IWYFB Chapter 9

Is he still in America?168cab8d15ac6e37

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At that moment, 8072a83f52 the grandfather, who d5ff20c32d had longed to b086a3ac41 see Taemu as f7ec361671 much as she 6d76775ad3 had, suddenly came 22868198d7 to mind.2d7623a681983863

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Thinking about it, she 22cdffae55 realized she had completely c65998d020 forgotten about him.c8021650ecc754ba

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She hadn’t visited e3cb4c672f him often, and d6d43182af he must have ba8e641c3e been feeling quite 80a6ae8a81 lonely.48a8c78251dad0a4

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She also wondered 6e9282519e whether he was b24ad83497 still in good 0002b7c130 health.ed82c35c6451839b

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While staying in Haeju, e38127374e she had promised herself e44f8a0597 that she would visit 30bd163396 him often.eb83409e47174eca

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She set her suitcase f0200e2702 in a corner and 0615389208 slowly walked through the 5c7616f7ea bookstore.bcbf6e46ffde6e9a

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Even though the renovation had 99d934dac6 been done quite some time a7b918de8e ago, the antique interior made 52ef94d2e9 her feel as if she 5d22985467 had stepped into a European b52ba5482e bookstore.89d5945e7c43c1b2

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It was a different feeling db2de77bf6 from the large bookstores near de16fb26b5 her university.a1315ae8d8291300

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It felt familiar and 409fe47f63 comfortable, like returning home, 0dca43a0a9 and she was enveloped a7a4755e32 in a nostalgic, analog ff5460806b sensation.e22adee0e82581c2

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After walking around the bookstore, 1170db663d Jiwoo stopped at the bestseller c883886ec7 section.255eecf3e9e16adc

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Close to the a1dc7d0f71 café inside the 3323f892e8 bookstore, the subtle faf9d90875 scent of coffee 60e77eca74 spread in the 4b96dec147 air.3d87b9725da2dfce

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Jiwoo picked up 3d9f9fb143 a book that da87ced247 caught her eye, 6e76e70434 quickly becoming absorbed dc7e8bbb36 in it, forgetting 9e83486d7c for a moment c1f6a769d7 that her parents d9648e21af were waiting for d51584a0b1 her at home.19aedf4bcf9b3512

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“That one’s really good.”cb1c5043bc696896

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A voice, familiar c261e404ac and echoing like 340f82b5e0 a hallucination, was 7b95155cdc heard from somewhere.f66bc0c6fe4c7e7c

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She remembered that he had 2e8592f4e6 been standing there, flipping through 5a570c8931 novels, not too long ago.ec2175ff53f11bae

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It struck her c054500546 as strange that edc64c8e4d she was still bcd68906cc haunted by that 9803d5145e memory.64b636dfc623cacc

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“I just finished it recently.”c42133c58310a45c

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Surprised by the voice 080de6dadd coming from nearby, Jiwoo 4b49b34e69 looked up, only to d13ff8e970 find Taemu standing right 913055793b next to her, holding c28b47c03e the same book she f72a2ad9b0 had picked up, flipping 1d9667a104 through it.2132fdbf5e321357

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It felt as 4882da8118 though what she dab914238a was seeing was 7fa7c491ed not real, but f40b899c9b a mere illusion.cd55acacb4c4b971

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However, he looked different from 88dd70c314 the image of him in ba9ca61062 her memory.d67022c3fcb5316b

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He was wearing bdf8677f24 a black turtleneck fddcd12f03 and a dark 538b8747eb grey coat, exactly a16130b482 as she had 5162fd1c2f imagined he would 51cdeefc61 look if they 8fa0403f3c ever met again.f0f489764e435593

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“I had a feeling it would be you, but I can’t believe it’s really you.”3bf04d4216628eff

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His expression seemed 48c66b9c3e somewhat surprised as 34629de27d well.5f9104f36ce63a35

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“Taemu oppa?”fb3a2e01c78dc518

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Jiwoo stared at him in 5e70f7045b disbelief, and Taemu raised an 925ce226ad eyebrow in response to her 26486ce527 dazed look.4b4cb49509e2aff3

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“It’s been so long, I almost didn’t recognize you.”60e6c4be0a9b68f7

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He bent slightly f33d9a8b0b and looked at b0b9105407 Jiwoo closely.51323bbe25a1fcce

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His gaze made her c149734914 uncomfortable, and she instinctively bf68c5116a leaned back, her pale bd31bf96c2 skin blushing softly, as 195a045429 if she had applied 3d2c7e9a43 blush.5758ade8d5f32c49

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“Ah, sorry. I was just so surprised. You’ve grown into such a 8c7ee17213 young lady.”22b9fef4aec7cc80

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Taemu straightened up and e8708cf8f2 ran a hand through 2f656fc82a his hair awkwardly, though ee10831e1e his gaze still stayed 50d8eb3a9a on Jiwoo, not leaving 10ca602f90 her.3ffbff89ffa17585

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“Are you here for the vacation?”2766eed8d47a76f3

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“Yeah, and you? Did you come aa9e21b8f6 back for good?”a0129191fc1c2f8c

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“I’m still working on my thesis.”24cde31b89932ccd

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Jiwoo nodded shortly 94362b0fb0 at his answer, 551934c18b and then gave 3dc7b78c18 him a late 9c964c9208 but warm smile.4df12265aaa1fc6a

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“I came to see my grandfather. I’ve heard he’s been 15e8cc3138 going to the hospital 7b4a1effc7 a lot lately, so 82de918103 I’ve been worried.”7a5b5f3ac9da74db

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Upon hearing this, Jiwoo’s expression d357f0558d immediately changed to concern.8f8bb8b75e6979d2

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“He mentioned you have not come back since you went to Seoul. He said it’s b4852d6c42 been hard to df47496421 see you.”672b8663ce33fa97

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His words made Jiwoo a480cda7e5 feel even more guilty, 046bb20814 weighed down by the 4c50d4b3b6 sense of having completely 403f267481 forgotten about her grandfather.a66c2903384656d0

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For a moment, lost 7fbe79f78d in thoughts of her 13eae5c6f9 grandfather, Jiwoo was jolted 613c72f4fc back to reality when 2f9e7d10ed she noticed Taemu was 7cc90f8ad0 still staring at her 1b6a735bdb intently.01ba93bbbd88d435

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“You haven’t visited him in a while. Is he doing okay?”90c8bfda5443c956

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When Jiwoo brought 8a902bacfd up her grandfather, 3037b60f84 Taemu’s expression turned 29e59ebc29 bitter.ac87c57ac776376b

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“He’s doing fine.”fb073b009348b3b0

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His words were brief, 7017542df0 but there was something f7dc9fa399 lonely about his tone.fff690771d710ac6

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He had stayed behind ecaac96877 in Haeju while everyone 27f8009a7c else had left, and 41241fcaf1 it seemed to make ff40511af3 him feel even more 8a06819cba burdened by the thought a1ff37f6e4 of returning to America.1c3acddfe49a6458

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Her mother had never 5aa2ff1136 gotten along with her 8a0feb197b grandfather and was now fccf427039 living in Seoul, visiting 5943b17112 him once a month 60286be958 out of obligation.6b50184120818cdd

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But even then, 3897b58775 it was clear 38312882cd that her father f7e5369fa5 was the one e20b7dadc5 who pushed her 53bde05164 to make the fd776d2aaa visit.8ee8a48fbc36d745

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Taemu recalled how 5067b070ac his parents used 22685f0d6d to fight about 2c7f32172b this when he 2a2cd19831 was a child.eb0ac5fb73aa9223

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His mother, raised in the bf7e1133c3 city, must have found life f08bf89bc7 in the countryside stifling.40cb107bf92f9d79

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Surrounded by mountains, with nothing 0c959a45a4 but fields and rice paddies 0684636ef8 in sight, it must have 5b608546ff been hard for her to eca881ae58 adjust.e4f5a6e6e428115a

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But for Taemu, who 7d7b374e3c had been born and dec0336729 raised in Haeju, the 968b9631d5 city life often felt 91abd71561 suffocating and overwhelming.755ce6809b19989b

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And, for as long ff0fc6f579 as he could remember, 60b2c36746 whenever he thought of 58fddadadb Haeju, Jiwoo’s image would 4955a4a00e naturally follow.28363415ba4b68e7

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Taemu, his gaze now fixed 06a95161d4 on the ground, said nothing, e8659b8876 but his dark eyes remained cdc827ef24 focused on her.a21f4434ccb8ddad

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For a moment, Jiwoo was beed63dc90 overwhelmed by the intensity of 4b2757170d his gaze and, unsure of 0f53488197 how to respond, hesitated before d572538868 inadvertently blushing.c7073426ed818c44

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“Are you heading home?”93e8cac1db361423

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Jiwoo nodded, and before she 6a287ba4b5 could stop him, Taemu snatched d2192212ab the book from her hands.5b462d1b9667fb54

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“This is a gift from me.”346e74910a361664

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Before Jiwoo could protest, 38eda165ef Taemu was already at c2d7b9cbde the counter, paying for a995957697 the book.28301b47c87e4a61

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When they left the 6441e206aa bookstore, Taemu took Jiwoo’s 0f15a3f923 suitcase from her, though b66de7bd26 she protested.935385279e86832d

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“It’s fine, it’s not heavy.”a3bd4df900dd788d

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Taemu turned the suitcase around bbf73e6660 and began pulling it in a2210baf92 the opposite direction, walking alongside ac71677cff Jiwoo.16138110e2ae5701

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“Though it’s a bit late, congratulations on entering university. I wanted to 8fa8ae9f71 be the first 507d97d7da to congratulate you, eb3a442ed0 but it’s taken 6df4fe17e5 me this long.”c7521d9b04fd8a3a

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For some reason, 38426d4b42 Taemu’s words felt 4c1e74f8f5 like the most 58c311a0a6 sincere congratulations she 9e472536c3 had received, despite 848a3d655b being the latest.5037d468d2a4cdf7

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“How’s life in America? Everyone says that once you 9731b15364 leave, you don’t want to 80c83509ea come back.”97a7bb11dab86108

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“I guess it depends on the person. I couldn’t wait 3b66e857f7 to come back.”cb3c6d42e8c3d9a8

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Even if he returned 44c2770757 to Korea, it was 106f9ecc4a clear that he would d24ebf1eaa stay in Seoul with 8f3199b217 his parents.b954ead57a3dc753

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Haeju had little dce0309b14 to offer except 77ca0cdfaa farming, and most 5f96c78943 young people had 8e9c969670 left for the 65b43f18e9 city.60cab328a8de0c48

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There was talk that Jiwoo’s d02257154b elementary school, where she had eb49881f8f grown up, might soon close f0dc658a5f due to the declining number 2fa8af5df1 of students.78f1ee17ec2559c5

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The elementary school, with the 8681403eae kindergarten attached, was where Jiwoo 8811eaf97b had all her childhood memories, cbe8686e77 and hearing the news about 42c802a71f its potential closure left her 8d0c131679 with a feeling of emptiness.a81d587a888776d0

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“Is this the bus I’m supposed to take?”5b08a264ac33f44a

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The bus was approaching 9d96090c9b in the distance.7d40afdc0088971d

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“Wait, but what about you…”fa1b9b0198616547

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Before Jiwoo could 554adbb937 finish, Taemu had 22d11284fd already grabbed the 5210518909 suitcase and was 555205ec1b waiting by the 1cefc97f67 bus.c701463e297bd08c

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“Go ahead, I’ll get on next.”9995e78e132738a1

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Though Jiwoo gestured for 074c59f6a9 him to board first, d6897d5323 Taemu insisted on waiting, 0ed41e88ae so she quickly climbed e06116cf43 aboard.dc9d9bc973782138

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Taking the seat next f2402e86e9 to the window at ea84ca6939 the back, Taemu looked dfb98f0c6c out the window for c0de84e2ba a moment, then turned 1ee7ffa407 his gaze forward.6c30e8773505f728

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Jiwoo followed his gaze b5f56eefed and noticed someone in ccf64a6d3b the distance getting out b3ed26c1ed of a car.69458c090a3f3032

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When their eyes met, Jiwoo, f44950bc6e flustered, quickly turned her head a85a1f78c1 to face forward.4961f556cef26753

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She couldn’t shake c407cc1f03 the feeling of 645e28262a being caught doing b558fc79bf something wrong.8b1d2f2aff551250

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She was the one who c18045b722 should be embarrassed, but it 4765c13692 was as though she was 4a8621ddb1 the one being caught.7342bd0be0eb24cb

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But why had 664500c6d1 Taemu gotten on b2ff57f461 the bus instead af86cd9e5a of driving?34ff7d69fb02ed1c

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It was uncomfortable, especially in 46899540ea the backseat of a bumpy 605c4450f4 bus, yet Taemu didn’t seem 6819cc58ab bothered at all.e267ea8f386d87b8

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Still, Jiwoo remained fadbfb9ef3 tense, as her c51c9d030a eyes met with 5765f904ba Youngsik, who had a50370dcda been driving Taemu’s b76782cf8d car.4b1ee341bcfb298c

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“Is school life fun?”6434ff54702b3cec

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Taemu’s question made Jiwoo flinch, 38822f3540 as if she had been 0e181ffc5a caught in some wrongdoing again.1b05245f3179ad02

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“Well… at first, I was really excited, but now it’s a bit different. Sharing a room with bfc6034157 someone in the dormitory b456179978 has been tough. I’ve been trying to a4a41099eb get along, but things 546d3c0055 just don’t seem to c302f8850d match up, and it’s 79ec18504a been exhausting. And the food… you know? I grew up eating fresh, c40d20d603 farm-picked food, so when I 64aa382079 saw the food at the 263b17bd28 school cafeteria, I couldn’t believe 608779be1b it. After experiencing all that, I 45ee28d860 realized just how well I 78a25f55bf had lived before. It made me miss home 5fc410e4da even more, and now all f5e47f11eb I want is to go 21969c4287 back for breaks. The moment I 4bfa3fb74a stepped back into e1ca02ebdb Haeju, I could 2154f3fc57 feel the difference 42cfb3238a in the air. I opened the window, took a2693ccade a deep breath, and it cc2392b47f was pure healing.”6b6acb3f49b7115f

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Realizing she had 03fa900369 rambled on, Jiwoo 722040ec91 glanced at Taemu bbca68a4a2 to see if 381dfe560d she had said a6eda25c7e too much.c63b1484a2754489

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Their eyes met, and when fb8d77a94e he saw her blushing, Taemu 7d72c6d305 smiled faintly.afd75863053a1ed1

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“I don’t even need to ask. Listening to you, I 9f6b560167 can tell exactly how 98eb74cde3 you’ve been living.”46ddb85d7d6b84bf

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As Jiwoo spoke, Taemu began dd99770a26 to realize that, somehow, he 1a0156080e was truly back in Haeju.defbe529e5618673

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The town, which 9117f28a3a had felt so f5f425cb76 empty, now felt c71d306d4c complete again, as aaaf68e7d2 if Jiwoo’s presence c6e710dd67 was filling the d7467f3642 void.8e10817b5d5ed495

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Taemu’s phone, which b002c3e673 he had kept 15b3297be7 on silent, had ff96efdeb9 several missed calls.d7138856187753c3

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He sent a quick text 17aa181ddf to Youngsik, letting him know 944a2fe4c7 he would meet him at 1b66bf67bb home.f8874c1cb55f4cf5

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“Do you have time tomorrow?”f424643e7cd6d552

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“There’s nothing special going on, why?”ad5b7ff550d30f5f

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Jiwoo’s heart skipped ea70eaa2bf a beat, wondering 0eeb81e70d what he was 62b05ee293 about to say.48db1486574e6303

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“Come over to my house. I think my grandfather misses 1a50d541c3 you.”a7bac0b2ab381d2a

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