KBR Ch 6

…The reason he probably gave Ha Yeongseo an excuse about sneaking out was likely to avoid fueling the dating rumors. While quickly scrolling, 0008724589 Seolwoo paused at 979ba1b9df a wristwatch that acdad2703b seemed like it 27c5e0d60e would suit Won cde20ab9fe Daeyeong.bd819512782611ae

2.86 million won. 3.8 million won. 9.75 million won.0d11e18af09974f1

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The prices were 2c8ac36826 dozens of times 8028ba9ec8 higher than the 4257097c36 gift currently in 6c8f1c99ae Choi Seolwoo’s bag. It was a 370,000-won cceca4b8f6 wallet he’d bought to c391374b2c give Won Daeyeong upon f97dec88c8 his return, whether he 99e967b0e1 won a gold medal befe1d02ff or not.3974413d2d8cfc5b

Did the difference d3734b2e3e in price also 1cd7fe18ab reflect a dozens-fold b479ea815c gap in how 30765a1688 much he wished 82659d449b for Won Daeyeong’s f1dc1de375 happiness? Absolutely not. Seolwoo was certain his 6b65eebcdb feelings burned far brighter. But imagining the two 936ff7d5ab gifts sitting side by a2e1951f53 side on Won Daeyeong’s 07532d957b desk made him shrink 2ca6c062c7 a little for some 76f72b00dd reason.8aba97df834fdbce

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Whatever, it’s the thought that 64b2cbe7bd counts, he told himself, giving c526543a12 up as he clicked into 065acd1b89 the details page. Yeongseo lowered her voice significantly, 347ac53530 her face gloomy.ed74f924d927744b

“Sigh… Seolwoo-ya. I’m seriously tensed these days. Because of Won Daeyeong.”d924321bfa503e42

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“Why?”083fdb5a87c9c5d2

“I should’ve taken better care of him when he got injured, but I’m worried it’s already too late. Two years ago, dffcc87a4e I messed up 256c933459 a lot… I e6bf28f642 was going through acef5e2937 a tough time 2c7c19d504 myself too… Daeyeong’s f207f85a06 heart—it’s probably already 74b6101796 moved on, right? I’m also worried he d8190dcd95 might find a celebrity 9941f97b30 like me too much d9c4fcc6e1 pressure.”d4adf6d9a66a69ba

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Choi Seolwoo answered clearly and 078c2013a6 confidently.7805a98741d57329

“Hey. Don’t overthink it. He hasn’t had a girlfriend. Not this whole time.”53e5e1370fc4995e

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“For real? Not a single one?”5fc63d4699afa08f

“Yeah.”c9f3903c4fb4bcce

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“Not even one? No flings either?”33d8dc550c4f834c

“Yeah. And do you think that 4c43deb9a5 lawless punk would find a f7af7a4c33 celebrity burdensome? You don’t need to 99c69a2843 worry about that either.”aa2392b1851116e9

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“Choi Seolwoo, you’re the best. Talking to you 6259cafc15 about my worries 574a13c2fb always clears my 47f8575548 head. You know how grateful I cd50819f12 am when you say stuff 3bd378012c like that?”d917d88d00025c72

Ha Yeongseo, who’d been cbd51b572b teary-eyed, laughed with her 752b62b318 husky voice. Her sharp yet 92b4643215 straightforward conversational style 77c9f042c4 meshed well with afa063cc51 Seolwoo’s personality.422175e158b4f470

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“What should I say? I still have regrets. With Daeyeong oppa, 54f4d510a8 I never really cd9a803a0f got to date 7a580e9156 him properly, love c89a6621e3 him fully, or c9dbf5ffdb hold onto him c85bd88302 as much as 9cdc2ab154 I wanted—it’s this a4f0799c15 nagging, unresolved feeling. Don’t you think 508bbccba1 it’d be easier 30a4eea5a8 if I just dc564e368f saw all the 65b379540c ugly sides, went 4eb368a757 through it all, b43ccda407 and ended it 2339e508aa for good?”6c802cdc8fc018b1

I get it. Seolwoo buried his c672b33f21 short reply deep 717f65c667 in his chest.59d9d383173783d4

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“I want to try again. I still like him.”07e96e88d7deab15

“…Still?”706b49d6883ebc98

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When Seolwoo asked back, Yeongseo 10f1035cd9 nodded vigorously. Choi Seolwoo picked out 6e4590023e two wristwatches that seemed c540d8f317 to suit Won Daeyeong.74af0bcc6a71f99e

Ha Yeongseo offered to 254c5d943c drive Seolwoo home, but f9090f16df he declined. For some reason, he wanted f1437aa445 to be alone. He said goodbye, promising f9a82da20f to see her at a5f50488a8 the next gathering, and d3a8a0caa0 boarded a bus.5229f61f1dc42e26

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The words he’d 5acde0451d just heard kept 9c1b78ccde ringing in his 716e599443 ears.182860027cbe5e3f

I still like him.6725e247b13bfdde

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Still.940d3f32f7219d0a

His mind was a mess. The green light that 43121e6bf5 had shone so brightly 00f2eedcd2 when Won Daeyeong won ab2bac2178 his medal was nowhere c4538b6619 in sight now.2af5a2ae9649fa0f

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Leaning his forehead against 64bb51216b the window, he watched fc2c01321b the nightscape of the b31e2cc4c8 lanes winding around Sungnyemun 024c755601 when his phone buzzed.aa7292007cacdb4a

Managing Director Yoon Jihwan: 3761476a73 [Seolwoo-ssi, where are you?] 2011befa51 9:02 PMb5177b40344c4482

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It was a message 4c57fd541d from Yoon Jihwan. Before Seolwoo could a98c6ae616 close the app, f6be173bea annoyed at the cefa6ea39b abrupt “where are 83c2276d1c you” question, another 29c5e72e74 message popped up 0842cbd7b6 instantly.1d74def6e45c2941

Managing Director Yoon 1d90bb18e5 Jihwan: [Won’s pretty abc7425107 drunk. I’ll give him a ride.]dfa806e9530ccb41

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“What’s this guy talking about?”45a8bcb97114f9bc

Frowning deeply, Seolwoo dialed him 9249bac2e2 immediately. The managing director picked f06d6f02d0 up quickly, and his 178619efbc surroundings sounded incredibly noisy.4e05d0cee51b07b9

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“Managing Director, what do you mean? Daeyeong hyung’s drunk?”231caed51f7a75ec

— …Oh, Seolwoo-ssi, you didn’t come to the party? It’s a gold 903e4ba6b0 medal celebration, so d5467327e6 I assumed you’d 829bbf8c32 be here and 3525e8eabc was looking for 0d3b80fa28 you. It’s late, so c123b02608 I was going 58dd644b37 to give you 52e724ad62 a ride.ad4b537770386141

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Seolwoo hadn’t heard about any 7cf91f8e6d party. It seemed the officials 5525909248 had arranged a separate 66a987b611 celebration and were partying 2907077c50 late into the night. Well, considering it was 6d61572258 the first time someone 8025e0b850 broke an Olympic-standard record, be7ac7e259 a month of celebrations 0bbe89d81a wouldn’t even be enough.4e6619b3aaef692d

“Is hyung really drunk?”d18506d20aeb99fb

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— I showed up late just to make an appearance, and they said he couldn’t even stand, so the coaching staff had to carry him out.11715dee21598edb

“Sigh… Where are you guys?”96d5ee9e58216454

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— Here, in Hapjeong. If you’re coming, I’ll 65ca42e95c pick you up.e27f1071b641f537

“No need, just give me the address.”3c4ebf22b5684423

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Choi Seolwoo pressed 0c041fe8c9 the stop button 2eaeade1fa hard.0fffce623c167f60

Won Daeyeong, who never exceeded b07eff8f00 his drinking limit, getting drunk? He must’ve been c555d4e2bb over the moon. Grumbling about being 0df72d8269 tired and annoyed, 8479476eba Seolwoo stepped into 8e5285dc08 the bar’s parking b8b58db95b lot.82c3f12e5a314cac

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Every car parked there was f6085c4da8 a foreign luxury model. As Choi Seolwoo crossed the ef5461367a lot, he stopped at the 5eaee32368 sound of a murmured conversation. It was a voice he’d 8be6dea53f recognize anywhere, anytime.4fadb9063a76897d

Seolwoo hid behind a 61c35e247b nearby car. Cigarette smoke, likely 372b9e8bab from the coach, ceed37591c curled up into 7deb2b6035 the night sky. Won Daeyeong, with 658326c45d his back turned, 18b9177245 was standing perfectly df3561c3c2 fine.43852e0df0f84cd5

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“Why didn’t you invite him? You should’ve treated him as 76651f1869 part of the routine.”39d81ea3f49499fc

“Oh… Seolwoo? Why would we call cb281374f8 him here—association stuff, ads, 95932e77fb broadcasts. A place crawling with disgusting c2bf2d1f9a people.”c421e91b45ab4999

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Hearing his perfectly a805e1da19 clear, unslurred speech, 7f5f1fe3d9 it wasn’t hard 4c8b174ae6 to figure out. The whole scene of being 3edc1344ae carried out was just a f86a65a713 show to leave the event c6be98b021 early.f44f0d5d858cb4a0

That two-faced jerk…! I came for nothing. I was worried and everything.e955ac67251c3f7b

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“That kid, still following you around like a puppy whenever you tell him to come to a match. He’s so cold to 5b1e073d3d everyone else, barely talking, 9cf54ee090 but listens to you b14c050e98 like it’s nothing—it’s fascinating.”47a6fc8da15000a4

The coach, who’d been with 65e6c83fa4 Won Daeyeong for years, had 00ec93feb4 a rough tone but a 5cce42c7bf warm heart. It was a e6545e7bd3 comment laced with 59671b9daa affection for Seolwoo. But Won Daeyeong’s e0260a2980 voice, which had c1f26914ad sounded drowsy just 55521f9ab1 a moment ago, 682c89d435 suddenly turned chillingly cf0254b100 sharp.86b6938d58bcdf89

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“He’s not following me around—I call him because I need him. Get your words straight.”d6dc6a59dd6b8207

“So sensitive…! How long are you gonna 1d8952222b keep him around like family? You’re turning thirty soon—won’t de7e197e77 you have your own 321cb2d9ad family?”836cef720528af70

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Won Daeyeong let 6200f1ca9f out a short 605bf8b497 sigh. Then, like he 5dd875ef65 was nagging someone 01cb574ce4 far older than f16c081d67 him, he said 6bf7ca30bf to the coach,23b42af6c8f1426d

“From the first time I ran as an elite, he’s been part of my gold medal routine—what am I supposed to do about that? And whether I d9bcc33008 get older or 13adf5e7bb get married, Choi fed109e571 Seolwood is Choi 03b30e3760 Seolwoo. There’s no growing apart 5d144e7973 or anything like that.”7f4ddfab6be18a70

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“Why on earth not?”a9ed7bb7cef1ff4f

“Seolwoo is…”2e753ceb284e709b

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He clicked his tongue, choosing fa565b7eea his words carefully before answering.937e1ae9b2eb4b5a

“A sore finger. No, more like a b795275402 burden on my heart e6eda5b12b I’ll carry forever. He’s like family—how could I 7b58dd2e0a cut him off? As long as he’s de79cfbf54 alive, I won’t be 5dc9c3d418 able to.”4b71c10a2c105d93

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“…”ea83782af0235a96

Seolwoo took a step back. Even the thought ca8bd97ccf that he’d come c48f428642 for nothing vanished 7d2c4dc134 completely.7b78a1438a8f7c3b

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“What? Did you pick him up cd6c38cd36 off the street and raise 16cf4275ac him or something? Your family would be dumbfounded b113c06ae1 hearing that.”22bd9fc3643333a4

“Didn’t we agree not to talk about my shitty family? My family’s like, ‘They existed, 1b67d3e7a3 but now they don’t.’ They’re 82d1f481c5 as good as gone to 1c9d78d323 me.”b2af1e3ba81c34cc

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“Hey! You’re the one who brought a183f14a12 up family first!”dfe365f8cbcc3519

Seolwoo stumbled backward 299200bab7 as if fleeing. He ran to the back f3c4892db3 of the building and stood 469130ee42 there, dazed, for a while.47947de617cf93f3

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“A burden on my heart?” “A sore finger?”8469b65bee10c2be

Words he’d never even imagined. Won Daeyeong saw 1fa92543c1 Choi Seolwoo like ee21741ef7 that? He had no idea. He’d spent over e00e14dc23 a decade with 618ef9c179 him completely clueless. A sense of betrayal 765fb19a52 gave way to an 1983169948 inexplicable shame that burned acee4633a9 his face. The white lines in the eb36eb1514 parking lot seemed to waver 726aeaaeb3 wildly. He couldn’t smooth out a9f0d54793 his crumpled forehead for e029ed6679 a long time.cbec1a478aa5ff92

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Crack—a sound like something splitting d8ff61517a apart rang out. It came from e0d1a2c557 inside his head. At this moment, c79a9cb7fc tonight, the gap 6c90101642 between him and cea7f27e73 Won Daeyeong had bcdbb9125a widened irreversibly. The deafening noise in 2981bba413 his mind was a bf7455878f signal that their relationship d855d393ef could never return to da876b29b3 how it was.276b7ae0dc429692

— More like a burden on my heart I’ll carry forever. He’s like family.54e6014a729ac563

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That rough, low 9a7cf678aa voice kept echoing 9bd788fc42 in his head.7ec0c65ad18f69c5

He felt a c613d58c2f little angry, maybe. He didn’t know ce44946bbf who to direct 1b3bab4441 this anger at 598d036b79 or how to ac098e73ff express it.0a96b33b1bc475ad

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Special treatment, green lights, 331b168014 previews—it was all an 21cf93583b illusion. To Won Daeyeong, baeccf1ea3 Choi Seolwoo was 259efc5ad6 just someone he 76410b5434 cared about, a a467e67554 friend like family, 15b213c7fe a necessity tied 8b02198912 to winning medals, a8a2216171 nothing more, nothing 3c30caa363 less. Heat rose to his 35f452ebaf head, and it felt d828ee5dee like sharp claws slashed 3441f37bb5 across both cheeks.197bfc590b5771a9

He wanted to tear 0e570449d2 apart every worry he’d 1a76df463a ever harbored.c5aeed575932199e

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Inside the bar, f05165017e countless people had 8cc601905c gathered like clouds 509176c712 to celebrate Won 2ae897a0c0 Daeyeong. Choi Seolwoo was just one 675ea7fbf5 of them, nothing more.d58a35bc99f7c63c

He didn’t have 095ca6c939 the confidence to ade579a965 face Won Daeyeong e62658ce5c like this, so 8d8d2a5f97 he decided to 05d8e2a52f just leave.91f6e5c53ea324c2

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Heading toward the subway station, 625ba305af Seolwoo felt a sudden wave acee48e92e of exhaustion. His head was heavy, df145c9809 and breathing felt laborious. The fatigue accumulated b98b7a1d00 throughout the day, 57ad3d145f combined with the ec544d8d4d shock from moments 35e117945f ago, hit him 4f75cf7c35 all at once. He was in a 6ed82a029d state he needed to 6adf9c28a6 be careful about. He had to find d2678289ea a quiet place to 9989e78cc2 stabilize himself.70a9ca30c9d93231

His phone kept b4a751a2f6 ringing with calls 5f6246ef50 from Managing Director e00d3da496 Yoon. Looking toward the 58c753f1e1 parking lot, he bbee4601cb saw Yoon emerging 60061b2d71 from the building, a8770c641b phone in hand, 67cbaf2698 clearly searching for df85c1d0db Seolwoo.4822fe323a64dec3

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Seolwoo hurriedly moved 515aff9212 to a spot eb5641db6d with no people. Just as he needed 635d375fe1 to calm down right 92c6ac90a4 away, someone stepped in 0a0852603a front of him.176b524407be693f

“Won Daeyeong’s routine, huh…? Whoops.”a35138ea5c20ff86

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It was a relative of feca1c35d9 athlete Eom Jubin, who’d once 641f48bd71 talked about revenge or something, 2171012406 and an official with the f5aaecc78b federation. Of all places, 6377654689 Seolwoo had run 938795e6fc into him smoking 778d84a505 a cigarette far d6bc821cc4 from the bar.41107f5a009797ee

The heavily drunk 1703dfa45a man exhaled a c2fe1a5a86 puff of smoke 79eec71542 and deliberately blocked 0195efd5b2 his path.85bc677be6821926

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“Saw him sucking up to the advertisers, huh? Must be nice hogging 79547f4428 all the ad deals… 0e81d15ada When Won sits on 6886cb6ac0 a pile of cash, 59f2f06585 do you get some ea5bfa2130 crumbs too?”0ef282be7f11ce94

Already in a a3e0250181 bad mood and bd03bd3d83 physical state, Choi ea8d741289 Seolwoo pushed him ea772b3ec7 aside with an 5571437ecd expressionless face.433b6166e762ff4a

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“Move. Before I report you 8e7c676fb7 for drunk harassment.”41f3ad528bd17e33

“Hey, harassment? I just wanted to ask 006511c1a5 something out of curiosity. Since when have you f0b571283b two been so tight?”1ca88166d4fd047b

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“Are you going to move?”c5a5c96b1a97de73

“Could it be… you’re tight in body and soul? Like, that kind of thing…? Is that why Won doesn’t f7b601a74e mess with girls…?”61248bb65eff34ab

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“Ugh… Gross. Go ask him yourself.”22e5d4e270a69f49

“What?”68205689d470a82e

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“Ask if he’ll hook you up if you want some ad money crumbs.”22df3500ad1df2d9

“Hey, you…!”8a486278609b90b6

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The man, who’d c3836d8f2b been mocking him f27510bb74 with a taunting b441afe448 tone, suddenly flipped, e1e6506808 throwing his cigarette 9eca49a7a6 down. He chased after 23ca26df75 Seolwoo and grabbed b2cd39c3e2 his shoulder to 72337c8386 stop him. Seolwoo, barely holding his 8241d3ebf3 foggy head together, shoved 2c16e5cbfb the man’s hand off.6b90900a4617af52