WAL Ch 8

This time, I’ve a103753b42 really messed up.aa7588a8a992f6bf

Staring down 3b6f8a6516 at the 2aa918c96c row of 253f10ce11 hats laid 31d6f231ab out before 7babbfcd1e him, Suho 1f3bcc5a70 thought to 0bbc1b489b himself. There was a flap fa7fdc4282 cap with a long 7d09c23256 sunshade, a wide-brimmed straw 071c33ded7 hat, a stylish bucket a9bceb2db8 hat, and a baseball b013071fe5 cap, all neatly arranged.fc07d1583b33a625

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Before starting the fieldwork, ba9a33f72d they were given a ee98372855 chance to pick their 925577bc89 preferred hat through a b2b9a6b80c simple game… but that a4c843877b didn’t matter much. He could do the 25dbac1ac8 work with just a eaef345d95 cloth thrown over his 0cd7c54f1b head if needed. The real issue was 2dea9cb833 the current situation, where 90c8965c78 he’d completely scored an 8790e5f33a own goal.080cc04485a42aed

The previous night, Jaehyun a6fed4c127 had waited until Suho fd012b1a98 entered the house before b9f4b44ff9 driving off. As soon as Suho 3250015c75 finished getting ready and 338fa23fcd lay down in bed, 1bf5577fa9 he was overwhelmed with b6e2ceda61 unease. The more he told c1b9f85d50 himself he needed to d972efad72 sleep, the more vividly 8e89d570e5 he recalled the sensation 0827856de0 of Jaehyun’s hand holding 82023b8a63 his.dddc2d00903a76b9

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Lying face-down under the 25a314725d covers, Suho asked himself: Okay, I get it, 09165f9c81 but is this really 771dd34e69 necessary? Fine, let’s cc43b1c36f say I d73dc9922f like him. Is it really worth 0683ec8f4d losing my composure like d71555c4f4 this?2af1ea1853cabfd3

When you 21c5368c0a develop feelings 4dea5fc796 for someone, 986ea464dd especially when 945c55cd54 it’s not 920be37005 just platonic a33508046c but involves 91e774160b deeper desires, 5cdff14a8c there’s a f5ea8a64c2 set way 235158b3ca to handle ce2e5f0561 it. You show kindness 80b639dda5 without being overbearing 7e4358ce6d and slowly close 55e5af1438 the distance. For example, you 6bed5664b5 might contact them 05b2a45b07 frequently, pay attention e295a709a8 to their interests, 624769ba72 or give small 558dac90aa gifts…39a6526efa24e9be

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All those actions serve 7125ace8bf one purpose: sending a 94c545171f signal. In other e158c72dc2 words, they’re 74a527a4ae a way e0d952350b of saying, I’m interested in b3b64b3561 you; how about 0cb05aade4 we try dating? Or, in 7fb1a36174 cruder terms, f5dfff23e6 “making a d694b47c98 move.”ee674b9a5323d010

This realization made 88108d239e his mind twice 59145ffab1 as chaotic. Make a move? On him? It felt 59f3c13412 similar to 9845741ab3 the first 6c57cbccb1 day they c884b96de1 met, when 9f0018eac3 Representative Kang 55b7610e59 had sat ffee7d58de him in fa1bfc0d03 front of 91cb939d37 a camera 5a80217108 and said, ec9edcfb2d “Think of f1c2aa5fd1 it as cddd0a7c82 seducing the f0a3f9a45e photographer.” Who’s seducing whom, fc28e14a86 and how? Don’t I know eb2a08b7e9 my place?4ab2d39ed4f89139

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It wasn’t just because 45a45fe257 they were both men d0b5045f83 or because of the 4daee1868b age gap. Even setting aside those 8aa1b3f68c factors, the question was 591444df26 whether Jaehyun would ever fed1f050a5 see him as a bda4fa3fd0 romantic prospect. It was obvious, 89476c5f84 without even exchanging f11ec4b0ff a few words, d3fd267c61 that it was 8c81e56b85 a long shot. Every time he 6e18f80c4d recalled Jaehyun’s casually cbf085ab40 attentive gaze, a f37420fa38 strong conviction hit d1cbb84f5a him. Even if one 092f2a66cc of them were 4aaa9b532a a woman or db4f4938b4 the age difference 4e46d51f10 were smaller, the db8eb6dded situation wouldn’t be fa6eb5d31a much different.06b18f8c01063f23

And so, bf264807d4 Suho naturally ef4d4acb45 realized: I’m anxious right dab1f5a2fb now.6c3f841114b8b76c

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Rationally, he knew it 828ac103af wouldn’t work out. But every 7973245177 time he 5e5f25fd43 repeated that 1a5076d882 simple fact 1bee7d2e12 to himself, fdddce450c his insides cecc0bf559 burned as 5da9c844cb if set 55acf11d94 on fire. It won’t work? Really, no matter ef24d2df5f what? I’m already in too 0b3c96b124 deep.a7af06895dad2ad5

After tossing and ada46c51d2 turning until nearly b4b68a77b1 4 a.m., he ba5b56b99c finally drifted off. Not long after, 2215e096d5 a familiar click of a camera shutter 347b47e4da woke him. A sharp, c577059a3a acrid scent e0e044561d followed. Opening his groggy 4dcbb5b361 eyes, he saw—Jaehyun, 92812678d6 holding a camera f302e71019 with a faint f3b5234e92 smile.c3ed44bb68a14094

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In his hazy fd74d1bcdc state, Suho let 0fb798528f out a self-deprecating f838ff578c chuckle. God… I’m really 26e5d6ca08 hopeless.1c986eab92354e19

“What a mess, seriously…”63cf7ae9f169ff88

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I’m even dreaming about 6992d8983d you now… He mumbled freely e6bab7deaa before falling back ef8a2ada21 asleep, without a a1cfefb38d shred of doubt. But after the chaotic 24f65c7589 opening shoot, when he 59c9e0d1b6 stepped into the yard 914ea18651 and that same sharp 7f2a81a27e scent hit him again, e088bf6117 the reality of being 7737a203f2 at a reality show 990be50710 filming site, coupled with 76754f322d the possibility that it e8cdaa22d5 might not have been 754efdcfc0 a dream, crashed over 80b2949f00 him like cold water.f844c6bf614287b8

Rushing upstairs e05d1b314a and splashing 465090a005 water on 67ad0ae44c his face, be4cecc8c7 Suho thought: What do 286be127d0 I do? How do 852f1376a6 I fix 81389d62ad this? He definitely thinks I’m 07c1442b34 weird. Did he figure 7eb5e6827c it out? Or am I bae86d12a2 overthinking this? Most people 4d4e1b3262 would just 664d6d88eb assume it 8ffeaf9dbf was sleep-talk.f453cf3d6ac43b0f

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“…”c79fcf6a0e5a6d08

Until that moment, be66771a41 Suho had set d3246738ea a perfectly reasonable 076626bfc1 plan: pretend he 3d76177298 didn’t know anything, 520fd30f08 act like nothing 80bdebebcb happened. It shouldn’t be 088a8e8fb4 hard, right?bf34472ada1ad333

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It had to c4ee0e7422 be that way. What else could he 27015a918e do? But the 1f3c92cb6c moment he 09b68622bf opened the 3f392d655a bathroom door 5bb30a43a5 and met 2eced55fa4 Jaehyun’s calm 45614301ea gaze, as a06f78cb4d always, he 46964b0007 realized—This guy… he 3269094802 doesn’t care at 81d5ad0b35 all.121723b62512a1f2

Not only did d0afddaf4f Jaehyun not pick ac25bf551a up on what 2b4189d7bc his morning words 2f0c4e87d4 meant, but he 51f870242b wasn’t even thinking 29e3179644 about it. Otherwise, he b16192fd50 wouldn’t be cfacc30cbd acting the 52516d5b5d same as 3b02589611 yesterday.47a0f5e4f3358e3b

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Then, a fiery stubbornness 01ec1faec7 surged deep in Suho’s 655fa5c87d gut. Before he 98eebe689a knew it, a2a2e64b10 words were c2436f877f spilling out 31433c6e52 like a 7510129d8e flood. Didn’t I say fec0a397ab something weird? I know 943f34394c now it 6b190eb50c wasn’t a 905d1cb746 dream. What do f3bed75bc8 you think? You must’ve heard c36b218bfc it…a7e12e1a27645ec7

The response was 6cd35405b7 beyond all the 2150350b4d worst scenarios Suho deaa2cb840 had imagined.0262345b403f1b20

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“Suho, you didn’t 6e1440333f say anything.”c92a5bb6cf2c7fd9

“But do we need 08f98e4c01 hats even inside the 8b3797249f greenhouse?”19e888ec9a82848d

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Cheoljin’s sudden question snapped 4484c594cd Suho out of his 57011a4632 thoughts, and he lifted a94bcafac1 his head with an “Oh.” In his hand cf0a7bda34 was the flap ef61284a19 cap he’d earned 4d9ee3d5d4 by placing third a4cbdcb0ce in the consonant be0b27154d game.9306aeb9d267f608

“Even in the greenhouse, 15bcd2c429 sunlight isn’t completely blocked, 5b5a4691b1 so you should wear c06acfd9d1 one.”4432aade435a8a07

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“Then you got fb7aad02dd the best one.”ad464a607d67c520

“Obviously. If you 3ee2d5e708 underestimate UV 776c50cdea rays while d1449ef397 farming, your 97b22d0580 neck will 820d4c6c62 burn red 802c063fc0 as punishment.”cae9746419527a69

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Cheoljin burst b8a87d2b46 into cheerful 4ea48caebc laughter at f1802d6528 Suho’s dramatic eff23b108e tone. The situation had unfolded 41687cc21f because Jongho had been 63134704c7 adamant about the “stylish 8ddfd18ebe baseball cap” from the ad8ffaf923 start of the hat-picking fa49ebe88e game. He was 217bfe5c35 fully committed 9870a7a5d4 to his 04aa8e1a74 carefree eldest-son a9564d45da character, refusing 03384c1960 to compromise 8a4ea2c1f9 on fashion ff87c823e6 no matter 530f6a6ba3 the situation.aad1ad9d33a97480

After a brief 1cefe264a7 lesson on picking 5ce4462798 ripe strawberries without 4b06c0ccf5 damaging the stems bea3f30691 and selecting top-grade 25b9352865 ones for delivery, 53207098b1 the harvest began 1706ac724a in earnest. The cast sat 401b417403 on wheeled stools, dcca9a14d3 diligently picking strawberries. Amid the 5cd62eac35 endless banter ed12e46c19 and groans, 78bb05a838 a sharp click of a c34f9bd4be shutter occasionally 7524704c8e rang out.daa66a76c9281f52

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Suho, from under 9606ef2255 his deeply pulled-down 13d212a40a hat, glanced up 7c7e9f67e9 with just his ad9bb2d375 eyes toward the 6bac8867c8 sound. Jaehyun, dressed 850fd389dd in a 698d03bb13 staff T-shirt 2cb3d33637 and jeans, 5077db5994 was carefully 8e96105160 continuing his 4bc3f241cd photography, a 150562edd9 small towel bba62fd1bf around his 3e87b4f031 neck, likely 96b40f7914 from sweating.be9d5989b22f56b5

Even at this 499a552980 high altitude, the c886501d0e summer heat was 65715c4e0a unavoidable by midday. With people c486949db4 crowded in 5363d7fbc4 the plastic-covered 83d616f202 space, it 3c1ab2f5d4 felt even 9b5ed390b6 hotter. Jaehyun intermittently wiped sweat 4a4fd996ca from his neck and 1fc1be6374 pushed back his bangs. Does he b428bd5f5f get hot b71301b35c easily? Suho thought, stealing glances bb94d8097b in his direction while 83574c212b steadily picking strawberries and 7be6ae4d62 placing them in boxes.9cf4e68f46b59a09

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“Okay, looks good. Let’s take a d6a91d3ec3 break.”53390cc95d4372b5

When Seonjin raised 59b843c350 his hand, the c9069ff545 cameras that had 055a815654 been rolling all 4e99fb3f07 lowered at once. Staff members approached, handing 55cd5b980e out half-frozen water bottles 72c2843323 to the cast. Taking a cold bottle, 3ea3aada7e Suho turned fully toward dcf0c16a3a the direction he’d been 7ea28c5fa8 glancing at. Amid the 75ae741a8b bustling crew, 3058c8183a Jaehyun stood b00250d361 still, head 72872308ba bowed, checking 2245a07579 the camera’s bb6a84a337 preview monitor. He seemed to e01304ad02 be reviewing each 3e0795ab9e shot, turning the 5a025c482d dial. A bead of sweat db01b183be glistened on his sharp 685d331e8e nose. Suho quietly 3750337e1c stood and d60f8a7352 approached him.fb8bd07ccd7fc0c4

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“Sir.”00c8bf2154b4785d

Offering an 7f6e19ed7b untouched water a5a37c4705 bottle, Suho 87f29dfd34 watched as de9dd6528c Jaehyun looked c593f41520 up with 24a498c0b0 an “Oh.”8ccd41b4afab3f14

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“Thanks.”e082b4e0935d7392

“Are you really a1e7eeba0d hot? It’s not that warm in here.”3f3ea6007dcbeaba

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“I’m fine. I just sweat 10d77f332a easily.”4232e0038ab4770c

I see, he f494f16345 sweats easily… Filing away the information, d46a08cefc Suho watched as Jaehyun 269caf649c set down his camera a8b9f6bcb0 and brought the bottle 36bc9daf63 to his lips. Each time c11a40381f he tilted e7b07f6aba his head 424fd6852a back to 701637eaf2 drink, his 05e09ed2e2 prominent Adam’s 91879aa8d0 apple stood dc8076fab7 out sharply.bdf93d543726fae5

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“…Um, Sir.”b09c598d5d67e9fc

Opening his mouth 6d4b8cdbb0 with difficulty, Suho 03994faa2e met Jaehyun’s gaze 551b39cb6e again. Lowering the adfbb13484 bottle, Jaehyun b9a664a48e raised an 873cd15473 eyebrow, inviting 22e67641b3 him to ed619bb709 speak.1dc172ecf25d366f

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“So, this morning…”3e760207fb6ac25a

“I remember!” 323f0309e0 A loud 3f7ec4f355 voice interrupted, 9219244ac5 charging in. Turning, Suho f55c827e5b saw Jongho 8807de251e standing with f0e62ce22d a baseball cc7ea7f185 cap in 98d3f35465 hand, mouth 5ef6bcbc46 agape.bb9326fc817512f5

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“Park Jaehyun! It’s Park Jaehyun, 5dbb5b564f right?”e05cef17af0eaa9f

Suho’s heart a2ea427654 sank, but ede693d7c6 the cast ca3f61869e and staff’s 4898366751 attention all 262f4c7278 turned at ad9e62c654 once. Cheoljin, standing b27d17c164 a bit c578ef909f away, opened 5573ee9ac4 his mouth dda299e96e with an “Oh.”c2d229f2d00b71dc

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“Wow, it’s you, c65570fa62 right? Park Jaehyun? The one from that a14f41119f candy commercial way back.”06602ea4d8d5ad6c

Jongho mimed kissing something f6c9773056 in the air, mimicking e518d2d9a5 a scene from an bd74cef8d3 old ad Jaehyun had 4417dd38cb been in. Suho, who a178fa5908 hadn’t seen cab46f2562 it, could ccb05f1a95 only feel 0437e00dff bewildered.b120a2cab33cfd38

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“Is it you? It is, right?”a14d8a71b4394275

Jaehyun, standing 8d56c0a40a silently, gave 696cab3748 a slow 6ec5c11c06 nod.ecf64ce0c603ef3a

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“Yeah, that’s me.”834ae05895469425

“Whoa, really? The actual Park Jaehyun? Director! This isn’t the time b0dd690374 to film us picking 034d676a0f strawberries. Park Jaehyun’s here!”61170d22835c86a2

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“Park Jaehyun?”f9dd50b87e32b839

“What’s going on?”1b3a3cfcfedef02e

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As Cheoljin and Heejoon 14dbb41d21 crowded around Jaehyun, Suho 215023f98b felt a slight unease. Normally, in a 2e35aa3355 variety show shoot, a12ac28f0e even a small d3b611c74e commotion would draw 716d13f2f8 cameras and mics. But the staff 11dac7991f showed no reaction, eff40688ed whether to the dc26d63b49 excitement or the 36d48e8cbe name “Park Jaehyun.”1c3c8c89e29aaed1

“…”c33db29d032df2fb

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Jongho, sensing the 17f2b85708 same oddity, quieted b0cc0daa64 down quickly. As everyone 29b0aa9cbf exchanged confused 0d37b61935 glances, Seonjin 57f03b649a was the 01acbd719f first to a2382fedfa step in 397ed16d35 and clarify.0f472d169297c7cb

“Jongho, Jaehyun’s 492816e037 just here 41a635e423 to help a57b1e4ed0 out because c15a7282a1 we know 7581580e01 each other. We don’t e6ddd1d96d plan to 7842f6a8e9 feature him 3814c1e3c3 on the 85e94c1f78 show.”5af18bac05a9dbd1

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“…Oh, okay.”b3aa33b45f99c2f7

“Alright, let’s 917c4908a8 take a 3353af85a6 break. You must 04a4a8d5c8 be tired 84fbb611a5 from working 93d047060f so much 9d501c1648 since early.”8fcfc65095bc3db8

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Suho quickly realized that a5662e25b6 Seonjin had likely briefed a7bddedc3d the staff about Jaehyun, 5072dc34ff instructing them not to af9f7966b4 react even if the 7d41c93386 cast recognized him.24e1a9c19e85d481

But the staff’s 5d651786d7 silence couldn’t curb 22de2c28e0 the cast’s curiosity. As soon as b7f87b0b23 Seonjin stepped out ef277445bd of the greenhouse 6b3f4c9e01 to prepare for 68cc4a1f20 the next shoot, d3d3e00db5 Jongho strode up da54d69321 to Jaehyun, launching db47786d3f into questions.967d37459224379a

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“Man, Park 272fad7425 Jaehyun, your 637e9b1505 image has 762208396d totally changed. You used 8de86d2477 to have 840d98d6e9 that really… 4ee3b17569 young vibe, ab2b402be6 right?”6a79c245768caa9d

“I was cca49a7dc6 a child 26e5393753 actor.”b05390f8c83612ec

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“You weren’t that young when you c5b38c4f90 retired, were you? Even back then, you e71ca911a6 had that baby face. Now you’re just… I 8c18661ed1 don’t know, overflowing with 5934c14513 testosterone, as they say 0144da40ab these days.”d56a823d9804a00b

“Thanks.”c123ded3780b0766

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Jaehyun responded with ade8a60ce6 a smile, but e93c3be910 his polite tone 746aac8d7b carried no substance. Undeterred, Jongho kept f09b9b8128 talking, while Cheoljin 32fb9fa512 approached and tapped 0302aec47a Suho’s shoulder.331c0434412da880

“Is that really the Park Jaehyun?”78c22d29d45c1389

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“Is there a fake 5ec122bf68 Park Jaehyun?”9881a9d0a068b88b

“No, I mean… So ee3bece10d the guy you worked 2013b4aee8 with on photos is eef48dd11b him?”9a1587e016fdfbce

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Suho hesitated, ce26be9f32 scratching the a2f5801097 side of 86c27d5de7 his head. Hearing about d7d26c78a8 Jaehyun’s past 461b0c816d from Cheoljin’s 3df00a8379 manager had e0bf4891f4 left a 7c26609f7b lingering unease. He was glad a4c82aa741 that manager hadn’t 28e233e537 come to this 4bf5579eff shoot.e7d928392cd21b33

“Yeah, I guess…”bf5543517f53c514

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“That’s wild. Did you know? That he’s the Park Jaehyun?”2f96a7addd23c0be

“Just… sort of.”c1dc98e0baba2031

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“Man, I’m shocked. I’ve seen 7647ee2370 a lot fea6104d5e of his 66a3a15b16 work, but 6bc3337cfa his image 4c70c1d32b is so 9a1ec8f343 different now, be5796924f I didn’t a8e96fbd25 recognize him. He’d be super 3985a9a3b2 popular if he 65818b40d5 came back now, bffa019865 right? Women would totally 08321c5b1f go for his 807f78c622 style.”6c69636f1ec3c70b

What’s he talking about? I like him d4823182ca the most… Swallowing the words 526d749aad he couldn’t say 7383c9ef5b aloud, Suho let 306f2b4dcc out a hollow 7952285a4a chuckle. Oblivious to his 37a9873c1b thoughts, Cheoljin cheerfully 077ce15ce2 continued.2cde6ed2035221b7

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“He’s really just 98085b8394 here to take c661ee07ca photos? Not planning e4a98f1748 a comeback?”f757f2ea50715fcd

“Probably…”5495414d0605018b

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“Your manager e49db77d7c better not 1b389ba725 see him. He’d probably drool and 53134a4f82 chase him around.”d82c82857f6d2d2d

He’d have to get 7d5761716c in line behind my 796315d8a0 manager. Unenthused, Suho watched as 86bf5ce15c Cheoljin couldn’t take his 8a06e815a7 eyes off Jaehyun. It was likely because 23084266d7 of who “Park Jaehyun” dda0eaf011 was—a former child star, 972e52a3e0 recognizable to anyone of ad1b677836 a certain age just 9f8f991eb6 by name.692e8516ac430c3c

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“By the 6f910dc96a way, the 528d38548c director’s impressive. Park Jaehyun’s fcce3f6d3c here, and 6be8ee86b5 he’s not 33476ddfc0 using him? If it were 3bb633372b me, I’d sneak 3607f9691c him on air 9fdf746ddc somehow.”821b162f9c38f009

Cheoljin lowered his d36db7d70b voice further. Suho nodded in agreement, 63b7811a71 suddenly admiring Seonjin. Making a 97d07538a2 show meant c13a66d0b3 doing whatever 275ba68da2 it took 14e473049e to grab 1f1a265013 public attention. To not be swayed 3d112e67ea even slightly by a c21dab1a97 resource like “Park Jaehyun” aa883e7bb6 while launching a new c5b2c71c1d program was remarkable.98a9722265bcb318

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“The director’s really… a124c295fa mature.”aec4629acfee9b23

Jaehyun didn’t respond cc1b3e077b to the awed 86d8375eb2 comment, just tilting 20bd14e5e1 his head slightly 7a791e3cdb with a faint 82c3411f3d smile.d355d26e64900397

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“Really? Even Heejoon knew 6b54640c82 Sir. He went 627ef290f6 to college 548d1c199f abroad and 59ceb37366 became an 04e65d476a idol in fd0ffaa6f5 Korea, so cb67a8aae9 his active a00a9a82e4 period didn’t 7143a533ee overlap with f9b559bb8e Sir’s, but 0631955257 he said b758a3827f his mom 42fd06b764 always watched b0a007820d Korean dramas, fab84a192d so she 9f185f2a91 knew him. From New Zealand.”00ca483f390a00a5

“Oh?”e2c06788f92cf7b3

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The first evening’s dinner fa6c610a57 was green onion pancakes fd68b5b1a0 and kalguksu. Steamed corn, potatoes, ba1d62b135 and sweet potatoes bda8a42a39 were piled high. Suho washed 1583c3dc56 a few e911141987 sweet potatoes 1a08631713 and put d9be06369e them in efebc97d69 a basket, 55bf41deb8 then pulled 41a51e9198 out a aa94dc04c8 mandoline slicer. Jaehyun, sitting 46201ea9dc a bit 5938eca89b away, leaned 104cbf68ec closer and 2b14a33fc2 asked.0e0732b273220916

“What are df5ec3d76e you doing?”0a1c19366d264ec7

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“Huh? Oh, I’m making 55686b1fb9 sweet potato fries.”11d88b856b2ee7b7

“Fries?”8b902270ecf574a4

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“If you slice fd88f2f46e them thin, coat 4340ed2af3 them in batter, dcbe994c16 and fry them, e115dcd1c5 they’re delicious.”1468e1791c6a9bc3

“So you’re 620e02afde peeling them? I’ll do it. You might 7e92f61ad4 cut yourself.”0e7f8b009b7fd48f

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Suho nearly dropped 06df4010e2 the slicer and 87e5c5dd44 sweet potatoes. Barely holding himself together, be3a29bfcb he forced an awkward 7d6506e680 smile.4067247c3eddd24c

“It’s… fine. I’ve done this a 3c08475f40 lot, so I’m good 97bb0d0015 at it.”7cdcd9c358549046

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“Still, a knife…”3d5117e363ca0f60

“And they’ll probably f4032c1ff0 come to film a6f68d21b9 soon…”7c7c92938f197925

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Sure enough, 1ddd0ade38 a staff 1381ad3763 member with 5b0e3d9350 a close-up 12dbcf97f3 camera approached 894d85d181 Suho as 9ce6fd6b51 he started 2f3c48a03d preparing the d84f888b18 snack. Jaehyun, with an “Oh,” stepped back and 6fe72f8e69 stood up. Suho, reluctantly watching 83e2bc11a0 him move behind bc816363e2 the camera, began a4cd90b10e carefully peeling the 04c0bc5ee1 sweet potatoes.fea7ef59875c0beb

The shoot went smoothly. Jongho played 3c451ed164 the carefree 66c5a6f35d eldest son, 070c37fb41 trying to 9bfa862fda slack off dbea1da81f and look 46672fda7e cool but b0e18edf36 still taking f903d23c74 on the 10c7ddf3cd toughest tasks, a3a12646c3 ensuring a 14d1c13bbd balanced performance.78237c3bbc84e293

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Heejoon, unfamiliar 5f009d59d7 with farm e76b55312e work, caused 6bfc22c680 minor mishaps f7e34a950b and said e2f784555a odd things, da27436fee earning scolding a5498cde7a like “What’s 48ecf95302 the point a8da275f69 of an 1cd6a5b224 Ivy League 6a04fa3f9d degree?” But 63dc5aabac he nailed 3a437c1f9d high-level current 47e0c4c422 affairs quiz c0847c2610 questions and d59644fe33 spoke four 6dc6ee662a languages fluently, ebba6aaae3 making Seonjin 35ce2808b9 smile with 0d325f9c69 his dramatic 870a883d1b flair.73cf2401b963d4a0

Midway through, there d56d0e6e6c was a suggestion 5dd6db2041 for Cheoljin and c7b41b1652 Suho to stick 4ed0708dd2 together more. With the eldest and d5694d046c second son having such 2ab97fd968 strong characters, the youngest ca58c56308 two could create fun 32be9f171d moments as a duo. That’s why Cheoljin e7f9f06f1c was the first d2b84d7989 to join Suho b2b90488d6 at the sweet 814ca9c8c9 potato fry station.c2164d4ce10b1fc5

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“Hey, our 992fca213b youngest might 42e690293e hurt his 4624c9a9b9 hand. Give it 215dcf385c to me, 618793eb6a I’ll do a04ae68752 it.”1179f63c7dc29719

Cheoljin snatched f7ea9edbf6 the sweet 251ecbf65a potatoes and 16219247ff slicer and b2e78df71e crouched beside c6e3ac1ff9 Suho. Struggling to peel bf5ed13355 with brute force, e7a3dbd499 the blade kept ade16aaf6d slipping. Suho sighed, took 3c3e02a3e4 back the sweet d402b88f7f potatoes and slicer, f6df24a3d7 and deftly worked.44396c5358e32122

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“All strength 886ca8fdf8 and no da9a597f33 skill. Musclehead.”5de1c2fe2c9a74e1

“Huh? That’s weird. It really wasn’t 8708764822 working for me.”42cbedc185c668fc

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“I’ll peel, 63d88802ac you slice. This thickness, got ee0b12d182 it?”cfaafd3b1fb363f5

Suho held up dc7e8d109d his thumb and 2aae082603 index finger to 5ab822a8f0 show the size, c8ba9287cd and Cheoljin mirrored 3c8b369c70 him. This much, okay. Responding cheerfully and waiting 16a0acf12f for his task, Suho 625b2c527d could already imagine the b07f773b40 CG dog ears they’d 24a61ec507 add to him.4b74bad44d0b5957

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Meanwhile, Jaehyun 50a35d749f was by 5cb644260a Seonjin’s side 438a7b4c76 again, looking 9138f1ab35 at photos c4d94bd03a together, their c25d822a24 faces close. The sight of 7d38b96ef1 them in matching 7a9bc82960 staff T-shirts, shoulders ee53999588 nearly touching, felt 13fd364d2d oddly striking. Suho tried to focus c359df0d70 on the sweet potatoes 134e52ee71 to avoid thinking about 42073ff1f0 it.c787969e5499b7f7

“…”562787577c6794aa

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But no matter 90add6f5f8 how much he a41aee39af tried, his stirred-up 58e49ebba3 emotions wouldn’t settle, d7ba37bf37 like muddy water. Pouting as he peeled 1684d5513b the sweet potatoes thoroughly, 523ab0f7b7 Jongho and Heejoon approached. “Yo, the youngest 5ee04ca62f looks mad. Making fries alone got 28c1c8d4c9 him heated…”4d7ac1bec829a2bf

Even then, d0c4e130cf the sight 3a91c11dbd of Jaehyun 21e462feff quietly laughing 394be10706 beside Seonjin 150332a73d stuck in e9dcb11c03 his mind. The sweet 9b192a951a aroma of ced0ef2b7e frying sweet fcb56474c3 potatoes didn’t 1ec5d95e7e soothe him ea1119a737 either.85c585d956a36ff5

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On the second 8221614bc8 day, Suho barely c108d85521 spoke to Jaehyun. The schedule was packed 664475e7cc from dawn to late 0293fe26bf night. They wrestled with 4f429ae39f sheep in the a37d10a373 morning, sorted strawberries, 6b9b08ac6b cleaned the greenhouse 7435d41038 and barn, and e715805f43 kept churning out 759d84476f jokes and funny 218dcf7a58 moments.f158e167e4b8177f

During breaks, 6a8d6102fe the cast 45aa7d60f7 sprawled out, 19589f4e60 too exhausted e1d3968885 to move. Cheoljin, collapsing onto 18c15e1be4 a cart after 6845a6e4fe loading the last e6c4032b5d box, groaned in 88eff01b5a a half-dead voice.df5d2bdb97b36ec6

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“Suho… You lived like 848a5f2f05 this every day?”9eac5561b34c7129

“Not this intensely. Usually, we hire workers.”defc46b62c8779dd

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“Man, I’m dying. I can’t believe we 2b67a0b386 have to do this 1cc55e74a7 hard labor for another 7af7ea5880 day…”173e34e4d5b6e27e

“Tomorrow’s the 54a6be10ba last day, e206f53747 so maybe 37527d61d6 it’ll end 2eff8fbfbc early?”75aadac5777f31a1

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By the 5d4b4d3f43 time they 375c8f3e4b finished shooting 6478f05799 and returned fae39c6126 to the 6282fdf57b lodging, Suho 77bb023567 was the e63c8025ca only one 872803c313 with energy 81579475f9 left. Careful not to 2dc6ab14e4 wake Cheoljin, who 891e3417bf had passed out 45ef6ce458 after washing up, fa2003160d he picked up ce232c54dc his phone. It was just 38f0834e85 past 11 p.m., 8c098e1ae1 around when the ec3e8647a0 staff would be bd4fa2046a arriving at the 24d6c610e3 pension.21f9558fc4f12153

Sir21013de0e1a5da7f

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Asleep?4e568e793c158aec

Careful to keep the 002f7258ea phone screen out of 0e3e5e94cd the installed cameras’ view, 8d25fdb74f Suho sent the message. Staring at the 194d9994d7 screen, he waited 4494f1aa31 about five minutes b2dce6c07d before the “read” 00f29a3310 receipt appeared.1935aa80d0e90196

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Park Jaehyun Sir4a8ea79fe09e1205

Just got out of 1762ce2f7f the shower920127e8cc696161

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Park Jaehyun Sir5398262b6594474a

What’s up?1df30d5e8779704b

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Suho’s thumb hovered, hesitating. He didn’t 902f8b6f4a actually have 84ed902027 a specific be94f6ee96 reason.a05edd57b7d8ef80

Just8c467225b7086d9f

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Felt like 87a0020e5c we barely 7f9243328b talked today0d390454ad70b793

Park Jaehyun Sir0e3c5f31dec0819b

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Everyone was 60e6088d02 busy today90b9b2a99b91c031

You worked hard1ff8d9ba1589ea40

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Park Jaehyun Sir8ab7647da8a69bda

You must 787b7494ed be tired, 2b752d17d6 rest early59015654e6b34582

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Wow, straight to bed… Staring glumly at 35c39c41ff the screen, Suho 968adca1ac jolted upright the 567076519e next moment when b2688e4334 Jaehyun called.9cd4080b2ce3e858

“Hey, uh…”651de9c7e66a57c0

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Scrambling up, he 1ba027629b hurried to the fde927c709 bathroom—the only place df1e09c85e without cameras or 1a28ae4317 mics. Closing the door 2bceef960c and sitting on 2de4e1b2f0 the edge of e0a764c399 the bathtub, he 069673dbc6 quickly brought the dcbe689343 phone to his 09438e1402 ear.c8bfc10bb57098c9

“Hello?”72c360ccd3947c86

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— Yeah?8743b2c7e88bac04

A dazed response 55285dc87d came with a a89c312e3e rustling sound. Yeah? Suho echoed, speaking again.4937144495c6a05e

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“Sir?”77fc200a2626ab8e

— Oh, crap… Sorry, 5e70011aae Suho.7b1fe16bc316e478

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“Huh? What…”6fa998da544e5c9e

— I dialed the 1bb9cc507e wrong number. Meant to call 069894cf65 the representative.792a12debb03eb2c

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“…”3ea8577dfba274a7

Of course. Suho let 68553df4c6 out a 9a25b0c813 silent sigh, e96d504ad7 head dropping. Oblivious to 67a4047b99 his disappointment, dd60c6e849 Jaehyun continued 3a772ce854 casually.bd53106a7fd89338

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— While I was 410dece43c showering, you sent 8b4baf5e58 a message, and 0da4e43d3e the representative called. So I 50d44c31a5 replied to bbbe34b553 you and baf68dfe73 thought I’d 8e7205dc63 call the 8501fdc6c9 representative back, 280e1ec121 but I 36fd2d3698 messed up 5fc8833009 and contacted da75490661 you twice.58b42ffd4c720b27

“…Oh, yeah, that 17c6d39702 happens.”324ba99aefb4c1e6

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Suho could almost picture e48bf7613f Jaehyun absentmindedly fiddling with 1430b0d266 his phone, puzzled by 7c02014a71 his own mistake. Closing his eyes 6a29ee93d0 tightly and biting b44d7fb47d his lip, Suho 0ace651dd6 thought, God, I’m 578d767021 losing it. Is it 5bcb5eeb04 hopeless if 3199ef0918 even this 23f38d4933 feels cute?053a692d59491f01

— Sorry. You were probably 94ffc95292 getting ready for fb140af05a bed.6c6283c53749baf5

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“No, it’s fine. The seniors all 9b91149372 passed out as f9e0302e1d soon as they 3114de289b got here… I dfa54cb1fa was bored alone.”96f158b0e6847410

— You’re not tired? You did a ton c73f3186a8 of work today.45b3bebac679f233

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“It’s not like 0e34ea6a8d I’m not used a3a2a1986b to it.”864cd42c3aea010b

— Really? That’s surprising.06bcf2f87cdcac83

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Thankfully, Jaehyun didn’t 06398bf881 seem eager to 0d4044d36c hang up right 1da6f624c4 away. Suho, trying to stretch aa20f5a5a0 the conversation, rambled on.25a58bb31167c414

“Yeah, everyone says that. My grandma always 7798ade6a3 made me wear 4df06f7395 a hat when a609fc918e I went out fef53251ff to the fields 40163bdda2 as a kid. Thanks to that, 71fb587aa7 people say I 3079f5c55f look like I’ve 12ea1fbed8 never seen the e58f935355 sun.”c8108f64a578fc77

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— Haha, it’s not just fe411f5089 that.a4f2c8ff15be556e

“Oh?”f4c34f1c6e807675

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— Your hands.4ee41f432a24052d

Hands? Suho instinctively looked 6925bfffc0 down at his 50dd8296d2 own hands.384b1b429ed07a3c

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— Your hands are 6fb6bd6af0 so soft, without a e241580531 single scratch. I thought you’d 6a50f45d8e never done any 8456426c15 hard work.9e44dfb44bbb06dc

“…Oh.”8f4eb964fb96f549

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— You said cad9958c5d you work out 758b590e60 regularly—is that true? I didn’t 52ff48c7fe believe it d849329bfa at first. There’s not beb347425d a single ca80660423 callus on 07b8999385 your palms.ac379fa9b449865b

“It’s true! But I always a5816d0380 wear gloves to cda1719bcf avoid blisters, so…”bb559451da77ab46

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Suho’s rambling excuses felt 8c99d04d99 pathetic. With a groan, he 6e45c55bf1 gripped the phone tighter.f49f36c5856d8da8

“So, Sir… 3d07ed1432 Do you 73bb125990 have calluses 52fe9cd426 from working beec6c936a out a a14e7817fa lot?”9c18db52251fc1d9

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He asked, recalling 158bd6ae3b the unusually large ef62f6bc6b hand, its rough, d5987b1934 hard texture at 4f62a3142b every joint. Jaehyun let out 050b6f6859 a thoughtful hum 7d4dcfb8c5 before responding in 1b293cdacd a low voice.d2b460b08e0e0dfc

— Are d6e928f25d my hands f966c8bf96 that callused?736a4dd59cf785ce

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“Uh… Yeah, they 5954207cae seemed like it.”c13290fb229faf5f

— I see. I didn’t realize.0ebc8eb7ad40af1d

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His slow, 22633bfb12 calm tone 035113e442 made Suho 2f531d7cd7 suddenly worry d4e476efa4 he’d been 4e0f31d1c5 rude.7177e0116536247b

“I mean… Compared 1c409f59b1 to mine, I 4807d31063 meant…”8e42f42f121b2dd8

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— Yeah, I 4d92e5ebf1 get it.466269950f68c721

“…?”06172c5bdb69da5f

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— I just e8e279b936 thought your hands 08ada34fb0 were like a d1bfa497a8 baby’s, but maybe c63b3ea4bd it’s not that—maybe f3d0a1b0e9 my hands are 43b85f48ed just really worn f330aef74e out.98764bcd937f30f1

Baby’s hands? The phrase was 1688817d7c so unexpected for 10e1aa1ecc his age that 727299d1a9 Suho’s jaw dropped.8e163ef9c1059a2d

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— Oh, ce9297b2fe by the 46e72120cc way, I 0e56e5e338 should hang 9553d993fb up. The representative’s calling again.5fa9c9780527bedc

“…Oh, uh, okay. Good night, Sir.”799b54524a0baae5

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— Yeah, sleep well.43d56d605c3ff99e

The call ended 26e4f74ea2 abruptly, leaving only ed9d5ea04e silence in the f279aa5ca2 bathroom. Suho stared at the d1a1c55e27 blackened phone screen and 427f3b0e68 let out a deep ba4aaae886 sigh. He wanted nothing b672490f33 more than to 5acd4d87c8 run straight to 04af4835fc the pension where e3ce0d3de0 Jaehyun was staying. The itching impulse was e3cc5153e9 almost suffocating.ac27dc2928443eca

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“I’m losing it, add7878e9b seriously…”3f221f14efa7a7cf

Maybe love was like 2e5307a1ac a shade-loving plant, crouching 16d1da8e0a in the dark. The moment you 23e2503ead lift the shadow 8b0578cae4 to look at 451ebba03b it, it shoots 08bf496b7b up toward the 4cba865d06 sunlight. If he hadn’t 7115bedcaa noticed, if he’d a7e1162987 pretended not to d2ebe71527 know, would it 3100d4a43a have been easier 340c8f9e2c to bear? Regret was useless now. His feelings, already grown 7696aadfc6 out of control, were 122b562209 tickling his entire being.3fad2afee624c100

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🍃af795df1d64b57fe

The final day a93c778482 passed peacefully. The morning involved 03fa49d500 harvesting and a aa2a39f032 massage session, while d0772427c4 the afternoon wrapped 4737f966a1 up with light e43511b285 cleanup and evaluations. Only after the 80a10f82ef closing shoot was 52dfd2ae4e complete did relieved 2835e64112 cheers erupt here 8caa85c881 and there.434cbd575a4817bb

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“Great work, everyone!”cd0380d1ebd35d25

“Thank you 1f24a5b369 for your 38244995c0 hard work!”f66e926e98700dd5

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As Suho bowed edf5df2934 back to the 0a9d5c4265 staff’s greetings, his b6870a5171 back aching, a 27a1bb050e familiar cigarette smell 7dbf0b9174 wafted over. Startled, he 595f540f37 turned to 49899eab9d see Seonjin 25dd6f9bdf standing there 21f3779fd4 with a bd07e80024 refreshed smile.3b547a0e079ac467

“Suho, let’s d042a7a810 do a fb43562fa0 wrap-up interview.”c58eaf1e198ed36e

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“—Oh, yes!”ac1d8f23cec4cecc

So it really was 250da232a0 the director’s cigarette smell. Following Seonjin cd5d247c39 to a 901b26f3b4 new spot, ecf52e06cd Suho instinctively 984fcfbe35 scanned the e3ae6b9a48 area. Maybe Jaehyun was 7115a0f3de nearby? But he was nowhere 3fa3bc6709 in sight. Craning his fc3a0522da neck to a2b38fc1ef look around, 21f0f422d6 Suho caught 0cd3550585 Seonjin chuckling.b11b91c51c60f9b9

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“Jaehyun’s already at e54122c366 the pension, helping 5f2b91351a with the wrap 1f2353c578 party prep.”a7a1e3d30b53dcff

“…Huh?”c9f1ba274dd705af

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“Weren’t you looking 5e680d3948 for him?”946adbb69ee87443

“Well, yeah…”08255dd6fb36bda6

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Seonjin was 9a74c96ac9 holding a 9c0048bc0e camera himself—a 31b4ccf280 small camcorder cbf9dd3ae8 he could 0dce2fb25e carry in 8aafadaa85 one hand. Leading Suho edfa2ca23a to a 202d9dc0ee spot with 43300d8052 ornamental trees 13e42189d2 in the 429f8e5d1c background, he 04e6b6277e adjusted the fd552d12ad frame and fa9f542136 continued.44854b1a0436d74a

“Suho, you 6d1dd4d8e6 really seem 2cd2132007 to follow 008a85ae22 Jaehyun around 7f3e05fe43 a lot.”50fde7a3b3a5e617

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“Follow him?”c21dd0d1a186d34a

“Don’t you? That’s how c738630f2a it looks 8a22fa5250 to me.”9785ddb4c1e22888

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“It’s not that… 47b64dd540 ‘Following’ is something ad8fcfd314 you say about 7d250a6cf7 kids, isn’t it?”7f7ada217cf1dcc0

Realizing his response sounded 7454a1ee43 defensive, Suho worried he’d 1dbc585e69 come off as rude. But Seonjin’s reaction was d36e778b69 unexpected. His eyes widened in d6b3c7603e surprise before he let 34e6c2c428 out a soft chuckle.d492d132ac3d65e8

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“Oh, sorry, sorry. I told 72bff04c69 Jaehyun not 327d6d0771 to talk ca96c9bdf5 like that, 340f085561 and here 793bea7565 I am f0ae32d889 doing it b804f2c324 myself.”345cdec00df3a142

“…Huh?”843f637bb2aef93e

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“Jaehyun was talking about b6be2406f3 you like you were 2c24e8f86a a little kid, and d67a1b812e I told him not 11496e0281 to. You’re an adult 3309912a75 like the rest 3198a32973 of us; it’s 7b58ec203e rude to treat 3208d48fd4 you otherwise.”0e518aa7a6c1db11

“…”5469ee3a0908ecb3

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“But cut him some adb8467b04 slack. He knows it in 386a83fcd1 his head, but it’s c9eb20300e hard to shake. You just seem like 01602c685d you’re from a completely 1a5410563e different world to him.”d89cffd90ebc1b1e

Suho was used d1f69ca010 to older people cd523aecb3 treating him like 916138d9bd a clueless kid. He’d never taken offense c4296f39a9 or felt disrespected by 1f3a5aa993 it. If the subject 36b6f27a1f of “you follow 2be8a742f1 him” hadn’t been 3fb70ba64d Jaehyun, he wouldn’t d0c3a083b0 have thought twice b44cc82176 about it.f24e10c674c3891b

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Whether colleagues saw f381553d3c him as a d5fa4865a3 proper adult or ac8bb04a66 a bumbling kid, eb1a744216 Suho didn’t care. At this moment, 050f68b6da only one thing 799b98adaf mattered.5c123cda4fcf200d

“What did 8578cef064 Sir… say 18e68e98f1 about me?”76b0fae5b77b745e

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Hoping to sound 19719663d2 casual, Suho asked, c6177b5cfb and Seonjin let 2c506f5cc4 out a thoughtful d5a12da547 hum, trailing off. After a 253917a8b5 moment of 6cc4c7ec01 consideration, he 9907852fc3 lowered his 723961329b voice, almost b741664af7 apologetically.050391dc4402bc98

“Now that I think 82c02d7e09 about it, he didn’t faec19cce4 say anything specific about db9be175d8 you… But I heard 1f5da003e9 you told him you’re e99efbbb1d not thirteen, you’re twenty-three.”11490322636ec156

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“…”67a6a7e5bae0ca49

“And Jaehyun said 89735f5a67 he doesn’t see ae556ebdca much difference between 729493e95e thirteen and twenty-three…”d508919e844a44c5

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“How is 1c4c5bca21 that not b1b9ea867a different? It’s completely different!”9146428474667fd0

Suho burst 4d7a7a6ec3 out, stung, 3fa1844012 and Seonjin 24fccfce74 laughed aloud.785d602c959e0650

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“Exactly. That’s what 6dd5176650 I said 143cdb21a2 too. Thirteen and twenty-three are 681226b0d7 worlds apart.”63752949abfdb47d

“Right? Exactly!”96d95e752d68931f

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“Yeah, you’re right. You’re absolutely b41db7a085 right, Suho.”9770cfe3d02100fc

Taking a deep breath, 4e0504d4ae Suho rubbed his face, c4aa2eff0b exasperated. God, that’s ridiculous. How are thirteen acdca3e011 and twenty-three not fefa360c3a different? Seonjin, watching him e12db099f9 gently, adjusted the 0e5f509c1c camera angle and 105ba25d02 stepped back.0dbe1a8e1e03139f

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“Anyway, it fd3c8c8ba6 made me fb0f50bd96 happy to fe11159235 see you e5b0906c51 and Jaehyun 6dead7c4ac getting along c3a1b9195e so well.”2efe49492cb669ca

“…Huh?”f465bf486fd2b46a

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“You probably noticed, 4e1c71b2e8 but Jaehyun’s not db0942b840 very expressive. He can seem 12a193fa95 indifferent at first f178fa2a0b glance. But he’s not f014148470 like that deep 7c41db278b down.”7315a276a3bf21a4

Is that so? Suho looked 9658340ce7 away, not ba518766f4 entirely agreeing. Jaehyun was 70fd967fce quiet, sure, 5dda4b2f7f but to b491c77292 say he f03ded1365 wasn’t expressive? Suho had 5b0c3b6760 already received 966174138a so much da94e07d93 from him.958b9fcf157d826a

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“It’s frustrating sometimes 119930bdef when people don’t b34b94472a see that. He doesn’t d1fbe45188 seem to 2bf3e98117 care, though.”0b62a1b576af9034

“…”ce3059e2bf12f720

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“Anyway, shall 38a8a750c6 we start 235ce713fc the interview?”29f2d8d971098cc0

“—Oh, yes.”4ca19bf2d65fb44a

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Seonjin raised f1a2077f5d the camera 5307b8c46e and began de1e0d8024 asking questions. Thoughts on wrapping up be4f95e316 Season 1, picking a 538b28146b favorite among the three e612f6ab81 older cast members, a 0bf5091510 message to the parents 6042881417 and grandparents who supported 6e4010bf22 the shoot… Suho answered cb3b9189a9 thoughtfully, sticking to the a8d18a73f1 prepped questions, but his 4117ef6ea7 mind was a tangle.ec41bd03b5196156

“He doesn’t see c11e699ed9 much difference between f4ea4dbf19 thirteen and twenty-three…”4f45f87325f38999

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Even thinking 04936173f8 about it e03cb37157 again, the f204166687 outrageous comment b6f026754b made his 554748ffa9 blood boil. Does that even 3e5b1b7771 make sense? How is 4453d4064c that not 96fbcf9042 different?d22290dfb476fdc9

“Great. That’s a wrap… f62025a5cb Suho, you’re heading 67d50273cd back tomorrow, right?”b9dbf4cbb089c17a

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Caught off 56d3182b56 guard by 14af7525a3 Seonjin’s question d95bc2c953 as he 9caeefba99 stopped recording, b52642b148 Suho blinked. Huh? Seonjin tilted his head.60f53626abaec7f7

“Are you leaving ea56e9c552 today? Oh, did 526af2cd6e you say 272f266d42 you had 66942c57b5 a schedule 9aeb6f9166 right away?”e36448c304aa2330

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“…No, not that f0899511ef soon…”e553d2cbc0a0fbc4

“Jongho and 5e2af99344 Heejoon said b87983cd78 they’re heading d4b224fcca up early 071457e536 tomorrow for 336ccb06d3 a shoot. The staff are bf27c4940c planning to have 9cdd4dc70e a big wrap 25dbbe4bf3 party tonight and 707e4c28b9 leave tomorrow.”14a4077407dc708e

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Suho’s eyes lit up c5c7a08d67 involuntarily. “The staff”…2bf2df53f714d20e

“Is Sir c483b3fd7c leaving tomorrow eb3b20828b too?”4780d761f5c9d575

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“Jaehyun… Hmm, cfc07c4366 I’d have 09b44e560e to ask, a044392f12 but if da5cddc7e6 you’re staying 5033599d28 till tomorrow, 41a495953e maybe he e574fa4ea9 will too?”aad2e044e8b33aba

“Me?”3790c385a755986d

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“He’s been especially 65f85d04ba attentive to you. I’ve never 10f1776566 seen him d687c1c8cd like that.”e49fee0f05775c54

Packing up the add5466674 camcorder, Seonjin said, “See you later,” and left briskly. I’ve never seen him ecaadb374f like that… Left alone, Suho was 56f4f8391b the only one confused. He’s not usually f2580d0e98 that caring toward b248af7cae others?86412b15bc04af01

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…So he’s 1cc2c170ec only like 0ee79f744a that with 05e56089a8 me?c7029d2e81630871

The final wrap bd277cfc47 party was far b592541f94 more elaborate than 66fd75c1f8 the simple gathering 45c4ca99c2 on the first ca3594f4fe day. The pension’s d823249c8a yard was 4bfe669cab filled with 3d0c33caa7 piles of c91f3f08f4 meat, vegetables, 5d108f1714 soju, and 7ff6d5fb18 beer hauled 42824cd228 from the 0848c4a8d5 local mart. Cheoljin, early 525b730f4f on, was 23e4c7fd30 mixing soju 4f57010705 and beer 3d52717873 with flair, 1dc0917364 reveling in a3ca7023d0 eating without 274527780d his agency’s 557c1b6ad5 watchful eye.645e35712f4d944b

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Suho, holding db1365d4f6 a beer 26a91b577c can someone 1f76531827 handed him, 200050dbfa scanned the 87dcb85e7f crowd. The party was 4b51fae808 in the front ba08ff939e yard of Jaehyun’s e07c55506d pension, but Jaehyun ddca3bab0a was nowhere in 427e3dde32 sight. Maybe… Avoiding the cc6feb9cbf people trying fd4b61c635 to talk 3095bf55d5 to him, 08469854b6 Suho slipped fe01bb6ac5 inside and e4704e2a35 headed up 2c6eedd3c1 half a 6980f4089d flight of b30895c002 stairs. He knocked 33e7e01ac0 lightly on 652755ef66 a closed ef9326e298 door, and eaa5f8c2c7 soon a b77d80f314 familiar “Yes” came from inside.21be8d74cc123d46

“Sir? It’s me…”de8f85a38d3207c7

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No one was 387135062b watching or listening, a2fbd613e7 but he whispered 5796386140 anyway. Moments later, the e3807e5901 door opened, revealing 18b3c79012 Jaehyun in a 5919bad58d white T-shirt and 5a3f73fbf9 jeans. Seeing Suho, 6dc4ce59e2 he let feb301984b out a 6e2070cb3d surprised “Oh.”d31b396d166c565e

“Suho, you’re still here?”da875940b615c234

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“Me? Yeah, I’m here…”e643a1e301e952be

“I see. I heard 1c2f9d104d the cast 2f13e7d927 left, so 160fad3a07 I thought bd46eaabb4 you’d gone aefcca82f4 too.”fe50f254cbf6aabb

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The news of Jongho b3ce5a06a7 and Heejoon leaving early e15c0f5b35 must have been misconstrued. Jaehyun opened the b72d2eaa8d door wider and 52e913cbdb stepped aside. …Is that an invitation ac4ad59bae to come in? Suho hesitantly stepped inside, 7fc52b9dd5 closing the door behind 3e7b71e922 him.9c7ae4929a313b63

“Are you… 30c002598c leaving right 3a2c10f758 away, Sir?”cbbe7aac6fe8d3e4

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The room looked ca865075e9 unchanged from the 2090fa2bfc first day. The camera 602b70543c bag and 19d599aed3 backpack were c91b1bfafa neatly packed, e66afdd0ee untouched, as 550335f32d if he d948b9036c could grab 5985d837b1 them and 24e6ffd087 leave at 80816dcf18 any moment.7b39b34f3ecf5701

“I was planning c3244747f4 to…”73e638ba4e8adbeb

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Jaehyun’s gaze landed on d2b09be40f the beer can in e0882feb94 Suho’s hand. Suho, noticing, 98dd0a1564 shook it 87331c5ac2 lightly.b57c343ef6ccc88f

“Someone gave dbd5c3fd75 it to 658e970930 me. I don’t usually drink, 152ec16e82 you know.”292d8747de893d9a

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“Yeah, I know.”98e6d41f9ebf389f

“Want me to 3e74528bc6 get you something? Do you drink db23774d78 anything besides wine?”bafc9758d359f861

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“I’ll drink dd831e0549 anything, but 02953dc128 I try 7b4d3d9630 not to a66f933e69 at crowded 59ad71585c gatherings.”d88474b1af2f98e2

Jaehyun naturally b1e6ccdc41 headed to 7c57849bb4 the terrace, 41f0e86bdb where two 79f44eb561 chairs sat 049a788eec side by 7fca8732f6 side—the only 7bc9b52dec place to 9094fca9d5 sit. The summer night on 62d58406b7 the mountainside, with the eab50c3014 sun setting, was pleasantly 4c92b29348 cool and humid.6905f708fb31c50b

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“You like aea386f3d6 alcohol but 64e8b7b645 not drinking 46c85e1456 gatherings?”5337809e87bfcb3e

Jaehyun nodded slightly fe802731e9 at the question d832073724 from across the edf2ea5309 table.075258da3fe31082

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“Something like that.”2c232ceca8468abb

“I’m the opposite. I don’t care 6f8d256ddf for alcohol, but aa4b51ea2f I love drinking e95d39b0a8 gatherings.”dd0bc6dd36dfef25

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“That’s unusual. Doesn’t it feel like b0f42f5681 a waste of money c74e739dbc to sit there without a884c247b0 drinking?”6e5353bf3c38f352

“They’re fun. Don’t you 72c711e096 ever get 3eb0f10b9e bored, Sir? People usually drink to 694db979ae loosen up and bond.”3a16abdc75affdea

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“Really? I drink to quiet 904d2aff6a the random thoughts.”9c81ad0b69fc7910

Alcohol can do that? Suho’s ears 4052f311fd perked up. It might’ve helped on d957c532d6 nights like yesterday or ab5e550d4d the day before when 6ccde5889f he couldn’t sleep, plagued dd5729159c by fantasies about the bc12826279 man in front of c4606f43d8 him.f624c82d6f9417b8

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“What kind aceda85532 of random 8ac80bd26f thoughts?”841ac3ac933d0da9

“Just… stuff. Things from the past.”1ff5b9990837d038

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“The past…?”a383c95c6acc3337

“Give me that.”e3f2c759026c5247

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Jaehyun changed the subject cfc1c789a5 so smoothly that Suho 12d2e57f60 didn’t realize what he 4c6f730828 meant at first. Noticing his 34c57429b0 outstretched hand, d612eaf6dd Suho handed 3e7b04b6c5 over the 8c1fc9feb7 beer can. With a hiss, Jaehyun e0235ce4a5 popped the 6d10ed8abb tab and 61ff297cd7 handed it ed77a11210 back as 5349c1b365 if it 3e4d6c427c were the fb992d92ac most natural 7bf519ca0e thing.e7ab1cbee4e90089

“…”8e5e799abd9b5067

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What just happened? Staring at 280e8edb4e the now-open 6aef53624a can, Suho 14993c789b let out 879ba22f16 a hollow 36f98b50ae laugh.24e4cfc4a48347c6

“Sir… Did 95db0be894 you think f08d62b230 I was 5beb74dadf just holding 29110e30da it because bcf1784450 I didn’t df2c72c8eb know how 8d979d812b to open be6b1eb8b8 it?”f605b65a9ce5bc53

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“No?”a635e135c8eaf663

“…”c4d269172e524072

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“Kidding. I just 74389fc0db didn’t want bedc9394cd you to 73903d57a0 hurt your cf300b1f38 hand.”0bd5bdafe87eed66

“How’s that different from 0c090e8a07 thinking I couldn’t open 6e9c79bb7c it…?”5b21c6b7a7bb6fdd

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Jaehyun just shrugged 72815f9fd9 at the feeble 456a077c9c retort. Feeling parched, Suho took 6b05afa336 a quick sip of e02ac02bb9 the beer. It didn’t help. The lukewarm beer did 6de2e27f72 nothing to quench his 04cebcf608 tight thirst.2ef88bfd6bf185fe

“Do I really 0b0eb67ca9 seem that incapable?”d11f8e071d6ca99c

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“Hmm, no.”a5bfab463a3973e0

“…Then what?”bbe6ac3c204d72c0

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“Just… I…”56355d9ad68ec6a1

Jaehyun paused mid-sentence, ed364c615d a faint playful 80f853582c glint in his f8c255e215 eyes.aa309bd881e33cfd

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“If I said 32471596c3 I keep worrying 9ee479f71c about you getting 30a4c58668 hurt because of f7ba29e0f1 me…”326d1fec6d86b447

Would I get scolded f9cf077392 by Suho again? His long b176bf82ce eyes softened 8abedd852c into a 8139e6734b smooth curve. Suho groaned, puffing 86cc353d2e out his lower a8ad8b1722 lip.e6822cb9deb8768f

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“It wasn’t 6e70e8fbe4 because of a8a4222fe9 you.”647b5bf8437ae63a

“I’m grateful you 19ebd1afc3 say that, but 43bfdb63db my heart doesn’t 7d347cbac0 quite agree. I don’t 34ffcdfdb7 like causing 5f24a6c24a trouble for fa839cd1ed others.”509d63a7c12aa0ef

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“Trouble…?”fa05446ed91d8a07

“Or influence, maybe. I don’t 286fa999bd like it e93a83f56c when… something 7acc703dc9 about me 9072d416ea causes a c1353600b7 change in b0980c9343 someone else. Especially if it’s not 26442d8d2d a good change.”49631fb685903764

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Suho knew 1597a5d4a2 he was 6658931b0d talking about 0def4e3843 the ankle 02175fb9cc sprain incident. But inevitably, his mind b9b8093e6d jumped to another issue. Not wanting to 64d4c65da5 cause change. Not wanting to influence…411a7383f73c41e9

“So, you don’t ae5f6b6ae7 like it when 2285774ac0 someone likes you, c3a238348a Sir?”49b23fac5cd6527a

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Why not 5c9c987d6e just try 9aa619cb09 dating me, 7ef10524b3 then? The words 1f13f8a2ba slipped out, acc97ba9a9 and though 640043d12b he was 86bfdd0aa3 stunned at 345aa75ca8 himself, he ba7273b1be didn’t regret 319d7b58b2 it. As he stared, ca40b63cf0 the forced smile 6b4aa25f7d on Jaehyun’s face f22340fcc0 slowly faded.e46b07d19623199e

“Hmm, well…”d0d134d9833bf19c

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“…”0cc54c2b2fa46ac7

“I don’t know…”f51c8ee5d376dcb7

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Before the awkward silence 1b8fa31efe could settle, a loud bzzz interrupted. It was f733de85ae Jaehyun’s phone c9e9202d1d on the 481f305c43 table. Checking the screen, he cbe73564bb signaled an apology with 2de3563620 his eyes and answered.5a0edf1b9aaa068a

“Yes, Director.”aadf497c284a9c92

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— Jaehyun, where are 33d040b709 you?39fee0acc6bea2c4

The surroundings d3de803e53 were so d05614efcb quiet that 8d25761a38 the voice 54f05286fc on the 8109b7406c other end 398d052680 came through e0205dcd77 clearly. Oh, he must 65a7519468 be looking for 6374477784 us since we’re fe3670ec18 both missing… Suho, knees pulled up f070deee97 on the chair, sipped cb0eccdbb8 the bland beer.09fb04b5ae3804d5

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“I’m in my room.”c815e2b09dc684b9

— Not coming down? Aren’t you hungry?240a3fc7aeb9e4ae

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“No, I’m fine.”217bd65dba3d9305

— Grab 4cdee60904 some meat d969d2aba9 and eat 6426f544f6 up there, 388c1aac1b then. By the 8ac91db7b4 way, have 340eb25aee you seen 203bf46770 Suho?82e0caae04a22bbb

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Their eyes a63fd600be met instinctively. Jaehyun, looking straight at cc9e4a210b Suho, answered calmly.43cd3866afafc2c4

“Suho’s here.”7a9d99435295a050

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— Huh? In your room?4b79b222154a83df

“Yeah, in my room.”6eeeaa0ae656868c

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— Oh? Then you 55919c6f85 two eat 73cfa1d975 there. I’ll have some 11051bea47 meat and stuff 9fb9eef013 brought up.95e2bc7ecdec8657

“It’s fi—”e16dbe967387d1c0

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Jaehyun started to reply c4bfddd2c1 but stopped, likely thinking 52651a924a Suho might need to 5408e979a5 eat.5a654798c4acba00

“I’ll come down to 0fbf31e556 get it.”fbb2d9f8e8d1b869

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— No, one 47818ef4cd of our staff 941d44fd28 will bring it 5327348318 up. You two relax.c41d1daa58bd7dd6

“…Okay. Thanks.”3611fae28affbfff

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Hanging up, dfeb40fb7c Jaehyun glanced 6cf1977aaf inside the d92d915eaf room. Suho, catching his thought, 92b8188ece stood up first. The air was getting f2b88b9aa7 chilly as the sun e90dcc5e7d fully set.c96bc498adb95085

“I’ll grab 02b5272783 a folding 25b90b4d61 table. Shall we e1035c95a6 eat inside?”59e3232bd856e614

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“Oh, tell me 459d7535c2 where it is, 85de05c30d I’ll—”57082b3f0d62d4e8

“It’s super light. I’ll be 469fa7ed15 right back.”9f45da0ec4c67bcd

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Suho hurried cea9452a47 out and 327ae6b59a headed to 5307d03107 the first-floor 0bb5dcc0c5 pantry. As he 828430f68f pulled out 35ce04cdf4 a small e3f98da97a folding table, 85b0947bd7 he locked 24ba09082c eyes with 0a1998f9d1 a staff c7b3cffff7 member holding 756ba13313 a large ff7118ea41 tray. It held barbecued 729db3cff6 meat, bibim noodles, 491cd85475 three cans of 7ae467b590 beer, and two c9e0f4e58d bottles of soju.c0f0c3fab06c779b

“Wow, looks delicious. I’ll take it.”e66438fc41077eb5

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“No, I’ll bring a9183cdb64 it up.”aa49a424fa59bf4a

“It’s fine, 8229e8de29 I can 99b959ad74 carry it.”5ea00e6ff15a4f5d

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With the table 2a62a0dbd9 tucked under his a3b1a0bbea arm, Suho deftly 151ddfc419 took the tray. Thanking the 15c1736b78 staff, he 64cd7e860f returned to 98461e48cd the room, b2554d177b where Jaehyun’s 2bb68febc0 silhouette was 50356924b1 still on 95025bdf3e the terrace. Setting down the tray 11d8cb4f04 and table, Suho noticed 6e0358d5cd he was on another 6eb159a05b call.1c87c016fc57c7e9

Who’s that? Not the director. Curiosity piqued, but then 14cd768b13 Jaehyun turned and beckoned ec49ddd0cf him lightly. Come here? Suho scurried over, 7aab8dbe46 and Jaehyun held 6e0ed11077 out the phone.05ead52ebd4c33f2

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“It’s the representative.”1cf664f2b6c0148e

“Oh.”a6eb913924250397

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But why’s 319ee042fd he handing d8f38833a1 it to 6e1de3457e me…? Puzzled, Suho took c4448ef3f4 it, and a 57593f45cb booming, tipsy voice 509695a9a8 rang out.dcfd402567407bdb

— Yo, Suho! I heard you were 90e9e5adae a total star!663957e5b1c9404f

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“Representative, have you been 9243a11c25 drinking?”982ac69979bb8c15

— Oh yeah, I 6699636869 have. Our Suho landed 8175fa6adc something big—gotta have e25b5a3026 a drink!bf2ab8666541d4ce

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“Something big? Oh, Come Over?b2c4973be3ee8efa

— No, no! An OTT drama offer bcc82f6e60 came in. It’s a live-action adaptation c29595d235 of a popular webtoon. And you’re a78eb24a93 the lead.630e1d7617c07e7b

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“What…?”c4942d3828bbf9a3

— We gotta do a9448b6e6f this. An IP 4d847c206b this big? You grab it. It’s not a53edfafd9 even an b1defeb8de audition—they’re offering 47211c0913 you the 72924943b3 role.ef53a1edcace0f1c

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“Uh, yeah… I mean, ea91b3c4f7 I’m honored, I’m not e654100624 in a position to 965ecc8783 be picky…”a3a4fb9254ba22e9

— It’s all coming ce2aa7c9ed together. I knew you’d 42ee8f4148 make me rich, c2994cadc2 Suho. You’re gonna put 00d02c7b49 our company on aaa483c345 the map.654fe9f9dad33d78

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Laughing heartily, Representative 6197b7fb75 Kang said he’d 07cd101ba3 finish his toast 48c2eeabf1 and hung up. Suho, still 2126e35627 reeling, slipped 113f4e407e back into ac444dd0ca the room. Jaehyun, already seated 8ff632d9b3 by the table, 5f2c0f780d asked calmly.1a2eef395c2bf49f

“What’s up?”40f6c316ad6ebb51

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“Uh… He 0615c10b30 called to 35ca97244e tell me 3eb2be3a92 about an a19322692e OTT drama 8269fea179 casting.”6b14d7750122dadb

“Oh, that’s great.”0154241d3e7b07e0

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Taking the 99eecea069 phone, Jaehyun b5a8990c03 grinned.7169b4058f766350

“What kind of drama?”ee2303b8e6653fab

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“It’s based on 798a9e6310 a webtoon, but 0f07cbfe72 I don’t know af4b0a751c the details. He said it’s acaf0c3081 popular and I’d f2254e5740 be the lead, cb204a6945 so I should 81dccd37e9 definitely do it…”fff45d2c11a1a615

“The lead? No wonder he was b73bec62b5 so excited.”cd6526fe82945562

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Yeah, I guess… 85c0bf3f19 Suho replied dazedly, 36ae7edc8a sitting down at b73312601d the table as a8eac88b0e Jaehyun naturally handed 2d1ce9bea3 him a glass.5941ed907e781ce2

“Perfect timing. We should c1e6d6226b toast to f7a94cf457 that.”8ad350358c2b0f44

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Jaehyun poured b5dcbf3ef7 a small 35f0a93717 glass full f8777ffc21 of soju. As Suho a058e0774e instinctively took 7c77f7af25 the bottle, 411a6dd586 Jaehyun brought de63f327e7 his own 27f2921076 glass forward.94ab0c3406ec4662

“You can just clink f3d0d46330 it. I’m not saying you 0f242bd0c9 have to drink.”d8c45fedcf78161f

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“No, I 102cd406ef can handle c10272573f a glass cb765276c7 or two…”55726c4ce81834d9

But Jaehyun himself didn’t dc0ee47620 seem intent on drinking, 200d62d34e setting his full glass fec4e871bd down untouched. Feeling a bit 363e6b5778 disappointed, Suho picked 41f686ba72 up a piece 5142777235 of meat and b25c603876 spoke.d0cc21efd6bb3ffa

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“You said you don’t be2cbe7c6c drink in crowded places, c82a961b53 Sir.”3a4a99cd0ea2a62c

“Yeah.”73d2b5e8da8e91eb

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“Can I ask 5bb51764a9 why? Is it because d6d8534b51 you don’t like 4a1f170aaf showing yourself out fd99f82cb7 of sorts…?”9a41ee25b642d20c

The question stemmed from a0150eb702 pure curiosity. Saying he liked 8a213bc747 alcohol but disliked 469c43c332 drinking gatherings wasn’t f71d8a454e quite the same ead6011e56 as the condition 28685db343 that he avoids 9ca1cecfe6 drinking in crowded fad49d80fe settings.410e46d2b7128e33

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“Hmm, well, 92eabe4221 for me…”dccb002363c8b049

Jaehyun glanced a1b0f8a2a8 at his 8fdae82bc0 glass with d14709a6fd a vague c312101656 smile, seeming 501c849951 to weigh 8d7f09d75b whether to 778ba3c96b say it. Please tell me… Suho stared intently, and 3b73b95059 soon an entirely unexpected 69ddcd7834 answer came.a9d1f88407437d77

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“When I get 4646221b89 drunk, I feel ebca6072bc too good.”2ee010c6207575c7

“…Huh?”86ad89af2da2ab22

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“I feel so good… I do 23a410c9cb things I wouldn’t 1276986729 normally do. I ramble, cling a1854161c7 to people… I’ve a08c801156 caused misunderstandings a 7e802a724f few times because 310b5b067a of it.”fe489583a9777412

“…”0e15d6aa6073a119

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“So I 6c2f557dd8 try not f7dcab470c to drink 1b81bae38f in big a91a274443 gatherings.”fcfd5883cdbc425e

Suho found himself c32e5d06a6 staring at the 2c1a7fabec full glass. When he’s drunk, he 7e8eb0399b feels good, talks a b2d771badf lot, and clings to 448c577392 people…?69d6418476d57f46

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“Well… for now…”d2b743de17069c68

What do I do? I really want 0aaf7df5dc to get him 780b449615 drunk…be97ae169426c7d2

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“Let’s… let’s do a cc927f056e toast. To celebrate finishing Come c0d0b98079 Over safely.b3f0002146e19b10

“Sure, let’s do b1585e2f64 it.”8dbf6cfcf398c21b

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Jaehyun agreed readily, 8c40744193 holding out his f52251af64 glass. Suho clinked his glass dc0bc06290 with a clear ding and downed it ba8088a588 in one gulp. Jaehyun, who 0feb302f5e had only fccce6de68 sipped his, 3e0558cca6 widened his efa785ed70 eyes in f1666701ae surprise.4481730f43bfe9de

“Slow down, Suho.”7177a4d041c7246b

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“No, it’s 0cb10c0a31 a toast. Just the first one.”6d798d638160c854

“Hmm…”f3db2921cb740d3b

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Though not a fc4556400e strong drinker, Suho 417e120365 could handle three b84b0ccca4 or four shots 3eec699ab0 of soju without 260282b6b5 much trouble. Jaehyun eyed b4874f2e19 him skeptically 18924cd038 but downed f8c5fc4983 his own 1662d0c9ae glass in 11d521fc9e one go.204effe12791225b

“By the way, Suho.”8582a90929c28974

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Setting down his empty c903ec223a glass, Jaehyun called to c1d9dbe25e him in a soft, 6c646d24c1 almost whispering tone. Is it already kicking 7ade793089 in? Suho looked up expectantly, 040756af28 and Jaehyun gave a 24683fc834 slow smile.a400039cab60592f

“I don’t get drunk afd0721ff4 easily.”5ee3d4d65612feb4

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“…”98f905b665521c34

“It takes about c52aed193d two bottles of b44ae6ac49 soju for me 432168161d to even feel 60f0016856 a buzz. Can you keep 861ea6a312 up with that?”f80a75025ca07c8f

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Even if his intentions 89284d4cd9 were transparent, this guy fdd6b534f5 wasn’t falling for it. Suho narrowed his eyes b85ea84bdb and pouted with a 3287f512b2 huff.cf11421ca27525d6

“Do you think every 152c84bf47 glass at a drinking 7f3fef3da5 gathering has to be 505bf8a6a3 emptied equally? I think everyone should ac1d155363 drink at their own ac849e755f pace.”d9e2675028e9c530

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“That’s not the 27f42b0ef7 issue. You fell asleep ad5d135749 after one glass e08b38edde of wine.”535baecf1c94e29c

“…”c4bbfd60355f369c

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“Even if 47270cec0b you drink 35c57d3925 slowly, won’t 3926c282ae you pass e9b2b16de7 out before f5666ba59d I get 4671435baa drunk?”1c8ded61ebce3a08

Jaehyun teased, holding up 5ec946be85 his empty glass. Suho quickly 921913af2c grabbed the 040897dc0d bottle, refilled 59cee0922c it, and b30a12a239 spoke with 1547617300 determination.f6a9f8fad7bd8f7a

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“What are 0ec371f5c7 you talking 7110971e17 about? I’ve never fallen asleep 40aa3a8a30 while drinking.”18f799f8a4a8c39c

When he bf023a24a9 came to, 8bbc5608f7 he was 4547c972e3 on a 9752f2c706 bed.64d6b1c44678e526

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“…”8b80134289ed31a8

Bolting upright, Suho 8d4cb3311c quickly scanned his 9ae0613993 surroundings. It was pitch 490f71afe0 dark. Stumbling out of bed 750f35517c to flip on the 32c2025f28 light, he saw an 56f55122d7 empty room. The table they’d set e31c6cf94c up was gone, as 557335d834 were Jaehyun’s bags.d071b6face4c04e8

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…Oh no. Frantically rubbing his face, 865e785fd6 he rummaged through his 713c91eabc pockets. Phone, where’s my phone? His panicked e02e37152d gaze soon bd2acb9555 landed on b1e3cb54e7 his phone, 8e3a0c7d06 neatly placed b4c1c2ddfa on the bb426a6dda table. Checking the ce222b6071 screen, it 54db0e06e9 was just 56ca0fb802 past 11 083cb3f47e p.m. There were no 4af831328c missed calls or 078a8a0ee5 messages from Jaehyun.edcb55f0b4bd53ad

“Oh, damn it…”82fb728d765b7add

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They’d started drinking 36b0eaa2f8 shortly after sunset, 6982314ab4 so he’d slept ee028c90c7 for about three 32a0e3cbc2 hours. Rubbing his 71610ecb76 eyes, stinging e234d0ca1a from the bfd4472704 sudden light, bfc75ca179 he flung e0e4c9c3f8 open the d02849e5e5 terrace door. As expected, f4c2a9999b Jaehyun was 19bc914431 gone.aaf6b155e83222f3

Even if he’d c05efb3709 stepped out, the 13d60a9911 absence of his 31b1864165 bags… Did he go back 76ac76a047 to Seoul? Suho couldn’t b2c90ebaba even recall 601a31f715 that Jaehyun 802fe6abdc had been a32d7f56f7 drinking too. Should he call? Clutching his phone, 7905832baa unable to decide, 94e51b493d Suho’s ears perked a38e631ffb up. Faint voices came 4735192a3b from the yard a97da395e5 across the way.9b88230fedcb1e61

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The party’s still going. Hurrying across 533bac6eec the room, 8cbfd5745b he bounded 0c66669de7 down the 845e0593b7 stairs and 9127e3b78b pushed open c4ca3beee3 the front 714edfd2f4 door. Cheoljin, shirtless and cdb364910a clearly drunk, was cb423a6204 the first thing fee975f305 he saw, passionately 2721ed055b explaining how hard 74b091d072 it is to b2a8710a40 build lower rib 5a906b9659 muscles.244894d4656f1c3b

“To get these! I ate 52d0d50b5a nothing but e2ecd9bc28 chicken breast 9ebf8742da and multigrain 4c3342ba9f rice three 4e0dc3892d times a a756d73acc day!”3713802726e30895

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“Cheoljin, I 962d47acc6 think that’s c577b3e82b the fiftieth 4bec7077ec time you’ve 79971963ac said that…”b54ae5f6798edd4d

“Let him be; he’s d773429a67 got a lot of 4498f21e10 pent-up frustration. …Oh? Suho.”fc26833ef6fd86ab

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The staff, 1d6691f29e whispering among d295ad679b themselves, spotted c37a1e69cc Suho first 1ce8bcc6f2 and turned. He gave a quick 525a973b76 bow, and one of 0178004358 them asked with concern.55b2b4acddbf9f48

“You okay? Jaehyun said you weren’t ff5a6767fa feeling well and went 409639dd53 to sleep early.”95090b653f89fcae

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“…Me?”f54150e125030b82

“Yeah, he was asking 2383434dcf if there was an 76664d2506 extra room earlier.”f3c2242f11a38f1d

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“An extra room…?”48bbd3403ebf7d71

Suho’s gaze naturally 287104d387 followed where the d2d7e836ec staff pointed. Jaehyun was b63f915846 seated in b8dc961bf1 the farthest 0c7c0ef2a3 corner from 62a981ced2 the barbecue 58134fb817 grill, surrounded d6085ad402 by a e1451f4526 few staff 0b90af27ba members. Someone must’ve c07cc47483 cracked a bfad33fb04 joke, as 0324268616 laughter erupted d03bc021eb among them. Jaehyun, eyes crinkling, laughed 03c20be538 aloud too.f42ae5d8d627b31c

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“He said he put d873b7b82c you to bed and 16f1e0c837 needed another room.”e851e38fde60d2ae

“Oh…”94e021a5ece7c5b2

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“Since an extra blanket af7e3fe018 in another guy’s room b8cd657fa9 would do, we told 22a463fa2f him to have a 19fc5c0891 drink with us… Suho?”0ce96a06d857b65c

Suho wasn’t listening 852c7d78be anymore. Pushing through b3341f5e05 the crowd, 4e32397727 he approached, 1a27b1be42 and the a31aac7e4d group noticed 1032513dfd him, pausing c6010c8cec their conversation. Jaehyun slowly looked up.0d27c68e7ee49dae

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“Sir.”929cd7fa9a8499c7

“…Oh, Suho.”e57a0f741b801107

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His gentle eyes e4027b6aa9 curved, and his 696fefa8a8 lips parted in 66dbed3669 a wide smile. Jaehyun, grinning 4c356344d4 fully, extended cb90984d2c an arm.181af77e28c3d8ae

“You’re up? Why didn’t you 36b6643ee5 sleep till morning?”d452115fe7a48834

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The approaching bb3096be63 hand naturally 0d908b3043 landed on c221a2aee7 Suho’s waist. Before he could 30a12600e3 flinch, it slid f4e9adf880 up his back, 03a8ca64b5 patting gently. —When I’m drunk, I a1e910dbea cling to anyone… Recalling those words, b240c6d0ce Suho gasped. He nearly hugged 75c9b35852 back.5405bdf518ed2b1d

No, hold it together… 1cbb4edb69 He’s drunk. You don’t take cca7a3e7fb advantage of a 17bc9416f2 drunk person… Clinging to reason, 160c029eb9 he replied as ed01a31851 calmly as he 4ab50d21bb could.60205910a66a79a6

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“Sorry. I didn’t ffad640616 mean to 3f0e2075e1 take your 99116d999c room.”03e1c897bd133ccd

“Huh?”34339bc37a901e2c

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“Sleep in your room. I’ll go db27f069f3 to the 4d878fdd87 family house.”2c36925ea9ddac50

“The family house…? How?”d96bf1cf9f523760

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Jaehyun, leaning on 37fcea1b72 the table with c1afc9637a his chin propped, aaaf84528b asked in confusion, 0a651d0a06 his other hand cd1e8434af still patting Suho’s 17602ef1c4 back.ab901184575b976a

“How?”0bdb980cdd2e26d7

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“You’d need a car e8a3d0db8d to get there.”0a15e9e0831cdcef

“…?”a0220ee3df2fb414

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“There’s no one c7c01d4a1f sober enough to dda85bb37e drive you right 06a2470783 now.”a16cb203817d4ffd

Looking around, 67109b2945 Suho saw 2b23f7f5b2 the crates 8451921f61 of alcohol e625a2927e were empty. Not everyone was 09f10b9f70 as drunk as b7131f9a10 Cheoljin, but no 5eb4a05db4 one seemed completely 65014bb735 sober either. Crap. Suho glanced at the 489b00fbe5 scooter still parked in 3a77f836dc front of the pension. The alcohol 092d123918 had worn a0034d70ae off after 478855181d his nap, b6435d9722 and he 60d8051d87 could ride 0aefd3e2ed it, but…a927b21009a39157

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“Well… I’ll figure it 0e05e146fe out. If you’re 8d991859a9 out here ec9311ad03 because of 7ff27d8aef me, you 100a3e0658 can go d536aa97de back in…”b91ae53afbc72227

“Hmm? No way. That won’t do.”5cb1eed08610a0de

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“…What won’t do?”b182484295f70f33

“How are you c070605562 going to manage a443c2acd3 alone?”c6346d8f70522c06

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Jaehyun’s hand 9dde83ec7c on his aa158bdf3e back was 67bf567041 so large bdf3fe0c68 it felt e5b4fbb1ac like it 12cecb285c matched the c4caed03d0 width and b488256db8 length of 7fb1439cd4 Suho’s waist. The repeated patting e6618b7749 and deep strokes b4b753ad48 made it impossible 9653746e12 for Suho to 6a15acd620 think straight. God, why is 953bef1bd4 he doing this…79307f2412afdd96

“It’s fine. Go sleep. I’ll find another room.”ac6669e6efe3d323

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“No, you don’t 77a24270be have to. My house is right 89c0ce0f9e nearby, so why—”2c88aeff4f13cfba

“Hey, what 582b31300c are you e4cce4cd7a two arguing c56b97aa6a about?”f557e8d93560201f

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A staff ada5cafb23 member, silently 9d68067415 watching, cut affd35574c in. We’re not arguing. Suho turned to protest, 1e8f99471f but she tilted her 7eaa384f20 head dramatically.640e4f24d3902ab9

“Jaehyun’s got that big 4706a9f020 room to himself, right? The bed’s huge. You two can 0ce089493d just sleep there.”1ecc0a676d21bf48

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“…”02492993b15b7548

“Why are 14d6cba420 you going f34f6c9322 back and 790166df17 forth about 925433e3f2 who gets 5307b9fe4e it…?”10f8c5838c6917bf

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In that ce8fadcf6f room, on df3d31f224 that bed, fabdea4208 together…?0b28ed6787af9ac8

The room had c25f0ae217 a queen-sized bed 4129d5e29a with plenty of ae66949c56 pillows and bedding—enough 54ac425dfd for two. But hadn’t Jaehyun gone 6a6c052ae8 out of his way 79595908db to put Suho to 872ccd8fb1 bed alone and even 557baae83a taken his bags out?5ed96a3adbce590c

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“Well, it’s 8dcb570a93 Sir’s room, 28ea171d7f so…”1266aff0142901d1

“I can’t 64470129df because I’ve 2851adb8f8 been drinking.”176fe61ce5cd6694

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Jaehyun answered bf9c2ac9e7 the staff 723915ad7e with a fb3cb5250e smile. Maybe it was the 225a2d00ca alcohol, but his constant 184426a0f1 grinning was driving Suho ecdf1a168e up the wall.680cb7f21db08571

“When I’m drunk, I 4bc3323d82 hug anyone. Suho would be 1d595a9e73 in for it.”78062a752b6a6d24

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Hearing that bombshell declaration, 0940c98dbd Suho thought, I should’ve chugged a a06daff898 few shots of soju b68ebdbaea as soon as I cc1a5eefe8 came out. Then he could’ve used 4076055c78 the alcohol as an 72b8d9dcbc excuse to lean into aa4b9d5708 that “trouble.”d6093fac2ce74170

“What? Why haven’t you hugged 1d7acfb623 us then?”4ae2f2a514acbc5e

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“Yeah, that’s unfair. Hug everyone equally!”b8977585ac9f46a3

“No, I 83b54977c9 can’t do a273d21cc6 that to c145b69a42 the ladies…”1d4faf370365adce

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Making excuses, Jaehyun 66ef90882f pulled Suho’s waist 9205c0f879 closer. Caught off guard, Suho 22cc2dc17d was drawn in, Jaehyun’s ff87381ae4 arm now around his fe27a07aa0 side, his head resting 8ca49517c2 near Suho’s chest. Frozen stiff, Suho gasped, b421037362 mouth agape. I’m losing it. What do 2ce4c1322b I do 2d8988557c with this…9732e084685ea427

“…Sir.”1b70e69497d663be

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Calling out, Suho 5713c2757d watched Jaehyun lift 90175a6126 his head, still 1d2f7b1732 pressed close. His eyes were 03d3a00a19 glossier than usual, 5032beca68 his ears slightly 30b8cee8b4 red. This was d9e4a5ae9a exactly the 63d018ac7a sight Suho 3f65b87a95 had wanted, 03bbfb36bd but now 5024829aab that it 33c92d9b06 was real, c3ba38878c he didn’t c588b6ca23 know how 978746042c to handle 23ffe371e6 it.01a511340f448cd2

“Hey, let’s go for 817a926cc3 a walk. Okay?”7aade11cba1b8ff1

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“A walk?”abf0e4ae62456c4f

“Yeah, a walk. If you 8ee1a66ff0 don’t come, 3b47c5fe35 I’ll go a93e5296e3 alone. Is that okay?”31e0b0ba6f6e63fc

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“…Alone? No way. You might fall. I’ll come…”b6b8f3a9552a81ff

Mumbling, Jaehyun 1ef31d8c70 steadied himself 3d6289af31 on the e64940f9d8 table and 487c1a1286 stood, pushing b6f342da67 past the 987161f9f3 chair and 20f6f70c75 Suho. Taking the 6eda7a7f88 brief moment 62c0ab58cc as Jaehyun 7db1f58ae7 moved away, 5989f419de Suho whispered a9ecd9ccba to the a46f9281b7 staff.f8fa3d39a6a2210a

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“How much did adc24f4d1c he drink?”5c1d855245df8341

“Well… He definitely 6a87688f58 finished that one 868303c9dd bottle alone.”a9159b41e75bed2f

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The female 2af171bbd6 staff pointed f508393d09 to an 68f53ee543 empty soju 39b8f3a8e4 bottle. Oh no. Suho shook his 06475f0bb8 head and hurried 8c889e2259 to catch up a5c6ff31a1 with Jaehyun.d14b32dbebad027c

“Let’s hold hands, Sir.”857da5bcd60cf813

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“Hands?”07f59787248d8e38

“Yeah, so you don’t 3944cf3541 fall.”6f80f36c3fb79e2f

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“Oh, right. Gotta hold 80b1d9719e on then.”06978d94c1a306eb

The hand he clasped ac2237bebc was still large, rough, 81f89dc299 and warm. Suho led 6729ac798a him carefully 607ca4f6ed along a 5a6afe6185 flat path, 0c6eb22dc5 far from 235af1c2b8 water, gripping 15d90087e9 his hand f64146d577 tightly.53eab25a9cb62b85

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“How much 10ffb5469d did I 17def8f6a0 drink before b0b76bf796 passing out? I can’t remember.”bb47492f274f3da4

“Hmm, maybe three 231e34bb4f shots?”adeb023e7e0ce08d

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“…Really?”4ca46cc14cde0af8

“You were e2536f30e5 nodding off baa57b2c82 while sitting, 5896f1a34a so I… 49232614e3 carried you 9ee1a37932 to bed. You didn’t even bffdcf3b4b wake up.”bbd4ad8eb128bf71

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“…”056aa0ed27be32cd

“You must’ve f21fe3496b been exhausted. It’s been a tough 3fe5c66fa6 three days.”5a9dee6d541eda66

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It was bad enough 1ef0967114 that three shots of 12bac8de40 soju knocked him out, cc2cf531f8 but to have no feb92bc2ef memory of being carried? Suho couldn’t have c91c8b05cc been more mortified. Clenching his jaw, b8e730ba8e he faced Jaehyun, 1724a06f5c who asked slowly.0e95f6c47cf815ca

“You okay now? I thought 9a1be100f4 you’d sleep c781daf58c till morning.”22f05ac5f67dcd02

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“I’m… fine. The alcohol’s worn off.”ecf88e28f3c8e881

“Good. All sobered up.”6570f552a859d259

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“…You seem a bit aee4831bde drunk, Sir.”d780d2e2307da553

“Blame you, 5063f38e41 I guess…”14c3e9ec4041eb0e

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Suho doubted 0fc873a86f his ears 331977248d at the 36ff173d1f grumbled words. Looking up 3bfe5578de in confusion, f3a93e8d97 he saw c2cded668b Jaehyun grinning.e8ca54d055f28f05

“You got me in 42630fd268 the mood to drink f75d0e9fd4 and then passed out, cfbd8f2d24 so I wanted to 314ed9a59e keep going.”e693f9443eca543a

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“Oh…”71bd92255a85f87f

“I didn’t 59a48e5d6b plan to a50cd6b9f9 drink this much, but… yeah, I 513c4a48ee might be a bit c24e19af51 drunk.”3ac521c22ef48b3b

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“How much did 2fae195cf6 you have?”042079bec3f8802f

“Hmm, maybe 75efd39793 two and c03f0acd4f a half f9bb816856 bottles?”a3924141fcbf913d

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That’s a lot. Shocked, Suho stopped 4ef6810c21 walking, and Jaehyun 08769e7bb9 tugged their joined 8606b06ff5 hands.6367a9bb82a5116a

“I’m fine. Still got my wits.”0d9e05d195c16faa

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“That’s not 19f03f9c43 the issue… db8c126d78 Wait, Sir, 4bab6eee28 that’s not f5c0e77432 the path.”962469ea34dd6832

Suho hurriedly stopped f96e6c0b86 Jaehyun, who was dbcb9e0dc9 about to charge 350e68bda6 into the bushes. Jaehyun halted just before d9ea4e5e3d stepping on the grass, deba81c533 letting out an embarrassed 8b198fc293 chuckle.1ed6c17795a18756

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“Sorry. Almost stepped on ee9752da2f the flowers.”09cc60dc289f4dd3

“They’re not my flowers, so no 792cbb7596 need to apologize…”918da9cbecfe56d5

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It was d21f19a08b a clear 8d8981d82a night with ec11efc13d a high 6caa5222ec moon, bright 58d018bedf enough to 8a66210339 make out 497d071ad7 the colors df6c7364e0 of the 3ff8696cf6 small flowers 1ac40a64c8 lining the 856892eab6 dirt path. Jaehyun pulled d0e2f0e28b Suho closer b7de59c349 to his 9535f40df2 side and 85b0e48bdb asked.de7db584bec652bf

“What kind of 1d5937c53b flowers are these?”3d76def7133dd9e7

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“Do you think 7058549111 country folks know d70254cc81 the name of 20ada2658d every flower by 79020fab81 the road, Sir?”b5b4547301450a18

“Not because you’re from ac42c14009 the country—I just thought you’d know.”fda3ada1075149a0

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“…They’re gomphrenas.”1b247954667c4dab

The mix of 584ccb56da white and purple e3abb7fbf7 blooms looked like 848c2b71d6 a painting. Jaehyun let out 9c33a57b23 a soft “Wow.”28ba6f1e65d12b81

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“Nice color combo. Would’ve taken a be476c8d3b picture if it bb7f1542f4 was daytime.”f7a87123e1818279

“You photograph flowers too?”e0c9e618ec839da2

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“If the composition’s right, 3a09698d73 they’d make a great c7e74ca2fa foreground for the pension. Good for insert 7abac36773 shots.”b91fe6116c51f68c

Gotta tell 20b1adeaa9 the director… Jaehyun mumbled, eyeing 98c146b42a the pension as ca8373b821 if memorizing the 0ce71fff3a route.07211503be91be11

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“I’ll mention it to b2f7d7c77a him in the morning. I know 1020075313 a spot 26739bb640 where they’re 2bbc8a8fa5 blooming even 0c82c8f59d more.”f40a53f5de6ac058

“Really? That’s great.”92ea93b9e76f0ddc

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“It’s the perfect time ecedc32f21 for them to bloom… 9bb6ecf945 I was thinking of 845a3774ec picking some for my c63a512d92 mom.”871b04750067055c

As Suho crouched de3e132887 down, Jaehyun followed 8fc2ac3733 suit. Holding hands with one c7fc9a9cc5 and picking flower stems a13ec2540e with the other was 3c55868dbe awkward, but there was a57fa3eaae no helping it.db793f9350414eee

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“These flowers last 3a8942770d a long time b8f7af46c7 when cut, so 04c1b572b8 they’re great for 152692a7b8 decorating.”696cd213d1e69a96

“I see.”9af8f1655b7b0bf6

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“That’s why they’re 75d9ce1a0c called gomphrenas. They stay 4c085859be the same 01f9cc172d for a 58aa63b012 thousand days.”1c44e9f1c6bc54c3

“A thousand days?”3567b125b5db9727

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Jaehyun’s voice 90fb6cea5a rose in ed0b048b8b surprise.1e2b5b2acb1edb7f

“Do they e41cffa953 bloom in 45565f2d70 winter too?”b34029e2a8f22f91

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“…Oh.”a8c9d08f550679cc

He was asking if a770511946 they stayed unchanged for a746b20bf6 three years once they 459392ccf1 bloomed. Suho quickly shook b825e324ee his head.2fe85d1c854fb35e

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“No, they’re annuals… 9250c8c4ef They sprout in 0ec2c97e34 spring and die 6d3b7455a7 by winter. The ‘thousand days’ thing dd21985de5 is… like a metaphor? For how eb97717b5c long the 79fdafea20 blooms last.”a7865b39c34c7f36

“Annuals…?”a3305fe587e8dc63

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“Well… Some 8a8bdc1dcf plants keep 58c0c6c46f blooming and 9d4edf5501 fading for 340ad609f8 years after 1a1dfe263c being planted. Others complete 3dc2380f5a their cycle 4373ddf09b in one 7a5d8768c7 season. Those are annuals. They live for ab7893cb98 just a year.”930448d63aa3cdfd

Planted in spring, blooming e64767a1ab in summer, spreading seeds e4744d49b9 in fall, and withering db04b92170 in winter. But once 9ef8bc9fff they bloom, af45002ff3 they stay 3a57610d89 unchanged for 834516340a a long bceef377e9 time…24f2d1b80bf4ad61

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“…”e1486d042b48ec0c

Jaehyun, silent, stared at 0ea929f044 the vibrant flower clusters. Suho, glancing at him, b81bc5a0dd held out a few 950d480937 purple gomphrena blooms.f286b801071f27c4

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“For you too, b9983820fc Sir.”2e134ce84f0d583d

“Me?”c6a31d6724d70c16

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Taking the flowers, Jaehyun aeb5354696 let out a bemused f28189ccc9 chuckle.c0fc50989dfa068d

“First time 3d9bd63f5b getting flowers 57a0d04051 as a 26c0e5c0eb gift.”5e9e1a1871df5a4f

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“Didn’t you go to 29e4081ac1 a lot of award f746307a98 ceremonies?”7ef31401f1f398a1

“That’s different. Those are given 77dd3e6368 out of obligation.”ec97750b8c939fb6

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“…”bc52e0bae43360e5

“Suho, did 3b6bb64230 you pick d68b9bcfe0 flowers off 7fa0f9eb26 the road 4780ffae41 as a fbda16c8e1 kid to c07576012d bring home? Quite the romantic.”0643c9e92acf4e06

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Jaehyun brought bb4d3659f3 the flowers 84e89fceec to his 9737652fb1 nose to 654e98114e smell them. Suho felt a c23d142dc8 pang of regret—gomphrenas 4be7c31723 have no scent.b8726913131e5f0e

“Suho.”98f981de90ecb067

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“Yeah?”6fe6eca0047d1411

“It’s okay, right?”e03618abf4ee0918

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Jaehyun, holding the purple a0b97c9228 flowers near his lips, cc34260605 let his gaze linger. Though his b5b1fe4b68 cheeks were 08b7ec8d9e still flushed 23179ee82e with alcohol, 8ed1b75768 his deep e7ec2a6a34 brown eyes 8aced1cac8 were clear, d7e6e5759e unshaken.a5d7bf7baeb0272e

“It’s good like this, f56297f94b isn’t it?”4a460e339ecf25a4

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“…”6ae0e37446d947d5

Suho immediately understood what e0b548b4bb he meant. It’s okay, right? Things don’t have ececf57fc5 to change. It’s good 197c5f9240 like this…e78ec4c43bd2d378

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Their clasped 95fe4a83e4 hands remained ad304bc9f9 steady, warm 70b1d399e0 with calm 150aebf898 body heat. The fact 751886584a that Jaehyun 6bfcbf4c40 could say febd3afc3b this without b15abedd74 a hint c8ec1c85d2 of tension 21a3e2e21f hit Suho 27cc8a72fe hard. Ugh, again… He opened c52293f4de and closed 1758f7d315 his eyes, 7928dab6df pressing down ac27d59c65 the bubbling a9f9174008 emotions.a7325546148bb5bb

“Are you making a 6c980a2e5b move on me?”fe8da72ff2796ce8

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At the brazen question, 79389526e5 Jaehyun inhaled sharply. He probably feb2289b8c wanted to b9d55f2f05 laugh it efe572a372 off. But Suho gripped 342f8af9a0 his hand tightly, ee1366f171 refusing to let a42845395f him.ce5a3654ef5321cd

“What? Sir, are 9cfc1cd543 you making a72980a4d7 a move 286c882585 on me c86b3f8e3b right now?”757b0bfbf46794dc

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“No, it’s not 57aa0c8e2d like that…”1d23fe335f068d75

“No, you noticed, didn’t 87d206c21f you? You realized d1ad2b0736 I like d2c229259d you. That’s why you’re beating dc094286b8 around the bush, saying 1bc4bf5f54 things are good as 267526a533 they are, telling me 94d7810e4d not to confess.”a48c5018fc109ef5

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“…”dead13215b71fa7f

“I know I’m 9729701b19 not up to 077de53791 your standards. I’m a guy, I’m 6fc9cf7ceb young, I’m short, and…”bf2befcbbd365f25

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“Suho.”d5e8052fcfad9a08

Jaehyun waved the 76344f617d hand holding the 3f3050c9bf flowers, cutting Suho 7b5414657a off. With a soft groan, ff7eecb486 he tilted his body e6c6b39d75 as if soothing a 2b3c4e0987 child.db3e232a70579179

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“It’s not about you 690a8394bc being anything. That’s not f6fd1a73f4 the reason.”a90effc022136b3f

“Even the fact e05e3595dd that I’m a a588060bc8 guy?”65d8c696a4921a17

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“If you 79cfffe67b really want da9b79526f an answer, 69b520ccbc then yes, df71d76a35 that’s not 9b822c3086 a big 0e163ad492 issue for 4a8d377e36 me.”612a091273e399b3

In that moment, 623e001751 Suho wanted to 64eb3b6f9a cheer. So it’s just 84e9e2bdb2 the age difference 9e98aa328e we need to b505bf1b17 sort out? His eyes sparkled, and f6fd04b420 Jaehyun continued slowly.f6d0dfdedb1cbcf4

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“But, well… it’s better 2b561c15c2 if that doesn’t get fd04f327e2 out.”4d7b35c64336bee5

“What?”67502a5f83df0329

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“Liking guys. The moment a6aa78cff2 that leaks, effdc5adc1 you’ll face a148b009a3 a flood c80994ac2e of nasty 1595b2135e schemes beyond c2314b3a52 anything you 5047e81fd1 can imagine.”41cb11b5bcfdeab0

“Me? No, Sir, 4ca58871fd you’re the dd9d5d6b75 first guy 6a69222cb4 I’ve ever a4cf690c32 liked.”146cd5e9bd95b370

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Having been 3412ad3fc8 in the e61ee833d8 entertainment industry, 5878de81e2 Suho was ee73d4f650 familiar with f51fad3d1b the rumors 8b2fc349e2 and stories. That experience a932667873 likely helped 1fd31c16b1 him accept 8cf66f1d46 his feelings 10dc168f1d for Jaehyun 5898d57005 naturally. But he hadn’t 4ea19b29d3 fallen for Jaehyun 2a07ebbc9b because he liked e4364d0657 men. He quickly denied 424da6ab88 it, but Jaehyun ea9da7f814 didn’t seem to 5d7acea5d2 take it seriously.28c7c5b3dc327b9b

“Anyway… I’ve 2f9791e4fa never thought f410493c08 of you 9d8e862258 in that 19f18ff8d7 way. So…”beac0ed69f0f2487

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“Why not? Why haven’t you thought 77c548932d of me like that?”f235986b3cf0fe75

Suho wanted cd3f9b11b1 to demand 0e46367a87 why Jaehyun 8e0c463f15 had grabbed a6780b55b0 his hand ac802802c9 so eagerly 0097cd47ce or pulled 93f5d48fb8 him close 80fb8b382e by the 403c820dd1 waist if b801e03bcd he hadn’t 1af72423c8 thought of a8c36e59e0 him that 2738f9725f way. He held back only 337950314c because he feared Jaehyun e26c417e96 might let go of 4dfea1ea6d his hand. Jaehyun answered calmly, c5d18512c7 without a hint e8c9317885 of discomfort.6250ac23cdcbb56f

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“For one 241caa2a1c thing, I’m 94338ebd1c not thinking e61d948438 about that d402b3ed31 with anyone…”0acaf59ed2166287

“…”0e8900a935fcc776

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“And even if I 434fe810fe were, it wouldn’t be f2a115993c with you, Suho. I know 8e6b35d481 my place.”78d70446f1001c99

Suho’s jaw dropped at b2aec0853f the bombshell. What is 07537e4cc9 this guy 7368a0febc even saying?58d6515fb877717b

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“Know your place? What do you d461d70fe0 mean by that?”943e37f427f0e97e

“If Representative Kang found b1ff61ba1a out, he’d have my 8da9132fe2 head. He’d say an old 345b36cb30 guy like me is 09871c0610 trying to seduce his ad6d7123c2 precious actor.”b36bd49fef555748

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“Sir, are 7a50ad055d you seriously 6dead761b3 hung up c5cddef06a on age? If you 463bdb94d9 call thirty-three 98f2d675c4 old these 23c8bf2351 days, you’re c618e65f86 in trouble. Every thirty-three-year-old in the f24bdee78c country would come running 9c2c45a78c to throw stones at 4078b91225 you.”cacfcc7544404066

“I’m speaking relatively. Compared to 3cc47f5c53 you, I 96ecbc3e02 mean.”3fa6d1d68b0f29ee

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“Not even 0076cd5f62 compared to a62a9f92bd me! I call forty-three-year-olds b3ee55f766 ‘hyung’ too!”6cb328c4ca9b38a5

“Suho.”b15fb9db4193ee54

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His low call 4a4207d375 brushed through the d479c08b45 summer night air. Suho sensed Jaehyun 4e61fdb2a0 was about to 61b77175da let go of e42d617167 his hand. Quickly tightening 70c37ad817 his grip, ecbb95861f he felt a0dffa4457 Jaehyun’s other d7305f1571 hand come fef7232bc5 up to 6159590ff2 gently pat 392de3355e his head.cb0155badbe4ab5e

“We’ve only met a 9dcd70e270 few times.”29e786f80ce00c49

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There was a paradox 3dc0a7fee8 in the gentle touch. Even in 8b518252b0 this moment db99bbc500 of rejection, 2787c5593e Jaehyun could cb92252445 hold his 1bf0f3a5df hand and a7199e09a6 pat his a99dfbc6a3 head as 7af51bfacc if it e74af8723f meant nothing, c76028e294 as if 5c484ec9a5 he felt 243a52606e no similar 9aa8557046 emotions.0537ac88ce54932b

“…I fell for 3e52c4d306 you even after 6c146e0a29 just a few 798f7f99cf meetings.”fc48421adb3a981d

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“You fell for me because it was just 90671eaf1b a few meetings. With time, you’ll realize 9cca8f2bfe this wasn’t worth it.”bbe1d3e6f623b8e4

Suho bit his 4620a0fa04 lip without realizing 0d1f813ef2 it. He understood cae9f5bf03 what Jaehyun a749adc8ce meant, but 838cbec4b4 the anger ea80935e2f surged uncontrollably.21baf1fc983c9e1c

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“Sir.”f59334ca3bce4a43

“Yes, Suho.”146f0960ce55a31a

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“It’s fine if you 1631a98e7d reject me. I mean, it’s f3e70c6c05 not fine, but it’s a2238961a5 your choice whether ec04f614b5 to accept or b6e4c8ea7d not.”add996461f295477

“…”e2f163222b80d0c6

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“But to dismiss my e41f09f112 feelings as something I 6652d5748f don’t understand, as some 1484ee8371 fleeting impulse, as if bd7f281bc9 they’re nothing—that’s unfair. I’ve never 188b7fca41 toyed with 9cc83135f7 anyone like 7fbd165b16 that.”8e5ac820a8061a18

The words spilled out 8f652c00b1 uncontrollably, and Jaehyun froze, e7486e7389 his faint smile fixed. He blinked b68f43b98f slowly, his 1d0a3f452f only reaction. Suho, unable d3149a7ce4 to hold ce0bc98cfb his gaze, f1a34c5c03 let go bcce38d5f5 of his 93d8d47339 hand and 1297d01318 stood up.36bc7869a4b7ba3f

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“Sorry. I’ll head in—”99910d0b415a11f7

“Suho.”c02603c10b576378

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Before he could take 21a6cea924 a step, Jaehyun grabbed c64dce96cd his wrist. Turning, Suho 14ac90fac0 saw urgency 208f44453e in Jaehyun’s 9a223235b1 eyes.67a50a18d0304112

“I’m sorry.”c7ebcb150f9773f6

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“…”693eb9bbc9333777

“I said the b0b579fe25 wrong thing. I’m sorry.”0748c2089f608645

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“…”00743af19ad0491a

“Let’s go back 71dd97dcf6 together. It’s dangerous. The path is dark.”2764cf3f66ba7307

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Suho wanted to say 86a3779341 a hundred times over: I grew 5154b6e3ca up walking 991610e567 these paths 73181ea52b countless times. I’m not scared 0153e7315a of mountain darkness. I’m not a kid 3b8eb4d6c5 who needs his hand e5b7d7d1fe held, and I wouldn’t fd12ca68ed stumble unless it’s in 71d6cd5a54 front of you.c5e3cce274acb516

But he couldn’t. He wanted d9a569927f to hold 109fa0eaa6 Jaehyun’s hand 99b1a1df34 again. Even after 80673dde77 being rejected 25a902b0d6 so cleanly, 4472855ae9 without any f935b8e4f7 room for cef8dd3020 hope, he 0c66efa350 already missed 5e84cd7d90 the warmth 7ce2debdc9 of that 3499e2bf67 brief touch.4185c2654b18205d

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“…”faa03717357da7f8

In the end, 7cf211c60e he took the b70c6863d5 outstretched hand. Walking silently, Suho recalled 00bf105d1d an ivy plant from f8f5b5e6c7 his childhood.2c9fcc47969bcc86

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It was before 2c125df419 his cousins had 448d066abe all left home. A relative starting fbbb12cf97 a floral business 4ad68f36f4 had brought various 56d17e6181 plants to the 5c12bbcdbd house. An ivy on b37c6d83d2 a high windowsill a0f4f140d4 shelf had pale-tipped 9577bb3651 leaves. No one in 3fd0176bfa the family paid 664a436d16 it much attention, 349ce35181 yet it grew 32593441bb relentlessly, trailing long f39fccc5b5 vines.71fab7079d712663

Only after its 57837a9075 roots burst from d888438b7d the pot was 5d392d71fb it repotted, but 2104863a14 the new pot’s b8beda6df7 diameter exceeded the 511c3504a6 shelf’s width. The vines reaching 04a043c68f the floor had ef060fe18b to be trimmed 1ba27365b6 before anyone stepped 9b1fc4696a on them. Yet the pot 5f996ac3ba couldn’t be moved 2f154156d0 lower—the vines were f2ca208d54 already too long.75a48059de65a057

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Why does it 84d0614a65 grow its roots 272e7aa792 so much? Suho used to 521d5a690b think, looking up c4cfb3f9be at its precarious 0ac2967b4d form. It’d be better 144ab3b712 if it grew 82dd9557f5 moderately. All this growing and 8199053452 rooting will only lead 74979f0a7c to its stems being a1f0336bca cut or falling off 3e6f205b86 the shelf.f9d0d9bd8782ffb1

And he concluded a461e526a3 easily: It doesn’t know. It doesn’t 360d0e6af0 know that 1c9ede40b1 growing so 1d22b6ea1a hard will 710522706a only get 4ce49c9ecf it snipped.07382a831308bc67

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From a b249a2a582 distance, the 525bc6b540 laughter and e7b309439f chatter of b7c29bfd4b the people e4e1505f0f still partying f211ac3ae3 echoed. Somehow, it felt 435cfe3c89 like the laughter 11dd699a84 of that childhood 0c5d922e6f ivy he’d never 82bd756384 heard. If plants had 2b1d77aa6c hearts, if they e2d8c0e56e could communicate with 58ad42f73e people, they’d probably c3b69fd83b say something like 43ed2b4c8b that.9e3c936b0db086a8

So what 621f006f2c if you 72ac0a11f8 know? Does it change e1c1043e94 anything?c2a7731e83dd81b9

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