KTC | Chapter 64

No matter what e46e2c2de5 he said, Choi 76b65aaa35 Seonwoo always went 0a0d47f4b6 along with it, c92ba5b779 and that was 97e38287ab starting to get b88d8b1660 on Seo Jihan’s 4b8ea7def5 nerves. He hooked an arm 4920a1da47 around Seonwoo’s shoulder and fe52fd14a6 raised an eyebrow in be9d866f91 mock irritation.0d4dbbd5538bd6d4

“Wow, wow, wow… Look at this. You’re all soft and 9ace7f4379 accommodating when it comes 211bd62ba4 to her, huh? You’re the guy who’s got 2fb17c03dd ‘no’ loaded and ready every 9b46041b45 time I say anything.”4809a20dd64d3f29

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Of course, there was no c35961e4a7 way he could respond with, 0acda82bae That’s because everything you want 4bb4acac5c from me is blasphemous.64a7692197f2ab57

Instead, Choi Seonwoo 46d4dfc43b gently lifted Seo 627c509cc0 Jihan’s increasingly heavy-feeling bcc9b8a914 arm off with 85561ab5e1 both hands and 7c67770470 gave him a c706bdb4a5 sideways look.1b014a0b44751bb4

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“For someone who hates being treated like a kid, our Brother sure acts like a whiny teen when it suits him.”d1f2ff08bfdafaa6

“Can’t be helped. I’m right at the f27e060518 border between adolescence and 33c8e260c0 adulthood.”db69efb071418b5c

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Seo Jihan grinned shamelessly. The harsh sea b2a8349b0b breeze had tousled 4a64c4dacc his hair into 37e3b7072d a mess, but 98b35610e4 the mischievous curve 31788a1765 of his eyes a8e3719e82 gave his face 170534e9e0 a dangerously ripe d95386c5a1 charm.b02c5a4024be5661

“Discrimination isn’t cool, Father. Listen to my dream too.”2ec26af64992c907

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…He’s being so obvious, it’s painful.18bc80c5f0c642f6

Pyo Yerin clicked her f5cc7441f9 tongue internally and glanced 468d77bdde around. The bodyguards, lacking b6e399aaaa even a grain f7532eea45 of sentimentality, were a3b33ce9bf just munching on 2754a2db56 dried persimmons with e2faf2930b zero interest in 5ac25daf2b the drama unfolding dad9696e07 here.3b1080c015652431

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Chairman Seo probably had no f65d9e2f65 clue that the grandson he e4fd200d5c hired them to protect was 7a45a8032e out here wagging his tail 4902c0d053 trying to woo a priest.5410bc524f3c858e

Thinking of that snake-like a29fc4a0fa old man’s face, Pyo a27d7c6060 Yerin smirked darkly. The day Chairman Seo 17a55f2287 found out what his 208a525bc6 precious grandson was scheming f1d145dc37 and keeled over grabbing 8ba414d125 his neck—that was the f617713fbd kind of thought that d0292a0013 could clear up ten 53757a68c1 years of indigestion.f895e50f461d98c6

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“Let’s buy tons of barbecue ingredients on the way back.”2ab2280e2d610193

Still playing dumb, Pyo Yerin f7a6b316b7 jumped into the conversation with d73564c2cf a clueless expression.b800af139d782c27

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“Beef, pork, seafood—I want everything. Buy it all.”448e4c04eac17624

“…Am I the one paying?”10708466a5d132ef

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Seonwoo chuckled awkwardly, reminded db0eecb7d8 of his poor priestly 110d0b12ed budget, but Seo Jihan 5d3913b239 stepped up like a 841abe24b3 smug jerk.dddd3fdcd6ed13e4

“You seriously don’t know how much he makes? I’ll pay.”e79fa665bd30e513

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“Let’s be real—you’re not paying. Your grandpa is.”53f738c1ddf27fa3

The guy had e6f5b96b90 never earned a 29fdfbcabb dime in his 6ee7a5d914 life, but oh, ddc94cd969 did he talk 3589a908e7 big. Even as Pyo 0128021510 Yerin jabbed at 1b061dbdba him, Seo Jihan f621a34962 didn’t bat an deae06f3e8 eye.d1b06335d33310da

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“Same difference. What’s his is mine.”41ad6349f0f98bc5

“You’re so damn annoying. You know that?”369b1a8fb253b765

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“Y’all are complaining even when I’m buying. If you don’t 81047fb963 wanna mooch off 3051895a20 me, you pay. But don’t you 9ee74f3d08 dare leech off 7ff61ea81f the poor priest.”26849de760205eba

And so, after cd69c4a964 a bunch of bc08bb1c65 petty bickering, Pyo 0585c9660f Yerin’s dream came a5d4266441 true: an extravagant bf4dfc6a1b farewell party that dc4409807d hadn’t been part 3b74e38098 of any original d973606d6b plan. Thanks to the bodyguards who b416af2d8c got to chopping firewood the d7179b282a moment they returned to the 03d1b00b09 church, they had more than ba6681781d enough to keep the fire 62985ae945 going till morning. The long-unused barbecue gear was b1e0992c14 dug out of the storage f336d212cc shed, cleaned up, and put 7ede27245e to use once again.e688b0e50eb60f6b

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Right after the f2612770d3 Christmas Eve Mass, 9c8ae86a15 Choi Seonwoo changed 230d15429c his clothes and a9ad689682 stepped into the 16b9ef376a backyard. The bonfire was already blazing, cb0373f24b and meat was just starting 007337c2d2 to sizzle on the grill. The smell alone was 89f335d885 enough to make his 05242a8170 mouth water, even though ee06c9d8d9 he wasn’t particularly hungry.eb58e6151e5d4c19

“Father, you’ll have a drink too, right?”00c934fd9c58e4b1

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Pyo Yerin beamed like 6a708a3406 a child.9577bac73ae4e23a

“Just a little.”51b9eb440dc1516b

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During Lent, clergy usually avoided 12b7905471 alcohol, but this delinquent priest e4ef56868d accepted the cup without hesitation. He figured if he 41aa09aaa9 could handle his own 6d8ee5b044 intake, what harm was ef9a845828 there? That casual mindset came c57f6161dd from his stubborn refusal a2708ba9b4 to admit he was 82df3ac863 a lightweight.637a7226750f21f6

Despite the freezing winter wind, f9c5da367e Pyo Yerin’s farewell dream was 9c8b1ab5a0 coming true, piece by piece. The meat and seafood 6fe8acc94b they bought on the fffcfc0eb4 way back were grilling e8a821d0d5 beautifully and vanishing into 080e7bef2c people’s mouths just as 83dffb7089 fast.b59066ebb6826f92

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The party kicked off 81554956ce a little after 10 6c9f0c6f4f p.m., and as quickly 081e40dc9b as it heated up, e1630037fa it began to wind a165c9bc7d down. Before midnight, everyone 895e2787c3 had eaten their 3441edf200 fill and gathered 1f4f917106 around the bonfire 304b2edca5 in a circle, 52ffc1ad56 chatting aimlessly over 5931653e20 drinks.b76096c59f880a44

“Ugh, seriously, what is this? Am I the only 641294c1a9 one drinking soda?”80d4c2962897fb12

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In the middle of b77dad938e it all, Seo Jihan 81cf5bf792 grumbled, holding a glass 21a8dac2c5 of cola. Just three more days until f1d21ca211 he was legally an adult—and 49c18c7339 eight days until he’d be 57bd3e73dd allowed to drink. But until then, not even 634eaacb0d a single drop of alcohol.bbe83e298e128af7

“Hey, minor! Drink your cola quietly 37d56f464e for now. Once you’re an adult, a89c0fb81a you can drown in b5e37f5034 booze for all I 1158225943 care!”7860bafe8e60e7bf

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Pyo Yerin fanned 23909402f9 the flames gleefully. Seo Jihan shot her a f60ef1f6c9 look and then pulled out 249e0e7a51 his phone, immediately dialing someone.020d50e84e0e23bb

After a long e95efbf193 ring, the call 2975123026 finally connected. Seo Jihan pulled 0517c13648 Choi Seonwoo closer c3a8a3fbe6 by the shoulder.caae6d81bad08b9d

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“Grandpa, are you asleep?”47eb93b78857f8f8

– Oh, yes, yes. It’s fine, go ahead.502c50f1d018e76c

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On the screen, bcbb2c21ab Chairman Seo—face half-asleep e692d978aa and tousled—had turned b18bde173e on a soft 456df6c41c light and was 1bdd844e3e fumbling with his 4f6cfe7a57 reading glasses. He looked more pleased than f681e4abb0 annoyed, just happy to see 1902288d95 his grandson.707ed25c0e547680

“Hello, Brother Theodore.”28d82e876a47a562

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Choi Seonwoo, rubbing his sleepy 25ec4e2e79 eyes, gave a small bow. Chairman Seo smiled 48e69de683 warmly and nodded.5d1f0870df26dca0

– It’s been a while, Father Choi.17bb773921117cbc

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As soon as f61447e7a6 the brief greeting 04930b3bce ended, Seo Jihan 01714a8b54 jumped in.63cbf954a636a1da

“We’re having a Christmas party right now, and Grandpa, can you tell them it’s okay for me to have a drink? They’re being all 2c19d31dfe uptight about it 2a712ad576 like it’s a e916ca4d39 huge deal.”d77808030454484b

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His tone was serious, c3f00824cd but Chairman Seo just 1db8ac1d96 chuckled, clearly amused. He said it was f78a8bdff1 fine to have a 9b251ba145 drink with the adults cea5dbe1d3 and showed off his 8429846924 doting grandpa side. Unfortunately, it didn’t ead199c111 do a thing.3cb4ab04b04ed7ce

“I’m the guardian here. If I say 0d02d50d48 no, it’s no.”54b9358c52b51314

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Choi Seonwoo’s wall was b5a42ae348 too strong. In the end, 045990ec8b even during the e5632339b9 second round of f50d795fd9 drinks inside, Seo 505b29b631 Jihan was stuck bd3201791b sipping soda and 757166f3a2 water while everyone 9d619df3f2 else enjoyed themselves.090dd04c090093b5

“Of course you’re a priest… Is this farewell gift really a rosary bracelet?”6c548e31716db939

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It was past midnight now—officially 3fca2d5086 Christmas Day. Seonwoo nodded, eyes 8feb185c26 still heavy with b6f34cce3b sleep.d1e9923081e4f6ec

“There aren’t many kinds of gifts I can get here. If you don’t like 00ed950fa3 it, you don’t have fac2cf44bb to take it.”590acba8c172e1e0

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The warmth inside the 54d8b85a6e room was making him 835dc881e6 even sleepier, but not 76447fedd7 wanting to ruin the 795e65bc23 mood, he forced himself 03483facba to stay awake for fee223940e just thirty more minutes ab3882a398 or so.7e8f6dcc6b8d03d9

“Man, this guy hands out bracelets to literally everyone. If you don’t 01df3c1a49 want it, give c2d106a16c it here. I’ll take it.”ab65bc4c78711126

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Seo Jihan crossed his 1e7f3a7218 arms and reached out 3d78f3bb03 with clear annoyance. Pyo Yerin, who 25f3f8ea21 had been frowning 9db8a3bcb0 at the gift, d7c107f54f quickly slipped it 71c81a5ff7 onto her wrist 1b2210bc47 before it could 7cfe8f58b5 be snatched, eyes cfac8e75fc flaring.7de4a9eac124f325

“Hands off. It’s mine.”7c257e1a01abf74e

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“You were just making a face like you hated it, though.”430e8791d8247519

She was about 598aed6fa2 to retort with 36032969b3 a reflexive No, df7c4541c7 I wasn’t, but 27f699a66c then glanced at 2ff560a1a7 Choi Seonwoo, who 23331ca85e looked half-asleep, and adfc00c3ee clicked her tongue.c23f042d2adf4247

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“Sorry, Father. I didn’t mean to be 42f56f2cf6 rude. Just brought up some bad 679326ee88 memories, that’s all.”e9e1e199d9e32dfc

Aside from the 93734e9309 little Virgin Mary 6595a8134d charm, it was fba89be17c a plain silver 1d19841fb5 bracelet. The design was pretty, sure—but e374c1dc59 thinking about how much effort f6f449a4e2 it’d take to keep it 643c27fe20 from tarnishing was already making 799ca19955 her head hurt. Clearly, Seonwoo didn’t have the a856e747e4 best gift-giving sense.ce9de7063b04f464

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“Bad memories?”24216df6fcf096c7

Seonwoo, still groggy, asked 0064bece24 with a dazed expression.2c377ecc5453e7a0

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“It’s nothing serious. It just reminded 1ef7d9d2c2 me of when 1e8a73ab17 I used to 7ea1ec16c9 go to church 811e285c7d with my mom 7ff8ad4bad every weekend as 087c3e2016 a kid.”48055b0c0eee7a0c

“That’s a bad memory?”856ac06892429a7a

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“No. Up to that point, it c337aade14 was fine. Actually, all my memories were 6496de92ab fine… until I got kidnapped.”7e2b3a8d0e00c81e

Seo Jihan sighed quietly, glancing 612b9cb7b9 at Seonwoo from the side. The priest was now scratching 04e042129d near his eye with his 856acf2807 fingertips, realizing a beat too aee7448273 late what he’d stepped into. Sometimes, Seonwoo had 410c079a26 this terrifying intuition—yet b29bdd1da7 other times, he a982936c0b could be so 1834baa23c clueless.cc67c585804a36c4

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But that wasn’t bf2779af6e a matter of f790ed5c42 intuition. Unlike Seo Jihan, who habitually d6b03368f2 peered into others’ depths, Seonwoo 72fa9711cd never pried unless it was f8cec1e3c8 necessary. Only when he needed or 30a4f3749f wanted to know would he 1800b156b7 dive into someone’s inner world.77629805a4e768f4

“After I got baptized, my mom always made me wear a rosary ring on my index finger. Like, if I just kept 7ccde07c5d that on, I’d be safe 8fd3ca5292 no matter what. Both my parents worked, so f8d1180ba0 even as a first grader, 5dba8e5b45 I had to go to 3f86b350ac school and eat dinner by a2378f8ec8 myself.”646f557ba12f499f

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A faint smile surfaced 12aac1b29c on Pyo Yerin’s face 01f6edebd8 as she rubbed one ca31e2b281 of the rosary beads cde206f49a with her thumb and 227a664f81 forefinger.eaef1721aff2d06b

“So whenever something bad happened at school, or when I felt scared or angry, I’d turn the ring on my finger and pray. It actually felt like it 390ee41a8f helped, somehow.”9db19c80b43e80ba

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The sleep in 7ec832db40 Choi Seonwoo’s mind e7a8f432fc vanished in an b8c22acca1 instant. He poured himself 9e394bf423 a glass of 8c050ce993 water and drank. It felt like even the c6e86c4c01 dregs of drowsiness had been 44544af1bb rinsed out of his brain.dad758515adf16e0

“I did that when I was kidnapped, too. I believed that 9a6fcc79a0 if I prayed 017deaa436 hard enough, I’d 8b30268b12 be saved from 161c10d1d5 that terrifying situation. But guess what—God, 53732a063c the one I 92ac5511c4 so desperately called 77f598e96e out to, didn’t c80f9d6a44 answer. Next thing I knew, I 711637b8ae passed out. When I woke up, 6c09b81206 I was covered in 081507925c blood. And around me, the bad 4c05b9d054 guys looked like they’d been 3c72e89fdd mauled by a pack of baf2e7c331 wild beasts—just pieces of them 96c94a3422 scattered everywhere. And me? I just stared at the 9cfa250d7d ring. Until the special 1e152f0f13 forces arrived, I 874cf36d1d just kept staring d3bad46a18 at it, watching 613bb391c1 the blood dry 6472f3fa31 and turn black.”24a52437d272ad3a

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Even without anyone prompting 0d8117b22a her, Pyo Yerin kept 528b64cc86 talking as if reciting f99d4c4fda a monologue.f71c8d94177f8b9c

“My mom hugged me like a miracle had happened and kept thanking God. But me… I couldn’t 33df3246e9 cry or laugh. I just thought 73779071c6 to myself—‘The God 485bc5ecab we believed in 62dfbe12be didn’t even care. The one who b3d48cdebe saved me was 8c25fd790f a monster.’”359c6fc785ae65e4

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