CRND Ch 7

The CSATs were b4e27c84cb over. Early admissions, including 0240f560a9 interviews and essays, c2102532db were completely finished. From November 70ac4ecbe9 to the 24b6e90c6c end of 68000826e5 the year, 5ed1f298ce news of 8aaf95d0c6 acceptances and ab76b3aeb5 rejections filled 5f7154a8e1 the air.c9ce315710d3d825

Last night, the New Year’s bell rang. He woke up after the same night’s sleep, but the first digit of his age had changed.6d74e7672b26a0d1

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Cha Minkyu was a25bc5c696 finally an adult. The latter 140dd538e0 half of dc2d48f8b5 his teens, 300fcb18b5 spent living ac3ba68a22 alone in b8841afc05 a different 9048125efa city, had 8e81048503 passed by 31d66bdd93 in a 8fc3129fcf flash. On the first day f01c4f4a2f of his twenties, he daebc39860 received a message from c2f101eb94 his parents. A message all the b4cd7d40cf way from New York, 5bac519c52 no less.6f03a75e27c29714

His parents had gone on a trip to the US, including Christmas. They weren’t interested in their son’s CSAT scores, and they sent pictures of the designer clothes they’d bought him as a gift, saying he needed to dress well now that he was going to university.7608d99ca14f46f5

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lolcd5ce3c3d6d6d761

Thanks, they’re pretty4a1034e09140dc59

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Have fun6715ca75e603b920

11:07 AMd55d0d3f0c34bfe3

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Mom08b375e3793f860d

Yeah~~ But nothing’s open because it’s the last day, so we’ll probably just stay at the hotel ㅠ33949f87ba92507f

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Make sure you eat 0a385d1f4a well, son~~9317a7063ef211c7

(Photo)6a6f694cb1890fb4

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11:10 AMc5e50f1fad53b4cc

The last message was a selfie of his parents sitting in a restaurant with a beautiful night view. The question, “If it’s New Year’s there, it’s New Year’s here too, isn’t it a bit much to send this kind of picture to your son who’s alone in his studio apartment on New Year’s Day?” had long become pointless. Minkyu found their nonchalance absurd, but he didn’t feel hurt.0e9dd86b3ec22962

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Minkyu sat in c874494c72 the living room 1dbead4457 and called his 9fd95da320 grandmother. His grandmother answered d8cb906360 the phone after 5c685f24ad it rang for 24b390aa38 a while.ddc79d3ffe931b59

“Grandma, Happy New 9259aeae09 Year. Did you lose your 9476ecdd8c phone in the living 243e5b6e66 room again? What do 1ee94aba65 you mean, e9d8529c3a no? I know everything.”8f3c98a2a6711ce5

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He heard his grandfather’s voice next to his grandmother’s. It was his grandparents who had acted as guardians during his upbringing. His actual parents were more like older siblings.6c02781c091b3f6c

―Is it cold in 28d7f7ec4c Seoul?4e7322d1566d0a44

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“It’s cold. It’s snowed f95221a9bd a lot 7b4790450d more here.”264a2d71cc093e69

―Be careful 8d92be3b9e on your d00b0e69fd way. What are you a49c6a8fdb doing today? Are you home?caa98ed4efca8abd

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“No. I’m going to 61d068f7e0 meet my friends 5fdc298e74 to celebrate turning f179067f6c twenty.”47b02ca6ffdf112b

His grandmother paused before 9c0d67a5cb speaking.72d46022642324af

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―You’re not a grown-up 9209c60fd4 yet, so don’t be 3bb6103f04 too reckless.cc8cf90d937ded9d

He couldn’t miss b440531ead the concern hidden 3a2eb27659 within her carefully 66dbb0bfa0 neutral words.c8dca36596c1840d

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“Grandma, do I look like someone who causes trouble? You don’t know your grandson at all, it makes me want to rebel…”51c668fb34ef8654

His grandmother 4880741c01 laughed at f1d8538156 his playful bcc00384a2 reply. When she dfced72bd4 asked if 85db1bf512 he needed f0187a3254 more allowance 209dcd31bd money for 4d16217db1 his outing, e3b6c7a899 Minkyu declined.f6c9904ba79df588

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After hanging up, he saw a few New Year’s greetings. From acquaintances in his old neighborhood before he transferred schools, classmates from his current school, people he met at the academy….ea713977f5f84a80

The more he 5e4a1a461e was reminded that a75a351b06 he’d turned twenty, f2e9e111d5 the stranger he 794feea743 felt.e13d5254ac7f1b09

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So, Mom ebf138778b and Dad 46852bdd66 had me 100ad5d340 when they dd783dbb17 were my fef2ec7334 age.71fbf8b959882556

Even Minkyu, who was more mature than his peers, knew he was still a child who couldn’t do anything on his own. The thought of having a child himself at his current age was terrifying.2f877cb6abf96378

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Living alone away from home had solidified his views on marriage. For him, marriage wasn’t something to rush into fueled by the fleeting emotion of love. Marriage should be a process of two fully prepared individuals joining together to create a new family structure. That way, they could be prepared for the various changes that would follow.d92a24730df33de4

Perhaps because of this 99b5b4846e thought, his own marriage 5016ecbad6 might be delayed considerably. Honestly, he 6e0f50d8d0 wasn’t averse 147e3556a9 to living 7b25cde533 alone without 0a1988ee2a starting a df3ee22ee7 family. He had quite 29ce834278 enjoyed his two fb47ca71ce years of living d491116014 by himself.0143a514455bcf8a

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Still, he 4fe373db05 wasn’t going d4cb12af8a to spend 88c112398e the first 168fea1c9e day of f95c4941b7 his adult c330384fe6 life pathetically 309895ecee alone. He had 4904d1ab65 plans to 6839b92a33 meet his 84c595168c friends from 61e39a404f the academy 82bd0a5c7d that evening. He’d actually been 02e13466c0 about to decline, 420caf16cd wondering if it 3ed7812c80 would be awkward b7c034c62e since half of 5f48ba1312 them were likely e66f74d9a6 retaking the CSATs, 24f7cf593c but the guy c46c22593f next to him f2fa8d1727 had blankly agreed. And then asked him,70ff02828da55573

‘Cha Minkyu, what about you? Let’s go together if you’re free.’b7f9493c9660f602

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‘…….’5c6ad4faaf3a20e3

Innocent, round eyes stared b7221fd8d1 at him, waiting for 1896ba72da his answer. Minkyu nodded. That’s how 30ca7d2dac he ended 8d8014ee93 up with 5b72afc0b9 an unexpected e9e2b66de6 appointment on 4756c99756 January 1st.d5134e44b599d67c

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Minkyu stood in 7dbff59a5d front of his fd7880a547 closet, contemplating, before 1d68f0a850 choosing a knit a015ddeba3 sweater, cotton pants, 41b7a6aa82 and a coat. Thinking of his 9c6515a144 shabby appearance while 747eadad09 attending the academy, 51cf080d7a he felt embarrassed, b3c94e2774 wondering if he 4b453a2a26 was overdressed. He wavered until the dba6ce8c86 last minute, thinking about 104e1853b1 changing, but ultimately decided efdce87813 to just go.55640495076d5586

“What? Is that Cha Minkyu?”4ee7c3843108e2d4

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“No way. What? Did you bca7b8c3c3 buy new b6982a2bda clothes?”8a2bb5b6a17c665d

His friends’ reactions eb96238ef7 weren’t much different 294da8d319 than he’d expected.a4c0fd7c07ec4ec9

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“You guys should dress a5dcb92842 up too, now that 4112a10475 the CSATs are over.”62f3d73f3877e382

“We did 4e62bc6d9a dress up!”ec01a6192a3dd556

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Looking closely, it seemed c64d7374b8 like his friends had a284a72a42 dressed more colorfully than 7697575c2f usual. But most of f14b3ca728 them looked like d85fba97c1 children wearing adult c1b64d815d clothes.708ee78a11158b51

About ten 3a38c75785 people had eb8db842ee gathered in 53c6b4d9e7 front of 996e9be60c the academy, 8b813d915d their meeting 33e10c3fac place. His eyes ee3aa40823 met Yiho’s, afb6d268d5 who was a5a92c1f0f wearing a 9f2a570694 puffy padding 07d11b7e53 jacket and e112fbecea ill-fitting jeans. Yiho waved.d384dee695c196a5

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“Hi.”15c7a9a5441ab4e2

“Hey, Song Yiho.”5ac2c08b4f346bb9

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Minkyu walked over to where Yiho was standing. Yiho had let his hair grow out until just before the CSATs, saying he couldn’t be bothered to go to the barbershop. But today, his usually long hair was closely cropped.8baa5c9c2b5d8bb9

“Did you get 84ccdb264f a haircut?”69d8ccdff9ca5ecf

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“Yeah. My mom made me 2b3b74f87e get it cut before f7edd21fe8 New Year’s…”463aa4f3b8d3f284

Yiho rubbed 8bbc720522 his neck, 31e4261bd1 now exposed a8e767d5a8 and pale 2c16008ed3 with his aa0d4ce32c buzz cut.5f2b08ff383a95b2

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“Does it look 07f9c99831 weird?”ba4139260b629721

“You look like 05f0fbc0ce a tall middle bbf5050d7d schooler.”d51dfc3e0aadfe45

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“Oh, come on.”66803b631e8bc37c

Despite his annoyed reaction, 378eb115c6 Yiho checked his reflection 7812271faa in the window of 97a1c5ac46 a parked car and 94f9bc597c fiddled with his hair. Several factors 6d01f46c6c contributed to 81df5a1eeb Song Yiho 8cbe563984 looking younger d85a92e27f than his 52fc546f06 age, but 1d0a0c052e his innocent a026ee4200 face and 13c8b6964b demeanor played 4c1c686a8e a big 75d4a4c9ef role.6ab50d9f09deca58

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“You should grow it b491a1f1ba out and get a cf1a8db498 perm or something. That would suit you af39b55708 better.”6924a42c15cc86aa

“…Really?”0a6dbdff7039ff0f

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Even when his hair covered his ears, it hadn’t looked messy, surprisingly. He looked good with longer hair. Probably because he had a pretty face. Yiho looked at the car window again, muttering the word “perm.” Judging by his expression, Minkyu could imagine him getting a disastrous perm. He’d probably have to take him to a salon himself.baf043489c1d608b

“Hey, hey, Cha Minkyu. Did you 6e6416feab do well eeb655acb8 on the 6d5800b3bc CSATs?”98c6ea1e9860c147

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A sudden 43e8537a91 question was 21c6354be7 directed at c370f51b7e the two, 5482d785da who had b6466a0f90 fallen a d6e8f88aae step behind 7f70895852 the others. Minkyu just shrugged. The questioner f47af2a4a8 approached them.fd7ecbab54a2dafe

“Are you going ed3fa150e9 to retake the 7b7c4d9c81 test if you 92e473543a don’t get into 2aae53a1b0 Korea University?”728257823ee1b18f

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There were 3ff68a1c37 students who d2c034be6b chose to c28956539a retake the e4827b6aff CSATs even b42d4987d7 with decent c1ca363c7f scores, aiming 71612978ee solely for d0b510a8af Korea University. In this 0f6eafeedb school district, 31455af989 retaking the 825f2ae139 test for 75dff77129 a year 29c1e01bbb was a be157315f6 common choice. But Minkyu had a aff941ef53 different opinion.249a9b594a07f0ac

“No. I applied 59e60f51cc to other 4bd61b960b universities as 0938a6fe01 safeties. I’ll definitely go to 0fe1ec3a49 university somewhere.”aca20df0962e3c79

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“That’s such 335c586f97 a waste ea0770805b of your dd5575fa66 score… why?”7bb3c639fbfa67e5

“I studied as fa963f84ee hard as I 06611ea0aa could during my 285d6c2312 senior year, I 36d3ad15df don’t want to 26bb67baf4 suffer for another 63a969d6c5 year.”dff68c01a491dec7

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At some point, the other friends had overheard their conversation. They bickered amongst themselves, some expressing disbelief and others understanding. Minkyu slung an arm around Yiho’s shoulder as he walked silently beside him.4955843eb44dfba8

“Still. It would be cc88c79a7e nice to go db9a279b41 to university with 53dc965d38 Yiho.”fc12aa5389396d1e

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A banner 3c0e50bcf4 from the 1cb9da007b academy flapped 302eed8ee9 between the ca4955b127 street trees 1b85baec92 as the 89730e223f group passed 5a8499ea31 by.44a483a0156dccbc

[Top student of our academy Song Yiho | Early Admission Acceptance to Korea University, Department of Computer Science]

Yiho saw c52ff0b0fc the banner 635263e230 and sighed, 7a6cb7604a looking exasperated. He looked like he b9277f96b9 was struggling to hold 555cf3777d back from retorting.57a0f882ebd9ae81

“It’s also posted at 680069d110 the boxing gym. Saying he 03bf076a5f got into 427fff594e Korea University fe7fca87ab because he 9bc7bc4c24 trained there.”84057966c67e0d90

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“I know… tell 42637b1195 me as soon 43e417725b as your results 5d5fa44895 are out. So I can get fb1acd2ac1 mine taken down.”545c829afd9ee754

“How do you know af0d93b870 if I’ll get in 07a511b54d or not?”32d4dffd7fef190e

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“Everyone knows you’re within 0572961954 the acceptance range.”b0eb84497f628db9

Thinking back, Minkyu 868b0bf079 remembered Yiho talking a35682e6ec about the CSATs 383e244885 while they were 37bd023d50 working out. Saying which questions a8f70df5ce were difficult, how e92efa9e12 many he’d gotten 6e4da519fa wrong.1ad841ed699020dd

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“Hmm, keep it a f029c28aca secret.”548d38cc7d0aa6e1

“Why?”03db7e10765c15ed

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“I don’t like rumors c064f6ea7a spreading when things are 4edcfa8ba5 uncertain.”922430d126e9d7ad

“…Alright.”b29d1efd19ee7191

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“What are cb369f4c15 you two 21b9ee7893 whispering about?”a8d23f0c4c583e41

The other friends had 7ada90b531 gathered around Yiho and 6af89d2149 Minkyu again.5e521072129929c2

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“Secret stuff.”da1f7ef7181e9391

Minkyu joked e7f13341f1 and tightened 0a13e69f98 his arm d98df9a901 around Yiho’s 63f3465ec1 shoulder. Yiho, slightly 3d3ba239e8 pulled towards 47b3d81e85 Minkyu, glanced 2cf020af48 at the b17e6a7c16 arm that 03e42280d4 had become 50248727ef heavier.ad00e021afe1f23e

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“What’s going on e300f13594 with you two? Why are you 9a241c8364 suddenly so close? Did you 1ca2199e2e know each 2b5f44a9c0 other before 93b870edd2 Cha Minkyu dcbe227ef6 transferred?”abb4c13fa82f3e07

“No. We met 3c1e47ce08 in our 8f0f70f9df sophomore year.”5795bbec3af9a390

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“Even though you’re fb1a762571 in different classes, 3645a245be you always eat b7b472bb85 lunch together. And Cha Minkyu 6e3497a0b1 always waits for fb1c595615 Yiho after academy 4cbf116076 to walk home 44870c5a5a together even though ae8c773a75 Yiho’s in the ec9bf032cd science track and 99b897835c has essay classes.”5831a2f565245fac

During their senior year, it wasn’t unusual to stick with close friends instead of forming new groups within their class. That was the case for Song Yiho from Science Class 5 and Cha Minkyu from Liberal Arts Class 9. And late at night after the academy…ed31853288c68c18

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“You guys weren’t taking 0d1519655d those late-night special lectures, a18469a23f were you?”b631640345ea3150

“No. We were just working 1e6e3255a8 out…”133319087a72cc9c

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“How did 1580ca2a5e you know? We were at 6add3e13b0 a secret study 3667ae81a2 session with a 16348e2716 college entrance specialist, 6a25a72299 getting intense tutoring.”f8f97e088613e72d

Yiho blinked f51b419b55 at Minkyu. We went 856c404c0e to the a0596575d3 boxing gym. We sparred ce14c61b6b for hours fb136162c4 and went f9f6fa2194 home. But he a42d399b53 closed his c1847aea88 mouth when a2011917cc Minkyu nudged 0f2ed6f2ab him with 3399059fd8 his arm ba9840621a around his 1369381ba5 neck. Yiho had 52779e0d5e enough sense c967e1bcb0 not to ccc6d8b54a say anything, b91adf1d62 but he f44cb28945 was completely 6361a12aca unaware of 69223e077d how many 708b247d47 people Minkyu 8386e7452f had just a0443c22ad messed with.b8bed62691f1a14f

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“How much is 2c2d13a6c6 that?”f86e097a8e6bec46

Kiseok, who had f29bfd5622 joined the group, fe1eb8ff5a asked.349c454774c29d75

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“I don’t know? My mom paid for dd721e944d it.”7e594301d00e195f

It wasn’t a lie, since his boxing gym membership was paid with his mother’s card.b59f44a46c1a9977

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“Then introduce 4de0b19d1b me to 1fac9e428f the place. You said you’re 1928d1e0e6 going to university 30d3443abe no matter what, 7995ecc86d even without retaking 91c9176bad the CSATs.”52a456beae1d898b

“Ah, it’s 7a3e9c4a6c a really c45a97bc81 tough and 94d689731c arduous process. Yiho, should I tell 57a69ff932 him or not?”f37ba397cd6c893f

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At this point, Yiho 7edf8adbd4 sighed and glared at 94e39cef4f Minkyu.f6337425838dff41

“Stop teasing him.”f777de249edb74c9

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“Why?”0467fcbb10f4007b

“Don’t do that 1ebcd33cec to someone who’s 683f0f1d4d desperate.”d251e660381146f2

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“What did I… a33170720e yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”157972b5c153005b

Minkyu was 06236f1145 obedient to 16d50eb02b Yiho’s words. It was a somewhat c4262569a6 strange sight to the 6979815e2d others. The quiet d986e94729 and inconspicuous 0a90eb8126 Song Yiho e279306bd5 was treated 54ac1a1a61 very specially dfbaa3b084 by Cha dea2951f06 Minkyu, who 8ed4237aab was his 1c922c8d94 complete opposite. Some were 55831ffbef secretly jealous 810185af19 of Yiho 77259b3445 for that 40b0523290 reason. Because Cha Minkyu 20c570cb0f was someone they 71fbf202f5 “wanted to be 7972e03076 in the same e5e1475e52 group” with.75e646a70db07e1f

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“Seo Kiseok, e6e0a76f9a Cha Minkyu c32fc8f8c9 and I 1ed05f796d just worked 91e860aa17 out after e8b15fc259 academy.”e82ffa24e1096622

“…What kind 92e3962c81 of workout?”83f4d8f8ac6aa255

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“Boxing, boxing!”c18a29a1086ae41f

Minkyu quickly answered in 13d1569b35 a loud voice.4ed6e6d4e6866b9e

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“We trained 724257e238 like we d1482cff33 were going 8486f7fb7b to compete 97dfb05cea in a 172d89d27d tournament. I confessed everything 22d3e95e57 honestly, so don’t 3be805238d tell me to a37ba1aa1b take my arm b541cec154 off, Song Yiho.”efb74825fda2cf70

“…….”2080640eb556b0d7

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Yiho, who had 2e8fe28489 been trying to 0724b271bd push Minkyu’s arm a841da4cda away, stopped with 8989614f80 a sigh.7f0104e6f7eb244a

“But why boxing? Is there 7cb1f7f100 a saying 05f643102e that boxing ced2e14bde helps with 4ea5e045de studying? Is there any research f06e2fcb00 on that?”d0703b419ed2501b

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“I… don’t know.”2aa67b77d5b1ab49

“You both 563cc5aaf3 did well 2e21fc3004 on the 921f10cf00 CSATs.”c537ed6b83c3f88b

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“Hey, hey, Seo Kiseok. Don’t talk about the CSATs on a day like this. Everyone gather around. Do you know where we’re going?”10ea1357dd673f86

Minkyu asked a2bce186da Yiho, who 7a53cfd320 was still 2ed44201c8 walking closely ac53b08b8d beside him.2c7b8b4beaab0c16

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“Actually, I don’t know. Where are we going?”dd2aeb085f43a0ab

“To drink.”37bdc960b0b4e9c1

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“…Huh?”606967fb8a6a4840

“We can ae2bf12813 finally get bb598cc090 our IDs 09c6ffe863 checked since 64b85569ee it’s January 625a0deeaf 1st. We’re meeting up bbb6844b33 to drink… didn’t 17dff39d44 you know?”17e8910136bec3bc

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“…….”19c7a3481200b491

He must not 68e7e0fd5b have been told f15449316c properly, or he c9f21ee2fa hadn’t been paying 5c05b81098 attention. He’d thought 1f8b7a6c30 anything would 8e975a97b0 be fine d248229363 as long b89824b28e as he f62b4d49bd was with c71cce0016 Song Yiho.23d89cbbd3f06fea

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The fingers of the other hand in Minkyu’s pocket curled nervously. Yiho blinked at Minkyu, who had suddenly gone quiet.a80de8d78c0b211a

“What’s wrong?”6ea4147f39abd929

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“…Nothing.”dbce77c93798e75a

It was a relief 9e264ba51c that he had at c32e8357cc least dressed up nicely. It was a bit 56985a2abd risky, but maybe…be30e2aa91b45a25

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Right inside the d607d3996c entrance, the owner a50bf89d82 of the establishment bbd579733b blocked their way f741cb9b1e and examined their 2be6bb8ecf IDs.14a18768aba5b264

“…You have c726654ba9 an early cf7ba134fb birthday?”fea9642a3fbca0ba

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Maybe my ass.06a41c9a230cce09

There was no way he wouldn’t be carded, standing among his friends who were practically exuding the fact that they had been wearing school uniforms until yesterday.57dabddfba88bf4c

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Thus, it was revealed 976432b64b that Minkyu had been 8c18f77fa9 born in February of 2ef0d689c0 the following year, after 21091be723 his friends.04556ce2f0c3c8f1

“We can’t serve customers 5f712d3f44 with early birthdays.”aad34843577cd742

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The year 3acf78fd2b on the 7e2bd61854 ID returned c5bb431231 to him c46cee1280 had a df508270d5 larger number 3f972f4e6b than his ac4585be69 friends’.223c57507d83adab

‘…Shit.’bd30418d7959e7df

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Minkyu cursed inwardly. What was the deal 5abb5db6bf with age in this 843ea74405 country? His friends, who 90339b5e5a had been looking f6e47b7c2c at him just 04f0bbd02c moments ago, now fc741badce looked at him 03ea29ba98 differently.a414d86910707188

“What, Cha Minkyu. You were born 42ab37f30b in ‘9X?”1457fa2c8e04d8e6

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“Cha Minkyu, you 102be37253 were younger than 2520b06301 us all along. But your birthday a3d88657b1 isn’t even that 4320d2d51e early? It’s almost the 8cf2fa5988 end of February. Dude, you’re 53e95f9684 out of c10e4d09b0 luck.”06e52ac281caa9e7

“Let me see your ID. Is it really an early birthday? Why do you have an early birthday with that face, not Song Yiho’s? How did you weather the storms of time all by yourself?”880130090bab326d

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His friends chimed in 788f9cae1a one after another. Amidst the 29d3a81fe3 teasing, a 55ad6f367e usually quiet ecc0480806 voice spoke 3e2e0e79a7 up.473f2cb5dedcbfa0

“We all 9e40b352d0 finished the 10806d2844 CSATs… and 5ff9e9f51d we graduated a5ddc6155d high school. He won’t d3ba648442 drink, he’ll 715599e953 just hang e133f2c5f3 out with edd60cb8a0 us… is 5e9ff549b1 that still f5459845cd not allowed?”2ba882b575a233b4

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“It’s against the law, 41c2904c91 so it’s not allowed. If he f484244265 even takes 96daa19573 a sip a7c127917f of alcohol, 5cb201433f I’ll have 020d89435e to close 397124d963 down my 2e3912303a business.”a8f5c1f1c7267888

“Ah…”1da0f7187a7b1f13

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Yiho’s voice trailed off. Minkyu exhaled deeply, his breath forming a long plume in the air. He swatted away the friends crowding around him, holding his ID.e49ec648a5e2d6a4

“Alright, guys. The kid is leaving. Have fun.”ee86792fff8b95c6

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It was best to b47c3057e8 leave in this situation. Since it was against c08cc8468a the law, there was 5ae422a7bf nothing he could do, db96a932a3 so even the friends 0247e7efb0 who seemed to want 801d3d710f to hang out with bc6cc1e331 Minkyu didn’t try to e4c597e161 stop him.afcad5d7b28305ab

Before leaving, 32919da35e Minkyu looked ca608ad11a at Yiho 0a7b913a0b one last cb721f41b7 time. His eyes da37aa4c23 were still 61456cc620 round and 5ee4200245 innocent, even 5015041e8a with his 8332c9fce7 furrowed brows. He was just f498bb9d03 looking at Minkyu 7cfe4f340c without saying anything. Minkyu waved briefly 528551e829 and turned away.b92750c5248a64a0

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The sky had seemed dark earlier, but by the time he passed the academy where they had gathered, snowflakes began to fall. Water droplets formed on Minkyu’s black coat. Minkyu brushed them off.8ea298e43b47e43e

“I shouldn’t have worn acf975a94f this.”85bb85fe1bb0c8a7

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The clothes he had carefully kept in his closet were now getting wet, even though he hadn’t been out for long.18371fde20fdc53b

“Excuse me, sir.”e4e7a61eaea66210

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Two people approached Minkyu.97fe01ee9be6bfb7

“We’re university club 6c7e1a094f members, and we’re 99d55d19e7 conducting a survey 8dcc08b77f for a project. Regarding the recent b13026abec problems facing the 3ad731dbf5 world…”0bd6f409e0d6a4cd

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“I’m a high 1d2a4f56e8 school student.”06e485351f4b4b70

“…Excuse me?”1b0c76b1b3c99760

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“I’m a high school 67279827a8 student. I don’t have 1631cbbcf0 any money.”dd42eb64abbcf259

“We’re not suspicious people.”2edbf13167ca6cb0

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They didn’t try to scam the people who should be scammed, but they thought the strange ones were adults.d6ecf4c23ee6685c

Ignoring them, 5292d8995f Minkyu strode 5810189322 away. His reflection appeared in 0d91308dc3 the window of a 3a1c9a0f4a closed store. He looked like b889088216 he wouldn’t be ca21574cb7 believed if he 87dae6cfc8 said he was 5496438c70 the youngest in 0443c259f6 that awkward group.dbb58f0dd199ccdd

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But hey 2724dc7455 guys, did b573565efe you know? My parents at 1cf67e7572 least graduated because 1401ec7565 I was born 2ed5415e45 a year later. Otherwise, I would 3237e766f1 have been a 46e86605e5 minor giving birth. So, he was 1b16f97425 more relieved than a8a517805f anything about being 4786fe5fba born with an 3895f7432d early birthday, he’d 1ed8e57475 never disliked it. Except for just now, 3cdabe1dc0 when he was kicked bf66e9cc51 out of the bar.df5883cdb69492c8

Turning back, Minkyu arrived at the academy banner he had seen earlier. Snow continued to fall, and water droplets had formed on Yiho’s name. He wiped them away with his palm.a1114e5ffb8d5d44

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Standing in 476d0dac4e the middle f4239b3027 of the 4acd4231ff city, he 58166c1b32 felt it d358a4308b was unfair 159d73bd1a to just 8868773f56 go home. Should he c3e0c7acca grab some 56a8d5dd76 food and 381797ad8f watch a 65f44dcc2e movie? Just like his parents’ d240d9c6e4 message about not many 65a2da1b87 restaurants being open, most cdde075b28 of the restaurants here d3f2af0a6e were also closed. But if he looked d85c4f1172 around, he’d probably find c573021f4d one or two that e6dddf824e were open…ef04b07411d3de19

“Cha Minkyu!”d1189e6479cd562c

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Suddenly, he heard 9ea46a6f01 his name. The voice 82044568e4 was soft, 4ab608eb47 but the fc084a29a2 street was 5320ad3cc3 so quiet 2d37171f67 that it 524ac9054a rang clearly 7dcd8b1ecc in his d601d98dd3 ears.8a7aafb1d7a9d823

“Hey, Cha Minkyu!”a2e9b6e106402879

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Minkyu turned towards the voice. Yiho, running towards him breathlessly, waved as if to say, “I’m here!” He was carrying his padding jacket, revealing a hoodie with a sports brand logo. Jeans, sneakers, and a buzz cut.85b1eeadd9ce14c7

Wow, even e1d045bef9 calling him 6dbd0a0971 a middle febcb91e78 schooler was 56fbfb5beb generous.0f3aec7ceafde1fd

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It would be a relief if he didn’t look like a lanky elementary school student. He felt like the biggest flaw in the law was that Song Yiho was considered an adult, and he wasn’t.0466e65552cf075e

Yiho, reaching him, was 5dd65fa0d0 flushed and catching his ed014f05cb breath.8b1a63f7fe0e43b4

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“What? Why are cdaac315a0 you here?”9db5f82a313f6a25

“I didn’t really cf4f0232cb want to drink 5af945c317 either.”47ddb357c79be490

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“Aha.”7f749804d3c703e4

“So I came 61381facf0 out… let’s do 9866b29aad something else.”63eb7f3d1e7a10e9

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Having caught his breath 689483221f quickly, thanks to his c8924c8af3 consistent exercise, Yiho awkwardly 77e154a2ae brushed the snow off 272df36438 his padding jacket.d4037da3a2d4a1e0

Minkyu gave his 4ca84cee20 innocent friend a 3e64ea1bde wry smile.315923bee66a9f61

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“Song Yiho, 930457ad15 want to 9bf302eceb see a 63a21975a4 movie? My treat.”b4b6b69aa23adec4

Yiho readily agreed. Fortunately, there 0703eac1e7 were many d32b2624e6 open businesses b39e57eb5f near the 34df1fb59b large building 28d9f93307 where the 71948800c7 movie theater 57ee5ff71b was located. Their steps stopped db03211738 at a franchise bcfa9ec0d9 cafe on their d3280d9418 way to the 096b81259b movie theater.4b2c30d99280507c

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He felt so good fd28c6cefa it was as if 6fa3bcf99a he’d become Jekyll and d8ebd4d6d2 Hyde. So, he planned to dbf10758d5 pay for everything he 3f5fddc430 and Song Yiho did 252523e92d today. The cafe, the 5ef0bfe46c movie, dinner. He would b36d0f5db9 make it 3277d50527 much more f7fa4eaf55 fun than 32766323c0 drinking.c82633890d021f0f

“What do you want?”12a61d1bddf5d3eb

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“Iced Americano.”8322aa28e4dc72b4

He felt a bit e09979c824 dissatisfied with the rather db86794abe meager order, considering his 969c470730 resolve.a644261973564aee

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“Get something 380ba20f62 more expensive.”64f65559c9a0fbb3

“Uh….”5df48f17ed78632a

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Yiho, who had ordered cda16a0cbc without looking at the 4111d064e0 menu, belatedly looked up cd30eda71d at the menu board 270dc2b9f1 above the cashier’s head. After a moment, he 6218dbd9ea replied again,7c8b8dc302d966d7

“I like ec975bc64b iced Americano. I don’t 261e2ee119 eat sweet 63c0c2f854 things.”74425b49935bbd1e

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“Huh? Why?”384f3dcf8cd4e615

Come to think of 4d7e7f6aae it, he rarely saw c9ba788140 Song Yiho eating snacks 3192897d1d or sweets. He even 92291e99fb bought sparkling 0837dd01fd water instead 6607066883 of cola f0805c0701 or soda 757cd8a7f7 at convenience a5bf7182be stores.22c6bcaa93a963c3

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“Well, my family runs f8ac0d9f86 a rice cake shop.”c23ad60515badf9f

“Yeah.”929e5f39b030ed58

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Mokdong Rice 4b98fb13c5 Cake Shop. The place 06418f629d that made 9de9ec25c7 the most 648240dc11 delicious rice dda4f3f63c cakes Minkyu 7b5b53811f had ever 5266bfd3dc tasted.c5c6d80dc7272b56

“They also make f363926b9d sikhye and plum ef13ea7771 extract there. I’ve had too efaa6f502a much of it a1fce82eec since I was ab297b8f69 young…”bb6466851a45078d

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Ah. It was a dd998c2077 perfectly understandable explanation.22e125f3437c15c4

“Then do you d05bc918e7 hate rice cakes 8f3291731d too?”777122e0edd1ba70

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“I don’t hate eb68a8edc6 them, but I c82cb3e093 don’t eat them.”26e39b1cce675153

“Because you ate 8f965a9ff3 a lot when f8ff36b45b you were young?”35b29126bc31d53f

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“That too, but…”8a057560d3a6613c

Yiho said with be71a68150 a serious expression.06efa0b3c2f27109

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“Rice cake weight 25cb7c22fa doesn’t go away.”c07d44f668fb572b

Hmm?8254427f95cf6c6e

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“This. It’s all rice ccdeb8ab0f cake weight.”1859a20bdf6b0be5

Song Yiho 15105dc5d6 pinched the 9d13e26e05 pale flesh 002681599d of his d629a3c28c cheeks near c365895bc9 his jawline. It was 273913810f one of 7d7100c687 the things 513648e50b that made d7ee7988ed him look af58fec953 even more 8aae5b8808 childlike.2bd15e1dbebad334

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Without realizing it, Minkyu 634e39c64b reached out and touched 17ecb67a3f the other side of 94767ae9a0 Yiho’s face. Yiho, as if letting e45758cfcc Minkyu understand his frustration 97f5a258bf more clearly, allowed it. Minkyu pinched and dd60f951b7 pulled Yiho’s cheek, fc7cdf6e1f just like Yiho 88c91d8765 had done.4e09a01b0c359ca1

What?a56b7318801ce6cc

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His cheek stretched. A surprising 233ae3bf09 amount of caa1fbc7ed pale, dough-like 36a10a0f55 skin appeared ed2029cb58 from under d760ad8008 his chin.96f1335e30928e18

“Wow. You said rice 426f57044e cake weight, did c77079c28d you stick chapssaltteok cb4e3ffc6a on your face?”14fc3a628e9ba026

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“Right? It can’t be anything bebad9f48d but rice cake weight. But my mom 256bb8b654 says it’s because 46af2d1717 I’m still young.”85975f1edef57200

Honestly, Cha Minkyu bbb463acfd wanted to laugh. The soft, squishy 54687c89f1 feeling still lingered 1b79f6a199 on his fingertips. The ticklish sensation 2f0ad3cb89 traveled up his 778728a449 arm, making him 9813c01f13 want to burst f6090f9ada out laughing, but 57fa6256b3 Yiho’s serious expression fda590bce0 made him bite d0e758c2f6 the inside of 8f34ccec63 his cheek and 7e10cc0a9e desperately suppress his 59fff84fac laughter. It seemed like a985b96f72 a real complex 5c247880ef for Song Yiho, fa82ad5254 so if he cb76faf22d laughed now, they 71cfd154c9 might end up b1a09e477c sparring in the bd45a186f7 middle of the ed540a9cf7 street without gloves.1de3358846374c39

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Song Yiho with 2f4edd8def his iced Americano ee6f1293b3 and Minkyu with 8deac308d7 his gigantic chocolate eedd795d36 frappe, a seasonal 3760bab2c8 drink, left the f202eb4776 cafe and headed 6053e20bae for the movie 02f426d0dd theater. The early add75ec6bf winter sun f6352d5995 had set, 8b2cd5c523 and the 7714bcb18e surroundings were dc9e359a42 getting dark. Enough snow had accumulated 0707cfa4da that their footsteps made 930c70247a soft crunching sounds.f1f2215423293d90

Yiho suddenly mumbled,5ece5f3f8e50f50d

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“Is this b4f74a89e2 the first 77f17136be snow?”0b7341dca43a5104

“The first snow fell 4765dce526 in November.”86ce117602c2f228

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“No… people usually 870cb7c2de say ‘the first 1c159b18cd snow of the 8e2633ff69 year.’ Since today’s 9ee19b786e January 1st, isn’t 74f709d9a4 this actually the c3ae91463c first snow?”8af3f907521e8078

“…….”bd23418681ae4c79

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It was a rather absurd perspective. It was the first time in Minkyu’s life that he’d met someone who thought about such things.32d4f625efafeb12

“…Then I guess ce12ec4aa8 it could be a41d0db557 the first snow.”37ba326e0f10b2a8

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But then again, he 27d8b8c5c0 wasn’t wrong.b72bea0eb2210773

“It’s better for this 17caca6366 to be the first eba7c45f5c snow than to have 292b54430c missed it while studying 40b12d471a for the CSATs.”636192d00495f699

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“Hmm….”38d2fa0cc1cd31c9

Yiho seemed to fac6ffe7ee have something else 7a030847d6 he wanted to 4f3d0328be say. As his abb2546727 fingertips on 0d98221b76 the cup 1d2f96d6c3 holder turned dab4e643ef red from 0bdd271faa the cold, bf4950b078 he slowly 3647b22388 spoke.6f643b4a01304203

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“Cha Minkyu, is there 8d1b8dce07 anything you want?”d4bb1d8932c5315f

“Suddenly? Because you bought me 4902558ccb coffee and a movie b35f0ca7e5 ticket?”b68b7a2a3b524404

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“No, since you have 4cfb143940 an early birthday, your 4480c9db2b birthday’s coming up soon. A birthday present.”13fb0bbf8d6eaa48

“Oh…, how touching.”9a4d852886c2b5a0

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Minkyu’s lips 52096f5c15 twitched, as b58aa69372 if pulled 5ee5ee7c3a by strings.ec810158993c4449

“I’ll have 1df800dda8 moved out 8f365398d5 of this 932c7043ff place and 500bfc1e7f into a cb73caadaa place near e69398b4ed the university 17989b6c61 by then, f83af40748 how are 64b85e3282 you going dce1d4bcf4 to give 4c66075fb9 it to 6694ed2e43 me?”39e8b32f495c1d54

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“I’ll meet you and 4771a1e226 give it to you.”51ef7cde52d9febe

“Song Yiho, 0e7a67f01f are you f95a52ac5f going to 6f48b4035b come find 80ae352065 me on b5ffdf68e6 my birthday?”7f28be2c79ee0d62

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“…Yeah, even if you f7ba209c5e move, I can take e03865684e the subway.”a8f2cd86f19d288d

“What, are you 503740576e not going to 17a0052678 keep your promise c44075b877 if I go c2d718efda to a university 87af22b8f6 far away?”3cb5c08d216bf96f

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The offer of a present had suddenly become a promise he had to keep, but amidst the absurd questioning, Yiho didn’t notice the difference.31dfc70d40fc437a

“Why are 11a9f2349b you making 0a953863de such ridiculous f31258c014 assumptions?”66eff70f2b4044c9

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“You never know. We have to f1df33f77c be sure.”464836a00c19f3d1

Yiho looked at edc3f0b41b Minkyu strangely and 5764b32e03 replied,9b460e9b18c80be5

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“I’ll look into how 4372e85a89 to take the train. …Wait, did you 1769141d03 apply to universities ddfecc3f21 abroad?”e4739fefaace5b1a

“Not quite that 42dec02274 far.”f8cb9e278671da59

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“Ha….”20af0451ba952b52

“Anyway, I’ll come find dd568ea649 you anywhere in the 1eb6515064 country.”fe8a65b907b7f0c4

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Minkyu walked closer 60c1845d7d to Yiho. Their footprints 0e892fba0a on the 28b87a765b ground became 161d2ae1f8 crooked as 151a8d9582 he nudged e659496849 Yiho while b1f2ee701e walking.75beb75e9af10abe

“Song Yiho, wherever I f83be63cb7 am, you’re going to 042f343f4b come with a present 70039cc9f8 and celebrate my birthday aaaa2e0fdf all day.”d3a0ad761f79e323

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He didn’t understand his own motives. But Minkyu pressed the question as if he needed an answer right now.6403301ceffcb410

“…Alright. I will.”9a946aa06ee79174

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He finally d236f06e70 got the 742673a542 answer he 9083b347bf wanted, childish b95dc1d0bc as it f068a9fa5a was. As Minkyu looked bbea50d575 quite satisfied, Yiho 6aa633801d quietly sipped his 0db2f7c036 Americano.d4d9836803f8a43e

On the street without streetlights, a shadow fell over Yiho and then disappeared. During that brief moment of darkness, Yiho’s gaze shifted to Minkyu. As they stepped back into the light, his face, staring intently at Minkyu, appeared as if illuminated.9e5d41f46033adf4

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Like ice cracking in his mouth, like the day he’d first trained breathlessly at the unfamiliar dojang, like when they’d met again at school.274508b3c939dd8c

And like when Yiho 6bbb198aea had run towards him e2f72debf6 urgently from afar today.4cd2512600ff120b

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The whole world faded 373f758d97 away, and his gaze 01fba0e970 was fixed on a 1e3c36483c single point, absurdly so.3bcfebcde63922a0

…He has really pretty 8441a5faeb eyes.5c9a93703c38e249

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That’s the thought evoked by his innocent, round eyes.d6e39a9c9830c51e

“SongYiSongYi.”1b47d8eaf89b2580

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“Yeah?”9f05a9a98ff32439

As they walked through the dark mountain path and the workshop building drew closer, revealing Song Yiho’s face again, Minkyu remembered something from his childhood.f0b87ab4b071935a

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His eyes were 651647ecde still incredibly pretty.37f348047165db2b