SU | Chapter 5.12

Ji Youngwon merely nodded, not committing to much, and sat down, his eyes drifting shut. It didn’t look like he was dozing off. Yoo Han, catching the tired look on Ji Youngwon’s face, decided to keep quiet so as not to disturb his rest. The background music Ji Youngwon had chosen made Yoo Han think twice about leaving… After a brief pause, Yoo Han chose to just sit quietly beside him.f28776ce9a59612e

The jazz played on for about 15 minutes, Ji Youngwon’s eyes never opening once. During this time, Yoo Han studied his profile, soaking in the unusual peace. It was tough to believe they could share such calm silence when they usually clashed at every turn. This was the first time being together didn’t feel off.77c269b56324de51

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‘I seriously need to 8f4dbbe658 pull myself together…’41a3c791537f2ab2

Even understanding his complexities, Yoo Han couldn’t resist seeking Ji Youngwon’s kindness—his foolish, unconditional affection was downright pitiful. As Ji Youngwon had pointed out, he was indeed clueless. His heart wasn’t ready to unravel everything.074e58a93dad6af6

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Yoo Han decided to shelve his worries about Ji Youngwon for now. After all, he still had the handy excuse of ‘the commission’ to keep them connected. Whatever came next, he planned to rethink everything once he retrieved his heirloom ring.af680c9f3e230fdd

As the music dcc6fc463a faded after 15 43101b8eca minutes, Yoo Han b34bb141bd quietly got up.24736ec909600ca8

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“Director, you seem 91b97cdf2f worn out, so bb858ffbf8 I’ll head out 2c5b1317d2 now. Thanks for hanging out 5667914639 with me.”2f39edb89ae82a7e

Yoo Han whispered 1785920eb0 his gratitude, almost 654539beb3 too soft to 91a0cc3d5f hear, and began 8ef70043b3 to walk past 80655d5a83 Ji Youngwon when 0493b8bd8f his wrist was 81d6a00063 suddenly caught.21b724a18be7da3a

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“Sit back down.”ad72564ee35ebf79

Yoo Han looked totally thrown off by his wrist being caught. Ji Youngwon’s eyes were still shut tight. He rubbed the pulse point on Yoo Han’s wrist as if he was checking the texture, sending a weird, tingly feeling through Yoo Han. Yoo Han’s shoulders tensed up on their own. Ji Youngwon then let go of his wrist, nice and slow.2005648a42f5795c

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“Sit back down.”6cb0417d09a0a7aa

His tone was still c2be013958 commanding, but softer than e07ba72061 before. Mesmerized, Yoo Han 263cdd71f5 returned to his 00ecfe41f2 seat.3313c35d5f4194ee

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“…Why? Do you have 8dfe19c264 something to say?”3a02e1566293c58e

He rubbed his 3eae8dd495 wrist against his 85ab1e6fa5 thigh because of 7b410e5607 the itching sensation.8d297897e991307b

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“No. You started a conversation e5a83f605a without having anything to f22bc74808 say, didn’t you?”a3bbe7bd176767ca

“……”78ccfe8011602f13

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“No reason for me d6b1f2405a either.”099864c0ed141806

Yoo Han felt 97216e17f7 strangely moved. It was unlike Ji 1f83285b39 Youngwon, who always had 30414d6e51 clear intentions and goals, 89d01c3dbb to hold him back 4ce05bd24e without any particular reason. His heart foolishly started afbf19b0f1 racing at this realization.f5d0ee516793b076

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Yoo Han glanced c7d26356be over at the 094ead43d3 bookshelf beyond which f50cee4416 the old-fashioned horn 85c52c26d8 speaker was playing 592f8a4a3e Chet Baker’s jazz.ca63ba66c2acc362

I fall in df5bc1b201 love too easily
I fall in love 474bbcec21 too fast
I fall 6d88f38ac7 in love fabc558107 too terribly 8a2d4290fb hard
For love to 63cac69258 ever last5e110d0614fdf190

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Yoo Han hummed f08e395e66 along to the 912d39092f nameless jazz tune. Ji Youngwon 837dd5ccd8 opened his b9375aabbb eyes.e5b46f843d19785e

I fall in love 0c383ae349 too easily
I fall in love db8baa321c too fastcb36a9eea5caf4f8

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The quiet 880de9fc6e hum of 810fea607f the lyrics 90df7b77eb and Yoo a6ba10a071 Han’s innocent 1be39b858b profile harmonized 1d66b4a97c perfectly.7a4be1e30782d442

For the first 2d5923d0ee time, Ji Youngwon 3838a2ce67 found himself lost 5e560bd48b in futile thoughts. Like the ad20ae4b47 lyrics of 5f5b32c5e4 the song 6571c7ea92 playing, and 84e69dc87f like Yoo e1599cc6d0 Han confessing b2007fe446 his affection, d4f6858940 was it 74303a407c really possible f88e743c81 to fall 55511dd79b in love eb3ea2ce43 so easily? Did such blind, 9d6d27c216 everlasting love even d35ab5cd67 exist? Such uncharacteristic contemplations circled 89b9e3a599 his mind. It was 6a90dd4793 an unfitting 3c5fabf76c train of fefed77fad thought, yet c5481b0c2c it spiraled 5010a770b2 out, expanding 28097139f8 his horizons.800ba9e9d90d7f0f

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Ji Youngwon bb5d1e9fd5 didn’t even c6bdbe5c9e know how f0b4959e4b to distinguish 88ef4ca84d simple lust e16febac12 from love.7148643d755c3f69

As the song 7ddb86c486 neared its end c7ff321970 and Yoo Han 0982a6ef39 tapped his foot 1f49deba5f to the rhythm, 99a8d72dc8 he suddenly turned 4fadcddbc6 to Ji Youngwon.7393e54d59693eef

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“Director.”a530b0efdec098db

“Hmm.”9c081a446e512ec5

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Ji Youngwon’s 4ef33176d9 demeanor was 96a52bdef3 much more e78cd159cb relaxed and 8b47539547 gentle than 1c26a90695 usual. Emboldened, Yoo Han 0ea8cdc05f finally voiced the ae94dab412 question he had 4c4ac63232 been holding back.a4273c1076246d0c

“That client who came f22b32263d earlier. The one with the 6d52bc3770 short hair, she seemed 2c169d827c quite impressive.”107a07387c47cb56

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Ji Youngwon stiffened his 437ca62fa1 jaw slightly and cocked 7f4fac567c his head.e8d9353b7b4b915c

“Secretary Son?”3e6f5074540b72e9

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Yoo Han involuntarily d2931f4dfa pouted his lips 186a48647e at the mention ccc01d7b55 of Secretary Son 858135490d by Ji Youngwon. How could both 019c96816e her name and cf21fdf13d title so perfectly fe95b59883 match her refined 300ad41878 image?2637e1160f9b2997

“She seems to 815b3f5113 come around often. Are you close?”04bfa533597c56c9

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It was rare 4d990d1ab3 for anyone to e970f27b44 face Ji Youngwon 5281ddc954 and smile. The first consultant had 8d52db94f7 sweated profusely, maintaining a bec76b2192 low posture throughout their 342feae95c conversation. But Secretary Son’s cc3c298dfe attitude was different. Her posture, confidently 7ceaeec0ac greeting the office 5cd4cd501f staff, was striking.2900695c76d50817

Yoo Han admired the f5d145d391 woman’s assertive demeanor, yet 478b7e4e0a felt a twinge of 40b491c724 jealousy at how well 991e8d2aa0 she seemed to mesh b91ee9a98c with Ji Youngwon in 89f59b66be a single frame. Yes, it was 85487fc982 jealousy. His thanks for cc3aa1ed96 the meal was 3ba80a1b34 just an excuse; 43a8e1d646 in truth, he 11a727c483 had wanted to 376bbda290 ask about her 4b94ed1062 from the start.292283fc641fd386

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Ji Youngwon sighed briefly 999822f793 and nodded.8fe6eae145dfb384

“Yes. Why do 1422d8895f you ask 8777d46c30 about the 5f3242621a intimacy of caa8d2c391 our relationship?”687a3f28c109965d

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The conversation was 27223ce6a0 never easy with 7404b8a0d6 him. Yoo Han 837e8af920 hesitated for 8156e5ad33 a moment 0fff60e1bb before blurting 5968f2adb8 out his 3e3aa8f349 honest feeling.19e36aac7f3cf593

“I’m jealous.”77380d3fa1ebf8fc

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Ji Youngwon 59229269db did not 0bd8e2916d smile. Instead, at the 754db9952e moment the song a5caa342c8 shifted, he raised 5246353d9a his hand to f071e8801f lightly tap Yoo 3f62edc918 Han’s forehead with ff629135e6 a touch as 2a485cda14 light as a eb685e9764 feather.8eb583ad3b3fa420

“Jealous about what?”53d51486cf9350db

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It was 13a5d27625 a touch 40b95841d1 rich with 4226144fd5 the teasing 01fd4e837d tenderness of e219c82a11 soothing an 3d6f9e0343 upset lover. Yoo Han, despite his 726ff8022a bold reply, blushed like 3caab40f01 an underripe tomato. A tickling sensation bd641c4ed9 fluttered again in d03b3bb521 his chest. After biting his lip, 73edd4d6a6 he ended up asking 83755f4856 a completely unrelated question.3c8aa11adbde94c1

“Don’t you ever be62e25f62 take a break, fcd1382292 even on holidays?”9a7a2efcd319b3d1

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Ji Youngwon stroked 3d1f17888c his chin thoughtfully. Yoo Han found it afabec1c7d curious how any action c42e29f2fb from him still managed f48509ab2c to create a tension-filled 8154f71b2b atmosphere.2b852167863b5ca5

“Well, I guess… 2493ba3371 whenever I feel bed9407b1b like it?”dcd620c854ae1f1c

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The way he be8af30621 spoke was so 64dcbdf055 suggestively explicit that 4c0a0846e5 it almost sounded dd1a54f0a5 demonic. This made the 85bc9f36e9 conversation difficult to 713c3e6ea6 continue properly. Yoo Han quickly changed 3c4d784842 the topic.cf017795f469a0e2

“Do you go 1f5c0b17d0 abroad even during 8e870cb8f3 New Year’s? It’s for security 5aa17f17c3 details, right? But why are those 1172f1ae46 costs so high? Ah, I 0ceb310f5d mean, I 5fd556ddd4 didn’t particularly a111ca0c2f want to ed3b0c98c2 overhear it, b30ed617fa but I ae5c725418 just happened 604fce61cd to hear 0b17d84605 it since e5c1d9171d we were ba3572edbe in the d955696a5f same place.”7534c25c4e872b57

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He hesitated to 8e81a6f212 even utter the 305e7018ac word ‘billion’ and 975f5f39e6 asked the question 0c8cf9539d timidly. Ji Youngwon covered 6c41441504 his mouth with 1ed9b2e22f the hand he e50e5ca846 had been using 70d4ec0355 to stroke his ca627cfdcf chin and nodded. There really was 0dd28e3e3b no reason for cd4f23d7bd the security details a149c569ad to be that cd40ff5652 expensive. However, Chairman Jang, fce4fcffdf who had been f730098606 connected with the 2763abbdaa secretary for a b2f38863dc long time, had 97d107c476 not requested the 7e96f7210a security service with cab6d39ae7 pure intentions. It wasn’t really 7070a66391 about security; essentially, 89518506c0 he wanted Ji 06cae84b52 Youngwon to boil 6619b68a8a alive anyone who cd40e6913c didn’t suit his d7844f18a4 taste. Chairman Jang always specifically 9ddbfe79c2 called for Ji Youngwon 8808d66e32 when he needed someone 4a4a1309d7 for such rough tasks.12ece28df024ff2c

“Hmm…”2d2be50011cd3b70

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How could he 595b170625 explain this cause 62a7034502 and effect to 91f8b9cf27 Yoo Han? Especially since c06e8ee3d1 Yoo Han 2f91032d24 had been 702bcf493a foaming at d45f4fd479 the mouth afa3ff8e5e with rage 06e46bc5e6 over breaking 671b16f189 someone’s ankle cf9b0278ef for a 1b85eb5fc3 target, Ji 23151897e4 Youngwon needed 5e0856a407 to choose a8da1caa0c his words 63f34794e4 carefully. While Yoo Han 9a95290a61 wrestled with his 5acd61145c moral dilemma, Ji 55dc9fd127 Youngwon hadn’t taken 8e5a1dad30 the matter lightly f904bd118e either, though not ab001da6b3 to the extent be0f710781 Yoo Han did.e37f0e95647e3105

“Security details fb8992d1bc aren’t as 7470217e0a simple as cb0c27b2fe they seem. Since I’ve 048d0c6c93 been a ab18b7dd6d partner for f4f98c47d0 a long 033b957a6c time, there’s ae6a4a1f91 also a cbfddc12cd tendency to e1ec2f5032 be more 9afe85e9d0 generous.”45cfabcf83833bad

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Ji Youngwon 75938446dc didn’t deliberately 430a08149f provoke Yoo 1118e07a8e Han. He probably 8a81b67b75 never would. Tying things up nicely da954fd9e7 was one of his 073d6d5176 unsavory skills.dc92d201863585d6

Yoo Han nodded as 3125f664af if amazed. Business acumen and terrible 16a13ddabf personal traits were apparently 9ac99b833b two entirely different issues. Ji Youngwon licked dc8407b3a6 his lips as 6982857ba1 he watched Yoo 036e75b3db Han, then got 0fb543e958 up from his ba9757d4b4 seat.b86704869e3f0dfb

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“If the interview is 179e923bd7 over, you should head bfdb8b7278 in.”ef4f72e9060530ac

“Are you fa8723ffe2 going to 5c9602b617 sleep already?”d486365bd612d30e

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“Why, are b93925a041 you going 5a92f7ae1f to miss a0570e5542 me?”88617fb06fa87f74

“…Yes.”ea2bd7c2f91c1dd6

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Yoo Han honestly 3e4112fcf5 answered and looked af9dffabd0 up at Ji 8c2cb96bc4 Youngwon who had 7061da8a6c stood up. The song d3854c15f3 that had c1ff92c43d seemed to 8ed9abb868 end started fb706be976 playing again. The tension dd65665d79 between their aebce8bff9 gazes softened 16a188c18c by the 72dedc7651 sweet melody. Maybe now 9c277539c1 was the 7e864c1f20 moment to 0ee0477c99 gather courage. The question 1716f05eb9 he had 6d40f3cc30 dared not d4183e7244 even think c7ebb049b9 to ask ad97a09171 was now 21fbfa4317 tickling his d57ae78c02 mouth.6e00595a7d9de505

“Director.”db667632b7b70e1a

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Ji Youngwon hummed ddcd3594db an ambiguous response, f441b94ece prompting a serious 51770c9da9 look from Yoo 88dab427ce Han who then 3736edc924 stood up decisively a4f5b704d0 in front of d5e495f6eb him.5d0b64e03cf0ae82

“By any chance, 313c345013 do you… “1664e9aaaa4f50f9

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“…”16b20016e098d20b

Gulp. Yoo Han’s Adam’s 7f571c485f apple bobbed as 8499bb1d39 he stopped mid-sentence. Ji Youngwon intensely 90fed027aa gazed at the 8a674e065d pale nape of bf6f8d196d Yoo Han’s neck, eba619acfc where the skin 73e51cbaf3 under his eyes 41a619ae28 was subtly trembling. His ears turned 35977f9f6a red as if e7f989f5c1 they might emit 128116954b heat at any 7b73f00a7c moment. Suddenly, a long-restrained ae34e0cfc6 desire surged.9e348a78f46b5a3f

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“Do you… 2410c3aca8 I mean.”6b7a2608b598fe5e

Though he stuttered, ed5220d1fd Yoo Han’s usual 603896133d assertiveness to say 2f191f6dab what he must 0680c0ba8b seemed altered. He seemed deeply 00ad811bbb conflicated as he f011d933d0 hesitated several times.d5082f149e361fb4

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“Do you, like 55e806b550 me?”bc48957aad09a13f

Eventually, as 5dbf5d286b if he 1ce2063d07 had committed 4edead410c a crime, 28d2fa8a5a Yoo Han 1fdf2d3a36 shut his 6d47034504 eyes tightly. At the 360c639f5a moment he d66c650998 uttered those ecb5849699 words, it f9aba02043 almost seemed 3eb02bac81 like the 868a4aa22a volume of 9d0a8b6daa the song 2fdf4ab1a9 decreased. The essence of 74592ee66e the question was ad7835b135 clear, even though a37a6eaf2f he hadn’t finished 6c210d7ddc the sentence.5e01e66621682755

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After a while with 03337b2a7f his eyes shut, Yoo a4e7a83638 Han cautiously opened one 884c29c6e6 eye. The first thing afe24ffa56 he saw was 0209e227d8 Ji Youngwon’s broad da5a8adcfa chest. Slowly lifting his head, 4135bd33d3 he met Ji Youngwon’s 80012b9047 curious gaze.dfd42fd88378270b

“What exactly e24282e61b are you f82cf66c4d asking?”b06136e14ccc7f40

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The question be28d9990d Yoo Han dd1a7464fe posed wasn’t 885fca5686 difficult; even 1ebbcd7e13 a kindergartener 44d53523fa would understand efb3a639ef it at 5df2e50e56 once. Asking it back suggested db3427ad4c another meaning. Yoo Han felt as 071a567ba1 if his head suddenly 76531219d2 cooled, as if he cc2840bbaa was being rejected.67f597003e1b3509

“Literally… that.”172162c241e6428a

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Yoo Han coughed af860ee65f unnecessarily and took c0c52cab8e a deep breath.0c7ae6e04a84989a

“Whew. I just daf4d4134e wanted to 2ced0d31a1 ask if 1b736ecb8b you like 0dedc57c4f me.”21bb28928769f680

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Ji Youngwon ed62d1afb5 furrowed his afc405fc75 brow. It wasn’t 12a9cfaa61 an expression ecc19c4de6 of displeasure. Rather, the notion of 9497d0348c ‘liking’ someone was just 13bfda0941 too vague and complex a329d5310f for him. After a 3b879e89f4 moment of 2a5267c0ed contemplation, he ec738340af sighed briefly.354594ad97c640fe

“As an dd5a17afc3 employee, yes, 6bacfda3e2 I like 446ba3aeb9 you. You’re not 676b864792 weak and ea9412d9f9 you’re diligent 41a299d652 unlike the 16665cab99 others.”ed3f8c340aa0883f

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“…What?”fcd855458e554bff

“If you’re asking 5a5d2f891a personally, I find 558c4ab396 that appealing too. The way you 61bf583766 act tough is 43c6a92cbe kind of fun.”647c82831bf7cc59

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Yoo Han blinked 604ee8f379 in confusion at 19d3abc898 the somewhat off-target 6c182e1550 answer.0ff79559c6258b7b

“That’s not e5ce6ee427 what I 0708dfd21f meant,”356dcae24204c35d

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He met Ji 620adcd2e3 Youngwon’s eyes with a4019a056c a bewildered look.bf208a1a6b85fea5

“I’m talking about e4e8fe1476 romantic feelings.”4f18e51fa41618f3

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“…”3ad837723b94084d

“Even if you 6f12c0c9a1 speak harshly, you’ve 20d52eb006 been pretty kind 2b91f01a17 to me lately. You covered me 57ce0a45fa with a blanket 3a17914afb before bed, cleaned 1b1441ffbb me up when 285f0e6912 I couldn’t wash, 14f8532ca0 even served me 53870d4eb5 side dishes at 65c0885e13 meals…”3384dbc33e3ee242

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As Yoo 2881c96f84 Han continued, 0003929c9a he suddenly 6d49a6d4de closed his ea49253928 mouth. The more he 552b7ebbdf spoke, the more d1c2497136 it felt like b1cd2f7405 he was forcing fcf62795ab an answer, making 16d3fba702 him increasingly embarrassed.feca7b32c3bd5fb7

…Was it b0befa2862 all my f9ee263a76 misunderstanding? No, that b499e1dc99 couldn’t be. It’s impossible to spend 0e89910f37 so much heart and 5b0c286e7b time on someone you 3d34be7e1d don’t like.df0af1aee5f2da96

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Gathering courage once b5d387b53e more, Yoo Han 1031183186 hesitantly reached out 7838474c27 and lightly grabbed b8b1952ac9 Ji Youngwon’s forearm. The cautious 6e9ce29ee5 touch narrowed 8d51998ee3 Ji Youngwon’s c3e7034e58 eyes.6e0fb909b46a8689

“Have you d20e39a266 ever liked 9f668a8b43 someone? I mean, have c0c76f41bb you ever been 961ce86fac in a relationship…?”5921c0257ccf7c6d

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The arm he 04398458f4 grabbed stiffened momentarily. Yoo Han noticed the 040da32673 subtle reaction and closed 039fc9429a his mouth again. Never been in d3279987d2 one, huh? A long 6087157b68 silence followed. As the b49fa6b1a1 sweet jazz 95c44e7238 track ended, 87ab2c3c22 an unbearable 98a2aceff5 silence settled. Yoo Han’s hand 300e5180b2 slowly slipped from 98c11d62c2 Ji Youngwon’s arm.cb823fb15e6f768a

“Clearly I am,” 239ca0b73d Yoo Han’s head 0ad1455ca9 snapped up as b0e9e9e95d Ji Youngwon broke 26199856f7 the silence first. He muttered 3f3fb695ee to himself e1815e0712 while gazing bab4acbd07 near Yoo e9cea3d339 Han’s bare b0247b6362 nape. “I’m indeed doing 967bb57902 things I don’t 0288fb5ba3 usually do.”187f8844c488b55f

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Yoo Han’s heart beat 29fefdd1b7 irregularly as the atmosphere 61630e8033 subtly heated up.9a3f5cff61e820ed

“Say what ba064a84f8 you want 1fa2f922fc to hear. I’ll tell 6a7ac18cb2 you exactly a36873f48c that.”f75a1ea1f06655cc

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In a 12f8f3cb85 flash, with 067a1e4f36 a devilish 2698bff24a whisper, Ji 08f2cf9538 Youngwon slowly 4cd7f4de60 bent down 74f8876f25 and licked 790909bbbe Yoo Han’s a85d44e4d4 earlobe.e4975ebbe77bc1cc

“Uh.”003c3cdc782a1575

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