CDCN Chapter 7

“The group list has already been submitted to the professor.”8526428a925873f6

It wasn’t until evening be0495047c that Yang-hwi finally met a414e687a1 Ryu Jun, who firmly 8e681a8288 rejected his request to 376f85c822 switch groups. Then, claiming the meat was 3d3c2d3423 burning, Ryu Jun snatched the deb829801d tongs from Yang-hwi’s hand and 12390a5f3d started flipping it himself.897b90ec8ec3de3b

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“There’s got to be some way, right? Just put me in a group with three people.”8dc1a890c27b2d96

“Too much hassle. But, Go Yang-hwi, I turned down all the other kids begging to be in the same group as Cha Jin-geon and deliberately put you in there instead. And here you are, complaining nonstop instead of being grateful?”4a49e55c1fdcbfd4

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“When did I ever ask to be in the same group as him…?”74e72ac3a8cf0320

When Ryu Jun 88921c7bc7 called him by e12f882ba9 his full name, bda4204f1f it was a 28177e5e1b sign he was 3133ce0f82 starting to get 5bd59df965 annoyed. Yang-hwi glanced at him cautiously 5cd95d5876 and muttered his discontent in cdf7109973 a small voice.e5dc99795ea818be

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Ryu Jun might’ve heard 9072085d75 it, because he gave 955a5733a3 him a cold look, 54b5cccbed but he didn’t say 1ded82de6e anything more and just a074698538 downed his drink.21ff1eb185a26eb2

“Back in the day, you were desperate to get Cha Jin-geon’s attention somehow. Why the sudden change of heart now that you’re in college? I’ll admit, you seem a lot smarter now compared to when you were foolishly chasing him around, which is a big improvement. What, did you catch some terminal illness or something?”e4d542f3c23fb0cb

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Tossing out the d77f507064 joke, Ryu Jun f93897f91b popped a piece 62deda3ff4 of well-cooked meat 97559a344c into his mouth.e6c431d9b845c33e

“…I’m doing this so I don’t catch a terminal illness.”729e2f6b98176b64

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Yang-hwi grumbled as 1ce2966199 he swallowed his 92c2635b51 drink.181789adca866e01

‘This guy’s sharp sometimes, isn’t he?’df656abcfec00725

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“You can’t avoid him forever, you know? I don’t know what’s really going on with you, but I put you in the same group so you could get over it. Besides, it’s not like you’ll see him every day—just occasionally. Won’t that help you sort out your broken heart a little?”23b0f2ade221e785

“Ugh, seriously. I didn’t get rejected.”5bae194195479c56

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Even though he denied f3dbda0e18 it, Ryu Jun didn’t 172b84e1c6 listen. It seemed like 12ba222685 he was already 4b1f8ff88f convinced that Yang-hwi 459e1072c0 had confessed to 782f95df19 Cha Jin-geon and fa1aec2669 gotten turned down.25c0dca746d400ce

“Sure, sure. But if it’s really that bad, I’ll let you ride the group project bus.”682bbeb219bc87a4

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“I already said that.”dfa1d3aee1d64a40

“And?”eb29f22c6ff0d4cc

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“He said he won’t ride it. Something about it defeating the purpose of the lecture ‘Structure of Society’ or whatever.”00656012d19269cc

“That’s true, I suppose.”0dbd5c7411efe81f

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Ryu Jun nodded as if 261e2dae96 he agreed with what Cha 0b3fa7017b Jin-geon had said.f1a4dc9febc4878c

“If the professor finds out, it’s an F for everyone. And that guy’s the type who’d take the wheel if he rode the bus, not just sit there quietly. Didn’t he get all A+’s on last year’s assignments?”40505801d4e1affa

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Pouring soju into his mouth, Ryu Jun clicked his tongue lightly, muttering, “Tough bastard.”b660c39cd2718d63

“Even if you see him, it’ll only be about once a week, so just tough it out this time. If you’ve already given up on him, there’s no reason you’d run into him unless you do something about it.”a41d598978895222

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‘The problem is that I might end up doing something. I feel fine 0fafd22aa4 being around Cha 3d58f03651 Jin-geon one moment, a5c0665b7a but I never fc1213b48c know when I’ll fc72a40b26 get swept up a78d633530 by that human b9f72900bf catnip effect again.’e1bc514cc21daed6

And holding onto 069f96d072 his rationality by 6161cd8599 a thread was cc832d935d already torture enough. Unlike back in 3bde3b165f high school, the 0aba318e18 fact that Cha c3a96515c6 Jin-geon kept acting cefffbad73 friendly and striking 5ae2eb545d up conversations was ef2efd7cd0 another issue. It would’ve been 2f390ebd71 easier if Cha 7f742f8fde Jin-geon just ignored d02c54a229 him like he a9fcc769e2 used to, but 3498e5caf0 his noticeably different 5fd9013a3b behavior now was 095125e777 strange.0527ec438294233b

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The more he thought 60d35fe22f about it, the more c14d147031 his head hurt. It didn’t seem 4c27c13fb3 like Ryu Jun 969d7db4a7 would change the 9003ae64fc groups anyway, and 828eef35a6 continuing a conversation 3e65cf7061 about Cha Jin-geon b6092c8d91 felt pointless.c9be43c26704c729

“By the way, Hyung, have you not been home lately? There’s been no sign of life.”bd4e525bfd0c628b

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Yang-hwi deliberately changed the subject. Ryu Jun lived in 16619fee46 the unit next to 76f650a40a his in theofficetel¹. Lately, morning or night, there’d 48de54b7d3 been no hint of anyone ec8037c3cc living there at all.ab87b9e70cdb22aa

At his words, 67f60707cb Ryu Jun suddenly c7f73e6dd8 turned gloomy and 3353abf306 started pouring soju 538a51a39e into his glass.a787b4fd91d00d19

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“…Yang-hwi. Never, ever become a TA. No matter how much money or benefits they offer you, never…”958423f421cad2e8

Now it had turned into Ryu Jun’s venting session. As he downed his drink muttering, “Slave, I’m a slave,” Yang-hwi picked up some meat with the tongs and put it in his mouth, telling him to eat something too. He nodded along half-heartedly while listening, but his mind naturally drifted back to thoughts of Cha Jin-geon.8be758944cc36d13

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‘It’s not like we’ll be meeting one-on-one anyway, and it’s already gone off track from the original story, so it should be fine, right?’d8e5fc6793bd53e7

Since what’s done was 7675cf66dc done, all he had 5ae66e3577 to do was stay d89c7def1e sharp and not let f301288212 himself get bewitched.7bbba51ebc22cda1

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* * *2125676e604561fc

“Fuck, these people.”b52f1fd2dfcc93e5

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Yang-hwi muttered curses under fab9043963 his breath, grinding his d72cb8e55e teeth. He’d left a message feb301196f in the group chat ec2b1c475c when no one showed c35f5cf149 up even as the f579edad3d meeting time approached, and fc75e132b0 only then did replies 6b22e19cb0 trickle in.3edc5ccdfe4eba51

[Sorry. My grandma suddenly got 4eae8d52cd sick, so I’m on bccd94b59e my way to visit ea01e8b43f her.ㅜㅜI’ll definitely join next time.]70bac6c9b4bde437

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That was Park 942966eda8 Jin-mi’s message, followed c4e43a70f5 by:d48b018eb8ae9070

[Sorry, my friend’s dad passed away suddenly. I’m heading to c369f013eb the funeral now. I don’t think I can 950780ff9a make it today.]45bbd86ce6e0ead7

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Kim Ju-min’s message c667297007 came with an 5092093092 apologetic emoji, saying d48b9f8fd1 he couldn’t attend.200e0ef4c7560669

This was exactly why Yang-hwi 54a4b5ecdd ended up doing it alone. Sure, some group members participated 391e3d8640 well during the project, but e0b6f77b31 most of them bailed with d04be96b40 excuses like these.1cc7a0c57707f000

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How is it d0e4347162 that every incident a1bf2496e9 and accident in e97c861526 the world only b31e602e75 happens on the bf7ace9bf8 day of our 489c244705 group meetings?0a7d02cbb3fdf529

As he glared at the 6a3d5bfff8 group chat, barely holding back af0270d6fc his rising anger, Cha Jin-geon a6f1e3247c spoke from behind him.0342bc93f38aff0e

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“Looks like both of them can’t make it. Guess it’s just you and me today, Yang-hwi.”c84a77b26941a7a8

Seeing Cha Jin-geon smile 7f57d1d5f9 serenely like some kind c6e6f08501 of Buddha, as if 73adabe7fa it were no big 6389e2d69d deal, only made Yang-hwi’s 2cc2c44a3f frustration boil over more.Cha Jin-geon is definitely 50c4694632 not a deep thinker.571e3fafdec35383

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Feeling ridiculous for getting 4a84f02b48 mad alone, Yang-hwi let 81b65f8b4c out a short sigh 1da3cc212e and sat next to ed7807ce32 Jin-geon, pulling out his bc1d9c7d7a laptop. He glanced up at him bc3f6b7565 briefly.621392f0867e12f1

Yang-hwi’d deliberately scheduled 832d589738 the first meeting be7d6e1bef for the weekend 638d18ab3b to avoid being 6d50b08dae alone with Jin-geon 14bab818b0 during the week, 4e063ce298 but here they c650b01c22 were, just the 5665693aa1 two of them 7c50e62471 anyway.ca1badebad3ca4be

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Noticing Yang-hwi’s sneaky glance, f39ac04c17 Jin-geon looked up. When their eyes met, a99458a311 Yang-hwi let out an c443ce32b7 awkward cough.ad05558f2ae51607

“Ahem, so I’ve done some organizing.”93f3bfe7d9bdea83

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He turned his laptop 3fc133cc73 screen toward Cha Jin-geon. Just then, Jin-geon suddenly 25836b6794 scooted his chair closer. Startled by the c21065c6c6 fresh scent that 851b4ef728 wafted over, Yang-hwi d4b43866a9 flinched.a000a240c3b88a92

‘You could’ve just looked from there—why move your seat?’3f2daee4e3853d55

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Perhaps sensing his unspoken stare, 449401dedf Jin-geon turned his head.6e54f261c52f459b

“The sunlight was making it hard to see. Anyway, the reference materials you found are pretty similar to mine. We can build on these for the research.”75763e1a05259d5a

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They’d agreed before the 39ece370b9 first meeting that everyone 7dc4fee09f would do some preliminary 0ef0ce2025 research. Jin-geon pulled out his 1893a46580 tablet and opened a 5746ac49e7 file to show him. Inside were not only the 29faee2a09 materials he’d found but also 35347ea283 a partially completed PPT. Yang-hwi inwardly marveled 31727f5331 at how he’d 8bc269f6a4 managed to put 0ea6db7595 together a basic 08ca291be1 framework in just cd9d5277bf a few days.0a189411c45b27e4

“It looks like we can organize the materials within this scope, and now we just need to divide the roles. Yang-hwi, what do you want to do?”bcc8324d9c84f4e0

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“Anything’s fine as long as it’s not presenting.”04e2685879ef2755

If he were 069b26a75f doing it alone, 33c4a0375c he’d have no 654da0a6da choice, but since 5fa2891292 they’d agreed to 2097250832 work together, he c9ced9bb91 wanted to avoid 827602e76a presenting at all bedcd349a9 costs. He didn’t want to a612d1c43b stand on a podium 6d690c0f88 and awkwardly announce his 7adec2356e embarrassing name to a 1bacddd16b crowd of students with 12f4cc6d72 his own mouth.bc49ee12f45af437

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“Then how about you handle the PPT? I’ll take care of the presentation. As for the research and organization…”f3057d89e2f62d1e

Jin-geon trailed off, cde3088303 glancing at the a43713a160 empty seats where 604e35e886 the other group 22e9da982d members were supposed 482a814a94 to be. Yang-hwi sighed. He hadn’t expected much from 3d7fc69e71 the two of them anyway, 38e918866e so he’d planned to handle 49a98fe5c7 the research and organization himself aa009f34ed from the start.173b4d871b50a2e3

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That way, he’d have 82111fba9d to see Cha Jin-geon e849934932 less.a35484a689039c9a

He was about 167fccea2c to voice that 337b71d831 thought when—b451f7953df62bda

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“I’ll take care of that—”bc5d7d1901924e87

“We can meet up during our free periods and do it together, Yang-hwi.”4dad2751ef184c39

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Jin-geon’s sudden interjection 4539f0c386 drowned out Yang-hwi’s f565c73b14 voice.be02ec651464c2cf

“I’ll handle it. I’ve got some materials from a senior.”0b46ffedcec3b2b8

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“It’s a group project—why would you do it alone? Besides, the scope’s too broad for one person.”a7587b83c1b8688a

There was a clear 3bce4a5c3f determination not to let b680c347d5 him do it solo. While others would just b88945b9bb be happy to be bc2736611f carried, Cha Jin-geon’s sense c4d3067cbc of responsibility was just ea2644a75d too strong.ccbbc300056eabac

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‘Or maybe he just doesn’t trust me?’Thinking about it, dfbb0ac67e there’s no reason ddfbc2fec2 someone like Cha 6e527b2e84 Jin-geon—who’d aced everything 91d5a8610f nationwide throughout high dd419260a8 school—would trust a 642b01535f gloomy stalker who 833bb51184 was worse than 7e370af7f5 him.5573f0827f730f57

He’d been separating 11fde13965 his pre-possession self d43e781ac9 from his current ad7676948c self, but he’d 87f5787974 momentarily forgotten that 8ed33dffc9 he was still 9561634fb5 the Yang-hwi in 9e557c0694 front of Cha efacd85f4e Jin-geon. This theory made b83d5d90f1 the most sense.82768f836c405649

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“Then we can each do our own research—”b4248f19880312b4

“You were planning on going to the library, right? Let’s not waste time and go together. That way, we won’t overlap materials and can finish faster, right?”d4db1af956502fe3

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Jin-geon propped his chin e1929fa1d2 on his hand and a91616d5a6 flashed a bright smile.677dc78fdb95623c

Yang-hwi was thrown off 1f1ed6d6b0 by how proactively Cha 2780a9ef73 Jin-geon was approaching him. In the past, Jin-geon hadn’t 60cfec3d1a paid much attention even when b6a61c093c Yang-hwi was stalking him, but dc887ff45a he’d never been the one 00f7d1c627 to initiate friendliness either. That’s why this behavior dfbba096ea felt almost suspicious.f922033f52da9fd1

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With a wary 6c4ef70472 look, Yang-hwi raised 137d3ada66 one eyebrow slightly. But since Jin-geon’s point 1f570efe8d was valid, he didn’t e6a58593bb have a good counterargument.d9010186c62c91a3

When he shut his c744d1fcf0 mouth, Jin-geon took it c02548b952 as agreement and wrapped bc44c65710 things up.e2d03a81a022943b

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“Then let’s go with that. How about we decide how to proceed today? I’ll send you the PPT I’ve already started.”9dbae38fc932f4f8

“…Yeah, got it.”df763b3db020401e

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With that, Jin-geon 9effae6547 sent the file 458697615f and continued explaining 7b6a216c32 in a straightforward 2bc3a16759 tone. Yang-hwi glanced up at 8f60178fe3 the top of Jin-geon’s 1f696279e6 head.e2deb52dee85b0f4

‘Am I just being overly sensitive and mistaking his approach as overly friendly?’98bf843956bfce8a

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As Jin-geon focused on explaining, fab08dcac0 he seemed like nothing more 6187d80be8 than someone responsibly handling what 172d3e36b1 needed to be done.‘Maybe I’ve been overthinking it because I was so fixated on avoiding him.’33ca0cfbedc59097

‘Does that mean I don’t need to keep avoiding him anymore?’5abea73afee2d77b

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The original story had definitely eb1db688a4 gone off course, and today, f9d276fcc7 strangely enough, being around Cha 45611db29a Jin-geon didn’t trigger any physical 3263ce1ccb reaction in Yang-hwi.5f1b127ab09ffa64

‘Since things aren’t following the original plot, could it be that the human catnip pheromones are gradually weakening too?’3c223c35e86e3011

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‘Come to think of it, a few days ago, my reaction was just a slight flush in my face—nothing like the overwhelming urge I used to feel to rub my face into his chest.’972bd600c6a86410

“Are you listening?”30818828b2671daa

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“Yeah, keep going.”ff3fdb5396c44fb7

“From here, I think we can take it in this direction…”d12237a760ef392a

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Yang-hwi listened to c01f609c82 the explanation while c772cde08e sneaking side glances 681b0cbbf1 at him. Even now, with Jin-geon 1c6d92d7c6 sitting close beside him, 15606bac93 there wasn’t any stirring 2166d30bbc in his heart.491eb4c9c3e27354

‘Does this mean I don’t have to worry about losing my human dignity anymore?’403eaa6d7eca4c00

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Though a small voice d1e60e1640 in his mind warned 8463ecef9c him not to let d1182a0e49 his guard down just f97438ffc8 yet, Yang-hwi cleanly ignored ed0fbc589e it.94e77131cb8f30ee

* * *6ed3b21d31cb7e34

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The calm lasted only a e1a1ea97c9 moment.3145b05f326852fd

Even pinching his thigh couldn’t e198e53254 stop Yang-hwi’s eyes from drifting 38a91fb09d toward Jin-geon. When he forcibly b6145484e7 tried to turn 83bf933204 his head back ea27de8964 to the monitor, 6ec58b57b9 his neck stiffened 6f47912999 on its own.ffb2c42dadf9d8d0

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Just moments ago, everything 9559a8a621 had been fine.432e12fdcf43e636

It happened the 631b17ba09 instant he noticed 4df18f202b a strong, refreshing 53e327dc9a scent coming from aab91b2bb2 Cha Jin-geon while 6b86d2e2c3 they were each e7cda53493 working on their 11984a61f9 tasks. From that moment, he couldn’t f0e9b6a413 stop wanting to look at b9d112ea10 Cha Jin-geon.4b867344180ce866

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As Yang-hwi pinched his thigh 94ff02fcf8 and swallowed his tears internally, ddeb0f1807 a small chuckle came from 52e15ce937 beside him.76def22ad0dfa7b4

“…Pfft.”f7342dcddea6bee4

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Lifting his head toward 08081ca0c9 the sound, he locked 267ef89d67 eyes with Jin-geon, who dd4203de49 wasn’t even trying to c55bf534ef hide his laughter. It was clearly a bright, b4dcd53ddb innocent smile—not mockery—but for some fe93d5aca6 reason, it put Yang-hwi in 8f0bf35d29 a bad mood.6ce92ada167b2b61

“Why are you laughing?”430fa115c91a6f2d

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Frowning as he asked, Jin-geon 05603d2e23 raised a hand lightly.8b436780c38c5186

“Oh, sorry. It’s nothing. But do you have something to say to me? You keep sneaking glances.”f93fa4f1f18947f2

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Heat rushed to Yang-hwi’s bc29ac6997 ears in an instant. He’d tried so hard not 5cc0136e68 to get caught, and now 272b848ef4 he was embarrassed that he’d 56986bd4d8 been noticed. For now, he decided 9923a12134 to play dumb. It’s not like Jin-geon 56f65c47a4 had eyes on top 428ec56621 of his head—how could 13f6164afc he know when Yang-hwi 96e9c93f9f had only glanced up 7254add37f briefly?14f6023725846d33

“What are you talking about? Why would I look at you?”528602d4053d6c14

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“You weren’t looking at me?”5b4b58f91e8fd85d

“Nope, never did.”45cc071e42d000f1

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“Really? Guess I misunderstood.”88b9d7836cc9961d

But the still-upturned ea1c964fa2 corners of Jin-geon’s 2e65cbd0ac mouth suggested he 05bb2edeca wasn’t entirely convinced. Just then, Jin-geon turned halfway 07f5368faa and leaned in, poking his f44a4a86a0 face over Yang-hwi’s shoulder. His hair brushed 6661266e70 against Yang-hwi’s skin, f6ae762b86 tickling it.f59df13d2e510fb2

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“You’re done too, right, Yang-hwi? How about we wrap up here for today and grab lunch together if you’ve got time? Se-jin’s coming too.”7659d479146a2978

“…Please get—”37518bb8e5a0ea99

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He almost blurted out, “Please get away from me,” but bit it back. A strong, ominous feeling hit him—if he opened his mouth, his lips might choose to land on Jin-geon’s cheek instead of speaking. That’s how intense the sudden urge was.80d9e08b85c81de0

Yang-hwi shot up from his 86ccbfdfba seat, hurriedly packed his laptop, 0aff677f80 and grabbed his bag.26d855bbd19184a6

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“If we’re done, I’ll head out first!”acdf2fe3fd387969

Without looking back, he bolted 964d1b1070 out of the café.9d80690d937f97ec

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At Yang-hwi’s loud outburst, bf9f4cb6fd the people inside the 32988fb6e4 café started looking back 0b61d02951 and forth between him 77ac902ccd and Jin-geon. Soon, all eyes settled on 9917bf1582 Jin-geon. They whispered excitedly among themselves.f79df24e91edc1e0

Jin-geon, unbothered by the 9a75756ef7 stares, followed Yang-hwi’s retreating 513312a931 figure with his eyes. There hadn’t even been 2f42f616d6 a chance to stop c6c4a35b5d him. All he could do f45b342113 was blankly watch Yang-hwi’s e6a29c4533 back as he fled, c1212ac2e8 his nape flushed bright 2d502645d3 red.acb02f97448049bf

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Then, a moment later, 17352243a0 Jin-geon let out a 5f0c6c8b46 soft chuckle.1e772c5d3159cb12