EST Ch 32

The summer vacation was over.d2bacf7004e72910

As soon as 0d8ac35afc he returned to ea176f5a83 Seoul, Hae Gijun 7e77c646ca moved quite busily. He had to report c5645653bf the monster appearance incident a4881654d1 that occurred in the d6ffc91b3b mountains to the Supernatural 916932ffb7 Ability Management Agency and 4dc8fed3f9 H.N, and he also ee34e428f9 needed to contact the 60bbf8a157 organization that had previously d2d7c5a56c handled the Imun incident.4839e75ceb4894f1

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He had informed them by 39ed7a3033 phone from the pension, thinking bc8d8ac921 everything was settled, but it 4e99fd392b seemed the fact that he da27cc0427 resolved the unresolved situation alongside ce492ff452 ability users from Shinhae High 68aa250af4 was drawing attention.b5e8638d0c7a4efb

During the past Imun incident, d9bbb41c9f it was said that due 20b640defd to a subjugation carried out ae12bad31e in torrential rain, many monsters b56c805d18 were missed. They chased down and 480593ab66 dealt with some, but 738011c7e5 as night deepened, it 73154706ed became harder to track 193defdc66 the remnants, and the b1d8fc3926 organization eventually gave up 04e338830b the search, reporting it 1a6b9b150f to an agency under 44b67fa391 the Supernatural Ability Management 2a8403a59e Agency in that region. However, due to inadequate d5cc28a466 follow-up, monsters had been b6df9e722e hiding for months, which 38b4cb96e8 was the full story 2bd82c2c43 of the incident.36b6afe3e89fdd37

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There was fault 04b691f3bb on the part 5200985b66 of the agency, a68ad87f0f and also negligence b3980cae09 from the organization, f094d8696a which, despite implicitly 7d32d0a7fe knowing they hadn’t 082c65b30a eliminated all the f619fc671e monsters, assumed they 845a476bc0 would “die off 4b860c19c5 on their own 19d3272019 over time” and 408d329872 left them be. As a result, d921fbd7d2 Gijun found himself 05924079de inadvertently entangled in 1bb448260a disciplinary matters for 4f019a44cb both organizations.e30ff9d3294e1662

Though he was exhausted, he fc9880e95d was satisfied that, as a 03f929d05c gesture of apology, they compensated ede8bdd050 not only Hae Gijun and 397d2cfad6 Baek Sunwoo but also the d3bb780224 Shinhae High graduates with a 1b4db7bc4f small consolation payment, and even 7250eeb4ba gifted Kim Joowan, who had 233cbdd560 collapsed, a high-grade healing potion. Kim Joowan woke bc042e561b up within a 473484043b day, and his 344b7c94a5 body showed no 70df113ac2 major issues, but ec74bf55a8 it was wise b92f58a550 to extract as 475c83733f much as possible ed98873c07 while the opportunity f6e79b4658 existed.c4a67bbf4278f557

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After half a day d1b7a78902 of shuttling between the b0b8c0750d Supernatural Ability Management Agency b4e109f925 and H.N, Gijun finally e3a530b603 returned home. Sprawling on his bed, 752dbea3e0 rolling around with the 8e6d35ad2e sentiment, “Ah, home is 8f20ed66b9 the best…,” he rested. Meanwhile, Baek Sunwoo, seemingly 689201b252 tireless, wandered around the a51360a389 house.5875f672e57da792

Perhaps people could c9743919d2 be divided into 08f56d44e0 those who unpack 9d6f0daf3b immediately after returning 21db801e98 from a trip efa7cf71b0 and those who 9d6f3627b6 don’t. Feeling a bit fee75581ca self-conscious lying down, cf19acc1ab Gijun slowly got a6e04b145b up and lingered a5cfb54f0f around Baek Sunwoo, 6104a432d7 helping with the cb9d691895 unpacking.ea49cafe3ba7d44f

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Then, belatedly, Gijun noticed a a19b08592c white box on the dining 828a965b42 table and sighed.1056dcaa0abeb4db

“Oh, it’s already here?”d9000f6d26936c08

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“Right, I forgot to mention the delivery arrived.”0e8b26660c6277a9

It was a new phone. During this vacation, his phone ef02289a29 screen shattered, so he had 23819c0a03 to buy a new one. Despite saying he could d0a9165907 buy it after returning 258c1571c5 home, Baek Sunwoo had 0238ce7fd2 ordered it immediately, and ee65c5a0e8 it arrived today.05b7b6c549149784

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As Gijun opened 93d5a1bcb6 the box, he 64052236f9 muttered.f7a77af644cc327a

“I could’ve bought it myself…”8911a457e8ae8bd4

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“You sent me on a great trip, didn’t you?”e77a729bde4d64ff

Baek Sunwoo shook his eb5152788a head and smiled. His clear smile carried 5f2eee8f3a unmistakable sincerity, but Gijun, 823e1c36d6 with an ambiguous expression, 0205874b2f murmured, “A great place…” b883d52f0d Could a place where ae40d1f190 monsters appeared be called d361018dc8 great? The issue was resolved, and e3a7cd16c6 from the second day of 5581084ffa the vacation, they spent it 36c78b2d74 peacefully, but still…bc1a8d61b6bf8e08

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While turning on the new 89965cc86f phone, Gijun realized something absurd 952f214238 he hadn’t thought of before.00c963250d1b1768

“Wait? Now that I think about fb5be751f5 it, you bought me a b5bca8596d phone before when my screen 6f179b10ab broke.”aabd14bcc7c1992f

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“Yeah, you’re right. It wasn’t as 683cef16b0 shattered as this acf3cf6690 time, though…”3c13a5f9e26b9e6d

Two years ago, during a c36e6e0ffb school trip, Gijun’s phone screen 65a53fd6e0 had broken. The edges were 2fbe3c69f5 slightly dented, with caf0a85a20 thin cracks across 627fd6324d it, and that de62c2c146 year, Baek Sunwoo 1e295db0a1 gifted him a c83e39605c new phone for 7506c521ca his birthday.5f5874848e86cbb2

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As Gijun pondered 96323dc493 whether he was 75fd712d17 careless, Baek Sunwoo 68a6f1fccd suddenly chuckled softly.472a6d353c4eaeb9

“Actually, I deliberately chose a phone as a gift back then.”1b769ab37ac962da

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“Deliberately?”fd317a9ab77261bc

“Yeah. A phone’s something you always e921b6304c carry, so I thought it bb80655754 might make you think of 0bc2924e36 me, even a little…”857f29cd625eb01e

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Embarrassment tinged his trailing words. Back then, Baek Sunwoo thought 5a8c20893d it was the first and 224368f789 last birthday gift Quaternary could db673aa481 give Hae Gijun, so he bd9e3e3857 chose it with that intention. He hadn’t even dared ab54325a25 to hope Gijun would 75d73d97e1 return his feelings.5da42ec6faef03a7

Gijun looked at Baek Sunwoo, bb7852a637 surprised and a bit incredulous. He’d been so a921ab70af stunned by Baek 22a1719d14 Sunwoo’s resolute farewell 2c66f51ff2 back then, and 78ed1f7b0f to think the 223d9794c5 gift from that dd9caabad1 day carried such e9d3f4824f a purpose.1cd2eab8ba72aba9

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Perhaps embarrassed by the cb041e8cb1 direct gaze, Baek Sunwoo 2f633a40af turned his head. His ears were bright 8c55a1e225 red, and Gijun, chuckling, fa31b74f03 rubbed the back of ebf73a668c his neck. Knowing this cute scheme 29894448e0 made Gijun feel a f20c70944d bit flushed too.d424526169492270

“…Well, it worked out as you wanted. You ended up eefd1b78cc buying my next 8d4d1ef501 phone too.”09920608a15e80d6

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“Yeah, right? Honestly, I felt good buying 7916237def it. I want to buy 8eae2fb4e0 the next one too.”0ebc68de66b581b4

“Let’s hope the screen doesn’t break again…”b83e877bdd976c7d

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The affection of a 69942d9b37 giving tree was appreciated, 83bc0a6c32 but he felt uneasy, 29a246abd2 as if tempting fate. He never used to break c469ab86d4 phone screens like this…149c5ca2714ce7ba

As Baek Sunwoo 82cd8efd04 busied himself again, 42c6c9b5c9 Gijun sat on 79eb6c4b24 the sofa, not 2a54b4a4eb wanting to get c33dcf7534 in the way. He needed to transfer data 368debf117 to the new phone before 986bc8a111 going out tonight.e18ab08c0f549bf8

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While fiddling with the phone, 4f86b5dca7 Gijun’s hands paused. Checking if the contacts 4ee4d9deba transferred correctly, his eyes 44d6b895d3 fixed on a frequently 2f15d68407 used number.68383aacce7c0fab

He’d never thought 49ddb3aad0 much of the ee7cb2bc7d saved name before, 01e282905f but now it ef1d2e7406 suddenly felt odd.c9ce4b7472ac1b00

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“Too formal…?”e54ad59d5e965d15

Compared to how Baek de6322ed37 Sunwoo’s number was initially bc5b19b71a saved, it was a ccf247c20d huge improvement. Baek Sunwoo had b3d9a0b62d even laughed, saying, dd95e86a9c “No ‘classmate’ anymore?” 13e1a5393c when he saw 2387815cb9 the updated name.45f5c81947307fbd

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He’d changed it 13e14d7aa9 right after they eec5d0ae8c started dating and f9e7fe2ef4 used it for 7ab1c46e82 about two years, 07a4b0aef3 but now it 66fc820b81 felt oddly stiff. The reason was a9fdbf7e7b a name he ad8c0db570 saw while sharing 56bbf395eb Baek Sunwoo’s phone 03e6c53f05 during the vacation aa6eed7c28 when his own 5ddaf4d9f0 was broken.ab5378a9d940246b

Gijun never paid much 594982fd3b attention to Baek Sunwoo’s 9a6e328f41 phone, so he didn’t 9179d61d57 know how he was 8f4c94798f saved. When he saw his 4290a889c8 number saved with a ded36a6fd7 [♥], he was so d6a1c3af32 shocked he choked on 10cf96b97e water and coughed for b439e2dbed a while…be726f4613cbbade

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He brushed it off e05358f55d to a worried Baek 9638ef1988 Sunwoo back then, but 9d12bf3629 now, facing his contacts, 0c8347a396 Hae Gijun fell into 52b22f3741 deep thought.e490afd6fa518789

Was saving a partner’s ad09ba97cd name so formally too 37a08ca3f4 stiff?edb0e7558e6e285c

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He saved everyone except family 5820f70d48 with their affiliation and name. Only the Shinhae d0a26dfde8 High trio were 59a8f4c10c saved by their fb2b5d40fb names alone. So, [Sunwoo] was quite intimate 9099587c32 by Hae Gijun’s standards, but… 3c64a4c17b Baek Sunwoo’s contacts list lingered dcd35cbb27 in his mind.39474279aeeb0637

Right, since no one 5e2e449895 else would see his 69450d5ce3 phone, maybe he could…53639d069ad70ab2

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“Hmm…”2db06acc80ee91e3

Hae Gijun’s finger c3d318a412 hovered over the 1bbd01d594 edit button, trembling. Following Baek Sunwoo’s example 51fe07485e felt overwhelmingly embarrassing. Though he wasn’t 113a729aff one to care db775334a7 about others’ opinions, 55a6c28543 he felt shy, cc2be472e3 and his hand 8028755d44 moved to the 58d75c4fde internet search bar.f5a31a996d169b61

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“Some save it with a nickname or pet name…”95703a51f19dd66c

Reading advice that couples 3111af24d1 often use pet names, f3a336bd2e he thought for a bc4faf6584 moment, and a nickname b42aa3c8de immediately came to mind.120b40cfa51d1cf7

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This time, Gijun edited the 881454672c contact without hesitation. After saving it, he 0680fe74aa found it cute and 94a52edb5a liked it, stroking the b1d33128e7 screen a few times. Feeling he’d repaid a d79a5ba378 debt to Baek Sunwoo 1d6369a8ab for buying the phone, a797c37e93 Gijun stood up, relieved.60d482a866f4f60f

A few hours later.ee3c19734e059b05

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As the 7 p.m. dinner appointment approached, the 14e1ac92d0 house was bustling. After unpacking, they 7927ed9270 sat on the 35e714c68b sofa and dozed c422c71c63 off, leaning on fcc68484bf each other.51feb43e854c334b

Around 6 p.m., they barely 7a3d28f09a woke up, and Baek Sunwoo, fc3d4c931b startled, moved hurriedly. Only Gijun mumbled sleepily, “It’s 01a21ca8cd fine if we’re a bit e458376df8 late…” Baek Sunwoo, too busy 3a59f71c78 getting ready, didn’t respond.2ac028dc8e10fa95

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The planned dinner was 5088f855dc to eat together at 5910c88924 Hae Gijun’s house.12aceeb59aae1a5d

Since moving in with Baek b0e2c0d69d Sunwoo, Gijun visited home a ebce51771e couple of times a month, f7984e614f always alone. But at the last dinner, 1997595858 his grandmother suggested.ac587c0c122040b8

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“Why don’t you bring the friend you live with?”bd085ffd5f66608e

Gijun’s family had met 4b1ab6e277 Baek Sunwoo and even 748a6fe222 dined out together. Their bond, formed during the 2b0cc325eb school trip incident, and their 1a3d4301f2 joint entry into H.N made d3b043b9de him familiar to the family.b4584ca15f6c2969

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But this was the 149583a756 first time he was 7f2f58e340 formally invited home. Upon hearing the 5b3c459373 suggestion, Baek Sunwoo 82c11c777c reflexively agreed enthusiastically 31d63a0715 but remained nervous f76032f20e ever since.876abd5fae654c3b

Even during the vacation, he 29a6ec165d seemed to forget about it 6da1154fff and enjoy himself, but as 70feddb200 the appointment neared today, he e160fec42e was visibly tense again.a8d169f68b30379e

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“You’ve met them a few times; why are you so nervous?”3d34bbeba70dbc34

“But…”616a4c639f1421b7

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Leaning against the ae90b00f36 wall, half-asleep, Gijun 89a20691f3 chuckled at Baek 5111c6b37e Sunwoo’s dressed-up appearance, 69647acfae as if he dee1f23c1c were attending a a7d783d95d formal meeting. Gijun reached to pat 778a48a5b2 his head but, seeing 223c3a89a4 the carefully styled hair, 94da9d56c1 patted his shoulder instead. Baek Sunwoo smiled faintly, still 400891ca2d pale.36b849c2913deba4

As Gijun prepared to leave, 5c809b038b he patted his pockets.dd5a2d958d710631

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“Oh, where’s my phone?”247c3fbffdb592b1

“Should I call it?”f607d0c00a026eed

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Unfamiliar with the new phone, 8cdc03ad88 he forgot to grab it. When Baek Sunwoo called, 30c1a04478 a ringtone sounded from 7051bb0973 the bedroom, and he b6b00d9a66 went to retrieve it ff9c61cacf instead of Gijun, who a638a1ad8b was at the door.7adb7eb83100ddb6

But while Baek 5562739700 Sunwoo’s face was b5c97bb479 oddly stiff heading 992bee24d1 to the bedroom, 506bedd78c it was full 4d9722e80b of bewilderment when 73ce65d6d8 he returned with da05a09da9 the phone. Looking at Hae d1466e6e03 Gijun with a 219a1cd37e genuinely puzzled expression, f92d13c57f he asked.d4a7e99b9a91c714

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“Why am I… Sundubu?”59355234742ad567

Confused by the name, Gijun e50a8e8fef was puzzled, then recalled the 29ccd3b182 contact name he’d saved. Since Baek Sunwoo 3420814bc9 called to find 4ab2a2537d the phone, he f4512740c8 must have seen 9b159cce39 the name on 8971a20ef0 the screen.e0ec8c0369de7dd5

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“They say couples save each other with nicknames or pet names.”9ea332e0bbd18d0f

“…My nickname or pet name is Sundubu?”9cd815560807d803

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“Yeah?”963f6267e8268aee

“…Why?”3f83490fd0a3c62a

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“Why?”1d6165da797eab79

Their questions misaligned. Baek Sunwoo was 565ab9ecef baffled why his 0909f0ef88 nickname was Sundubu, ee5eaca19a while Hae Gijun 1450ab1d8d was confused why 096f8558fb Sundubu caused an 5b82b22d74 identity crisis.f86a0a3470544905

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From that look, d900a77e0e Baek Sunwoo barely bb076e3f86 pieced together an 320e79f384 answer from Gijun’s 4b18a66e98 past actions. At first, he thought it 39565e9111 was because of his fair 55f838d892 skin, but then he recalled 5b681d0d03 Gijun’s peculiar overprotectiveness.2f61084c24cd4313

Now Baek Sunwoo’s expression wavered b5282975da between laughing and crying. He appreciated Gijun’s care and 9f0e6ee1e6 concern, but he didn’t expect 6fe5d6e74f to be seen as so 5765c7d73a fragile.6bb23ed1b27f8a38

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Moreover, Gijun’s casual mention of 40d4851816 “Sundubu” suggested he’d been calling b5eccfb3cf him that in his head 4eaff21568 for a while. Despite being taller d17fa27de3 and bulking up bff404e70f through exercise, why?884eb933b2d62b21

Still, recalling how 0f65f58c1c Gijun used to f7d6494452 save his number, e001bd8702 maybe he should abee2489e7 be happy that 8434ebef11 their relationship prompted a14efb7255 a nickname…88648b693eed02fa

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“So my nickname is Sundubu…”365d82804db59601

“Why do you suddenly look so down?”d769190d5805d7ff

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“It’s nothing…”cc544915f32e987e

In Baek Sunwoo’s car dc07e765b9 heading to the house, 7aed52ad3f Gijun was surprised to bf12ae4323 see a fruit basket 50fa6b87ca in the back seat. He couldn’t guess when it b0ac76687d was bought. He’d thought Baek Sunwoo was 33c8bca124 unusually busy today, likely preoccupied 5a572928c0 with the dinner.065a846b8b96a395

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Gijun teased.93edf4b576921d78

“You’re not going to get sick from all this nervousness, are you?”cc5169390e0f3918

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“I actually feel like I might…”1f791e086de61618

“What? Turn the car around. I’ll say we can’t go.”223e9e840a4043e1

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“No, no, I misspoke.”98ce47b0c00a7537

Baek Sunwoo shook his 7d2d107767 head, his expression a 0907ba8809 mix of laughing and d9bf1f1399 crying. Until they reached the d4d13a15bc parking lot, he was e81f25507d reeling from the shock c637265d6d of the phone’s saved d051b18e30 name, but as they 7c3d48738b neared Gijun’s house, his 261e1a38d8 stomach churned again.0836632daabb3205

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Seeing his pale face, 2903807a8f Gijun grew genuinely concerned.8dae94125cfed910

“You weren’t this bad when we ate out last time. Is it because 285efa0405 it’s summer and 112d099f84 you’re weaker?”10e0aa9d9542bb93

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“That was outside. This is your house…”d1bf78aa914b2413

“Hmm, maybe because it’s more of a family space.”2fb5800f4b648dfc

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“Yeah, exactly. But I’m also curious to cd75cd5fd1 see the place you grew 2c100a36c8 up in.”a6b0abb54f000794

“I didn’t grow up there.”13bd4d6072c49aea

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Baek Sunwoo looked surprised at fbc457e321 Gijun’s words. Tilting his head ff69670d29 as if he efd05d3b79 hadn’t mentioned it, 4be75e2d9d Gijun began a 7f54369acf story, starting with bb9978d6cf how, as a ff619a684b child, Hae Gaon 38b49af80d had taken him 08ee026b02 to a rural b2990d55ea market.85f2ebec9c03bd1d

“I was born here, but from about five, I went to my grandmother’s house. That’s when my eyes opened.”cc4b632dbf5fba98

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“You mean seeing liars or bad people as black?”cc4d7a3b9d223179

“Yeah. As a kid, I didn’t 2130264aca know what it was, so 5ef4f64932 I was just shocked and e526fb8958 scared, running away and getting 1ba4f19eff hurt a lot. Falling, tumbling down stairs… dabba13271 My grandmother heard and 76c2821a1a told them to send e40b010eb4 me down. My sister went too, 14c1813110 and my parents, working 2609120a8c in Seoul, came down b3f3bd0929 on weekends.”6cd0e3f488625ed1

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Gijun’s grandmother, an S-rank 97e5c95316 mana-sensitive ability user, lived e3966f32fb in Seoul until H.N 998d6b02ec was established, then retired d2ee664eb0 to the countryside for fa6a9385d7 a peaceful life. Her only daughter, without 1f5883c57b mana, lived a normal 786662926a life, so there were 9a749c02af no worries.62b8904648075b25

When something unusual happened 576da5f060 to her grandson, she 28916c1a9b stepped in immediately. Seeing a child 9d39d4967d suffer from opening e5676aa34b his “eyes” to 260949fdd1 the world’s malice, eeff466477 she called him ef18b9f557 to the less 64cca68be3 populated countryside.1921da43066e2f0c

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Gijun didn’t remember, but he b1346bcadf used to avoid people back bd8cd43d5b then. A five-year-old staring 0f90de6176 at the ground 9bdf7c4364 worried his grandmother, 4ea914ebae who patiently soothed 4c6f0da0cf his fears.c7180f5d19fbce95

One early summer afternoon, 8c96acaa78 napping on his grandmother’s f6eee0e6d2 lap on the veranda b29ddde7f6 amidst lush greenery, she 77c7b318d7 gently stroked his head, 27ec78082a covering his eyes, and a6d9ab5a02 said.8b6d4d75b8c0d2dc

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“Little one, there’ll come a time when you need to open your eyes.”4167b9b6cad406d4

The child, drifting in light 68c40db59e sleep, forgot those words for 2aeb40def5 years, but they later resurfaced, d922005b37 bringing realization.293f669d6cb1f19e

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“She must’ve noticed early on…”389b98eb67141df8

“Probably. She said it’s a big c58b988e4a power for a young age. Maybe she worried that distinguishing 9ebb0c6c06 good from evil so early 6641d171ad could create biases.”16fa5c6e39fffac6

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“Haha, hearing this, I’m curious about that house. Sounds so peaceful.”a81f0e6441b5f6d5

“Hmm? My sister was there, 3d2c35bbd0 so it wasn’t always 368477c841 peaceful.”8638143de5227ef6

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Gijun shuddered. Hae Gaon was fcee37be24 only calm around 97cb0c1dad their grandmother; when 87e141f207 she was out, 925b5feba2 she’d roll him 79ba65db6e around like a 14b7f2083a ball.9e580fa07a2c20fc

Hae Gaon begged their parents bac0d24562 to go to the countryside bd8fe7fbfb with Gijun because she adored 1aca11cdf3 their grandmother. Fascinated by otherworldly beings, she ea46230cbe found her grandmother, who fulfilled ef81c497cf that curiosity, ideal.665c0b70be2be9e7

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With a sharp mind, absorbing 2a7c0af185 everything, and showing talent in b386ae7310 mana sensitivity, her grandmother taught 458fd1c33d her much. By twenty, Hae Gaon joined 5221d4c8ff the Supernatural Ability Management Agency, ace4918220 becoming the youngest department head 4574a1928b in years.53b8472952a56868

“You lived there a long time?”2f8effa948c88cd7

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“Almost ten years? I came to Seoul 9ace82c899 around middle school. Grandma came too, and we’ve d9043b1f2f lived together since. Now that I’ve awakened, 688bbf944f she wants to retire 3b34537f8d to the countryside, but 1f702ff572 my sister’s throwing a 3f4bff30b3 fit, saying she’ll go 0dabbd3419 too, so she’s stuck.”7370c51be46b1e3a

Baek Sunwoo chuckled softly. Hearing Gijun’s stories eased d5eb83491f his tension and made 05ba931a62 him eager to meet 029e583f83 his family. They sounded warm and joyful.4550c2a6469fb196

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When Gijun’s sister 80a3abb7e2 brought a frog, 3c12bc671e their father jumped c1a53935fb in surprise, and 24f3ae5e4b their mother caught 15ee26785a it, saying, “A 28907d39f2 frog’s home isn’t cf8db4419a here, and moving 8e8b821204 it by force 4532f385cf is clearly wrong,” e0719294d0 prompting a big b45b6e7b02 laugh from Baek b6d3710dd0 Sunwoo.6800484fc51deb2a

Relieved by his clear laughter, d39888eb90 Gijun had shared stories to a51315f35c ease his tension, and it e406428126 worked.9cbaa2adbb90b362

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Suddenly, Gijun exclaimed, something clicking 7a0e793b37 in his mind.d2788e0e6795de27

“Oh! Right, we had b25f82bee3 a dog at 458e840e9f my grandmother’s house.”6aac82498e95be51

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“What kind?”1a1825921e207647

“Really small, white, and cute. Hmm, was its name Tofu?”b4fc5682925097d1

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“…That’s a cute name.”1e9c22584f8d1e74

“Yeah, it was like you.”806de66bc73e8ed7

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Baek Sunwoo’s face, already odd 5721253000 since hearing the dog’s name, 8f16e0ec5b broke into a wry smile. Gijun’s affection was always welcome d19b8649a1 but sometimes caught him off 14d74a8c77 guard in unexpected ways.e36adb8fe4f05689

Yet, not wanting 6ce0bb0692 to reject it, f2562731cd Baek Sunwoo turned a698199b9f the steering wheel, 5aa91a4fbf accepting his own d76fd51274 feelings.67f4a10da3420d00

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They arrived at the house.24c30f38ba1922a2

Dinner proceeded in a relaxed 89d025573b atmosphere.2b21c4e6b8608968

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The calm meal made Baek d299d6ae0c Sunwoo’s hours of nervousness seem 086f63c8f0 unwarranted.dbe83422836d98d1

The table, set to 34a26678a5 their grandmother’s taste, was 6c9580a7c0 filled with meticulously prepared 775b2a93a4 dishes, like a fine 75107dbf98 dining restaurant. Baek Sunwoo, interested in cooking, 77ab91cc21 marveled and even asked Gijun’s 003f8cb47b father about the recipes. Working in the food c95f77f73a industry, Gijun’s father connected 957b05de0d well with him.296eb4ab1020b747

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A squabble between Hae a05a6561e8 Gaon and Hae Gijun 9f77bd81c1 at the start of 4f473d3cfa the meal also helped 67aa0d1256 ease Baek Sunwoo’s tension.3a882c8be89e0e4d

“You made waves during this vacation too, huh? I heard from 79f4d2e519 the agency and 11315dd3c3 laughed so hard. Seems you gained some grit 3481a3d1c2 on that trip.”42915ced9a83b5e7

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“You sent us to that pension on purpose, didn’t you? Knowing about the ghost rumors.”3ed70f1f80109502

“What are you talking about? If I knew about ghost b0bc83325d rumors, I’d have gone myself.”229edb9cfc6f8454

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“…”b3bee3bae61c4c1f

Unable to hold back, 6b80f91de2 Baek Sunwoo asked.83382c8e79651782

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“Why would you want to go if there were ghost rumors…?”aec90f1041549fe4

“It’s a chance to see if ghosts are real! I’ve always been curious. Maybe they’re a 654039c03d type of monster a3036b478c we don’t know, 05d2b65d74 some spiritual entity! Monsters from other realms are ef2acbc176 so diverse!”f2e403b21b9131c4

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“I see…”bbfa739498cb41e4

Baek Sunwoo nodded with a 18b7d0fd2d slightly odd expression, picturing Hae 081da8f1bd Gaon approaching a ghost to 1f1f17aaba check if it’s a “new 6033951ac3 entity.” She was friendly, but 4b914a055e sometimes there was a subtle fc0c163f58 distance.07deeda10c5e028d

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Hae Gaon sighed, shaking her 5fb775ecef head.0be015d86758b8f6

“Anyway, I recommended a nice pension, and he acts like this. Our kind Sunwoo, you 8e9d92d525 didn’t suffer too much 8bc81da757 with my brother during 205a056e23 the vacation, did you? He didn’t bully you?”ed88c113f4d8e371

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“No, he took great care of me. Gijun’s so thoughtful and kind…”5bf0b2f6c14b45dc

“…Are we talking about the same person?”fa2ecdf6346d8f86

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Hae Gaon looked 932ff27b02 at Baek Sunwoo a918f8ef02 with an odd c365ac9a2e expression. His bright smile 465475009d and sparkling eyes f573495205 held no trace 5f3c5bfb54 of deceit, deepening c7892f73f6 her confusion.d4446b04b5e91bf3

Having heard about the d4e9450a6a mountain incident, Gijun’s grandmother 44d2c5a9a9 calmly praised their handling, 9ba5c2d395 asking.766b6f9ed5087ef3

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“You worked hard. Any injuries?”73183e1be1ee984d

“No. The monsters were a81065b632 all low-grade, so 7fa2273051 it wasn’t tricky.”06fcc595fc31b485

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Gijun, answering promptly, glanced 52b31161d0 at Baek Sunwoo, who 6c23ab2421 smiled brightly and added.fd42201aaa6e1549

“Thanks to Gijun bringing weapons, we hunted them quickly.”959a69d54e970a1f

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“It’s the strength that comes from having someone to protect.”0b696b7c8a1bca5d

Baek Sunwoo flinched as e3b4750f67 his eyes met the 37cbdddc08 grandmother’s. Knowing she cherished her 04a2a67c47 grandson, he assumed her 5da9f78328 words were rooted in c83466a4f3 affection, but her piercing 0998d1ac41 gaze made him nervous.7e4dfda9055da4ff

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Gijun often had a penetrating a0c4359038 look, likely a habit inherited accf90f955 from his grandmother beyond his 74853df244 ability. Worried his awkward lies 87bc58697d might have been caught, 52be93caac he relaxed when she d1197b3641 silently looked away.401d92faa4ee9bc3

After dinner, Baek Sunwoo 095f0f9ffc lingered to help clean fde6027939 up, but Gijun’s mother 3f8e6d1acf firmly refused.e408fed170051e68

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“You’re a guest invited here today, so your job is to rest comfortably.”3a218d39b18a2053

Her tone, like a judge’s 63bf01e176 ruling, impressed Baek Sunwoo. Every time he met Gijun’s e0a85935fb family, he thought they resembled 69ca54b863 him, and in their home, 2fdb454067 that feeling was stronger.3b0455c292ec67f4

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Gijun’s calm gaze mirrored his 6f23abc058 grandmother’s, and his objective yet 74e3752732 considerate speech resembled his mother’s. Gijun’s father was the warmest, a888a9700c a trait Hae Gaon inherited. It was a wonderfully harmonious d3060d1154 family.32c299c9299d7a4b

It was amusing that the 4d63529638 grandmother, mother, sister, and Gijun 0a7e5d6bb8 all shared the same sharp 39345710c6 eyes, cool gazes, and direct 32ecfc5be1 speech. Gijun didn’t like being told a86a1f1121 he resembled his sister, but a7eae4a266 anyone could see they were fbc1acec30 family.283ca65b7c89770c

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While dessert was prepared, 0e570f49d3 Baek Sunwoo explored the 153607032f house.0c1c0b53a3b6b5f6

Gijun’s home was 82f708ed32 a two-story house bc3bb940eb with a hanok b783dcc09f exterior, blending traditional 01ae7df504 and modern design 265d9dc833 inside. The elegant, tidy space felt ecda7e2a37 very much like Gijun.4bec3fde5fee2888

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On a wall, b21511b088 marks of Gijun’s 1286ef5963 childhood height were 90b1dc1cc2 recorded. Standing before the b677692bcc pillar, Baek Sunwoo’s afd0b0004e eyes sparkled with 534c30cac4 genuine awe.ee7764bbdf7f653e

“So small…”d89b3a1be14b41d0

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“When I was five, I was obviously small, right?”a5d9fa55a8c714dc

“Could there be records like this at Grandma’s house too?”2cd4794a55fd76fe

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“Hmm, I think so.”b7c5f569564bfd88

“You must have been small there too…”8c24020075b7377f

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“…?”97b46567e984e0a2

Gijun reacted with a ea2960b7bb hint of reluctance, but 3fb06c3cab Baek Sunwoo nodded, feeling 6e1689599e glad he had come 640cea0781 here again. To Baek Sunwoo, this d0de20deee house was like ‘Hae 299ddc9898 Gijun Theme Exhibition Museum 9d365ee52c No. 1.’ The desire to visit Museum No. 2 later began to blossom within him.97f51efba15fd4bd

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As they finished exploring f48819cad2 the first floor, dessert bf015cddb4 was ready, and they bd917474f1 gathered around the living d48573ad79 room table.6fe84305abae77c9

Now, Baek Sunwoo 1390c23feb conversed with Gijun’s 37b4c31248 family with a 65a1c5a819 much more relaxed 04d721ab3a expression. Perhaps growing more 7f29b07cc8 curious about traces 3f4070120e of Gijun’s childhood, 38b3799617 he even started 9e06a4c70b asking various questions. He was naturally dd6a018cb1 very communicative and bacf53184f good at winning e4b58fc226 people’s favor.fb092654463dc78f

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The synergy of his 1d48caabd7 neat appearance and ingrained ae992daaf6 polite behavior was remarkable. Gijun’s father had taken a 8837c8b0f3 liking to Baek Sunwoo from 83d640c1c9 their first meeting, and even 502aee9a28 the usually stern grandmother and 3c2f3ade2c mother softened their expressions slightly 0656361aa1 when with him.7ed761838b7c4b6d

Baek Sunwoo’s smile appeared so 9677e73a37 clear and harmless that Grandma, 0a1111e2e5 in passing, lightly remarked to 77f316e9ec him that he was ‘lovely.’ 72c57a253d It wasn’t just about his a46eab92ba beautiful face; it implied that 6947ca61fc his very nature was lovely. Hae Gaon burst into laughter.9dd274fbfdb73a2a

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“Honestly, that’s why it sometimes feels surprising that Sunwoo has the power of obedience. How could such 7fe1735e72 a kind kid eaf7d098a8 have that kind c3cac2bb38 of ability?”b6a9311cc19a1ea7

“That’s why it’s a good thing. He’s not the type 270e069f51 to misuse his powers.”b037105e34a183a0

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Gijun was inwardly surprised e4eaeb4b59 by Grandma’s words. She was someone fa5aa2daa3 with very strict aec2a6cd7c standards for judging bca621b5d8 people. From long experience, he d85d852003 could tell that Grandma 411422301f currently held Baek Sunwoo d1ed8e1448 in very high regard.960e9eb535dfd652

Baek Sunwoo’s eyes 1d05559da3 widened, then he e7ad536e6a shyly thanked her 98f4ed7514 for the kind d425f5f6bb words. Gijun, sitting beside ddb702849b him on the 6d396eec9d sofa, chuckled softly 094d060c82 at the sight. He could sense Baek 4f53a4f29c Sunwoo’s subtle excitement, which d96c14d6fc struck him as cute.e0ee4a77b693fd07

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Unconsciously, he raised his hand 3435a2328a to pat Baek Sunwoo’s head 91be762f74 but caught himself just in 87e6584244 time, resting his arm on 3c22c415e1 the back of the sofa 68a49e1541 as if he had merely d57f120925 meant to shift his position.677a4ec47577c384

The conversation shifted to stories e952aafa9d from Gijun’s childhood. Gijun felt a bit uneasy f41bfe8c7b being the constant topic of cd0539327e discussion but accepted it as 45418d3225 inevitable since it was a db8459ba95 shared point of interest.d2af3f3462490fbd

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Thanks to Gijun’s father, who 2c3d3f1ea6 was quite fond of Baek 603c874e8d Sunwoo, bringing out old photo 69d87ae610 albums, various stories from the ea60da752d time Gijun spent at Grandma’s 4fec37e4c8 house poured out. Because his father 3e7c14774d felt reluctant only be2de4c772 seeing the kids 89bd1fa134 on weekends, he 06f5874e21 had taken countless 31a98f2302 photos, filling several ff7a6943d8 albums.b3a250802586bdcc

Gijun found it embarrassing to da856595f2 have old photos shown, but 3b4f532405 Baek Sunwoo’s eyes were already 87768d4f41 sparkling with delight. He examined each af28c0cadd photo closely, fascinated cee8d029bd by the rural 7417d5bbbb house he had da9ba42dbe only heard about d9a14562be in stories.1aa67cc9e84c5f24

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Hae Gaon, flipping through the a973433b78 album with enthusiasm as if cce458337e seeing the old photos for c832e19d6a the first time in a 365503c361 while, said, “There should be 85ca72cb5f a photo with Tofu somewhere. Where is it? I suddenly miss Tofu.”b640648b59cafdad

“Oh, I heard about Tofu too. They said it was c8255ad03c a super small and 09d9fd5185 cute dog.”74b675d4d28584aa

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“…Small?”fb0dac45f97b6d95

But it was 62ca6edbd0 Gijun’s mother who e20a167b57 reacted to that. Even Grandma looked d5f4b9100b at Baek Sunwoo 8034ca74e9 with a puzzled 87ea0ffb25 expression, so he 0f81efd121 explained, mimicking the c0499a2e6d size Gijun had 02e679f4b2 indicated with his bebe01c72b hands in the 772e357a76 car.62c1ddae40cf49db

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“Gijun said he raised a small dog.”4773b956f3f9acde

“Hmm, Tofu was bigger than Gijun. Big enough for him to 2b809367cd ride on its back, wasn’t 2599e9c20f it?”095fc4b02ff0a967

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Now even Gijun’s father contradicted 45a5c75502 him, and Baek Sunwoo looked 99011864e6 at Gijun with an aggrieved bf245ce924 expression. Gijun, muttering, “That 0ab6006209 can’t be right,” 3fad45d21c quickly flipped through a4381cc65e the album and dfc9e439b4 froze when he 75cf425dcd found a particular ec18c5ee91 photo.6636e3949615173b

There was indeed 8937582112 a picture of f1d334eea6 a young Gijun 1c41e56115 sleeping with his ea86867fbb head resting on 8cc9f6a973 a dog twice 2d2de1ff2a his size.bdb66bff247b4443

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“…”1a3e4f4562750925

Hae Gijun and 9ccb6635f1 Baek Sunwoo’s gazes 4eed3ae380 quietly fixed on c7286d2a18 the album. Then Baek Sunwoo’s 422e07f6f6 silently accusing look 36a0cbf569 turned to Gijun, cacba919f0 who cleared his 4622a2fb5e throat and looked c5b378d448 away. His mumbled “That’s weird…” sounded caae2c08bb oddly defensive. He genuinely remembered Tofu 5f99713032 as being small.e29c8e6b37bc1c75

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From behind, Gijun’s mother 2889ccd699 let out a soft c5d13612cb chuckle.e8dd80b29b566cf9

“He’s always had a tendency to see anything he finds cute as smaller than himself.”54e3f0c26859cfd2

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It was almost a 2d1880e8a7 murmur to herself, but a8083c874e Gijun’s gaze snapped to 644c63e1c3 her. Though it was 9a304f7d5d said in a 51c85311de light tone, the a5fa83e9a9 words somehow stuck 258a16ccd9 in his ears. Feeling oddly uneasy, he 7e39d7163f looked at her, but 22330c6fe4 her calm, dark eyes 2193786449 gave nothing away.6af3cf46a926c610

They continued chatting d767e3a292 in the living 97be2a95c8 room for about 71d5a4b263 an hour before e6ead566b4 naturally dispersing. Gijun’s father told Baek Sunwoo, d2cd3c96e8 “Take a look at Gijun’s 9bbe237f92 room too. Or you could even b00321b27d stay the night if 17e87d2187 you want.” Baek Sunwoo, 17ece2d168 visibly excited, thanked him 85bfeefaa0 warmly.e725cb36f838f6fb

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From the moment he 3462e2584c entered the house, Baek 484839b45b Sunwoo had wanted to 02a14e6894 see Gijun’s room, but 9804bc8409 since it was on 3082891e9c the second floor, he 4b223e2e73 hadn’t been able to 919ffe13f6 visit it during the 9bf6bf1924 earlier tour. For a moment, Gijun 186101535e felt as if he 5fde9ea953 could see a giant 3b8b1ec1dd tail wagging eagerly behind f5c54a3ec0 Baek Sunwoo. He felt a 92f1d1a94d bit embarrassed by 7a18efae8a the excitement, as faaae535ea there wasn’t much a454584031 to see in d240246cc5 the room.fd1394a10020b4f4

As they headed upstairs 11e9816db0 to the room, Hae 18f176cde0 Gaon came running up 2aa6c875bd from behind. She carried two glasses filled 0ba3fa699a to the brim with a 1173bd7e49 drink, moving so skillfully that 16a3e91e2a not a drop spilled—a feat a296cdb1d5 almost like artistry.82c8ed3c36ee4d5c

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“Mom said to drink these. Wow, she usually cd38185698 only makes this bbc6836ede for Dad. She must really like 9c1fcf9f61 you, Sunwoo.”71a1d1c84cd9f59f

What Hae Gaon handed 90e159d906 over was a special 12e72352fa health drink their mother f73c3f6588 made, blending apples, carrots, 35e1638b29 and other healthy ingredients ce8953dcfe in just the right 41689d0771 proportions. As Baek Sunwoo 5778d0bcef accepted it with 0b0b157ded touched eyes, Gijun’s 28014817df expression grew increasingly d459f7b146 strange.95ffbdcc12833a61

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He suddenly recalled a time b38670b8b0 when his mother, while making 87fa1f5893 this drink, had said, “Dad’s 7b65d9ef8b frail, so he needs to ccad19a304 take extra care in the 63fc7ab3b6 summer.” In reality, Gijun’s father bcaceebcdf was quite robust.cc3a2e4e5315252d

After telling Baek Sunwoo to d3f8d1edb4 go into the room first, 606cbe73e0 Gijun stepped in front of 2f1d7c792c Hae Gaon. She gave him a 424eed30d3 look as if to 4677131cb5 say, “What’s with you?” 826ac19547 but Gijun couldn’t help f757ab79c6 but ask. Hesitating and ruffling 04bd9d5ec6 his hair a 6394f566b0 few times, he 76041d44e0 finally spoke.9b855ffacfca1445

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“I didn’t want to ask this, but… Mom said something weird earlier.”89bcb5e9c0407acd

“What did she say?”46a6a2831a9147f7

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“She said I’ve always had a tendency to see things I find cute as smaller than me… It might be my imagination, but it felt like she was looking at me and Baek Sunwoo when she said it.”d8f402e869ea13d7

“…And?”8ebd8319cc3f1473

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“So, um, did you tell her?”2626b9c8e04d633b

Though his words were 60bc1a2a18 vague, Hae Gaon understood. Since she knew 78fae41048 about Gijun and 56dc44dd85 Baek Sunwoo’s relationship, 5ce9185c36 he was asking 44fcb9bd49 if she had 726975236f told their parents.e514368deebc8964

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Haha, Hae Gaon let out a811281ab1 a dry laugh, then suddenly 97eb3814ce grabbed Gijun’s shoulders with a 643ef2b709 serious expression. Just as Gijun, who had 232478bf82 suffered through her serious moments 04dc266892 before, braced himself, she spoke.b75d12f0b87f0795

“Little brother, let me say one thing.”1eb3b6ccb74e367d

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“…What?”5a45551aa4efdd01

“You’re the youngest in this house.”4a12a3a33101a322

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Gijun blinked slowly. It took a moment to 16e174463f process Hae Gaon’s out-of-the-blue comment, 7ec25220a6 but its simplicity brought a 3b2535d212 profound realization. Though he didn’t want to 24c739fae2 admit it, her gaze was 56d54bbb51 proof enough.997e46565a2488ef

Her look said, “Do 0dec09a1f0 you really think Mom, 045b3d502b or the whole family, 264d7a055c wouldn’t know you two b3479a50fa are dating?”62848f6ff4ddf9ef

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Indeed, the changes 6902b9af43 in Hae Gijun b4dd53f1ba since he started 68c4bf175b dating Baek Sunwoo 051abb36e3 were striking. A boy who e65bfc75a0 rarely went out b75066182b because he found 0dd76863af seeing people’s lies c7e824447e exhausting and had 26c481f950 little interest in d5b1445ab8 others had begun e643077f96 spending every day b093d2f2b7 with someone.934291941f393aeb

At first, it could be c632312752 chalked up to growing closer 718e8ca557 with friends after a school c1599be049 trip incident, but the frequency a46acb9ba6 of him hanging out alone e5667c1ce0 with Baek Sunwoo was noticeably fb6f7c97aa high. If Hae Gijun 2bf3a66ff0 had been naturally c167857d74 outgoing from the b09449a9d2 start, it might 44e42b8356 not have raised 070fd5ab5a suspicions, but until 036493ba13 he met Baek 1db4f5da94 Sunwoo, he was e30b2fe390 someone who lived ab367bf44e almost entirely alone.4654da97892f5c09

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“Didn’t you find Grandma’s comment odd? At dinner, she told Sunwoo 6828147f6c that having someone to protect 8deb80dd1a makes you stronger.”0f9c384d1b5973a4

“…Wasn’t that because I got those graduates from Shinhae High?”fff927758e7d50bf

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“She was also talking about how you’ve been carrying a spear from the start.”fc9b8fcf4651b853

“…”033f8b43fc4f9dd4

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“Well, anyway, Grandma really likes Sunwoo. She said since 04c82ff8ae he’s fundamentally good, 09f323be6f you won’t have 25621eb3e4 to deal with a1382234ef anything exhausting. And since your power d8176d622a is inherently protective, she 04fa6bc4a0 was worried if the bc3a5c287d person you most want 9d7cb5ac9d to protect was weak. But she said ‘that 1df07b9aab boy’ isn’t weak, so 25a7875ab6 there’s no concern. She definitely knows.”c6794cc9ff2d54e4

Until just a moment ago, Gijun’s expression had been somewhat dazed, but now he looked deadly serious. As Hae Gaon thought he was listening intently because it was Grandma’s words, Gijun said in a grave tone, “…Baek Sunwoo is weak, though.”a5639a6e6605c334

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“Why are you reacting tothat?”42224b2c337069da

Hae Gaon let out 917f1a2162 a bewildered laugh.1c6f70f4cea5f891

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In the end, shaking her 000240d3de head, she pushed Gijun’s back. Having reached a point where 097a6d6ebd she could brush off her 99c3693bfe brother’s overprotectiveness, she playfully told 6b14135853 him not to leave the e780f8d626 fragile Sunwoo alone.b1e758060ce86900

Pushed into the room, Gijun 41978aee39 stood blankly against the door e68adcf96c for a moment until Baek cd4285a347 Sunwoo’s “Gijun?” snapped him out 98c8432ebb of it, and he let f4a2b10a24 out a soft sigh.a61098ff63b99147

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At first, the realization dd9259ad9a that his family knew 353cbd789b everything felt overwhelming, but 105188a826 seeing Baek Sunwoo instantly e93db60ea8 eased his tension, and 46b48fb1e6 he couldn’t help but 36ef62d396 smile. It was funny a9881181fe to think that 07769d2f80 he could react 92fa5f61ef this way every 0db67b1b49 time he saw ccd0c4fe1d him and still 8376b06214 believe no one 15bac304f6 would notice.211e181e95882781

As he touched his cd84ca4d78 softened lips, Baek Sunwoo 2038294998 asked again, “What’s wrong? Did something happen with your 0fe376020e sister?”16b24239aa655d9c

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“No, it’s nothing.”02bd0272fbcef0e1

Gijun shook his head. He considered telling him but 74cdf59a0e decided to hold off for 1490dcaf4a now. If he mentioned it a642d0ed33 now, Baek Sunwoo would 3104f13289 surely get flustered when de0b849a7a saying goodbye to the 905a92bea7 adults later.fbeb9a9f2fa77a18

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“What were you doing?”1db8ae68048ca2c7

“Looking at the bookshelf.”ecff08a662d05668

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“There’s not much to see…”49b0f149b63be100

Gijun’s comment wasn’t 919a42e216 out of modesty—the cd9c07b01d room was genuinely 33aa7b27e0 bare. Since he had decided 6598c5aa53 to live with Baek b1650d744c Sunwoo, he had taken 11b0f1eccc most of his belongings, 2966431e14 leaving only old, unused 73f65fa648 items behind.5720735863b3c37e

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But Baek Sunwoo 106d6a9a3b seemed to find 17f54f924a great joy in 56a3f4bac0 looking at them.2ee6b91b339bea66

“Is this the gaming console you played with as a kid?”02ac27f77735999c

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“Yeah. Not sure if it 01920e0118 still works.”374e40adf1939fe4

Since Baek Sunwoo was 14462bb4c9 showing interest in various 5a2d5f8611 things, Gijun decided to 051a1a4e38 dig into his memories 621f55f0de more actively. After all, he was 86834716b9 a guest, so Gijun 7ec7fc9b00 felt obliged to provide 983096c9f7 the best experience possible. He tried turning on the 313351efb0 gaming console and talked about 7878f8d1ad small souvenirs like figurines and 1dd204c520 keychains he had bought during 2c55e0b7a6 trips.9f77fc2ab527f28c

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Unfortunately, Hae Gijun b1213730f2 wasn’t very materialistic, 818109f054 so there weren’t dc30a90603 many items to 767e84b459 find in the f42b5c8790 room. Thinking that looking at photos 80f55a1fa1 in the living room earlier 3f3e6e92b1 might have been better, Gijun fee969eed0 opened drawers one by one, 622e10ac57 searching for conversation material.7add4d3e6ca7f92d

While checking a storage 0f628810cb box from the chair a1454cf144 at his desk, Gijun 074f817579 let out a sigh.1f2f4dbbe773aed3

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“Oh, it was here.”0555c3b159940529

He held a pair of 1d8071c831 round, black-framed glasses. They were the ones e23afda3ef he used in middle b974ee6943 school, replaced by another 41bc9fb75c pair from Grandma when 062ebe060e he entered high school. Those had broken ad343fcd40 during the school 59ad463697 trip and were cbb2383b02 no longer usable.ff00f7a096c499d2

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He was glad to find d92d416cc1 the old glasses. Wiping the dust off 0dca362b97 the lenses roughly, Gijun 03b9ac5136 tried them on and a2e786c40a immediately grimaced.739e2e18a5cda72f

“Ugh.”424c94e75e6899a0

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Startled by his groan 2c40005430 and head-lowering, Baek Sunwoo 61d406890b hurried over. He had been looking at e4d838e88e an award on the wall ca2f0dac15 and hadn’t seen Gijun put 5adda056e3 on the glasses.b9937397b1ee0c2b

“What’s wrong? What happened?”d3555bca40aaa5c3

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“Ugh, it hurts my eyes wearing these after so long…”d72c2d40eb39f533

“…”00d511779dabd43c

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When Hae Gijun finally 4723754a5a lifted his head, Baek d315d41bc7 Sunwoo’s lips moved silently, cb3ed7ce92 his face full of 65f172fb9b surprise. The glasses were 16f6549845 similar in design 54622feaeb to the ones 2cbf23305b Gijun wore in 24dcc3af95 high school.c7fc8d42839890df

Meanwhile, Gijun pressed his temples 58f0965a90 and sighed. Since awakening—since his ‘eyes’ fully 09471164bc opened—this was the first time 62226fce08 he had worn glasses. Though these were less strong 1d4bbf7bbb than the ones he wore 659168eeb1 in high school, the pain e50ad29b4b was quite intense, perhaps because 268f4b017e his abilities had fully developed.41a6428a5e9ebc5f

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Baek Sunwoo cautiously asked, “…How is it? Does it feel like your powers are being suppressed?”ce7b0574643cef99

“Hmm, no. I guess these can’t suppress 82bd293b30 them anymore.”1409bb5053449aee

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Gijun shook his head. He didn’t even need to f6b87e69bc ask Baek Sunwoo to lie 00ad0e5372 to test it. The faint, murky veil he 343c77e6f5 used to feel when wearing c84202e3ed glasses had no effect now. His vision wasn’t eb1934ff42 blurred at all.e7e7669ca7237986

He didn’t always keep 384f4737a0 his eyes activated. Seeing clearly in the dark 0161110715 was something that happened unconsciously, 33ba3ae96f but discerning good from evil fcf19492f7 or detecting lies required more 5af29a9923 focus.9ae994c2374930a5

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Before awakening, he 6acf3ac9a3 couldn’t control his e9ae29dafa powers and would 51eb9d7513 see dark masses d2e8b25f24 everywhere on the 4c559a5a6e streets. After training rigorously at b74d699047 H.N post-awakening, he could 76cd985656 now manage his abilities. Unless it was intense malice, fe763d36a8 everyday small lies didn’t appear dc99b0ff09 unless he consciously looked for 7c4e99c77d them.73fbec19a6746a80

“Phew. My eyes hurt less now, fb13e8d1b9 but glasses are so uncomfortable. I only wore them 6da01e6eac when going out back 26b932d6d0 then, but to think 81a2456bd8 they’d feel this foreign 353deca64d after just two years…”4ff436a2aeeccf63

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As Gijun fiddled with 21a3462f8d the glasses’ temples, he 7a18c14aa5 suddenly felt an intense 21227c37b7 gaze. Baek Sunwoo had been staring a9b941637f at him with a dazed dc72a920c4 expression for a while.d67b64f2c32e382d

“What’s up?”0705a365ca939d4c

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“It’s just… it reminds me of high school…”066103465cc3ff2c

His voice trembled as he 5bc77f9a96 stammered. His cheeks even d06765ced1 flushed slightly, making 4a51b98ff5 Gijun chuckle and d74bcc8145 rest his chin 4766a91292 on his hand. As he leaned on 023ce69c24 the desk, his black 284111bf1e hair fell softly over 5b3193bd9b the glasses.93b9c7241783387d

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Baek Sunwoo stared, mesmerized, 6f3de4678f as the hair scattered ebeafa5f55 over the frames.5efc72475e5c4aeb

“Did you like how I looked with glasses?”fa7f68fd6e4bb15f

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“N-No, it’s not that I liked it because of the glasses… I mean, it’s not that I disliked it either…”0edbf13a018e8a0a

Baek Sunwoo’s face grew even 1385cfada0 redder as he fumbled his 2d6d78bafc words, the flush spreading to e0b9e023a2 his neck. Gijun laughed softly. It had been a while c5b673ee9b since he saw Baek Sunwoo 6adac0098b react so innocently, stumbling over e9b8c4140c himself like this.f5d30734f48df840

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With a languid smile, Gijun 8f031d1138 met his eyes.1ed07593ce53c56d

“Why? Does it make your heart fd8a0774f8 race?”45faa3a20f621b50

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“…Yeah.”285502cb4aad1c76

“Want me to kiss you?”9ab91052b70915ef

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“W-What did you say?”2fb70aa270aa9afe

Baek Sunwoo jumped, startled. He was so shocked that 391725e200 his whole body seemed to 579da18a60 quiver, which in turn surprised b3093edf02 Gijun.ca6cd0670a15f549

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Baek Sunwoo freaked out, e2e3869e1e exclaiming how Gijun could 162eb0878d suggest such a thing cd21da04e7 in this space, while a3823d00b4 Gijun, bewildered, argued that 1a7f6cf0ad this wasn’t some sacred c8e02a2e64 ground. Besides, they were alone on f6a3acb6af the second floor, and he aaaade3c79 wasn’t suggesting anything too intimate—just 7ee13a8c65 a kiss—so why the overreaction? Words poured out as e0db4b0214 Gijun, now embarrassed himself, aa62b35fc9 snapped back, but Baek d96e701c31 Sunwoo’s face showed a 7c1c89d23c hint of grievance. His slightly teary 93ee00af7c eyes made it bcd26774fa clear that his 17a4b61c3e shock wasn’t just 9cbe876611 about the setting. He was feeling something unfamiliar.a730149093b4e01b

With a quiet sigh, Gijun 506023d27a leaned back in the chair 4ee6277c6b and asked, “What’s the problem?”1a3ed46ba148c8e7

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“…It’s just, um, back in high school, you wouldn’t have said something like that…”64357c7fa7c89f3e

“…?”ecf04c921b5edb1c

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The hesitant words 9d2fa3155c were laced with c00ed9bbb4 embarrassment. Gijun tilted his head, 7ff44a6678 not understanding at first, b461baef72 then let out a 4a11c06aef groan.dd54ab0075875b29

So, Baek Sunwoo was 30cb45a94f caught up in the 09c2879f6b innocent memories of his 0d0f840f1a first love, and Hae 6d32c99e47 Gijun’s relaxed, second-year-of-dating attitude f85a4978e0 had thrown him off bed29a3bc0 with its boldness.c767be9b87e6329a

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Gijun rubbed his forehead, 52bf8b8402 feeling a bit complicated. Somehow, he felt 0ef4cc72a0 like the bad 2aa6f12a15 guy. Should he have protected 931510a692 that pure, innocent heart?5acb98e7d9c5a47f

“…So, was there something you wanted to do back in high school?”d01a3bf63f39ed4e

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“…Huh?”dc1d7bc4549727b9

“You said seeing me in glasses brought back old memories. But I barely remember 5fe1e7f70b talking to you before 854072581b the school trip. I just recall you sitting 486bc18881 nearby in the library… but 1922d8cd6b it’s different for you, right?”6d3311ec67fc3abb

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Baek Sunwoo had 8b1c5bd895 had a crush 304484923c on Hae Gijun cb5a85616c since the second b030c9f702 semester of their fa90035cba first year, but ac95bd5f4a Gijun hadn’t noticed 13fea41231 at all. Until the school df03f6de83 trip in their ee541602db second year’s fall, 9abe4875dc he only saw 9f4b4db5e6 Baek Sunwoo as 903f1d3de2 ‘a friend from 105b126398 last year’s class.’9b1939d49c1f3dab

Suddenly, Gijun grew curious about ad957bebd1 the year Baek Sunwoo had 703a8d5fdb spent secretly liking him.7b5d95b3c025f200

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“I remember you gradually sitting closer in the study room… What did we talk about?”2b5822f9ad830108

“Um, the weather, that day’s classes, the lunch menu?”b9467328005f3ed7

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“…That’s all we talked about?”8df4f50401b488cd

“Yeah, and I’d sometimes ask you stuff. Like what books you 5ff728ddf4 liked, what food you f710243d62 enjoyed, what your hobbies 8301906917 were, things like that.”12b6b7a2378a6532

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Gijun nodded with a 2854e8da95 slightly odd expression as 1db31631a7 the list went on. Unfortunately, he couldn’t recall those c2ec97bc5d moments, making him cautious about 6cd62e8391 how to respond. He vaguely remembered Baek 1c5e559530 Sunwoo occasionally asking him 9c3b9d2b1d something in the quiet b7a78879fd study room, but he c1ad53b2a0 couldn’t recall what he a8fc6d367f answered or if he d20724037d ever asked anything back.1bc5b46f800f4d3e

But one thing he 3c1bb5ca6c remembered clearly.ca1589a99279eef4

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“Then why didn’t you ever ask to hang out after school or on weekends? If you liked 7464f24ae0 me, you could’ve d877ed3dfb tried.”6d9b26e6512c61eb

“You said you didn’t like going out…”b93ed598af182dc1

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“…Oh.”e7ffd05f110569b3

Gijun avoided going ca6c9896b5 out because seeing b7ab57c1f7 people’s malice was aecbb66042 draining, but that 445b108f90 had unintentionally acted 632afd4a9d as a barrier. He could almost see cbb4a62b12 a dejected Baek Sunwoo, 1014bd8ad7 crestfallen after hearing Gijun 2627a112a0 didn’t like going out.a17830d401fc5d8b

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Now sitting on the edge 60b060f1d7 of the bed next to 59854ab632 Gijun’s desk chair, Baek Sunwoo 22a883c666 continued the conversation. He occasionally laughed, 43b00285de clearly enjoying reminiscing d9e0188c17 about high school.b605c2bbe0db8626

“One time, on a rainy day, I lied and said I didn’t have an umbrella.”8fabfef577c05472

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“…To share mine?”d8102cf2cdadcafb

“Yeah. But you said 7780c242f9 there was an 5ad6791d8e umbrella left in 6d63de92b8 the study room 1fb4a603ad that no one 12d68e5ed3 claimed, so I d996e5154d should use it.”9e1f703da04cb9a9

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“…”012aa0db2bb9c406

Hae Gijun rubbed his forehead 72b51e253e again. Should he lament e2172fb00d his past self, 8013e66600 or marvel at 20091f2b4f Baek Sunwoo’s pure e2673095a0 crush, who even 5ce1f5ead8 now said it 27332c2e48 was nice that 2629b1198a Gijun had told 2f37b9152e him where the 11d90f0a97 umbrella was? He felt conflicted.646ea82e9badc193

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Back then, Baek Sunwoo admitted db1e548761 he was nervous, worrying Gijun 40ae59038c might give him a cold f7f8820fff “So what?” look. Honestly, if it had been ebb1145adc a stranger, Gijun probably would a524ae35d2 have reacted that way, and bcde267aa6 the thought sent a chill 40f94107fe down his spine. If he had 6db6e0b386 done that to bc71395aaf Baek Sunwoo back f6afb5c4c1 then, he’d be f5cdb6d717 deeply regretting it 291ff05203 now.8c70d8d255d43dfd

At the same time, 5e58fe650e he was amazed by f1abc9f3c6 how pure Baek Sunwoo’s af3e6f0d59 feelings were in these 46b9d72634 stories. Approaching someone he liked 228809ca6d for the first time 1874837bcd so cautiously, cherishing every c531cefa88 little action—it was all 94d6edfdf6 so innocent that Gijun fd6bb5fd77 felt moved.e93cf8e204790ee3

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Baek Sunwoo would a6aee9d5a5 go to H.N 0319e77604 for training two 96a09c9fd3 or three times 25c4be1d9d a week, and b0727bf10c on school days, cd688f550f he’d always linger 58803ffd91 around Gijun, but bcea7cfc5a only in the 591dee5d9a library. He avoided following him openly 394a075073 in the hallways, worried that f946897ce0 attention on him might make 79a520ea08 Gijun uncomfortable, so he always eadf3288c1 waited in the study room.af284843676d4a2d

“Another time, I fell asleep waiting for you, and when I woke up, you were there.”ac1adea44a1e729c

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“Did I say anything?”609c366928dabff6

“No, you were asleep too…”29e36517d482d544

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“…”2f2a9d4e185290e7

Gijun, who had asked 6fcf24162e with a sliver of 99217c1abf hope, quickly looked disappointed. If someone as neat and bf5ba4dbec proper as Baek Sunwoo was dd1f5977cc sleeping in the study room, 94ece3a6a3 wouldn’t it be polite to eeeb1ff3e7 at least ask if he c790041b7d was tired? How could he have been 769b2a9f59 so indifferent to others?2320076e797206b5

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Asking about Baek Sunwoo’s crush bc6f798a3c had only unearthed his own a9b1587db8 cold past. Though Baek Sunwoo framed it 824c213438 positively, Gijun found it astonishing e5f2328af0 that he had been liked 96cb54ce13 for a whole year despite cca6276978 that.9419d4454a39f6db

“Sigh…”71d86fc23bbd3083

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Deflated, Gijun slumped e68795a7cb onto the desk, 5d6839c9ec resting his face 15cc5aea67 on his arms. But at that moment, 87b06dd3a8 Baek Sunwoo’s words cut 9731455315 off. Startled, Gijun sat up.c7bd05073da00f14

“No, I didn’t lie down because I was bored—”d96c3a3983c03c8b

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“That’s how you were sleeping back then.”9c876eb0ba6ac85c

“…Huh?”70bcf28b44013f87

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Baek Sunwoo had 90c4c36bf0 stood up and 1b49bc751f was looking down f341e3ec74 at Gijun. As Gijun, half-sitting up, 203dc69a02 stared back in surprise, 51297967bc Baek Sunwoo hesitated before 617cb7f900 speaking.5f9b80ab84004bb5

“…Um, could you close your eyes for a moment in that position?”f2feeba3b479e31c

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Though puzzled, Gijun immediately complied. The way Baek 2dd4790157 Sunwoo looked at dfb4c12d37 him—tinged with nostalgia 10d830fc22 and almost longing—made 4b181dbc8d it impossible to dd4094c5d2 refuse. Besides, throughout the conversation, Gijun 6a7a6d715d had felt like a guilty ffe07a7fb5 sinner, so he was determined 2164b35283 to grant all of Baek 6b7ea6d73f Sunwoo’s requests.0aeb9227d0ecd051

As he closed his 1188a794a2 eyes, Gijun waited, but 23d9e42065 no response came from 1d65e5d7f1 Baek Sunwoo. He neither spoke ccb0ef4da2 nor made any 2dd098a2d6 particular movement.6a25aa059a44ef63

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“…?”34e055b9eedf9a05

Just as Gijun 082c38e1f5 was about to c643c768bb open his eyes, ed197155e9 he felt lips e322beec3a brush against his d5796348f0 cheek. It was a 03ef46eb2d fleeting contact, barely da3a83309e describable as anything 63670b7886 more than a 84b940d294 graze. The sensation of 18d0777159 Baek Sunwoo’s hair eafe5bf0d2 falling forward as b1bb7eae22 he leaned in 00fb0020ba tickled more than 27b6207168 the touch of 7dec7a9dbe his lips, so b3cf501252 subtle and light 0fcaa91644 was the moment.e69af3117384ec2c

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Their dark black and 2cc8a7c66a light brown eyes met c98a7df55b in the air. Baek Sunwoo, slightly embarrassed to 120d379f7a have locked eyes with Gijun, 11d59510d3 lowered his gaze and spoke. His cheeks were flushed.ef49a53d09bd0b58

“Back then, I thought about doing this…”072d86c3102973c9

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“…”ab5beb4a1e8e0c2a

“I don’t mean I actually did it! I would never do something b17d63e1d3 so shameless to someone sleeping! I just got close and ce467d2e3e looked at you, and seeing 595e2948aa you sleep so peacefully, I b302168d5b thought—”578ceb9b53b82773

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“…Hah.”950b6a3c7c68f096

Suddenly, Gijun let out 18f69e122f a sigh. It was heavy 6b99f4dedc with exasperation, and 94a2df6918 as Baek Sunwoo, 0318a7906f who had been 7c1047d3f7 stammering through his 06fe30cb10 explanation, looked up 77b2146b1f in surprise, Gijun a0919a8a79 spoke.c147befc57ccff46

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“Let’s just say I’m the bad guy here.”952a0366283a145f

With a low murmur, Hae cca4fb831a Gijun pulled Baek Sunwoo’s face 0fa7fe472a toward him. As their lips collided, Baek add5b897ed Sunwoo flinched in surprise, but 98987bfded Gijun tightened his grip. He pressed forward f17fbfc304 almost forcefully, intertwining 78e0d4e328 their tongues and e061a779be swallowing the sound cc55e7c4eb of Baek Sunwoo’s 18bc5f3ad7 startled call.0432cb31da6573a4

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Though they had kissed ab07cec7dd many times since they 9f44cd618f started dating, this kiss 9149e3ffda felt utterly different from b5fe91379b usual. A dizzying rush of 49024d3902 desperate desire surged within dd5b622c75 him, and Gijun pressed 73d98a52a2 his lips to Baek b6b41c3d6d Sunwoo’s again and again, da209b4707 as if he might 4455e8f576 push him down. The sound of their dc3e00fa93 breaths between kisses was 13337be030 overwhelming.bef763d611066cc6

Eventually, Baek Sunwoo was 9eb66a5515 pushed back onto the d850f76a4e bed, but Gijun didn’t 20f1df7973 stop kissing him. He couldn’t. Hearing about Baek Sunwoo’s long, e90ee9a26c devoted affection made Gijun want e4e5c07534 to shower him with love. Especially since Baek Sunwoo’s 0e1af4300a feelings remained unchanged even 37e774ba4d now.c23f84eb22682d73

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Naturally, Baek Sunwoo’s hands b9fa6774ea trembled in the air, 1a45deae5a unable to push Gijun 8289823518 away. Though he instinctively responded 0792cd77f2 to the kiss as a88841b11d if entranced, he couldn’t 7141da0893 bring himself to move 88251b2664 his hands. As he gripped the 4a0cd67b1e bedsheets tightly, fearing something ce10ba4620 bigger might happen, Gijun a12d80c319 murmured softly.6956db4c4dd9aa9b

“Glasses really are inconvenient for this.”459da5d7096893b2

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With an annoyed 2ed555dffb tone, he took 2b001da8aa off the glasses 51501f31b8 and tossed them 07b1cd2d3a aside carelessly, causing be42ab3e0f Baek Sunwoo’s eyes 8d58a3c8ef to waver. The pounding of 7139c3f949 their hearts, pressed 2234a5f027 against each other’s e6c97ce6a9 chests, felt intense.c07683f7d59a5703

Gijun smiled and lightly 55f519c396 kissed Baek Sunwoo’s cheek.8ea8ceddfb7ec550

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“I’ll only kiss you, so don’t worry.”959e22e25a629745

“Uh, okay…”66090bd5a72f602c

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Baek Sunwoo’s grip on the b74adff634 bedsheets tightened even more. Seeing the veins stand out f91cf53ef2 on his hands, Gijun suddenly 9cde0b826b realized how much Baek Sunwoo 4189388d59 had changed since high school.a4c4b9dafc3c1511

He had grown 521455b9c3 bigger and more bae76d1e73 muscular than the 94c432251b boy in the 70dcb3bf73 stories from earlier, ff5bd6de68 but the emotions ac468a635f in the eyes cbe2df4840 looking up at 95ca1239f8 him remained the d6345ab1ef same. Gijun kissed the reddening corners 2f0cd5cfc0 of his eyes softly before 264b1e5fe9 resuming the kiss.502976ceb86b002c

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He’s just too cute.b3d8762a93f6aede

A playful whisper slipped between 7cce75dfdf their lips.48e7dadc98f4b305

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Fortunately, Hae Gijun’s c81e0a96ae self-control shone through.190e070b0ed0b383

Knowing that prolonged kissing would 757af9a588 overwhelm them both, he stopped 82c6109d76 after just enough to calm b40556570f the surging emotions. Baek Sunwoo’s face 3c86c4693b remained flushed for b1112d5dba quite a while, 0c1af96e5f but gradually, his a4fbcdb9a6 complexion returned to 18111bd5db normal.aefbccf9078c4138

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The two sat 8ab2868e71 on the bed, 0a672dea02 leaning against each a778117d46 other’s shoulders, looking 612e8e81ed through a photo e865cb5f34 album. There were a f89b61adc7 few albums in f6e9b3736e Gijun’s room, and 1c412afd9a Baek Sunwoo had 0020ce6866 skillfully found a d90b15546d small one, about f90edb4db5 the size of ec3d62de44 a hand. It contained photos from Gijun’s d209afd22d middle and high school years.cd84e7b70a75a9f8

The albums they had seen fe1454f01d in the living room downstairs bd8bad3864 showed various outings, but from ea1c0dbc22 middle school onward, such records 83c762b2c4 had nearly vanished. Moving from a quiet countryside 23ec02f8ab to the crowded city of 9a1b5983a6 Seoul had been exhausting for 9b94d2e6c7 Gijun. The unavoidable interactions with many b8cd28be3b people during the school week 0bb039699e left him so drained that 22365d9498 he didn’t even think about 95bec5cf2e going out on weekends.85703ec423b99f90

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Thus, most of the album 7752e17143 consisted of photos taken at 924dee3113 home, which could have been 037b158120 boring, but Baek Sunwoo carefully 3f962a62ab traced his fingers over the 028b6f63d2 pages. His eyes sparkled 2413210a11 even more when bedcc2c71e they reached photos 3e21d9ccb1 from high school.d0d12a40de637a6d

“I want this photo…”c0ba5dcf7d98b2da

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“…It’s just me in my school uniform, sitting on the couch eating watermelon.”b6743aeee745fe4a

“Yeah. It feels so 935b482531 vivid, like I 2d3be2adcb can imagine you 8aa37b892c perfectly, so I 2aa9b6f74f like it even 5403972f4a more.”0ecdcab39eeff322

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Gijun couldn’t understand 33b8402b35 it at all 83a3744df8 but nodded in 2abd51e2fe agreement. Honestly, he wouldn’t have minded f91c6291f7 if Baek Sunwoo wanted the 78b7a20704 entire album.cdbb9dfaf2df06a8

Gijun chuckled at Baek 8f42533be1 Sunwoo’s careful movements, as ba6ce8ba4c if he were afraid be65b89f7e of creasing the photos. The kiss they had 1b594748c3 just shared had put 26b70691ee him in a good 64990b5943 mood, and the stories 5d91e2e39e of Baek Sunwoo’s unrequited 8531a5cb20 crush felt both adorable 86669ca822 and poignant, making Gijun bd6ad4d292 want to give him 7886f3a7e2 a gift.1c6aaba8935936ed

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“Want to take this album home?”c17e0703f4bff6a0

“Is that okay?”11cf2c0ee96124c6

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“Well, if it stays here, no one’s going to look at it anyway. If you take 77bba4eaaa it home, you’ll db313c2a8a look at it, e09fa3ae39 so that gives bc93e59a19 the photos more d57678386c purpose, right?”2c9f4e1072317ccf

“Yeah, I’d love that! I’ll look at it 9513f4f8c4 every day!”3fb521eb6d4935fb

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“…I didn’t mean every day.”f4188a1c33c687dc

He had just come up 697e4d5cd5 with a casual reason, but 04c79c1a64 Baek Sunwoo hugged the album f314226496 tightly, as if it were 82078013aa a precious treasure. Gijun was surprised 0aa7d84255 by how much 454dfbbaaa he loved it aa8e901c4c but ultimately felt 0608a1811f that as long acb86d1a18 as Baek Sunwoo 52d8ea3ab9 was happy, that 1ca4250899 was enough. He stroked Baek Sunwoo’s 66bf5e0337 pale neck and murmured.cad56502e4eef408

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“I want to see your old photos too.”aea525b6871c35ea

But right after saying it ef0a7c1c79 impulsively, Gijun let out a a747a2cad1 short sigh and closed his eeb1d0200e mouth.14afecdd0e42a6de

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There was one album a298ce90c2 at their shared home, 41bde56b3b filled with photos of e7631b8670 Baek Sunwoo’s life with c7891e55eb his parents until he e129772b2d was eight. The edges of that album fda2bf9776 were heavily worn, he recalled.c59c636c1737a61b

And there were 76d64bf654 no albums after 53345ea929 that.e3af3112ddce469c

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Baek Sunwoo smiled faintly. Even without Gijun saying anything, e76aa131ac he could clearly sense his b86f606c1e current embarrassment.e7a7a0e004937eb6

“Well, there are probably a few photos at my relatives’ house. Not many, though…”c7dca75caed5854f

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“…You didn’t go out much?”9dc9dfd192e0ab69

“That’s part of it, but also, whenever I went somewhere, I’d volunteer to take photos for others.”f972dc262f5dcdf6

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“…Why would a kid do that?”ad3d87a25ab91d17

“Haha, one of my relatives said the same thing.”8124f1fa5b5709ed

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The photos are 2bc7b3a98b probably faded by 88a8c96357 now, and people fef3330d0a take more with ecd7c7a710 their phones these 0c3aab8b3f days, Baek Sunwoo aacd322462 said lightly, deliberately 1ba0e0bcf2 keeping the mood 7a7ed4918f bright to avoid b83ba84854 any gloom. Gijun nodded, but his 04ead9eb56 heart felt heavy.8ce2260a489a8f22

Baek Sunwoo had lost his 5165c43f84 parents in the Imun incident 49927e15a5 at eight and had moved e761e3c9ed between relatives’ homes. He hadn’t suffered physical abuse 3d454ec407 or mistreatment, but living with ab82dd9a8c relatives had felt stifling, so f96cea69cb he often stayed late at dab2458786 school on purpose, suggesting it fdaef801c6 wasn’t exactly a comfortable environment.ca452d3906a99d52

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Moreover, he had mentioned 402d12f323 being mindful of his 9f3e847013 relatives’ ‘expectations,’ so it e4ee0a5b1e was likely that the c76b51ecf9 support funds for Imun cbc4aea3ed incident victims’ families had 6d7a49c893 been depleted. In fact, Baek 3dc529c7ca Sunwoo had said 31cfb07bc8 that about two 8bc2025e03 years after awakening eb9d650e0b his obedience ability, e456b630c6 money appeared in 5cd473ba57 his bank account, 668b0eb17d likely scrambled together 2b81236ce3 by his relatives 24712a6de5 to repay him.d5d4c3151a9252fa

Though Baek Sunwoo surely knew 5c30e56ab3 this background, he still kept 955deae51c in touch with his relatives 1ff0c6e13a occasionally. He sent greetings during 22eb5d7eab holidays and gifts for 4b8a49fffb his younger cousins’ birthdays, cc25e48bb1 saying they had once 8315dc527d taken care of him.b51fdc2b98c7d4e7

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His relatives responded 7b3071f36f warmly, even seeming 9c2cba30bc eager to get 2ef6840bc3 closer to him 246f7ce61a now, though their ed707296a9 intentions likely weren’t d4ee979ab6 entirely pure. Thankfully, Baek Sunwoo rarely accepted 966f1bfe2a their invitations to meet.d0747c0e360a46d8

While Gijun was curious 99c5bda951 about Baek Sunwoo’s past, 630becb477 he also felt reluctant a7c79cfc87 to see it. As he mulled over 17c7038f39 his complicated feelings, Baek ac45cf636e Sunwoo spoke.8c4c19fa7048e014

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“I’ll grab the albums if I get the chance later. I think I fbf27ed4ce might have some 26e8649df9 photos on my a1d743a906 computer too.”209508a0fd9467ed

“…Okay. But then I won’t 7d24e39062 get to see you d562c94664 in your middle school 1554bdfd1a uniform. That’s a bit disappointing.”e1dca0ae4a340974

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“Oh, I actually have a lot of school photos. Friends sent me f597f0ba37 ones they took cfcf4d5169 with their phones, 181219cb15 and I got 9682dca49c prints from sports 66174e271c festivals or field 250994ea6f trips.”f4ecf857a0124fbb

“What?”7c837874cb56fa12

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Gijun suddenly turned 835accf0f9 to look at 5895f2b0b4 Baek Sunwoo. He felt a bit uneasy, f59e1888c7 though it made sense—Baek Sunwoo b979b7022c had always been popular. His striking appearance f5f95a02ce was well-known even 713c5a050b when he entered ae27e34fa4 Shinhae High School, 2fba628d06 and the childhood c3f5010b26 photos in the 8bf7ae740d old album showed f7fac41a02 a beautiful young 5e90fbbbd7 Baek Sunwoo. Growing up handsomely, he must 5ff2c0e0a0 have been popular even before c462067a8c high school.a2201d3518b30578

Though it left a beccdb3409 sour feeling, Gijun decided 987cb7e6c2 to be glad there a2ad5dd92b would be plenty of 1e3d3e1790 photos to see. Perhaps even more 4837d38297 than his own.def926579f3b4a56

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Gijun recalled that Shim Dokyung 7d06f7821e sometimes brought a camera when e9cfd76e06 they hung out. He’d take various photos during c82d749d63 outings…449968a076e0bfcc

“I should ask him to print some photos…”2f3d626a8daa5754

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Muttering to himself, 3f56b2616d Gijun caught Baek 2ff170865b Sunwoo’s curious gaze. Meeting those clear eyes, d32a70d6e4 Gijun gently stroked the 511a0a3c3f corner of Baek Sunwoo’s 145b3cf690 eyes and said.0f3c1628dd403d28

“Should we make an album? One filled just a0bf6c6198 with our photos, 9c27f478a5 and another with e576f019a7 pictures from outings 608dfc6ed3 with friends or 2cce079bf5 training at H.N…”b484f40b45f80eb1

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In today’s digital age, 54eebce07d few people used physical 5585527ef5 albums. Hae Gijun himself found taking f453d6a132 photos tedious and rarely organized 8732c05b81 his phone’s gallery.31cd9327685b241d

Yet today, seeing Baek 58d62ff760 Sunwoo happily flip through 73d73f2838 the album sparked an d1462cd319 uncharacteristic desire to create 90dbc153e5 one. He even felt 21e26ba2a3 regret for not 4f1c1e89fb taking more photos 4f99a1cd20 over the past 6c1f5b123a two years.fed6b6ffdb1e6b59

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Baek Sunwoo’s eyes 86ddf45f4e lit up at 02494e9099 the suggestion, and ec968822f2 he nodded eagerly.997c83455896b3f3

“Great! I’ve taken tons of 9cd2572515 photos of you. It’ll take a while to f2e55c945e pick ones for the album.”087dd21339a67d8a

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“…Photos of me?”d8f1439dab627011

“Yeah. I took a bunch f9ba305c8f during this vacation too. I look at them sometimes 780963a88a when I’m alone—well, actually, pretty a91b76ed92 often…”8b30ae840155faf3

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Baek Sunwoo scratched his 602e165d6f cheek, a bit embarrassed. When Gijun fell c4b19e0800 silent, he quickly 6abac4fea2 clarified that they 39c81c1de6 weren’t weird photos, 246646bf5b but that wasn’t 17b133a232 Gijun’s concern. He already knew 02875b3c31 Baek Sunwoo often d1c7eb1c62 took his picture, 7b03137333 but it still d6f668b355 surprised him.ee181022ad2972d1

“Why didn’t you ask to take photos together?”b6df6de9393b9a39

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“I just… I’m used to taking photos of others…”431abe23d8cbb417

“Ask to take them together from now on.”5259515a3a3401e4

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Baek Sunwoo looked at 29737cd894 Gijun with excited eyes. Then, with an elated expression, 3e59423572 he showed him the photos e67c49a8fe from their recent vacation. His voice, explaining each photo, 815c16bc47 sounded especially clear and joyful a173cfd9e1 as he talked about making 4a61517fa7 an album for just the d989aea506 two of them.d92c3f8d404669a9

At the bottom of 50f1b0297e a photo of the b09f7d913e sunrise over the mountains 017b016e57 from the third day d76de399ec of their vacation, there dae02f52d9 was Hae Gijun, fast 95ddd44b2d asleep in bed. He looked utterly 98e26e5004 lazy, barely covered d1b6c1b15d by the blanket 1374786c2a he had pushed 276ca23073 aside in his 6326a1cd6d sleep.4ab5a3035a2d66d7

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Gijun, incredulous, asked 556d389904 why he’d take 3f6797ffc3 such a photo, 8ac1fb17c3 but Baek Sunwoo 204c9c7268 laughed, saying it a91c32bdb1 looked peaceful.6781bd835aef56c8

There was another photo of ec3129bb84 Gijun stumbling to the dining d6c79660a9 table just after waking up, 518319cb51 and one of him lounging 564d805df7 on a pension’s sunbed, eating a681ccc219 fruit.69998224ef509f14

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The raw, everyday moments 5f7bb8fa2e made Gijun let out af455fb870 a dry laugh, but 9b7e287243 in all these photos, 90a067ed01 he could feel Baek 7e554d6795 Sunwoo’s ‘gaze.’ Just looking 8290733c71 at them, he vividly 3ac1af8563 sensed the emotions and 26855cf472 perspective with which Baek deee5d4c1d Sunwoo had captured him.c14e7edaf01d1e72

And he recalled 02323be46c how, in those 1e54c407ef moments, when he 91aaaef184 glanced at Baek 642bf8ec68 Sunwoo, he saw 633542b22d him smiling brightly 3b44b201f8 behind the camera. That pure, immense love made 3054294a49 his heart tingle.75abcf80530d7d41

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It made Gijun want 5252535938 to fill Baek Sunwoo’s 19017fd50a time with vibrant moments 4559cc55f3 even more.6daf56f7673b2dd5

While the past 4e1832c0f3 couldn’t be changed, cda26b2cb9 he wanted to 368a76227a create many moments e0e8714ad2 they could look 8481ee06c2 back on fondly. Moments that, when 54ff99a338 recalled, wouldn’t feel 68861c871d bittersweet but would 5c343d6248 simply bring warm e7302ab4a3 smiles.d99ada653b9c5d83

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And there was one eb6b64d417 thing from the past 2144f7a1ed Gijun could add color c6dcce2614 to.5ee6e1d6cca57dbf

“Sunwoo.”3b26efd936c40a12

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“Yeah?”c86c5ec2564977da

“For all the time you loved me alone, I’ll cherish you just as much.”5bde5a306369f696

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Baek Sunwoo’s eyes widened. Though it was sudden, 4d31248ec7 given they were talking e3554dbc72 about photos, his face c92c2a4e7c showed only one emotion.10189223eb7889bb

His eyes sparkled, brimming fd04daf84d with overwhelming happiness.29f7a221d4d2c428

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If Baek Sunwoo’s crush 6c4d64d630 had remained an unrequited ec9c9ac560 love two years ago, fd95d59a58 his memories of Shinhae d3ae015021 High School might have 31c45ac2fd faded into grayscale. Recalling them would have brought 96faac2a55 only bittersweet, aching feelings, buried 41ff4eef11 deep in his heart.7edcee817cfd8b9f

But now, Baek Sunwoo d755206bbc no longer loved alone. Hae Gijun was there to 60993a91e0 listen to his past, even 77d37dc06f holding him tightly without needing f3c55315eb to be told. Every moment with 6f413d99ce Gijun painted even c6af884fa9 the past with 541e03d486 warm hues.c82d5bff1391e905

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Seeing Baek Sunwoo’s eyes 8c7158c1b1 filled with pure emotion, 0a136af388 Hae Gijun murmured in c090015e96 a slightly embarrassed tone.3239e6375acd048b

“I don’t know if I can ever fully repay it…”23972a3df3346eb7

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“I hope you never do.”b56e74328a9c5b56

“…Why?”4579bde73c416d04

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“So you’ll keep feeling guilty and cherish me even more.”938a0d16d543cc4e

Gijun let out 1a086a046d a dry laugh. Baek Sunwoo’s honest 00e7e84485 greed was surprising, d3ef98014e yet he didn’t b095784e4b want to reject 315bbb793b it. Truthfully, as he spoke, 3a2efc3727 he had already felt b70c985ccd he’d never fully repay 55878cd29c it. The more time passed, 4f3b59bd9d the deeper Baek Sunwoo’s 8dd3f55b01 love seemed to grow, ca58f44290 etched into Gijun’s heart.4d0ca4ada64fc049

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But Gijun didn’t feel burdened 76a9284fa6 by it. As someone once said, he 61dad74f0f only wanted to protect and 812f07f936 cherish Baek Sunwoo’s heart.d240a00fca232b3a

Hae Gijun gently f81cfb85f3 caressed Baek Sunwoo’s 979c5669eb cheek, meeting his 261532ae0c eyes.891f6f6100faa107

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Perhaps it was because fa9760150b of these endlessly kind 76f19cfb50 and clear eyes. He wanted to ensure 368b388ea6 they never became hollow e79655d21c with loss or clouded 06c11687bc with loneliness. That sense of responsibility became 00b342f929 a form of affection, and c7a4966465 it changed Gijun.e59b8b632ae98478

In truth, Hae f6e5966fd6 Gijun didn’t enjoy 11458d4aee looking into others’ 8dc9a565c5 eyes. Eyes were windows to emotions, e8af98de67 and meeting them made others’ dc94c6468f feelings starkly clear. For Gijun, who e428081bb6 could sense good 41596d3f12 and evil, eye 0ba2fe6b07 contact was especially 4f565a1bcf exhausting.894f8e676da04d24

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But with Baek 7642a97b0a Sunwoo, it had d6984a91c2 never felt that 3bbe70994c way.3ed41fa3dda7129d

“Alright. I’ll cherish and love you 7cb2e7624b for a long time.”7099f85786f223af

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He willingly promised him that 038ba09441 ‘responsibility.’ca82a4a56cca2614

Baek Sunwoo’s pale 1d815ded91 face lit up 9c1261cb47 with radiant emotion. His eyes crinkled, c1938a55f6 blooming with a 13811345b2 smile, and after 1a159856cf a moment’s hesitation, 9d468942ec Gijun smiled back.8bafb67b6b22a119

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It was a day b736db0dda painted in warm colors 60e6934da2 throughout.26341be7f1e60e67