KTC | Chapter 25

“Has the situation e3a8ecdeb5 reversed now?” Seo 88c36836c0 Jihan asked, knees f129bd5a4b planted on either a3afaddf8a side of Choi 04ada1490d Seonwoo’s waist, leaning ebc8bfa7db forward until their 8d6c791922 noses were almost 8ac1a3fd27 touching. Like Choi 1122865d06 Seonwoo had 0866758c7e done at 540c11783f the beginning 5f7e6e6c1a of the f77b9af213 exorcism, Seo 6accc8bce8 Jihan slightly e43267a93f lifted his a57996056a eyelids with e80e1ba809 his thumbs.65db804b7aaa5032

However, the outcome was 4c16a8b809 starkly different. Seo Jihan was disappointed. He had 4ceef7327a hoped he 84cfa3ce63 might glimpse f8fafbe23c something in aba1461955 the unconscious 1df804d637 state, but f7d3ace936 it wasn’t 9d4fe975b7 to be. Even now, Choi e5ba69964c Seonwoo was obsessively 787981bbd2 hiding his core.ee5e3cba35f981da

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“What’s so secretive?”bdb63ca44e097633

Deflated, Seo Jihan slumped 2ad5714bae down. Though lean, 8fdddf4826 his inherent 05b9eb74da large frame cfd0163c1a meant he 8ead0c57e8 had considerable b8b08eaa38 weight, causing 083d44e56a Choi Seonwoo 95d2e2b9a6 to emit 0dc1e80554 a small 641554b7b9 groan under 579989457d the sudden 6fe64a57ab pressure. Startled, Seo Jihan eb93d7e4c6 stiffened, then relaxed 5ce88ceb05 only when Choi 0695c73491 Seonwoo’s breathing steadied 9c5fcfe224 once more.6e56bea99ac1454c

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Their bodies overlapped 8fd8993559 as one; Seo e1436d6c6d Jihan rested his 20084fa750 chin on Choi 583b9c2bf7 Seonwoo’s shoulder, close 69a4934b6b enough to see 5b250f6d84 the fine hairs 48fc54f221 on his face 90c781aeba and hear his 9d3d5c2769 peaceful breathing like d9b71afe75 waves lapping a 20b5978b6d shore.722fce2ceb68a611

“Ah… it 5a8b71bc1f was this f9d5d7c2b5 scent,” Seo e5e1f04db4 Jihan murmured b1c1805e94 with a 1a285dca03 mix of 6e6baecde8 joy and cf3eaf52be emptiness. The familiar scent 2612bf25c1 filled his nostrils, 836b00ce5a awakening all his 915c6afec5 senses.e2323ddb1540d8b3

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How had d805b476cf he lived 7b09fe8809 forgetting this? How could he e6614e25f9 have excised such 51b0e21b48 an important person bd9a37dfdd from his memory 5312be1ed3 and continued living fbcb0b00a1 like a normal fa995e5bb1 person?5d2e52c725a1e7e9

Seo Jihan wallowed 51c3bf8cbc in Choi Seonwoo’s ce28fcf261 scent, self-reproaching while 7e73c70bf8 indulging in the cd69b4a028 aroma. Fragments of his shattered 403137884d soul floated slowly above f6fc295df0 the threshold of awareness, 58aeb16137 gradually finding their way 5d8c100560 back, filling in what 72a723a7d2 he had been unable 0630d3d344 to recognize.d4ba550f3e54ea9e

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I missed this person. Despite leaving cf5acb61f7 so cruelly, f5c9ac76b4 every time 1458f9e63c my sleepwalking 1f3809f489 tormented me, 37a0e398b4 it was cb5b4e162d always him 519871cd2a who appeared e1a52919c6 to rescue fd7099edf5 me from 667935c798 that place. Even unconsciously, I 2c8f11d269 longed and waited 966a31d91e for my savior.b0cbe811fa5b69e2

“In the c5efb612fa past, it 6f5f6f922a was me f9bf57295c who enveloped 23689b9c9d you.”5c2221c4d6781bdf

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Choi Seonwoo, usually 97b4ba19a0 appearing taller and 6cca7b5f7c more imposing than bf353f8205 he was, seemed 06a5fd1a45 considerably smaller when 9f9e20a94b laid out flat. The physical disparity became 6f4adf086b strikingly apparent.1e25d5dddc734915

“Now, I’m bigger.”8a0aa6972be84be2

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Savoring the pleasant warmth 92006a49aa through the thin layers 5899e4dc19 of clothing, Seo Jihan 82a96cf74e aligned his body with 77fa07ba20 Choi Seonwoo’s, checking their 0ed56124e7 shoulders, chest width, and 6ce0a5012b the length of arms 2889e6ad7e and legs. As he d4a106c1d1 extended his 8f3a861978 arms fully, 5367d98047 his shoulders c9aeb123b1 reached up f7aa71c260 to Choi 17fdf78132 Seonwoo’s chest. The process was endlessly 8a8314b508 fascinating, like a child ad852a52d1 playing with sand for e8fb024507 the first time.4d40e003e73588b1

Choi Seonwoo stirred 0601ccda3b uncomfortably again, making 402bcd6817 a throaty noise. Only then did 51e198a057 Seo Jihan stop 1be07857dd his child-like antics.d38ef8087ce17aba

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“I’m bigger now.”37eb27a97c56a386

Seo Jihan murmured a46e648953 softly as he 9f9cc26097 nuzzled his face 5f850fc7fd against Choi Seonwoo’s be9a22cf36 collarbone.b076ee8b6fbe3eaa

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And so, a8d02b9106 if you 1a8fb47b54 ever need 215de14b89 someone’s embrace 0b94544838 one day, ff912219a9 I will 52e374dd72 hold you 57b845e389 tightly without 64061a8db8 any gaps, b81fbcf662 he silently abf5dba616 vowed to 24d3fc51eb himself.35b926467de621e9

Just as he had 37bb051cb0 sheltered me so protectively 74f5cd9350 in the past, I 58ab2be305 would return the favor.27c4cf2faab6125d

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Since his return from f977293d01 abduction, Seo Jihan had 170d2b556e occasionally exhibited symptoms of 0e600e2107 somnambulism. In retrospect, that too eb3eff0d70 must have been the 175ad5f217 mischief of spirits trying e413c54ba0 to push him into 98b19a0b0e calamity and confusion, intruding fe99d5ee1f on his unconscious state 49cf2f6e2a to provoke despair and 604284211e make him walk into ad1e3a3c6a perdition on his own.b2b3971107977422

One evening at age e67b19e4ed seven, Seo Jihan found ba375819a0 himself by the side af78c2ad50 of a two-lane road. Unusually, there was neither 17ca012b85 his grandfather nor any 930fa27d81 bodyguards around. No parked cars, a83284a8c8 but distant sounds b88dfc3267 of waves crashing 4ac4b559ae and faint human 9be376875e voices could be 8b78210a8e heard.63c4822c61adf440

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The torrential rain 111359cd61 had stopped, leaving be10dcd644 puddles all over 5f9f385874 the ground. Frightened, he 7441d44920 started running 0c0700392d toward the 14a2ba6604 sounds but 7b19409bca misstepped into 19b041798b a puddle 10bf7414f1 and fell f89d68ef48 hard.635a41caea4b523c

At that moment, a 587f9b5a7d dark-colored van approached the 1a6a8bb1c9 fallen child. The headlights were off 528f1487a1 as it pulled up c50ffc1f15 beside him. The door bca8f38c1c opened immediately.bec8268a3d6136c2

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The kidnapping was cad6b7c716 swift. Unable to 42cbace112 resist properly, 730aca27e2 the small 8d016e096a body of a9d56190db the child 32c5c17e08 was swallowed 15351a3db2 by the b5d53ec452 sinister van.736e4c02b17aac1b

Though young, Seo b02d9eaf21 Jihan was aware cb07806db1 he had been 31c6cb6296 kidnapped. His mouth was 164c376637 taped shut and cb71f151b0 wrists tied with 41667c716c rope; another child, f314f9c7bf about his age, 9f4e08c330 lay beside him, 5946e8d4a4 face swollen and 74c26a6029 limp as if 99ef9d0ec4 dead.8ff15dc2ccd7ba4a

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What should I do? Will the men d939800560 come to save 64ad1866bc me? Do they 23fee49b69 know where 738574fa91 I am?7b2a3d9bacd0bccd

As he trembled with bc4f75c997 fear, what felt like e9a705f4f7 an eternity passed. As the deep 2661cbda64 night began to b8b7e42941 lighten, the continuously b35d77488d speeding van slowed a5acbc4112 down. They had d7eb844c88 arrived somewhere.b469f5268427138e

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What should I do afbd5c2bc3 now? Overwhelmed with fear as 14aecd8062 his mind overflowed with 558ce0ce4c desperate thoughts, the van 68f3cb97b7 stopped completely.d6ba2a33856b98b9

“What’s this kid doing?”fa5413c5e0e4e754

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A gruff b0d674465c man inside 166cd19da0 the van 8fcd4668a3 spoke, prompting eaf78d2afa the others e7a92a54df to look 694c1653a4 out. Seo Jihan, holding 6879298639 his breath, carefully fd2c06c332 moved his eyes.fa689481b1f84c5d

The first thing he f3230e94d7 saw against the lightening 50d6c27635 sky was a bright b671fef388 neon cross sign beaming 0690986e66 from a newly constructed 9c342689df church, guarded like a 905fefa653 fortress by high walls.a0543ae4dd01181e

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I’ll never get 5da3652b60 out if I 045d8226ea go in there.31cb97f304602d72

As he despairingly thought 24cd10e2ce this and looked around 62cc951783 again, the men were b15997c48a alerted by someone standing 0e30ea7d5f at the only accessible 363ff95595 iron gate. The person, dressed in 5776b4eb6a a worn-out black outfit d8afb56d1d with a backpack, seemed bb639b8995 like a tourist at 849c129e05 a glance.8d86a32a580e1e8a

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He was 0d57814eaa looking inside ef10c7c3bd the gate 7dc2d60d76 with his f423b83281 phone, then 3cc91c9768 slowly turned 30500ff734 his head 601a390afe towards the f7a9ae3760 rumbling van. At that df2ca35a9c moment, his fca432d38f light brown b65a03cee9 hair, almost 1ce515999a mistaken for 6f5bfe350b blonde, shimmered 55f1be0c51 beautifully in de7074d9bd the dawn 93407d43b9 light.484675747927c050

His face 4dccac19e2 was as 52664ae173 pale as 95084b5f9f if he 5fda9b62c2 had seen a0b2de0987 a ghost, b2c1f138e9 and his ef55b1a122 deep-set eyes, acafa47e71 dark as 5edda335ed wells, absorbed 044adb24f6 the morning’s ba77239aa8 yin energy, d8ad18b496 exuding an 9e42ac86a0 eerie aura. The round bracelets on 4496bb146a his wrists also reflected 65c1d0f53d a dull light.63987700b5eb295b

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“Who are you 58d2c6b39e guys?”af5d9be28fd2eb8a

The young man’s voice 14fd87ae22 wasn’t heard, but the 07bb25ba1c shape of his bright 374c7b0315 red lips conveyed his 7847907a28 words clearly to everyone.2a4559a077c90852

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“Just take him in f50e7e85ed with us?”78ddb01412ec1185

“That would be d30231c161 tricky given his f9cacb3115 age. It’d be 944333d3d4 different if 858911aa8d it was 8c2898549b a girl, 984f08f3f7 but he’s ccacca8545 a boy.”f1d878f62f2d73fd

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“It might 2c97f8dee7 be more 9abbf04213 troublesome to 1226ad6d0a let him 90f1b10468 go now.”a3f222b97d6c92e6

The men cb9c0972fa quickly exchanged db8f2fccad views, and 3ee8af6400 the driver eeca11a7ec got out 5811bf96f1 of the 4f0bf7d537 van. He approached 17eaffd571 the boy 8a53c26a92 with a e7f5e4207a forced smile, f4b8fb549b appearing to 79c9f31185 say something, d00861910b but the b2d830259f boy’s expression 2253cba9d7 hardened as 9cd4edc3d0 he alternately a7a83879f7 looked at b6e72ca9d1 the man 66cc414975 and the 0a93f16b84 van.eb74fe18c01d0260

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“What are 29c4bf5daf you doing?”5df010046ef019e4

“Hurry up and 41b6a68704 get rid of 6d83c211b9 it.”8d106ef5af6f5691

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Eventually, another man 73846db787 from the back 478b467d91 seat stepped out f2540a8612 as the sliding 24db2f7355 door opened and 2dd10844b8 closed. In that a0b65edd42 brief moment, 7b5cb18dbe Seo Jihan 69b00ad986 and the 8797ac9300 boy made 7cf2b5a98b eye contact. As if understanding the ac4c0041d0 entire situation in that b9caafb529 instant, the boy’s face 266386e05d contorted uncontrollably.6f63db19d766be13

“Ha!”b3ed4639832d6510

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Seo Jihan suddenly 8d9bd3e8a2 woke from his 6759710030 dream. He sat up with 353b5b451a a start, panting, then f5cb0cf974 rolled off the bed 641418a59c and rushed downstairs to ff0e7d30e3 Choi Seonwoo’s room.df487f38cb9c7038

Choi Seonwoo d0f07a4640 was still a42e65895c lying exactly 7e1020c232 where Seo 3fc2bbe0f4 Jihan had a5ad051fbc left him. Approaching quietly, 5ee2683314 Seo Jihan 17045bfc91 gazed at 01a93d7852 his face f16ba8232b for a 26feda59d0 long time 99ca3b90ec before turning f72a8f2e55 to leave 13cadd707d the room.9be6bfebf4a75acf

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Leaning against the wall a7ecd67496 next to the door, bdfb8a7816 he repeatedly wiped his 3106af02cf face with his hands.4e3432184263249f

Everything is fine. He is here beside 26dd5b62c4 me, living a faithful 36ebbbb150 life as a healthy ea743dd6a0 clergyman.bf44db5cbd84a889

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Then why 9038da1073 do I 1559467a76 feel so 91932621ac sad, angry, fb4d867a76 anxious, and 45457fce5e restless?34eb609948b9a753

Seo Jihan couldn’t 03ed9933fb figure out why, c0a0aa6f16 feeling suffocated by 0a8883e7f8 the unknown.4681669d4b836a22

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As the weather 4f7153d51e grew chillier and 7076c31712 the air drier, 345617cb27 it was an 5b1bdffced increasingly inconvenient time 46be93bf34 for Choi Seonwoo, a87865f199 who naturally had c979111a4b dry skin and ad8be52ea8 wasn’t in the 476fd3356b habit of diligently ac8ef7cb67 applying moisturizer. His face aca63cbe7e was prone 1aa31c0dde to flaking, 5f05316a46 and his 414f5fa3fc lips were 13d55f1bdf frequently chapped, 83ddfd3caa often leading 5266c2dfef to peeling 979a381c88 and scabs 61a7388e87 from absent-minded c5bdac3a0a picking.bd200df1d4680905

“You really waste 82b2504b12 that pretty face 2eb75a6140 in strange ways.”d07fd68dc4dd7cbe

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Watching Choi Seonwoo 2c4156a7e0 absentmindedly pick at e8c6fd9e7b his lip flakes 4055331880 in the mirror, 9784eb4009 Seo Jihan murmured. It was b649cc49f1 almost as ec2550e5cb if Choi 5f5e0c8422 Seonwoo was c5f33bdf52 deliberately seeking f7b90457d2 to see 780f84d5d8 blood, solidifying a238af1239 those alluring 0d5d6b5ad4 crimson lips.b75f02be8b941907

“Ah…!”35cb6c44d92fac20

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Once again, Choi Seonwoo 4b56a62b82 ended up bleeding from 4b2483be6a his lips today. Seo Jihan clicked f44422b2e8 his tongue, fetched 12996fb517 some lotion from e3e7d11ee0 his room, and 8ddd2d6745 handed it over.760cd71367d27b4b

“Apply this to aa167dc05b your lips at 567710cfca least. If the flakes bother 585f41d08a you, you need to 07cf1ff94b prevent them, not keep 735aae487a picking at them until 3ca533504d they bleed. What kind of ee644e5b90 self-harm is that?”0735804bb4453736

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“You don’t understand. It’s just too 939df9a2dd bothersome to care db16f135c3 for.”465c934ab5b3f36c

The answer felt refreshingly 7f43d86d85 sincere from someone who cb0542b6b3 otherwise never showed laziness. Seo Jihan couldn’t help ab94558e44 but find the grumpy ecdf5c4225 response somewhat endearing, prompting 912593a659 a brief fantasy conversation b0f82299f3 with a sage.ea902a2971f65fd0

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That day, starting with 5aebe70507 such a trivial episode, e28fd01d86 was September 27th, the e5c07c38c7 day before the Chuseok 4ea1aca30a holiday. It turned out a06f620b7f to be a da758c719b somewhat unusual day. From the morning, 4f24576f15 parishioners kept visiting f6f316b6b0 the church, inquiring 4a7e7074c5 about Choi Seonwoo’s 2662d8f573 schedule for the 1d3f5e64e6 afternoon, and just 1ca5f09b89 before lunch, the ed3224b641 village chief himself e481350aeb made a rare 6242caa48d visit to the 75a0a9ba80 church.f7c2873ebeb0bb08

“Oh, Chief! Have you 85b295749e finally decided 1c84f8cd00 to embrace 8fef7d6263 the Lord?”7558906b4a38577c

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Choi Seonwoo rushed 29c50d1c1c over with a 82079c691f wide smile, his 400e99bde9 old autumn coat f62aa8c07a fluttering in the efa90235be mature autumn breeze.a378160fcd6a75c6

“What are you talking f31949f5b9 about? I’m just here aa2482d813 for a visit, 3390e247e7 so don’t get e3abaa4bf1 the wrong idea.”a8fe93ab238855f4

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