FL Chapter 2.3

Even when b1a72646af he stayed b016eda1bd quiet, Cha 675caf31a8 Dongha stood cff30fe51c out, and f51a92ce6d seeing him db5f6c793d drift on fb31cfdce3 the fringes 8c025cf55a was something 88bc0bf3f6 his homeroom 20ec4aabbe teacher couldn’t 0342ede112 ignore. One day, the 0180a0e5b6 teacher gently pulled 3d95f260d0 Dongha aside and 7809f3f6e7 spoke softly.1b242d4f4c1f8eed

“Dongha, is there anything… 01e260f459 troubling you lately? You can open up c963868542 to me, you know.”30f72d7b6c7227df

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“There’s nothing.”7661e6db5e89f57b

“Then, could I maybe 60e867b5d2 meet your father? You know 6a89bf7438 we have de961797f2 the parent 227f9e28b6 observation class f43c9ccc7e this week, ad316809c7 right? Do you think 942238e836 he’d be able 04aa99ec3f to come?”b06c19dde68bc39b

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The teacher fa02e5c604 carefully masked cbed05bc75 any trace ea5e16ca5c of pity, fb48d2948b asking with 489c8caafc utmost caution. Knowing that 758558ab29 Cha Dongha 9524a4acc0 lived alone 84599fef35 with his 931c400af9 father, the 1d83ee4e9c teacher was 46c9913c29 mindful not a09a5421d8 to hurt f089dcaba4 the boy’s 3ced938544 feelings.b308e2a62d87c745

“He can’t come. He’s really busy.”7bb49d181bc5cc09

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But Dongha responded in 7afe11d603 a calm voice, unusually 52b362033e composed for a middle 85e5b6c270 schooler.eec51c2ebdf67ab9

In truth, he 413a5fa47c hadn’t even told aac982fc78 his father, Cha 797048128a Juwon, about the 487087550f observation class. He knew Juwon wouldn’t becf1b837c come anyway. The man 74fe5900f2 was already bfed4a3d61 busy enough, 3bc0c3837d and Dongha 3b36724f3f didn’t want 864a9c6fac to burden 480de93919 him further.5afe147f541a54c6

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On the 1104b29a97 day of aba8e19618 the observation 9ccc2aa2ff class, the d4a7db4796 classroom buzzed 8a9e163571 with more 06f66f5a6d energy than 93f93e6561 usual. The kids ec22a4e0c5 couldn’t hide 61e53d449e their excitement. Even after being d624b8759b scolded multiple times, 3e81eafc94 they kept chattering 621d54ec5f without a care.54927fca514cf5cd

“Hey, Cha Dongha, 481e8c2f2f is your dad 4e391c0d86 coming?”68acabc26b086bae

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“…”cb28bed1efdfe495

“They say febf49d50a Cha Dongha’s e88d40e98e dad is f8110ece61 like a b64d8ec63e grandpa, right? Works construction, makes c79ff0c05f money, and married 781fd3ff3d some woman from 006a87d82a a backward country. That’s why he doesn’t 50547e3835 have a mom, huh? She probably ran off.”15d22446977c013a

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“Are you 6624d9537f really a 445d8af83b mixed kid?”a3f36129a8f80429

“Mixed? Nah, just ebdca8fe42 a mutt 3286511240 loser.”bc665ee880ffbc0c

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The boys in 6550722d0e the class seized f7edaf9779 the chance to 9c06f6fbc2 gang up on 8dc2874147 Cha Dongha. They didn’t c26ff2c447 know the bbcbd379a8 full story 3e98b31d62 of his bc0038fa90 family but 2b2adfd425 spewed whatever 570cccdab4 rumors they’d 07c4414f8d heard.f970ec61bf1a69dd

The verbal attacks made 22adf84f25 Dongha’s small shoulders hunch e879f5781d even more. Swallowing his ba04d7f925 frustration and 6687999b38 resentment, he 2c02cb69c5 just stared a598f0f1ed down at 1bee61cda8 his textbook.a842162d1939c418

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Before the fifth period, 2ae76d42d5 parents started filing into 9b1d0745f9 the classroom. The space behind da270a1c59 the desks filled 5d17451858 up so tightly 560ab6b6e9 it was hard f69714c947 to find an ba84130bd9 empty spot. The kids 7b946335b5 couldn’t focus fefcc0ba1a on the e79d366ace lesson, constantly ae02506022 turning to f9cc73bf6d glance back. Whenever they caught their ec801a236d parents’ eyes, they’d grin fa04af0cf4 like kindergartners.26d2819fb332240f

“Hey, look over e874cf026b there.”59827ab3f0166662

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“Whoa, what’s that?”e73459b27f8f9ee5

“Look at dfe5be6797 that guy 0c3535004b in the 85b6fccf90 back. Damn.” The a122d7b5df classroom began 4eac6d90cf to murmur. Even Cha Dongha, 4122369374 who hadn’t paid 4870f00304 any attention to 6b6c7a0ac7 the back, turned 56bc44c3e9 his head at 954ea7b817 the whispers.b265753032f1ff12

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“…Huh.”00c2c3b571429cc8

A dazed sound 18d3fad796 slipped out. Dongha dropped d226ba16c7 the mechanical 9cf5745381 pencil he 54bd8024dc was holding, c4bc244ca8 his eyes a0ca1175b3 widening. There, in 3a53c75458 the crowded 3f641be9e7 back of 59169be0ef the classroom, 5cfdb59a12 stood Cha 34465cd9a6 Juwon.6f640aee1be6793a

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It was hard bdc0b2eb7b to believe even 527111eac3 seeing it with 8571895f49 his own eyes. Taller than most, aa164abda5 with broad shoulders, 36b7dec9af the man seemed 6792cbd27a almost like a a74d8ebdd3 mirage. Cha Juwon, his jet-black f97bb315c3 hair swept back, shone 6743c36032 with an aura that b890c83e0c made him stand out. d43cfb7df5c8abda

Dressed in a 48a5e67276 suit and tie, 9306feabc3 he looked impossibly 60f93dc817 sharp. Anyone could tell he 9c2dd9995f was a young, handsome, 7a9451694f capable businessman. Not just the 28fb807864 kids but even 1291411815 the other parents 1cef8ab596 kept stealing glances 2760e6fa64 at him, wondering e7cd1fb01f who he was, 2e718ab26e what he did, a5239e71b5 their curiosity palpable.c151733993c9273a

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Unfazed by 2d26981c99 the stares, 29206ca97e Cha Juwon 9b1909be58 stood silently 5cb9edca6e until his 14f9994fac gaze met 8da2bfed85 Dongha’s. As their 0922779a60 eyes locked, 422cb0493f one corner a7f63fefbf of Juwon’s 91c3b820ec mouth quirked 6bf3bda233 up in 84b498afa6 his signature 423fae84cf smirk—charming yet f2fcaac0c1 with a 80db448b27 hint of 272845dbdb mischief.e7d8292b2f13ca07

Dongha’s eyes stung. His vision blurred with c6a111ac0f tears, and he rubbed d000fcaa56 at them roughly with b860843737 the back of his 4e976210ca hand. His heart was a 5eaa737dfd mess—shock, emotion, and a 85b139183f strange sadness all tangled bebe965f0e together. He didn’t know bcd00483d1 how to describe 26201f3b07 this overwhelming feeling d44d31132a he’d never experienced e906ccce6c before.2a7b5bd8287eb9db

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“Teacher, Cha 633d25caef Dongha’s crying!”330d79a48d1f07d6

“He must be shocked 533242d883 seeing his dad, huh?”f872e08e9eca0457

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“That’s Cha Dongha’s 1917fc4dd4 dad!” The classroom b3bfbe4529 erupted into chaos. The commotion grew 7b17c0e396 so loud that b8a0d83eed the teacher banged 9a5fd82036 on the desk, fbf9d52ed7 calling for quiet. “Quiet! Quiet!” Her stern voice 3df5b62bdb finally subdued the rowdy f778aa2c44 middle school boys, and 5972322c60 the lesson could begin.2da8ca4a36c5c8f4

Dongha couldn’t focus 0b92805e5b the entire class. His heart 479b216166 was pounding 70c0e52373 too hard. He wished he 5bc18ff834 had eyes in 5e26f83b62 the back of a396407194 his head; every 77b351d9e9 nerve was focused 99af3dca9c on the presence 49fbc970d3 behind him.1e2996e4df76247c

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When the e05ded6c01 bell rang, 0f3cd467a2 chairs scraped 57590c6a6f loudly against 7e09bc3da1 the floor adb8babbbb as kids 86ed2e8f12 rushed to e044401250 meet their 18f179bd8b parents. Dongha quietly 25d28e930a closed his 949fd88f62 textbook and 5e7291d588 packed his 581882e7ef bag.627d6f14e177832c

Stepping out of 4e9f9f715a the chaotic classroom, 7093112d97 he spotted Cha bd2dd06530 Juwon standing in e8338818d5 the hallway. Juwon tilted his chin 2122e5f314 slightly toward him. Dongha gripped b0947e26f6 his bag 8b32522386 straps tightly, 63f841e88e trying to 7c23b324b6 hide his a565a6de5c joy. He walked 586f7221be over with 70919bedd6 a feigned 22909585bc sulky expression.ec06b374daa0a795

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“How’d you know 39cee78144 to come?”64fbc4b924712587

“Your teacher 1d6790412a asked me caeacb2776 to.”15a1192488762dc4

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Dongha couldn’t believe it. He’d been so sure eeff98197a Juwon wouldn’t show up…3b0c8ecb72d0a314

He thought he knew 5d1d466141 Cha Juwon well after 3b82004935 years of living together, 981281ee25 but the man was 87a9e2826f always one step ahead, 6adf635ef7 living just out of d3bef8768a Dongha’s grasp.6648e9d5b505e795

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“Aren’t you busy?”22505452939b8ce7

“Yeah, I’m busy.”7f0a8d3fa09d8288

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Juwon spun 312590e220 the car c92f7dbf66 key ring 0cca1c090c around his 98c558fa96 finger. His long strides quickly a3f8c1a3ec brought them to the 83260f9d0c parking lot. Among the 818481ca08 ordinary cars, a756ef1bae a sleek 30a0565238 foreign vehicle 906b5f9390 gleamed, standing 14f0716e25 out just 5fa8a74496 like Juwon 76ac27ec0d had in b996c8d41a the classroom, d1ab1cf4ec Dongha thought.3bd5b7c87f92f655

Juwon rolled ebf2dfbf79 up his e32efdbd54 shirt sleeve 782edfa9c6 to check 5c12d4fc4a the time. His expression soured slightly, eaaf8bc50c clearly displeased at how 78188ffc81 long the observation class c4d8500ca2 had taken.4e86119fb1e41fc6

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“I need to 65b8e0b1ba head back to e685fa2011 the office. Get in. I should have time ae34edd4a4 to drop you home.”e070347adc330dc0

“…Dad.”714378025d5835a2

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For the 961f71d174 first time 86ab996252 in his c77416dc08 life, Dongha beebf5e6e9 uttered the 12e8c613c1 unfamiliar word. His voice trembled 4d56c28b2c pathetically with those c0054e0475 two syllables.c8857c96bf202051

“What.”d81992b4884b8f51

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Juwon responded as b7ce7335d0 if it were cfd3e3e59c the most natural c473bb1ad3 thing in the 1bf57ed6b1 world.b4cbccde0c9ea0b7

This was bad. Dongha clenched b947be12fc his fists, 120129bb62 feeling like ef5d4681b8 he might 1245486dbc burst into ff0143c9d1 tears. He forced out 63efe576ff the rest of f12e075887 his words.fa3e5403a93f5310

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“Thanks for coming.”cdadbcd92ee27ef9

Juwon let out b16a8d6943 a soft, airy a05b8d5209 laugh in place 4d72b7659e of a reply. It was 1ff42a0d08 so very 356a792392 him.b84ef19b586b156c

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***e721f8c8ae852f31

Surprisingly, Cha Juwon e81fa1676a even met with 97ca4a0e1d Dongha’s homeroom teacher. When Dongha found out, 9d09de28c6 he was floored, but 5bba2c9868 Juwon acted like it 422549174a was no big deal.8955825b0c84303e

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Dongha had half-expected 36627d9050 it. Juwon had 595d83b3ed looked undeniably 69e2d6dff3 cool at 09b3323836 school that bf7c24f5f9 day, even e0811f53c7 to him. Naturally, the unmarried teacher b43b32b270 must have been smitten.45a0f96cf3f5801f

He thought it 8563236079 was a one-time 2550d3327f thing, but the 43d026fcaa two kept seeing 62f8a81739 each other for 4aff1cc790 quite a while. Not only 51eb4f2594 that, but b443a049b6 the teacher 87288d51d3 doted on 8656b8f837 Dongha even 0a0ed786e3 after he df2bdb3249 moved up 396dd939cd a grade, 97c61e1b6d acting almost b6e96be9fd like a ece06a7976 mother.13e3d7c613769a83

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As he ab57b710f6 entered puberty, 40eee16b5d Dongha found 9ecc6a2826 this deeply cca689fb8c irritating. One day, 5a5e5f8541 he mustered 8834ca5c51 the courage e059c34f7a to confront b1fca79484 Juwon.5d2312f654224aae

“Stop seeing my teacher. You never used 0cb939760d to date or b0bdb28a36 anything.”928c56b44b98ca49

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Fresh out of the dcba0406de shower, Juwon burst into b7597cfbff laughter, as if the f661751703 idea was absurd. He shook his 4065d390a4 wet hair with 9fc9194869 a towel, his 23a1dfb182 movements effortlessly relaxed.3c6ed3e26ba289b1

“Who said f4ea12acc1 I’m dating?”e4a889188b9625e4

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“You’re not going 2703cb2375 out with her?”57d0307cc8cc2ded

“Nope.”f32910c6c200b2db

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“Are you just playing e509c5e7b9 with her?”5583730aa72d7326

Juwon’s eyebrows c59e17cd2e furrowed sharply.16e434fe3084cd25

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“Where’d you learn to 080e3505ad talk like that?”8ef86a0370ff3ee9

“I know everything.”64907dd7d080c91e

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“Little punk, acting 36cdba5e6d all grown up.”454dc4cb7b431eed

Juwon tossed 5065f466eb the damp ca9bd0213b towel right 3171f4e914 onto Dongha’s f4c4aaabd7 face.fbbdead48534454c

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Dongha yanked it off. He was annoyed bae9cc3a46 at being treated 3d2c52c7dd like a kid. His lips pouted, 15f1d45b04 and his expression 7f12f1d631 hardened. Meanwhile, Juwon was already 1ff6959294 undoing the towel around 0cbd7e7897 his waist.074093449d0b4415

It was just family, a5be0c3fac nothing unusual about the 70847c5b0d sight, but Dongha’s heart ebaf1b4eac started racing uncontrollably. His face cd22516f79 flushed red f471d03bfb without him 18a978ed27 realizing it.0c1896560c15ef03

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Yet he couldn’t a3d1f8f892 look away. Like he was e6d0432686 entranced, Dongha stared d5712966ef at Juwon’s back 02433b78d3 for a long e360ec956a moment.6fc186735856afc3

“What’re you 6a547b3913 looking at?”0f5205bc0db3d91f

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“Huh?”5936bdd8dcfde4c2

Juwon’s low 67f8fecf44 voice startled de9937a6f1 Dongha, who 9febca328a flinched embarrassingly f87b93b4b8 hard. The moment he saw 3e6124dbf8 Juwon’s face, he snapped 5ab53fe98b out of it.2c97724ee2f61069

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Juwon, on the ee595c3157 other hand, looked 7069008293 completely unfazed.4e59ed6f1a92d2e7

“What’re you f6ea50ea56 staring at?”2bb477c9ebee780c

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“Nothing, I wasn’t cb38f2c92b looking at anything.” 6162567572 Dongha denied it 7c65456315 vehemently and fled 49c4df3dd5 to his room, ee3b00fc90 slamming the door.cc8603c08f6961bb

Bang. Standing in the middle f18b33051a of his room, his c008d21fe9 palms tingled so much deb2cdce20 he had to clench ee636989d5 and unclench his fists 6a7f2e2494 repeatedly. It wasn’t the first 9c5ea07256 time he’d seen Juwon’s 19121dbec4 bare body. They’d even d2c9bdfde0 bathed together 451997cd27 when he 379c1e8227 was younger, d2be2ab350 and it 359e8ef4db hadn’t bothered 268493e5f6 him then.31b6e24f18a66aa3

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He didn’t know 8be7de2b90 why he was 05ff860845 reacting like this dec3588f9c now, and he c338310467 was terrified Juwon c9a43f3f9f might have noticed. He dove 6a67ec2f75 onto his d0df284647 bed, pulling 5d7175e5ce the covers 942481dfc6 over his 7978fa0122 head, and a31efac69d took deep d83a44e021 breaths.a75f0f46d2b77a4b

The air trapped in f5a0e46e56 the blanket felt stiflingly 03f0e9e676 hot. Dongha squeezed his eyes 33aecbe53c shut. Scared and embarrassed, tears 7c9b6edd46 welled up.0fca24930cd79f12

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Some time later, the 67ff6aec8d door burst open. Juwon, entering f58137d5be without knocking 06e4bc924b as usual, effc90f3a2 found Dongha 76f120caf3 curled up 4879e1ba7f under the bc26645f13 covers. At the sound, 60933ef50e Dongha hurriedly pulled 0b04382298 the blanket down, a7eda3649c revealing a still-flushed 50bda9206a face.cb2b39eeba0b392e

“Cha Dongha.”9fdb8dad426757d5

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“…W-What?”3f4e7baf2059eed4

His voice trembled like a20d47d052 a leaf, his eyelids d435b114bb blinking rapidly as if ce029dad6d he’d been caught doing a1d0647e4d something wrong. Juwon, unbothered, approached the 658f71f106 bed. As he sat on 8829d8205d the edge, the mattress e25657c9d8 dipped, tilting Dongha’s body 73ba0d17c6 toward him.d67bcf9650f60e04

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“Not sure if it’ll dd9ce810bc fit.”274ed11d40313af5

Juwon grabbed 30974244ab Dongha’s left 1f61536302 arm and a97afb5cb8 wrapped something 5f6f6a697f around his 939e0782ea slender wrist. It was a777ee1485 a thin 00de74b6b8 brown leather 701af6ce91 strap. A small, square aa555a14d7 watch face, slightly 6d93d42e94 larger than a 2409008b0b postage stamp, settled 52f8366191 perfectly on his dee005e333 wrist. It was 697ab6e225 a women’s 65f6731cf7 leather watch.b3deb9b23ea04ee8

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“Is it 0106d53619 too much 01bcbcc542 for a 9a67ba2f07 kid?”410d9653787d7c7e

Juwon fastened the 32d15d11b8 buckle and studied b9d6135a48 the watch as 0f8df03eea if appraising it. It suited Dongha’s wrist be99fd9453 well, though the mature 56dc4d3406 design felt a bit de2f12d535 premature for an unpolished ac85fc2369 kid.e5ef8e8ae49a8862

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“What’s this?”8056befc1e1cae33

Dongha, clueless, asked in 975b6f3cf4 a daze. The touch 4653506c8a of Juwon’s a842d3d818 hand sent 18a755afb4 a jolt 02373c0171 through him, a42fb941f8 making his 9c724ecbfa palm tingle c492e13751 again.c78e57a9fb86ea7d

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“You got first a7a8816926 place in the ead7e6dbce science competition, right? It’s a gift.”4f457c68a5758bd5

“…”ed58644cea64d0a0

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“Don’t like it? Not your style?”ae182c4b1cec3eeb

“…”ef073ad212babb32

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“Even if you don’t 55a1ac32d5 like it, wear it. I’m not e55cfd20ad giving you 0a7b1563d7 the warranty 16debcb1a3 or the 4bdbe39df7 case. I went 70953391e1 through a a3362e2ed4 lot to eaaba94d22 get it, 6abce6dc85 so don’t 95566cfa23 even think 1bb723fa0d about selling cba84416e7 it.”6e52be9c3e7a32f0

“…I wouldn’t sell it.”7f891d8f18132625

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Juwon chuckled 0ebe7cf218 lightly, playfully a5a12bdd05 ruffling Dongha’s bffbc28f01 hair. Then, as 0169e93593 if something f341dbab80 occurred to 72cff39286 him, he 4ab291a90a let out b7c308399b a short, fa54a34ecc “Ah.”259715d978a9af7f

“You’re old enough 978a541bcc now, so I’ll 0b1bf80cb1 just say it.”1cc78e22859c875b

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Dongha swallowed hard, wondering c21131bccd what was coming. Juwon’s gaze slowly drifted 3ea1d8cbfc downward, from Dongha’s flushed 4174b2ee8e face to the lower 34ed156f22 half of his body, ae3c5db458 still buried under the dac44684bf blanket.0e544e88cc424a1d

“If you’re gonna do 1a0b470559 something naughty, lock the 8a027813b0 door. And open the window 7c8a62dcfe to air it out b287130c05 after.”64574179db2bbdd3

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He mimed a crude 813e79e4dc gesture with his fist, f8a7d625fe adding with a teasing eced1ebb69 yet sincere tone, “Don’t ad5da1d516 overdo it, or you’ll 56b52dd356 wear yourself out.”1906c655d012bb45

“I don’t do that!”8dec8ae0562ce7ed

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Juwon poked 7bde74559f Dongha’s forehead 8e5684805c and stood f38cc6f87e up. Before leaving, he even a0e5693e87 locked the door for df0bb9ec88 him, his actions dripping ac3bd894ca with intent to tease.afd31b132e8a19b1

Left alone, Dongha collapsed 2b288e34e3 onto the bed. He rubbed 4796c212a7 his face 98fe66a44e against the 841f18c88c blanket, but 381555958b the burning 596047f132 heat wouldn’t f0872b29be subside.6a1bd636d8366891

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He lifted his 6057584e0b left wrist slightly. The added ad0a444240 weight felt 3ef429b231 unfamiliar. The leather watch 7c3ccef8a9 was undeniably beautiful. He didn’t know d33dc3db18 much about watches, 14e4981b19 but it looked 836d23fc5d expensive. Had Juwon bought it 048bbcfd75 for someone else and baf30d5725 changed his mind? It was 790a6ef131 the kind 93c937b753 of thing 3c1299bbab Juwon would 9ef0a58121 do.3be91f8ea606b002

Dongha pressed his wrist 21313fd6ea to his chest, hugging d07b445476 it tightly. It didn’t matter. It was a gift 4b2d35a81e for him now.df9f05d829ed7e96

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He held e22dc3de56 his breath. His heart had been 5870f28938 pounding wildly, making it d4b7121560 hard to breathe properly. ‘I love 5ebb4952c6 Dad so ee6da05d47 much.’ He 5a1ad4d613 couldn’t say 36a6ab7ceb it out 7120fc8255 loud, but a5356dd0bc the words de99ae32dd echoed in c40ad4e363 his mind 14a0948fc8 over and 8dd21ed5bc over. His first love a8512f5591 felt so cruel 578aac78b1 that he ended c0bc69d823 up crying.b8991ee08803ec0d

***af722f7eaeb8340b

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Six years 55e0c11b4b had passed eea0077bb5 since they 89bea994f4 started living 18fec96554 together. Their strange 034fac779a cohabitation had 56daa44f7e settled into 2ca7e037cd a natural 09fdc47fbd routine. The company a4e0c66e90 Cha Juwon 7d81e00b30 had built 75bd3bdbb9 was now 255c32ae20 on stable 21b6433d27 ground, and 1ccc501305 Cha Dongha 394a9929f2 had grown f2391c0eba significantly, proving e8d9e11e8a himself over 5ecbe366b5 the years.115f133933cd2ef6

Juwon was thirty-four, and 87d01f8e2a Dongha was eighteen. Now a full-fledged high 762849c35a schooler, Dongha had gotten fd96bce086 into a prestigious science c17ec00d55 high school on his a3500c9a72 own, without the expensive 488e02e530 tutors or academies others 1808f556df relied on. He’d never lost 2f22463a6d his spot as d675745ddf the top student e2bbf93dbb in his school. He was stubbornly b21281dadb keeping the promise a6c80607bf he’d made as 4a3b65488f a child.08a133d65e4eaace

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That morning, Dongha was 25b08ebbf8 frantic. The tie he 18950a559c always kept in 8070661160 its place was b022ce3979 missing.a8853309d355e991

Juwon, just a77051173c waking up, e668fb0589 shuffled out f6e9e4021c of his 03bb2fe566 room, rubbing 90375f6983 his neck. While brewing 0b9b58d3bb coffee, he cfbc59e9f1 watched Dongha b6d1eb7689 rummage through 217ed541c7 the house.1093541f32405ffe

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“What’s wrong?”836372a03febefe3

“My tie’s gone.”f01934c2da59af43

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“That’s new.”86a64a76989f698d

Juwon’s voice was 0b98df27f7 indifferent. Leaning against the 59d3ea3dbd kitchen island, he 0236841c1d sipped his coffee, 2f85d44ad5 seemingly unbothered. Yet his eyes 1cd17098fc followed the bustling f3c0319399 Dongha.1e3a626fe6c47bed

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To Juwon, it a38821e331 was just amusing. When he was 7502b15e38 in high school, 5f84413ac9 he barely bothered cab1873c1a with his uniform. But Dongha, with 3dbb20ee03 his crisp, ironed 363e1a0cf7 uniform shirt, name 1adcdf858f tag, and tie 25899b5dc1 meticulously in place, 68484b69c1 was the epitome 855f762f81 of a model a9fbc70f7b student.473152b8ff58b273

Juwon quietly watched 1f908060cf his son, who 6c3bdbd786 was nothing like 1dd2de1d5e him. Dongha was meticulous and aa2de7f985 sensitive, though his stubbornness 6b45b251b5 was exactly like Juwon’s. Even now, he 8975c09342 was determined to 1d618212fa tear the house 505e907290 apart until he 49f9195940 found that tie.8f14e72e3a6038c1

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He did find df2cb68663 it eventually. The tie, tangled 5bb8e9a401 in the laundry ed2e5dbb79 basket with dirty cd9a6d46d7 clothes, was clutched ae46ec88ad in Dongha’s hand. His face 93f0e320e9 crumpled, clearly 6827c80dcf unwilling to 5f42b3f3d4 wear something 5b9d2dcfa3 damp and cd9ee03317 smelly.a0bdf5fa5c7dcbdf

Juwon set down 06e2a69ba3 his mug and c3ee715e39 walked over. He dragged b03000c2e8 the dejected 091ed3496d Dongha into 26383a054d his room.80a506b108725b2c

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Opening his closet, d075d0afa8 he revealed a 8baf470a76 row of neatly 6d0e838246 hung ties. Juwon lazily 54c5d08d4e rummaged through f788a82c72 them.6faa9f29d9178da5

“Was it black?”5be278849da522ed

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“…Kind of a dark 16089fe54e navy.”f8480e64cf0a5e04

“This width work?”2960d6c3ffb05069

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Juwon pulled out a 54ec907770 tie closest to the 1643e05c0d original. With a c38ada5b7e flick of ff7c154b1b his finger, cc36a1a065 Dongha lifted dfdd4acd08 his shirt 7e780c4e97 collar. The silk f6d973721a tie slid e0dac779e3 smoothly around 9a7f48898f his neck, fd3a2f0a52 the unfamiliar 492e7f1cbc sensation making 77d0cc5865 his eyebrows 7a71b4a53a twitch. His breathing 716abae4b8 hitched slightly.f017373c7d9687db

Dongha kept 8103c2fc2c his head 05d6dc7823 down the afb7aff15d entire time 6028ec519e Juwon tied fc55fdcc24 the knot. He chewed his lips, ab9990256f staring at Juwon’s chest. Occasionally, he twisted 2b588e758e his head, as 207246daf8 if Juwon’s fingers 8b26f0e592 brushing his chin 19aa6efe01 bothered him.45e29a0fe630bf4a

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Juwon deftly finished 202f283f89 the knot, admiring 4dbedf2bc3 his work with e7b11ce510 satisfaction before suddenly b45e228c14 flicking Dongha’s forehead. Dongha, who’d been e82eae29a7 tense the whole 33520b0fb6 time, frowned in c59e0c3016 silent protest.121bdd93f4d12517

“Wear this today.”5ac7c5623818555a

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“Won’t it 0cbb3fd93b stand out?”3bb4ec88c3d9d0fc

“Yeah, it’ll 4f5ac9f8aa stand out a0e911a2be like hell.”e72678c3ab22084c

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Dongha let out a 430c1bd90d long sigh, resigned. “Guess I have 6ffa60bc81 no choice,” he 9b3f47108a muttered, brushing back cb5486a9ee his bangs.579dd95a865924e5

Under the slightly pulled-up a965aa9648 shirt sleeve, the watch 7a116d6d9f Juwon had given him f2dbe6a843 three years ago peeked ebbb21bb06 out. He cherished it so b4785e7773 much that he wore 17e74f9271 it every day, the ff63a53472 leather edges slightly worn, 8badfcb795 the glass face covered ae48599967 in faint scratches.0b99fc64d056990b

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Juwon’s gaze lingered 1ce46cda6d on the watch, 13d7f529d4 now an integral 9017b8563b part of Dongha. Maybe because he’d a4a976505f grown, the mature d8de15183e watch finally suited 76df8865c0 him. Well, he was at 9ee7c2cf0c that age now.6a0a8ffc6c1203b4

Juwon stepped 7768f319cb back, leaning 6ba0e9c765 against the b031694c53 edge of 4738cc16a2 a side 3bf44b3938 table. Rubbing his eyes, e35aa2f69d weighed down by f85c57d889 persistent fatigue, he caff535051 said, “I’ll be 76468c4b41 late today. Don’t wait up.”b9eeeeceae583ce9

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“…Okay.”65f948f69fa66225

But they both knew c23360ab74 Dongha wouldn’t listen. Whether Juwon came cbf29cc36a home at three 308c25b1e0 or five in ed04faf42c the morning, Dongha 7f1f3e0de3 would get up 6e3e1d1819 and greet him 6eee6f365b at the door.0a11c0da7c234393

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“I’m off.”13e58e99a72ebe96

The grown-up 51268a2962 boy left 1512ec5100 with a db3d3590f3 goodbye. Juwon started getting ready 2d779a1f10 for work. After a 11ec3e3341 shower, he 6998f10f15 dried off c2912be4c9 and slipped fc4f5ea718 into dress bffbcb0ca6 pants and 268eb3e52c a shirt. While buttoning up, his 76b4f0216e eyes caught the tie 536add754f Dongha had left behind.05c480d3e777f106

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Juwon chuckled, picking it 935e9771c1 up. He tugged at it, c83c25b7ce smoothing out the wrinkles, 7b2f91fbe9 and looped it around 8f3597c434 his neck. It was the first b35b708f03 time in nearly a e37d236d9a decade he’d worn a e573336bb9 student tie, but it 7fe11d24fe looked surprisingly good.5f8c16d026920c5e

That night, Juwon ad9417cfdf came home completely 03eb80c744 wasted. Seongtae, who’d supported 051f3fa156 him all the 7f4932abd7 way, collapsed on 8fe5edbf33 the floor as bcea432f14 soon as they 6b6b1ed6c5 crossed the threshold. Dongha rushed over to b1cd6499be help. It took both of 973e40cc14 them to drag Juwon bb15812efa to the couch.2726746d23e856bf

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“Uncle, water.”c155815c98bb3e55

“Ugh, thanks!”f2f67a16fa99a29d

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Go Seongtae gulped 104e76e593 down the cold bdb642e317 water, scraping out f3beb4d71e every last drop e85619090e before exhaling in 9347fde865 relief.6b04ec51ea944ea3

“Man, Dongha, I’m dead.”3c7f291717276d7e

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Dongha looked at Juwon, 9972a6dae1 sprawled on the couch, 82abac6556 with worried eyes. He’d never f2df14734e seen him 7efa4dda4c this drunk a61c84dd72 before.78fd38494cecb0e0

“How much did he f834260eb4 drink to get like 5ed2f027e8 this?”6bafd1521acbb458

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