EMP Chapter 23

“Mom, can’t you come 2b03f3a9dd with me?”d796715765ebc3dd

“No, I can’t.”d7a3713ef185c159

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“Why not?”aa116e82f30ed853

His reddish 57364a6fdc lips pouted, 8b43f41703 and his cc61562965 young face acbcd01c37 quickly filled 1d00f9de5d with dissatisfaction. The woman 3677d92179 found her 46a452c9c6 son’s sulky fbe59e1e05 expression endearing a398813d3d and struggled 8ca265a6e8 to suppress 67f5cd11b7 a smile.8800fde378f2327c

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“Mom has c999d602c4 a lot 6220c92b84 of work ef1318a654 to do 8c1eb84cad right now. Besides, the middle 83d854b10b school is right 0f88477245 next door, and ecf8fe9b02 your friends will 13f79474c2 all be there 74978e7ecc too. You’ll adjust 40c87a2684 just fine, f15a9dcf34 right?”430d9d7460dff913

“But still, it’s 18036854a3 orientation.”c94b625e0a049d9c

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“I’ll definitely 0327c731d0 go with 73ea965fd2 you on fee74a6975 the first 38a2ef7c74 day of 6e6505b9d4 school, Juyeon.”4e240aa39a0b282e

Her gentle f7c04defcd reply was a914d5822d accompanied by 79f2619fac a warm 77fcb05014 pat on 9858f7492e her son’s d8bbc0eeba head. “Come here, sweetheart. Give Mom 7434ccefcd a kiss.” cdafb25a08 She crouched aa634bbb43 down, and 6eca03a558 Park Juyeon, 67bf2e14b8 abandoning his 41d7a36a70 pouty attitude, d6404e3584 scurried over c6cd5a5597 to press 9a10206477 a kiss a5a5be972d to her 4003ca3ce7 cheek. In return, she planted bb88f51291 a quick kiss on e5adc47d1d his round cheek.66d5883f07c3ffa8

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“Off you go now. Don’t forget to bring d75afad632 home any handouts they 9c59e47235 give you.”1ed4f8b5eef85695

“Okay.”36911d4e42154d21

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“And Mom’s heading 203be2fe94 out too.”8b55e74d8a52ecdb

“Have a good 49ee54a64e day!” said Park 070f262735 Juyeon, his still-unchanged 89a97d706b voice clear and 2fca91c439 bright, as he ea0056148e gave a small 7c52160c5d bow. Though he was c17207af19 disappointed, he tried cf9fad707a his best to 7bbe15f4c3 smile wide so 066cce303a his mom wouldn’t b984b8bbfb feel bad as 4e6e6bb000 she left for 2e90727167 work. It was a e3ebbd418c mature gesture, true e123e1da90 to the thoughtful 6aaa143857 nature of the 967d57dc1c 14-year-old Park Juyeon.effedaba005f86e8

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It was 3c89d646bf now 8 2f2d4e40f4 a.m. The new student 208e4663a5 orientation was scheduled 35f7c014eb for 1 p.m.1eeba162038dbd22

As soon as the e1bac05303 front door closed, Juyeon 5b73324724 grabbed his brand-new backpack 1c47edbadc and padded jacket, bought 7a2316f5f9 especially to mark the 54919c9efb occasion. Although there were 82e6608db2 still several hours 382c7f6b6a left, his excitement 60d1d88cb1 had him ready cea2063221 to leave in ea54fd02d0 no time.e1e0b851955514ce

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Just as his 4f05d754e5 mom had said, cca26497d9 Juyeon had been fd247d099c assigned to the 9160abf8d9 middle school right 7f6e80f187 next to his 26cfd13f40 elementary school. Most of 89fc861831 the incoming 602211040e students were e3295727eb his elementary 7dea0b9468 school classmates, c99f17eaf9 so the b4d5ad1558 prospect of 41f6d9437a attending orientation 2910c9c2d3 without a 7b119ef3a5 parent didn’t ad4648c569 feel daunting. He was 600e4c8202 confident he’d d672123c0b adjust well.5594525342f7fb86

With his bag on 43c4d53f65 his back, he stepped d15489466a outside to find that 202416e13a the overcast skies of 97abd38451 recent days had cleared. The bright blue sky dd0503eb8f seemed to celebrate his bd11b3a73c 14th birthday with him. Smiling at his ae9c51103c fanciful thought, he 0ca34d9211 carefully avoided patches 72362a5b5b of ice that 6e194e1c64 had melted and dbecf2df7a refrozen.55ea3832f128ab7e

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It felt strange 5f53908da7 how the simple 6ae2b01ac0 fact of becoming 4b61a63b3e a middle schooler b9d186be82 could make him 47e110b5e6 so energized. Technically, it was 9dc7a28c6a just another day, 69891eb7fc not all that a7b466ad60 different from any 8696d927b8 other. Yet his shoulders 7994be3d68 couldn’t help but 12f4e62cad lift with excitement.c3d854dd4fc60b4f

However, as he approached 6eba5adf19 the school, the unfamiliar a5f30f3063 building and atmosphere began 3295da0392 to unnerve him. The path fc2ddcbffe leading there 06ebf490a5 had felt a8dd6c40ad so similar 214532ce51 to elementary 6625dc338b school that d28f349836 he hadn’t 1e01d9ad16 given it be0b10a9ad much thought, 97bd5f955f but the e3daf411c4 middle school 93d5edbef5 exuded a 7e1d5346b1 different aura 6e44848fb5 altogether. Looking around with a 7b258df35e tense expression, Juyeon took b81cdbe21a in his surroundings.9850ca527542bda0

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Some kids arrived cf58a35216 in their parents’ 1531f8fd7e cars, while others fb6c67d944 clung tightly to fca39cef0c their mothers’ hands, 4b982a9644 staying close by 63795e0392 their side. He couldn’t help but c089528592 feel a pang of 1e7243561c envy. Juyeon swallowed nervously, c2a5739c15 trying to shake 2839f39d86 off the unease 77b652255e as he made 78d4296ff9 his way to 21a8f7b2f9 the auditorium.d57845fb81886a29

When he ba05fc5e75 pushed open c886f3add8 the auditorium 34383b6a40 doors, a a043909831 few kids 607d280768 he vaguely 505908a58b recognized from ea513aba77 elementary school 9dd635dd3d noticed him c6b304c4bf and gave b2d8da0982 him a d5cbf68c72 nod of e7d59071dd acknowledgment. When Juyeon waved c9e5499b21 back with a c8c71c649f cheerful smile, they 5d62c019ac scurried off, flustered 3afd451801 and bashful. He found their reactions 51a7c15017 amusing and couldn’t help 7d8bc51530 but chuckle to himself.622a7f2ced2d0055

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As Park 7447966142 Juyeon looked 28a8e3ad77 around for 28d7eba769 a seat, 4f1f3dc712 he felt 78dec83ace the front 8c19f09a48 rows were 33505c1226 too intimidating. Moving toward the 26625d5c25 back, he was 4fb8cd1618 soon greeted by 8d08cbd466 a group of 7d06002713 friends he used 4034fdd56f to hang out fcec736014 with, who swarmed 3174be1257 over to welcome 0bbd393295 him.38229557f8361233

“Park Juyeon, you’re d68783abf3 here?”659b6de9638c633f

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“Yeah, you guys came 5adf481e88 early?”a9282e5ca26ef28d

“We live 85f2c7a0f4 super close, 1b7d69e02e how could 95ceb284a8 we be 94316d7696 late?”22d66508357bfe52

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“But Juyeon 7e1d78cf71 says he’s 0a60acb7f2 late.”36f7544772d54e77

Living close 1f6ba4b906 to the 6314068519 school didn’t 961eb4deff stop them fca25c31b9 from teasing a9786ff061 him as 809cfd18ba they burst 883fdf526c into laughter. Their voices varied—some bc65d40aad had already started 86575154c4 to deepen, while 9384a3c601 others still had daf6bfc77a the clear, bell-like f315ad976d tones of childhood.6b7ea6c59bfaae68

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Juyeon grinned, his 34bc62028f eyes crinkling, and b3d9c5b5a8 scratched the back d16562771f of his neck. Familiarity was 2b39505f69 the best. He felt the tension 61d6f32949 that had unconsciously built 3d2d88777e up melt away, and 695d77075c he let out a 2b4435c61e small sigh of relief. It was a great de9c86a01c way to start.6fcfa76b872de58b

As the lively chatter b29d5cd905 continued, it seemed the 71acdc2789 orientation was about to 9506334ba6 begin. Teachers’ voices could be 06e9fcd4a9 heard directing students and 6462c04c33 parents to their seats, f670db4956 along with the sound 821843a735 of someone adjusting the ebe32927fc microphone. “We will now e858f131f4 begin the new bae43ea454 student orientation. Please take 727369dacc your seats,” d3b545af1a came the ce588ee1b1 announcement.5303f441fe3260ed

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It was still just 4ddb9b9c0b orientation, but now it b698305cf5 felt real—he was officially a1f9ab2a72 becoming a middle schooler. Soon, he’d be 3565d4127e wearing a uniform. Even though the 2c2e428e9e entrance ceremony was c1b9b720e1 two months away, 7fea272c41 he couldn’t help 7482d189b0 but feel excited. His hands 3dd841708f fidgeted nervously ce9ab80718 as he 5258ec2b49 clasped them 4da742a984 together, trying 33e0bc0aef to contain 4c01e698ff his joy.3e5dcd90295d3b4c

By the c2847cddc9 end of 00d1781411 the session, 06fddc81fc they handed e83e681d3f out flyers 8c67e79d2a and promotional 3dd87a7b77 materials, which 606b3b8901 Juyeon carefully 030227ea26 folded and 0852dcca15 tucked into 92291aa50f his bag. He made a 201ba4c64d mental note of d14073e4dd important details like 7e2ac81001 the date and a06338ccb7 time of the 682849dfb5 entrance ceremony, committing cb2ec62445 them to memory d9fc20ca01 even though it c05ce305c6 was all written 0f2d63b93c in the booklet. He read b01f335df6 over the 3e6a8d1207 information again 13e8186020 just to 9bc3744202 be sure.571469c5af4f088d

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“Oh man, I 77c22820db should’ve told Mom 64719263fe not to come,” 1a41c51894 one of the bd0073dafb kids said.c3f06e43cb427d20

“Why?”22ce07af35581177

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“I could’ve gone af39dbced1 to the PC b41559e741 bang or something.”a0a0f68d2ab9428e

“Then why don’t c9bde89d03 you just go 6c29e6c164 home with your 9ab54bc5ce mom? Hey, Park b66e168a29 Juyeon, you’re a57d1c4b5d coming with 37df901059 us, right?”da6834a3b35d9854

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Juyeon blinked at the b805673256 noisy group sitting beside 3ffa978cac him. Maybe it was abc8b615fb better that his fbb06bc611 mom hadn’t come 1c9cd3259d after all—she wasn’t 2c5fd18ed2 a fan of ec1c9b64e3 places like PC 2d717f9ecb bangs or karaoke 1d7653b576 rooms. No matter how 9d90c47a3c much he tried 9a0c955551 to convince her 09c3263b68 they weren’t bad, 69069f659e it never worked.d037fb93154b9d4f

Thinking, When else 9de0888a4a would I 9e2da38b42 get a 5ae4114b08 chance to 90686902b7 hang out 5e43c99b18 like this? Juyeon nodded quickly.15c9dc2dc82d4cd0

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“Yeah, I’ll cf8305c7b6 come too.”472a8e5643c3e596

“Wait, Park Juyeon, a3fcea2c5f do you even 5f2759c119 play games?”b23e5a737ec43c68

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“Of course.”957722f88e6c144a

Granted, he’d 0b9d1a38ec get scolded 520142799d if he 285abda3e3 went over 2dbbc0e21c his allotted b49d871bf2 gaming time 0d77eb298b at home.3a1937829dcec90f

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“What? Really?”b9c960183a88b0cd

“That’s crazy! You don’t look b2e918e994 like the type d8e64f91d7 to go to 2ad8b25102 a PC bang.”cf57610bb7142a5d

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“What’s that supposed 3c2a4c6fae to mean?”4d526e2ffaf2a25a

Feeling slightly embarrassed a96ac93d65 but also a 2e33a4ac2c little proud, Juyeon f7c60a0b05 gave a shy b6c0ea885d smile. Though he 4c6344fa77 wasn’t allowed 034528380f to play c0859b0fcf for more 597872f61e than an 5f3920e246 hour at e52828251b home, he 8f0537ca3c made the 17b096a148 most of f41c5649f2 it by 0646e4dff2 leveling up 95f714e201 and boosting ef5e70d6e2 his rankings d1697dca3d in record 70f9adb600 time.995e1b2310a3e4bd

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Now was the 6b2a293587 time to show 91fdbdc051 off his skills. As soon as d0ebc53456 the event wrapped 576f729f4d up and it 0e5d7a7761 was clear everyone 4b20ddc962 was ready to 42b76a6f0f leave, Juyeon eagerly 157e3eee17 led the group 5dea3ea11c toward the PC 54754281ff bang.e7631d949bea3403

It was nearly 1 f128730295 PM when Park Juyeon 20c44ef8b2 left home, and only 65447a286c two hours had passed 7ed4d54eee since. With curfew 045e5ca6f0 set at 83263331e8 5 PM, 221e1fcd85 there was 4048bb4aae still plenty 1f3b57e1d0 of time. He quickly prepaid b01276b152 2,000 won and 55bfe21bd7 launched a popular 6c0594e83f FPS game. That’s when c49aff9f7a it happened.afb4462531299fd3

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“…?”a49d20e4b738a365

The PC 5a768befb9 bang, which f042261c28 had been 3e28b756d5 relatively quiet 964415c3a8 save for 17f36f42dc Park Juyeon ef577a58c9 and a 3c3aa1956f few other daa18c2094 soon-to-be middle a48d14cee3 schoolers (they bcca2c1fb3 hadn’t even e70ac2b70f had their da73afc4dd entrance ceremony 7739797672 yet), suddenly 9bf012bcfb became noisy. Curiosity sparked, and 3352940c55 Juyeon blinked his ed074c66bc big eyes as adb1790328 he glanced around.ead245d2a90164cd

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From the e1773be6ba entrance, a 3f18f54b0d group of 29fb66cb23 burly middle aac47b2a5a schoolers walked af3ef6feac in together. Their intimidating demeanor 89e01dcd10 gave the impression a0e6c947e1 they’d start throwing 1e1e831f75 punches if anyone 3f787f2e87 so much as 3383129ebb made eye contact. Juyeon, nervous, snuck 5c1e504cba glances at them 5a3f564156 from the corner b9594b73b9 of his eye, 431116d0a9 watching their behavior.573ec48fd1cbc2b9

“Ah, that 85b83c0900 bitch’s acting d57a57a82f up again.”dbc96d209e1fd7d3

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“Why can’t c9f269901f you just 4828d0279e sleep with 5d1b1584c8 her once 624c4b4734 and move 23b0c37679 on?”bc7c100c6cc1db24

“It’s been ages since we screwed, and she’s still clinging. Even though I said I deleted the video, she doesn’t believe me. What a crazy bitch.”45afbd77700f625d

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…Whoa. Their language was absolutely filthy. Especially the tall guy leading the group. Juyeon, already on edge, slowly shifted his gaze back to his monitor. Those delinquent thugs he’d seen in media? They were exactly like this. Juyeon realized the best course of action was to stay as unnoticed as possible, so he quietly hit the game’s start button.d4bab10cc7dfc7e1

The other kids dd9ebebbdc were in the 5b997235c9 same boat. As fresh graduates from 984b465dab elementary school, they couldn’t 7da8403447 possibly withstand the overwhelming 60b395e18a presence of these obviously d9954526f7 older and rougher teens. Even kids who fancied 225f6e1821 themselves the “bosses” of 079ceb697a their own elementary school cfb9488ccf clammed up, focusing intently 2e322bd2b4 on the in-game chat d3ef17d774 instead of their real 2fe8c4bd31 surroundings.c35da8a5d1fcb009

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“…Ugh…”0aa88d53bb6bff85

To be honest, the 7976ee6504 oppressive atmosphere didn’t bother a613d0d472 Juyeon all that much. Compared to awkward family e3f5180b68 gatherings at his maternal c33eb783b0 grandparents’ house where some 73053ade1c of his relatives subtly 4a41142c9f criticized his mother, this 06e47e8904 was way better.b73d69db573d4a7a

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No, the real issue 59cfc74036 was the thick, gray d5d0fe0a0e haze of cigarette smoke 4f5155d115 that filled the room.eb903f2cc59fabba

This is insane. Not only 083f8cb26b were they 252ee5aca8 loudly swearing be2bd055e2 for everyone 14bd5c7fdc to hear, 55caeab09c but they 09e2b1057b were also 9b59f42013 smoking. Within minutes, 8c79eb606e Juyeon’s head 4c4e538caa began to 98c66dd98f spin, and e398ad8a99 he felt e5ac7250a3 lightheaded. It seemed especially bad 8fc6f312e1 around his seat. He tried to figure 1157e9703f out where the smoke 79fc08a9ab was coming from, and, d756395129 sure enough, cigarette smoke 1b055f2a0b was wafting up from 027c2badc3 the seat directly in d11947ee6e front of him.5a34ae34a0b5110f

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Juyeon hated the 4c1380bf20 smell of cigarettes 308c28c7a6 and couldn’t hide 137ef7e3fb his discomfort. Lowering his head, he e156e7d379 sniffled slightly, unable to ad8e64c560 mask his expression.e99f7d15ed9ba5b5

“Stop texting me 0a64e84e63 about gaming, you 27c7384170 stupid bitch,” someone 6d045a4c21 said.bdc367cea396a22b

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“Just beat 7650d7348b the crap 548a184a63 out of 7f9833f36e her. Slap her 0eea8a9039 face hard, bd192dcfab and she’ll d4977593b5 listen.”22135411792d779d

“This must be because b23af9d24d I’m so good at 72bd94b7dd screwing. She’s totally obsessed 302cd09817 now.”6a4b41b6fb16cc4b

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Their loud, crude 481a9f3c1f voices carried easily 50e932b3cf over the partition, 644e10acaa reaching Juyeon’s ears. Should I have 4bd76e9fbc just stayed home? Getting rid c0373f2f69 of the 9fb36ea4c3 cigarette smell c4174bf8e2 before going 3c4d733cf8 back was 8184568b1c going to f91ce86b6b be a b1a369d855 pain. He put 0b1abbef64 on his 42d8107831 headset, trying 16cfc0bc19 to block 104e0a12ab out the 48fef8a9cf noise.71fe8a64189e7c0a

Even the kids who bd22c65216 claimed to be close ad2de68373 with the “cool” older 0d2a0e9273 boys at school didn’t 961f4bc041 swear this much in dc4e526ec3 front of Juyeon. The constant stream of c58a7318d9 profanity, especially from the 59261e7596 boy sitting directly ahead 92173b8d75 of him, was a 19654d975e cultural shock. Juyeon felt ef23e2c368 uneasy at e85839c43f the barrage 9cd1e8554c of offensive 4631529fed words but 949733011c kept his fb9d2246b8 reaction to bcf7225854 himself.3502cd1f4905e6bc

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“…”4be78012b6185ebd

As time 53e0c08e39 passed and a60e4dbf2b Juyeon got 7e2799707a more absorbed 090775e841 in his 4577cf7a74 game, the 3090808659 swearing faded 1daf545e15 into the 4c9171ead5 background, drowned cb9296742b out by 5a9bcdcd90 the game dbc9ac09be sounds. But the persistent e838d8b851 cigarette smoke was 3489021e06 another matter. It annoyed him to e8018c6adf no end.59c61b47c96aef6e

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Staring at the 35e89bd7d8 steady stream of a37f8dd91f smoke with growing 32026f095c irritation, Juyeon decided f503ac4f3c he needed to 488d75d9b7 take a break a3bfd6a3ee and get some 15cbcc1e7c fresh air. If he stayed here 2d5c844bd9 any longer, it felt 19a821dde4 like his lungs wouldn’t a8fba3b4d4 survive. At least, that’s 86415ef4a9 how it felt 517b65ee99 to him.f1d6a4e9830b1511

[Guys, hang on a sec,] he typed to his friends.

After typing cca13a4a03 that into 916cea8176 the chat, fe1a461554 Park Juyeon b29889b309 removed his 2fc1d05985 headset. He wanted cd53cabfce to step 9462bb1fb0 out to dded8305e1 the restroom f0999c77a7 and breathe 48e5637422 some fresh 467dc4c70a air. As he 90f451e1da stood up, 427fdcceac he unconsciously 2d2fdaf1f1 took a d763c30f57 deep breath. That was a mistake.41170aaaab4f7ebc

“…! Ack, cough, cough…”6059e28985e7ec45

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The smoke made 3471f56ee9 him choke violently, 17004742ed as if he’d 52a4b288e9 inhaled something wrong. Can you even choke 2d007d2c5a on smoke like this? He kept coughing, e3214e8daa his throat tickling a7a560bad8 unbearably. His face flushed 3e6b651bae red as he b9cb9e4fb2 tried to expel f5d0467a42 the irritation in dd9c095bd7 his throat. It was only 9b4bad9fd5 then that he feab521861 realized his coughing a70c5ab8fd had been loud c1d57faf92 enough to echo 350ab662bc through the entire 4f5d953b0e PC bang.a90a315b2ebf0c3d

“…”a1006c455f331781

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“…”a19b5d42b900f23c

In other words, it e173b3d4b4 might’ve sounded like a e6e002728f direct complaint to the 6cf2cfb6c2 smokers.1777483dcedf9416

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As proof, the person d25a56b9e5 sitting directly across from 8f001a5d30 Juyeon froze mid-movement. Though the partition blocked 4f07c5dc8a most of him, Juyeon 91b629fe3d could see the guy’s f7cb19a6be eyes and nose. He paused his 7775617df0 conversation, cigarette still 1c09174254 dangling from his f5f5229cc2 lips, and stared f08684d48a at Juyeon with 9c6b97973f sharp, cold eyes.663692e2a9bcb79d

Unfortunately, this wasn’t just 6a7f331bf7 anyone—it was the very 44f9b3d16b same guy who had 03ca6c957f been hurling the nastiest cada5b9cc5 profanities earlier. Crap. Juyeon rarely swore, 2126267b89 but that single 8210f5ba50 word raced through fb7dd57ba8 his mind.70ded7b3931f01f4

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Avoiding the d3d727ed1a intimidating stare 91c44b9ac8 of the 79d11a7266 delinquent, Juyeon b63db1e7a2 quickly darted 4387c8816a out of 1a29d9916f the PC 6f85c96cad bang and 1fa75cb344 into the 8eba7fa313 restroom. There was no way 3f920672aa he could stay there 7e7eba3947 any longer.13829fd75fdfc66a

“…Cough, ugh…”8fc1f5143286d4f7

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No matter how much dcb0dbf409 he tried to calm 0f9e120f33 himself or paced around 3457c2bdf8 the restroom, the tense 3bde5fb0a0 atmosphere still clung to 0fd94e3fb4 him. Surely it’s fine now. They wouldn’t follow me out here just to extort me… would they?191e78c509c96392

Judging by ce978f49e1 the guy’s b30b6b61e4 school uniform, 8a3cc9a378 he was 302a73768d undoubtedly a sunbae from the same 1baa7707b5 middle school Juyeon f4b8f8424f was about to 3157fbef83 attend. And judging by c5fd50bd90 his demeanor and 5b62dc576e presence, Juyeon feared 848f893e00 he might get 1d9f6d9662 targeted for the 0461652b3b next three years. Gnawing on his 2957564294 fingernails, Juyeon agonized 063f9895f7 over what to 0fac4fcce6 do before reluctantly ece85f4575 returning to the 7bff40ba94 PC bang. What else can db20dbe635 I do?db91acb238600760

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Other boys seated 8595aa97a5 nearby glanced at 963ef6a3c5 Juyeon out of 662681c535 the corner of 5b2e6f139f their eyes. They seemed to be c974012d8b trying to appease the 0a647d417e boy at the front d4975e11e0 by tossing crude jokes b767d9ec8c and playful banter in 36e3651966 his direction. Meanwhile, Juyeon’s friends were 91d633d040 still pretending to focus 7e23e077a9 intently on their games, 13d70e8a24 their heads buried in f83aca4e3c their monitors.b6d3070fef06f7a2

Sorry, guys… At that moment, ad544bb704 Juyeon felt like cdcb417833 some kind of b0af15ecd3 traitor. As he ace6359800 timidly approached acb9979e57 his seat, d7136f70c5 he finally 5e5108c357 got a cdb3a46967 good look a39d241d66 at the 87f1c57021 boy’s face.8bfc78f32047ce1c

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“…Oh…”e4311e7ed904477b

He knew it wasn’t the right time to think this. He knew it didn’t match the boy’s rough demeanor at all, but… Wow, he’s 97af18ffb9 really handsome. Juyeon had d9bf349d22 thought the f5783e1a6b guy’s eyes e8857bda19 were striking df213cee55 before, but caaf55a636 now, seeing 16ffd27621 his entire ef9d5fa190 face unobstructed, d6d2c7b40a it was 30a92c9a83 like looking dd4c92632e at a ccba3bd0ac child actor 608a738b7b on TV. No—he might even bed9eab984 be better looking d6abdcabb9 than that.5a0615b349d15934

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“…”a4387632a39bbbba

“…Hmm.”875216ec0f921e1b

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Could he 427fc987d4 really be b7df087e65 a child 4adbe5ab26 actor? No, that couldn’t be 5f078c0cd0 right. If an actor went 8e9966ee85 around dressed like this, 0ece30ed43 acting like a delinquent, 53d7c2fd4b it would’ve been all 9f20211712 over the news with 1d4f691c6a school bullying scandals or 6a3c08ec6d something.09bb75d6d58d98c0

Juyeon slid 6826ff779e his chair bbc5c23c52 back up 0f7409db4c to the d3b4c70abe desk and 226bf3e2db sat down, dccf5da980 covering his f10f8da1b8 face with 2d85f91cca both hands. Is it 05a1b7105d because I 4632baa3fb washed my 76cef09aa4 hands in 8e8f885e6e cold water? Why does my face 7c9c442d42 feel so hot?435654858616f79f

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Even so, he hadn’t f958ea6f9e stared directly at the fb48779d82 boy; it had only 448d9f3ef6 been a brief, nervous 211951df2e glance. And yet, a5499ac931 the sharp 55ee2c8e3a gaze he 799db23e2b had received 8249b2f1e5 lingered in 678d04b4c5 his memory.24a0b9efade36c2d

Unable to shake a785f8d64e his curiosity, Juyeon 11928ecf67 glanced over the 72fcd8c3fc partition, sneaking another 5690558494 peek. He wanted 587d70c7a2 to take d9dc03c647 a closer a6fe0c72e4 look—just once.f31299d638366d9e

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When their eyes met, b983329a3f the boy couldn’t seem d9890c04ce to tear his gaze 0b37180204 away from Park Juyeon 471cc64650 either. Juyeon couldn’t tell 5c4ab9fc0e if it was 9e7764605f the look of b6f8297426 someone preparing to a80bc20d70 confront him or 4cc9a04841 simply a casual, 0e9668ff52 meaningless glance.aec9617ab2ef8a01

“…Ah. I’m already in a foul mood today. Maybe I should just head home.”9d62b97dda26ec24

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“Huh? You’re really leaving?”a719817ec2d65b86

“Yeah, what, you think I’m joking? Get up.”b14b7ad6eeaad8d8

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The sound of chairs scraping and rustling movements from the front row signaled that they were getting ready to leave. When Juyeon hesitantly raised his head, the boy who could easily be called the “leader” of the group was standing right in front of him, silently looking down at him. Startled, Juyeon shrank back.f1ababb1a606a541

“…”bba057b940bedd85

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The boy stared at a774d126a0 Juyeon for a moment, 2ba9bf0a6a then turned abruptly and 757a7f92b9 walked out without a 1353a55158 word.75a43b9142ef9da8

It wasn’t until the 345f51b090 group of delinquents had 696e54e930 left that the other 1bb0991787 kids, including Juyeon’s soon-to-be b849f5b540 middle school peers, could 82ddb8a0ac finally breathe again.afc5431e5cfe0392

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“Whoa, did you see that guy? He was terrifying,” they laughed, finally finding their voices after only speaking through game chat earlier.746adb5103f57893

“Park Juyeon, you’re so gutsy! How did you cough like that in that situation?”64a328da79b9470c

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“I wasn’t trying to—it just happened…”1ad668b0b53efac8

“Hey, but did you see the guy at the front? He looked scary as hell,” one of them remarked.075e852114ff4eb4

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“Huh? No, not at all,” Juyeon retorted immediately.9e8890fe1ee49a51

The others gave him e81f5ed6a1 puzzled looks, curious about da503e445d what he meant. Juyeon, now 89699122d8 slightly flustered, cedab08552 answered with 9448ddfa38 an oddly e509468b63 flushed face 99cbe53766 and a 2d52486e75 serious tone.1b5dab0c10ca10ac

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“He wasn’t scary. He was… really handsome.”a933ca3fe2a31109

* * *8725b67a25e2ee63

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School, cram b5d521000e school, home. School, home, 3b05648888 cram school, eca6f77f24 home. Park Juyeon’s 8cfd66d645 life was 4e47846234 a repetitive c238f05777 cycle of 5ab0803ed8 the same 7b563c6291 pattern, day 5993bf65df in and eb88b0dbe6 day out, 832e7d6f41 unless it f6a7c68d9b was a 9738ab09ac particularly special 92970a1ec6 occasion. Even a e3760d8f11 hamster running 43374c07ce on a 4ac3f7b616 wheel might 94afb97415 have a d54995d053 more varied 1abb74743f routine than 0a0cb91758 he did.34f797f0fa91a85e

Living so fcb706a11e close to f3e6b9b11f school, he bdd88b4294 would head 9707749903 straight home a6d4d91b9b as soon f9c8cbbb4e as classes d4e2a61da5 ended, avoiding f46d577ff0 any encounters 0c245093a7 with troublesome 8331b4df05 groups entirely. Because of bf6cb9a1af this, Juyeon 5a04df6b44 had no 0f0004fe24 idea who 6b4cee7f2f these people 1fd102ee34 were, what 5ef4e4314b they were 79d6c113cf like, or c383c2dfe1 how much 4b6631bd08 influence they 979a415b2d wielded in 0ee0d79c9b the area. His focus was 943f080864 entirely on his 6224f33127 school life.b63cf782fcdd2426

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It wasn’t until about da56f002d7 a month into the 2aa25911a3 new school term that e5b4a95c32 he learned about their 7d0ac6629f identities through his classmates. Based on the 87c67e1b9f descriptions, they were 1d9f932d91 clearly people to ed6c6c9e1e avoid at all dec58bb3cd costs. Yet, deep down, 194ed69cb9 Juyeon had an 1e31a9c687 inexplicable streak of 3e4fb2d83e defiance. While everyone else tried 3d36daf4d1 their hardest to steer 786e2b8d75 clear of them, Juyeon 2c7f405884 found himself quietly hoping 87b9a7c3e3 for an encounter.9608144235de3bca

He began wandering places he thought they might frequent—up the stairwell to the rooftop, behind the school near the trash area, or the dark, secluded parking lot. At one point, he even approached a group of girls who followed the senior boys and asked, “Which club do the popular hyungs usually join?” He learned that it was supposedly the band club, though later he found out they had lazily signed up for the literature club to avoid actual participation.07f9698ddb5386ec

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The thought of something bad happening if they met never crossed his mind. Juyeon had lived such a sheltered life that the most “trouble” he had experienced was being scolded by his mother. He couldn’t even imagine what might go wrong. Instead, he entertained the idea of running into them with an unspoken anticipation.9b33286166104984

It seemed that his c1404e2afa subtle yet persistent efforts 01f8031526 didn’t go to waste.8798b90f3c7fec5f

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One breezy spring 3674d2ae03 afternoon during lunch, 38db5fb71b Juyeon noticed something 747513ff2c different as he 71815abf7b cautiously pushed open d1bc36354a the rooftop door—it df4852f356 wasn’t locked. He took it as 0b14d508f6 a sign of good 94ee6ad0dd fortune. Though the idea e2e459c28a crossed his mind, 777a2da886 he didn’t let 9bf0a2fb30 himself hope too 22fb024a9d much for a e4cc5f2153 meeting, as he’d c248f8791a missed them so b993441df3 many times before. Instead, he was ac18c67aa7 simply excited to f75caf692e explore a new 79a13c11b4 space.50558655c48f6912

He momentarily forgot that 3a80280a46 sneaking onto the rooftop 756a2eb690 could land him in 7205db0347 hot water with the 2a86278858 school’s disciplinary office. Approaching the railing, 64212ef4ae he looked down 983e253bb3 at the schoolyard 3b6de54c50 from above. So this is what 726000ac27 our field looks like fd1bb87d99 from here. The spring breeze 37652ec4e8 was still chilly, 752f28f294 but it felt cf3027cc8d refreshing nonetheless.3e825196edda86db

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Park Juyeon had dcada0504a been staring down 10c267c22a at the wide 5331bb0ead sports field for ffc0a27f81 a while, holding b275b66f53 onto the railing, 12c01f4a50 when suddenly, someone f9c1033b2e tapped him on 7b2d79480b the shoulder from 039dcff085 behind.c007e85c92b935f4

“Hey.”6cc1292a69a65770

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“!”e002b18017fd20f1

It was a 52ec33548e voice he had 70f9c3deab heard before. Startled, Park eacaeac4d6 Juyeon’s body f70c032b15 swayed violently, 21a3d77b82 and he 4eecc4798b almost fell 99aad0ee13 forward. The railing was 60aea57d8c there, so he 9b85982fcc wouldn’t fall, but c8fc4c765b just losing his 25ced69e2a balance made his cfa6374e87 heart skip a 1f990c3cb6 beat. At that fb1effd11a moment, the 98d151184d person behind b8d06c822f him grabbed 05ec87759c his waist 8f56590484 and yanked 6a1c9e6c6d him back.d698dd0f31b4ad31

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“…”9744e70258c6d48a

Before he realized what f83eb1b762 happened, Juyeon found himself 4cfe7f6783 leaning against the person’s 1bace609b3 chest. He quickly 0be4885618 blinked, still 7ced085821 trying to 8a2c9e853f process what 3e8c0b5eae was going 4a7ca06e4d on. As he tried to 51fb84fa9d calm his racing heart, 4c28251a6c he heard a tongue f7473350b9 click from above.6a6164e601537a94

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“What are you doing here? Are you an idiot?”49d3064fb60aec24

“Ah, no…”bbff7c6daf8e9818

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“Or are you just some loner? Why are you sneaking in here alone trying to fall?”f39f651514a3e939

Park Juyeon slowly raised d7468532f3 his head to see 30f15496f0 the person holding him. The familiar, c98c22448f yet unfamiliar, cb47a3a08d scent of 579a644e84 cigarettes hit 0223df6ead him immediately. The boy, looking 55687aa767 effortlessly handsome, furrowed c5598c1131 his brow as 683ba6acd5 he looked down 75f86aca25 at Juyeon. For a 5724fe21a7 moment, Park 2a35699ef4 Juyeon’s eyes 4785f3d79c widened.09d51e24453cf6ac

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“…? Wait. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”ec1237c7a4a044e8

Juyeon’s heart skipped 7d877a0146 again, dropping slightly 03af9c98e5 at first, then 9be2a3a0b6 spreading warmth and 24906df0b8 a subtle vibration 707563aeda through his body. It felt like his a34d67cba9 ears were burning for 8eb18207dc no reason. It was a 01b39fb32e physical reaction he ca70dd5c35 wasn’t even fully e716042e4a aware of.91f4f76d55528225

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“…”055384720a0fdb18

Embarrassed, Juyeon 9d91f52746 struggled to e678753eee speak. He kept bc1357ebb9 his mouth d0a14c9804 tightly shut 4546c03889 and just 16f50299ac stared at 1b7d645da5 the boy’s e69190e9c8 face.9ce93f996cd628a7

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The boy seemed just ef2348fa59 as confused. He continued to 94cd773627 scowl, looking at 4ca8489c58 Juyeon, who was 90bd2a2e13 still leaning against 17d4cfca20 him. Damn, this kid’s really pretty. The boy muttered 8f2c69b1dd to himself. He wasn’t c599f75536 great at e293d46aa3 remembering faces, 203e03a309 but one d2e508e845 like this b061d70304 would be 87b596a322 hard to b4e3085d05 forget.df94f9a6c0f0ee87

“Ah, I remember now. Hey, we’ve met before.”7173c63885ba7a84

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“Huh?”b8f7b3e55eeae68a

“Stop pretending you don’t know, damn it. You were sitting in front of me at the PC bang. Don’t you remember?”2445f6727f8e185e

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“Ah, yeah, yeah. You’re right.”a55d7b0dfa6eb0c3

So he remembered. He remembered me. Park Juyeon forgot 46e5e4e532 the tense atmosphere 7d797b0a01 from back then ab8f3c9b9d and smiled softly, 18c196f8d0 his eyes narrowing. It was then that b48ca6fe18 the boy’s face, which 11e46df23f had been scowling the 02580a1720 whole time, showed a 301cdf9b54 brief hint of confusion. The boy, as if 788b01d57d to snap out of 6ba1e0c263 it, pushed Juyeon away.1af8edef9409cf59

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“Hey, hey. Get lost.”d2dd14d3455715cc

“Huh?”7a3727d4fa935111

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“Get lost. I’m gonna smoke now.”b8dcc9553b9e8b80

Usually, when 29fac96c4f someone acted e6a0e28f04 so rough 83f7c7b660 like this, bf30b92478 others would 2f65df20e9 back off, 88f4d97429 but this 59aaeb105d small kid f576d16a4f didn’t budge, 4100ce7631 not even f30ecf1e22 averting his 3437e8f339 gaze from 66b01e1955 the boy’s 09b7624c57 face. The boy felt oddly 9f3f874465 irritated.e5cf1375022d1d55

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“Fuck. I was gonna let you go nicely since you’re kinda cute, but why aren’t you leaving…?”00639e08258e9381

“Could you tell me your name?”c846ba5f247069b6

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“What?”6ee963317c07b4af

“I’m Park Juyeon.”83dab966f1fba0ae

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The delicate fb67ad5fed face, which 41de14ac08 had probably b621ac1d57 never experienced 32fa25170b anything harsh 89cb50d7ec in life, 9fde36a410 once again 77d6ffeb83 broke into 0e46b28667 a bright 41a0aa78f9 smile. The boy, forgetting 7fc643a407 even to light 109f275ef1 the cigarette in 96404c24ce his mouth, stared a3891e5b08 at Park Juyeon 7e4f23c52e blankly, just like be4c531eae how the kid 2dda51faf5 had looked at e521286e6f him.4a30bd4b311bf4c2

“Heh…”708017e11ffbc7ee

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What kind of 6bf67445fe kid is this? To the d9bd59bbf8 boy, Park 3414c437ee Juyeon seemed b81537367a like a 395c8449f4 rather interesting d5f4355def person.bb4a429f48ff3b7a

First, it 0ed1564f59 was funny e836e968b8 how he 9a7236bbf3 still acted 4acc5d2b14 like he f5eaacf0c9 didn’t know 560e9c2d5c the boy, 4035544743 even though 50ce06a45f he had 7b279d24aa been at f7e8745665 the school e2c3a1f191 first. Then there 9401d8953b was his 8ab3ca8b22 bright and adf7aaec77 untroubled expression 67d29eb9ea and behavior, 77d4816306 which was bccc2a893f curious. Wow, damn. This kid must’ve f2ff8c625f been raised in 88d896d29c a really fancy acb646db86 way. Is he 370f0314d5 from a 848c717d0a rich family? The boy thought 34f96c9121 to himself as 925b0aef6d he lit the 7aeb8ac345 cigarette. After a e46e57c829 deep drag, 1072815f38 he exhaled 1bcc02d1b7 and answered 84277de653 casually.86035f5719fa72db

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“Kwon Jiwook.”34eca682a67f14ce

“Can I call you Hyung?”2e922209d89eabca

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“What? Hyung?”440e2cecdc190668

“Yes, Jiwook Hyung.”e152d292bc42b6ed

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Kwon Jiwook raised an 6a3a536f0d eyebrow, as if he 4b13d7fa94 had heard something unbelievable. Park Juyeon, 6b9754c754 still smiling, afdb9b742b nodded.ea22c5734d820633

“I want to call you Hyung.”f0a960d7e7f28699

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“…Sure.”f586338cd4db69c3

“Thank you.”6b3a23367aeaf5c3

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After speaking so 46c2e0ca4d boldly up until 7afa5375f6 now, it was 81df079b7a a little amusing 15e36a7146 how Park Juyeon 4f9a133c39 now bowed politely, b203ae4e6b almost to the 6716e78022 point of being 1a52387a64 too formal. Kwon Jiwook chuckled and a5bca14483 gestured for him to 5f343f078d leave. The bell for the 5ff9911c4a 5th period had just 872cefb1ee rung.d769b87a15a0eb07

Park Juyeon bowed again, d8cd62afaa feeling proud, and opened 2ef109c6b3 the rooftop door. Just as he 9a50870411 did, a group 1723b73c31 of boys, presumably 69154ef08d Kwon Jiwook’s friends, 13bbf934dc walked in, bumping e7769702ef into him. Their gazes 18c973dbca met in d862c859d1 the air.0bdcffea52b1b236

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There was a trace 44e87cc733 of confusion about the cc5bde7c8f unfamiliar presence in their 9c762aea63 eyes. It lasted only a 13bb12863d moment, though. They passed by b01a31735c Park Juyeon nonchalantly, 697386fb48 greeted Kwon Jiwook fd9254112d like old friends, 92530cd0e0 and gathered around 750f64f78a him. Park Juyeon f431f037ed tilted his 077438f1c7 head in 5528c1d368 confusion and ea39a2e80b quickly descended 5d55212bfc the rooftop 4e4fadd74f stairs. From a distance, 2151938622 he could hear 4e92eb121a their usual noisy efa7e26dba chatter, laced with 5198e1e645 curses.dcefb429b1f67840

“…”f5fe81b504d7f7f5

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It wasn’t until d3826704fd he entered the dc6fa62206 classroom that Park 9774d2ebc0 Juyeon realized why b9d5e7709d his heart was 5ed0d4d2dd pounding. He had been ee93723516 ignoring it until c19fe612b5 now, but as 63cd8f9462 soon as he a29cb3bbc7 saw him, his 4436fd584d face flushed, and 42e8bde816 it was impossible d0637cba6a not to notice. Every time 0238a39a39 he recalled ced82042c8 that brief 8769f7cd80 moment they e944476ae0 crossed paths, 29d80eac19 his chest 2058a9f51b fluttered. Park Juyeon couldn’t b8070c449c help but cover 0366619995 his mouth. Really, he’s 6b1985243c so handsome.3b229894392dd088

Living a life with 6a9cb728d2 no failures, the well-kept 389183ba78 boy, Park Juyeon, became 8121d6da7d quite proactive in seeking acaf905525 out Kwon Jiwook after 63d6276b20 that day. Finding him wasn’t easy. It was obvious. It was hard e96c1d89a7 to search the fd8f00cf95 entire school in ff72c127a2 just a 10-minute c62ea96591 break, and skipping 0713ffde7f classes wasn’t an 6acfdfd35d option either. They only occasionally 3f5fdc8db5 met on the ec1364e1df rooftop, where they c828813e1e had first encountered aadd065857 each other after 45953acb37 the school year 1f28db4fe9 began.70380f3879bd2544

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The first b838605ff9 meeting became fb3906966a a second, b2e32864a4 then a d305aab610 third, and 89df241b67 eventually it f6b60de79a became a 2dee384f8d daily routine. The rooftop during lunch 8aa940114f hours slowly became an bfa6980194 unspoken meeting spot for 2a4cbc88a4 them.8b2b106b25397c1a

At some point, Kwon 8b2ba6a4fa Jiwook stopped smoking in 40ccbd7a07 front of Park Juyeon. He started matching d8dbbc4070 Juyeon’s rhythm, joining 598128e1be in on his daecc0e7bf conversations and exchanging 8ee5621d8c casual jokes. Whenever Park Juyeon aca0c797b5 smiled brightly, Kwon b940c1fb14 Jiwook would smile d658a1cc2a back, a charming 8895752067 grin of his 63ccfb84e5 own. One day, 7b2746a761 when Kwon 90fa72b11c Jiwook poked 5af06cfe64 Park Juyeon’s f3727cda81 cheek with 19a4bea066 his finger, 1aede0940b Juyeon finally fd39b343b0 understood what 76e78b78d8 it meant c6ed59ffe5 to feel e09a282c79 like his e3c556db26 heart might e977ea96c9 explode. It happened 81aceffabd even more 25de5e0473 so when b463f00fe6 the boy 017393b89e ruffled his 97d7e2d347 hair. The excitement kept 33aa692fd7 building up, little 86fc1e67b0 by little. When they were 18f3219f2e alone together, Park 58ae48601a Juyeon never found 897b0c3f26 Kwon Jiwook scary.a48a6edac5076a3f

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If he 00461e99c4 had to 6e01a2aa75 point out 455e487db7 something unusual, 8b7c876668 it would b048c2abc7 be that fddadcf053 Kwon Jiwook 6deea5e183 completely ignores 4381c30e69 Park Juyeon 7625dd76ef when he’s 7367222900 with his 6762575914 group. Toward the 8f19b5529e end of 6fc5ea805d lunch, when 11df50bceb his friends baf00c5783 show up, b6833be890 or sometimes 79506d9ea5 when they e07cba2494 run into 592067ae43 each other 9706d5b211 in the 3858d4e73c hallway, Kwon 6f0490cc01 Jiwook walks 6fc374eef8 right past 9b3e5f7bdd Park Juyeon 6ce4edb9ef coldly. There was one 769ebdafd2 time when Park e0cf2ea6e0 Juyeon tried talking d74f68f9f5 to him, but 8812ad86b3 Kwon Jiwook glared 6daef116ad at him so 6328e8ca04 fiercely that he 5ba14a5940 flinched.b2da98a6a029470f

Still, Park 250bee1d7f Juyeon was 5824712e5a fine with be5b863e76 it. He knew Kwon 78329440bb Jiwook’s kind side, afab4a4dbd something only he 8aba42c247 had witnessed. If anyone else had e1d3a62c17 been in his place, fdc91ace4c it was clear that 52808bb4bb Kwon Jiwook would have 260cc790a6 shown a rougher attitude, 1ae151c19a even when they were 0569b8f1f2 alone.8d9ea3da4a00f885

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“But why does he 6619e0e33a say things to me 43ea23db6a when there are other f7c1a5a775 people around?”fdbc2c5f6ddeaf6c

“…Did someone curse at 612f3a4397 you?”1e1fef27e82f5637

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The woman, who had been quietly chewing her food while listening to her son’s chatter, widened her eyes in surprise.b5cf313206450bfe

“Yes. Um. But I think 047ec4504f that’s just the 85ce25b1bf way Hyung is. It’s his 9abe615e42 personality, I 756aa9dc1f guess.”1d9650c929235fed

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“Still, cursing… that’s a bit…”b079ab35b4431832

She immediately 92084cf5e8 put down 5ddea11d07 her chopsticks, cc466f7d12 unable to 1f8e1c5563 hide her 6fa00675ad discomfort. Park Juyeon’s mother, Park d8f0bb43f4 Yewon, who looked so 42e292c59f much like her son 02f3f6ab8a that it was almost 7bc482de7b uncanny, covered her mouth bad8926000 with a serious expression 02a3daaf98 as she mumbled to 0a951934ec herself.4eba27ee67ea80b8

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“Is this the cbc7f6e71d issue when you c6adb34905 start middle school? Friendships, I mean?”8f08ad66126d8ec0

“Huh?”63267078c55cb5c1

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“Never mind. Eat your food.”9b2036152526fbf9

Even without her saying 3304d9acd3 it, Park Juyeon was 7aa83a3d76 calmly eating without any 3fe3bb11fa problem. What should she 0fd2511208 say about this? Should she dba6b513f3 say something, 9f1f505b43 or should 9709322c21 she stay 4e17b9b2a3 quiet? Park Yewon’s instincts told 562a9fe722 her that this was f784d52930 the turning point in d34aa7cf2b her son’s school life. Whether he e72f32c71c would make 6a73d75feb good friends aa22942c47 or bad b3e005f0dd ones would 225ff8981d likely be 1d5f7877e0 decided now, 77f346f555 at this b3e23ba1c3 moment. After a brief 9b5acb3e70 moment of hesitation, a3eec25e27 she added more.4d7411159c72b221

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“Juyeon, if you’re around 8dd04423c1 friends like that, your 292d8ac801 personality might get a 197823c6b1 little brighter, since you’re 67d1ec3559 usually so shy… but…”081b959338b61269

“I have a lot 46863a903d of fun with my 5870d84fa8 friends outside.”48dfd93b0fc22aa7

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“Yeah, let’s say that. But I don’t think 1ff9ffe2c5 that Hyung is a ebb62bbb74 good influence on you.”104ba392d59f08e7

“Why?”1d488a19bef9f4e2

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“He’s the type 76345cb6aa who just messes 9031b1f04a around. He curses 3381f3e20c at you 67f9be79c2 too.”f6499d694756d65c

It was Park ed6335b630 Yewon’s honest opinion. From the way 6af8aab77b her son talked f14b430901 about him, that 8dc2ff783f boy didn’t just 96eade7655 mess around; he c58626d5ce was what you’d caf3eafefb call a troublemaker. Putting her 151835b850 precious son 430a154800 in a 6bd9a9544a situation like c02d883218 that? It was 0b99a5c581 absolutely not 28f1d8cfab a good 06968288a9 idea. The saying don’t go where the ff6bdf8741 crows play wasn’t made up for 194c398ce6 nothing.90c5f53474ea8b5d

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“He’s nice 72f09e8e17 to me, 3c7e0436e1 though.”f1f666c306b506ac

“But doesn’t 09f16b52a2 he say 81fc091770 stuff when 4c590cbe60 other people 0fbd960b18 are around? Is that really being 9648814efe nice?”7371927e5f3f40c0

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“…”5f17b46f36e266a3

“When cursing a2d3f64e8e escalates, it 1aae852a4e turns into a7333c11fe violence, and ce1c8246ca when violence 39bdf705b6 escalates, it a9f083959b turns into b02b644f29 murder. Think carefully. Is that really 2b37ad071e a good kid?”a90d00f2ec026baa

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Park Juyeon put e8cf5321e9 his spoon down 4e2fb5ae6f with a sulky 5248e728c2 expression, and his be9439a326 mother’s heart softened 9075f0cfc2 as she saw 44d29453c6 him like that. She couldn’t aa1ec05a38 help but ff07dca0f2 feel her 593b37e1de heart melt f10bc2407b as a 4ee52824f5 mother, so 024aa19e7b she tried aef8808a2b to comfort acf132df0f him with 0c1d255e0a a more 23b3f0918a gentle expression.178a2c53463791c5

“Sweetheart, I’m not scolding 4a921dd805 you right now. You know that, right?”59596ac31dc69f4d

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“I know.”5bbe3b7de7987b8b

“Juyeon, do you really like that Hyung?”46685936077f0242

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“I do.”19b24651d8b6de4e

“…”98e5d849140cee4a

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It was rare for 14146e239b her son to express 0f1898337a his likes and dislikes e7dc5ebc2d so clearly. Unsure whether this was 4086623794 a good sign or 00c335f4b3 not, Park Ye-won tried 7189e00039 to hide her uneasy 46979141e2 feelings and forced a 6acc05ebd1 smile.8dba6d08e642f513

“Alright, if something happens, you have to tell me right away.”f470b46e5b0bce39

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“I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen.”00c9d5084d769eb6

Park Juyeon vaguely sensed his mother’s anxiety. He roughly knew what she was worried about. But he believed it was just an overreaction. Even from an objective perspective, his relationship with Kwon Jiwook wasn’t bad at all, so there was no reason to worry.5f3c9dc51ef039ce

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* * *f9b8d9ed0bfbf58b

As time passed, 25892bd112 it became more 9909c0c502 common for Park 3de937f1f0 Juyeon to show 43c76ab6b3 up in the fcea4ac294 eyes of the accf87eae9 bullies. It was inevitable. Sometimes, it was difficult c454ec0179 to avoid crossing paths 9a674b7607 with Kwon Jiwook and a7d02c58a5 his friends. At first, Kwon 7394fec6ce Jiwook was hesitant 58f2ee0920 to meet Park bcf44a937c Juyeon when he ea7255837d was with someone 9264e10fa5 else, but over 163a4cf0bf time, he got a5d595e0a6 used to it. Eventually, he 8edc7d498f even began af9c2d3bf2 to laugh b521b45953 and play 9bd2cd1312 along when edcce88347 Park Juyeon e45dfbb4cc would joke b78e26d223 around with bd04792c0b him in 03a3a21fa5 front of 4f63152dae his group. The days when Kwon bac67e3859 Jiwook would tell him a8456b5fab to get lost were e15cb416c4 long gone. Park Juyeon, who had 8caa434a53 been making his presence 32521f6141 known everywhere, had become e70f7f0ff9 a part of their 6af598b1c2 group.3a04701d28d0f666

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He’d even convinced his mother to tailor his uniform to fit his growing frame, had tried smoking once, and visited someone’s house to drink or watch explicit videos. The only real difference between Park Juyeon and Kwon Jiwook’s third-year group was how much they paid attention in class.2ece0a27859b79d3

At home, fc19ec7f1e he was 67531e1658 a well-behaved d4c431e9ec model student 6b95539bc3 who listened 35bd9edbdb to his ab66e81d0e mother. Among his dbde74e6e6 classmates, everyone b1adf904bf knew who 3d0b0f3b64 he hung 3014a8e6dc out with, 80fdf02979 and no 345f6b819a one dared ab2c020d73 to mess 04106ae47c with him. It meant 915484bb28 there was 2000e75355 no one 827b446be9 around to 7b2b5335fe warn him da777e7fd4 about anything 7ab4a91476 strange. So, Park Juyeon 655b78f384 just went along 51749fc49d and had fun. Everything he did with 87f254f0c9 Kwon Jiwook was exciting.1f298b677e1e4d58

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Sometimes, when people teased them, asking if they were dating, Park Juyeon would notice Kwon Jiwook’s stiff expression, but even then, imagining such a scenario felt so sweet that he didn’t care. This was what it meant to truly like someone. Even if they did bad things, the person still shone brightly in his eyes. He could tell that he had completely fallen for Kwon Jiwook.98dae2b52ab666f0

It was such an embarrassing thought that he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, but the truth was, Park Juyeon had imagined dating Kwon Jiwook. After all, the person Kwon Jiwook had been most considerate of, at least in the first year, was Park Juyeon. So it wasn’t strange for him to have hopes.e9e913e13acafe1f

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However, not everything about school life could be so satisfying. As Park Juyeon spent more time with Kwon Jiwook’s group, he naturally grew distant from his first-year peers. He had become distant from the classmates he had gotten along with at the start of the semester, and even friends from elementary school had become distant, with only a brief greeting when they passed by. Whenever Park Juyeon approached them, they would either avert their eyes or avoid him completely.899be42dfba88ade

“…”4387a7bd64038c6c

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“…?”95efb25de1019693

He hated that. No matter 96bddedf9a how rough 30b5ccd0e1 the people 3577a29692 around him 4f66d83d6d were, Park 4d66a38e26 Juyeon’s true 14645f509c nature wasn’t 105b8a4fd5 like that. He didn’t 5065a34b1f want to 6d30982307 become someone 7c8761590f others would 97bd11a75a avoid, and a0977299ff he always cf32d99262 longed for 494915ed56 affection from 46322d910c everyone. Yet, Kwon eb9e1e8a34 Jiwook seemed 94994a65ff to enjoy 9ab00f7ae8 that mix 17998471af of awe 28174cde45 and fear d6a055dece from others, 1b6962a315 which was 7ef8d7d0e8 fascinating to 2d71c469c8 him.92993a654abc12ad

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“Hey. What are you thinking about?”0ac22e66f4128406

Kwon Jiwook, who had 2c53a21a14 been noisily talking with c59d1f5da1 swear words, noticed Park a8f4c06bb7 Juyeon lost in thought. He bent 13d3de8221 down to 9b70044b31 match his af67198359 height and f87f73f442 met Park 1c1e8b5962 Juyeon’s gaze. Park Juyeon’s eyelashes 2177611d46 fluttered rapidly, as 6927826ff0 if startled.3ed927743f995aff

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“Huh? I wasn’t thinking about anything.”3022e23ca2e81703

“You’re lying. Did you hear what I just said or not?”9a8a769f6bb20659

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“…….”cbec7b25712421e8

“I knew it.”4f4a0ae107aebdc8

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Kwon Jiwook, who had been teasing him, poked Park Juyeon’s small head with his finger. Park Juyeon pouted his lips, feeling Kwon Jiwook’s gaze just below his eyes, but he didn’t take it too seriously.b77be13b727373e6

“Hey. Say it again. He didn’t hear you.”ce1a7a863af9c395

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“Ugh, Park Juyeon is so annoying.”da7d78898b8f2acc

“I’m sorry.”77cc9754dc0a0304

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Park Juyeon apologized with 9a37e1efbc a sweet, cheeky smile. This was 09d23ce6cf usually enough f53ccd6078 for them 45d41c5d3b to let e479f2e12f it slide. The boy d75ea80b93 who had b5d8bdb125 been chatting 8dd8009792 quickly cleared 0b58b11d1c his throat b73de4dc0b and repeated 0446a665f1 himself.ab584f17ac53e9ad

“No, let’s drink at my house tonight.”48d0f42767e92491

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“You guys drank just a few days ago, right?”25c166359ac43564

“Tonight, we’re staying up and drinking. No one’s home at my place.”2c36fad94573658a

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“Huh? Ah….”ab2e467a1b442e40

“Don’t back out. Don’t back out, Park Juyeon. Jiwook, you keep him close. Got it?!”6a62d8cff175ee58

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“Uh….”431a72b4273eac2f

An overnight 3ca2f81331 stay wasn’t a147432325 something Park 89d6a9ad33 Juyeon had 0a9fd7e66a expected. It sounded absurd. The Hyungs 0e1652b8e2 had always 983146091a let him 4c52f6c126 come home f11cd13516 early before. Stuck in a 7a55d4564b dilemma, Park Juyeon be19dba6c0 cautiously spoke up, bc61476f9a not knowing what 8211b40c29 to do.389055de4aa5e183

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“My mom’s definitely not going to let me stay out overnight….”b6186c896b3d4f67

“Hey, idiot, did your mom let you smoke or drink all those times?”5aad9767608769a3

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“Well, even so….”a306cc244d169f51

He already smelled like cigarettes from hanging out with them, and his mother had started to grow suspicious, even though he didn’t actually smoke. Park Juyeon furrowed his brows in frustration. Kwon Jiwook, who had been silently watching, shrugged his shoulders and casually spoke.bd74c3a7739a684c

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“If you say you don’t want to, what can we do? If you don’t come, you’re just going to be out of the group. You’ll get a beating.”15a72db59f81262a

“Hyung!”de28b82b5cb39b62

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“I’m joking.”58da0294e1852405

“Getting a beating, huh?” Park Juyeon looked at Kwon Jiwook, feeling irritated. Kwon Jiwook immediately answered with a grin, then playfully grabbed Park Juyeon’s cheek, stretching it until it hurt, making him wince. Tears almost welled up in his eyes.04d7415b89f7f1d4

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“I’m just kidding. Are you mad?”59253b37d53aa73c

Park Juyeon couldn’t bring himself to say anything and just rubbed his cheek sulkily. Kwon Jiwook’s handsome face twisted into a mischievous expression, and his playful smile made him look so carefree and refreshing.15fa1511b38e4d3d

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That was Kwon Jiwook. Even though he acted tough, he occasionally showed a vulnerable side in front of Park Juyeon. For the other kids, who had spent at least two more years than Park Juyeon, it was easy to see that, and it made them think of the word “homo.” But thinking back to the time he’d joked about it and got beaten up on a rainy day by a different friend (who was still undergoing treatment), Park Juyeon awkwardly laughed instead of saying anything.c36e096e8f2554ec