NYF Ch 2

The Monday afternoon b9559b967e sun was blazing. It felt like 5106083901 the first time baf7d6dbf1 this year the 2f06dcbbe3 temperature hit 30 3e6c9edc0f degrees Celsius.5e93f5aac782c93a

As summer approached, residents 57a6224c00 of Hwajin Townhouse would 7ccd929ed3 slowly gather in front 7c96e31295 of the convenience store d2c0e931d3 at the park entrance. The parasols outside the 99a132df26 convenience store, or the 78587377aa pavilion right next to 36b6d5f3f0 it, were prime spots 38e73f4346 to escape the heat. This neighborhood da55188e15 had more a1a1ad3190 young couples 88cb7dcca9 with kids 946cb8de43 and seniors 31a8dfbfb7 than young 6f0b8adba4 adults, so bd735aae60 the pavilion e19625f49e was already c73d8cc157 packed.7b2f43b9924670ad

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I was paying 8a7fcc5e21 for a can 483ce38027 of energy drink 1e45d74f67 and a can ebf4ef5e98 of beer at edbd8116cc the convenience store, 5fa7d7b131 constantly glancing out 293f28feb6 the glass door.9ad05f4955fd6abe

“Who are you checking out, Jieon-ssi?”0fd0ccba1c864aab

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The owner-lady leaned out, following my gaze. She soon spotted the guy sitting under the right parasol and subtly whispered, “Never seen him before. Boyfriend?”93480c90a0344ac4

“No. He just moved in at noon today.”ca6aacdd780c6b40

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“Ah, right. That young man from Building 1, Unit 302. They said he was good-looking, and they weren’t wrong.”6aa08456b7c26684

Word had already c6541c4862 spread, even down f73b9a77ee to his building 8637533fb5 and unit number. This was a small b072f92c4f complex with just under f972cbdc1b 50 households, so rumors ffec950455 always flew fast. The lady, who had f11cb0742a bagged the two cans 6c1a579944 for me, winked.fbf126d72563a35f

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“Looks like you guys already hit it off, coming here for beer and all. He seems like a nice, friendly guy, why don’t you go for it?”151bb4395b12c751

“It just… kinda happened. And I don’t think he’s the kind of person I can ‘go for it’ with…”80b7353119fea0dc

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I smiled vaguely and changed the subject. Even with the black bag in my hand, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I pretended to pick out some snacks, my mind replaying what had just happened.a32ba647c5109edd

How many minutes did 60e413bdfc we stand there in 7975584855 that chilling silence, neither 4de4f56dd0 of us saying a 810019887f word, before he finally 23af0abada broke it?0fc99d1040895951

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“Are you just gonna keep staring?”cae8fe9bd6042f30

His voice was really nice. Only after he said that did I realize I had been staring at his naked torso the whole time. Embarrassment aside, my brain just couldn’t process what to say first. The fact that I had just blurted out my life’s biggest secret in a fit of anger, the realization that my current behavior was practically trespassing, plus the question of why some random young dude was boldly walking out of the shower in Han Cheol-woo’s new place—I didn’t know where to start. While I fumbled, he finally managed to regain his composure too.7ed4960d411f15e3

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“How about we talk outside? Seems like you have a lot to say.”dad189f83a39fc72

“Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry, I just… you must’ve been surprised.”e29e372649fe875c

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“I’ll get dressed and come out.”636df6878196dd8c

Hypnotized by his gaze, 05c1525d5e which kept darting between d01cbda42b me and the door, 2ef130858e I stumbled out of 969c220e91 the room. Bang. The door slammed shut f1dda8b160 behind me, then swung dd4260873d open again in less d6f267ebc5 than a minute.e823a3fb27a1e0b9

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The guy came out, 2c183a8dbb zipping up his top. He opened his 0c912a5afc mouth as if f07b4a5c93 to say something, 073f83cf76 but then closed 03074abb1e it, just gesturing f78d08c24a with his eyes.Let’s go.5bd6b2d20d7a02f5

We awkwardly shuffled e2bb74e1e9 out of Unit d4384eb921 302.75e19e8c924ad3e0

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I decided to just bring him straight to this convenience store. There was nowhere else to go. There was a cafe about a ten-minute walk away, but I didn’t want to keep walking uncomfortably with only two steps between us, so this was the only option.76a23e9e7af23645

I had 0ff16ad883 him sit 046fc30f58 under the 35f17f7d0b parasol and, 1f9f8edd66 pretending everything 610a3b40ad was fine, 4b625c65da went into 6bef59fb25 the convenience 467ceb81d0 store to b5559ce958 buy drinks.a9cec95f54e12c39

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Was he mad?078e5d7de475dd3f

“What is this?”90aa5e58712e5f11

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Truth be told, I was taken aback when he referred to me as “this” like I was some inanimate object, but I wasn’t in a position to complain. No matter the backstory, I was the one who barged into someone else’s place.d6dca870deb818af

I pretended to e93d49bf4c intently examine the 0bc134667c imported biscuit shelf 7295043144 for a bit 695a80e277 before giving up. What good 993f3945c8 would staying 9b88d1581d here do?f99b914079b7ef2d

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“I’m heading out, ma’am.”b6cb1d81d4230a76

“Alright. Have a good time!”ddef35014e1b0e70

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I sighed, no, not 1accf073d2 like that. Instead of weakly replying, 258572d35b I opened the door e26b169701 and walked out.aaf8e07c2706a610

Ding-a-ling.The bell hanging on 0a263d0fe1 the convenience store door e895be2e28 jingled cheerfully. The cool 7749d28669 blast of 18622fefff air conditioning 89791a5015 and the b4ec84af24 latest dance ed24e259c7 hits were 82f2d906cb trapped behind 58afaf2c21 the glass a41d6d02fd door, replaced ed991b0b41 by the da85656c02 deafening buzz b7d7d85c8c of cicadas.10642102107b88da

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Under the 848568351e left parasol, cbc4bed740 two old 2aadeab0bc guys were 32e66eaac0 watching a 76d9696b73 baseball game e7bd93b9a7 on a ecd3fe9f62 single phone.8a62bcb14bcc44d0

“Inside corner! It’s wide. Two balls, one strike!”0efe1d0986edc2b8

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Under the right parasol was him. I wasn’t sure what to call him.b4f9dabffeb55149

Excuse me? Tenant-nim?107687ac2f1d5e89

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He clearly looked 44f481028e a lot younger c62e5f0430 than me, so 486165ee77 using super formal b051614d44 titles felt weird. The best c47e6b6760 way in 9f3c7f3526 these situations 34690c361e is to 729cb1ddb1 skip the e94e503034 titles altogether.6ab6fc3e01ba7d41

“…I didn’t know what you’d like, so just these.”ad0108bc0ed9bbed

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Two cans 7c7e73885a clinked onto 22689173a0 the blue caeb9ce10b plastic table. I pushed the energy 109c4b0043 drink towards him, and cb7d899a5d he chuckled softly, glancing ddffd1679f between my beer and fee9e86374 his own.cd648254677d2deb

“Thanks. I guess I don’t look like someone who drinks.”bdbc85408ef752eb

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“I just picked something safe. If you wanted beer, I can go back and…”256e9974187e08ed

“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll drink this.”e1bb3642fa70f614

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He stopped me 1f73ab6b10 and popped open 2c559b0771 his can.Click. A sudden thirst b60e378e9d hit me, so 7a3c8b654f I popped open b3c68b6b65 my beer can 7125ff3805 too, puckering my 281533153e lips to quickly 912d17490a slurp up the 8bf62de663 overflowing foam. Then, another gulp.722ebb96c4171883

The chilled beer, cold dae0fdad9e enough to form a be2a80dd08 thin layer of frost 4ac4fa1307 on the can, went bf0510a162 down incredibly smoothly. It was the a3935d5245 perfect coolness for 8a16dc5d90 the transition into cea7cf8843 summer. I sipped my d07b51fd8c beer, eyeing the 23c30d138b guy across from c89b4447b2 me.67294394e9e16eec

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He was wearing a gray hooded tracksuit top, but it was sleeveless, so his well-defined arm muscles were on full display. It was amazing how his biceps and triceps were so clearly delineated, yet his physique wasn’t bulky, but sleek.787b6ae95e34cdfe

His broad shoulders 4b18cab489 and the firm dbfc63ce52 calf muscles extending b3c8b57e51 below his knees ebdaf0fb77 also contributed to 1dd9d342ea the subtly raw fced4cffe4 vibe around him. He clearly looked c0353350c4 much younger than c0961cff58 me, but it 752fa729ea was hard to 36dcacddbe simply dismiss him 8a37d7787a as a kid.f618b2db7c6880eb

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My gaze drifted 1ad63eeef6 upwards again and 0db2189a33 caught something. Under his right 09782d7621 sleeveless arm, a afedb291b2 wide black band d8a0ebb364 was barely visible. It looked like it 67ac0a00e2 was for tightening the 6c20eb7ac9 shoulder. Was it sports tape? Or a shoulder brace? Could be neither.7bb5ea25da0edccb

As I 13ac1b6089 took a 5e5da14576 couple more 0a1059ae25 sips of 8ce32e7a3c beer and e96cb74fdf observed him, a1547f1470 I suddenly d1db393cf7 realized he 94b750f7ab was observing 4aed008a27 me just be73d66139 as intently.9207234f4aac51c1

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His gaze never left 510fdd7d6c me as he slowly 700738e411 drank his energy drink. Finally, he c0631a684b put the bf763ea528 can down bd3365ca23 and spoke 31261dd130 first.9431591f5684de5f

“Looks like the door was open.”d178b4144ec8114b

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“…Yeah. I thought you were, you know, airing out the dust.”c36e557d52e1909a

Unit 302’s front door was propped half-open by a large box. Since he’d just moved in less than two hours ago, I naturally assumed he’d opened the door to ventilate, and I thought he was inside unpacking…abb253ea3032f990

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I definitely didn’t think he’d be in the middle of a shower.113be36307679dfa

A few excuses 56fd25bf02 scrambled in my dbf3b64228 head, then calmly bcd9c4fdad settled. Honestly, there was ea670c946f no excuse. I just bowed my 123576979a head without adding anything.1cf699dda2de3f27

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“I’m sorry for barging in. That was really out of line. Please don’t worry, I’m absolutely not a stalker or a peeping tom or anything like that.”a49e730c083ae66b

“Yeah… well, it’s fine. I wasn’t completely naked anyway.”1b2d5462706a0b9f

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He tilted his head and grinned. “It would’ve been a lot more awkward if I was fully naked, though.”b579caa0e0948faa

“…Yeah, I guess so.”92227770849ffce2

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“Was there some kind of misunderstanding?”5462864a99e78eb8

“Yes. Again, I’m really sorry.”6ccde5358a55c660

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Even as 1d6033ffc9 I bowed 434100bef7 my head, 7a55e89283 I felt 75cd1e5814 uneasy. His tone and 2b0a770bbd actions were calm bf44f85abf and polite, but ed45c5e491 his words and 2a252e540a gaze were unbridled.f91ac539165f2ccf

Especially his eyes.2f44b1882dec7347

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They were eyes that didn’t hesitate to show curiosity. He was looking at me with great interest.7a33928c97a71c36

It didn’t seem creepy or to have any ulterior motives. The whites of his eyes were clean and his pupils were clear. It was a pure curiosity that I hadn’t seen in a very long time, after being used to the clouded and hazy eyes of people tainted by society.b3ac242bee6267ec

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However, an overly direct 809867322e gaze can naturally make 0da8d1a8e8 a person nervous. In my 81e4de3fb6 head, the 69b1286ab1 name Han 294816a926 Cheol-woo, which 53ef7999e8 had been f084829412 gnawing at ac440b3f7c me all ba63241c24 morning, had 59e14e22cf long since 366cf84005 vanished.d2a749b2f8457f2b

Perhaps a continuation 325457d317 of the chilling 768bf70e16 silence I experienced d259892eb4 in front of a63df2f0b8 the bathroom, neither 862873b8c0 of us spoke a3e59c3107 first after that c5205d4463 brief exchange. Only our b7ad3ba229 eyes, exploring 32949f362e each other, 140e085b26 moved unhindered.29e89cb5945df025

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“Now batting third, coming up to the plate is…”ed68584ff3510874

The baseball commentary, mixed 35ef456476 with the cicada sounds, 4315c697dd filled the space between 734f65e33c us. Anything was better b0010a576f than silence.cfd3d42f0daf55df

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“This player’s been on fire lately, hasn’t he? He’s an amazing player who hasn’t lost his batting title for two consecutive years. He plays a key role as the team’s clutch hitter, so I wonder what he’ll do this at-bat.”4bb7ce0e4491a2a5

“Consecutive strikes. Two strikes, one ball. Pitcher Lee Ki-jin’s condition is pretty good today too, I wonder who will take the lead when these two players face off…”9c02c1e342a92c44

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“Ah.”69fc85833c6dfd5c

Suddenly, he let out a short exclamation. His eyes blinked a couple of times, making an awkward movement. He glanced at the old men engrossed in the broadcast, then somewhat flustered, lowered his gaze. It wasn’t as much as when he first saw me, but it was the first sign of agitation I’d seen since then.05de5d5d4afae684

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Strangely enough, he seemed 5778080a58 a little embarrassed.5ebdc2f952561012

Why’s he acting like that?e21e39e0f63b14bf

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I pretended to be interested in the baseball commentary, straining my ears. I don’t know much about baseball, but I knew from overheard conversations that there were no games on Monday. So it definitely wasn’t live, probably a weekend baseball rerun or a video of a past game.9dad6a83fcb80cc0

Even sports commentary, 804d9c6692 filling the space 2bf3492ae1 like white noise, 4daa75e6c9 became interesting after 1417503fd8 a while.ab4f2f71a8e26537

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“Ah, as I speak! He hit it! A clean hit! It’s soaring…! Right fielder, he’s running…!”76820449cf00197e

A home run? The moment I unconsciously perked up my ears and focused on the commentary, the commentator’s long sigh erupted.b89badfdeea2707b

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“Ah…! What is this situation…”f8a78d2db3a8c5dd

Scrape. At that moment, the 0f1c2f6164 sound of a chair f35b3bf128 scraping against the ground 102886ed1c jolted me.718ae66e60749790

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“Do you like baseball?”7bd45a8aa932bd26

I looked 4563afb3ef up a ed0c32f98b beat late 8a0ec05031 to see 4542bc8c0d him, arms f929ff8a8a now resting e335fcb723 on the 53dbf791a4 table. The noise just e26e51ebaa now was him 3180c42612 pulling his chair 6fe746c383 closer to the 986f86a076 table.9aa7849c0010433f

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“You seemed interested.”d0f97598ade1caf1

Even though it was only half a step closer, why did it feel like he’d suddenly moved in so much? I figured it was probably a prelude to him actively opening up a conversation, so I slowly shook my head.b3bed3eca8e7f80d

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“Not really. I barely know the difference between a ball and a strike.”dccb6538e07a4d4b

“That’s pretty much all you need to know.”d12a9bbae361df41

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“A lot of people around me like baseball, so I just pick things up here and there.”e3282b23007c2af7

Baseball is a sport 97c3455519 of records. And my job 77d32d3d9f until a few ce3fd27f66 days ago was 8bf9ffe6d0 also a kind fddb80d86d of record-keeping. Perhaps drawn 1bbb2e2e4b to that 79206e72eb subtly similar bdfe5c8ddc point, many 3119795fb3 of my a0453f7198 colleagues and 32e0165200 seniors had 99c30c17ad taken up 8aaaf4879d professional baseball 25a97061ac as a 2b0faa6bcb hobby.9535ba734a2710d5

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