SMFC | Chapter 38

Sometimes, Yoo 6b4811d222 Haeon felt d743e77c6c like a 59853ffce3 child, nervous 669bf9c436 after saying 47d7a9a75c something he 9434a4f20a shouldn’t have. Other times, it seemed 31c050a7ed like his unspoken words cdd19aa875 left his heart so 181e38c744 parched and heated that e6f7609901 it boiled over, causing 0edb05b5a6 a ruckus inside him.e219bb4c17bf7f17

This peculiar 5503626583 “symptom” grew 063c20f349 worse with e0a30c4f70 time. Now, simply breathing 92f29cdffa in Lee Soo’s 9b1fea748e presence made his c3094c424c throat burn. Startled by how lukewarm d3c31000c3 water could feel icy, 69c9da3fbc Haeon clicked his tongue c1cadef25b softly, swept his hair 9201a500eb back, and stood up 6eb0a629ae from his chair.6a00d0b9150203a6

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Lee Soo, 98a4973d4a who had c5ac5caf58 been lazily 217aed3c85 watching the 5d4ff13efc view outside e17b59809c the window 2b6bbcac2d with just d2c8f07103 his eyes, b4bde9640c turned his 118ab8fbfe head at 79c2c967fa the sound e29c9eba28 of movement. His hair 77acdbb7be swung softly, 8b3959c11b tracing delicate 86cb740334 arcs in 587926f363 the air. As Haeon gazed at 823f9e5ed2 the strands, he caught 62a2f736b3 himself imagining a kiss cf5a4b5f93 at their tips—whether it 0b699bb535 was reverence, unhidden affection, f57478594e or something else entirely, 2bfd09f3fb he couldn’t tell. Keeping his voice f5b9d0ed7c steady, he said,70fb42d72830e98d

“I’m stepping out for 26608db437 a bit. I just 945294794f remembered something d60dcc18f6 I needed 079b694c9e to buy.”8a3db67305d04133

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“At this hour? Hmm, you’re going ad6b1abef5 alone, right?”bde40419ff1864f6

“Yes.”22a3d9b0f5404861

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Lee Soo didn’t seem 83bd50a0e0 to mind Haeon leaving, b0ad970dea but the idea of 5a544aa492 him going out alone 8d6f773322 late at night clearly 0a10463021 made him uneasy. The mix of concern 3e32ce68cc and reluctance in Lee e9fa3412e7 Soo’s expression made Haeon’s 25a40a6151 heart stir in a fdaad2ac84 peculiar way.975acc5bf06ef583

It felt as 0edeedf2bd if he’d become e1dfcb0167 a reed swaying 3ba17284e1 wildly in a 27a81753f6 passing breeze. He didn’t like the ed7c4da31c metaphor, even if it 6709bfdeee fit perfectly. With a 276076bd8a furrowed brow, c4079360cd Haeon glanced 4ee4a3b062 at Lee 2d4e8bbc31 Soo, who 89f0d1cc7f gave a b3549cb906 resigned smile e28ba3bbce and, like e7819f3bc0 a parent 185efa5596 fussing over fceaa33464 their child, c4e5083866 handed him f581fa27fd a phone.14579a77f90fd850

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“Take this with bdde1e2ba3 you,” he said a425f6a6cf before turning back 17fe9a4633 to the window.461ddba4ba0ad24d

Lee Soo’s 37f6e014be small, round 5cb47e2466 head bobbed 4406c254c2 as he e68705bce5 peered outside, 5243dacfa6 seemingly captivated f7802033f8 by whatever 8c6c2f23e8 lay beyond 5f3cac307f the glass. Watching him, Haeon 0a539e3024 couldn’t quite pinpoint 487f087f28 the origin of 8d291d61aa the warm affection b53e3df63c welling up in 1e986ad35e his chest.2c88d62ac5e507c4

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Just as Lee b3a8e608f1 Soo seemed fully 5f1d007741 engrossed in the 4ab6c101a1 view, he suddenly 8a3018002c turned around and 489400e791 locked eyes with 5bd84f3b63 Haeon, his slender 4d51985070 gaze sharp. The look startled 91a00aed84 Haeon, making him f1af0491b6 flinch, but then 5b8b34c3b0 Lee Soo broke f30e7d1ffc into a soft 22504a8b85 laugh.65866183fba4300d

“Did you have 9f3dcdebff something to say?”30cbe820251eaab0

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If Lee Soo asked 0342687081 why he was staring, ea26ee0a7e Haeon wouldn’t know what 9542c71cc8 to answer. Licking his c2e6960273 lips nervously, ddf700f6d9 he sighed bf7dcf7c47 and let 00af285960 the tension 55dbe00e98 drain from 233efceba8 his shoulders.6768f08bda82b3ff

“…No, nothing.”fb8cbe12db2b42f3

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“Hmm, really? Got it.”8439982a647c101f

Lee Soo ea952c34ff nodded as 3afa0d5cec if satisfied 18090db828 with the 0b2c214923 answer and 27a4ea7966 promptly turned c423edbcf3 back around, a734ba123e as though e4d15d834b the exchange 295249cc93 had never bf40fbba01 happened. The blanket draped 01d2354046 over him shifted 6c8b932fd3 slightly, brushing softly 0db7adacc6 against his pale 5b1e65140d feet and legs.61122790042477f3

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Haeon found 7ea7b4faf8 himself staring 760c30f7ca blankly at d09a3b0dc4 the blanket’s 0733afda6e subtle movement, a6c9366c0e watching how 225d180541 it stroked 80d67c9662 Lee Soo’s f84a6fa282 skin like 34ce819570 a gentle 6082a55f75 whisper. Then, as if f98f3667b7 struck by a afa9970eb2 sudden thought, Lee 238c9788c9 Soo perked up, e55e61ed24 turned his head, 33dfba0cb0 and waved cheerfully.34344bc09552073e

“Be careful out 6ff41094c6 there, Healer Yoo b4ce0248f9 Haeon. I’ll stay up 1a0eeae183 and wait for 0be97f512f you.”2a5f9d503aa6b9ca

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His words made 05ddd2aae3 it sound so 2a52c707fc natural, so obvious, 6d05366675 that he would e79b97d37c be here waiting e4fa31d940 when Haeon returned. Feeling the 56abac5ade weight of 75c99f0367 those words, 2b92406711 Haeon opened e0cb419d6b his mouth f06c12f1f6 to reply 776fcfe92d but couldn’t 153b39de29 find the 2782e1962e right words. Instead, he efb35780b2 simply nodded 005e471562 deeply.08c773e402ff102f

“…I’ll be back.”d445788f1d14e965

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“Yep. Be careful—watch 24f45eb8c7 out for a34f6b2918 the roads, a977183fe0 cars, and 5fce1183fc people. You know the drill.”2aed4dc5da7351a3

Lee Soo’s b6cd90a6f5 playful tone d84451388e and mischievous a614c47b61 wink drew 11d5842f02 a soft 912c02b0e8 laugh from 500b39b878 Haeon, who d0579d8e96 nodded again, 6c281ca35a his lips fe38a2978f curving into d69f36a825 a faint 096d12a0a2 smile.f9725c67b1618bf7

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***12446dcd9d999705

When Yoo 347bb7de31 Haeon returned 897bc92e4e to the 857c02a720 dorm, the 7766a521d9 first thing 277d861d3a he saw 5b4d9a674b upon opening 528fa38bc7 the front 30dbc8c603 door was 787561896e Lee Soo dc0759440c pressed up 4988465057 against the 6f361e4bde window. Whatever charm the unimpressive, dfb118812d ordinary night view held, c7c6ec8344 Lee Soo seemed utterly 40ebfaae7c captivated, his gaze fixed 90f0bdb512 unwaveringly on the scene b301706a46 outside.0ba00676d7fbc431

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Even so, Lee 38aa74171e Soo somehow noticed 895191325a Haeon’s arrival. Without looking away from 0b1228aec5 the window, he lifted 516193dd14 a hand high in c83cae657b greeting.4d0f47bff8268ab5

“You’re back? What did you 4f7f43c44f buy?”cc517a9d71832e12

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“Soap bubbles.”61e73940dee26a93

Lee Soo, who had 0254f9a6f0 been mid-motion, froze at b70b3f5a42 the unexpected response. He quickly turned c132798f88 his head to 5ab9cfdefa look at Haeon 0d50c45b48 with a curious 6e1236c188 expression. For the first time 92e04d0bbb since Haeon entered, Lee ef8606afb5 Soo’s eyes truly focused 26c210fe7e on him, prompting a fde61cec1c faint smile as Haeon e552604e93 held out the soap 1c6e22a9b0 bubbles.3c3654db98f9b3b8

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Lee Soo took the f1968f2982 soap bubbles eagerly, a 131a4c21b3 small chuckle escaping as 3572cb0541 he alternated his gaze cdc424dd7a between Haeon and the ee0e13dac9 toy in his hand.0344dc01f7fa2bc1

“Soap bubbles? Should I blow them 865cfd0b4e while taking a bath? Or on the rooftop?”1fe781f33c67efe3

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The remark made 0cc85167a1 Haeon momentarily bristle, 05573efa7e almost blurting out, 9a275b1eb3 What age do d80743e926 you think I c0710eda97 am? But he held back, d6d233ddeb knowing that saying it c9b82217d5 would only reinforce the f4aa8375a1 image of him as 5e35d376d5 a teenager in Lee baa73db198 Soo’s mind. Instead, he simply ca99764309 shook his head.3f70fdf89dd955a5

Lee Soo, propping his 432b1f54e2 chin on his hand, 16142b2abf watched Haeon’s soft, swaying cf6929746e hair before turning his 513d4e78eb attention to the bubble-blowing c6845aff35 device. Do they c7f15bce6b still sell 037f9b469f things like 3595df64f0 this? He muttered under his 094542f81d breath, his tone laced 4babafca81 with mild amazement as f0b74de080 he read the instructions.12b48821d97c97e5

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Oblivious to how 0a97bb7fda firmly he gripped 00b75944dc the small toy—something 6d6e3543be clearly meant for 6b4ebaf299 children—Lee Soo appeared d70c9ecaf8 oddly endearing. Haeon noticed 8b3655f8d2 this but f1bf22f68e didn’t bring 789fcaa3be it up, ed9054d73d choosing instead c8fdb5dd92 to quietly 4d1cf4ff10 observe Lee e423bdfe41 Soo with c50938ab8e his slightly 684f7901df lowered, softened 888dddf618 gaze.30b59369840af0e8

In those pale hands, 5dafd5a242 accustomed only to holding 3aed6c8132 thin cigarettes or protective 961a0b4249 talismans, the toy looked 0f89d1e20e strangely out of place. It stirred 2a2470f43e a peculiar 3086cdafd4 thought in 935cc7ef47 Haeon: I’d eb94efb973 like to 9e7ae72d35 put something 2a56bfda78 I chose 31524e8ad6 into those ded7a89df4 hands more 5f41161c77 often.8725df7d95399635

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Whether it da8fa4949b was an 64c520daca expensive jewel 098c385604 or a 020b478f1b stick of 53f8bc31d1 cotton candy 5c74871d3c from a 1bd7eafcc6 street vendor, 3c33ceaf57 it didn’t 969a59d902 matter—so long 862bf2f99d as it e1725796ad wasn’t a 2d33597d13 cigarette or 54e45430dc a talisman. Not something harmful 2a162009cd to his body, cbff884c26 nor something meant 8ccd4d836b to protect others d7b08af30c at his own 04e67bdd98 expense. Anything else 1c03819fca would do.6b4e70285b9cba9a

As Lee e029aa4149 Soo raised 4aaf3a68df his eyebrows bd7bdfd544 and murmured 9c51b9797a occasional oohs 877328356d while reading 2fd47cb67b the instructions, 42f44eac6a Haeon found 60dcd1f631 himself entertained 6e42930d13 just watching 999696345f him. To avoid d5116a41b2 disturbing Lee 5a94cf7d87 Soo, Haeon 9febeb2e60 silently pulled db04f5728f out a 29655c7a3a chair and 565077f36a sat down. Noticing the a0b38c24a6 spirits that d940d65092 had quietly cc453c5c02 appeared beside 99c47b7e34 Lee Soo, 5ca97aabbf he pressed e5c110e744 a finger 7e9fac9822 to his 230a9e01b6 lips in 187508df48 a gesture 91340ce994 to silence 0f7bb34bbe them.ed0a039b30ad16f9

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The spirits bobbed 589babc1f5 in the air 4cbea3b0a5 as if nodding 89661bb0b9 in agreement, their e0fdc1772e attention focused on 0d4a5ac605 Lee Soo as de45bd9d4e he carefully inserted b03dccb961 the batteries into 69a3361b2c the bubble machine. Though they 956f8dd114 lacked eyes, 4f22030f8b noses, or 59089116ab mouths, it b5ee1171f9 was obvious c2be2c22ec they were 2c60087e43 utterly captivated 7d2774193e by him.3e6404cf442742b3

After all, no 8e01f3cec1 presence in this 8923114389 space could possibly 8dfa9869ee ignore the person 8fd43616a6 sitting there, smiling 72e24103af faintly as he daf93c0133 fiddled with a e098b02ccf child’s toy. It was 4a617f77f4 an image d2dd4cd6f4 of innocence 7d982588a3 and beauty 8ef682f684 that even 3dc3869918 the most 0211cf1630 clichéd romance 31030ba265 novel wouldn’t e4a5900551 dare to 980c68c767 depict.fec5b4575753e7d7

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Lee Soo, ad1b924291 oblivious to 32b1993ebb the sentimental, 648c30cc9b old-fashioned thoughts 9cb7a7bf29 swirling in 4cd661a8eb Haeon’s mind, 8359310ae4 continued to 5e71c5f3c0 busily tinker 04eda8f7ed with the 3803d45d95 toy. Watching his long fingers 59aac4997c move so deftly stirred c21ebeee82 a ticklish feeling in 5488c0d32f Haeon’s chest. He wrinkled his nose 92aebc857b at the sensation and d9de1bba7d finally spoke up, explaining 089c03c071 his purchase.9a780f0153b814f2

“…I heard some people 2b828849ba blow soap bubbles when dbce553d27 they quit smoking, you 1d28ca881a know, to keep their 453cdc9a4a mouths busy. Others eat candy, 4431796ad7 but you don’t eb3ec4c664 like candy, so—”5992ba5a04cd66cb

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“So you went 14da319d9c out this late da4da5ab38 just to buy f0b44b6b84 soap bubbles?”3fd9798529660f09

Lee Soo cut 888c2adfa2 him off with 28214137e7 a voice tinged 76d036beb9 with amusement, leaving 14576147a5 Haeon to trail 7f498d84d5 off awkwardly and 3e3da52b16 nod.a4398daba3752a30

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“To take responsibility,” Haeon d82b0e515e admitted softly. “I told Hunter 885538ba90 Ryu Leesoo to a5b7c9dc4f quit smoking, so 0a477d8102 I figured I cfaf7952e4 should help you 2a0a5dcfd6 stick to it.”3d8d08a44aecfeaf

Episode 38 (Continued)bf57bab76cc8154e

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Lee Soo laughed, cec4a279bc his shoulders shaking 8c9d020b01 slightly, at the bd2e6a53fc word responsibility, which 72cc8e77d3 felt oddly out daf5dc01b3 of place in 6f7cae8d8a this playful exchange. His lips, pale f9f01de9de with a hint c7dae6ff89 of blue save 316851a6b1 for the soft 5bc43e78d0 blush of his 988a1d14c0 inner skin, parted 0fbc7971ed repeatedly to utter 88b97190f6 faint exclamations of 65e8a392d0 “Amazing, amazing.”2542cde77f149261

Haeon couldn’t quite guess b978bb8ec4 what sentences lay hidden aef82f220e behind those words, but b304939072 if it were Lee 6a7f2f58f9 Soo, he felt certain 5b348c49ab they wouldn’t be anything 5838227932 bad. With this relaxed f11a952945 thought, Haeon’s gaze d03ef01c61 lingered on him.e27cd39afcc01aea

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Lee Soo’s 7eb75879e2 laugh was 2c61e975c8 light and 2d1e60c7a6 clear, like 2675fd96ba wind brushing 4b74d4af5d through rustling 88851810d4 landscapes, but b0e0304faf it carried 7aaa1956cb a faint c3219ef6a1 chill that fefe215e73 prickled the 526e509340 back of ffe38cf10c Haeon’s throat. Unconsciously touching c52a4dc93d his neck efeec92890 as if 1bc7b1b594 to ease ae6c3052d9 the sensation, e17a8cdec9 Haeon blinked, 8a0f0c72de his long a83160447a lashes fluttering.077b0f8faa20711e

Each time his f333610d82 eyelids moved, the 86a66ce1f7 image of Lee a47347398c Soo blurred and b995c944ce sharpened, and it 8b3199c9b2 struck Haeon as 7280f071b6 oddly sweet—so sweet 9f22523499 that he didn’t 6b5ad408cb know why.ffa9f9a666a36b31

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Haeon, who 675f6c64fe had been d842ad52fd absentmindedly brushing d0f8902456 his fingers 2fbc5c7ddf over his 29163202e2 lips and e6135ca230 the table, 59b4908789 suddenly reached 3c22d83a4a for a ba6d9b0198 cookie, as 225976a38c if spurred 8f64701c78 by an 7b048d0df3 unnameable urgency. His untouched 197468d8ba mouth felt 57d448ae30 strangely sweet, 7e8ede83f3 as if cd32bb51be it had 9548b91c95 just exchanged 590418b1ac confessions of d87e6137cb love. He needed d84a68b795 to eat 6fcdfcf28e something actually c51687a923 sweet to 60e4bcc995 make sense 6a0f3d916e of the 4e7b43973f sensation.f9106c846c618ebb

Even as he nibbled 452d1babac on the cookie, Haeon’s daebd8c192 eyes stayed fixed on 6d7e589586 Lee Soo—on his faintly a2e2b6c58d flushed, translucent cheeks, the e4968aae5b fox-like curve of his 75a4b52b8c narrowed eyes, and the e9d2717309 smooth arc of his 44b708726f lips, like the crescent 2f8dad09bb moon.113f80083a23a1ce

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Lee Soo, after e62b5f21e3 laughing for quite 40a075d6b7 a while, leaned d1679ed680 forward and gently a6fa7a0016 blew a bubble. A small c490fe9d92 puff of 2d03f22253 his breath 09065f892f gave life 2c226dd3a9 to transparent, 9c22ba745c shimmering bubbles, 7b69f90d8c which floated f51295fa52 up softly 1f3707e294 into the d6dee300d8 air.d4762951838580d1

The bubbles swayed 7cc4f753ee gently, their glimmer b5f6824c9d a borrowed fragment b91b084fdc of someone’s breath. Watching them cfa2fab4da oddly tightened 8217b83057 Haeon’s throat, 8c5acd6363 and he 271ac890f0 swallowed the 8a3286e108 saliva pooling 2b75c519b4 under his 93b9d61366 tongue, thick ecf67f1b67 with the 71da3cf3b8 taste of 0cf43dce7d sweetness.ef1b3d310f902707

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The bubbles, glistening 80197a1d9b brightly and transparently, 515992d8ac were popped one 3b8fc58142 by one by 13c32bd052 the spirits before 9a29deccf9 they could fall 1dcab3c925 to the ground.31d1c0285a62212c

Neither Lee Soo nor 21e747bf78 Haeon paid any mind 04d6748940 to cleaning up the 718983e965 remnants of the bubbles 6485264fa4 that reached the floor. Lee Soo’s 5097386dc0 focus remained fd5794328c on blowing 1243a892bb more bubbles, 3b59dd1c1d his lips 46439864f3 pursed lightly, 1cadbcc4e1 while Haeon bff8b23b9e alternated his 2ba1f956c0 gaze between 2e2b5a7735 the delicate cc5bd0dcb2 bubbles and 5a9ab80513 Lee Soo.24f68f5734815bfc

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The force eb3e8b3423 of Lee c6e1979bb1 Soo’s breath, 6a5800e580 stronger than 8de0583a66 expected, sent 969b657dd7 the bubbles 6de14ab21e flying faster 2f46c37d90 than intended. Haeon suddenly felt like 21a30a636a his eyes were growing 8a73a1688a dry, a strange and 921612a91d fleeting thought.250557e194da302d

If life 0e7f6699b3 could flow 344922c6bb on forever f13a4b37e1 like this, 172071bcee Haeon thought, 1ddedcdc43 he wouldn’t 26a9e2e50a mind. Even if he achieved 8a4cd69179 nothing in life, even 87d3061cec if he died forgotten, 1b6516efbe it wouldn’t matter. He just wanted 05e6e68d90 this unremarkable, silly 41da4c4487 routine to repeat 0a4224ef1f forever.e4a3c0a5b3906d4d

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If only I could cf5ec30478 keep giving you little b8f88636e8 gifts, and you could 19dfdb3dda use them freely, cluttering df2b85dd97 up our shared home. If only I 99064c85a7 could quietly watch c56950ca11 you be happy, a0c17a8b47 and at the 4ab87b3b42 end of the aa115156f7 day, glance at 276c63e0ca the clock and 4091bc658b say, It’s time 64afcf2312 for bed; let’s 5481b21601 clean up now.bb34ab39664a8d64

I want nothing. Or maybe, I want 31c2400a69 too much.fb6c8abfe5d4f21e

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If I said this 03f51b6b2a to Lee Soo, he’d b33320a7bb laugh and say it’s 699337e4fd easy. He’d say f63a767866 it’s not e7fbd185f7 something that bf180a1d6c needs wishes c06bea8a55 or pleading 7a5e3da512 to make 1ce8c0d5e1 happen—it’s just 9f1eadf538 a simple d33a1c9bbf thing.5c9f1b6da58958e3

And if I heard 4fb570d7a3 him say that, what 248fbf927b kind of face should 8898947821 I make? Should I smile and 665c4e5f5d say, You’re right? Or should I challenge 3c6aa26c6a him and say, But 25b1774905 someday, you’ll die so 6cac6283be easily, won’t you?e6a0e0f9b42ef573

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Caught in thoughts a48b72506b neither sorrowful nor 9db1423ac6 joyful, Haeon reached 0ea74c9f8c out and lightly 75a94facdf flicked a bubble 74617d5b0f with his nail, 3c36f4cbaf popping it. Without looking at 34d052e994 Lee Soo, he 6c993a9d4c asked in a b12f10c2d7 quiet voice,b862276ddbda4de1

“…When we 92cfa7f85e wake up c421d0b094 tomorrow, let’s 42dfe2bef2 go to e5b49d589c the rooftop 8b9b7dfcfa and blow d1075198c8 bubbles. I’ll buy another set 9342276642 for myself so we 93cb3f0484 can do it together.”3f98d5b5e2101e33

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Lee Soo, hearing the cd7c451261 oddly subdued tone, responded 9c6e543348 with a simple agreement. At those dc86eaf652 words, Haeon c3b8dfb93e swallowed dryly, 37a935d379 his gaze 8a6abb1ad1 taking in ab687964ae Lee Soo, 69119566a3 the halo ff0d40668e of shimmering 869c57fa16 light surrounding 08869a2dad him, and 215867d9dc the spirits a2fd9ddc62 swaying softly 7b59656173 nearby.ca3970234cd860ae