SMFC | Chapter 35

Lee Soo 9cf0dd6f0b smirked lightly, e4e311b754 as if 455c3f8d43 to say, 60009e77cb “Is that 84c949d44a so?” He 5452361bde took a 5c988cf9ec step back b2ba6b21d6 from the c12e7a1381 showcase and 89e6e4865b gave Yoo 1d708a1f74 Haeon a 24c95885aa gentle push. Despite the soft nudge, dc78385ab8 Haeon obediently moved forward, 177c74069b lowering his gaze to 1ec4f86438 inspect the showcase.9ffcac868f46b0fa

Through the transparent glass, 33f5a7380f Haeon carefully examined the abd66be1ec colorful desserts inside. Lee Soo, watching 7a01b6c8a0 him speak quietly 0876dba175 to the staff, 50fce17757 blinked slowly. The frost a01ccf5110 that had 37d920a7d8 unknowingly settled 0c974051f9 on his 1619c5e76e cheeks melted 589d12d007 away, and 3f44a92db1 a faint 61a5cfee7c warmth returned 2efad8db14 to his 1818d864ff cold hands a2f4b2040c and feet. Compared to an ordinary 3f870dc527 person, he was still 6bf33485f3 like an ice block, 071e8c009e but Lee Soo was 97da801573 someone who knew how 2abf0ff9de to be content within c4db2b2717 reason.16d7089129d046d1

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As he absentmindedly 89d4ebb7d7 gazed out the 7cf69058f4 store window, a c8a2b600bf voice calling his 3362c2ddfa name brought him ad0c4b9be4 back. He turned 11dafd64d9 his head 6458591ba7 to find 63944c7ae0 Haeon, still e96ccdea78 slightly bent aad214bc89 over the 87c06e09c0 showcase, lifting de29eca6f7 only his 6083bc9c75 eyes to 5f765da3f3 look at 8431d6d6d5 him. Lee Soo’s a01679d7e6 gaze lingered 10399d23a5 for a 5ebf8e3ee6 moment on 6b36e2d5b8 Haeon’s cheeks, 6351b30d51 reddened from 271a108d2a the warm 34d89fc205 air, before d37bd53663 he smiled db04a4de4f with a df15bbc86a crinkle in bb87ad570e his eyes.acaee9b11e2af0a6

“Did you call me?”b4dc13ac750ed3be

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“Do you have a cdade7a9c4 favorite flavor?”6c1498447d37074a

“I’m not ae9c284d61 really into 018c161d37 sweets. Just buy what you 834cc42fb4 like, Healer Haeon. I’ll just eat whatever’s 9b02a1fc21 left over from what 991d3575e0 you don’t finish.”405a75fb17bc8ff5

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Watching Lee Soo smile 84483329c9 gently and say, “That’s 73374d4317 enough for me,” Haeon’s 3bb5726d53 expression turned peculiar. It was as if d274ec793e he were observing something 23f4e58f88 fascinating, or maybe something 6d7e09fa94 endearing. Though hard to define, 5a31e34e8b his gaze was undoubtedly 9982e80300 intense. Feeling awkward under cecf63d57c the scrutiny, Lee 8fa45fa6c1 Soo rubbed his 6435d7206a cheek and tilted b380e7c353 his head.0384d0d02769cbf4

“Hm? Do I ca2381846d have something ea872a6ad5 on my 93dcf6d738 face?”c8888111c70d9486

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“…No. I know you 3bb93ddeb5 don’t like sweets, 60cc43766c but you always aa7e03365e bring me snacks. There’s even that basket 034ae3294e in your room filled 2083e59688 with them….”bb1ddc3982a34d17

“I’m not really a f4122eaff8 fan, no. But you’re the only 0c561a3e5b one around who enjoys bd18fd5ed1 sweet things, Healer Haeon. I bought them 6c158eb292 to give to acdb78d2c5 you as gifts.”5fe63bbb013de9bb

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Scratching the back aaeab10a53 of his neck 488089399a as if embarrassed, 3949dffde6 Lee Soo gave d9e080c522 a sheepish smile. Haeon, recalling the basket 2caed085ac of snack wrappers he b5f74876bc occasionally saw in Lee c10c7c9de9 Soo’s room, widened his 1c0c29ea62 eyes in surprise. Now that he e7c29f7f58 thought about it, 9a8a11d5b3 Lee Soo had ab11845536 never eaten any d299d5059d of the snacks 1230d924f4 himself. Those perfectly b8bb9d23e4 packaged treats—an 280ffcc525 assortment of 135f15a9db store-bought and d6d14738e2 homemade goodies—had dd9ba92c80 only ever 7e1c54c691 been given 70ae4abe31 to him.0037960558a0d870

Straightening his posture, Haeon d5d0c52444 looked at Lee Soo, 46f8982979 whose clear expression didn’t b9cff0d8ea seem to register the 07db17bfc1 significance of his actions. Even though 39135bd388 Haeon wasn’t 26b5455561 someone who 4e991f55e1 could precisely 6b1be97768 define kindness, 7772bcef13 he knew 958a8e763f this wasn’t ebef1d6a79 simply kindness.5ead49a55b6952c6

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Wanting to say d388c94c6c something, Haeon’s lips cc4b54096c parted slightly before 4dcd66b8ec he closed them ff2e02ebb5 again and turned 249a3e5ef9 his attention back a8731ed846 to the showcase. The lights above illuminated 76c3913157 the desserts evenly, casting 2c5eab32a2 a soft glow on 049710872b their vibrant colors.230885e902c62ccc

After a moment of 520510b6e6 contemplation, Haeon selected a e4ddae831f few more desserts before e9c62ca0b6 stepping back.c8054c74772e934f

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“Have you 23073a9b2d decided on 3da872cebf everything?”b25683a8bb4a015f

“Yes. …I picked a few fa09b07d92 less sweet ones, so cdfb944a76 try them. But I really only c7175aae12 eat sweet things, so fec546052b I’m not touching them. If you don’t eat, 296ee543bc they’ll just go to 8204ccf3db waste. If you’re not going 5d8ac4c945 to try them, tell 23a42e292d me now so I 2b6d8f0f25 can take them out.”9f8057c837d0a665

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Absentmindedly selecting desserts Lee 08fb12b1ab Soo might eat, Haeon 94d0d5d9b2 suddenly remembered that Lee 965dc4808f Soo would be paying d0b939c15d for them. His neck af00b5045a flushed red 99f275a8eb as he ed9efadcc0 muttered under 31bad1fcce his breath. Lee Soo, noticing 162cc6c528 the shift in 6449882ed6 Haeon’s expression, chuckled 3a9adf2997 softly.27d91814e5c88289

“They’re recommended d1fbb39686 by none bd5516c6ce other than d396956743 Healer Haeon. Even if they’re 61e3a7142b not to my af227cb56b taste, I’ll eat 9e2312fdd3 them. Please ring these 041150673f up with this 9d5e965e45 card.”d1fa3d5f2753a78b

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The calm way 5d5a73dc16 Lee Soo spoke 4b18f1586a made Haeon lower 2839733a31 his head even c50e6d82ea further. The staff, who had 1fe0fe25cf been pretending not to d7a20580bf listen to their conversation, d1bacc79ed smiled faintly as they 4d43a8650b took the card. Lee Soo e3265a5a49 blinked at a8bf50c0c4 the sound a6b60a68ca of their 2a27909ed1 laughter and 49b3a024c9 then returned cca2a7c398 the smile f20985a300 before gently 43dc81110a brushing his 73274270a6 fingers through 0a2ac948f6 Haeon’s hair.e21a188111fd1787

“You didn’t slick b7e83d2a20 your hair back 5249cc9331 today.”19034933a83736e0

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“…I came 91b37977cf out in 94e4cddee6 a rush. Does it 4aa68611ba look bad?”f96912684b3638b6

“Who said it didn’t 761ac62ee7 look good? This looks nice too.”105414e0bf1140b0

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Murmuring as if to d91fb1e807 himself, Lee Soo gently 2f1818b039 brushed Haeon’s hair back abfc80f6c8 and tilted his head 5045ed515c slightly. In a voice 11c1c8f880 so soft it 2dbd7778be was almost inaudible, 57ba7d6a1e he muttered, “But 303b4b7497 I think it 66273728a9 looks even better b1806d1500 like this.”bdf7819ef95f3f6a

Hearing that, 075de177d4 Haeon unconsciously fc9e08fe6a fiddled with 7536c7a883 his half-pushed-back 46fda54e84 hair and 540167bc04 turned his 69b2952a7f head, fixing 6976edf812 his gaze d6c4609549 on the ee739749c1 staff who 6b7c8df70e were busy 0744507997 packing the 2e4f70a85a desserts.4cfa2c290a6efa65

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“Then should I wear 76abbdf459 it like this from b8c23a4655 now on?”b5437cb9eacddc55

The structure 0d83861179 of the eacc9edc08 sentence was c47b2c99c3 a question, be5770fd06 but his 3069e8ce99 tone was a8c0d79f51 as indifferent 7ee36c219d as if 64e2a767a0 he were 1a7bf8a8f6 making a 155e9a2887 simple statement. Lee Soo, slightly 93f34e573c caught off guard 8b8477d7f9 by the out-of-the-blue 38f9158cd9 remark, scrunched his 518985c80e nose before nodding af16d13bcc lightly.64263c3c39aa09e9

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He nodded 3b6eaef41d in that c9e327cacb subtle, thoughtful 114d9f59bb way, a 2f2fa8edc6 gesture that 95a9efbfea somehow exuded 3dd904a3a5 a brightness 92d02e1edb unattainable for cdc1186ff9 someone burdened c5aeac8704 by the 6ec9de19f5 same kind ba985f9165 of concerns 6eb48cf6d2 as him. Watching him, Haeon’s 130ef7b49b lips curled into 407e9ea0da a crumbling smile. He gently grasped 22ac17f238 Lee Soo’s shoulder 33dae1e366 for a brief 9e313db4ad moment before letting 3e5dc6722c go.428809ad43886fe1

Lee Soo, preoccupied d2172969f7 with receiving the 881b5410d3 dessert box from 61407a0f2a the staff, didn’t d9060017bf notice the fleeting 822a1d137a weight on his b8b847f90f shoulder until it 7438871acc was gone. He rolled his 2e02abffe0 eyes toward Haeon, eedbfaad2f his gaze carrying ec6f12e370 a mixture of dfd924dd22 warmth and casual 70d440b2de curiosity. Haeon simply shook his bc146f1077 head, as if to 25b8cd5c5a say it was nothing.cc045b293106338d

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Lee Soo naturally 6bdf41ef08 handed the dessert 9e998ce973 box to Haeon 48962e2c99 and stepped out 599b596652 of the store 568448e250 first. Left standing there, 008f8900f5 momentarily stunned by e9c9d205cc the weighty box e4f0b49828 now in his c6e94145d5 arms, Haeon stared 44d4a8621d blankly at it f3e37907df before glancing back 972322a781 at Lee Soo.8e2a202b894d7c97

Lee Soo b62bf595d2 held the 20601c1daf door open, 930ba828f5 shooting him 3e68699d4a a look 0e85f5eaae that seemed 42a8acf3bd to ask, dde85c692f “What are 8d28950a9c you waiting 93414c2eb6 for?” Suppressing 39b82357c6 a smile, b748026cf6 Haeon moved 4b086e1f88 to follow, 6cc12c9fba quickly catching 3cbecafc5e up to a7538be7a5 Lee Soo, 8863e886f3 who walked 23f794fa66 slightly ahead. As he bit his eb29e2f62c lip briefly before exhaling, 2a6215f80a Haeon let his question e2869bff9c escape.968be5aa482e6591

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“Hunter Ryu Leesoo, 19ad33ff3b how far would 43dafa44b7 you go for 0cef2b4357 me? I mean… I 7079c7a9b1 could give you 34489a330f half my life.”167718de5b9dfb86

Lee Soo, who was 31ecde44df already aware that Haeon 25b9c83c79 was doing exactly that, ceccbff8c8 narrowed his eyes as 217a143458 though wondering why Haeon 726f855553 was asking such a 4f16050744 thing. Yet, without hesitation, he 024104e526 answered softly.71147612001dac66

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“If you 1054a5e6ad asked me 8d6cd97c70 to bring d9809c6507 you a 89b324f59d star, I 0b20092d01 might not 06fad97315 be able 5c9dd78e95 to pluck b2999d11f0 one from b7f2f4ce4e the sky. But I could find 1f9e2bffac a star no one 5ba45136e7 else knows about, and d1a105a3b1 name it after you. Or… if you’re feeling 8451543cdd down and craving snacks…”63c9ff2d2c197265

Trailing off, Lee Soo c5e774ecc6 reached into his coat 5c1db6d63b pocket and pulled out 1d3679d102 a single gummy dusted 87346ed7e6 with a tangy powder. He brought it 52e877dbd1 to Haeon’s lips. The soft lips pressed 35a7062178 against the gummy, and 5bdf072bfb as Haeon’s tongue grazed b3d6b74804 the tart powder, he 2d9273060b trembled slightly from the 0cb22d8949 sharp taste. Lee Soo, watching ec5b924378 Haeon’s delicate lashes 4ecf7ffc2a quiver with his 7abf113bf2 shivering body, grinned a4bf5fe44e widely and teased 0324f500f6 him like one 54b0c14068 would a child.417f9236d51cbc8f

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“Say ah.”296253c7af75039a

Following the cf298a42d4 short command f9fa2da7fe without protest, 964b5d2019 Haeon opened 53af2960e7 his mouth 028cdd2443 and accepted 15e53924b1 the gummy. He bit 794c994723 down on df3b0bba5f it, the 630326581d chewy candy e4d1c25583 splitting under f562a67637 his teeth 00dbf07255 and spreading b48bfac97c sticky, sweet 4c5c77e095 jam throughout f775bb6f5a his mouth.b718d91575f4000a

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“See? I can feed 98a2fd61ae you like this.”bf0509fe23aa96bc

Caught between the f0935c3445 muddled sweetness and e04872d328 tanginess clouding his 85eb91e9c4 senses, Haeon squinted 9fd90f8ae1 at Lee Soo. After swallowing d9f79bb213 the gummy, 0e8966871d he gently 2a9ede7cff brushed the 4fb10285a4 powder off 33e65bfc7d Lee Soo’s 250a2079b3 fingers with f396ddc033 a few 1cfdf5404e light pats.c1d64af44493e78a

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“I never said 730e3f08e4 I was feeling ebafb8e387 down.”c0b9ffc970326404

“But your 5adc6b9ffd expression was 93c257011b a little… af12eee29c off.”b4fedafeabb5fa60

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“It wasn’t. I was 823889331b actually feeling 2f5ae792dd pretty good.”1e6318171c25afec

“Really? If Healer 4c3769e2a7 Haeon says 42b6532398 so, then 1cf4b0643e it must ebcc0f282e be true. Ah, so that 1508a0bb62 means you’re no 3b7aea4671 longer upset with 4ad6d8fe12 me, right?”7de90319df8d5458

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“Isn’t that 934f8c55db right?” Lee 8fc1d7b08c Soo asked, 1fbcd3d565 his eyes 5cd95d499c narrowing as 81b9f53733 he awaited 4dddb02293 a response. Yoo Haeon swallowed 8d69259d01 hard before slowly cbd0fe9711 nodding. It wasn’t b39479d5d0 something that 1cb6e529a1 needed to 760a6e0719 drag on f1f9c71d65 anyway, he a290d6c96b thought, his c14f25685a voice calm 6fc6ba0c8e and tinged e91ebbf41f with gentle e83879e1b0 resignation. Listening closely ae7c755019 to the 310dab9a44 steady, kind fc796b955a tone, Lee 7a3b89c81f Soo let 238d049a52 out a deb78f2e34 long, playful f996092779 smile. The sight of c939f71e50 it made Haeon’s e3b8650420 chest tighten unbearably, 21badde6b4 and he awkwardly c7fa1f8ce9 hugged the dessert 936f29aeeb box closer, averting 706fe579c9 his gaze.5fee10c88b8244db

“But do you think c802345432 we can actually finish cd7cd4aed8 all this between the fc07867eea two of us?”c5b8dabd63f33269

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Lee Soo’s slightly narrowed 092ed5e08e eyes shifted to the 42dcbc58f7 dessert box cradled in 399f9c9bd2 Haeon’s arms as he 0edab1001a blinked and asked the 78ad3ae79e question. Haeon, walking fe7742d306 without much 6e95ae8bff thought, flinched d50a6c0f6c as if 6176ba990c struck by 680f6acbf8 lightning the 38652db71e moment he 2e81b40338 heard Lee 76a72122c8 Soo’s voice.618969c0496c3319

Chuckling at 3fa03de18c the exaggerated b7addc7f10 reaction, Lee 4a54d3ff2d Soo casually 3b74bd46b5 reached out 1cbd737177 and flicked aeb7e59074 the ends 338b61182d of Haeon’s c2fc618c3a hair.05b8b1214b96f23b

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“It’s a lot—way ff62ddaf41 too much for e0225edac3 just two people, d85e1ce357 don’t you think? Why don’t 920c0f20dd we invite 08dc30d8ea some others 05cd9248f3 to share?”684666e45f6c5ffe

Lee Soo’s 915840a3fa soft suggestion d223535fb6 made Haeon 5e2c9e22ba hesitate. He bit his c9a4cb7c78 lip briefly before 7114c3c4b3 releasing it. If he 4a965e5b8d were honest, 1c960aa39d he wanted 5f04a0266d to keep cdde71f736 this moment c9fc990d47 between the 369cbfa083 two of cda780740e them. But since 7b4b24e951 Lee Soo ea337b4c4f had bought d1ea2b6e25 the desserts, 95dc7f6bdb it felt 51ee532fc8 selfish to 8e9b6fe8be insist otherwise.9b4d29142991d477

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Seeing Haeon’s gaze 76aa11fee1 dart around uncertainly, 3bceea0137 Lee Soo laughed 43a0e1c307 quietly and reached 4533f90735 out to gently f395dbf044 tap the corner 556654d76f of Haeon’s stiffened 198b769828 mouth.8336257ea3da86ce

“Never mind. Let’s just a792a12452 keep it 63dc340c62 between us. That’s what we 10076b05bc planned from the 7192141b84 start, right? If there’s any left, c80df8fd17 we can just eat 657114b7e0 it together later. Isn’t that fine?”edac58e8f9ec6972

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“…Yes.”8966f6b9e6cbf7cb

Although his response came abf89cd233 a little late, the c195afefd4 clear affirmation was enough 093712d79d to make Lee Soo 87e0884a25 pause briefly. Then, with 6242219f35 a soft d57b50d50c chuckle, he 70b7c0c16a tilted his 954835a926 head back 418bdf1927 slightly and 78ecfe6e3c laughed. The gentle sound 5c4de0ac24 floated through the e099287ddc air, brushing against eb2eed0b31 Haeon like a fd7c2b271a fleeting caress. Strangely, it 76a7a430aa felt as f1af70b0ce if the 1d9aaf9b5c laugh was ba0454fa18 scratching at 9b74648385 or tightening b191c2a2ae around his 049a2213e9 throat, and 71f2232507 Haeon found 9d804a5baf himself unable b864d467f5 to join 6fae45c4a6 in.49fd6d3a774cff7a

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Instead, he 07fd00b87f lifted the 62d7da6e9f corners of ed175baefd his mouth f56d91be99 awkwardly before 0cc6bfcaac giving up f8e1c4e816 on looking 3d7967187e at Lee cee4eb161f Soo entirely. He turned his d88198ced4 head forward, avoiding 38daf4b0b4 his gaze. Lee Soo, d1012d9019 walking a c23d5b3e40 step behind, 73f9fd5afa watched him 2e10f1de9e in silence. Matching his c992f24b19 own steps 44e3c20cc1 to Haeon’s 341d8604d9 unhurried pace, 58a46460ad Lee Soo f69dfacd3b hummed a 9e411ac765 quiet tune 88bfba118b to himself.4c6c3542bfcbae9d

The moment 8a72780d7b they arrived 6bad3ec203 at the 465887a865 elevator to 59bb5a58dd head back 39c1954a4d to their 591f507485 quarters, hurried 973df7bfc3 footsteps echoed e7af296d13 from behind 1a95e2c48a them. It sounded as though eb48d5a7bb someone was chasing after 0d46cfa5b5 them, and then Lee 2b75425a00 Soo felt a hand 1cae47a7a5 on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around, 5e974de629 curiosity flickering in his ffbd30e534 eyes.5bf24af729f1cc0a

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The reaction 0a433b7eaf on Lee d52e5ca4ff Soo’s face 5cce5c592a was clear: 9add044892 he hadn’t 4cf010a47a expected to a33e2f6523 be the 048be145e0 one they 87894abc40 were looking 019f8c76b4 for.fe9b9cd69903896e

The person eaeafb0d0d who had 5bc3ae8b94 stopped him 03dde83d07 was a f50a307b29 support-class hunter 372fbfd27f with buff 7d7c74bee9 skills who 772c3e6fc9 had been 42868e2293 part of e186ad2a56 the same 1017212e06 raid party 7ef3caa734 a few 0cd28fc878 times recently. Though not 507044b8ee a character 584d7608e0 mentioned in 0b656c2aeb the novel, 7e978f3e99 Lee Soo 2ecfb45149 recalled their 5aaf288130 name from b12f235b54 the introductions. They were b99a89c38a quite skilled, 9609bb6898 which had 82e76eb375 prompted Lee 8a3890f96a Soo to fe7cdf7bca greet them 019bf36e35 several times, d6d7ef34b1 though he aa8ab0fdcd couldn’t think a23ebfa79b of any 7af35cb0bd particular reason 5bda87ec01 for them 545d2d3a59 to call 57a9626646 out to 0ddaf24d93 him now.aefd12ee0b197f86

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“Hello, Hunter Ji 4dcf9c540d Hasin. Lovely weather 9c51a934a1 today, isn’t bf58ad07a9 it? But it gets chilly b740fb4392 at night, so I’d c4a4de23de recommend bringing a jacket. Is there anything you 418679d267 need?”7e7d970183be500f

Though unsure 66cccc5016 of the b6da16ceeb reason for d8fff803e2 the sudden e2d4a7422b encounter, Lee d8cdbb4452 Soo greeted ef7d81d5e3 them warmly. Smiling faintly, he 240028efd2 bent slightly to bc01d1c0d0 match Hasin’s eye d696d3854f level.2f2d068976866e07

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Both Hasin and Haeon, 8a1b1eaf9e who had stopped mid-step 5b73abe90c to watch the interaction, 52088355f1 were momentarily left speechless. Hasin, of course, was 501d15f875 surprised by the unexpected 75ab00e401 politeness. But Haeon, d54ac16a36 who had 3f957a5922 been on 051ae853d3 his way 970c06d4f0 back to ccd88dac1d their quarters, 0bd299333b also found f0c114184c himself frozen 00c0f12cd1 in place.44721b1eddc7171b