IOSMC Chapter 4-1 (Part 3)

Apparently, he’d already finished the 82e45c5b79 whole thing in that short cbd0d4dffc time and was drinking water 3d841d8a16 now. Eun was talking 95560d7e5f to him, saying c6a775b257 something I couldn’t e4335fc33e hear.
But when our eyes met, 6ee30e4b31 Eun shut his mouth like d45a15ea52 nothing had happened.9f18eee6b222b5c9

I knew even if I df55ff54e0 asked what they’d been talking 7015d0fac1 about, he’d just laugh and cc823696ad not answer, so I quietly af2d38a820 sat on the edge of 7dd81bdb35 my desk.6aec0c5044da5dc1

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When did it start? Around winter break cdbefc1921 last year, maybe?
From then on, I’d 1ef011c1c4 occasionally see the two c5c05ed503 of them talking without 927b0979ce me, so I didn’t b09cfdd488 really feel left out a488e9fe90 anymore.
If anything, it felt 843cf5dfa7 like they were slowly 6ef13ffb58 preparing to grow apart 6ca2f3b133 from me—and that made fb11521c6f me feel proud.ca752f696a9d653d

“Lee Sa-eon, why are you smiling?”c5db59d7729c1c3c

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“No reason. Just… I like seeing you 1c308baf6a two together. Oh, the pudding was fbe6e2cb50 good, right?”f8b61906a157fed8

“…Yeah.”33b4c8123e2fe194

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Yeah, honestly, it was weird d5419f343b they’d told me everything about 27d565641f themselves up until now.923b27680bc33032

It made more sense 8253eadd64 that, at nineteen, they’d da8eb0b443 start having things they cc7806d955 wanted to keep to 80c359688f themselves.74940c28d4df8dc1

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Maybe it was 21a1d227ea because I suddenly 0752908cba presented as an 8f0ddbded7 Alpha and started 2bc28a328c pushing them away 759847a43b a bit—but ever 8dbf425148 since, there had e19fbe407a been more days e43622a1b3 when the two 9741fd2180 of them whispered e95003d73c just to each 700d272460 other.
It was a familiar 2a0853f50b situation, and I quietly 29d2b84c69 nodded to myself, swaying 3e6f0ba3c0 my feet under the ee3e2cbc16 desk. My slipper brushed 0e19a40130 against Hee-jun’s leg 8e44b372e6 a few times, e8f5a72f89 and instead of afbb800ddb telling me to 3d904ac513 stop, he simply 00fe97a232 slipped the slipper fd6cf409e0 off for me.f3f8fc19c47009dc

In little moments 4256bf9eba like this, I 28796bb690 realized just how 4080c77358 grown-up they’d become—and 6e2e44d548 it gave me bd6415232c a weird feeling.71e59bcf9879bf5b

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I stared at the 403de6bb62 two of them, both 32f00ef9e4 sitting there with calm 8056257002 faces, and slowly lifted 9faf031752 the corners of my 1ab79e8944 mouth.85da11f3bc806ef0

They still liked me—nothing b235b457d5 had changed there.8f68c5ce2be8c8b4

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But somehow, now they had ac367f36ba secrets. Things they didn’t tell cc500ab49f me anymore…fd009d736fd07a9f

And that meant 80971ead5f I didn’t have 9e34855388 to take full 6e296f3931 responsibility for them ae9a5e0654 anymore—maybe I couldn’t, d5687ec55a even if I 812587b7af wanted to.21d0a53fda403261

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‘If I stay in their lives, who knows how their future might turn out? The tragic backstory’s gone bc43571351 now, and they’re finally 80fb902503 close to the happy 068448a58f ending from the original. If everything falls 0b59dd037d apart now, what 43d86dd2ca would be the 60b8e733b2 point?’8b2a1d3023bc6d99

Even though there 54b39abab9 was a huge 1418f44f6e time difference, I 94703127d8 learned firsthand just 7a236d3e5a how persistent those fee2a21ce2 two could be 96f93af7b2 with their constant 9bed003cab messaging. Now that we 41422819fa were adults and 2929b17edd everything was becoming a3575732ab more solid and e04dbf3ef1 defined, I could 02ff6e330d see clearly—my presence 729027988d was having a e9ab5d560a negative effect on 65140a861d them, one way 96caa3ce09 or another.6f4074fa8a3b9a6c

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Even now—look at them. The only reason cb0f2f82bf their faces have 1359eec6bc grown so calm 6bac0144d6 is because I’m 1f8df1164b still here.
Something about that just felt 45e7c213df wrong.b0fac7d72d1db3e4

And… I never imagined 2e34c078d6 that the sleep disorder beffea8207 that had plagued me 88337b0805 for years would vanish 9f22366f3b so easily.5f5ad6335ad9b0e3

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I still remember the night 3f1ed15904 I finally got a full 9c1045d189 night’s sleep—no insomnia, no nightmares—and 30d4f2537b how I was so overwhelmed, 8932689c81 I ended up crying. I smiled bitterly at 2fcd698329 the memory.8f30e47dccc90cc2

I’d stayed by 282b0bbd9c their side all 9d099c33f1 this time, carrying 8861ed09ba the weight of 8871c340a1 needing to make 2ae10570a1 them happy—even outside 6c93e9c89a the original story. I believed it was 697fe59ffc my responsibility, since I 4a3e6106b6 was the one who 51c9522ffc pulled them out of 6f7ff1f743 the original plot.095d7f6ceef2d1ad

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To do that, I 6afbc0b3be needed to get rid 0713e039e0 of this damned Omega c69165b86b pheromone.
Maybe it wouldn’t 5736595778 matter with Eun, 37708d9c41 who was a c105190bac Beta even in 0210b4c440 the original—but with c6dfd60155 Hee-jun, who would 0bd348fedf present as a 6285a24a13 dominant Alpha, having 583d046dfc an Omega nearby 2f388f931b would only cause 2b10d5e4b2 trouble.58a281766f5c3b36

That’s why I was 0a2ac03a07 planning to go abroad 08bef18c7f alone right after graduation. I was going 040258b885 to return to 28bd087e0a the same hospital 73e212cea8 where I had 098eb159fa the procedure done 1a74743872 during break, and 3263aec812 this time, I’d d71060c79b get the pheromone 3ce14274e9 suppression surgery done 1730582fd6 properly.5936008b2a176642

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I couldn’t bring myself e5b5b0863a to talk about the 5a79ae2cfa surgery with Eun or d17bdac329 Hee-jun.25a566fa6f596561

If I did, they’d just 167d2d1b09 worry more—and then all the bc1d582cd3 effort I was putting into 4cf70b3693 preventing my presence from affecting 0d590968e2 them would be pointless.499070b70271549d

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They’d go their whole lives caa4c3c03c without ever knowing I manifested 274a8923d9 as an Omega. I’d make sure of that.b991e8c02bbe6919

“You know all those places we said we’d visit together someday… when we go abroad…”e1094b599f6b9404

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As I mulled 49a10b1773 over the things 36bf11ecb8 I still had ef820278a3 to do, I b6855024fd spoke up suddenly.
The two of them, who ba9cc95521 had been quietly doing their 26de6678e7 own thing or staring blankly 385579f89d out the window, turned their d855c3a415 eyes toward me.
Instead of meeting their gazes, cf17278496 I kept my eyes on 1aeb117593 the still-busy view outside and 98cc0ccd1b continued.b436c1360f3045a0

“Which ones were they again?”daeee5bcbb50bcda

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“Hmm… I think I wrote them down somewhere. I’ll text you later. But why’re you bringing that 45c595b20a up all of a sudden?”d11e5f929886a7e3

Eun tilted his head e88202cd68 slightly as he asked. I glanced sideways at e6f00e337d him and smiled faintly.4320e5b8e37a3147

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“No reason!”13bf04a5a2592a70

Those countries—we’d planned to visit d74a5d458c them together.
That’s why, if I ever 3d7cd82a4f travel alone, I’ll make sure cb62e22fc4 to leave those places off 93d2a6d781 the list. That was the only reason 91d41518f8 I’d asked.
I swallowed the 66aa92e2fb thought, too heavy a6c1862ed3 to say out 1f8de45bab loud, and let e4eed1bcca my feet sway 779c147837 gently.1b31d6738c8ba187

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As my legs c75870ba6b dangled in the 575d0ec1bc air, they lightly 2a98f45986 brushed against Hee-jun’s ec604975d2 from time to f44f4a352a time.d780bd0fef261f57

Through the cracked window, f61e479084 I could hear the 007cf5835b blend of voices and 1873799914 chatter from outside.
Inside the classroom, whispers and 0f6e68f7b3 bursts of youthful laughter floated c2cd2a14bd in and out.
From the hallway came f51d528934 footsteps and someone calling 759b44635a out a name.44cc294e63bcf72d

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All of it—the background 82318e61f5 noise, the atmosphere—it was 3bd4098268 the kind of thing b3206bf33c people always describe when d7dee78c2f they talk about “youth.”05736d11a65ba049

If I really did go 3bddf47977 abroad alone, then this year 521dd172b5 would probably be the last d34e124aaa time I’d share my youth 41e04d8a1a with those two.4627386b3a5a2ee8

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That thought brought 03127dac1a a small twinge 98d3cf75e5 of regret, but 428803d793 I quickly pushed 2d694b8b84 it aside.
It’s not like 33aa43a1de we’d be saying 42c39b5111 goodbye forever, and 6f80b5e119 even if I 8fa8af1e67 did go, it 6baf3a146c was still a 673bc364b8 ways off.feae2199fea58188

So I told myself it 19469eb383 was too early to feel 185dcc57db sad. And with that, 2e1efa773e I gently swung 0fb800c648 my legs again.82961a6894eeaa35

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* * *e845a467c7d3da80

It was break time after d5b02390bd we finished a class. I looked down with 781bf372fa bleary eyes at Ha-jung, dacc496b1a who was clinging to 9011fc839d one of my arms.be87431512b1fbfc

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I’d wondered why the other 837aa343f5 three had so obediently cleared 930718cc15 out of the area for a3220d0612 once—turns out Ha-jung must’ve asked c0f1a71376 them in advance.47fc3cc00b899faa

Well, “asked” might be too strong a word. The three of them probably figured that if this plan worked out, they’d naturally get more time with me anyway. That alone would’ve been enough to make them happily give up their seats.fa877a610e3bfd8e

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“There’s really no difference from the stuff we usually film, okay? You just gotta act like a77ca476a7 you always do, babe! I’ll handle everything else! Please?”3e0bbd2f98422385

For almost ten whole minutes 5d4469942c now, Ha-jung had been pestering 836b12ab88 me to let him shoot 633d298fdd a video.08f9378662f0c50a

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“Can’t we? Why not? It’s not like we even f62c09782a meet that often! Just once a month! And people with ad3b8bded5 scheduling conflicts don’t 03df019d0c even have to ee545470e7 come! This time, it’ll be b600b5d7ed the five of us—Eun, 4ac96c314f Hee-jun, I-ryeong, and us. Come on, doesn’t de2bc167fc that sound fun? It’ll be fun, right?”41a0cb1f6a5360bd

“…What did the others say?”a5006df001c52042

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“Obviously, everyone said they’d do it if you agreed to it! I mean, they added 282e2dd3ef a tiny condition, but f1ba916823 it’s nothing hard… Sooo? Yes or no?”ac57fdf5245bb4ad

“They said that, huh? Look, I know making and 2ea634f3a8 editing videos is how you 19f4294cd2 blow off steam… but do bea2cf49e4 we really have to film af02873ff3 now, when everything’s so busy 64fb67e855 and stressful? Aren’t you prepping d5eff8f987 for the college 6e46a51f70 entrance exam? You’re a regular admission kid. Don’t you have 4070460ff9 studying to do? Aren’t you swamped?”44d6f3f5ea7a3455

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“Me? Babe! Of course I’m insanely swamped! But don’t you think it’d aad5efb3f3 be a huge waste not 1abb33f1bc to capture this beautiful moment 9713feda80 of our youth? When else are 628c292239 we all gonna 732c06c03f get together like 4a543106ee this to film 3c17e4461b and hang out? If not now, then never!”54dcf7ad16c9fda9

He’d clearly made up his 77e36fcadf mind to convince me no c20d046980 matter what. With a dead-serious 98b4aeeaca face I’d maybe 6de64701fa seen once or 190907a650 twice in an 9440788615 entire year, Ha-jung b569103538 kept rambling on.421d4bc40e1f62b9

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I stared at him blankly f6ef6cb137 and then narrowed my eyes.db5cc548f9e19833

We were all busy enough 7ee66c89ee already. Meeting up regularly 252572832e to film videos… 16c6f042d2 that was kind a8ebad0c77 of a big 2720d83161 ask.c636cbbbb966bcd0

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And the ridiculous part dbaa0ab224 was—it was all wrapped 4d738480ab up in flowery language 7df2335895 that made it sound 7e5f2d7a39 noble, but really, it d20387b35f was just him wanting 7a8120b035 to grow his YouTube 260c141e55 channel. And the worst part? I actually found 6092160c51 myself almost convinced.36aac5c802ef1a6c

To be fair, it wasn’t bcd47c2bf1 the worst idea in the ac6a5148f2 world.dd1d57f8522b8423

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Ha-jung wasn’t the kind 291af20cfa of person who would 1d337ac5cd jeopardize anyone else’s studies 8947f80d5b just to chase his db041e31f8 own goals. And thinking back to 9f5b27f47c last semester, we only 9108dcda7c met up about once 665c60223b a month anyway. If we kept it to 5fe08c28dd that same pace, it might 9ec36286f1 even be a good chance 718d3d18a9 to catch our breath.74874773e5873c48

While I was still f4798d90a4 thinking it over, Ha-jung ff34a1914c had completely immersed himself e7362c1c12 in his sales pitch. He was smiling 902b5e602a to himself, now 2ad7c55829 claiming stuff like 9eb87f770a “videos that make 74a9bf633f your friendships stronger”—like 63ac5de8c1 he was selling db04bac470 some kind of ba30c7b841 negative ion bracelet.24c84f14fa1a8e8d

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“…You’ve really been having a rough time lately, huh.”bb22f2ab13c3528c

I muttered to 7a402398db myself as I a5e9657db1 looked at Ha-jung, c1383aaa6d who looked really f143c8dade out of it, 166c4ecdb5 and turned my 7ca411ad74 head. When I checked the calendar 311ecbb510 on the wall, it was 7896b76277 already nearing the end of 65660c6799 August.fd72123e9252e1e0

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There wasn’t much cbf3092dc3 time left until 606804e826 the September mock 01202358ab exams. Which meant the 55020fa477 time when the 2f73a5aa80 kids would start bb3805c7ad losing it from 6841074388 the pressure was 1ac3581bac just around the b1db5ec3ac corner.23d6ebc85632c7a6

I let out ce97309009 a low hum 82d016ce81 and thought it 5332d45171 over. All three of them 0687aef8ea said it was fine, e4c3d02b3b and if we only da856c24d5 met occasionally, just enough 5ef2aef98b not to interfere with 88b2ba5d5c the college entrance exam, 1827d94051 then it might be 944e3d83db okay.4b412425aeb2d7bb

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While I was lost 0b003db92c in thought, I felt fc82b51501 a heavy weight settle a0f6a1bd73 on my shoulder. When I turned around, Ha-jung 3f3ded3463 was draped over my back.d50b0f42920b4ea1

Maybe he thought I 836f7488e9 was going to refuse—he 37b973da02 just sniffled with a 591793b0f0 look like he’d given bf8a5e1e9a up on everything. I sighed at his pitiful d35b783123 state and tried to soothe e915283b86 him.a5ab5d0d5fc53821

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“Alright, let’s do it. But only once a 6ac4b0a8f6 month, and we set a30f2c20ff a time, and when 004d637c1d that time’s up, we 32e18b1d94 go home right away. No filming more, d5f64244a6 no saying let’s 58ddc86a53 hang out longer. Got it?”6b28dee0b0c49a14

As soon as I 243ca8525b said that, Ha-jung suddenly 54af623af0 popped up like he’d 9ba590e2e1 never been slumped over fb3c238cd4 like some washed-out pile f6a3ab7625 of scallions.0784b2cfc3da16ae

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Before, he looked like cc34967de7 a puppy who’d been efe82b9a96 told, ‘We can’t go 7ffc861509 for a walk because e4fde8ee86 it’s raining,’ but now 5319c80626 he looked like a 7ec948b6af dog whose owner, feeling cf4bc233f1 soft, finally said, ‘Fine, c973e3707e let’s go for a 9ea8f46457 walk…’9ccf77d50633c8d3

“Really? Really? For real? You can’t take it back!”1b4f5f65ab08a1fb

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He couldn’t contain his c9f7fb28cd joy and started hopping 94b999d9bd around excitedly. At how dog-like he ed0fb8ab79 was acting, I instinctively 2aecd51c76 glanced at the top e68f169621 of his head and 999e308db6 behind his back. Thankfully, there was nothing that 66c3d9f986 looked like ears or a 0135e5ac98 tail.c8052d75b541d4b7

I laughed and e3f601b559 accepted Ha-jung, who af8b51a70f was crashing into 713cb59105 me with joy fb7e0ba836 to express how f632894f97 happy he was.7f6a291918abfa4b

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“You’re that happy?”f848eda23b5ed1ae

“Happy? I’m totally losing it! Babe—no, Sa-eon, you’re the best!”dddfd94e2cc2e192

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It was a little cfdac0fe73 strange that he changed 5ac24a96bf what he was calling 3c62e80d5b me mid-sentence, but it d2578d5be5 wasn’t the first time a2825c9b26 he’d done something weird, 58a3bce78a so I didn’t bother 8d73b83a52 asking.52380bf0171194f5

After that, Ha-jung kept showing 8c04bb269b off in front of me 2174680fa5 for a while, then suddenly d9b3f9c22e ran out of the classroom 8d1eb0e018 saying he had to tell 997440b182 the others the good news.370eeef8bc9d7f67

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From outside, I heard 5afa341fe4 a teacher yelling not f16d6a5b60 to run in the 74d1f2287b hallways. For some reason, ed0f336c29 I could immediately bdb6baa9c3 guess exactly who 0e9518c149 that was aimed 64d367a1d7 at, and it 9a810be46c made me laugh.b4a347141c4b1a7c

I leisurely opened my da8f9d508f desk drawer and pulled b6095deecf out the textbook for 6b5c0bd0d7 the next class. I also took out 7a1e32af15 Eun’s, Ha-jung’s, and I-ryeong’s e350c07a0b books, and as I cd73b8fb6b was returning to my ddaf654368 seat, the classroom door 3d38c0537f quietly slid open.41b8bf03c8e36975

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The four of them f68f299f76 slipped in and immediately 7d0ac3a8a1 surrounded me.421825d52ba3750d

“Unie really said we could film?”ba959722853e3407

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“Huh? Yeah. I heard you 402633e4b9 guys said yes dd569aa9bb too—was that not a94b5d8771 right?”b0d06292671353b9

“No, we did say yes. It’s just… we didn’t b2c04d211b think you, Lee Sa-eon, b6243d1220 would agree so easily…”0236b8184ea91618

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Hee-jun muttered with a 220caafd71 slightly surprised look on 9547a53ba7 his face. The other three—even Ha-jung, who 7747c394db had suggested it—nodded like they 56f93804b0 had to agree.e2cd3f203a9c319d

Honestly, it couldn’t be helped. Eun was applying to the 5a765753f0 department of sculpture, so he 9bdc6ddb01 had to take a practical dcccbc2a78 skills test, and the same b99926cc7a went for Hee-jun, who was 57e53f79c5 aiming for practical music.d1ac227e8547dbd5

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The thing was, c88f3ec2d0 Hee-jun originally had 11352604c1 no interest in 13908ed05b music at all—then f8449ddcd3 one day out 3260151671 of nowhere, he 122ec748f1 just dropped a 835d3bec53 bomb like, “I 571f00f8f6 want to major d2a4bc894d in bass.”66caca7e97e5c84c

Because of that, I had d4d48c237e to scramble to study all 16ea15984a this stuff I didn’t know—how e1c8a1410a practical tests work for arts 0c6a6b8fca and sports majors, which departments d43c2cceac are well-known, what the competition bbab45affd rate looks like… it was 54d3b48f64 a nightmare for a while.e60cb678f1937ed3

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At one point, I e72d9bb912 asked him why he 04b1d9037c suddenly wanted to major bc03716bcb in practical music. As far as 84c3834e84 I remembered from 1eb408306d the original story, 2f43c530af Hee-jun did pursue ff3371621d a music-related path, 4eafb0522c but he never 645b7178a4 majored in bass. If anything, he 47fa59ce13 was more into 0a9adbd3f7 classical music than 79ea34bec7 practical music.fd2277bdea908043

At the time, Hee-jun just d6a92e2a08 plucked at his bass strings 0f683328e4 for a long while in 7f68ef2bd6 silence, then whispered in this 2980599430 tiny voice, like he was 5b47ed6134 shrinking into himself,ebfe54c60f4eefe1

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“You said it, didn’t you? That you liked 93b3f8a736 how the bass 6cdfa62268 sounds these days.”07bfea9ad5222e3c

And that was it.55b710c034146897

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I told him choosing 341af6d16a a career path over c7927edfa1 something like that was 855aa2fa9e ridiculous and tried to a4f3c0e64f talk him out of a6ca6047c7 it, but he wouldn’t 7290f12fd3 budge.46a96c3578935792

In the end, even I 771fee1c74 gave up and quietly started cb0cb63ce9 cheering him on.9f3bdfa8664180f1

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Of course, that 23d89c34f6 doesn’t mean the de8b233758 shock from his 0297ce0cfb words ever really 40bea00fda faded.
The idea that someone could a31befe98b stake their future on a 00b35baec7 comment I just threw out 77b4aba73d casually… The fact that my 73b58e3b36 words could have such a 5fe520dfb6 big impact on someone’s life—it ca70e84554 wasn’t something I could just 0b4e68ff63 be happy about.9f3a0b0767c4f3d2

I wanted Eun and Hee-jun 52d79ac48a to be happy, even without 17be268af9 my help.
Well, honestly, part of fdca734a14 it was the pressure 3073c7d145 too. I already worried constantly b0ee447d10 that I might somehow 8ff5fcc166 ruin their happiness, and bba65b073e now these kids were bfd696b082 putting everything on me… d8bda0a21a Just thinking about it 9d954bb568 again made my fingertips aec4f50d54 tremble—it was that blind cc02494926 and that overwhelming.b9f2679a52d46e21

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But their guardians be8a4e8bc9 didn’t care much 0d2ff459b0 about practical tests—more 7eb6118431 precisely, they didn’t 8852c6db5a care about grades.fc521444d75d061c

Ha-jung and I-ryeong’s 4259af11e2 parents were no d0cabb22c7 different.
So in the end, 2b60512ec8 I was the only 7039683ed8 one keeping track of 3924dc0eb8 everyone’s academics and career f5d5169ef6 plans.
Maybe that’s why I e3f2b59f3e ended up being stricter dcab0235cb without even realizing it.64e702c728cdcdc3

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Feeling a sudden 4b67f810d2 pang of guilt, 89ef9472f4 I rubbed the acc401f544 back of my da7b389471 neck awkwardly.535a7b13e6fc0a3f

“We’re only meeting once a month, so it’s not going to interfere with exams or anything. And everyone needs rest days 02b9829311 sometimes, right? If we get 7ed9865b0c together and watch ffefc83f0c a movie or 3b438418d3 eat something good 2f164c39f5 and relax, we ad561812e7 might even study baf7e6704e better after.”97898d3f1ebda569

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“That’s true.”3386d829d03b86ce

“And I really do want you guys to get results you won’t regret, but at the same time… I don’t want you to suffer too much. I guess it sounds 3cda09370d kind of weird coming ac3155c334 from me, huh? Anyway, I just thought 1c155ca1bf it’d be nice if e5574cd4d4 we rested together.”252de32751f1cd3e

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I shrugged my shoulders to 44f887738b finish.
The four of ffd24f4315 them didn’t say d05a9d97ac anything—just stared at 49c3e6575e me with wide fe3cd75477 eyes, either surprised 80761cb9bb or maybe a 0e1b7f90b2 little caught off b3a5e4a6fc guard.6f586cff28a24382

It was so quiet that 9c17919bda I started to wonder if 924f0eb869 I’d said something wrong.
That’s when I-ryeong, 13d2939117 who had picked 5c8069d3b9 up my glasses 960a2c77f0 from the desk c78873b546 and gently wiped a223249bf6 them, put them b7c5df11a1 back on me fdf6512192 and murmured,86d5d7d4da881fe1

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“Hyung really does like us.”aec60bf76cb12f72

“You’re only realizing that now?”a4be8dbcf0db4336

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I made a point 53df9ff95f of widening my eyes ae576cacad dramatically as I spoke.
At my reaction, I-ryeong f0d287be12 opened his mouth like f90056439b he was trying to 95acef6ddc think of something to 2541840591 say, then broke into 5041740253 a quiet smile.087e387bb0421b5c

“I was just saying it’s nice.”1b17211fe8626d20

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* * *5e54c6f44280f020

Time passed like that… and today was the day Ha-jung had been nagging me about every hour for days, going, “You remember we’re filming this weekend, right? If you forget, it’s a million forehead flicks!”—so there was no way I could forget it even if I tried.e5c3cb0b8a7e38b7

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Yesterday—Friday—he whispered, “You 39e236cca5 know it’s tomorrow, ad03f8c8c4 right?” literally every 696fbee6e2 ten minutes, so 0e80c1321f now that I’m 6930c25750 alone, it feels ee8f4abaf0 like I can 310ff58631 still hear his a62729dbf3 voice echoing in 49430143d4 my ears.a123306398693ddc

It had taken 84aa6804a8 us a while b35936b7f3 to sync all 8cf2e2cc1c five of our 3ca06c4263 schedules. That’s why it was c2580b6971 only after several days e0f1b9366e from when the idea 9a18594bce first came up that bfeb40da32 we finally managed to 9e834b63e1 set a date for de45ec8073 the first shoot.480c7c93ae64da90

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We decided to meet on 74f301e24d the first Saturday of each 93e243a915 month, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then 2cf20491a9 part ways.affcb2451318ad47

The place we were meeting f5182560cb today was a park near 57567a165f the school, but since I 4a0a49f840 had somewhere to stop by e28617ce72 first, I needed to head 0864c1292a out now.f3f8b355dcd4debf

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I packed my earbuds, 0e95d02460 phone, wallet, and finally, 8dbdb3ab1e the lunchbox the housekeeper 956d01f8fd had made for me, e64e6d9db8 and left the house.b8f97db6ac1573a8

The housekeeper, who 1988c06092 came by about 815de4ff7d twice a week, d9bccfc1f4 had been with 081383f481 our family since 1fbe49ad2c I was a c995a9165a kid. She used to make lunchboxes 47850a9c29 for Hee-jun too, so we 1abea59d74 were pretty close, and I c01ec6dc8f didn’t feel uncomfortable around her 515705c576 at all.dbc13fcf5e44b9f9

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So when my 926773cee9 parents left the e52adb875b country, she started 12050d7db7 coming by my c05ed8f380 officetel to look 4367fd1689 after me instead. We’d been together so edcc13bf6b long that we got 3ff0a403b1 attached, and whenever she 711bc4c256 came to clean, we’d ead1293333 sometimes have snacks and 8c315bdc5d chat for a bit.aab10bb810499118

Originally, I was just going ac7224e9d4 to stop by a nearby 9947e26195 shop and grab some gimbap 404fc1f723 or something.ebc1b004487b3413

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But when I c51ad234a6 mentioned, while chatting ce8e5253f8 with her, that 641bf18220 I was going 63ea903ba0 on a picnic a0de062ad6 in the park, aa03ed1e69 she insisted a f90ba51680 picnic called for 2d3a061ca2 a proper lunchbox c6c7db7b74 and put special 7f597e6086 effort into making 4ed7fe8dcd one for me.b117c9d7cdea6b87

I’d already thanked her, but 746b2ac1d9 I should remember to call 830ffa747f or message her again later.16cb5d2132c6d5d4

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Holding the heavy d8ea7c9899 lunchbox, I headed 8514e121a9 toward Hee-jun’s house, aa7d0f7d28 which was a f75ea5f650 five-minute walk away.cb6bb99afce48b8f

Hee-jun was the type to d335ce7b52 sleep a lot, so on 13b9e14cbb weekends, he always woke up 9f39d2748a late. That meant if we had 9f134389b4 plans on the weekend, someone 89e19ed8d4 had to make sure he 3cebb67306 didn’t oversleep.963ca7e1ed696564

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And unless something came 9be0b7bbb5 up, that job usually 19d7e84fd3 fell to me, since 0ee27d94f8 I lived closest to 82204fbdee him.1d952c151ddc4a7b

Eun had said he’d rather 7f8ebbfded be the one to wake 3d1163f858 up Hee-jun, but his house 83b9c98656 was too far away, so 8b5bf3569f that was obviously rejected.f9f29da751a578b9

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When I told him 5ddecb058f no with a face 6a98c1c917 like I couldn’t believe 97c2f6b828 he was even suggesting bb7f9d003b it, Eun had looked e2cd1445a0 so sulky. I was just remembering his 3f8d3a8b81 eyes full of unfairness when be2b1c3206 a long shadow fell in d9a27011d5 front of me.813f026a7cc42907

I saw a pair of 6e691d881f sneakers that had the exact a91083dba0 same design as the ones 9bffb94d73 I was wearing.6fc5232abe2dbc74

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Just the slightly larger 39c643f64d size told me exactly 69763d9da0 who was standing in 1a371491e8 front of me.c7fa420e60ddbeb4

It had been a a05046ea11 while since we met 0402380b01 up on a weekend, 8a72df2a74 so I looked up e3882daabb with a big smile. As I expected, 6cabd02516 there was Hee-jun, 78fb9f673d slinging his bag 719b49d9ec over one shoulder, a4d7fd8c6f looking down at cf35394f43 me with his 42154c4207 usual calm expression.55607b8e5e397ac8

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“Hee-jun!”4d79fc3e6c7ce905

“Lee Sa-eon, let’s go.”7c0f0eb94c68979a

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“You’re not happy to see me, Hee-jun?”57ed46820fc1a0fb

My cheerful greeting was met 89982f5096 with an incredibly blunt response. I scrunched my nose at 4d772989cd the reply that screamed “this d72c03119c is just how he is” 1ed3c5b901 and moved to stand next bd1dde1556 to him as I asked.5c6a20a9dfd0aff1

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At my sudden 0034fd62e4 question, Hee-jun, who 6c3e25ddef had been pulling f453c9ede4 up the map, 514836f387 gave me a d90d139419 look like I 0273f3e6b2 was being ridiculous. Like, why would you 22bd822b54 even ask something so 6ec9e3a851 obvious? I ignored the look d04047ad1e and teased him anyway.c2fe096d79e4d696

“Seriously? You’re not happy f767ceaaa3 to see me? No way, come on, really?”055a32ceb6506698

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“I’m fuckin’ thrilled. Now hurry up. We’re gonna be late.”455e3a21fd7e37a5

He muttered that 839b33e9d2 if we were efcb4d191c late, Kim Ha-jung 8eb5f62794 would definitely throw 873ca81166 a fit.
Just imagining it already 7274426839 seemed annoying—his brow wrinkled 13b86e5294 slightly, and I let be939aa0f6 out a small laugh 38ba5de54d before walking along with 20a08dbee2 him.e2aab658762ff3ef

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Looking at moments like 789c427cb2 this, you’d think he 05c4d5eef7 and Ha-jung were total f29a7129f9 opposites, and yet, they 66afdddba3 somehow got along just 811ffa0e82 fine.fb702ea746e582d5

Well, even if d2cc643a80 people don’t match 750df61464 well, they can 335cab0184 still be close.
I nodded to myself 9c1ccfd82c internally and followed leisurely bec70c800c behind Hee-jun.41a8f8d2b8d20077

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Hee-jun, who had been f96f184095 walking at about half 82e06a0897 his usual pace so 26b2beb531 it’d be easier for 760598dfc5 me to keep up, f2a0e39458 suddenly came to a ed41927785 stop.
Wondering what was e81ed6ad6d up, I scurried a751c26e9f to his side—just d8a6011b54 as he started c3d5209927 walking again.0fcd09e509839d71

“What, are you telling me to walk next to you?”9309e38e0adce85f

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“Let’s go together.”9a3e38cfaffeaba1

“Hm, sure, why not.”a0df1a60663fadf0

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As we walked side f0cb9704a9 by side, we made 02c2ebc915 some light, meaningless conversation.
Things like what food aba92a25c5 I brought in the 0c94d7bf6e lunchbox, what we wanted 4985354c2c to do today, whether 3f8b373708 he had anything planned, 2d385a933d what time he woke 0fa2eaf777 up, if he didn’t 69251d5e65 get much sleep, whether 1dfbb32e0b he was tired…8990ef11565723db

It was the kind of cef0aaf599 pointless talk that could’ve easily 1ba4df22c1 felt like a hassle, but 50421be608 Hee-jun went along with it d0d4815783 without complaint.
That in itself dd48131cc8 made me think, 1f2f87f2c3 Ah, he must d81093378e be in a 6f06c97edf good mood today, 4de5fdb72a and before I 92c7e7bd19 knew it, we’d 017ca49d88 arrived at the 108091ccaa park.322241c57b255c05

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There was still a bit acb63cb7bb of time before the meeting, 4bdcd10aec but not only had the a878c130b1 other three already arrived, they d9f9963984 had even spread out a 5a31bd760c big picnic mat and were 6607568623 waiting for us.16c49b0e329e5797

Ha-jung, of course, looked so 1b3fdccc79 excited it seemed like he d4804b1345 might take off into the 5707dc9018 sky at any second.
The surprising part was 38a404f66f that even Eun and c196bf3082 I-ryeong, who’d both seemed 84fe5c577b indifferent when we were 191f508030 planning this, had bright, 36717f9791 excited faces too.257d61be9cce36e0

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The moment Hee-jun sat down 85842abe47 on the mat with the 380655ac75 laptop he’d promised to bring, 5edbff0a4f the others pounced, telling him 4ae82aca75 to hurry up and turn 604d09d6cf it on so they could d385038343 go over the ideas they’d 024ddb348a come up with and start 31d2db7fa9 picking.1ed8c3919dbef67a

The laptop screen was quickly 1238f815fd filled with all sorts of a5070ba9e5 lines and suggestions.2bb713b90a51fa87

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“Go to an amusement park, watch a movie, go to the library, visit a manga café, go to the zoo, go to the beach, hang out at someone’s house, play card games…”89a7a10c687e5d5b

There was literally everything on 35e80944de the list.
Eun, who had his chin 11e8fde163 resting on my shoulder while 24a6f6b415 looking at the laptop screen 6d17d69153 like I was, mumbled regretfully,e409618034b80a56

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“Mm, but I don’t think we’ll have enough time for the amusement park, zoo, or beach.”6f5bd698f50786d9

I’d been thinking the ecff4255fa same thing. I nodded, as if agreeing 58095ba684 with his thought.7edb8e5211d2cc12

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“So that leaves us with watching a movie, going to the library, manga café, hanging out at someone’s house, and playing card games?”2533074857d1a00f

“Yeah.”40a8416dec6c45ab

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“I think we’d only have time for two of those. A manga café is only b7ba5b19ec fun if you spend the d4ca18d167 whole day there, so let’s b033ca32fb save that for when we’ve faca8b5038 got more time. We can play cards 37c76b5873 and watch a movie df61e2dd2d at home, so how 1a8325ce7f about card games and bd19254104 a movie at someone’s 192ceb6f05 place, and the library?”c30b3ec178d49fee

Hee-jun muttered to himself 8fd600a245 as he crossed off d6a27f6858 the plans that would a70631805d be hard to pull 471728f686 off.
As he spoke, offering c19bf2bceb a reasonable alternative, I 271ab04369 turned my head at e096692a5c the sound of a 9d5cc3d4f4 clatter from the side.1cd0f75611b7e787

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Maybe it was d18e517e25 because he was b733b7082e younger, or maybe df923bae51 because he was 3b2812e9bf big and needed 7ec1da6da1 more nutrients, but 4e3b967942 I-ryeong, who had 7517ab476c just been blowing bf85f77edf soap bubbles with 8ee03e0036 Ha-jung a moment 364295faad ago, had quietly ab5b972ed5 started unpacking his 3d4b8e5688 lunch before stopping 8155ce7e18 when our eyes b820f0d0e1 met.8f1991955be28c3e

“…Are you hungry?”76dc947ab63a7342

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It was just past noon 4b52fc788a when I checked the time 758dfba678 and asked. He nodded.985396cffdb0708d

“Yeah…”d4ebb8efa5e26a43

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“Aww, our I-ryeong was hungry, huh. Then let’s eat 766e4fd2cd while we talk.”6f5e04209ccf01e8

As soon as 60a114a43c I said that, ccd2868a41 the others all f5a79e4a36 took out their 5daf7b0e4e food too. They hadn’t shown it, 3ae2ef17e0 but I guess everyone ea2fdb1ef6 had been hungry.
Watching them made me 82ca4d3538 realize I was hungry 120410b552 too, so I casually 3f3c03ed73 pulled out my lunchbox.a125ab68e79cf0de

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When I opened the lid, fee7f7d581 the food inside looked even 791f60a082 more beautiful and lovingly made fdff0eeaa1 than what the housekeeper said a4d9cdc772 she’d pack. My eyes widened.631765316bbcfc8b

“Wow, look at Lee Sa-eon’s lunch. I just have convenience e343bd302c store gimbap… Yours looks d75e5c46cf amazing.”cc885d7fd1ee9339

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“Let’s share.”5c6e3b1b75256d31

Ha-jung mumbled as he 7571fac715 looked at his gimbap 95a5b7c6dd with a pitiful expression.23fa402f88c051c3

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I beckoned him over, fb190b4d58 feeling bad, and he c456b0e17f grinned and sat down 856b357d7b beside me.51e661155d9d04cf

“Thanks!”75120bb2ed0fdb71

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I watched him happily munch 5ba72c4456 on side dishes and gimbap, 16989bda07 and just as I was 03e205cc30 about to start eating too, 12536deb17 a pale hand suddenly reached 28513ec4f4 out and grabbed my wrist.7ea8531089251609

He used to 313a64be00 be into sculpture 3cc9830f48 when he was e5e5a814d0 younger, so his 842e65c96e fingers had lots 2ea31702e7 of small scars.3cf975c793a7ff4d

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Now, from all the practical e0620e3f16 training, his hands were always 86a03cfd20 covered in bandages or ointment.76c15adfe7846dc1

Short nails, cartoon dfc6caa747 character bandages I’d 3f7b2adb43 put on him—my 94beae0389 eyes paused on fa5886b165 those long fingers 6429f38812 before I looked 4b43b8518b up.
When my gaze met Eun’s, 1f00efff71 I tilted my head slightly.466c7406cc370e34

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“What is it?”e1118d9435bc8c56

“Un-ah, eat with me. I packed this 017125c670 just for you, 409bfa2261 with only the 1aaf0766a0 stuff you like.”2a043dd64ef33187

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He was gripping my eace9ede33 sleeve tightly, and he 45144b744c whispered the second part 478edbddab like it was a f532cdd91f secret.600702e6dd590956

I looked down fe046d997e at the lunchbox 15ede19186 after thanking him—and a3ef8b6987 sure enough, it a3826a44e8 was filled with d6edaa5dfa all my favorites.7d5358bd9cb08e62

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I couldn’t even tell if cebaeb438c this was Eun’s lunch or abaf1de106 mine. I blinked in 15f0433efa disbelief, and just aad167e72c then, Ha-jung, who 0d00d3c236 had peeked at 96ab378abd Eun’s lunchbox from 90d3841b89 behind, shouted in 5af9dbbf9f protest.cfeed9210cb39b71

“Hey! You packed it with only 0757f91613 Lee Sa-eon’s favorites! Is this Ha-eun’s lunch or 16b43affad yours, babe—no, Sa-eon’s?!”0798f77b6032b44d

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I glanced once 5b807b21f8 at him, then e37bd3b089 at the phone 83cb7821c0 filming us, and 1b0591a49b gave an awkward 6eae9f7512 little laugh.d5c7ac6fad9b46d7

“Eun… kinda likes me.”901f4108b58a82b5

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I knew the names would b57fad0e50 be muted in the subtitles d31150a973 and they’d use emojis instead, 6850ff4bc3 so the names wouldn’t go 0ad33444a8 out.4d1ce309b02b3fb2

Still, I blurted it 0267e33137 out in a hurry, bc217904f0 like I was scared d8ce78e65f people might think I’d 332c77abf2 made him do it.78fa7744ead23c36

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I muttered the words 5ee1d3b188 while looking at the 441b286d6f camera like an excuse, 9e5ad95223 and Ha-jung burst out 5293ed3330 laughing so hard he adc8220372 nearly fell over.fb8329c16f81db06

* * *c70d7f718751fbcc

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[Comments]ad698b9d54f81846

@Jungwoo×××: Can’t believe there are five students with faces that handsome—this country’s future is looking bright!77117cb181c53d2b

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⌎@sera39×××: Hate to kill the mood but… personally, I think the country’s future is still totally screwed. It’s just their 191ab2707c faces that are 36efb609fa bright.94942bc222693188

⌎@Jungwoo×××: Oh.d974d074b2948d65

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@user-qdsk1×××: The algorithm led me here… Is this it? The place where my 5d2bedea8d new couple lives…?d7107f2c25e1cb09

⌎@bama×××s_097: 😂😂😂 What are you even saying, this is just a student daily vlog. Pretty sure you’re in the 935becd4fa wrong place.bfc1308f19c7291a

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⌎@user-qdsk1×××: ??? No way??? Seriously? Wait, that’s weird. I thought it d7057523c8 was just a c86c95b1d8 really big group 76bbbf6c31 relationship or something e16cc4370e because of how 6b5710753d many people there 49585f2acd are, but no—like, f16d6ba71a I swear at 240687ebc8 least three of 926dd3ce83 them are dating??? Are you telling me my 2f99156127 algorithm—which only ever shows me 11f9e2be75 couple content—got it wrong??? That’s impossible.663ea1fc652788e1

@user-9gfc×××: I came here to recharge my soul with some wholesome student vlog content, but where’s the wholesomeness?? It’s just love, love, 5b8a6fddab and more love lol.57964f283ff836e6

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@1229ze×××: I was watching the video totally entranced…62706c06a5192dbc

(9:23) “…He kind of likes me.”7c725f407ee1d98f

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I actually snorted 985be60012 when I heard d96bd432c7 that line. At first, I didn’t get dec0f7d74a why people were calling him e0bae69270 Hamster, but the more you 0ca7a2a48a watch, the more he really 30f01cf3c6 is a hamster. Anyone with eyes can see f983551525 it. Why even waste 6f012da348 your breath saying e6807c3244 it out loud?8eb02cac51f94ac4

@noname_84×××: Mmm~~~ Boy love ^!^ So good b I fully support this love. ^^d9b02624bad7ae77

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⌎@qnsdnlrlq×××: Isn’t it just friendship? 😭e06449ad772999bc

⌎@noname_84×××: Don’t ruin the vibe. Just enjoy it.112403350a20cf56

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@cherry6_6×××: You guys know, right? Hamster guy? He was in a previous 080f5ccca3 video and somehow ended up 3f4539300e being like… a thousand people’s 8f8bc0e40d first love.4ca72931978c6a52

⌎@BeautifulLife×××: Wait what vid was that??4cb90195d687112b

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⌎@cherry6_6×××: I saw it a while ago so I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was that one where someone shoved a camera in his face when he’d just woken up, and he looked at the lens all dazed, then smiled softly and pushed the phone away like, “Don’t film me, I look like a mess,” or something? But his face was 2b370f4c55 absolutely not a mess a2cb0b8a2b and like… sigh.5660a97ff1860380

⌎@handsomeboyy×××: I saw someone say there was a hot guy and ran over like a hornet and yep, confirmed—Hamster dude is ridiculously fine.6b2aa072f14c1593

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<To be continued in Volume 2>b42343561e41ffd6

 89ac9ca561998553

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