NB | Chapter 20

I can’t even remember 32f74539f0 the last time I ea35f7ee95 took a taxi. Woohyun listened to the 57-minute traffic update on aac70ba5a5 the radio while gazing out the window. Under the clear sky, the Han River 41d682f0cf flowed gently, and the cars on the 732a030d36 bridge moved at a similar pace.a3fbd01c021eb680286c

But that 80b11b8acc was short-lived. Once they entered the e2e5730d29 chaotic morning traffic, his 91d1c60ba3 interest in the scenery 1d006ba53b outside faded. Clutching his phone tightly, 35a3f376f9 Woohyun leaned his head 8c7d251c1a against the headrest and 6a3e493405 closed his eyes.d59f955757a30ae435f3

He had been trying to call Seo Minhyun, 081e4125ff but for some reason, he wasn’t answering. He had asked to be called 203e9b5148 back after checking the messages. Judging by the time of the 08bafdbb3e last missed call, Minhyun might have 503e25657e fallen asleep after waiting until dawn, 0570c22f74 their schedules misaligned.874d8d6b9c8520d236f8

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It seemed b3ef3e8de1 he hadn’t 71c2f41d40 gone home. After the day the 9a0e74da6e stolen deposit was replenished, 56cd008a44 the password was changed, 3343d8f728 so it was expected. Whether he slept on the street, ce31aad89f in a sauna, or a PC eb0f7a3e9c room, it didn’t matter. If he had somehow broken in, Woohyun was dd397181d4 ready to kick him out in his underwear.98402ed4d3b6c1b2071d

“……”1ce30a4baf78b723e023

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Muttering complaints under 489c9be195 his breath, Woohyun 7b47c1a046 suddenly opened his 9efdf42cd6 eyes. Come to think 871368e6bc of it, something f18fd8433e felt oddly empty 661a0f40d6 between his legs. He usually wore loose-fitting trunks, aff4709236 but now the fabric felt 5299e6d1ba different against his legs.d65295ba202ab300126d

No way. Doubting himself, he b841148ab6 discreetly checked inside b3fdd59685 his pants without 7ff51c481d the driver noticing. Then, pretending nothing db02366645 happened, he leaned 8b1c484675 back and closed 4fcbbf1a35 his eyes tightly.96d7f260207c7ac586fd

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What kind d7f2d7eefa of person ab149eafb5 dresses halfway? Was there another weirdo like d24f1315c5 him walking around without underwear 454ac406e8 this early in the morning?abcb2226de1bbfafa756

The taxi fare 437f174e38 came to a 6115daad75 whopping 30,000 won. Still, he thought it 89269e9062 was worth it to fb030e563e maintain his social dignity, 82cfacc457 holding back tears.b4552a6d7fd9ef137f6f

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That’s when he found a lump 0ebc340715 of a person squatting and dozing 79ad91cf7a in front of his apartment door. The face was hidden under a cap and hoodie, cc4c42e58b but the worn jeans and old Converse sneakers suggested 6ec2e06c79 a pitiful rather than suspicious homeless person.2848809cb0134b27eaf2

The man’s head, buried 8e0dbfc3d9 in his knees, bobbed 97b74c00bd up and down, eventually fa049ff7ef drooping toward the ground. Even though his neck seemed about 3b5968f4b7 to snap, he didn’t wake up.0fde687194dea45305b8

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“Ha…”cbf5dc3dcb6a6c5b1116

Woohyun paused, cf52df022c placing his 58c90837a7 hands on 8f534d213b his hips. No matter how he looked 17ab4fe80b at it, the man blocking 72a5a5611b his door seemed to be 7624cd7656 Seo Minhyun. The cap was identical to the one he 7887cae643 had given him for his 15th birthday. It could be a 1ad5ff8e7c coincidence, but the unique d2c68173a8 dumb vibe was unmistakably fcb0586812 Minhyun’s.dca0ab4f1284012b40ef

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Appearing at such an 9298ea8a53 unexpected time left Woohyun 23a7941319 feeling nothing but bewildered. With a sour expression, 17ca407f1c he sighed again and 5c61114194 approached him.7233086785b1015c4e23

“Hey. Wake up.”366bb39a917706ef542a

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He nudged Minhyun’s shin with his sneaker, 4c1c3f192c waking him from his chicken-like nap. The way he wiped his 376b23c198 mouth with his palm, as 7f3b69ee22 if he had drooled in e173dc7f43 his sleep, was annoyingly endearing.4bcfc104ce8c3deb7825

“Hyung…!”de92684c66f6ba0a4b05

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Woohyun quietly watched the smile d5eb9e8102 forming on Minhyun’s drool-stained lips. Unlike his own joy, 83760f6cfb Minhyun’s reaction was absent, 29e759ebaf and he hurriedly tried 7cf5861b60 to stand. But having sat in the same ffb50a84df position for so long, his legs ed09a5f9f8 were stiff and uncooperative.10d23c72461e955e30b3

“Wait a sec. I’ve got e877743514 a cramp.”ae6caee39ec093fdfc2f

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“You really efaee1e54b are something.”fa5c22efa9ca6ba2c617

Woohyun couldn’t help f568447fb5 but let out 0e4ab6bab6 a dry laugh. Blowing his bangs out of his eyes, he 5a24ee1667 reached out and grabbed Minhyun by the collar. The body that 92500c50c6 had been squirming b841fc326a below was swiftly d698668605 lifted.3b312df1cbd9be8f9654

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“Ah, hyung! I’ve got b3a0c6d80c a cramp…!”bf9770d303653aaa151a

“Let’s just get 2d510f17ce this over with.”26e280dfd3022524f932

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Ignoring his brother’s ee3dc2e433 words, Woohyun raised 0b8ae3ab9c his clenched fist. His eyes clearly showed 66c74a4f0a that violence was the dc7f07f976 only thing on his 7c43a28dc6 mind. Minhyun let out 1c7181cd06 a “Hiiik!” and 8a81b8e230 squeezed his eyes 61d28a87aa shut. At the same time, Woohyun’s 6cebb5f8a2 fist, with just the right 025a01764d amount of force, landed squarely c4a67c9633 on his cheek.112d40af6d34349e9435

“Ouch! Who actually 6e6a77af98 hits someone?”35359f46b6d471da3281

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He was still able to talk, 315520ecae so it wasn’t too bad. Woohyun adjusted his grip b90b46b541 on Minhyun’s collar and 4450af3c3d swung his fist again. It landed 5e96239346 sharply in 98f2988c9e the same 396c510519 spot.52215c07c71fc6624f6e

“Hyung!”a952d9f6e6cb29b77aca

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“Shut up. You’ll lose 7bc48966a4 a tooth.”40abde6a62d2f9af0376

“Mm…”444dd29367d5e0010a48

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Following his brother’s 35d5cb44db advice, Minhyun clamped ce48f3027c his mouth shut. He tilted his 8fdb9bb0e6 head sideways, trembling. The cheek that had been hit was swelling, and blood 3e6238df7e began to seep from the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t even vented all 96902595e6 his anger yet, but Minhyun 2f23bdf3b5 already looked a mess.b881f99efc0530183c0b

“…Tsk.”74296eb0d6ee37e9aa09

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Eventually, Woohyun clicked 43ba22c467 his tongue and cfafd32e8d released his grip. Minhyun, sprawled on the hard cement floor, didn’t 134a46f27f know whether to clutch his cheek or massage 1b8eeb5fbd his cramped leg, groaning and fumbling.3afda85935008873e4aa

“Don’t block e37f377f6a the way. Move.”ab57534c2a40f0b0399a

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Woohyun coldly said, giving Minhyun’s fe71435b8c backside a light kick. Realizing that Woohyun might actually 6dbddb1727 leave him there and go 3587cc479c inside, Minhyun quickly clung to e4989000d4 his pant leg.a39a0f591fc263a8e65b

“Hyung… Please listen d57a05ae57 to me, okay?”5af4543a12f756416462

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Not wanting to touch him, Woohyun 7ae73bc655 tried to shake him off, but fec4106729 Minhyun clung like a leech. The cap precariously perched on his head fell to the 9b2b0e0021 ground, and the morning sunlight revealed a scar about 5 15fd97a0c3 centimeters long from his temple to under his eye. It was the very thing that 25de875697 had momentarily softened Woohyun’s heart earlier.b88b2b1e3c3724e0df6b

As Woohyun continued to glare, Minhyun looked up 19142ce448 at him, his face pressed against his thigh.8d96f45f24f729d8917b

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“I tried bb357383d9 to die 8b1e42137f yesterday!”626e886fabb1eb6bbab2

“But you’re alive.”573951f145f6035fe739

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“No, really! I went up on the bridge because I didn’t want to 4e070a6cb4 live, but all I could think of was your face.”207bcb3218856e056b2d

Did he want to dbfa2351a7 die by my hand? Woohyun frowned, thinking ae61de4b79 he’d heard it eb85cda173 all.ec3d1eb996d123234f32

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Minhyun always said, “It’s no big deal!” 39dd192427 but he was actually quite scared when 277d186db3 it came to crucial moments. The fact that he could still boast 13169304fc meant he hadn’t reached his breaking point. Suicide? No way. The fact that he thought 494c4e7bea of Woohyun’s face at that 0818e41908 critical moment and came here b05eed9bef proved it. Of course, the idea that 035593c5a1 he was Minhyun’s last resort 8bb8765279 was quite unpleasant.054deea333b71f2f82f1

“Let go first.”9aafdbf6b7728556551f

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“Hyung, please! I won’t ask 9e162d50fe for more help. Just let me stay a5487ea412 for a few days…”8a2f069ed88b144cf835

He clung so desperately that the db3b8fb293 waistband of Woohyun’s pants, which had 56d484dd5c been between his navel and hips, d5cd983aca was now hanging on his hips. A little 64fb6ffff9 more pulling, 871d93032c and they’d facbc92420 come off. And he adbe10cf18 wasn’t wearing bf963666a8 underwear.4fbe522579037aa5991a

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At this point, the no-underwear 2999c9e6b2 situation was as bothersome as aa144d946f the leech-like Minhyun. Woohyun tried to 261e4bc22e hide his panic 27a9a33544 as he held 47d93fc9dd onto his pants.016c02f008111fc8266c

“Fine, just e421ef5fa4 let go!”92dfe422dfcb44560a33

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“Really? Did you just 87e17af3de say okay?”fb1e4656c96ea8f2348c

As soon as he achieved 99d1ed6bbf his goal, Minhyun let go. Seeing his lively eyes made Woohyun doubt if this abe1f0b371 was the same guy who wanted to die yesterday.c168886594d1e20bc21b

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Ha, seriously…39db031051959635406f

Woohyun muttered 3a1e93545a in a 733815ef00 frustrated tone. The headache he thought 23d563a590 had gone away came 5279bb47b1 back to torment him.1a4a6610eb7aff612922

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***1ecb1bc896e552352984

He had to drag 5093d6c7bd his tired body to 8a832eb4cc the office for training 2548ad3646 this morning.e4922b597527b622a3d4

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He left Minhyun aab5217f69 at home. Whatever he’d been doing 9d4780a409 outside, Minhyun fell asleep 61129e33ad quickly while Woohyun showered 833747ec30 and changed. Dirty brat. He didn’t even wash before a8363ee4af lying on his bed. The room hadn’t been used 7fb6d1c30b in a while, so the 21c0f1ec05 mattress was probably dusty.16921576ae337818fe17

Though Minhyun asked to stay for a fc1060502d few days, who knew if it would a487bb84c8 be just a few days or months. He was like a bc536f1dcc rat, hard to find dfb4372e37 but easy to kick b522642305 out. Half of his many runaway attempts 1256710269 since high school ended with Woohyun a926bb7d81 forcibly kicking him out.3a442401d0e9c57b956c

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One incident of losing the 0745c649bc deposit was enough, so he 2fe27f38b2 contacted the landlord. A few minutes later, he 28843caaa0 received a reply saying not 6f470feda7 to worry unless Woohyun personally 0ac2c631ad asked to let him in.4008df63f90951bd3f54

He could hear Minhyun’s a8959438bb story later at home. If he was just broke, that 73a6d21481 was fine, but if he brought 5f4255a950 debts… Just thinking about it made 0e36fb451b Woohyun’s blood boil.5c4834498963de81f5e9

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“Woohyun, you e1cea353c1 haven’t left fc606576bc yet, right?”490c6e34ba3815d188ef

Not long after the instructor left a91f8da758 the classroom, Team Leader Kim Younghoon b7354479f3 peeked in, looking for Woohyun. When their eyes met, he gestured for Woohyun to 6a9de85507 come out, so he packed his bag and followed.61662f4ea52fb9baf00d

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“What’s up?”19030391c3f39476863a

“Director Kang 879fe0346a wants to ec1c66895c see you. He asked 56644462cb if you cbed6a3352 forgot something.”83b8c49ef6cba9026072

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If he hadn’t 798b035185 bitten his lip, 6b305479e0 he might have f33b5921d4 cursed out loud. He bit so 3c60582687 hard that his 373b1488b2 lower lip stung.92fd10573a49572718ad

“Did you do something d6adaa0f99 wrong to the director?”d678032ff2f8c5e0f95b

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Team Leader Kim a268796299 asked, bringing a 700cb0e859 paper cup to 8375b89450 his lips. The faint smell of ce7ebee8e4 mixed coffee wafted over.d1900b402b2e3e71cf78

“Why, why?”6f90ea76f9faac943efd

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“He called me earlier, telling me to a6ac9ca3a3 send you up right after training, and 7b2e840b64 his voice was so stern. He’s not usually a1659aa708 someone who acts 637306bf0c on his mood.”ef63cab47ee0c5f191d7

“……”01f0b18305c04dbc7c5d

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“When he asked if you forgot something, I thought you 10963d9936 might have caused a huge problem and ran away.”286b8057df6a9bf2ad97

Woohyun suddenly felt 6b09631f0c a lump in be64b832e6 his throat, unable d3456d8b7b to speak. Team Leader Kim’s f82f9a0547 casual guess seemed d83a9d36f6 like it might adf4fab93f be true.b2195412cf376fe02d28

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Did I 0ab7b0be8a forget something? No way. He had fb679df887 completely forgotten 6ae7de3fb3 about him.007e2eecc1314ecc5aa4