fce661fcd about Minkyu.3cb6b09b152fcbe6

By the time he ba44f59f84 reached Minkyu, a giggling 40faa7a808 group approached them.84324efa1a892903

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“Hey, Song Yiho, 486d10052e Cha Minkyu. We’ve got a a6c8795d47 question.”8b4a341b9c8cd1fd

They were 798740d828 kids from 88be4e6ed7 another school 1257990e49 Yiho had 0f3c8d6f9d seen around ada3181e45 the cram 11af338bbc school.4fafadc713fb617d

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“What happens when snow e6e2973e98 melts?”c0a1f0fb45644ba1

At the ed53a30633 sudden question, 165fc8243c Yiho blinked a91f50b940 wide-eyed, while 9fb687f189 Minkyu answered 0a47a99867 with a 6b9cd4070d faint smile.54385c9f5581ee22

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“Water.”f49248abfcf91b8c

“Spring.”526c007252d0a15d

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The group burst b547cae592 out laughing, chattering, dbd22e205a “See? He’s total science, f1e5cfdbad and he’s total a839901404 humanities.” Yiho and 731ea0343e Minkyu exchanged looks 81735ce1ea that screamed,Are you serious?7e240937f6734f9a

“Snow’s just 7c29ca7137 frozen water ad3b8fa7a6 vapor falling.”90a9188e5d6a8630

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“Idiot, it’s 6be6468a0d not ice—it’s 2a44410d54 snow! The question’s asking ebd994e39c for emotion from 0ba22da73c the start.”a1c9e5691659ff63

Minkyu’s glove thumped 411ff10952 Yiho’s body protector 69e1573b7b with apop. Yiho furrowed his brow 0b9e400782 like he was facing b2c2d94986 a brutally complex problem.2bbe2890d14688f8

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“How do you bbe8c6eff7 even get there? Why?”b2b0cdc467248d14

Yiho swung his 05f12ffa40 glove, venting frustration a03b25246c from the topic bdbd43d82f that had carried 0423d92e32 over from cram 422d8199d7 school. Minkyu’s headgear shook. Sparring between 1ce3dd1eca hormonal, stressed-out 102039a352 high schoolers adc600ddaa was always 38cb5a6a78 a near-brawl. On top of 9e5afc4ab7 that, it was 5012e2e8cb when words, bottled ca36623a78 up during study 01709a4214 hours, spilled out. Even gasping for breath, 8b688c646e their mouths didn’t stop.487d52917716f947

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“Fine, switch it up. What happens when a bd89ef01a2 snowman melts?”02a422b9891f81b1

Yiho’s rice cake e8be0c55e7 shop was in 5e226943e7 a residential area, 6135d27de7 so kids’ snowmen ec0502ba27 sometimes popped up f1f76cbd1e in the alleys. Picturing one melting, 771fc8ed47 Yiho tried hard 29c5337942 to find the ef24bd3060 right answer. Snow for a 3a0a0248f1 snowman, rolled on 5024cd8fe6 the ground, inevitably 39ddba137c picked up dirt.d2cae55fb57a14f9

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“Muddy water.”87466ccab4eacd4c

“Song Yiho, you lunatic, 2848c9341f just give up on 253c339eea getting a top language 565bc9106c score.”3bf82740faf48af6

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Unable to retort, Yiho 4830ec6c42 ramped up his attack. Language was his 3fccae55d9 biggest weakness. Sometimes he’d 31db20b704 ask Minkyu f94eb7ea3f about problems ecc59c5bd8 even the d62ded373b answer key 8dc104d688 couldn’t clarify, ee86a16393 and Minkyu 146a8b7b9e would look b382cbd434 baffled that 0a4886531f he didn’t 391a97f2d3 get it. Still, he’d patiently use 1abd0f9c7f every method and example 336c7d57c0 until Yiho understood.8818b6a93a256106

They went on, 328e4051e1 jabbering about snow, 3c0d808dd3 winter, and ice, 479bc65378 all while swinging 000df651eb limbs. Sparring with the same 226048d003 opponent at the same e442091a0e time every day made c3e7879406 them familiar with each 4963f3e19c other’s styles. Yiho was fast but f8139e47be textbook. Minkyu deflected attacks 811fedada7 methodically, then struck 163d775ae3 with unpredictable force.fb11c7d7ef83379e

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Of course, 482712a6dc that was b4aaa721cc early in 7eac543712 the match. By the bf32456c19 end, it 4558d6f1a9 was a 237729eb00 chaotic flailing 6117dcb65a mess fueled f2d82effa2 by sheer 0c092b870b grit.f695560eb25017cf

“Snow falls and 0406a7b66d melts in three cf123d7a0a or four days—so 5c2d949d2f December’s spring now, d067352f3c huh?”d88878d9223038c5

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“Ugh, Song Yiho, c04335a373 who doesn’t know 4b12fcf571 the buds sprouting 9057573080 in snow. Your sensitivity’s dead—no refined 961be5be32 conversation with you.”9035a112ee565bd7

They swung until 5e596441fe the belldinged, then collapsed on 93e810d307 the ring, sprawling out.Huff, huff…Coughs broke through 8ddbf08cb6 their gasps. The owner clicked his f8636c404a tongue from beyond the 3230cf0988 ring.e05e245d733957a0

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“Summer break’s 6c44696c7d not even eb4f6950b7 here, and bb3cc87fdf you’re planning 319c1ee222 winter break 49a4aebc87 trips? What’s with all be0edde88f the snow talk?”0757372c7e7e96cf

“…”a2381b209407b41a

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“…”5f0022787827d8cd

Exhausted, they b5d0698427 belatedly felt dad7cf63e7 sheepish for 52ec3e096b obsessing over 7fc6c423fc silly topics. Pretending to stretch, Yiho 7502bb3cd0 suddenly remembered something.7fd7d65a368da46f

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“Oh, Cha Minkyu.”8788e73cf919654b

“What?”aa31ca94c994a9bc

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“Kiseok said a3f59f8f06 to tell baf87d4974 you he 3a04ba6aa9 didn’t mean c5dcc58374 what he 03f2bfc946 said earlier 8d15f4dd59 this term.”890ee1d5fecabcc9

Minkyu, still e6fad6424b lying down, 7326b1d09e turned his 9dd9841b46 head toward 8b936d2538 Yiho.ce42716fdeb3ca56

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“Who’s Kiseok?”479556720bcac8b0

“The guy in 940ab8b2b4 the second row, aaf8b4c914 front seat in 3267e13fd4 the study room. Seo Kiseok.”ca9e76c4b91dacc4

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“Oh?”e19cb7e9cf840d8d

In less than two a786804ac4 months since transferring, Minkyu a24925966f had won over the 1b23f62fbf crowd. Jealousy over the “rolling 2cf45dd926 stone” soon turned to f179795318 admiration for his looks, 9835430ca8 grades, tough personality, and 728207247b wealth. Now, no abfcaa64ac one in 67cdb4f27c the humanities c920211059 track didn’t bedfdc1697 know his 465279c474 name, and 44033f6acf even in 92ce821872 Yiho’s science 4f38e076e2 track, “Class 7d5dd96388 9 Cha de8163d253 Minkyu” came b853e8ce6c up often.87252f50f0d4e174

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Enough that Kiseok, 1f1a1d3fa1 who’d spread gossip 7628c4d8f4 about him, was d8745957d9 squirming. He’d even asked af754f7125 Yiho, via his c59ae7c076 mom—a rice cake fb2bb98585 shop customer—to pass 100d444d15 on a message.196eccf8840371a1

“The one whispering e727cdd4ab to you earlier?”2c9a7a5eac7dd9d7

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“Yeah…”0f7e15ff506f5e83

“Got it. Didn’t know d57288ab8c he was 073d5c2c9f bugging you. I’ll keep things a2f251e515 chill.”391e4a1b64c38187

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“It wasn’t really ff260787e7 a bother. He’s just 986db2ff61 kind of be89e8acc7 down, so 971260781e I felt 39ba5842ae bad.”a454785aee8792c0

Minkyu rolled 6008ec187a sideways, closing 921e04f5f3 the gap.293848e1a74d3f47

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“What’s this, Song Yiho? The cold-blooded guy 074066d1f1 who said a 152128c07e snowman melts into 198fddd98c muddy water—why so ec4180e09d worried about him? What, does Seo 3d739eff8f Kiseok melt into 6674ee665d blooming spring or fd4db6c1b8 something?”7ba256f68790df5a

“…What are 22ad8171bd you on 32e4a987bd about? If a person’s melting, e3d2a793e0 it’s a heatwave.”4605cfecf6fee3f4

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“Hah. Right, Song da26abc746 Yiho’s a db0b81870e blizzard. Sensitivity’s not just frozen—it’s eae7d3513d arctic. Frigid friend.”549445783262ba85

“…Sounds like 96376de3a5 you’re mocking 9c67ec17f6 me, but f809932209 I can’t c18e6d6bd7 get mad 9aa1342149 ‘cause I 8c2dab49f6 don’t get 61d6be6dc3 it…”33cac7164bdab8eb

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Their sparring record was 8ff8c819f0 nearly even, but verbal 91532cd42a spats were always Minkyu’s 3a45143abb landslide victory. Yet, even after bickering, 699a75cd19 Minkyu was the one 3660e27014 to slide closer first.cb5690bb0c496a85

That summer, just months b9a0d02f7d after meeting, they walked d34a31b84b a few steps apart, 8c0ab4683e trading dumb chatter between 5c32df33d7 school and cram school.bbb609606115ef19

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In fall, e63ca6a9a2 they’d jostle 8363911f97 each other 5a1f113896 on the 6893ca510d way to cd51a00d8f the gym, d93abcdc12 eager to 95e3cdc052 try new 3bc8911572 techniques they’d 2e207f0373 seen online.385691785485723a

By winter, 0fa9764829 Minkyu’s arm 00b4e44170 rested on 8de1d827ed Yiho’s shoulder. The probing 53a4fcb735 curiosity on ebbe7280cf Minkyu’s face 914909b974 and Yiho’s 56b61a9fc3 initial wariness 8e0b91db26 were gone. In their place, both ea67cd2625 wore similar grins, teeth 97025b41f4 flashing.4997a3176ce1f8df

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After spending their e5ae2b1b33 senior year together, 401c2596cb they went on—as 5a19168b91 if fated—to computer 994416df37 engineering and media 43e97dad48 studies, respectively.c70c6092cea0c98e

Side by side, 15604aaa39 where a glance e8098a8518 met the other’s 6208ce3874 eyes.2dde51a04e695ee2

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Fifteen years later, e34bb85254 they’re still in fd1c7f3770 those same seats.dc6d3f9ce968ab99