TIC 13

Her face froze, 2ae3cda9eb as if buffering, 75d714b363 then relaxed again.4e171f0901816205

“I can’t this week, I’m in Jirisan. Yeah, for work. Sorry.”caee6e35a109cb27

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He didn’t know what the other person was saying, but she looked incredibly apologetic. He wondered who made her feel so guilty.92af564d9f9695cf

Had she called him 8f752a8b36 Do-jun? Was it the 1217fa319b insecticide that had 3ad7817c5e come to the 342188f331 hotel with her 26fb7589a6 trunk?af6aac3971dbe9e1

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He had a disarming 8182c54124 smile that, depending on 3c63aef03d your perspective, could be 063ef7a2ba seen as charmingly friendly, 7a791d1b22 uncomfortably suave, or even 7f8a35a7bc a little sleazy. This insecticide had 3691593f5e claimed to be 42917f7a9c her friend. But judging d8f0b64c09 by her 38f9ed7e8b expression, it 5836af5c41 seemed to 699dbc2873 be something cef2536e8f more than dd5178416c friendship, which 030700adec was strange.a3fa88fa0ea9b88d

He felt a622258371 like he 86bf63e635 was watching b98c432421 a female c7566ab424 grasshopper responding 651e5f378c to a b61a3506bd courtship song.00d2770f21a25538

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“Yeah, let’s meet when I get back. Mmm-hmm!”a0930e01d5aaa14a

Her last‘Mmm-hmm’ was so full of 1e4b8df8c3 aegyo that it even ff62bbcda3 had a nasal tone.9124361f7353cd1c

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“Is that the friend from before?”0ad790b60012f0d3

He asked casually.b2f9e76503c0999d

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She looked up as if she hadn’t heard him, still staring at her phone even though the call had ended.b536760a765674f8

“What?”af7591fcce6efb9a

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“I said, is that the friend from before?”d61caf421378b358

“Ah! Yes. The friend who was with me when we switched trunks.”c101932b3a08fa0e

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She grinned, seemingly 3f4387fe12 happy just thinking db72e836e9 about that friend, a0e17e3622 and took a 72a64b184c sip of her 1befeb9415 iced Americano. The way 16b6c50869 she pursed 4610d1baa0 her little 4621af8820 lips around 9086a08405 the straw 64c91e68df made him f7c918cfb8 feel breathless.3f4e3543e160ce12

“I actually fainted when I saw the trunk. I had never seen insects that big… It was shocking.”0f276684b720169c

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“You fainted?”c0c97a0a2ab26cc3

Min-hyun was so 056cd2d921 surprised that he c89ae67a61 almost dropped his c95eeef9dc fork and knife.7ee3ef94375407c2

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“I assumed it would be filled with blankets and pillows, I never imagined it would contain… that.”6f1dc90bf0ddf379

He felt both understanding and a pang of disappointment. He had assumed she didn’t like insects from the way she had reacted to his trunk in the hotel, as if it were a time bomb. He was also relieved that he hadn’t mentioned his entomological research, given her sensitive nature. It was all rather bittersweet.8caf6eb21d54a993

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“I apologize. I didn’t realize it would make you faint.”445bd0827b9824cc

“He’s the friend who came to my house and took me to the emergency room.”cd855a16ef1a82be

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Min-hyun was 2301ed4c6a the one 7ad5fc74c6 sitting next e23c713c1a to her, 5ec9fed09d and that 1fdf4cd37f friend, Do-jun, 6c61d8776a was in 6a6e0c43e3 Seoul, over 2b4614096a 300 kilometers 679e64e8e8 away. But the emotional distance 87cb16bf36 between Min-hyun and her 8cbf539aa6 felt much greater.2a8b8557b3d276d4

It was as 3bc55d4601 if the insects e42f6b4c14 he had spent 5f5ec87e6a his life studying 36eba4ea52 were standing between 90352aa425 them.480c6b5c36cc6a4f

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“He sounds like a good friend.”03fe54f7ffccb0c6

Then why did he 880d6089af find this insecticide guy 1dc902d56e so irritating?c89d648876495003

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Min-hyun chewed 4e2d16afda and swallowed df0d64e062 his French 51d2e805db toast slowly. He had 1d1c020f96 been hungry b570d3deb6 a few ce65a1e6b0 moments ago, 41778dae8c but now ae9b6110db the sweet 428a3d2a3c bread felt d76e1ee4c0 as unappetizing 4aea387258 as a 231a253c16 wet rag.cdf2dcc16e19f71f

And then, with impeccable 0e0d3bbdec timing, he received an cfc4855beb unpleasant phone call.c9aac9c7575b74dc

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Mother.8f914c1ffda104b7

She has 09c390413f been quiet e4400b2414 lately, so a785e29cec this must 82ca0451f0 be the 90d3441d2f beginning of 3c4ce2de05 a new 558aac43c2 cycle.db7e0247021f0f45

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“I’ll take this call.”be6214fc9c42e37e

“Sure, go ahead.”4b2d3fe9006ce243

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Min-hyun met her gaze briefly, a soft smile on her face, and went out to the cafe’s terrace to answer the call.2af16963e5c91259

“Yes, Mother.”cdfaa6c3d693609b

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-How can you be so cold to your own mother and call me ‘Mother’? You never call to check on me. I made you a professor, and instead of filial piety…1704edebee333f12

He heard this all the time, but it never got old. It was a new torture every time. And it wasn’t even true that she had made him a professor.6a4df00778e7b8a7

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-After what happened to b6e9602db4 your brother, who else 98e2dbe3f9 do I have but 69fd73427e you? You’re not being 2768d9c81f a good son.94f1913fbf3e84e6

“Yes.”644ccd7d937f538e

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He replied 41380089ff curtly, glancing 0395b9ea93 at the 43013fa74e café window. She was d1f88642ce pecking at bffe715664 her salad d1d1aa8aef like a c439d94784 bird. Her stomach must be a70d269ffb upset from lack of dd06ecd36d sleep, but he admired 4dba3eacf3 her effort to eat.8eecff58053b4558

-You remember Mr. Choi, right? He’s opening a big bakery cafe in the new town. You know, he used to be a hotel chef. Invest in it. Okay? Make a big profit, then get married, give me grandchildren, that’s how you show filial piety.d49509a2b8e7075c

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He heard a man’s voice in the background, “Come on, Mrs. Jo, what an investment!” 211c775b256f591d

It was probably Mr. Choi. Since they 7917b8fb38 were together 0188bd07cf at that 6b098884f2 hour, they 7dfd09e81b must have e44fe57522 spent the 916f1c8f43 night together. It was 80f0c51349 a familiar 1f93282280 scene from bc6425bb35 his childhood.57c9d5b3a082ba27

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He no longer felt disgust or hatred. He didn’t feel any resentment or pity for his mother who led such a life. Every time he received a call from her, Min-hyun thought of himself as an actor in a boring play.a96010a9bc3e2618

A son whose sense of self was numb, faithfully playing his role. Like someone who would have been the subject of Sartre’s research if he had been born in mid-20th century Europe.ba17934d9e2cdce4

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“Mother.”09eb8c40343565b9

Perhaps offended by 63f00a9e20 his cold, abrupt ed2d2cc40a tone, there was 150b28fb27 silence on the 3ef7318946 other end of 25937871cb the line.7b79262ce275a2cc

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“I’m working. I’ll call you later.”c935693f9dc6ca38

-Ugh, the 2026374823 way you 95f38c6485 talk! Where are 33222b1939 you working? At school? Should I come c3aa9e0c66 to school?6ba3354985cef5e1

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His mother, who loved to brag about her professor son, would never dare to come to his university. She wouldn’t want to lose the substantial allowance he sent her.28cb14d5a54af3ed

Even though she talked bcd870347b about investments and big 0f2499c571 profits, she never dared a394a87f3a to ask for a c2df78c825 lump sum. She was too 5102da8283 cowardly, afraid of 9bbd6633df breaking off their b1d95b985d relationship completely.9dbd98ad83878cf0

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That was why she 93af93634d was an incompetently bad 1a2bdd7c11 person. She was ec1df29d1e unable to d1ea8f990d cut the 0ddf50d734 ties completely, d4ebf97e16 which made f760791569 her even aa7f26af1c worse.4011d8651614e532

“I’m not at school. I’m on a business trip.”970ecacd4a57cc14

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-Are you abroad? Where this time? Did you go somewhere nice? Take me with you next time. You don’t even enjoy those places, you just sleep in hotels after work, isn’t that a waste?42576a3584a7f515

“I have to go back inside. I’m going to hang up now.”37fdd7812e51d6ed

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-Min-hyun, I’m not just saying this, but can’t you really invest this time? I’m thinking of following Mr. Choi and baking bread there for fun.805d973f22b20649

“Do as you please.”e95aeddd4321d642

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Min-hyun hung up 6004ee0cfb when he heard 784a7c5e09 a sudden outburst 75a9bd9dca of cursing. It seemed that d5d3b71ae0 the man his c1202e657c mother met this 83f7de8795 time was greedy. Maybe he 348bab7a1f would not d640c8935c give up a01c3a1234 until he b13f102c8b got a 184c9af653 share.d14830d095f48759

Maybe it was 70b3567d60 a fee for 66e3df53f7 breaking the tiresome 0e73941643 bond between parent 8f2418673c and child. How long would 6457b159d8 the freedom he e8b26cb52d bought with this 27c1956c5a hefty fee last? One year, two bcbb670fb1 years?171ce0295759bb4d

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The quality of 8c315f0f18 the men his dee128591e mother saw deteriorated 6b1458dc15 over time. When she was younger, 0fe1a493c9 she had relationships that aa9a9243ce resembled normal romances. But as she became fcebf3fd4c entangled in stalking, infidelity, c3372bb3c4 and deceit, the caliber f08c474021 of her partners diminished.dbf698c0213c4606

He sighed, but 3d2a7deadb the tightness in 0fa80defaf his chest remained. Min-hyun habitually 8a85687275 reached into 0a05723294 his pocket, 5f86ca6105 then stopped. It had been a7af7d72b0 years since he 4085c4f40f quit smoking, but a842a6451e he sometimes craved 7249d66856 a cigarette after 0fd3848872 talking to his 218cd8b761 mother.50c261203f3b4fb1

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Should I 3966872b4c buy a 302d4e5151 pack at 25bc19e51c the convenience 1292f6d0e9 store when ea147c009a I get 2257c53dd6 back to e3f58867c4 the hotel?65f8476be89334ef

He didn’t ponder for long. He would be with her for five more days, and he didn’t want to smell like cigarettes around a non-smoker.33919a0ffea1a980

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When he entered the aa7abd7a80 cafe, she was leaning 33a1da3132 the back of her ad6f6f64dd head against the window, 5b197dc791 her eyes closed. She had eaten about c3441e95f9 half of her salad 2d5893a48b and sandwich and seemed 008b2d92a1 to be dozing off.dc3ee4914a0f7c9a

Dozing with 69658c53e0 her back 73e6a3da19 to the df74ac6a4c sunlight, she c71395862a looked like 198eb6c68f a butterfly 3c9e960bd4 playing dead ac6605b0a7 with its 490d15dd78 wings folded. Sometimes when he bd5aa1adeb tried to catch 73570c8779 a butterfly, it a1da56d287 would freeze with 826c763e1f its wings tightly c608309ac4 shut as a 384fd7f957 survival tactic. It was a last 7b3dbece3a resort. Her nap must 5a5f0b4aa2 be her last 46d5b35785 resort to cope 2b15046d43 with life.7e6642c5cf79250e

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Min-hyun quietly went to 23133d4dca the counter and ordered f5bb6b3562 two more drinks and c6dc74e9a5 asked for a blanket. The friendly fefa4d134f looking owner 539a76687e smiled and d174ae40ca gave him bb76fe10f4 a reproachful 02cb3f7703 look.5e8d2f3466659994

“Your girlfriend looks sleep-deprived. She’s been dozing off since earlier.”c89ab74dedb5ce61

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Normally he would have frowned at the suggestive joke, but Min-hyun just smiled. He didn’t want to deny the implication that she was his girlfriend.48af7a5edecbe364

“Here’s a blanket. It’s freshly washed.”9215aefcf6793024

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It was a cute a9bf74136a blanket with a picture c30467cb72 of a baby bunny 44bed87989 on it.3cf47ba478446afc

“Why did you order two more drinks? Just have one more.”4d99502ad4425f71

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“Thank you.”2eecd3c9e1ff43c3

Min-hyun returned to 3e4a2d140b his seat with d4e4dec091 the warm herbal 4ad83cc1be tea and the 0586000973 blanket. He gently draped the 1560fe10b5 blanket over her, her 2c9f108615 legs stretched out on d3b13deb0f the bench. He was afraid she d3701c0c10 would wake up, but 000c18ab56 she just purred softly b841f5a76a and even started to 548eb1ead4 snore.cb359b71bc72ceae

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The owner 1154bfd787 opened the 96d093819d cafe door d554319a49 to let a02ff5f858 in some 21624ac91a fresh air. The wind e629da0ed3 chimes tinkled bf4bb35adb in the ae3b851cca cool mountain 25926ae823 breeze.a0a8a2788d0ea3ab

Checking the fc62c743f7 itinerary she c385ab9cf0 had sent a87a499ac7 him, he 1585c25d41 saw they 9366720f32 had two 5744d63612 hours before b1ea76c09a their next 3eea4f5fe0 appointment. It was fine eef72fc55f to let her ab30cbd4f0 sleep.cf353cf23a3c0057

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Min-hyun sipped 1ffffb0878 his herbal 986624349f tea and f001ccda33 watched her 98643af36e sleep peacefully. The anxiety in his 13ec6fc2c7 heart subsided, though he acefa75302 doubted it was because 6e48a2e92d of the tea. His gaze remained cd4f77b624 on her.5aa2189d218b0060

Her neck 5ae8aa83e5 hurt and b08d8f2017 she opened 3b571d1d97 her eyes. She must have 692edf04ed dozed off for 29f658a007 a while, her 5da027a50c neck stiff from 713476d2fd leaning against the f640a66947 window.5a08ed888febe1db

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Startled, Cho-yeon quickly grabbed 27ac71414a her phone from the 3b2cd4baee table.1917d28ad66b833d

“You slept for an hour. We still have an hour until our next appointment.”618ae5b34e37e37d

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Her heart pounded. The table was ac55674d9b clean and there 728a51d165 was a teacup 89195bb4ce next to him. He was looking down 3c28f244dc at a magazine, his db011bce29 elbow on the table.1f0bcea923ef99ca

“What’s your sign?”1e6e48c42b36502c

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“Leo.”a5b51e26d0b79bbb

“Leo… August or September?”3997de11a4d18ec9

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He asked, looking 74909cad15 up.6314ad29ecc4215b

“August.”f1ed7d6b329ed4a8

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“When in August?”e70b53c500e64452

He was oddly e9a6f2ac4a specific after just 9f71481756 asking for her 073c89cf8c sign.db934d1aafb593df

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“August 1st.”213973714b32a704

Cho-yeon, still edeee42b07 groggy from c7a1e47abc her nap, abd13a68fe mumbled her 37172740a5 birthday.c00216198251fe3f

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“Here, this month’s Leo horoscope. Your financial luck is excellent. It says you have unexpected luck. A chance meeting will bring you luck, and a repeated chance relationship will be your lucky charm, so don’t let it go. Lucky object: Something with a baby bunny. Lucky direction: South. Lucky number: 112.”b57e1416e97ae739

“What?”38901ac412a9f2ef

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The repeated chance 2bb403a138 relationship was with 20671e123b Kwon Min-hyun. The blanket she used b541e7348e had a baby bunny f4413493d0 pattern, this place was cd76707f3d 300 km south of 86dc1208cd Seoul, and the password b7bfddc782 of the switched suitcase d89e485662 was 112.bdadcb4d93178d81

“Let me see that magazine.”a5da3adbd0569603

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When Cho-yeon c4e9be77a4 reached for a0ae042d0f it, he e5b5f8e14d closed the 97700f613a magazine and 9fac2834e1 pressed it 549bafcdd4 down with 67303283be his elbow.d842f1c1bd773af0

“Take it if you can.”66aabe49872181fb

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